CH 16 Sorting
They got off at Hogmeade's Train Station and were picked up by Hagrid from there. They got in the iconic transport system for the First Years, the Fleet of Boats gliding across the Giant Lake at Hogwarts.
Alcor was joined bu Luna and Ginny in one of the last boats. As a result it was only three of them in their boats. Alcor felt as if his senses were singing with delight at the excessive stimulation from various elements and concentrated magical energies that saturated the environment at Hogwarts.
They soon reached the Docks and disembarked carefully under Hagrid's supervision. Hagrid led them to a giant Oak door and banged his fist on it three times. The door was soon opened by a green robed witch with a stern face.
"Brought the First Years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said with a slight bow, that looked more like him trying to look McGonagall in the eye.
"Hmm, Thank you Hagrid. I will take them from here." McGonagall replied with a nod. They were led to a side chamber next to a hall. Sounds from the doorway next to this chamber made them aware that the people from higher years were already seated there.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great 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 earn your House points, while any 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 honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours."
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all prepare yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I will call for you soon." McGonagall said before leaving the chamber.
Alcor gave a slightly amused smile as he heard all this. It assumed him how they used simple peer-pressure with no actual rewards to control a bunch of teenagers with enough power to create chaos all over the world.
He personally had intention to adhere to points system, and if someone tried to give him detention he was going to make their life truly hell. He waited quietly along with Luna and Ginny, while listening to various First Years from wizarding families make guesses about the Sorting.
Soon, McGonagall returned and gestured to the First Years to line up.
"Everyone be silent and follow me. don't break the line or push each other." McGonagall said as she walking away at a brisk pace.
they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting.
These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.
The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the few ghosts that attended the feast shone misty silver. As they looked upward, they saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.
If Alcor didn't know the truth already, he would have found it hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.
Their attention was then grabbed by Professor McGonagall silently placing a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. It looked very shabby and seemed unlike anything someone would like to wear on a regular basis. Everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat. Alcor too waited for the Intelligent Artifact to begin its performance. For a few seconds, there was complete silence.
Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat began to sing:
"Dusty, Dirty and Shabby I may be,
No other hat is smarter than me;
Loyal, Ambitious, Brave or Wise,
Your deepest desire is what you decide;
Talents and Secrets that you foster,
Seek out I shall and make you prosper;
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends;
Don't fear and put me on,
Trust me and I won't let you down,
Will find your home like a map,
For I am a Thinking Cap."
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. Even Alcor joined in, impressed by the Hat's dedication to present a different song each year.
Reveling in the applause, the hat bowed to each of the four tables before settling down on the stool and becoming still again.
"I am so relieved," Ginny said with a relieved whisper "I was worried about the sorting since my brothers didn't tell me anything about it despite me pestering them."
While Luna comforted her, Alcor felt a few glances in his direction from the Staff Table. Dumbledore was looking at him with a twinkle in his eyes, and so was Snape. But weirdest of all, he was caught a furtive glace given by Professor Sybill Trelawney.
'The Control-Freak Grandpa and his Guilt-Ridden Sidekick I can understand. They may have been able to sense something from me. But what does she want?' Alcor thought.
Dumbledore right at that moment seemed to hear something from an invisible source. He then leaned over to Snape and whispered something, causing Snape to leave the hall with a slight smirk on his face.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward at that moment, holding a long roll of parchment. Unfurling it with a practiced hand movement, she turned to the First Years standing in a loose group next to her.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.
"Aster, Hank." McGonagall called out the first name on the list. A slightly chubby boy with short brown hair stepped forward nervously and sat at the stool before putting on the hat.
After about a minute, the hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!". Hufflepuff table broke out in applause and Hank slowly made his way towards them with a smile.
"Celesta, Alcor." McGonagall called out the second name.
'Oh, I am second in line?' Alcor thought as he went to the stool. He tapped on the hat with his wand as he reached it, cleaning it so thoroughly that it seemed to become as good as new. As a few gasps were heard among the students on this display of magic, Alcor calmly put on the hand on his head.
'That was a bit rude and rough you brat!!' A voice echoed in Alcor's head with an annoyed tone 'Have you not been taught that elderly should be respected and treated gently!!'
'Hmph, I have no respect for peeking perverts.' Alcor countered.
'Hey!! I am no pervert. I don't spread the secrets I come in contact with nor do I attack the mind of young defenseless children. Although you are far from defenseless or young, aren't you?' Hat spoke with a chiding tone.
'Fine, I am sorry. Here, take this as my apology.' Alcor said as he passed a seed of prana through his head into the Hat. He immediately felt the Hat being supercharged by the Prana Seed, its enchantments becoming stronger than they were even in their prime.
'Ooh, that's the stuff. Merlin once gave me a bit of it so so many years ago, but even that was not as pure or potent as the one you have.' Hat said in an appreciative tone.
'Hmm, so many secrets and powers you hide in that body of yours. Immeasurable talent, incomparable thirst for knowledge and power, and blessed with abilities comparable to the strongest wizards.' Hat sighed in his mind
'I give up, brat. You decide where do you want to go. I can not make this decision.' Hat declared
'Just put me in Ravenclaw then. I am least likely to be dragged into squabbles of children there.' Alcor said.
'You have even begun to talk like an old man, you brat. Fine--' the Hat said before shouting loudly "RAVENCLAW!!"
Alcor walked calmly to the Ravenclaw table and was congratulated by a beautiful female senior, who was its prefect. He took the seat near the end of the Ravenclaw table to avoid chatter.
He watched others in his year be sorted. Colin Creevey, Luna and Ginny were the only ones he remembered from the original series. A total of four other students were sorted in to Ravenclaw along with him and Luna, but based on their lack of any unique habits or abilities Alcor didn't feel the need to currently associate himself with them.
After she was sorted, Luna seemed to almost glide breezily to the seat next to him and looked around in a daze. Alcor was very interested in what actually went on in this girls head. Was she actually crazy? Or did she just see more than what others could?