Chapter 6: The Sorting Hat
The door swung open at once and a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and May thought that this woman was not someone that she should ever cross.
"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid," said the professor. "I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide and the first-years walked into the Entrance Hall. It was so big that May was sure that Number 4 could fit in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches that reminded her of Gringotts, and the ceiling was to high to make out, and there was a magnificent marble staircase facing them that led up to the upper floors.
The first-years followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor and May heard the drone of voices from a doorway to the right – the rest of the older students must already be in there. Instead of taking them to the rest of the student body, Professor McGonagall took them to a small empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in and May realised she was standing close to Terry, Morag, and Mandy. She wasn't sure where Harry was, but she felt a little anxious over that. They were supposed to experience Hogwarts together, but now they were separated. It felt like her plans were all ruined.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "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 you house points, while any rule-breaking will lose the 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 Sort 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." She looked over at something and glanced over somewhere else. Finally it seemed like her eyes landed right on May.
Professor McGonagall's eyes widened and May nervously tried to remove some tangles out of her hair and gave a nervous smile in return. Professor McGonagall seemed to recoil a little and May frowned. She had been told that she had a bit of mischievous smile.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall in a soft voice. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber.
Morag and Mandy turned around to look at May.
"What was that all about?" asked Morag. "She looked like she saw a ghost."
May shrugged still feeling a bit bewildered at the professor's reaction. "I don't know. It was odd."
"You can say that again," said Mandy.
"How do they sort us anyway?" asked Morag. "I asked Elspeth and she just smiled at me and didn't say anything."
"May!" Harry shouted.
"Person!" May shouted back, turning around trying to find him in the sea of first-years.
That was something that always annoyed Aunt Petunia to no end when they did that in a store. May would wander off and Harry would call for her, and May would shout 'person' for him to find her. May figured that it was because Aunt Petunia would get embarrassed when they did that.
Harry came up to her and grabbed May's arm. "Let's go, May."
May allowed herself to be led away from her friends. Are they friends? She wasn't sure. Harry lead May to where Ron was.
Before anyone can say anything, several kids screamed.
Someone shouted, "What the—?"
Harry gasped, along with the people around him, because about twenty pearly-white and slightly transparent people walked through the back wall. They glided through the room, talking amongst themselves.
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?" questioned a ghost wearing a ruff and tights. "He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost—" He seemed to notice the first years, "I say, what are you all doing here?"
May couldn't seem to form words at the sight of the ghosts.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling at them. "About to be sorted, I suppose?" May nodded. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."
"Move along now," ordered a sharp voice.
It was Professor McGonagall. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
One by one the ghosts had walked to the wall that was opposite of them.
"Now, form a line and follow me," Professor McGonagall told the first years.
Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind Harry, and May stood behind Ron.
They walked out of the chamber and across the hall, through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
May gasped at the magnificent sight. Thousands and thousands of candles were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. May noticed golden plates and goblets in the spaces between the students.
At the front of the hall was a long table, where the professors were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first-years to the table, and they came to a halt in a line, facing the other students and their backs to the teachers.
May could see the ghosts among the students.
"It's bewitched to look like sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts: A History," whispered Hermione.
May looked up to the ceiling to see that it looked like there was no ceiling. She looked down over to see Professor McGonagall placing a four-legged stool in front of the first-years. On top of the stool, she placed a pointed wizard's hat. The hat looked patched, frayed, and extremely dirty. May knew that Aunt Petunia wouldn't allow the hat in the house, since Aunt Petunia barely allowed her and Harry inside the house.
A rip near the brim opened up, like it was a mouth and proceeded to sing about the house. Gryffindor was known for their bravery, daring, chivalry, and nerves. Hufflepuff was known for being just and loyal, patient, and unafraid of toil. Ravenclaw was known to be intelligent, witty, and a ready mind of learning. Slytherin was known for being cunning, ambitious, and using everything to achieve their means. Apparently there wasn't anything that you can hide because the Sorting Hat will find it.
After the song was finished, there was applause and the hat bowed to each of the four tables. It became still again.
"We've got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered furiously. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling trolls."
May wasn't sure if she could wrestle a troll, since she couldn't even wrestle Dudley.
Professor McGonagall was now holding a long roll of parchment. She said, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbott, Hannah!"
A girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, and sat down. There was a pause and the hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!"
The table on the far right cheered and clapped as Hannah took off the hat, and went to go sit down at the Hufflepuff table. The Fat Friar was waving happily at Hannah.
"Bones, Susan!"
A red-haired girl went to Hufflepuff.
"Boot, Terry!"
The brown-haired boy that May had been talking to, went to the stool and became a Ravenclaw.
The second table from the left clapped. Several Ravenclaws had stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Amanda," had joined Ravenclaw too, and May felt a little sad at that, because she felt like she had made a friend in her.
Lavender Brown became the first Gryffindor and the table next to Ravenclaw erupted in cheers.
Millicent Bulstrode became a Slytherin. The table next to Gryffindor cheered.
May was beginning to feel ill. She didn't want to go to Slytherin, but she was sure that she wasn't cunning. That is, did pranks count as cunningness?
Michael Corner had gone to Ravenclaw and May almost caught her breath when she realised it was the boy from Flourish & Blotts.
A boy named Stephen Cornfoot had gone to Ravenclaw as well.
Justin Finch-Fletchley had gone to Hufflepuff and Seamus Finnigan had gone to Gryffindor.
A boy named Anthony Goldstein had been made a Ravenclaw.
Hermione Granger nearly ran to the stool and crammed the hat on her head. She was made a Gryffindor and Ron groaned at that.
A boy named Austin Guthrie became a Ravenclaw and a girl named Sue Li became a Ravenclaw.
Neville Longbottom became a Gryffindor, but he almost took off with the hat when he tried to join Hermione at the table.
Morag MacDougal also became a Ravenclaw and May felt dejected too. She also thought of Morag as a friend.
Malfoy became a Slytherin, and May wasn't surprised.
Lily Moon, Theodore Nott, and Pansy Parkinson, were sorted. Parvati and Padma Patil were sorted, although Padma had been sorted to Ravenclaw while Parvati went to Gryffindor. Sally-Anne Perks was sorted.
Professor McGonagall called, "Potter, Harry!"
There was silence and the whispers started up.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
Harry had stepped forward and the hat was dropped on his head.
May could see students turning to look over at Harry. She noticed that some were looking like they were holding their breath.
May watched Harry grip the edges of the stool.
"Gryffindor!" the hat shouted and the Gryffindor exploded in cheers. It sounded like they had the loudest cheers from the entire sorting.
Fred and George were yelling, "We got Potter!" repeatedly.
Harry went to sit down opposite of the ruff-wearing ghost. He looked pale and shaky, but happy.
Once the applause died down, Professor McGonagall called out, "Potter, Mayflower!"
There were more whispers.
"Harry has a sister?"
"Does she have a scar too?"
Heads turned to look at her.
Ron patted May on the shoulder, pushing her forward.
May walked over to the stool and sat down on it. The hat was dropped on her head.
"Another Potter, eh?" a voice said in May's ear.
"I guess," replied May.
"Now where to put you," the voice said. "Hmm, interesting. Very interesting. You're intelligent, very intelligent. I see you're creative. Writing stories and pranking people, just like your father."
"I guess," thought May. She hadn't written a story since the Hogwarts letters started bombarding Number 4 and she hadn't pranked Dudley and his gang either.
"I see you're a smart person, just like your mother," said the hat. "You're brave and you've got talent. And you have a nice thirst to prove yourself too."
"I need to be with my brother," thought May.
"I think not. Your creativity and intelligence will be wasted there. I know of a house that will show you the path that you need," the hat said.
"What house is that?" asked May.
"Ravenclaw!" the hat shouted and May almost shot up at that.
There was silence and it sounded like the Ravenclaw table erupted in applause too.
May walked over to the Ravenclaw table and the prefect shook her hand vigorously. "Welcome to Ravenclaw, May. I'm Robert Hillard, the Ravenclaw Prefect."
"Hello," said May before sitting down across from Morag, who was grinning.
May looked at the high table to see Hagrid grinning at Harry and then at May. There was a tiny looking wizard, who smiled and waved at May when he noticed her looking at him.
May looked at Albus Dumbledore who was sitting at the centre of the table in a gold chair. May spotted Professor Quirrell, who was wearing a large purple turban. She couldn't recall if the professor had worn a turban before. A boy named Dean Thomas became a Gryffindor, while Ron became a Gryffindor, and a black boy named Blaise Zabini became a Slytherin.
