18 Apr 2025, 08:41
We can. We will. We... did?
Hadley was a nervous wreck. Ever since the first signs of her magic had appeared, her parents had made it painfully clear that she had to be sorted into Slytherin. Any other house would be a disgrace in their eyes, so the pressure on her shoulders was immense as she stepped over the threshold into the Great Hall.
"But what if you get into Slytherin, and I don’t?" she had whispered secretly to Evander, who, thank goodness, had stayed right by her side with every step. She couldn’t even bear to imagine what would happen if that were the case. He didn’t answer. Or maybe he had, and she just hadn’t heard it—because the chatter of the already-seated students had drowned out everything else.
With her heart pounding in her throat, clammy hands, and trembling knees, Hadley had walked forward with the rest of the first-years, forming a long line toward the front where, as she knew from all the stories, the Sorting Hat sat waiting on its little stool, ready to sort the new students. With every step, her nerves intensified. What if she really didn’t get into Slytherin, and Evander did? Or worse—what if neither of them did?
"But what if you get into Slytherin, and I don’t?" she had whispered secretly to Evander, who, thank goodness, had stayed right by her side with every step. She couldn’t even bear to imagine what would happen if that were the case. He didn’t answer. Or maybe he had, and she just hadn’t heard it—because the chatter of the already-seated students had drowned out everything else.
With her heart pounding in her throat, clammy hands, and trembling knees, Hadley had walked forward with the rest of the first-years, forming a long line toward the front where, as she knew from all the stories, the Sorting Hat sat waiting on its little stool, ready to sort the new students. With every step, her nerves intensified. What if she really didn’t get into Slytherin, and Evander did? Or worse—what if neither of them did?
18 Apr 2025, 09:27
We can. We will. We... did?
Evander felt a shiver run down his spine as he stepped over the doorstep of the Great Hall. His eyes scanned the long tables filled with students of various ages. His jaw tensed slightly when his gaze fell upon the tattered hat resting on a stool at the very front of the hall. The memory of his father’s strong, firm hands on his shoulders that morning echoed in his mind. "You belong in Slytherin. You’re a Wells, you’re our heir. Slytherin, Evander. Slytherin and nothing else."
Although Evander felt fairly confident that Slytherin would be the result, there was still a small voice in his head that constantly sowed doubt. What if it didn’t turn out to be Slytherin? What if he and Hadley were separated? Or worse—what if Hadley ended up in Slytherin and he didn’t? His father would march straight to the headmaster, ashamed that his only magical son hadn’t followed in his footsteps. From that moment on, he’d be looked down upon, worth just as little as his brother Elijah. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic—being sorted into a different house than Slytherin surely wasn’t as bad as being a Squib, right... right?
"But what if you get into Slytherin, and I don’t?" Evander heard the whispering of his little sister, Hadley. He tore his eyes away from the hat and looked at her. "You will be okay, you will be a Slytherin." He hoped his words sounded more convincing than they actually were. He had meant them to reassure Hadley, but perhaps he was also saying them to himself. It didn’t quite manage to calm him.
Together with the group of first-years, he walked through the hall, feeling the hundreds of eyes from the older students fixed on him. A few meters from the stool, the group came to a halt. He gave Hadley an encouraging glance, and then the Sorting Ceremony began.
"Adams, Juniper…"
Although Evander felt fairly confident that Slytherin would be the result, there was still a small voice in his head that constantly sowed doubt. What if it didn’t turn out to be Slytherin? What if he and Hadley were separated? Or worse—what if Hadley ended up in Slytherin and he didn’t? His father would march straight to the headmaster, ashamed that his only magical son hadn’t followed in his footsteps. From that moment on, he’d be looked down upon, worth just as little as his brother Elijah. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic—being sorted into a different house than Slytherin surely wasn’t as bad as being a Squib, right... right?
"But what if you get into Slytherin, and I don’t?" Evander heard the whispering of his little sister, Hadley. He tore his eyes away from the hat and looked at her. "You will be okay, you will be a Slytherin." He hoped his words sounded more convincing than they actually were. He had meant them to reassure Hadley, but perhaps he was also saying them to himself. It didn’t quite manage to calm him.
Together with the group of first-years, he walked through the hall, feeling the hundreds of eyes from the older students fixed on him. A few meters from the stool, the group came to a halt. He gave Hadley an encouraging glance, and then the Sorting Ceremony began.
"Adams, Juniper…"
22 Apr 2025, 10:21
We can. We will. We... did?
The walk toward the stool felt much longer than it probably was. It seemed to take an hour before the long line finally came to a stop just a few meters away from the Sorting Hat. Hadley, too busy trying to keep her nerves in check, bumped right into the person in front of her when the line suddenly halted. "Oops, sorry..." she whispered to the boy ahead of her, who was nearly a whole head taller and turned around with a slightly annoyed look. Great, she was already making friends. Wonderful.
