Sorting Ceremony 2019-2020 Archived

Libitina marched through the middle aisle of the Great Hall, naturally drifting to the front of the line of awestruck first years. She analyzed the enormous room, making mental notes of every secretive crevice. Now, Libitina was enthralled in the lucrativeness of the hall, but more so by the dark shadows in the ceiling corners. She knew, from experience, not everything was what it seemed.
All the first years slowly trickled to the front of the room, forming a group in front of the professors' table. Not to mention the strange hat seated in front of them! It was a dark caramel brown. The patches scattered about it indicated it's old age and common usage. Who knows where the hat had been?
I'm already bored with these, Libitina thought as she tugged at her dull, black robes. Conversation could be heard among the group of first years, everyone anxious to be sorted. Libitina had heard all about the four houses in the book she read, and wasn't that opposed to any of them. Suddenly, her train of thought was interrupted with the booming voice of the headmaster, Solomon Lear.
He looked to be about middle-aged, the grey in his hair beginning to grow more prominent. He informed them all that they were now to take part in the ceremony. Libitina's heart was pounding out of her chest as the names of all the students began to be called, inviting them up to the hat. The hat would say a few words about the individual's character, then call out their house. Many of the students approached the hat hesitantly, but left elated.
This convinced Libitina even more that she had nothing to fear when it came to the sorting. Her original fearlessness was empowered by these observations. Finally, her name was called. She confidently pranced up to the stool and sat down, the hat being placed atop her head.


Libitina smiled. The sorting hat seemed to simply be complimenting her.


Libitina ignored the hat's incorrect (as she would say) opinion and clenched every muscle of her body, awaiting the word of the hat; a word that would most definitely determine her future.


Libitina hopped off the stool, smiling. The house of bravery, she thought.
There was no better place for this somewhat naive girl.

Many had gone before him, so Alpheus was beginning to understand the drill. At the sound of his name, he'd go up sit down and a creepy wizard hat would tell him where to be sorted into.

Alpheus Rutter! The headmaster called.

Alpheus walked up, pretty sure of himself, knowing exactly what to do. He sat down looking at all those people awaiting his decision. The hat was placed on his head and it immediately gasped.
Ah! A Rutter, I haven't seen one in some time. Yes not since, well it doesn't matter...Let's see where to put you...

Alpheus jumped at the sorting hat's gasp, and with a bit of a scare, he became a bit fearful. He pushed his knees together, and the sorting hat said some things even Alpheus didn't know.

Interesting, qualities of many houses, courageous, loyal, quick wit, a bit mischievous....hmmm...but where best?

Alpheus listened, he it was weird because he was definitely not courageous, and unsure about the rest, but he best left it to not interfere.

Tell you what, since you are so loyal and seeming to need friends, we shall put you with Hufflepuff!

Alpheus felt a bit relieved to hear he'd gained friends, and as he walked down the tables to find a seat, he was welcomed with a small cheer.

Many students were already sitting at the four long tables and talked and laughed, not paying much attention to the newcomers. On each side of the room, moving painted figures were chatting with each other, adding to the racket. At one point, Violine looked up and got mesmerised by the ceiling. All those candles… Stars stretching out to infinity.

She had asked her father to tell her about the Great Hall so many times that when she entered the room she felt like she was coming home. She had dreamt of this moment, especially during the last few days. It was such a relief to finally be there. She felt she was starting to breathe again, even though she still felt this strange weight on her chest. That would be anxiety, but she was not that nervous. She knew her parents would be proud of her, whatever house she would be sorted into. Yet, she soon put this worry in a corner of her head and decided to let it fade there. She would deal with it later. Or not.

