Sorting Ceremony 2019-2020 Archived

There it was - the moment she was so excited about.

Sakura was standing in the Great Hall, waiting for her turn at the Sorting Ceremony. She was completely fascinated by the extraordinary size and magnificence of the place. All those floating candles and lively portraits, the students she had never met before and the enchanting atmosphere she felt in this room. Her brother Ren was in Slytherin, while Hiro was in Gryffindor, so she felt more attached to these two houses in particular, as they both told her about the awesome people they met and the beautiful cozy common rooms. No matter what, she was completely sure that whichever house she gets sorted into, she will soon think of this school as a home.

"Sakura Chalston!"

Her heart immediately started beating a bit faster as soon as she heard her name being called. She then slowly walked up to the Sorting Hat and sat down on the chair. It wasn't long until she heard the Hat speak to her.

"Ahh, you're certainly an interesting one... with a great need for loyalty and friendship, you would definitely make a proper Hufflepuff.."
Sakura sighed quietly. It really wasn't that she thought Hufflepuffs weren't any good, far from it actually, but she would be a bit disappointed to end up there.. She was hoping for either Slytherin or Gryffindor. She was sure her Slytherin traits would outweigh during the Sorting Process, she wasn't even sure if she was a brave person at all... but Gryffindor was so cool, she just loved it.

"What's that? You're not a big fan of the kindest house at Hogwarts? Not something I often get to see. Well then, no worries, you could definitely make a great Slytherin with your competitiveness and desire for success. But there's something else in your heart... who would have thought that you hold so much courage inside you." Sakura let out a shaky breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. She hadn't thought she would actually get so nervous.


"GRYFFINDOR!"

She smiled in relief and quickly walked to the red decorated table as the students cheered and welcomed her. She saw Hiro smile at her encouragingly.
Still wondering why she is suited for the house of bravery, she tried to remember this moment as vividly as possible. This event was most definitely something she would later write in her diary about.
Once she calmed herself down a bit, she looked at the remaining first year students who were still waiting to be sorted. She found her brother Kai, who was just about to go up. He seemed even more nervous than she was. It took quite some time for the Hat to say anything out loud, but then... "RAVENCLAW!" "Of course," she thought, "a guy like him must be highly intelligent and creative." She had high hopes that Kai would end up in the same house as her, but knowing his personality it made much more sense for him to be in Ravenclaw. She then stopped thinking about all the what-ifs and just relaxed, enjoying the cheerful Gyffindor spirit that surrounded her at the table.

Evie looked around when her name was called and boldly strolled up to the Sorting Hat and sat down. She was ready. She just knew she would be in Slyth-"GRYFFINOR!!!!" Evie hid her shock and stood up as she heard the Gryffindor table erupt in applause. 'Gryffindor? I was sure I would be placed in Slytherin' Evie thought as she went and sat at the Gryffindor table in between a mousy brown haired girl and a boy with hair as black as night. Evie sighed and thought to herself 'Well, can't change it now. The Sorting Hat never makes a mistake. My family won't be happy, but I'm at Hogwarts! I have no reason to care if they are upset!' She smiled and tried to make conversation, but got drowned out by the Sorting Hat. She decided to just sit there until someone made conversation with her. Evie was very friendly, but had major problems initiating conversation.

Evie smiled as the last of the first years were sorted and the Headmaster said a few words and the feast started. Evie's eyes grew big, as she didn't realize she hadn't eaten since before the train ride. Looking at the food, she grabbed some roast, mashed potatoes, and some corn and dug in. She took a sip out of her goblet and smiled as it was her favorite drink, Butterbeer mixed with some Pumpkin Juice. As people were talking, she would nod and listen to them, getting a few laughs as jokes were made. She finally felt happy. This year would be a marvelous one.

Here she was. This was it - the culmination of three months of constant rowing and then dark moods that hung over her house. The Sorting Ceremony for her first year of magic school. All Summer long, since she had received her letter and determined that she absolutely was going regardless of her mum's consternations and eruptions, this was the thing she was most excited about. Determining her fate and discovering where she would find her new best friends. An only child, she was often a lonely child, much to her chagrin, though she endeavoured to find local children to hang about with. She was never the most popular kid, somewhat gawky and short, she didn't exactly fit in with the kids in her neighbourhood though it wasn't for lack of trying. She shared her sweets, her newest toys and her home but received nothing in return. No invites to play at theirs, no shared foods or resources. It was exhausting making herself so readily available to an audience of takers.

