Newcomers The Sorting ceremony 2017-2018 Closed

Finally finding his way to the main grounds at Hogwarts, he sees his group waiting by the entrance to the main building, the squerish complex with neatly trimmed grass and some benches alligned across the edges of it. He started making his way through the road, still holding onto his things tightly and as he looked up again he could clearly see their escort tapping her foot in irritation, they must have been waiting for hours for Alex to arrive. With a stupid grin on his face, he picked up his pace and beamed.

"I am sorry, I got distracted on the way here and... Got lost, but hey! I'm here now, are we waiting for anyone else?"

A little bit of wishful thinking but it was made very clear to him that he had no such luck, he was the only one to be seperated and hold the rest of the group back from going to the Great Hall. The escort said nothing, she just angrily gestured towards the entrance and expected everyone to follow. Alex was never good with the silent types, he was approachable and he could easily monolouge to them while they just sat there and listned but it didnt seem like one of those situations in this case.

They made their way to a large hall, it had numerous pictures hung at each wall, four extremely long tables with students sitting by them and filling out the space, they all seemed to be devided by color though. He was escorted with the rest across the hall to a stool with an old leathery hat sitting at the end. It was singing a song which Alex couldnt understand, he tuned out a bit, thats the likely reason. One by one they approached the stool, were seated and the hat was placed atop their heads. The hat was speaking for a little bit and then announcing their house in an impressively magnificent manner.

It didnt take long before Alex was up next, he timidly approached the stool, sat down and then the hat was placed atop his head. The hat pondered for quite a while, it kept going on and on about maybes and likely not. It was slightly vibrating with agitation and suddenly out of nowhere it loudly announcede Griffindor. All Alex knew was that this means he is going to wear a red cloak and be sitted at their table, just like the rest. He got up and started moving his way towards the impressively long table, sat there and looked around. The people here were cheerful, they were greeting him like a new friend, it was a refreshing feeling. Though he did notice across from his table, a person wearing green was glaring daggers at him for some reason, he couldnt tell why though. And just like this, he was labled Griffindor, this is likely to mark his first chapter in this school.

The short blue-eyed girl bounced with excitement while awaiting her turn to wear the funny hat. Being from a muggle family she never thought any of this was possible but deep inside her she had wished and hoped magic was real and now here she was about to learn all about it.

As her name grew nearer she began to get nervous, what if she tripped and fell on the way up? She was in front of all those people, it would be humiliating! She calmed herself down taking deep breaths, "You can do this, just watch the steps and you won't fall." she whispered.

"Michelle Lynch." When her name was called her heart jumped into her throat and when she stood to go to the hat her legs shook with either excitement or nerve. She watched the stairs carefully as she made her way to the stool and when she finally made it she let out a shakey relieved breath. When the hat was finally placed on her head the weight of the hat surprised her it was quite heavy.

"Calm down dear I can feel you shaking. Alright, what do we have here... Smart? Yes indeed. Ravenclaw? No not a perfect fit. I can see you are very... caring. You would do anything for the ones you love. A good quality dear. Hufflepuff? Yes. Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff table roared with excitement and Michelle couldn't stop smiling as she made her way over to her new family. This was going to be a great year.

As Elmoren entered the great hall, he felt his hands get sweaty. He looked around at all the older students. They all looked so sophisticated and serious in his eyes. His eyes glanced at the Slytherin table for a bit. That's where his uncle were, when he attended Hogwarts. Elmoren were quite sure of his place. Hufflepuff. It was the only thing, that fitted him truely. That's what everyone said. Emelia said it. Lucille said it. Even uncle Barrish had said it a few times, though it was almost always meant as an insult.

Elmoren paid close attention, as the other students came up to the sorting hat. There were a great variety of people. Elmoren even recognized some of their last names. Though he was quite forgetful at times, he always paid attention during his education. It was the only thing, he could be mildly proud of, though uncle Barrish didn't seem to cheerish Elmorens mental abilities much.

"Darkthorne, Elmoren!"
Elmoren started to breath fast, and his heart was pounding. What if he ended up in Slytherin like his uncle? Would he end up like him? Barrish would surely be proud.
With small steps, Elmoren walked to the hat. Shakingly, he sat down and the hat was placed on his head.

"Ah.. A Darkthorne once again. I remember the last one. An instant Slytheriner." There was a pause. "No, there is no desires for power and ambition in you. You have a kind soul. A gentle one. You are a pleaser, yes, yes." Another pause. "But there is something else. Your heart is that of a Hufflepuffer, but your brain... You have your own rules. Your own morals even. Creativity and a new way of thinking. I even sense high intelligence.
The sorting hat hawked.
"Ravenclaw!"

