Chapter 7
(italics mean it's not out loud)
They traipsed onto the extremely wet and crowded platform all following Ivan because he was the only one who could see over the mass of bodies. Ivan was following Ron because his bright red hair was one of the few things he could see in the dark station who in turn was following Harry who was walking towards an extremely large man yelling "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!"
After stumbling and tripping for a good few minutes and Gilbert loudly complaining about the terrible weather before Arthur had to bonk him into silence. Many of the children giggled at this readily available comedy a few moments after getting out of a cramped train compartment with people they didn't know and had to sit awkwardly with for 4 hours. Ivan got slightly annoyed at this and ended up picking those two apart manually and placed the sulking midgets on either side of Lukas.
Hagrid was audibly chuckling at their antics when he said "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' round this bend here."
A lot of the crowd oohed and aahed at the beautifully placed and preserved castle, even the nations had to be impressed because they knew how easily forts and castles could fall into disrepair.
Hagrid then said "No more'n four in a boat! An' you lad can get in with me" He said while pointing to Ivan, who complied and got into his boat while the magic trio got into one with Gilbert while Natalya, Hermionie, a short round-faced boy and Harry got into another. Leaving Ron to sit in another boat that had two boys apparently called Dean and Seamus already in it. Once they had all settled down the boats started to move on their own accord, apparently following the tall man's (who Ivan had found out was named Hagrid)boat.
They all had to duck to avoid being smacked by ivy (some had to duck less or more than others) and went through a wide opening in a cliff face where they were carried through a dark tunnel. After a few moments, all the nations and a few of the other students shivered, feeling the power of the school come nearer and they all felt energised at the very minimum. At the maximum however were Vlad and Hermionie, who caused sparks to erupt and cause a little commotion and cause everyone's hair in the boat to fluff up respectively.
Natalya giggled and Harry just grumbled as his hair was already always messy and the round-faced boy chuckled nervously, while with Vlad, Lukas just stepped on the sparks and said nothing else about it.
They stumbled out of the boat and onto smooth and wet pebbles, they all jolted when Hagrid yelled to the round-faced boy while making sure everyone had gotten out of the boats.
"Oy you there! Is this your toad?"
The boy blissfully cried "Trevor!" while holding out his hands for the frog, once the toad was firmly in his grasp they clambered up the stone steps towards the castle and crowded around a huge oak door when Hagrid asked.
"Everyone here? You there still got yer toad?"
He raised a gigantic fist and knocked 3 times on the castle door.
The sorting ceremony.
The doors swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there and beckoned the children inside as Hagrid said
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall"
"Thank you Hagrid, I will take them from here." She seemed like a person not to cross.
She pulled the doors wide and watched as the children looked in awe at the massive entrance hall, one that could easily fit an entire house in it. There was a drone of voices coming from a door on the side, meaning that the other students were already there.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall "The start of term banquet will start 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 the same dormitory and spend your 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 you house points and any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most house 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 smarten up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered on Neville's cloak, Ron's smudged nose and the wild hair of Arthur, Gilbert and HArry.
"I shall return when we are ready for you." Professor McGonagall said, "And please wait quietly."
She left the chamber and a lot of excited and scared muttering broke out "How will they sort us,"
"I think it's a test or something."
During this ghosts swooped into the chamber, scaring the living daylights out of most of everyone, they hadn't seemed to notice the horrified first years and seemed to be arguing.
"Forgive and forget, that's what I always say, we ought to give him a second chance." A portly monk said to another ghost with ruffs and tights who said
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know he is not even really a ghost-I say, what are you all doing here?"
The ghost wearing ruffs and tights apparently had noticed the students and the monk said
"New students! About to be sorted I suppose?"
A few people nodded mutely while Natalya looked uncomfortable because the ruff wearing ghost was staring into her soul.
The other ghost was blissfully oblivious and said "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house you know."
"Move along now, the ceremony is about to start," a sharp voice said and the ghosts left the room.
"Now form a line and follow me."
The children rushed to put themselves into a line and were led through a pair of double doors right into the entrance hall where many of the students were awed by the floating candles and the impressive architecture.
Ther were 4 long tables filled with students and each had a different banner on top of the table, A lion, A raven, A badger and a snake. They were led in front of another table with teachers and made to line up in front of it. Professor McGonagall ser a four-legged stool and placed an extremely dirty patched hat on the stool.
The hat twitched and a rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and started 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 have a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin,
Where you'll meet 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 am a Thinking Cap.'
The hall burst into applause for the hat while the first years just stood there awkwardly, a few of them deflated visibly as it seemed all they had to do was try on the hat and it would know all.
This really worried the nations since they didn't want a rogue hat sifting through their unusually long memories, but they had no choice so they had to take their chances.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a huge roll of parchment and read out
"ABBOT, HANNAH"after a brief time it yelled out "HUFFLEPUFF
"ARLOVSKAYA, NATALYA"
She sat down on the chair, mildly worried that the hat would spill
"Hello Belarus"
"How do you know I am a nation?"
"You aren't worried that I am talking in your mind"
"Not really."
"Right I am just going to sift through your mind. Please hold"
"Hmmm, protective over family, kind of impulsive, can be fun, yet sly and cunning. You have all the markings of both a Slytherin and a Gryffindor, but I choose Gryffindor for you
"GRYFFINDOR" The Gryffindor table cheered as she put down the hat and sat down
"BELISCHMIDT GILBERT" He was impressed that she pronounced his name correctly and put on the hat, but not before hearing mutterings of "An albino, strange.."
"Hello Prussia," The hat said
"HOW DO YOU KNOW I'M A NATION AND WHY ARE YOU IN MY HEAD!"
"You were a nation, emphasis on were"
"HEY, THAT WAS UNAWESOME!"
"Just let me sift through your mind, I will be judging you lot by your character, not your history because...."
"Hmmm, Impulsive, doesn't think things through, master of chaos, made a deal with Fred and George. Definitely a Gryfindor, no question."
"GRYFFINDOR"
The Gryffindor table cheered once again and Fred and George looked at each other, with mischievous smiles on their faces, scaring their older brother Percy.
"BONDEVIK, LUKAS"
Lukas walked up to the hat, looking confident and almost bored and jammed it onto his head, wincing as it slid down over his eyes a litttle.
"Hey hat."
"......"
"HAT!"
"BLOODY HELL NORWAY. No need to yell!"
"Remember, you have to sort me..."
"Fine.... smart, has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, tends to be prideful, hates being proven wrong and is no stranger to underhand tactics. Ravenclaw."
"RAVENCLAW"
Lukas walked over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down in a vacant area of the table
"BOOT, TERRY" The hat stayed on the ginger for a few minutes before yelling out "RAVENCLAW" the cheerful boy sat down next to Lukas and began chatting him up.
"BONES, SUSAN" The hat almost immediately yelled "HUFFLEPUFF"
A few more were sorted before
"BRAGINSKY, IVAN"
Ivan awkwardly walked up to the hat and put it on his head amidst mutterings of
"Are you sure he is a first-year?"
"Yea, if he was a transfer that old bat would have told us."
"Which old bat?"
"Hello Russia"
"AHHHh, Mr hat, why are you talking in my head?
"That's what I do, I go through our mind and place you in one of the Four houses."
"Spasibo, for telling me and how did Belarus get into Gryffindor, I don't want her to get hurt!"
"Listen to me, Ivan. DO you honestly think that anybody could hurt Belarus, and she has the qualities of both a Slytherin and Gryffindor but I put her in Gryffindor so she becomes better with people."
"Thank you, Mr Hat."
"Let me sort you now! Hmm sly, sneaky, childishly violent, very protective and worrying, scares people unintentionally, actually very loyal. "Slytherin with Hufflepuff qualities, interesting"
"SLYTHERIN"
Ivan took the hat off and sat at the edge of the Slytherin table, not wanting to scare anybody and he had a strange feeling that that pointy faced boy would be here soon and he rally did not like him.
Over on the Gryffindor table, Natalya sulked since she couldn't have her big brother with her but appreciated the fearful attempt in comfort by Gilbert to avoid her taking her anger out on him which concerned a few but no one mentioned it.
The sorting ceremony continued without a hitch until Potter came along, but with a notable mention of the hat not even touching Malfoy's head and yelling Slytherin and Ivan wincing as it did so.
"POTTER, HARRY"
The entire hall went silent, and it seemed like the whole building was holding its breath, and after a few moments the hat yelled "GRYFFINDOR!" and the far right of the room exploded in loud cheers but was eventually settled down by what Ivan assumed was the headmaster.
"POPSECU, VLADAMIR
Next was Vlad, who sauntered up to the hat, wincing internally as someone muttered "Red eyes, and pointy teeth, sure he's not a vampire" and smirked when Gilbert waspishly replied "No he is not, he is perfectly normal." and jammed the hat onto his head.
"OI MR HAT, YOU IN HERE!"
"AAGAGh, yes I am. How many more of you are there Romania, sorting nations is hard."
"Just me and Iggy left! Now sort me quickly, I want to explain all of this to Gilbert!"
"Good for you, since you have a very Griffindorish mind. Lacking common sense, protecti- HOLY SHIT YOU MADE A DEAL WITH THE WEASELY TWINS!"
"Yea, what about it."
"YOU DID IT WITH PRUSSIA DIDN'T YOU!"
"YES"
"......McGonagall is going to have many, many more grey hairs before you are out."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Vlad took off the hat and sprinted down to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Gilbert, and was immediately verbally attacked by the Weasley twins, in a good way of course and noticed how Natalya was having a heated, very technical conversation with Hermionie and internally smiled.
Knowing that Natalya finally got a friend made him feel good, and he was sure Ivan liked it as well.
Finally, it was Arthurs turn.
"KIRKLAND ARTHUR"
Arthur walked up to the hat, no emotion showing on his face and honestly looking a little bored and put the hat onto his head.
"Hello England"
"Hello hat, how are you doing."
"Just fine, other than the fact that I have had to sort 6 nations today."
"Oh stop griping, you haven't sorted any of us in ages,"
"What about North!"
"Other than him."
"Anyways, back to the sorting. Ahh, you've barely changed have you?"
"Of course I have!"
"Let's see, still very ambitious even though your empire is gone, still protective of your- HOLY SHIT HOW BIG IS YOUR FAMILY!"
"Quite large,"
"NO SHIT SHERLOCK, anyways. Underhand tactics are your best friends, jealousy is still very prevalent. You are still a Slytherin
"SLYTHERIN!"
Arthur walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down next to Ivan and waited as the rest were sorted and the headmaster said some odd words and let everyone tuck in.
At the Gryffindor table, Gilbert was poking the food on his plate disgusted, when one of the redheads, whose mouth was full of food, asked him why he wasn't eating.
"Nien, I vhill not eat that. I do not wish to die again."
"Huh?"
"I once ate Arthurs and his brothers cooking and passed out for 3 days. I will not eat British food."
"....Not all British food is that bad, just try some."
"Fine, but If I die I will come back to haunt you" He took a large bite of potatoes and gravy, had a minor epiphany and continued shovelling food down his throat.
"I assume that means it is safe to eat," Natalya said, raising an eyebrow and began to eat, but with much more dignity, but still stuffed her face.
They both looked at Vlad at the same time, who was essentially inhaling the food, as was Ron, how they did that no one would ever know.
After the headmaster made his usual announcements and they sang the school song, they were all sent to their Dorm rooms, where they found all their stuff conveniently under their beds.