The Sorting
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
Harry followed the booming voice with Daphne and Tracey, joining the crowd of first years gathering at the edge of the platform. The enormous gamekeeper, Hagrid, held a lantern high above their heads, illuminating a steep path that led down to the water's edge.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, gesturing to a fleet of small boats sitting in the water.
Harry climbed into a boat with Daphne and Tracey. They were joined by Theodore Nott, a handsome boy with sharp features who gave them a polite nod before settling in. Harry noticed both girls glance appreciatively at their boat-mate before Daphne caught herself and looked away with slight embarrassment.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"
The fleet of boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake's surface like glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the vast castle overhead. It towered against the starry sky, windows sparkling in the night.
"It's even more beautiful than I imagined," Tracey whispered. Harry noticed her hand find Daphne's in the darkness.
They sailed under a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face, through a dark tunnel that seemed to take them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around a huge oak front door. Hagrid raised his gigantic fist and knocked three times.
The door swung open immediately to reveal Professor McGonagall in emerald-green robes. Her stern face surveyed them all as Hagrid handed them over to her care.
She led them across the flagged stone floor into a small chamber off the hall. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right - the rest of the school must already be here.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall began. She explained about the four houses and the sorting ceremony, how their houses would be like their families within Hogwarts, and about the points system. Harry noticed several groups of students draw closer together during her speech, while others like Nott remained calmly independent.
When she left them to prepare for the ceremony, excited whispers broke out among the first years. Tracey turned to Daphne.
"Where do you think Theo will end up?" she asked quietly.
"Slytherin, obviously," Daphne replied with certainty. "Like his whole family."
Nott, overhearing, gave a slight smile but said nothing.
Professor McGonagall returned and led them into the Great Hall. Thousands of candles floated beneath a ceiling that perfectly mirrored the starry night sky outside. Four long tables stretched the length of the hall, students in black robes watching the new arrivals with interest. At the far end, the staff table curved in a gentle arc, with Albus Dumbledore seated at its center in robes of midnight blue scattered with silver stars.
A battered wizard's hat sat on a wooden stool before them. Harry watched as a rip near its brim opened wide and it began to sing, describing the qualities of each house.
When the song finished, Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted."
"Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled forward and put on the hat. After a moment's pause -
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered as Hannah went to sit down. Harry watched as "Bones, Susan" also became a Hufflepuff, followed by "Boot, Terry" becoming the first Ravenclaw, and Churchill, Winston going to Gryffindor.
"Davis, Tracey!"
Harry felt Daphne squeeze her friend's hand briefly. Tracey walked to the stool with determined steps, though Harry noticed her hands trembling slightly as she lifted the hat.
The hat took several long moments with Tracey before declaring "SLYTHERIN!" Harry saw relief flash across her face as she headed for the green-and-silver table.
More names were called. A thin boy named Goebbels practically ran to the stool when his name was called, and was quickly sorted into Slytherin. He took his seat at the table, immediately pulling out a small journal and beginning to write.
"Greengrass, Daphne!"
Daphne moved forward with characteristic grace. The hat settled over her blonde hair, and after just a few seconds, called "SLYTHERIN!" She removed the hat with a satisfied smile and went to join Tracey.
Then - "Hitler, Adolf!"
The brim fell over his eyes, and darkness enveloped him.
"Interesting... very interesting," said a small voice in his ear. "Such ambition, yes, and cunning too. A powerful mind... but also great courage. You would do well in Gryffindor, you know. The bravery is there, and the passion..."
"Not Gryffindor," Adolf thought fiercely. "Slytherin. It must be Slytherin."
"Are you sure? You could be great in Gryffindor. Your mother might be pleased..."
"Slytherin," Adolf insisted. "I know who I am and what I must become."
"Ah, yes... I see it now. The destiny you've chosen. Very well - better be SLYTHERIN!"
The dark-haired boy removed the hat and strode to the Slytherin table, taking a seat beside Goebbels who looked up eagerly from his writing.
"Malfoy, Draco!"
Draco strode forward with complete confidence. The hat had barely touched his head when it screamed "SLYTHERIN!" Smirking slightly, he took his place at the table.
"Nott, Theodore!"
Their handsome boat-mate walked forward with easy confidence. The hat had barely touched his head before declaring "SLYTHERIN!"
Then finally -
"Potter, Harry!"
Harry walked to the stool, catching a glimpse of Daphne and Tracey watching him before the hat dropped over his eyes.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. A sharp mind too. There's talent, oh yes, certainly, and a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?"
Harry thought of his parents' words about being true to himself.
"Interesting," the hat mused. "You could do well in Gryffindor, you know. But I sense something else... a resourcefulness, a certain disregard for the rules when they conflict with what you believe is right. Yes... I know just where to put you. Better be SLYTHERIN!"
