Amelia’s blue eyes shimmered with amazement and awe as she took in the details of the great hall. As the chocolate haired girl lifted her eyes up to the ceiling above her, she gasped as the many candles gleamed. Almost waiting for a drip of candle wax, which most thankfully, never came, the soon-to-be-sorted began to amble through the doors attempting to take in the detail. Four long, grand tables stood filled with many older looking students, most cheery and comfortable. Amelia wondered would ever feel that way - happy, relaxed, surrounded by friends, or if she would be found sitting, a book at her hands, reading so intently that what was happening simply passed any occurrence to her mind, a shadow of loneliness sitting atop her. The young girl’s thin eyebrows pinched together and she turned hoping to observe something else to distract herself from such a thought.
The small girl’s eyes stopped as her eyes came to rest on a man standing merely a meter from her. Her face changed into an odd look of genuine curiosity as she took in the man. It wasn’t just the odd look of grey hair, strong eyes, beard and, well, armor that made the girl take a longer look at him, but something else she couldn’t quite gauge. He had the sort of look that told Amelia that he was either to be highly trusted or to be avoided. Her eyes still on the man, half hoping he was a professor she wasn’t going to get any time soon, she continued to make her way to where all the first years were waiting.
Amelia was not at a lack of not knowing why the hush had fallen on the great hall when it did. When the odd man she had taken notice of at the entrance, walked towards the front, the girls interest greatened. It was when he spoke his first line, an introduction, that Amelia felt a mix of surprise, relief and disappointment. The surprise was in response to the fact that the man was Headmaster Lear, the relief toward him as he was not someone she would have to interact with any time soon as she found a little scary and the disappointment that she wouldn’t get to meet the man. What contradicting emotions! Was all the young girl could think.
It was as a second voice echoed that across the hall, that Amelia’s focus on the Headmaster and his speech fell into a small amount of confusion. As she turned, attempting to find the owner of the sound, she realized it was the hat. The sorting hat! Surprise cloaked her like a sparkling mist and as Amelia began to question the possibilities and logic’s of such things, she completely missed the actual words exchanged between the two. It seemed from the staff’s general reaction however, that she might have a chance to hear the very same exchange in the future years.
Amelia’s attention returned hastily as the Headmaster began to describe the process that would follow. Standing somewhat stiffly, the girl refused to not take in everything the man was saying and focused on each of the heads of houses that Headmaster Lear was introducing. As he continued to speak, the bundle of nerves that had sat around her began to grow more and more along with the worry she began to feel. What if she was sorted into the wrong house? Or worse still what if she wasn’t sorted into a house? What if there was no second family for her? She should have realized that her worries were ridiculous for everyone in history had been sorted and she had certainly read that somewhere, but it seemed she was too worried to see sense.
The poetic song by the Sorting Hat that proceeded the Headmasters speech had the effect that forced her to listen carefully to its lyrics. It seemed a clear back up of the information she had gained in her pre-hogwarts reading. As Griffendoor was described, she couldn’t help feel that she lacked a greatness of their qualities. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw on the other hand fitted far better, and even Slytherin had something there. A nervous shake covered her as she wondered where she might end up.
Waiting for Amelia’s name to be called in the very long scroll of names seemed to take far too long. Amelia stood, a hand fidgeting behind her back, as she nervously watched the sorting ceremony. There was something painfully uncomfortable about standing in front of a group of observing people and doing something wrong would just make it worse, so the girl made sure to watch every movement carefully.
Finally the words Amelia had thought would never come came, “Lerelle, Amelia!” Stepping forward, she began to walk towards the ancient hat, her legs wobbling more than they should have. The eyes of the students and staff which sat on her as she came forward was far worse than she had expected. As she took her seat, and pulled the sorting hat atop her head of chocolate hair and waited nervously.
“Aha!” The voice of the sorting hat cried dramatically almost causing the girl to jump up in surprise, yet the viewing of the previous caused her to merely jolt her head in a way that shook the sorting hat dramatically. It took a pause and then the sorting hats rather unusual voice spoke, “A thriving mind of wisdom and ambition… Yes, you are very intelligent and will strive toward your best. Hardworking, you would say.” A pause which time seemed to stand still for a very long time and the young houseless girl felt understandably nervous for the ancient hat’s response. “Your mind is certainly that for wisdom and success, but your heart?” Was that a question to itself or her? Was she meant to answer? Amelia gulped nervously wondering what her answer should be. It was lucky that, after a small chuckle, the sorting hat continued. “Yes, yes, you do worry about your success. Quite the lot!” Another chuckle and then a pause. “But underneath that… why, yes, you have a heart of kindness and truth! Although, you are quite the one for…” The pauses seemed to be getting longer and more often now. “Hmm, revenge. Could it really be? No, no, only to those who you greatly dislike. To your friends I see…. loyalty!”
Confusion was flooding young Amelia like a cloth soaking up spilt water as the sorting hat spoke. Was it going through every house? Was she ever going to belong somewhere? They had definitely gone through Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, although Griffendoor could have been in there too.
Perhaps this sorting was taking an unusual amount of time, or perhaps it was the nerves from the tiny child that forced the time to go at snail speed. Finally, the sorting hat found it’s words from the hmmm-ing and ahhh-ing it was currently doing. “A mind of wisdom, and a heart of… Yes, yes, that is where you shall go. I shall sort you to…. HUFFLEPUFF!”
A huge cheer came from the Hufflepuff table, and Amelia was forced to stand on her shaky legs and walk towards the table. The house of kindness, hard work and loyalty… The new Hufflepuff beamed, thrilled at the house she had been sorted into. The place she now belonged too.
