Closed The Sorting ceremony 2018-2019

As soon as the small group of first-years had entered the huge hall, Amber was speechless. The old walls with its clear windows went so high they seemed to reach for the sky. Long, thin candles floated through the air a few meters above the students and they shed a gloomy, although warm light on the room. Thousand tiny stars sparkled on the ceiling which made Amber almost believe that she was looking at the real night sky, weren’t it for her remembering that she had read about the ceiling enchantment somewhere in her school books.

She caught herself staring unbelievingly - with her mouth wide open - at what was in front of her. It was then when she realised that the whole school seemed to be as interested in the new students as those were in the Great Hall. Thus, dozen pairs of eyes lay on Amber and followed her every move.

The young girl quickly closed her mouth and felt heat rise into her cheeks.
“How embarrassing...”, she thought and straightened her black robes. “The first impression is what counts most”, she remembered her grandmother saying to her before sending her off to school.
“The first impression is what counts most”, Amber now mumbled to herself before trying to put on a friendly smile. And - surprisingly - it worked. Not only did she see a few faces smiling welcomingly back at her, but also did her mood get better and better. Her nervousness had almost vanished and had been replaced by pure excitement.

While checking her hair one last time by running through her soft, brown waves which reached until her collarbones, she noticed a lumpy brown hat which sat on a stool in front of them. Curious to know what would happen now, her forest green eyes looked up just in time to see a blonde wizard coming towards her group.
As soon as he had started talking, the whole hall went absolutely quiet.

Amber watched student after student being sorted into their houses, until finally - after what seemed like ages - her name was being called.

“Amber Wood.”

Trying to be graceful - but rather kind of failing at it - she stumbled over to the stool and sat down anxiously.

As soon as the hat had touched her head, it started speaking.

“Ah, a new name! Welcome, welcome. And a new mind, as well! I haven’t seen one like that in ages...”, it said.

Amber wasn’t quite sure whether it had meant this in a positive or in a negative way, but the hat stopped her from thinking about it too much by just carrying on.

“I have the feeling that that one is going to take a while...”, it mumbled, obviously already lost in thoughts.

“You seem to be very smart indeed, and studious, as well. But your friends - they mean a lot to you, do they? ... You share many personality traits with a Hufflepuff, certainly, but... where to put you? I can sense your loyalty and honesty... There is fairness... and A LOT of perfectionism.”

The hat chuckled slightly.

“So tell me, are you more of an introvert or an extrovert? - Wait, I figured it out!”

Amber almost jumped off her stool in excitement. She had looked forward to this exact moment for so long.

“More of an introvert, eh? Love spending time alone, but enjoy sharing a laugh with friends too when you find yourself surrounded by people? Still, you prefer reading a book, is that right?”

The girl could feel the disappointment and impatience rise up more and more. She was the first one to take so long to be sorted into her house. Why couldn’t the hat just sort her into some random house? The whole school’s eyes lingered on her and made her feel very uncomfortable. She caught a snippet of a whispered conversation on the Slytherin table. “... if that girl is going to take much longer, I am going to die of hunger. Thinks her sorting is more important than the feast, does she?”
Slightly hurt, Amber swallowed and closed her eyes to blend out everything except the hat.

“I can see very great potential and ambition in you - trying to make top of your class, am I right?”

Since this was true, Amber’s cheeks turned pink - again.

The lumpy hat sighed deeply. And again.

“Miss Wood, you are a very hard case, indeed”, it finally stated and she could hear half of the room moaning. Everybody seemed to desperately want the hat to just sort her into any house by now so they could begin with the feast.

“Let me think... just one more minute...”

Amber shifted uncomfortably around in her chair.

“So, since you are already trying to get out of this situation as fast as possible to let the other students eat - a very Hufflepuff thing to do by the way - help me then: Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, where should I put you?”

The young witch bit on her lower lip and started weighing the pros and cons of each house in her head but she didn’t come far. That calculating act was probably the one which the Sorting Hat had waited for, the one which made it choose.

“Oh, I know! RAVENCLAW!”

Surprisingly, not only the table on the second to right - the Ravenclaw table - erupted with cheers. The whole hall seemed to be delighted that Amber’s sorting was finally over.

A very happy smile spread across her face as she jumped off the stool and half-ran towards the Ravenclaw table to join her new housemates.

It was silent as the huge doors swung open, beckoning the group of first years into the famous Hogwarts Great Hall. Four tables lined with students dressed in their House colours stretched across the room, with a fifth table parallel to the doors belonging to the professors and faculty. Floating candles dipped and bobbed throughout the room, casting flickering shadows that ebbed and flowed across the walls and floor. The ceiling, bewitched to look like the sky above the building, was dotted with thousands of shimmering stars.

