Finally they reached a pebbly strip of land serving as a dock of sorts. The students clambered out onto this and waited impatiently as Hagrid inspected each boat to make sure no person or things was being left behind. The students cleared a path for him as he crossed over to the front of the group, then followed him obediently as he led the way up a narrow passage and to the heavy wooden castle doors. Sophronia held her breath for whatever was on the other side and was mildly disappointed when it swung back to reveal an older witch with dark green robes and frizzy reddish-brown hair. Her mouth was pursed, and, paired with her sharp eyes and tight bun, gave her a rather strict appearance.

“Hello, Professor McGonagall,” Hagrid greeted and motioned to the students clustered behind him.

“Thank you, Hagrid,” she returned, her eyes quickly scanning the eager faces. “Come with me, students.” She stepped back and allowed them to scramble in like so many drowned rats.

Sophronia was towards the front and allowed herself to be pushed along, instead focusing on the huge entrance hall with its stone walls, magnificent tapestries, and the commanding marble staircase straight before them. Professor McGonagall led them up this and Sophronia, knowing her weakness, forced herself to stay right behind her, assuring herself that there would be time for exploring every single nook and cranny later on. She could hear the loud chatter of hundreds of students through a doorway to her right and knew Hermione was in there, but made herself follow Professor McGonagall into a smaller room. She wanted to go find Hermione and tell her about tripping on the rock and the nice girl helping her walk and the boat ride and the squids and getting hit in the face with, but she hardly had time to think about actually missing Hermione.

Inside this chamber, Professor McGonagall demanded everyone’s attention, then launched into an explanation of what was about to take place: “Welcome, students, to Hogwarts. In a couple minutes, the Sorting Ceremony will take place, during which each of you will be sorted into one of the four houses of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. Your house will be very important to you as its members will be like your family while you are here –you will have classes with your house, sleep with them, and live with them. For your triumphs, you will earn house points, and similarly lose them for rule-breaking, and these will possibly win your house the House Cup at the end of the year, a great honor.

“After the Sorting Ceremony, the start-of-term banquet will begin. Now, let’s see if we can’t do something about this dampness before you go in, and then you’ll all need to wait quietly here while I go see two other students quickly.” She quickly flicked her wand, said a few complex words, and Sophronia felt her cold wet clothes dry. She spent the next couple minutes straightening them, knowing Hermione would skin her alive if she walked in a mess. After all, she was the Hermione Granger’s little sister, and that was most definitely something to be proud of!

She twisted her skirt, pulled her stockings up, checked to make sure her ribbons were still at the end of her braid (just barely). Adjusting her tie, though, proved difficult since she couldn’t exactly see herself.

“Is my tie straight?” she asked the girl to her right, coincidentally enough the very girl whom had walked before her and sat behind her.

“Um...Just...” she reached tentatively forward as if afraid Sophronia would take offense and quickly shifted it a little. “Now it is.”

“Thank you.” Sophronia did one final check on her clothing and deemed herself fit. Her attention then flitted back to the girl. Now that they were in light, she could see the curly blonde hair and the dark brown eyes, the tall thin frame, and the way she stood with her shoulders slumped and her hands clasped as if pulling herself inwards, sheltering herself from everyone.

Boldly holding out her hand, Sophronia introduced herself, “I’m Sophronia Granger. What’s your name?”

“Gwen.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Gwen. Are you excited about being sorted? Where do you want to go?”

Gwen seemed slightly surprised at Sophronia’s ability to just pull a conversation out of thin air, but kindly replied, “I...I’m not really sure. I mean, I’m not sure what house I want to be in. I don’t know anything about them.”

“So you’re the first one here in your family?” Gwen nodded. “Well, my big sister, Hermione, is a third year, and she’s in Gryffindor, so I–“

”Is everyone ready?” Professor McGonagall called out, interrupting Sophronia’s bragging about her sister. “Come along, then. Form a line.”

Sophronia smiled encouragingly at Gwen, then slipped into line in front of her. In this manner, the first years made the trek out of the chamber, across the hall, and through a pair of monstrously tall, dark brown double doors.

