Chapter 7: Sorting Ceremony
They went into the Great Hall and took their seats. After a few minutes, Proffesor McGonagal came in with the new first years, and the old stool with the sorting hat. She placed in front of the teacher's table, and let it begin it's anual Sorting Song. A rip opened wide like a mouth, and it began:
Welcome, students, to the school that will teach you magic.
But behind this pretty face, is a story much more tragic.
Yes, those old four founders, did teach the ones they chose.
With Gryffindor, the bravest were seen best among the throws.
For Hufflepuff, she did enjoy, those in work and toil.
For Ravenclaw, the smartest ones, grew best within the soil.
And Slytherin, ambition was, the best and greatest prize.
But Gryffindor and Slytherin, did not see eye-to-eye.
When I was taught then how to talk, some angry words were said.
'Twas a quarrel 'tween the two, and both did wind up dead.
So now that they're no longer here, you new students will find.
Their quarrel made a rift 'tween some, but you may form a bind.
There was the usual applause among the crowd, and the sorting began.
Student after student passed through, some more confident than others, but it didn't interest Harry and Ron, who sat talking about the House Quidditch team. Then a name caught their attention.
"Malfoy, Eric." McGonogal said. The boy walked up to the stool and placed the hat over his eyes. There was a slight pause and then:
"GRIFFINDOR!"
There was a small double-take from McGonogal as she saw a Malfoy go to her house table. Harry beconed Eric over to sit with them. He came over and sat down next to them.
"I'm sorry, I don't know anyone here." He said, rather sheepishly.
"That's okay. I'm Harry, and this is Ron. She's Hermione."He said, motioning towards each of them in turn. Then, "We're fifth years."
"Oh, okay. Was there a reason you wanted me to come over here?" He asked akwardly.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Harry said."I just wanted to know; are related to Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes, he's my cousin. I really don't like him." He said. "Why?"
"He's just one of the most annoyng people here, and I was surprised that any relative of his coul get into anything except Slytherin."
"Oh. Well, actually, Uncle Lucius and his family are kind of the family disgrace. The rest of the Malfoys are all normal."
"Well, that's interesting."Ron said impatiently. "Now, are there any first years you met on the train?"
"Yes, there's Kyle right there." He said, pointing at the end of the table. Then, getting the point, "I'm going to sit by him."
"Okay, bye." Harry said, as Eric walked away. Then, to Ron. "That was mean."
"What, I don't like first years. They're annoying." He said.
"You know, we were first years at one time." Hermione said.
"Well, I'm sure that we were annoying then." Ron said, with an air of obviousness.
Then Fred came up behind Harry.
"Harry, team meeting. Common room tonight."
So, after the feast, and the beggining-of-year anouncements, they all headed off to their respective dormiotries, and after everyone had gone to bed, Harry and the Gryffindor house team stayed up.
"Alright, on to business." Said Angelina, not wasting any time.
"Whoa!" said Fred. "How about a 'Hello, how are you doing?' I want to get to know you, Angelina, I mean really, and I'm not just saying that."
"Shut up Fred, I'm being serious. We need to talk about the team. We need to have tryouts for two new team members tommorow."
"Two?" Harry said. "I thought we just needed to replace the keeper."
"No, Katie moved to America because her muggle dad had a 'job oportunity', or something."
"Oh, okay."
"Now, I understand that Ron wants to try out for the team." Angelina said. "What can he bring to the team?"
"He's got a great mind." George said, with a great imitation of Angelina's business-like manner. "And a heart for the game that would blow you away. And-" He started fake crying. "I just love him so much, and these are his last few days on earth, and, and. Oh, I can't go on!"
"Shut up!" She said, barely keeping a straight face. "Honestly, how can he help us?"
"He has a Firebolt." Harry said.
"Really?" Angelina said, suddenly very keen to the idea of Ron being on the team. "So now we have two Firebolts on the team, that will do us some good."
"Corrrection." Fred said "We have four. George and I bought somethis summer as well."
"Wow, this is going to be a great year for us." She said, considerably cheered up.
George gave a questioning glance to Harry, and he responded with a slight shaking of the head to indicate he wanted to keep his Firebolts a surprise until the first practice.
"Now there's the matter of the new captain. Now, I think we can immidiately say that Fred and George are out of the running."
"Hey! That's not fair!" Fred said indignantly.
"You two are twins. If we choose one over the other, it could cause a fight, and we jsut don't need that." She said.
"I guess that makes sense." George said, with a fake dejected sigh.
"Now, I don't want to be captain." Angelina said.
"Coulda fooled me." Fred said, in a loud whisper.
"Neither do I." said Alicia.
"About time you started talking!" Fred said. "I thought you were dead or something."
"Anyway." Angelina said, with a look at Fred. "That only leaves you, Harry. What do you say, wanna be captain?"
"Sure." Harry said. "Which reminds me. I've got a new play tester for us. It's much better than that old thing Oliver used."
"Well, go get it, you lughead." Said George.
"Alright, just wait." He ran up to his room and grabbed his miniature Quidditch game out of his trunk.
They spent another ten minutes looking over it and playing with it until they all went to bed.
