Ron Weasley and the Philosopher's Stone

The door swung open. Behind her stood a tall, black-haired sorceress in emerald-green robes. Her face was very stern, and it was better not to argue with such a lady, and in general it was better to stay away from her. “Professor McGonagall, these are the first years," Hagrid informed her. “Thank you, Hagrid," the witch nodded at him. "I'm taking them." She turned and walked forward, ordering us to follow her. We found ourselves in a huge hall-so huge that our house could easily fit in there. Torches burned on the stone walls, just like at Gringotts, the ceiling was lost somewhere above, and a beautiful marble staircase led to the upper floors. We followed Professor McGonagall across the cobblestone floor. As I passed the closed door on the right, I heard the sound of hundreds of voices-the whole school must have already gathered there. But Professor McGonagall wasn't leading us there at all, but into a small, empty dining room. It was crowded with freshmen, and we huddled together, breathing down each other's necks and looking around uneasily. “Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall finally greeted us. “The banquet for the start of the school year will begin soon, but before you sit down at the tables, you will be divided into faculties. Selection is a very serious procedure, because from now until graduation, your faculty will become your second family. You will study together, sleep in the same bedroom and spend your free time in a room specially designated for your faculty.” That's why I was against such a neighborhood in the boat. I have no desire to see Hermione constantly by my side and listen to her lecture me. Percy is enough for me. “There are four faculties in the school - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each of them has its own ancient history, and outstanding wizards and sorceresses have emerged from each. While you are studying at Hogwarts, your achievements will earn your house prize points, and points will be deducted for each violation of the schedule. At the end of the year, the faculty with the most points wins the competition between the faculties, which is a great honor. I hope each of you will be a worthy member of your family. The selection ceremony will begin in a few minutes in the presence of the entire school. In the meantime, you have some time, I advise you to collect your thoughts.” Her eyes lingered on Neville's robe, which had fallen off so that its clasp was under his left ear, and then on my nose. Damn, should I put some stain cream on him? What I was driving him around with, it was all the twins. Exactly. Harry tried to smooth his unruly hair with a trembling hand. “I'll be back here when everyone is ready to meet you," said Professor McGonagall and went to the door. Before she left, she turned around. - Please be quiet. Harry sucked in a deep breath. “And how will this selection take place?” he asked me. “We'll probably have to go through some trials," I replied. “Fred said it hurt a lot, but I think he was joking, as always.” Harry looked around uneasily. Everyone was terrified and silent, except for Hermione Granger, who stood next to us and whispered to everyone around about which spells she had already learned, and wondered aloud which one she would need at the selection ceremony. Does she even think with her head? Who will demand to conjure the firstborn. Yes, if we have something going well by the middle of the year. I stood and prepared for the selection. I hope the twins were joking about the troll after all. Suddenly, heart-rending screams cut through the air, and I saw Harry jump in surprise. Damn, I was scared myself. “What?..” He started, but stopped, his mouth hanging open. Just like everyone else. Ghosts were seeping into the room through the wall opposite the door-there were probably about twenty of them. Pearly-white, translucent, they glided around the room, talking among themselves and, it seems, not noticing our gathering at all or pretending not to notice. Apparently, they were arguing. “And I'm telling you that you need to forget about his sins and forgive him,” said one of them, who looked like a little fat monk. “I think we just have to give him another chance...” “My dear Monk, didn't we give Peeves more chances than he deserved? He shames and insults us, and in my opinion, he was never really a ghost...” The ghost in tights and a round puffy collar fell silent and stared at the freshmen, as if he had just noticed us. “Hey, what are you doing here?” No one answered. “These are the new students!” The Fat Monk exclaimed, smiling at the crowd.  “Waiting for the selection, I suppose?” Several people nodded uncertainly. “I hope you get to Hufflepuff!” The monk continued to smile “My favorite faculty, you know, I once studied there myself.” No, I don't need to go to the farmers and employees of the ministry. “Get out of here," said a stern voice. “The selection ceremony is about to begin.” It's Professor McGonagall back. She looked sternly at the ghosts, and they hurriedly began to seep through the wall and disappear one by one. “Form a line," the professor commanded, addressing us, "and follow me!" Harry stood behind the boy with the blond hair, and I stood behind him, and we left the small hall, crossed the hall we had already visited at the entrance to the castle, and went through the double doors into the Great Hall. Oh, the beauty. The hall was lit by thousands of enchanted candles floating in the air above the four long tables where the senior students were sitting. The tables were filled with gleaming gold plates and goblets. At the other end of the hall, the teachers were sitting at the same long table. Professor McGonagall led the first-year students to this table and ordered them to turn their backs to the teachers and face the upperclassmen. There were hundreds of faces in front of me, pale in the semi-darkness, like dim lamps. Among the upperclassmen, the silvery, blurry silhouettes of ghosts flashed here and there. “It was specially enchanted to look like the sky.” Hermione whispered, standing next to him again. “I read it in The History of Hogwarts.” It was hard to believe that it was actually a ceiling. It seemed to me that the Great Hall was under the open sky. Even though I'm used to magic, it's really fascinating. There are no clouds today either, which is good. I don't even want to think about it if it was raining. It is not customary to help children at school. As you can do magic, you also take care of yourself with charms. Some even collect their first-aid kits so that they don't have to go to the hospital wing for nothing. I heard a sound and, looking down at the ceiling, saw that Professor McGonagall had placed a very ordinary-looking stool in front of a row of first-year students and placed a pointed Magic hat on the seat. The hat was patched, worn, and terribly dirty. Everyone in the room was staring at the Hat, and I began to look at it carefully, too. There was complete silence in the hall for a few seconds. And then the Hat moved. The next moment, a mouth-like hole appeared in her, and she began to sing: "Maybe I'm ugly to look at, But don't judge me harshly. You can't find a smarter hat than me. Whatever you say. Hats, top hats, and bowlers Prettier than me, no doubt. But if they were smarter than me, I would eat myself for lunch. I can see through all your thoughts, Don't hide anything from me. Put me on and I'll let you know, With whom you are destined to study. Perhaps you will find Gryffindor, the glorious dark, That the brave men study there. Their hearts are full of courage and strength, Besides, they are noble. Or maybe, Hufflepuff is your destiny, Where no one is afraid of work, Where everyone is loyal, And they are full of patience and perseverance. And if there's something wrong with your brain, Have you been attracted to knowledge for a long time, There is humor and strength to gnaw granite., Then your way is to the Ravenclaw table. Maybe you're destined to be in Slytherin. Find your best friends. There are cunning people going to their goal, No self-conscious ways. Do not be afraid of me, put on bravely, And I will predict your fate more accurately., Than someone else will do it. You're in good hands., Even though I'm armless, alas, But I'm proud of myself." As soon as the song ended, the entire audience applauded unanimously. The hat bowed to all four tables. Her mouth disappeared, she fell silent and froze. What freaks! I'll get back at them for the troll. Damn, and Percy and my parents were silent when I asked them about the sorting ceremony. Everyone has to go through it on their own... at least give them a hint or something. “So, all each of us will need to do is try it on?” I whispered. “I'm going to kill that liar Fred, because he told me we were going to have to fight the troll.” Harry forced a smile. I hope I get to Gryffindor. The main thing is that this nerdy Granger doesn't get there. Although what should she do with us? She's on her way to Ravenclaw. Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment in her hands. “When I say your name, you will put on your hat and sit on a stool,” She said. “Let's get started. Abbott, Hannah!” A girl with white pigtails and a pink face, either from embarrassment or fright, stumbled out of the line, went to a stool, took a Hat and sat down. The hat, apparently, was a large size, because, once on Hannah's head, it covered not only her forehead, but even her eyes. And after a moment... “HUFFLEPUFF!" the Hat shouted loudly. Those sitting at the rightmost table burst into applause. Hannah got up, went to this table and sat down in an empty seat. I noticed that the Fat Monk who was hovering at the table waved at her affably. “Bones, Susan!” “HUFFLEPUFF!" the Hat shouted again, and Susan hurriedly scurried to her desk, sitting next to Hannah. “Booth, Terry!” "RAVENCLAW!” Now there was applause at the second table on the left, and several seniors rose from their seats to shake hands with Terry, who joined them. Mandy Brocklehurst also went to the Ravenclaw faculty table, and Lavender Brown became the first new member of the Gryffindor faculty. The table on the far left exploded with cheers, and I saw my brothers among the shouting. Millicent Bulstrode was assigned to Slytherin. I started to worry. What if they send me to another faculty? “Finch-Fletchley, Justin!” “HUFFLEPUFF!” Sometimes the hat, as soon as it appeared on the head of another freshman or freshgirl, almost instantly called the faculty, and sometimes she thought. So, Seamus Finnigan, the blond boy standing in front of Harry, sat on a stool for almost a minute until the Hat sent him to the Gryffindor table. “Hermione Granger!” Apparently, Hermione, unlike me, was looking forward to her turn and had no doubt of success. When she heard her name, she almost ran to the stool and in the blink of an eye put a hat on her head. “GRYFFINDOR!” shouted the Hat. I groaned, despite all my doubts, I believed that I would end up where my brothers were, and I didn't want to study with the pushy and omniscient Hermione. I wasn't the only one nervous. When Neville Longbottom was called, the same boy who kept losing his toad, he managed to stumble and fall before even reaching the stool. The hat thought seriously before shouting "GRYFFINDOR." Well, where did he go? He belongs in Hufflepuff, according to what I know about him. Hereditary herbologists. Neville, upon hearing his verdict, jumped up from his chair and rushed to the table where the students of the faculty were sitting, forgetting to take off his hat. The whole room roared with laughter, and Neville, catching himself, turned around and ran back to hand the Hat to Morag MacDougal. When Malfoy was called, he walked out of the line with a terribly important look, and his dream came true in the blink of an eye - the hat, barely touching his head, immediately screamed: “SLYTHERIN!” Well, I didn't even doubt it. Malfoy joined his friends Crabbe and Goyle, who had previously been selected for the same faculty, and looked extremely pleased with himself. There were fewer and fewer freshmen who had not passed the selection process. Moon, Nott, Parkinson, the Patil twin girls, then Sally-Ann Perks, and finally... “Potter, Harry!” Harry took a step forward, and lights of surprise flashed across the room, accompanied by loud whispers. “Did she say Potter?” “The same Harry Potter?” Before the Hat was placed on Harry's head, a huge room filled with people stared at him, leaning forward to get a better look at him. I wonder where he will end up? Harry gripped the seat of the stool tightly with both hands. A couple of minutes have passed and now: “GRYFFINDOR!” I wonder if he was arguing with the hat. Harry took off his hat and walked slowly to his desk. Percy jumped up from his chair, grabbed Harry's hand and started shaking it, while Fred and George screamed at the top of their voices.: “Potter is with us! Potter is with us!” After shaking hands with everyone, Harry plopped down on an empty chair, finding himself right in front of the ghost in tights that I saw before the ceremony began. The ghost patted his hand. Behind us was the main table, where the teachers were sitting. Hagrid was sitting in the corner, and when he caught Harry's eye, he gave him the thumbs-up, and Harry smiled back. And in the center of the table was a large golden chair, resembling the throne on which Albus Dumbledore sat. Dumbledore's silver hair shone brighter than the ghosts, brighter than anything in the hall. There was also Professor Quirrell, a nervous young man. Right now, Quirrell had a big purple turban on his head, so the professor looked very strange. The ceremony was coming to an end, and there were only three of us left. Lisa Turpin was enrolled in Ravenclaw, and now it's my turn. I even turned green with fear. I walked over to the stool, collapsed on it, and McGonagall put a hat on my head. And a second later, the Hat screamed loudly: “GRYFFINDOR!” Harry applauded loudly along with the others until I plopped down next to him. Well, the twins are sitting far away from me. And unfortunately Percy is sitting almost opposite. “Excellent, Ron, just excellent," Percy praised me with an important look, while the last one on the list, Blaze Zabini, was already heading for the Slytherin table. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Magic Hat out of the hall. I looked at the empty gold plate in front of me. I just realized that I'm insanely hungry. It seemed that I had eaten the sweets I bought on the train not a few hours ago, but several centuries ago. Albus Dumbledore rose from his throne and spread his arms wide. He had a radiant smile on his face. He looked as if nothing in the world could please him more than the students of his school sitting in front of him. “Welcome!” He said. “Welcome to Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. These are the words: Oaf! A bubble! The remainder! A trick! That's it, thank you all!” He's weird. Although at his age, such behavior is excusable. How old is he, a hundred and eighty years old? Dumbledore sat down in his seat. The audience burst into cheers and applause. Harry sat and was surprised and silent. “Is he... is he a little crazy?” Harry asked uncertainly, turning to Percy, who was sitting on his left. “Is he crazy?” Percy asked absently, but then caught himself. "He's a genius! The best magician in the world! But you're right, he's a little crazy. How about some fries, Harry?” The plates on the table were filled to the brim with food. There were so many dishes on the table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steaks, boiled potatoes, fried potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, meat gravies, ketchup and, inexplicably, mint lollipops. I immediately attacked the food. She was absolutely gorgeous. “It looks good," the ghost in tights remarked sadly, watching Harry eat a steak. “Do you want to…" Harry began, but the ghost shook his head. “I haven't eaten for almost four hundred years. I don't have any need for food, but the truth is, I don't have enough. By the way, I don't think I've introduced myself. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Delphington, at your service. The ghost who lives in Gryffindor Tower.” “I know who you are!” I blurted out. “My brothers told me about you - you're Almost a Headless Nick!” “I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy,” The ghost began in a stern tone, but Seamus Finnigan beat him to it. The blond-haired boy who stood in front of Harry in the line. “Almost headless? How can you be almost headless?” Damn, not at the table. Sir Nicholas looked a little displeased, as if the conversation hadn't gone where he wanted it to go. “Just like that," he replied irritably, tugging at his left ear. The head separated from the neck and fell onto the shoulder, as if held on a spring and activated by pressing on the ear. Obviously, someone tried to behead him, but did not finish the job. The Almost Headless Nick's head was resting on his shoulder, smiling contentedly as he watched the expressions on the freshmen's faces. Then he pulled on his right ear and his head snapped back into place. The ghost cleared his throat. Damn, I've lost my appetite. But fuck you. I'm going to eat! Unfortunately, I'm hungry almost all the time. Reaching out, I helped myself to fried chicken and began to eat. “So, to the new students of the Gryffindor faculty! I hope you will help us win this year's competition between the faculties? Gryffindor has never gone so long without a reward. For the past six years in a row, Slytherin has won. The Bloody Baron, the ghost of Slytherin's cellars, has become almost unbearable. I looked towards the Slytherin table and saw a creepy-looking ghost with bulging empty eyes, an elongated bony face, and clothes stained with silver blood. The Baron was sitting next to Malfoy, who was not at all enthusiastic about such company. “How come he's covered in blood?” Seamus blurted out, who for some reason was very interested in this question. “I've never asked," Almost Headless Nick remarked delicately. When everyone had eaten, the plates suddenly emptied, becoming perfectly clean again and shining so brightly in the candlelight, as if there was no food on them. But just a moment later, a sweet appeared on them. Ice cream of all kinds, apple pies, fruit cakes, chocolate eclairs and donuts with jam, biscuits, strawberries, jelly, rice puddings... While I was filling my plate with a variety of desserts, and Harry was reaching for a treacle tart, we started talking about families at the table. “Personally, I'm half-on-half," Seamus admitted. “My dad is a Muggle, and my mom is a wizard. Mom didn't tell him anything until after they got married. I understood that he wasn't happy at all when he found out the truth.” Everyone laughed. Yeah, I don't envy Seamus. “And you, Neville?” I asked. “I... well, my grandmother raised me, she's a magician," Neville began. “But my whole family was convinced that I was a real squib. My uncle Algy kept trying to catch me off guard so that I could create some kind of miracle. He really wanted me to be a magician. So, one day he crept up on me while I was standing on the pier and pushed me into the water. And I almost drowned. In general, I was the most ordinary - until I was eight years old. When I was