CHAPTER 5 - SORTING HAT

As soon as everyone started to leave the train, a voice echoed through the night attracting everyone's attention.

"First years! First years over here!" Hagrid gesticulated with his hands so that everyone could see him.

Slipping and stumbling, everyone followed hagrid through a narrow and dark path, if you didn't pay attention, you wouldn't even notice where you were going.

"You will get your first sight of Hogwarts soon!" Shouted Hagrid while guiding everyone.

And just as he said, a few seconds later, the majestic scene of the giant castle above the mountains was finally in sight. The students seeing the place had their mouths agape and you could hear the "Ooooh!" sound they were doing.

Hagrid then pointed to the boats in the platform in front of him and said.

"No more than four per boat! Mind your steps!"

Andrew, Harry, Hermione, and Ron, took the same boat.

A few minutes later, Hagrid stood on his boat looking behind him and shouted, "Everyone in?" seeing that there wasn't any student missing he said, "Alright then — FORWARD!"

The fleet of boats then moved through the lake, which was as smooth as glass.

"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.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everybody here?" Hagrid shouted, trying to make sure no one had fallen into the lake or anything similar.

Seeing that everything was fine, he knocked three times on the doors that led into the castle.

As the door opened the figure of a woman become visible, she was a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes.

"The first years, Professor McGonagall."

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"Thank you, Hagrid, I'll take then from here."

Them she led everyone through a giant and magnificent hall that could fit an entire house inside it. On the walls, torches lit up the place. They followed the Professor inside a chamber, where they waited to hear what she had to say.

"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 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."

"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's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair. While Andrew simply stood there without doing anything.

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

She left the chamber.

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Seeing the teacher was gone, some of the students started to talk about what to expect from here on, and how they would be sorted into the Houses.

"How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" Asked Harry.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Said Ron while trying to imagine how it would truly happen.

"My parents told me that some old artifact will decide which House you're going based on your qualities or something like that." Replied Andrew, with confidence in his words.

Hearing his words, all students close to Andrew, including Harry and Ron, sighed with relief.

However, before they could celebrate the good news, several people in front of them jumped and screamed.

"What the — ?"

Harry gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

Andrew stepped forward and said.

"We are all first years, professor McGonagall asked us to wait here for a moment."

"Ah, so you're new students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be sorted, I suppose?"

Everyone nodded.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old House, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

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

Andrew took the lead and the other students followed behind him.

Soon they entered a great Hall with thousands of floating candles, and 5 long tables, 4 for the students, and 1 for the teachers.

Looking up you could see the night sky filled with stars, or so most of them thought until they heard Hermione whispering to Andrew.

"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

They thought it was hard to believe this place had any ceiling at all!

Professor McGonagall then placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. The hat was patched, frayed, and dirty as if no one cleaned it for a few centuries.

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.

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.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

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 Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you have 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!

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.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause — "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry and Ron saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Jacobs, Andrew!" as soon as his name was called, there was an intense silence. You could only hear the whispering of the students seated on the Slytherin table

On the professor's table, the headmaster, Dumbledore, and a thin man with sallow skin, a large, hooked nose, and yellow, uneven teeth, dressed in flowing black robes which made him resemble "an overgrown bat", who had shoulder-length, greasy black hair which framed his face in curtains, curling lips and dark, penetrating eyes that resembled tunnels. Looked at him with a clear interest in their eyes.

Everyone seemed interested in knowing which House the boy would be sorted.

However, before he sat on the stool, he took his wand and appointed to the hat.

"What are yo-" Before Professor McGonagall could finish, Andrew, interrupted her by casting a spell.

A / N: Andrew self-created spell: description at the end of the chapter.

"[Volo mundare]!"

As soon as he said that, the hat started to glow with white light, and a few seconds later when the light disappeared, everyone could see that the hat now was extremely clean and even had a fresh and nice smell.

The hall exploded with discussions.

"Hell, did you saw that? How long has it been since anyone tried?"

"To think that someone other than the headmaster actually managed to cast a spell in this Hat! Heavens isn't this a little bit exaggerated?"

Ron, Harry, and Hermione noticing what everyone was saying asked one of the closest veterans what did they mean with such reaction.

One of the boys from Gryffindor answered them.

"You don't know? There is a powerful enchantment on the hat preventing anyone from casting spells on it. We thought that only Dumbledore would be capable of casting spells on it!"

As for the Professors, each had a different reaction, the one wearing a big purple turban looked quite disturbed by the scene, the man wearing black robes and Dumbledore had a satisfied smile on their face. As for the others they only had shocked expressions.

Andrew then sat on the stool, waiting for professor McGonagall to put the hat on his head.

She didn't know what to do, so she looked at Dumbledore and, after seeing him nod, she only managed to sigh and continue.

As soon as the hat covered Andrew's vision, he could hear his voice in his mind.

"Hmm, you are a really interesting boy, the last time someone did that was centuries ago, but enough with that." Said the hat.

"Let's see, which house should I put you in? I can see your loyalty, your intelligence, and the special bravery inside you, but I can also feel your power, every House could be a good place for you, so tell me, which one would you like to go to?"

"What do you mean with 'special bravery'?" Asked Andrew.

"Hoho, it's simple, the concept of fear in your mind is the most unique I have ever seen, to you, fear does not reside in the dark and the unknown, neither in monsters nor in evil, not even death seems to make you feel fear. The only fear I can see inside you isn't one that can be described in words, if I had to guess, what you fear is simply one feeling, one that only you is capable of having as if you aren't like other people, a human that isn't a human. It's like a thought that sleeps in your consciousness, one that places you in a higher stand than others."

Listening to the hat words, Andrew fell deep in his thoughts, 'What does he mean? Why am I so different than others in this aspect?'

Although he wished to find the answer right now, he knew that this is simply a wish for later, sighing he answered the hat, in which House he wanted to be.

Nodding, the Hat opened his mouth and shouted —.....

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Volo mundare: Spell whose sole purpose is to clean anything and add a pleasant smell that the caster chooses. P.S.: works literally with anything

Spell Background: on a boring and tiring day, Andrew was practicing magic with his father's wand. He was so distracted that he forgot to clean his room.

When his mother threatened to punish him, he ran to his room, and because he was lazy he thought of a way to clean it more quickly, remembering one of the spells his father taught him, he started testing some variations until one worked perfectly as he wanted, this spell he named Volo mundare!