THIRD-PERSON


The doors swung open and revealed a stern faced woman with green robes and a big black hat standing in the doorway. Blyana thought the woman looked rather unhappy and in dire need of a smile, while Kiera knew perfectly well who this woman was. Kiera had heard tale of her from her only living relative, and now she realized that the stories she had been told were quite true and an accurate description of the woman who stood before her year.

"The fir's years, Professor McGonagall," the big man, that neither girl knew the name of, said.

"Thank you, Hagrid," the woman said in a thick Scottish accent. "I'll take them from here."

Professor McGonagall opened the doors wider for each first year to see beyond. Blyana thought the entrance hall impressively large and open, she had never seen such a room that looked to be able to hold a hundred elephants. Kiera didn't think it that much impressive, but she had to admit that it would fit approximately 536 students ranging from six to four feet high.

They didn't linger long in the large room, Professor McGonagall lead them to an empty chamber by the Great Hall. Before they entered the new room, voices could be heard coming from another large set of double doors.

Professor McGonagall stopped and the students gathered around her to hear what she had to say. "Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said to her new pupils, "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." Blyana desperately wanted to be apart of that house, much like her father had been. "Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." Kiera thought being in Ravenclaw wouldn't be that terrible, but if she was put in Slytherin she was sure she would transfer to Beauxbatons.

"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 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, so I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." The professor finished speaking and scanned the students. "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." And with that she left the chamber, leaving the students alone to contemplate on what the Sorting Ceremony would be like.

Many of the students were quite anxious as they worried what could possibly done to them to determine their house., Blyana included. Her mind swirled with images of all that could happen, all that could go wrong.

As she continued to fret over such a small thing, Kiera leaned against the stone cold wall, her face neutral though a little bit frightening. Her own mind dwelled upon a scene that had taken place on the train. Kiera, trying to be a nice witch, had decided to help a fellow student, but ended up terrifying the boy and nearly landing herself in detention. A sudden scream from some first years distracted both girls as numerous transparent people floated through the walls. Kiera knew them to be ghosts, but Blyana thought them to be scary but maybe they were friendly.

"F-forgive and forget, I say we ought to give him a second chance," said a fat little friar as he glided above the students.

"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," a richly dressed ghost was saying, then seemed to spot the many students below him, "I say, what are you all doing here?"

The children remained silent, too scared to speak to beings such as these.

"New students," the Fat Friar said, smiling kindly at all of them, "About to be sorted, I suppose." People nodded in answer. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff. My own house you know."

"Move along now." Professor McGonagall had returned for the students, "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start." The ghosts floated away and the Fat Friar gave a small wave before he disappeared.

"Now, form a line!" The professor told her students, "And follow me!"

Kiera and Blyana both got into line, Kiera behind a boy with curly blonde hair and Blyana behind a girl with bushy brown hair. As one, the students walked out of the chamber, back into the large hall, and then through the large set of double doors into the Great Hall.

Thousands of candles floated in midair, above four long tables where a great number of students sat. All four tables pointed at a head table where the teachers were seated, peering out at their new students. At the far right of the table, the large man who had led them across the lake was seated, but that was the only person any of the first years recognized.

Blyana took some time to study each professor, noting the witches and wizards who wore extravagant robes and hats, one even wore a turban! Most of the students in the hall were distracted by the floating candles, and the large tables, and the new first years, so nobody noticed when Kiera locked eyes with a black haired man at the very end of the table. Nobody noticed when the two of them stared at each other too long for it to be an accident. Nobody noticed, except perhaps for Professor Albus Dumbledore.

He knew the secret the two shared, or rather, secrets, because he was the one that asked they keep them. Albus Dumbledore regretted that someone as young as Kiera had to keep such marvelous and monumental secrets to herself, but it was for the future good of the wizarding world, and he trusted that she would keep it better than anyone.

Professor McGonagall, oblivious to the thoughts of her dearest friend and one of her new students, escorted the first years to the front, and then stopped in front of the head table, prompting her students to do so as well.

The nervous students looked out over their peers, taking notice of the few ghosts that floated here and there. Some looked up at the ceiling, which was velvety black with stars dotting it. The girl in front of Blyana whispered, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."

As the students stared around them, Professor McGonagall took a four legged stool and placed it in front of them. On top of the school, she put a pointed wizard's hat. It appeared very old and beat-up, with patches and frays. Everyone in the hall stared at the hat, somehow expected something from it, though the first years did not know how that could be.

Suddenly, to the great surprise of the youngest students, the hat twitched. Then a rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and 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.

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!"

Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a roll of parchment that she thought got longer every year. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted."

"Abbott, Hannah."

A pink faced girl with blonde pigtails stepped out of line and quickly walked to the stool. She put the hat on, which fell right below her eyes and sat down. A moment later, the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hufflepuff table, in a cheery yellow and gold, cheered and clapped for their new member.

"Bones, Susan."

"HUFFLEPUFF!" Another cheer from the same table.

"Boot, Terry."

"RAVENCLAW!" The Ravenclaw table, decked in blue and bronze, cheered.

