Chapter 4 - The Sorting

Hermione and Katie stood together with the rest of the first years in a crammed room, hearing the voices of the older kids in the great hall just behind the door in front of them.

"I hope we're in the same house." Katie said as she looked over to her.

"Me too. Then at least we'll have each other." Hermione turned her head when the door opened, and Professor McGonagall walked in. The Professor gave her a quick smile before she turned her attention to the rest of the group.

"You will be sorted in your houses in a moment. There is Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. You will sleep and eat together as well as take classes together. Now if you will please follow me and keep up." The woman turned and walked in the great hall. All the first years followed her out and when Hermione and Katie walked in, their mouths dropped open when the saw the ceiling was exactly like the night sky, under it, hundreds of candles were floating above four long tables, that were filled with students. She could make out which table was what house on the colour of the students' robes. She spotted the four red heads immediately and Charlie gave her a thumbs up.

Professor McGonagall stopped next to a black pointy hat that laid on a stool, in front of the whole school. The first years all looked at each other, confused.

"When I call your name, you can come up and I'll place the hat on your head. Please remain seated until it calls out your house." She rolled open her list and called. "Allen, Patrick."

A lean boy with pitch black hair walked up smugly and glided up the stool. The Professor placed the hat on his head and the hat got lines that looked like it formed a set of eyes and a wide mouth. After a few seconds the hat called out Slytherin. He hopped off the stool and walked over to the table that cheered him on.

"Bell, Katie."

"Good luck." Hermione gave her hand a squeeze and smiled as she walked up. It took the hat only about 20 seconds before it called out Gryffindor. She saw the wide grin on the girl's face as she walked to sit next to Lee Jordan. Conner Brack was sorted into Ravenclaw alongside Amanda Garder. Hermione was nervously pulling her robes as she knew her name would come up next.

"Granger, Hermione." Hermione took in a deep breath as she walked up. She glanced over at the Professor who gave her a wink before she placed the hat on top of her hair.

"Oh, a great mind I see." A voice inside her head spoke up, making her jump a little. "Don't be frightened. I'm just looking to see what house you best fit in to."

"I'm not frightened." She thought back.

"No, I think you're right. So, great intelligence, bravery and kindness for others. You are making it difficult for me, Miss Granger. We have Hufflepuff, who would accept you no matter what, but can you excel there? Hmm, maybe not. That leaves Ravenclaw and Gryffindor."

"Gryffindor." Hermione mumbled to herself quietly.

"Gryffindor? Why's that?"

"I already made a friend there. And I don't make friends easily."

"Yes, yes, but in Ravenclaw you could excel and fully get appreciated for your intelligence."

"Maybe, maybe not. In Gryffindor, I'm sure I have at least one person is looking out for me, maybe even more." She said as she thought about the Weasleys.

"Alright, if you're sure. It better be... - GRYFFINDOR!" He called the last part out to the great hall. The Gryffindor table hollered as McGonagall pulled the hat off her head, smiling broadly down at her. She glanced to the Gryffindor table and saw the Weasleys standing and clapping alongside Katie and Lee. She hopped off the stool and sat across from Katie, next to Fred.

"The hat certainly took it's time with you." Charlie called over across from Percy as McGonagall kept calling out names.

"What do you mean? It only took 10 seconds or so."

"No, Hermione you were on that stool for about 4 minutes."

"Four minutes?" Hermione's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah. We were starting to wonder if the sorting hat ate your head." Fred grinned. "What houses did he want to put you in?"

"All of them expect Slytherin of course."

"Hmm... well, it doesn't happen a lot, that it takes so long to decide. The last one I know that took so long, or even longer was Conor Graham from Bill's year. It took almost seven minutes before he was sorted in Ravenclaw."

"Jeez, seven minutes on that stool!? My butt will fall off." George laughed. The rest of them falling in to tune with him.

Hermione just rolled her eyes as she leaned forward, looking at George. "Honestly George."

"Tell us!" The twins called in unison all the sudden as they looked at her.

"How did she know?" Percy asked surprised as he looked away from the sorting. "Did she get it right?"

"She always gets it right." Fred sighed.

"And she won't tell us how." George whined, giving her a pouting lip.

"Oh, the sorting is almost done." Hermione grinned as she turned back to the front.

