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 them reflected the stars above, along with the towering Hogwarts Castle. Light shone from countless windows, mingling with the stars on the water.

The sight made Hogwarts look grander and more mysterious than ever.

Twenty minutes later, at the enormous oak doors, 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 she soon turned to Will. "Did you read anything about the Sorting Ceremony?"

Sylvia and Neville looked at him too. "Right. You've obviously read loads of books. Didn't you see anything?"

They kept pressing him, so Will thought for a moment and said, "All right. We actually 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 the corresponding House."

Will continued, "I don't know why books from recent years have stopped mentioning it, but it's described in detail in a nineteenth-century book called Hogwarts Guide to Dangers. You can look it up 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 assigned students to them according to their traits.

Until then, the young Wizards had no idea how the Sorting worked. It was a subject the entire Wizarding World kept secret. Even books avoided it; Hogwarts, A History, for example, glossed over the matter entirely. Will, though, thought the practice showed a strangely charming kind of consideration.

The students lined up and waited for Professor McGonagall to call their names.

Hermione and Neville both breathed sighs of relief. 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 with expressions ranging from relief to resentment.

"Hannah Abbott!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Terry Boot!"

"Ravenclaw!"

Will's surname was "Balance," and the Hogwarts list was ordered alphabetically by surname, so his turn came early.

"Will Behrens!"

Will walked slowly toward the Sorting Hat.

He failed to notice Professor Flitwick watching him from the staff table. Dumbledore, with his full 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 said in his ear.

"I don't think it. You aren't."

"Dumbledore never cleans me. Do you know how many years it's been since I last had a proper cleaning?"

Will's face twitched.

"Never mind that. Let's discuss your Sorting. Hmm. Difficult. Very difficult..." The Sorting Hat sounded deep in thought.

"I think Hufflepuff would be nice." Will really would rather spend his time with the little badgers.

"Hufflepuff is certainly nice. They're upright, 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 that suits you best, the place that most closely matches your traits." The Sorting Hat's voice rustled in his ear. "That's what Gryffindor created me to do."

"Child, you have talent. A great deal of it. You love knowledge—Ravenclaw would suit you. No, no, that's not right. You're pursuing knowledge. Good heavens, do be careful you don't end up in Azkaban one day. You Wizards who pursue knowledge are terribly dangerous. Hmm, Slytherin would suit you well. Your great undertaking would begin there. Oh, I'm torn. Ravenclaw suits you. No, no, Slytherin suits you better."

"So where are you putting me?" Will started to ask, but the Sorting Hat shouted before he could finish.

"Slytherin!"

A smattering of applause rose from the Slytherin table.

That filthy, stubborn hat!

"Were you just insulting me?" the Sorting Hat asked, already halfway off Will's head. Will ignored it and set it back in place.

With a cool expression, Will went to the Slytherin table, took a seat at random, and quietly watched the rest of the Sorting Ceremony.

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 stayed on his head for several minutes.

Neville was nearly a Hatstall. Will guessed the battered old hat was torn between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

Neville certainly had plenty of courage, as well as integrity and resilience.

"Sylvia Lestrange!" Sylvia followed right after Neville. Barely a dozen seconds later, the Sorting Hat cried 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-to-be doing in Slytherin?

Will spread his hands helplessly.

Once the Sorting ended, all kinds of delicious food appeared on the tables, and Will began to eat. His gaze drifted to the staff table. The greatest Wizard of the century, white-haired and white-bearded, wore a kindly smile as he chatted happily with the professors beside him.

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 rather unapproachable.

Snape resembled a half-dead, sinister old bat. His eyes kept straying to the Gryffindor table.

With her curly gray hair, Professor Sprout looked thoroughly warm and peaceful. She was also the least conspicuous Head of House—not because she was any less impressive than the others, but because the other Heads were so memorable.

Will's gaze continued along the staff table: Professor Quirrell with his strange purple turban, Hagrid the keeper of the Forbidden Forest...

Will would spend the coming years with these teachers. All except, of course, the professor of a certain subject whose position changed hands every year.

Just as Will bent over his meal, the professors at the staff table began talking about him.

"Quite a few children in this year's intake are worth watching," Dumbledore said, swallowing a mouthful of pudding as his gaze swept over the Gryffindor table.

"Yes. There's the Abbott girl, and the Longbottom family's boy," Professor McGonagall said. "Oh, and I met a very interesting child. Muggle-born and devoted to studying. I thought she'd go to Ravenclaw."

"Oh? Who?" Professor Flitwick asked curiously.

"A girl called Hermione Granger." Professor McGonagall looked toward the Gryffindor table. "The one with the rather bushy hair."

"Speaking of that, I met a boy I was sure would enter Ravenclaw, but he went to Slytherin instead." Professor Flitwick shook his head, sounding a little disappointed.

"I see nothing wrong with Slytherin," Snape said darkly.

"Of course not. Don't misunderstand me, Severus. He simply loves learning. I spent half an afternoon teaching him outside the school.

"It's astonishing. He already has some understanding of Charms and is delving deeper into the subject.

"His home is piled with hundreds of books. Isn't it surprising that a child so dedicated to exploring knowledge at his age didn't enter Ravenclaw?" Professor Flitwick sounded regretful.

"Oh, and Severus, please look after him a little. His mother died unexpectedly, and he suffered domestic abuse for a long time. His accidental surge of magic happened during one of those incidents."

The smile almost vanished from Dumbledore's face. He watched the boy cutting into his steak and said thoughtfully, "An orphan with a thirst for knowledge and a tragic past...?"