It wasn't long before McGonagall re-entered the chamber. But in the time that she was gone James had challenged Sirius to a burping contest and the two boys were belching away.

The woman entered the chamber just as James let out the largest belch yet, earning him a round of applause from the small pudgy boy. McGonagall did not look at all amused, but she spoke in a completely even voice, "we're ready for you now. Form a line and follow me."

They shuffled into a line and all followed Professor McGonagall out of the room.

"What is the sorting ceremony?" Mary hissed in Anika's ear as they left the chamber.

"There's this thing called the sorting hat, you put it on and it decides which house you should be in," Anika hissed back. 

The group entered the great hall, and there was another intake of breath as they saw it for the first time. The ceiling was littered with floating candles and was an exact mirror of the night sky. Stars glittered and Anika could pick out and name each constellation that she saw. Stars had always fascinated her. When she was very young Mr Borgin had given her a telescope and she used to spend hours looking at the night sky when she was supposed to be sleeping. The few times that she was caught she was heavily chastised and had the telescope confiscated for weeks at a time, so she learned to be more sneaky about how she conducted her evaluations of the night sky so that she wouldn't get caught. 

The group of first years reached the front of the hall and crammed themselves into a ring around a wooden stool, on which Professor McGonagall placed a very old looking hat- the sorting hat. Anika knew this because of pictured of it which appeared in Hogwarts: A History. This was also why she was not shocked when a rip at the rim of the hat opened and it began to sing.

"For centuries and ages back
As far as I remember
I'm brought out on a stool each year
The first night of the term
The first years put me on their head
I say where they belong
But first you must indulge me in
Expository song

The song, you see is more than just
A stodgy old tradition
It also helps me better to
Fulfill my steadfast mission.
I primarily sort first years, but
I also feel the need
To help out the entire school
So older ones take heed!

I try, each year to clarify
Enlighten and alert you
To each house's history
And character and virtue
See, views about the Houses Four
Are oftentimes distorted
So here I am, the Sorting Hat
And I will get you sorted!

Badger, lion, eagle, snake
Red or yellow, green or blue,
None of these are vital to
What makes you really you
The sorting will start very soon
But I want this understood:
Though I quarter students every year,
You should not think it's good.

That's not to say that sorting's bad
(I'd quit if that was so)
But there's more, much more to Hogwarts than
The House to which you go
But that's enough from me just now
My warning's been imparted
There's first years who need sorting out
Let's get the sorting started!"

The whole hall broke into applause at the end of the hat's song.

"This is so weird, why is the hat singing?" Mary asked Anika as the two girls clapped. 

"Like it said, it's tradition. I'm fairly sure it will sing a new one each year."

"He can't even sing very well, he'd never get past round one on New Faces," complained Mary as the hat bowed to each of the four tables, and then went still again.

"What's new faces?" Anika asked.

"It's a TV talent show."

"What's TV-"

Professor McGonagall cut the conversation off when she stepped forwards holding a roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," said the Professor. She unrolled the parchment, "Atkins, David."

One by one, each of the first years was called up for their turn to be sorted. 

'Black, Sirius' was sorted into Gryffindor, earning some rather shocked whispers from the Slytherin table, who were rightly expecting him to join his cousins Andromeda and Narcissa in their house. 'Evans, Lily', with whom Anika had shared the boat with, was sorted into Gryffindor too, casting a look at her friend Severus before she hurried off to sit at her table, where she was clapped on the back by an older student. 'Lupin, Remus', the boy who had been contemplating pushing James into the lake earlier was also sorted in Gryffindor, closely joined by 'MacDonald, Mary', who shot Anika and exciting look as she hurried to sit beside Lily. Both 'Pettigrew, Peter', the pudgy boy who had been laughing at James earlier and 'Potter, James' also joined Gryffindor house.

Just after 'Rotherfield, Mandy' was sorted into Hufflepuff, McGonagall called, "Smith, Anika."

Feeling the eyes of the whole hall on her, Anika made her way forwards on shaking legs. She sat down on the stool and caught a brief glimpse of hundreds of students staring at her, before the sorting hat was placed on her head by Professor McGonagall. Anka felt the old hat crush her school black hat as it fell down to rest on her shoulders. 

Nothing happened for several moments and then a small voice spoke in her ear.

"Interesting, I've never seen a mind like this. Created definitely to be in GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word for the whole hall to hear. The hat was removed from Anika's head and she was met with loud applause from the Gryffindor table. 

Anika hurried over to the table, straightening her pointy hat as she did, and sat herself down in a seat beside Mary, who had made the boys next to her move up to make room for Anika.

"We got sorted into the same house!" Mary grinned, "you can make sure that I don't get lost!"

Anika grinned back before both girls turned their heads forwards to watch the rest of the sorting. Anika glanced over the head of the boy currently being sorted to look at Albus Dumbledore, who presided over the hall in a golden throne-like chair. To her astonishment, Albus Dumbledore was staring right back at her, a look of confusion mixed with curiosity evident upon his face. 

The sorting hat's song is an edited version of one created by u/Governor_Humphries on Reddit, follow this link to view the whole song: https://www.reddit.com/r/harrypotter/comments/6rhwn8/i_took_a_shot_at_writing_a_new_sorting_hat_song/