Life at Hogwarts, chapter 2 (Amy's point of view)

The door opened before the woman had finished knocking. A tall, stern-looking woman with black hair glanced at the crowd. “Ah, the first years.” She smiled curtly. “Thank you, professor Grubbly-Plank. Come now, follow me.” She beaconed Amy and the others into a huge entrance hall, complete with flaming torches, an incredibly high ceiling and a marble staircase leading to upper floors. There was another set of big double-doors, where Amy could hear voices, but the tall lady led them into a smaller chamber just off the hall.

“Welcome to Hogwarts, I am professor McGonagall,” she said. “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. Since many of you may have brothers or sisters in your houses, it could be your real family too. 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 honor indeed.

“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly.” She left the chamber, and Rhoda started hyper-ventilating.

 “Breathe, it’ll all be fine!” Lane said soothingly, and she tried to relax, but shortly resumed her heavy-breathing.

 Professor McGonagall returned seconds later. “The Sorting Ceremony is about to start. Get into line, and follow me.” Everyone scrambled to obey her orders. Amy slid behind Mark, as the line marched out of the chamber, and through the double-doors Amy had noticed earlier.

 The Great Hall had four long tables, one for each house and a table at the front where the staff was seated. Amy looked up and stared at the infamous ceiling that was bewitched to look like the sky outside. The line slithered in between two tables (Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff) and up to the front, where McGonagall directed them to stay in line, but face the student body. She placed a stool in front of them, and on the stool in front of them, and on the stool was an ancient hat with a wide rip near the brim.

 No one talked; the Great Hall was silent. Amy raised her eyebrows in surprised, as the rip on the hat opened wide, and began to sing:

 In times of old, when I was new,
And Hogwarts barely started,
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted.
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach"
The four good friends decided.
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided.
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw,
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there, so I can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry's purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest"
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name."
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light.
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning just like him.
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest
and taught them all she knew,
Thus, the Houses and their founders
Maintained friendships firm and true.

So Hogwarts worked in harmony
for several happy years,
but then discord crept among us
feeding on our faults and fears.

The Houses that, like pillars four
had once held up our school
now turned upon each other and
divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
must meet an early end.
what with dueling and with fighting
and the clash of friend on friend.
And at last there came a morning
when old Slytherin departed
and though the fighting then died out
he left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
were whittled down to three
have the Houses been united
as they once were meant to be.

And now the Sorting Hat is here
and you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
because that is what I'm for.
But this year I'll go further,
listen closely to my song:
though condemned I am to split you
still I worry that it's wrong,
though I must fulfill my duty
and must quarter every year
still I wonder whether sorting
may not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
the warning history shows,
for our Hogwarts is in danger
from external, deadly foes
and we must unite inside her
or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
let the Sorting now begin.

 The hat stopped singing. Applause broke out, but Amy couldn’t help but notice it wasn’t very enthusiastic. Students all over the Hall were whispering to their neighbor. Professor McGonagall glared out into the crowd, and they were silenced.

 “When I call your name.” she announced, “You must put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted.” Amy noticed the teacher now had a rather long piece of parchment, from which she read the name, “Abercrombie, Euan.”

Euan stumbled forward, and put on the hat. After a moment, the rip opened once more and announced, “GRYFFINDOR!”

 The Hall filled with clapping as Euan rushed over to the table on the far left. It was alphabetical, so Amy knew she’d be up soon. She breathed very deeply as “Anash, Carmen” marched up, and was declared a “SLYTHERIN.”

 “Breallen, Carlie.” Called McGonagall, and Pigtails skipped up to the stool. With a jolt of embarrassment, Amy realized she hadn’t even known the girl’s name before then.

 "GRYFFINDOR!” the hat cried.  Amy clapped silently in her head.

 “Brians, Jason.” Was next and there was loud clapping after he became the first new “RAVENCLAW.”

 McGonagall read the next name. “Cowley, Amy.” Amy could hear her own name echoing in the Hall. She stepped forward, and as she sat down, she noticed Nash watching her from the Gryffindor table.

 The hat had barely touched her head before it yelled, “GRYFFINDOR!” Amy heard Nash cheering the loudest in the school. Carlie scooched over on the bench so Amy could sit next to her, and Amy gave her a relieved high-five.

