Rebecca's First Day at Hogwarts; The Sorting

As the boat sailed along, Rebecca stared into the black waters below. It was a calm, warm night with only a few clouds in the sky. The moon was full and it brightly shone down on the first years in they're boats, each boat containing a lit lantern. As she looked around she noticed a huge castle, each room filled with light. "We're almost there." Smiled Hermione. Everyone glanced up into the skies, in which the castle was standing, almost everyone with their mouths hanging open in awe.

The boats smoothly came to a halt against the shore and Hagrid got out to tie each one up. He took out a long 16- inch wand and gave it a jolty wave. When Rebecca looked down at the ropes, they were tied up into a scruffy naught. Harry and Ron were the first to get out; they then helped out Rebecca and Hermione. As Rebecca got out she looked up into Harry's face, which was peering curiously back at her. "Thanks," she said as she steadied herself upon the sandy shore.

"Follow me o'er here. Stay close, we're gonna head up to thee castle!" Called Hagrid, glancing around quickly as the last few gathered. He then headed up to the great castle doors pushing them open. "Go on, in yeh' go." He told them as he held open the doors for them to pass through. "Jus head on up those stairs to yer left" He tilted his head in the direction of huge stairs, which a few students were already heading up.

When they reached the top, Hermione, Harry, Ron and Rebecca pushed their way into the front of the crowd. Rebecca looked at the other three and smiled animatedly, just as the doors in front of them opened and a witch walked up to the group.

"Good evening. I'm Professor McGonagall. In a few moments I will lead you into the great hall, where you shall be sorted into your houses. There are four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin." She looked around as she spoke. "The house in which you are sorted, will be your home for the next seven years while at Hogwarts. Treat your peers and classmates with respect, as if they were your true family members. Now if you will follow me." She turned on her heel and waved her wand. The great doors opened once again and the first years were lead into the great hall.

Rebecca looked around eagerly at the Great Hall. There were four long tables set up each with many banners above in their house colours, red, yellow, blue and green. Above them the ceiling was lit with floating candles and there were thousands of stars shining brightly above them. To the front there was one long table, where all of the Professors sat beaming down at the new students. Straight ahead, there was a stool and an old, tatty hat… the Sorting hat.

They gathered around the front table, huddled together in a group. Professor McGonagall waved her wand in the air and a list of names appeared in her hands. "When I call your name, please take a seat on the stool to be sorted into your house, then you may go sit at your designated table." She looked overtop of her glasses at all of them then back at the sheet and called out. "Albertan, Amy" A shy looking girl with blonde hair headed up to the stool and took a seat, looking quite frightened. Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat upon her head and not a moment later, it came to life and shoted, "Ravenclaw!" There were many cheers from the table to the left, where there were witches and wizards dressed in blue robes. She hoped off the stool and took a seat with her house.

Professor McGonagall continued going through the names of students who were sorted into different houses. Hermione was sorted into Gryffindor. "Keen, Rebecca" Finally, her name. Rebecca walked up to the stool and took a seat. The hat was placed upon her head and it began to speak. "Gryffindor!" Rebecca got up and smiled broadly as cheers came from the gryffindor table. She walked over and sat with them, she looked back up at the stool. "Malfoy, Draco." She called out and the boy she had run into on the train stepped up looking quite pleased with himself. He sat on the stool and looked at everyone, not before the hat touched his head did it call out, "Slytherin!" Many cheers came and he walked over to his table. Later, both Harry and Ron were sorted into Gryffindor, and they took seats across from Rebecca and Hermione.

As soon as the sorting was done, the headmaster Professor Dumbledore stood up from his seat. "To our new students, welcome! And to our old students, welcome back!" He scanned the room and continued, "It's great to see so many new, and old faces here for another year full of magical education. We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year, Professor Quirrel." A man with a purple turban stood up shakily and gave a quick wave to everyone, then sat back down. "He will be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I will also like to inform you that the third floor is off bounds to all students as is the forest. Anyone, who is caught trespassing upon these grounds, will be severely punished by their heads of house." Dumbledore's clear blue eyes swept over the room before he smiled broadly again. "But now, your beds await you, as warm and as comfortable as you could wish, and I know your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow, therefore we shall say goodnight! Remember to follow your head boy or girl up to your dormitories. Pip pip!" Dumbledore proceeded to sit down as the hall erupted with applause and the scraping of benches moving backwards. The students filed out of the hall in large groups headed towards their destination.

Rebecca, Harry, Ron and Hermione saw a tall boy with red hair awaiting them at the end of their table. "Follow me please, stay close." He said clearly and abruptly to all of the first years gathered around him. "That's my brother, Percy." Ron whispered to them with a cynical smile.

They reached the giant staircase and gazed up. Many of the staircases were moving and shifting constantly, others were being climbed by other students. "Stay close, you don't want to be caught on a shifting staircase." Called out Percy. Many of the first years looked slighted dis-oriented but stayed right on Percy's heels as they began to climb.

As they ascended the stairs towards their destination, they noticed that the many portraits were moving, smiling and waving at them. A few students waved back at them and said "Hello," others looked quite scared of them and kept close to Percy who continued to climb un-bothered by any of this. "Percy's in his fifth year now, he was just made prefect. He'll be leaving next year to work at the ministry." Ron said to Rebecca as she gazed at Percy suspiciously.

They came to a halt outside a portrait of a fat lady, who looked quite formal. "Buttercup creams." Said Percy lazily, and the portrait of the lady swung open to reveal a big common room, decorated in red and gold. As they climbed through the portrait hole, the lady said hello to quite a few of them. Rebecca smiled at her before following the others.

Percy turned around and told them, "There will always be a password to enter this room, only you gryffindors will know it, apart from the headmaster and you heads of house. For today, the password is buttercup creams, but the password changes everyday. To find out what it is check the message board inside your common rooms before you leave in the morning or you can ask Professor McGonagall, your head of house." He stopped shortly before continuing. "The boys dormitories are upstairs and to the left, the girls are up and to the right. Get a good rest." Then he turned towards the stairs and left them.

To be continued…