"Cheer up," said Padam Patil to May. "My sister went to Gryffindor. Besides, you'll still see Harry."
"Yeah, all the houses have classes together, anyway," said Morag, shrugging.
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet and he was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide.
"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!"
May wasn't sure what to think about what Dumbledore had said as he sat back down. The table was suddenly piled with food. There was: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausage, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and mint humbugs.
May was stunned to see a lot of food. She was sure that if Dudley saw it all, he would try to eat all of it and probably get sick after about one-third of it.
May went for some bacon and steak, Yorkshire pudding, and carrots.
"I can't wait till class starts tomorrow," Sue Li was saying. "I want to be an Auror."
"You've got to be the best just to get in," said Robert.
"It won't hurt to be the best," said Sue.
May wasn't sure what an Auror was, but she was sure she read about the word somewhere.
"I can't wait to learn Charms," said Morag. "Our Head of House teaches Charms."
"Who's our Head of House?" asked May. She noticed how Mandy had struck up a conversation with Terry and Michael.
"Professor Flitwick," said Robert. "You'll get to meet him tomorrow. He's a Duelling Champion."
May nodded since it sounded reasonable.
"Who's the professor with the turban?" asked Padma looking at Professor Quirrell.
"That's Professor Quirrell," said May, glad to know something. "He's our new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."
"He was also a Ravenclaw," said Robert.
"Ooh," said Padma and Sue.
May noticed that an older girl was staring at her.
"What?" asked May.
"Do you have a scar too?" asked the girl.
"What?" asked May in disbelief.
"Well, it would make sense," said the girl. "Harry has a lightning bolt scar and you were there with him when You-Know-Who attacked on Hallowe'en…"
"No, I do not have a scar," replied May. "I only have three unrelated ones that I got two years ago."
"How did that happen?" asked the girl sounding curious.
"If you want unbearable pain, just put your knee through glass," said May with fake cheerfulness.
"Why would—?" the girl started and May gave her a look. The girl promptly stayed quiet.
After dinner, the puddings arrived. There were blocks of ice-cream in every flavour that May could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, and chocolate éclairs and jam doughnut, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding…
May went for some strawberry ice-cream and two chocolate éclairs.
She looked at the high table again and noticed Professor Quirrell talking to a greasy-haired man with an unfortunate hooked nose. Professor Quirrell looked terrified.
"Who's the professor talking to Professor Quirrell?" May asked Robert.
Robert looked over his shoulder, "Oh, that's Professor Snape. He teaches potions. He favours Slytherin, because he's head of Slytherin. Don't let it get you down, though. The rest of the professors are impartial."
"Who are the professors and what do they teach?" asked Sue.
Robert raddled off the professors: Professor Sprout teaches Herbology, Professor McGonagall teaches Transfiguration, Professor Flitwick teaches Charms, Professor Snape teaches Potions, Professor Binns (the only ghost) teaches History of Magic, Professor Sinistra taught Astronomy, and Madam Hooch was the flying teacher and referee of Quidditch. Apparently those were the professors that they were going to have for two years, while in their third year they were going to pick two to three elective classes.
The elective professors were: Professor Babbling who taught Ancient Runes, Professor Burbage who taught Muggle Studies, Professor Kettleburn who was the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Vector who taught Arthimancy, and Professor Trelawney who was the Divination teacher.
It sounded so wonderful that May wished she could have written all the classes and teachers down.
After eating, the plates were wiped clean, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet. The Hall fell silent.
"Ahem – just a few more words now we are all fed and watered," started Dumbledore.
May wondered if it was going to be more strange words.
"I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First-years should note that the forest in the grounds in forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. I have also been asked by Mr Filch, that 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."
May looked at Robert, confused, "Do you think he's being serious?"
"I think so," said Robert. "Dumbledore usually gives out reasons for us not being somewhere. Everyone knows that the forest is full of dangerous beats, but I would've thought that he would have told the Prefects and Head Boys and Girls why the third-floor corridor is out of bounds. Must be a big secret as to why he didn't tell us."
"That is suspicious," said Morag, looking thoughtful.
May wondered what was in the third-floor corridor that was closed off. It must've been something secretive. What could it be?