The group of first years were lead to the front of the hall, to a small stage directly in front of the faculty table. Upon the stage sat a modest wooden stool, its seat filled by a old, ragged-looking, leather hat. The Sorting Hat. Aiden fixed his black robes and tried to slow his quick, shallow breathing. His mother had told him an infinite amount of times about her Sorting Ceremony, about how the hat barely touched her head before sending her to Ravenclaw. Aiden wondered if that would be as decisive for him as it was for his mom.

Eventually, the ceremony began. Student after student was called to the stage and the Sorting Hat was placed on their head. For some, the decision was instant, like Aiden's mother. For others, however, the leather hat sat on their head for several tortuous minutes of silence before calling out its decision.

"Aiden Lennox!" A professor called. Aiden had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't realized how many students had already been sorted. He looked around and noticed that nearly half the group of first years he had entered the hall with had been sorted already.

Here we go. Aiden thought, running a hand through his light brown hair. He took a deep breath and ascended the stage, praying that the rest of the students in the hall couldn't see how badly he was shaking. He sat down on the wooden stool and the ragged, leather hat was placed on his head.

The Sorting Hat was loose on Aiden’s head, falling over his eyes and shielding the bustling Great Hall from his view. The old leather hat smelt of years of musty sweat, doubtlessly coming from the heads of the nervous first years who came before him. Aiden’s heart thudded in his chest. He clenched and unclenched his fists in his lap - a nervous habit - as he awaited the magical hat’s decision.

“Hmmm,” a raspy voice whispered in his ear. “A Lennox. I haven’t had one of you for many years. Your mother is Olivia, no?” Aiden nodded slowly, sending beads of sweat sliding down his hidden forehead.

“Ah! A talented witch!” The hat exclaimed. “A Prototypical Ravenclaw: very smart, analytic. But you’re no Ravenclaw. I sense something else in you… Something from the other side of your family.” Aiden’s heart leapt into his throat.

“You kn-know my father?” He stammered.

“Many witches and wizards have worn me before you.” Came the cryptic, raspy reply. Thoughts streamed through Aiden’s head.

Maybe the hat can tell me about him. He thought excitedly. Maybe I can find out where he is.

“GRYFFINDOR!” Shouted the hat atop Aiden’s head before he could formulate a question regarding his father. Someone pulled the Sorting Hat off of Aiden, revealing a sea of cheering crimson-adorned students. His head was spinning as he slowly made his way off the stage and took a seat at the table.

He was here. Aiden was so lost in his thoughts that he barely noticed an older student clapping him on the back enthusiastically. Somehow, I will find out where he is and why he left us.

Robin took a deep breath. She was nervous to know what her house would be. Her sister would always be mean to her and say she would just be sent straight home and that she'd be told she actually wasn't wizard born. That she was actually adopted. Robin tried her best no to listen to her witch of a sister (quite literally) and decided that she'd be happy with whatever was to come. Her father, Collin had been housed in Ravenclaw, and her mother in Hufflepuff. Her sister however, was Slytherin. Robin secretly hoped for Ravenclaw.

"Robin Dream."

Robin's head snapped up when she heard her name. She walked forward, sensing the eyes of everyone upon her. It made her uneasy, and she knew she was being watched. She climbed upon the stool and sat patiently, closing her eyes. The hat was placed upon her head and it was a weird feeling.

"Oh no." the hat said in displeasure. "Another Dream?"

Robin's heart sank at these words. What was its problem with her family? As far as she knew there were no issues at Hogwarts for her family. Not even with other big wizard families. She chewed her lip, and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. She felt her cheeks turn a tad pink at the thought of everyone hearing these words as well and judging her.

"I see you are not like your dear sister. Annoying brat." the hat continued. "Clearly you aren't for Slytherin. Hmm.."

That made Robin feel a whole lot better and she opened her eyes. Thank goodness she didn't have to be with her sister. She would've cried. 'Please Ravenclaw.' she thought to herself.

"I can see putting you in Gryffindor, but it seems you want to be in Ravenclaw." the hat spoke. "Ravenclaw!"

Robin smiled to herself. She'd make her father so proud. She couldn't wait to send him an owl and tell him the good news. She was very excited. After the hat was removed, Robin got off of the chair and went to go sit with her table.

