A.N - Another short chapter, sorry! Hope you enjoy! Please review!
She looked up from the book when she felt the train start to slow. It was dark outside, but there were many lights on in the distance. "That must be Hogwarts" she thought.
"We have reached Hogsmeade Station" said a cool female voice that seemed to issue from the walls themselves. "Please leave all luggage on the train. It will be brought up
separately."
She jumped down from the carriage onto the platform. It was a cold night, but it was very clear. "Firs' years!" cried a voice. "Firs' years over 'ere!" The speaker was a giant man. He had lots of bushy hair that fell over is face in tangled curls and a big, bushy beard. He led them to the edge of a clear lake, down to a fleet of boats that would evidently take them to the castle. It was breathtakingly beautiful, with many turrets poking out from the top of it. The other first years were all wearing similar expressions of awe at the sight.
When they reached the castle, they were greeted by Professor McGonagall before being led into the great hall, facing an old, patched hat sitting on a three legged stool. The Sorting Hat began to sing, and then the first years were sorted, Professor McGonagall reading their names off a piece of parchment.
She finally reached "Granger, Hermione" and she carefully walked up, trembling slightly. McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat over Hermione's head. "Hmm" She heard. "This is going to be tricky. You could fit into both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor…"
"Please put me in Gryffindor" she thought.
"Gryffindor eh?" the hat said, startling her.
"Y-yes"
"Are you sure?" the hat asked.
"Yes" she repeated, slightly more confidently.
"GRYFFINDOR" she heard the hat call out to the people gathered in the hall.
She stood up, swept the hat off her head and walked on slightly shaky legs to the table where people were applauding her. She sat down and turned to watch the rest of the sorting.
McGonagall finally reached the "M's" and she waited for "Malfoy, Draco." She watched him intently as he swaggered up to the stool and placed the hat on his head. No sooner had it touched his platinum blond locks did it scream "SLYTHERIN" and he strutted off to join their table. Slightly disappointed, Hermione's eyes snapped back to watching the sorting.
She watched as "Potter, Harry" got sorted into Gryffindor and, relieved looking, he sat in a seat across from her. He was eagerly watching the red headed boy he had been with on the train, and breathed a sigh of relief along with a red headed boy sitting next to her when "Weasley, Ronald" was sorted into Gryffindor as well.
When "Zeller, Rose" was finally sorted into Hufflepuff, the sorting ended, and Professor McGonagall picked up the stool and carried it and the hat out of the hall.
She had turned to the boy next to her, noticing a red and gold badge with the letter "P" pinned to his chest, and had struck up a conversation about classes, when the noise in the hall stopped suddenly. She looked around and saw that Professor Dumbledore had stood up to make a speech.
After the very odd and confusing speech consisting of the words "Nitwit, oddment, blubber and tweak" the golden plates and goblets in front of them immediately filled with food and drink. She turned again to the boy beside her, who must have been one of Ron's brothers, as she filled her plate. She was keen to learn as much as she could about her lessons before starting them the next day.
The boy, whose name was Percy, answered her questions eagerly, and she found out that in Transfiguration, she would most likely start off by turning matches into needles, and in Charms, making objects fly.
When the dessert had faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling once more, Dumbledore once again stood up to speak. She listened intently, but he didn't mention anything of too much importance, just a welcome and a few of the new banned items, half of which she didn't even know what they were.
After they sung the strangest school song she had ever heard, they were dismissed, and she, along with the other first years, followed Percy the Prefect up to the Gryffindor common room.
