Chapter 18

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The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She

had a very stern face and Azalea's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

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 fit the Potter's house 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 floors. What a magnificent school! It looked just like a castle.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Lacy and Azeala 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 rulebreaking 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. After Professor McGonagall left, Lisa turned to Azalea and asked her what house she wanted to be in." Ravenclaw!" Azalea answered, to which Lisa eagerly replied "Me too!"

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