"Briar, Lucas." The boy that stood in front of Kiera walked up and Blyana waved at her friend as he past. He sent her a nervous smile before settling on the stool with the hat perched on his head.

"SLYTHERIN!" The table cheered, thrilled for their first member of the year.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy."

"RAVENCLAW!" The blue table cheered again.

"Brown, Lavender."

"GRYFFINDOR!" The red and gold table cheered, perhaps the loudest so far, as the Lavender sat down.

"Bullstrode, Millicent."

"SLYTHERIN!" The Slytherin table of green and silver applauded for her as she joined them. Kiera looked up to see the fleeting, yet rather small, smile on the black-haired man's face.

"Cultivire, Blyana." A huge grin on her lightly freckled face, Blyana nearly skipped forward to jam the hat on her head and sit patiently on the stool. To her surprise, the hat began to speak to her.

Well, you know what, your father was in Slytherin, would you like to be with him?

"No! My father was so not… not smart with… ANYTHING!" The negative thoughts burst in Bly's mind as if she was talking aloud.

All right then… "GRYFFINDOR!" The most popular table clapped.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin."

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The happy yellow table clapped again, as enthusiastic as the last two times.

"Finnigan, Seamus."

"GRYFFINDOR!" Another applause from the table.

"Granger, Hermoine." The smart girl that had been in front of Blyana hurried forward to perch on the stool with the hat on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Another cheer from the red table.

"Longbottom, Neville." He nearly fell on the way over, but when he sat on the stool with the hat on his head, it took a long while for the hat to decide.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted to everyone, including Neville's, surprise. He scampered off, with the Sorting Hat still on his head. He hurried back to the stool when he realized he still wore it, his face red and the laughter of everyone in the hall only embarrassing him further.

"Macdougal, Morag."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Malfoy, Draco." The pale boy swaggered forward, a confident grin on his face. Kiera fought a sneer as he passed her, and the urge to trip him. She needed to be civil, at least until they were alone.

"SLYTHERIN!" He joined the table amid the cheers and applause from the other Slytherin students.

"Moon, Lily." Hufflepuff.

"Nott, Theodore." Slytherin.

"Parkinson, Pansy" Slytherin.

"Patil, Padma." Ravenclaw.

"Patil, Parvati." Gryffindor.

"Perks, Sally-Anne." Gryffindor.

"Potter, Harry." Whispers broke out around the hall, students asking each other if it was really him. The small black-haired boy walked forward, to the stool.

He looks rather scared, Blyana thought, I wonder what it's like to be so famous.

He's probably going to end up in Gryffindor, just like his father, Kiera grumbled in her own head. She had nothing against the Potters, in fact, she admired them, it was just that Gryffindors tend to be a bit daft, and from the oblivious way he acted on the train, it was the perfect house for him.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat finally shouted. Kiera snorted, she was right, but Blyana cheered along with her fellow housemates. It was perhaps the loudest one yet from any table.

"Snape, Kiera." The entire hall went silent, no one dared say anything, not even the first years spoke, though they didn't know why. Everyone stared at the pale girl with black and silver hair as she walked calmly to the stool. She seemed not to notice the stares, but Kiera definitely felt them.

As she walked forward from near the back of the line, she snuck a glance up at the pale man that many now noticed looked similar to her. They had the same black hair, though Kiera's was dyed at the ends, and the same sallow skin. Many of the students couldn't believe that Professor Snape had any relatives or that he had married. Kiera took the hat from McGonagall, then placed it on her head as she sat gracefully on the stool.

Ahhh… a Snape. But you are bright, exceptionally so, and you most definitely love to learn, though your imagination is limited. Your grandmother's family was very famous for its Slytherins, you know, perhaps you would do best in there… the hat said Kiera's mind. It was an odd sensation, but not uncomfortable.

"Don't you dare put me in Slytherin," she told the hat rather rudely.

Not in Slytherin? But your own uncle is their head of house. You would do well in there, the hat tried to convince her.

"If you put me in Slytherin I will burn you," Kiera quite unnecessarily threatened.

That is a very Slytherin thing to say, but if you so wish, it'd better be…. "RAVENCLAW!"

Kiera quickly jumped off the stool and returned that hat to McGonagall. She hurried to the Ravenclaw table, which was giving a rather half-hearted cheer at the fact that their new member was related to their least favorite professor. Before she sat down, Kiera looked up at the table to find that her very own uncle was frowning at her. Thrilled with the fact that she wasn't placed under him, she grinned at the grumpy man, then sat down.

"Thomas, Dean."

"GRYFFINDOR!" The last student forgotten, the table erupted into cheers.

"Turpin, Lisa."

"RAVENCLAW!" The girl joined Kiera at the table as the Ravenclaw students cheered much louder than they had for the pale-skinned girl.

"Weasley, Ron."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Figured, Kiera thought as Blyana cheered as loudly as the rest of her table.

"Zabini, Blaise." Slytherin.

That was the last of the students. As soon as Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and put away the Sorting Hat and stool, Albus Dumbledore went to his feet, his face beaming with happiness.

"Welcome!" He said, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words and hear they are: nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak. Thank you." He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered for the elderly man.