Chapter 3, The sorting.
After leaving the train it had only been a short walk and a boat ride to reach Hogwarts castle.
Now Harry and the other first-years was standing in a small chamber while a teacher called McGonagall welcomed them.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, now before the start-of-term banquet begins you will all be sorted into your houses, they are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, while you are here your house will be like your family, your triumphs will earn you points, any rule breaking will lose points, at the end of the year the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup" explained McGonagall.
"The Sorting Ceremony will begin in a few minutes, I shall return when we are ready for you" said McGonagall as she left the room.
With McGonagall gone everyone began to discuss how they would be sorted, many thought that there would be some type of test, soon everyone became silent as nerves overtook them.
Soon McGonagall returned and told the first-years to follow her into the Great Hall, Harry was completely awestruck at the beauty of the hall, there was gold plates and goblets on the tables and candles that floated in the air, Harry had never seen anything like it.
The first-years was led to the front of the hall where a stool was sitting with a extremely old hat on top of it, Harry wondered if he was supposed to pull a rabbit out of the hat, he really hoped not considering that he had no idea how too.
All of the first-years jumped when the hat suddenly bust out into song, however the older students who was sitting at their house tables didn't seem surprised.
While the hat was singing Harry took a look at the four house tables hoping to learn something about each house, however Harry couldn't really tell anything particularly different about any of them, they all just looked like normal children.
The hat finished it's song and Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment, "When I call your names you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted" she said.
"Abbot Hannah" said McGonagall, a girl with blonde pigtails stepped forward and put on the hat, "HUFFLEPUFF" shouted the hat a moment later, the Hufflepuff table cheered as Hannah joined them at their table and sat down.
"Bones Susan", "HUFFLEPUFF".
"Boot Terry", "RAVENCLAW".
"Brocklehurst Mandy", "RAVENCLAW".
"Brown Lavender", "GRYFFINDOR".
"Bulstrode Millicent", "SLYTHERIN".
"Crabb Vincent", "SLYTHERIN"
"Finch-Fletchley Justin", "HUFFLEPUFF".
"Goyle Gregory", "SLYTHERIN
"Granger Hermione", the hat took noticeably taken longer with Hermione then it had done with anyone else up to this point before it finally said "GRYFFINDOR", much to Ron's depressurise.
"Longbottom Neville", "GRYFFINDOR", Harry noticed that Neville didn't seem entirely satisfied with the hat's decision.
"Malfoy Draco", "SLYTHERIN", the hat had barely even touched his head.
Many more people was sorted, Harry tried to tell if there was anything that children who was sorted into the same house had in common, but there wasn't anything that stood out to him.
Before Harry even knew it McGonagall called out "Potter Harry", as Harry stepped forward he heard whispers from the four tables, all of them was about him, everyone was giving Harry their full attention even the teachers.
For a moment Harry feared that he wouldn't be sorted at all, he imagined that the hat would say that there had been a mistake and that he would be sent back to the Dursleys.
Harry sat on the stool and the hat was placed on his head covering his eyes, for a second nothing happened then Harry heard a voice in his head, "Difficult, very difficult, plenty of courage I see, not a bad mind either, there's talent, oh my goodness yes, and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting, so where do I put you" said the hat.
The hat was silent for a second, Harry wondered if he was supposed to say something, but what was he supposed to say, he didn't know anything about the four houses, Ron still hadn't been sorted so Harry didn't know which house he's friend would end up in, ultimately Harry remained silent and waited for the hat to continue.
"I see no preferences, well then I think that you will do well in SLYTHERIN" said the hat shouting the last word for everyone to hear.
The Slytherin table burst out in claps and cheers, however they was the only ones to do so, every other table was deathly silent, the teachers was deathly silent, even Dumbledore was deathly silent.
Harry walked over too the Slytherin table while trying to ignore the stares that he was getting from the other tables, Harry sat down as far away from Malfoy as possible, however this did little to stop the blond boy.
"Looks like there is some hope for you after all Potter" said Malfoy leaning over Crabb to speak to him, Harry didn't answer, instead he looked to the students who was still yet to be sorted, Harry caught sight of Ron, however the red head quickly looked away with an expression that Harry couldn't quite describe.
Harry looked at the staff table and saw that Hagrid had a very uncomfortable look on his face, at this point Harry was starting to worry that being in Slytherin may be a bad thing.
"Aren't you listening to me Potter, I'm talking to you" said Malfoy loud enough to be heard by the Ravenclaws at their own table, "That's enough Draco, your making a seen" said a older girl who was sitting nearby, Malfoy took one look at the Prefect badge on her chest and shut up.
"Sorry about him, Gemma Farley, fifth-year Prefect" said the girl introducing herself, "Nice to meet you" said Harry a little to quietly as he returned his attention to the sorting.
After a few more students it was finally Ron's turn to be sorted, Harry wasn't sure who was more nervous about what the hat would say him or Ron, then a second later the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR" and Ran joined is brothers at their table.
"Good riddance, all of those blood traitors belong together" said Malfoy, "Draco, don't talk like that" said Gemma looking very unhappy with what Malfoy had said.
Finally the last student Blaise Zabini was sorted into Slytherin and the sorting ended, McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting hat away.
Dumbledore stood up with a completely neutral expression on his face, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts, before we begin I would like to say a few words, nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweat, thank you" he said as he sat back down.
Harry didn't know what to think about what Dumbledore had said, "Is he a bit mad" he asked Gemma, "Yeah, definitely a little bit mad" said Gemma with a smile seemingly remembering a funny story.
"Would you like a Yorkshire pudding Harry" asked Gemma, it was at this point that Harry realised that the plates that was previously empty was now all filled with food, Harry feeling particularly hungry grabbed a little of everything.
While Harry was eating he listened to the other Slytherins talk to each other, Malfoy was talking to another boy called Theodore Nott, "I'm telling you this school is going down hill, they seem to care nothing for blood purity any more" said Malfoy, Theodore just shrugged.
"At least we're with the pure bloods over here" continued Malfoy, Crabb and Goyle was nodding but Theodore still didn't seem too interested by this conversation.
Realising that Theodore wasn't going to say much Malfoy turned his attention to a girl named Millicent Bulstrode who was larger then most of the boys, "What about you Bulstrode, don't you think that only pure bloods like us should be allowed to come here" he said, "I'm a half blood" said Millicent.
Malfoy's smile faded, "That's a shame, your family was one of the sacred twenty-eight, it's disgusting that you've dirtied yourselves" he said, "Draco that is enough, one more word and you'll be serving the first detention of the year" said Gemma raising her voice slightly and finally silencing Malfoy.