AN: Ah look, I actually updated. I wonder if I'll get consistent with this (probably not); regardless, I hope you enjoy.

The Sorting Hat

In a matter of moments, the door swung open to reveal a woman adorned in green robes. She had a harsh face made harsher by her dark hair pulled in a tight bun. It occurred to Selena that this woman had a strict demeanor. "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door open wider to reveal the enormous entrance hall. The walls were made of stone and lined with torches lighting the way. Selena could hear choruses of voices coming from a nearby room. Professor McGonagall led them all into a small room. She looked around at the faces of the others. There was a mutual nervousness among them. Harry had a look plastered on his face similar to the one he wore whenever he said something he regretted.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall began. "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 Hogwarts. You 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."

Professor McGonagall's gaze seemed to scrutinize everyone in the room. Selena fluffed her hair a little and straightened her glasses. She could see Harry flattening his hair out. Noticing her silly it seemed to her for him to do so, she realized she must have looked silly as well.

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

Selena slipped past a few students to properly rejoin Ron and Harry. Her brother gave her a quick reassuring smile. "How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry asked.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Ron's answer did nothing to settle her beating heart. The notion of a test made her pulse race faster than ever before. The thought of an examination before the whole school was mortifying. Even if she embarrassed herself the masses would probably forget but she never would and she did not want to deal with that.

"Are you sure about a te—" Selena started to ask, but she broke off when something scared most of the room. She jumped a little and a quiet gasp escaped her lips. A group of floating, translucent phased through the window—ghosts? They had to be ghosts for what else could they be. Their gazes briefly fell on the students before shifting to something else. Some seemed to be arguing. A plump, bald man dressed in robes cinched at the waist—or where a waist should've been—by a rope, was speaking: "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?" The ghost had a ruffled collar, tights, and boots with little heels. His attire reminded Selena of Shakespearean outfits. She remembered seeing something similar in Liza's pictures from the playing of A Midsummer's Night Dream put on by her cousin's school.

There was a silence. None of the students wanted to answer. "New students!" said the one called Friar smiling down at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" Selena nodded so lightly that she didn't think her head even moved.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," Mcgonall called out in a sharp tone. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." The ghosts simply left and floated through yet another wall. The students started to queue up. Selena followed Harry and stood behind him. Inside there were four long tables seating the rest of the students. Above them lit candles twinkled, suspended in the air. They walked past these tables up to one that held what Selena assumed were teachers.

The ceiling above was an inky night sky dotted with stars. Selena tried to find any constellations. It was futile as she did not know her astronomy very well. Hermione whispered to no one in particular, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

Professor McGonagall past by with a stool and placed it in front of them. She then placed a worn, pointed hat on it. Selena stared at it analyzing all of the folds. If she looked closely she could see what looked to be a face in the ratty, dirty leather. Suddenly, a fold near the brim of it opened up, and Selena jumped slightly. And then it did what she least expected and begun 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 room burst into wild applause. Selena lightly tapped her palms together. She didn't find the song to be worthy of such enthusiasm but she supposed it made sense since it was a hat and hats aren't really supposed to be capable of anything of the sort. "So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

She felt minor amounts of relief, until she thought about how a hat was going to judge her character. It would have to read her mind. She didn't know why but the thought of something poking around up there made her an unearthly of kind of uncomfortable.

Her stomach felt agitated. The slightest movement turned her insides and made her feel as though the pasties and candies would make a reappearance. Professor McGonagall pulled her from her anxious, nauseous thoughts, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

The girl with the pigtails from her boat stepped out from the crowd. She placed the hat on her head and it fell floppily over her eyes. There was only a few moments of silence before the hat cried out, "Hufflepuff!" The right most tabled cheered. Hannah placed the hat back on the stool and joined her housemates.

"Bones, Susan!" The hat took a little longer on her.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat called for the second time, and Susan scurried off to the table.

"Boot, Terry!" It was the boy from her boat—the one that clumsily jumped in and waggled his eyebrows.

"RAVENCLAW!" The table from the middle left cheered. A few students got up and shook Terry's hand.

