Be warned this is quite a long chapter (4,279 to be exact). Sorry, I couldn't help myself. So sit back relax, and please, please, please, review
The Sorting
As the train pulled to a stop Neville, along with almost every other student, surged toward the door, and he allowed himself to be swept into the flow of people headed toward the doors leading into the cool night air. Immediately his senses were overwhelmed with everything around him, he could feel the night air pushing around him, almost as much as he felt the other students doing the same. He could smell the perfumes and colognes of the student's nearest him, and couldn't help but think how dreadful they all smelled when laced together like that. He could also see a light bobbing over the heads of all the students, and could faintly here a large man yelling over all of the chaos.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Neville followed the sound of the man's voice, along with several other first years. "C'mon, follow me- any more firs' years? Mind your step now! Firs' years follow me"
Neville followed the man, who, as far as he could tell, was much larger than a normal man. Neville figured he was a half giant, though he never had figured how the two could mate, one being so much bigger than the other. He had gigantic hands, and was a good three or four feet taller than even the tallest of the first years. He was leading them down a very steep hill of some sort, the only light coming from the lantern the man was holding. All of the first years were having trouble keeping their footing, but none were worse than Neville, his usual clumsiness was definitely not helping during their climb down the steep slope. He kept slipping ever couple of steps, and couldn't help himself from sniffling every now and then, thinking about how terrible his year had been, before he even got a glimpse of the school, however just as Neville thought this, the half giant started speaking again.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, " the man called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here".
There was a collective gasp as the school came into sight, and Neville lost his footing once again at the sight of the magnificent castle. He fell and slid a couple feet down the hill, and landed right in front of a great black lake. Neville stood up quickly and wiped himself off, no one seemed to have noticed, they were all too dumbstruck by the incredible sight.
The castle was nestled on top of a majestic mountain. It had many towers, too many to count. The windows shined with light in the dark cold night. It looked like a beacon in the night to Neville, shining as brightly as Neville's hope that things would improve from here.
"No more'n four in a boat," the large man in front called out. Neville looked around and spotted Hermione. He climbed into the seat next to her. When he looked up he saw the red-headed boy again, and could only guess the boy in front of Hermione was Harry Potter, he couldn't believe he had been this close to the famous boy within six hours.
"Everyone in?", called the man once more, Neville couldn't help but notice that the large man had one boat to himself, "Right then-FOWARD"
Neville was awe-struck as the boats took off, no one was saying a word. They were all looking up at the castle sitting in front of them. It was truly magnificent, made of grayish stone, it was the biggest building Neville had ever seen.
"HEADS DOWN!", shouted the man in the front, as the first few boats reached the cliff face. They all bent their heads as the slid through a curtain of ivy hiding a small opening in the cliff face. They continued sailing for another few minutes down a dark passage. It was quite eerie down there. Neville felt like he was underground, something he didn't enjoy. He was terrified, without the light from the castle, Neville's hope seemed to extinguish, and he got more and more nervous the farther down the tunnel they went.
Finally they stopped at some kind of harbor. Kids started filing out of the boats in a semi-dazed sort of way. All seeming to be getting nervous at the thought of entering the castle they had seen only moments ago.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?", Neville jumped as he realized that the large man was talking to him, then he registered what was in his hand.
"Trevor!", he shouted, relieved that his toad had been found. He ran towards the man to retrieve him before following him through a rocky passage. Finally they stepped out onto the smooth dew-covered grass, lying in the shadow of the castle.
They followed them up a flight of stone steps, the anticipation building. "Everyone here?", asked the half-giant, "You there, still got yer toad". Neville nodded, and slightly lifted his hands to show Trevor squirming. Then the man raised his gigantic fists, and knocked three times on the large oak castle door.
Behind the door was a very uptight looking women, she reminded Neville somewhat of his Gran. Her hair was up in a very tight bun and she was wearing long emerald colored robes. "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall", said the man in the front.
"Thank you, Hagrid", she said rather briskly, with a stern voice that she seemed quite comfortable in. "I will take them from here", at this the large man, apparently named Hagrid, walked through the door that McGonagall had just opened.
