The doors were pulled open by a tall witch in emerald green robes. Her hair was tied tightly back in a bun, and in contrast to the giant man’s genial expression hers was extremely stern.
‘The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall,’ said Hagrid, his expression not changing. ‘Yeh’ll be alrigh’ from here then?’
‘That that will be fine Hagrid.’ The woman’s voice matched her expression, and Gordon was already making a mental note to not get on the wrong side of her. As they followed her inside, Gordon nearly cricked his neck looking around. The Entrance Hall was huge and could have quite feasibly constituted a whole castle itself. Its stone walls were covered in tapestries in bright colours. It was illuminated by countless lit torches mounted on the walls. Though it was quite spectacular, Luke felt slightly uneasy. All the other students were gasping and pointing at things. Though Luke could never deny its magnificence, nothing about the hall had surprised him. He supposed he was finally getting used to the wizarding world. Professor McGonagall led them out of the hall and into a small side chamber. They could hear commotion from the room next door to them that sounded like an assembly.
‘Welcome to Hogwarts,’ said Professor McGonagall, peering down at them over the top of her glasses. ‘The starting banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall’ “ Gordon wondered how big that would be after seeing the entrance 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 win you House points, while and 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 honour. I hope each of you will become a credit to whichever House becomes yours.’
Luke’s stomach lurched uncomfortably. He reached into his pocket to grab his wand and was horrified when it wasn’t there. For a terrible moment he thought he had lost it, before he remembered it was in his inside pocket.
‘The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly.’
She left the chamber. Gordon felt like his bottom half had been turned to lead. Were they expected to take a test in front of the whole school? He shot a look of horror to Luke, whose eyes were now quite wide. It couldn’t have been more than a minute, although it seemed like a lifetime, before Professor McGonagall came back in.
‘We’re ready for you now. Follow me.’
She led them out of the antechamber, and opened up the massive double doors of the Great Hall.
If Luke wasn’t surprised at the entrance, he was gobsmacked by the Great Hall. Initially, he thought it looked like a brighter version of a cathedral. Instead of pews it had four great tables, each nearly as long as the room. The tables were filled with students, and most of them were chatting excitedly and looking at the first-years. Luke briefly spotted several who appeared to be pointing at him and laughing. Trying to push back the feeling that he was going to make a complete fool of himself in front of an entire school, he tried to take in more of the hall and less of what the students were saying. He looked up to above the tables, where thousands of candles were floating in mid air. He stared determinedly at them while trying to ignore the laughter of some girls they had just passed, when he felt a tug on his sleeve. It was Gordon. He was pointing to the ceiling, awestruck.
Except it wasn’t a ceiling. They were looking out into the night sky. The whole roof seemed to have an open top. A few stars were twinkling between the clouds.
Professor McGonagall was now leading them towards the far end of the hall. The teachers were sat at their table here, facing the students. All of them seemed to be examining them. Luke noticed Hagrid was beaming down at them, while a small squat witch sitting beside him looked almost as pleased as he did.
Luke’s eyes flitted along to the centre of the teacher’s table, where very old looking wizard sat. He had long white hair and a silvery beard which he appeared to have tucked into his belt. Luke guessed that he was the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.
Luke was just about to point him out to Gordon when Professor McGonagall brought the first years into a line and made them face the rest of the students. She then, without saying a word, sat a single stool in front of the first years and placed atop it an extremely tatty looking wizard’s hat. Luke’s stomach did a few more somersaults as he waited for an instruction from Professor McGonagall. Everyone in the hall seemed to be staring at the hat, so Luke did the same. Then, without warning, a tear near the brim of the hat opened like a mouth and it began to sing:
‘Many yesterdays ago
Four founders chose to forge,
A school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Where knowledge could be gorged.
They did not labour without toil,
Nor succeed without loss.
But work they did to make this school
That stands here around us.
The four of them each made a House,
To pass on down their trade.
