ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴀᴛᴛᴇᴅ ʟɪʟᴀ ʜᴏʟᴍᴇꜱ || ᴅʀᴀᴄᴏ ᴍᴀʟꜰᴏʏ x ᴏᴄ || ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ 1-3

the sorting

The night was crisp and clear. I'd always liked the smell of the outdoors; the distinct scent of the earth after rain. Once we reached the shore, Hagrid led us up to the door, rapping sharply on it three times. It was opened immediately, and in the doorway stood none other than Professor McGonagall. Hermione and I shared a delighted look. I looked to Harry and Ron, but they just appeared afraid. I supposed I didn't blame them — she was an intimidating woman.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid introduced us.

"Thank you Hagrid," she replied. "I will take them from here."

We crowded in as Professor McGonagall began to speak, mostly repeating what she had told me when she'd come to my house. I thought it likely that she visited Hermione too.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Ron tried to wipe the spot off of his nose again, but to no avail. Neville straightened out his cloak and Harry aimlessly tried to get his hair to cooperate. I took out my ponytail and put it back in in case there had been a lot of flyaways. It was impossible not to have any with my hair, but I liked to keep them as minimal as possible.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said the Professor. "Please wait quietly."

I still wasn't sure whether I wanted to be in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, but I supposed that in the end it was up to the Hat. It was likely Harry and Ron would be Gryffindor, and that's where Hermione wanted to be as well. I knew I would miss them in Ravenclaw, and could feel myself leaning toward Gryffindor with each passing second, weighing the pros and cons as fast as I could with the little information I had.

Suddenly, I heard screams from behind me. I whipped around to see what the ruckus was about. Twenty or so translucent beings — ghosts, I assumed — had appeared through the back wall. I stared at them for a very long time. I wondered how ghosts came to be. Was every wizard who died a ghost? Was it a choice? I listened to what they were saying. They seemed to be arguing over something.

"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance—" one began. He looked like a rather pudgy monk.

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves?" Said one wearing tights. "He gives us all a bad name and, he's not really even a ghost— I say, what are you all doing here?" He seemed to have noticed us. Nobody wanted to answer him, as we were all just sort of standing there in shock.

"New students!" The monk cried excitedly. "About to be Sorted, I suppose!"

Some of us nodded mutely. The monk grinned. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know!"

"Move along now," I was shaken out my daze when I heard that McGonagall was back. It was slightly relieving. "The ceremony's about to start!"

The ghosts left back where they had come from. I shivered, though I'd never been scared of ghosts before — mostly because I'd presumed that they weren't real.

"Now form a line," said McGonagall. Harry and I shared a look. I fell into line behind him and Ron, with Hermione behind me. "Follow me." Professor McGonagall continued. She lead us out of the chamber and into what I would later know as the Great Hall.

I looked around in wonder, trying to soak in every detail. It was lit by thousands upon thousands of candles that were magically floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students sat, waiting. I looked up at the ceiling, and noticed with awe that it was enchanted to look like the night sky. At the top of the hall was another table where the teachers sat. Professor McGonagall lead us up there, so that we came to a stop in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind us.