The door swung open instantly to reveal a tall, black-haired witch in emerald green robes. She was looking down at them sternly, as though they had already done something wrong and Ronâs first thought was that, after his mother, this was the last woman in the world he wanted to cross.
âThe firsâ years, Professor McGonagall,â Hagrid said.
âThank you Hagrid,â she answered. âI will take them from here.â
She pulled the door wide open and Ron had to stop himself gasping; the entrance hall was so big his whole house would have fit into it. The stone walls were lit by flaming torches, a huge marble staircase faced them, and the ceiling was too high to see. Without another word, Professor McGonagall turned, beckoning them after her and through a small door into a chamber off the hall. Ron could hear the murmur of hundreds of voices through the walls and wondered when they would be joining the rest of the school. He twisted around, trying to get more elbow room as the other first years crushed around him.
âWelcome to Hogwarts,â Professor McGonagall began. âThe 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 very important because while you are here, your house will be something like your family in Hogwarts. You will have classes with your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
âThe 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.
âThe 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.â
Her eyes traveled over Nevilleâs cloak (fastened under his ear) and then pointedly at Ronâs nose. He looked back at her guiltily and rubbed at his nose furiously.
âI shall return when we are ready for you,â McGonagall said. âPlease wait quietly.â She gave them all one last disapproving look and then swept from the room.
âHow exactly do they sort us into houses,â Harry whispered to Ron.
âSome sort of test, I think,â Ron answered. âFred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking.â
Harry gulped and turned away slowly.
Ron on the other hand, refused to think about the fact that in just moments he would be standing in front of hundreds of other people and asked to do something he had no idea of how to do. Any second now, McGonagall was going to come back to call them in front of the whole school andâ“
Somebody behind him screamed and Ron, nerves already strained, nearly jumped out of his skin. âWhat theâ“â he started, turning around and stopping short. Oh.
About twenty ghosts had just floated through one of the walls. White with a pearly sheen, they were nearly transparent and they were gliding over the floor, completely oblivious to the terrified first years. They were deep in an argument and a fat little monk was in middle of saying,
âForgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chanceâ“â
âMy dear Friar,â another ghost in a ruff and tights began, âhavenât we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, heâs not really even a ghostâ“I say, what are you all doing here?â
Not a single student offered an answer.
âNew students â the Friar said, beaming down at all of them. âAbout to be Sorted, I suppose?â
A few of them nodded, silent.
âHope to see you in Hufflepuff!â the Friar continued happily. âMy old house, you know.â
âMove along now,â a sharp voice said. âThe Sorting Ceremonyâs about to begin.â
Professor McGonagall was back and one by one, the ghosts slowly faded through the opposite wall, continuing their conversation.
âNow form a line and follow me.â
Feeling sick, Ron joined the line behind Harry as they walked out of the chamber, back out into the hall and through the double doors into the Great Hall. In his wildest dreams, Ron had never imagined that a place could look so...magical. His brothersâ descriptions didnât do it justice. Thousands upon thousands of candles were suspended in the air, the pinprick flames lighting the room. All the former students were already seated at four tables the length of the room, golden plates and goblets in front of them. One table stood on a dias in front of them, running width-wise across the room, filled with teachers. Professor Dumbledore sat in the center, the seat on his left empty, the seat on his right occupied by a greasy looking man with a hooked nose; he looked bitter. Ron tried to put a name to him, sure one of his brothers must have mentioned a teacher as nasty looking as this one, but couldnât.
McGonagall had led them up to the teacherâs table and they turned now, facing the other students, their backs to the teachers. Hundreds of faces stared back at them, silent and curious. Here and there throughout the Hall were the ghosts, shimmering in the candlelight. Ron fidgeted under the gaze of all those eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Or was there one? Over their heads was a roof of velvety black, spotted with barely visible silver dots. âItâs bewitched to look like the sky outside,â Hermione whispered behind him. âI read about it Hogwarts, A History.â
Ron tore his eyes away from the stars and looked at Professor McGonagall who had silently placing a stool in front of the line of first years. Resting on top of the stool was a frayed and patched dirty wizardâs hat. Everyone was staring at it and any whispers echoing through the room stopped.
