Chapter 7: The Sorting Ceremony

When the Hogwarts Express finally arrived at Hogsmeade Station, both Jared and Dustin were sporting bruises, although Dustin managed to give Jared more than he received.

As Bella stepped off the train with her new friends, the gigantic man that she had seen with Harry in Gringotts called to all the first years.

"Over here! First years, over here!" he said while waiving Bella and her friends over.

"Hello Hagrid," Harry greeted the giant as most of the first years found their way to him. Hagrid smiled in reply to Harry as he continued to call over the last few first years.

"Alright, follow me to the boats," Hagrid told the new students as he turned and began walking towards the lake shore.

Almost all the first years had to jog or, at the very least, fast walk to keep up with the giant. When they all reached the shore, Hagrid told the students to get in groups of five or six for each boat. Once all the students were in the boats, they began moving of their own accord. Bella had managed to get in a boat with Jared and Dustin along with two other students. As they neared the castle, most of the students let out gasps of amazement, including Bella.

The castle was the largest castle Bella had ever seen in her school books. It had towering spires that reached towards the star and moon lit sky. Surrounding it were tall mountains covered in forests that seemed quite ominous.

"Wonder what's in the woods?" Bella heard Jared ask Dustin in a whisper.

"Don't know, but we'll find out," Dustin replied with a smile.

"It's probably not safe, you know," Bella cut in. "There's most likely all sorts of dark things out there that could and would kill you."

At Bella's words Dustin paled while Jared seemed to get more excited.

"That makes it even cooler," Jared said.

Before Bella could reply, Dustin took a hand full of water and splashed Jared with it.

"Hey!" Jared protested, but before he could retaliate, the boats arrived on the shore below Hogwarts.

"Alright first years, we'll walk from here and then you'll get sorted," Hagrid told the students as they disembarked. He then turned towards the castle and began walking up the slight incline to the castle. Everyone had to jog to keep up with him this time.

"You'd think the great oaf would slow down for his charges," Bella heard Draco nastily whisper to someone she could not see in the crowd.

"And you'd think someone that thinks himself so great would be willing to let our guide hear what he has to say," Bella whispered harshly to Draco before she could have second thoughts.

Draco gave her a pointed look but did not utter anymore complaints while Bella was nearby.

When the group reached the castle doors, they opened of their own accord and Hagrid ushered all the students in and up a single flight of stairs. At the top they came across a teacher that Bella recognized instantly.

"Hello Professor," she greeted cheerily. Professor McGonagall nodded back as she looked at the group of students in front of her.

"The first years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," she replied as she looked over the group and Hagrid left.

"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 your 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 smart yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting," she finished as she watched some of the students straighten their robes, or in Harry's case, flatten their hair some.

"I will return when we are ready for you," Professor McGonagall continued. "Please wait quietly."

She left through the large doors behind her. Then everyone started hushed conversations. Bella did not join in, preferring to listen and maybe add her own comment every now and again.

"So it's true then?" Draco suddenly said over the many conversations, successfully hushing all the other students. "Harry Potter's come to Hogwarts?"

Suddenly, everyone began speaking at once about Harry being at Hogwarts. Bella just looked around wondering what the big deal could possibly be.

"I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," Draco said to Harry.

Ron snorted at Draco's name from Harry's side.

"You think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are," Draco sneered in reply. "Red hair, freckles, and hand-me-down robes; you must be a Weasley." He turned back to Harry as he finished berating Ron. "You'll find that some wizarding families are better than other, and you don't want to go making friends with the wrong ones. I can help you there," he finished smugly while holding out his hand to Harry in friendship.

Harry just looked at him and then at Ron. "I think I can tell for myself, thanks," he answered politely.

Before Draco could reply to Harry's rebuttal, Professor McGonagall came back to the group of students.

"Move along now," she ordered the first years as she opened the doors to an immense hall. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."

