Chapter 5
The Sorting
Matt and Lara changed into their wizard robes shortly before they arrived at Hogwarts. "We are now arriving at Hogwarts" a voice said throughout the compartments. "Please leave your things on the train. It will be sent to your dormitory." Matt and Lara got off the train.
"1st years, over here" said a voice. "And hurry it up. I need to guide you across this lake." "Now, now, Argus." Lupin came up to the person. "Don't treat the 1st years with too much disrespect. I hear Minerva is in quite a mood herself, these days." "That's Filch, the caretaker." Lara whispered. "He was at Hogwarts when my Dad was. He thought he was dead. He said he was rather unpleasant, and wages war against the students." "Alright you lot" Filch was saying again. "Get into a boat. I'd like to get to the castle as quickly as possible." Matt looked around. There was no sign of the other students. He guessed they had a different route to the school.
Matt went into a boat with Chris and Drew. Lara also joined them, but sat next to Matt because, to Matt's guess, she didn't want Drew or Chris starring at her. Not that sitting next to Matt helped. They continued to stare at her from their side of the boat.
The boats propelled themselves magically across the lake. Filch was in the lead boat, and half a dozen other boats were fanned out behind. Chris was trying to make conversation with Lara, who was looking uncomfortably at Chris. Drew was just Starring wide eyed at Lara. "You know," Lara said to Matt. Drew's eyes got wider. Chris stopped trying to speak to Lara. "I think this might be funny, having people to overjoyed to even talk. But as for not being as famous as my Dad." She gave a grim look. Both Chris and Drew were starring at Matt. "What?" Matt asked. At that moment, the boats pulled up to a dock, and Filch bellowed, "Out!"
Filch put them in a room and left. Many people were murmuring about how the got sorted. "I heard that they weigh your brain, and put you in a house according to how much it weighs." Said a person. "That's crazy!" A girl said. "I thought they had a fortune teller already have put you in a house." The rumors were quite absurd, and when Prof. McGonagall came to fetch them, a tall, black haired boy was telling how his brothers had to wrestle a werewolf. "Honestly…" McGonagall sighed as she led them out of the room.
They were walked out into a huge room, with four long tables, all having people at them. In front of them was a table with several adult wizards sitting. On a stool in the front of the line was a raged old wizard hat. "Lucky…" Said Chris. "What?" Matt asked. "You're on talking terms with Lara Potter! The daughter of the person who killed Voldemort!" He whispered to him. Drew shook when Chris said Voldemort. "Don't say that!" He said angrily to Chris. Prof. McGonagall drew their attention to the raged hat, which sang:
Years ago the founders of Hogwarts school
Sought out children with wizard blood
Brought them here and trained them what to do
But Goddrick began to wonder how to sort
After they were through.
Goddrick pulled me off his head and Ravenclaw put brains in me;
Hufflepuff preformed a charm so that I could see.
Salazar preformed a spell so I could think freely;
After these four people left, I stayed here to sort
Boys and Girls who came to Hogwarts, sizes of all sort.
The Weasly twins try as they might to alter what I say
Simply made me smarter so that I could sing this way;
Gryffindor is Strong and Brave, Leader of the bunch
Hufflepuff is brave and true; they'll always be your friends.
Ravenclaw is smart and wise; they'll always pack a punch
Slytherin's are Powerful; you might do well in there;
Those Slytherin's are individuals; they'll be here till the end.
Put me on, I'll sort you all, to one of the four names
I've sorted many before now, and all have met their aims.
Many people clapped to this song, and three people at the first table put their hands up in a salute when "the Weasly twins" were mentioned. "So, all we do is try on the hat?" Matt asked, questionably. Chris shrugged. "Yeah, seems like it." Prof. McGonagall took of a roll of parchment. "When I call your names, you will come over and put on the hat." She said, and then looked at the parchment.
"Boot, Alan!"
A boy came out of the front of the line and sat on the stool. He placed the hat on his head, and shortly afterward, the hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!" People at a table, that was second from the right, clapped and Alan went over to join them.
It didn't take long for Prof. McGonagall to get to Matt's name. "Canton, Bryce" also went to Hufflepuff. "DeLeque, Renee" and "Diggle, Jonathan" both went to Ravenclaw. "Why should it be special" Matt started to ask Chris as McGonagall said "Kimin, Arnold" (who was the first new Gryffindor), "that Lara speaks to me?" "Because!" he said, acting as though the answer was obvious. "Lara Potter… Daughter of the one who defeated Voldemort(several people in line draw gasps and turned their heads to look, horrified, at Chris)… do you get what I'm saying?" "Yeah, I suppose. But its know reason to go all crazy whenever she might enter the room or something."