Silence welcomed the headmaster in the room. Violine realised that she had passed just beside him when entering, but she had ignored him, thinking he was just part of the setting. Because the headmaster was wearing armour. A real armour. Like a knight. Was he a knight? *That’s crazy…* She glanced at the teachers who were quietly sitting at their great table. Her eyes came back to the headmaster. *I love it.*

The knight headmaster gave his speech. Luckily, it was short and to the point and Violine did not get too bored. When the professors were introduced to them, she wondered whose house she would be in. They all seemed so serious and stern… She missed a part of the speech and asked her neighbour to tell her what the headmaster had said, but the kid just sneered. *Nice, you used to have better social skills Vio.* As she heaved a sigh, the Sorting Hat – which seemed to have appeared from nowhere, for she had not seen anyone put it on the stool – began to sing a catchy but never-ending song. And then came the part that Violine was really waiting for: the sorting.

Having Thomas as a name is not always easy to put up with. It means stupid kids would call you by your surname and mock you for “being a girl-boy” (if that means anything – and it doesn’t), which luckily Violine didn’t care about at all. But it also means that you are always part of the last persons to be called. And when it comes to certain situations, it can be so frustrating. Just like a Sorting Ceremony for example. However, Violine kept quiet and – most strangely– focused. She was in fact bewildered that the ceremony was taking so long: every student seemed to have some sort of conversation with the Hat. She was indeed aware that the Hat sometimes hesitated between two houses, and that’s what happened to her mother: Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw? Such a hard choice… Well, she had also heard that sometimes, the Hat announced the House before even touching your head.

“Thomas, Violine!”

“Which one is your name?” she heard as she stepped forward. She could have sworn it was the boy who had sneered at her earlier. She didn’t deign to look at him and sat on the small stool. The view from there was quite intimidating and she felt she was blushing. *Man, come on! You’re not shy! Show them who Thomas is!* She was so focused on keeping her composure that she didn’t notice the Hat was coming closer to her head. She just had the time to feel it touch her skull before he announced:

“GRYFFINDOR!”

*That was quick.*

“I can read your heart as easily as you can lie, and it seems to be your speciality… But you mean well, at least for now,” she heard before a group of Gryffindor students started cheering. She glanced warily at the hat, but it kept quiet. Maybe she had imagined it… Yet, and like many other things, she put this moment in a corner of her head so she would forget it easily. She sprang up to her feet to join the Gryffindor table, giving high fives to some of the oldest students on her way to a free seat.

Sen stared in wonder as he walked in with the rest of the first years. He was in awe at the enchanted sky. He had heard rumors, and read Hogwarts: A History beforehand, but it's quite different seeing it in person.

He heard his fellow students whisper to each other as they were lead by the professor before the rest of the faculty and for the rest of the Hall to observe.

Sen was calm, as calm as he could be, but there was a twisting feeling in his gut and his mind whispered to him, things that were illogical but worrisome. Things like he didn't belong here.

By some chance or miracle, the headmaster and professors probably just made a mistake, they'd send him back to that God awful place again once the hat doesn't declare him a house. He'll be wiped of his memories, and he'll live a normal boring life.

Every name being called out made his gut twist hat much more. Until just under half the students were placed in their new house, did he hear his name.

"Sen Leaf." Was he not paying attention he may have almost jumped. He mentally berated himself for almost being caught off guard and made his way up calmly and looking bored.

"Ah, Sen Leaf. So cunning yet unmotivated. You know, you're parent was easy to place, burning with what they're house stood for. And yet here you are..." Sen sat still when the hat echoed in his mind. He tensed at the mentions of one of his parents, but decided to focus on other things.

'Telepathy? No... Legilimency. Is that how you sort students? By reading their mind, and determining by the traits they've shown in their past? It's a coincidence that I had just read about it during my free time. Until now I completely forgot about it. Does that mean you can perform magic? Or is this the only spell you can perform?' Sen thought, asking the hat numerous questions.

The hat chuckled at him ignoring his question. This made the boy annoyed, but the hat decided to move on, "I see, you may be cunning, but you do not have the same ambition as a Slytherin. You may be loyal but you do not care for those outside your family. You do not resemble much of a Gryffindor. However, you're curiosity, wit and intelligent matches a Ravenclaw."

'Meh, I don't really care about houses.' Sen told the hat.

"You say that yet I feel relief from you."

