—CHAPTER THREE—

The Sorting Hat Is Never Wrong

Although David had visited Hogwarts before, he had just wandered a few hallways with his siblings or played catch with Murie on the grounds outside. He had never been to the Great Hall. Seeing it for the first time took his breath away.

Standing at the front of the room, lined up with the other first-years, David stared in awe at his surroundings. The ceiling reminded him of the locket he had considered choosing as his artefact, a window to the thousands of lights twinkling in the night sky. Four long tables were positioned in the centre of the room, separated by house and filled with hundreds of chattering students. Grand golden pillars carved with twisted vines held up the room.

David was so overwhelmed by the room, he hardly paid attention to an old hat set on a stool and singing out of a rip in its cloth until near the end of its song. The hat looked much like David's gloves–tattered and worn. It sang its last note and the entire hall burst into applause.

One of the teachers, Professor McGonagall, stepped forward, holding up a long piece 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!'

The girl was put in 'Hufflepuff,' and Daivd clapped along with the Hufflepuff table. He looked over his shoulder down the line to glimpse Orthosi or Maria, but the line was too long. Guess I'll talk ta them later, Daivd thought.

More and more first-years were called, stepping out of line to don the hat and be sorted. The Great Hall grew louder and louder with every student that was sorted, all the way from the Hufflepuff table to the Gryffindor one at the other end of the hall.

'Frost, Alilva.' A girl with almond brown skin, long braids, and shocking green eyes was called and sorted into Slytherin…

'Granger, Hermione,' was sorted into Gryffindor…

'Great, Jothon,' a tall first-year with strangely grey hair went to the Ravenclaw table…

'Malfoy, Draco,' instantly went to Slytherin…

'Potter, Harry,' Professor McGonagall called. The cheering and yelling ceased and whispers rose in their wake. Even David poked his head out of the line to spy the small boy walking timidly up to the stool whose famous name was known to every wizard in Britain.

'Cor,' David whispered. He'd forgotten he and the Boy Who Lived would be the same age.

David's family had not been involved in the war against He Who Must Not Be Named themselves. They had been safe in the middle of the woods, outside the most protected place in England, raising little Murie, Cormag, and baby David. But their close friends and family had not been as safe.

Harry Potter was sorted into Gryffindor after a minute or two of wearing the hat and the Gryffindor table exploded into cheering…

'Radu, Maria.'

David turned to see Maria approaching from the back of the line. He gave her an encouraging smile, which she shyly returned. The pale, trembling girl approached the stool and put on the hat.

A few seconds and the hat bellowed 'HUFFLEPUFF.' Maria jumped off of the stool, smile bright on her face as she placed the hat back down. She ran over to the rightmost side of the hall…

'Shrunbolt, Yleni.' A girl with remarkable resemblance to Orthosi, minus a gruesome scar over her eye, hopped up on the stool and was sorted into Slytherin…

After what seemed hours, and at the same time simply seconds, Professor McGonagall read 'Steward, David' off of the list.

For perhaps one of the first times in his life, David was truly nervous. He instinctively reached to put his hands in his pockets, but was met with the fabric of his robe. Trying not to focus on the crowd, he stared ahead to the hat. His only comforting thought was that the hat had never been wrong; his only fear was that it had never been wrong yet.

David sat on the stool and put on the hat that slipped down, immersing him in darkness.

'Well,' a voice spoke into his ear. 'You're very even, aren't you? Not a lot in any one place inside here. Hardworking, yes, but also brave. Big brain for one your age… I think a good sense of practical wit nudges you over to RAVENCLAW!'

David smiled as he took the hat off, feeling rather pleased with himself. He sauntered over to the Ravenclaw table where Murie waved to him from the end. He took a seat and watched the rest of the sorting intensely with the rest of the Ravenclaw first-years.

Weel, I may no' be wi' Maria, but Orthosi still hasn't bin sorted, David thought to himself.

'Weasley, Ronald,' was sorted into Gryffindor…

'Woods, Revem,' scampered up to the stool and put on the hat. It took the longest time yet, and David half wondered if Revem was trying to strike up a conversation with the Sorting Hat.

'RAVENCLAW!' The hat shouted, and as Revem sprinted to the table, David knew the Ravenclaw first-years would be quiet no more.

