Stepping through the massive oak doors and into Hogwarts Castle, his breath catching in his throat. The sheer scale of the entrance hall was enough to leave him in awe. The towering stone columns, polished floors that reflected the warm glow of torches, and an arched ceiling so high it seemed to stretch into the heavens.
Hagrid left us to Professor McGonagall after leading us to the great halls entrance. Neville found his lost toad, and then we were going in. The doors swung open, revealing a spectacle Ethan had been eager to see.
Four long tables stretched across the room, each belonging to a Hogwarts house, filled with students dressed in their respective robes. Their faces were a mixture of curiosity and excitement as they observed the incoming first-years. At the far end of the hall, sitting at an elevated table, were the professors. A mix of wise, stern, and occasionally eccentric faces.
And at the very center of them all, with his long silver beard and twinkling blue eyes, sat Albus Dumbledore himself.
This is really happening.
But it wasn't just the people that had him captivated. His gaze drifted upward.
The ceiling, or rather, what should have been the ceiling was an endless expanse of night sky, filled with stars, wisps of clouds, and the faint glow of the moon. It was as if they were dining beneath the sky itself.
The books didn't do it justice, he thought in awe.
Above the tables, hundreds of floating candles hovered midair, casting a warm, golden light across the hall. The mixture of soft flickering flames and the enchanting celestial display gave the room an almost ethereal quality.
Ethan forced himself to stop staring like a wide-eyed tourist and followed the rest of the first-years to the front of the hall, where an old wooden stool and the Sorting Hat awaited them.
Professor McGonagall turned to face them, her gaze sharp but not unkind.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she began, her crisp voice cutting through the murmurs. "Before you take your seats, you must first be sorted into your houses. The Sorting Ceremony is a time-honored tradition, and your house will be like your family while you are here."
She gestured toward the four long tables.
"Your triumphs will earn you points, while any rule-breaking will cost you. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup, a great honor."
A ripple of excitement ran through the group.
"The Sorting will now begin."
With that, the sorting hat sang its yearly song to everyone present before the sorting truly began.
McGonagall unrolled a long parchment scroll and called out the first name.
A small boy stumbled forward, sitting nervously on the stool as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.
Ethan watched as the hat's brim moved, forming a mouth that spoke directly into the boy's mind. Moments later, the first sorting decision was made.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted into cheers as the boy hurried over to his new housemates, looking relieved.
One by one, names were called, and students were sorted.
"Slytherin!"
"Gryffindor!"
"Ravenclaw!"
Ethan glanced over at the Ravenclaw table as another student was welcomed. He had a strong feeling that's where he would endA up, but there was always that little bit of doubt.
The line of first-years grew shorter.
"Potter, Harry."
A sudden hush fell over the Great Hall. Every head turned. Whispers broke out like ripples in water, some excited, some skeptical.
Harry walked forward stiffly, trying to look braver than he felt. His hands were clenched, his eyes flicking from table to table, unsure of what to expect. The Sorting Hat sat waiting on the stool, worn and slightly lopsided, like it had seen more than it would ever say out loud.
The hat slipped over his head, covering his eyes.
For a long moment, there was nothing.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The word rang out like thunder.
The Gryffindor table exploded. Cheers, claps, a few students even leapt to their feet. Someone banged a goblet on the table.
Harry pulled the hat off quickly and rushed to the Gryffindor table, face flushed, but smiling in a way that didn't need explanation. He slid into an open seat, and the students around him leaned in with wide eyes and grins, already talking, already treating him like one of their own.
The ceremony went on, but the energy had shifted.
Everyone had just witnessed a moment that would be remembered for a long time.
"Wright, Ethan."
He stepped forward.
The hall felt much larger when all eyes were on him.
He sat on the wooden stool, and Professor McGonagall gently lowered the Sorting Hat onto his head.
The moment the hat settled, a voice whispered in his ear.
"Hmm… interesting," it mused, its tone thoughtful. "You're an unusual one."
Ethan forced himself to stay still. "Unusual how?" he thought back.
"Oh, you're different from the others," the hat continued, intrigued. "Not just in skill or intelligence… but in something else."
"Is that… a problem?"
"Not at all," the hat chuckled. "You have a mind full of knowledge, an eagerness to observe and understand. I see intelligence, yes… but also curiosity, a hunger to experience things."
The hat paused for a long moment.
"You could do well in Slytherin," it mused. "You have the ability to adapt, to think ahead, to navigate the unknown with ease…"
Ethan internally grimaced. He had nothing against Slytherin, but he knew how their reputation in the story played out. He didn't want to be involved in the big conflicts, he just wanted to enjoy Hogwarts.
"Well, then," the hat continued, "perhaps you would thrive in Gryffindor? You certainly have the boldness for it…"
Ethan resisted the urge to shake his head.
No. Not Gryffindor either.
He wasn't here to be a hero. He was here to learn, to explore, to witness the magic of this world without being pulled into anything bigger than himself.
The hat chuckled again. "Ah, I see now. You already know what you want."
"Yes," Ethan thought.
"Then it better be… RAVENCLAW!"
The hat was lifted from his head, and Ethan blinked as a wave of applause erupted from the Ravenclaw table.
A mix of excitement and relief flooded through him.
He stood, making his way toward the table as students clapped and smiled in welcome.
As he reached the Ravenclaw table, he found an empty spot and slid into it.
He let out a breath, a content smile on his lips.
He was now a Ravenclaw student at Hogwarts.