Harry Potter's name is called to be sorted, leading the whole Great Hall to break out in whispers. The Sorting Hat decides, after Harry asks not to be placed in Slytherin, to put him in Gryffindor, leading to the biggest cheer yet.

The [Sorting] ceremony winds down and [Dumbledore] says "a few words" before officially beginning the feast.

The welcoming feast begins, and while Harry digs in he meets Nearly Headless Nick, hears about Seamus's family and Neville's childhood, and notices a twinge in his [scar] when Snape glares at him from the head table.

As the feast concludes, [Dumbledore] stands up and makes announcements about banned items, the Forbidden Forest, and the [third floor corridor], and finally leads the students in the school song before sending them off to bed.

As classes begin, Harry starts learning about Hogwarts, and particularly about the hazards posed by the moving staircases and secret passageways, as well as the ghosts, Peeves, Mr. Filch, and Mrs. Norris.

Harry gets his first impressions of many of his classes, including Astronomy, Herbology, History of Magic, and Charms.

In their first Transfiguration class, the first years watch McGonagall transform her desk into a pig, and then try to transform matches into needles. Nobody is successful except, of course, for Hermione.