CHAPTER II – The Ceremony
Liam stood with Jack and Kyle overlooking a dark lake with a castle in the background. The landscape was breathtaking, and he couldn't even see it.
"Dudes," Jack chuckled, "this is awesome!" His spastic jerk at the end of the sentence nearly knocked Kyle and Liam over.
"Aye," was all Liam could say.
"This way!" called the groundskeeper, and first-year students continued down the path toward the lake.
"How did you guys get into Hogwarts, anyway?" Liam couldn't help but ask as they walked.
"We got letters, just like everybody else. Neither of us had any clue magic existed either before we got our letters," Kyle explained. "The thing is, I didn't get my letter 'till a few weeks ago when my parents found it. It had come by normal mail months ago, but I wasn't at home at the time, so they set it down and forgot about it."
At this point, they reached the lake, where there were boats waiting to take them to the castle. At the behest of the groundskeeper, the three of them climbed into one of the boats, and due to the odd number of people in the class, were allowed a boat with just the three of them in it.
Slowly the boats began crossing the lake. Jack picked up the narrative. "So a couple of weeks ago, K.G. runs in, not even bothering to knock, and shows me this letter he's all excited about. Luckily for him, I already had a letter. In fact, I'd been expecting him months earlier, and when he didn't show up I did what I could to hide it from him so that I wouldn't have to break the news that we'd be split up once school started."
Liam nodded. "I'm certainly glad everything worked out."
"You know how it is, man," Jack agreed. "Nothing splits up true friends."
"Apparently not."
"What about you, Lee-man? How'd the news go over with the folks?"
"My parents don't quite hate me, but I think they're slightly afraid of me. I didn't get much support after the letter showed up."
The talk turned to frivolities until they entered into an even darker tunnel under the castle. For a few moments, none of them could see anything. Amidst the oohs and aahs and nervous laughs of the people in the boats around them, they heard a splash.
"What – or should I say who – was that?" the groundskeeper demanded.
"Get off me you tubby bastard!" was the only answer out of the darkness. The splashing continued for a few more seconds until whoever had fallen out was brought back on board.
A few seconds later, they passed through the darkness into a cavern. In front of them on the opposite shore was a huge door.
They got out of the boat after a gentle landing and gathered with the rest of the new students on the steps before the great door. The groundskeeper walked up with them and knocked three times rather loudly on the wood.
Immediately, the door opened. An older woman stood there, wearing green robes and a witch's hat.
"The first-years, Professor McGonagall," the groundskeeper announced.
"Thank you," the witch replied, "I will take them from here." With that, she opened the door wider and ushered the children in. She stopped the last boy, however, who was dripping wet. "Decide to take a little swim, Mr. Izzard?" She pulled a wand out of her sleeve, flicked it at the boy while saying something Liam didn't quite catch, and suddenly water was splashing on the stone steps below him and his robes were dry.
"Thank you, Professor," the boy mumbled.
Professor McGonagall led them across the large entrance chamber, past another large doorway to the right that sounded full of students, and into a small chamber nearby. The first-years crowded in, Liam, Jack, and Kyle hanging toward the back near the recently wet kid.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," the Professor 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 your 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 the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.
"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."
Liam looked at Jack and Kyle, his only friends, and all three of them turned to the guy nearby.
"So dude," Jack started.
"How'd you end up in the lake?" Kyle finished.
The boy looks at them, but before he speak, another boy standing next to him says quietly, "So the lights go out and fatty here latches on to my arm like a scared little wuss. Naturally, I push him off and go 'Get the hell off me!' but he goes right over the side. I scoot over and lean over the side to see if he's alright, but he latches on to like a little girl who's lost in a mall or something. So I'm like 'Get off me you tubby bastard!' and I push him off again. Then the other two guys in the boat drag him back over to drip on us. He's always doing stuff like that."
Liam blinked a few times at the cataract of words and gestures the long-haired blonde boy was giving him, his shorter, stockier cohort nodding the whole time. When the tirade was over, Liam just nodded and saw Jack and Kyle doing the same thing.
