Sorting ceremony pt.1

"Where you headed handsome!" Miles, as he was walking back to his compartment, heard someone call out to him, as he looked back at the figure.

The girl who called him out had brownish hair which was in a long plait down her back, looking at him with a teasing smile as she came over and gave him a hug. The girls in her compartment started going crazy as they cheered the girl on.

"Do you really want to do this, Susan?" Miles whispered in the girl's ears but the girl didn't respond as she laid against his chest, "Fine with me."

Miles said as he engulfed the other party in a tight hug as well, his one hand across her waist and the other pushed her hair back as he went in closer towards her face.

The girl suddenly panicked as she quickly pushed him back, "How could you?"

"Oh! I thought we were doing this seriously." Miles said smiling, "It's good to see you again, Ms. Susan Bones."

"It's great to see you as well, Mr. Miles Rakepick." The girl snorted as she said.

Both of them looked at one another until they burst out laughing.

"I heard some whispers but I didn't really believe that it was you." Susan said, "I thought I was never going to see you again."

"Well, me neither but looks like I can't really run away from you." Miles said, "You've grown to be really pretty."

"Stop teasing me." Susan said with a slight blush on her face, "Why don't you sit with us, I have a lot of things I want to talk about with you. I also want to introduce you to some of the friends I have just made."

Miles looked at the girls in the compartment waving at him, as he waved back to them, "I'd love to as well but I still have to change into the school robes as we have nearly arrived. So how about we do it later."

Susan looked a bit disappointed but nodded none the less, "Fine! But it's a promise then."

"Sure thing," Miles said turning back.

―==(oIo)==―

A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Miles along with the four stood up not hurrying at all as they joined the crowd thronging the corridor. The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform.

Draco helped Pansy get out of the train, while Miles did the same with Daphne who after a moment of hesitation took his hand. As they were moving the rest turned to see Miles standing there helping a bushy-haired girl get out the train as well. All of them had a mixture of feelings about this but none said anything or let it show on their faces. But he then helped another girl out of the train, this one they knew.

All of them tuck their robes in tightly as it was really cold out. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, as they heard a burly voice spoken with a heavy accent: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"

Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.

"C'mon, follow me -- any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Miles thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Miles looked at the boy who seemed to be searching for something as he sniffed once or twice.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Miles awkwardly sat with Daphne, Hermione, and Susan as they neither talked with each other and didn't let him talk to others as well.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then -- FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried the boy as he blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up to a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face as Miles went over his memories remembering what Patricia said about the witch and as far as he knew, she was the epitome of fairness and it wasn't really wise to go against her.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

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

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could probably fit all of the hotel's rooms Miles had been to before. 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 floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. They could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here -- but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"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 smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on the toad-boy's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. While Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.

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