Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters, places, and ideas belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers, not me.
by Auror5
"Welcome to Hogwarts. In a moment, you will be taken into the Great Hall to participate in the start-of-term banquet. However, before the banquet begins, each of you will be sorted into your house. The Sorting Hat is responsible for carrying out the important Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony. Your house will be your home while you are at Hogwarts, and the students in your house will be your family.1
"There are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own honourable history and has produced some of the finest wizards and witches. Each of you will be responsible for earning house points. Good deeds, championship, and exceptional skills and qualities will earn your house points. Conversely, breaking rules will assuredly lose house points. The House Cup is awarded, at the end of the year, to the house with the most points. I hope that each of you will strive to earn many points for your house.2
"Now, form a queue, please. Shortly, we will walk into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony." Professor McGonagall left the chamber, and then promptly returned a few minutes later.
"Follow me."
The first years followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall. There were four long tables in the room of which many students were already seated. Gold plates and goblets were placed in front of each student. The first years stood on a raised platform in front of the Great Hall with the rest of the students gazing up at them. Lily glanced behind her to peek at the teachers. She quickly turned around and stared at her feet when she spotted several teachers looking back at her.
Professor McGonagall positioned a stool in front of them. She then placed a tattered wizard's hat atop it. A large rip near the hat's brim opened, and the hat began to sing! Lily's mouth dropped ajar in astonishment. She wondered how the hat could be singing. Quickly, she turned around to determine which teacher was controlling it. Who is the ventriloquist? she thought. Lily continued to gaze about trying to discover the source of the oddity. She happened to glance up at the ceiling, and then gasped in awe. The ceiling appeared as though it were the nighttime sky. Lily could see stars, and a crescent moon of which a thin cloud floated by and briefly obstructed it. Is this ceiling made of glass? she wondered.
Lily stared out across the Great Hall, and nearly shouted out in surprise. There were so many wonderful and enchanting elements in this Hogwarts! Are those really ghosts? she said to herself in disbelief. There was an apparition floating at each table.
"I will now call each of your names. When your name is announced, take the Sorting Hat, sit on this stool, and then place the hat on your head."
Slightly disappointed, Lily realised that she missed the Sorting Hat's song. Fascinated by the ceiling, she furtively glanced up at it again.
"ALLSPICE, PATRICIA"
A tall, thin girl with frizzy, strawberry-blonde hair and numerous freckles ran to the stool and plopped down. She put the hat on her head. It immediately screamed,
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
She stepped down from the platform and walked over to a table where many students were standing, loudly clapping, and waving. A large painting of a badger was hanging behind their table.
"ARBUCKLE, OLIVER"
A small boy with large brown eyes and a mop of honey-blonde hair sat on the stool and placed the hat on his head. A short pause later, the hat yelled,
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Arbuckle ran down the platform, and joined the table where a number of students were whistling, cheering, and shouting him over. A gold and red crest of a lion blazed behind the Gryffindors' table.
"AVERY, PERTINAX"
A tall, sullen, thin-faced boy with long, dark hair sauntered over to the stool and dropped the hat onto his head.
A few seconds later, the Sorting Hat, screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"
Amidst a mixture of boos, catcalls, and raucous applause, Avery joined the table with a painting of a serpent looming over it.
"BLACK, SIRIUS"
A handsome boy with dark hair strolled calmly over to the stool with hands in his pockets. He sat down and nonchalantly put the hat on his head. A brief hesitation, then,
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"BRENTWOOD, TOBY"
The bespectacled boy with lovely brown curls rushed to the stool and knocked it over in his haste to sit on it. Everyone laughed. He grinned, placed it aright, grabbed the hat, and placed it on his head while sitting down. About a minute later, the hat shouted,
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"CRAVEN, DAISY"
The pretty girl with long, bright gold ringlets sat on the stool.
"GRYFFINDOR"
"ERSTWHILST, INGA"
"SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat screamed, barely touching her head.
Erstwhilst vaguely reminded Lily of Gertrude, her old nemesis back at March Worthing.
"EVANS, LILY"
Lily sat on the stool and placed the hat on her head. It was so big that it nearly covered her face.
"Hullo, Lily," said the Sorting Hat chummily. "Hmm, where should I put you? I see that you are quite intelligent, clever...and witty, too! Alas, I also see someone who would fight vainly and determinedly for what is good and just. There is no doubt; the place for you is...
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily stepped down, and walked over to the table with a lion crest behind it. Craig, Fiona's brother, was smiling and waving her over.
"Here, Lily, you can sit next to me."
