Author's Notes: Yay, another chapter! Sorry about the length of this one, too. But I felt that I had to put the Sorting into one chapter, instead of dragging it out over several. This is going to be one long story, so the less chapters I have to write, the better. Anyway, I'm sticking to some original dialogue in this chapter, which I DON'T OWN. It is the work of J.K. Rowling (obviously, because I'm not a genius like her. Lol.) Oh, and sorry if the end of the chapter fells kinda rushed, but I thought it was too long already, and including any more would feel like an overkill.
Chapter 4:
"Mollandra… Hey, Mollandra…"
Someone was shaking her awake. She opened her eyes slowly to see Andrew standing over her. "You fell asleep," he said.
"No shit, Sherlock," Mollandra said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"We're almost there," Hermione said, giving Mollandra a nasty look, as if sleeping was something that she found repulsive, "you'd better change."
Mollandra stood up, unlatched her trunk, and pulled out her school robes. She pulled them on over her clothes, and turned around and glared at Hermione, daring her to make a disapproving comment.
*****
The four of them sat in nervous silence for several minutes, all pondering the same question: What happens now?
After a while, they could see the distant lights of the station up ahead. They all packed away any loose items back into their trunks. Neville stored Trevor in his pocket.
The train came to a slow stop a couple of minutes later. "Well, here we go," Andrew said quietly to Mollandra as he pulled open the compartment door.
Andrew, Mollandra, Neville, and Hermione shuffled out into the corridor of the train, and into the sea of black robe-clad students. Mollandra grabbed a handful of Andrew's robes so that they wouldn't get separated.
After about a minute of shuffling they made it outside into the crisp evening air.
"Fris' years!" a voice boomed out over the crowd. "Fris' years over here!"
As Mollandra continued forward, enormous shape that was Hagrid loomed over the crowd. Harper and Gwen had told her about Hagrid, but Mollandra was still amazed by his size.
"C'mon, follow me," Hagrid said, waving one of his huge hands in the direction of a pathway leading away from the station. "Any more 'fris years? Mind yer step, now! Fris' years follow me!"
Mollandra and Andrew joined the crowd of other first years following Hagrid down the path. It was a steep descent, and Mollandra nearly slipped a few times.
"Yeh'll get yer fris' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid said after about a minute of walking, "jus' round this bend here."
Hagrid wasn't lying. In a second's time, the looking silhouette of the Hogwarts castle came into view, with all of its windows lit up, sparkling in the dark night's sky, and reflecting on the large lake that lay in front of them now.
"No more'n four to a boat," Hagrid warned as the first years clambered into the small boats at the edge of the lake.
Mollandra and Andrew climbed into a boat, and they were followed in by two other girls. Mollandra smiled nervously at them. The redheaded girl smiled back.
"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted from his own boat at the head of the fleet. "Right then – forward!"
With a lurch, the boats started forward, sailing across the glossy surface of the lake.
"Heads down!" Hagrid shouted as the boats reached the cliff on the other side of the lake. The first years ducked as they passed through a curtain of ivy, then through a tunnel, and finally into an underground harbor.
Once they had extricated themselves from the boats, the crowd of first years followed Hagrid up a passageway that led them onto the Hogwarts grounds. In a matter of minutes, they were crowded behind Hagrid on the huge stone steps that led up to the entrance of the castle, which was a gigantic oak door.
Hagrid knocked three times on the door, and it promptly swung open, revealing a witch in emerald green robes. "The fris' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.
"Thank you, Hagrid, I will take them from here," she said rather curtly. Hagrid turned and headed back the way he had come, while the first years followed McGonagall across the entrance hall of the castle, and into an empty chamber at the end of the hall. They were a little crunched for space, so Mollandra again held tight to Andrew's robes in order to stay together. It felt good to know that she already had a friend – she wouldn't have to face this new experience alone.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, 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 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 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 smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
At this comment, Mollandra saw Hermione shoot her a smug look, as if somehow this comment had been directed at her. She left her wrinkled robes and messy hair just the way they were.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," McGonagall continued. "Please wait quietly." She turned and walked out of the chamber.
Even after the door had closed, the first years remained silent, all too frightened to talk. Then all of the sudden, people started screaming. Mollandra whipped around to see a handful of ghosts coming out of the back wall, talking amongst themselves, apparently oblivious to the hoard of first years standing there.
The one noticed them. "I say, what are you all doing here?" he asked. No one answered.
"New students!" another said excitedly. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
"Move along now," barked a voice from behind them. Mollandra turned to see McGonagall standing in the doorway. "Now, form a line," she said, "and follow me."
The first years scrambled into a line as they had been instructed. Mollandra stood between Andrew and Neville. Andrew turned around and smiled nervously at Mollandra. She reached for his hand and squeezed it in reassurance.
McGonagall led them out of the chamber, back through the entrance hall, and to the double doors that led to the Great Hall. She threw the doors open and led the first years through.
Mollandra looked around as she walked. Thousands of candles floated above the four long tables in the hall, which Mollandra knew to be the house tables from Harper and Gwen.
McGonagall led them to the front of the hall, and they came to a stop in front of the teachers' table, so that they were facing the rest of the students. She then placed a stool in front of the first years, and then a hat on top of that: the Sorting Hat. The hat remained silent for a second or two, then broke into song:
Oh, you may not think I'm 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'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in 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 folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're safe in my hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
When the song finished, the hall broke into applause.
"When I call your name," McGonagall said when the noise had died down, "you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be Sorted." She glanced at the roll and parchment in her hands. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A girl trotted forward and put on the hat. "Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted.
After a while, "Granger, Hermione!" was called.
Mollandra watched as Hermione eagerly put the hat on her head. "Gryffindor!" it shouted.
"Hedgecock, Allison!" was called soon after, and Mollandra watched the redhead who had shared her boat walk up and put the hat on.
"Hufflepuff!" it shouted.
Neville was called after a few more people. The hat took its time deciding, but finally called out, "Gryffindor!"
Several more names were called, and then all of the sudden, "Montgomery, Mollandra!"
Mollandra walked shakily towards the stool and put the Sorting Hat on her head. There were several moments of silence, then it shouted, "Gryffindor!"
Mollandra smiled, relieved that she had not been sorted into Slytherin. She placed the hat back on the stool, and walked over to the Gryffindor table, which was cheering loudly. She sat down at the table next to Neville, who smiled at her.
The Sorting Ceremony continued for a little while longer before, "Pierce, Andrew!" was called. Mollandra watched Andrew, who was looking very pale, walk up to the Sorting Hat and put it on.
The hat thought for several moments before it shouted, "Hufflepuff!" The next table over from Mollandra cheered.
Mollandra clapped politely with the rest of the hall. She was feeling a little disappointed that Andrew was not in the same house as she was.
*****
Several minutes later, the Sorting had concluded, and Dumbledore has spoken his piece. The tables were now filled with all kinds of food. Mollandra only ate a little – she was still feeling queasy from the Sorting. But mostly, she was just tired.
After desert had been finished, Dumbledore shooed the students off to bed. Mollandra and then other first years flocked around a Prefect named Percy, and he led them out of the hall and up the marble staircase.
They had a short run-in with Peeves the poltergeist, but they finally reached the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, which was behind the portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress. Percy said the password, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a passageway.
Once inside, Mollandra found herself in a circular common room with lots of plush chairs, a few tables, and a large fireplace.
Mollandra was too exhausted to stay up, so she followed the other first year girls up the spiral staircase that led to their dormitory. There she found that her possessions had already been brought up for her. She quickly changed into her pajamas and fell asleep almost instantly.
