Newcomers The Sorting ceremony 2017-2018 Closed

The lyrics echoed within the chasms of Grace's mind, reverberating off the sides until the message was thoroughly hammered through. If any house was chosen for her, then Grace supposed it would be that one. Days before she'd departed for Hogwarts her mother had sat the white-blonde down for a discussion on prejudice and house pride. 'They come hand in hand, my darling,' She'd said, brows pinched together in concern and unspoken turmoil, 'Just know that any house is lucky to have you, and that no house is so cookie-cutter as brave, kind, cunning, and smart.' Grace wondered what house her own mother had been placed into but found that she was relieved to not know -- she had enough comparisons to pull from her peers.

Around her the bustle of students was rambunctious at best; they bumped into one another, mouths agape as the gazed with awe around the room. The Great Hall was certainly a sight with vaulted ceilings, candles suspended in mid-air, and the night sky poised above. But what was most interesting, at least to Grace, were the gatherings of students around four elongated tables. Respectively they sat in their colours and houses; Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Grace hadn't realized how seriously they took their house roles here -- what if one of the girls she'd befriended ended up in a different house? Would they still want to be friends with her? The thought made Grace uneasy.

Having reached the end of the Great Hall the first years gathered together in their masses, pooling together like droplets of condensation collecting at the bottom of a glass. Grace grimaced at the claustrophobic feeling of being pressed together like sardines -- children seemed to have no concept of personal space. Belatedly Grace realized that she was also a child, and probably shouldn't be so hyper-aware of every person that wandered into her personal bubble. Feeling anxious and on-edge, Grace crossed her arms over her chest and turned her gaze upward. The sorting was beginning.


One by one students were called forth by their names, all just as nervous as the last; that at least was a comfort. None looked too happy to be sitting there but each house that was called resulted in a expression of relief. Grace dreaded her own name being called, sitting in front of hundreds of prying eyes and waiting for the next several years of your life to come to pass? The only thing that made it bearable were the cheers of the houses called -- they always looked desperately pleased to get another student to call their own. Grace wanted that kind of companionship, and it was this thought that kept her from freezing up when her name was finally called forth.


Deep breath in, Grace straightened her back and raised her chin as she ascended to the stool. She raised the hat, looking over it quickly with curious eyes, before she turned and plonked herself comfortably down. The brim of the hat settled over pale green eyes, limiting her vision -- thankfully -- of the crowds of people below.

'Hmm, you're an interesting one,' A voice from inside the darkness of Grace's mind intoned, and she barely stopped herself from snorting. She bet the hat said that to every student who sat down, what mind wasn't complex or interesting? 'Is that what you think? Well, let me tell you what I've found -- bravery and a willingness to stand up for others, intelligence and a determination to pursue your studies, cunning and calculation to achieve the means to your ends, and kindness and compassion for those you're loyal to. But I can see, you've already made up your mind on which house you want... very well then, have it your way.'



Grace lifted up the brim of the hat as cheers erupted throughout the hall, specifically from the Ravenclaw table. She thanked the Sorting Hat for its time and then tugged the item from her head -- placing it back on the stool as she stood. Green eyes swept over the room as she ran a hand through white-blonde hair, moving out the strands that'd come out of place. Her journey to the Ravenclaw table was uneventful but she was beaming the entire way there. Perhaps she'd finally found her place in the world, and it was among those with a thirst for knowledge.

It seemed to take hours before the Sorting Hat called her name. She waited as patiently as she could but felt a bit of jealousy for the others being sorted. When would her time come? Her parents had said that they were sorted rather quickly, as soon as she hat was placed on their heads. There were no hatstalls in her family that she knew of and everyone was a jumble of different houses so it was hard to tell if she would end up in Hufflepuff like her father, Ravenclaw like her mother or one of the other houses like her grandparents.



With a nervous excitement fluttering around in her belly, Dymphna stepped up to the stool and sat. Hopefully she didn't look as nervous as she felt but as she looked out at the others, waiting their turn she realized that everyone must have been feeling just as worried and insecure as she did. The hat was placed on her head, seemed to sigh as if the decision was a hard one before bellowing out:

Cameron waited in line with the rest of the first years. He heard about each house from the Sorting Hat singing a song. He enjoyed it very much as he watched each student being called in alphabetical order up to the stool to be sorted into their house. Once he was called he walked up with slight hesitation and sat down. The Sorting Hat began to talk and for a minute he thought he was hearing his own voice in his head. He realized that the Sorting Hat wasn't in his head but talking out loud. The Sorting Hat finalized the choice and Cameron was sorted into Gryffindor. His house table cheered and welcomed him to the table as he sat down with the others. Cameron continued to watch the Sorting Ceremony until all students were at their tables and the announcements began. He listened to the head master speak and then once he was finished food appeared on the table. Cameron ate with the others and engaged in talks with his fellow Gryffindors. Once dismissed he followed the head prefect with his friends up the grand staircase towards the Gryffindor portrait to the common room on the seventh floor. 

