Sorting Ceremony 2019-2020 Archived

"Lilia Winfrey!"

Lilia jerked her head to the side, her eyes shooting towards the very front of the Great Hall, where the Sorting Hat sat on a high stool. A lump formed in the pit of her throat, making her gulp nervously as she stood up and slowly fell into a steady lumber. She headed down the slim aisle in between the four tables, her small palms smoothing out the fabric of her robe.

It wasn't often that Lilia felt this nervous, but the fact that she, a Muggle-born, was entering her first year of the infamous School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, and had the entire school stare at her as she made her way up there to meet her fate, was a good enough excuse in her eyes. Lilia struggled to keep her head up, but she didn't let the pressure frighten her.

Upon taking a seat on the stool, Lilia took a deep breath; this was the first time, in her entire life, for her to be so far away from her parents, from home. It was terrifying, and Lilia wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. But deep down, this felt right. This wasn't just another coincidental adventure of a curious young girl; it meant the beginning of her life-long journey. She was promised to the magical world the day she was born, and it was time to fulfill her destiny alongside everybody in Hogwarts.

Lilia felt the weight of the Sorting Hat as it came down onto her head, her sterling grey eyes growing wider the moment she heard it ponder out loud.

"Hmm... Lilia Winfrey..." The Sorting Hat begun, making Lilia shift in her seat. "You are a tricky one... I see, you value hard work, the potential, the ambition..." The Sorting Hat paused, and Lilia felt her heart skip a beat. "You are courageous... yes, truly brave at heart."

Lilia wasn't familiar with the histories of the four houses, but she has heard rumors. Perhaps she had the right to wish for something, but she knew the Hat would eventually send her down the path of fate.

"Perhaps... ah, of course..." The Hat spoke again, "Gryffindor!"

Lilia let out a deep breath, one she's been holding in this entire time. In hurry, she slid off of the stool and joined her new Hogwarts family, at the Gryffindor table.

With a big smile dancing across her lips, Lilia greeted the few members of Gryffindor surrounding her, and watched the rest of the ceremony, until it was time to leave and discover her new home.

A barely audible laugh escaped Hanako's mouth as he watched, amused by frightened students around him. The ones that looked confident or sleepy bored him, so instead, he directed his attention to the scared ones.

How tiring it must feel to be anxious about the house a hat will choose for you. It's just a hideous hat choosing your house and permanent home here until they graduate.

Even the ones that looked like they're new to this magic stuff. ' Hey dude, chill out it's just a hat. I don't understand why you're acting like you don't deserve to be here ' was what he wanted to say.

Did they think the hat was going to send them back? That this was all a dream? They had too much time for that after they received their acceptance letter. Hell, he got over it himself after a week or two.

It's a fact that Hanako was way more intelligent than most of the people around him. There was nothing to do about it but feel sorry for everyone else for not being him.

He was thinking all this while his own hands trembled behind his long robes.

" Tone, Hanako! "

He didn't even get to judge the teachers yet. With a confident smile, he pranced towards the stool, convincing himself his legs definitely are not shaking.

Feeling the hat placed on his head, he understood that he underestimated how ugly it is.

' You do know I can place you in the house you most despise for that comment alone? '

' Ah! And the ugly one speaks! Truly a magical world we live in. Unfortunately for you, I don't have a house I hate. Nice try. Put me with the people-pleasing Hufflepuffs, constantly screaming Gryffindors, no-life-outside-studying Ravenclaws or the ' give me what I want or die' Slytherins. I bet you ten galleons I'll be popular in any house you put me in '

' Do I dare hope it's the kind of popular where you'll be surrounded by people who care about you? '

' No, you should not dare to assume that for the sake of your heart, Mr. Sorting Hat. If you physically have one, of course '

Hanako felt the hat shifted low as if he sighed.

' I would comment on your ego but that is not my job to do so '

' I like to call is self-confidence, but I agree. Please sort me in nicely. And take all the time you need, as this seat is rather comfortable I will not complain about the time taken I assure you.'