'Well, I don't want to be put with people that are gonna cause a ruckus every day. Slytherin are painted evil, Gryffindor are painted as bullies, and Hufflepuff are bullied by both houses. Ravenclaw is the only one I can get a semblance of peace.' The hat merely chuckled before declaring Sen's house.

" RAVENCLAW!"

Then the house whispered to him before Sen got off, "I've seen a lot of withes and wizards in my time you know. You belong here, and like most other first year's worries, they're not sure if they'll make friends and if they're in the right house. Then they go and become great and achieve many things with their lifelong friends. Just be yourself and you'll do fine."

"... Thank you," Sen replied, putting the hat on the stool and making his way to his new house, worries gone. He proceeded to ignore people then and start sleeping after getting tired.

Hey, the hat said be himself.

As the 'B' names were run through like water, the muggle-born first year tried to tell himself that whatever this weird, talking hat thing did was no big deal. There was no test he had to take, no pop quiz he had been meant to study for, so he couldn't fail, right? But in spite of all that, the usually well-composed boy was wringing his robes as each student's name and donning of the proclaimed 'Sorting Hat' was shortly followed by one of four houses.

He had heard from the students on the train a little bit of the Hogwarts Houses and what being sorted into each of them meant. However, there were a number of things that still didn't sit quite right with Jack. Why did the hat talk? Why was the hat the one deciding where they would be put in for the rest of their time at the boarding school? And who could have possibly have been okay with the notion that the old, sentient, misshapen piece of patched-up cloth was peering into their minds to find but where to place them?

As far as he could see, though, there was no alternative; no way out. He would have to go through with this like everyone else had so far and he would have to pretend as if it were the most natural thing in the world. As if floating candles and carriages pulled by invisible creatures hadn't been enough to ask of him to accept! Didn't people ever worry about the hazards such things could pose?

Then again, he was about to join a number of 11-year-olds who had already been given wands and were about to be taught magic that could be used for who-knew-what. Anything that could have gone wrong in this school probably had decades ago. The staff had to be prepared for the most outlandish of occurrences, right?

Unless, of course, said occurrence was the Hat discovering there was some sort of mistake and there wasn't a single cell of magic in Jack's entire body. What would they do with him then? Imprison him? Torture and interrogate him? Murder him? Poof him out of existence?

Shut up, he snapped at his inner fears. From the sounds of it, the worst they'll probably do is wipe your memory. Not that he was much looking forward to that idea, either. Jack had very much begun to feel like he wasn't understood among the other kids in his muggle school. None of them seemed clever or intelligent enough to want to discuss the things he did, much less at the intensity or depth he would have liked.

Receiving the letter to Hogwarts had been like being given validation that he was, indeed, better than those ignorant fools who were his peers in nothing more than age. Here there was so much to learn and discover to the point that he felt like the ignorant fool, and though he loved it, it was still hard to believe he was allowed to be here. Almost everyone seemed to know more than he did, so what right did he have to think he had a place among them?

And then his name was being called.

Without another thought, Jack Burnett marched right up to the stool and focused every fiber of his being on not flinching when the hat was placed atop his head. His mind must have been chaotic at that moment, or else blank, and he couldn't help but feel a sort of spiteful triumph toward the sentient headgear.

Try sorting this, you creepy, worn-out pile of rags, he thought fiercely, forgetting for a moment that the hat could probably hear.

You're not the first to fret so; far from it, it answered, almost sounding amused even as Jack stiffened in his seat. Hmm...claiming to be honest to everyone, and yet not honest with yourself. How positively contradictory.

What?! the redhead wondered, his curiosity and indignance overtaking his anxiety and fear. What's that supposed to mean?!

I'm sure you'll find out with time, even if you refuse to see the truth now. You wish to be recognized for cunning and intelligence. Between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, then. Ah, but if you seek power, then it must be the latter.

Power? I don't seek power, Jack insisted, thinking of the dark wizards he'd heard the other students talking about. It was also said that not a dark wizard nor witch had come from any house other than Slytherin. He found that rumored statistic very difficult to believe. But if it were true, did that mean he was likely to become 'dark'?

