5. The Sorting

When a small number of stars began to litter the deep purple sky, the train began to slow and finally came to a full stop. Sypriana's stomach lurched as if the train had been a landing aeroplane. She glanced at Elixyvette who gave her a bright smile but was fidgeting with her fingers.

They put on their school robes and moved their stuff onto the tiny platform the train had stopped at. Then, a giant of a man with his face almost completely hidden by graying shaggy hair and a matching mangled beard shook a lamp. He called out in a booming voice, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Sypriana and Elixyvette left Ethan and Jun to join the little makeshift crowd surrounding the giant man. This sea of heads followed the man — Hagrid the gamekeeper, the man had introduced himself as — down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. After much slipping and stumbling, the group came upon a large lake, and perched on the other side atop a high mountain was a vast castle — Hogwarts, more grand and larger than Sypriana had imagined it.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid told the first years, pointing to a row of little boats by the lakeshore. And once everyone was in the boats, Hagrid shouted, "Forward!" and all at once, the little boats began moving towards the castle.

The castle loomed larger and larger as the boats floated near, and then after a dark tunnel that took Hagrid and the first years right underneath the castle, the boats docked at a small underground harbor. Climbing out of the boats onto rocks and pebbles, the first years followed Hagrid and the dim light of his lamp up a passageway, coming out into a small opening of smooth grass right in the shadow of Hogwarts castle. They went up a flight of stone steps until they came to the castle's front door.

A few of the students held their breaths as Hagrid raised his fist and knocked thrice on the huge, oak door. The door swung open at once, and a round-faced wizard with chestnut brown hair and slightly crooked teeth welcomed the first years into Hogwarts.

"That's one of the Hogwarts professor, Neville Longbottom," Elixyvette whispered to Sypriana. "He's head of Gryffindor House. During the war, he killed Tom Riddle's familiar."

Looks could be deceiving, and this very idiom definitely described Professor Longbottom, Sypriana decided. She wouldn't have known he killed Voldemort's familiar, just looking at him.

Professor Longbottom pulled the door wide open and ushered the first years in. The entrance hall was huge with a ceiling too high to see, but there was no time for sight-seeing as Professor Longbottom guided them across the stone floor, explaining Hogwarts' house and point system.

Soon, the professor brought them through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Even Da Vinci could not have drawn a place as magnificent as this, Sypriana thought. Thousands of candles floated in the air above four long tables where the rest of the students were sitting, and scattered among the students were silvery, misty ghosts. At the other end of the hall was another long table where the teachers sat — in the middle of the row of teachers, sitting in a throne-like chair was a woman dressed in emerald robes with a very wrinkled, stern face. The ceiling of the Great Hall, higher than even the entrance hall's, was dotted with stars against a velvety black as if opening up to the sky or even the heavens above. Sypriana wanted to commit every detail to memory so that she could paint it later — she wondered if she could capture the wonder of this exact moment, even with her new wizarding paint.

Professor Longbottom led the first years to the front of the hall right in front of the professors' table so that the first years faced the rest of the students and then placed a stool in front of the gathered group. And then, Professor Longbottom placed a patched and frayed pointed hat on top of the stool.

In barely a second, the hat twitched and then began to sing in a loud voice. When the song was done, the hall burst into applause only to grow quiet when the hat bowed.

Professor Longbottom unfurled a long scroll and said, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." Then, he began reading the names, going in alphabetical order.

Sypriana fiddled with the ends of her sleeves until finally, after a great number of students, her name was called. She stepped out of what was left of the line of first years and put on the Sorting Hat, which was much too big for her head.

"Hm…" the hat said into her ear. "This will be difficult. Very difficult. The most difficult I've had in years. Now, where shall I put you? I see courage and plenty of talent. You want to prove yourself, eh, girlie? You don't got a bad mind either. Hm… But what will do it for you is that fierceness you have, a lioness's ferocity. Yes, yes, that's it. Better be GRYFFINDOR!"

Sypriana heard the hat shout the last word to the hall, and she quickly made her way to the Gryffindor table. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ethan slam a disappointed fist onto the Slytherin table — well, there went the idea of the first muggle-born being sorted into Slytherin in centuries. So relieved was Sypriana that she was actually sorted that she hadn't realized Elixyvette had been called up until the hall grew deathly silent.

Elixyvette gripped the edge of the stool so tight that her knuckles were white, and though the hat almost completely covered her eyes, her pursed bottom lip quivered slightly. The sorting took a little over five whole minutes, and Sypriana wondered for that last minute if Elixyvette would ever get sorted until finally the hat shouted out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Sypriana saw Elixyvette breathe out in relief as the Sorting Hat was lifted from her head. Their eyes met as Elixyvette made her way to the Ravenclaw table, and they gave each other encouraging smiles. Though put out that her friend was in a different house, Sypriana shrugged off her slight disappointment — she and Elixyvette would just have a friendship that'll transcend their houses.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of JK Rowling. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!