Sorting Ceremony
"The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts."
—The importance of the Sorting Ceremony
"Oh you may not think I'm pretty, but don't judge on what you see, I'll eat myself if you can find a smarter hat than me."
—The Sorting Hat's opening lines of the 1991 Sorting Hat's song
“Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”.- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
GRYFFINDOR
"You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart"
—The Sorting Hat
HUFFLEPUFF
"You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,
And unafraid of toil."
—The Sorting Hat
RAVENCLAW
"Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind."
—The Sorting Hat
SLYTHERIN
"You could be great, you know, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that."
—The Sorting Hat addressing Harry Potter