I don't own Harry Potter or profit in any way from these works. I do own my origional characters, and my sorting hat song. Some dialogue from Prof. Dumbledore may be taken directly from the Sorcerer's Stone.
I fixed the food at the feast to match the U.K. a bit better. So hopefully that helps it feel more canon.
The hall was impressive to say the least. A starry sky was domed overhead and Logan wondered if it was a glass ceiling or if there was a ceiling at all, the stars moved. Hundreds upon hundreds of candles floated in the air, lighting the room with their soft glow. Every student in the school was seated at one of four tables, one for each house at Hogwarts. Long banners were on the walls in the four colors of the houses as well; red with a brilliant lion for Gryffindor, a rich yellow with the Hufflepuff badger standing against it in black, the sweeping eagle of Ravenclaw adorned the blue tapestry, while a silver serpent stood out from the emerald colors of Slytherin house.
At the end of the hall a fifth table held the teachers of Hogwarts school. Professor McGonagall lead the students to stand in front of it to face the other four tables of the great hall. Logan could see glimmering plates and goblets at each table, empty, and began to realize how hungry he was despite the turning in his stomach. Another reason to get this over and done with.
In front of the line of first years was a small innocent stool with a ragged hat on top. The leather was cracked and caked with mud; it looked like a dog had drug it through the herb garden.
Suddenly the hat moved and one of the cracks opened to form a mouth, and from that mouth came these words spun into a song:
"The day that I was sewn together
Long ago in ages past
The founders needed someone clever
And gave to me a task
They sought a way to see inside
The mind of every boy and girl
Each had traits that they did pride
So take me for a whirl
I'll tell you if brave Gryffindor
Would have you in his house
It was nerve and daring he called for
Those whose chivalry would rouse
If that's not true than you may seek
The lair of Ravenclaw
Who found the ones with minds unique
To be the greatest draw
Or maybe yet you'll find a place
Among the loyal and the true
If that is you then Hufflepuff's embrace
Is what you can look forward to
Last of all there are those
Who hold ambition deep within
If it is cunning your mind shows
Then you will dwell with Slytherin
So put me on and have no fear
I am good at what I do
And from your mind it will be clear
Which house you belong to."
When the hat finished the room lit with noise as each student at their table began to clap and make any ruckus they could, pounding on the tables or banging their plates. The hat bowed to each house and the hall quieted in return.
The professor stepped forward with a long list in her hand. It was time to try on the hat.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," said Professor McGonagall. "Ael, Jennifer!"
A slender girl with short brown hair haltingly picked up the sorting hat and placed it on her head. She sat still, gripping the stool when it unexpectedly burst out-
"RAVENCLAW!" it said, and the shaky girl, all elbows and knees, plopped the hat back on the stool and joined the Ravenclaw table. Her new housemates cheered her on.
"Aubrey, Bertram!" called Professor McGonagall. Bertram hadn't been kidding when he said he'd be one of the first ones up. Logan felt a surge of hope, thinking that maybe they would end up in the same house.
It was almost upon impact that the hat rang out another, "RAVENCLAW!" and Logan had to let the hope slide away. He didn't think that he belonged at the table with all of the smart kids, although Bertram certainly looked at home.
"Bing, Xui-Li!"
An Asian girl went over to the hat and shoved it fast onto her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" announced the hat.
The Gryffindors made more noise than the Ravenclaws had made, and they seemed like a rowdy bunch to Logan. They came across like the types of students that always interrupted class or roughhoused in the halls. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be in their house.
"Black, Regulus!" shouted Professor McGonagall.
The boy gracefully swept the hat up before it clamored out, "SLYTHERIN!"
Regulus joined the Slytherin table with a few catcalls from the Gryffindor table, someone there must not have liked Slytherins. The students from Slytherin house seemed very well off, with refined looks and expensive robes. Maybe Logan would like the house that both his mother and uncle had gone to?
"Creswell, Dirk" became another Gryffindor, instigating more loud cheering, and it wasn't until "Finchfeather, Lisa" that Hufflepuff got their first new student. They shouted with relief and open arms when she came to sit at their table. The list rolled on.