And now I’ll tell you about them
With this merry serenade.
Gryffindor was strong and brave,
His nerve set him apart.
While Ravenclaw was often famed
For being very smart.
Fair Hufflepuff was good and kind,
And known for her loyalty.
Sly Slytherin was more cunning,
Than all the other three.
With each House comes different things,
But all of them rose tall.
So put me on your head and I,
Will find ones for you all!’
The four tables of students burst into applause as the hat finished its song. Luke noticed that beside him most of the first years were looking just as relieved as he felt, although Percy seemed to look quite disappointed.
‘We’ve just got to put the hat on,’ said Gordon to Luke amongst the applause of the students. ‘Well, that shouldn’t be too hard.’ Luke nodded. He felt a little better knowing this, but now he understood what Oliver had been talking about on the train. They weren’t Quidditch teams, they were Houses! Now he was going to be put into one. He looked around at the four tables and tried to decide which one looked the nicest.
‘As I read out your names you will sit on the stool and put on the Sorting Hat. The hat will then sort you into your houses, and you should go and join the appropriate table,’ she said, unfurling a long piece of parchment. ‘Ashley, Carl!’
A small boy with blonde curtains slowly walked over and, looking at it as if it might bite him, picked up the hat. He then sat down on the stool and put it on. The hat swayed a little on him for a second.
‘HUFFLEPUFF!’ shouted the hat.
The table on the right erupted into cheers and the boy ran over to sit with them. One of the students sat there started talking excitedly to him as he sat down.
‘Bracken, Lee!’
‘SLYTHERIN!’ shouted the hat this time. The boy strode off to sit with the rest of the Slytherins. Many more students were sorted by the hat and went off to sit with them with a round of applause. Soon ‘Norris, Carla!’ had been whisked away and Professor McGonagall called out…
‘Oakshot, Luke!’
Luke walked over to the hat, trying desperately to remember everything in the song. He picked it up and sat down on the stool. He took one last breath, and placed it on his head. The hat was warm and its brim came down past his eyes. The noise of the hall was muffled considerably by it. Suddenly it spoke in his ear.
‘Mmm!’ said the hat, chuckling to itself. ‘Now this is interesting, yes. Hmm. There’s some talent here, a little different from our average students I think. I feel you’ve something to prove, too.’ The hat chuckled again at this. ‘But who knows how things might end? Maybe somewhere nice and safe.’
Luke immediately thought of his mother. He imagined that if she were here she’d be screaming at him to choose that one. The thought rather annoyed him.
‘Going against your mother’s wishes?’ chuckled the hat, to Luke’s horror. ‘You seem to have some compassion in you, maybe it would be better to take the quiet road. No? Hmm. Well you certainly have a bit of intelligence under your belt; Ravenclaw would be honoured to have you. But I don’t think you’ll end up in there. What about Gryffindor and Slytherin? You’ve got more than a little cunning in you, and a little less bravery I feel.’
Luke wasn’t enjoying the experience. The hat had been quite silent apart from shouting the house of the other students wore it. It was now telling the whole Hall Luke wasn’t brave. He felt angry and upset, if he’d only get a chance, he’d show them. The hat laughed again.
‘It’s been some time since I had an encounter this interesting, yes I think I’ll be seeing you again before your school life is out. Still, if you’re so desperate to prove yourself, better be… GRYFFINDOR!’
Luke pulled off the hat and tore away to the Gryffindor table. Upon sitting down the boy next to him shook his hand and congratulated him, but Luke knew what was coming, and had turned back round to face the front.
