Sorting Ceremony 2019-2020 Archived

Upon entering the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Jade couldn't help but glance around with big wide eyes. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her entire life. There were hundreds of candles floating in mid air ('Magic,' Jade had to remind herself) and the four long rectangular tables were full of students with each table being a different color. 

Jade walked along the narrow center with the rest of the first years and was thinking over everything she had heard when being told about her being a witch to begin with. She knew the names of the houses - Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. She couldn't quite remember which house valued which traits, but she didn't wait too long before the speech was made and instructions given. 

It sounded easy enough. Sit on a stool, a hat is placed on your head and you find out where you belong, but there had to be more to it. It seemed that magic was the only answer to all of Jade's questions, but of course, being Muggle Born, she wasn't used to that even being a logical response. She wanted to stop overthinking everything, so she tried to focus on the song that the sorting hat was singing instead.

She couldn't help glancing back towards each of the tables as the sorting hat mentioned the respective house. The Gryffindors looked like a rowdy, fun group. Her emerald eyes switched to the table where students in yellow lined robes sat- Hufflepuff. They looked like they were probably people pleasers and Jade wasn't really sure she'd fit in with the group there. The Ravenclaw table had blue as their house color and while it was her favorite, she didn't want to just be sorted there simply because of that. The students mostly looked involved and studious and Jade was a bit nervous since hitting the books wasn't exactly her most favorite thing to do. Finally, the Slytherin table. Jade didn't really notice anything different about them. 'Maybe, I'm supposed to be in Slytherin. I didn't really think I'd fit in with any of the other groups,' she thought. 

"...Emerson, Jade," 

With a deep breath, Jade nervously approached the front of the Great Hall and sat down on the stool. She felt all eyes on her and she circulated her eyes between the four tables to avoid keeping any gaze on anyone in particular. She heard a voice in her head speaking to her, but it seemed impossible. She'd never heard voices before and even though she had just learned she was a witch, she was fairly certain that didn't give her telepathic powers. Before she could begin to think too much into it, she realized the sorting hat had been placed on her head and the voice she was hearing was it speaking to her. 

'I'd like to be in Slytherin, please. It's the only house I feel I belong,' Jade thought, wondering if the hat could hear her. She couldn't help but allow her eyes to linger momentarily over the Slytherin table and was waiting for the house to make its formal declaration so she could join her new family while she was in school. 

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted out. 

"Wait, what?" Jade asked with a surprised tone, not realizing she had said it aloud. Her eyes switched from the Slytherin table to the one next to it with the students wearing blue lined robes. 'I-I-I think there's been a mistake,' she thought, 'I'm not-" 

The hat was taken off her head and the applause erupted from the Ravenclaw table. Jade smiled weakly, stepping off the stool and making her way to her new house table. 'Why did the hat put me here?' she thought to herself. 'I don't look like any of these people. I'm not walking around with books in my hand all the time. Hell, I don't even like carrying books if I don't have to! Ruby was the one who preferred reading!' 

The thoughts flew through her mind faster than she knew how to understand them. For a moment, Jade wondered if the hat though she had been her twin sister, Ruby, but that was impossible. Ruby was not only a muggle, but had passed away several months before. 'I guess it won't be too bad,' Jade thought, 'I'm sure the common room is nice and I'll have no problems getting my questions answered for homework.'

She looked up and down the table at her new student family and smiled. She wasn't sure why the sorting hat had selected Ravenclaw for her house, but she was interested to see what sort of asset she could be.

The room blasted Lilith's ears with sounds of talking as she entered the Great Hall. She held up her hands and tried to block out the sound as she walked over to the line where people waited to be sorted by the sorting hat. She quickly joined the line and uncovered her eyes. I'll just endure the sound for now. She said to herself.

The line moved up one person at a time, the hat calling out peoples names and houses. Lilith fidgeted in place as she patiently stood. All of this was still new to her as she hadn't even had time to process what was happening when her parents sent her off on the Hogwarts Express. All they said to her was to "have fun" and "make friends".

Lilith took a glance behind her and saw that the line might have been moving up and across the room, but the length of it was getting longer and longer as more people came in.