Then the entire hall fell silent, the long list of names was brought out, and the Sorting Ceremony began. Hadley, who was definitely one of the shortest among her peers, tried to stand on her tiptoes to see how the first student got sorted into Ravenclaw. Ugh, that hat already looked way too big for the girl, and Hadley had the feeling she was even smaller. Cheers erupted from the Ravenclaw table when the girl jumped off the stool and made her way over. Huh, it was actually kind of festive.
The list of names was long, and with her last name – Wells – it would be a while before it was her turn. One by one, students were sorted, and each time the respective house’s table burst into cheers. Hadley wasn’t quite feeling the joy yet. Her nerves only grew stronger as the alphabet moved along, and her confidence in a good outcome steadily shrank.
“Wells, Ethel…” came the call at last. Hadley immediately felt the urge to yell that she didn’t want to be called that, but she stopped herself. Probably not the best first impression to make here.
Before stepping forward, she looked up at Evander, who had been staring straight ahead the entire time, radiating the kind of confidence that made it clear he knew exactly which house he would be sorted into. Hadley didn’t doubt him for a second. Evander belonged in Slytherin, she was sure of it. She just knew the hat wouldn’t even need half a second to decide. But with herself? She wasn’t so sure. She didn’t really fit there.
Hufflepuff – that would be way more her kind of house! Or maybe Gryffindor. But Slytherin? Okay, she was pretty ambitious, and her mother had reassured her that her determination would land her in Slytherin without a doubt. But was that really true? Or was she just trying really hard to believe it? God, she didn’t even want to imagine what people would say if she didn’t end up in Slytherin. She already winced at the thought of the look on her parents’ faces.
Only a second or two had passed since her name was called, but Hadley snapped out of her thoughts with a jolt, suddenly feeling like hundreds of eyes had already been staring at her for minutes, waiting for her to make a move toward the hat. “Okay, Hadley, come on. One foot in front of the other, you’ve got to go sometime,” she whispered to herself.
With trembling knees and a heart beating a thousand times per second, Hadley shuffled toward the stool, where the large, heavy, musty-smelling hat was placed on her head. The room went completely silent, everyone staring at her, waiting anxiously for the hat’s verdict. Again, everything seemed to take much longer than it actually did, but finally, there came the saving words: “SLYTHERIN!” it rang out loud and clear.
Only then did Hadley feel like she could breathe again. Had she really done it? She actually did it! Just—really! The hat was lifted off her head and Hadley jumped off the stool, beaming. The hall suddenly seemed more beautiful than before, everything smelled better than it had earlier, and at last, she felt the excitement bubbling up inside her as she made her way toward the loudly cheering Slytherin students.
Still, she couldn’t help but glance around for Evander’s face as she walked. Because while he’d probably be clapping just as loudly out of happiness for her, it was now his turn…
Then the entire hall fell silent, the long list of names was brought out, and the Sorting Ceremony began. Hadley, who was definitely one of the shortest among her peers, tried to stand on her tiptoes to see how the first student got sorted into Ravenclaw. Ugh, that hat already looked way too big for the girl, and Hadley had the feeling she was even smaller. Cheers erupted from the Ravenclaw table when the girl jumped off the stool and made her way over. Huh, it was actually kind of festive.
The list of names was long, and with her last name – Wells – it would be a while before it was her turn. One by one, students were sorted, and each time the respective house’s table burst into cheers. Hadley wasn’t quite feeling the joy yet. Her nerves only grew stronger as the alphabet moved along, and her confidence in a good outcome steadily shrank.
“Wells, Ethel…” came the call at last. Hadley immediately felt the urge to yell that she didn’t want to be called that, but she stopped herself. Probably not the best first impression to make here.
Before stepping forward, she looked up at Evander, who had been staring straight ahead the entire time, radiating the kind of confidence that made it clear he knew exactly which house he would be sorted into. Hadley didn’t doubt him for a second. Evander belonged in Slytherin, she was sure of it. She just knew the hat wouldn’t even need half a second to decide. But with herself? She wasn’t so sure. She didn’t really fit there.
Hufflepuff – that would be way more her kind of house! Or maybe Gryffindor. But Slytherin? Okay, she was pretty ambitious, and her mother had reassured her that her determination would land her in Slytherin without a doubt. But was that really true? Or was she just trying really hard to believe it? God, she didn’t even want to imagine what people would say if she didn’t end up in Slytherin. She already winced at the thought of the look on her parents’ faces.
Only a second or two had passed since her name was called, but Hadley snapped out of her thoughts with a jolt, suddenly feeling like hundreds of eyes had already been staring at her for minutes, waiting for her to make a move toward the hat. “Okay, Hadley, come on. One foot in front of the other, you’ve got to go sometime,” she whispered to herself.
