The door swung open at once. A tall, black haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The Entrance Hall was so big you could have fitted the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundred of voices from a doorway to the right - the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the First Years into a small empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will be" shortly, but before"u take your seats in the Gre"Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will 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 honour. 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 for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair, making sure that his scar was still covered.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber. Harry took deep breaths to force himself to stay calm.

"How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" he heard an unfamiliar voice ask.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? Just before he was about to panic he remembered what Professor Snape told him when he was informing Harry about the different House.

'Based on personality traits. Gryffindor, brave, courageous, nerve and chivalry. Ravenclaw, intelligent, creative, learning and wit. Hufflepuff, hard working, patience, justice and loyalty. Slytherin, ambitious, leadership material, cunning and resourceful.' Harry reminded himself as he looked around the chamber and saw that everyone else looked terrified. No one was talking much except Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learnt and wondering which one she'd need.

He tried hard to ignore her as he looked over at the other people and stopped once his eyes rested on Neville, it looked like he was having trouble breathing because he was so panicked. Harry pushed himself through the other First Years as he made his way to Neville and put a hand on his shoulder when it seemed like he hadn't been noticed.

As soon as Harry's hand made contact with the other boy's shoulder, Neville jumped and his wide eyes shot up to meet Harry's. When he realised who it was he seemed to calm down a small amount but he was still breathing to fast.

"What's wrong?" Harry whispered so quietly that Neville was the only person to hear him.

"I-I-I'm rubbish at Magic! My Gr-Gran was s-s-sur-surprised when my H-Hogwarts letter came. E-e-everyone thought I had no M-magic. I-I'm scared that I'll fail and be s-sent h-home." Neville stuttered out between breath.

"Well guess what Neville?" Harry whispered, making sure he had the other boys attention before continuing. "I had a Professor take me for my school supplies and they told me we got Sorted based on personality traits, not Magic."

Neville looked down at Harry with wide eyes.

"Really?" asked Neville and Harry smiled while nodding his head. Neville's shoulders were completely relaxed now and his breathing had calmed down.

"Thanks Harry." whispered Neville as they both turned to face the door.

"No problem Neville."

Harry kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead them to their Sortings.

Then something happened which made him jump about a foot in the air - several people behind him screamed.

"What the -?"

He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to each other and hardly glancing at the First Years. He had read about the ghosts that occupied Hogwarts but he wasn't expecting to encounter them so soon. They seemed to be arguing. 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 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?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the First Years.

Nobody answered.

"New student!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"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 returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the First Years, "and follow me."

Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Neville behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the Hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the First Years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line face the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring back 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, Harry looked upwards and saw a velvety back ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Granger whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."

He remembered reading about it In Hogwarts: A History but his imagination had never came close to how magnificent it truly was. It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open onto the heavens.

Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the First Years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.

Everyone in the Hall was silently staring at the hat. 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 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!"

The whole Hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed it each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Harry heard Ron whisper to someone. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Harry smiled at that. He was beginning to think that the twins sounded like fun, especially if they tormented Ron. Just putting on the hat and waiting for it to say which House you belonged in didn't sound too bad but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching, and from the way he could feel Neville shaking, he wished the same.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be Sorted," she said causing his anxiety to rise. Everyone was going to know who he was! "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-face girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of the line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause -

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor and the table on the far left exploded with cheers, Harry could see the Weasley twins catcalling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin, the first one of the night.

He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during sports lessons at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the House at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sand-hairs boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Granger almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Harry was sure he heard Ron groan.

A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train? He could just imagine the reactions of his Aunt and Uncle, them telling his that he couldn't even be a freak the right way, that he messed everything up and that he was so useless that even the 'freaks' didn't want him.

When Neville was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. That hat took a long time to decide with Neville, and Harry could see his own worry about not being Sorted in his face. When it finally shouted "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.

There weren't many people left now.

"Moon"... "Nott" … "Parkinson" … then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" … then "Perks, Sally-Anne" … and then, at last -

"Potter, Harry!"

As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the Hall.

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the Hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you? Oh I just adore the difficult Sortings, gives me a challenge. Now I don't think Gryffindor would be the right place for you, you're too cautious while Gryffindor's tend to act first and think later. Hmm and Hufflepuff you will cause you to feel suffocated instead of at peace, so that's not the House for you. Now that leaves Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Which would be best for you? You have the capacity to do well in Ravenclaw, no doubt about that, but I feel that you would not truly fit in there. Now that leaves Slytherin, that's the perfect fit, you've had to be cunning to survive the hand that you've been dealt in life. Good luck Mr Potter, I believe you will do many great things in

SLYTHERIN!"

Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole Hall. He felt his shoulders slump down in relief. He had been sorted and he wasn't going to be forced back to go on the train to the Dursley's! He took off the hat and walked shakily towards the Slytherin table. He was so relieved to have been Sorted, he hardly noticed the silence that had fallen over the Hall. However when he was half-way towards the table a commotion broke out, the Gryffindor table were booing and the Slytherin's were cheering. He sat down next to the boy he remembered to be called Nott.

He could see the High Table properly now. At the end farthest from him sat Hagrid, who was staring at Harry in shock, but when he caught his eye him gave him a shaky smile. And there, in the centre of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognised him at once from the card he'd got out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole Hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry then spotted Professor Snape, who was also staring at him with an unreadable look on his face, Harry threw a small smile towards the Professor, who then looked away.

And now there were only three people left to be Sorted. "Turpin, Lisa" became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table, hoping that he wouldn't somehow get into Slytherin, when a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry let out a sigh of relief as "Zabini, Blaise" made his way to the stool, where he was made this last Slytherin of the night.

Professor McGonagall rolled up her parchment and took the Sorting Hat away.

Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realised how hungry he was. The sweets seemed like it had been ages ago and he hadn't eaten anything at all earlier that day since Uncle Vernon had said, "If they want you at the freakish school so badly

then can feed you, I'm not going to waste good food on you!"

Albus Dumbledore had got to his feet. He was beaming at the student, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him

more than to see them all there.

"Welcome!" he said. "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! Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everyone clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.

'It seems like he's off his rocker! And this is the Headmaster of the school?!" Harry thought to himself.

Harry's mouth fell open when he turned back to face the table. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never

seen so many things he liked to eat, well more like sneak when the Dursley's weren't looking, on one table: roast beef, roast chicken,

pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacons and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots,

gravy, ketchup and for some strange reason, mint humbugs.

After looking around and seeing everyone piling up their plates, Harry did the same, he put everything on his plate except the

humbugs and began to eat. It was all delicious.

Harry looked up from his plate and was surprised to see a ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face and robes stained

with silver blood. He was sitting right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating

arrangements.

'That must be the Bloody Baron.' Harry realised.

As though sensing his thought, the ghost turned his empty gaze towards Harry, and if Harry wasn't imagining there was a spark of

curiosity lit in his eyes.

Harry turned back to his food and was only able to eat a few more mouthfuls before he was unable to stomach anymore food unless

he wanted to throw it all up.

When everyone else had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean

as before. A moment later the puddings appeared. Blocks of ice-cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding...

Harry was nibbling on a few strawberries when he heard a quiet voice next to him.

"Hi, I'm Theo."

Harry turned to face the other boy next to him and saw a hand being held out to him.

"Hello, I'm Harry." He shook Nott's, Theo's, hand as he introduced himself.

Theo was a skinny boy with long limbs, he had dark hair and dark eyes.

"So what do you think of Hogwarts so far?" asked the other boy as he turned back to his vanilla ice-cream.

"It's…" Harry paused for a moment to try and think of the right words, "It's absolutely brilliant."

Harry and Theo chattered away to each other as they both finished their puddings.

Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet.

Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Snape was talking to another teacher with a ridiculous purple

turban on his head.

It happened very suddenly. Harry was observing the two Professors and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"What's wrong?" asked Theo.

"N-nothing."

The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. It was difficult to shake off the pain, while he had many painful experiences over the

year, never had his scar caused his any pain that he could remember.

"Do you know who that teacher is that's talking to Professor Snape?" Harry asked Theo but it was an older student who was sitting

on the other side of him that answered.

"Oh, you already know Professor Snape? That's good, since he's your Head of House now. That's Professor Quirrell, he teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts. I'm Gemma Farley, by the way, I'm one of the Slytherin Prefects."

Harry watched Professor Quirrell for a while but he didn't experience any more pain.

At last, the puddings too disappeared and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The Hall fell silent.

"Ahem - just a few more word now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First Years should note

that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Professor Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of 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 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 laughed, but he was one of the few who did.

"He's not serious?" he muttered to Gemma.

"He must be," said Gemma, with an odd look on her face as she looked at the Headmaster. "It's strange though, normally he tells us

why we can't go somewhere. The forest for example - it's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. And even if he didn't tell everyone he would usually tell us Prefects."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Professor Dumbledore. Harry notice that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.

Professor Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick as if he was trying to get a fly off the end and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself snake-like into words.

"Everyone pick their favourite tine," said Professor Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

And the school bellowed:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our head 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."

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.

Professor Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand, and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped

loudest.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Slytherin First Years followed Gemma through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase. Harry's

legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too tired to even pay attention to the moving

people in the portraits along the corridors as they whispered and pointed as they passed. They were going down so many different stairs that he had lost count, Harry was just wondering how much further they had to go when they came to a sudden halt after walking down a long corridor for what seemed to be ages.

"This is the entrance to the Slytherin Common room." announced Gemma as she gestured to what appeared to be an empty wall.

"Magicae purissimum."

As soon as the words left her mouth the wall swung open and revealed another corridor, which they then walked down until they finally reached the Slytherin Common room. It was a large room with plush green armchairs and couches. There was also a roaring fire with what seemed to be the Slytherin mascot plastered around the room.

After being instructed by Gemma, Harry sat down on one of the couches next to Theo.

"Now, normally Professor Snape would be here to give you your welcoming speech but this year he's otherwise occupied, so I'll be

giving it to you." Gemma started as soon as all the First Years were seated and settled. "Now I'm guessing that you all remember what McGonagall said about your Houses being like your family," she paused and everyone nodded their heads in reply. "that is true and especially for us Slytherins. Most of the students will say somethings about you being Dark and being evil, there's nothing we can do about that but we can stick together. I don't care what problems you have with each other, as soon as you leave the Common room any and all arguments will be forgotten and you will have each others backs because nobody else will."

Harry wasn't surprised to hear that the Slytherin House was hated, he had been hated all of his life, why would that change now? Plus he could remember the disgusted look on Ron's face as talked about the Slytherin House on the train.

After that Gemma directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. Harry was surprised to see a spiral staircase since they went down so many floors. When they reached the top of the staircase they found their beds at last: six four posters hung with deep emerald-green silk curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pyjamas and fell into bed.

After everyone muttered a goodnight Harry fell asleep almost at once.

Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him that he had been placed in the right House, that Slytherin was his destiny. Harry told the turban that he didn't know what it was talking about and he didn't care about destiny. It got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully - and there was Ron Weasley, laughing at him as he struggled with it, saying he was a slimy snake and he deserved it.

Weasley then turned into Professor Quirrell, whose laugh became high and cold - there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.

He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke the next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.

Hey! Wow that's a long one but I really enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Stay alive frens |-/