"Lilith Wyverstone!"

Lilith turned her head, caught off-guard, and saw that the hat had called her up. She hurriedly went up and sat on the stool. The hat was carefully placed down on her head, then the ceremony began.

"I see you have a lot of will. You are eager to take potions class here at Hogwarts. You have courage and bravery. Yes, I know exactly where you belong." The hat spoke upon Lilith's head. "GRYFFINDOR!"

The table full of people in red cloaks raised from their seats, cheering and clapping. Lilith got up from her seat, still shocked from what had just happened, then slowly made her way to the Gryffindor table.

Interacting with @Lilith Wyverstone

Quinn entered the Great Hall amongst a plethora of other new first-years, arriving to the stares and whispers of older students sitting at the tables as they walked through the Hall, marvelling at the intricate decorations and floating candles. Quinn heard the second and third years' voices as they passed them. "Look, that small girl with the nerd glasses and the protruding teeth. Bet she's gonna be in Ravenclaw." "That strong and sturdy dude must be a pureblood, just look at him and his confidence! We Slytherins always get the best ones." "See that brunette over there? Her mum is my aunt's friend. She's a stuck-up, snobby little thing. Let's hope we don't have to take her." "Look at this girl, with the curly red hair and the friendly smile! I'd like to get to know her." 

Quinn was wondering what the others were thinking about them, and quickly smiled at everyone. "I'm Quinn, Quinn Prescott", they whispered to the student next to them, a tall girl with long blonde hair. "What's your name? What House do you think you'll get in?" The girl, however, looked at them in disdain and quickly hurried forward. Quinn quickly squeezed their eyes shut to keep themselves from bursting into tears. What if the rest of their time at Hogwarts was going to be like this? What if they were going to be hated and bullied by everyone else? The first-year had put all their hopes into this magical school. Their parents had been so happy when Quinn had finally displayed magic, and confided in the youngster's success at Hogwarts. Quinn would hate to disappoint them.
The procession came to a halt in front of what was presumably the Professors' table, where a hat had been placed on a stool - an old, scruffy leather hat, nothing that Quinn - or anyone they knew - would ever be seen wearing. However, the hat had some kind of air of magic about it. That was when it suddenly struck the child. The Sorting Hat. The hat that would define their fate in the following school years, the hat that would be able to read their mind and delve into their personality - the hat that would know everything about them and Sort them into one of the four houses.
The other students' Sorting went by in a blur. Quinn only vaguely registered the girl next to them being called ("Lilith Wyverstone!") and running forward, but when the hat was placed on the girl's head, Quinn paid close attention. A slit in the hat's leather opened and closed, vaguely resembling a mouth,  but they couldn't hear a word - until a voice called out, not the Professor's next to Lilith, but the hat's. "Gryffindor!" 
Lilith stood up, her eyes wide open, and took a seat at her House's table. A sense of longing filled Quinn - Gryffindor, the house that the famous Harry Potter, his friend Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, their idol, had been Sorted into. Gryffindor, the house of the brave and valiant. Gryffindor, the house her mother had been in. Gryffindor, the opposite of the pure-blood-filled, snobby, conceited Slytherin.
Being a Gryffindor - Quinn's greatest dream. 
"Quinn Prescott!" Without really being conscious of it, Quinn stood up, slightly quavering as they walked towards the Hat. In perfect timing, the teacher next to it picked it up as Quinn was about to sat down and placed it carefully on the first-year's short straggly brown hair. Its weight on her head and its soft leather made them feel strangely comforted - as though they were at home, at a place where nothing could happen to them. 
They jumped and looked around as a voice rang out; somehow, Quinn could not figure out where it came from. It was somehow surrounding her... "Who is there?" they whispered, looking around. "Don't be scared", the voice said. "It's me. On your head. Not your hair - the hat, Quinn." A slight chuckle. They nodded, determined to accept all the magic things - even hats speaking to them. 
The hat murmured in their ears in its soft, warm voice, before coming to a decision. "GRYFFINDOR!", it called out. Quinn couldn't believe what they had heard. "Thank you", they whispered, smiling broadly, before carefully placing the hat on the stool and hurrying to the Gryffindor table, immense relief flooding through their body. 
She sat down next to the girl that had been Sorted before her - Lilith Wyverstone - and smiled. "I'm Quinn. How are you? What do you think of the Sorting Hat's decision? Was it what you had expected?" At this moment, Quinn was entirely sure that they would be happy at Hogwarts.

