15 Sorting ceremony pt.2

She left the chamber. As all of the students loosened up.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Draco asked the group.

"Some sort of test, I think," Pansy said.

"Don't you guys know?" Miles asked confused.

"It's a tradition of a sort." Daphne answered, "So not even books describing Hogwarts have them written down, probably to scare the first years, I guess. Do you know what it is going to be like?"

"I do but since I am thrill seeker myself, I wouldn't want to ruin the fun I guess." Miles said in his lazy tone, "It must be fun not knowing this for once."

"Do we have to fight someone?" Hermione asked as she had just heard Ron talk about what his brothers said to him.

"Maybe." Miles said, "It'd be pretty fun wouldn't it?"

"What's fun about having to fight?" Blaise asked, "What if it's a monster?"

"Then that's even more fun." Miles said, "I still remember being chased down by a group of Erklings once."

"Erkling?" Hermione asked not knowing what it was.

"They are elf-like creatures who are a bit taller than Gnomes, like about 3 feet tall." Miles said with an unusually serious tone all of a sudden, "They have pointy faces and like to eat children. And they have this song to lure children into the forest, that goes like:

Into darkness taking flight, whispers on the wings of night,

Diddle-dee-dee, diddle-dee-doe, not far now, not far to go,

Into twilight, into gloom, sing the sound of dawdling doom,

Diddle-dee-dee, diddle-dee-doe."

Miles sang the song in a creepy voice making even the people who were eavesdropping in on them feel creeped out as they shivered not wanting to hear it further.

"How did you escape then?" Draco asked gulping.

"I ran and ran through the forest until I finally reached one of the traps my mother had set as all of them fell into it, giving me just enough time to escape." Miles said, "I knew if I was just a second late or if that trap wasn't there, I'd be eaten alive by those bastards but one thing still haunts me to this day."

"What is it?" Pansy asked

"I feel them near me." Miles said in almost a whisper, "I know they are always around, waiting for the chance to SUDDENLY JUMP OUT AND KILL ME!!"

Miles's sudden shout caused almost all the students who were listening to jump back screaming with fear when all of a sudden he heard all of them scream once again.

As if the timing couldn't be more right, about twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance --"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost -- I say, what are you all doing here?"

The ghost asked looking at all the pale and frightened kids while only one of them was trying his hardest to hold his laugh back.

Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely still in a bit of shock.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Feeling all the angry gazes on him, Miles sent out his most charming and apologetic smile while using the art a little as the students finally calmed down a little. They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Though Miles had been in a lot of places, the hall still looked mesmerizing enough to be considered one of a kind. It 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 ghosts shone misty silver. Miles looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard

Hermione whispered to Susan, who had now become friends with each other after Miles little prank, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

Miles shook his head as he quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed 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. Everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, Miles stared at it, too. 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:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

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 Hufflepuffis 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.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Draco whispered as everyone again looked back at Miles with a bit of hatred.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

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