James followed Professor McGonagall through the massive oak doors as the Great Hall opened before him like something out of a dream.
It was far larger than any movie could have captured, far grander than his imagination could have conjured. The hall stretched far back. Four long tables ran the length of the hall, each already filled with students in their house colors, hundreds upon hundreds of faces turned toward the incoming first years.
But it was the ceiling that took his breath away.
The enchanted ceiling showed the night sky in perfect detail. Stars twinkled and constellations wheeled slowly overhead. Wisps of cloud drifted across the sky. The golden glow from thousands of candles floating in midair.
He could hear Hermione's voice somewhere behind him in the crowd of first years. "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."
Along the walls, standing like silent sentinels, were four enormous hourglasses. Each was nine or ten feet tall, their frames ornate and inside each glass, gemstones glittered in house colors: rubies for Gryffindor, sapphires for Ravenclaw, emeralds for Slytherin, and yellow topazes for Hufflepuff. The house points system made precious and beautiful.
The older students watched as McGonagall led the first years down the center aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. James could feel their eyes assessing. Some students whispered to each other. Others simply watched with the knowing expressions of those who remembered their own sorting.
At the far end of the hall, elevated above the rest, sat the High Table where the faculty sat. There were more professors than James had expected, far more than the books or films had shown. Many witches and wizards in various robes occupied the table.
He recognized a few immediately. Professor Flitwick was unmistakable, a tiny wizard who needed effort to see over the table. His cheerful face and enthusiastic manner marked him even from a distance.
And Professor Snape. Also unmistakable. He sat slightly apart from the others, dressed entirely in black robes that seemed to absorb light. His face was sallow, his expression one of perpetual displeasure, as if the very act of students mere existence caused him physical pain. His black eyes swept over the first years with what looked like disdain. He was in a league of his own when it came to looking unwelcoming.
In the center of the High Table, seated in a throne-like chair that was grander than the others, sat Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster watched the proceedings over his half-moon spectacles, a gentle smile on his face. His long silver beard cascaded down over robes of midnight blue decorated with stars. He looked every inch the most powerful wizard in Britain, but his expression was warm, almost grandfatherly.
In front of the High Table, placed on a simple three-legged stool, sat an old, ratty pointed hat. The Sorting Hat. It looked patched and frayed, the kind of thing most people would have thrown away decades ago.
The hat twitched. Then it opened a wide rip near the brim that looked remarkably like a mouth, and it began to sing:
A thousand years or more ago,When I was newly sewn,There lived four wizards of renown,Whose names are still well known:
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,They hatched a daring planTo educate young sorcerersThus Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these four foundersFormed their own house, for eachDid value different virtuesIn the ones they had to teach.
By Gryffindor, the bravest werePrized far beyond the rest;For Ravenclaw, the cleverestWould always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers wereMost worthy of admission;And power-hungry SlytherinLoved those of great ambition.
While still alive they did divideTheir favorites from the throng,Yet how to pick the worthy onesWhen they were dead and gone?
'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,He whipped me off his headThe founders put some brains in meSo I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your ears,I've never yet been wrong,I'll have a look inside your mindAnd tell where you belong!
The hat finished its song, and the Great Hall erupted in applause. The hat gave a little bow to each of the four tables, then fell still.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool. The hat will sort you into your house."
She unrolled the parchment. "Abbas, Ali!"
A boy with black hair and tanned skin walked forward, looking nervous. The hat was placed on his head, and barely a second passed before it shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers. Ali practically ran to join them, smiling, and was greeted by them with great enthusiasm.
"Abbott, Hannah!"
Another quick sorting. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
More applause. The girl had barely reached the Hufflepuff table before McGonagall called the next name.
"Abram, Kelly!"
"Gryffindor!"
The sorting proceeded at a rapid pace. Most students were sorted within seconds, the hat barely settling on their heads before shouting out a house. The Great Hall was filled with constant applause as each house welcomed its new members. James noticed that the front areas of each table were left empty, with students wearing prefect badges positioned there to guide the first years to sit near them.
"Abyn, Henry!"
"Gryffindor!"
"Ackland, Penny!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Acosta, Mina!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
James watched the process, cataloging names and faces. Some he recognized from the books. Most he didn't. The wizarding world was larger than the novels had shown, filled with students who were background characters in Harry's story.
"Acton, James!"
His name came sooner than expected. James walked to the front of the hall, acutely aware of hundreds of eyes watching him. The stool seemed very small and very exposed under the enchanted ceiling.
Professor McGonagall lifted the Sorting Hat, and for just a moment, their eyes met. Her expression was unreadable, but recognition and curiosity shone in her gaze.
The hat descended over his head, and suddenly he couldn't see anything. The hall disappeared. All sound muted.
And then a voice spoke in his mind, amused and ancient and very much alive.
"Ahh, interesting. A natural Occlumens."
James jumped slightly. He'd expected a quick sorting like the others, a few seconds at most. But the hat's voice continued, conversational and intrigued.
"Very rare, very rare indeed. I haven't encountered many with natural Occlumency. Your mind is... organized."
James's heart hammered. Could the hat know? Could it see his memories from his first life?
"I can see what you choose to show me," the hat said, answering his unspoken question. "Your natural shields make you difficult to read. But what I can see is fascinating. Such hunger for knowledge. Such careful planning."
"Anything but Slytherin," James thought firmly.
"Slytherin?" The hat sounded surprised. "Oh no, you're not suited for Slytherin."
James felt oddly exposed despite his Occlumency shields.
"No," the hat continued thoughtfully, "you're better suited to the other three. Already thinking like a Ravenclaw, but you could learn valuable lessons in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Friendship in Hufflepuff. Courage in Gryffindor, you'd learn more in Gryffindor. But where shall I put you?"
"Ravenclaw," James thought. "If I have a choice, I'd prefer Ravenclaw."
"Ah, but why? Let me guess. Because it's the safest option? The house where a studious Muggleborn will draw the least attention? Where you can lose yourself in books and avoid the adventures that plague Gryffindor?"
The hat wasn't wrong.
"Very well," the hat said, and James could swear it sounded amused. "You know what you want, and your reasons are sound if cowardly. But remember, James Acton, the Sorting Hat does not make mistakes. I'm placing you where you want to be, not necessarily where you need to be. Better be... RAVENCLAW!"
The last word echoed through the Great Hall as the hat was lifted from James's head. The Ravenclaw table erupted in applause. James climbed off the stool and walked toward the blue and bronze banners.