The entrance hall was brilliant, made of the same stone that covered the outside of the castle. It was so large Neville was sure that his entire family could live in it comfortably. The walls were lit with flaming tortures, which only added to the air of old and coziness of the hall. Neville could also see a large marble staircase that led to the upper floors.
The first years followed Professor McGonagall along the hallway. Neville could hear an excited buzz coming from a door to his right, where several students were obviously already gathered, however they didn't go into this door. Instead McGonagall led them into a side chamber. They gathered around her, standing quiet close together wondering what was about to happen.
"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 smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Neville felt her eyes linger on his cloak, which he quickly realized was fastened under his left ear. "I will return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
He heard Ron talking to Harry ahead of him. "How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry asked.
"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Neville's heart began pounding, of course he had asked his Gran about the sorting hat, but he hadn't thought to ask if it hurt. Neville could here Hermione on the other side of him, whispering feverishly about all the spells she had learned. This just made him think more about what he didn't know about magic.
All of a sudden people started screaming, this in turn caused Neville to scream. As he turned around he watched as several ghosts floated through the back door. Neville calmed down upon seeing the pearly transparent figures floating towards him. He had seen ghosts before, many showed up at family reunions, and several others dropped into see his Gran on a regular basis. Most of his family was quite old, and even though he had never quite settled into the fact of knowing people who were neither here nor there, they no longer scared him.
The ghosts started to talk to the students at large, but Neville didn't bother paying attention, even though he wasn't scared of ghosts they made him quite uneasy. He was suddenly snapped back to reality when he heard Professor McGonagall's sharp voice. "Move along now", she called "the Sorting Ceremony's about to start".
One by one the ghosts started to float through the wall, leaving Neville feeling better in their absence. "Now form a line", said the Professor "and follow me."
Neville obey, stepping in line behind Hermione, with a blonde girl in front of him. He could here is own heart beating as he stood there, his mouth had suddenly gone dry. He followed the mass of blonde hair through a pair of large double doors and into the Great Hall.
The Great Hall looked just as his Gran had described it. There were hundreds of candles floating through-out the hall. He looked over at the staff table beside him, as well as out at the other four house tables, laden in golden goblets and plates. Neville's heart jumped as he looked at the Slytherin table, all of the students were wearing menacing sneers. Neville glanced up at the ceiling, and saw it to be as dark as the sky outside, in fact there were shining stars showing across it. Hermione leaned over to Neville, for they were now facing outward towards the rest of the students, and explained that it was bewitched to look like the nights sky.
Neville wouldn't have believed there was a ceiling there at all, except for the fact that it was considerably warmer in the Great Hall then it was outside.
Then Neville saw McGonagall set a four legged stool down, along with the infamous sorting hat. Neville could feel his heart jump into his throat as he stared at the hat. Finally a rip near the brim of the hat opened up, and Neville waited for the song that the hat would sing, explaining the houses, as his Gran had explained. Finally it began-
Oh you may not think me pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm theHogwartsSorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong inGryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
SetGryffindors apart;
You might belong inHufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patientHufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise oldRavenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps inSlytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
As the hat finished it's song the hall burst into applause. It graciously bowed to the four tables in front of it, and then became quiet still. It looked quite like a normal hat, however, as everyone in the hall now knew, it was definitely not normal.
"So we've just got to try on the hat", he heard Ron whisper rather poorly from a few people down, "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll". Neville would have laughed if he hadn't been so utterly terrified, after hearing the hat's outlook on the houses , he was no longer sure if he even belonged in Hufflepuff, for he didn't feel just nor loyal, but this house did seem to fit him better than the others, all of whom seemed to expect much more than Neville had to offer.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted", said Professor McGonagall rather matter-of-factly. "Abbott, Hannah!", she called, and the blonde girl in front of Neville stepped forward.
When she placed the hat on her head it fell to cover her eyes, then after a moment's consideration the hat called-
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The table to the right cheered as its first new member took off the hat quickly, and went to the table.
"Bones, Susan!", cried McGonagall, as another girl stepped out of line. Again the process was repeated, as the hat fell over her eyes as well. Then-
"HUFFLEPUFF!", Susan, looking rather relived, hurried off to the Hufflepuff table, which cheered again.