There was complete and utter silence for a moment. Then the hat twitched. Ron watched as a rip appeared at the hatâs brim like a mouth. It opened wideâ“And then the hat began to sing:
But donât judge on what you see,
Iâll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black
Your top hats sleek and tall
For Iâm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all
Thereâs nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat canât see,
So put me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You may belong in Gryffindor
Where dwell the brave of heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise, old Ravenclaw
If youâve a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
Youâll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put on Donât be afraid
And donât get in a flap
Youâre in safe hands (though I have none)
For Iâm a Thinking Cap â
The hall exploded into applause as the hat finished its song, bending nearly in half and bowing to each of the four tables.
âSo weâve just got to try on the hat â Ron hissed to Harry. âIâll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll.â
Harry smiled at him weakly and then turned a mild shade of green.
âWhen I call your name,â Professor McGonagall said, stepping forward with a scroll of parchment in her hands, âyou will put on the hat, and sit on the stool to be Sorted. Abbot, Hannah â
And just like that, the Sorting had begun. A blonde girl in pig-tails bumbled out of the line to put on the hat. A second passed andâ“
âHUFFLEPUFF!â the hat yelled.
On the far right, the table burst into loud cheers and yells as she moved to go sit with them. The next girl went to sit with the Hufflepuffs too, and the boy after her went to sit with the Ravenclaws at the table second from the left, where a few people stood up to shake his hand. The next girl went to Ravenclaw as well and then âBrown, Lavender!â stood up to the stool. She became the first new Gryffindor in moments and the table on the far left burst into the wildest cheers and yells yet. Ron could hear the twins whistling and he frowned as âBulstrode, Millicent!â became a Slytherin.
âFinch-Fletchly, Justin,â became a Hufflepuff as well before âFinnigan, Seamus!â a sandy-haired boy who had been standing in front of Harry moved to the hat. He spent close to a minute on it before the hat finally yelled, âGRYFFINDOR!â
âGranger, Hermione!â was called next and she nearly ran to take her place. She yanked the head over her head, beaming.
âGRYFFINDOR!â the hat shouted.
Ron groaned and the sorting continued with âLongbottom, Neville!â who sat on the stool longer than anyone yet. What felt like a forever went by before the hat finally announced him a Gryffindor as well. He started off for the table still wearing it and had to run back, blushing, to give it to âMcDougal, Morag!â
When it was Malfoyâs turn to be Sorted, he swaggered up to the stool with a confident and obnoxious smile. The hat had hardly touched his head when it yelled âSLYTHERIN!â
There were by now very few people left to be Sorted and they were going quickly: âMoon...!â âNott...!â
âParkinson...!â âPatil and Patil,â a set of twin girls were followed by âPerks, Sally-Anne!â And thenâ“
âPotter, Harry!â
Harry stumbled forward as whispers broke out in the hall, the only noise since the Sorting had begun besides for the cheering.
âPotter, did she say?â
âThe Harry Potter?â
Ron watched as Harry slowly stepped up to the stool and sat down, slipping the hat over his head, where it promptly fell down to cover half his face. Five seconds passed....ten...
fifteen... twenty. People were starting to whisper excitedly, their voices rising slowly. Ron glanced at the Head Table to see all the teachers staring at Harryâs back, a variety of expressions on their faces. The professor sitting beside Dumbledore looked tense, while the Headmaster himself looked slightly amused. The other teachers were sitting on the edge of their seats. The noise was growing louder and Ron started wringing his hands. He didnât know whyâ“
âGRYFFINDOR!â the hat roared over the houseâs own screams and yells as Harry walked shakily to the table. Ron hardly realized he was yelling with them. Everyone seemed to be watching as he sank into a chair. Percy got up to shake his hand and the twins were screaming over the thunderous din, âWe got Potter! We got Potter!â Ron watched a ghost try to pat Harry on his shoulder, but his hand went right through him and, if Ron hadnât been so nervous, he would have laughed at the look on Harryâs face. Being touched by a ghost felt something like having a bucket of ice-cold water thrown over your head and Harry had clearly shivered.
Smiling, Ron watched as âTurpin, Lisa!â became a Ravenclaw and âDean, Thomas,â a boy even taller than himself, became a Gryffindor. And suddenly, without his knowing how it happened, it was his turn.
He walked up to the stool like a man going to his doom, filled with dread. He placed the hat on his head as he sat down, crossed his fingers and stuck them in his pockets.
