I'm so sorry, guys! I completely forgot I didn't post this week, life was hectic like always. But it's here now, so hope you enjoy this chapter!
To Tyler'sPrincess: Thank you! To Nightwing2013: Well, Ron actually kept him sedated, with something he learnt in auror training, and yes, I didn't write it in, but that is how it happened. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To Guest: I'm assuming you are the same guest as the previous one, and here you go! Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you!
Chapter 8: The Sorting Ceremony
A few hours later, they arrived at Hogwarts. They got off the train to the familiar, heart-warming call of "Firs' Years! Firs' Years! This Way!" The trio grinned at each other at the prospect of a second 'first' boat ride to Hogwarts. They followed the gaggle of students off the path to the carriages, where Hagrid led them to the boats. "No more than 4 to a boat!" He called out. Ron, Harry and Hermione ended up sitting with Neville. After not seeing Hogwarts in so long, nostalgia and wistfulness washed over them.
Many people oohed and aahed after seeing the castle for the first time. They reached the front door. Hagrid knocked, and almost immediately did the door open. There stood the formidable Deputy Head, Professor McGonagall. "I will take it from here, Hagrid. Thank you." Harry watched Hagrid jovially bow his head at her and skip off. She led them into a room out of the entrance hall and spoke.
"I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House. Welcome to Hogwarts. The Start of Term Banquet will begin momentarily, but before you take your seat in the Great Hall, you must 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." She explained.
"There are 4 Houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its history and has produced many exceptional wizards. While at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while rule-breaking will lose them. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup. It is a great honor. I suggest you smarten yourselves up. I will come when we are ready for you."
A few minutes later, the Hogwarts ghosts flew in, just like Harry remembered them. The house ghosts started commenting on who would be a good fit for their house and bickering when the others didn't agree with them. After a while, Professor McGonagall came in and said, "Form a line and follow me." Harry got in line behind Ron and Hermione. Dean was behind him and he saw Seamus in front of Ron.
Professor McGonagall led them through a pair of wooden double doors into the Great Hall. The 4 long house tables were filled with students waiting to see which new students would be joining their houses that night. He saw the raised staff table with Dumbledore and his twinkling eyes, and Professor Quirrell talking to Snape, who had a sneer on his face when he saw the new students. Thousands of candles lit the room. He looked up and saw the bewitched ceiling, and whispered to Hermione, "Aren't you gonna tell me how the ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky outside and that you read about it in Hogwarts: A History?" Hermione blushed at the reminder. "Shut up, Harry!" He sniggered. Ron chuckled as he overheard their conversation.
They walked between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables up to the stool with the Sorting Hat sitting on it. A rip opened near the brim and it started singing.
Oh, you may not think I'm 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 folk 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!
The Hat finished its song and bowed to all the tables. The entire hall applauded and the hat went still. McGonagall took out a roll of parchment from her robes with all the names on it. She started calling them one by one. "When I call your names, you will step forward, put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted in to your houses." She glanced down at the roll and called, "Abbott, Hannah!" Hannah stumbled out of the line, put on the hat and sat down. A moment later, the hat called, "HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hufflepuff table burst into applause and cheers. She took it off, placed it on the stool and walked down to the Puff table.
"Bones, Susan!" McGonagall called. She got out of line and put the hat on. "HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat called. The table cheered again. "Boot, Terry!" "RAVENCLAW!" The Ravenclaw table cheered loudly. "Brocklehurst, Mandy!" Became the next Ravenclaw, while "Brown, Lavender!" became the first Gryffindor. 'Bulstrode, Millicent!" became the first Slytherin, while "Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" became a Hufflepuff. "Finnegan, Seamus!" was a Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione!" She ran out of line and put the hat on nervously, a stark contrast to her initial sorting. Almost immediately, "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. As much as Harry wanted to cheer, he knew it would be frowned upon. He settled for a discreet thumbs up as she sat down. Ron grinned as she smiled at them and showed her crossed fingers.