Gordon was walking over to the hat, a looking very determined. He disappeared behind the brim of the hat. Luke couldn’t help himself from talking aloud. ‘Please… Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor…’
‘GRYFFINDOR!’ belted out the hat. Luke stood up cheering and Gordon came running over in such a hurry that he almost tripped over his robes. He took a seat opposite Luke and was immediately engulfed in conversation with a second year boy. Luke looked down the table. Bill and several students near him “ including a stocky, red-haired boy Luke recognised as his brother Charlie “ were giving them the thumbs up. Luke felt delighted. If he’d have known Gordon and the Weasleys were going to be in Gryffindor, he’d have gone for it immediately. With half an eye on the Sorting, they talked about how weird the hat was, and Gordon asked Luke why it had taken so long on him. Luke felt rather glad he didn’t know, but said he’d talk about it later. Percy had just been sorted into Gryffindor as well, and was closely followed by Oliver. When ‘Xavier, Esteban!’ was finally sorted in Hufflepuff, Professor McGonagall removed the hat and stool and Professor Dumbledore stood up, his hair and beard flowing around as he did so. He was wearing an expression of pure delight, and Luke wondered if it was magic that was making that twinkle in his eye. He tapped his goblet (to which the whole hall fell silent) and then held open his arms and began to speak.
‘Welcome!’ he said. ‘To a new year at Hogwarts! But that is no excuse for an empty stomach. Let the feast begin!’
Luke looked down at the plates in front of him. They were now full of almost every type of food you could imagine. In front of Luke was some roast beef, which he helped himself to. Gordon was tucking into a sausage. Luke felt like he could eat a horse.
As he ate, Luke looked around the Great Hall. Several ghosts were floating around the tables. There was one sat at the Slytherin table that was covered in what appeared to be ghostly bloodstains. Luke accidentally met the ghost’s gaze. His eyes stared blankly. Luke looked down and shuddered.
One of the ghosts was at their table, a moustached ghost wearing a large ruff collar. He was talking to one of the older Gryffindors, occasionally looking down mournfully at the food.
‘I do hope this year’s supply of new blood turn out well. I see we have another Weasley amongst us. I do hope he can live up to Bill and Charlie.’
The boy was munching on a chicken leg, and Luke noticed he spat several pieces of it through the ghost as he replied.
‘I’msh ‘ure ey’ll be fine,’ he replied, swallowing his mouthful as the ghost looked sternly at him. ‘And Percy will be alright, Sir Nick. We’ll take of him.’
The ghost did not seem to be quite convinced that this boy taking care of Percy would be a good idea, and drifted off further down the table.
‘So we ended up in Gryffindor,’ said Gordon, prodding a potato onto his fork. ‘I’m glad, when the hat said how it would sort us, I thought I’d end up in Hufflepuff for sure. I’m surprised you didn’t end up in Ravenclaw.’ He put the potato in his mouth, and looked at Luke for a reply.
‘Yeah…I’m glad I’m here,’ said Luke. He didn’t feel like telling anyone what the Sorting Hat had said to him just yet. ‘I’d rather have been here than Ravenclaw.’
‘I guessed that’s what decided it then,’ said Gordon, busy impaling another potato. ‘You’d rather be here and the hat realised it. It’s a smart hat.’
Luke shrugged and went back to his cabbage. Before long everyone had finished their third helpings and Professor Dumbledore stood up. Everyone in the hall fell silent. Luke couldn’t help but find the man’s presence quite amazing.
‘I’m afraid I must trouble you for a few more moments with some start of term notices. First-years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. Mr Filch would like me to remind you that no magic is to be practiced in the corridors. He also mentioned that Walloping Walnuts have been added to the list of banned goods. Should anyone wish to examine this list it can be found on Mr Filch’s door.’
He indicated towards a mess of a man with scraggly brown hair, a broken nose and too few teeth to mention. The man was scowling rather miserably at every student who looked his way. Luke thought he saw a hint of amusement in Dumbledore’s eyes.
‘Filch is the Caretaker,’ whispered a second-year in Luke’s ear. ‘An absolute nightmare, best to keep out of his way.’
‘Thirdly, I would like to announce that we are to welcome a new member of staff. Professor Hollowhorn will be joining us and taking over the Defence Against the Dark Arts position.’
