Chapter Two: Where did the phoenix come from?

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the huge man.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

Harry whispered to himself, "So that's his name."

Hermione turned to look at him and asked, "Did you say something, Harry?"

Harry silently shook his head as they followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. The first years were led into a small, empty chamber.

They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall was saying as Hermione whispered into Harry's ear, "Thanks for making me feel better, Harry."

Harry smiled at his new friend and whispered back, "No problem."

They smiled at each other as Professor McGonagall said, "The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on the round-faced boy's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on a red-headed boy's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair as Hermione giggled at his futile efforts.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

As she left, something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air and caused Hermione to scream in his ear.

About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost- I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them.

"About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely, which caused the ghosts to look at each other and smile.

As one, the ghosts grouped together and faced the first years.

The Fat Friar smiled and said, "My old house was Hufflepuff. Hope to see you there."

The ghost in a ruff and tights nodded and said, "I was once in Gryffindor. I hope those of noble heart shall follow."

A ghost wearing robes covered with silver blood spoke up. "As a Slytherin, surely those of you made of cunning and ambition shall join me."

A tall woman looked at Harry and Hermione and said, "Anyone chosen to become a Ravenclaw is a friend of mine."

"Move along now," a sharp voice heralded the return of Professor McGonagall. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. Harry had liked them, they seemed accepting. Particularly the Grey Lady and the Fat Friar had seemed kindest to Harry, and hadn't really advertised the qualities of their houses, although Harry had known about them from his reading.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Slightly nervous, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Hermione behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Harry was speechless as he looked around the Great Hall. There were four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. At the top of the hall was another long table where Harry recognized Professor Flitwick, who had accompanied him to Diagon Alley.

Harry looked up and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

Harry whispered back, "I know. So did I."

Smiling at Hermione's astonished face, Harry looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat.

Several seconds later, the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and the hat began to sing:

As you can see, I'm a hat

All you have to do is try me on

Then I can decide where you belong

So let's get started and have some fun.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where we are brave and mighty.

Or perhaps in Slytherin,

Where we are ambitious and sneaky.

How about Hufflepuff,

Where we are loyal to each other.

Maybe Ravenclaw is the place to be,

Where we learn a lot together.

Let the Sorting begin!

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

Harry and Hermione heard the red-haired boy whisper to his friend.

"So we've just got to try on the hat. My brother lied to me!" Harry wondered for a moment exactly what the boy's brother had said, but thought no more of it.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbot, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell over her eyes, and sat down.

A second later, the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time.

As the Sorting went on, Harry noticed the hat sometimes shouted out the house at once, but occasionally took longer to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Harry gave Hermione a small smile as she made her way to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Longbottom, Neville."

The boy who lost his toad fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with him. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal Morag." Harry frowned, and personally didn't find his classmate's forgetfulness funny, after all he was also terribly nervous.

Malfoy stepped forward when his name was called and put the hat on. Not even a second had passed when the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

Malfoy went to join his friends, looking pleased with himself.

The Great Hall grew quiet as Harry was called.

The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him.

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear.

"You are a very tricky person to Sort. Where should you go?"

Harry thought to himself, Ravenclaw sounds nice.

"It does seem like you are meant to be a Ravenclaw. If you're sure, it better be RAVENCLAW!"

Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Ravenclaw table.

Harry was so relieved to have been put in the same house as Hermione, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet.

Harry sat down opposite the Grey Lady, who smiled at him. Hermione gave him a tight hug as soon as he had sat down.

As soon as the Sorting was done, Dumbledore got to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we tuck in, I wish to say a few words. No matter what house you are in, everybody here shall be treated with respect. Thank you!"

Hermione laughed as Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he like to eat on one table. Dudley always took anything that Harry really wanted. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat as Hermione told him about herself.

Soon after, Hermione started talking about lessons.

"I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult."

Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were talking. A man with a turban was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.

It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past the man with the turban and looked straight into Harry's eyes at the same moment that Harry's scar emitted a sharp, hot pain.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"What is it?" asked Hermione.

"N-nothing."

The pain vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Harry watched the two teachers for a while, but neither looked at him.

A second later, Professor Dumbledore go to his feet again as the hall fell silent.

"Ahem- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. As should a few of our older students."

Dumbledore looked pointedly at the twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Dumbledore's words left the students looking serious.

"And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Ravenclaw first years followed one of the prefects through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase.

As they walked, Harry was so tired he kept leaning on Hermione. After several more flights of stairs, the group of students stopped in front of a door with no doorknob or knocker. Smiling to herself, the prefect knocked on the door.

"Where did the phoenix come from?"

The prefect turned to the students. "To get into Ravenclaw tower, you have to answer the question correctly. Any guesses?"

The first shook their heads, amazed.

Hermione held Harry up as he kept leaning on her.

"Hmm let's see, the sun." answered the prefect.

"Well said."

The door opened to a room full of books. The first years were led into the common room.

"Boys dormitories are on the left, girls on the right. Breakfast starts at eight. So, make sure you get there early. Classes start tomorrow."

Harry bade Hermione good night as he made his way to his dormitory. Too tired to talk, Harry pulled on his pajamas and fell into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

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