Elmoren almost gasped. He was so startled. The Ravenclaw table clapped, and his legs carried him down there. Was it real? He had never even thought about the possibility to not get sorted into Hufflepuff or Slytherin. Elmoren imagined Barrish' laughing face, as he told him. It was surely better than Hufflepuff, but in Barrish' mind there was no time for books and studies. Unless it was for the purpose of becoming a better fighter of course. Elmoren smiled to himself. Barrish could keep his snakes. Elmoren would be the greatest eagle, Hogwarts had ever seen.

Rosemarie Langloire stepped up to the stool. She took a nervous breath and nibbled the end of her thumb. Her thoughts were racing. Would she be a Gryffindor? She knew she was brave. Or a Ravenclaw? She always got good marks at school. Maybe Slytherin? She was ambitious. Hufflepuff? She was kind. Wasn’t she? And she was loyal. She was definitely loyal. Her best friend had moved to Australia and she was still loyal to her. Sort of. Yes, she was definitely loyal. Rosemarie pulled her hand from her mouth and slid both hands under the Sorting Hat. It felt waxy and grimy on her fingers. She tried not to grimace.

Rosemarie sat down, the hat on her head. She squirmed. It felt disgusting. She’d spent a fortune on hair potions over the years, to get her hair as glossy and shiny as it was. She couldn’t bear the old hat on it. Come on, come on! She thought, desperately.

“Hmm, now… Bravery, certainly. But where will it take you?” The hat murmured. “You certainly aren’t kind, neither are you loyal.”

Rosemarie hmphed.

The hat ignored her. “You might think you are, but I know best. Now…”

Rosemarie fought the urge to fling the hat off her head and storm off.

“ There is intelligence here. Oh, yes. Ravenclaw? Hmm… Maybe. But no… Better be SLYTHERIN!”

Rosemarie couldn’t help grinning. She wanted to be in a "nice" house, just to look better, but she was glad that the Sorting Hat had recognised her ambition. Now she would get to study alongside other ambitious people. But they wouldn’t beat her. Oh no, Rosemarie would beat them all.

The line between reality and fantasy seemed all but blurred for him. A couple of days ago, he was just a eleven year old cuddled up in his room, writing and brainstorming about a unicorn who goes around and impales the delinquents and the meanies via its impressively sharp, long horn, with splashes of crimson viscous liquid on its body. Okay, maybe he's not as sane as he thought he was, but still, look at this! This is a freaking castle, with a hall that makes his house appear like a small, shabby shack in the middle of a row of other shacks, floating candles, possibly hundreds of people around his age, a ceiling that shows every star, planet and cloud in the sky, and magic, and windows, and... Oh darn, he caught himself listing every single thing in every place he's never went to, great job Grant, I'm sure your mother would be sooooooo proud of your observation skills. Enough thinking, let's get going before I get a stroke or something.

Around him was a hall of great height and width. Four tables of rectangular shape were crowded with numerous students like Grant, and in front of them was a fine wooden table, empty. In the air, a mass gathering of candles representing the passions found in almost every new student, that a whole new world is open to them, allowing another road for success and pursuit of their desires. And it also emits a wondrous scene of bursting light and ambience belonging to of a ceremonious meeting in a fantasy book or movie, pretty darn cool if he'll may say so himself. In front of everyone, is the table in which the staff sits at, each of them with varying impressions of themselves, behind them are five paintings, depicting five different people on them, wearing clothing that is of a much different age than the one they're living now, a medieval hint to them. Higher than that is a large window where the moonlight shines through upon everyone, "Is the moon trying to say something profound?" Grant would jokingly thought to himself.

Among a crowd of students with varying impressions, he walked gingerly with them, a chaperone led them to the front of the tables, where the sorting hat is. As they come to a halt, Grant took the time to have a look at everyone, they seem to be like him, eleven year old, wonder filled their eyes, and some signs of nervousness, as he thought appropriate. But one glaring difference between he and them, is his impressively tall height, he towered all of the other students, who stole glances at him whenever he looked away, heck he's probably as tall as their chaperone, awkwardly enough. AS the chaperone came to the front, and stood near the hat, he was busy with the sights he would see all around, so pretty... He'll be so engrossed with his environment that when the chaperone got to him, he didn't hear the calling until after a second time.

