Chapter Seven
The Sorting

Samantha nodded to the two boys. She didn't really know what to say, to be honest she was too tired to really care. Jet lag was finally kicking in and Harry seemed to sense Sam's exhaustion.

"Uh, 'Mione I think that you should probably take Samantha up to your dormitories. She looks like she's going to fall asleep standing up. Don't worry about everyone else, Ron and I will handle them," Harry told Hermione flourishing his arms around at the others who were staring intently at Samantha with puzzled expressions.

Hermione led a groggy Sam up the stairs and into her room for the night.

The next morning Samantha couldn't remember how she got to her bed. All she knew was that she warm and comfortable and that someone was trying to take her away from her happy place. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Hermione standing over her, calling her name.

"What?" Sam sleepily asked.

"Its morning,"

"So? Come back after lunch," Samantha whined rolling over and throwing the covers over her head.

"Oh no you don't! Dumbledore wants me to show you around the castle today and you also have to get sorted."

"Surely that can't take all day?" was Samantha's muffled reply as she didn't move from underneath the heavy covers.

"You're right it can't, it could take several. But we were only given today so get up," Hermione commanded pulling the covers off of her and onto the floor before exiting the room.

Sam sleepily sat up and looked around the room. There were four four-poster beds all with red and gold beddings and curtains. There was also a window on the far side of the room and by looking out of it Sam realized that she was high up in the castle. Once she took in her surroundings she got up and dressed and walked out of the room and onto a winding staircase.

She soon came into the room that she vaguely remembered meeting Harry and Ron in. There were more people in the room this morning than there was last night, or at least she thought there were.

Nearly everyone was looking over at her. Samantha had never felt more uncomfortable in all her life. To make matters worse she couldn't see Hermione anywhere. She began to feel like an idiot just standing there looking like a lost dog, but she didn't know what else to do. At that moment she felt someone come up beside her.

"Hermione is already at breakfast if you're looking for her." Samantha jumped at the sound of the voice. She looked over and saw a familiar black headed boy.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you," Harry said.

"That's all right. So um…where did you say Hermione was?"

"At breakfast in the Great Hall, Ron couldn't wait and Hermione always goes down with him," explained Harry.

"Oh."

"Come on I'll take you there." Samantha nodded and followed Harry out of the common room. They walked in silence for awhile down what seemed like thirty staircases; Sam didn't know what to say. Finally she couldn't stand the uncomfortable silence any longer.

"So I heard that you play Quidditch."

"Yeah…yeah I'm a Seeker. Do you play?" Harry asked.

"No, I prefer to keep both of my feet firmly on the ground. I enjoy watching it though."

Harry laughed at her.

"You sound like Hermione. Mind you she doesn't really like anything about Quidditch."

"She said she was a Quidditch fan though."

"She goes to the matches because Ron and I play. She merely is being a good friend," Harry assured.

"Oh," Sam said. 'Liar.'

"So what do you do for fun?" asked Harry trying to make small talk.

"Well my friends and I would always go into the town and hang out around there after school."

"You were allowed into the town after school?"

"Yeah, aren't you?"

"No, the closest town is Hogsmead and we can only go there on special weekends."

"How cruel! I don't think I can survive that," Sam groaned.

Harry laughed. "You'll learn to live with it." The two fell into silence again.

"So are Hermione and Ron, like…closer with each other than with you?" Samantha asked breaking the silence although not trying not to offend him.

"Why do you ask?" Harry said as he stopped. Samantha also stopped and turned to look at him.

"Well… it just seemed weird that they would go to breakfast but leave you behind."

"Well they really didn't leave me behind. I volunteered to stay behind. As I said, Ron was getting angry and wanted to go to breakfast. So to answer your question yes, they are much closer to each other than me."

"That's kind of sad," Samantha blurted out.

"Not really."

Samantha raised her eyebrows at Harry after that remark. Harry seeing her confusion explained.

"They're dating; it's only natural for them to be closer," Harry tried to explain.

"Oh!"

"You really like that word, don't you?" Harry teased as they continued back on their descent to the Great Hall.

"You have no idea how much," Samantha replied. "So why did you volunteer to stay behind?"

"To wait for you," He told her. "Hermione didn't think it appropriate to leave you alone."

"Oh."

Harry shook his head; that was the fourth time she'd said it since they began their conversation.

The two finally walked into the Great Hall. Samantha upon first glance thought it was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen, second of course, to Salem's Great Hall.

Harry found Ron and Hermione at one of the long tables in the hall and led Sam to them. Samantha saw Ron wolfing down his food and got grossed out. Harry saw her look of disgust.

"Don't worry you'll get used to the sight," he said as he sat down.

"Before or after I turn anorexic?" was Sam's reply.

"Well hopefully before," replied Harry after chuckling a little.

"Well I see that you two are getting along quite well," Hermione said.

"Yeah it's like we've known each other forever," Sam joked.

"Well that's good," Hermione said not really paying that much attention to what she said.

Samantha sat down and ate her breakfast, trying very carefully to not look at Ron because just the thought of his eating habits made her want to throw up.

In the middle of breakfast the daily owl post came. The hundreds of owls swooping down to deliver packages made Sam jump sending her fork flying.

"Does that always happen?" asked Sam after the owls had left looking around the table for her fork which was currently MIA.

"Yes," Harry, Ron, and Hermione replied. After she was done eating Hermione stood up.

"Come on Samantha, I have to take you up to Professor Dumbledore's office to get sorted."

"Sorted?" Samantha repeated unfamiliar with the term.

"Into one of the Hogwarts houses, there are four; Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Huffelpuff, and Slytherin," explained Harry picking up the missing fork and handing it to Sam.

"Well it's a little late for that," She said throwing it on her plate and following Hermione out of the Great Hall.

They walked down the halls in silence making Samantha felt even more uncomfortable than when she did when she was walking with Harry, but then Harry had actually talked with her. Hermione just seemed content to not say anything. The two girls finally reached the stone gargoyle that hid the entrance to the headmaster's office.

"Canary Creams," said Hermione. The gargoyle sprang to life and revealed the spiral staircase. Hermione led the way to the top. She knocked on the door once they reached the top and waited for the professor to allow them entrance. Professor Dumbledore opened the door with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, I trust you slept well," he said standing aside to let the girls in.

"Actually I could use a bit more of it," Samantha said entering his cluttered office. Dumbledore chuckled.

"I don't want to keep you from your tour of the castle any longer than is necessary so we'll just get straight to it. Samantha if you would be so kind to sit on that chair while I put the sorting hat on your head."

Samantha did as she was told. She felt the shabby old hat that Dumbledore had been holding be put on to her head. The hat obviously was made for a male for while it wasn't too big for Samantha's seventeen year-old head, the hat didn't quite fit right either. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the hat started to talk in her ear.

"Ah I have been wondering when I would get to sort you...yes… I see that you are quite independent and cunning as well. Smart and a quick thinker, courageous also and have a thirst to fit in here. Yes you are much like your cousin. Better put you in GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. Samantha took off the hat and looked at it weirdly.

"That has got to be the most unusual thing that has ever touched me," Samantha said, handing the hat back to Dumbledore.

"I think it best if you started your tour now," Dumbledore said smiling.

Authors note: Please review! I need to know if people actually want me to continue to write this story or if I'm wasting my time. I won't post another chapter if I don't get some reviews.