Newcomers The Sorting ceremony 2017-2018 Closed

Glen was nervous. He knew it was absurd (he definitely had magic) but that didn't stop him from wanting to vibrate out of skin. What if he wouldn't get sorted? Or get sorted wrongly? Both questions were ridiculous as he was a wizard and his family wouldn't care no matter which house he ended up in but still, he couldn't not worry about it. At least he wasn't the only one nervous (scared even) to be sorted. One of the others to be sorted looked decidedly green.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. If all else failed, he could go back to muggle school – not that he wanted to. Muggle school was boring. Shaking his head at himself he wondered what Amy would say if she could see her big brother right now. She'd probably call him an idiot – granted, she did that a lot … she loved that word.
Thinking of Amy he slowly relaxed. He could do this. He was nervous over nothing. Well, not nothing. It was a new school and a whole lot new people but that was something to worry about after.

“Pope, Glen.”

He jumped slightly as his name was called out and stumbled the first steps towards the sorting hat before he caught himself again. The hat was a good deal too big for his head and dropped down to obscure his vision.

“Hmm... let's see. Hmm... I guess you better be SLYTHERIN.”

He returned the hat and practically ran towards the Slytherin Table and sat down next to the other first-years that had already been sorted.

Carmen watched as each student was sorted. Soon it would be her sitting up on that stool at the front of the hall as each silent student watched her as the next seven years were determined for her. Her mother's words rang back in her ear, "Try to get in Slytherin it will look good for the family." Of course, it's like her mother to worry more about her family's reputation more than her actual family. Then there was the second part of what she said, the thing that worried Carmen most. "Your brother Matthew managed to do it you can too." Her mother had a tendency to disown her children for things they can't control. She disowned Robert, Carmen's brother when she thought he might be a squib. Would she love Carmen less if she wasn't sorted into Slytherin or what if Carmen was sorted into Hufflepuff her mother had specifically told her not to get sorted into Hufflepuff? "Just don't get into Hufflepuff. The whole lot of them is Mudbloods and Blood-Traitors."
"Halloway, Carmen" Carmen took a deep breath in hiding any sign of weakness. She will not look scared. Holding her head high, she walked to the front of the Great Hall and took a seat on the stool, with the posture of a queen.
"Hmm," the hat said as it was placed on her head. "Prideful and ambitious but also curious and clever." Please put me into Slytherin; Slytherin is the house where my future has the best possible outcome. If something happens and Pure-Bloods are thrown into power again I will look very good having been from a Pure-Blood family and being sorted into Slytherin. The Slytherin teachers will be prideful too their sure to treat me better because of their pride in the house.
The hat chuckles a bit before calling out to the crowd, "Ravenclaw!"

Elora stood nervously among the other first years. Although her parents explained how she would be sorted, she was still nervous. After all, it isn't every day that the people that you would spend the most time with for seven years were decided.

She fiddled with the hem of her cloak and looked around the small room they were being held in. A few other kids were talking to each other, presumably because they knew each other or met on the train. But most were like her, pasty white faces, slightly scared looks on their face, and fiddling with part of their uniform.

Minutes ticked by, and Elora had still not seen any other adult then the large man who brought them in here, Hagrid. Although it was still early, Elora was starting to get tired. Her dirty blonde hair fell in front of her grey-blue eyes and glasses, covering her freckles as she let her head fall forwards.

However, this wouldn't work as her glasses slipped off the bridge of her nose and fell with a small 'clink' on the floor. Jolted back awake by this Elora reached down and picked her glasses up, her face flushing red from unwanted attention. Quickly, she dusted them off and settled them back on the tip of her nose and proceeded to look down at her feet in embarrassment.

The next few minutes passed in a blur. Suddenly, the large door in the front of the room opened and Elora glanced up. "I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House. The start of term banquet will begin shortly. However, before you can join your classmates at your respective table, you will be sorted into a House. The House you are sorted in to will determine who you share a table with, what common room you're in, who you share classes with, and what dormitory you sleep in. Any triumphs will earn you House points, while rule-breaking will cause you to lose points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will win the House Cup. Now, the four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. That is all, you will learn more after the sorting. Now, follow me." Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and beckoned them to follow. The sound of rustling cloaks and echoing footsteps filled the small hall as the first years left the small hall.

The students stood in the space between the tables. A hat was brought up to the stool at the front and began to sing. By this, Elora was not surprised as her parents had explained this all. She zoned out, staring at the enchanted ceiling.