This was it, the moment that Sebastian had been waiting nine long months for. While he'd made sure to read up on the sorting ceremony beforehand, he didn't want to be caught out at the first hurdle after all, nothing in the books could compare to seeing the Great Hall with his own eyes. His gaze moved around the room swiftly, taking in every piece of scenery. So the ceiling really was enchanted! It was a shame they couldn't keep the night sky up there permanently, what kind of spell had been used to create it? He guessed that the floating candles were some sort of levitation charm, he'd read about those in one of his schoolbooks, hopefully they'd be trying that particular spell out soon.

His eyes widened for a second, taking everything in, before they lowered and the usual lazy smile returned his face. He made sure to take a subtle look around at the other first years in the group. Could you really tell where a person belonged just by placing a hat on their head? Sebastian was suddenly very impatient to test out this hat for himself. Luckily for him, his surname was near the top of the list, which also gave him the opportunity to watch most of the other students get sorted without the constant anticipation of his own, two birds in one stone.



Despite his anticipation, Sebastian approached the hat at a relaxed pace, carefully putting the hat down on top of his head. After all it wouldn't do to make the sentient hat deciding his future angry by being rough with it.





His mouth formed into a grin, still unsure as to whether the hat would reply to everything he said, but seconds later the hat responded with a laugh.



Sebastian looked over at the table covered in a sea of blue. He knew that Ravenclaw was the house that valued knowledge and he had always been advanced for his age so it could end up a dead cert. If his parents had known anything about this that would be the house they'd have assumed as well. It's was a shame he hadn't been able to make a bet or something, he might have made some money off that one...



He looked across the room again to another table, this time covered in emerald green. He could admit that the hat was correct in it's last statement. The house of cunning and ambition huh, he had wanted to have some fun here while studying and any good prank or exploration required an environment where he could hone some of his more Slytherin qualities.

Besides, he hadn't got by outside of the wizarding world for eleven years without a serious unexplained incident without valuing caution and cunning to some degree.





Sebastian lifted the hat off his head, a smile never leaving his face as he moved towards his new table. It looked like the next seven years had become even more interesting.

Bri had hoarded every little piece of information about Hogwarts that Atticus had deigned to share with her in a very easily accessible section of her mind. The school had been something of an obsession to her leading up to her own letter - she hadn't even been certain she'd get one. And yet here she was, with a Professor leading them down a huge hall where long tables containing students of all ages surrounded her - and of course what she could only assume was the teachers' table up the front. The little witch took this moment into stride, trying to soak up as much detail as she could, as though she might wake up tomorrow to find this all to be a dream.

Possibly the only book Briana had ever taken an interest in reading had been Hogwarts: A History, and she recited it now. The Great Hall - for that's where she presumed she was now - was used for announcements, gatherings of students, and for meals. Its roof was enchanted to look like the sky, and Bri gazed up at it now, her eyes sparkling with delight as the stars twinkled down at her. She was certain nothing had ever measured up to the feelings she was experiencing right then at that moment. All the wonder and barely contained excitement filled her heart with a joy she had never felt before.

Her gazing, unfortunately, meant that she very nearly walked straight into someone as she realised they had reached the front of the hall and had stopped to gather in a group, presumably to be put into their houses. There were four - Gryffindor for the brave, Hufflepuff for the loyal and hardworking - Bri thought she might enjoy herself there - Ravenclaw for the wise, and Slytherin for the ambitious. Atticus had gotten into Slytherin, although he had refused to tell her anything of the process. Bri loved Atticus dearly and thought she would greatly enjoy being in the same house as him, but she wouldn't mind being in Hufflepuff either. Hardworking and loyal were good traits that she was sure she met the criteria to get in. The only question left; how? How did it all work? Was there a test that they had to take? Did they choose their house? The professor's sudden voice cut off all the whispered chatter around her and drew Bri's attention. This was it.

Bri wasn't really sure what exactly she had meant by 'it', but she certainly didn't expect the Professor to procure a dirty old hat. It really did look like a witch's hat from the stories, but it was faded and musty-looking and overall not a particularly appealing hat. It was in fact so unassuming that when it opened it's mouth - could you even call it that? - and began to sing poor little Briana nearly jumped out of her skin. It sang its song, which was actually rather long, and then finally, finally, the sorting began. It turned out the hat, the Sorting Hat as it was, was behind the sorting of people. With each new student, it was placed upon their head, waited a bit, and then called out a house. How long it took seemed to vary with each student.

With her name being a 'C' name, it didn't take very long for her turn to come around. As another 'Ca' was sorted, Bri waited anxiously in the small crowd of first years, until...