Ezra looked around himself in awe, completely shellshocked at his surroundings.  In the past, being a wizard had never felt that important to him- and really, it wasn't his own magic that felt too immediate.  Yet while standing in this Great Hall with floating candles and a singing hat, magic was a lot more appealing than his mother's housework spells.

As Ezra watched his many fellow housemates walk up to the hat, he wondered if he should care where he was placed.  His mother had been placed in Slytherin.  His father was... well, a muggle.  But neither had given him much advice on the matter.

Finally, it ended up being his turn.  Ezra was a tall and lanky boy, so when the hat was placed on his head, it went well over his eyes.

"Ah, a Lebdon!  Your lot is always entertaining.  I had considerable fun with one of your cousins several years back."

"I have cousins?" Ezra thought.

The hat paused a moment to peruse Ezra's head.  "Oh I see... And yes, you do indeed have cousins.  Now let's get to your sorting.....  A decent mind I see- and a considerable amount of curiosity!  But not a considerable passion to delve deeper...

"My mum was Slytherin if that helps," Ezra offered.

"No, no.  Not a cunning or ambitious bone in your body!  You do seem a small amount of chivalry and... well, no.  Ah, here we go.  Loyalty, friendliness, patience, and a distinct value of fairness.  You do lack the hard work Helga had preferred, but I think you'll fit right in..."

Victoria had walked in the hall with the other first year students. Not knowing what house she was going to get but she hoped for Gryffindor, or Ravenclaw. Following in with the rest of the students as they filed in till the last one came in. The head master welcomed all the first years to Hogwarts and hoped they would have a great year a head of them and many more years to come.

Victoria was nervous about being called up there when it was her turn to be up there. She didn't like the attention to be on her so she hoped it would be quick for her when her name was called up there. Taking a deep breath as one by one the first years was being called on for Sorting. As they inched closer to her she would be next after the girl in front of her went up.

Stiffening as her name was called she took another deep breath and went up there. The hat was placed on her head and the sorting hat was talking to her on where she was going to be put. Her was mind was racing and the hat couldn't think straight and it yelled out" Slytherin." Shocked she stood up and walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down quietly.

Filing into the Great Hall along with her fellow first years, Renata's eyes widened at the grandeur of the room. It suddenly hit her with a finality. Out here in what was supposed to be the middle of nowhere was a towering castle filled with students. Witches and wizards no less, and she had been admitted as one of them. Glancing around, most of the first years around her also seemed awestruck by the situation. However, a considerable number of them appeared to be taking it all very well in stride. Yes, she supposes all this is common knowledge to some people. The hall itself is lined with four rows of long tables each respectively seating older students in four different colors. Some of them were busy chatting amongst themselves while several heads turned curiously to observe the group being led in from the entrance hall. Flicking her eyes away from the tables lest she inadvertenty catch anyone's eye, Renata caught the sight of thousands of lights suspended all the way up to the high ceiling. Even when she squinted, she could not catch the glimmer of any mechanism holding them up. Were those candles floating? Vaguely, she wondered what would happen if she prodded one of them.

However, her examination of the room was interrupted as the man waiting at the front began to speak, and a respectful hush fell over the gathered faculty. Renata listened intently to each of his words, referencing them with her limited understanding of the situation. She had read the pamphlets and basic magical history books before this moment. It was better to be as prepared as she could be. Even so, actually being placed into this situation was different. Any kind of instruction would be welcome.

Trying not to cringe as her name is read out from the scroll, Renata followed the footsteps of her peers before her and perched herself on the stool. As the hat was lowered onto her head, she could feel the eyes of the entire hall trained toward her with mild curiosity. Resolving to stare at some point between her knees, Renata braced herself as the voice of the hat rang out in her head. The hat was simply to sort her, she didn't need to do anything, right?