~ a few minutes pass ~


After someone with the last name, Riley has been sorted it's Elora's turn. "Rook, Elora!" But she doesn't hear her name being called being too busy trying to figure out how they enchanted it. "Rook, Elora..?" Elora is shaken out of her chance and hastily moves forward through the throng of students to sit on the stool.

"Ah, a Rook. Yes, I know your parents. Markus Rook, a Slytherin, and Eleanor Deity, a Hufflepuff. An interesting combination of people, but they work together nonetheless. Now, on to your sorting. Hmm..Ah. A difficult one. You have great care in your heart, I do see that. But it is tainted by..bullying? In your younger years? Pity..Clever mind as well, you like to invent things? But Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are not your places. You are quite brave and loyal as well. But your anxiety...But you are ambitious. Difficult...As you know Gryffindor and Slytherin aren't so different. The brave are ambitious, a trait that Slytherin favors. And Gryffindors are strong leaders due to their loyalty, as are Slytherins. Perhaps..No. Slytherin is not the place for you. So it better be..."
"Gryffindor!"

Loud applause erupts from a table second from the left. Elora smiled nervously and took off the hat, placing it on the stool. She walked with slightly shaky legs to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to a random person and watched the rest of the Sorting.

Rowan bounced on the balls of her feet, wishing she was just a little bit taller so that she could see over the obnoxiously tall boy who seemed determine to stand directly in front of her, no matter where she moved. Jerk. But even someone standing in her way couldn't ruin her excitement. She was finally here! She'd been waiting forever to get to Hogwarts, and she was finally here! Someone could have punched her in the stomach, and she probably would have laughed it off.

It seemed to take forever for them to get to her name, and she was supposedly early on in the alphabetical order thing. Her mum had been a Gryffindor, and her dad had been Hufflepuff, and she desperately wanted to know where she belonged. Would she be like one of per parents, or would she be making her own path? If she and her brother ended up in Ravenclaw and Slytherin, then they would have the whole set in their family. But Theo was a total Hufflepuff, and she wasn't overly keen on being in Slytherin. So much for that idea.

Finally, her name was called, and she made her way up to the Sorting Hat, strangely aware of the entire hall's eyes on her. She generally didn't care whether or not people watched her, but this felt weirdly intimate, like it was something she was supposed to be experiencing on her own. The hat was placed on her head, and a voice whispered in her ear, causing her to jump, even though her mother had warned her to anticipate it. Even when you were warned, a hat that talked to you was still super weird. And even more weird when it seemed to read your mind. She was totally going to make a big thing about this for Theo when he got to Hogwarts in four years. Nothing better than terrifying your little brother.

It seemed to take forever for the stupid hat to make a decision, and the longer it went on, the more awkward it seemed to be for her to just be sitting there, waiting, everyone watching her. But finally, the Hat got to the point...

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Her face broke into a grin. Just like her mum! She quickly pulled the hat from her head, not even waiting for anyone else pull it from her, and she raced down to the Gryffindor table, ready to make some new friends and get this whole Hogwarts thing going.

Jeronimo nervously glanced around. He scratched his hair and licked his lips. The boy didn't know what to think. After all, it had only been a few years since he found out about the world of magic. And even then, his mother didn't like interacting with that world. Jeronimo had always imagined some very strange things when he pictured this place, and he was simultaneously taken aback and not surprised.

There were candles floating in an endless ceiling, where ancient stone walls stretched into a warm darkness. Because of course the ceiling was missing. Unnecessarily long tables stretched down the Great Hall, where older students sat, watching the first-years with amusement. Jeronimo found himself smiling sheepishly at them.

He watched people go to the Hat, some whom he recognized from the train, some who were unfamiliar to him. Jeronimo fidgeted, shifting from foot to foot as he watched the herd thin out.

"Jeronimo! Khan!"

Jeronimo cleared his throat and looked left to right before ascending the stairs. He could hear the other students chatting and introducing themselves to their House. He sat on the old stool and felt the Sorting Hat lightly touch his hair.

"Ahh... yes.... Hm..." the Hat croaked, "Not Slytherin, no... You lack ambition... Hm..."

Jeronimo twitched. "I mean, I don't know about-"

"And cowardly," the rude headwear continued, "You not only avoid danger, you avoid the concept of it. Not Gryffindor. But... hm... yes... a fierce loyalty. A Hufflepuff, perhaps?"

Jeronimo shrugged, his eyes cast down.

"Hufflepuff? Is that the badger one?"

"Such inanity," the Sorting Hat continued, ignoring him completely, "a lie. You hide... a thirsty mind. A thirsty and powerful mind. Yes, yes. Took some digging, mind. You hide it well. In fact, you may be fit for Slytherin indeed-"

"Erm, rather not that one, actually," the boy whispered, moving his lips as little as he could.