"I'm Jay, by the way, and this is my hetero life-mate, Kevin. Everyone just calls him Bob."
"Awesome, guys," Jack said, "I'm Jack, and this is Kyle and Liam. Everyone just calls him Lee."
"Actually, only you guys call me Lee."
"What's up, guys. Jack, Kyle, Lee" Jay said, slapping each of their in turn. "You guys know what's up with this whole ceremony thing?"
"Not a clue, dude," Jack replied.
"Cool."
"Move along now, the Sorting Ceremony is about to start." All five of them looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing in the narrow doorway. She quickly lined them up single-file and marched them through the door.
From Liam's position near the back of the line between Bob and Jack, he caught his first glimpse of the Great Hall. He'd never seen true magic before seeing Professor McGonagall dry Bob's robes, so he was flabbergasted by what he saw. Thousands of candles were suspended in the air, giving the huge room a healthy glow. On one side of the first years was a long table full of old people, which Liam assumed must be the other Professors and the castle staff. On the other side of the line were four long tables stretching to the other side of the room. Each was full of students and occasionally what appeared to be a ghost, talking quietly to each other but keeping most of their attention on the line of 11-year-olds walking in.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward and placed a three-legged stool in front of the line of students now facing the older kids. On top of the stool she set an old, beat-up wizard's hat, all patches and fray.
Liam was now quite confused and quite nervous. The entire hall was silent for a few seconds before the hat began to sing from a rip near the brim.
"The Sorting Hat of Hogwarts school
Is many things, but not a fool.
Just put me on and I will know
Into which house you'd best go.
I can see inside your head
And tell you what your heart has said,
So put me on and watch me sort
I'm the Sorting Hat, your new cohort.
If your heart is brave and more
I'll put you into Gryffindor.
But if knowledge is more draw
Then you belong in Ravenclaw.
Those who're made of loyaler stuff
Will find themselves in Hufflepuff,
But those who's cunning draws them in
Will make their friends in Slytherin.
So go ahead and put me on
To find out just where you belong.
After imparting my knowledge wealth
They'll stow me a year up on my shelf.
As the last notes of the song died down in the Great Hall, the whole room exploded with applause. The Sorting Hat bowed to each of the four student tables, then went still again.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward again, holding a long parchment. "When I call your name," she announced loudly, "you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Anderson, Alice!"
A raven-haired girl stepped out of the line near the front and crossed to the stool. After a few moments with the hat on her head, it suddenly yelled out. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Black, Jack."
Jack glanced at Kyle on one side and Liam on the other before stepping forward. It took a little longer for the sorting hat to find a response, but eventually it found one. "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Bowie, Marshall."
A shorter boy stepped out from where Alice had been standing. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Bronte, Robert."
A rather nondescript boy stepped out of line. "RAVENCLAW!"
"Browning, Edna."
A petite girl moved forward from the far front of the line. "RAVENCLAW!"
"Cooper, Barry."
The only black kid in line stepped up with a relaxed grin. "SLYTHERIN!"
"DeGeneres, Jason."
Jay looked from Bob to Liam and stepped forward, leaving Liam between Bob and Kyle as the line scrunched up to fill his space. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Dickinson, Edgar."
A dark-haired boy stepped nonchalantly forward. "RAVENCLAW!"
"Duritz, Janice."
A long haired, big eyed girl stepped up. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Frost, Emily."
Another brunette stepped out of the front of the line and went to the sorting hat nervously. "RAVENCLAW!"
"Garofalo, Adam."
A short boy stepped awkwardly forward. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Gass, Kyle."
Kyle stepped forward, leaving Liam at the end of the line. "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Griffin, Eddie."
A taller boy stepped out from nearby, nervously chewing on the tongue barely sticking out of his mouth. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Izzard, Kevin."
Bob shot Liam a half-hearted look of confidence and stepped forward. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Jong, Henry."
Another fairly non-descript boy came out of the line not far from where the last one was. "RAVENCLAW!"
"Joplin, Courtney."
