Chapter Six- A Teasing Hat
They got off the train and immediately heard, "Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!"
They made their way over to the abnormally large man who was calling them. When he spotted them, he called, "Alrigh' Harry?"
"Hello, Hagrid!" Harry called back.
"How did you meet him?" Anya asked Harry.
"He picked me up from the Dursleys and brought me to Diagon Alley." Harry said as they walked toward a lake littered with small boats.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called.
Harry, Ron and Anya got into one boat followed by the toad-less boy, Neville. Hermione mad to get into their boat as well, but saw there was no more and went to find another.
They finally got to some kind of under ground harbor and got off.
"Oi, you there!" Hagrid called to Neville. "Is this your toad?" he held up a big toad.
"Trevor!" cried Neville and held out his hands to receive the slimy animal.
Hagrid then led them up a huge flight of steps and at the top was a big oak door. They all crowded around it.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a hand and knocked three times.
The door swung opened at once and out stepped a stern witch in emerald-green robes.
Anya's first thought was to keep a clean nose around her.
"The firs years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take it from here." She then pulled the door open and ushered them in.
Anya stared wide-eyed at the huge hall. It was the size of the girls' and boys' dormitories at the orphanage put together and that was big.
Loud voices came out of a doorway that they were passing while following Professor McGonagall across the entrance hall. But they passed that warm-looking room and went into a small, empty chamber off the main hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall.
"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 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 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."
She left, leaving behind a very nervous group of first years.
Anya turned to Harry and Ron and asked, at the same time as Harry, "How exactly do they sort us into houses?"
They all laughed.
"Is this going to happen often now that you can—" Ron started to say but was cut off by Anya's hand over his mouth.
"You can't say it out loud! We don't want people to know!" she whispered. Harry nodded in agreement.
"Fine," Ron said, shoving Anya's hand off his face.
"I think we get sorted by some sort of test," Ron said after a moment. "Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."
A test? But I don't know any magic yet! Anya thought anxiously. How was she supposed to pass a test if she didn't know anything?
Anya looked at Harry and saw he looked just as nervous as she felt.
After a moment, Anya overheard Hermione Granger muttering about different spells and charms that she had heard that they might need.
Anya wished she'd shut up, Hermione's whispers made her more nervous.
Then several people screamed which made Anya start out of her musings and jump. Harry did the same beside her.
She gasped. So did everyone else. Approximately twenty ghosts had just entered the room through the wall. They were all talking to each other, not sparing a glance for the stunned first years below them.
They seemed to be arguing.
"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —" said what looked like a fat little monk.
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves 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?" said a ghost wearing a ruff and tights.
Nobody answered.
They were all staring at the ghosts with their mouths open.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
A few people nodded.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had come back and the ghosts were now exiting via wall.
"Now form a line and follow me." Professor McGonagall said leading them out of the small chamber, across the entrance hall and through the double doors that lead to the Great Hall.
Anya had never seen anything more beautiful in her life.
It was lit by thousands of candles floating above the four tables, where the rest of the students were sitting, in midair. The tables were set with glittering gold plates and goblets. At the front of the hall was a long table where all the teachers sat.
Anya looked up at the ceiling and gasped. Harry looked at her questioningly. She nodded her head upward and Harry looked up and gasped too. The ceiling looked like a clear night with hundreds of stars winking at them from the black, velvety sky.
Anya fiddled with her silver star necklace that looked like the stars up in the sky.
The first years had all stopped in front of the head table where Professor McGonagall was placing a stool with a ragged hat on top of it. All the first years were staring at it like it was god....
.... Except Anya. She was still fiddling with her necklace and looking up at the ceiling. I wonder if my parents are up there, watching me.... I wonder if they.... they loved me. Maybe one day, I'll find out. Maybe I—
But her musings were cut short because the hat had burst 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 in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
Everyone burst into applause when the hat was done. It bowed to the four houses and went back to looking like a normal, dirty hat.
"I'm going to kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." Ron whispered to them.
Anya could completely agree. All they had to do was try on a hat!
That was so much less nerve wracking, although she was still nervous.
What if nothing happens when I try on the hat? What if they made a mistake in accepting me here?
These thoughts were running through her head a mile a minute, worry after worry.
She watched as Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a long roll of parchment in her hands.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A girl with blonde pigtails walked up and sat on the stool. When the hat was placed on her head it fell right over her eyes.
A moment passed and then—
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah made her way over to the Hufflepuff table.
"Anya!" when her name was called, Anya started. She noticed that while Hannah had both her first and last name called, she only had her first. She should have expected it. If she didn't know her own last name then why would they?
She got a pat on the back from Ron and Harry, although with Harry's pat came an encouraging thought, "Good luck." She smiled at him and walked up to the high table. She turned and sat on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head and it fell right over her eyes. She stared at the black inside of the hat for a moment until—
"Hmmm.... and what do we have here? You don't know who you are?" the hat mused.