"...Oh, uh, sorry," after he was just called for the second time, awkwardly, he made his way through the stool in front of them, the eyes of every student locked onto him, the tall tree of an eleven year old had his head down, squirming aches of uncertainty swarmed his back with his every step on the floor. When he finally reached the stool, his thoughts ran wild, which house is he going to be sorted in? He didn't know much of the houses themselves, other than their portraits on the heraldry, not much thought was put into such things. He adjusted his posterior to a comfortable position on the stool, and trying not to hit the hat with his head too.

Right as the sorting hat was set onto the top of his head, his thoughts were stabilized, calmness was his protection. Now, he was ready for anything that gets thrown into hi....

"Ah, interesting, your imagination likes to run freely, with a wildness comparable to like of an untamed animal. I see a unicorn... Impaling people," the sorting hat spoke, with a slight smile on its "mouth." With that saying, Grant felt his entire composure collapsing before his very eyes, now everyone knows what he's thinking, he's not going to get out of this alive, is he? From those watching him, a tear of sweat can be seen dripping down his forehead right after the sorting hat's remark, and his face scrunching up, his eyes fixated on whatever is in front of him, the rubbing of his fingers onto the back of his other hand, and quivering motions of his body.

"Hmm, behind your exterior of kindness and sensitivity, lies a roaring beast of nervousness, an anxiety that can eat you alive, yet your care for your mother is limitless..." as it went on, as it spilled the beans even further about Grant, Grant felt like dropping dead at second, that stroke can't come soon enough!

"I see a worker's spirit in you, valuing frankness and fairness above all else... You will fit best in... Hufflepuff!" it yelled to the crowd and to Grant, a massive wave of relief washes down onto him, it was finally over, now he can move forward with his day and life. One of the tables with a rather small amount of students compared to everyone else, stood up, clapped, and cheered earnestly for the giant's sorting. Their welcoming eyes peered onto him, he felt a sense of sincere kinship and a spread of welcoming arms from their radiance. His once frown turned into a bright grin, emitting a sense of great happiness from the exuberance of his fellow badgers, what a nice feeling...

He sat on an empty spot, next to a student, and reared his head at the sorting hat ceremony, watching curiously at which houses the others were sorted in. Each time, a student was sorted, he would clap even if it wasn't his own house, each and every single one of them should get a welcoming gesture, he thought, it's only befitting to a ceremony like this one. As the ceremony finishes, the feast finally begins. He engorged himself with the many foods was served, thanking everyone that came across his mind. Grey Grant was a happy boy that day.

Upon the first moment she stepped into the Great Hall alongside the throng of other First Years, Claryssa was in awe. Coming from a family of two muggle parents and an older, non-magical brother named James, Clary’s limited exposure to the world of magic had only been the sights she’d witnessed when traveling to purchase her school materials in Diagon Alley. Now, she was standing in a giant room with a ceiling that seemed to disappear a million miles away, filled with floating candles that illuminated the space. From the first moment she’d received the owl alerting her of her status as a witch, her life had been completely transformed. Clary went from being a young, daydreaming girl with her head stuck up into the clouds to a young, aspiring witch, who was finally getting shipped off to a school full of magic and wonders with other kids that would be just like her!

Although ecstatic and eager, once she’d gotten over the initial awe of the floating candles and magnificent qualities of the space, her confidence began to ebb away. One by one, students’ names were called to the front of the room, where a small stool with a talking hat awaited them. The first red flag for her was the talking hat, of course, but considering she was at a school of witchcraft and wizardry, what else was there to expect? For all she knew, there was a freaking unicorn nearby somewhere! Clary watched carefully, trying to strategically plan out her route, as each named student took a seat on the stool, put the hat on their head, and listened to the announcement of their Hogwarts house: Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor.

She’d heard whispers about the different houses. Supposedly, Slytherins were all stuck-up pureblood who were inherently evil and well… snakes. Hufflepuffs were little innocent foodies who were overall irrelevant in the scheme of things. Gryffindors were reckless kids who leaped into danger without a moment’s thought and usually ended up making a full of themselves and the school, and Ravenclaws were book nerds that would leave you bored until the end of your days from all their yapping. A plethora of negative comments flooded through her brain. Was she a snake, irrelevant, reckless, or annoying? She wished she could say she was none of them, but even if that were the case, where did she fit in?

Claryssa had just begun to feel comfortable with her planned route up to the front of the room when she heard a booming voice emit from the hat, announcing the name, “Claryssa North”. She immediately froze, taking a shaky breath as hundreds of pairs of eyes swiveled to stare right at her. Realizing they were watching, she balled her hand into a fist and held her head high, slowly but surely inching her way towards the front of the room, before sitting on the stool and placing the hat on her head.