"Good evening, lass," said the ghost at the table, "I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington."
"Er, hullo."
Sir Nicholas was wearing maroon clothing with a lacy ruff. Lily observed that he persisted in toying with his collar as though he were attempting to hide something on his neck.
Craig caught Lily staring at Sir Nicholas, and said loudly enough so that the ghost could hear, "Everyone calls him Nearly Headless Nick on account that his head is being held onto his neck by only a thin shred of skin."
Lily's eyes widened. "Oh."
Nearly Headless Nick acted as though he were offended, and floated farther down the table.
"FURNACE, TABITHA"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"You're going to really like Gryffindor, Lily," said Craig. "We have the best House. Our House nearly always wins the Quidditch Cup, and sometimes we tie with Ravenclaw with the most O.W.Ls and highest scores on the N.E.W.Ts."
"What are O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts?"
"O.W.Ls are Ordinary Wizarding Levels and N.E.W.Ts are Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests."
Lily frowned. "Are the tests that hard? I'm not sure I know that much magic."
"Don't worry. You don't have to worry about them until you're in your fifth year."
"Oh."
"Oy, McKinnon, are you trying to scare the fresh bloods already?" teased a very handsome black boy, of about fourteen years old, across the table.
"Nah, she isn't afraid, Virgil. Are you, Lily?"
"No."
She gazed up toward the front of the hall and spotted Headmaster Dumbledore. He seemed more imposing in person than in his photo.
"KERNVILLE, AZUSA"
"SLYTHERIN!" yelled the Sorting Hat.
"LUPIN, REMUS"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily stood and shouted, "Remus, over here. Sit here, Remus!" She slid over so that he could sit next to her.
"Hello!" Lily grinned at Remus. "I'm so glad you're in the same house as me! I was afraid I wouldn't know anyone in my year in this house. Oooh, it looks like Fiona is next. Cross your fingers! Let's hope she is sorted into Gryffindor."
Lily and Remus closed their eyes and pled desperately that Fiona was put into Gryffindor.
"MCKINNON, FIONA"
A moment later,
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily screamed, jumped up and down, and hugged Remus, who blushed furiously. Lily was so thrilled that Fiona was sorted in Gryffindor that she did not notice Remus' red face or the fact that she had hugged a boy.
"Fiona! Fiona, over here!" yelled Lily.
Fiona squeezed in between Lily and Remus.
"Drat! Must I always be pestered by the billiwig?" Craig teased.
"Oh, shut up, toothless vampire!"
"Close the hole, clumsy Mummy!"
"Make like a tree and leave, wrinkled git with the trots!"
Lily and Remus looked at each other and shook their heads.
"You two are daft, you know that?" giggled Lily.
"You're missing the sorting." Virgil silenced them.
Craig directed his attention back to the front of the hall.
"Oy, Lily, would you like a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean?"
"All right."
Fiona gave her a yellow bean-shaped candy. Lily, thinking it was lemon flavoured, promptly popped it into her mouth and began to chew. Gagging, she immediately spat it out.
"Disgusting! What is it?" She tried to rub the taste from her mouth with her sleeve.
Fiona doubled up with laughter. "Wh-what, did, did, it, ta-taste like?"
"I don't know," Lily grimaced. "Pee?"
Just then, Craig glared at them and told them to be quiet.
"Oh! Peter is next," exclaimed Fiona.
"PETTIGREW, PETER"
Lily, Fiona, and Remus held their breaths.
After about a minute, the Sorting Hat shouted,
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily, Fiona, and Remus cheered and applauded with the rest of the Gryffindors, and waved Peter over to where they sat.
Peter sat next to Remus.
"POTTER, JAMES"
They watched as the next boy walked up to the stool. He was bespectacled and rather small and skinny with wild, black hair.
Fiona whispered to Lily, "I think he forgot to comb his hair."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindors erupted in loud cheering. James responded by bowing to the hall. He would not stop, and soon everyone was laughing. He continued to bow, appearing quite ridiculous bobbing up and down, until Professor McGonagall ordered,
"POTTER! GO TO YOUR TABLE, NOW."
The hall roared, and everyone clapped as he made his way to the Gryffindor table. Potter sat next to Black, who grinned and winked at him.
"What a funny fellow!" commented Fiona.
Lily thought that Sirius was the handsomest boy she had seen so far in their year.
"RIDGECREST, RAINA"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"ROSIER, EVAN"
A dark-haired, tanned, handsome boy went up to the stool and put the hat on. The Sorting Hat barely touched Rosier's head when it shrieked, "SLYTHERIN."
