Harry Potter doesn't belong to me, it belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Some of the text is taken directly from the books. That text is in bold.
This chapter takes place in the book "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".
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The castle's door swung open. A tall, severe-looking woman in emerald green robes stood inside.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
She looked them over before moving aside swinging the door wide open.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will that them from here."
The entrance hall was very big. It could have easily fitted the Dursleys' house in it. The hall's walls were lit with flaming torches.
The first years followed Professor McGonagall across the stone floor. A hum of a lot of voices could be heard from further in the castle - most probably the other students'. Professor McGonagall led them into a small side chamber and ordered them to smarten up. She said she would return for them when it was time, and left the chamber. With the stern woman out of sight, several first years started talking, amongst them her brother and his friend, mostly about what to expect and how the sorting would happen. The children she was standing with were silent, their faces showing their concentration on something. Iris, too, decided to use the few minutes for thinking. She closed her eyes and remembered what she had read in Adalbert Waffling's Magical Theory. The magical theoretician in his book had laid out several most popular speculations upon the origins of magic, tried to describe the well-established frameworks on the magic and its limits. All in all, a very interesting read, although some of the contents had created a small urge to experiment and test out the supposed limits by herself.
The, something happened and several people screamed, waking her and the neighbouring people from their thoughts. 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. They seemed to be arguing.
Iris about the existence of ghosts had learnt by reading Hogwarts: A History which mentioned each House having a ghost: Gryffindor - Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, Hufflepuff - The Fat Friar, Ravenclaw - The Grey Lady, and Slytherin - The Bloody Baron.
The group of ghosts was dispersed by a returned Professor McGonagall.
"Move along now," said in a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
"Now, form a line," the professor told the first years, "and follow me."
Iris got in line behind a girl of Indian descent and in front of a boy with wavy dark hair, and followed the woman out of the side chamber, through the hall and through a pair of big double doors into the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was impressive. It was lit by floating candles. There were four large tables seating students of the four Houses and a smaller one on a pedestal across the Hall holding the teachers. In the middle of the teachers' table was a throne upon which an old man with a long white beard was sat. Professor McGonagall led them through the hall and called them to a halt when in between the students' and teachers' tables. Iris was a bit nervous having to stand in front of all those unfamiliar people who were watching the first years and turned her gaze to the side to avoid meeting anyone's eyes. When she looked away from the students, she noticed that Professor McGonagall had placed a stool with a pointed wizard's hat on top of it in front of them. Unexpectedly, the hat twitched and a song rang out:
"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 then 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
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 school burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
It was a relief to learn that there was no test to the sorting that could be failed and interesting to hear what qualities were sought for each House. Iris believed that she was most likely going to go to Ravenclaw as she did like learning, though she thought she also had qualities for Hufflepuff - "unafraid of toil".
As the Sorting started, Iris noted that people were called alphabetically and tuned out, only keeping an ear out for her brother's name, for she would be sorted after him. When at the Dursleys Iris first read Hogwarts: A History and learnt that at this school people were separated out into four different Houses upon their arrival, she didn't feel anxiety that she would most likely be separated from Harry. Despite her and Harry being twins and having lived in the same room all their lives, they weren't that close. Sure, Iris knew she loved her brother and was mostly sure that he loved her too, but such closeness as was usual between twins didn't exist between them. Harry was too much of a boy and she just didn't understand him or his motivations.
"Potter, Harry!"
As her brother stepped out of the remaining line of first years, whispers suddenly broke out around the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
"Yes, it's the Boy-Who-Lived!"
Around half a minute later, the hat yelled out:
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry left the stool and the hat and walked to his House table where he was greeted with a cheer.
"Potter, Iris!"
"Iris Potter?"
"The sister of Harry Potter!"
"He has a sister?!"
"They're twins."
Iris took a few steps towards the stool, took the hat in her hands and sat down before putting it on.
"Hmm, like your brother, you would fit into several Houses. You value honesty and don't shy away from hard work. You have a good mind and like learning. You wish to show your relatives that you're better than them... I suppose that you, like your brother, would refuse becoming a Slytherin... and I see you would like Ravenclaw... I suppose you do like learning and Hufflepuff would tax you requiring you to be more social than you prefer, thus - better be RAVENCLAW!"
The last word was shouted out loud into the hall. She took off the hat and stumbled towards the table decorated in blue and bronze. Iris sat down next to a girl whose twin had been sorted into Gryffindor like Harry and turned to watch the last three people be sorted. Lisa Turpin became Ravenclaw, Ron Weasley followed Harry into Gryffindor and Blaise Zabini went to Slytherin.
