Chapter 5: The Sorting Ceremony

Chris got out of the train on to a tiny dark platform. 'Wow, so many expectations for a magical school platform.' Chris thought.

Then she heard a voice, "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" Chris looked and saw the same gaint man who was with Harry that day.

'Isn't Hagrid? What is he doing here?' She thought. "Hey, Hermione, Who is he?" She asked Hermione. "That's Hagrid. He's gamekeeper at Hogwarts and our friend. See you at the great hall." Hermione answered and without waiting for their response she left with the senior students.

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"C'mon, follow me - any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!" Hagrid said and everyone followed him.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec,' Hagrid called over his shoulder, 'jus' round this bend here." As Hagrid finished, Chris saw a narrow path had opened to the edge of the black lake and on the other side there was a big castle with many turrets and towers. 'Hogwarts' Chris grinned.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid said.

Ginny, Luna and Chris got into a boat.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself, "Right then - FORWARD!"

Everyone was looking at the castle but Chris was looking down at the peach black water. Somehow she found it mysterious and couldn't take her eyes off it. Suddenly she felt a hand on her head, the hand pushed her head down. She looked up and saw they were in a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle. Chris looked at the hand, it was Luna's.

"Sorry. I didn't see." Chris said to Luna.

"It's ok. The view is beautiful. Anyone will get lost in it." Luna smiled and withdrew her hand.

Then they reached a kind of underground harbour. After getting out, they followed Hagrid and came in front of a huge oak door.

"Everyone here?" Hagrid said then knocked on the door three times with his big fist. The door swung opened at once. Chris saw Professor McGonagall stood there.

"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide. The Entrance Hall was very big. The stone walls and the ceiling were too high to make out. Professor McGonagall showed the first-years into a small empty chamber off the hall. Everyone was nervously looking at her.

"Welcome to Hogwarts,' said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will 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. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your 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 honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

As she left Chris looked around and saw everyone was terrified. She was also waiting to see how they put the students into different houses. The first idea in her head was maybe they ask questions and based upon their answers they decide their qualities and the house. She was curious but not terrified.

"What do you think Chris? How will they sort us into the houses?" Ginny asked Chris. She was looking pale.

"Ginny, you said you have older brothers who are in Hogwarts, so you never asked them?" Chris was very surprised. She heard about Ginny's brother Ron who was Harry's friend and another twin elder brothers from Ginny. 'Why didn't she knew already?'

"Umm... Honestly, they never told me. Every time I asked, they made jokes or changed the topic." Ginny answered getting more nervous.

"Yes, even my father didn't say me anything about this," Luna said.

"Weird." Chris was thinking if it had something to do with some kind of secret magic.

"Now form a line." Professor McGonagall had returned. "And follow me."

They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles which 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. They looked upwards and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.

"Is it the real sky? It's beautiful." Luna asked.

"No, it's bewitched to look like the sky outside. Percy, my brother told me this." Ginny seemed a little relieved after answering.

"How many brothers do you have, Ginny?" Chris asked while looking at the ceiling.

"Umm... six elder brothers. I am the youngest." Ginny answered.

"Wow. In my house its just me and dad. It's pretty boring." Chris wasn't lying. Though his father tries to keep her company all the time, it wasn't possible. She felt really lonely sometimes. Honestly, after having Leon, she was very thrilled.

"I always dreamed of having a brother. You are lucky." Chris looked at Ginny and saw her smiling.

They looked at Professor McGonagall who 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. 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. Everyone chuckled hearing its voice but Chris ignored it after a few lines. She was more curious about the teachers and their surroundings. She looked at the teacher's table and saw several teachers sitting, she recognized Hagrid and her least favourite writer, Gilderoy Lockhart. It was very hard not to notice him, his every book cover has his face printed.

'What? He is a teacher here?'

Chris looked in the middle of the teachers there was a very old teacher who wore half-moon glasses, had a long crooked nose and flowing silver hair, beard and moustache. Somehow Chris found him also mysterious like the black lake outside. Chris realized the song ended when she heard everyone breaking into applause around her. She clapped a few times with them and returned her attention to Professor McGonagall.

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."

"Really that simple?" Chris whispered. But everyone was too busy to hear her.

Professor McGonagall called, "Creevey, Colin." A boy stumbled and sat on the stool. "GRYFFINDOR" shouted the hat.

The Gryffindor table cheered. Then after a few more students, it was Luna's turn. "RAVENCLAW." The hat shouted. After many more students, Professor McGonagall called, "Norton, Christina." Chris confidently walked towards the stool, sat and put the hat on her head.