"Firs' years!" called a voice. The three companions looked up to see a huge
man, his wild black hair and beard giving him a fearsome appearance.
"Who's that?" asked Seamus. The oldest of his family, he didn't have anyone to fill him in on the many characters in Hogwarts.
"It's Hagrid," said Ryan, grinning. "He's the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher."
"He's nowhere near as savage as he looks," said Jen. "My brother really likes him."
"Half-giant, too," continued Ryan.
"Nah. He's just big-boned, you know," said Jen, sticking her tongue out at the other two and earning chuckles.
Hagrid led them along a narrow path to a small fleet of boats on the edge of an immense lake. The trio piled into one small craft as he yelled out instructions. As Hagrid yelled, "FORWARD!" the fleet took off at once. First years stared silently up at the castle on the far bank with a mixture of awe, excitement, and dread. They ducked under the face of the cliff the castle sat on and traveled down a long tunnel before coming to a pebbled underground harbor. The silence was unbroken until Hagrid raised a large fist and knocked on the castle door, which swung open immediately.
Behind the huge oak doors stood a stern-faced witch, to whom Hagrid bowed slightly and said, "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall."
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," McGonagall replied in clipped, precise words as she pulled door fully open.
Jen heard gasps as people saw the immense entrance hall for the first time. There was a hum of voices as the older students inside a room to the right talked amongst themselves, but McGonagall showed the first years to a small room off to the left.
In the same terse voice, she informed them that they were about to be Sorted, and gave a short speech describing the house system and each of the four houses. Then she left, telling them she'd be back when preparations were finished.
"Form a line," she said, reentering after several minutes in which all the first years appeared to have become doubly nervous, "and follow me."
She led them into the Great Hall, an immense room with four long tables where the rest of the student body sat. The room was lit by thousands of candles, whose light glittered off the golden place-settings on the tables. Holding out a hand in a silent order for them to stop, McGonagall took a stool and put it on the floor in front of the first years before carefully placing a raggedy, dirty old hat atop it. The older students silenced their whispering, and then the hat began to sing.
Four houses Hogwarts has,
For each a different prize,
As Sorting Hat, it is my job
Your placement to surmise.
Will it be in Hufflepuff,
Where kind and thoughtful dwell?
Hufflepuffs are true of heart and word
And treat all others well.
Or perhaps in Ravenclaw,
With the wise and keen of mind.
You may search the world o'er;
But no smarter house you'll find.
Gryffindor may be the place for you,
If you're braver than the rest.
At chivalry, nerve, and daring,
Gryffindors are best.
Slytherin might fit your needs,
If you seek a rise to power.
Slytherins use any means
To escape their final hour.
So fear not, little first years.
You need perform no feat of daring-do.
Just put me on and I'll see
Which house you belong to!"
The applause was deafening, and the hat hopped around to bow to eat table before going limp again.
"So it's just the hat, then," said Ryan quietly. "Not bad after all."
"I don't feel kind, or smart, or brave, or cunning right now," stammered Jen, though she did feel better now that she was positively assured Patrick had been lying.
"You'll do fine," said Seamus, though he didn't look good himself. "Your brother got in, didn't he? And I'll bet you're worth twice of him."
McGonagall then came forward with a roll of parchment and began calling the names to be sorted.
"Aaneson, Erica!"
A small, brown-haired girl sat down on the stool. The hat barely touched her head before crying, "RAVENCLAW!"
The table second from the left cheered, and Jen saw her brother shake hands with Erica as she sat down. Names flew by at an immense speed after that, and it felt like time had barely passed when McGonagall yelled, "Foster, Ryan!"
"Good luck, Ryan," whispered Jen and Seamus, clapping him on the back and shoving him forward. The hat deliberated a while, as it did ever so often, before roaring, "GRYFFINDOR!" Ryan shrugged and grinned back at Seamus and Jen as the table on the left exploded with cheers. Among other things, Gryffindor seemed to be the loudest of the houses.
There were only a few people left before it would be Jen's turn. "Gatsby, Aaron," and "Ganner, Lucy," became Hufflepuffs; "Gillian, Michael," a Slytherin; a pair of twin boys, "Harcourt, Ben," and "Harcourt, Robert," a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw. Then it was Jen's turn.
"Hawkins, Jennifer!" called McGonagall, and Jen walked swiftly up to the stool, shoving the hat over her head and letting it fall over her eyes.
"Not like your brother, are you?" said a voice inside her ear. "The same intellect, but quite a different personality... there's bravery, and there a kind heart, however well hidden it may be. A tendency to avoid the rules and a sense of justice many would envy. You are no Hufflepuff, nor are you a Slytherin. But Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?" the Hat asked rhetorically, its voice contemplative.
At this point, thought Jen, I don't really care as long as I can go get my supper.
"Ahh," said the Hat. "You've got a lot of moxie, to say such things when you know not the extent of my power. Well, then, I guess it should be GRYFFINDOR!" it finished, yelling only the last word to the hall. Jen yanked off the hat and sauntered over to sit next to Ryan as the Gryffindor table exploded once more in cheers.
She and Ryan waited impatiently for Seamus' name to be called. By the time McGonagall finally yelled, "O'Hannigan, Seamus!" Seamus himself looked like one of the bevy of ghosts gliding around the hall. Jen crossed all her fingers under the table as Seamus put the Hat on, and was rewarded a few seconds later when it roared, "GRYFFINDOR!" She and Ryan joined in cheering Seamus as he walked over, looking like a Herculean weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Soon Jen was sitting between them as the feast finally began.