eight, Algy came in for tea, caught me, and stuck me out the window. I was hanging upside down there, and he was holding my ankles. And then my aunt Enid offered him a cake, and he accidentally opened his hands. I flew from the second floor, but I didn't crash - it was like I turned into a ball, bounced off the ground and bounced down the path. They were all delighted, and Grandma even burst into tears of happiness. You should have seen their faces when I received the letter from Hogwarts - they were afraid that they wouldn't send it to me, that I wasn't really a wizard. My uncle Algy happily gave me a toad. Couldn't he have tied her to the boy? I listened to what Percy and Hermione, who were sitting on our left, were talking about. However, I might have guessed: Hermione, of course, was talking about classes. “I really hope we start studying right now. We have so much to learn. Personally, I'm most interested in transfiguration, you know, the art of turning something into something else. Although, of course, this is considered a very difficult task. Yes, it's very difficult, but as a future golem lord, I need it. It's good that I can practice on a chess set. Don't count on much. You'll start with the little things, you'll turn matches into needles, something like this.  I warmed up, softened, and felt my eyes start to close. Harry was blinking sleepily next to him. In order to stay awake, I stared wide-eyed and began to stare around, finally burying my gaze in the teacher's desk. Hagrid was drinking from a large goblet, Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore, and Professor Quirrell, who had not taken off his stupid turban, was talking to an unknown teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. Apparently this is Snape. “Ouch!” Harry suddenly slapped his forehead with his palm. “What happened?” Percy asked. “N-n-nothing," Harry managed to say. “Who's that talking to Professor Quirrell?” He asked Percy. Oh, you already know Quirrell? I don't wonder why he's so nervous - you get nervous here when Professor Snape is sitting next to you. He teaches you how to mix magic potions, but they say he doesn't like it at all. He's a good scholar, a potion master. And his students just piss him off. And what did he forget at school? Everyone knows that he wants to take Professor Quirrell's place. And stillhe's a great expert on the Dark Arts, this Snape. Harry watched Snape for a while. I was no longer interested in anything. I was full and wanted to sleep. When everyone had their fill of dessert, the sweets disappeared from the plates, and Professor Dumbledore rose from his throne again. Everyone fell silent. “Hmmm!" said Dumbledore loudly. Now that we're all full, I'd like to say a few more words. There's something you need to learn before the semester starts. First-year students should remember that all students are prohibited from entering the forest located on the school grounds. Some undergraduates should also keep this in mind for their own good... But there are a lot of plant ingredients growing there, and animals can be used as ingredients, if they don't kill you themselves, of course. I definitely have nothing to do there until the fourth or fifth year. And at night it's better not to go there at all. Rumor has it that a pack of werewolves lives in the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore's shining eyes rested for a moment on the red heads of my brothers. Although you can go to the edge of the forest, Hagrid lives nearby. There shouldn't be anything dangerous there. “At the request of Mr. Filch, our school superintendent, I remind you that you should not work miracles during recess. And now about Quidditch practice - it starts in a week. Anyone who would like to play for the teams of their faculties should contact Madame Hooch. Finally, I must inform you that this academic year, the right-hand side of the corridor on the third floor is closed to anyone who does not want to die a painful death.” Harry laughed, but there were very few people as funny as him. So, I don't like this. I can smell trouble with my ass. My brothers are definitely going to be there. And then why should we bury them? “He's joking, right?” Harry muttered, turning to Percy. “Maybe," Percy replied, frowning at Dumbledore. “It's weird because he usually explains why we can't go anywhere. For example, everything is clear about the forest - there are dangerous animals there, everyone knows that. And here he should have explained everything, but he doesn't say anything. I think he should have told us, the elders, at least.” Percy gets nervous looking at the twins too. Even though he grumbles at us, he loves his family. “Now, before we go to bed, let's sing the school anthem!” Dumbledore shouted. I noticed that all the teachers had strange smiles on their faces. Something's not right here. Dumbledore