She heard a small voice in the back of her head, presumably coming from the hat itself. She assumed it wasn’t speaking aloud, as she hadn’t heard the topic of any of the subjects she was now listening to be announced for the others who came beforehand. Only the announcement of their house and a few contemplative murmurs ever seemed to be voiced aloud.

“Let’s see… A muggle-born, curious indeed. Ah, you’ve done some research, I see. Eager to prove yourself and willing to explore, but not Gryffindor…” Clary wondered why this was taking so long. Perhaps she didn’t belong in any house at all.

“Hm… better be RAVENCLAW!”

A wave of screams could be heard from what she presumed to be the Ravenclaw table, and she quickly removed the hat from her head, walking over to join them. Apparently, she did belong somewhere, after all, but how could someone like her, with such little knowledge of magic, prove herself to a house that mainly depended on a person’s intelligence? She felt doomed from the start, but her lingering worries felt slightly assuaged as someone scooted over to offer her seat, flashing a small smile as they welcomed her. Perhaps it'd take time for her to get comfortable, but this was her home now, at least for the time being, and she deserved to be here just as much as any of them.

Evelyn entered the great hall alongside the other first years when many of them had reached the front the man who stood at the front had started speaking and to tell you the truth Evelyn really wasn't listening. She was already exhausted from the long train ride and truthfully just wanted to sleep at this point. She zoned back in at the mention of a sorting hat and remembered what she had read about Hogwarts something about different houses.

The man started calling names of people and they had the hat put on their heads then it would speak sometimes multiple times making comments then he would say one of the following Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Eventually, her name was called by the man and she walked over to the chair hoping that this would end soon.

She sat on the chair and the sorting hat was placed on her head. "Hmm, a Muggle-born met quite a few interesting ones over the years."

"Oh sure just blurt that out why don't you like I wasn't going to keep it quiet," Evelyn said Sarcastically. "Besides is it even a good idea to decide on a house when we're so young, I may not even have those traits anymore by graduation time."

"I didn't make the rules kid," the sorting hat said "You definitely have some Gryffindor traits riding around on those dangerous muggle contraptions."

"Ya, because flying on a broomstick isn't dangerous, especially Quidditch with all the dangerous balls and people falling off their brooms. My skates are less dangerous besides brooms are made for sweeping not flying," Evelyn ranted on and mumbling quietly about brooms.

The students were definitely quietly talking amongst themselves as the noise in the room had grown and even the teachers seemed a little shocked at the current conversation. It was highly unusual for the sorting hat to get annoyed with one of the students or react in such a way. Some of the students had said that she definitely belonged in Slytherin or Gryffindor as they were the ones most likely to act like that with the hat for entirely different reasons.

"You definitely don't belong in Hufflepuff far too moody," the hat said "Slytherin also is not your home for you have no current Ambition except to keep your heritage quiet, which I destroyed earlier. I will apologize for that."

Evelyn let out a sigh at this point she just wanted it to be over so she could get some food into her and wake her up some. If she continued to fill tired she could always take on of her pills to counter the effects of her Anemia.

"Ravenclaw is certainly where you would work out best. You have an undying curiosity for more knowledge especially in the fields that interest you. Yes, Ravenclaw is for you."

It took the Ravenclaw table a second before they started clapping to let the shock of what they were certain would be in another house. The headmaster or what Evelyn could only guess was the headmaster picked the hat back up and she made her way to the table. She sat down and the next person had been called up and her small fight with the Sorting Hat quickly faded to the back of many of the student's mind. Though she was certain she did not like the hat.

Walking into the Great Hall after getting off the train and riding up the expanse of the grounds on the thestrals was an experience that Amelia couldn’t quite yet put into words. The Hall was lit with what looked like a million candles, all balancing precariously in the air, high above their heads. The black backdrop of the ceiling was covered in what looked like twinkling stars, though the eleven year old couldn’t tell if they were real or not. Her brown eyes trailed over to the speaker who was welcoming the new students and old to Hogwarts and explaining how the Sorting Hat would begin it’s song right then. When the tune ended, Amelia let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She never had really thought about what house she’d be in, she just imagined herself adorned in blue or green like her mother and father had been.