Hogwarts, finally! Jorah thought to himself as he shuffled into the castle with the other first years. The enormous stone fortress was magnificent! How long did this take to build? Jorah's train of thought was cut off by the sight of a tall wizard with a long grey beard in full-clad plate armor. Whoa, he said under his breath. Whoever this guy was, he looked cool. The armored gentleman stood at the entrance of the Great Hall, greeting the students as they passed by. Jorah gave him a respectful nod and walked inside.

A large hall stretched before him with four long tables full of students running the length of the hall before coming to a final table full of professors at the end. The high vaulted ceiling was transparent showing a star studded night sky up above. The impressive hall was lit by a multitude of candles floating throughout the airspace. Walking past the tables, Jorah caught sight of the feast to come. Mmm, roasted chicken, biscuits and gravy, and is that, is that flan!, he thought. Jorah's stomach growled, he'd barely eaten anything all day, save for a few snacks from the trolley witch on the train. The students came to a halt before the faculty table.

The armored wizard moved to stand before the huddled first years. He introduced himself as the Headmaster. Of course, Jorah thought too himself. This guy definitely fits the part. The Headmaster brought out an old wizard hat and explained the sorting process. The hat burst out into a clever song and then Headmaster Lear called the students up one by one.

Thank goodness, I'm not the first, Jorah thought as he watched a girl with brown hair approach the Sorting hat which was set atop a stool. The girl took a seat and before long the hat exclaimed, Hufflepuff! With that, the Hufflepuff table erupted into cheers. The next student followed suit, and soon, Hufflepuff! Followed by, Ravenclaw! Then, Slytherin! Jorah now knew where each of the houses sat. The hat continued to sort students and Jorah looked around. He studied the Gryffindor table. He then hoped that he would not be sorted into that house. They seemed loud and obnoxious. I won't be getting much studying done if I'm around that lot, he thought.

Jorah Moussa!, Headmaster Lear exclaimed. Jorah's heart skipped a beat. He snapped his attention from the Gryffindors back onto the Sorting hat. It was time. Jorah stepped up to the stool and took a seat facing all of the other students. The hat was placed lightly on top of his head.

Hmm, a fresh mind to unravel, the hat began. Open to new experiences, I see. You're a curious lad aren't you and experience joy in solving problems. A bit of an introvert but agreeable, you won't have too much difficulty making friends, but first you must break out of your shell. A tad neurotic, don't forget to breathe, boy. Oh, you care very deeply for your family and want to make your parents proud, how nice. Well this house will definitely help you on your way. Better be... Ravenclaw!

Jorah let out a sigh of relief, its was a fine choice for him. Thank you, said Jorah as he hopped off the stool and made his way to a table of cheering Ravenclaws.

“You could be great you know, it’s all here in your head” – The sorting hat (Philosophers Stone)



So far the day before the young irish native had been a full mixed bag of emotions from having to bid her family an upsetting farewell for her first term at Hogwarts to the excitement given from her journey across the rural landscape by the train to the final journey across the mysterious lake up to the school itself, it was safe to say that the young brunette was more than curious about how the rest of the evening would be knowing that the next stage would be her final sorting into one of the four houses of the school as she entered through the large entrance hall where the first years would be met by the Deputy Head of the school to give them some insight of the ceremony ahead before further entering through the overly large oak wooden doors to the great hall.

Entering through the doors the young brunette would be met with one of the most magical experiences she would ever have thought possible in her life as she admired the smell of a freshly prepared banquet spread across four large sets of tables all decorated in the four colours of the houses to celebrate the start of year festivities, the room itself was brightly lit and beautifully decorated the main feature capturing the young girls eye having to be countless candles seemingly floating in the air above their heads magically completely drawing her attention away from the experience of which she was soon about to face all until a masculine voice would boom loudly through the hall drawing her attention back to the task at hand.

