I walked with all of the other first years towards the great hall to get sorted but I highly doubt any of them were as nervous as I was.
"Are you Ok Albus?" Rose Weasley asked from next to me, "You've gone really pale!
"Umm...I'm just really scared I'm going to be in Slytherin," I answered nervously. Rose smiled and squeezed my hand,
"It'll be fine, you'll see," I nodded. Trying to convince myself that she was right but I couldn't, not even my dad had managed to convince me,
"Don't worry Potter," somebody said behind me. A short girl with bushy, curly, red hair and emerald green eyes walked up, "you won't be in Slytherin, you're not a pure-blood after all," the girl marched on and I stared after her. There was something about her that I liked. I wasn't sure what it was, it might have been her confidence, the spite in her voice but then again it might not have been,
"You're not evil either," Rose said dragging me back to reality,
"Yeah..." I said distantly. Suddenly the crowd stopped and I nearly bumped into the person in front of me. We'd reached the front of the great hall. Professor Buckingham, the deputy head, stood next to us holding the Sorting hat. She was talking to everyone but I wasn't listening. My eyes scanned the crowd and sort out James Sirius Potter. My brother was sitting at the Gryffindor table chatting to his friends, he too wasn't listening to Buckingham. I kept gazing around the room until I heard,
"Addlington Robert!" The sorting had begun. Buckingham placed the hat on Robert's head then the hat cried,
"Ravenclaw!" Next Buckingham shouted,
"Alpine Martha!" The sorting hat took a little longer to decide that Martha should be in -
"Hufflepuff!" After this Tilly Anderson was sorted into Gryffindor then Buckingham cried out,
"Black Rhona!" The girl that had spoken to me earlier stepped forward and sat down on the stool. Buckingham placed the hat on top of Rhona's curly hair and the hall went silent. It felt like we were waiting for hours for the hat to decide although it was actually only ten minutes, that's still quite a long time though. If you spend ten minutes or longer under the hat you're a hat stool!
"Slytherin!" The hat finally cried out. For the first time in days I felt that I wouldn't mind being in Slytherin, maybe I even wanted to be in Slytherin! I gazed over at Rhona who had taken her place at the Slytherin table. The sorting ceremony continued but I was no longer paying attention I was too busy looking at Rhona. I was snapped back to reality when Buckingham said,
"Potter Albus!" I stepped forward, sat down on the stool and the hat was placed on my head,
"Well, another Potter," the hat said, "at least you're not a Weasley, they bread like rabbits!" Even though the hat was over my eyes I couldn't help but glance at Rose, "Seen you're a Potter there really is only one thing to do with you - GRYFFINDOR" the hat yelled out. Buckingham took the hat off my head and I walked down to the Gryffindor table. Everyone at the table was cheering - even James! I sat down and the ceremony continued. Several more people were sorted then Rose was sorted into Gryffindor. After the ceremony was over the feast began!
After the feast a prefect began to lead us to the Gryffindor common room,
"Please keep up," the prefect cried, "the stairs do move," I quickly trotted up the stairs, sticking close to Rose. We reached a portrait of a fat lady who said,
"Password?" To the prefect,
"This year's password is sweet pumpkin," the portrait sung open to reveal a hole, "remember that!" We all climbed through the hole to find ourselves in a large, red room. The Gryffindor common room. "It has become a tradition to have a party on the first night so have fun!" All of the first years rushed forward to join the party. There were bottles of butter beer, packets of chocolate frogs, every flavour beans and pumpkin pasties piled on the table in the centre of the room. James was standing on a chair telling jokes to a crowd of student.
"Come on Al," Rose said handing me a butter beer "Lets join in!"