-Chapter 6

The sorting

Rose

Her anxiety burned away inside. To Wizarding society, the sorting was one of the most significant moments in a person's life. The expectation of her parents weighed down heavily on her shoulders, reminding her of the age old tradition almost all Weasleys had followed of being sorted into Gryffindor.

All the first years had been huddled into little boats, and in the hurry, Rose had been separated from the other occupants of the train compartment. Now she sat, overwhelmed by the magnificent castle standing before her. It felt completely surreal being in the presence of such a grand and historic building. It's reflection in the silky smooth lake could just be made out from the small amount of light stemming from Hagrid's torch.

As they neared the castle, the furious chattering hushed, and all children solemnly contemplated the dreaded sorting. They were welcomed by Professor Flitwick- the deputy head, and were quickly ushered into the Great Hall. There, candles were lined along every table, and hung over their heads, filling the huge void above them. Rose was comforted by looking at the staff table. There, Professor McGonagall was at the centre, Professor Longbottom and Professor Brown further along. They had all known her since she was born, so she felt somewhat at home in her completely new school.

Through the crowd, she could just make out a stool, with a hat, and jumped slightly when it opened its mouth to say:

A thousand years or more ago

When I was newly sewn,

There lived four wizards of renown,

Whose names are still well known:

Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,

Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,

Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,

Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.

I've sorted high, I've sorted low,

I've done the job through thick and thin

So put me on and you will know

Which house you should be in...

By Gryffindor, the bravest were

Prized far beyond the rest;

For Ravenclaw, the cleverest

Would always be the best;

For Hufflepuff, hard workers were

Most worthy of admission;

And power-hungry Slytherin

Loved those of great ambition.

This was followed swiftly by Professor Flitwick calling for "Adams, Polly!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumblesd out of line, put on the hat which fell right down over her eyes. A moment later, "Gryffindor!" Shouted the hat. Knowing her name wouldn't be called until close to the end, Rose stood patiently, watching her classmates getting sorted, one by one. After a while, it got round to "Malfoy, Scorpius". It didn't instantly decide, however, fairly quickly the battered hat shouted out "Slytherin!" Scorpius looked relieved, and quickly hopped off the chair to go to the table at the right.

Straight after Scorpius, Izzie was called up. Only a small moment passed before the hat yet again yelled "Slytherin" to the rest of the Hall. This was quicker than Scorpius' go, but more intense. The fact Izzie and Scorpius had been sorted into Slytherin made Rose nervous- she had gotten along with them both so well, and from their discussions on the train and they seemed rather similar minded to herself. What if her place in Gryffindor wasn't as certain as her family liked to believe?

The dreaded moment arose and Rose was called up. Her legs were shaking with anticipation as she realised now all eyes in the whole Great Hall were on her.

As she sat on the stall, the hat was then placed on her head. "Well, another Weasley I see" the voice said "you've certainly got your mothers brains, yet I sense a strong undertone of ambition there too. Sure, enough courage but only to make cunning gains. Oh I know just what to do with you! " before Rose's brain could catch up to respond, it shouted out loud "Slytherin!" It left the entire Great Hall stunned, witnessing the spectacle of practically the first Weasley sorted into Slytherin for generations. Her ears buzzing from the hushed whispers of people undoubtedly talking about her, she made her way to the far right table. She made an effort to ignore the huddle of Weasleys (including newly sorted Al) at the other side, all dressed up in red and gold. It wasn't hard to imagine their reaction. She sat next to Izzie, and steadied herself for what was going to be toughest part of her life yet, being the only one in her family dressed silver and green.