The Sorting Ceremony
"Four to a boat, no more!" Hagrid called. Will climbed into a boat with Sylvia, Hermione, and Neville.
No matter how many times Will had seen it in films or read about it in books, nothing compared to being there. Darkness surrounded them. The Black Lake beneath the boat reflected the stars overhead, and Hogwarts Castle rose in its waters too, its countless lit windows shining among those reflected stars.
The sight made Hogwarts look grander and more mysterious than ever.
Twenty minutes later, before a huge oak door, Hagrid handed the first-years over to Professor McGonagall, who wore emerald-green robes and a stern expression.
"Welcome to Hogwarts."
The Sorting Ceremony was about to begin.
Several young wizards nearby grew nervous. Hermione had already started reciting passages from her books, but soon she turned and fixed Will with a stare. "Did you read anything about the Sorting Ceremony?"
Sylvia and Neville looked at him too. "Right! You've obviously read a lot of books. Didn't any of them mention it?"
They kept pestering Will for an answer. After a moment's thought, he said, "All right. We have to fight the animals representing the Four Houses, one after another. Then the professors decide which animal we're most like and put us in its House."
Will went on, "I don't know why books from recent years leave it out, but the nineteenth-century Hogwarts Guide to Dangers describes it in detail. You can look for a copy later."
Silence fell around him.
A few minutes later, the Sorting Ceremony began.
As everyone knew, Hogwarts had four Houses: Azkaban, Nurmengard...
Ahem. As everyone knew, Hogwarts had four Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. The Sorting Hat placed students in them according to their traits.
Until now, the young wizards had had no idea how the Sorting worked. It was a subject the entire Wizarding World kept quiet about. Even books avoided it; Hogwarts, A History, for instance, glossed right over the Sorting. Will thought that, in its own way, the secrecy showed a rather amusing concern for the students.
The students lined up and waited for Professor McGonagall to call their names.
Hermione and Neville both breathed sighs of relief, and Neville even patted his chest as he let out a long breath. Beside Will, Sylvia shot him a fierce glare.
The other young wizards looked at Will too, some relieved, others resentful.
"Hannah Abbott!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Terry Boot!"
"Ravenclaw!"
Will's last name was "Balance," and the Hogwarts roster was ordered alphabetically by surname, so he was quite early on the list.
"Will Behrens!"
Will walked slowly toward the Sorting Hat.
He did not notice Professor Flitwick watching him from the staff table. Dumbledore, with his face full of white beard, was watching too.
Will reluctantly pulled the filthy Sorting Hat onto his head.
"Hmm. You think I'm not very clean?" the Sorting Hat's voice sounded by Will's ear.
"I don't just think it. You really aren't."
"Dumbledore never cleans me. Do you know how many years it's been since I last had a proper cleaning?"
Will felt his face twitch.
"Enough about that. Let's see where you belong. Hmm. Difficult. Very difficult..." The Sorting Hat sounded deep in thought.
"I think Hufflepuff would be nice." Will genuinely preferred the idea of spending time with the little badgers.
"Hufflepuff is certainly nice. They're fair and loyal, steadfast and honest. Oh, and remarkably accepting. But you clearly don't belong there."
"Are you refusing a young wizard's request?"
"Refusing? Of course not. My job is to choose the House best suited to each of you, the place that matches your traits." The Sorting Hat's voice rustled on. "That's why Gryffindor created me in the first place."
"Child, you have talent. A great deal of it. You love knowledge, so Ravenclaw would suit you. No, no, that's not quite right. You pursue knowledge. Good heavens, take care you don't end up in Azkaban someday. You wizards who pursue knowledge are terribly dangerous. Hmm, Slytherin would suit you well. Your great undertaking could begin there. Oh, this is difficult. Ravenclaw suits you. No, no, Slytherin suits you better."
"So where are you sending me?" Will started to ask, but the Sorting Hat had already shouted its answer.
"Slytherin!"
A sparse round of applause rose from the Slytherin table.
That filthy, hidebound hat!
"Are you insulting me?" the Sorting Hat asked suddenly, already halfway off Will's head. Will ignored it and put it back in place.
Will walked to the Slytherin table with a cool expression, took an empty seat, and watched the rest of the Sorting Ceremony in silence.
Of the people he knew, Hermione Granger was Sorted first. Sure enough, she went to Gryffindor, just as she had hoped. Neville came next. Surprisingly, the Sorting Hat sat on his head for several minutes.
Neville had nearly become a Hatstall. Will guessed the battered hat was torn between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.
Neville certainly had more than enough courage, and he was fair and steadfast too.
"Sylvia Lestrange!" Sylvia came right after Neville. Barely ten seconds later, the Sorting Hat called out.
"Slytherin!"
Sylvia came over to the Slytherin table and raised an eyebrow at Will before sitting beside him. Her expression seemed to say, What's a Ravenclaw-in-waiting doing in Slytherin?
Will spread his hands helplessly.
But once the Sorting was over and all kinds of delicious food appeared on the tables, Will dug in. His gaze swept across the staff table. The greatest wizard of the century, his hair and beard snow-white, was chatting happily with the professors beside him, a kindly smile on his face.
Professor Flitwick, small in stature, happened to be looking his way. He waved a greeting, and Will waved back.
Professor McGonagall still looked stern and unapproachable.
Snape looked like a half-dead, grim and dreadful Old Bat, though his gaze kept drifting toward the Gryffindor table.
Professor Sprout, with her gray curls, looked wonderfully gentle. She was the least conspicuous Head of House—not because she was any less capable than the others, but because the other Heads of House were so unforgettable.
Will's gaze continued along the staff table: Professor Quirrell, the odd man in the purple turban; Hagrid, keeper of the Forbidden Forest...
Will would spend the coming years with these teachers. Except, of course, whichever professor taught the subject that changed hands every year.
Just as Will bent over his meal, the professors at the staff table began talking about him.
"There are quite a few children worth keeping an eye on this year," Dumbledore said, swallowing a bite of pudding as his gaze passed over the Gryffindor table.
"Yes. The Abbott girl, and the Longbottom boy," Professor McGonagall said. "Oh, and I met a very interesting child. Muggle-born, with a real love of learning. I thought she'd go to Ravenclaw."
"Oh? Who was it?" Professor Flitwick asked curiously.
"A girl named Hermione Granger." Professor McGonagall looked toward the Gryffindor table. "The one with the rather bushy hair."
"Speaking of which, I met a boy I thought would enter Ravenclaw, but he went to Slytherin instead." Professor Flitwick shook his head, sounding a little regretful.
"I see nothing wrong with Slytherin," Snape said quietly.
"Of course there's nothing wrong with it. Don't misunderstand me, Severus. It's just that he loves learning. I spent half an afternoon teaching him outside the school the other day.
"It's hard to believe, but he already has some understanding of Charms and is studying them in greater depth.
"His home is piled with hundreds of books. Isn't it surprising that a child exploring knowledge so eagerly at his age didn't enter Ravenclaw?" Professor Flitwick's voice held a trace of regret.
"Oh, and Severus, please keep an eye on him. His mother died unexpectedly, and he suffered abuse at home for years. His magic went out of control during one of those incidents."
At that, the smile nearly vanished from Dumbledore's face. He watched the boy cutting into his steak and said thoughtfully, "An orphan, hungry for knowledge, with a tragic past...?"