Sorting Ceremony 2019-2020 Archived

For the nth time that day, Maria was awestruck.

Here she was, standing in the Great Hall, a place she had only heard about from her mother’s stories. Now she guessed was the part where they would put her into a house. Her mum had been put into Ravenclaw, the table where the students wore blue scarves and she remembers that the first time she asked about her real father or “The Man” (which they agreed to call him when she got older) her mother mentioned that he was “a Gryffindor who was always looking for trouble”. Whatever that meant.

She wrung her hands as she waited for her turn, the hat’s raspy voice and random comments echoing through the large hall. As she observed her fellow first years and their reactions as the Sorting Hat was placed on their heads - a few of them sat tall and smug almost sure of their houses, some met with disappointment, others looked as though they were about to faint or be sick on the spot.

”This so odd, like it’s something out of dream.” She thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the boisterous cheers of the students at the Gryffindor table, as the last student approached his new maroon-adorned Housemates.

”Maria Dee”.

With a deep breath she approached the stool and the Hat was placed on her head.

“Hmm, lots of sunshine in this one... keen... yes, thinks loudly too.”

“What does that mean?” Maria whispered.

”You’re rather inquisitive aren’t you? Secretive too. Not exactly a shy one either but still very soft. Yes. It must be..

...”Hufflepuff!

The other members of her new house cheered as she cracked a small smile and approached her table. As she took her seat and the feast began, she new her journey too, had just started.

Joey heard his name called out and walked numbly fowards,aware that everybody had their eyes fixed on him. He hadn't really concentrated on the people being sorted before him - he was more worried about it being his turn. He was sat down before he realised it and a small voice piped up in hear ear.
"This is a strange one, not my usual split of house choice. I can see you want to help... But you're a keen learner.... Now, which is stronger? I think we'll put you in...."

Elaine was so excited to reach Hogwarts, the train ride on the Hogwarts Express was a pleasant one but the weather as they crossed the Great Lake was certainly less pleasant. Elaine entered the Great Hall with the other first years and was gobsmacked by what she saw. There were four long tables full of students chatting and laughing away. Suddenly, she felt nervous and apprehensive. How was she going to make any friends? She normally kept her nose in books and with a sudden realisation, she would be here for seven years and would have to talk to people. Sighing Elaine instinctively looked up at towards the ceiling as she often did when she was in unfamiliar territory but instead of a castle ceiling there were a million floating candles and the ceiling had clouds just like the ones that had been in the sky when they crossed the Great Lake.

By this stage, the first years had all gathered around the front of the Great Hall and the professor had placed a hat on a stool and it sang about its purpose. Elaine hadn’t put much thought into what House she would be sorted in. Her mother Jean had been a Ravenclaw and her father Desmond a Slytherin. Elaine hoped she would be in one of those two houses. She didn't want to disappoint her parents if she was in one of the other houses. Elaine was hoping to be a Ravenclaw as the common room had a great view of Hogwarts her mother had said and it was the house of wit and learning.

The sorting hat yelled out Ravenclaw for the student who had just been sorted and Elaine moved her head back down to look at the students been sorted.

The professor said “Elaine Cathail” and Elaine froze for a second. Her mind and heart were racing, what if the hat didn’t select a house? What if she was sorted in a different house? Would her parents be disappointed? Elaine slowly walked up to the sorting hat and placed it on her head.
“Well, Well, Well what do we have here, ‘’A strong mind for learning, but also willing to work hard. You would be suited to Ravenclaw.” Elaine’s heart lept a bit. “But, you also are very kind and willing to help others. You don’t want anyone to be left behind.” Elaine’s heart sank a little bit the hat couldn’t make a decision she thought. “Finally, I see you have a lot of patience, I know where to put you….

“Hufflepuff”

Elaine's heart sank she didn’t know any Hufflepuffs and they seem to have been the “loser house” the one where the leftovers left. Elaine tried hard to remember the lyrics for the Hufflepuff House as she walked over towards the table and wondered how she was going to explain it to her parents. Does this mean she wasn’t as smart as a Ravenclaw? The sorting hat didn’t say anything about Slytherin did she have no ambition?

With these solemn thoughts in her head, she didn’t even notice all the Hufflepuff students who were clapping and welcoming her to their house. Elaine swung her right leg over the chair and sat down next a boy who she recognised had been sorted a little bit before her and an older student.

Lorelei was speechless.

The Great Hall was amazing. Floating candles, long tables, and not to mention that large stage at the front. She had heard so many stories from her family, but with no reference, she never knew what to expect. The stories didn't describe it to be this amazing. Probably because the feeling was really hard to describe.

