A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update but I finally found time and inspiration to finish this chapter. I hope you all like it!

Chapter 4

Sorting

Hogwarts was bigger than Dean ever thought it would be. It definitely wasn't like any school that he had gone to. It was more like something out of a fairy tale. Actually, everything seemed like it was out of a fairy tale. But Dean didn't complain.

It was dark and all the first years were huddled together. They all had no idea where they were supposed to go or what they were supposed to do. There seemed to be no way to get into the castle considering that there was a big lake blocking there path.

"First years! Over here!" Dean turned around to see a giant, rugged looking man carrying a lantern come towards them. And when Dean said giant he literally meant a giant. The guy was huge but had a sort of face that you could trust. He didn't seem like he could even hurt a fly. And, afraid of being squished, the first years did what they were told.

"Okay you lot, follow me to the boats. Watch yer step and try not to fall in," the giant said and led them over to a bunch of small boats that could probably fit three or four at a time.

Sam, Cas, and Dean glanced at each other before climbing in the boats. They swayed as the trio sat down. Dean looked over to see Jess and Jo get stuck in a boat with Gabriel. Dean laughed a little, watching the two girls scowl as Gabriel rocked the boat.

"Where are the paddles?" Sam asked, looking around the small boat.

"Maybe they're-," Dean started but was cut off when the boat started to move forward. By its self. The three quickly grabbed onto the sides of the wooden boat, surprised by it moving. Dean grinned as they started sailing towards the castle. Magic could do anything!

The trip across the lake was fairly quick with a close call from Jess, Jo, and Gabriel's boat. Gabe had been trying to splash the girls and almost fell in. Dean couldn't stop laughing for five minutes.

Once they got ashore they headed into the castle. The castle seemed bigger on the inside then the outside and Dean couldn't believe he was actually going to school there. The castle echoed as they walked through its halls, statues staring down at them and windows reflecting twinkling's of starlight.

The first years walked for a bit until they reached a rather large, dramatic looking door. Standing in front of the door was an older woman wearing green robes and a pointed witch's hat. Her glasses and stern look told Dean that she was definitely a teacher. The crowd of first years stopped just in front of her, her eyes staring down at them as if she was picking out which one of them would cause her the most trouble this year.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor McGonagall and through those doors is the start of your new life here at Hogwarts. In there you will be sorted into your House. There are four Houses; Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. During your stay here your House will be like your family. Good luck," she said and left the group of first years standing somewhat confused in the middle of the hallway.

Dean sighed and leaned up against the ledge of one of the staircases. It looked like they would be waiting some more. Dean hated waiting. He decided to skim the crowd, see who could end up being a part of his "family" here at Hogwarts. He spotted Jo and Jess talking, trying to avoid Gabriel, he saw the red headed girl from the train and he saw…some black haired girl staring at Sam. Dean didn't like that. He watched as she swaggered over to them, pride glinting in her dark eyes.

"Hello there," she said, her eyes fixed on Sam. Dean instantly knew that she was trouble.

"Hi," Sam greeted, obviously oblivious to the dark in her eyes.

"I'm Ruby Night. Pleasure to meet you boys," she said and crossed her arms.

"I'm Sam Winchester and this is my brother Dean," Sam said, pointing to Dean who was glaring at Ruby.

Ruby nodded, sending a hateful glare towards Dean. Then she suddenly looked down and let out a small scream. There was a toad on her foot.

"Get it off!" she yelled and a kid with messy black hair quickly stumbled to get the toad.

"Sorry, he runs away sometimes," the kid said, looking frightened by Ruby's death glare.

"Sorry? You're toad attacks me and all you have to say is sorry? Buzz off you little maggot," she growled and the kid quickly ran towards the back of the crowd of first years.

Now Dean was pissed. She didn't have any right to be mean to some poor kid. He stood up straight and just as he was about to tell her off Professor McGonagall came back.

"Sorry for the wait, there seemed to be a slight issue that I had to take care of. Now, come this way," she said and started leading them towards the door. Ruby gave Dean one more glare and gave Sam one last smile before returning to the front of the group. Dean clenched his fists and followed everyone else through the doors and into what looked like a giant cafeteria. There were four long tables across the room, all of them filled with kids who were talking. They all seemed to turn there glances towards the group of first years as if they expected them to do something. Dean avoided there gaze. Instead he looked up at the ceiling to see what looked like the night sky and floating candles.

