Chapter Seven: The Sorting Hat

They walked in a single file towards a pair of large double doors that Harry hadn’t noticed on the way to the side chamber. The doors were magnificently carved oak with many details in them. He didn’t have long to look at them, since as Professor McGonagall approached, the doors automatically opened. Well, magically was more like it, Harry thought to himself with a small grin.

Inside the doors was a large hall. The ceiling was the most amazing part. High above them, it mirrored the night sky exactly as Harry had seen it earlier on the boat ride across the lake. Thousands of lit candles were floating around over the five tables in the hall. Four were lined up along the length of the hall, with the last on a raised floor at the front, facing the four others.

They filed in between the four tables heading to the front. All of the others students stared at them as they walked past, some giving encouraging smiles and others smirking. Harry tried to ignore this and instead looked ahead to the table they were approaching. It was obviously the teacher’s table, because at the very center sat Professor Dumbledore in a royal golden chair. Harry supposed one might call it a throne, but having met Professor Dumbledore before, calling it that didn’t seem to fit.

Professor Dumbledore was smiling at them as they approached and lined up before the tables. Harry, situated in between Hermione and Ron, looked out at the hundreds of older students and became even more nervous about this ‘sorting’ thing. How did you get sorted into one of the houses? Drawing?

Harry noticed that each table was decorated in different colors. The table to the far right was red and gold. Next to it was green and silver, then blue and bronze, and finally yellow and black. Harry didn’t know which table was which. He wondered if Hermione knew, but wasn’t about to ask her now.

Professor McGonagall came forward with a wooden three-legged stool and a patched wizards hat, which was very dirty and old. She set the stool down in front of Professor Dumbledore’s chair and then placed the hat on top of it. She then turned and faced the students lined up at the front of the hall. Luckily Harry could easily see her from his position slightly off center of the line.

“When I call your name, please come forward and place the Sorting Hat on your head. The hat will tell you which House you will go to.” She then began to call out names. Harry watched as the first half of the students were sorted into their houses. The blond boy was sent to the table with green and silver without the hat ever touching his head fully. Harry wondered if that was a good sign or not, and decided that he didn’t want to go to that House. It was probably Slytherin, he thought.

Hermione was called next, and she walked forward as confidently as she could and sat down with the hat on her head. She hesitated for a moment and then with a big smile, walked off to the red and gold table. When she sat down, she waved at Ron and him.

More names were called until he saw Professor McGonagall call his out. He walked forward nervously. He never liked to be the center of attention, and worked as hard as he could to avoid being it. Now there was no choice so he walked on, trying to mimic Hermione in her confidence. He noticed that as his name was called, most of the hall broke out into whispers. He was slowly coming to terms with the fact that most everyone in the wizarding world knew his name.

He sat down and placed the hat on his head. Now he felt like a fool. What now? Even if the hat could talk, he wouldn’t be able to hear it, let alone read its lips. What happened next scared him greatly and caused him to jump.

“Hello, Harry Potter.”

The hat spoke to him! And he could HEAR it!?! What was going on???

“Yes, Harry, you can hear me. I know it is a little weird, but how else did you expect to be sorted? Not like this?!? Well, lets see here. Plenty of courage I see, and cunning too! You would do well in Gryffindor, or perhaps Slytherin? You have the power. Oh yes, I see the power inside of you. No, not Slytherin? Yes, they are green and silver, but what does that have to do with anything? Oh, young Mr. Malfoy? I see.”

Harry was flabbergasted. This hat was carrying on its own conversation with his mind, and yet he wasn’t even thinking these things?

“Harry, I can see everything about you, so no need trying to hide it. Anyways, I think that Gryffindor would be the best bet for you. You would not do well in Slytherin now that I think about it. No, they would not be to kind to you since you are deaf. So GRYFFINDOR it is!!!”

The hat yelled out Gryffindor in his head, and must have done so outside of it, because the table Hermione was at erupted into cheers and she started waving him towards her. He quickly took off the hat, glad to be rid of it, and practically ran over to the table, trying to get out of the spotlight.

Gryffindor table was still cheering and clapping, many of them standing and welcoming him. Harry sat down beside Hermione and tried to disappear as everyone settled down. Everyone kept looking over at him and he turned his attention back to the Sorting Hat.

Harry saw now that the hat had a large rip on the front that was apparently its mouth. It opened wide when it called out the House the wearer was to go to, but as he guessed, there were no lips to read.

Ron walked forward and placed the hat on his head, and a moment later, he too came over to the Gryffindor table and sat down across from Hermione and him. Apparently he had brothers in Gryffindor, because there were three right there to greet him, all with the same red hair and freckles.

Harry was about to ask Hermione what the hat had said to her when she shook her head and nodded in the direction of the head table. Harry turned to see Professor Dumbledore standing and obviously about to begin talking.

“Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!” He said. “I have a few words before we eat: Nitwit,” something Harry couldn’t understand, “Blubber, Tweak!” What? “Thank you!” Okay.

Across from him, the Weasley brothers laughed and began to clap, but stopped short when the food appeared on the tables. Harry hadn’t noticed them before, but each place at the table had a golden plate. Foods of all sorts appeared, and Harry saw almost everything he liked. He piled some food on his plate and began to eat, watching as everyone around him did the same.

Harry had always been a fast eater, having learned to eat what he could before Dudley took it from him, the pig. So, he finished long before Hermione or Ron did, so he leaned back and relaxed.