A year in the life of Harry Potter
Chapter 36: September, 1 B
All the girls screamed their lungs out as a dozen or so ghosts entered through the walls and flew around the room. The boys too were scared at first, but they'd never admit that. Harry could feel his arm slowly growing numb, Ginny had grabbed it so hard. But he didn't care as long as it comforted her. Beside him he could make Draco out staring at the ghosts fascinated.
"Welcome in Gryffindor!" one of the ghosts howled. "I'm the House Ghost of Hufflepuff, the Fat Monk!"
"Hoohooo!" another one shouted. He lifted his head off as good as he could, but it only wen half-way.
"That's the Nearly-Headless Nick," Ronald whispered. "Fred and George told me 'bout him."
"I do very much prefer to be called Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington," the Nearly-Headless Nick pouted.
"The Bloody Baron!" Draco exclaimed excitedly, seeing the House Ghost of Slytherin.
"Aha!" the baron said. "A true Slytherin like your father!"
The door to the room opened again and Professor McGonnagall came in.
"I see you already met the ghosts," she said dryly as the ghosts disappeared through the walls. "Well, now. Everything is ready for you." She turned around on her heels and the First Years followed her out. As the stood in front of two enormous wooden doors the professor waited a moment before she flicked her wand and the doors swung open magically.
The exclaims of amazement were even bigger when the eleven-year-olds entered the Great Hall.
"You know," the girl with the bushy brown hair breathed to no one in particular, "the ceiling is jinxed so that it always shows the weather outside without actually being inside, so if it rains you can see it on the ceiling but it doesn't actually rain inside."
"No one cares," Draco grunted s they walked along beside the house tales. At the other end of the hall was the teacher table standing on a podium. Harry could see Severus, Lucy, that Quirrel character from the Leaky Cauldron and the groundskeeper. The others were all strangers to him.
In front of the teacher table stood a chair. On top of it was a hat. Harry remembered Quentin saying something about a hat putting him into the houses. Suddenly a mouth-like opening opened and the hat broke out into song.
"When I read your name out you will sit down on the chair and put the Sorting Hat on your head. You will then be sorted," McGonnagall said once it stopped. "Granger, Hermione."
The girl with the bushy hair went forward. Harry was sure that he was muttering under her breath.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled out moments later.
"Longbottom, Neville."
Harry watched pupil after pupil go up and get sorted. He himself was quite anxious. What if I'm getting sorted into Hufflepuff? he asked himself. What if I'm in Slytherin? Gryffindor? Raveclaw? What will happen?
Finally it was his turn. He hadn't given any attention to the others' sorting, so it took him a moment t locate Ginny, Draco and Ronald. Malfoy was at the Slytherin table and the Weasleys at the Gryffindor.
"Potter, Harry," Professor McGonnagall called out.
The hall went quiet. It was nerve-racking knowing that hundreds of eye pairs followed his every step. When he sat down and put the hat on his head he was surprised to a hear a voice inside his head.
Had an adventurous summer, my boy?
"Are you alright, Severus?" Albus asked as Severus gave a startled jump. In reply Severus nodded absentmindedly. How was it possible that he could follow Harry's conversation with the hat? Normally no third person could do such a thing.
Y-yes, Harry thought back.
Well, now let's see what we have here. You are intelligent but your stupidity seems to get the better of you most times.
"What is so funny?" the headmaster inquired, looking irritated at his employee. Severus usually never smiled.
"Nothing," the potions teacher replied and Albus shrugged the whole thing off, but he kept watching Severus' face carefully.
Uh-oh, Harry replied in his thoughts.
It would be a waste sending you to Hufflepuff.
Phew.
Ha, I knew you'd say that.
Severus had to try his hardest to keep a straight face.
Albus had enough. "See me in my office after dinner," he said sourly. Severus nodded, biting his lip in order not to stop laughing.
So, let's see. I do not think you're quite good enough for Ravenclaw, and you don't possess that many traits of Slytherin.
