Chapter Eight: Hard Work, Dedication, Patience, Loyalty And Fair Play
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The door swung open revealing a tall, black-haired with emerald green robes, she had a very stern face. This was Professor McGonagall, Lina recognised her from how Remus described her "the firs years Professor McGonagall" Hagrid said.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here" she pulled the door open wider, the entrance hall was just as grand as Lina expected with ceilings so high her neck hurt just from looking up, flaming torches were in stands attached the to the walls and a grand staircase leading to the upper floors.
Professor McGonagall led the first years across the hall and into a small room, they all piled in squished together. Professor McGonagall shut the door and faced the students ready to speak. "Welcome to Hogwarts. 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 houses 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 had produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts your triumphs will earn you 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 honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The sorting ceremony will take place in a few moments in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting" Lina saw her glance at the twins "I shall return when we are ready for you" Professor McGonagall turned and left the small room.
When the door closed behind her low whispered erupted, Lina turned to the twins "how do they sort people into their houses?"
The boys shrugged "no idea" Fred said.
"Reckon we'll have to fight a troll or something," George said after.
Lina frowned, surely if they did have to fight a troll Tonks or her uncle would have said something.
"I heard they change the sorting process each year so no one knows what to expect," the boy from the boat said.
The door Professor McGonagall left out of reopened and the professor walked back in "form a line, the sorting ceremony is about to begin. Follow me" somehow Lina got pushed to being in between the twins, they walked back the way they came and through the large double door into the great hall.
Once again Lina gasped, four rows of long wooden tables were filled with students, lit candles were floating above them all with the ceiling not being there at all instead it was the darkness of the night sky with dots of stars. Lina looked ahead of her where at the far back wall right in front of her was another wooden table this one though sat only teachers separated from the student's tables by three steps, right in the centre was what looked to be Professor Dumbledore.
