IMPORTANT! MUST READ!

Hey again! I can't believe we're already up to our fourteenth chapter!
I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm really sorry I didn't up-date earlier! I was grounded!

By the way...what house should Harry and Lizzie be in? I need you to tell me in your review! Thanks! I need to get your answer before the next chapter or I won't be able to do it...

The Sorting Hat – part one

Out of nowhere a vice rang through the whole train.

"We will be arriving at Hogwarts in about five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be take to Hogwarts separately.

IN HARRY AND RON'S COMPARTMENT...

When Harry and Ron heard the announcement they looked each other nervously. Harry's stomach lurched and Ron was now as pale as Malfoy and looked like he was about to puke.

Harry still didn't know which house he wanted to go to. Slytherin, as Lizzie mentioned numerous of times, seemed cool and witty, but Gryffindor, as Ron kept repeating, looked brave and all.

Harry and Ron crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd that was thronging the corridor.

MEANWHILE IN LIZZIE'S, DRACO'S AND FRIEND'S COMPARTMENT...

"WOOHOO! Here we come, Slytherin!" everyone in the compartment cheered.

"Well, except for Hufflepuff boy!" teased Lizzie, pointing at Draco.

"Lizzie!" warned Draco.

"The truth hurts sometimes," giggled Lizzie.

"Shut up, you Gryffindor girl!" snapped Draco.

"Drakie!" warned Lizzie.

"I'm just joking around," said Draco as he raised his hands up, "besides, if you do get in Gryffindor, I'll kill you!"

"How can you kill me if I kill myself first?" asked Lizzie.

"I'll kill you a second time!" reasoned Draco.

"That makes soo much sense! You're soo logical, Drak!" said Lizzie, sarcastically.

"Aren't I just?" replied Draco, proudly.

"Ummm...Drak, you do know that I was being sarcastic, right?" asked Lizzie.

Draco then frowned and said ,"yeah...yeah...I did!"

"Sure...sure..." teased Lizzie.

"Whatever!" snapped Draco.

"We will be arriving at Hogwarts in about five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be take to Hogwarts separately," called a voice that echoed all over the long train. Now Lizzie, Draco and their friends went and joined the nervous crowd in the corridor.

In about five minutes the train came to a halt so everyone made their way out of the train into the cold darkness.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Alright there, Harry?" boomed a familiar voice.

A/N: Who do you think that person is? Well...let's find out...

The voice belonged to...HAGRID!

Lizzie and Draco gazed at Harry and Ron who walked up to Hagrid to talk to him. Ron accidentally said something and Lizzie and Draco fell to the floor laughing. Lizzie was sure Harry was biting his cheek to prevent himself from laughing.

Lizzie was also positive that Hagrid was going deep red under all that hair on his face but, fortunately, for Hagrid it was dark, freezing and he had a beard. Harry then explained to Hagrid what had happened to Ron and Hagrid warned Ron not to say another word.

"C'mon, follow me – any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years, follow me!" Hagrid continued to call out.

It was really hard to follow Hagrid. They kept tripping over stuff they couldn't see! They could barely see where they were walking because of the dark, the only light source was coming from Hagrids' lamp. They continued walking half-blindly to god knows where!

Later, in the darkness came out Hagrid's voice again, "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec. Jus' round this bend here."

After Hagrid's words there were many "oooooooohhhh's!" as the narrow path had opened to the edge of a large, black lake. On top of a high mountain, perched the castle of Hogwarts. They then noticed that there were boats as Hagrid called out while pointing at the boats, "No moren' four to a boar!"

Lizzie and Draco grinned and made their way to Harry and Ron's boat before Neville and Hermione could. When they reached the boat Harry knew what was going to happen and grinned while Ron looked more nervous than ever and frightened.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid as he climbed into a boat himself, "Right then...FORWARD!"

All the boats moved at once and glided towards the beautiful ad magical castle. Everyone was silent except for the whimpering of Neville who had lost his toad (Neville's boat is near them). The closer they sailed closer to the castle the castle towered over them.

Suddenly Hagrid shouted, "Heads down!" as they reached the cliff. This was the moment Lizzie was waiting for! She ducked and shouted stuff in gibberish at Ron. It worked! He put his head up and said, "What?" Fortunately, for everyone else on the boat, he hit his head. Also, fortunately no one heard him say "what?"

They reached a some sort of underground harbor. They all scrambled out onto the rocks and pebbles. They all shivered and pulled their cloaks tighter to themselves as the cold night breeze hit them and played with their hair.

"Oy, you! Is this your toad?" Hagrid said to Neville.

"TREVOR!" cried out Neville delightfully.

They continued to walk again into the darkness only following Hagrid's dim lamp. Finally they came onto smooth, damp grass which was right in front of the castle. There was a enormous, oak front door.

"Everyone here? Good! You there, do you still have yer toad?" asked Hagrid before knocking three times in the castle door. The door swung open at once, probably whoever opened it was waiting there the whole time. In front of them stood a witch who was tall and had black-haired that she kept in a tight bun, she was also wearing emerald-green robes. All the firsties knew that it wasn't a good idea to get on her bad side.

"Here are the firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

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

She pulled the door wide open for them to walk in. Harry was simply amazed when he saw the Great Hall. It was so huge you could have fitted the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls where all lit with flaming torches which reminded Harry of the Gringotts bank. The ceiling was too high for them to make out and an outstanding marble staircase which was facing them that led them to the upper floors.