Kids went by, sorted one by one. Some were happy with their house, others, upset. Lorelei knew what house she was getting in. Ravenclaw. Her aunt was a Ravenclaw. Her Grandfather was a Ravenclaw. It was obvious she would be one. She was lost in thought and almost missed her name being called.

"Dixon, Lorelei."
Excitedly but nervously, she ran up the stage. Kids were all staring at her. The pressure was, well, very pressuring. The hat was placed gently upon her head. The feeling was weird. She had never worn a wizard hat. Her aunt had one in her room, but she was never allowed to touch it. When the hat spoke, Lorelei was spooked.

"Ah," it cooed. "One of those Bridgers, are you?"

That was a good sign. It recognized her. That would give her a greater chance of getting into Ravenclaw. She heard the hat could read your thoughts. Maybe convincing it would work, if it hadn't already decided to put her in Ravenclaw.

Ravenclaw, please? she thought.

"Ah, I see now!" the hat announced. Was she going to be placed in Ravenclaw? She scooted to the edge of her seat, smiling.

"Hufflepuff!" it bellowed.

Hufflepuff? I've never had any family in Hufflepuff. she thought as she walked off the stage shakily. The Hufflepuffs smiled at her from the table. She stared at the Ravenclaw table just to see. She saw a few family friends, frowning, but their frowns turned into smiles in order to support her.

But then she remembered. Her mother. Her mother was a Hufflepuff. She may have not been as close, but it was a start. Feeling a bit better, Lorelei prodded happily to the Hufflepuff table.

Word count: 345 words

She had been waiting for this her entire life. For the hat to be placed upon her head and tell her where she truly belonged. But she was scared, too. She didn't even belong in her own family. How could the hat choose where she belonged in Hogwarts?
"Moon, Rose!" Rose went up to the hat with her head down when her name was called. She could feel her siblings' eyes watch her as she walked to the sorting hat. It was placed lightly upon her head. "Hmm... you're a tricky one," The hat murmured. "Smart, yes. Kind, yes... But you feel... You feel you do not belong anywhere... You feel a need to prove yourself, but do not want to boast. You are different than your family. You will learn some very important things here... You could go in any of them, really. You are not who you seem to be... I think I will place you in..." The hat thought for a moment.
"GRYFFINDOR!" He bellowed, and the hat was taken off head.
"What?!" She said under her breath to herself. She was expecting to be in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. She walked to the table she belonged in now... Gryffindor, apparently.

There it was - the moment she was so excited about.

Sakura was standing in the Great Hall, waiting for her turn at the Sorting Ceremony. She was completely fascinated by the extraordinary size and magnificence of the place. All those floating candles and lively portraits, the students she had never met before and the enchanting atmosphere she felt in this room. Her brother Ren was in Slytherin, while Hiro was in Gryffindor, so she felt more attached to these two houses in particular, as they both told her about the awesome people they met and the beautiful cozy common rooms. No matter what, she was completely sure that whichever house she gets sorted into, she will soon think of this school as a home.

"Sakura Chalston!"

Her heart immediately started beating a bit faster as soon as she heard her name being called. She then slowly walked up to the Sorting Hat and sat down on the chair. It wasn't long until she heard the Hat speak to her.

"Ahh, you're certainly an interesting one... with a great need for loyalty and friendship, you would definitely make a proper Hufflepuff.."
Sakura sighed quietly. It really wasn't that she thought Hufflepuffs weren't any good, far from it actually, but she would be a bit disappointed to end up there.. She was hoping for either Slytherin or Gryffindor. She was sure her Slytherin traits would outweigh during the Sorting Process, she wasn't even sure if she was a brave person at all... but Gryffindor was so cool, she just loved it.

"What's that? You're not a big fan of the kindest house at Hogwarts? Not something I often get to see. Well then, no worries, you could definitely make a great Slytherin with your competitiveness and desire for success. But there's something else in your heart... who would have thought that you hold so much courage inside you." Sakura let out a shaky breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. She hadn't thought she would actually get so nervous.


"GRYFFINDOR!"

