The Sorting Ceremony

The first-year students followed Hagrid down a steep, winding path, with dark woods on either side.

Roy, Cedric, and the Weasley Twins walked together. No one in the crowd was talking, so Roy spoke quietly to the other three.

"I really don't get why Aisling's so angry."

George rolled his eyes at Roy.

"She's a pampered young lady. She's never been laughed at like that in her life."

Fred was still holding the snacks Aisling had just given him, and he took her side too.

"It's your fault. You never know when to stop joking. We should've let that dark wizard carry you off in Knockturn Alley."

The twins took turns teasing Roy, but he wasn't in the mood to argue. He lowered his head and walked silently with the group.

"All right, once we cross this lake, we'll be at Hogwarts! No more than four to a boat!"

At the end of the narrow slope lay a black lake. The clear night sky was reflected in its still surface.

The four of them climbed into the same boat. Once Hagrid had loudly confirmed that every new student was aboard, the boats slowly left the shore and headed toward the middle of the lake.

The boats sent ripples across the water. Roy leaned out and peered into its unfathomable depths, where stars rose and fell on the surface.

"You don't think something's going to come out of the lake and attack us, do you? These rickety boats couldn't take much damage."

Fred dipped his hand into the icy water and shivered.

"Bill told me there are Merpeople in the lake, but they've made an agreement with Hogwarts. They've always lived peacefully alongside wizards."

Hagrid shouted a warning to the students to watch out for a jutting cliff. Past it, the boats carried them through a vine-covered opening and into a deep, dark tunnel.

After traveling through the tunnel for some time, all the boats finally stopped at a hidden dock beneath the Castle.

They disembarked and followed Hagrid up a gravel-strewn passage, eventually emerging onto a lawn outside the Castle.

At last, all the students climbed a broad flight of stone steps and stopped before a huge wooden door.

Hagrid called out to make sure every student was there, then raised his fist and knocked three times on the door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, dark-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood before them.

"The first-years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.

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

The new students followed the stern Professor McGonagall into the Castle.

The Entrance Hall alone was nearly bigger than the entire orphanage. Torches lined its timeworn stone walls, and as Roy watched the flames blaze, he wondered why they didn't use electric lights these days.

Professor McGonagall led the new students into an empty room. They filed in until they stood shoulder to shoulder in the cramped space.

Every young wizard could tell that the stern professor was not someone to cross. Even Fred and George stood straight-backed and solemn. Professor McGonagall surveyed the room, and not one student dared make a sound.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "The opening feast will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the dining hall, you must be assigned to your houses. The Sorting Ceremony is very important, because your house will be like your family at Hogwarts. You will attend classes with your housemates, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each has a proud history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your achievements will earn points for your house, and any rule-breaking will lose it points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the House Cup, a great honor. I hope you will bring credit to whichever house you join.

"I'll come back for you when they're ready," Professor McGonagall said. "Please remain quiet while you wait."

Professor McGonagall left the room, and all the students breathed a sigh of relief.

"So how exactly does Hogwarts sort new students into houses?"

Roy didn't seem nervous. He searched the crowd for Aisling, but couldn't see her anywhere.

Even Cedric was nervous now, uncertainty creeping into his voice.

"I heard they make new students fight a Troll and sort them based on how they do."

Fred and George had abandoned their usual carefree manner too. They began guessing what would happen, sounding a little frightened.

"Bill and Charlie told me it can seriously hurt students. Some new students even end up at St Mungo's Hospital."

Roy didn't believe it. All these young wizards could do against a Troll was provide it with a full meal. Only if Dumbledore were a senile old madman would he make first-years face one.

He glanced around and found every new student afraid for themselves. The twins were secretly discussing a plan, while Cedric gripped his wand, eyes closed, as if imagining himself fighting a Troll.

A ghost passing through the wall suddenly startled the group. The Fat Friar welcomed the new students in a kindly voice, then passed through the wall again and left.

"All right, new students. Follow me."

Professor McGonagall opened the door again, arranged the young wizards in two lines, and led them into a lavishly decorated dining hall.

Fred and George stood ahead of Roy, their legs seemingly too heavy to move. Roy taunted them under his breath from behind.

"At this rate, neither of you will get into Gryffindor."

His words seemed to jolt them awake. The twins' feet immediately moved faster.

They were just about to answer Roy when Professor McGonagall placed a battered, heavily patched hat on a high stool before the professors' table. The old hat suddenly began to sing.

Settle down, sit still. I'm the Sorting Hat, and I've been here since the day this Castle's four cornerstones were laid.

Set me on your little heads, and I'll find what lies deepest in your hearts—the courage you dare not show, the hopes you hide beneath your pillows, the weaknesses you won't admit even to yourselves, and the dreams of where you're determined to go.

I've seen so many people walk out from beneath this hat. Some carved their names into the Castle walls. Some left and never returned.

And I saw... long, long ago, two pairs of footsteps set out along the same road.

They both thought this world made people live too cramped a life, and they wanted to change its course. When they were together, even the candles in the Castle burned brighter than usual.

But as they walked, something beneath their feet broke.

Too softly for anyone to hear, yet with enough force to split the whole road in two.

The roads never joined again.

One turned back and stayed where he had first set out. He broke the rest of his life into small, ordinary days, watching generation after generation of children grow up. He sealed all the words he had never spoken inside his own shadow and never brought them out again.

The other walked in the opposite direction, farther and farther away. He built high walls around himself, thinking they would give him the highest place to stand. Only in the end did he discover that those walls had trapped him inside, and he never found his way out.

So remember this, little ones.

Whether your heart holds the courage to brave a dark forest, the honesty that will not bend, the wit to see through a fog, or the longing to reach the greatest heights—the magic in your hands can lay roads or tear down bridges. It can find you a home or draw a circle you'll never escape.

The road is yours to walk. Don't wait until you've crushed something underfoot to look back.

Now stop clutching your robes and trembling.

Put me on your head, and leave the rest to me.

I'll find the place that suits you best, here in this Castle.

That was awful, Roy thought.

Applause filled the hall, but soon died away. It seemed no one had much liked the Sorting Hat's song—except Dumbledore, who clapped more enthusiastically than anyone. He was still applauding furiously after everyone else had stopped.

Only when Professor McGonagall shot him a warning glance did Old Dumbledore pretend to cough and stop making a scene, looking embarrassed.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, took out a roll of parchment bearing every new student's name, cleared her throat, and announced the start of the Sorting Ceremony.

"When I call your name, come forward. Katie Bell."

The Sorting began.