"Gamp, Eleanor!""SLYTHERIN!""Greengrass, Lois!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Heddlelock, Peregrin!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Heimes, Abner!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!""Helevan, Ava!""RAVENCLAW!"
The names were all blurring together and Logan was losing track. Every name meant one step closer to him finding out who he'd be spending the next seven years with.
"Monkshod, Harriet!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Or maybe the hat wouldn't work. What if he hadn't enough magic to make it work and the entire school watched as it was revealed to them that he, Logan Piers, was a fraud?
"Peddy, Chip!"
A broad shouldered youth with blonde hair put the hat on. A good long moment passed before it shouted out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
It was going to be his turn soon.
"Pererecas, Raneg!" moved to take the hat. It slipped over his entire face.
"SLYTHERIN!" it cried. Raneg ran to join the cheering students at Slytherin table.
"Piers, Logan!" shouted Professor McGonagall and Logan barely heard his name. He rushed to make up for his pause and jammed the sorting hat onto his head, clutching it's brim.
"Afraid are you? Not Gryffindor, then, certainly not Gryffindor," a voice in his head said.
I am not scared, he thought contrarily to the hat.
"Perhaps not, and you do have a thirst for adventure. Kindness in abundance as well. Ah! But your greatest desire, such a strong will to prove yourself to the world. It's easily decided-SLYTHERIN!" shouted the hat.
Logan rushed forward to join the Slytherin table with great relief showing on his face. He took a seat between Regulus and an older boy who gave him a stout handshake. Regulus was cheering so loud that Logan couldn't hear where the next few students were sorted into.
The three boys that had dislocated Regulus and himself from the train were seated further along the table next to a silver specter, covered in shining stains that could only have been blood while he'd been alive. Logan caught eyes with the ghost and quickly averted his gaze. He didn't seem like the sort of man to get caught staring at.
"Schminkey, Joel!" walked to the hat with three long strides.
"GRYFFINDOR!" said the hat.
"Eat it!" shouted Joel to the other students as he made his way to Gryffindor table.
"That will be enough, Mr. Schminkey," said Professor McGonagall in a curt voice.
The number of students dwindled. Logan watched as one of the girls he'd seen on the train ("Stebbins, Charity") became a Hufflepuff, while another girl ("Stevens, Acacia") was sorted into Gryffindor house. A regal looking black boy named Ebony Troy gave Logan his first chance to cheer with the rest of the Slytherins.
At long last "Yates, Clementine" was sorted into Ravenclaw. Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment full of names and carried the sorting hat away.
Logan's mouth was incredibly dry. He hoped they would be served something to eat and drink soon.
A man from the main table rose. He had long hair and an even longer beard of shining silver, both reflecting the yellow of the candlelight. Half-moon spectacles were poised on the edge of his crooked nose and he had dressed in vibrant purple robes with impeccable flair. To Logan the man held an air of importance.
"Headmaster's about to talk," he heard one student say.
Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts headmaster, beamed at the students. He spread his arms an openhearted greeting to the new students.
"It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to a new year at Hogwarts!" he said. "Before we begin our banquet I only have one thing I'd like to say to you all: toupée!"
"Let the feast begin!"At this students and teachers alike clapped and cheered. Dumbledore seated himself and partook of a large swig from his goblet. The plates in front of each student filled magically with every kind of food you could imagine. Roast chicken and marinated duck, healthy servings of greens and an unfortunate plate of over-boiled cabbage, and delicious looking pork chops sitting of a pill of roasted apples. There were carrots and peas, black sausages and cottage pie, and even a full rack of lamb with a dish of jiggling mint jelly sitting next to it. Logan began piling his plate with mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, topping it off with a slice of pork roast dripping with juices.
"Don't choke on it!" said Regulus as he gave Logan a sharp slap on the back.
Logan managed a weak "thanks" in return.
"So the headmaster is the one in the purple robes, right?" he asked his new friend.
