Hello, everyone! Sorry I've made you wait, but this chapter is nearly 1,000 words longer than my average, so I hope you can't complain. Thank you to Cookie05, Lyndana, MechaBunny, forever-sweet, Iricelli, WeirdCornChip, Crickett5, Equality4Puppies, and cherrygemini for reviewing! I still don't own Harry Potter or Hetalia, because if I did, Hetalia would have a French Revolution strip by now. Sorry, France. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this extra-long chapter, and you'll review it~

Chapter 8

The Hogwarts Express pulls up to Hogsmeade Station at twilight, and the nations get off the train with the other students, dragging their luggage behind them. "Firs' years o'er here! Firs' years!" Liechtenstein hears as she disembarks the train, identifying the source as a huge man holding a lantern on one side of the platform. Norway ushers her toward the giant person, pushing Iceland and Latvia behind her. They cautiously approach and join the crowd of first years already milling around him as the older students clear the platform.

"M'name's Professor Hagrid, or ye could jus' call me Hagrid. I don' like bein' too formal. I'm the gamekeeper, and I teach Care o' Magical Creatures. Maybe you'll take it in yer third year. But we gotta get to Hogwarts first, don' we? We're gon' cross the Black Lake. Four to a boat, an' don' fall out if ye can help it. The Giant Squid's harmless, but we don' wanna take chances. Come along, then." He turns and leads the hesitant group of first years to the lakeside at the outskirts of Hogsmeade. By this time, it is dark, but the boats have lanterns at their bows. Latvia helps Liechtenstein into one before jumping in himself, followed by Iceland. They are about to cast off when a short boy with light brown hair catches the back of the boat.

"Um, may I join you?" he asks, a pleading look in his eyes. Most of the boats are already floating away from shore, so Iceland shrugs and shifts to make room for the boy. "Thank you," he smiles. "My name is Connor Brant."

"I'm Lili. Nice to meet you, Connor."

"I-I'm Raivis…"

"Emil." At his apathetic introduction, Liechtenstein pokes Iceland lightly, and he rolls his eyes before asking, "How are you, Connor?"

"Nervous. I'm scared of being Sorted. But I'm excited for Quidditch next year, so it should be worth it." He scans the mountainous horizon, and his blue eyes widen. "Look! There's Hogwarts!"

Sure enough, the castle is barely visible behind a hill on the other side of the lake. The boats guide themselves toward it. Once they dock, Latvia jumps out first, holding the bow still so Lili can disembark more easily. Hagrid calls the first years together and leads them up to the front steps of Hogwarts, where a witch in flowing indigo robes is waiting.

"Come along," she says airily, then turns and leads the procession of first years to the front hall. "Foreign students, if you could please meet the rest of your party through those doors," she adds, gesturing to some doors to the left. Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Latvia accordingly file into the next room, Connor wishing then luck from behind.

The other nations are already in the room when the first years enter. Some sit along the walls while others are crowded in groups, whispering amongst themselves. Liechtenstein skips over to Switzerland in a corner, Iceland finds the Nordics, and Latvia goes to the opposite wall, where Estonia, Lithuania, and Ukraine are talking.

"…And I've never seen anything like them. They were rather scary…" Ukraine muses before spotting Latvia. "Ah, Raivis, how was the boat ride?"

"Fine. A nice boy named Connor Brant rode with us. What are you talking about?"

"We were trying to identify the horses – or some horse-like things, anyway – that were pulling the carriages. They were black and very skinny and had wings," Lithuania explains.

"Oh! Emil told me about those. They're called thestrals or something, and can only been seen after one sees death, b-but I suppose we've all seen it.…" Latvia shivers and Estonia puts a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

The nations can hear announcements coming from the Great Hall, followed by the names of first year students in alphabetical order and then, after each name, a house. Liechtenstein can hear Connor being put, after a fairly lengthy pause, in Hufflepuff. Eventually, no one pays attention to the sorting anymore, so they are surprised when the witch in the indigo robes enters to announce that they will be sorted next. The nations file into the front hall again and even America stops talking to listen to the headmistress, Professor McGonagall, beginning to talk about them.