She smiled in relief and quickly walked to the red decorated table as the students cheered and welcomed her. She saw Hiro smile at her encouragingly.
Still wondering why she is suited for the house of bravery, she tried to remember this moment as vividly as possible. This event was most definitely something she would later write in her diary about.
Once she calmed herself down a bit, she looked at the remaining first year students who were still waiting to be sorted. She found her brother Kai, who was just about to go up. He seemed even more nervous than she was. It took quite some time for the Hat to say anything out loud, but then... "RAVENCLAW!" "Of course," she thought, "a guy like him must be highly intelligent and creative." She had high hopes that Kai would end up in the same house as her, but knowing his personality it made much more sense for him to be in Ravenclaw. She then stopped thinking about all the what-ifs and just relaxed, enjoying the cheerful Gyffindor spirit that surrounded her at the table.

Evie looked around when her name was called and boldly strolled up to the Sorting Hat and sat down. She was ready. She just knew she would be in Slyth-"GRYFFINOR!!!!" Evie hid her shock and stood up as she heard the Gryffindor table erupt in applause. 'Gryffindor? I was sure I would be placed in Slytherin' Evie thought as she went and sat at the Gryffindor table in between a mousy brown haired girl and a boy with hair as black as night. Evie sighed and thought to herself 'Well, can't change it now. The Sorting Hat never makes a mistake. My family won't be happy, but I'm at Hogwarts! I have no reason to care if they are upset!' She smiled and tried to make conversation, but got drowned out by the Sorting Hat. She decided to just sit there until someone made conversation with her. Evie was very friendly, but had major problems initiating conversation.

Evie smiled as the last of the first years were sorted and the Headmaster said a few words and the feast started. Evie's eyes grew big, as she didn't realize she hadn't eaten since before the train ride. Looking at the food, she grabbed some roast, mashed potatoes, and some corn and dug in. She took a sip out of her goblet and smiled as it was her favorite drink, Butterbeer mixed with some Pumpkin Juice. As people were talking, she would nod and listen to them, getting a few laughs as jokes were made. She finally felt happy. This year would be a marvelous one.

Here she was. This was it - the culmination of three months of constant rowing and then dark moods that hung over her house. The Sorting Ceremony for her first year of magic school. All Summer long, since she had received her letter and determined that she absolutely was going regardless of her mum's consternations and eruptions, this was the thing she was most excited about. Determining her fate and discovering where she would find her new best friends. An only child, she was often a lonely child, much to her chagrin, though she endeavoured to find local children to hang about with. She was never the most popular kid, somewhat gawky and short, she didn't exactly fit in with the kids in her neighbourhood though it wasn't for lack of trying. She shared her sweets, her newest toys and her home but received nothing in return. No invites to play at theirs, no shared foods or resources. It was exhausting making herself so readily available to an audience of takers.

Now it was here though, anxiety tore away at her, leaving her with more questions than answers. What if she wasn't accepted here either? What if the Hat couldn't sort her? What if she somehow failed the Sorting? Although her dad was a wizard, he was a poor excuse for one. He was very vague and aloof about the entire process and indeed his time at school. He had somehow scraped through his OWLs and flunked out before NEWTs came around. His spell casting was weak, notably made moreso by her mother's inherent dislike of anything magical. The fact that he was so terrible at performing only endeared him to her and stood him in good stead with her. Not so his eager daughter who wanted to soak up every detail possible about the place she hoped would become a second home.

Walking up to the stool she took a seat and waited. Was there going to be an internal probe? Would it hurt? Nobody before her had cried out in pain, which led her to believe it was relatively painless. And then she heard the musing voice deliberating where to put her, acting as though it knew her on anything more than a surface level. She mused that perhaps it could ascertain her traits and morals at a glance, but people were inherently more layered and complex than the sum of their parts. The fact that she wasn't remotely academic, for instance, did not mean she lacked brains, more that she put them to good use doing non-schoolwork related activities! She wasn't sure if a simple hat was going to be able to adeptly decipher through her mind of whirring thoughts. Indeed it seemed a lengthy debate which gave her some relief. She wanted to present difficulties to know she was properly considered and not palmed off to the House that needed more new students!

HUFFLEPUFF.

She got up and began the walk to the table before another student reminded her to return the hat to the stool first. "So sorry! Pardon me. Terrible mistake. Never done this before. It's my first time." she rambled stupidly, little considering that all the First Years were in the same boat and none of them had experienced this before. Her cheeks rouged and grew hot under the watchful gaze of her new Housemates, leaving the newest Hufflepuff more than a little embarrassed. Ordinarily she would force out a laugh and ride out the ridicule, but Liv painted on a broad grin and took a seat at the table. "Liv Hartley, new Hufflepuff student and resident hat stea--borrower!" she swiftly introduced before turning back to the other students awaiting their turn. "Look, that girl looks like she knows what she's doing! I wonder where she'll end up? Hopefully she remembers to give the hat back!"