' Despite how fast your heart is beating right now? '

' No one asked you to comment on that Mr. Sorting Hat. Now please, forgive my harsh words but; chop chop '

The hat emitted a light chuckle.

' This is certainly a refreshing change from your mother. Despite being her character, she's more than your grandmother had hoped for in a Tone '

Hanako allowed the sudden discomfort having someone into your thoughts sink in.

' Oh, what's this? Suddenly aware of how I am basically in your head? Uncomfortable isn't it? I have the wisdom of the founders right here in my raggy hat. Although I may not know your history, I'm enough aware of what made you, you. And I do understand your hatred for your family. The one in Japan of course. Lots tend to value ones individual thoughts until another interrupts '

He let out another chuckle that Hanako insisted he not to hear again.

' Very well, we shall continue. I must say it's quite a challenge. As you said, you will fit in all the houses nicely. There is no lie in that. But let me state the problems you have with each house first...'

The hat paused for a second

' Gryffindor. You have quite a loudmouth and courage. But I sense your hobby of running away. Courage has a limit, that applies to you too. '

' Ravenclaw. You're scoring a lot with rationality, but no motivation. You do not seek knowledge, you wait for it to fly upon your lap.

' Hufflepuff. Hmm...' another pause ' Tell me, Tome, why must you hide your kindness? You're reason? You seem to find joy in other's happiness. Will go out your way to make smiles appear. Yet, hiding? Why wou- Tome I can sense you trying to block your thoughts with a serene photo of a meadow. Please stop it doesn't work that way '

' I gave it a shot '

' Your resistance to share has told me enough. Slytherin, your independence shares a great fit in this house. Giving everyone the false sense that you trust them for personal gain? How very Slytherin of you '

' Why how very swe-'

' But your lack of ambition prevents you from being a perfect fit. It's so low it reminds me of a deadbeat in their 30's '

' You can't just expect me to know what I want to be! I'm only 11! '

' Ambition is not only about being what you want to be, Tone. The length you're willing to go through for your goals. The passion you put something. That is true ambition. And you lack it, am I wrong? '

Knowing Hanako wasn' going to retort, the hat sighed.

' Well then, I enjoyed our banter while it lasted but I have other students to sort. While you do fit in all the houses, I believe the one you can connect to once you've put down all your barriers is...

SLYTHERIN! '

After careful consideration, Cyprian decided he wanted to be in Slytherin or Ravenclaw. He was very studious and enjoyed learning, which both houses encouraged. He shuffled his feet as names were called. The group thinned out, and he was left standing with two other students. After another name called, it was only him and another brown-haired girl. Another name called, and he shuffled his feet again, being the last first year to be called.

Time seemed to stop as his name was called, "Zacharia, Cyprian!" He quietly made his way to the front, making sure to hold his head high. He deserved this more than some of these other kids, after all.

"Interesting," the hat said, startling Cyprian, "there are a couple houses you would fit well into... you certainly have the attitude of a Gryffindor.

"Please, no," he thought, "Ravenclaw or Slytherin please."

The hat chuckled, "Why does everyone try to argue with me? I think I know where you belong."

Cyprian closed his eyes and hoped. Gryffindors were, in his opinion, selfish and impulsive. Hufflepuffs... well, he'd just rather not face his father as a member of Hufflepuff house.

"Slytherin!"

He let out a sigh of relief. It took him a second to recognize the cheering from the green table. He let himself smile, knowing that this was where he was supposed to be.

Kris determinedly tried to ignore the way her heart seemed to skip every few beats in her chest. Though her face betrayed nothing, she could feel the unadulterated apprehension that quickly seeped into the crowd of children as they murmured and shifted restlessly. She stole a quick glance at her brother at the Slytherin table and met his gaze, but he quickly looked away, more interested in looking cool with his 4th year friends than offering any kind of reassurance. She scowled at him.

Logically, she knew there wasn't anything to be afraid of. All she had to do was put on the hat and let it decide. This process was entirely out of her control and there wasn't any particular house she was hoping for so there really was no use in worrying about it, but still- this moment would define the next 7 years of her life. Her friends, her classmates, her teachers, where she ate, where she slept, how people treated her. So much rested on this moment and- oh Merlin, her surname started with an A. She would be one of the first ones called.