At the teachers' table, Albus Dumbledore got up to his feet and welcomed the students with a few weird words: Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak. On the tables, platters of food appeared from thin air. Albus Dumbledore sat back down. The variety and amount of food was wonderful - there were roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and, for some strange reason, mint humbugs. With such a variety of foods available, Iris chose her favourites - a shank of roast chicken, two sausages, boiled and roast potatoes - and a few carrots for a balanced meal. She, also, took one mint humbug to eat after the meal.
While eating Iris listened as her table neighbours talked about their families - most of whom were half-bloods or purebloods with only a few muggleborns. In her own year and House there were no muggleborns. Anthony Goldstein and Stephen Cornfoot were bragging about their pureblood families' histories while the rest of their yearmates were rolling their eyes. As most people finished up eating dinner, the remains of the food faded from their plates. On the table, in place of the platters of meat and potatoes appeared deserts - ice cream in various flavours, apple pies, chocolate éclairs, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding... Being somewhat choosy about what sweets she liked, Iris took only a few strawberries and a block of vanilla-flavoured ice cream plus a block of strawberry-flavoured ice cream.
"So, Iris Potter, any relation to Harry Potter?"
"Yes, he is my twin brother."
"Do you know how he defeated the Dark Lord?"
"I thought it might have been our mum that somehow saved us. I mean a baby is nothing special, it shouldn't have any extraordinary power that might defend against the Killing Curse."
"Yes, I suppose you're right. But it would have been awesome if a baby had defeated the Dark Lord!"
"It isn't logical to assume that a baby could be powerful enough to kill a Dark Lord, Terry. I'm Anthony Goldstein, by the way."
"It's nice to meet you. Do you know what our first lessons will be?"
"The timetables will be given out tomorrow at breakfast and our first lessons will be mostly theory - to familiarize us with magical theory and such. Breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m."
At last, the deserts also disappeared and the Headmaster got to his feet again. The students fell silent.
"Ahem – just a few words 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." Dumbledore's eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins at the Gryffindor table.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house team should consult 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." for a few seconds Iris thought it strange but quickly dismissed it since she wasn't familiar with the magical world and didn't know what the reasons for the warning were, or even that such a warning was unusual.
"And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
"Ravenclaw first years, follow me!" a blonde female student called out. She was wearing a prefect badge.
The girl with her yearmates followed her out of the hall and up the marble staircase. Then, a few more corridors and up a tight spiral staircase to the Ravenclaw common room. On the way there, they saw a lot of portraits moving between their frames and talking to each other, a few even greeted them. The entrance to the Common Room was hidden by a bust of some sort with a bronze eagle-shaped knocker. When the female prefect used the knocker, a melodious voice asked:
"What has to be broken before you can use it?"
"An egg."
"Good answer," said the knocker as the bust moved out of the way revealing a wide and circular room with graceful arched windows, and blue and bronze tapestries.
"As you can see, in order to enter our common room you will need to answer a riddle. If you're not able to, you will have to wait for someone else to guess the answer or to let you in from inside."
The prefect motioned for the first years to enter.
"I'm Penelope Clearwater, 5th year's female Ravenclaw prefect. If you have any questions, you come to me or Robert Hilliard, 5th year's male Ravenclaw prefect. Boys' dormitories are to the left," she waved her hand to demonstrate where. " And girls' dormitories are to the right. This year there are enough free rooms that there is no need for all-boys and all-girls dorms. Instead, you will be rooming in twos and threes. Now, go and find your rooms."
Iris climbed up the stairs with the other girls in the specified direction, and after the first flight of stairs she saw three doors, all of them with plaques. On the furthest door was a symbol of a bathroom. Evidently, there they will go to toilet and, perhaps, to shower. The other two, closer doors had names on their plaques. The middle doors - Mandy Brocklehurst, Sue Li, Lisa Turpin, while the closest had hers and another girl's names - Iris Potter, Padma Patil. She was happy to note that she will have to share the room with only one other person which was a relief because she wasn't very social. It was the Indian girl that she would share a room with.
After entering her dorm, Iris found the four-poster bed with her trunk at the end with no problems. Both her and Padma's beds had a small cabinet on their right side. Being tired and not feeling up to talking, she changed into her nightgown, took out a Toothflossing Stringmint from her school bag and after some sucking on it, drew her bed hangings closed and fell into her bed to sleep. The day's exhaustion led her to a deep, dreamless sleep.