Rosier ran to the Slytherin table with a smirk on his face.
"SNAPE, SEVERUS"
The thin boy with a mop of shiny, black hair hanging in his eyes sat on the stool and plopped the hat on. It barely touched his head, when it screamed,
"SLYTHERIN!"
"TOOKSBIT, SAMANTHA"
A bespectacled girl with long, straight blonde hair sat down and placed the hat on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"URCHINN, ANDERS"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"WILKES, DAMIEN"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"WITTLESTON, IVY"
"GRYFFINDOR"
"YOLKE, TARA"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"ZEPHYR, ANTHONY"
"RAVENCLAW"
As Zephyr made his way over to the Ravenclaw table, which had a painting of an eagle against a blue background behind it, Professor McGonagall picked up the stool and hat, and carried them away.
Headmaster Dumbledore rose from his chair.
"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!"
The Great Hall rang with applause.
"Now to business: First, let me remind you, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden to all students. Ignore my warning, and we may never see you again."
A frightened expression appeared on the first years' faces at this pronouncement. Lily wondered whether the headmaster was pulling a joke he alone found amusing.
"In addition, I warn each and every one of you to stay away from the willow tree that was planted during the summer holidays. It has a reputation for, er, striking when approached."
Several murmurs greeted this announcement.
"Now! Let's introduce this year's Head Boy, Head Girl, and the Prefects. For the benefit of the first years, I will explain. If you maintain exceptional grades you will have the opportunity to become a Prefect in your fifth, sixth, or seventh year. The boy and girl who end up with the highest scores in Hogwarts at the end of the sixth year become Head Boy and Head Girl in their seventh year.
"As I call your name, please stand."
He then proceeded to announce the name of each house Prefect.
After the cheering died off, Dumbledore resumed.
"I proudly present this year's Head Boy and Head Girl: Antonin Dolohov of Slytherin and Judith Owlsbuckle of Ravenclaw."
Everyone applauded as the Head Boy and Head Girl stood. Judith Owlsbuckle had dark, glossy tresses and heavy lidded eyes. Lily thought Dolohov was sinister looking. Of all the boys, he was the only one with facial hair: a goatee.
Dumbledore raised his hand for silence.
"Again, for the first year's benefit, let me introduce the Heads of Houses. You have already met Professor McGonagall, but Professor, why don't you stand anyway?"
The students clapped politely.
"Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor, teaches Transfiguration. An excellent Professor she is. I recommend, however, that you do not engage in foolish behaviour in her class. Thank you Professor, you may sit down. Ah, the Head of Hufflepuff House. Please stand, Professor Sprout.
"Professor Sprout is our famous Professor of Herbology. You will have plenty of opportunity to become acquainted with the, no doubt, interesting plants growing in her greenhouses. For those students in anguish over those unsightly and unwelcome, er, zits..." Everyone laughed. "Professor Sprout will become your close friend."
Dumbledore smiled as everyone cheered for Professor Sprout.
"Now, Head of Ravenclaw: Professor Flitwick. Please stand, Professor. Oh dear, I apologise. You are standing."
The hall filled with laughter. Professor Flitwick was rather short.
"No offence taken, Headmaster. Apology accepted," smiled Professor Flitwick.
"Professor Flitwick is our Charms Professor. You will learn every charm from A to Z under his tutelage. If you are ever feeling down in the dumps and want a quick pick-me-up, see Professor Flitwick."
When the clapping died off, Dumbledore cleared his throat, and said, "As most of you know, sadly, we lost our previous Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Sally Munchausen, to unfortunate circumstances at the end of last term. She will be sorely missed, that I am sure, by the staff and her former students. Let us remember her with a moment of silence."
The staff and students bowed their heads in silence.
"Thank you for remembering Professor Munchausen." He cleared his throat again.
"Some of you may recognize our new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. After all, some of you attended Hogwarts with him. He is the youngest member of our staff. Please welcome, Professor Wilhelm Konrad. Please stand, Professor."
The clapping by the students was interspersed with hooting by some of the boys and giggling by a number of girls. Professor Konrad was extremely handsome with unruly dark hair and arresting blue eyes. He was in his early twenties.
"I see that you are going to be quite popular with our, erm, softer students, Professor," Dumbledore remarked with obvious merriment. "You may sit down. Two words: Orion! Tap!"
He then sat down. Lily turned to see that the table had been magically filled with food. It was then she realised that she was starving. The food was delicious, and she especially enjoyed the crepe suzette, apple dumplings, meatloaf rich with gravy, and the treacle tarts. She stuffed herself.
After the pudding, Headmaster Dumbledore stood.
