Reborn As Harry Potter - 4 The Sorting Ha

The train continuously slowed down and Harry & Ron stuffed their pockets with the leftover sweets. The train finally stopped. The trio joined the crowded corridor to see the three boys Harry had knocked out bring woken up by one of the older students. Harry ignored them and followed.

“Ye’ all get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec,” Hagrid called over his shoulder, “jus’ round this bend here.”

The narrow path opened onto the edge of a lake. Looking past the black lake, a humongous castle could be seen perched up on a mountain with numerous turrets and towers with many windows that sparkled like the stars in the sky. Everyone was dazzled by the beautiful sight.

The first year students sat on the small boats in groups of fours and moved towards the castle as the cold air seeped past their clothes. The eyes of the first years never left the humongous castle as it slowly loomed over their heads while they sailed forward. Very soon they approached a tunnel and the boats carried them underneath the castle. They soon reached what seemed to be an underground harbour where got off.

The crowd walked up a passageway that led them to a damp grassy landing where they were overshadowed by the castle. Walking up a stairway, Hagrid and the first years came face to face with a huge oak front door. Hagrid raised his fist and slammed at the oak door sending out resounding sounds. The oak door slung open and a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there with a very stern face. Harry immediately felt comfortable around the woman.

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” said Professor McGonagall. “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 rulebreaking 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. 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. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait here.”

Saying that, Professor McGonagall turned as left.

“Hey system, can you change my hairstyle?” said Harry in his head.

[Ding! Yes. How would you like it?]

“Please make it how it was in my previous life,” said Harry in his mind. “I’ll show you how it looked in my mind.”

[Ding! Changing hairstyle … it will take 30 seconds to complete.]

Just then, Harry heard a shuffling behind him and an annoying voice reached his ears making him frown: “Potter, you will pay for what you did at the train!”

Harry turned around only to see the pale faced boy from the train with his two lackeys.

“Sorry, I’m not generous enough to donate to the poor,” said Harry, waving his hand. “Go bug someone who will feel sorry for you.”

“You! Do you know who I am?” exploded the boy.

“A sickly creature? A slimey slug? An unwanted child?” said Harry innocently causing everyone around to start laughing.

“How dare you mock me, a pureblood Malfoy?” roared Malfoy.

“A pureblood Malfoy? What’s that? A new sub-specie of slugs? Are you here so that you can be examined? A slug that looks half human and can talk human language must be rate. Better be careful. Some lunatic might kidnap you for his own collection.”

“You …!!!” Malfoy’s face had gone red from the insults Harry was dishing out to him which caused everyone to laugh even harder. Just when he opened his mouth to say something else, Harry heard someone coughing. Professor McGonagall had returned.

“Now, form a line,” Professor McGonagall told the first years, “and follow me.”

Forming a line, the first years followed across the hall, through a set of double oak doors and into the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was just as it was described in the book: an utter masterpiece. Harry smiled and enjoyed the sight to his heart’s content. “Now this is the life,” thought Harry, nodding his head in satisfaction. “I’ll definitely go around exploring the world for sights like this.” Harry heard Hermione from behind him whisper, “Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History.”

“Now why did I know she was going to say that,” mused Harry.

The group walked down the hall and upon reaching the platform where the teachers were seated. At the end of the platform, Professor McGonagall stood next to a stool that had a old black hat perched on top. She opened the parchment that she held in her hand. “When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Hannah Abbott!”

A pink faced blond girl walked up and sat on the stool as she wore the hat.

A second later –

“HUFFLEPUFF!!!” A roar echoed out of the hat and load cheers covered the Great Hall from the Hufflepuff table.

“Susan Bones.”

“HUFFLEPUFF!!!”

“Terry Boot.”

“RAVENCLAW!!!”

The names continued to be called out and the students were slowly sorted into their houses. Just like the book, Lavender Brown and Seamus Fennigan were placed in Gryffindor. After them –

“Hermione Granger.”

She went up on stage and wore the hat as she sat on the stool. After about a minute, the Sorting Hat screamed again.

“GRYFFINDOR!!!”

Hermione happily jumped off the stool and ran towards the Gryffindor table and took a seat.

“That’s my girl,” thought Harry, nodding. “Can’t have you in a different house.”

The rest of the first years slowly got sorted into their respective houses. Neville’s Sorting took the longest so far but like the book, he too went to Gryffindor.

“That boy … I’ve decided! Once I’ve sorted myself out, I’ll definitely train him. He’s alright,” thought Harry.

Malfoy and his two lackeys got into Slytherine as expected.

“I’ll definitely make like hell for you boys or my name will not be Harry Potter,” thought Harry, an evil grin spreading across his face. “Maybe I should feed them Polyjuice Potion. But what to turn them into? There are so many choices.”

Suddenly, a voice broke his train of thoughts.

“Harry Potter!”

As Harry stepped forward, whispers broke forward all across the hall. He looked across the Gryffindor table, he saw Hermione giving him a confused look. “When did he change his hair style?”

The Sorting Hat fell on his head and a voice called out in his ears.

“Hmmm … interesting … oh, this very interesting. Fascinating mind you have here, Mr. Potter. Oh my, this is some talent you have … Ravenclaw will nourish your great intellect … but you will also flourish in Slytherine … yes, you have a very cunning mind … it seems you don’t hesitate to go the extra when it comes to taking down your enemy … but you desire a family that you have lost and you’re not afraid of hard work and value loyalty very highly … Hufflepuff can definitely help you with that.

No, wait! Your heart is mighty like a dragon and your pride is endless like a Phoenix. You face your adversary head on without fear. You are a true Gryffindor.

But you can also make very good use of the people around you and you can read then very well …

This is very difficult. Where should I put you? You are a true Gryffindor, Slytherine, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff … all in one … a full package and you’ll be equally great in each house!”

“Aaaarrrrrgggghhhh!” screamed Harry in his mind, shocking the Sorting Hat. “You stupid Hat! You are pushing off my edge! If you continue with your nonsense I’ll find a way to burn you to ash and blow you into the wind! Just put me into Gryffindor!”

“Well, if you’re sure, better be GRYFFINDOR!!!”