p class="MsoNormal"strongA/N So I was really inspired to get this chapter over with because there are a few small differences. One, Quirrell isn't in this story. Because I don't want him. I'm not going to spoil anything yet, but you'll understand why soon hopefully. Also, there are some (a lot of) variations between the book and this version, even though I'm literally referencing the book as I write. Seriously, it's in my lap right now. /strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"strongAnyways, I hope you enjoy!/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Sorting Ceremony was a first-night tradition at Hogwarts. First-year students were always anxious, and it showed. The teachers and students sat near the front of the Great Hall could see the worry on the new kids' faces as they were led in by professor McGonagall, who stood them in a line between the four tables. Some smiled encouragingly at the group of 11-year-olds, some just wanted the ceremony over with. Several ghosts floated past, some speaking words of encouragement, others simply sized up the new students. The Fat Friar mentioned he hoped to see them in Hufflepuff, his old house./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ron, Harry and Neville stood huddled together on the edge of the crowd./p
p class="MsoNormal""What house do you think you'll get?" Ron whispered./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm not sure," admitted Harry, "I don't really know too much about them. You?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm hoping for Gryffindor, but I'm not sure I'll get it. My whole family's there, I'd hate to be alone in another house."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm sure you will," said Neville. "I'm sure they think about those things when sorting us, right? Like where we want to go?" In truth, he wasn't sure. As long as he was with Harry, or Ron, he was fine. He just didn't want to go into a house with none of his friends./p
p class="MsoNormal"Professor McGonagall stood in front of the students. "Welcome back, current students, and welcome new students. As we embark on this new school year, I want each and every one of you to think about what you want to get out of this year. Of course, you can aim for good marks, or aim to start your magical career. But I want you to think about how you want to develop as individuals. Something that is overlooked too much is your individuality. You are all here because you are gifted with unusual and special abilities. I hope each and every one of you fosters these talents and discovers something new about yourselves, no matter your lineage, preheld conceptions and prejudices. I want you to remember that everyone here has earned their place and bullying of any kind will not be tolerated." Neville could have sworn she was glaring at Malfoy, who was muttering to his two friends. "Now, the sorting ceremony will commence shortly. When I call your name, please step forward and place the Sorting Hat on your head, and it will help you find your house." She gestured to a small wooden stool topped with an old looking, pointy witch's hat, which had appeared while she was talking, and nobody had noticed. Must have been a hand gesture that made it appear- em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"she could do magic without a wand or verbal incantation- /emNeville suddenly felt very out of place. His grandmother had only ever used magic for small spells, and even then, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanit was with a wand and verbal spell. Before he knew it, names were being called. Abbott (Hufflepuff)... Crabbe (Slytherin)… Finnegan (Gryffindor)… Goyle (Slytherin)… then came Hermione Granger. She basically sprinted forward and shoved the hat onto her head. The hat almost immediately called "Ravenclaw!" Ron nodded approvingly. She went and sat near some of the other first years at the Ravenclaw table, all of them looking equally nervous./p
p class="MsoNormal"Before Neville knew it, it was his turn. He inched forwards, not liking the feeling of being watched by the whole hall and pulled the hat as low over his face as it would go. As it was an adult size hat, it slid easily over his face, blocking out the sea of faces./p
p class="MsoNormal"The hat was dark and a little warm around his ears. A small voice whispered in his ear. "Longbottom, eh? I knew your parents… noble Gryffindors, til the end…" Neville sucked in his breath. "But I see other things in you… a touch of Hufflepuff, loyalty and hope in you… and what's this…span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spaneven a little Slytherin? I see some ambition and cunning… repressed, of course- you weren't raised to be flamboyant…" Neville closed his eyes tight and silently wished for Gryffindor. "You want Gryffindor? Very well… GRYFFINDOR!" the roar was loud in his ears, and the hat was pulled off of his head by Professor McGonagall. Disoriented, he stumbled down the stairs and went to sit near the twins, who gave him friendly arm punches as he passed them. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"He turned to watch the sorting, and saw the pale blond boy be sorted. It was the first time he'd seen him look nervous. The hat took a few moments, eventually choosing Gryffindor. He grouchily moved to the Gryffindor table, eyeing the seated people with distaste, and sat opposite Neville. When he realised who he was, he glared and turned away./p
p class="MsoNormal"Within the next few minutes, it was Harry's turn. The hat took a long time with him, and eventually called, "Slytherin!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Getting over the initial shock of that, Harry moved to the Slytherin table, where he sat next to a rather pretty girl called Pansy Parkinson, who seemed to take an immediate liking to him. Neville could have sworn he saw jealousy flash across Malfoy's face./p