She watched the first few kids get sorted the way the large, floppy brim would cover most of their faces obscuring the rest of the world from what she felt, really, should be a private moment. Then, after a moment or several, the hat would call out a house and there would be a polite round of applause as the professor lifted the hat off their head, revealing a face or relief, surprise and sometimes disappointment. The kid would then scurry off to their family for the better part of a decade.

"Ang, Kris!"

She swallowed quietly and stiffly made her way up to the stool. One more time, she glanced at her brother, who had a strange expression on his face, before the hat came upon her head and veiled the Great Hall from view.

Hello there, little one, a voice resonated within her head and she nearly fell jumped off the stool.

Hi? Kris thought unsurely.

Let's see what we have here, the hat continued. Yes, you have a certain loyal streak about you. You'd go far for the ones you love.

Does that make me a Hufflepuff? Kris thought curiously.

Not at all. You'd cross lines a Hufflepuff wouldn't.

Then that sounds like Slytherin. Or Gryffindor, she added as an afterthought.

Well, you're not a Gryffindor either. You're certainly brave but you're not strictly chivalrous. You'd do well in Slytherin, though. You're ambitious but more cunning than you realize. And you'd do well in Ravenclaw. You've sought knowledge of your passions steadfastly and see the world with an open mind. You'd become a great witch in either house.

When the hat said Slytherin, she thought of her brother- the boy she grew up idolizing, running after, spending her days playing with. Slytherin wouldn't be so bad if it were with him.

But it's not about him, is it? the hat said firmly, though not unkindly.

No it's not, she agreed. And there's no use in being cunning if everyone knows you are. I want to be in Ravenclaw.

If your choice didn't convince me, then your last comment did. Certainly witty aren't you, Miss Ang? I do agree with your choice, though so-

"RAVENCLAW"

Kris nearly jumped again when the hat suddenly bellowed and she immediately wanted to look at her brother. Instead, she raked her eyes along the table of blue and bronze, all excited clapping and welcoming faces, and allowed herself a small smile. It was only after she handed the hat back to the professor and immediately hurried to go join her housemates at the table that she finally looked at him.

The strange expression from before was gone and there was a glint in his eyes and a smirk playing across his mouth. It was a look of clear and pure pride. And Kris knew she made the right decision.

Percival felt as if his stomach was turning, as he and the other first years where shepherded to the empty benches at the front of the Great Hall. Just like his peers, he was completely enchanted by the scene before them. The entire hall was lit by thousands of floating candles. The candles reminded Percival of twinkling stars. Thousands of eyes focused on the group of first-years as they made their way up towards the front.

Once they arrived at the front, his eyes fell on the rather large sorting hat. The boy's nerves spiked up once again as he debated on where he would be sorted. Percival's family had always been split among the houses. His father was a Gryffindor, his mother a Ravenclaw, his uncle Slytherin, and his two eldest brothers were placed in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. The boy had no clue where he would end up, but he decided to let the Sorting Hat deal with figuring it out. Though for what it was worth, he hoped he would be in Slytherin like his uncle. He idolized the man and hoped to become just like him when he was older.

As the headmaster began to call out names, Percival waited patiently knowing his name wouldn't be called soon, due to his last name starting with an 'R'. The boy felt like he was going to fall asleep standing up when he realized they had only gotten to the names with 'M'. Focusing on the aesthetic nature of the Great Hall he began to lose focus on the time.

Suddenly, he was broken from his pondering when the headmaster called his name:

“Rainwood, Percival!"

Percival grinned before he opened his mouth to say, “Here". The boy pushed his way to the front with little care about bumping the other students. Sitting on the stool, he stared out at the sea of faces as they watched the ceremony start. The hat was placed on top of his head, and he remarked on how it felt heavier than he thought it would.

The boy's eyes widened as the hat began to speak. At first, he couldn't exactly understand the hats musings, but it soon started to talk at him.

