Harry Potter 05 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

scared-looking first-years entered, led by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizard’s hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim.
    The buzz of talk in the Great Hall faded away. The first-years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students, and Professor McGonagall placed the stool carefully in front of them, then stood back.
    The first-years’ faces glowed palely in the candlelight. A small boy right in the middle of the row looked as though he was trembling. Harry recalled, fleetingly, how terrified he had felt when he had stood there, waiting for the unknown test that would determine to which house he belonged.
    The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat’s brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song:
     
    In times of old when I was new
    And Hogwarts barely started
    The founders of our noble school
    Thought never to be parted:
    United by a common goal,
    They had the selfsame yearning,
    To make the world’s best magic school
    And pass along their learning.
    ‘Together we will build and teach!’
    The four good friends decided
    And never did they dream that they
    Might some day be divided,
    For were there such friends anywhere
    As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
    Unless it was the second pair
    Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
    So how could it have gone so wrong?
    How could such friendships fail?
    Why, I was there and so can tell
    The whole sad, sorry tale.
    Said Slytherin, ‘We’ll teach just those
    Whose ancestry is purest.’
    Said Ravenclaw, ‘We’ll teach those whose
    Intelligence is surest.’
    Said Gryffindor, ‘We’ll teach all those
    With brave deeds to their name,’
    Said Hufflepuff, ‘I’ll teach the lot,
    And treat them just the same.’
    These differences caused little strife
    When first they came to light,
    For each of the four founders had
    A house in which they might
    Take only those they wanted, so,
    For instance, Slytherin
    Took only pure-blood wizards
    Of great cunning, just like him,
    And only those of sharpest mind
    Were taught by Ravenclaw
    While the bravest and the boldest
    Went to daring Gryffindor.
    Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
    And taught them all she knew,
    Thus the houses and their founders
    Retained friendships firm and true.
    So Hogwarts worked in harmony
    For several happy years,
    But then discord crept among us
    Feeding on our faults and fears.
    The houses that, like pillars four,
    Had once held up our school,
    Now turned upon each other and,
    Divided, sought to rule.
    And for a while it seemed the school
    Must meet an early end,
    What with duelling and with fighting
    And the clash of friend on friend
    And at last there came a morning
    When old Slytherin departed
    And though the fighting then died out
    He left us quite downhearted.
    And never since the founders four
    Were whittled down to three
    Have the houses been united
    As they once were meant to be.
    And now the Sorting Hat is here
    And you all know the score:
    I sort you into houses
    Because that is what I’m for,
    But this year I’ll go further,
    Listen closely to my song:
    Though condemned I am to split you
    Still I worry that it’s wrong,
    Though I must fulfil my duty
    And must quarter every year
    Still I wonder whether Sorting
    May not bring the end I fear.
    Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
    The warning history shows,
    For our Hogwarts is in danger
    From external, deadly foes
    And we must unite inside her
    Or we’ll crumble from within
    I have told you, I have warned you …
    Let the Sorting now begin.
     
    The Hat became motionless once more; applause broke out, though it was punctured, for the first time in Harry’s memory, with muttering and whispers. All across the Great Hall students were exchanging remarks with their neighbours, and Harry, clapping along with everyone else, knew exactly what they were talking about.
    ‘Branched out a bit this year, hasn’t it?’ said Ron, his eyebrows raised.
    ‘Too right it has,’ said Harry.
    The Sorting Hat usually confined itself to describing the different qualities looked for by each of the four Hogwarts houses and its own role in Sorting them. Harry could not remember it ever trying to give the school advice before.
    ‘I wonder if it’s ever given warnings before?’ said Hermione, sounding slightly anxious.
    ‘Yes, indeed,’ said Nearly Headless Nick knowledgeably, leaning across Neville towards her (Neville winced;