p class="MsoNormal"Not long after, it was Rom's turn. He sat on the stool for barely fifteen seconds, before being sorted into Gryffindor too. He joined Neville and turned away from Malfoy in disgust, instead choosing to talk to his older brothers and Neville./p
p class="MsoNormal"After Zambini, Blaise had been sorted into Slytherin, Professor Dumbledore stood and the room fell quiet again. "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts, and welcome new students. Now, I know you are all famished from a long day, so I only have a few words to say. And those are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"He sat again as the students politely applauded./p
p class="MsoNormal"The students turned back to the tables, which were now piled high with food- roast beef, potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, roast vegetables, condiments, and, for some reason, mint humbugs. Neville piled his plate high, suddenly realising how famished he was, and chose to eat quietly as the other students shared personal anecdotes and gossip. Apart from Malfoy, who still seemed angry at where the hat had chosen to place him./p
p class="MsoNormal"As the last traces of the main course melted away and the serving dishes replaced with desserts, the conversation turned to family./p
p class="MsoNormal""Me Mam's a witch," Seamus Finnegan said. "Dad's a muggle. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out." His strong Irish accent made it come out as one long word. The table laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ron came from a long line of pureblood wizards, three of his big brothers were also sat at the Gryffindor table- Fred, George and Percy. Malfoy, dragged into the conversation by Percy, muttered something about coming from the prominent Malfoy bloodline- Neville took that to mean he was pureblood too. When Neville was asked, he simply said, "Nan raised me, and she's a witch, but for a long time they were worried that I was a muggle. She cried when I got my Hogwarts letter." And didn't answer any more questions. It made his stomach hurt to think about his Nan. He had barely thought about her all day- and, he noticed with a jolt, it was almost 9pm. He'd been away for ten hours, one of the longest stretches he'd ever been away from her./p
p class="MsoNormal"Before he knew it, the cakes and sweets vanished from the plates, leaving the tables sparkling clean. Dumbledore stood, and the hall fell quiet. "Now that you've all had a chance to fill up, we have a few announcements to make./p
p class="MsoNormal""First years should not that the Forbidden Forest is- well, forbidden, to all students. A few of our older students would do well to remember too." His eyes seemed to pause when they passed Fred and George and twinkled as though they had an inside joke./p
p class="MsoNormal""Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that magic should not be used in the corridors between lessons./p
p class="MsoNormal""Quidditch trials will be held on the second week of term, on the quidditch pitch. Please contact Madam Hootch if you are interested in trying out. However, I must remind you that first-years are not permitted to play for their school teams. Plenty of time for that in future years./p
p class="MsoNormal""Finally, this year, the third floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds this year, for everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."/p
p class="MsoNormal"A few nervous laughs tittered through the students, but it definitely put a damper on the mood a little. Neville saw a few students glance at each other nervously./p
p class="MsoNormal""And now, off to bed!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "First day of classes in the morning, and I'm sure you all want to be well rested for your lessons./p
p class="MsoNormal"Now, let us sing the school song before we all go to bed."/p
p class="MsoNormal"A loud din began to ruing through the room, as students began to sing the school song at different paces:/p
p class="MsoNormal""emHogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,br /Teach us something please,br /Whether we be old and bald,br /Or young with scabby knees,br /Our heads could do with filling,br /With some interesting stuff,br /For now they're bare and full of air,br /Dead flies and bits of fluff,br /So teach us things worth knowing,br /Bring back what we've forgot,br /Just do your best, we'll do the rest,br /And learn until our brains all rot."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"The last students singing were the twins, at the pace of a funeral march. Professor Dumbledore directed the last few notes with his want, and wiped his eyes. "Ah, music- a magic beyond what we can teach! Now, goodnight all."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Neville caught Harry's eye as he stood and felt an electric jolt to his stomach. It was like they were two parts of a whole, like they knew each other from a long time ago, but didn't know where from. Then Harry turned back to Pansy and she said something to him, and he laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal"The students began to file out, following their prefects. Percy led the Gryffindors through a maze of stairs and corridors, up to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and gave the password, Caput Draconis. The door swung open to reveal a warm, merry common room, draped in maroon and gold tapestries, a roaring fire blazing, overstuffed armchairs and couches scattered around the circular room. Up two staircases were the dormitories, one for the girls and one for the boys. Exhausted, students began to file up the towers. As Neville, Ron and Malfoy entered their room, they saw that the calm night had turned to rain, tapping against the windows. Fortunately, the fire's warmth reached all the way to the highest point in the Gryffindor tower, and they were kept warm as they got ready for bed. They were joined by Seamus Finnegan, the Irish boy, and Dean Thomas, a dark-skinned black boy, who gave large grins. He and Seamus laughed a lot as they got ready for bed./p