"Headstrong."
"Ambitious"
"You seek power."

“Well,” it started "This is fairly easy..."

"Slytherin!"

The hat was yanked off of his head and he quickly looked towards the table full of cheering Slytherin's. The boy was quick to jump up and take his place with his new home.

Althea looked around uncomfortably at the crowd surrounding her as the Sorting Ceremony continued. She disliked tight spaces and crowds, especially since she grew up with an Asian parent that had many disease outbreaks on their side. Althea was trying to take in deep breaths when she heard....

"Valeden, Althea!"

Althea flinched at the sound of her name being called, not used to such loud noises. She looked towards the stage and started shoving her way through the huge mob of students. Once she got to the stool, Althea nervously plopped down on the chair and the hat was placed on her head.

She shifted uncomfortably as the hat began stirring to life. Althea wanted to be like her father, who was in Ravenclaw.

"Valeden, hm? That name sounds so familiar....Ah, yes. Your father is Leo Valeden, correct? I sorted him into Ravenclaw. Full of wisdom, that boy. " The hat spoke with its husky voice.

Althea nodded at the words, feeling a bit awkward as the hat spoke about her father. She was a bit startled when the hat started 'talking', but she managed to keep her composure. 'Telepathy, perhaps?' Althea thought to herself.

"An observant and sharp girl, I see. Your father was an easy one, but you are a difficult child indeed..."

"Full of potential, but clouded with insecurity."

"Intelligent, but lacks the ability to think out of the box..."

"Filled with loyalty and determination, I see..."

At this point, Althea felt her anxiety spike through the roof of the Great Hall. Back and forth, the sorting hat went, and it still has not reached its conclusion after three minutes! Her father got off in one minute, no questions asked.

"Your thoughts run wild, but do not fret, for I have reached my conclusion."

"You will not truly shine in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, but I see a different future for you in...."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Althea gulped and looked towards the cheering, Hufflepuff table. She was nervous. Her father's side never had a Hufflepuff member before.

Just as Althea was about to take off the sorting hat and scurry off, the hat spoke once more.

"You have cold hands, Valeden, but have a warm heart. You shall meet your full potential in your new house."

With those last words, Althea gathered the strength to pull the hat off of her head and walk to the Hufflepuff table with composure. She was glad that it was over, but she was a bit upset that she did not get into the same house as her father. But, Althea knew the Sorting Hat had its reasons, so she decided to push her doubts aside for now. She took the seat furthest away from the Hufflepuffs and watched as the other first-years get sorted into their respective houses.

Shae bit her lip when she knew it was coming. Her name was going to be called soon and she'd have to get up there in front of everyone.
"Winters, Shae"
She could barely remember it happening, but she made her way to the front to have the hat placed on her head. Shae was nervous, more nervous than anything she could have ever been. The sounds of everyone in the Great hall was dulled by the annoyingly loud thudding that was happening in Shae's chest. She sat down and felt the hat on her head. So many people looking at her. She didn't know what to do. With her mind racing, she couldn't hear the hat talking to her. Shae's thought were muddied by her nerves and fear. She wasn't concerned which house she'd be in, she honestly didn't care. She knew she probably would have trouble fitting in anywhere, might as well toss a coin and decide for all Shae cared. She vaguely heard words about wisdom and something about learning. Then she heard it:
"Ravenclaw!"
A feeling of relief washed over Shae as she took off the hat and started to walk to her table. She was glad to be out of the spotlight and her thoughts began to clear as she sat down and sighed.

All through the journey to Hogwarts-- the train, the boats, the walk into the great hall-- all of it was a blur to him. Flash didn't know why he was so nervous, when he should have been excited. He had been nothing but a pest to his family when he would talk about nothing else. He never saw his older brothers anymore, so he couldn't ask them about their time there, and he had to be tactful around his squib older sister or his mum would certainly smack the tact into him.