âHmm,â said a voice in his head with what could only be described as amusement. âAnother Weasley, eh? Got quite a bit to live up to, havenât you? Youâre brothers had the daring, nerve and chivalry between them, didnât they?â the hat asked with a chuckle. âAnd youâre most certainly brave of heart.â
Ron blushed.
âAlthough,â the hat continued thoughtfully, âyouâve certainly the loyalty to be in Hufflepuff and passable wit to be in Ravenclaw. Butâ“â
Not Slytherin Ron thought fiercely.
âGryffindor always was pushy,â the hat said with a slightly annoyed and miffed air. âThe thought hadnât crossed my mind. Yes, youâd better be in GRYFFINDOR!â it finished, yelling the last word to the whole hall.
Ron yanked the hat off in relief, stumbling to the Gryffindor table and collapsing in a seat beside Harry, who was clapping along with the rest of the House.
âWell done, Ron, excellent,â Percy said loftily as the the last first year ("Zabini, Blaise!â) was made a Slytherin.
The moment Professor McGonagall reached the stool and hat to take it away, the hall started buzzing again. It stopped the moment Professor Dumbledore rose, his arms wide open and welcoming as he beamed. He looked as though heâd never been happier than he was to see them all there at this moment.
âWelcome!â he said, his voice ringing out across the Hall. âWelcome to a new year at Hogwarts Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!â And he promptly sat back down again as the Hall clapped and cheered.
âIs he a bit mad?â Harry asked Percy.
âMad?â Percy echoed airily. âHeâs a genius. Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?â
Ron laughed watching Harryâs mouth fall open. The empty dishes in front of them had suddenly filled themselves with food: platters of roast beef and roast chicken, pork chops and lamp chops, sausages, bacon and steak lined the table. Small boats held gravy, ketchup, peas and carrots. And a small plate at the center of the table held peppermint humbugs.
Ron piled his plate high with everything except the vegetables and dug in. He wasnât surprised at all. While he hadnât been old enough to remember Bill or Charlie coming home to describe the meals in Hogwarts, he could recall Percyâs amazement as well as the twinsâ. It was a question of whose food was better: Hogwartsâ or his motherâs.
âThat does look good,â the ghost in the ruff they had seen earlier said sadly, looking down as Harry cut his steak.
âCanât youâ“â Harry started.
âI havenât eaten for nearly four hundred years,â the ghost said as Ron washed down some beef with a swig of pumpkin juice. âI donât need to, of course,â he went on, âbut one does miss it. I donât believe Iâve introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower.â
âI know who you are!â Ron exclaimed, banging his goblet down on the table in excitement. âMy brothers told me about youâ“youâre Nearly Headless Nick!â
âI would prefer you call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsyâ“â the ghost started with a frown, but Seamus Finnigan interrupted.
âNearly headless?â he asked incredulously. âHow can you be nearly headless?â
Nick looked very unhappy at this question, as though he had seen the conversation going in a completely different direction.
âLike this,â he answered, sounding tetchy as he seized his left air and pulled. Without warning, his whole head swung off his neck and hung on his shoulder. It looked as though someone had tried to chop his head off but not done a proper job of it. The three of them looked up at him in shock and Nick now looked slightly pleased at their reactions. He flipped his head back on, adjusting his ruff and cleared his throat. âSoâ“new Gryffindors! I hope youâre going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baronâs becoming almost unbearableâ“heâs the Slytherin ghost,â he added as explanation.
Ron turned to look with Seamus and Harry. Sitting next to a very unhappy looking Malfoy was a horribly ugly ghost with blank eyes, a thin, starved looking face whose robes were covered in silvery blood.
âHow did he get covered in blood?â Seamus asked, turning back to Nick eagerly.
âIâve never asked,â he answered carefully.
The meal continued, and when everyone had eaten as much they thought they could, the remains of the food vanished from their plates, leaving them as clean as they had been before. A moment later the desserts appeared, and they were desserts like Ron had never seen before. Blocks of ice-cream in every flavor imaginable, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, fruit, puddings....
Ron helped himself to a block of chocolate ice-cream and the biggest eclair on the plate as the conversation turned to their families.
âIâm half-and-half,â Seamus said. âMe dadâs a Muggle. Mum didnât tell him she was a witch âtill after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him.â
âWhat about you Neville?â Ron asked as they all laughed.