p class="MsoNormal"As he laid in his four-poster beds, Neville found himself unable to sleep, despite feeling exhausted from the long day. He listened to the lashing rain against the windowpanes, which was now keeping out a storm./p
p class="MsoNormal"And he wondered./p
p class="MsoNormal"strongAnyways, I hope you enjoy!/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Sorting Ceremony was a first-night tradition at Hogwarts. First-year students were always anxious, and it showed. The teachers and students sat near the front of the Great Hall could see the worry on the new kids' faces as they were led in by professor McGonagall, who stood them in a line between the four tables. Some smiled encouragingly at the group of 11-year-olds, some just wanted the ceremony over with. Several ghosts floated past, some speaking words of encouragement, others simply sized up the new students. The Fat Friar mentioned he hoped to see them in Hufflepuff, his old house./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ron, Harry and Neville stood huddled together on the edge of the crowd./p
p class="MsoNormal""What house do you think you'll get?" Ron whispered./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm not sure," admitted Harry, "I don't really know too much about them. You?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm hoping for Gryffindor, but I'm not sure I'll get it. My whole family's there, I'd hate to be alone in another house."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm sure you will," said Neville. "I'm sure they think about those things when sorting us, right? Like where we want to go?" In truth, he wasn't sure. As long as he was with Harry, or Ron, he was fine. He just didn't want to go into a house with none of his friends./p
p class="MsoNormal"Professor McGonagall stood in front of the students. "Welcome back, current students, and welcome new students. As we embark on this new school year, I want each and every one of you to think about what you want to get out of this year. Of course, you can aim for good marks, or aim to start your magical career. But I want you to think about how you want to develop as individuals. Something that is overlooked too much is your individuality. You are all here because you are gifted with unusual and special abilities. I hope each and every one of you fosters these talents and discovers something new about yourselves, no matter your lineage, preheld conceptions and prejudices. I want you to remember that everyone here has earned their place and bullying of any kind will not be tolerated." Neville could have sworn she was glaring at Malfoy, who was muttering to his two friends. "Now, the sorting ceremony will commence shortly. When I call your name, please step forward and place the Sorting Hat on your head, and it will help you find your house." She gestured to a small wooden stool topped with an old looking, pointy witch's hat, which had appeared while she was talking, and nobody had noticed. Must have been a hand gesture that made it appear- em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"she could do magic without a wand or verbal incantation- /emNeville suddenly felt very out of place. His grandmother had only ever used magic for small spells, and even then, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanit was with a wand and verbal spell. Before he knew it, names were being called. Abbott (Hufflepuff)... Crabbe (Slytherin)… Finnegan (Gryffindor)… Goyle (Slytherin)… then came Hermione Granger. She basically sprinted forward and shoved the hat onto her head. The hat almost immediately called "Ravenclaw!" Ron nodded approvingly. She went and sat near some of the other first years at the Ravenclaw table, all of them looking equally nervous./p
p class="MsoNormal"Before Neville knew it, it was his turn. He inched forwards, not liking the feeling of being watched by the whole hall and pulled the hat as low over his face as it would go. As it was an adult size hat, it slid easily over his face, blocking out the sea of faces./p
p class="MsoNormal"The hat was dark and a little warm around his ears. A small voice whispered in his ear. "Longbottom, eh? I knew your parents… noble Gryffindors, til the end…" Neville sucked in his breath. "But I see other things in you… a touch of Hufflepuff, loyalty and hope in you… and what's this…span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spaneven a little Slytherin? I see some ambition and cunning… repressed, of course- you weren't raised to be flamboyant…" Neville closed his eyes tight and silently wished for Gryffindor. "You want Gryffindor? Very well… GRYFFINDOR!" the roar was loud in his ears, and the hat was pulled off of his head by Professor McGonagall. Disoriented, he stumbled down the stairs and went to sit near the twins, who gave him friendly arm punches as he passed them. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"He turned to watch the sorting, and saw the pale blond boy be sorted. It was the first time he'd seen him look nervous. The hat took a few moments, eventually choosing Gryffindor. He grouchily moved to the Gryffindor table, eyeing the seated people with distaste, and sat opposite Neville. When he realised who he was, he glared and turned away./p
p class="MsoNormal"Within the next few minutes, it was Harry's turn. The hat took a long time with him, and eventually called, "Slytherin!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Getting over the initial shock of that, Harry moved to the Slytherin table, where he sat next to a rather pretty girl called Pansy Parkinson, who seemed to take an immediate liking to him. Neville could have sworn he saw jealousy flash across Malfoy's face./p
p class="MsoNormal"Not long after, it was Rom's turn. He sat on the stool for barely fifteen seconds, before being sorted into Gryffindor too. He joined Neville and turned away from Malfoy in disgust, instead choosing to talk to his older brothers and Neville./p