The sorting continued. A dark-haired boy called Stalin was sorted into Slytherin, though he looked distinctly unhappy about it. He immediately went to sit at the far end of the table, as far from everyone else as possible.
"Roosevelt, Franklin!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
When "von Hohenlohe, Stephanie" was called, a striking girl walked confidently to the stool. The hat remained silent for an unusually long time, and Harry could see her lips moving, as if she was arguing with it. Finally, after what seemed like several minutes, the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!" Though she hid it quickly, Harry caught a flash of disappointment cross her face before she joined the red and gold table.
Ron Weasley went to Gryffindor, joining his brothers. Finally, "Zabini, Blaise" became the last Slytherin, taking a seat near them.
Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away as Dumbledore rose to his feet. The headmaster spread his arms wide in welcome, his blue eyes twinkling.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
He sat back down. Harry turned to Daphne with raised eyebrows.
"He seems a bit mad" he said quietly.
"Father says Dumbledore is a brilliant man" she replied thoughtfully. "But yes, perhaps a bit mad. Though I suspect to some degree he cultivates that impression deliberately."
The empty dishes before them suddenly filled with food. Harry helped himself to roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, listening as conversations sprang up around them. The Slytherin table was alive with talk and laughter, though distinct groups quickly formed.
Malfoy was dominating the conversation around him, clearly enjoying the attention his family connection brought. "Grandfather's doing what needs to be done at the Ministry. As Minister of Magic, he understands what's best for our world. Though of course, you've got people like Eisner and his lot trying to ruin everything..."
Further down the table, Goebbels was writing frantically in his journal while Hitler, and two others Harry remembered from the sorting as Himmler, and Göring sat clustered around him. Himmler kept trying to show the others something in his notes while Göring seemed more interested in sampling every dish within reach, piling his plate high with everything he could reach.
"Look at these genealogies," Harry heard Himmler insisting. "If you trace the lines back far enough-"
"Pass the potatoes first," Göring interrupted, already halfway through his third helping of roast beef.
The silent boy called Stalin sat alone at the far end, picking at his food and occasionally glancing toward the Ravenclaw table where a thin boy with wire-rimmed glasses and another with reddish hair seemed to be having an intense discussion.
Closer by, Tracey was explaining television to a fascinated Blaise Zabini, while Nott listened with polite interest.
"So the pictures move, like wizard photographs?" Zabini asked.
"Similar, but they tell complete stories," Tracey explained. "Like... whole plays right in your home."
"Interesting how they manage without magic," Nott commented diplomatically, before smoothly changing the subject to their class schedules.
"My sister will be joining us next year," Daphne mentioned as she served herself potatoes. "She's already counting the days."
"The one I saw at the station?" Harry asked, remembering the dark-haired girl who'd hugged Daphne goodbye. "You seem close."
"We are." Something softened in Daphne's expression. "Astoria is special. She hasn't always had an easy time of it, but she's stronger than she knows."
"She's absolutely adorable," Tracey added warmly. "You'll see when you meet her properly, Harry. Sweetest person you'll ever meet. Though don't let that fool you - she's brilliant too."
Daphne smiled at that, warmth entering her typically cool tone. "She'll probably end up better than all of us."
When the last desserts disappeared, Dumbledore rose again to give some start-of-term notices about the Forbidden Forest and various school rules. Finally, they sang the school song - everyone finishing at different times and in different tunes - before being dismissed to their dormitories. As they followed the Slytherin prefects down to the dungeons, Harry found himself falling into easy conversation with his new housemates.
The Slytherin common room, when they reached it, took his breath away. Green light filtered through the lake above, casting rippling patterns across the stone walls. Silver lanterns cast a warm glow over leather armchairs and carved wooden tables. Through the windows, Harry caught glimpses of dark shapes moving in the water.
"Welcome to Slytherin," the prefect, Selwyn, announced. "You'll find your dormitories through those doors - girls on the left, boys on the right. Your belongings have already been brought up."
As they separated for the night, Harry noticed Hitler's group claiming a corner of the common room. Goebbels was still writing in his journal while Himmler spread out what looked like family trees across the table. Göring had claimed the most comfortable armchair and was finishing off a pocket full of desserts he'd smuggled from the feast. But then Daphne caught his eye and gave him a small wave goodnight, and Harry headed for his dormitory feeling that whatever challenges lay ahead, he'd made the right choice when he'd let the hat put him here.
In his bed that night, listening to the lake water lapping against the windows, Harry thought about writing to his parents. They'd want to know about his sorting, about his new friends, about everything that had happened. But his eyes were growing heavy, and his thoughts were already drifting toward tomorrow's classes. The letter could wait until morning. Within moments of his head touching the pillow, the gentle sound of the lake had lulled him into a deep, dreamless sleep.