A/N: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N2: Thank you those who have read, favorited, followed, and reviewed. Keep it up!


The castle appeared out nothing, out of the darkness, hundreds of lights reflecting on the water.

"It's amazing," Maddie heard someone whisper. She agreed. Slowly the lights came closer and Maddie felt the boat hit the land. Her and the rest of the first years were led into a large room.

"It's better than last year, my brother said it was pouring down rain," she overheard. Maddie couldn't help but silently agree. Seeing those lights first thing on a clear night was the perfect welcome to Hogwarts and her magical education.

"Good evening, first years. My name is Professor McGonagall. Please form a single file line. You will each be called one by one to be sorted. Please listen for your names. This way please." We all followed Professor McGonagall into the great hall. The whole room was watching us. I could see Fred and George ahead of me.

"I wonder how we'll be sorted."

"Bill said we had to give a drop of blood," I heard Fred say. None of the other students seemed to have an answer. Sitting on a three legged stool in the center of the front of the room was a dusty looking hat. We all watched as the hat opened a mouth and started singing. I could barely hear the words, but I heard a description of the Hogwarts houses.

"A hat? All we do is put on a hat? I'm going to get Bill," George grumbled.

"Davies, Rodger," was the first name called. Everyone watched as a trembling boy walked up to the front. He sat on the stool and the hat was placed on his head.

"Ravenclaw!" shouted the hat. The table under the Ravenclaw banner cheered loudly. Maddie took a minute to look at the tables. The Gryffindors seemed like a mixed lot, happy, smiling. She wondered if she would be placed there.

She could see Fred and George's brothers, their red hair stood out. The Slytherin table seemed to be uninterested in the sorting. Seemed being the key word.

Maddie could tell they were watching extremely closely, seeing who went where. She noticed one girl making notes of some of the names. Cunning, that's the word the hat had used for them. An interesting choice, thought Maddie.

Maddie wondered if she would be considered cunning. She knew she wasn't knowledgeable. If she had been, things would not have gone the way they had.

"Pritchard, Madalyne!" Maddie froze, her heart pounding in her chest. This was it. This was when she would find out who she really was inside. Part of her feared the hat would take one look at her mind and say she didn't belong here.

"Go on, Maddie," she heard Fred whisper as he pushed her forward a little. Maddie walked to the front of the room keeping her eyes straight ahead. She didn't want anyone to see how terrified she was. She sank onto the stool. The hat was placed on her head. She could feel the cool fabric touch her skin.

"Ahh, now this is interesting. You don't know much about yourself yet, do you, Miss Pritchard. You want to be someone important, you want to be more than the mistakes you have made. You seek redemption, well, there is one place for you to do that." Maddie felt her heart stop. The hat knew everything. It knew the truth. She wanted to rip it from her head, run down the hall and out of the castle.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. Maddie's heart started beating again. Slowly she walked over to the Gryffindor table, being welcomed with applause.

"Hi, I'm Angelina," a girl welcomed motioning Maddie to sit down next to her. Soon Maddie was joined by another girl named Alicia. Fred and George were also sorted into Gryffindor, much to Maddie's pleasure. At least she wasn't going to be separated from her new friends yet. She wondered just how long they would stay when they found out the truth.