With trembling knees and a heart beating a thousand times per second, Hadley shuffled toward the stool, where the large, heavy, musty-smelling hat was placed on her head. The room went completely silent, everyone staring at her, waiting anxiously for the hat’s verdict. Again, everything seemed to take much longer than it actually did, but finally, there came the saving words: “SLYTHERIN!” it rang out loud and clear.
Only then did Hadley feel like she could breathe again. Had she really done it? She actually did it! Just—really! The hat was lifted off her head and Hadley jumped off the stool, beaming. The hall suddenly seemed more beautiful than before, everything smelled better than it had earlier, and at last, she felt the excitement bubbling up inside her as she made her way toward the loudly cheering Slytherin students.
Still, she couldn’t help but glance around for Evander’s face as she walked. Because while he’d probably be clapping just as loudly out of happiness for her, it was now his turn…
22 Apr 2025, 16:03
We can. We will. We... did?
Evander followed the rest of the group of new first-years, his eyes fixated on the tattered hat. He cast a quick glance upward at the magnificent enchanted ceiling his mother had spoken so fondly of. It was beautiful, he had to admit. The combination with the floating candles created a nice effect. But as excited as his mother had been about it, he couldn’t quite share her enthusiasm.
The group came to a halt, and in the corner of his eye, he saw Hadley bump into another first-year in front of her. The corners of Evander’s mouth curled into a small grin as he kept his eyes on the boy in front. The boy turned around, clearly irritated, and Evander stared him down. He didn’t recognize him. He couldn’t be a pure-blood like they were, otherwise, Evander would’ve known him. Lifting his chin slightly with an air of dispise, he kept his glance steady until the boy turned back toward the Sorting Hat.
The ceremony dragged on endlessly, and the stress he felt only made it feel longer. Evander kept his tensed posture the whole time, until eventually his toes began to tingle from the poor circulation. He started shifting his weight from foot to foot to bring the feeling back, while watching Hadley hop up and down on her tiptoes. She was too short to see over the heads in front of her, and Evander had to admit - she looked pretty cute like that.
“Wells, Ethel.” Evander shivered. Hearing his last name, even though his first name didn’t follow, sent a sharp wave of nerves through him. Hadley -also known as Ethel- looked at him briefly, and he gave her an encouraging nod. It’ll be fine, he told himself, trying to muster a little more courage. If she could do it, then so could he. Right?
He watched Hadley walk forward, the hat placed on her head, and -at least in his eyes- sooner than expected, the house name echoed through the hall: “SLYTHERIN!”
He saw Hadley’s face relax. There she was again - his spontaneous, cheerful little sister, now that her nerves had lifted. His hands clapped together loudly before he even realized it, and his smile spread wide with pride. He hoped Hadley would see it. Their father might not be here, but he was. And he was incredibly proud of her.
As the Slytherin table erupted in cheers, each clap of his hands only seemed to make the tension in his body rise. As far as he knew, there were no other Wells students among the first-years. The group had thinned out significantly, now containing only the final students with last names beginning with W, X, Y, and Z. That could mean only one thing: It was his turn.
As the sound of Hadley’s sorting faded, he heard exactly what he had expected. “Wells…” The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. “…Evander.”
His fingers curled into fists, short nails digging into the flesh of his palms. He subtly rolled his shoulders back, trying to release the tension, and walked in a straight line toward the stool, showing no visible hesitation. He sat down, staring straight ahead and avoiding Hadley’s gaze. He wasn’t sure what he’d see in her eyes, and whatever it was - it might throw him off.
The tattered hat touched his hair, and a short, whispered monologue formed in his mind. “…Ah, an easy one. There’s only one place for you… SLYTHERIN!”
For the second time in a row, the house name echoed through the Great Hall. The grin he’d worn for Hadley returned - if possible, even wider. The hat was lifted from his head, and he hopped from the stool. Just as resolute as before, he walked toward the Slytherin table while the students cheered for their new addition. The only difference now was the enormous smile across his face - one that many would take as confidence, though it actually hid a deep wave of relief. He did it. They did it!
The group came to a halt, and in the corner of his eye, he saw Hadley bump into another first-year in front of her. The corners of Evander’s mouth curled into a small grin as he kept his eyes on the boy in front. The boy turned around, clearly irritated, and Evander stared him down. He didn’t recognize him. He couldn’t be a pure-blood like they were, otherwise, Evander would’ve known him. Lifting his chin slightly with an air of dispise, he kept his glance steady until the boy turned back toward the Sorting Hat.