"Castle, Bri!"

Outwardly confident, the little witch wandered up towards the stool and the professor placed the hat gently on her head. The hat itself was rather large and fell over her eyes, plunging her into near-darkness. It felt like forever that she held her breath, waiting for something to happen, although it was likely close to about ten seconds before the hat spoke.

"Hmmmm," said a voice, seemingly from within her own head. Bri gripped the stool at the sudden intrusion. "Confident and brash... honest and protective of those you care for... you are not difficult at all to sort, I think." Bri closed her eyes and thought of Atticus, wondering what the hat had said to him. "Ah, yes, Atticus Castle. A Slytherin, I believe, and you yourself could fit there too, I suppose. There is a resourcefulness and determination to you that would be well suited to the house of green and silver." Bri wasn't sure what to think. The sorting hat would make the best choice for her - of that she was certain. After all, had Atticus himself not been happy with where he had been placed?

"Yes," continued the hat, "but I do not think you would do well in Slytherin. No, no, I shall return to my original thought. Better be... GRYFFINDOR!"

The last word that hat spoke echoed out across the hall and the table on the far left erupted into cheers. Bri couldn't help the small smile as the hat was removed from her head and she practically bounced off her chair and skipped towards her table. She let her eyes wander over to the table on the far right, and to her joy she could see Atticus, smiling for once, and giving her a thumbs up. Her smile became a grin - her brother's approval meant everything to her. She sat down happily at her table as a girl was sorted into Ravenclaw. The smile was not about to leave her face any time soon.

Adam had no idea what he was in for. His first reaction to the letter was that it was a joke birthday card from his parents, he laughed as he handed the letter to his parents, and was only met with horrified expressions. Months later, he stood in front of a castle with his trunk packed with strange odds and ends, and a wand clutched in his hands. A teacher led him and a line of other first years into the Grand Hall, where the sorting ceremony began.

He shivered as the sorting hat called his name. He had only flipped through the pages of Hogwarts, a History to see the pictures of the grandiose castle and its spectacular halls. Seeing the Grand Hall in person was an entirely different experience. He walked to the stool and had the sorting hat placed onto his head, he squeezed his eyes shut, and the cap seemed to speak...

"Hmm. This one's interesting. Muggle born... no expectations for his house. I can tell he craves companionship, could he be Hufflepuff? No... no, there's something more. Determination to prove himself, and loyalty, yes loyalty. At first glance he seems to be a Hufflepuff, but after further consideration... GRYFFINDOR!"

The cap was lifted off the boy's head to the roaring applause of the Gryffindor table, as Adam opened his eyes to see the gleaming faces of his new housemates. He walked with a tad more confidence as he went to sit down at the table and watch as the other students from his year were claimed.

A sickness was over-flowing in her. Her body shook noticeably as her name was called. Before, she'd been nervous, but content, watched all others before her make their way up to the stage. It was simply easy to be part of a crowd, but now it hit her that she would be placed out in the open for all to look on. She was out of place and it was obvious.

Betony moved up along the stairs, her frightened blue eyes focused purely on the seat she was to sit in. She moved, almost like a stringed puppet being worked by an amatuer puppeteer, slow and unsure. But, she made it to the little wooden seat, gladly placing herself onto it's flat surface and resting her twitching legs.

In one swoop, the hat engulfed her head and she was spoken to.

"Hm, difficult, very difficult," It frightened her, but how was it difficult? If the enchanted object couldn't sort her, would she be sent elsewhere? "Tut, tut! There's no need for thoughts like that. We certainly have a place for you here," The relief was immense, she listened to the whispers of the hat as it deliberated.

"Must be," There was a brief pause as the floppy hat spoke outwards to all listening, "Gryffindor!"

Shaking, now with relief, she popped off the chair and handed the magical hat off, stiffly moving off the stage and to the loudest cheering table.

Betony knew about the houses simply from Hogwarts: A History, but she couldn't help but wonder if Gryffindor was truly the right fit for her. She pondered over the glorious feast, only politely returning introductions and half-hearted smiles, preferring her solitude for just as long as she could hold onto it.

Even if the sorting seemed odd or off, Betony was certain she would make the best of her life there at Hogwarts.

Aislyn gave a subtle glance as she waited. She was fairly averse to waiting in general, so to help keep her calm she decided to get a feel for her new peers. She pondered if this is perhaps what people referred to when they said that you could feel excitement in the air, although the feeling seemed to come from the tables more so than the new students. 'Sure, some of them seem excited, but a good deal seem nervous.' She lightly bites her tongue as she explores her thoughts, 'Students from esteemed families worried about letting down their parents, muggle-born students likely afraid that the whole ordeal is a joke at their expense.' She returned her gaze towards the sorting hat and it's current subject.