Selena was growing even more anxious. It was evident that it was going alphabetically and it could take quite some time to reach Potter. "Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw, but "Brown, Lavender" was the first to join Gryffindor, and the table on the far left erupted with applause and cheers; Fred and George were whistling and laughing. "Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. She was an enormous girl with a mean face. Selena looked at the table she sat down at. It appeared to her that all the Slytherin's seemed to have a similar kind of face. It was probably just her imagination. Ron's words must've influenced her thinking.

"Finnigan, Seamus," I took the hat nearly a whole minute to decide where he belonged. In the end, he was sorted into Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione did not attempt to hide her enthusiasm as speed walked to the stool and hastily placed the hat on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. She smiled widely revealing her bucked front teeth. Ron groaned.

Neville took a tumble on his way to the stool. Selena winced and inwardly prayed she would not suffer the same fate. She had a tendency to get clumsy when nervous. After it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Neville took off still wearing it. He ran back, pink faced, to the chorus of laughter returned it to its place.

"Malfoy, Draco," He walked to the stool looking much too pleased with himself. The hat hardly so much as touched his platinum hair before it called out, "SLYTHERIN!" He joined his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, at the middle right table.

Many names passed and Selena's nerves grew more intense as the alphabet and crowd dwindled. "Parkinson, Pansy," The final person to accompany her on the boat was sorted into Slytherin.

"Potter, Harry," Selena nearly jumped at the sound of his name. She looked at him and swallowed. She could hear rampant, excited whispering. She hoped it didn't get to Harry too much.

Suddenly, Selena realized that she and Harry could be separated. Now her nerves were going wild. She didn't know how to feel about this possibility. Harry sat with the hat on his head. She couldn't see his eyes but she could see him gripping the stool. Selena then noticed that she had been stabbing her palms with her fingernails. "GRYFFINDOR!"

The response was unreal. Nearly all of the table leapt up from their seats. Percy Weasley shook Harry's hand. The Weasley twins were cheering, "WE GOT POTTER! WE GOT POTTER!"

When the noise died out McGonagall called her name, "Potter, Selena," She tried to take a deep breath but only got a sad shell of one. She looked back at Harry sitting down at his table before heading to the stool. The rim of the hat covered her eyes shielding them from the curious ones of the student body. "Hmmm… Interesting," it murmured. "Very interesting… much like your brother but also… not… better be RAVENCLAW!" A shock ran through her body. There were loud cheers as she took the hat off. Not as loud as Harry's but the loudest cheers Ravenclaw had offered. Carefully she placed it back on the stool and then quickly made her way to the table. She sat in the quickest open spot she could find which happened to be between Terry and another boy their age called Anthony.

There were a few more sorted after her. A girl called Lisa was sorted into Ravenclaw as well and sat across from her. Ron was sorted into Gryffindor which Selena was very happy about. He and Harry seemed to get on so well. The last boy called Blaise Zabini, who Selena found rather attractive, was sorted into Slytherin. Soon after Dumbledore stood with outstretched arms and began to speak, "Welcome, 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!"

Selena found herself grinning. Lisa Turpin looked at her from across the table quizzically. She simply shrugged in response. "Ah yes," An older Ravenclaw boy sitting next to Terry said, "Dumbledore ever the genius that man, but still rather odd."

"I'm David Boot, Terry's brother," He pat his brother on the back. "I'm a prefect this year. If any of you need anything don't be afraid to ask."

Selena simply nodded. Whilst trying to get the words to form in her mouth she noticed that the platters had filled up with food. She looked around with wonder at the assortment. There were array of meats and potatoes and in front of her were a stack of tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and many of the other foods she had had at Liza's. Perhaps the magic knew what people liked. She put a burrito, Yorkshire pudding, and some buttered brown bread on her own plate.

Terry picked up a gordita off of a platter, "What's this?" He asked lifting it up to his eyeline poking at it.

"You've never had a gordita before?" Selena asked still chewy a bit of burrito.

The boy shook his head, "You have?" he said incredulously. "What's in it?"

"Meat and cheese and corn." She explained.