"Hm... very well," the Sorting Hat said. Jeronimo could feel the withered hat nodding on his head. "Ravenclaw!"

"Harvey, Mason."

Mason felt his heart leap into his throat when his name was called. His legs turned numb and rubbery, yet he still managed to walk towards the Sorting Hat. Timidly, he lifted the hat, sat down on the stool, and placed the hat atop his head.

"Hmmm," the Sorting Hat hummed, causing Mason to jump. He tightly gripped his knees to keep his hands from shaking.

"There's bravery in this one," the Sorting Hat mused. "Yes, you possess boldness and a desire for adventure... you also possess loyalty, and you appear to treasure companionship above all else. But you also have a desire to learn as much about the world around you as possible, to discover the unknown... Hmmm..."

Mason looked up nervously at the four tables. Every last student watched him closely, as if trying to figure out what he was. Mason had never had so many people watching him at once, had never felt so many eyes pierce into him. Right now, he felt especially lonely- If only he hadn't kept to himself on the train ride here! If he had at least one friend one of those rows, perhaps he'd feel a little less intimidated.

"You're a difficult one," the Sorting Hat said, but I know where you ought to be placed... RAVENCLAW!"

The Sorting Hat shouted the name of his house, and immediately the Ravenclaw's clapped for their new member. Mason stood from the stool, removed the Sorting Hat from his head, and turned towards the Ravenclaw table. There, the other members smiled and clapped; some even gestured for him to come forward.

Mason breathed a sigh of relief as he walked towards his table, already feeling a little less alone.

"Cecily Queen."

Cecily's heart pounded as she walked up to the front of the Great Hall. This was it. She was about to get sorted. Cecily nervously walked up the stairs and sat on the stool. As she sat, she saw all the eyes look upon her. She spotted her two older brothers, Connor and Gavin, sitting next to each other at the Griffyndor Table. They looked at Cecily and mouthed, "Griffyndor!" saying that they hoped Cecily would be placed there. Cecily's eyes turned to the Hufflepuff table, where her twin sisters were seated together. They smiled at Cecily and gave her a thumbs up. Cecily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The sorting hat was placed on her.

"Hmm," said the sorting hat. Cecily gripped the stool she sat on. "I see many things in you. Loyalty is what I clearly can see. Maybe another Hufflepuff, like two of the others? What about bravery? No, I'm afraid I can't see that in you. Oh, I do see intelligence. Maybe just like your mom?" The sorting hat paused. "Better be, RAVENCLAW!"

Cecily opened her eyes and looked at the Ravenclaw table. They cheered as loudly as ever for a new member. She smiled and went to it, glancing at her siblings at the other tables. They all gave her a thumbs up and looked away. Cecily couldn't believe it. Ravenclaw? She had not expected to be in Ravenclaw. Her whole family possessed great intelligence, and her mother had great Ravenclaw history. However, her whole family had been telling her she would be in Hufflepuff, no doubt. Cecily was intelligent too, but not for a Ravenclaw. Cecily didn't mind that she would be in Hufflepuff, though. She wanted to be in Hufflepuff. At least she'd be where some of her family were. When Cecily got sorted into Ravenclaw, she didn't know what she would do. She didn't know how to make friends, and she didn't have any family there to help her. Cecily sat down and gulped.
Oh no, She thought. I hope I will make my family proud.
Cecily thought this, because she always felt pressured to live up to her mom's expectation. Cecily became nervous when she got sorted into Ravenclaw because she didn't know if she could accomplish that task. It would be hard.

Arabella J. Edwards, a blonde, blue eyed and softly coloured youth, stepped into the Great Hall of Hogwarts. This was her first time seeing such a magnificent place, and never had she ever stepped into a castle that was larger and different than her own back home in the Moor. Arabella's blue eyes glowed with delight, though her facial expression showed nearly nothing of her excitement. 'What a beautiful hall,' she thought to herself as she gazed across the room and examined the ceiling. 'I wish Mother and Father would let us have floating candles in our own dining hall.' The youth followed her fellow wizards and witches into a line. Her blue eyes wandered across the tables before she spotted a table decorated in green with students sand all across it in robes with green as well.

