I felt like a moron. Here I was, 17 year old Katherine Seamour, supposed wielder of superior mythical powers, and I was sitting on stool, wearing a large, tattered, dirty hat.

"Well, with that attitude we won't get anywhere, will we?" the hat chuckled into my ear, and I made a face.

"Just get on with the Sorting, will you? I'm a little bit high strung at the moment, I'm afraid any more suspense might kill me." I replied, bitingly sarcastic. Dumbledore chuckled, watching what must have been a good show. A terrified girl wearing an oversized hat that could talk. Am I getting a bit cynical? Too bad.

"Well, if you're sure..." the hat replied, and I could sense the smirk in its voice. Sure of what? I wondered. Oh, maybe that fleeting dream of stuffing it into the blazing fire across from me.

Nothing personal, I thought. Just venting. Feel free to strike back.

"Oh, no. I haven't had this much fun in centuries. Most of the people I Sort are too terrified to do anything but stutter."

"Yeah, that's me. Always the entertainer." I replied, rolling my eyes. Dumbledore laughed again, and my eyes wandered over to the phoenix perched on his desk. There was a dish under it, I guess to catch its ashes.

"Clever one, eh?" the hat asked. "Hard to Sort you...you've put up such a shield around yourself...perhaps let it down? It'd make my task much easier..." Shield? I had a shield? Huh. That was new. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, clearing my mind in an attempt to "let my shield down".

"AHA!" the hat yelled randomly. I jumped. "You're a true Gryffindor if I ever saw one. You'd have made it in Ravenclaw as well, if you'd wished."

"Oh...kay..." I said, no idea what it was talking about.

"Excellent, excellent. Come now, Kat, let's get you to your dormitory." Dumbledore said, ushering me out of his office. I glanced out a window, and saw that it was pouring rain. My poor dad was probably out battling against the storm to reach his truck.

"Now, there are a few things you need to know about Gryffindor House. First, your House Common Room is in Gryffindor Tower. To get in, you tell the portrait of the Fat Lady the current password, which is 'blubberbus'." I gave him a weird look.

"Don't ask. The Head Boy, James Potter, came up with it." Dumbledore answered, rolling his eyes. "This brings me to another point. Don't trust James Potter or his friends, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Well... you can trust Remus, I take that back. It's Sirius and James you need to watch out for. Ask Lily Evans, the Head Girl, she'll point them out for you." He took a quick glance at me, kindly smile in place.

"Got all that?" he asked. I nodded, committing to memory the four names and "blubberbus".

"Right. You'll be sharing a dorm with three other girls, I believe Lily will be one of them. She's the redhead with a strong dislike of James, you can't miss her. While you're here at Hogwarts, your House is like your family. If you behave, your House earns points. If not, vise versa. You'll start classes tomorrow. You kind of pick it up. Any questions?" he asked as we stopped in front of a portrait, which I instantly recognized as the Fat Lady. I shook my head, and I could swear I heard all the information tumble around.

"I'll see you soon then, Katherine." he said, smiling. I smiled back, and replied with a soft "See you, Headmaster." With a swish of his purple robes, he disappeared down the hall. I turned back to the portrait, and, feeling like an idiot, said "blubberbus." The portrait swung open to grant me access, and I was hit with the sudden energy of dozens of auras, pulsing and crackling, demanding my attention. My eyes instinctively went to the three brightest auras in the room, the auras of three boys who were sitting by the fire.

The first one, who had dark hair and glasses, had a blazing red aura. Light seemed to shimmer off him.

The second, who had long black hair, had an aura that was constantly pulsing, and its color was a deep royal blue.

Lastly was a boy with blond hair and amber eyes, who was laughing at the other two's antics. His aura was wrapped tight around himself, like a blanket, and its hue was a deep hazel.

I had a feeling that together, these three powerful, vibrant auras (and their owners) could do positively anything.