âWell, my gran brought me up and sheâs a witch,â Neville said, âbut the family thought I was all Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off-guard and force some magic out of me. He pushed me off the edge of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drownedâ“but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Aunt Enid offered him some meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you shouldâve seen their faces when I got hereâ“they thought I wouldnât be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased, he brought my my toad.â
âWhat about you Dean?â Seamus asked, biting into a doughnut.
âWell,â he said, grinning wickedly, âme Mum and Dad are both Muggles.â He paused, frowning. âThatâs what you call âem, right? Non-magical people, I mean?â When the other three boys nodded, he continued. âWell, this owl showed up one day while I was in school and me Mum, whose deathly afraid of birds, came home from school to find it sitting in the kitchen. She was still outside screaming bloody murder by the time I got home. I was sure sheâd lost her mind; I mean, how many people come home to find owl in their kitchens?â
âWe do,â Seamus said.
âYeah, you use owls to deliver mail, right? We use people. So it was perfectly natural for my Mum to be having a panic attack. Anyway, my Mum told me to get rid of it, cause Iâm good with animalsâ“â
âLike Charlie,â Ron interrupted.
âWho?â
âMy brother. He works with dragons in Romania.â
âDragons?â Dean asked, his mouth falling open.
Ron nodded.
âThey actually exist?â
Ron nodded again. âMost of the creatures that you believe exist only, what do Muggles call them, fairy tales? They all exist for us in reality.â
âSo, youâve got stuff like fairies and gnomes and phoenixes?â
âIâve never seen a phoenix,â Ron answered, âbut I know that theyâre in our books; theyâve got loads of magical properties. And Fred and George say that Dumbledore has one.â
âOh,â Dean said faintly.
âYou were saying?â Seamus prompted.
âWhat? Oh. Right. So I took the letter from the owl and I didnât believe it at first. I wrote a letter back saying Iâd love to come, but that I had no idea of where to get my school-things or find the platform. And I got a letter back in two days telling me. My Dad had to take me to Diagon Alley because my Mum was too scared. It was quite the fun day,â he added wickedly.
âYou, Ron?â Seamus asked.
âMe?â He shrugged. âNothing interesting. Iâm a pure-blood. Means Iâm magical from both sides,â he added, seeing Deanâs blank look.
âOh.â
âAnyway, they were both in Gryffindor; all my brothers are or have been as well, all five of them. Weâre actually all Gryffindors for generations back. So it was no surprise when I got my letter.â
âWhat about him?â Dean asked quietly, leaning forward over the table and nodding at Harry, who was talking to Percy.
âDonât you know!â he asked, shocked. âEveryone knows!â
Dean shrugged.
Ron dropped his voice. âHis parents were killed by You-Know-Who aboutâ“â
âActually, I donât know who,â Dean said, with what he must have thought was a clever grin.
Ron, Seamus and Neville all frowned at him.
âYou-Know-Who was this wizard who went really evil a while back,â Ron explained, trying to be patient. âHe killed hundreds of people. People were terrified to walk out their front door. Still are, âcuz no one knows what happened to him. They wonât even say his name; itâs either You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.â
âWhere does Harry come into this?â Dean asked, his voice low, no longer laughing.
âOn Halloween, ten years ago, He went to Harryâs parentsâ house to kill them, or Harry, no one knows. But he killed Harryâs parents and then tried to curse Harry, but it backfired and hit him instead. Thatâs where the lightening bolt scar on his forehead comes from; itâs the mark of a powerful curse. But no one knows if You-Know-Who actually died, or just became really weak, but heâs been gone for the last ten years and no one is unhappy about that. Well,â he added, after a momentâs pause, âno one except his followers rotting in Azkaban.â
âAzkaban?â
âOh, right. Wizardâs prison.â
Dean stared at Harry for a moment, a curious look in his eyes. âI wonder how long itâll take me to learn everything you guys already know.â
âNot long,â Neville offered. âWe donât really know any practical magic cause weâre underage and not allowed to use it. We only really know the current events and stuff.â
The conversation continued into discussion of the classes they would take until at last even the desserts had disappeared. The whole hall fell into an expectant silence as Professor Dumbledore rose once more.
âAhemâ“just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
âFirst years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.â
Ron followed the headmasterâs gaze as it roved the room to fall on Fred and George, who grinned back mischievously.