They went into the Great Hall and took their seats. After a few minutes, Proffesor McGonagal came in with the new first years, and the old stool with the sorting hat. She placed in front of the teacher's table, and let it begin it's anual Sorting Song. A rip opened wide like a mouth, and it began:
Welcome, students, to the school that will teach you magic.
But behind this pretty face, is a story much more tragic.
Yes, those old four founders, did teach the ones they chose.
With Gryffindor, the bravest were seen best among the throws.
For Hufflepuff, she did enjoy, those in work and toil.
For Ravenclaw, the smartest ones, grew best within the soil.
And Slytherin, ambition was, the best and greatest prize.
But Gryffindor and Slytherin, did not see eye-to-eye.
When I was taught then how to talk, some angry words were said.
'Twas a quarrel 'tween the two, and both did wind up dead.
So now that they're no longer here, you new students will find.
Their quarrel made a rift 'tween some, but you may form a bind.
There was the usual applause among the crowd, and the sorting began.
Student after student passed through, some more confident than others, but it didn't interest Harry and Ron, who sat talking about the House Quidditch team. Then a name caught their attention.
"Malfoy, Eric." McGonogal said. The boy walked up to the stool and placed the hat over his eyes. There was a slight pause and then:
"GRIFFINDOR!"
There was a small double-take from McGonogal as she saw a Malfoy go to her house table. Harry beconed Eric over to sit with them. He came over and sat down next to them.
"I'm sorry, I don't know anyone here." He said, rather sheepishly.
"That's okay. I'm Harry, and this is Ron. She's Hermione."He said, motioning towards each of them in turn. Then, "We're fifth years."
"Oh, okay. Was there a reason you wanted me to come over here?" He asked akwardly.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Harry said."I just wanted to know; are related to Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes, he's my cousin. I really don't like him." He said. "Why?"
"He's just one of the most annoyng people here, and I was surprised that any relative of his coul get into anything except Slytherin."
"Oh. Well, actually, Uncle Lucius and his family are kind of the family disgrace. The rest of the Malfoys are all normal."
"Well, that's interesting."Ron said impatiently. "Now, are there any first years you met on the train?"
"Yes, there's Kyle right there." He said, pointing at the end of the table. Then, getting the point, "I'm going to sit by him."
"Okay, bye." Harry said, as Eric walked away. Then, to Ron. "That was mean."
"What, I don't like first years. They're annoying." He said.
"You know, we were first years at one time." Hermione said.
"Well, I'm sure that we were annoying then." Ron said, with an air of obviousness.
Then Fred came up behind Harry.
"Harry, team meeting. Common room tonight."
So, after the feast, and the beggining-of-year anouncements, they all headed off to their respective dormiotries, and after everyone had gone to bed, Harry and the Gryffindor house team stayed up.
"Alright, on to business." Said Angelina, not wasting any time.
"Whoa!" said Fred. "How about a 'Hello, how are you doing?' I want to get to know you, Angelina, I mean really, and I'm not just saying that."
"Shut up Fred, I'm being serious. We need to talk about the team. We need to have tryouts for two new team members tommorow."
"Two?" Harry said. "I thought we just needed to replace the keeper."
"No, Katie moved to America because her muggle dad had a 'job oportunity', or something."
"Oh, okay."
"Now, I understand that Ron wants to try out for the team." Angelina said. "What can he bring to the team?"
"He's got a great mind." George said, with a great imitation of Angelina's business-like manner. "And a heart for the game that would blow you away. And-" He started fake crying. "I just love him so much, and these are his last few days on earth, and, and. Oh, I can't go on!"
"Shut up!" She said, barely keeping a straight face. "Honestly, how can he help us?"
"He has a Firebolt." Harry said.
"Really?" Angelina said, suddenly very keen to the idea of Ron being on the team. "So now we have two Firebolts on the team, that will do us some good."
"Corrrection." Fred said "We have four. George and I bought somethis summer as well."
"Wow, this is going to be a great year for us." She said, considerably cheered up.
George gave a questioning glance to Harry, and he responded with a slight shaking of the head to indicate he wanted to keep his Firebolts a surprise until the first practice.
"Now there's the matter of the new captain. Now, I think we can immidiately say that Fred and George are out of the running."
"Hey! That's not fair!" Fred said indignantly.
"You two are twins. If we choose one over the other, it could cause a fight, and we jsut don't need that." She said.
"I guess that makes sense." George said, with a fake dejected sigh.
"Now, I don't want to be captain." Angelina said.
"Coulda fooled me." Fred said, in a loud whisper.
"Neither do I." said Alicia.
"About time you started talking!" Fred said. "I thought you were dead or something."
"Anyway." Angelina said, with a look at Fred. "That only leaves you, Harry. What do you say, wanna be captain?"
"Sure." Harry said. "Which reminds me. I've got a new play tester for us. It's much better than that old thing Oliver used."
"Well, go get it, you lughead." Said George.
"Alright, just wait." He ran up to his room and grabbed his miniature Quidditch game out of his trunk.
They spent another ten minutes looking over it and playing with it until they all went to bed.