'Hi! Nice to meet you again,' Revem said, sitting down next to David. 'I thought I wouldn't see you again after the boat. Not that I didn't think you weren't smart; I didn't really know what Ravenclaw was to be honest, but just that so many people are here…'

David gazed over the sea of people as 'Ygeia, Epidiorthosi,' was called to the stool. Orthosi blushed at the sound of her full name, then strode up to the stool. She glanced at the Ravenclaw table and put the hat on. It was only a few seconds before the hat yelled, 'SLYTHERIN!'

Orthosi's eyes went wide and she numbly climbed off the stool.

Oh dear, David thought.

'Blaise, Zanbini' was the last student to be sorted and put into Slytherin as Revem continued to speak.

Orthosi's mouth was dry and her world seemed to be spinning. Slytherin. How though? She slowly made her way over to the Slytherin table and quietly sat down by the first-year girls at the end of the table. I shouldn't have made so many death threats, she thought miserably.

'We always knew I would be in Slytherin, of course,' one of the girls was saying. 'But my aunt was worried I'd be in Gryffindor after this—' She pointed to a burn-like scar that marred the area by her eye.

'My family never had any doubt about me,' a blond-haired girl with a thick jaw said.

'How nice,' the girl with the scar replied coldly.

The hall quieted as their headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, stood up. 'Welcome!' he said. 'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

'Thank you!'

As the rest of the hall cheered, Orthosi and the Slytherins stared quite confused at the place where their headmaster had now sat down. They didn't even look at the food that had appeared in the centre of the table.

'And what was the purpose of that?' one of the other girls asked. She had dark almond skin and green eyes.

'Nothing,' a first-year boy with white blond hair chipped in from a little way down the table. 'My father says he's gone insane. Shouldn't really be in charge if you ask me.' He then looked nervously beside him to the ghost that was on his left.

The rest of the Slytherins nodded.

At least these people aren't afraid to speak their minds, Orthosi thought.

The Slytherins began to put food on their plates. There was so much variety to the food that Orthosi didn't know what to pick. The other Slytherins were choosing finely cut steaks and, to her surprise, caviar, which only seemed to have appeared on their table.

'So,' the girl with the scar said to the girls. 'We should all introduce ourselves. How about we say our full-name, blood status, and the subject we're most looking forward to?'

Blood status? I'm sure the Sorting Hat got something wrong, Orthosi thought. Can I try it on again?

'Alright,' the blond-haired girl said. 'I'll go first. My name is Pansy Parkinson. I am Pureblooded, and I'm most looking forward to Dark Arts.'

'They don't teach that here, you know,' the girl with the scar said.

'There's always the restricted section of the library,' Pansy said, her mouth curling into a frown.

'Alilva Frost,' the girl with almond skin said, looking down. 'Half-blood. I'm not really looking forward to any subject in particular.'

The introductions went on until six more had been given. When Orthosi looked up, she found that the girls were all staring at her.

She took a deep breath. 'Epidiorthosi Ygeia. Simply call me Orthosi. Half-blood, as far as I know. I'm looking most forward to Charms, probably. More inventing my own than learning new ones, though.'

The girl with the scar gave a quick nod then went next. 'Yleni Shrunbolt. Pureblooded. I'm most looking forward to Potions.'

After a while, the food disappeared from the plates and the dishes were replaced with puddings and ice cream. I don't think I really mind missing out on day-before-school cake anymore, Orthosi thought, taking as much of the sweets as she desired. After a bit of dessert, Professor Dumbledore stood up again and began to speak.

'Ahem— just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.'

'Hopefully these words will be more useful than his last few,' Alilva muttered.

'First-years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils,' he continued. 'And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.'

A few of the younger Slytherins grunted, but one of the older boys said, 'Really, it's not worth your time. You might see a few Thestrals, a shadow of a centaur if you're lucky, but really it's quite boring after going in a few times.'

After a brief pause, Professor Dumbledore continued his list. 'I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.'

Some of the Slytherins grinned. 'Don't worry,' one of the older girls said. 'With our blood statuses, we don't need to listen to that rule.'

'Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term,' Professor Dumbledore said. 'Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

'And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.'

A few people laughed discordantly.

'And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!' Dumbledore said. 'Everyone pick their favourite tune. And off we go!'

As everyone rose from their seats and began to sing, Orthosi gazed up and down the Slytherin table, a pit still in her stomach. She had been sure she was going to be sorted into Ravenclaw, but now she was standing with the Slytherins. How am I ever going to make it through Hogwarts surrounded by these people? she wondered.

The Hufflepuffs weren't quick to leave the Great Hall. They were too busy chatting to notice that the rest of the houses had already marched out of the door; even the Prefects were still talking with their friends.