âI have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
âQuidditch trials will be held the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.â
âHeâs not serious?â Ron heard Harry mutter to Percy over the sparse nervous laughter.
âMust be,â Percy answered, frowning. âItâs odd, because he usually gives us reasons why weâre not allowed to go somewhereâ“the forestâs full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he mightâve told us prefects, at least.â
âAnd now, before we go to bed,â Dumbledore said as the hall slowly quieted once again, âlet us sing the school song â
He gave his wand a flick and a long golden ribbon emerged from the end of it, rising high above the tables and twisting itself into words.
âEveryone pick their favorite tune and off we go â
The school bellowed:
âHogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With lots of interesting stuff,
For now theyâre bare and full of air
Dead flies and bits of fluff
So teach us things worth knowing
Bring back what weâve forgot
Just do your best, weâll do the rest
And learn until our brains all rot.â
Everybody finished the song at different times until at last, only the twins were left singing together to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and was one of those who clapped the loudest when they finished.
âAh, music,â he said, wiping his eyes. âA music beyond all that we do here! And now bedtime. Off you trot!â
The Gryffindor first years got up, following Percy out of the Great Hall and through the chattering crowds and up the marble staircase. Groaning and yawning, Ron followed after everyone else, dragging himself up step after step until they came to a sudden halt. A bundle of walking stick was floating in mid-air of the hallway ahead of them. When Percy took a step towards them, they began to throw themselves at him.
âPeeves,â Percy whispered over his shoulder. âA poltergeist.â He raised his voice. âPeevesâ“show yourself.â
A sudden, rather loud, and rather rude noise answered him. Ron, now completely awake, snickered.
âDo you want me to get the Bloody Baron?â Percy asked, attempting to sound threatening.
There was a pop and a little man appeared, clutching the sticks. âOooooooh!â he said with an evil cackle. âIckle firsties! What fun!â
He swooped down suddenly and they all ducked.
âGo away Peeves, or the Bloody Baronâll hear about this, I mean it!â Percy barked.
The poltergeist stuck his tongue out at them and then dropped the walking sticks on Nevilleâs head before zooming away, rattling the coats of armor as he passed them.
âYou want to watch out for him,â Percy warned as they continued. âThe Bloody Baronâs the only one who can control him. He wonât even listen to us prefects. Here we are,â he finished, bringing them to a stop in front of a painting of a large fat lady in a pink dress.
âPassword?â she asked.
âCaput Draconis,â Percy said crisply and the portrait swung open to reveal a large hole in the stone wall behind her. They all stepped through and found themselves in the Gryffidor Common Room, a round, comfortable a cozy looking room, filled with squishy armchairs, tables and a roaring fireplace.
Percy sent the girls up one set of stairs to their dormitory and pointed the boys up another to their own. At the top of what seemed like a never-ending spiral staircase in what had to be one of the tallest towers, they finally found their room and beds: Five four-poster beds in the middle of the room, hung with deep red velvet curtains. Whoever had brought their trunks up, had wisely places Ron and Harryâs trunks in front of the two beds on the left, Seamus and Dean next to each other on the right and Nevilleâs in front of the center bed. Someone must have been paying attention on the train. Too tired to talk much, they all pulled on their pajamas, falling into bed.
âGreat food, isnât it?â Ron muttered to Harry. âGet off Scabbers! Heâs chewing my sheets!â
Groaning, he pulled the rat off his sheets, reaching through the now-closed hangings to place him on the dresser next to his bed. But the second he put him down, Scabbers began to run around the dresser, his claws clicking annoyingly against the wood as he squeaked in protest.
Ron ignored him, pulling the covers up to his chin. But Scabbers only screeched more wildly, almost as though he had a cat after him.
âCan you shut that thing up?â came a muffled yell from Seamus. âI want to sleep!â
âSorry!â Ron yelled back, reaching blindly for his rat who quieted the moment he had his hands on him. He pulled Scabbers through the hangings and placed the rat on his pillow. Scabbers curled up next to his head and closed his eyes. Ron smiled to himself and closed his own eyes, beginning to breathe deeply.
âThis is âgonna be a great year. Eh?â Dean asked to the room, empty of all sound with the exception of everyoneâs breathing.
Ron answered him with a snore.