"Slytherin," she spoke in the softest voice with a hint of distaste. Arabella had never been a fan of the Slytherins. Her parents had been Slytherins, their parents had been Slytherins, and their parents ahd been Slytherins-

A pea suddenly make contact with Arabella's nose and bounced away under a table. She quickly looked to where the pea came from to see who the culprit was. An older girl, a fourth year, was sat at the Slytherin table, laughing a horrendous laugh with a group of fellow Slytherin friends. Ah, that's right. Arabella's elder sister was also a Slytherin, as was to be expected of her family. The Slytherin sister ceased her laughing and looked at Arabella with a sneered smirk and a disgusted look in her eyes. Arabella could not understand why her sister seemed to hate her so much. Surely she didn't think Arabella could ever surpass her, did she? What was the root to her bullying?

Arabella did not have the time to think about this as the Sorting Ceremony was beginning. One by one, students were summoned by name and sat in the chair to be sorted to one of the four houses: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff. 'I hope I don't have to be in Slythering like my family,' Arabella silently hoped. 'I would do anything to make sure I don't end up like my parents.'

"Edwards, Arabella." The young witch nearly jumped at the summoning of her name. It was louder than the rest, almost as if the teacher was annoyed. Had she been calling her for some time now? Heavens, if only she had heard her the first time. . . .

Arabella approached the stool and sat, looking out at the students before her. Some were snickering, especially her sister and her group of friends. The girl simply ignored them as the hat was placed on her head.

"Ah, Ms Arabella Edwards," spoke the Sorting Hat into her head, it's delightful to see another Edwards come into this hall. Perhaps another Slytherin, as the rest have been-"

'No!' Arabella quickly answered through thought. 'I mustn't be a Slytherin! Please, any House but Slytherin!' The Sorting Hat gave a strange chuckle.

"No need to fret, I didn't say you are a Slytherin, but, hmmm... Ah, yes, you may be quite clever, but your intelligence greatly overwhelms it. Quite the inventor, too. I see so many different and wonderful ideas. You're really going to make a difference, aren't you?" He gave another chuckle. "Best make it . . ." and then with a loud and booming voice, "RAVENCLAW!" The Ravenclaw table erupted with cheer, clapping and smiling widely to the young Ms Edwards.

Arabella stood as the hat was removed, and she held her head a little higher as she walked to the Ravenclaw table. 'I can't believe it,' she thought, 'I really made it into another House than Slytherin! I am the first of my family to be anything but a Slytherin!' At least, this is what the young Edwards thought . . .

As she sat at her table with her new Housemates, Arabella looked over to the Slytherin table to find that her sister's expression had . . . changed. No longer was it sneering or looking disgusted, but it expressed something else. Was that . . . Worry? No, surely not. Why would her sister express any sort of emotion such as worry towards her, especially now? Arabella did not, could not, understand why her sister, Augusta Maria Edwards, looked so worried that day. Soon enough, though, the day will come, the day will come.

Juniper was terrified. There were so many people here. Of course she'd known that Hogwarts had quite many students but knowing and seeing it... two very different things. She'd never seen even close to half as many people in one place that she could remember. Sure, there had probably been a lot of people at her mothers tournament duels when she was little but since her mother died when she was five and her father turned a little into a hermit, she and Willow had grown up sheltered in a way.

And Willow wasn't here either. Oh Merlin, she had no idea how to do this without her sister. Willow. They'd never been separated before, not for more than a couple of hours at most and even then they could've just switched rooms to find the other. And now she wouldn't see her again until Yule at least.
Why did they have to be separated? Couldn't they have at least both turned out as Squibs? She loved her magic but she loved her twin more.

Merlin, she was utterly terrified. She half hoped that there'd been a mistake and she wouldn't get sorted... but no. Willow would never speak to her again. She'd had to promise her to study for both of them, to explore the castle for both of them and to enjoy her time here for both of them - and tell her all about it.

"Fawley, Juniper!"

Merlin, that was her. She flinched. nononononono. She couldn't do this. She wanted to flee. Why her? Why her and not Willow?
Mechanically she walked up front. She had no idea how but she must've for she found hetself sitting down with the hat getting placed on her head.

nonono, I can't do this.

Calm down, girl. You will be fine. All the others before you have managed as well. Now, let's see...

Oh Merlin. She wanted Willow so badly right now..

Interesting. Hmm... Ravenclaw... no, you are correct that house would fit your sister better. Hufflepuff... no. Slytherin, most certainly not! That just leaves.... GRYFFINDOR!

The house of the courageous? What was the hat thinking? She wasn't courageous, she was bl... terrified. Somehow she shuffled her way along to the Gryffindor Table. Oh Merlin, so many people. So many first years... How did one talk to other people? She had no idea. She never had to start a conversation with people (children) that she didn't know yet. Let alone on her own without Willow's help.
She plopped down at the edge of the group of firsties and woodenly stared at the table, too scared to look up.