A/N: Sorry this took forever to post. For some reason, the story wouldn't let me do anything to it. It was frozen or something.

Over the noise of the students getting off the train, Cori and Sophia heard someone shout out, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" Cori made her way to the person shouting and found a huge man holding a lantern. "C'mon, follow me, any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" Slipping and stumbling, they followed down a steep, narrow path. Everyone was quiet. "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

Somebody said "Oooooh!" Cori thought the castle looked absolutely magnificent.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called. Cori and Sophia got into a boat, followed by a couple of twins. "Everyone in? Right then-FORWARD!" The boats moved all at once, and Cori closed her eyes and sent up a prayer. "Heads down!" Cori obeyed. The boats stopped a few minutes later and everyone got out in an underground cave. "Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, checking boats as people climbed out.

"Trevor!" a boy cried happily, holding out his hands and taking the toad. The kids followed Hagrid up a passageway in the rock, coming out onto smooth, damp grass in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge oak door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got your toad?" The boy nodded, and Hagrid raised his giant fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The doors swung open at once. A tall, black haired, stern faced witch in emerald green robes stood there.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide open. The entrance hall was huge, the ceiling too high to see. the walls were lit with flaming torches and a magnificent marble staircase led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall to a small, empty chamber off the hall and crowded in. "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. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." Professor McGonagall left the chamber.

A few people started chattering nervously. Sophia asked, "What do you think they use to sort us?"

"You'll find out," whispered Cori. "It isn't a troll, trust me. Here come the ghosts." Sure enough, about twenty ghosts floated through the back wall, causing several people to scream. They were white and slightly transparent, and they were arguing. 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?" One of the ghosts had noticed the first years. Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know!"

"Move along now. The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. The ghosts floated through the opposite wall. "Now, form a line, and follow me." They marched out of the chamber and to the Great Hall. Thousands of candles, four tables, the teachers' table, everything was wonderfully the same. Professor McGonagall led them up so they were facing the other students and the teachers were behind them. Everyone stared at them.

Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years and put an old hat on it. Cori waited for the Song, for those were always the best part of the Ceremony.

"Oh you may not think I'm 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 you bowlers black

You top hats sleek and tall

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting 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 in Gryffindor

Where dwell the brave at heart

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart

You might belong in Hufflepuff

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw

If you've a ready mind

Where those of wit and learning

Will always find their kind

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends

Those cunning folk 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!"

Everyone applauded. Cori heard one boy whisper, "So we've just got to try on the hat! I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." Professor McGonagall came forward with 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.

"Abbot, 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.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Brocklehurst, Mandy!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Brown, Lavender!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Bulstrode, Millicent!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Cricketeer, Coralin!" Cori bounced over to the Hat and put it on.

"It's you. I've been wondering if you would show up." said the Hat. "I think it's SLYTHERIN!" she put the hat back on the stool and followed Millicent to the Slytherin table. One of the older kids slid over to make room for her.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Finnigan, Seamus!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Granger, Hermione!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" After that, Cori tuned out for a bit. The next name she heard was "Potter, Harry," and fierce whispering ran throughout the room. When he was proclaimed a Gryffindor, the cheers were deafening. It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down enough to continue.

"Rowling, Joanna!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Snape, Sophia!" Again, there were whispers, but not as many as with Potter. Cori was surprised that Sophie's last name was Snape. She knew that Severus didn't have any siblings and he wasn't much for close relationships. It took almost five minutes for the hat to say "RAVENCLAW!" and Cori zoned out again.

The headmaster's voice brought her back. "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!" The food appeared and everyone dug in. Cori looked at her year mates. A Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Bulstrode, Nott, and Zabini. All purebloods, all Slytherin families, no surprises. They all knew each other, too, and she was unconsciously left out. After dinner was Dumbledore's speech, which was nothing new except "The corridor on the first floor is forbidden," the school song, and the prefects led them to their dorms. The Slytherin rooms were down in the dungeons, behind a stretch of bare wall.

"Firewhiskey." The wall slid back and everyone went inside. The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, green glowing lamps hung on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece and Severus Snape himself was silhouetted in front of it.

"Hello, I am Professor Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin house. I am warning you now, it is likely that you will be hated and feared by those in other houses. Stand together. Any in-House fighting will not be tolerated. If you are being bullied, come to me. If you are struggling in a class, come to me. If you are having relationship problems or anything like that, under no circumstances are you to come to me. Goodnight." Professor Snape turned around and walked into the fire, which had turned green as he'd said "Goodnight."

The Slytherin Prefect directed the girls through one door and the boys through another. At the end of the hallway was a door with a plaque that said First Year Girls. Bulstrode, Parkinson, and Cori went in the dorm. There were three four-poster beds covered in green. They each went to the one with their trunks at the end of it, pulled on nightgowns, and crawled into bed. The other two girls stayed up talking, but Cori fell asleep as she hit the pillow.

So, what do you think?