Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I really wish that I did. i wonder what I would do with all that money. IDK, probably buy a new laptop and donate some to charities. Anyways here is my first ever entry. Please read and review so i can try to get lots more chapters in. Enjoy.
Chapter 3
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Sev first thought was that this was not someone to cross.
"The first years, Professor McGonagall," said Kettleburn.
"Thank you, Kettleburn. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could fit the whole of Hogsmeade village in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and the magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Sev and Lily could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -- the rest of the school must already be here -- but McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would have usually have done, peering about nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said McGonagall. "The start-of -term banquet will begin momentarily, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room."
"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 on James Potter's hair which was sticking up every where, and Frank Longbottom who had dirt on his forehead.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said McGonagall. Please wait quietly."
She left the chamber. Lily swallowed.
"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" she asked Sev.
"We just have to try on a wizards hat and it will look into our mind to see where we would fit best."
Lily's heart gave a nervous jolt. Getting up in front of the whole school? She would be so nervous that she would probably wind up tripping over her feet. She looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Arthur Weasley, who was going on about how he was so smart that they might put him in as a second year instead of as a first. Lily tried hard not to listen to him. She'd never been more nervous , never, not even when she had accidentally removed all the fur off the pet gerbil in primary school. She kept her eyes on the door. Any second now, McGonagall would come back and lead her to her doom.
Then something happened that made her jump about a foot in the air -- several people behind Sev screamed.
"What the --?" started Sev.
Lily gasped. So did the people around her. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, the glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing about something. 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 Merlin 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.
Sev suddenly spoke up: " We're new students waiting to be Sorted."
"Hope to see you in Slytherin!" said a ghost who looked oddly familiar to Sev. "That was the house that I made, I am Salazar Slytherin by the way." he said to Sev.
"Severus Snape." said Sev.
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.
"Now form two lines," McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."
Feeling oddly ad though her legs had turned to lead, Lily got into a line right across from Sev, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Lily had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by several thousands of candles floating in midair over four long tables in the shape of castles. These tables were laden with all kinds of glittering silver plates and goblets and silverware. Oh my!!!
At the top of the hall was another long table where the staff was sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Lily looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. She heard Sev whisper to her, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside."
It was hard to believe that there was a ceiling at all, andd that the Great Hall didn't just open on to the heavens.
Lily looked down just in time to see McGonagall silently place a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizards hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.
Lily looked around the hall and noticed that everyone was staring at the hat, so she stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth -- and the hat began to sing:
"Oh you may not think me pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
your top hats sleek and tall,
for I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat and I can cap them all.
There is nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat cannot see,
so try me on and I will tell you where you ought to be. Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And 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 Slytherin You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means To achieve their ends.
Or you might belong in Merlin Were all the best will go,
Those kids know everything And they always show what they know.
So put me on! Do not 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.
"Sev, I thought there was only four houses," lily asked Sev. Sev looked at her and gave her a blank look before replying,
"I don't know whats going on but it seems as if they added a new house or something."
They looked back up to see McGonagall carry the hat over to a old wizard sitting in the middle of all the other teachers. They leaned into to talk and after a couple of minutes McGonagall returned the hat to the stool and then stepped forward holding a roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be Sorted. And if you wind up in the Merlin house you will stand by the staff table instead of going to a house table," she said. "Bagman, Ludovic!"
A blond headed tall boy walked up to the hat first with a bid stupid grin on his face. After about 30 seconds --
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped Ludovic went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Lily saw the Fat Friar wave at Ludovic.
"Black, Beallatrix!"
Lily watched this girl walk up the steps to the hat and as she was putting it on, Beallatrix stared right at Lily and from the look on her face it seemed as if she really hated her.
"SLYTHERIN!" shouted the hat, and Beallatrix practically glided off the stage with her nose turned up as she walked to the table on the second right
To Lily and Sev, it seemed as if the Sorting would never end, and then finally --
"Evans, Lily!"
Lily slowly walked up on to the stage and sat on the stool as she put the hat on.
"Hmmmm... Lily Evans... strong mind, very cunning, loves to have friends, and you are also ver brave... Well there is only one place for people like you...
"Merlin House!"
Lily swept the hat off of her head and walked over to stand at the end of the staff table.
By the time that the Sorting was over with Sev, Sirius, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Nymphadora Tonks had all joined her at the end of the staff table. Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and took the hat and stool away.
Suddenly there was the sound of metal hitting glass.
"Welcome!" started the old man. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like for the Merlin House students to come over here and converse with me for a couple of minutes."
He motioned for them to come forward. "Now, as their is not a Merlin House table in here yet I would like you all to go to my office and eat in there. The password is 'lemon drop'."
"How do we get there sir?" asked Lily in a quiet voice.
"Phil. Would you show these students to my office, please."
A ghost dressed up in a girdle and ruffled shirt glided over to them, "Yes I will, follow me kids."
All five of them followed the ghost through the entrance hall and up a flight of stairs and then down another long hall before they finally stopped in front of a set of stone phoenixes.
"Lemon Drop," said Sev.
The two phoenixes raised there wings up and allowed them to pass through and on to a spiraling moving staircase. They walked through the door as they stepped off the staircase and were amazed by what they saw....
So what do you think? to boring? please review my story to help make another chapter.