Badger, Lion, Snake or Raven
-Chapter Two-
Badger, Lion, Snake or Raven
The oak doors swung open revealing a tall lady with black hair, wearing emerald-green robes. She had a very stern face that gave the impression that no one should cross her.
"Thank you Hagrid I will take it from here." The lady said kindly and pulled the doors wider to reveal a massive Entrance Hall. The lady led the first-years to the far corner.
"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I am Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall. 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…"
"Sounds like prison!" Amy whispered to Ron.
"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. During your time 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 honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. Now please wait here while we get things ready for the Sorting Ceremony." Professor McGonagall said and left the chamber.
"What does she mean by 'sorting'?" A chubby boy asked nervously.
"Fred and George told me you have to sing some kind of monster to sleep." Ron announced and everyone looked at the doors McGonagall disappeared through anxiously.
"Oh Great! I can't sing at all, I sound a strangled cat." Charlotte said.
"What's the matter with you?" Harry asked Amy who was laughing to herself.
"Oh Char just reminded me of a time when my Dad thought the house was empty and put on some terrible music and he went round singing really loudly, he sounded dreadful!"
"Oh shut up Black! You sound pathetic." Draco slurred as he pushed his way to where they were standing and stood threateningly in front of Amy.
"You shut up, you're the one without a sense of humour Malfoy!" Amy replied coolly and Draco smirked.
"One of these days Malfoy, someone will smack that smirk right off your face!" Charlotte snapped.
"Was I even talking to you Slater!" Draco snapped, "If I were you I'd keep your nose out of other people's business."
"Leave her alone Malfoy, you're the one who's sounding pathetic!" Ron said heatedly.
"What is going here?" McGonagall had returned. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle sloped off. "We are ready for you now, follow me!"
McGonagall led the first-years into the Great Hall.
Thousands and thousands of candles, which were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting, lit the room. These tables were laid with glistening golden plates and goblets. At the top of the Hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first-years here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the glittering candlelight. Above, there was a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read all about it in Hogwarts: A History." Hermione whispered to anyone that would listen.
"Like I said, you have no life," Amy replied rudely.
Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. The hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.
"Doesn't look much like a monster!" Charlotte whispered to Ron.
Professor McGonagall then stepped forward with a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool. Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat and sat down.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted, The Hufflepuff table cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down.
"Black, Amy!" Amy, grinning like a Cheshire cat, strolled forward confidently and put on the hat.
"Oh no! Not another Black! The school has only just recovered from your Father!" The hat cried and some of the students laughed. "Well it's going to have to be GRYFFINDOR!" Amy jumped off the stool and walked to the applause of the Gryffindor table.
Crabbe and Goyle were sorted into Slytherin.
"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione sat on the stool and waited.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Great that's all I need!" Amy snapped.
"Malfoy, Draco!"
The hat scarcely touched Draco's hair when it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"
Draco looked pleased with himself as he swaggered over to the Slytherin.
"Potter, Harry!"
Everyone started whispering and point when Harry put on the hat and sat on the stool.
"Interesting. Very interesting. Plenty of courage, I see. Not bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's difficult… So where should I put you? How about Slytherin? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, but no, that's not right -better be GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table cheered and clapped as loud as they could as Harry sat opposite Amy, the Weasley twins shouting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
Charlotte and Ron were two of the last to be sorted.
"Slater, Charlotte!"
"That's easy GRYFFINDOR!"
Ron was then sorted into Gryffindor.
Albus Dumbledore had got to his feet. He was beaming the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here their Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
The dishes on the tables were now piled with food. Roast chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, and beef. Jacket potatoes, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes. And all types of vegetables you could possibly imagine. Very quickly everyone had full plates.
"I can't believe I'm in Gryffindor, I'm so excited, I can't believe it, it's so fantastic!" Hermione gushed. Amy muttered something very rude under her breath.
"Well hello everyone, how are you settling in?" The Gryffindor students looked around to see a pearly-white and slightly transparent man hovered next to the table.
"Who are you?" Charlotte asked nicely.
"I am Sir Nicolas de Mimsy-Porpington, resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."
"Oh Nearly Headless Nick!" Ron exclaimed.
"I would prefer Sir Nicolas de Mimsy -" the ghost began stiffly, but Amy interrupted.
"Nearly Headless? How can you be Nearly Headless?"
Sir Nicolas looked extremely miffed, as if the conversation was not going the way he would have liked.
"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell on to his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. He was extremely pleased at the astonished faces of the first-years.
"So first-years, I hope you're going to help us win the House Championship this year? Gryffindor hasn't won for six years, the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin ghost, is most unbearable."
Everyone ate as much as they could and forced themselves to eat pudding.
After dinner the students were sent to their dormitories. Percy Weasley, one of Ron' solder brothers, who was a prefect, led the new Gryffindors to their new house.
Percy led them to loads of big staircases that looked like they went on forever! Charlotte noticed that some of the staircases were moving from one place to another.
"WHOOOO, WHEEEEE…"
"OH! NO! Peeves! He is the Hogwarts Poltergeist. Watch out for him, he is a big pain in the back," Percy warned. Harry looked up and saw a little man, who was floating in mid-air. Peeves had wicked dark eyes and wasn't transparent like the other ghosts.
"Oooo! I love it when new firsties' come! It's fun time!" Peeves said with a little schoolboy's cackle.
"Peeves go away! Or I will have to get the Bloody Baron!" Percy snapped and Peeves stuck his tongue out and flew off.
"Who is the Bloody Baron?" Charlotte asked.
"The Slytherin ghost, not at all friendly. He is the only one who can control Peeves! Right let's carry on," Percy said and led them up the stairs.
Finally they came up to a portrait that had a fat lady wearing a pink silk dress.
"Password?" The Fat Lady asked.
"Flubber-worm!" Percy said and the portrait flung open to reveal a hole that led them to a big common room. The common had pink sofas that looked so comfortable you could just sit on them and you could go to sleep straight away. There was also a big fire that made the common room look nice and cosy. Percy told the Gryffindors where their bedrooms were.
"I hope we don't have to share this bedroom with Hermione Granger! I can't stand the girl," Amy said as she and Charlotte were in the bedroom. There were five four-poster beds. Charlotte chose her bed that was next to a window that had a lovely view of the lake. Amy choice the bed that was next to Charlotte's on the other side of the window.
Charlotte left Amy unpacking and went down to the common room.
Harry was sitting on a sofa.
"You alright Harry?" Charlotte asked.
"Yeah, I am really glad that I am in Gryffindor," he replied.
"Yeah it's great. What lesson are you looking forward to?"
"Defence Against the Dark Arts. You?"
"Same, and Charms. I was sent to a club when I was younger and learnt how to do Charms and how to defend myself from curses," Charlotte replied and Harry looked pleased.
"I DON'T BLOODYBELIEVE IT!" It was Amy who stormed down from the dormitory.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Granger has claimed that all the dormitories are full and that she has to come in ours!" Amy looked like she was about to have a nervous break down.
"Amy, she'll most probably be studying that she won't want anything to do with you," Charlotte replied.
"Yeah, well. She better stay out of my way!" Amy snapped angrily.
"Never mind. I am going to bed. Goodnight," Charlotte said and got up.
"Night Char," Harry replied and Amy followed Charlotte to the dormitory.