Quotation From Solomon Lear

"Welcome first year students. I am Solomon Lear, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As it is our tradition here we are going to engage in our first ceremony known as the sorting ceremony. The sorting hat has been a part of our school's tradition since the time of Godric Gryffindor, one of this institution's founding wizards. This hat is very much sentient."

Coming back into the present the young Irish brunette would come to learn that the man leading the ceremony happened to be the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Solomon Lear who also happened to be a lot more friendlier and younger than she had initially expected but what would shock her the most would be the small voice that would come from a piece of worn down clothing in the shape of what appeared to be a hat of some kind…. Was that what she thought it could be? The famous sorting hat, enchanted by Godric Gryffindor himself as she had read in her research before departing for the school? But what seemed more bizarre to the young muggleborn witch was the fact that the headmaster seemed to reply to the hat which was certainly not the response that she expected but then again he was probably used to everything facing her unlike she was with his countless years in the world.

Moving on to introduce the ceremony, houses and their heads alike before going on to share how each house and year worked at the school including the famous house cup making Aydeen feel somewhat more prepared and knowledgeable for what was expected of her as a student at the school as well as what she herself could expect during her time there. At that point the man bound a large scroll starting the ceremony moments later calling out the names of all first year students one at a time as the sorting hat would begin to sing a tune melodically welcoming each student as they took a seat on the stool when called beginning the sorting ceremony of that school year.

The Sorting Ceremony Begins…

Waiting less than patiently as the ceremony went into full swing as countless first years would join their houses once sorted, Aydeen paced from side to side nervously awaiting her judgement unsure what to expect at all with her actual sorting, part of her feeling like she truly belonged in the Hufflepuff house whilst also relating to the characteristics of a ravenclaw soon enough the time approached as her name was finally called from the list and she would make her way forward to sit upon the stool, the old worn hat being placed above her head seconds later.

Soon enough the ancient voice of the enchanted hat began to echo loudly above her head or so she would think as the sorting began…. “Hmmmm…. Intriguing….. Very Intriguing” the sorting hat began almost feeling like an eternity to the young brunette first year to be that was all until a large uproar could be heard from the countless students seated ahead of her as the hat made its final decision calling the house of HUFFLEPUFF! Jumping up onto her feet a large smile across her small rosen shaded lips, Aydeen would make her way from the front of the stool towards the table decorated in yellow and gold joining her house mates for the very first time.

The Great Hall. Ruthie had heard many stories about the Great Hall from her mother. It seemed like Claire had done just about everything you could do in the Great Hall, except meet her future husband. But this wasn't Claire. This was about her daughter, Ruth: a bright, independent girl who had spent most of the boat ride over to the castle in awe of a staff member she suspected of being a Quidditch player. Needless to say, the boat ride had already set the bar high for her time to be spent at the legendary school.

Soon the first years were shuffled all together into the Great Hall, a room whose reputation preceeded it. As she walked down the corridor, the young Scottish girl admired the grand fireplaces and high beams, but most breathtaking of all was the ceiling, enchanted to look like the night sky. Hogwarts already seemed vast, this only made it more so, and her person felt smaller and smaller. To her right and to her left were her peers, the elder students who'd already been through this entire process before. She tried to pay attention, see which house seemed the friendliest, the most like her, but in the seconds it took to cross the aisle, they all seemed the same.

At the front of the line, they were greeted by an older gentleman, complete with a long beard. He introduced himself as Headmaster, the highest and most renown position in the school, but to Ruthie he just seemed like anyone else. The population in her small shoreline village skewed older and many of the men sported facial hair--though perhaps not armored like so.

For the benefit of the group, Headmaster Lear had brought out a hat and explained what was about to happen. And so, with a song from the hat itself, the ceremony began. None of this really shocked or surprised Ruthie, who had been briefed on what was to come by her moth. She called how excited her mother at the prospect that her eldest daughter would be following in her footsteps. Her father, Ross, on the other hand couldn't quite relate, but he was quite proud anyway.

