The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and looked to be someone that was not to be crossed.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall."
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide to reveal an entrance hall big enough to fit an average size house. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches and the ceiling was too high to make out. A magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
The first years followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Audible was the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right - the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said 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.
"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." She briefly glanced over the students, lingering over a few.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." Then she left the chamber, leaving the first years to chat nervously among themselves. Daphne had found their way back to their little group, standing uncomfortably close beside Harry, a smile on her face.
Suddenly, screams echoed throughout the chamber and Sansa saw that a large number of ghosts had drifted through the walls into the room. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?"
A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.
Nobody answered.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
A few people nodded mutely.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."
Sansa got into line behind Joffrey, with Myrcella behind her, and they were led into the Great Hall.
It was such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering 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 up 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 flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Sansa looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. She heard a bushy haired girl whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.
Sansa quickly looked down again as 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. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.
For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and the hat burst into a song about the four houses and the traits each of them were known for.
When the hat had finished, The whole hall burst into applause and it bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause -
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Sansa saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.
"Baratheon, Joffrey!"
The hat took a longer time with Joff. Finally it sent him to Slytherin. Sansa saw that he had a grin on his face as he went to join his new housemates.
"Baratheon, Myrcella!"
The hat took even longer, before eventually sending her to join Hannah Abott at Hufflepuff.
"Bolton, Domeric!"
"Ravenclaw!"
McGonagall continued to go down the list. The sorting of Daphne Greengrass was the shortest so far. The hat had hardly touched her head before sending her to Slytherin.
Draco Malfoy also immediately went to Slytherin and looked quite pleased with himself.
Soon there weren't many people left. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then- "Potter, Harry!"
As Harry Potter stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
The Harry Potter?"
He looked nervous as the hat went on onto his head.
Harry was another one who took a long time to place, but eventually he went to Slytherin. After a long moment of shocked silence, the Slytherin table burst out in deafening applause. Harry walked over to the table bedecked in green and silver where Draco Malfoy had immediately called him over to sit next to him, forcing one of the two brutes who had been at his side to move.
And then finally: "Stark, Sansa!"
Sansa walked nervously up to the stool and donned the hat.
"Well, not very much like your brothers are you?
Sansa started. She wasn't sure she actually expected the hat to talk to her. She wasn't sure what she had expected exactly.
"No, dear child, you're not a Gryffindor. You wouldn't fit in with them, but where shall I put you? Hmm... More clever than people give you credit for and quite a desire to prove yourself."
Sansa hesitated. She stared over at Joffrey, sitting alone at the Slytherin table with a bored look on his face, his head resting on his right hand.
"…Slytherin. I‒ want to be in Slytherin.
"Ah, admirable loyalty, but sadly, perhaps misplaced in this case. You would be happy in Ravenclaw..."
Sansa felt a flare of anger. "Misplaced? What do you mean by that? Joffrey is... my friend. And I- want to be with him."
"Well if you're sure... SLYTHERIN!"
As Sansa was walking to join her new housemates she looked to Robb at the Gryffindor table. He regarded her curiously but clapped for her nonetheless. She sat down next to Joffrey and a brunette girl who introduced herself as Tracey Davis.
And now there were only five people left to be sorted. "Reed, Meera" became a Gryffindor "Thomas, Dean," also went to the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," went to Ravenclaw and "Weasley, Ron" became a Gryffindor. Finally "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at 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 they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
"Thank you!"
He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered, though Sansa heard Harry ask Malfoy if he wasn't a bit mad.
The welcoming feast then magically appeared on their table and the students began to eat and talk cheerfully. This being Slytherin, the talk immediately turned to their families. Sansa had never been overly interested in genealogy. The Starks were as pure-blooded a family as any but her parents had never looked down on others of more doubtful ancestry. the discussion of her new housemates quickly reminded her that bloodlines were of the utmost importance in Slytherin.
In all honesty, the talk made her somewhat uncomfortable. Tracey seemed like a sweet girl, introducing herself enthusiastically to Sansa, but how eagerly she had got to bragging about her famous ancestor from across the ocean who had played such a big role in the sundering of America and as the first leader of the new American Confederacy... Well Sansa knew what her father thought about the Confederates and she just didn't see how being related to that man could be a source of pride.
The Slytherin house ghost, The Bloody Baron appeared partway through the meal. He had blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He took his place next to an older student for a while, who didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared.
As Harry was eating a piece of pumpkin pie, he suddenly put his fork down and put his hand to his head with a pained look.
"What is it?" Malfoy asked.
"N-nothing." He said.
Malfoy shrugged and turned back to his dessert.
"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" Harry asked
Malfoy looked up. "Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. An old friend of my father's actually. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape. He's also our head of house."
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.
"Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. The other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed at this point.
Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" And as one the school began to sing.
Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the two Gryffindors, identical twins and Weasleys by the looks of them, were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.
"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
The hall was filled with the sound of benches scraping against the floor as students rose and began to file out of the hall.
"First years, with me," an older girl called out. "I'm Gemma Farley, one of your 5th year Prefects. Is everyone here? Good."
The Slytherin first years followed Gemma Farley through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, through gloomy corridors and down multiple pairs of stairs, deep into the dungeons. Sansa had noticed how tired she was as they walked the labyrinthine path to their dorms in the dungeons, and judging by the silence of her housemates only being interrupted by the occasional yawn, she wasn't the only one.
Finally the exhausted new Slytherins came to a halt at a seemingly inconspicuous stretch of wall.
"Salazar," Gemma said and the stone wall slowly began to part open. "Should be an easy enough password for you all to remember during the first week."
The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. There were old looking leather armchairs at various spots in the room and a murky green glow coming from the windows. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of the newly arriving first-years.
Gemma directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. They found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep green, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed. Lady had already been taken to the room and was sleeping contentedly at the top of Sansa's pillow.
Sansa fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, content with the world and her place in it, while not far away, Harry Potter tossed and turned uneasily all night.
