Sorting Part 1!

A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately. Also, anyone who has lost their toad please wait outside for a while as there has been a little accident."

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Perseus shivered in the cold night air as he tucked in his robe.

"Perseus Walker?" He heard his name being called out as he looked at the brown-haired girl from before.

"If you're here to lecture me about leaving the Weasley kid in there then you better stay away," Perseus said as he remembered barely escaping her inside the train after they had to tell the head boy about Ron and the toad.

The girl frowned a little as she shook her head, "No, I want to talk about you. Are you really Perseus Walker from Abigail?"

"That's my mother's company." Perseus said as he looked at her, "Muggleborn are you?"

"Yes." The girl nodded, "But aren't you the same as well?"

"Well, it doesn't turn out to be so." Perseus shrugged, "What's your name?"

"Hermione Granger."

"I see, so Hermione a piece of advice for you. Learn to be a little aware of your surroundings and that bossy attitude of yours is only going to make things worse for you."

"You mean with the nobles?" Hermione asked from what she knew and how the boy who was with Perseus stared at him.

"Don't get me wrong." Perseus said, "I am not telling you to bow your head to them but acting smart doesn't hurt anyone now, does it?"

Just then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students:

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" said the giant man in front of them in a thick heavy accent.

"That's Hagrid," Harry said pulling Perseus as Perseus nodded at the man. Obviously from the information, Patricia had given him, he quickly realized the man to be Hagrid.

Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.

"C'mon, follow me -- any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that it reminded Perseus of the Peverell family villa back in the states. Nobody spoke much. Neville, who had his toad tied to him by Perseus was walking right behind them followed by Draco and the others.

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

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.

Perseus was about to get in with Harry and Draco when he was suddenly pulled away by Daphne as only the two of them sat in the boat.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then -- FORWARD!"

"What do you want, Ms. Greengrass?"

"Daphne is fine." She said, "But moreover, I heard what you did. Mass summoning of Toads, I hear. You should be careful wizards love giving people nicknames and I am sure you don't want to be called the Toad Summoner from now do you."

"Nope." Perseus shook his head just imagining someone calling him the Toad Summoner, "So what do you want?"

"I want to know who you are?"

"As I said, you should figure it out on your own." Perseus said not looking fazed by the cold stare, "And you might want to blink, you've been staring at me for way too long."

"Che, just you wait and see." Daphne said snorting, "Once I figure out who you are, I'll make sure to make your life hell in Hogwarts and both outside."

"Hell, huh?" Perseus said, "Sure, but that is only if your family is more powerful than mine, isn't it?"

Daphne snorted as she didn't reply anymore.

The fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. Perseus quickly recognized her to be Professor McGonagall who looked strict and stern but her eyes then met Perseus and Harry as she seemed a bit taken back but she quickly controlled her expressions.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was bigger than you would imagine it to be as Perseus was sure they had used several complicated extension charms. There were flaming torches on the wall, the ceiling too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. They could all hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here -- but Professor McGonagall 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.

"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."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron who had just arrived looking like a mess. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair while Perseus who had modeled before was calm and confident while presenting himself.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall.

"Please wait quietly."