Back in the hall, the students were called one by one and asked to come forth, where the sorting hat would be placed upon their head. The hall was eerily quiet as those the elder students and faculty were eager to see where the new students might be placed. As the students came up, the hat placed them in their different houses, calling them out in what might seem a random fashion where it not for its clear sentient qualities.

Where some children might have been nervous, Ruthie was tapping her foot when she heard her name: "Ruth Greer!" Carefully, she stepped out of the line and up onto the dais, where she sat on the simple stool. From here she could look out onto the hall and admire how vast it was, even more so than when she had come in. In front of her, she tried to scan the crowd of her peers for someone she knew from the boat ride, but all the faces seemed to blur. In a heartbeat, she felt the hat's rim grip her head. "Ah, you remind me of someone," the hat began. Ruthie knew it was her mother, a bright Ravenclaw with a certain talent for herbology all those years ago. But Ruthie knew better than to interrupt and so she let the hat carry one: "Let's see then, a fiercely independent mind and a creative spirit when it comes to problem-solving...better be...RAVENCLAW!"

Letting out a happy sigh, the newly minted Ravenclaw jumped off the stool looked towards the Ravenclaw table. Between the clapping, she eagerly followed after the last Ravenclaw who'd been sorted, a young boy with dark hair, and sat at the table, excited to get to know her peers.

Emerly tapped his palm, hidden in his sleeve, casting glances all throughout the festive hall. He'd have to go up eventually... would he have to talk? In front of everyone? Occasionally, some of the new students protested loudly against the infamous Sorting Hat, sometimes they spoke too softly for Emerly to hear.
In the lowering din of the last student's sorting and the ensuing applause, he heard a "Pine, Emerly!"
Standing, acutely aware of the stares and the ensuing expectant silence, he strode with surprising grace to the stool.
He exhaled as the hat was placed on his head, thankful his nervousness never really manifested as clumsiness. He stifled a smile at the thought of himself tripping and falling halfway to the Sorting Hat. That would have earned him a spot in everyone's mind for sure.
"Glad you made it up here in once piece, eh, Sir Pine?" the hat spoke the moment it was placed on his head. There was a ripple of amusement from the crowd. The hat and the First year had a bit of a conversation, punctuated by a look of such surprise on the boy's face that other students murmured. After a moment the surprise turned to a warm, bemused expression, as if he'd been told something very hard to believe but he had no other option but to accept it.
"Slytherin!"
As Emerly got up, he heard the hat continue to make comments about him, one of which steeled him to look at the entirety of the school's students, none of which he knew, despite his cousins, and then the Slytherin table.
The hat had said he was brave- indeed he would have to be brave now, and very cunning at that. Hopefully the hat placed him rightly, as he might need a bit of that particular trait do well as a Half-blood in a house like Slytherin. From what he'd heard, that is. Hopefully it wasn't all true. He quirked a bit of a smile and made his way towards the table, perhaps a little less certain this time around.

Leo’s eyes hadn’t blinked once since he got off the train. He was still in shock from the day’s previous events. The gate between Kings Cross Station and Platform 9 ¾ almost made his heart stop. His mother, Elizabeth, decided to go with him, making sure he had a warm send-off before his journey began. Handing him a bag of assorted sweets and giving him a soft kiss on his forehead, Elizabeth watched as her son, her pride and joy, hurried onto the Hogwarts Express, eager to start the school year. She knew this day would come, and it was only a matter of time before he’d be off, but she still felt deeply saddened. He was her only child. He meant everything to her. Now here he was, on the train, waving happily to his mother as the train started moving. With tears in her eyes, Elizabeth smiled back and waved, her eyes following the train as it moved further and further away from her.

The castle looked magnificent from the outside. The first years were all huddled outside a rather large set of doors, awaiting further instructions from the professors. Leo could hear some students talk about the room in front of them. The Great Hall, they called it. Leo thought back to when he’d received his letter and showed his mother. One of the marvelous places she talked about was the Great Hall. She said the room was bright and colourful with long tables stretched out across the entire room.