Secretly Severus was disappointed as he had liked it if Harry had become a Slytherin. It was hard enough to treat one of his children with the cruel way he treated non-Slytherins, but both?
So you'll send me to Gryffindor?
Seems like it, does it not? Any objections you want to give me or are you happy with this decision?
Object, object, object! Severus thought. Go to Slytherin, go to Slytherin!
Noooo... not really, I guess.
Guess or know?
Harry looked up at the teacher table. Should he object and go to Slytherin or not?
No, he said to the hat. I know. I know that I don't have any objection. If his some of his friends to suffer Severus' teaching, he'd suffer with them.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled out. The Gryffindors erupted in applause as Harry walked over to their table.
Severs couldn't help but smile. Harry really was Lily's son.
After the last person had been sorted the headmaster stood up to make some announcements.
"Welcome back for another year at Hogwarts," he began. "First of all, I want to remind you older ones and tell our new students that the Forbiden Forest is not called forbidden for no reason. Also, this year the third corridor is also forbidden to be entered for reasons I do not want to explain.
"On a happy note I'm able to tell you that, although there will be the occasional game for entertainment, there will be no Quidditch Cup this year to be given away to one of the houses." He listened to the moans of the students for a moment before he silenced them with a hand gesture. "The reason for that is that in this school year in the months March and April the Triwizard Tournament will be held! Certain students from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang will be staying with us through these months. On March 1 the Goblet of Fire - which will later choose the contestants - will be in the entrance hall ready to receive the entry application for which will consist of your name written on a piece of paper. For safety reasons as many have already died during the Triwizard Tournament I myself will put an age-ring around the goblet, which will only allow students which are of age to go through to the goblet to enter th competition."
"That sucks," Ronald muttered. "I'd love to try it out."
"Better be alive than dead," the girl called Hermione said. "As a first year student you do not have enough knowledge to complete the tasks they expect you to do."
"How d'you know?" Ron challenged.
"Ronald, don't be stupid for once in your life," his brother Percy sneered.
"Additionally I'd like every house to organize something to entertain our guests. You are allowed to ask one teacher for help, but that teacher is not allowed to help any other house. And now, tuck in!" the headmaster said, and the food appeared on the tables, amazing the first years even more.
"Don't you have any manners?" Harry asked Ron, watching him stuff the food into his mouth.
"No, he doesn't," Percy replied. "Mother managed to teach all her children the proper manners except George, Fred and Ronald."
"I'm hungry," Ron defended himself, spraying bits of food all over the table.
"You act as if your parents let you starve at home," Hermione commented.
Ron swallowed his mouthful of potatoes. "None of your business," he gasped, breathin air in as he took another chicken leg and biting hungrily into it he glared at his sister. Ginny, as Harry observed, ate a lot slower and less disgustingly. Percy had been right. She was a better person to hang around with than Ron.
After the food was gone everyone went to their common rooms. Once all the Gryffindors were there Percy started talking.
"You heard what Professor Dumbledore said. We have to organize something to entertain our guests. Any ideas?"
"How about a Quidditch game?" Fred called out.
"Everyone's gonna do that," someone pointed out.
"We need something original, something no one is going to think of, something that involves every house member in one way or another," Percy said encouragingly.
"How about we do a musical?" Ginny spoke up.
"That's it!" Harry yelled, hugging her tight. "I love you!" he exclaimed. "I love you for bringing that up! We can do a play. It'll involve all of us, and I know which teacher we can ask for help. She knows how to act properly which is also going to be a great help."
"So then it's agreed," Percy announced. "We'll do a play. Tomorrow I hang a parchment on the notification board so that everyone can write down any suggestions for plays.
Later that night as he lay in his fourposter bed Harry asked himself if he had done the right thing, going to Gryffindor. Then he remembered the song the hat had sung.
Oh you may not think me pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
He knew that it didn't matter in what house he was as long as he was happy, and he was.