CHAPTER 4
Professor McGonagall led the first years to a marble staircase and turned to them.
"Welcome to Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall began. "The start-of-term banquet will begin momentarily. But before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting Ceremony 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 history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points but any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a very great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours." Professor McGonagall said. "I will lead you all to the Great Hall when it is time." She walked through a huge door.
"I wonder what we will be doing to get sorted into our houses." Ashley shrugged. Summer nodded and turned around the look at the staircase when she screamed. A few dozen ghosts were flying straight at them!
"Ghosts!" Summer shrieked as the ghosts streamed through the wall and into the Great Hall. Soon, many of the first year girls were screaming until Professor McGonagall came back.
"Be respectful, first years. These ghosts are former Hogwarts students." Professor McGonagall said. Yeah right, very, very former students. Summer thought. "Stand in a line and follow me." The students followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall.
"Wow, look at that ceiling!" Summer marveled at the velvet ceiling, the ghosts forgotten. Professor McGonagall had placed a stool in front of the many tables and placed a hat on it. The hat began to sing:
"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 your bowlers black,
Your 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!"
The whole hall burst into applause after the Sorting Hat finished its song. Then, after the applause died away, Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a scroll-like parchment.
"When I call your name, please put on the hat and sit on the stool." Professor McGonagall said. "Aban, Lester!" A pale boy with dark hair put on the hat and sat on the stool.
"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat. A table second to the left burst into applause as Lester went to sit at the Ravenclaw table.
"Ashland, Summer!"
The hat began murmuring.
"Ah...yes a quick and sharp mind, very ready to learn. Indeed, there's also a great amount of bravery involved, yet with some darkness, and loyalty..." The hat took a long, long time to decide. Summer felt like eternity was happening.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat finally announced after a good few minutes. A table on the far left burst into applause as Summer joined them, happy to be out of the spotlight.
"Nice to meet you, Summer! I'm Percy Weasley, the Gryffindor prefect." "Welcome to Gryffindor!" Summer blushed as she greeted them all and sat down.
"Amanas, Mina!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The table on the right cheered as the hat shouted out.
"Brown, Miles!"
"SLYTHERIN!" After the hat shouted out the house, a table on the left cheered.
"Denis, Lily!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Falara, Michael!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Gristle, Ashley!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
And the list went on and on. Summer smiled when Ashley sat down next to her. Ginny was also declared a Gryffindor and she sat on the other side of Summer. After the last first year was sorted, Dumbledore began to speak.
"Welcome to Hogwarts! Let the feast begin!" Professor Dumbledore declared. Food magically appeared on the long tables of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor. As Summer piled her plate, she suddenly heard a voice, cold as ice and as dangerous as a snake.
Kill...kill. Let me kill you... Summer gasped as she heard the voice move farther and farther away.
"Um...Summer, you okay?" Ginny asked. "You look pale."
"Didn't you guys hear the voices?" Summer whispered.
"Voices? What voices? As in the voices of wizards and witches talking?" Ashley asked.
"Nevermind." Summer sighed as she bit into a tomato. "So um...what classes are you guys looking forward to?" She changed the topic.
"Probably Transfiguration." Ginny said.
"I'm kind of looking forward to Potions. Who's the Potions teacher?" Summer asked.
"Well the Potions Master is Professor Snape. He's the one with the black hair." Ashley nodded at one of the teachers. Professor Snape was talking to Dumbledore.
"Attention, all students! We have some notices. First years are not allowed to be in the Dark Forest unless accopanied by a teacher. Quidditch tryouts will start next week. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams, please contact Madame Hooch. Now, before we are all off to bed, let's sing our school song!" Dumbledore waved his wand and a stream of ribbons came out, formings words. Then the whole school began bellowing:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
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."
Summer didn't sing, mostly because the song was weird.
"Off to bed you all!" Dumbledore said and all the house teams began following thier prefects. They went up the marble staircase and into different stairways. Feeling really tired, Summer didn't even say goodnight. Most of Gryffindor were crowded around Harry Potter but Summer, Ashley and Ginny went to sleep.
END OF CHAPTER 4!
I'll be rewriting the chapters as soon as possible! Thank you for reading and please Rate and Review!
~R.J. Malfoy