Disclaimer: I am J.K Rowling. I receive all the royalties from sales of Harry Potter. Which is why I am a poor starving college student. And no one knows who I am. And I haven't published six books and am soon to publish a seventh. Hmm... Maybe I'm not J.K Rowling after all. Gosh, I need to stop having these hallucinations. Or maybe go to bed earlier so I'm not typing while I'm dreaming. I just get my hopes up and then they come crashing down around me as I come to my senses. Hear that? That's the sound of my dream of being purple falling on my head.
Chapter Six: The Sorting
Professor McGonagall met the students in a huge entrance hall. She addressed the giant before turning to the scared first years. "I will take them from here, Hagrid.
"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In a few minutes, you will be sorted into one of four houses- Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. From then on, the other members of your house will be your mentors and family for your entire school career.
"There is a inter-house competition every year, with points awarded for good behavior and taken away for breaking rules. The house cup, awarded yearly to the winner, is a great honor. Do your best to honor your houses.
"The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly. Please wait here, quietly, until we are ready for you." Professor McGonagall strode swiftly across the large stone chamber, toward a staircase at the other end. As soon as she was out of sight, the students started whispering to each other- mostly speculations on the ceremony and which house they might be in.
Presently Professor McGonagall returned and led the now very frightened young students into the Great Hall and forward to the front of the room, where a tattered black hat sat on a stool. But Jenna spared barely a glance at the hat. She was enthralled with the black ceiling, twinkling with millions of stars. Someone whispered, "My sister says it does what the real sky does, even rains."
Everyone's attentions were riveted, however, on the hat when it began to sing, about the school and the four houses. (Sorry, I'm not much of a poet.) When it finished, the Great Hall burst into thunderous applause. Professor McGonagall stood next to the stool with a long piece of parchment. "When I call your name, please step forward and put the hat on. Aitkens, Westly!"
A blond boy stumbled up the steps, after being poked by his neighbor, and nervously put the hat on his head. The brim slipped down over his eyes and a look of extreme concentration came over his face. After a minute of Westly looking rather ridiculous on the stool, the hat shouted "SLYTHERIN" to the hall and Westly descended the steps toward the leftmost table, which had burst into cheers of congratulations.
"Ugh. Slytherins." Sirius spit the word like it was a horrible curse, and looked adequately chagrined when Professor McGonagall called "Black, Sirius!" He promptly turned green and took his time walking to the stool.
The hat had a longer turn on Sirius's head than on Westly. The visible lower portion of his head turned white and green by turns. Finally, Sirius was inducted into "GRYFFINDOR" to surprised gasps all around the hall. The lucky Sirius, however, looked ecstatic at the cheer of the table at the right and joined their numbers with a look like he had just broken a world record. James let out a cheer of his own for his friend.
Lily was getting more and more frightened as her turn approached. She grasped Jenna's hand and squeezed it, hard. Jenna was a little relieved when "Evans, Lily" was called and she could regain possession of her hand. Lily smiled weakly at Jenna's whispered "Good luck," and made her way through the crowd of first years to the stool. The hat proclaimed her future as a "GRYFFINDOR" rang out across the hall. Lily happily took a seat next to Sirius.
Each new house member warranted a deafening round of applause. As "Potter, James" was called and given to Gryffindor, Jenna's last source of comfort was gone. She began to be absolutely terrified and felt about to pass out until "Smith, Jenna" was called. And true to her nature, Jenna tripped over the top step and nearly knocked the stool over. A few students snickered, and she was not given the comfort of the hat hiding the hall from her eyes, as her crown of hair made her head large enough to support the hat.
"Hm... Where should you go?" Jenna jumped as a small voice whispered in her ear. "You could go anywhere. You have the dedication of Hufflepuff, the willingness to learn for Ravenclaw, and the bravery for Gryffindor."
"If you don't put me in Gryffindor with my friends, I will curse you into oblivion. When I learn how," Jenna mentally yelled.
"Well, well, it seems you have the temperament of a Slytherin. But as it is our choices that make us who we are, you will be in GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted out across the hall and Jenna jumped down to join her friends at the table.
"Congratulations, Jenna Grace." Lily greeted Jenna as she approached.
"Snape, Severus" was called next and James muttered, "I really hope he's in Slytherin. I think his socks would be particularly bad."
"Yeah, but I bet Sirius wishes that more. His are probably worse." Lily grinned at the accused boy.
But neither had to worry, since the hat yelled "SLYTHERIN" almost as soon as Snape sat on the stool.
The last first year to be sorted, "Zeller, Daisy," was looking decidedly ill by the time she was called and made a Ravenclaw. Then a tall man with long graying hair and half moon glasses stood at the podium. As he opened his mouth to speak, the students stopped muttering about the lack of food on the plates. "As headmaster, I wish to welcome the new students and bid you all 'Bon appetite!'" He raised his hands and the golden dishes on the tables filled with food of all varieties as he returned to his seat at the head of the staff table.
The boys hardly noticed the unconventional serving method. They simply grabbed the nearest dish and served themselves large portions of whatever food happened to be in it. Lily and Jenna took a moment to adjust to the sight and idea of food magically appearing before digging into the sumptuous feast.
Lily and Jenna both finished long before James and Sirius, watching in amazement as plate after plate of food was consumed. "How in the world do you manage to eat so much? I'd explode," Lily said.
"We're growing boys." Sirius reached across both Lily and Jenna's plates to reach for the potatoes. Jenna barely mastered the urge to stab his arm with her fork. Lily was not so kind. "Ow, what was the for?"
"You reached across my plate." Lily was unconcerned. "You should have better table manners than that. Please pass the potatoes."
"Sorry, all gone." James had just taken the last of them.
"You guys are such pigs." Jenna was disgusted.
"Well, it is called 'Hog'-warts." Sirius laughed, and then looked displeased when his food vanished from his plate. "Hey, I wasn't done with that!" His protest was cut short when the dishes filled again, this time with a large assortment of deserts. "Oh, this is better anyway."
After a time of voracious desert eating, the last crumbs disappeared and Dumbledore stood again to address the students. They were duly warned away from the Forbidden Forest ( "First chance I get, I'm going in there," Lily whispered), and from annoying the caretaker, Mr. Filch ("The name says it all," came from an older student at the Gryffindor table.) Dumbledore wished them all luck on the new school year, and the first years were gathered and ushered out of the Great Hall by the prefects.
Up multiple staircases and through hidden doors and tapestries, the Gryffindor common room was found. Too exhausted to talk much, Lily and Jenna stumbled up spiral staircases to their dormitories and collapsed into bed, barely introducing themselves to the other first year girls- Megan Woods and Sarah Matthews.
Jenna was quite impressed with what she could remember of the castle, having been scared out of her wits or mindlessly exhausted for the large part of her few hours there. The food was good, at least.
This is the time for Jedi mind tricks (wait let me check, nope, I'm not George Lucas, either. I really need to stop dreaming.) You want to review. You want to push that little button so much that you can feel it. Your pointer is moving toward it. You are typing letters, which form words, which form a message to me, the author of this little story. You are sending the review. You are feeling a sense of great accomplishment on this, the happy occurence of the fulfilment of your dreams. And I am feeling slightly tired, so please review so I can go to bed and stop thinking that I am people I am not and have powers that I don't.