She looked at Morag who was tapping her nails on the table and looking lost in thought. May wondered what the red-head was thinking.
"Ah, music," said Dumbledore, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
The Ravenclaw first-years followed Robert through the chattering crowds and out of the Great Hall. They went up the marble staircase. May noticed the people in the portraits were whispering to each other.
"What do you think is in the third-floor corridor?" asked Morag, walking alongside May.
"I don't know," May whispered.
"It must be something huge," whispered Mandy as she came up behind Morag. "I want to see what's in it."
"How bad can it be to take a look?" asked May thoughtfully.
They went up a circular staircase, which went in tight, dizzying circles, when they finally got to a door that looked like it was made out of aged wood. There was a bronze eagle knocker.
Robert looked at the first-years. "If you knock once, it gives you a riddle. I know some of you might be terrified of answering the riddle, but you will soon learn to enjoy the challenges that it gives you. Now it's not uncommon to find twenty people outside trying to figure out the day's riddle, but it's a great way to meet older Ravenclaws and learn from them."
"You must be joking," said Sue. "I mean twenty people outside the door thing."
"No, I've seen forty people at one time," said Robert.
"Okay, now you're joking," accused May.
"Okay, on that one I was," said Robert. "However, I advise you to triple-check your bags to see if you have everything."
"Why didn't I think of that?" muttered May sarcastically.
"Anyway, the dorms are in the turrets on the main tower, in the door behind Rowena Ravenclaw's statue. The boys' dorms are on the left and the girls' dorms are on the right. Boys can't enter the boys' dorms and vice versa."
"What happens if you try?" asked Mandy, looking innocent.
"If you want to end up in the infirmary, I say try it," said Robert. He grabbed the knocker and knocked once. A soft, musical voice said, "Turn me on my side and I am everything. Cut me in half and I am nothing. What am I?"
"Okay, since it's the first night back, it asked a non-magical riddle. Tomorrow, it will ask a magical riddle," explained Robert.
There was silence as they tried to figure it out.
"The number eight, if it's turned on its side, it's the infinity symbols and when it's cut in half, it turns into zeroes," explained Robert.
"Well explained," said the knocker and the door opened. They walked into a wide, circular, airy room. Opposite the door was a niche was a female statue made out of white marble. There was a door next to the statue, which May knew led to the dorms.
She looked around and noticed that there were graceful arched windows puncturing the walls. There were tables, chairs, and bookcases along the common room.
There was blue and bronzes along the walls. The ceiling was domed and midnight-blue and painted with stars. She looked down to see midnight-blue carpet that was also covered with star-patterns.
She went to a window and looked out. She could see the forbidden forest and knew that it would be a nicer view in the morning.
"Hey, I can see the Quidditch pitch," said Mandy looking out a different window. May went to look. She could see the goals and five stands.
"The mountains really are beautiful," said Morag. "Elspeth's description has nothing on the actual view. She said that it's more beautiful during winter."
"Well, I'm heading to bed," said Mandy, as the other first-years went to the door.
They followed after her.
There were fourteen different doors and two sets of stairs that went in a spiral pattern. A sign above the first two doors said: Seventh Year Ravenclaw Boys and Seventh Year Ravenclaw Girls.
The girls climbed the stairs all the way to the top and walked in.
There were five four-poster beds laid out in a sort of circle, with sky blue silk eiderdowns, with sky blue curtains for privacy. Next to each bed was a nightstand with a candle.
Against one corner of the dorm were a blue armchair and a nightstand that had a candle on it. There was a rug with the Ravenclaw eagle on it laid out in front of the bed. Their trunks were at the foot of their beds. Pepperjack's cage was on top of the trunk that was right in front of the door.
Off to the side a door was open to show a sink, toilet, and shower-stall.
"Who has the guinea pig?" asked Padma.
"She's mine. Her name is Pepperjack," May said going to the bed.
"Isn't that a cheese?" asked Sue sounding confused.
May shrugged, set Pepperjack's cage on the nightstand next to her bed, and opened her trunk. She pulled out her pyjamas, which was a blue gingham pyjama set.
The rest of the girls got in their pyjamas and got in bed. May was surprised that Mandy and Morag were on either side of her.
"But what exactly is in the third-floor corridor?" asked Mandy.
That question plagued May until she fell asleep.