They continued to follow professor McGonagall across the stone floor. They all could hear hundreds and hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right, that means the rest of the school must already be there. Professor McGonagall led the first years into a little empty chamber of the hall. It was kind of crowded in there with all of them.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," started professor McGonagall, "The start of term feast will begin shortly, but before you take your seats you will be sorted into your house. The sorting is very important even because while you are here your house will be like your family at Hogwarts. You will go to 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 named; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff –" here Lizzie looked at Draco –"Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards."

"While you are here at Hogwarts your triumphs will earn you points, but if you break the rules you will lose house points. At the end of the year the house with the most house points will be honored with the house cup which is a great honor. I hope you will all be credit to whichever house you get in. The sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the school. I advise you to all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are here waiting," her eyes lingered for a moment in Neville's cloak which was fastened under his left ear and on Ron's smudged nose.

Harry tried to flatten his hair nervously but failed quite miserably.

"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait here quietly," said professor McGonagall before walking out.

"How do they sort us into houses, again?" Harry asked everyone but directly at Ron with a mischievous glint in his eyes which Ron did not see.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking," replied Ron before clapping his hand to his mouth. He had remembered that jinx on him.

Lizzie, Draco and the other people who were in Draco and Lizzie's compartment fell to the floor laughing as everyone stared at Ron weirdly and started to back away from him. Harry wanted really badly to laugh but held it in.

"Malfoys!" blurted Ron before he could stop himself.

"And yeah it is a test! It's really hard!" said Lizzie who was trying to scare everyone.

Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. How could he do a test? He was going to make a fool of himself in front of the whole school? He then realized that Lizzie was only joking so he grinned and looked around at the terrified and nervous faces all around him. Everyone was quiet except for the know-it-all...Hermione Granger who was whispering the many spell she knew and which one would be the most helpful. Harry just rolled his eyes at her. Lizzie had even tricked Hermione!

Even though there was no test and Harry knew it he was still very nervous. What if he didn't belong into any house. What if they sent him back home saying it was all a mistake. He kept gazing at the door until-

"What the-?" Harry gasped. Something made him jump about a foot in the air...even some people behind him screamed.

About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. They were all pearly-white and vaguely transparent. They were deep into conversation and barely noticing the first years. They were arguing. The fat little monk was saying, "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-"

"But my dear Friar, we have given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He has given all of us a bad name, you know, he's not even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?" the ghost wearing a ruff and tights finally noticed the first years.

Nobody answered, they were all too scared to say anything.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling at them all, "About to be sorted, I suppose?"

Only a few people who were brave enough nodded.

"Move along, now," said a sharp voice, "the Sorting Ceremony is about to begin!"

That sharp voice belonged to...McGonagall, she had returned so the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Form a line," professor McGonagall said to the first years, "and please follow me."

The nervous and terrified first years formed a line with their legs turned to lead. Harry was in line with a Lizzie and Draco in front of him and Ron behind him. They walked out of the chamber, across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. The Great Hall wasn't called the Great Hall for no reason! It was huge! It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air above four long tables which was where the rest of the students were sitting. On the tables were glittering golden plates and goblets.

At the top of the hall was another long table where all the teachers were sitting. That was where professor McGonagall led the first years. The terrified first years came to a halt in a line facing all the other students with the teachers behind them.

Everyone was staring at them all. The ghosts shone misty silver in the flickering candle light. Lizzie then nudged Harry to look up and when he looked up he saw something beautiful and wonderful. Instead of the ceiling there was a velvety black ceiling dotted with shining stars. They heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read it in Hogwarts: A history."

Then they all saw professor McGonagall silently place a four-legged stool in front of them all. On top of the stool she placed an extremely dirty old wizard hat. 'If Aunt Petunia was here she would have screamed as if death had come early...though I wish it did!' thought Harry.

Suddenly the hat twitched and the brim opened wide like a mouth. 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. 

A/N: COME ON! SING WITH ME! GET INTO THE SPIRIT!

You can keep your bowlers black,
your top hats sleek and tall!

Man, I'm bad at singing! Anyways...let's continue...

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 there 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 as the hat finished its song. It somehow bowed to each of the four tables and became still again.

"So we just have to try on the hat?!" Harry whispered to Lizzie, "so no test, no fighting trolls?"

"yeah, all we have to do is try on the hat!" Lizzie replied simply.

"Good! That's easy!" sighed Harry.

Ron saw Harry whisper to Lizzie and silently fumed angrily.

Although Harry was thankful that all he had to do was put a hat on instead of trying a spell or wrestling a troll he still felt nervous. He wished he was in either Slytherin or Gryffindor but he didn't think he was brave enough for Gryffindor or cool enough for Slytherin. Maybe he didn't belong in any house. Who knows!

Professor McGonagall was now in front of them again with a long roll of parchment in her hands. The Sorting ceremony was about to begin...

Finished! Please forgive me for the long wait as I have told you I was grounded! Anyways, please don't forget to tell me what house you want Harry and Lizzie to be in! You don't even have to sign in to write a review! And you don't have to write anything in the review except for what house they should be in!

Should they be in the same house? Should they be in separate houses! You decide! Don't forget! I need your decision now or I won't be able to write the next chapter!
BYE!