"I do know who I am!" Anya mentally huffed. "I'm Anya...." she trailed off not knowing what else to say.
"See? You don't know who you are."
"Oh, and I suppose you do?" Anya said sarcastically.
"Maybe I do, but it's not for you to know at the present time." the hat seemed to smirk (if it had a real mouth).
"Tease. Can you sort me please?" Anya asked, getting fed up with the hat's teasing.
"Impatient girl. That's a Gryffindor trait. But you could belong in Slytherin, hm? Or maybe Ravenclaw? Hufflepuff would be good as well...." the hat trailed off, knowing he was pissing her off.
"Can you please just sort me already? I've been sitting here way too long." Anya said, exasperated.
"Yes, yes. You seem brave and loyal to friends who are loyal to you. You are smart but that is not your best quality.... your best quality would be your ability to trust and to love anybody who seems worthy of it. You would be best placed in GRYFFINDOR!" the hat had yelled the last word out loud.
Anya breathed a sigh of relief. She got up, took the hat off and handed it to Professor McGonagall, and then walked over to the table clapping the loudest.
She looked over to where Harry and Ron were standing, waiting to be sorted. Ron gave her a thumbs up while Harry smiled at her. She smiled back and got comfortable, waiting for the sorting to be over. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, because her nerves were hiding it, but now the feeling came back twice as strong.
About fifteen minutes later, Professor McGonagall called, "Potter, Harry!" and the whispers broke out across the hall. Anya just rolled her eyes and felt a pang of sympathy for Harry. She knew she would hate to be up there amongst all the whispering.
She watched as Harry sat down on the stool and put the hat on.
Harry sat there for about five minutes before the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" and Anya let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and clapped with the rest of the table.
Harry took off the hat and came to sit down next to Anya. As he sat down, his arm brushed hers and all his thoughts entered her mind as hers entered his.
"—a relief. I can't believe I was almost placed in Slytherin. I hate all the staring and cheering. Why cant I just be normal? I—" but Harry and Anya had moved away from each other as the influx of the other's thoughts gave them a headache.
"Sorry," they both apologized at the same time.
They laughed at the way they sounded, but were shushed almost immediately because the sorting was being continued.
-o-
"Welcome," Dumbledore said as he got to his feet. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
Anya had turned to the table once more and it was filled with food.
"Wow," Anya breathed.
Ron was already tucking in and Hermione (who unfortunately got sorted into Gryffindor) was staring on in disgust.
"Is Dumbledore a bit mad?" Harry asked Percy Wesley, Ron's older brother who also happened to be a prefect.
"Mad?" he answered. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes...."
Then Harry had caught sight of the food and was efficiently silenced.
-o-
"Ouch!" Harry cried, clapping his hand to his forehead.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
"N-nothing." Harry answered.
Anya, of course, didn't believe him. Even though most of the double emotion thing had gone away when Harry and Anya had first had contact, it was still slightly there and she could tell he was lying.
After Percy had turned away, Anya leaned over to Harry and asked, "What was it really?"
He whispered back, "A pain in my scar, but it left as quickly as it came so I suppose it's nothing."
"Alright, if you're sure."
Harry then turned to ask Percy something and Anya went back to her food.
-o-
"Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you." Dumbledore said, standing up. "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes fell onto the Weasley twins.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
Harry and a few others had laughed but Anya was wondering why he would say that.
What could they possibly be keeping in a school that could cause a 'very painful death'?
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore announced, lifting his wand and giving it a flick causing a long golden ribbon to fly out and twist itself into the words.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune and off we go!" Dumbledore said jovially.
And everyone started to sing their own tune, horribly off key:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
Anya swayed to the song and was left listening as the Weasley twins were last to finish with a very slow funeral march.
When they finished, everyone clapped, but none louder then Dumbledore.
"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
Percy called all the first years to him and Anya, Harry and Ron got up, feeling very sleepy from all their food.
They walked past portraits that called their welcome to the first years and Anya stared at them, wondering whether it was pleasant to be a portrait.
They finally got to a large portrait of a very fat woman in a pink dress (after being bombarded by Peeves and his walking sticks).
"Password?" she asked.
"Caput Draconis," Percy answered and the portrait swung open to reveal a warm, gold and red common room with comfy chairs and couches and a blazing fire.
After they all climbed through the portrait hole, Percy directed the girls to one staircase and the boys to another.
Anya said goodnight to Harry and Ron and went up her own staircase.
Anya noticed her things beside a bed, which was, of course, next to Hermione Granger's.
She groaned internally at the girl who was already in bed, reading.
Anya was too tired to really think anymore about the problem at the moment, so she just slowly pulled on her pajamas and got into her warm bed, where she was asleep before her head touched the pillow.