"Boot, Terry!", McGonagall said, slowly making her way through the list. After a few moments-
"RAVENCLAW!" Terry took off the hat and shuffled over to the second table from the left, which was now clapping louder than the Hufflepuffs had.
McGonagall continued down the list, with Brocklehurst, Mandy going to Ravenclaw, and Brown, Lavender becoming the first Gryffindor. The table to the far left exploded in the loudest cheers yet as Lavender made her way over. Neville watched as a pair of red-headed twins (obviously Weasleys) cat-called.
Next Bulstrode, Milllicent went to Slytherin, there was no clapping for her, though he didn't seem to mind. Next was Flinch-Fletchley, Justin, he was another Hufflepuff. Neville watched as the line dwindled down, ever so slowly. Some decisions took much longer than others. Whereas most of the Hufflepuffs took only a second, many of the other students sat on the stool much longer. So far Finnigan, Seamus , had been the longest, taking nearly a minute for the hat to shout "GRYFINDOR!".
Next was Granger, Hermione. Neville felt a slight gust of wind as she sprinted past him, and shoved the hat on her head. After a couple seconds of deliberation the hat finally pronounced her-
"GRYFFINDOR!" Neville could hear Ron groan, much closer now than he was before. Neville was getting anxious as the L's slowly approached. Finally as Li, Su was proclaimed a Ravenclaw Neville's heart stopped for a second. Then-
"Longbottom, Neville!", Neville heard McGonagall's crisp voice ring through the hall. His legs felt like they had suddenly been replaced with led, and he stood stock still for a moment. Then he finally started to walk towards the stool as quickly as possible, falling over on his way. As he began to stand up he looked up into a boy with hair so blonde it was almost silver, and noticed as he pulled his foot in quickly, hiding the fact that he had tripped Neville.
Finally Neville made it to the stool and McGonagall placed the hat on his head.
Well, a Longbottom, I remember your father, Neville turned his head from one side to the other as he tried to figure out who was talking, before he finally realized it was the hat itself. I had a hard time with him, courage galore that one, quite nice as well.
"I wish you'd hurry" Neville thought
Don't like my stories do you Longbottom? Well let's see then, quite like your father. Definitely not Slytherin, oh no no that wouldn't work. Not quite the Ravenclaw cut. Hufflepuff would fit you quite nicely.
"I knew it", thought Neville.
Becoming predictable, am I? Well I suppose then, you must go to-
"GRYFFINDOR!" ,after a moment shocked cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table, never getting very loud. Neville was so nervous that he ran off with the hat still on his head, leaving the next student (MacDougal, Morag) standing looking rather confused.
Plan on keeping me Longbottom?, asked the hat, Neville quickly rushed the hat back up to the awaiting student. After returning to the Gryffindor table, sitting beside Hermione, he breathed a sigh of relief, acknowledging the miraculous turnaround of his evening, even with the few embarrassing slips.
The student called after Morag ("RAVENCALW!") was Malfoy, Draco, Neville's insides gave a lurch as he realized he recognized the student, it was the boy who had tripped him only moments before. The boy swaggered up to the stool, sitting on it proudly, not a bit nervous. Neville wasn't even sure if the hat had made contact with his head before it rang out clear through the hall-
"SLYTHERIN!", Neville saw him walk over to two rather large looking boys, looking rather pleased with himself. Neville looked back at the line of students, which was much smaller now. He waited patiently as the rest of the names were called, though his eyes kept darting back to Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, finally the name was called out, followed by a dusting of surprised whispers.
"Potter did she say?", said a boy to Neville's left.
"The Harry Potter?", said a girl behind him, apparently the news had not reached many people, the famous child was finally coming to Hogwarts. Many people were craning to get a better look at Harry, though his eyes were now covered by the hat. After a few seconds, the hat shouted out it's decision-
"GRYFFINDOR!", suddenly the Hall was full with Defining cheers, as Harry walked towards them. He could scarcely hear the two Weasley twins shouting "WE GOT POTTER! WE GOT POTTER!", as the other Weasley at the table stood up, and shook Harry's hand. Neville grimaced as the ghost whom Harry had set across from patted his arm, he knew that feeling all too well, and could almost feel the ice coldness on his own arm.