Looking out at the four tables lined up in the Hall, Amelia couldn’t help but feel a small twang of nervousness. The tables all gave off a different vibe, a particularly cold one coming from the table clad in green—or perhaps it was her imagination. Her gaze strayed to the Ravenclaw table and just by looking at them, she felt she could’ve been among like-minded people. She watched as one by one, each student stepped up to the stool and had the magical hat placed upon there head. Sometimes, it seemed, it took quite some deliberation for students, others with no hesitation at all. Amelia began to wonder how exactly it would feel to have the old leather of the hat touch the crown of her head, speak it’s all-knowing knowledge into her ear.

“Amelia Lovell!” The voice startled her a tad, head snapping back towards the front of the room where the stool sat, looking so simple but had such an impending aura. The first year put on her best poker face as she approached the seat and finally when she took it, she stared out into the sea of faces in front of her. She expected to feel some kind of nervousness, but all that came was a strange calm. They placed the Sorting Hat upon the Lovell girl’s head and she had barely felt the fabric fit itself there before it bellowed out “RAVENCLAW!” Blinking quickly a couple times, she wondered how accurate this test could really be. Was he so sure of himself of her to be there? It wasn’t completely absurd, not like it hadn’t been seen before, but the conviction was strong, she felt, with his decision of her. The brunette let that thought pass, though, as her table erupted in a few cheers for her sorting. A small smile turned the corners of her lips up and as she felt the hat leave her head as fast as it had arrived, she made her way down to her table in her usual cheery attitude.

Ravished, Amelia had almost forgotten that after the ceremony, there would be food! If anyone knew anything about the Ravenclaw girl, they knew one of her favorite things to do was eat, especially sweets. Looking up at the High Table, she wondered if they’d have to wait for the rest of the students to be sorted before digging in. Looking around at her new housemates, she popped the question. “So, do any of you know if we can just chow down or…?” A playful smile adorned her lips, her tone earnest and sincere, awaiting a response from anyone.

Isabella waited nervously for her turn. She knew she was gonna be Hufflepuff. She had been told so her entire life. She glanced over her shoulder at the Hufflepuff table. That was going to be her family for the next 7 years. She could already see some nice looking girls she would become friends with. She couldnt wait to see the dormitories, the common room and meet all the people in Hufflepuff. She was so lost in thought that the professor had to call her name three times.

"Isabella Hills? Are you here?"

Isabella turned bright red and scrambled up onto the step. The professor smiled at her and placed the hat on her head. She jumped as she heard a voice in her ear.

"Hmmmmmmmmm, you want to be a Hufflepuff aye? Well you're patient and just. But your brave and fiercely loyal. Very smart, you'd make a fine Ravenclaw. But there's something else about you." The Sorting Hat went on rambling for a little over 5 minutes. She could hear whispers of panic starting to erupt in the hall. No one else had taken this long. Why was she so different?

"Very difficult decision indeed... well I think you can belong in any of the houses but I don't think Gryffindor is right for you, you'd do well in Ravenclaw but no, you're different. Better be... SLYTHERIN!" The Hat announced to the hall. She could hear the Slytherin table erupt in cheers and was bustled off the stool. She walked over towards the Slytherin table with tears in her eyes and sat down in the corner where the prefect congratulated her. 'This isn't right' she thought dismayed. 'I simply can't be in Slytherin. I'm a Hufflepuff!' She looked down at her plate so no one would see the tears threatening to fall.

Elsie couldn't tell what she was feeling once she entered the Great Hall. Was she nervous? Excited perhaps? Maybe awestruck by the beautiful scenery. Possibly curious about how in the world did the Sorting Hat decide what house you belong in? Its safe to say that all these feelings were going through the young girl as she eagerly awaited to be called. Of course, she was also mentally asking the one question the majority of these young wizards were asking. 'What house do I belong in?' How would the Sorting Hat know where she fit in. What if she didn't fit in? She didn't know if she was brave enough, smart enough, ambitious enough, or kind enough for any of the houses. 'Maybe I'll be in Gryffindor.' She tried to reason with herself. Her dad was a Gryffindor maybe she'll be sorted there too. Then again, she wasn't like her father. Someone who was brave enough to speak out and voice their opinion, that just wasn't her.

"Elsie Hoagland!" Snapping out of her thoughts, Elsie quickly focused on the hat that would soon decide where she belonged. She made her way to the sorting hat biting her lip to calm down her nerves. A typical habit of hers. Once she was seated on the stool, the Sorting Hat was gently placed on her head.

"Well what do we have here?" the hat inquired. "Let's see, quiet but incredibly inquisitive."

"Is that bad?" Elsie innocently whispered. The hat chuckled at her reply.

"No my dear," the hat replied. However, with a curious nature and a bright mind, you will fit best in........RAVENCLAW!