There are many kinds of power. The kind you seek is the sort your parents impressed upon you - knowledge. But unlike Ravenclaws, who seek it for the sake of merely knowing, you wish to use it.

Jack's brows furrowed in puzzlement. For what? he challenged, doubting the hat knew him better than he knew himself.

You were just thinking about how Slytherins are associated with dark wizards and evil. But if that's the wide-spread belief, isn't it your desire to subvert it, as tricksters do?

The boy thought about that and realized it was absolutely true. He had always enjoyed playing the devil's advocate and attempting to transcend dualities such as 'right' and 'wrong' as his favorite character archetype did. He liked to believe that there was more to the world than just black and white. Just because that world had expanded to include the wizarding one, it didn't mean he couldn't still show them all the shades in between.

That's it, the hat agreed, seeming to decide Jack was finally comprehending what it was getting at. There's your ambition. Already, they won't be expecting you - a muggle-born. Show them you're more than they think you are.

"SLYTHERIN!"

What had seemed to take an eternity in Jack's head had only been a few seconds in reality. Almost before the boy knew what was happening, the hat was removed from his head and he was walking over to join the cheering table of the house he had been assigned. Curious as to whether all the other 11-year-olds had had their brains scoured and reasoned with like that, he seated himself beside another new Slytherin who he recalled had been sorted just a few students before he had.

"Wow," he muttered, shaking his head as if to clear it. "They only make us do that once...right?"

The older students were already sitting at their respective long-tables, smiling, chatting and catching up after summer. Not minding all the magic around them. And that may just be the way things go. After being exposed to magic like this for a year, (and for some six) the extraordinary becomes mundane. What your friends have done or where they have been since the last time you saw them becomes more interesting in that moment.
In contrast, the group of new students entering the Great Hall could almost do nothing but stare at the starry sky in the ceiling for a moment. Within this group was Sayomi. She was amazed by everything her wide eyes could see. The candle above, the professors ahead, and the feast around her. In her hand she held a string of yarn, a blue one. Why she held on to this blue thread wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, which is why she had it hidden within here sleeve.

As the professor called up her new classmates, Sayomi let her eye wander. The thought of her old schools compared to this made her grin more than she ever had. In how many schools back home had ghosts wandering around? None, at least not one you could openly talk to. Her eyes kept wandering until they ended up at an empty spot at the Ravenclaw table. Sayomi imagined herself among the students, seeing herself in their uniform. Talking about what magic they may learn this year and joking around.It took awhile before she noticed an older student staring back at her. Embarrassed, Sayomi looked down in front of her. Hoping she would be hidden within the ever dwindling group.
Sayomi opened her hand with the blue thread in. With a deep breath to calm her down, she wrapped her little good luck charm around four of her fingers on her right hand. Before she clenched it once again and pulled it back in her sleeve. Soon after, her name was read aloud. Sayomi walked towards the hat with tensed up legs, forgetting to breath until she sat upon the stool. "Hmm, a rather difficult choice." This confused Sayomi. To her it was an easy decision. She wouldn't even describe it as a "choice" to make. Not too long after, the hat came to a conclusion. As the Sorting Hat was about to announce it, Sayomi, confident and proud, wanted to say it alongside him. "Ravenclaw" she whispered to herself, but there was no harmony between the two voices. It took a moment before Sayomi could register that the hat had yelled out Slytherin.

"No, no, no! It has to be a mistake" was all she could think before professor Lear's hand guided her towards her table. Where the rest of Slytherin sat. That her face was "in shock" or "hysterical" as she walked down was something she heard quite a few times that evening.

