Ella Potter: Harry Potter Story

Chapter 4 - Philosopher's Stone

Excitedly, we all followed the professor through the two large doors and into a huge room. There were four long tables filled with students, as well as numerous floating candles scattered around the room. Looking around, my eyes landed on the ceiling that seemed to look like the sky.

"It's not real, the ceiling," Hermione explained to another girl behind me. "It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."

I smiled to myself at the bright girl as well as having learned the interesting fact. The professor stopped us at the end of the hall where a hat was sat upon a stool and turned to us,

"Will you wait along here, please? Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."

At the sound of his name, the old wizard from my chocolate frog card rose from his chair.

"I have a few 'start of term' notices I wish to announce," Dumbledore started. "The first-years, please note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also, our caretaker, Mr Filch." Dumbledore gestured to a ragged-looking old man at the back of the hall with a cat with red eyes. "Has asked me to remind you that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you." Dumbledore sat back down, allowing the female professor to continue,

"When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Hermione Granger."

I turned toward the girl I knew to be Hermione as she seemed to slightly tense up before calming herself down and walking up,

"Oh, no. Okay, relax."

"Mental that one, I'm telling you," Ron whispered to Harry and me. My brother nodded in agreement while I simply ignored the comment. Hermione seemed nice, and it didn't seem right to judge her without really knowing anything about the girl. The professor placed the sorting hat onto Hermione's head once she had sat down on the stool, and after a moment, the hat shouted,

"Gryffindor!"

There was lots of cheering, especially from the table I assumed to be Gryffindor's. Hermione hopped off the stool with a smile and walked over to the Gryffindor table.

"Draco Malfoy," the professor called, and Malfoy sauntered up to the stool proudly. The professor started placing the hat on his head, but before it even touched him, the hat announced,

"SLYTHERIN!"

With a proud smirk, Malfoy walked over to the table with the loudest cheering. Ron turned to Harry and me and whispered,

"There isn't a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin."

I furrowed my brows in thought as the professor called up another student,

"Susan Bones."

The girl that went up was a small redhead, and she looked quite nervous. While we waited for the sorting hat to be placed on her head, Harry and I looked around a bit more until we both spotted a black-haired, pale teacher looking at us. Out of nowhere, my scar started hurting, and I placed my hand on my forearm as Harry placed his hand on his forehead.

"Ahh!" we both cried, causing Ron to be worried,

"Harry, Ella, what is it?"

"Nothing..." Harry answered, and I added, for assurance,

"It's nothing,"

"We're fine."

"Hufflepuff!" the sorting hat shouted for Susan Bones. A few more students were sorted into Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor when it was finally Ron's turn.