The Sorting Hat

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned shooing the ghosts. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. "Now, form two lines so that someone is besides you," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Harry and Ron were in front of you and Hermione was beside you. You walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in mid-air 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 us up to the front you could feel the hundreds of faces staring at you.

You heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all. Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of you and the rest 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.

The hall was complete silence. Suddenly the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, the hat began to sing about how he was smart and would be able to tell you which house you would be placed in.

'Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart.'

'Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil.'

'Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind.'

'Slytherin, You'll make your real friends, Those cunning folk use any means, To achieve their ends.'

These seemed to be a description for each house or a requirement. The whole hall burst into applause, giving you a shock, 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!" You overheard Ron whisper. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

This was much better than needing to perform spells to prove your magic ability. 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. "Hannah, Abbott!" 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 moments 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.

"Susan, Bones!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Terry, Boot!"

"RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. Good for him. "Mandy, Brocklehurst" went to Ravenclaw too.

"Lavender, Brown" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.

"Millicent, Bulstrode" then became a Slytherin. Slytherin the traditional House for the Gaunt family your still unsure if you can avoid it, after all you heard about Slytherin, it is your family history their beliefs.

"Justin, Finch-Fletchley!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

You noticed, the hat shouted out the house immediately, but at others it took a little while to decide.

"Seamus, Finnigan." sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat yelled

"GRYFFINDOR." The hat said after finally deciding on what house.

"Hermione, Granger!" Hermione brushed past you quickly as she pretty much ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. You heard Ron’s groan, he really didn't like the fact she had joined Gryffindor.

"Neville, Longbottom" Was called a few laughs from the tables appeared, the boy who kept losing his toad, fell over on his way to the stool. Again you could hear a few of the students already at the tables laugh, 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 more laughing from even more students, and hand the hat back to the unamused professor.

"Draco, Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall called. You had heard about the Malfoy family that they were also pure-blood supremacist family like yours and also a known Slytherin family. Draco was a slender boy with sleek white-blond hair and a a pale complexion fit the description of the Malfoy's from what you had read, He moved forward when his name was called and it seemed got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" He went to join his friends that were already sat at the table.

There weren't many people left now. "Theodore Nott" Slytherin, Next twins girls "Padma Patil" Ravenclaw and "Parvati Patil" Gryffindor. Something about the twins getting separated hit you. "Pansy Parkinson" Slytherin.

"Harry, Potter!" You noticed people start paying attention Harry stepped forward, you heard whispers suddenly like little hissing fires all over the hall. "Potter, did she say? The Harry Potter?" The hat dropped on his head, people adjusting themselves to get a good look at him.

The hat started to think, You saw Harry close his eyes like he was concentrating. "Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that -- no? Well, if you're sure -- better be GRYFFINDOR!" you noticed how loud the cheer was, It was loudest cheer yet out of everyone.

"Dean, Thomas!" a Dark-skinned boy even taller than You and Ron, He joined Harry at the Gryffindor table after the hat chose. "Ronald, Weasley!" He looked sick when he heard his name, Ron placed the hat on a second later the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" You could hear his brothers cheer louder than the rest. "Blaise, Zabini!" was made a Slytherin after Ron had sat down.

You had been left till last something you had feared, "Finally Marvolo, Gaunt!" McGonagall said with a little uncertainty, Just like what happened with Harry you noticed a roar of whispers "Gaunt?" and you watched as faces started to concentrate on you, You stepped up to the stool and sat as the hat was placed upon your head

"Interesting... Your mind is plagued with conflict," The hat started to analyse you "Very Smart, Very Brave, Very Loyal and Very Ambitious." The hat just mentioned a trait from each of the four Houses. "A talented young wizard ... You could go far, but where to place you. You will be a key to whatever house I place you in. This is a difficult decision....