A rather fiery girl bounded out of line. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Love, Ian."
A short, skinny boy stepped forward. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Mathers, Sarah."
Yet another brunette stepped up. "SLYTHERIN!"
"McLachlan, Adam."
The boy who stepped out this time was smiling through his short dreadlocks. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Mewes, Paul."
A tall boy with bushy, black hair went toward the hat. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Millay, Dylan."
As Dylan stepped forward, Liam finally got a name for the kid that had bumped into him that morning at the station. "RAVENCLAW!"
"Morissette, Gene."
A pale, dark-haired boy stepped up. "SLYTHERIN!"
"O'Donnell, Janeane."
Janeane also turned out to be pale and dark-haired. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Osmond, Gwen."
The girl who moved forward seemed to be trying to outdo Courtney Joplin for fiery. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Poe, Erica."
For the first time, a blonde girl walked up to the hat without a bit of fire. "RAVENCLAW!"
"Sandler, Ellen."
Ellen got to be the second fireless blonde, but she wore a smile Erica probably couldn't have pulled off. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Shore, Robin."
A stocky kid walked to the hat for his turn. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Simmons, Alanis."
Alanis was awarded the title of the first noticeably pale brunette to step down. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Simon, Donald."
Yet another non-descript boy headed for the hat. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Simon, Marie."
It was obvious at first glance that Marie was closely related to Donald, likely twins. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Smith, Rosie."
A pudgy girl stepped forward. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
As Rosie was being sorted, Liam took a quick look at who was left. The class was dwindling down and there was only six other kids standing up there with him. He looked out into the student body and could point out most of the other first years spread out amongst the tables. At the Gryffindor table, however, was only Jack and Kyle.
"Stefani, Paul."
The last of the non-descript boys of the first-year class headed forward to be sorted. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Thomas, Charlotte."
Another brunette made the cross to the hat and sat down. "RAVENCLAW!"
"Thomas, Emily."
Charlotte's identical twin took her place. "RAVENCLAW!"
"Thorough, Elizabeth."
The last of the anonymous brunettes went forward. "RAVENCLAW!"
"Tull, Liam."
Nervously, Liam crossed to the hat not far from him. He picked it up, put it on, and sat down on the stool.
"I agree with you, kid," the Sorting Hat said in his ear. "You don't know where you belong, and you are one of the rare tough ones to place. What do you think?"
I think it's your job to know, Liam thought. I've no idea what to look for in myself.
"That's very true. Hmmm. I think I've got it. GRYFFINDOR!"
As Liam got up and went to the Gryffindor table, amidst cheers from his new housemates, he wasn't sure whether he should be glad that he got to stay with Kyle and Jack, the only people he knew very well, or if he should be disappointed by his new house, judging by the fact that so few of the other first-years had been sorted here. The Sorting Hat had mentioned bravery, but for all Liam knew, that was just something people said to make the Gryffindors feel better about themselves and it was actually the house for talentless wanabees.
"White, David" was called as Liam was making his way down the Gryffindor table and he turned to get another look at the tall kid with odd, sharp facial features before David sat down and was sorted into "SLYTHERIN!"
"How much does it rock," Jack said as Liam sat down, spazzing out again, "that that old hat didn't split up the band?"
"It rocks my socks off," Liam replied with a smile as "Williams, Kathy" was called. The final student, and only natural redhead in the bunch, placed the hat on her head and was almost immediately a "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"That's what I'm talking about man!" Jack laughed.
McGonagall rolled up her scroll and picked up the hat and stool, taking them out the door they had all come through earlier. As she left, an old man in silver robes, with long silver hair stood up and began to speak.
The speech was short and as soon as the old man sat down, the plates along the table were full of food. Liam's eyes were nearly as big as his own plate at the selection of food he suddenly had to choose from.
"Dudes," Jack said, picking up the goblet at his elbow, "a toast." Kyle and Lee picked up their goblets as well. Liam was almost surprised to find that his was full. With a boyish grin, Jack toasted. "Long live the Three Kings."