It was the anticipation of this moment, he concluded, that had made the time before it so foggy. It was during the entrance ceremony that it would be decided which house he would live in for seven years to come. Regardless of his enthusiasm for research into the houses, he was at the mercy of magic to delegate his future. Whichever house he landed in would influence a lot about his growth from then on, as he would need to be a prime example of whatever virtues that house extolled. It was silly to think, but... ideally, it would be a house one already fit into. It was a thought that he scarcely wanted to entertain: Did he really 'belong' anywhere?

His brothers had been in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor so far, so there wasn't much of a precedent. All the houses were respectable, so he had no preference either. That is, besides a small bias. When reading into them, he was attracted to the words he saw listed in the virtues of Slytherin. Ambition, for one, was something that sparked a reaction in him. To be surrounded by ambitious people would certainly be motivating. People who wanted more, people who were reaching up for higher ground... were those people like him?

"Demetrius Holmwood!"

The words almost didn't illicit a response from him before he hastily shot up amidst some trickling giggles around him. Hadn't he tried his hardest to tell the staff the name he preferred? He rushed up to the stool where the large hat was placed on his head.

This is an easy one, it can only be--

"Slytherin!" A voice rang out, with small cheers from the Slytherin table accompanying it.

An easy one? If only it were so easy to come to a decision. At least one thing was finally clear: the path had been laid out. He walked to the Slytherin table with his nerves having been mostly calmed. He is a Syltherin. A tiny part of his identity had been carved into stone, for all to know. That brought him some comfort.

Kevin was nervous.

That was normal though, wasn’t it? Somewhere between the train and the boats, that excitement he had felt on the train had turned into a nerves, wringing and twisting in his stomach. It only served to get worse when he had overheard a few students asking about sorting and what house they thought they were going to get. Both of his parents had been Gryffindor and Slytherin. His grandparents having been purely Hufflepuff. He had been reassured, the night before leaving, that no matter what house his got his parents would be proud.

The reassuring statement didn’t really ease the tension in his shoulders. Nor did it do much when he walked into the Great Hall, paired with some random other student. He wondered who he would get sorted with. He was a nice person, his parents having taught him that everyone is equal no matter blood status. Still, every once and a while, people with blood purity in their mind would pop up with all of their bigoted-ness.

Kevin looked up when they had stopped, taking in a large colorful ceiling with great interest before names had started to be called. A girl named Shae, and a boy named Demetrius. Other students had gotten called as well. The boy he had been partnered with, as well as the girl who had been laughing way too loudly on the train.

“Kevin O’Reilly. Please step forward.”

Kevin almost short circuited. It was his turn to walk up and get sorted. Don’t fall. Don’t fall Kevin repeated in his mind, shyly going up to sit on the stool, blinking when the large hat had been placed on his head.

Well, well. I see we have another O’Reilly. I sorted your father. However, I see you are a mix of your mother’s traits. Where to put you...

Kevin almost flinched when the hat opened it’s mouth, “Better be... RAVENCLAW!” Kevin’s smile was wide then, nerves vanishing into something similar to relief. He was a Ravenclaw. He would have to owl his parents and let them know. Hopping off the stool, and handing the hat back. Kevin quickly made his way to his table filled with a small sea of blue. This was home, now. He didn’t think he was going to mind at all.

Jacob knew it was almost time for him to get sorted into his house so when the Headmaster called "Harman, Jacob." he walked up to the sorting hat, he sat down as the sorting hat was placed on his head, he was nervous, but he knew had had to be brave, just like his father was when he was sorted. His mother was trying to be smart when she got sorted into her house, he can only hope his cousin was in Gryffindor when he gets sorted. "Hm, difficult, very difficult, where to put you." the sorting hat says pondering on Jacob and, he wonders what house his sister would be in and wonders if she will have any friends just like he will if he doesn't get expelled on the first year. The sorting hat sees his bravery, and his entire personality. The other students watch as the sorting hat decides on which house Jacob will be sorted into. Jacob then begins to panic will the hat stall on him or will it decide before that he begins to get annoyed, finally after sometime had passed the hat finally screamed "GRYFFINDOR." Jacob then sprinted to the Gryffindor table as if it was the happiest moment of his life, he didn't know what the future would bring and that was perfect.