Now it was here though, anxiety tore away at her, leaving her with more questions than answers. What if she wasn't accepted here either? What if the Hat couldn't sort her? What if she somehow failed the Sorting? Although her dad was a wizard, he was a poor excuse for one. He was very vague and aloof about the entire process and indeed his time at school. He had somehow scraped through his OWLs and flunked out before NEWTs came around. His spell casting was weak, notably made moreso by her mother's inherent dislike of anything magical. The fact that he was so terrible at performing only endeared him to her and stood him in good stead with her. Not so his eager daughter who wanted to soak up every detail possible about the place she hoped would become a second home.

Walking up to the stool she took a seat and waited. Was there going to be an internal probe? Would it hurt? Nobody before her had cried out in pain, which led her to believe it was relatively painless. And then she heard the musing voice deliberating where to put her, acting as though it knew her on anything more than a surface level. She mused that perhaps it could ascertain her traits and morals at a glance, but people were inherently more layered and complex than the sum of their parts. The fact that she wasn't remotely academic, for instance, did not mean she lacked brains, more that she put them to good use doing non-schoolwork related activities! She wasn't sure if a simple hat was going to be able to adeptly decipher through her mind of whirring thoughts. Indeed it seemed a lengthy debate which gave her some relief. She wanted to present difficulties to know she was properly considered and not palmed off to the House that needed more new students!

HUFFLEPUFF.

She got up and began the walk to the table before another student reminded her to return the hat to the stool first. "So sorry! Pardon me. Terrible mistake. Never done this before. It's my first time." she rambled stupidly, little considering that all the First Years were in the same boat and none of them had experienced this before. Her cheeks rouged and grew hot under the watchful gaze of her new Housemates, leaving the newest Hufflepuff more than a little embarrassed. Ordinarily she would force out a laugh and ride out the ridicule, but Liv painted on a broad grin and took a seat at the table. "Liv Hartley, new Hufflepuff student and resident hat stea--borrower!" she swiftly introduced before turning back to the other students awaiting their turn. "Look, that girl looks like she knows what she's doing! I wonder where she'll end up? Hopefully she remembers to give the hat back!"

Charlie Cutting couldn't help but to keep his eyes on the candles floating high above him. From the moment the doors first opened, they traveled upwards, initially due to taking in the sheer height of the room, but as the individual soft glows caught his attention, his eyes widened, fixated upon them. He had only known of the existence of magic for a few short months, and every display of it had filled him with awe from the beginning. Would he ever get used to it? Perhaps with time, as all people eventually become accustomed to their environment, but for how long would he have to wait? And were any of the new students around him as amazed as he was?

An old hat upon a stool, it was the first thing that broke his fixation on the candles, not because of the hat itself, but because of what it did. This was no ordinary hat at all. It was singing. A singing hat... how could his attention not move to it?

So this was the moment he had heard spoken of on the train: the Sorting. The moment when the students would be separated into four houses. One by one he watched as student after student was called forth to put the hat on their head, and one by one he heard the hat speak aloud the name of their house.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

He heard it exclaim as a blond girl rose from the stool, put the hat back - eventually - and joined a table full of students with yellow-trimmed cloaks. They looked friendly, happy to welcome their newest member. Charlie wondered if he might belong with them, and if not, if the students of whichever house would welcome him just as eagerly.

"Charles Cutting!"

His eyes widened. It was his turn. Charlie slipped through a few students standing in front of him, inching his way toward the stool. He sat down, and as the hat sat on his head, for a moment he wondered... On the day his letter had been delivered, the day he first learned of magic, his sisters refused to believe it, believing it was all just another practical joke. But for the briefest of moments, Charlie began to wonder the same thing. Would he sit on the stool for a few minutes, waiting for an announcement that would never come? Would his sisters pop up and tell him that this had been their revenge for years of pranks? If this was in fact a prank, it certainly was a good one, the prank to end all pranks. He'd surely have to hang up his hat if so...

"Well, well... What do we have here?" It came from that hat, the same hat that had been singing was now speaking. No way Becca and Emily could pull that off. It was real.

The hat continued, speaking of cleverness and creativity. And while he certain had been creative with his pranks throughout the years, he hardly thought of himself as clever. He had always struggled at his old school, his muggle school, as he had learned was the word. Maths, History... it wasn't as though he were stupid, just... not up to par with his peers, certainly not where his parents had wanted him to be. But he always tried at least. He spent most of his brain power on schemes and stunts instead though, and boy did he know plenty about those.