Sophronia gasped. She had never seen anything so grand in all her life. The room itself was gigantic, but the decorations were what truly impressed her: four long tables ran the length, stopping before a fifth long table ran crosswise at which sat the Professors. Behind this, tall windows raced up to the ceiling and reflected the thousands of candles that drifted in midair looking like so many fireflies in the glass. The tables were packed with hundreds of students who chatted amongst themselves until the first years arrived, at which point all eyes latched onto the babies of the school, studying the newest students. Overhead, in place of a ceiling, it looked as though the top of the room had been lopped off and the black sky with shimmering stars set as the ceiling. If Sophronia hadn’t known that the storm still waged outside by the lightening illuminating the great windows every couple seconds, she would have believed this had indeed happened, but she knew better, and remembered Hermione talking about the bewitched ceiling in the very first letter she had ever written home her first year.

Professor McGonagall had them stop at the front of the hall, between the students and the professors. Sophronia gazed out from this new vantage point and dropped her jaw as she caught sight of filmy white people just flying through the air. Ghosts! One, a short little round man in a robe and with a hair cut like a monk, winked at her as he sailed past. She watched them just move through walls and chandeliers as if nothing were there at all. How strange!

Sophronia was so excited that she completely forgot about her sister and her friends, however Gwen, staying hidden behind Sophronia, elbowed her.

“Where is your sister?”

Sophronia looked over her shoulder a second to reply, “In Gryffindor. It’s red and gold. She’s right...” Her eyes scanned the red and gold table until she finally spotted Hermione sitting towards the front, right beside the empty chairs left for the newest Gryffindor students. She pointed her out to Gwen, “That’s my sister, and beside her is Harry and Ron’s across from the and then Ginny, and Fred and George are a little bit down...”

“You know a lot of people,” Gwen commented.

Sophronia shrugged, “Eh, I get around,” which made Gwen giggle and release some of her tension. Apparently being up in front of everyone wasn’t her cup of tea. Sophronia tried to catch Hermione’s eye before turning around to see what the other first years were looking at but gave up. Professor McGonagall had carried in a four-legged stool and set it in the middle of the floor, and on this rested a tattered old wizard’s hat that looked like it had been stitched before the school was even thought of –and that was a long time ago. Sophronia gave an ecstatic squeal; so this was the Sorting Hat. Gwen gave her a confused look, but she whispered, “Just watch.”

The ratty old hat just sat there for a second, but then an opening appeared, widened, then began to open and close just like a mouth. This mouth then began to sing the infamous Sorting Hat Song, a new one every year. Sophronia froze and her eyes stopped blinking as she listened to the cheerful melody and quick-paced words. An inanimate object...becoming animate...and singing about its job as the sorter of students into different houses depending on their traits but warning against stereotyping each other. Sophronia hung onto every word, ingraining it in her mind as she did with the words of only one other person –Hermione. This was a talking hat, after all, and what it said must obviously be revered by the students.

When it finally fell silent, waiting expectantly for its first client, Professor McGonagall again called for the first years’ attention and explained, “When I call your name, you will put on the hat to be sorted. Aarons, Heidi”

Sophronia held her breath as a rather round girl with wildly frizzy black hair and thick glasses stepped timidly forward and put on the hat, shaking all the while. Sophronia felt bad for her that she was so nervous. There was dead silence for a second before the Sorting Hat hollered out, “Hufflepuff!” The Hufflepuff table cheered and patted Mallory’s back as she hurried over to claim an empty seat.

Only a couple people had gone when Professor McGonagall called, “Briggs, Gwen.” Gwen froze, but Sophronia shoved her forward encouragingly. She hadn’t had the hat over her blonde curls for a second before the Sorting Hat bellowed, “Gryffindor!” She became the first to be sorted into that house, and the table erupted into shouts and clapping as she sat down in the empty seat beside Ron. Sophronia clapped for her, then suddenly frowned.

What if she wasn’t in Gryffindor? The idea had flitted through her mind before, but it suddenly felt a much more real possibility as she stood there and watched student after student be sorted in various houses. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and now Gwen were all in it. And, more importantly, Hermione was in it. Everybody who was anybody was in Gryffindor and, after listening to Hermione’s stories for two years, she had firmly resolved that Gryffindor wasn’t just the best house, it was the only house that mattered. Sure, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were probably nice to have around, but Gryffindor was where the adventures happened.

