The Sorting Hat
The massive door swung open, and there stood Professor McGonagall. She had a stern look on her face, Rosie knew how kind she was underneath.
“The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall,”
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." The teacher thanked the half-giant and led the first years into the castle. Rosie was still in awe of the castle; its size intimidated her. This castle could fit five of the Dursleys’ houses and still have much room.
They followed Professor McGonagall through stone floors and marble staircases. Rosie could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — 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. “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 like your family's house in 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."
Rosie had read a little about the housing of Hogwarts in her parent's journals and her mum's copy of Hogwarts: a History. The basic principle was Gryffindor's were brave and bold never flinching in the face of danger. Hufflepuff housed the hard-working and loyal. Ravenclaw was the house of intellect. And finally, Slytherin the house of the ambitious and cunning.
“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes before 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. Please wait.” Rosie snapped her attention to McGonagall as the professor disappeared into a room, leaving the first years waiting.
The girl quickly dusted off any dirt that got on her robes; she saw Neville and Ron do the same. Roselyn also tried to brush her out as much as she could with her fingers. Her aunt tried to cut it short multiple times as she grew but it always returned to her shoulders the next day. So her aunt just stopped altogether.
Because of that, her hair grew to the middle of her back. As Rosie fixed her headband, Ron spoke next to her. "I heard from my brother Fred, said that they give you a test. But I don't believe it," Rosie had read how they sort the students in Hogwarts A history so she answered.
"I don't know how they exactly do this, but I read they scan you somehow and find out which house fits you best."
"Yeah, I think my gran said the same thing," Neville confirmed, And Rosie stared to feel the pit in her stomach. What if she doesn't fit in any house? What if she can't perform magic? What if she gets sent back to- No, no don't think like that. The headmaster himself went to her house and confronted her relatives. He accepted her without question. Rosie was pulled out of her thoughts when someone screamed.
Whipping around, she froze in shock as she stared, and many others doing the same. Ghosts, 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 deserves? 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.”
Students quickly did so, and Rosie found herself walking beside Ron and Neville. They walked out of the chamber, across the hall, and through a pair of giant double doors and into the Great Hall.
Rosie had never seen anything like this. The great was massive, and many floating candles lit the room. The candles floated over the four long tables spanning the hall. At the foreend of the hall was another long table where the teachers sat.
Professor McGonagall led the first years before the teacher's table. As of this they were facing the rows of students seated, Rosie scanned over the tables and she found Cedric. He was seated at the Hufflepuff table with his other housemates.
Their eyes lock, and Cedric gives an ecorning smile. Rosie smiles back as she gives her attention to the Professor, who sets up a stool and places an old, worn, pointed wizard's hat on top. The hat is patched, frayed, and incredibly dirty.
'Is this, how they sort us?' Rosie thought it seemed the case as everyone in the hall was staring at the hat. It was silence for a bit as everyone watched that hat. But that's when it twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing:
“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 hall burst into applause after the hat finished the song. As it bowed before the students. "is that how we get sorted?" Ron asked, as both Neville and Rosie shrugged unsure. Rosie herself felt that placing a hat on their heads was a simple way to sort the students but doing it in front of everyone may be a bit much.
She thought about the four house traits. She didn't feel that brave, but being herself even in front of the Durserlys might make her brave in that aspect. She was smart, as she understood what her parents' books taught before she really knew what it was. But being in Gryffindor was another link to her parents, as that was their house.
Rosie snapped out of her thoughts when Professor McGonagall spoke, in her hands was 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!”
Said, girl stepped forward. Sitting on the stool as the professor placed the hat on her head covering her eyes. A moment of silence before-
“HUFFLEPUFF!” shouted the hat.
The Hufflepuff table exploded in cheers as McGonagall waved her want changing Abbott's tie from black to yellow and black Hufflepuff's house colors. The girl went to sit down with her new housemates and Fat Friar greeted her.
The next few students received the same reception from their houses, the hat took a few minutes with each student. But in Malfoy's case, the hat just barely had to touch his head before it shouted Slytherin. Then it was her turn.
"Evens, Roselyn." Her stomach pinched, as she stepped forward. Professor Dumbledor gave her an encouraging look along with McGonagall, but when she glanced at the other teachers. One was staring intently at her, he wore all black, had a hooked nose, and greasy hair that rested at his shoulders.
Feeling creeped out by his stare, Rosie held her head down as she sat on the stool, and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head.
`Hmm,' said a small voice in her ear. `Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There’s talent, oh my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that’s interesting. . . . So where shall I put you?'
'not Slytherin, Gyrffindor, Gyrffindor.' Rosie thought back, as she gripped the edge of the stool.
'Not Slytherin, eh?' The voice said, 'Ah, Gryffindor. Your parent's house, to feel closer to them after what happened. Don't worry, I won't tell your secret. Well then better be GYRFFINDOR!'
The hat spoke aloud the word and said table clapped for her. As Professor McGonagall changed her tie to red and gold, she then sat down at the Gryffindor table. She met Ron's other brothers, Percy, the oldest Weasely going to Hogwarts, and the twins Fred and George.
The sorting ceremony continued, with Neville and Ron joining her in Gryffindor. With the final kid going to Slytherin, McGonagall rolled up the scroll and put the hat away joining her fellow teachers at the head table.
