Chapter Four – Year One; The Sorting

When the train stopped, Harry and Ron were among the first off the train. At first, there was a flurry of activity, as all of the children bustled around and confusion reigned. Within a short time, the older students sorted themselves out and started heading toward carriages waiting to take them to Hogwarts. Harry heard a deep voice boom, "First years over 'ere!"

Looking for the owner of the voice, Harry saw Hagrid, dressed in his moleskin coat and looking as unkempt as ever. Harry noticed a number of his fellow first years looking at Hagrid with wide, fear-filled eyes. Harry smiled to himself. Here, at least, he had the advantage over his classmates. He had already met Hagrid and knew him to be a kind soul.

Hagrid spotted Harry and called out a cheery greeting. "Wotcher, Mark! Everythin' go alright? Did you like the 'ogwarts Express?"

Harry nodded and called back, "It was great, Hagrid. Thanks!" A few of other students looked admiringly at Harry, impressed that he knew the giant man.

As Hagrid waved the first year students to join him, Harry and Ron moved to the front to crowd around the gamekeeper. Other students followed reluctantly, not eager to be too close to the frightening man. Smiling kindly down at them, Hagrid explained that they were to take boats across the dark, forbidding lake to reach Hogwarts. While eyes widened still more fearfully upon hearing this information, no one had the nerve to object.

So, a short while later, the students found themselves crossing the lake and seeing their first view of Hogwarts castle. Harry gazed up at the awesome sight and felt a lump rise in his throat. He was overcome with emotion. Somehow, this impressive place that he had never seen before seemed liked home. It seemed to Harry as if the castle were waiting for him, and as eager to meet him as he was to meet it.

When Harry and the other students scrambled out of the boats, upon reaching the castle, they were met by an older woman, stiff-backed and stern looking. She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall. Harry recognized the name from his admissions letter to Hogwarts.

Although she seemed a bit scary to some of the children (one round-faced boy holding a toad seemed to be shaking), Harry could tell that Professor McGonagall wasn't a mean woman. Harry was an expert at reading the nature of adults around him. He knew that this woman was stern in a no-nonsense sort of way. Not like his Aunt Petunia, who was stern in a "I don't like you and never will" way.

When Professor McGonagall's eyes fell on him, Harry offered a tentative smile. She smiled slightly in response and Harry saw a little flicker of surprise in her eyes. He bet that she was used to most students being too scared of her to smile.

Harry listened carefully as Professor McGonagall explained that they would be ushered into the Great Hall where they would try on a Sorting Hat and learn what house they would be in. Harry wasn't sure whether he should be relieved or not. Yes, he was glad that the test wasn't something frightening but what if the Sorting Hat put him in Slytherin?

When the doors to the Great Hall flung wide, Harry's breath caught in his throat. He heard gasps from the other children too. It was beautiful! Candles hung in mid-air and the ceiling was enchanted to look like the night sky. (At least, that's what he overheard Hermione Granger explain to another student.) Harry marched with his fellow first years through the Hall, past the tables filled with older students who looked curiously at the new kids, to stand in front of a long table where the Headmaster and teachers were sitting.

Harry looked curiously at the Headmaster. So this was Albus Dumbledore! He had a long flowing beard and radiated authority. Right now, he was bestowing a grandfatherly, benevolent smile on the first years, silently offering his reassurances to them. Harry thought to himself that the Headmaster seemed so kind. But, he would be careful about trusting him. This was the man who had condemned him to ten miserable years with abusive relatives. Harry didn't smile back when Dumbledore's eyes passed over him, having been looking over the other students as well. But, Harry knew that the Headmaster just attributed Harry's lack of response to the boy's nervousness. Harry knew that many of his fellow students were not smiling either.

Before turning around to face the other students, Harry threw a quick look at the rest of staff table. He noticed that Hagrid had now joined the other teachers and was taking a seat. Harry noticed Professor Quirrell, who he had met at the Leaky Cauldron. He was wearing a strange turban on his head now. What odd fashion sense the man had! There were a number of smiling faces and one teacher, a man with dark greasy hair and large hooked nose, who was scowling in a generally unpleasant way. He doesn't look like he wants to be here, Harry thought to himself.

Continuing his brief survey, Harry noticed one man at the end of the long table who seemed out of place. Unlike the teachers who were wearing robes, this man was dressed in a muggle business suit. For a brief moment, Harry wondered who this could be. Then, it came to him in a flash. This was the representative from the Ministry who Percy had mentioned on the train. He was here to see whether Harry Potter had found his way to Hogwarts after all.