"RAVENCLAW"

The hat shouted suddenly, alerting Charlie, who had become lost in thought, thinking of how magic might aid his future antics. A table full of students with blue trimmed robes began to applaud as he took the hat off, identifying themselves as his new home.

"Uhh... hey, I'm Charlie," he said to the first Ravenclaw student who greeted him.

Cleverness... no one had ever used the word to describe Charlie Cutting before, but perhaps one day, he just could be.

It was just like he was in a marvelous dream.

When the grand and overbearing castle had appeared before them as they turned slightly on the small rickety boats, a silent hush had fallen over the incoming first years, and the majesty of the moment made them feel awash with splendor and expectation. Shen was not an exception, knowing what would happen and seeing pictures would have never prepared him for this moment. The rush of nerves and endorphins making his entire body seem to tingle, and the nerves he thought he was in control of immediately made him jittery, his palms sweating, and his eyes ablaze with wonder.

The sorting had been as he had imagined. He had been waiting in line for had seemed to be eons watching the students ahead of him get called one by one, hearing their house being screamed, and their nervous figures running towards their house. The old sorting hat which sat on that small rickety stool had eclipsed his vision as it dropped atop his head, shielding his vision of the hundreds if not thousands of floating candles and the mass of students that stared at him. The sorting hat had murmured nonstop about his inviolable pursuit for perfection, talk about being redundant, it was telling him what he knew, but there was something nice about having what he knew blatantly justified by someone or something on this case else.

"SLYTHERIN," had been yelled from the hat before he even had a moment to himself, and in that instant nothing else would have mattered to him, the world could have ended and he would have been satisfied. He had made it into the greatest house, and upheld his parent's beliefs in him, and his future was unfolding like a book where every ending would have been possible.Trembling with excitement, he had nearly torn the sorting hat off his head, "Be careful won't ya", calmed his nerves, and after lightly fixing the creases on his cloak, he made his way to the Slytherin table. Finding himself a seat in the ocean of students that had swarmed him as he made his way there, he finally turned his eyes back towards the headmaster, and with all the might his small frame could muster, yelled as loudly as he could inwardly.

It was time to make a difference, and to make some friends.

Christine shook with nervousness. She knew this moment was inevitable, but she wasn't ready for it to come so soon. She stood in the cluster of first-year students and waited for her name to be called. She stood patiently while last names A through E were called, but she got nervous when last named beginning with F were called. Eventually, "Garbett, Alexander," was called and Christine instantly knew she was next. She took a deep breath as Alexander Garbett was sorted into house Hufflepuff. 

"Garner, Christine," the professor called. Suddenly, the floating candles became very interesting as Christine ignored her name. Again, the professor called, "Garner, Christine." This time, Christine timidly walked up to the podium and took a seat on the stool.

Gently, the sorting hat was placed on Christine's head. The one thing Christine wanted most in life was to be sorted into Ravenclaw, just like her father. As she sat on the stool, she tried to think of the most Ravenclaw things she had ever done. She thought Ravenclaw-ish thoughts. She tried her hardest to think Ravenclaw thoughts. Suddenly, the hat spoke. "Hmmm..." it said. "I see... This one longs to be in Ravenclaw. I see intelligence, but I also see bravery." Christine groaned. She knew exactly what was about to happen. "GRYFFINDOR!" Christine sulked away to the Gryffindor table, when the hat was pulled off her head.

Lilia was admittedly nervous arriving at Hogwarts, she had heard of wonderful things; tales of feasts, classes that were only found in that of dreams, the greatest adventures that Lilia could go on. However, there was always that small feeling of dread in Lilia's mind, the feeling that she wouldn't fit in or make any friends. She had her first magical experience at the age of 5 but nothing since, what if the Sorting Hat took one look at her and just decided she shouldn't be in any house. Imagine the shame of not being sorted, had it ever happened?

The girl had always been shy but had a fiery streak to her should one awaken it but still she cowered at the back of the first years as they made their collective way into the Great Hall. She could see students eyes on her, beady and unwavering but as she looked closer she saw no malice. Come on Lilia you can do this, it's just a hat. The girl stared back in definance, she was not scared anymore. Some time had passed with students being sorted into their corresponding houses; Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Lilia's parents had both gone to Durmstrang where the housing system was different, so that wasn't much help to her. If she were completely honest, Lilia had no clue what house she would be in; Slytherin seemed a likely outcome due to her cunniness. However she had a loyal streak as well as the reckless atribute that came out too often for Lilia's parents liking!