Neville became a Gryffindor, obviously. But this time, he did not run off with the hat as he did originally. McGonagall called the next name, and the next, until finally, it was his turn. "Potter, Harry!" He walked up to the hat, put it on and sat down quickly. He saw the entire hall craning their necks to get a good look at him. He also heard the whispers debating whether it was actually him.
"Ah, but what is this? You have been sorted already?" He heard the hat say. "How is this possible? Oh, I see. You have come back in time from the future." "Yes, but I have no idea how or why. I've discussed it with my friends, but they don't know either. Do you have any idea how it's possible? Or why?" Harry thought.
"You must have come back to change time! Why else, Mr. Potter? However, how you came back is a mystery. Well, I think we've been sitting here for much too long. Must be GRYFFINDOR!" Harry heard the hat shout his house out to the Great hall. He took it off with a relieved grin and a reassuring thumbs up to Ron.
Ron smiled nervously at him and nodded. Harry head off to the Gryffindor table and saw the twins dancing around and cheering, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" He laughed and sat down in the seat Hermione had saved for him next to her. "What took so long? The hat sorted me almost immediately. You were almost a hatstall!" Hermione whispered. "Well, I asked the hat whether it knew why or how we came back in time when it realized that it had sorted me before." He whispered back. He turned to face the rest of the sorting.
"And?" She asked. "Hmm?" Harry said absentmindedly. "What did it say?" She hissed at him. "Oh! It said that we must have come back in time to change it." Harry said. "What?!" She exclaimed, a bit too loud. "Sorry, guys!" She says to their seat mates sheepishly. "What?!" She asked. "Yeah! We can talk about it later, focus on the sorting, 'Mione." He said. She grinned sheepishly at him, and focused on the rest of the sorting.
Soon it was Ron's turn. "Weasley, Ronald!" He walked up to the hat, put it on and sat down on the little stool. A second later, they heard a shout. "GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted. Harry immediately stood up and started cheering. He could see Hermione jumping up and down in excitement out of the corner of his eyes. He also noticed the Weasley twins cheering like crazy. Percy was also cheering for his little brother.
Ron quickly rushed down to the table as the cheering stopped and he sat down on the other side of Hermione. "Nice to see you in Gryffindor, mate." Harry said. "Where else would I be?" Ron replied. "Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I have a few words to say. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Dumbledore announced, with his arms spread wide, and a pleasant smile on his face.
Harry grinned and diverted his gaze to the food in front of him. He ate his fill of food, and when he was feeling warm and sleepy, he suddenly remembered how he had felt a pain in his scar when he looked up at the Head table. He realized that he felt pain when he looked at Quirrell's turban, which made sense, as Voldemort must have possessed Quirrell by now. Dumbledore stood up once again and said, "Now that we are all fed and watered, I have a few Start-of-Term notices to give you."
"First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. A few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." His twinkling eyes focused on the Weasley twins. "Mr. Filch, our school's caretaker, has also asked me to remind you that no magic is allowed in the corridors. Between classes or otherwise. Quidditch tryouts will be held in the second week of term. Please speak to Madam Hooch if you are interested in playing for your house team."
"Finally, I must tell you that the third floor corridor is out of bounds, unless you wish to die a very painful death. Off to bed, now all of you!" Harry grimaced at the reminder of the third floor corridor, and he noticed that he was not the only one. They all got up and Percy called, "First Years, follow me!" he led them to Gryffindor Tower and explained a bit about the History of Hogwarts on the way. He led them up to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Password?" She asked. "Caput Draconis." The portrait swung open to reveal the entrance to Gryffindor tower. "Now, this is your common room. The boys' dorms are on the left and the girls' the same on the right." Harry and Ron said goodnight to Hermione and allowed Percy to lead them through a door and they head up the spiral staircase to their dorms filled with five 4-poster beds. There was a small cabinet next to each bed.
Harry claimed the bed closest to the door, while Ron chose the one next to Harry's. Ron called goodnight to him. Harry, however, was too tired to do anything other than fall asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow.