Free Web NovelChapter 485: The Talking Hat
The door swung open at once. A tiny little wizard with white hair and glasses, in silvery blue robes, stood there.
"The firs’ years, Professor Flitwick," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." He moved his wand and the door opened wide. The first years "OOHH" -ed a little, seeing Professor Flitwick’s magic, which made him smile big.
The entrance hall was so big that Hazel thought they could have fit their whole house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. They followed Professor Flitwick across the flagged stone floor. Hazel 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 Flitwick 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. Hazel stood with Cyrus, Willow and Harvey around her.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor Flitwick. "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."
Hazel smiled at her friends, already wondering which house they would be in.
"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." Professor Flitwick’s eyes lingered for a moment on the students, and when his eyes met Hazel’s, he gave an excited squeak. This made the other first years look at Hazel, and she smiled at them nervously. Some returned the smile, some did not.
"Now, form a line," Professor Flitwick told the first years, "And follow me." freewebnovel.cσ๓
Hazel’s excitement was turning into nervousness now as she and Willow got into the girls’ line. The dark-haired girl in front of Hazel looked terrified as they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Hazel had imagined this place countless times from the stories her parents and others shared, but seeing it was strange and splendid. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that 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.
"Look," Willow whispered excitedly, and Hazel followed her gaze and looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.
"It’s so beautiful," Hazel whispered, her eyes sparkling with excitement again.
"I have never seen anything like this before," said the girl in front of Hazel.
"It’s bewitched to look like the sky outside," Harvey said from the boys’ line beside them. "Mom made me memorise the whole ’Hogwarts: A History’ Book. That’s why I know."
Hazel and Willow chuckled, hearing Harvey, while the girl looked at Harvey, then back at us, surprised, before quickly looking ahead. Hazel and Willow looked at each other, confused.
At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor Flitwick 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 looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver.
Hazel’s eyes quickly found her father on the teacher’s table, sitting beside the Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor McGongall. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes with a very stern face. Hazel thought the headmistress looked as scary as Hazel’s parents and her Uncle Ron had described, and the headmistress was not someone to cross.
Hazel looked back at her father, and Harry smiled, catching her eyes. Hazel smiled back, just as Professor Flitwick waved his wand and levitated a four-legged stool and silently placed it in front of the first years. On top of the stool, he put a pointed wizard’s hat. This hat was patched, frayed and extremely dirty.
"The sorting hat," Willow whispered, almost in wonder.
Like Willow, every other student stared at the sorting hat. 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:
"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."
Hazel looked baffled because nobody told her that the sorting hat could sing, and judging by the reactions of other first years, they didn’t know either.
The sorting hat continued:
"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."
After a few more lines, Hazel started to pay attention to the song.
"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 Hufflepuffis 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! freeωebnovēl.c૦m
You’re in safe hands (though I have none)
For I’m a Thinking Cap!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. Hazel applauded with the rest of the hall, her excitement about sorting into a house returned fully again.
Professor Flitwick waved his wand again and stepped forward as a long roll of parchment came floating in front of him.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," he said as the parchment floated at his eye level and he started reading the names on it. "Allen, Benedict!"
A boy a little taller than them broke from the boys’ line and stepped to the front. He walked to the stool, sat down, and put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes —a moment’s pause.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Benedict, grinning, went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table.
"Barnes, Amelia!" Professor Flitwick called next, and a girl with blonde hair stepped out.
"RAVENCLAW!" The hat announced.
The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Amelia, who beamed with pride as she joined them.
"Blackwood, Arthur!"
A chubby-faced boy stepped up and put on the hat, which almost hid his entire face.
"GRYFFINDOR!" said the hat after a moment, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.
Hazel stared at the Gryffindor table and saw Fiona there, cheering with other Gryffindors. Hazel knew she would go and sit there after some time.
"Creevy, Willow!" Professor Flitwick called next, and Hazel’s eyes quickly went to Willow, who slowly stepped out and squeezed Hazel’s hand with excitement.
"Good luck," Hazel grinned as Willow walked up to the tool and sat down with the hat on her head.
[To be continued]