All this did was make Sophronia extremely nervous and, for perhaps the first time in her life, she got deathly still. Didn’t talk, didn’t fidget, didn’t blink, hardly even breathed. Her heart pounded louder and louder in her ears until that was all she could hear against the moving mouth of Professor McGonagall. She thought she was dying. If she didn’t get Gryffindor...well, she would just go home tomorrow, because her school career would be over as far as she was concerned.

She stared at Professor McGonagall. Had her name just been called? The name was repeated and she flushed and stepped forward. The air around her seemed to get so heavy bearing down on her. If her heart pounded any harder it would no doubt burst from her chest.

She picked the hat up and set it on her head and then time froze altogether. The only things that existed were the pounding of her heart and the lilting voice of the Sorting Hat.

“Ah, what is this? A Granger. Yes, I remember your sister. Quite the little brain, if I remember correctly. But you... so much like her and yet so different. Daring, passionate, determined, witty. There’s much potential in you. You want to be in Gryffindor, I see? Just like your sister; is that what you desire? Yet you’re strong; you’re individual. You weren’t born to shadow, oh no. And I know just what to do with witches like you...

“GRYFFINDOR!”

It took a second for the words to register in Sophronia’s head, and Professor McGonagall had to reach over and gently encourage her to go sit down, having a hard time hiding her smile at the open-mouthed, wide-eyed, excited grin plastered on Sophronia’s face. She gave an overly ecstatic giggle and all but danced over to the Hogwarts table. Though the empty seat beside Hermione had already been filled, she rushed over to her sister and collapsed into Hermione’s arms with a relieved giggle.

“Oh, Minnie, I thought I was going to die! I kept thinking that I wasn’t going to get put in Gryffindor but I have to and the hat talked to me and all I could hear was it talking and my heart going ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum. I–“

”Would you like a breath?” Ron interrupted from across the table. Everyone laughed, though Hermione did give Sophronia a squeeze and actually allowed her to stay sitting in her lap, every bit as relieved as Sophronia that both Grangers were in Gryffindor. Otherwise Hermione never would have gotten a moments peace with worry.

Sophronia didn’t care that people were laughing and continued, “Oh, Hermione, the ride across the lake! And Hagrid said there were squid so I shouldn’t stick my hand in, and then this–“

”Tell me later, okay, Sophie? You can tell me all about it later, but for right now, let’s–“

”Hey, Hermione! That’s your little sister, then?” Lee Jordan called down the table, leaning forward over his empty plate to see the girl sitting in Hermione’s lap.

Hermione nodded, “Yes, she is.”

“Welcome to Gryffindor, Little Granger!” Sophronia absolutely beamed.

The last students were sorted as they continued to talk happily amongst themselves, and Ron grabbed his utensils, ready to dig in to the magnificent feast forthcoming as the last one found himself in Ravenclaw. Professor Dumbledore stood up to say his usual greeting, but instead of saying hello and then commanding the students all stuff themselves until their robes bulged, he announced he had a very important matter to discuss and cleared his throat.

“As I’m sure most of you have figured out, our school has been chosen to host some of the dementors of Azkaban who are visiting here on business under the Ministry of Magic. The dementors are stationed at every entrance, so I must ask that no one leave school without permission. It is not their nature to accept excuses or listen to reasoning, so please do not try them with tricks, disguises, even Invisibility Cloaks. If every one follows instructions, this will be an insignificant addition to the Hogwarts grounds. Please be warned.”

As he spoke, Sophronia’s face paled slightly. Hermione noticed this and gave Sophronia a tight squeeze and rested her chin on her little sister’s shoulder. Of all years for something dangerous to be purposely set around the grounds...

Hermione whispered into Sophronia’s ear, “Please listen to this, Sophronia. Please.” Sophronia merely nodded as that gaping hole flashed through her mind.