"Who's that?" asked Seamus. The oldest of his family, he didn't have anyone to fill him in on the many characters in Hogwarts.
"It's Hagrid," said Ryan, grinning. "He's the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher."
"He's nowhere near as savage as he looks," said Jen. "My brother really likes him."
"Half-giant, too," continued Ryan.
"Nah. He's just big-boned, you know," said Jen, sticking her tongue out at the other two and earning chuckles.
Hagrid led them along a narrow path to a small fleet of boats on the edge of an immense lake. The trio piled into one small craft as he yelled out instructions. As Hagrid yelled, "FORWARD!" the fleet took off at once. First years stared silently up at the castle on the far bank with a mixture of awe, excitement, and dread. They ducked under the face of the cliff the castle sat on and traveled down a long tunnel before coming to a pebbled underground harbor. The silence was unbroken until Hagrid raised a large fist and knocked on the castle door, which swung open immediately.
Behind the huge oak doors stood a stern-faced witch, to whom Hagrid bowed slightly and said, "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall."
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," McGonagall replied in clipped, precise words as she pulled door fully open.
Jen heard gasps as people saw the immense entrance hall for the first time. There was a hum of voices as the older students inside a room to the right talked amongst themselves, but McGonagall showed the first years to a small room off to the left.
In the same terse voice, she informed them that they were about to be Sorted, and gave a short speech describing the house system and each of the four houses. Then she left, telling them she'd be back when preparations were finished.
"Form a line," she said, reentering after several minutes in which all the first years appeared to have become doubly nervous, "and follow me."
She led them into the Great Hall, an immense room with four long tables where the rest of the student body sat. The room was lit by thousands of candles, whose light glittered off the golden place-settings on the tables. Holding out a hand in a silent order for them to stop, McGonagall took a stool and put it on the floor in front of the first years before carefully placing a raggedy, dirty old hat atop it. The older students silenced their whispering, and then the hat began to sing.
Four houses Hogwarts has,
For each a different prize,
As Sorting Hat, it is my job
Your placement to surmise.
Will it be in Hufflepuff,
Where kind and thoughtful dwell?
Hufflepuffs are true of heart and word
And treat all others well.
Or perhaps in Ravenclaw,
With the wise and keen of mind.
You may search the world o'er;
But no smarter house you'll find.
Gryffindor may be the place for you,
If you're braver than the rest.
At chivalry, nerve, and daring,
Gryffindors are best.
Slytherin might fit your needs,
If you seek a rise to power.
Slytherins use any means
To escape their final hour.
So fear not, little first years.
You need perform no feat of daring-do.
Just put me on and I'll see
Which house you belong to!"
The applause was deafening, and the hat hopped around to bow to eat table before going limp again.
"So it's just the hat, then," said Ryan quietly. "Not bad after all."
"I don't feel kind, or smart, or brave, or cunning right now," stammered Jen, though she did feel better now that she was positively assured Patrick had been lying.
"You'll do fine," said Seamus, though he didn't look good himself. "Your brother got in, didn't he? And I'll bet you're worth twice of him."
McGonagall then came forward with a roll of parchment and began calling the names to be sorted.
"Aaneson, Erica!"
A small, brown-haired girl sat down on the stool. The hat barely touched her head before crying, "RAVENCLAW!"
The table second from the left cheered, and Jen saw her brother shake hands with Erica as she sat down. Names flew by at an immense speed after that, and it felt like time had barely passed when McGonagall yelled, "Foster, Ryan!"
"Good luck, Ryan," whispered Jen and Seamus, clapping him on the back and shoving him forward. The hat deliberated a while, as it did ever so often, before roaring, "GRYFFINDOR!" Ryan shrugged and grinned back at Seamus and Jen as the table on the left exploded with cheers. Among other things, Gryffindor seemed to be the loudest of the houses.
There were only a few people left before it would be Jen's turn. "Gatsby, Aaron," and "Ganner, Lucy," became Hufflepuffs; "Gillian, Michael," a Slytherin; a pair of twin boys, "Harcourt, Ben," and "Harcourt, Robert," a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw. Then it was Jen's turn.
"Hawkins, Jennifer!" called McGonagall, and Jen walked swiftly up to the stool, shoving the hat over her head and letting it fall over her eyes.
"Not like your brother, are you?" said a voice inside her ear. "The same intellect, but quite a different personality... there's bravery, and there a kind heart, however well hidden it may be. A tendency to avoid the rules and a sense of justice many would envy. You are no Hufflepuff, nor are you a Slytherin. But Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?" the Hat asked rhetorically, its voice contemplative.
At this point, thought Jen, I don't really care as long as I can go get my supper.
"Ahh," said the Hat. "You've got a lot of moxie, to say such things when you know not the extent of my power. Well, then, I guess it should be GRYFFINDOR!" it finished, yelling only the last word to the hall. Jen yanked off the hat and sauntered over to sit next to Ryan as the Gryffindor table exploded once more in cheers.
She and Ryan waited impatiently for Seamus' name to be called. By the time McGonagall finally yelled, "O'Hannigan, Seamus!" Seamus himself looked like one of the bevy of ghosts gliding around the hall. Jen crossed all her fingers under the table as Seamus put the Hat on, and was rewarded a few seconds later when it roared, "GRYFFINDOR!" She and Ryan joined in cheering Seamus as he walked over, looking like a Herculean weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Soon Jen was sitting between them as the feast finally began.