CHAPTER 4
The Sorting Ceremony
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross. "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid. "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide. Alex thought that the entrance hall at home was big but this was ridiculous, it was so big you could have fit a whole cottage in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble stair case facing them led to the upper floors.
They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Alex could hear hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right 'the rest of the school must already be here' he thought to himself, but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously. "Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. She then explained to the first years how they were going to be sorted into their houses before taking their seats and joining the banquet and how the houses they were about to join were going to become their family whilst at school.
She told them of the four houses which were Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin and that they would have classes with the rest of their Housemates, sleep in the House dormitory, and spend free time in the House common room. She concluded by saying that while at Hogwarts, a student's triumphs would earn their House points, while any rule breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House cup, a great honor. The Professor then told them to smarten up for the sorting ceremony and there was a lot of nervous movement as the first years straightened their clothes and hair. "I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor Mc Gonagall. "Please wait quietly."
She left the chamber. After McGonagall left to go into the hall, Alex did a few breathing exercises to try calming himself and walking over to Hermione and sparking a conversation with Hermione. "How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" asked Hermione. "Some sort of test, I think. Could ask us to do a few spells but doubt it since most of us haven't heard of magic till a few days ago, what do you think?" replied Alex. "I think they will ask us to do a spell, I have been practicing a bunch of spells and I don't know which one I am going to use" she whispered back. Alex noticed that most of the first years were now listening in on the conversation with increasingly worried expressions on their faces, "you should keep it simple, less chances of failure, use Lumos" he said as he raised his wand and cast the spell, there was an audible gasp from the other first years as they stared at his lit wand, Hermione stared t the wand before quickly composing herself and saying "yes that's a good spell might just use that one." He kept his eyes fixed on the door.
'What's taking so long' he wondered, as Professor McGonagall had not yet returned. Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air — several people behind him screamed. "What the —?" He gasped, pulling out his wand again. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —" "My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he de serves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.
Nobody answered. "New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded mutely. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old House, you know." "Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. "Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." 'About time.' Thought Alex as he got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Harry and Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Alex had never even imagined such a splendid place. The hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting.
These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candle light. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Alex looked up ward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." Alex nodded as he knew that this was indeed true, he too had read the book, but actually seeing it in real life, it was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens. Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat.
This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Tink would have had a fit if she saw it in the manor. 'Maybe I will conjure on like that and leave it in the kitchen.' Alex thought, a grin on his face. Noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing. When it was 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. "So, we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry and Alex. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." Alex smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have fought a troll. Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.
"Abbott, Hannah!" A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause — "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her. "Bones, Susan!" "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah. "Boot, Terry!" "RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left clapped this time; several Raven claws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. "Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; "Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. "Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" "HUFFLEPUFF!" "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Alex in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor. "Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned. When Neville was called, he fell over on his way to the stool.
The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag." Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself. There weren't many people left now. "Moon" . . ., "Nott" . . ., "Parkinson" . . ., then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" . . ., then "Perks, Sally-Anne" . . ., and then, at last — "Potter, Harry!" As He stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. "Potter, did she say?" "The Harry Potter?" Alex knew Harry was famous but hearing the whispers in the hall made him realize just how big Harry's name was in the wizarding world. Harry sat down and the hat took a while before Shouting GRYFFINDOR!"
Alex noticed that Harry was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff. The ghost patted his arm
And now there were only five people left to be sorted." Steward, Alexander!" Alex walked up to the stool and took a seat, the hat was put on his head covering his eyes, "Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Interesting…, I detect a growing sense of ambition, an eagerness for power, yet you are a very adventurous spirit, and the loyalty to stand up for your friends in the face of a bully, it takes bravery to stand true to your beliefs. I also sense a thirst for Knowledge, hmm, difficult, so where shall I put you?" Alex thought for a moment, 'Slytherin makes the most sense but Gryffindor is the logical path for what I plan on doing' he then told the hat to put him in Gryffindor. "Well, if you're sure — better be GRYIFFNDOR!"
Alex stood up and walked towards the Gryffindor table where he was intercepted by Fred George and Percy who welcomed him to the house. He sat next to Ron and Harry, both boys were positively breaming. The three boys talked about how awesome it was that they were in the same house when Dumbledore stood up and started his speech by welcoming everyone to a new year at Hogwarts before telling everyone to help themselves to the food. Alex helped himself to a plate of Steak and fries and was about to start eating when he heard a voice speak above him.
"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry and Alex cut up their steaks. "Can't you —?" "I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your ser vice. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower." "I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!" "I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted. "Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted. "Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge.
Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the House Championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost." The three boys looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements. "How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest. "I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding . . . Alex helped himself to some Strawberry jelly and ice-cream, when the talk turned to their families. "I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." The others laughed. "What about you, Neville?" said Ron. "Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages.
My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me — he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned — but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced — all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here — they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad." Alex could hear over Harry's shoulder, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing —").
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. He gave a few announcements that concerned the students such as the forbidden forest being off limits to students 'Just suck the fun out of it, why don't you' thought Alex listening to Dumbledore's speech, the headmaster also mentioned that the third floor "is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death," now Alex was really curious to know what was up there. The headmaster concluded the speech by asking the students to sing the school song which the entire school began to sing at different tunes
At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. "Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase.
They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt. A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them, they started throwing themselves at him.
"Protego!" Shouted Alex as he cast the charm in front of the first-year students and Percy, causing the stick to bounce of the barrier harmlessly. "Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves — show yourself." A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered. "Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. "Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked. "Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy. Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head.
They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed. "You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, he then looked at Alex and said "how do you know that spell, let alone cast it perfectly?" Alex just looked at him and said "just lucky I guess" Percy just shook his head and as they set off again, he said "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control Peeves, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are." At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. "Password?" she said. "Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall.
They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up — and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs. Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.