"I'm afraid Terry's not much of an adventurous eater. Anything more complicated than buttered pasta is eclectic to his pallet." David explained.

"Says the guy who survives on jammie dodgers and digestives." His brother retorted.

They all ate with minimal chatter. Selena focused mainly on her food. After finishing what was on her plate she grabbed a small chicken taco. Terry and his brother bantered. Lisa Turpin kept looking at her with wide eyes and then looking back at her food. Anthony Goldstein occasionally asked a few questions about curriculum. When the food diminished, the platters changed to have desserts. Selena grabbed a couple brownies with confectioners' sugar and some chilled berries for dessert.

David Boot by request of Anthony told them about all the teachers. There was Hagrid who Selena already knew fairly well. The man with the greasy hair and hooked nose was Professor Snape who taught potions. Professor McGonagall taught transfiguration. Professor Quirrel, who was wearing a purple Turban taught defense against the dark arts. Professor Flitwick was the head of their house and taught charms. The head of Hufflepuff was the aptly named professor Sprout who taught Herbology. There were a few more but Selena didn't particularly remember their names.

Soon enough the desserts disappeared. Dumbledore rose once more. "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. 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." His eyes shifted to the Gryffindor table and there was not a doubt in Selena's mind that the comment was aimed at 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." Selena kept that filed away in the corner of her mind she called Stupid Things that Harry Could Get in Trouble With.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore announced excitedly. The other teacher's mouths pressed into faux smiles. He raised his wand, gave it a shake, and gold ribbon sprung from the end. It wove through the air forming words- or rather lyrics. "Everyone pick their favorite tune," declared Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

"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."

Selena tried to find a tune but it was very difficult to find a proper one. She finally decided to go with something akin to "The Wheels on the Bus". She finished at the same time as most, but some were still singing. Lisa Turpin looked at her again, "You have a good voice." She said.

"Thanks," Selena smiled awkwardly.

"My mum's an Opera singer."

The first thing, for a reason Selena could comprehend, that came to her mind was mine's dead. "Oh cool," She simply said.

The song finally finished after the Weasley twins ended their funeral march. They sung the final word until they ran out of air. Selena couldn't help but smile. Those boys were such good fun. Everyone clapped, Dumbledore most enthusiastically of them all. "Ah, music," he hummed, wiping at his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The first year students formed a line behind David and some other girl. Selena's legs felt like mush. Terry Boot fell into step with her. "So, I've been meaning to ask you, what's it like being related to Harry Potter?"

"I don't know," Selena said exasperated, "What's it like being related to David Boot?"

Terry laughed, "Annoying."

Outside the Great Hall they walked past a great marble staircase. They walked a while down a hallway and then up a smaller marble stair case. "Mind the stairs, they have a tendency to move," David remarked. Selena noticed that the subjects inside paintings were moving and whispering. After going up a few floors they reached a giant bronze door. Next to it was a statue of a woman. The caption revealed it to be Rowena Ravenclaw. There was a knocker in the shape of an eagle. David picked it up and tapped it against the door a few times.

Suddenly the eagle's beak began to move, "Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If you eat it you die. What is it?" She didn't know what she expected an eagle to sound like, but that wasn't it. It had a rather deep, slow voice.

David did not hesitate to answer, "Nothing," he turned to the crowd. "Bit of an easy one really." The door swung open and they all went inside. The room was circular with a dome shaped ceiling. The inside of it had a good amount of window with beautiful, royal blue curtains trimmed with bronze.

"Alright, girls dormitories to the left, boys to the right." Selena followed the other girls. They went up a staircase. There were two empty rooms. Selena and the other girls things were already there. She shared her room with Lisa Turpin, Padma Patil, Sue Li, and Mandy Brocklehurst. Her bed was between Mandy and Padma's.

The girls all sat on her bed and played with Bastet until they were all taken over by yawns. The girls all carried out their night routines and went to sleep. Selena changed into her pajamas and laid in bed little kitten in her arms. "Goodnight Harry," She whispered when she was certain every other girl had fallen asleep. In her head she imagined him saying goodnight to her as well. She closed her eyes and melted into a deep sleep.