"Eilertsen, Lilia." It was her turn, she thought she would be a mess but in reality she was the opposite. Calm and collected she made her way to the hat and smiled softly to herself as the worn object was placed on her petitie head. There was no point stressing, she told herself. The choice was completely out of her own hands. "Why hello, there's no need to be shy, let me in and I'll find where you belong. I see kindness and loyalty but also a true cunning nature. I also see a lot bravery and a positive recklessness that I hope will shine through." Lilia was a bit confused, what house did that make her? "Gryffindor!"

Lilia was a bit shocked, she hadn't expected Gryffindor. However the more she thought of it, the more she understood. Whilst she was shy at first, she could extremely brave especially in unpleasant situations. There were claps in the hall and Lilia was brought back to attention. She quickly made her way to the Gryffindor table and sat down to another first-year. She could already imagine her parents reaction back at home.

Reynolds had seen some amazing things since his father had told him about the wizarding world, but nothing quite like Hogwarts. The first years were all crowded together and brought in after the students in the other years. His father had told him on the sorting ceremony, but Reynolds hadn’t realized that he would be sorted in front of everyone. How many students were in each year at Hogwarts? How many professors?

He wiped his freshly sweating hands on his new robes. His companion from the boat ride, who he hadn’t seemed to be able to get rid of, stood shoulder to shoulder with him in the crowd. He tried to concentrate on the floating candles, the moving pictures, the smell of the food, anything but the faces of everyone watching the first years. He was sure they had all found some reason to fixate on him out of everyone.

Reynolds tucked his head down as much as he could, he was sure if his brother could see him he would be scowling for the way he hunched his back. The imposing man who had greeted them at the door - a horrifying experience that Reynolds never wanted to repeat - began to speak about the sorting ceremony. He didn’t listen much to the hat’s song until the end when it started to go over the traits of the different houses.

In all honesty, he hadn’t actually put much thought into what house he would be in. He certainly wasn’t brave, as evidenced by the way he was clenching and unclenching his clammy fists just at the thought of everyone looking at him. He had never really found anything or anyone to be particularly loyal too so that didn’t sound right either. He also didn’t consider himself to be particularly cunning, he wasn’t even entirely sure what that meant. And he most of all did not want to be in Ravenclaw. His brother was a Ravenclaw. The song said they were witty and wise but if they were anything like Will then they were also stuck up, brown-nosing, self-righteous, arrogant, and unbearable know-it-alls.

Finally, the headmaster began calling out names, everyone had to go up individually to the stool to get the hat placed on their head. They really were going to have to do this in front of everyone. Reynolds groaned out loud as the process went on, a knot the size of a troll in his stomach. He couldn’t decide if it would be better just to get this all over with or never have it happen at all. But when it came down to it, there really wasn’t a choice for him.

At last - or was it too soon - the headmaster called his name. The crowd had thinned considerably at that point so it wasn’t too much trouble for Reynolds to make his way up to the stool. He wasn’t breathing. He refused to make eye contact with the headmaster or any of the professors. Everyone was watching him. They saw his face and his clothes and the stupid way he was walking and they could all probably tell he was about to throw up. He hid the fists his hands had made within the folds of his robe so at least they couldn’t see that.

His brother was out there somewhere watching. Probably glaring. He couldn’t keep his attention off the sea of people that stretched out before him as he sat on the stool. What would they all be thinking about him? Did they think he was sweaty? Or stupid? Or strange? Did they think he didn’t even belong here? Did they think -

A pair of green eyes stopped his own eyes from their frantic sweep around the Great Hall. It was the girl from the boat. Aly. Reynolds breathed out for the first time since his name was called. She smiled at him, all the way into her eyes. What was she thinking? Probably something like “Good luck, Reynolds! This is going to be great!”

The brim of the talking hat came onto his head and nearly covered his eyes. How many of you are there this year? The hat mused. You certainly have a lot going on up here, boy. Try not to worry so much, it gets in the way.

The hat shifted on its own, apparently getting into a more comfortable position, Reynolds hoped that his head was accomodating.