Charlie Cutting couldn't help but to keep his eyes on the candles floating high above him. From the moment the doors first opened, they traveled upwards, initially due to taking in the sheer height of the room, but as the individual soft glows caught his attention, his eyes widened, fixated upon them. He had only known of the existence of magic for a few short months, and every display of it had filled him with awe from the beginning. Would he ever get used to it? Perhaps with time, as all people eventually become accustomed to their environment, but for how long would he have to wait? And were any of the new students around him as amazed as he was?

An old hat upon a stool, it was the first thing that broke his fixation on the candles, not because of the hat itself, but because of what it did. This was no ordinary hat at all. It was singing. A singing hat... how could his attention not move to it?

So this was the moment he had heard spoken of on the train: the Sorting. The moment when the students would be separated into four houses. One by one he watched as student after student was called forth to put the hat on their head, and one by one he heard the hat speak aloud the name of their house.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

He heard it exclaim as a blond girl rose from the stool, put the hat back - eventually - and joined a table full of students with yellow-trimmed cloaks. They looked friendly, happy to welcome their newest member. Charlie wondered if he might belong with them, and if not, if the students of whichever house would welcome him just as eagerly.

"Charles Cutting!"

His eyes widened. It was his turn. Charlie slipped through a few students standing in front of him, inching his way toward the stool. He sat down, and as the hat sat on his head, for a moment he wondered... On the day his letter had been delivered, the day he first learned of magic, his sisters refused to believe it, believing it was all just another practical joke. But for the briefest of moments, Charlie began to wonder the same thing. Would he sit on the stool for a few minutes, waiting for an announcement that would never come? Would his sisters pop up and tell him that this had been their revenge for years of pranks? If this was in fact a prank, it certainly was a good one, the prank to end all pranks. He'd surely have to hang up his hat if so...

"Well, well... What do we have here?" It came from that hat, the same hat that had been singing was now speaking. No way Becca and Emily could pull that off. It was real.

The hat continued, speaking of cleverness and creativity. And while he certain had been creative with his pranks throughout the years, he hardly thought of himself as clever. He had always struggled at his old school, his muggle school, as he had learned was the word. Maths, History... it wasn't as though he were stupid, just... not up to par with his peers, certainly not where his parents had wanted him to be. But he always tried at least. He spent most of his brain power on schemes and stunts instead though, and boy did he know plenty about those.

"RAVENCLAW"

The hat shouted suddenly, alerting Charlie, who had become lost in thought, thinking of how magic might aid his future antics. A table full of students with blue trimmed robes began to applaud as he took the hat off, identifying themselves as his new home.

"Uhh... hey, I'm Charlie," he said to the first Ravenclaw student who greeted him.

Cleverness... no one had ever used the word to describe Charlie Cutting before, but perhaps one day, he just could be.

It was just like he was in a marvelous dream.

When the grand and overbearing castle had appeared before them as they turned slightly on the small rickety boats, a silent hush had fallen over the incoming first years, and the majesty of the moment made them feel awash with splendor and expectation. Shen was not an exception, knowing what would happen and seeing pictures would have never prepared him for this moment. The rush of nerves and endorphins making his entire body seem to tingle, and the nerves he thought he was in control of immediately made him jittery, his palms sweating, and his eyes ablaze with wonder.

The sorting had been as he had imagined. He had been waiting in line for had seemed to be eons watching the students ahead of him get called one by one, hearing their house being screamed, and their nervous figures running towards their house. The old sorting hat which sat on that small rickety stool had eclipsed his vision as it dropped atop his head, shielding his vision of the hundreds if not thousands of floating candles and the mass of students that stared at him. The sorting hat had murmured nonstop about his inviolable pursuit for perfection, talk about being redundant, it was telling him what he knew, but there was something nice about having what he knew blatantly justified by someone or something on this case else.

"SLYTHERIN," had been yelled from the hat before he even had a moment to himself, and in that instant nothing else would have mattered to him, the world could have ended and he would have been satisfied. He had made it into the greatest house, and upheld his parent's beliefs in him, and his future was unfolding like a book where every ending would have been possible.Trembling with excitement, he had nearly torn the sorting hat off his head, "Be careful won't ya", calmed his nerves, and after lightly fixing the creases on his cloak, he made his way to the Slytherin table. Finding himself a seat in the ocean of students that had swarmed him as he made his way there, he finally turned his eyes back towards the headmaster, and with all the might his small frame could muster, yelled as loudly as he could inwardly.

It was time to make a difference, and to make some friends.