“On a much happier note, please join me in welcoming two new teachers to the staff this year. Professor Lupin has been chosen to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.” Sophronia banished the thoughts of the dementor to the back of her mind and joined Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville in clapping as loudly as they could. She saw Ron whisper something to Harry but didn’t pay attention. “Our second new teacher will be our own Rubeus Hagrid to replace Professor Kettleburn as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher who has retired to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs.” The Gryffindor table cheered loudest of all and Sophronia noted that Hagrid’s hairy round face turned a brilliant shade of red.

“With all that being said, tuck in!” Professor Dumbledore finished and Sophronia’s eyes went big as saucers as the table suddenly filled itself with every dish imaginable. The first year boy on her right kindly asked everyone to scoot down a seat so that she could sit next to Hermione and across from Gwen.

As Hermione instinctively shoved food Sophronia’s way, the younger gasped, “Oh, I didn’t introduce you! Hermione, that’s Gwen. She helped me walk in the dark and straightened my tie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Gwen. Take a roll, Sophronia,” Hermione smiled at Gwen then set a roll on Sophronia’s crowded plate.

The boy beside Sophronia, Leo, asked, “Does she always mother you like this?”

“Every minute of the day,” Sophronia nodded solemnly.

Leo laughed, then commented, “I’ve got three sisters but they don’t bother mothering me.”

“Oh. Do they go here?”

“Uh huh,” he nodded. “Naomi’s a seventh year in Ravenclaw and Sundi’s a fifth year in Hufflepuff. My little sister Branci, though, doesn’t; she’s only seven.”

“What about you, Gwen? Do you have any?”

Gwen shook her head and, looking down at her plate, replied softly, “No, I’m an only child.”

“Try this, Sophronia. Have a pumpkin tart,” Hermione interrupted. Leo and Gwen laughed.

The feast, however fun, eventually had to come to an end. Professor Dumbledore suggested everyone get to bed; the Prefects of each household (Hermione explained what these were) called for the first years to come around them to be shown to their dorms. Hermione must have figured Sophronia would go with them, but she would rather walk with Hermione, so she tailed her sister, Ron, and Harry to the teachers table where they congratulated Hagrid on his position as teacher. Sophronia gaped as the giant man literally cried about how it was thanks to them that he got his position, and she faintly recalled Hermione mentioning them clearing his name the year before of a crime he had been framed for.

As they turned to go, Sophronia sidled up beside Hermione, but the latter was too full and happy to be annoyed that Sophronia had lagged behind to walk with her. While they went, following a river of Gryffindors, Hermione pointed things out to Sophronia to show off, though she would never admit it.

“See the pictures move, Sophie?” Sophronia giggled with wonder, waving and calling hello to each of the framed worlds they walked past; it gave her a thrill of delight each time one would return her greeting.

“And watch the...woah! You have to be careful, Sophronia, because these staircases move–“

”Obviously.”

“–And if you aren’t careful, you’ll end up exactly where you aren’t trying to be.” Instead of grabbing the railing like the rest of the occupants of the staircase did as it moved, Sophronia balanced her stomach on the railing and leaned over the edge to look down. Hermione was so busy talking, she didn’t notice this lovely little daredevil stunt, but Ron’s and Harry’s hands both shot out to grab hold of the back of her robes.

When they finally reached their floor with a little re-routing thanks to the shifting stairs, Sophronia found herself looking through bodies at a giant portrait of a rather wide woman in a frilly pink dress with dark curly hair and little bows.

“Password, if you please?”

“What does she mean, Hermione?” Sophronia asked, finally giving up on seeing her clearly as students shifted sleepily, their stomachs bulging.

Hermione explained for her and several other first years that had gotten separated from the Prefects and so hadn’t heard, “She’s the guardian of our dorms. To get in, you have to give her the password and it will swing open to let you in.”

“What if you forget?” a little boy asked.

“Then you’re stuck out here until someone comes along who does remember.”

Percy came charging through several minutes, demanding everyone clear out of the way, and calling out the password, “Fortuna Major!”

“They don’t make this easy on somebody with a bad memory, do they?” the same boy asked at the same time Neville groaned about the extreme possibility of his forgetting it.

The portrait swung back and Sophronia was sure she would be trampled to death as everyone stampeded through. As soon as she was through, she ducked to the side and waited until she found Hermione, at which point she grabbed her sisters arm and asked, “Where do I go?”