"Miss Hawkins...hmm." The ragged hat droned out in a surprisingly cunning voice. If hats could even be assigned personalities.
"Brave at heart?" it mused, echoing one of its own rhymes.
"Perhaps, just and loyal. You'd certainly find your friends in good Hufflepuff."
"Or maybe Slytherin? Ambitious...yes." Somehow, Renata could feel the hat glance over at what must be the Slytherin table, sleek in emerald and silver. The hat, which until then had been muttering something or other fell quiet. After a few short moments Renata glanced up worried. Could magical hats do anything so mundane as break? It's not as if the thing were on batteries. Just when she started wondering whether a professor ought to know, the hat saved her the embarrassment by sputtering back to life in her mind.
"But a Hawkins...hmm. Perhaps not. With your head, you'll do well in..."

"Ravenclaw!!"

The sudden change of the hat's volume had Renata jumping and nearly falling out of her chair, forcing her hands into a death grip around the edges of the stool. Heart racing with a sudden rush of adrenaline, she handed the old hat back to the professor and sped off to the loudly cheering table in blue. She liked to think that the celebration between each sorting had masked her own blunder.

Layla Breathed in deeply as she stared at the entrance to the great hall. She let her eyes wander as she took it all in, the place was absolutely magnificent!  She couldn't believe how huge it was, and were those... floating candles!? Oh yeah. She could tell that she was going to like it here.

Taking a few cautious steps toward the hat she paused to listen to another student in front of her be placed in his house. She could slightly hear the hat mumbling to itself - or is it talking to the boy?- 

and although she strained to listen, all she heard was the last word, when the hat shouted out, " RAVENCLAW!" the boy jumped off the stool with a large smile and ran to his new table, joining students that would be his companions for the next 4 years. 

I took in a large breath of air and let it out slowly, as I walked up to the hat and sat down on the stool. One of the head teachers - must be a... Ravenclaw?...- placed the hat upon her head. I tensed, wondering what would happen...


Hmmm... A new face I see... I sense a passion for discovering... A thirst for... adventure inside of you...

Layla bit her lip nervously, - Oh please don't let it be Gryffindor - she thought to herself

Why ever not? I think you would make a fine addition! Think of the tales you can tell, the paintings you could create whilst in this house...

I... 

GRYFFINDOR!!  the hat suddenly shouted
my eyes widened in surprise. But then again the hat knows best! 
I got off the stool and walked over to the table to be heartily congratulated and accepted. I started to feel better about my new house.



(Doing from my phone, please excuse any mistakes until I can come back and edit them, thanks

Christy was watching as all of her fellow classmates were each called one by one. They were all sorted into their houses - whatever that means. She still didn't quite understand what any of this stuff meant. Her parents were muggles, so she had no idea what was ahead for her. She was lost in her own thoughts when she heard her name being called:

"Christy Blake!!"

Christy almost jumped right out of her skin. Her face flushed bright red as a few other kids snickered at her. She glanced around nervously as she climbed up to the sorting hat. She felt her hands shaking, so she grabbed onto them, so no one else saw.

The hat was saying some philosophical, or magickal?, words as she was sitting there, but she couldn't hear it over her nervous thoughts. Suddenly, it yelled again:

"Hufflepuff!!"

She physically jumped again as the sorting hat yelled her house. "I have no idea what that means..." she thought as she slowly got up with her face still flushed as she made her way to the table that the other Hufflepuffswent after they were sorted.

Alessandria Gray, the youngest of a long line of Gray's. Her family took residence in Burmingham generations upon generations ago, all of them having attended Hogwarts of course, and all of them Pure-blooded Slytherin's through and through. Alessandria stood with the other first years, her heart beating fast and her nerves bouncing around like a Hipogriff chasing a rabbit.

"..Alessandria Gray!"

Upon hearing her name, Ally stumbled up the steps toward the stool, she sat down and looked up as the Sorting hat was placed upon her blonde curls, the brim over her eyes, she fixed it up and almost fell off the stool as it started speaking.

"Ah! Another Gray... I haven't had a Gray in years...." The hat trailed off before listing out that she was ambitious and kind, brave and true, she glanced over to the Slytherin table and awaited the name of her house "I shall put you in... HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat yelled and the Hufflepuff's cheered.

She wasn't a Slytherin. She was the only one in her entire family that didn't get housed into Slytherin. Her mothers disappointed face came into her mind as she stumbled over to sit at her house's table.