"It's bewitched to look like the night sky," Jess told him as she came up from behind. "I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

The small group of first years stopped as they reached the front of the hall, stopping right before a small stool. Behind the stool was a long table of what Dean suspected to be teachers watching them all, waiting for the sorting to begin.

Dean started to wonder how they were actually going to be sorted. Would they have to take a test? Dean hoped not.

As McGonagall stepped up next to the stool, a scroll in hand, Sam scooted over next to Dean. He looked nervous.

"You alright Sammy?" he asked.

Sam nodded, though he still looked like he was about to explode. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just- I hope I don't get sorted into Slytherin."

Dean raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Why's that?"

"Because most of the people that get sorted into Slytherin end up becoming evil. Turning into dark wizards," Sam said, hushed so the Slytherin table (Dean assumed it was the green and silver table, because you know, snakes are green and such) wouldn't hear.

"Sammy, you're the nicest kid I know. I seriously doubt that you'll be sorted into the snake house," Dean reassured. Sam nodded and let out a deep breath as McGonagall started calling names.

"Gallagher, Andrew," she called, her tone brisk and practiced as if she had done this a thousand times. Maybe she had.

Dean watched as a kid with messy black hair shakily approached the stool. Dean recognized him as the kid that Ruby was picking on. He frowned, remembering the way she looked at Sam.

Andy sat down, gripping the stool tight with both hands as if it was going to knock him off. McGonagall gently placed the hat on his head, the flaps falling over his eyes a little. Dean crossed his arms, a little confused at how this was going to work. A hat was going to sort them? He watched it, green eyes sharp, until its deep creases started to form a mouth and eyes.

Dean almost jumped in surprise when he saw the hat moving its lips, as if it were whispering to Andy. Andy's eyes were closed, looking scared to death. After a few moments the hat bellowed "Gryffindor!" and the Gryffindor table exploded in applause. Andy sighed with relief and sauntered over to the Gryffindor table with what looked like newfound confidence.

Gryffindor? That kid was sorted into Gryffindor? Wasn't that supposed to be the house of the brave or something? That kid couldn't even look Ruby in the eye!

"Harvelle, Joanna," McGonagall called and Dean saw Jo take a deep breath, walk up to the stool, and still down. McGonagall placed the hat on her head and that's when Dean started to see the leathery old hat started to talk again, though he still couldn't hear what it was saying. The hat didn't take as long to sort her like Andy did and in a matter of moments the hat yelled, "Gryffindor!"

Jo smiled and walked over to take a seat next to Andy, the Gryffindor table applauding again.

Okay, now Dean was really confused. Jo and Andy seemed like two extremely different people. How did they get sorted into the same house? That's when Dean started feeling a little bit nervous, not for him, but for Sammy. Because how things were going now there might be a chance that his brother would be sorted into Slytherin. And Dean would hate that.

"Loki, Gabriel," McGonagall called and Dean saw Gabriel practically run up to the stool and take a seat. He had smug look on his face, as if he already knew what house he would be sorted in. The hat was placed on his head and, surprisingly, the hat took a couple of minutes to sort him. The hat looked fairly undecided as if he had to choose between two houses to put him in. But at last the hat seemed to decide because he yelled, "Slytherin!" Gabriel smiled and bounded over to the snake table as they all applauded as their first new member joined them. Now Dean really didn't want Sam in that house.

"Milligan, Adam," McGonagall called and a kid with short blonde hair and blue eyes, probably a little shorter than Dean walked up and took a seat on the stool. He look fairly bored at being there and looked like he was about to fall asleep as the hat was placed on his blonde head. Like Jo, the hat didn't take too long to decide the boys place. "Hufflepuff!" the hat cried. Dean had to suppress at laugh. God, that was such a funny name. But the Hufflepuff (seriously, every time he even thought of that name he felt like laughing) cheered for their new member as Adam sheepishly walked over to their table. Dean really hoped that he wasn't sorted there.

"Moore, Jessica." Jess looked over a Sam and Dean nervously before she walked up and took her seat on the stool. Dean could tell she was just as nervous as Sam was; she was taking deep breaths as the hat was put on her head. But it didn't take at all long for the hat to yell, "Ravenclaw!" Jess smiled, happy with the decision, and skipped over to the applauding Ravenclaw table.

