Disclaimer: This is all J.K. Rowling's pure genius of a world.

"The first step, my son, which one makes in the world, is the one on which depends the rest of our days." -Voltaire

Harry got off the boat that had just brought him, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom across the lake. He said good-bye to Hagrid and continued to follow the rest of the first years to the front of Hogwarts.

They walked through the front doors of Hogwarts into the Entrance Hall. Harry only knew it was the Entrance Hall because, beside him, Hermione had mentioned it as such. He could hear her talking, but it seemed to be far away because Harry was so amazed, and this was just the Entrance Hall.

The first years stopped in front of another pair of huge doors with a professor standing in front of them.

“That’s Professor McGonagall,” said Hermione.

“How do you know this?” said Ron, waiting for an answer that he would never receive.

A blond boy that he remembered from Diagon Alley had pushed Ron from behind with his shoulder and turned toward Harry.

“Harry Potter, isn’t it?” said the boy. He didn’t let Harry answer. Harry saw that the boy looked conniving. “I’m Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.” Malfoy looked at Ron with disgust, then seemed to dare a glance at Hermione, but quickly turned away.

“You don’t want to be hanging around with the wrong wizards, Harry. I know that you want be with the best, right? I can help you there.” He put out his hand, so that Harry could shake it.

Harry was very hesitant to shake Malfoy’s hand. He looked at Ron and Hermione, and then looked back at Malfoy and shook his hand. After doing so, Malfoy pulled him by the hand leading him away from Ron and Hermione.

Harry turned back to look back at them, and saw that they both had a look of sadness upon their faces. Harry realized that he was sad, too. Why? Why did he for some reason know that he would have been great friends with those two he had just left behind?

Malfoy stopped walking and let go of Harry’s hand. “You wouldn’t have wanted to be friends with those two,” Malfoy said, jerking his head toward the way they had just come.

“Er…yeah. Yeah your right,” said Harry, not completely convinced he had done the right thing. Why did he feel like he had just left his two best friends behind? But he could still be friends with Ron and Hermione, right? All these questions were racing through his head when Professor McGonagall began to speak.

“First years, first years! Quiet! As some of you know the start-of-term banquet is about to begin, but before it can, you all must be sorted. You will all walk in and gather around the stool that will be placed in front of the Headmaster Dumbledore. I will call each of your names, you will sit on the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat upon your head, and you will be sorted into one of the four Houses. As you most likely know the four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin,” said Professor McGonagall. She said the last house with a bit of disgust though no one seemed to notice, but Harry since they were all talking about the Houses now.

“Slytherin,” Malfoy whispered beside him. Ron had mentioned one of these houses. Which one was it? Oh, yeah it was Gryffindor.

“Come on, then,” said Professor McGonagall.

The huge double doors behind Professor McGonagall began to open into the Great Hall. All the first years started to follow her again, looking around.

Harry was amazed by the Great Hall with its thousands of floating candles. He clearly saw that that there were five tables. Four were spaced out next to each other, with the older students sitting at them and the last, the High Table, was at the end of the hall, the sits filled in by the professors. At the center, he saw the man whom he recognized from the Chocolate Frog card as the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Even if he hadn’t seen Dumbledore from the card, he would have been able to tell it was the Headmaster because of his delicate, but supreme power.

Harry noticed that other students were looking up at the ceiling, so he decided to look up, as well. He saw the night sky filled with stars instead of a regular high ceiling. Harry was in shock. He’d never seen anything like it.

The line stopped moving and he almost banged into Crabbe or Goyle, he couldn’t remember which was which. He looked forward and saw that upon the stool that was placed before Dumbledore, was an old hat. That was how we were going to be sorted? Harry didn’t understand. It wouldn’t be until the students began to be sorted would Harry understand.

The hat began to sing about the four Houses of Hogwarts that he had just so recently learned about: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Harry didn’t catch all of what the Sorting Hat was saying because he was so nervous.

What House would I be put into? I didn’t know about the Houses until now. Which one do I belong to?

“…Gryffindor, a place where the brave last the longest and the fearless are never lost…” said the Sorting Hat.

Gryffindor seems like a good House. Ron said he wanted to be in this House. But am I brave or fearless? I don’t know.

“…Possibly Slytherin, where the sly sort find it to be their humble abode…” said the hat. Harry turned to look at Malfoy who looked bored. He tried to look for Ron or Hermione, but he couldn’t find them. Harry turned back to look at the Sorting Hat. “ …And are devious in every way possible…” and the Sorting Hat continued on.

Maybe Slytherin. It didn’t sound too bad. I head Malfoy say that he wanted to be in Slytherin. Is that the one I belong in?

Harry had so many questions running through his head about the Houses, but he was taken away from his thoughts by the applause of the school because the Sorting Hat had finished singing.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward and took out a piece of parchment, and began calling out names one by one. The sorting seemed like a blur to Harry. He can vaguely remember hearing Hermione, Malfoy, and Ron’s names being called.

A lot of names were called before Harry heard Professor McGonagall say, “Harry Potter.”

Slowly, Harry stepped forward through the ones that had yet to be sorted. Once he reached the stool, he turned to face the students and sat on the stool. He could feel Professor McGonagall place the Sorting Hat on his head.

“Hmm…you’re the most difficult choice to make yet. You have a lot of courage, though you might not know it yet. You are very loyal, as well. You might do well in Gryffindor. But Slytherin is another thing to consider, yes. You have a desire to be great and powerful. You will go far in…SLYTHERIN!” yelled the Sorting Hat. He was glad that the rest of the school couldn’t hear the beginning of what the Sorting Hat said.

No one applauded like they did for all the other first years. Did I do something wrong? Professor McGonagall took off the Sorting Hat and Harry slid off the stool, and started to walk toward the Slytherin table. He sat down next to Malfoy facing the rest of the tables. He looked up and was glad to see that Professor McGonagall had already called another name. He saw in the corner of his eye that Dumbledore was looking at him intently. They met eyes, but Harry couldn’t figure out what Dumbledore was thinking, but Harry knew it wasn’t good. He turned away to see a girl sit at the Hufflepuff table.