Maria had never been happier. 'I don't really care what a breed of cat is as long as it's fluffy.' She and several first-year girls had been talking about domestic beasts during the feast, and now the conversation had turned to pets.

'Wouldn't it be cute if cats were born with wings?' Hannah wondered.

'Hmm-mhh. Especially if they could actually fly with them,' Maria commented. 'Wouldn't a little kitten chewing on the end of its wing look adorable?'

'My sister had a cat with wings,' one of the older girls chimed in. 'She was able to charm a pair onto it.'

'Really?' Maria, Hannah, and another girl called Susan asked.

'Yep,' she replied. 'When it flew it knocked our mum's candles over, so we had to take it outside most days to play with.'

'What was its name?' Maria asked.

'Feathers,' the older girl replied.

Professor Dumbledore strode up to the House Prefect, though he addressed the house in general. 'I am going to bed now, and I suggest you all do the same. Classes start tomorrow you know.'

The House Prefect nodded. 'Okay, Hufflepuff, we're going to our common room now!'

Maria, though grinning broadly, was starting to feel very tired. Her muscles ached from sitting so long on the Hogwarts Express, and she had had such a long day. It would be good to rest a bit.

Their Prefect led the group back into the main entrance hall and then down through a door to the right. Before them a long staircase spiralled into darkness and the group began to descend it. Maria, being a Vampire, could see perfectly well, even though the lights were dim.

They emerged into a long hallway deep within the castle.

'We descended so many stairs,' Hannah said, breathing heavily. 'Where are we in the castle right now?'

'Below ground,' one of the older boys said. 'Same level as the dungeons. But don't worry. The Slytherins get the dungeons themselves. We get the cosy common room next to the kitchens.'

The first-years smiled.

'Oh! That's right,' Maria said, looking around. 'I haven't seen David or Orthosi yet.'

'Who?' Susan asked politely.

'I met them on the train,' Maria explained. 'They're the children of my parents' friends. I wonder what houses they were put in…' As soon as she had sat down at the Hufflepuff table, she had engaged in conversation for the rest of the sorting.

'David?' the older girl from earlier asked, scrunching up her face in thought. 'Oh, yes, I think he was put in Ravenclaw.'

'That's wonderful!' Maria said. 'Did Orthosi get in there too?' She assumed that this girl had been paying attention.

'Orthosi… There was a name similar to that, a really long one. But I'm not sure it's the same person—'

'I think it probably is,' Maria said. The group was now passing a still-life painting with a giggling pear in it. 'What house did she get in?'

The older girl bent down and whispered in Maria's ear. 'Slytherin.'

Maria gasped. 'Oh! Poor Orthosi. She must be feeling awful! There must have been a mistake with the Sorting. She ought to be in Ravenclaw with David. I'll talk to her as soon as I can.'

The older girl opened her mouth to say something, but their Prefect called the large group's attention by muttering a spell and blowing on his wand to make a trumpet sound.

'Now that I have your attention,' he said, 'I need to teach the first-years how to enter the common room. Would you please make space for them to come forward?'

The sea of students parted within seconds and Maria found herself walking through a line of human pillars up to a set of stacked barrels.

'Okay,' the Prefect said. 'You must have heard of our founder, Helga Hufflepuff, right?'

The first-years nodded.

'Well, to enter the common room you need to knock the rhythm to her name on this barrel.' He pointed to one of the barrels on the second rack and knocked the rhythm onto it. An entire section of the wall disappeared.

'Oh, and before I forget…' He pulled a piece of parchment from a little leather satchel bag he was carrying. He muttered, 'Sonorus,' before going on to read from the parchment. His voice rang loudly through the hallways.

'"My dear Hufflepuffs, as always, I am glad you are here. I am far too busy at the moment preparing for Herbology classes, so Volaris will read my yearly announcement to you tonight. Sorry that I couldn't be there personally.

'"First off, I would like to remind everyone that even though your bed space is your own to decorate, the common room and others' spaces are off limits for your personal use. Secondly, I know you love being near your friends, I do too, but people from other houses are not allowed in the common room.

'"Third, I discovered that the Cacti Mollis Nutamen produces more flowers if it is patted, so keep up the good work! I love you all and hope to meet our new members soon. Signed, Professor Sprout." Quietus.'

The Hufflepuffs clapped, some sleepily.

Vorlaris knocked on the barrels again (the secret door had timed out during the speech) and the Hufflepuffs marched into their common room. Maria was too tired to observe much of it and fell asleep in her assigned dorm room as soon as her head hit the pillow.