Harry quickly lowered his eyes to the floor, hiding any hint of alarm, and turned around to face the student tables. When he lifted his eyes again, all thoughts of the Ministry official fled his mind. Staring back at him and the other first years were dozens of eyes. Harry was not used to being the center of so much attention. And, whenever in the past, attention was focused on him, it was usually unpleasant. Taking a deep gulp, Harry held himself still and lifted his chin. He was not going to allow anyone to see that he was nervous. He had learned in his brief foray into the adult muggle world this last summer that acting calm made people trust you more.

Unbeknownst to him, Harry's seeming composure brought him more attention than his nervousness would have done. The Headmaster and a number of the teachers noticed the oddly regal stance of the young boy. With his straight back and lifted chin, he looked as if he dared anyone to find fault. "A little prince," thought the scowling teacher, dismissively. "So mature," thought Professor McGonagall. "A born leader," thought Professor Dumbledore.

A three legged stool was brought out and a tattered, old hat was placed upon it. Harry was as startled as the other first years when the hat started singing a song. After singing a clever poem about the traits of the four houses, the hat fell silent and the hall erupted in applause. Professor McGonagall pulled out a scroll and started calling out names to try on the hat and be sorted.

After a number of names had been called and those children had joined their new houses, Professor McGonagall hesitated. She stared at the parchment and then looked up and said, "Potter, Harry." There was immediate silence in the room. Everyone held their breath and Harry noticed that a number of the teachers leaned forward in their seats. The Ministry official actually stood up and Harry saw the man's head swivel as he looked all around the Great Hall. Did they think that Harry was hiding in a corner of the room waiting for his cue to enter center stage? They were being ridiculous!

The moments passed and no one answered the call. Whispers broke out and the sounds of rustling began to fill the room as children squirmed in their seats. Seeming to hold back tears, Professor McGonagall called the next name on the list.

As Harry waited patiently for his turn, he felt a strange tug at his mind. It was almost like someone whispering. He tilted his head slightly and tried to hear. After a brief moment, he realized that someone was trying to peer inside his head. He took a step back in surprise. Who? He looked around but he could tell nothing from the sea of students facing him. They seemed to be looking at the girl currently poised on the stool waiting to be sorted. Another tug at his mind. Behind him?

Cautiously, Harry peered over his shoulder and tried to see if someone was looking at him. Immediately, Harry's eyes were captured by the eyes of the Ministry official. The man seemed surprised that Harry was looking at him. Immediately, the tug on his mind stopped and the man seemed a little flustered. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed that Professor Dumbledore was staring back and forth between Harry and the Ministry representative.

"Twist, Mark!" Harry heard his name called and turned around. Behind him, Dumbledore sat up straighter in his chair. So, this was the boy who Ollivander had told him now possessed the twin wand to Voldemort's. He, Dumbledore, had been struck so immediately as to the boy's leadership qualities. And, he had just witnessed the boy reacting to what was obviously an attempt by Mr. Croning from the Ministry to use legilimency on him. The boy possessed very advanced magic indeed if he could tell when legilimency was being employed. Add this to the strange circumstance of the boy's name not appearing on the Hogwarts attendance list until just a few weeks before the start of term and, yes, he must keep a very careful eye on this boy!

Harry sat on the stool and placed the Sorting Hat on his head. It fell over his eyes and he felt it immediately rifling through his thoughts. "You've got plenty of courage, I see. But, what a thirst for knowledge! And your desire for friendship is even greater! So, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff would all suit you. Which one? But, wait…" It hesitated and then, drawing out its words, sounding very impressed, it said, "You are a sly one, aren't you?"

Harry froze. Did this mean that the Sorting Hat had discovered his secret? Would the hat say something to Dumbledore? But, the hat, hearing his thoughts, reassured the boy. "Your secrets are safe with me, Harry. I am here only to decide which house would suit you best. And, Slytherin is obviously the house for you!"

The Sorting Hat opened its brim to shout out its decision, but Harry yelled inside his mind, "Wait! Not Slytherin! Please!"

The Sorting Hat hesitated. "Why not Slytherin? Slytherin can help you on the path to greatness."

Harry pleaded, "I don't want to go to a house filled with people who hate muggleborns. Can't I be in Gryffindor? My friend Ron thinks he'll be sorted there and I want to be with him. Please?"

