Chapter 1
Albus Dumbledore waited for the first years to arrive, they were late. He could hear groans and complaints coming from the Great Hall, the students were hungry and on a normal day, the feast would be on its way. Today was not a normal day; it was raining hard. The first years normally arrived by boat, but this year, due to the weather, Headmaster Dippet decided it would be best to get to the castle by carriage. What was taking them so long? Dumbledore checked his watch again deciding it was time to check out what was taking them so long the doors opened and the first years came in with the Game Keeper.
''Sorry Professor, the Thestrals refused to pull the carriages when it started to hail, the ice was almost as big as a Quaffle. Anyhow had to arrive on boats. One of the kids fell in, took a minute to get him out'' said Ogg, the Game Keeper. Dumbledore smiled and turned to the students while Ogg made his way to his seat at the staff table.
''Welcome to Hogwarts!'' started Dumbledore with a smile, ''I hope the boat ride wasn't too bad for you and that you'll enjoy your stay with us.'' A couple students smiled back at him, while others raised an eye brow. ''Now, I am sure you are all hungry, but before you may take your seats, you will need to wait to be sorted. There are four houses; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you are here, your house will be like home, something like your family. Triumphs will you earn points, while any rule breaking will lose you house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup! Follow me please!''
He could hear the first years whispering, wondering which house they would be in. Dumbledore wondered which of these students would be impressing him; every year there was always a first year student who impressed him. He never favored them, but he did do all he could and called in a few favors to help them in their respective careers.
As they got to the front of the hall, Dumbledore started to read the list of names. He read the names and put the hat on their heads and then watched them as they headed off to their new houses. None of these students had caught his attention, they all seemed the same but Dumbledore knew he shouldn't judge on the first day.
''Minerva McGonagall'' said Dumbledore loudly. A girl moved forward, she was small with long raven hair and big green eyes. She sat down and put on the hat. A minute passed, and then another and another. After a good five minutes of complete silence, the Sorting Hat yelled out ''GRYFFINDOR!''. A loud cheer was heard from the Gryffindor table as she made her way towards her seat.
As the sorting was over, Dumbledore took his place beside the Headmaster. The Headmaster got up and the hall fell silent, ''We've waited long enough to eat, so tuck in!'' he said as all kinds of foods appeared on all five tables. Students cheered as they dug in, finally eating after waiting for so long. Chatter started up as new students got to know their house mates and old friends sharing their summer adventures.
Dumbledore looked at the Gryffindor table, and immediately found the young girl who was a hat stall. He had witnessed a hat stall 8 years ago, the young boy was sorted into Ravenclaw instead. He observed her closer and a small smile appeared on his lips; instead of fraternizing with the rest of her house, she was reading a book while eating. She looked up at turned her head towards the Staff table where she made eye contact with Dumbledore. He smiled at her, and rose his glass to her. She smiled back and nodded her head. In that instant, Dumbledore felt a connection to the young girl.