The ceremony dragged on endlessly, and the stress he felt only made it feel longer. Evander kept his tensed posture the whole time, until eventually his toes began to tingle from the poor circulation. He started shifting his weight from foot to foot to bring the feeling back, while watching Hadley hop up and down on her tiptoes. She was too short to see over the heads in front of her, and Evander had to admit - she looked pretty cute like that.
“Wells, Ethel.” Evander shivered. Hearing his last name, even though his first name didn’t follow, sent a sharp wave of nerves through him. Hadley -also known as Ethel- looked at him briefly, and he gave her an encouraging nod. It’ll be fine, he told himself, trying to muster a little more courage. If she could do it, then so could he. Right?
He watched Hadley walk forward, the hat placed on her head, and -at least in his eyes- sooner than expected, the house name echoed through the hall: “SLYTHERIN!”
He saw Hadley’s face relax. There she was again - his spontaneous, cheerful little sister, now that her nerves had lifted. His hands clapped together loudly before he even realized it, and his smile spread wide with pride. He hoped Hadley would see it. Their father might not be here, but he was. And he was incredibly proud of her.
As the Slytherin table erupted in cheers, each clap of his hands only seemed to make the tension in his body rise. As far as he knew, there were no other Wells students among the first-years. The group had thinned out significantly, now containing only the final students with last names beginning with W, X, Y, and Z. That could mean only one thing: It was his turn.
As the sound of Hadley’s sorting faded, he heard exactly what he had expected. “Wells…” The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. “…Evander.”
His fingers curled into fists, short nails digging into the flesh of his palms. He subtly rolled his shoulders back, trying to release the tension, and walked in a straight line toward the stool, showing no visible hesitation. He sat down, staring straight ahead and avoiding Hadley’s gaze. He wasn’t sure what he’d see in her eyes, and whatever it was - it might throw him off.
The tattered hat touched his hair, and a short, whispered monologue formed in his mind. “…Ah, an easy one. There’s only one place for you… SLYTHERIN!”
For the second time in a row, the house name echoed through the Great Hall. The grin he’d worn for Hadley returned - if possible, even wider. The hat was lifted from his head, and he hopped from the stool. Just as resolute as before, he walked toward the Slytherin table while the students cheered for their new addition. The only difference now was the enormous smile across his face - one that many would take as confidence, though it actually hid a deep wave of relief. He did it. They did it!
23 Apr 2025, 10:39
We can. We will. We... did?
Relieved that it was over and happy that she could finally take a seat at one of the long tables in the hall, Hadley joined the other Slytherins she could now call her housemates. Some slytherins immediately reached out to shake her hand to welcome her, though she forgot most of their names within three seconds cause there were simply too many at once. Besides, there would be plenty of time to get to know them later, and right now, her mind was focused on something entirely different.
“Wells, Evander…” the voice had just called out, which meant Evander was now about to sit on the very stool she had just left. And even though Hadley already knew exactly which house the hat would shout, she didn’t want to miss a single second of it.
Once again, the hall went completely silent, though this time it felt much shorter to Hadley than it had during her own turn—because after only a brief moment, the hat shouted once more: “SLYTHERIN!” Loud cheers erupted again from the table draped in green, and this time Hadley joined in just as loudly—if not louder—than before. They had both made it into Slytherin! She no longer had to worry about being completely alone here. They were both in Slytherin. Together!
“Evander, we did it!” she shouted with joy as he walked over to her, and she couldn’t help but jump to her feet and bounce excitedly.
She held up her hand to give him a high five. Maybe a little childish, but at that moment, she couldn’t care less. Hadley had never been so proud of her 'big brother'.
“I can’t wait to tell Mum and Dad!” she grinned. Beforehand, she had dreaded having to tell them which house she’d been sorted into—but now? Now she couldn’t wait. Hopefully, they’d be just as proud.
“Wells, Evander…” the voice had just called out, which meant Evander was now about to sit on the very stool she had just left. And even though Hadley already knew exactly which house the hat would shout, she didn’t want to miss a single second of it.
Once again, the hall went completely silent, though this time it felt much shorter to Hadley than it had during her own turn—because after only a brief moment, the hat shouted once more: “SLYTHERIN!” Loud cheers erupted again from the table draped in green, and this time Hadley joined in just as loudly—if not louder—than before. They had both made it into Slytherin! She no longer had to worry about being completely alone here. They were both in Slytherin. Together!
“Evander, we did it!” she shouted with joy as he walked over to her, and she couldn’t help but jump to her feet and bounce excitedly.
She held up her hand to give him a high five. Maybe a little childish, but at that moment, she couldn’t care less. Hadley had never been so proud of her 'big brother'.
“I can’t wait to tell Mum and Dad!” she grinned. Beforehand, she had dreaded having to tell them which house she’d been sorted into—but now? Now she couldn’t wait. Hopefully, they’d be just as proud.