Chapter 3: The sorting hat.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Hetalia.

Englands POV

When England stepped of the train he felt happy. He had already been able to make friends with Harry Potter and it hadn't even been a day yet.

He followed the crowed of nervous first years going towards the lake.

The last time he did this was when he went to Hogwarts with his older brothers all those years ago. England could already tell that the school had changed a lot since then. The biggest sign of that was the fact that, instead of Helga Hufflepuff, who led the first years back in his time at the school, they were being led by a gigantic man who England had a feeling was a half giant.

England got woken up from his thoughts by a loud 'Oooooh' from almost all the first years, and England quickly realized why. They had just gotten close enough to see the big castle that was Hogwarts. England smiled to himself. His reaction when he saw the castle back when it had just been built had been similar to that of these young first years.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Called the gigantic man when they got to the lake. He sat down in an empty boat a waved towards Harry and Ron who sat down in a boat together with the Hermione girl and the boy who had lost his toad.

He looked back into his own boat again when he heard someone else sit down beside him. He got surprised when he saw Draco Malfoy and his two bodyguards from earlier looking back at him with interest.

"Hello again, Malfoy" England said with a smirk.

The pale boy seemed a bit at loss for words since it took a while before he answered.

"Hello to you too, Kirkland"

After a few more seconds of awkward silence England felt like he needed to say something.

"So, what house do you think you are going to be in?"

Malfoy didn't even need a few seconds too think about it.

"Slytherin. It's the house my family have always been in. And you?" He asked, sounding sure of himself.

England thought about it for a second. The last time he went to Hogwarts he had been in Slytherin, just like the rest of his brothers, and there was a chance that Harry would be in Slytherin himself.

"I think I will be in Slytherin too. It's where my ancestors were placed after all," He said after a little bit.

They didn't talk much more for the rest of the ride. It was not until they had meet professor McGonagall and she had left to do something, that England had to talk again. He felt a soft tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Hermione Granger.

"I'm sorry, but I heard that you were named Kirkland… Is.. is that true?" She said a bit nervously. He thought about it for a second before he answered:

"Yes, I am, why are you asking?"

"Well, I read about your family in 'A History Of Magic' and it said you disappeared a few years after Hogwarts was founded, so i'm just wondering if you know what happened back then?"

England thought about his answer for a second before he answered:

"I'm sorry, but no, I don't. All I know is that we have been living in the muggle community for a while"

"It's alright. Are you looking forward to starting lessons? And with house do you think you are going to be in? I personally want to be in Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw works too…"

She kept on talking and England smiled to himself. He could tell that she was looking forward to starting lessons. He also had a feeling she was going to be a good student. She asked something more but England response was cut of by a few people screaming. He looked up to see about twenty pearly white ghosts. He recognised the Fat Friar talking to another ghost about Peeves the Poltergeist, he also saw The Bloody Baron only a few meters away, terrifying a few first years.

"Move along now," said a sharp voice, making almost everybody in the room jump in surprise. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

As they walked into the great hall Hermione immediately started talking again and England knew she was starting to get really nervous about the sorting. England himself wondered how the hat that sorted children nowadays worked. When he went to school, all the students were sorted by the founders themself but England guessed this was going to be different.

England watched as McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put what England assumed was the famous sorting hat. After a few seconds of everybody staring at the hat, it started to sing.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,But don't judge on what you see,I'll eat myself if you can findA smarter hat than me.You can keep your bowlers black,Your top hats sleek and tall,For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting HatAnd I can cap them all.There's nothing hidden in your headThe Sorting Hat can't see,So try me on and I will tell youWhere you ought to be.You might belong in Gryffindor,Where dwell the brave at heart,Their daring, nerve, and chivalrySet Gryffindors apart;You might belong in Hufflepuff,Where they are just and loyal,Those patient Hufflepuffs are trueAnd unafraid of toil;Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,if you've a ready mind,Where those of wit and learning,Will always find their kind;Or perhaps in SlytherinYou'll make your real friends,Those cunning folk use any meansTo achieve their ends.So put me on!Don't be afraid!And don't get in a flap!You're in safe hands (though I have none)For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

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.

England watched McGonagall stepp forward with a scroll of parchment.

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

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

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

England looked at the hat with interest and a bit of worry. If the hat could look into his mind then it could cause a quite bit of trouble.

The next few minutes was just a blur of names England couldn't remember. His concentration only returned when he heard a familiar name:

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. It didn't take long before the hat shouted:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

England wanted to feel happy for the girl but he couldn't but he was far to nervous, since he knew what was next.

"Kirkland, Arthur!"

Arthur slowly walked up towards the hat, hoping he would be able to drag it out a little bit. He still got to the hat far too soon and put it on his head carefully.

"Hello there," It said in his mind, making him jump a bit.

"Are you one of the nations the founders told me about?" This sentence surprised England, he didn't know the founders had told anyone about what he was.

"I am, but please don't tell anybody about it" He decided to answer.

"Wery well, let's get on with the sorting then. Hmmm, this is a hard one. You have potential for all the houses, what to put you in…"

"I came here to protect Harry Potter, it would make it easier if we were in the same house,""Potter has not been sorted yet, but I can give him a choice to be sorted into the same house as you""Thank you, sorting hat""No problem, I have made my choice anyway, you would fit best in SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted the last words out loud. Loud applause erupted from the Slytherin table and England sat down and breathed a sigh of relief, everything was hopefully going to work out.

After Neville Longbottom was sorted into Gryffindor, and the applause had died out, the name England had been waiting for was called out.

"Potter, Harry"

The entire hall immediately started whispering;

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

The second the hat was put on Harry's head, the entire hall went quiet.

After what felt like far too long time, the hat opened its 'mouth' and shouted;

"Gryffindor!"

England feel like everything suddenly froze. Gryffindor. Out of all the houses he had to be in the house that hated the Slytherins most of all. England frowned into the table as Ron was sorted into Gryffindor too. He looked up to see the redhead stare at him, eyes full of hatred. England looked back into the table, he didn't really notice that the last people got sorted, or that Dumbledore started talking. He just sighed and rubbed his temples.

This was going to be a long year.

Chapter 3!!!I think i'm going to celebrate every time I get a chapter out on time.I feel a bit happier with this chapter but there is still a chance that I made some mistakes. I already have someone to read through for mistakes but both of us can miss things.Thanks to those who favorited, followed, and reviewed. It's what keeps me going!