Dumbledore turned to a very old looking gentleman beside him. He was quite bald and had a small, wispy white beard. While Dumbledore himself did not look young, his bright eyes made his face seem almost youthful. This man’s eyes were half shut. Luke wondered if they were the effect of years combating dark arts. The man pulled himself up and nodded to four tables. There was a round of applause “ though Luke noticed most of the Slytherin table weren’t clapping “ and he sat down again without saying a word. Dumbledore turned back round to address them.
‘And that, I believe, is that. Now it is time for us to have a very well earned night’s rest, I think. Goodnight!’
With that, the students stood up and began to move out of the hall. Bill indicated for the first years to follow him. He was wearing a silver badge with a P emblazoned on it.
‘It stands for Prefect,’ said Percy proudly, to no one in particular.
Bill led them out of the hall and up the marble staircase. After the meal both Gordon and Luke felt very sleepy, and while earlier they might have pointed with amazement as the portraits on the walls moved and greeted them, now they were too tired to be surprised. Bill didn’t seem to be quite as tired as them, and was giving them a bit of a tour of the castle. Luke rather wished they could just go straight to bed. Much of the route seemed to take them through hidden passageways behind tapestries and sliding panels. They were a bit too tired to take it all in.
‘Okay,’ said Bill. They were at the end of an otherwise innocuous length of corridor, they didn’t seem to be near any doorways. ‘In order to get into your dormitories and the common room, you need to give the password. It is vital that you remember it. This year’s password is “Lionsmyle heath”.’ A portrait behind him of a fat lady swung open, revealing a large hole in the wall. ‘Remember the password but don’t write it down. If the wrong person got their hands on it there would be hell to pay.’
With this Bill turned round and climbed through the hole. The first-years stood around nervously for a second, before following him in. Luke and Gordon were the last ones to go through.
The hole led to the Gryffindor common room. It was a cosy, round room. There were several very comfortable looking chairs and a roaring fire in the hearth, and it was currently packed with students.
‘These are the dormitories for your year,’ said Bill, pointing to an alcove set in the far wall. There was a small hallway with two spiral staircases leading from it. One had a carving of a man with a sword on the stone above it, the other a carving of a woman in a helmet.
‘I’ll leave you to choose your beds yourself. These are the boys dormitories and these the girls; don’t try going up the wrong one,’ Bill said, smiling rather knowingly. ‘Your luggage will already be up there. Welcome to Gryffindor and goodnight.’ He smiled, and walked off to talk with some fifth-year girls. Luke climbed up the spiral staircase, the rest of the boys in tow.
Luke’s stuff was already by a bed, and as none of the five four-poster beds seemed to be any better than the next, he kept the arrangement. Of the five beds, Gordon chose the one next to him on one side, and Percy took the other. Oliver was between Gordon and another boy who had introduced himself as Kyle Pratchett. He had a rather gawky appearance, but seemed nice enough.
Luke climbed into bed. He could unpack tomorrow. He got changed into his pyjamas and put his glasses and watch on the table beside him. He managed to say goodnight to Gordon, but not long after that he was fast asleep.
Luke dreamt about his primary school, only the walls kept fading and sometimes he was in Hogwarts. All his old school friends were dancing and chanting out what the Sorting had said, and Luke had cast a spell on them and they had dropped down. When he looked at them they all seemed to have Professor Dumbledore’s face. Then all the Dumbledores got up and started dancing around Luke and he lost track of what the dream had been about.
The Odd Gryffindors - Book One of the Evil Kneazle Series by AurorKeefy
Chapter Notes: Last disclaimer for citing J.K. Rowling directly, but as I said earlier, certain speechs in the books sound recited, rather than improvised. Must...stay...close...to...canon...
Thanks to Cirelondiel for betaing!
Chapter Endnotes: References and Citations taken from,
Rowling, J.K., Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, London: Bloomsbury, ch. 7
You may have heard of it.