 Amy thought she heard the hat yell “RAVENCLAW” when “Douglas, Nolan” went up to be sorted, although she listened more intently when McGonagall called, “Earnest, Lise.”

 Amy could see Carlie tense up as her best friend sat down on the stool. But, to her disappointment, the hat declared Lise a “RAVENCLAW.”

 “Dang it!” exclaimed Carlie. “Now no one will be there to explain what she’s thinking!” Amy laughed, and “Elvs, Caloeb” became a “SLYTHERIN.”

 “Foster, Brayden.” A boy with dark hair and tanned skin stepped forward. Amy thought he looked relatively friendly, but to her surprise, he turned out to be a Slytherin.

“Gavins, Lenny” was also named a Slytherin, but “Gerome, Lauren” was a Ravenclaw. “Goode, Charlotte”, “Gratey, Oliver” and “Harley, David” were all put into Hufflepuff, before “Hollingsworth, Makenzie” joined Lauren in Ravenclaw.

 “Hornby, Lane.” Announced McGonagall.

 Lane looked even taller up on the stage. Amy couldn’t help but notice he was shaking nervously. The hat took ages to sort him, but after a minute and a half, the hat cried, “GRYFFINDOR!”

 Amy and Carlie cheered as loud as they could. Lane sat down beside Amy and beamed “It kept on talking to itself, and pointing out how I’d do well in all the houses! In the end, it asked me which house I wanted to be in.” he recounted, as “Jetson, Sam” joined their table. “I thought I’d probably like Gryffindor most, because I’ve already got friends here.”

 Amy didn’t really pay attention to the next few people; she was too hungry to focus too hard, but she did when Rhoda stepped up.

 “GRYFFINDOR!” trumpeted the Sorting Hat.

 "YES!” Rhoda yelled into the crowd, and Amy smirked. Rhoda sat down beside Carlie, and sorting continued.

 There were no more Gryffindors for a while, until Mark and Ty were both sorted there. The final five people were sorted, and when “Zeller, Rose” became a Hufflepuff, Amy sighed, for it was finally over, and she was starving.

 An elderly man with long silver hair and half-circle glasses rose from his seat, and by the time he had reached the podium, the Great Hall was silent. Amy knew this was Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster. “To our newcomers,” said Dumbledore, his voice ringing, “welcome. To our old hands-welcome back! There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. Tuck in!” The students laughed.

 “Tuck in to what?” demanded Rhoda, but as she said that, plates and plates piled with food. Glasses of pumpkin juice appeared next to every person, as Amy filled her plate with pieces of pie, vegetables and a couple slices of bread. She knew her mother wouldn’t have approved of the lack of meat on her plate, but Amy didn’t care; Nash’s plate had nothing but desserts on it.

 Amy ate quickly. The food tasted amazing, and once she had started, it was hard to stop. When she had eaten more than enough, she started to look up at the teachers and try to figure out who they all were. Dumbledore was seated at the centre of the table, and beside him was a squat witch with short, curly brown hair. She had a fluffy pink cardigan on over her robes. McGonagall was on Dumbledore’s other side, and beside her was a man with a curtain of greasy, black hair. Amy knew he was professor Snape, the potions master; Nash had told her so. There were many other teachers too, but Amy got bored trying to figure out who they were.

She saw Lise sitting over at the Ravenclaw table. Lauren Gerome and Makenzie Hollingsworth were trying to include her in their conversation, but evidently they didn’t know she didn’t talk. Apparently thinking that Lise was just ignoring them, they stopped in annoyance, and whispered so she couldn’t hear them talk about her.

At the Slytherin table, on the other side of the Great Hall, Amy saw the friendly-looking boy she had noticed during the sorting. He looked as though he had already made tons of friends. The boy (Amy was pretty sure his name was Brayden) didn’t look mean at all, but Amy knew better. Nash had told her about Slytherin’s reputation.

 By that point, everyone had finished eating, and were all chatting with their friends. Once Dumbledore rose from his seat, however, the Hall was silent once more. “Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices,” said Dumbledore. “First years ought to know that the Forest (‘What forest!?’ gasped Rhoda) in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students-and a few op our older student ought to know by now, too. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty-second time, to remind you that magic is not permitted in the corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr Filch’s office door.