shook his wand as if he were chasing away a fly that had landed on its end. A long golden ribbon burst out of the wand, which began to rise above the tables, and then crumbled into words hanging in the air. “Everyone sings to their favorite tune," said Dumbledore. “So, let's get started!” And the whole hall screamed: “Hogwarts, Hogwarts, our beloved Hogwarts, teach us something. Young and old, bald and shaggy, Age is not important, but only the essence is important. The wind is blowing in our heads right now, They are empty and dull, and there are piles of dead flies, But there will always be a place for knowledge in them, So teach us at least something. If we forget anything, you remind us., And if we don't know, you explain it to us. Do your best, our beloved Hogwarts, And we'll try not to let you down.” Everyone sang as they wanted, some softly, some loudly, some cheerfully, some sadly, some slowly, some quickly. And naturally, everyone finished singing at different times. Everyone had already fallen silent, but the twins were still singing the school anthem, slowly and solemnly, like a funeral march. Dumbledore began conducting by waving his wand, and when they finally finished, it was he who clapped the loudest. “Oh, the music! - he exclaimed, wiping his eyes: it looks like Dumbledore shed tears of emotion. “Her magic overshadows what we do here. Now go to sleep. Trot - march!” The freshmen, led by my brother, walked past the seniors still chatting at their desks, left the Great Hall and went up the marble staircase. My legs felt like lead again, but not from excitement, but from fatigue and fullness. I was very sleepy and completely oblivious to the fact that the people depicted in the portraits hung in the corridors were whispering to each other and pointing at the freshmen with their fingers. I took it for granted that Percy had taken us through secret doors twice, one hidden behind sliding panels and the other hidden behind a long tapestry hanging from the ceiling. Yawning and barely able to move our legs, we climbed one staircase after another. I waited patiently for us to reach our destination, and then Percy suddenly stopped. I shook myself and froze warily. Crutches floated in the air in front of us. As soon as Percy took a step forward, the crutches turned threateningly in his direction and began to attack. But they didn't hit him, but stopped a few centimeters away, as if saying that he had to leave. “This is Peeves, our poltergeist," Percy whispered, turning to us. And then he raised his voice: "Peeves, show yourself!" A long fart answered him. “Do you want me to go to the Blood Baron and tell him what's going on here?” There was a pop, and a small man with unpleasant black eyes and a big mouth appeared in the air. He was hanging cross-legged between the floor and the ceiling, and pretended to be leaning on crutches, which he clearly didn't need. “Oh-oh-oh!” he drawled, with a malicious chuckle. “Little freshmen! Now we're going to have some fun.” A man hanging in the air suddenly swooped down on us, and everyone ducked their heads together. “Get out of here, Peeves, or the Baron will find out about this, I'm not kidding!” Percy said sharply. Peeves stuck out his tongue and disappeared, dropping his crutches on Neville's head. We could hear him walking away from us, banging something on the knight's armor displayed in the corridor out of spite. “You should watch out for him," Percy warned as we moved on. “The only one who can control him is the Bloody Baron, and Peeves doesn't even listen to us elders. Here we are.” And the bloody baron only helps Slytherins. Cool. Well, I'll consider it a workout. I wish I could remember the way. We were standing at the end of the corridor in front of a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. “The password?” the woman asked sternly. “Kaput Draconis," Percy replied, and the portrait slid aside, revealing a round hole in the wall. Everyone made their way through it on their own, only the clumsy Neville had to be pushed. The round, cozy Gryffindor Common Room was filled with deep upholstered armchairs. Percy showed the girls the door to their bedroom, and the boys entered through another door. We went up a spiral staircase, the room was in one of the towers, and finally we found ourselves in a bedroom. There were five large four-poster beds, covered with dark red velvet curtains. The beds were already made. Everyone was too tired to talk about anything else, so we silently pulled on our pajamas and climbed into bed. I settled down next to Harry's bed. He chose a bed next to the window. That's a jerk, it's going to blow there. “We had a great meal, didn't we?” I muttered, behind the heavy curtains. I stare at Skabers in disbelief. So, are you hungry? Get out of here, you Skabers! Can you imagine, Harry, he's chewing on my sheets!”