Chapter 19: Sorting Ceremony, The Hat, and Dormitory (1/2)
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired lady in dark maroon robes stood there. She had a very stern face which reminded Quinn of his grandfather when he was serious. And Quinn knew who this lady was.
”The first years are here, Professor McGonagall,” said Hagrid.
The stern lady, now identified as Professor Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts' transfiguration teacher, nodded and spoke, ”Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here.”
She pulled the door wide to the entrance hall, which was absolutely enormous. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
The gaggle of first years followed behind Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. They reached a doorway, and Quinn could hear the drone of hundreds of voices.
'That must be the Great Hall,' thought Quinn as Professor McGonagall lead them into a small, empty chamber off the hall. Quinn felt a little uncomfortable as the first years huddle together with each other a little too close than he was comfortable with. All of them were peering about nervously.
”Welcome to Hogwarts,” said McGonagall as she spoke to the nervous first years. ”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 crucial 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 your free time in your House common room.”
She stood a little straighter, and with a hint on her face, she continued, ”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. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.”
Quinn resisted the urge to snort in McGonagall's face. The house point system was a rouse implemented by the school administration to keep the students in check through peer pressure. No student who cared about their social life wouldn't want to lose points and face the wrath of their fellow students, and even those who didn't care about what others thought trod lightly in fear of being bullied. All in all, it was a fantastic system that kept in check most people other than a few exceptions like the Weasley Twins.
Even Quinn wasn't an exception, as he didn't want to stand in the limelight among his peers. The life of popularity wasn't Quinn's cup of tea. He just wanted to learn magic in peace. And the popularity would hinder his ability to move around the castle, though the twins had no difficulty moving around, so maybe there was a workaround.
'Well, they do have the Marauder's map,' thought Quinn as he paid attention to what McGonagall was saying.
”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.” Her eyes lingered on a few peoples' clothes, silently telling them to smarten themselves up.
”I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly.” finished Professor McGonagall before leaving the chamber.
Quinn looked at his clothes, and with a slight use of magic, his clothes straightened up. He then turned to Katie and Cho, ”Hey, how do I look?”
Both the girls looked over Quinn. He had jet-black hair and stone-grey eyes; he styled his hair in a simple-yet-neat Ivy League hairstyle. He had been taught to take good care of his body, so nothing felt out of place. He was tall for his age, and because of years of posture training, his body language exuded confidence. His clothes, even though a simple school uniform, looked good on him. Finally, Quinn was comfortable with his own skin, and that added another layer of charm.
Both girls nodded and gave him thumbs-up, and in return, Quinn complimented them.
”You two also look good. So, please don't be nervous. Everything will be fine, and every house would be happy to have guys. I am sure that you would get into the house you want.” Quinn complimented the girls and said words of comfort to calm them down. He could see that most of the first-year were nervous being sorted in front of the whole school, and some didn't even know the sorting process.
Quinn's words did work to some extent as he saw both of them calm down a little, but there was still a little nervousness left which was natural knowing that they would be walking inside the hall while the entire school would be looking at them.
Then came the parade of ghosts, followed by screams from several students who had never seen a ghost. Quinn found ghosts interesting as they were conclusive evidence of the existence of the soul. A ghost was the imprint of the soul of a once-living wizard or witch. And as such, they were a type of spirit who are either afraid of death or have some powerful connection to the locations they haunt.
McGonagall returned to the chamber and shooed away the ghosts, ”Move along now. The Sorting Ceremony's about to start.”
She turned to the students and commanded, ”Now, form a line and follow me.” With McGonagall in the lead, the new students exited the chamber, went back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Quinn had read the books and had imagined what the Great Hall would look like, and he had seen the movies, but nothing matched the sight in front of him. The hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that floated in midair over four long tables. On the tables sat the entire schools' student body. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. McGonagall led the first years up here and 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. Among the students, ghosts could be seen in their ghostly silver glow.
Quinn looked up at the ceiling and saw a glossy black ceiling dotted with stars. He could imagine Hermione Granger reciting the lines from the books, ”The ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History.”
Removing his eyes from the mesmerizing ceiling, and looked ahead. He saw McGonagall silently placing a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a raggedy pointed wizard's hat.
Quinn waited, and then it happened, a mouth-like crack opened up in the hat, and it began singing.
[
I may be old and frayed
but don't let that betray you
stitched and bewitched
over a thousand years ago
The four greatest witches and wizards of the time
United by one single desire
The wish to inspire
and help young minds.
So, a place of education
was the creation.
The founders four
Helga Hufflepuff of valley broad
Rowena Ravenclaw from the glen
Godric Gryffindor of wild moor
Salazar Slytherin from the fen.
From these noble names
four houses were born.
Gryffindor, which houses the bold and brave,
Ravenclaw selected those filled with cleverness,
Hufflepuff welcomed the loyal who loved to toil
Slytherin chooses only those who are pure.
Their differences are what defined them
Together they stood, never to be divided
but what brought them together
soon sought to tear them apart.
Battles were fought
over Hogwarts