Only three students remained standing by the Staff table now, Thomas, Dean ("GRYFINDOR!"), Turpin, Lisa (RAVENCLAW!), and the red-head, Ron, that had been with Harry, he was an odd greenish color, however Neville was quite sure he had been the exact same color when he had gone up. Anyway, the boy sat on the stool, and was sorted nearly as quickly as Malfoy had been (GRYFFINDOR!), and cheers erupted from his brothers and the other Gryffindors seconded only to Harry's.
As the excitement of the evening died down many students could be heard grumbling about their hunger, and Neville too realized that he was starving.
"Welcome" said a now standing Albus Dumbledore, his silvery white hair and beard flowing, making him look extremely wise. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts", he continued, looking nearly as excited as the students, "Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words", there were a few grumbles from the first-years, but the rest of the students looked expectant. "And here they are", he said ignoring the grumbles "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you", and with this odd assortment of words the old man sat down, and as Neville looked down he saw that the empty dishes were now filled with food. He clapped with the rest of the students before digging into the delicious looking meal.
As Neville piled his plate high with everything he could reach, he started listening to the different conversations going on around him. He learned that Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Popington, the Gryffindor ghost, despised being called Nearly Headless Nick, and preferred Sir Nicholas. He also learned that The Bloody Baron was the Slytherin ghost, and no one knew why he was covered in blood. He also learned that Seamus Finnigan, a sandy haired Irish boy, had a muggle father, and a witch mother making him a "half-and-half".
"What about you, Neville?" asked Ron, Neville was shocked that he had been brought in on the conversation, but answered happily.
"Well, my Gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all Muggle for ages. My great-uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me – he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned – but nothing happened until I was eight. Great-uncle Algie came round for tea and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my great-auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced – all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased. Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here – they thought I might not be magical enough to come, you see. Great-uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad"
After eating more than his fill and then some Neville felt whether groggy, and suddenly wanted to crawl into bed.
"Ahem- just a few more words now that we are all fed", said Dumbledore rising once more from his chair, the entire hall fell silent. "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."
Neville caught him looking directly at the Weasley twins.
"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." Neville saw no reason to talk to Madam Hooch, even if he DID want to play Quidditch, first-years never made the teams, due only partially to first-years not being allowed to own brooms.
"And finally", Dumbledore continued, "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." At this Neville shuddered, he would most likely avoid the third floor all together if at all possible, he was easily scared, and the greatest wizard in the world telling him to stay away was more than enough for him.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!", cried Dumbledore with the cheer of a three year old being told he could eat as much sugar as he wanted, with no bed time. Neville however was beginning to get nervous, for he didn't know what the school song was. Almost as if reading his mind however, Dumbledore flicked his wand, and a large golden ribbon flew out of the end, twisting into the words. "Everyone pick their favorite tune", he said with a glow in his eye "and we're off".
The entire school began to sing:
Hogwarts,Hogwarts, Hoggy WartyHogwarts,
Teach us something, please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.
With the entire school singing different tunes, and at different paces it sounded dreadful. Neville was one of the first to finish, seeing as he rushed through it, so he had ample time to appreciate everyone else's version. The last to finish were the Weasley twins, who seemed to be having a heck of a time with their Funeral March rendition. Dumbledore even led them with waves of his arms when they were the only ones left singing.
"Ah music", said Dumbledore, "A magic beyond all we do! And now, bed time. Off you trot!"
The first years followed Percy to the Gryffindor common room, when they suddenly saw a pile of walking stocks floating in mid-air, and as Percy approached them they began throwing themselves at him. He had a quick screaming match with Peeves the poltergeist who, they quickly learned, was the most mischievous of the ghosts. Finally they made it to the portrait of the fat lady.
"Caput Draconis", said Percy, making the portrait swing open. All of the first years oohed and awed at the magnificent common room, however none of them stuck around very long. All tired from the excitement of the day, and the fullness of their stomach, all five of the Gryffindor first year boys were in bed with in ten minutes of entering the tower. And as Neville nestled into his comfy bed, he couldn't help but think how great the year would be.