For a moment, everything slowed down around Heather as she entered the Great Hall. Eyes widening in awe, she was captivated by the grandeur of the room. From the size of the room, the walls, the floors, even the smallest architectural details surprised the girl. Somehow, along with the excitement that she was finally going to follow in her father’s footsteps, the girl could feel a sense of insecurity washing over her. Or, was it fear? But why In the world would she be scared? After all, every wizard had gone through the same Ceremony, and she wasn’t going to be the first, nor the last, who would pass under the Sorting Hat and let it decide their future.
Sighing softly, the girl looked around. Older students were already at their respective tables, eating and sharing summer memories. It must have felt really nice, to have people you could call family. The blonde girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling. She would be there one day, with her friends, enjoying her life. She had to do it, to honor her father. He always advised her and her sisters (except Charlotte, she was just a baby when he died) to live every day as if it’s her last day, to laugh when she faced trouble and only to cry when the others were suffering. She never forgot his words, and no matter how hard it was, she tried to live after them. That’s exactly why, when she heard the name being called, she held head up high, and advanced, smiling, to the center of the room. She didn’t mind hearing people whisper how cold she seemed- she had enough time to prove them wrong, nor the surprised tones when her surname was called. She didn’t care that her father was labeled as a "freak", she would always be proud to be his daughter and would carry his name with happiness.
She did not flinch when the hat was placed on her head- it was slightly larger, almost covering her eyes. Trying to ignore the foul smell coming from the hat, she closed her eyes, exhaling loudly.
‘From the way you didn’t lose your composure, even though because of the stress you just dug your nails into your palms hard enough to draw blood, I can sense that you are great at fooling people. Almost cunning, I’d say,' suddenly spoke the hat. The girl frowned, looking up at it 'I am not cunning, nor stressed. And, besides, it’s just a small drop of blood, nothing important.' The girl pouted, trying to minimize her pain. 'Ah!Just like your father! He never put himself, or his well-being, first. Always tending to other people’s wounds, he was willing to sacrifice himself for his family!' . 'You knew my father?' exclaimed the girl, surprised. 'One of the bravest Hufflepuffs I’ve ever met. Sometimes I still think that I could’ve easily placed him into Griffindor, he fit so well with the others! And now, you are here too, with the same brave, golden heart. I can feel you are as mischievous as him, too! Maybe this is the destiny, following your father’s path into the Griffindor, where he truly wanted to be.' At the words of the hat, Heather gulped. She always wanted, or thought she wanted, to live the life her father desired to live. And she knew that he, although loved being a Hufflepuff, secretly regretted that he wasn’t a Gryffindor. Now it was her chance to live his dream, but why did she feel uneasy then? It was because she did not want to follow a pre-made life. She wanted to create her own path, to make her own choices, to be able to freely express herself! She wanted to feel the excitement and the thrill of the unknown. She wanted to be the one who wrote her story.

Hearing her thoughts, the hat laughed. 'It seems like every time I am thinking about sorting one of you into the Griffindor, you and your kind prove me wrong! If I was unsure back then, now I have no doubts. You are an old soul, who forgot how to truly enjoy the small things in life. You need to regain your spirit, and for that, you need to create and to learn. Thus, you belong into Ravenclaw!'
As the girl stood up and went to the Ravenclaw’s table, she felt tears at the corner of her eyes, the hat’s words ringing into her ears. How could she learn to live? And more importantly, why? She was perfect just the way she was….
As people greeted her, she quickly swallowed the sob forming into her throat, and the one thing she was good at: she smiled.

Stumbling through the hall with her eyes practically glued to the ceiling, Sylvie was starstruck. She'd never seen anything like this before. She thought that running through a wall and popping out at a completely different location was amazing enough, and the fact that she had her very own wand to do magic with... unbelievable! But this... this was something else. Sylvie had no idea what the other students were gossiping about, excitedly swapping their hopes for what 'house' they'd be in. Sylvie almost wished she hadn't slept through the entire train ride and had actually socialised so she'd have some idea of what was happening- almost. It was a good nap, my dude.

Sylvie tried listening to the Sorting Hat's song, but she wasn't sure how much of it was facts and how much was just speaking in rhymes and colloquialisms she had no chance of understanding. She did, however, pay close attention to how each 'house' was described - Gryffindor was brave, Hufflepuff was loyal, Slytherin was cunning and Ravenclaw... was the studious one.