Not a moment passed when the first years were herded into the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony. Leo’s eyes immediately looked up, his face in awe once more. The ceiling looked like the night sky, as clear as day. He took note on the floating candles. ‘There ARE floating candles’ he thought to himself, walking with the other students. They all came to a haul, standing in front of a wooden stool with an old, worn down hat sitting on top of it. Next to the hat was an older man, holding a scroll as he began talking to the large group of first years. He was the headmaster of Hogwarts. One by one he called each student up, placed the hat on their head, then watched as they were sorted into one of the four houses the Headmaster had mentioned. It wasn’t long before Leo heard “…Leo Ashton!”

He gently pushed past a few students, mumbling a soft “sorry” as he made his way up to the Headmaster. He took a seat on the stool, feeling the hat sit on top of his head. While the others were being sorted, Leo failed to pay attention to the hat, who began speaking! In the midst of his awe of his surroundings, he wasn’t paying attention to what had been happening in front of him. When the hat began to speak, he jolted his body ever so slightly. A few students giggled at him, watching as his eyes were looking up, listening to the hat.

“Hmm…very interesting. I see a strong-willed mind…What’s this? A short temper? Hmm, interesting…”

Leo was slightly worried. Was it bad to have a short temper? Surely other students also had short tempers.“There is a persistence in your heart, it’s very strong…” The hat continued, taking short pauses between thoughts. “I know just where to put you…” Leo’s heart seemed to stop beating as he waiting for the hat to shout his chosen house.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

With a smile on his face, Leo hopped off the stool and made his way over to his house’s table, taking a seat with a few other first years.

Jorah sat at the table with his fellow Ravenclaws. They welcomed him warmly with a smile or a nod as he swung his legs onto the bench before him. Jorah looked around at the students sitting near him. He didn't recognize a single one. He studied them, some continued to watch the ceremony while others were conversing and stifling back giggles with a friend, probably their best friend, and that's when Jorah felt it, he was alone. It seemed that all of today's excitement, from the Hogwart's express, the boat ride across the lake, and finally the sorting ceremony were all masking the pit he had felt in his stomach when he hugged his family goodbye on Platform 9 3/4. That dreadful feeling was there all day but it didn't feel so bad as it did in this moment.

Ravenclaw!, the hat exclaimed! Jorah looked up to see a young girl with curly blonde hair walking over to the table and taking a seat near him. Once she was at the table, she was close enough for him to notice her stunning stormy grey eyes. She looked friendly. Now this is the perfect time to try to make a friend, he thought. Quick, congratulate her!

Jorah opened his mouth for the first time while at the Ravenclaw table. Hey, Congrats! I'm a first year too. I guess we'll probably be seeing a lot of eachother, you know with being in the same classes and the same house and all. Oh, I'm Jorah by the way. He stuck out his right hand to shake hers.

Interacting with @Ruthie Greer

The cheers seemed to settle, as if on cue, when the next first year was called forward to the hat. It was in this moment of quiet, that Ruthie looked along this table of her new-found peers. What might they be like? Clever and witty was the description prescribed to them, but the Scottish girl imagined they must all have their own quirks and interests, the things that, quite simply, made them individuals. Turning her head, she studied those in her immediate vicinity, keeping an eye on the boy she'd followed down to the table. She'd spent the majority of the boat ride talking to the former Quidditch star staff member and even that interaction seemed far away. She was desperate to speak, and get to know her peers, but there was something about the ceremony that demanded quiet whenever a student was under the hat.

Luckily, she wasn't the only one wanting to say hello. The boy she'd followed and sat next to congratulated her under the dim of the fading claps. "Thanks," she said as she shook his hand eagerly in return, "You too." Smiling, she looked up at his face. He had kind golden brown eyes. So, she decided to return the introduction: "Ruth, but everyone at home calls me 'Ruthie.'" Her Scottish accent kicked in on the vowels especially. She looked up briefly, the night sky of Hogwarts reminding her of the fishing village she'd left behind, before looking back at his face and then back across to the dais. There was likely another student who needed sorting.

Interacting with @Jorah Moussa