A tall, blonde-haired, boy, by the name of James MacDougal, was sorted into Gryffindor. The next was Jennifer McConnall, which was sorted into Ravenclaw. Johanna Malfoy, a thin, black-haired girl, was sorted into Gryffindor. The Slytherin's booed her as she went to join the Gryffindor table. The Slytherins seemed to hate that Johanna was in Gryffindor.
"O'Brian, Matthew!" Prof. McGonagall called. Matt hadn't intended being this nervous when his name was called. He walked out to the stool, but stumbled on a piece of carpet. There was a small amount of laughter that came from the crowd. Matt sat on the stool and put on the hat.
"Confusion, that's normal from muggle families" said a voice inside his own head. "Difficult, yes… talent, and quite a lot. An incredible mind, but should expect no less from the child of the prophecy. An acquaintance with Harry Potter, I see, and his daughter. Difficult, indeed." Matt thought about what Chris and Lara had said about their favorite houses, and which ones they'd hope to get into. "Gryffindor, eh? Yes, Gryffindor would suit you in many ways. But not in saying Ravenclaw wouldn't as well. I suppose, I will leave it up to you, Matthew." Matt thought in his head Gryffindor, but didn't have time to say it before the hat laughed and said "Ahh, I thought that would be your choice. Well then, so be it. GRYFFINDOR!"
Matt misplaced the hat from his head and went to join the table that was applauding their new arrival. Prophecy? Matt wondered. What did it mean, Prophecy? Does this happen to everyone? Maybe the hat is a bit crazy.
"O'Brian, Megan!" Matt's sister was sorted to Ravenclaw. Lara was sorted to Gryffindor. She had gotten the most applause out of all the new Hogwarts students. She came to sit down next the Matt. "Redwood, Drew", one of Chris's friends, went to Hufflepuff, and Chris Walker himself went to Ravenclaw. Lastly, Robert Young went to Slytherin.
Prof. McGonagall stood up. The same elderly old man that Matt saw on the plane took the sorting hat away, then came back and sat the teacher's table. "Now," Prof. McGonagall spoke. "I need to tell all of you several important matters before we begin the feast." She cleared her throat. "This is going to be the last year I am headmistress of this school." Several of the older students started grumbling at this news. "Now, now. As most of you know, I was asked to succeed Prof. Dumbledore after his problems with the ministry. I never wanted to become the headmistress, and after last years accident, I'm afraid that I don't want to be here for much longer." She lowered her head, in, as Matt thought, memory of last year. Matt didn't have the slightest clue to what happened last year, so he just sat, looking from face to face. "Now, as most of the older students should know," Prof. McGonagall said again, now eyeing the three who had saluted the Weasly twins with slight anger. "The Forbidden Forest on the grounds is off limits to everyone. And everyone should remember that the giant squid is a dangerous creature, and is not only there for decoration." Several people laughed at these words. Prof. McGonagall sat down, marking the end of her announcements. Instantly, food appeared on the table before his eyes. Matt piled as many good foods on his plate before eating. "Ugh…" Lara said, a sick look on her face. "Something wrong?" asked Matt. "I don't think I should have eaten the sweets on the train." Matt handed her a roll. "Here, have some bread. I wouldn't hurt." Lara took the roll. "So much for me being not as famous as dad." Lara said. Matt glanced up from his food. "Well, I suppose it won't be all that bad for you." "Why not?" Lara asked sounding agitated. "I explained on the train." Matt went back to his food.
"Now that everyone has finished eating," Prof. McGonagall was saying after everyone was finished eating. "The house prefects will take you to your house's common room. They will direct you into your dormitories." Everyone stood up from their tables. People in front, who Matt assumed were prefects, directed them out of the Great Hall (Matt found it was called this). The Slytherin table went first. Slowly, the Gryffindors piled out, most of them too tired to speak.
They walked along the corridors, following the prefect. He led them to a painting of a fat woman. Matt wasn't even surprised that the woman in the painting asked "Password?" "Muffin." The prefect spoke, and the painting swung open to reveal a large, round hole. The prefect led them through it into the common room. It was a large room with several plush chairs. The prefect directed the girls into a dormitory, and the boys into a separate one. It seemed that Matt would be sharing the room with the other first year boys. He went strait to bed, not noticing that his things had been brought from the train. Not even bothering to get under the blankets. He was asleep in seconds.