Sylvie groaned internally as she heard that. All of her life, she had been sorted into classes based on grades and study habits, no matter where her friends were or where she thought she would fit in. But as the ceremony started, Sylvie was taken aback as students were called up one by one and the hat seemed to... read their thoughts? It seemed like the houses weren't based on grades, but on personalities, on moral alignments and - something else she couldn't quite place. Maybe potential wasn't the right word for it, but it was the closest one she could think of right now.

All of a sudden-

"Sylvie Kang!"

She suddenly felt like her legs were made of lead. Sylvie trod over to the Sorting Hat with the sudden realisation that the results of its decision would decide how the rest of her life at Hogwarts - the beginning of her life as a witch - would go... and she didn't even know what the results of that decision would be! Sylvie had never been so under-prepared for a test - but maybe this wasn't a test at all.

The hat was plonked onto her head and suddenly all she could think about was her friends back home - she was leaving a whole world behind. They could never know about any of the things that had happened today, or any day following that... she'd have to lie, to make up stories and-

"Hmm... most Muggleborns are confused while getting sorted... But instead of being afraid, you're worried about your friends..." Sylvie was surprised; she hadn't been able to hear what the hat had been saying to the other kids. But he was right - she was thinking of her friends. Wouldn't anyone, though? "You expect everyone else to care as much as you do... a bit dim for someone so academically bright..." It was like she was listening to and ignoring the Hat at the same time, on two different wavelengths of thinking that she was paying equal attention to. At least she had her best friend who had come to Hogwarts too, right? "Loyal but careless... Fair to everyone but yourself... you're an easy one."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sylvie almost melted with relief at the Sorting being over, sliding off the chair before bolting to her brand-new, yellow-wearing housemates. She felt an odd sense of belonging, now. Her previous worries were gone - it was like she finally had a place to fit in, and the comfort that came with that let her analyse her problems more carefully. The problems were still problems, of course, but they were a lot easier to digest with the proper mindset and community. Plus, there was food at this table.

Lydia was so nervous, probably the more nervous she had ever been in her eleven years.

Everything had changed since she got her Hogwarts letter, and now that she was there she still could not believe it. She was a witch!

As she listened to the Sorting Hat talk she wondered in which of the houses she would have been sorted in.

She would have loved to be in Ravenclaw, she had read that the people that where from there were extremely smart and willing to study hard; Gryffindor wouldn’t have been bad either, and neither Hufflepuff. If she was honest with herself, even Slytherin would have been a great honour, even if Lydia was a little scared of the people from that house, since she had read that most of the evil wizards and witches came from there.

But all in all, she was just excited to know what her future awaited for her.

When her name got called she slowly made her way towards the Hat, feeling a lot of eyes on her. The Sorting Hat took its time wondering where to put her, seeing very valuable qualities in her that would have made her perfect for all of the houses.

But in the end it made its decision.
She would have been an Hufflepuff!

Colt was feeling anxious, because he part of him is saying that he is not going to make the house he wants (which was Ravenclaw) but the other part of him felt all of the eyes of the hundreds possibly thousand people that were waiting for the sorting ceremony to start, staring at him and the rest of this group. But through all of the nervousness, he smiled, the most determined smile he has ever done in his life. What was he smiling for? people might have asked, well he was determined to get Ravenclaw and have the best future possible.  After a while, the crowd started to seem like they were looking at the group of first years. But he tried not to be overwhelmed by the people in here but when he looked behind him, Not a single human in this room was staring at them. and besides, there was a huge (or what he thought was huge) group of first years just standing here, waiting, waiting for the ceremony to start. After a while of talking, the sorting hat got everyone's attention and started to sort people out "Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff......." And it went on and on until it got to Colt. This is the moment that will decide all the people he will meet, who his peers will be and pretty much almost everything. He walked up thought stares with a rarely fast heartbeat. After what seemed forever it stopped talking to say his house then it shouted "RAVENCLAW" 
Then he went walking really fast to his table. He actually got the house he wanted. Now all that was left was to wait for the ceremony to end and meet all of the new faces.