𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓷 𝓞𝓷𝓮

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐠𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

THE MAIN DOOR to Hogwarts swung open at once. A tall, grey-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a stern face and Chloe's first thought was that she was not someone to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said. "Thank you, Hagrid," said McGonagall, the green-robed witch, "I will take them from here."

McGonagall pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big the whole of the Dursleys' house could have fit in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floor.

The first-years followed McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Chloe could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right.

The rest of the school must already be here, Chloe thought. But McGonagall showed the first-years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, stood closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said McGonagall, once she turned to the first-years. "Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw.. and Slytherin."

Several students, including Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, looked intrigued by Slytherin's house. Neville and Ron, however, looked nauseous.

"Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose 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 begin momentarily, in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." McGonagall advised. Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear and then on Ron's smudged nose. Chloe nervously tried to flatten her springy red hair.

"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." McGonagall said, before she left.

Chloe swallowed, rather anxiously. "How exactly do they sort us into houses?" She asked Ron. "Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurt a lot, but I think he was just joking." He answered.

Chloe's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But she didn't know any magic yet - what on earth would she have to do? She hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. The Potter girl looked around and saw that everybody else looked just as anxious, too.

No other first-year students were talking much except, of course, for Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.

Chloe had never been more nervous - never. Not even when she'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that she'd somehow turned her teacher's wig blue. She kept her eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead her to her doom.

Then something happened that made Chloe jump at once - several people behind her screamed.

"What the-" Ron said, equally startled. Chloe gasped, as did the people around them. About twenty ghosts streamed through the back wall.

Pearly-white and slightly transparent, the ghosts glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-" A large one said.