All but the twins chuckled as Hermione turned her back to them. Hermione felt a bit proud as she got the twins riled up as she watched to last one to be sorted. Leanna Mars, Nico Leigh, Penny Parter, Nicky Zane, and two others were sorted in to Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw gained 5 others and Slytherin gained four more. Hermione glanced next to her and saw that three boys had joined them. She looked back at Katie.

"Are we the only girls?"

"It seems so. Strange, isn't it?"

"Some years are the classes are smaller than others. This year was a small herd." Fred shrugged.

"A herd? We are not animals." Hermione huffed at the boy next to her.

Fred opened his mouth to answer but was silenced as the headmaster started to speak. After his welcome speech he gestured his arms in front of him and suddenly the table was covered in food.

HG

After dinner Katie and Hermione followed Charlie up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower as he was a prefect. Hermione looked in awe at the moving staircases above her and came to sudden halt as she bumped against the student in front of her.

"Sorry." She looked up and saw that they stopped at a portrait.

"The password is cauda leonis." The portrait swung open, and the first years followed him in. "The password changes every few weeks, one of the prefects will find you and tell you the new one. You can't tell the students of the other houses our password. Boys' dormitories are on the right, girls on the left. Your luggage is already in your chambers."

The first years glanced around the room and one by one the common room emptied out as they walked up the stairs.

"Hey Hermione." Charlie walked over smiling.

"Hi Charlie."

"Can I talk to you?" He asked as he gestured to the couch in front of the fireplace.

"Yes, sure." She walked over. "Can Katie stay?"

"Yeah." Charlie sat down in the armchair across from her and Katie slides down next to her. "Can I ask why you start a year early?"

"Wait! You're not 11?" Katie asked surprised.

"No, I turn eleven the 19th. Professor McGonagall made a request to let me start early. Because I'm a muggleborn she has been watching me since I was about five years old. She noticed that I didn't really have friends, partly because the strange accidents that happened around me, partly because I was way ahead of them at school, and they didn't like the 'little know-it-all'. I didn't fit in, I was bored at school, had my head buried in my books. Professor McGonagall saw I was having a hard time and if I was born a little bit earlier than I would have attended this year. So yeah, here I am."

"Hmm... didn't know that was possible." Charlie said contemplative.

"It happens very rarely; the last time was over sixty years ago."

Charlie stood up from his seat and looked down at her and Katie. "Well, if you need any help or if the twins get on your nerves just holler alright?"

"Thanks Charlie." Hermione smiled as she stood up, followed by Katie. "Up to now, the twins are rather calm."

"That's not going to stay like that for long." Charlie chuckled as the portrait swung open. "Ah. Speak of the devils."

Hermione and Katie turned to see the twins walk in with Lee and two girls they haven't met before.

"Devils?" Fred asked. "You wouldn't be talking about us now, would you?"

"Who else?" Charlie grinned back.

"Don't believe anything he says, Granger. We are an absolute delight." George said with flair. The girls and Lee laughing behind him.

"I don't think they believe that." Hermione smirked as she pointed at the laughing trio.

George and Fred looked over his shoulder and waved them off before looking back at them.

"So, what were you talking about?" Fred inquired.

"I think that's none of your business, Fred." Hermione huffed as she turned to walk up to the girls' dormitory.

"Wait!" The dark girl called her to a stop. Hermione stopped and turned back to the group. The girl turned to Fred, frowning. "Is she right? How does she know?"

"We don't know." Fred sighed dramatically, falling in the Charlie's vacant seat. "I didn't even call her little Granger."

"We need to keep an eye on that one." George said and flopped down on the couch; Fred nodded in agreement. Charlie walked past the twins and to Hermione, whispering loudly.

"You tell me later, alright?" He winked at her. "I'm off for my rounds. George, Fred, stay in!"

"Sir, yes sir!" They saluted before he disappeared out the portrait hole.

Hermione turned back to the staircase and started climbing, Katie right behind her when she heard the twins call in unison.

"Night, little Granger."

HG

They walked two sets of stairs before they found their room. They had the room all to themselves. Four beds lined against the walls, two on each side. The two at the back, near the window, had their trunks placed in front of them. Hermione on her right and Katie on the left. They opened their trunks and put their clothes and things in the closet. Hermione looked at the two empty beds and thought she could ask Professor McGonagall to transfigure one into a desk. They changed into their pyjamas and crawled in bed, both exhausted from the long day. Hermione grabbed her transfiguration book and started to read, only to fall asleep not even 10 minutes later, the book still on her lap.