"A brief announcement before we retire: By order of Mr. Filch, our caretaker, there will be absolutely no magic, running, or gum chewing in the corridors between lessons.
"For those who are interested in playing for their house Quidditch team, see Madam Hooch. Trials will take place the second week of the term.
"Finally, before we head for our beauty rest, let us all participate in singing the school song!"
Dumbledore waved his wand, and lyrics appeared in the air above their tables.
"Pick your favourite refrain, and on the count of three, we will begin singing. One, two, three…"
The Great Hall erupted in a sound of many harmonious voices. Lily, feeling silly and exhausted, stumbled through the unfamiliar song. When the music ended, Dumbledore said, "To all, a goodnight!"
"Oooh, I feel so stupid and sleepy," Lily told Fiona while yawning.
"Me, too."
"Will they allow us to take some treacle tarts to our rooms, if we ask?" Remus said, sleepily.
"No," laughed Craig. "Let's go, you stuffed and dopey geese."
"Come along. First years, follow me," directed William Prentice, a prefect.
They followed William, the first years noticeably dragging their feet. William led them up a marble staircase, through numerous corridors, and doorways hidden behind sliding panels and tapestries. Lily tiredly thought that they must have walked eight kilometres. Eventually, they arrived at the end of a corridor where a portrait of a very obese woman in a frilly, flowery dress hung sentinel.
"Password?" The Fat Lady ordered.
"Triumph," supplied William.
The portrait swung forward and revealed a round hole in the wall. They climbed through, and discovered themselves in a circular room furnished with cushy, overstuffed chairs in red and gold fabric surrounding oak tables. There was a fireplace on one side of the cosy room with large bay windows covering the entire wall on another end. One side contained a bookcase. The floor was covered with a deep reddish brown, plush carpet.
"This is the common room," stated William. "Ashley, why don't you escort the girls to their dormitory?" added William as Ashley Rosamond, a prefect, stepped into the common room.
"Boys, follow me," said William.
Lily and the other first year girls followed Ashley up a narrow, winding staircase. At the top, Ashley directed them to a gold door with a carving of a fish upon it.
"First, let me show you the toilets."
Ashley opened the door, and they walked into a very large bathroom. One side contained the toilets, each in its own roomy stall containing a cupboard with extra rolls of paper and other personal items. The bathroom had separate showers, each in its own spacious and completely private stall. The faucets were bronze and silver. Lily noticed that the faucets were labelled, "Shocked Wide Awake," "Just Open My Eyes," "Normal," and "Destroy All Bacteria," instead of simply "hot" and "cold." They exited, and Ashley led them to a door with a large number five engraved upon it. She opened it, and they entered.
"This is your room, girls. It's late, and you must be up early for lessons tomorrow. Goodnight." With that farewell, Ashley left the room and closed the door behind her.
Each four-poster was identical, with gold bedspreads and a flowery printed throw on top. The beds' gold, velvet curtains were trimmed with red lace. A window, containing a seat with plush pillows, was next to each bed. Lily realised that their room must be in one of the towers.
"This is nice," she exclaimed. Lily then spotted Snowball sleeping on one of the four-posters.
"Snowball!"
Lily ran to the bed. Snowball lifted up his head and meowed sleepily with eyes half closed. She jumped onto the bed, gathered up Snowball in her arms, and hugged him close. He purred loudly. Lily spotted a note on her pillow, picked it up, and read,
Dear Miss Evans,
Your cat has been fed and watered. Each day he will be fed good, wholesome, and healthy food and given plenty of water so as to prevent bowel irregularities.
You will find his litter box in a discreet panel by the door. It is magically emptied and cleaned after each use so as to prevent unpleasant odours. Your cat knows where to find the box.
Sincerely,
Hogwarts Housekeeping Staff
Lily smiled.
"Well, Snowball, it looks like you're King Cat at Hogwarts!"
She yawned, went to her trunk, and pulled out her nightgown. She put it on and hopped into bed.
"Fiona?"
"Hmmm?" replied Fiona groggily, already tucked beneath her bedcovers.
"What's your owl's name?"
"Capricorn."
"Oh. Where do you live?"
"Windermere."
"Really? That isn't far from Keswick, where I live. You'll have to come and visit me some day."
"All right."
"Goodnight, Fiona."
"'Night, Lily."
---------
Note: I have no idea how prefects are selected. I'm sure we will find out in a future interview or book. If I'm wrong, please don't flame me. This was posted on the 19th of May, 2001.
1J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, (Scholastic Press, 1998), p114.
2J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, (Scholastic Press, 1998), p114.