Rosie stared at her empty golden plate, realizing how hungry she was. Those snacks and sweets seem ages ago.
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.
“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!”
He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Rosie didn’t know whether to laugh or not. She had met Dumbledore before, but he didn't seem that strange.
"Is he a bit, mad?" She heard Ron ask while his brother Percy scolded him.
“Mad?” said Percy airily. “Ron, he’s a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad"
Rosie turned to the table and then did a double take when the entire table was filled with all sorts of food. She had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.
Her stomach rumbled, at the food. She dug in, she ate as much as she could. Thanks to her staying at the Leaky Cauldron, she could eat more than she did when she met Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall. But she could barely hold a candle to Ron as he practically inhaled his food.
As Rosie cut up her stake, a ghost passing by stared longly at the food. “That does look good,”
"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 service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower.” Sir Nick introduced himself, and Rosie felt a bit sad for him.
“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?” Hermione asked, a bit rudely.
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 were 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.”
Rosie looked at the Slytherin Table, where she saw Draco conversing with the Baron. Who like his namesake was covered in blood, which made his blank eyes and gaunt face even more scary.
“How-How did he get covered in blood?” asked Neville but fear was in his voice.
“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 . . .
Rosie helped herself to something similar to a tart (a treacle tart) as the talk turned to families.
“I’m half-and-half,” said another Gryffindor first-year, Seamus Rosie thinks. “Me dad’s a Muggle. Mum 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.”
Rosie stared in shock at Neville's story. Seeing how sad it made Neville, she offered her hand for comfort. Neville took it, grateful for her offer. Rosemary overheard Harmonie talking to Percy about the courses, classes, and teachers as dinner continued.
Rosie looked up at the head table again, Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Another teacher with an absurd purple turban talking to the hooked nose teacher who stared at her earlier.
But then a sharp pain exploded from her scar, and Rosie flinched at the pain. She brought a hand to her forehead out of reflex.
"You alright Rosie?" Percy asked noticing her flinch.
"I'm fine just a headache." The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Rosemary had gotten from the teacher’s look — a feeling that he missed something when he looked at her.
“Who’s that teacher talking to Professor with the purple turban?” she asked Percy.
“Oh, that's Quirrell he teaches defense against the dark arts, and that’s Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn’t want to — everyone knows he’s after Quirrell’s job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."
Snape looked away when she caught him and didn't look again. So she just continued with her desserts. Finally, the desserts disappeared ending dinner. And Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.
“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.
“First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.”
Dumbledore’s twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.
“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.
“Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. 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 as construction is happening in that part of the castle. So for everyone's safety, an age line was put in place. No one under 19 is permitted to enter the corridor.”
"Guess that made sense, the corridor always smiled funky." Rosie heard one of the older students say. Before the students were dismissed to go to their dorms, they sang the school song.
But Rose felt that pit in her stomach, she read in Hogwarts a history that the stairs in the Gryffindor towards were charmed so wouldn't let the opposite gender enter the dorm rooms.
Would the castle accept her? Would it let her enter the girl's dorm? Or would it refuse her entry and everyone would know she was a boy? What would happen if that happened? What would everyone think?! Would Ron abandon her? Would Neville too? Would she be a freak by even wizard standards?
"Rose?" Ron's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She then realized that the school song ended and the perfects were leading the students to the dorm. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah." Rosie tried to ignore the questioning look in his eyes, as they caught up with the rest of the group. The first years followed Percy as he led them through the twisting corridors of the castle and up the stairs.
Rose's legs were beginning to fall asleep from all the walking and it didn't help she was stuffed with food. What also wasn't helping was her anxiety about the Gryffindor stairs. But as she tried to block those thoughts when the group came to a stop.
“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, he tried dropping the walking sticks on Neville’s head. But Rosie was quick and caught them before they fell on the boy's head.
"Thank you, Rosie." Neville thanked the girl as she placed the walking sticks against the wall and rejoined the group.
“You want to watch out for Peeves,” said Percy, as they set off again. “The Bloody Baron’s the only one who can control him, 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.
Rosie stopped, staring at the spiral staircase leading to the girl's dorms. Her hands trembled as she stepped on the first step of the stairs. Then another and another, when she finally reached her dorm room. It finally hit her.
The castle accepted her, it accepted she was a girl and allowed her to the girls' dorm. Rosie fought tears as she opened the door to her room.
Inside were her roommates.
"Oh, hey! You're our final roommate?" one of the girls asked (Rosie remembered her name was Lavender). Rosie nodded, as she reached her bed with her trunk on top. The dorm itself was pretty big, with four large four-postered beds hung with deep red curtains with gold accents.
"Yea, I'm Roselyn Evans but call Rosie." She said, her other roommates were Hermione and a girl who Rose remembered that was a twin. The rest of the night was a blur, to be honest. Rosie greeted her other roommates and quickly got ready for bed, changing out of her robes in the bathroom and into a set of pajamas.
Pulling the curtains of her bed close and just lying there late into the night long after her roommates fell asleep.
Rosie felt the tears roll down her face, as the reality set in. This was real, she was a witch and she was on her way to learn everything her new world showed her. As she fell asleep she wasn't tormented by nightmares of the cupboard but by happy dreams of hanging out with her friends. And there were a few moments with her and Cedric.