"Night, Ruby." Ruby flashed a cocky smile over at Sam before going up and taking a seat. Dean really hoped that she fell off the stool and was sorted into Hufflepuff (come on, who even named these things?).

The hat didn't even touch her head when it yelled, "Slytherin!" Dean was right. She was pure evil.

Ruby smiled, winked over at Sam, and sat down next to Gabriel at the Slytherin table.

"Shurley, Charles." This time a short kid with somewhat bushy black hair shakily walked up and sat down on the stool. He closed his eyes tight as the hat was placed on his head, as if it would hurt, but let out a sigh of relief when the hat bellowed, "Ravenclaw!" Charles smiled and sat down next to Jess at the Ravenclaw table.

Dean tensed a little. It was almost time for him and Sam to be sorted. He wasn't all that nervous for himself, but he was nervous for Sammy. And what if they weren't sorted into the same house? How would Dean look after him?

"Singer, Castiel." Castiel? That was Cas' full name? A little strange, Dean thought, but oh well. He patted his friend of the back as he walked up and sat down shyly on the stool, trying not to look nervous. The hat was placed on his head, falling over his bright blue eyes. After a few moments the hat yelled, "Hufflepuff!"

Dean had to stop himself from laughing again. Cas was a Hufflepuff! But he certainly seemed fine with it because he nodded with a smile and sat down next to Adam (who was half asleep) at the Hufflepuff table.

"Winchester, Dean." Dean's heart skipped a beat as his name was called. Now he was nervous. But he didn't want to look scared in front of Sam so he took a deep breath, smiled at Sammy, then went up and sat down on the stool. He gripped the sides of the stool as the old hat was placed on his head, ready to sort him.

"Hmm, hmm, you're an interesting one," The hat whispered to him. Dean couldn't help but get a chill down his spine as the hat spoke to him with its icy, crackly, hat voice. "You could be placed anywhere. You are brave enough to stand up for the ones you love, so you could be placed in Gryffindor. But then again you are very loyal to your family so maybe Hufflepuff? Oh, but you have enough wit to be placed in Ravenclaw. And what about Slytherin? You certainly don't mind using any means necessary to achieve what you want, especially if it's for your little brother." What was this hat doing, reading his mind? Dean scrunched his eyebrows, he just wanted this guy (can a hat have a gender?) to sort him already. "Hmm, yes, yes…I know which house is for you. You belong in…Gryffindor!" Dean didn't do anything, he didn't let out a sigh of relief or smile or anything like that, he just walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Jo once the hat was off his head. He wouldn't be happy until Sam got sorted. Though something inside of him made him feel a little happy about his placement.

"Winchester, Samuel." Sam was the last one to be sorted. He looked over at Dean nervously. Dean gave him a smile and a thumbs up, hoping that would make him feel a little better. Sam nodded then walked up and sat down on the stool, the hat being place on his head right after he sat down. Here we go, the moment of truth…any minute now…what the hell was taking so long? It was minutes now and the hat still looked as if it was deciding. What was it saying to Sam? Sam looked really nervous now and Dean didn't like that one bit. Just tell us what house he's in already you sorry excuse for a hat!

"Ravenclaw!" Dean let out a sigh and so did Sam. That's good, he wasn't in Slytherin. Sam happily walked over and sat down across from Jess and Charles then looked over a Dean was a smile. Dean smiled back then looked up when he saw a dude with a very long white beard call for everyone's attention. He introduced himself as Headmaster Dumbledore and welcomed all the first years to Hogwarts. That's when Dean's short attention span and hunger started to kick in so he ended up zoning out through Dumbledork's speech. He caught a few things about not going in some forest and something about Quidditch but that was about it. Once he was done talking all the plates on the tables magically were filled with food. Meat, mashed potatoes, cornbread- this place was Heaven!

Dean ate and chatted with Jo and Andy, who was actually a pretty chill guy, and enjoyed himself for the time being. After they were all done a prefect told them that he would walk them to the Gryffindor common room, which was where they would be staying throughout their school years. Dean nodded and just before he headed out the door he waved to Sam and Jess, who looked like they were enjoying themselves too. Dean smiled; this was going to be one hell of a school year.