“To your room,” Hermione replied simply, suddenly wanting nothing more than to curl up in her nice comfortable bed.

“Hermione,” Sophronia whined. Her sister sighed and slumped her shoulders.

“All right, fine. I’ll take you. Stick close.” The prefects called out something about girls and boys dorms, but Sophronia ignored it, just motioned to Gwen to follow.

Hermione explained as they walked up a staircase in a slightly annoyed tone, “Up here, boys’ dorms are on the left and the girls’ are on the right. Don’t try to sneak any boys into your room because the stairs will turn into a slide.” Sophronia giggled and asked how exactly Hermione knew this, and Hermione lightened up a little.

“Where’s your room, Hermione?”

Hermione pointed vaguely to a door on their left, “In there. But don’t go in there, okay, Sophronia?”

“Even if I’m bleeding?”

“You’ll get blood on the carpet.” The odd humor made them both laugh.

“Okay, you two are through this door, in there.”

“Oh, we’re together?”

Hermione nodded, “Yes, all the first year Gryffindor girls are. Go on, Sophronia.” Sophronia didn’t move. “What now?”

“Nothing, it’s just...” Gwen silently slipped upstairs.

“What? Come on, say it. I want to go to bed.”

“I...when will I see you again?”

Hermione looked at her incredulously for a minute, then laughed and pulled her into a hug, “Oh, Sophie, you’ll probably see me in the morning!”

“Probably?”

“Fine, definitely. I’ll come get you for breakfast, okay? You’re not scared to go off on your own, are you?”

Sophronia pulled back and insisted, “Of course not! I just...I liked sleeping with you last night, and now I’m never going to see you because you’re a big third year and I’m just a little first year and–“

”Stop that, will you? Of course you’ll still see me. Somebody has got to keep you out of trouble,” Hermione laughed. Sophronia gave a sorry attempt for a smile and a half-hearted laugh. Hermione hugged her again, “I promise, Sophie. I promised Mum and Dad I would look out for you, remember?”

“Okay.”

“And look at you! You’ve already got a friend, that girl Gwen, and then that boy at dinner, too. You’re going to forget all about me and then I’ll be the one missing you!” Sophronia giggled. “I tried to get your attention before you were sorted and you wouldn’t even look at me!” Sophronia giggled harder and found that the more she laughed, the more little pearly tears threatened to leak from her eyes.

“Right, now go get some sleep. Tomorrow’s a big day. I’ll come get you for breakfast, right?”

Sophronia nodded and sighed, “Good night, Minnie.”

“Sleep tight, Sophie.” They hugged, Sophronia kissed her big sister, the coolest big sister in the whole wide world, on the cheek, then said big sister watched as she hurried up the stairs to her room.

‘She’ll be fine, Hermione,’ Hermione assured herself as she watched the retreating back. ‘Fortunately for her, she’ll do far better than you did when you started coming here.’

In the room upstairs, Gwen was sitting on her bed, waiting patiently for Sophronia to come up. The others in the room were either already lying in bed asleep or getting pretty close. Though Sophronia would have liked to go around and talk to each girl in turn, her eyes had decided they weren’t going to stay open for a moment longer. So, saying very little to Gwen, who seemed to be in a rather similar state, she quickly admired her glamorous four-post bed with its warm bedspread and heavy red curtains with gold piping and fringe that could be let close for privacy, changed into her pajamas, and crawled into bed.

“Hey, Sophronia, did you look at your Gryffindor things?” Gwen whispered across the short distance between their beds. Sophronia paused blowing out the lantern that had been placed on her bedside table and quickly jerked her gaze to the chair where she noted clothing had been left but hadn’t previously paid any attention to Gold and red, gold and red, gold and red, the Gryffindor lion. Sophronia gasped, tenderly fingered a dark red and gold tie. This wasn’t Hermione’s, it was hers. She was really here, she was really in Gryffindor! Sophronia gave a soft squeal of delight that made Gwen laugh, then carefully set the things back exactly as they had been found on her chair.

Overcome with a sudden burst of energy, Sophronia sighed, “I don’t think I’m ever going to get to sleep, Gwen!” As soon as her head hit the pillow, she said no more.