"Yes, and I believe my father was right about him. He says Dumbledore is off his rocker, that he always has been. I mean you heard the speech didn't you? That doesn't sound like someone who has all of his eggs in his basket if you know what I mean," said Regulus. He was persistently devouring a steak that took up a good two thirds of his plate but had been doing a better job of cutting it up than Logan had done with his own food.
"Who's the fatty?" asked Raneg pointing to the teacher's table. Sitting between Professor McGonagall and a thin teacher with sparkling pink robes was a man who looked remarkably like a walrus. His fleshy face was hidden by a full mustache, under which he'd been shoveling crystallized pineapple into.
"That's Professor Slughorn the Potions teacher and the head of our house. He could do with losing a couple pounds sure, but you'd do best not to say that around him. Not unless you want to get on his bad side; his detentions are the worst," answered one of the third years.
There were many odd looking characters sitting at the teacher's table. Dumbledore had his long beard and crooked nose, Professor Slughorn with his immense tummy. Logan noticed the man who led them across the lake, the one nearly as large as a giant, was now sitting at the table eating. His moleskin coat could have been made into a circus tent. The third year continued pointing out teachers for the first years' benefit.
"That's Professor Flitwick, he teaches Charms," said the third year. Flitwick was a breathe of a man, so tiny he needed extra padding on his chair to reach the table. "And that's Professor Noxus, who teaches Astronomy; she wears those pink robes to every single feast."
"Who teaches the Dark Arts?" asked an excited Regulus.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," corrected the third year. "I think it must be the chap in the grey robes. The school can't seem to keep a defense against the dark arts teacher for very long, and I don't see why. Can't be that hard of a job can it?"
Across from them an outraged Troy was banging his fists on the table.
"What do you mean we can't play Quidditch until second year?" he demanded.
"You can still practice on the pitch if the teams aren't using it. 'Ay, Wilkes, can the first years use the Quidditch field?" said Troy's neighbor.
"We weren't even allowed to bring our brooms so why would we be allowed on the pitch?" asked Regulus, joining in on the conversation.
Raneg was oblivious to the Quidditch talk, shifting his eyes about to see if anyone was noticing that he'd begun pilfering food from the welcoming feast. He had filled his pockets with pumpkin seeds and crackers which would undoubtedly turn to crumbs before the night was up. Logan could only hope that they were for that toad of his and not anything worse.
"You ate with the Slug Club!" a boy was saying to the freckled Lois Greengrass. "No way! You have to invite me in sometime, tell Slughorn that I'm your best friend!"
Logan had just finished the last of his baked beans when his golden dishes were wiped clean of food and every desert you could ever crave was put before his eyes. Students crammed ice cream and cookies and all sorts of petite cakes onto their plates. Logan heaped spoonfuls of butterscotch pudding onto his own plate all the while eyeing a large slice of chocolate pie. Perhaps if he had room later.
"I'm downright thrilled I got into Slytherin, not that I thought I wouldn't, but seeing as how my brother ended up in Gryffindor I wasn't one-hundred percent certain. He's always been the black sheep of the family, but it still had me worried," said Regulus to Logan. "That's him, right next to that redheaded girl."
Over at the Gryffindor table four boys sat together pestering a pretty ginger girl from time to time. She didn't seem to mind their attentions too much, only giving the boy in glasses any real glares. It was easy to see which boy was Regulus's brother as the two looked so much alike.
"The redhead girl is very good-looking," said Raneg with his strange accent. Logan was apt to agree with him.
"My brother is a complete prick. He posted all these Gryffindor posters and banners all over his room with a permanent sticking charm just because he let down the family by getting sorted in to that rubbish house. As long as it infuriates our parents he'll do it. Mother says she must have brought the wrong child back from the hospital," said Regulus.
"Doesn't seem likely, he looks just like you," said Logan.
"Yeah, I know. Too bad though, if it were true we could just kick him out of the house," said Regulus.
"Do you have any other brothers?"
"Nah, just the one. But I have a ton of cousins."
"Cool. It was only every me and my mom, I would have loved a bunch of cousins to play with."