The Sorting Hat considered the request. "Well, you would do well in any house. If you want Gryffindor, why not?" Opening its brim a second time, it yelled out, "Gryffindor!"

Harry smiled as he pulled off the hat and joined the Gryffindor table, where polite applause had greeted his sorting. The Weasley boys all shook his hand warmly and Harry hoped with all his heart that Ron would, indeed, be sorted into this house too.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore looked curiously at the new Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat's hesitation had not gone unnoticed by him. It was clear that the Sorting Hat had initially planned on sorting Mark Twist into a different house and that the boy had convinced the hat to sort him into Gryffindor instead. What house had the Sorting Hat wanted to put the boy in? Slytherin? And the boy had rejected that choice, electing Gryffindor. Interesting!

The sorting ended and, after a few short words from him, the students began eating. Dumbledore noticed how happy Mark Twist was when Ron Weasley joined him at the Gryffindor table. Well, the Weasleys were a pureblood family with a strong commitment to the Light side. It was very encouraging that the boy wanted to be friends with the Weasleys.

Harry sensed eyes upon him and looked up at staff table. He could have sworn that the Headmaster had been staring at him. If that was true, though, the Headmaster had looked away before Harry could catch him. Instead, Harry watched as the Headmaster signaled to the Ministry official to approach his chair. The wizard leaned over Dumbledore's shoulder to whisper in his ear. Harry knew that he must be speaking about him because the man's eyes flickered briefly to him. However, Dumbledore did not glance at Harry again and, after a short while, Harry turned his attention back to his meal, happily eating the delicious food and chatting with his new friends.

Harry met the other boys in his year, besides Ron and himself, who had been sorted into Gryffindor: Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom. Dean thought he was muggleborn, but he said he wasn't sure because he didn't know his father. Seamus was "half-and-half," and Neville was a pureblood. It was clear that Neville was extremely scared at starting school. Harry was a bit surprised that even a pureblood was nervous. It just goes to show, he thought to himself, that everyone is scared. Knowing that the other children were worried too made Harry feel more confident himself.

Recalling another nervous student, Harry glanced around to see how Hermione Granger was doing. Surprisingly, she had been sorted into Gryffindor. He would have thought Ravenclaw would have been the house for her. He saw that Hermione was sitting further down the table. She was too far away for him to hear her, but he could tell from her mannerisms that her manic energy was still strong. He hoped that she would calm down because, he suspected, she would be a bit off-putting to her fellow students if she continued at this frantic pace.

Surreptitiously throughout the meal, Dumbledore kept an eye on Mark Twist. He was not an attractive child. His nose was a tad too big, he wore glasses, and his coloring was dull. Dumbledore had the fleeting thought that at least this boy wouldn't attract followers based on just his handsome looks, as Tom Riddle had done when Tom had been a student at Hogwarts. But, power was a strong pull as well, and it might well be that this boy possessed unique skill.

Croning had confirmed what Dumbledore suspected had occurred during the sorting hat ceremony. The boy had sensed that someone was trying to use legilimency on him. None of the other students had realized that Croning had been looking into their minds on the bizarre, off-chance that Harry Potter had somehow disguised himself to attend Hogwarts. Unfortunately, Croning hadn't learned anything interesting from his brief foray into Mark's mind. He was just a muggleborn boy excited about his first day at Hogwarts. Dumbledore thought it was a shame that the Sorting Hat wouldn't share any information that it learned during the sorting process. Some sort of magical sorting hat-student privilege, apparently. Dumbledore would love to know what insight the hat may learned about the boy. Oh, well.

It's strange how things turn out, Dumbledore mused. Instead of welcoming Harry Potter, who was the hope of the Light, he was worrying instead about a different boy who gave some signs at least that he could be a new dark wizard. And where was Harry? He was heartsick worrying about that boy. He had known that the Dursleys wouldn't be the kindest of foster parents to Harry, but never had he suspected that they would actively abuse the boy. What a fatal mistake!

Pushing aside his morose mood, Dumbledore rose and welcomed the students to a new year at Hogwarts. Knowing how tired the children would be, he kept his speech short and sent them off to bed. He cast one last considering glance at Mark Twist as the boy left the Hall, following the Gryffindor prefects to his new quarters. Tired himself, Dumbledore said goodnight to his staff and took himself off to his own rooms.

AN – Thanks for reading! As always, I truly welcome reviews.

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