Katherine Greenwood: The Hidden World #13

Instructions

Katherine's POV: I followed Hagrid and the other first-year students through the enormous doors of Hogwarts, trying not to stare at everything around me. The entrance hall was even bigger than I had imagined, with tall stone walls, huge staircases, and paintings hanging everywhere. I kept looking around because I didn't want to miss anything. There were so many things I wanted to ask about, but there were so many students around me that I was too nervous to speak. Lily walked beside me, and I stayed close to her as we followed Hagrid. Eventually, we stopped in front of a large set of doors. Hagrid turned toward us. "Professor McGonagall'll take yeh from here." I looked up at him. "Are you coming with us?" I asked quietly. Hagrid smiled. "I'll be around. Don't worry." He gave us an encouraging nod before walking away. A moment later, the doors opened, and a tall woman wearing dark robes stepped out. She had dark hair pulled into a bun and a very serious expression. I immediately stood a little straighter. "Good evening," she said. Her voice was calm and firm. "I am Professor McGonagall, your Transfiguration professor and the Hogwarts Headmistress. I will be leading you into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony." I looked at Lily. "What's the Sorting Ceremony?" I whispered. Lily looked surprised. "You don't know?" I shook my head. "No." She lowered her voice. "You'll find out." That didn't make me feel much less nervous. Professor McGonagall looked over all of us. "Before you enter the Great Hall, there are a few things you should know. Once inside, you will be sorted into one of the four Hogwarts houses. The houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." I quietly repeated the names in my head so I wouldn't forget them. "How do they decide?" I asked before I could stop myself. Professor McGonagall looked toward me. I immediately felt my face getting warm. "Your name?" she asked. "K-Katherine Greenwood." "Miss Greenwood, the Sorting will determine which house you belong to. You will soon see how." I nodded quickly. "Okay." She continued explaining that we were to remain quiet and follow her instructions. I listened carefully, trying to remember everything. Then she opened the doors to the Great Hall. I stepped inside and immediately forgot about being nervous for a moment. The room was enormous. Four long tables stretched across the hall, filled with students wearing black robes. At the front was another table where several teachers were sitting. Above us, hundreds of candles floated in the air, their flames glowing brightly. But the ceiling was the strangest thing of all. It looked like the night sky. I stopped walking and stared upward. "The ceiling..." I whispered. Lily looked up too. "It's enchanted." "It looks real," I said. Professor McGonagall gave us a look, and I quickly started walking again.