As Bella and the other first years made their way to the front of the hall, they all looked around at the older students sitting at four large tables. At the front of the hall was another large table full of other professors. In front of that table was a stool with an old hat set upon it.

When all the new students had gathered at in front of the stool, the hat came alive and 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 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!"

By the end of the hat's song, Bella was flabbergasted as were any other students that did not have older siblings or parents that had attended the school.

"Did that hat just talk?" she asked Dustin who just happened to be next to her.

"Actually, it sang," he replied as Professor McGonagall stepped up next to the stool and the hat.

"Now, when I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said as she pulled out a scroll. "Hannah Abbott."

And so it went that one student had been put into Gryffindor (Lavender Brown), three students had been put in Ravenclaw (Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Michael Corner), two students had been put into Hufflepuff (Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones), and two students had been put into Slytherin (Millicent Bulstrode and Vincent Crabbe) when Bella was called up to be sorted.

"Bellatrix Darling," said Professor McGonagall. One of the teachers at the staff table perked up at Bella's name but Bella did not notice in her hurry to get up to the stool and get the sorting over with.

As the hat was placed on her head, Bella heard the hat begin whispering to her.

"Hm... plenty smart but not quite a Ravenclaw, no, not a Ravenclaw." The hat seemed to be debating with itself on where to put Bella. "There's loyalty yes, and bravery, but so much cunning... And such a thirst to prove yourself too! Maybe even to him... Yes, that's where you should be, just like him," the hat trailed off mysteriously.

"Like who?" Bella tried to ask the hat but the tattered thing ignored her.

"Slytherin!" the hat shouted to the great hall.

The Slytherin table began clapping as Bella took off the hat and began walking solemnly towards her house. When she reached the table, she avoided looking at her house mates in preference of watching the rest of the sorting ceremony.

After another student was sorted into Slytherin, Dustin was called up and the hat took longer on his head than it had on Bella's but in the end it placed him in Ravenclaw, much to the Slytherin table's displeasure. After Dustin, four more students were sorted before Hermione came up to be sorted. Once again the hat took a bit of time but eventually decided she was best fit for Gryffindor. Another four students were sorted after that and then Neville was sorted. As the hat proclaimed Neville as a Gryffindor, he ran off with the hat still on his head and had to bring it back up, completely red in the face.

The rest of the sorting passed without notable incidence except when Draco, Harry, Jared, and Ron were sorted.

When the hat was placed on Draco's head, there was barely a moment's breath before the hat proclaimed him a Slytherin. The Slytherin table erupted in more applause, along with one of the teachers at the staff table, as Draco hurried to his table.

After a few more people were sorted along with a set of twins, Harry was called up. The entire great hall went silent as he stepped up to the stool and Professor McGonagall place the sorting hat on his head. The sorting hat took the longest on Harry, as if it kept trying to persuade Harry he was best for a certain house but Harry kept opposing the decision. Finally, the hat placed him in Gryffindor and Harry leapt off the stool happily.

Right after Harry was Jared. The hat did the oddest thing with him. Just as it had done with Draco, the hat tried to say Jared's house as soon as it was placed on his head. But it stopped as soon as it began to say Slytherin. Soon a silent argument raged between the hat and Jared as the hat continued to try and put him in Slytherin and Jared argued that he was better off elsewhere. After a minute the hat gave in and looked to see which house he was better off in. After a moment's hesitation, the house shouted Ravenclaw for the whole hall to hear.

After Jared was sorted, two more people were sorted and then Ron was called up. The hat seemed unhappy that Ron was "another Weasley" and so it placed him in Gryffindor.

Finally, there was only one student left and he was placed in Slytherin. And so the sorting was finished.

A/N: And so they were all sorted. I hope you like how I sorted some of the characters, specifically Jared and Dustin cause they weren't mine to sort. If you can guess who the hat was telling Bella about, you get a preview of next week's first chapter, first five people only.