"And now to sort our guests," Professor McGonagall announces. "These students will be staying with us for this school year. Up to this point, their curriculum has not been the same as ours, so be mindful that they may not know everything you do the same way. We will be respectful to them at all times. Now, why don't we change things up a bit and begin in reverse alphabetical order? Zwingli, Lili, first year."
Liechtenstein nervously begins to walk forward into the Great Hall. Switzerland reaches out toward her, but Britain grabs his other arm, holding him back. "No. She will have to go it alone eventually," he advises. Switzerland opens his mouth to protest, but he knows the truth of the statement. He tries letting go.

-/|\-

The Sorting Hat has seen many, many children. It has searched through the strangest minds, touched the thoughts of the most conflicted youth. It has sorted objectively, granted requests, and everything in between. It remembers every single child it has sorted. And only thrice before has it sorted a child like this.

Liechtenstein does not have a large population, for which the Sorting Hat is grateful, because while half of the person he was just commissioned to sort is Lili Zwingli, the other half is... something else. Perhaps the citizens of Liechtenstein. Perhaps the jumbled opinions of the entire political world. Regardless, the hat chooses to focus on Lili, for she is who it was supposed to sort.

"You are a nation? Liechtenstein?"

Liechtenstein jumps at the voice, but recognizing it came from the hat she is wearing, she nods. "Well... more of them. I thought I was done with nations after the last two times I sorted England. But very well." The hat thinks for a moment. "At first impression, Lili, you seem like a Hufflepuff. Extraordinarily loyal, extraordinarily hard-working. Yes, you'd be a good fit for Hufflepuff."

"A-alright then, Mister Sorting Hat, sir. Hufflepuff is fine. Thank you." Liechtenstein smiles and begins to stand up.

"Wait! I never said you should be a Hufflepuff, only that you fit the criteria. Oh, Hufflepuff is just fine, but you're also protective and wise. You are made for more. I expect a lot from you, Lili, and you can follow through. GRYFFINDOR!"

Cheers ring through the hall from the Gryffindor table. Professor McGonagall took the Sorting Hat off of Liechtenstein's head, and she walks to her table, beaming. There aren't many seats left, but she sees one next to a slightly older girl with dark blond hair. "May I sit here?" Liechtenstein asks politely.

"Well, of course!" the girl grins. I'm Kiersten. It's nice to meet you, Lili. Oh, hang on, they're doing another student."

Sure enough, Professor McGonagall had called up Switzerland - "Zwingli, Basch, fourth year" - and he is now sitting on the stool with the hat on his head, remaining stoic. The hat murmurs something, to which Switzerland nods enthusiastically, but then he appears a little apprehensive.

Finally, the hat sighs - if hats can sigh - and calls, "GRYFFINDOR!" Kiersten and the other Gryffindor students, this time including Liechtenstein, clap and whistle their approval. Switzerland stalks to their table, glaring at the girl on the other side of Liechtenstein until she moves over far enough for him to sit next to his little sister.

"Yay! Basch! I'm so glad we're in the same house," Liechtenstein smiles. "This is my new friend Kiersten."

Kiersten leans forward to see past Liechtenstein. "Hello, Basch. It seems we're in the same year, so we'll be seeing quite a bit of each other. Oh, but both of you have to meet Ravenna. Ravenna!" She pokes the girl on her other side, presumably Ravenna, who is chattering excitedly to another student.

"What, Kiersten? Oh, hi, new people! I'm Ravenna. I'm a third year," she explains over the applause from the rest of their table as Canada is sorted into Gryffindor. "Hey, we're three for three, sorting-wise!" she says, politely joining in the tail end of the clapping until it quiets down again. "So, where are you from?"

"We're from Switzerland, although Lili was born in Liechtenstein," Switzerland says a little too quickly.

"Wow, cool. Is everyone else from central Europe too?"

Switzerland shakes his head. "No, we're from a... variety of countries. The guy who was just put in Ravenclaw, for example, is Yao - he's from China."

"Oh, okay. So where did you go to school before?" Kiersten asks. Switzerland and Liechtenstein share a look - this is one question they weren't entirely prepared for.

"It's kind of a long story..." Liechtenstein begins, but she is thankfully cut off by more Ravenclaw cheers. By the time they're through, Kiersten and Ravenna have stopped pressing for details. Liechtenstein makes a mental note to thank China and Estonia later.

-/|\-

"What's taking the b******s so long? I'm sixth on the f***ing list!" Romano complains.

"Ve... but fratello, it's only been four minutes! Hey, they're calling your name! I hope we're in the same house, fratello!" Italy rants. Romano rolls his eyes and storms up to the front of the Great Hall. A dirty old hat is placed on his head when he sits down on the stool, and he is about to take it off and swear at whatever b**** would put such a thing on him when it begins to talk.

"Italy, eh?" it asks. Somehow, Romano isn't surprised that he is wearing a talking hat. Or, rather, he's too ticked to be surprised.

"You're probably looking for my brother, jerk," Romano hisses. "He's the part of Italy everyone cares about."

"No, you're just as much a part of Italy as Veneziano. And people do care about you; you're just overlooking it. Now, you're a difficult thing to sort. You could probably go in any house. Well, maybe except Gryffindor. But anyway. Usually I would put someone like you in Slytherin, but you need something different... you have a good heart somewhere, Lovino, and a good mind. Use them. RAVENCLAW!"

"B******," Romano says as he walks down to the applauding table, though he is secretly pleased. He was smart. He was something.

The Sorting Hat barely touches Italy Veneziano's head before squawking that he is a Hufflepuff. Finland is quickly sorted into Gryffindor, surprising everyone but Sweden, Russia, and Estonia. And now it is Iceland's turn. He strides purposefully to the front of the hall, sitting stoically down as the Sorting Hat is placed on his head. From the back, Norway half-prays that Iceland will get into any house but-

"SLYTHERIN!"

-that one. Sighing, he shifts to the back of the group. The world will go on.

-/|\-

"Oxenstierna, Berwald, sixth year."

Poland isn't as slow as people think he is. He just usually focuses on other things. But he's been listening enough to know the order in which they are being sorted. "Like, OMG, Liet, I'm next! How do I look?!"

Lithuania rolls his eyes. "Feliks, we're all wearing the same thing. It's fine."

"But when we're sorted, we'll wear our house colors! I, like, can't wear yellow! And what if we're not together?! Oh, LIET!" He throws his arms dramatically around his friend, who squirms uncomfortably in his grip.

"Feliks. Poland. You will be fine. You're the phoenix, right? No matter what, you can handle it. Besides, we'll see each other at lunch, right?"

Poland lets go. "I guess..." he admits as the Sorting Hat finally decides upon Hufflepuff for Sweden.

"Łukasiewicz, Feliks, third year."

"Like, wish me luck, Liet!" he calls behind him as he hurries to the front of the hall.

"Good luck," Lithuania whispers. But he knows his friend will be fine anywhere. He's nice enough for Hufflepuff, and his phoenix complex has some truth. Maybe Gryffindor? Slytherin might almost work too...

At the front of the Great Hall, the Sorting Hat is having many of the same thoughts. So when it hears itself choosing Ravenclaw, it can't help but wonder why. It decides it is the strange aura the guy puts out: confident, eager, and probably intelligent. At least it hopes so.

Poland, meanwhile, is ecstatic. He literally skips to the table, plopping down next to a surprised Estonia. But that's not who he sees. Across the table from him is a smiling girl, possibly the prettiest girl he's seen since he had a queen.