Yes, not a hard choice to make here. The hat said, though to Reynolds it seemed a bit disappointed as if he had been hoping for more of a challenge.

In a voice much louder than before the hat announced his fate, “HUFFLEPUFF” and the word bounced about the room, mixing with applause from the table filled with students wearing yellow and black.

Reynolds shot up as soon as the hat was taken from his head, very pointedly not looking at the Ravenclaw table where his brother was sure to be. Before he sat though he did give one last glance at that over-friendly girl, Aly. He had been so desperate to get her to stop talking to him the whole way here but now he found himself desperately hoping she would be in Hufflepuff too.

She was so over this. This was the great Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry? Hardly. From what she could see so far, it was barely any fancier than the Muggle school she'd come from. Sure the candles suspended from the night sky ceiling were a nice touch. But it was crowded. The other kids kept jostling into Valentina, and she could just tell some of them were not exactly from well-to-do families. If magic was the only requirement to get into this school, then standards were low. She raised an eyebrow as a boy elbowed her in the shoulder. "You should really be more careful," she hissed. He looked startled and moved a few steps to the left. The skinny girl may have been small, but her glare was enough to make most kids back away, even grown-ups sometimes.

Valentina waited while several other first-year students were called and put under the rediculous, ratty hat. It was positively disgusting. Sure, the thing was basically alive, but would it have killed the staff to at least wash it. How many heads would it touch before it landed on her perfect hair? She ran her fingers through her long, brown locks, almost to reassure the strands that everything would be okay. With any luck, the hat wouldn't have to touch her head for long. She'd heard of such things, times when the sorting hat was completely certain of its choice. Her father had told her that nearly every member of his family had been Slytherin. Valentina tried to quiet the rapid beating of her heart and the inner voice that worried she'd be sorted into...well, she wouldn't even think it. Her mother had been a Slytherin. Her father had been a Slytherin, her grandfather-

"Demusz!"

She jumped, startling out of her reverie. This was it. Making her way through the crowd of first-years, a few well-placed elbow jabs ("Oh, I'm sooo sorry. I didn't notice you standing there") to get some of the slower-minded ones out of her way, she approached the stool and took her seat. Eyeing the hat with a glare of warning, almost daring it silently to choose the wrong house, she finally felt it settle onto her head. 

Silence. Wasn't the thing supposed to talk to you? She sat stock-still and waited. What the devil was its problem? "I think this hat thing is broken-" she started to say but was interrupted by the booming sound of "Slytherin!" Fine with her. If the hat didn't have anything more to say to her, she would just be leaving. Hopping down from the stool triumphantly, she'd at least have good news to send to her parents, assuming they ever made time to read a letter from her, Valentina made her way to the Slytherin table. She held her head high. This school may not have impressed her yet, but at least she was sorted into the best house. Things could only get better from here.

No amount of description and warning could prepare Marilyn for how magnificant the Great Hall was. As she walked down the length of the hall with the other incoming first years, her eyes darted around trying to absorb every detail of the room. Her rational side told her she'd be seeing this room everyday for the next seven years (minus holidays, of course), but her emotions were telling her that she had to admire every single detail of the room‪ like it was her only chance.

Only when the Headmaster spoke did she finally peel her eyes away from the room's decor. Upon hearing about the Sorting Hat, Marilyn felt like she was going to explode with excitement. She wondered which house it would place her in. She had no idea which she'd belong in, herself. All of them sounded so fun!

The least excited part was the waiting. "M" was in the middle of the alphabet, so Marilyn didn't have to wait too long for her name to be called compared to those with names at the end. But she was still antsy, ready to get this over with.

Finally, "Marilyn Martinez!" boomed across the hall. Marilyn scurried up to the seat, nearly tripping on her own feet. She sat down, and looked across the room. She looked for her brother at the Gryffindor table and her sister at Ravenclaw, but couldn't find either. They disappeared into the crowds of students. As the hat was placed onto her head, she could hear a faint voice in her ear, muttering to itself.

She didn't really understand what it was saying, mostly because her own thoughts drowned it out. She was thinking a million meters a second; whatever the Sorting Hat was saying was going over her head... well, considering he was on her head, she supposed everything would go over?

Finally, the Sorting Hat boomed the house she was fated to join. "Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff table cheered for her, and though she couldn't help but feel bad she couldn't be with either of her siblings she was still eager to find her new family within the Hufflepuff house.