MISHCHIEF MANAGED
Chapter Four – Meeting the Hat
A tall, black-haired witch wearing emerald green robes with a pointed hat to match answered the door. The stern look on her face made even James cower, though Sirius was already thinking of ways he could make her squirm. The door was pulled wide and James laughed at the shocked looks on some of the first years' faces. As soon as Peter saw the amused look on James' face, he thought shutting his own mouth might be a good idea.
'I'll leave 'em to you then, Professor McGonagall,' said Hagrid, preparing to descend the staircase behind the group of first years.
'Yes, thankyou Hagrid,' she replied, and Hagrid walked down the stairs and out of sight.
McGonagall looked around at the first years and smiled. She pulled the door wide and beckoned for them to follow her across the flagged stone floor. The drone of hundreds of voices was audible from a doorway to the right. The rest of the school awaited the evening's entertainment.
Instead of leading them into the Great Hall, McGonagall showed the first years into a small empty chamber. They crowded in and McGonagall prepared to speak the same words she spoke to the nervous first years every year.
'Welcome to Hogwarts. The start of term banquet will begin shortly but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you must first be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common-room.
'The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of each year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
'The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.'
Her eyes lingered on James' messy hair and on Sirius' loose tie. Peter nervously tried to make himself look presentable. As McGonagall poked her head out the door to check if the school was ready, a slivery shape seemed to flit down the hallway. After seeing this, she turned to the first years and said, 'We're ready for you now. The Sorting Ceremony is about to start. Now form a line and follow me.'
Feeling oddly as though their legs had turned to lead, the first years made their way slowly into the Great Hall. Only two of the first years showed no sign of nervousness. Sirius and James caught Dumbledore's eye and he grinned at them, already seeing through their innocent façade into their mischievous hearts. He had no idea as to the extent of damage and trouble these two would cause over their seven years at the school.
Remus stared in amazement at the thousands of candles floating in mid air over the four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. The tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. Nothing his parents had told him about their old school could have prepared him for this splendorous sight. Professor McGonagall led the first years to the top of the hall and stopped in front of a fifth table, where the teachers were sitting. They ended up in a line facing the other students, the hundreds of faces staring at them intently.
Hoping to avoid the stares, Remus looked upwards to the velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He had read about its bewitchment in Hogwarts: A History. Even though he knew, Remus still found it hard to believe that there was a ceiling there at all and the Great Hall didn't simply open onto the heavens.
Remus quickly averted his attention to Professor McGonagall, who was silently placing a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. It was extremely patched and absolutely filthy. Remus couldn't help smiling when he heard Sirius say, 'I have to put that on my head! I don't want to look like a dag!' James punched his shoulder playfully and was about to retort when the hat twitched. All the first years watched as a rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and the hat began to sing:
Don't judge a book by its cover,
I'm a prime example of that,
For though I'm not too pretty,
I'm a very intelligent hat.
My purpose is to divide you,
Into houses four,
This just makes distinctions,
Into something more.
Those who look for bravery,
And courage in their friends,
Are welcomed into Gryffindor,
Where bravery has no ends.
If you value loyalty,
It's Hufflepuff for you,
So come and join the Badger,
Where the unjust are few.
They may not be as smart as me,
But Ravenclaws are bright.
And if there's work they have to do
They won't put up a fight.
Cunning, proud and arrogant
Those Slytherins may be,
But they know how to get ahead:
Ambition is the key.
But hopefully you'll be wiser,
Learn to work as one,
And not cause more contention,
As those before have done.
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.