Grrrr…this is the LAST time I use my voice-rec software to write a fic…
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Ragnarok, Leria, Shaeldar, all the other dragons, the drakes, Linden, and Maurynna are mine!
The door swung open at once. A tall black-haired witch in emerald green robes stood there. It had been awhile since I had last seen her, but she was still easily recognizable. She was Professor McGonagall, and I had seen her the night that Voldemort—"He Who Must Not Be Named"—disappeared.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall itself was massive, easily larger than most of the human houses that I had seen so far. The ceiling was very high, and a large marble staircase led to the upper floors.
We followed Professor McGonagall across the stone floor. I could hear the sound of hundreds of voices from a doorway toward my right, but we were shown into a small, empty chamber off of the hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "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 the 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 school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
She looked around everyone, and her eyes lingered for moment on Neville's cloak, Ron's smudged nose, my eyes, and a girl standing nearby.
"I showed returned when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." She said, and left.
I overheard Harry asking Ron about the Sorting Ceremony, but didn't really pay attention to it. When several people behind us screamed, I spun around, and my right hand darted into my robes, and grabbed hold of one of my knives. When I saw what had startled everyone, I immediately relaxed and released my grip on the knife.
The ghost of 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? 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?"
We had been noticed by a ghost wearing a ruff and tights. Not surprisingly, no one answered.
"New students!" the Fat Friar said, smiling at everyone. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
A few people nodded, but still no one talked.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know," the Friar said.
"Move along now. The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." McGonagall said, walking back into the room.
The ghosts floated through a wall, and probably into the Great Hall.
"Now form a line, and follow me."
We walked out of the chamber, across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
At this point, I almost stopped walking, because it was the largest room that I had seen, and was lit by thousands upon thousands of candles ever floating in midair, and hundreds of students were watching us.
Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of us, and on top of it she placed a pointed wizard's hat. For a few seconds, there was silence, and then the hat twitched, and a rip near the brim opened wide 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 top 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 burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you'll put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," She said. "Abbot, Hannah!"
A pink faced girl with blond pig pills stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell down over her eyes, and sat down.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The people on the right shouted and clapped, and she went to sit down at their table.
I stifled a yawn, and waited for Harry's turn to be Sorted.
"Granger, Hermione!"
She ran up to the stool, put the hat on, and…
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Kyrissaean, Maurynna!"
An Asian girl got up, and walked calmly to the stool. As she put the hat on, she looked straight at me, and winked.
Violet eyes? That's pretty strange for a human… I don't know why, but she seems familiar.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
She stood up, put the hat back down on the stool, and walked to the Gryffindor table.
Neville on the other hand, fell over on his way to the stool, and when it said Gryffindor, he ran off still wearing it, and had to walk back and give it to the next student.
Malfoy got his wish, as the hat immediately sent him to Slytherin.
"Potter, Harry!"
As Harry stepped forward, whispers broke out all through the Great Hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
Everyone in the Great Hall tried to get a look at him as he put the hat on.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
He got the loudest cheer out of anyone so far, and it seemed that the entire Gryffindor table was celebrating.
"Rathan, Linden!"
I walked forward, sat on the stool, and put on the hat.
"Now, where should I put you? There's plenty of courage, and a great mind, so…"
Must get into Gryffindor!
"Are you sure? Well then, you're in GRYFFINDOR!"
I sighed in relief as I took the hat off, and went to sit next to Harry.
"Weasley, Ronald!"
Ron walked up, and put on the hat.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
He took it off, and walked up and sat across from me.
The Sorting was soon over, and Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and took it and the Sorting Hat away.
Dumbledore got to his feet, "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!"
What the…?
The dishes in front of us were now full of all kinds of food. I took large helpings of beef, steak, potatoes, and chicken.
The ghost with the ruff and tights came up to us, talked to Harry for a minute, and introduced himself as Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington.
"I know who you are! My brothers told me about you—you're Nearly Headless Nick!" Ron burst out.
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy—"
"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"
"Like this," he said, pulling on his left ear, and pulling his head over. Flipping it back, he said, "So—new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable—he's the Slytherin ghost.
The Bloody Baron was imposed with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood.
"How did he get covered in blood?" Seamus asked
"I've never asked."
Soon after, the remains of the food faded away, and the desserts appeared. I took a few things to try, and sat there eating, but I was also ignoring most of the conversations around me.
After the desserts faded away, Dumbledore got up again.
"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. I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you 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,"
Is he serious? I wonder what's going on here. I don't think he'd joke about something like this…
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"
Dumbledore flicked his wand, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, rose high into the air, and formed words.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune, and off we go!"
I started singing to a tune I had picked up on the Underground.
"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.
"Ah, music, a magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
All of us followed Percy through the crowds, out of the Great Hall, up the stairs, and after walking for a little while, Percy came to a stop.
A bundle of walking sticks were floating in midair ahead of us, and as Percy stepped forward, they began throwing themselves at him.
"Peeves," he whispered. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves--show yourself."
A loud sound like the air being let out of a baloon, answered.
"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"
There was a pop, and a little man with wicked eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air.
"Oooooooh!" Icke Firsties! What fun!" he said with a cackle.
He swooped down at us, and we all ducked.
"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" Percy barked.
Peeves stuck out his tongue, and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head.
"You want to watch out for Peeves. The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are," Percy said as we resumed walking.
We had reached the end of the corridor and were facing a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink dress
"Password?" she asked.
"Caput Draconis," Percy said, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. We climbed in, and found ourselves in the Gryffindor common room. Percy directed the girls through one door, and us through another. At the top of a staircase, we found our beds. I changed into my pajamas and went to sleep.
There's Chapter 7 up. I should have Chapter 8 up within two weeks