He decides he's going to enjoy being in Ravenclaw.

-/|\-

Belarus, having a human last name of "Arlovskaya," has had to sit through almost every other person's sorting before he himself is called. But one cannot stalk Russia for so many years without learning some patience. She sits against the wall, watching the nations file into the Great Hall as their names are called. Halfway through, Poland gets sorted into Ravenclaw, but that's really the biggest surprise.

"Laurinaitis, Toris, third year."

"Very hard-working and loyal... brave, too, been through a lot, could be a Gryffindor, but you've never left your friends behind for anything, have you? Keep that in mind. HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Køhler, Mathias, sixth year."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Kirkland, Arthur, fifth year."

"Again? Oh, honestly, Arthur. Back to your first house. GRYFFINDOR!"

"Karpusi, Heracles, seventh year."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Jones, Alfred, second year."

"Gryff- no, Slyth- no, Gryffin- no, Slyth-"

"Heroes aren't in Slytherin!"

"Fine! Just go then! GRYFFINDOR!"

"Honda, Kiku, fifth year."

"Hm... maybe Ravenclaw, but no… SLYTHERIN!"

"Héderváry, Elizabeta, fifth year."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Hassan, Gupta Muhammad, seventh year."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Bored, Belarus taps her fingers on the floor. She could sort her colleagues faster than this. She gets up to stand next to her brother, who shifts away.

"Galante, Raivis, first year."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Fernández Carriedo, Antonio, fifth year."

From her vantage point clinging onto Russia's arm, Belarus sees much of the female population of the Great Hall staring and whispering to others near them as Spain walks past. She isn't sure whether she should encourage it for less competition for her brother or hurt them for ignoring him.

The Sorting Hat puts him in Hufflepuff, earning him louder-than-usual cheers from the girls in that house, and then the sorting continues with Austria ("RAVENCLAW!"). Next it will be Russia's turn, and then her sister's. Belarus hugs her brother goodbye just in case they end up in different houses. He squirms out of her grip.

"Braginski, Ivan, sixth year."

"SLYTHERIN!"

Belarus is unsurprised. She is glad, though, because she had already heard Prussia and Denmark betting on house placements on the train, and no one seemed willing to bet on her getting into any house other than Slytherin, so she probably has a good chance.

"Braginskaya, Katyusha, sixth year."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Bonnefoy, Francis, fifth year."

Belarus sees the redheaded girl sitting next to Russia at the Slytherin table blush as France's name is called. The idiot. Who would want that pervert France? Even that oblivious Lithuania is better than him. She shakes it off, though. With the redhead after someone else, there is one less competitor for Russia.

The Sorting Hat takes its time with France ("What are you, a Hufflepuff? Slytherin? Why are you even here instead of at Beauxbatons?") before declaring him a Ravenclaw. Then Norway, Germany, and Prussia are put in Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin respectively, and it is Belarus's turn.

Denmark and Prussia were right - the hat isn't even on her head before it orders her to Slytherin. She loses her usual stoic face in favor of a broad grin. Belarus would get her brother to love her as much as she loves him, even if she has to use a potion to do it. After all, they would be stuck with each other for a while, so she has time.

Oh, how she loves magic.

Okay, there's way too much stuff I want to rant about in this chapter, but it's nearly midnight here and I want to go to bed, so I shall spread my rant out to other chapters. Anyone with questions, though, by all means, review and I'll get back to you on them!

Most importantly, though, Turkey is in Slytherin. He just wouldn't fit in here without another PoV change (and thus like a hundred more words), so he's in the next chapter.

Also, random person who voted for Eesti on the poll, you made my week, so this is a shout-out to said random person. Thanks!

Danke! Bis nachher!

Translations:
Danke! Bis nachher! - It's the same thing I say at the end of every chapter, really, so I imagine I can quit putting it in the translations. This time it's in German.