“We have two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.” There was little unenthusiastic applause, as Dumbledore gestured towards the woman wearing the fluffy pink cardigan. He continued, “Tryouts for the house Quidditch team will take place on the-“but he didn’t finish his sentence. He was looking at Professor Umbridge, who cleared her throat. It looked like she wanted o make a speech.

Dumbledore looked taken aback for a moment, but he sat down, and Umbridge stole the spotlight.

 “Thank you, Headmaster,” she said, “for those kind words of welcome.” Amy cringed at the sound of her high-pitched voice. She cleared her throat and continued. “Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!”

 Amy snorted, as Rhoda cried, “This is so demeaning!” and Carlie grumbled, “Who’s smiling?”

 Umbridge smiled, and Carlie rolled her eyes. “I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I’m sure we’ll be very good friends!” Ty and Lane exchanged smirks.

 The rest of Umbridge’s speech was lost; no one was paying attention, except for the teachers. Mark and Ty had began a game of Exploding Snap; a card game in which the cards could explode at any minute. Rhoda and Carlie were chatting excitedly about the start of term. Lane looked as though he was trying to listen, but he was about to fall asleep. Suddenly, Amy heard clapping, and realized Umbridge’s speech must be over. Everyone who was talking during her speech had stopped, since Dumbledore had returned to the podium.

 “Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating.” He said, bowing to her. “Now, as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held on the seventh and eighth of September, and may I remind you that first-years will not be permitted to play.

“Classes will begin tomorrow, after breakfast. Your head of Household will hand out timetables tomorrow.

“I believe I have nothing more to say, so goodnight, and have a great term.” There was a little applause, but everyone was busily leaving the Great Hall, and heading to their dormitories.

 Amy was about to ask a second year nearby where she was to go, when she heard a red-haired boy call, “Hey-hey, you lot! Midgets!”

 The bushy-haired prefect from the train cried, “Ron!”

 “Well, they are, they’re titchy…”

 “I know, but you can’t call them midgets! First-years!” she called commandingly, as Amy suppressed giggles. “This way please!”

 The prefects led the Gryffindor first-years over to some staircases. Before they began to ascend, the girl announced, “It’s important to remember where to go to get to the dormitory. Pay attention, and don’t worry if you get confused in the future. The staircases like to move.”

 Amy followed her up a couple flights of stairs until finally, they came to a step in front of a painting of a rather large woman. Rhoda looked perplexed, as all the portraits on the walls were moving.

 “Password?” the Fat Lady asked, and Rhoda jumped.

 "Mimbulus Mimbletonia.” Said the boy named Ron confidently.

 “Correct!” she smiled. “Ah, first years!” The portrait swung open, revealing a passage to a warm common room, where a few older students were hanging around before they went to bed. A fire was crackling merrily in the grate, and the room was full of armchairs and tables, positioned in front of it.

 The bushy-haired prefect pointed towards one of the two doors at the back of the common room. “This is the boy’s dormitory, and the other is the girl’s. There should be a sign on your years’ door indicating that it is indeed yours. Your trunks and other possessions are already there.”

 Amy, Rhoda and Carlie thanked the prefects, and headed through the door to the girl’s dormitory, and started to climb the tower stairs. On the third landing, they found the door to the first-years’ dormitory. Amy located her trunk by the bed right next to the door. Rhoda’s was on her left and Carlie’s beside her. There was only one other bed.

 “Who’s sleeping there?” asked Carlie. “I didn’t know there was another girl in Gryffindor!” And as she said those words, the door opened, and a skinny girl with a pixie-cut skipped in.

She beamed. “Hi! I’m Francis! I already know who you are, though. I’ve been watching you since we got off the train.”

 “Wh-why?” Rhoda stuttered.

 “Oh, you all just looked like such good friends, and I was curious about how you knew each other so well.”

 “We don’t.” confirmed Amy. “We met on the train.”

 “That’s so cool!” Francis exclaimed.

 Carlie looked awkwardly at the odd girl. “Well, I’m tired.” She finally said. “I’m going to sleep.”

 The girls all changed into their pajamas, and crawled into bed. Francis tried to continue questioning them, but they all ignored her, and after she had stopped talking they all fell asleep.