"We never got to do a whole lot of playing, when we all got together it was usually for some sort of event, like a dinner or a ball. My mum made us be on our best behavior. It was really boring to sit there with your back straight and your mouth shut, trying to remember which salad fork was appropriate for Jell-O. But when all the adults let us go wild we usually had enough people for a proper Quidditch game. It's a pity we didn't get a chance to play more often, I was better at Quidditch than Sirius. It was the only thing I could really beat him at."
Logan didn't think all that etiquette training had been wasted on Regulus, who had glided through dinner looking like a prince. While many of the other students (himself included) had pigged out on the feast looking like fools, Regulus had composed himself and ate his meal at a proper pace.
The night was winding down and Logan found himself yawning into his goblet. The last traces of desert were whisked away from the dishes and Professor Dumbledore stood up for a final word to the students.
"Now before we head off to bed I have several start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. The forest holds many dangerous creatures and we cannot be held accountable for any unforeseen accidents that may occur there, of which there are many.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, Hogwarts caretaker, to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held the second week of the term. If you are interested in playing for your House team then please contact Colonel Whizbanger.
"And now let us sing the school song!"
Logan mumbled through the verses, so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open. Raneg's singing helped keep him awake. It was so off key that even the ghosts stuck their fingers in their ears.
"Seeing as how some of us can hardly stay on our toes, I bid you all a good night!" Professor Dumbledore ended. The students left the Great Hall in swarms.
"First years this way!" called a Slytherin prefect to the straggling first years. She led them out of the Great Hall and down into the bowels of the school. Deeper and deeper they went, and Logan was not sure if he'd be able to find his say out come morning. Several of the girls must have felt the same way as they held each others hands so as to not get lost. Every so often the students would walk by elaborate paintings whose inhabitants moved and greeted the first years as they passed.
Just when Logan felt he could walk any further the prefect stopped in front of an unseemly brick wall. It looked like all of the other walls to him and he didn't understand why the prefect had chosen this patch of dungeon to stop at.
"All right, first years, this is the entrance to our house quarters. If you'll look closely you can see that this brick is sticking out sideways, you can hit your palm against it if you were to lay it flat on the wall. Every couple minutes it will blink in the dark, so if you aren't sure this is the right spot just wait a minute and it'll go off. There see, like that," said the prefect. Indeed the brick had glowed a subtle green for a moment.
"You'll need to give the password to get in and it changes every fortnight so keep an eye on that. It'll be on the message board or one of us prefects can give it to you. The password right now is 'Rigor Mortis'."
At these words the bricks began moving not unlike the bricks in Diagon Alley. Before long an entryway was formed leading into a glowing dungeon. It was gorgeous, with low hanging lanterns casting light upon the stone walls. A mixture of low backed and high backed chairs were seated across the dungeon, most filled with students still catching up from the feast. Dark wood cabinets held various baubles and many old books that must have been left there from years and years past. At the center of the room was an enormous fireplace filled with a crackling blaze to warm the cool dungeon. The common room had an air of grandeur to it, Logan felt he had never been in a more extravagant place.
However the most amazing thing about the room was not it's furniture or lights, it was the heavily draped windows circling the room. They did not look out upon the Hogwarts grounds but to the very depths of the lake. It was breathtakingly eerie and it filled the room with a lavish green light.
"What took you blokes so long? Did you take them all the way around the labyrinth, Jenkins?" asked a female prefect to the boy who'd led them through the dungeons.
"Of course I did, it's tradition," said the prefect, who was now getting chastised by his friend.
"They'll never find their way back here, you prat," she said.
The first years were shown which way their dormitories lay (girls on the left, boys on the right) and each made their way to bed. Logan, Regulus, Troy, and Raneg each found their belongings laying at the foot of a grand four-poster bed. Raneg's trunk rattled suspiciously.
Logan pushed aside his heavy velvet curtains, dyed a deep emerald color, and face-planted onto his pillow. Without another thought for the day he tucked into silver embroidered sheets and slept like troll until morning.
Did you like my sorting hat song?
Please review!