p class="MsoNormal"After Zambini, Blaise had been sorted into Slytherin, Professor Dumbledore stood and the room fell quiet again. "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts, and welcome new students. Now, I know you are all famished from a long day, so I only have a few words to say. And those are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"He sat again as the students politely applauded./p
p class="MsoNormal"The students turned back to the tables, which were now piled high with food- roast beef, potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, roast vegetables, condiments, and, for some reason, mint humbugs. Neville piled his plate high, suddenly realising how famished he was, and chose to eat quietly as the other students shared personal anecdotes and gossip. Apart from Malfoy, who still seemed angry at where the hat had chosen to place him./p
p class="MsoNormal"As the last traces of the main course melted away and the serving dishes replaced with desserts, the conversation turned to family./p
p class="MsoNormal""Me Mam's a witch," Seamus Finnegan said. "Dad's a muggle. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out." His strong Irish accent made it come out as one long word. The table laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ron came from a long line of pureblood wizards, three of his big brothers were also sat at the Gryffindor table- Fred, George and Percy. Malfoy, dragged into the conversation by Percy, muttered something about coming from the prominent Malfoy bloodline- Neville took that to mean he was pureblood too. When Neville was asked, he simply said, "Nan raised me, and she's a witch, but for a long time they were worried that I was a muggle. She cried when I got my Hogwarts letter." And didn't answer any more questions. It made his stomach hurt to think about his Nan. He had barely thought about her all day- and, he noticed with a jolt, it was almost 9pm. He'd been away for ten hours, one of the longest stretches he'd ever been away from her./p
p class="MsoNormal"Before he knew it, the cakes and sweets vanished from the plates, leaving the tables sparkling clean. Dumbledore stood, and the hall fell quiet. "Now that you've all had a chance to fill up, we have a few announcements to make./p
p class="MsoNormal""First years should not that the Forbidden Forest is- well, forbidden, to all students. A few of our older students would do well to remember too." His eyes seemed to pause when they passed Fred and George and twinkled as though they had an inside joke./p
p class="MsoNormal""Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that magic should not be used in the corridors between lessons./p
p class="MsoNormal""Quidditch trials will be held on the second week of term, on the quidditch pitch. Please contact Madam Hootch if you are interested in trying out. However, I must remind you that first-years are not permitted to play for their school teams. Plenty of time for that in future years./p
p class="MsoNormal""Finally, this year, the third floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds this year, for everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."/p
p class="MsoNormal"A few nervous laughs tittered through the students, but it definitely put a damper on the mood a little. Neville saw a few students glance at each other nervously./p
p class="MsoNormal""And now, off to bed!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "First day of classes in the morning, and I'm sure you all want to be well rested for your lessons./p
p class="MsoNormal"Now, let us sing the school song before we all go to bed."/p
p class="MsoNormal"A loud din began to ruing through the room, as students began to sing the school song at different paces:/p
p class="MsoNormal""emHogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,br /Teach us something please,br /Whether we be old and bald,br /Or young with scabby knees,br /Our heads could do with filling,br /With some interesting stuff,br /For now they're bare and full of air,br /Dead flies and bits of fluff,br /So teach us things worth knowing,br /Bring back what we've forgot,br /Just do your best, we'll do the rest,br /And learn until our brains all rot."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"The last students singing were the twins, at the pace of a funeral march. Professor Dumbledore directed the last few notes with his want, and wiped his eyes. "Ah, music- a magic beyond what we can teach! Now, goodnight all."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Neville caught Harry's eye as he stood and felt an electric jolt to his stomach. It was like they were two parts of a whole, like they knew each other from a long time ago, but didn't know where from. Then Harry turned back to Pansy and she said something to him, and he laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal"The students began to file out, following their prefects. Percy led the Gryffindors through a maze of stairs and corridors, up to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and gave the password, Caput Draconis. The door swung open to reveal a warm, merry common room, draped in maroon and gold tapestries, a roaring fire blazing, overstuffed armchairs and couches scattered around the circular room. Up two staircases were the dormitories, one for the girls and one for the boys. Exhausted, students began to file up the towers. As Neville, Ron and Malfoy entered their room, they saw that the calm night had turned to rain, tapping against the windows. Fortunately, the fire's warmth reached all the way to the highest point in the Gryffindor tower, and they were kept warm as they got ready for bed. They were joined by Seamus Finnegan, the Irish boy, and Dean Thomas, a dark-skinned black boy, who gave large grins. He and Seamus laughed a lot as they got ready for bed./p
p class="MsoNormal"As he laid in his four-poster beds, Neville found himself unable to sleep, despite feeling exhausted from the long day. He listened to the lashing rain against the windowpanes, which was now keeping out a storm./p
p class="MsoNormal"And he wondered./p