Like any reasonable student attending Hogwarts, she had given thought towards which house she'd prefer, but ultimately came to the conclusion that it wasn't particularly important. Her mother had been in Ravenclaw, but, while she personally held no qualms with the house, she would not want to be inducted for that reason alone. She felt almost indignant at the concept, as if you were merely an extension of someone else at that point. That your past determined that you are no longer an individual. She shifted her weight in a poor attempt to hide her impatience. After what was surely an eternity, her name was called. She felt a tinge of satisfaction upon hearing her name pronounced correctly, a feat none too common growing up.

As the hat was placed upon her head she thought to herself, and perhaps to the hat as well, 'Alright super intrusive hat, let's do this' Although she was moderately distrusting of the hat, it was a requirement. As the hat spoke it's own observations, she could not help but wonder what exactly does the hat see. All of her experience with her mother's divination had left her cynical of the fact that any one option can be completely accurate. Nothing is infallible, surely the hat could and has made mistakes. Not that it particularly worried her, a challenge can always make something more interesting after all, and she was under the firm belief that your house didn't actually matter all that much. It was an ends to a mean, what better way to push children forward than with competition. The sorting hat, keenly aware of Aislyn's own musing, had gleaned the answer it needed.

GRYFFINDOR!

"Eh...?" She quietly muttered as the shout brought her attention back to the great hall. For whatever reason, Gryffindor had actually been the house she had least anticipated. 'No point in hesitation, let us see what I can do with this.' She thought to herself as she walked towards her new kin.

What is even happening right now?

With eyes wide, filled with wonder, Kent followed a bunch of other kids into a giant hall. It was filled with long tables, a hundred other students, all dressed in different colored robes, and had floating candles and an open ceiling. Kent looked up, mouth open, at the stars and clouds overhead, blinking, wondering what would happen if it started raining.

Some kind of... of force field?

A gentle push from behind kept the tall boy moving, as he glanced back to some dark haired kid with a curl of his lip. He didn't like people touching him, not when he'd been picked on a lot by prep school kids before his growth spurt. Now, standing a solid five foot five inches, while still being eleven, Kent had started growing up fast, which had been great in school sports. But the boy didn't know if the same could be said about Hogwarts, because the only sport he was aware of was Quidditch, which he was told involved flying brooms.

Flying brooms... crazy.

An old looking hat was placed onto students' heads, one by one, and a voice called out one of four names. There were cheers, some boos, and those students went over to specific tables. Kent supposed this was like picking a team, and when you got selected, you joined the rest of your team mates and wore the team colors. He'd always liked red, to be honest, maybe even green. Still, it wasn't until he was much closer, that Kent realized it was actually the hat speaking, and that it had a weird scrunched up face in the material folds...

"What the...?"

"It's called the sorting hat," Said the dark haired kid from behind, his arms crossed. "It puts you into your House. It's your turn next, good luck."

Kent blinked again, before his name was called. He walked up, and sat down on the chair like the others before him. He waited, glancing up as the hat was moved over his head by a Professor. The old thing was put down, being worn by the boy, as it started thinking to itself.

"Hmm, what House for this one? You've got some entitlement issues, but you're a loyal friend, and you stand up for people. Maybe a Gryffindor? Maybe... definitely no Ravenclaw, your academics aren't exactly up to snuff. You can have a mean streak in you, probably from your Muggle-born heritage, but not enough to be a Slytherin."

Kent made a face, understanding small parts of what was being said. What the heck was a Muggle-born? Did it mean human? Or non-magic human? And what was a Slytherin? In fact, Kent was getting more confused by the minute, and wondered why there wasn't some kind of manual that came with this whole magical school thing?!

"Hufflepuff it is! Your sense of self, loyalty and ability to make strong friendships gets you sorted into Hufflepuff... it's the yellow one."

"Uh, yeah, thanks? Kent murmured, as he stood, the hat removed from his head.

He saw the table of yellow robes, and walked over, smiling at the cheers and hollering. Suddenly a robe was put around his shoulders, the yellow bright, and the tall boy was ushered by other Hufflepuffle students to a seat that was free.

"Welcome to Hufflepuff!"

"What's your name?"

"What's your favorite beast?"

"How do you feel about DADA classes?"

Kent smiled awkwardly, his eyebrows frowning. He really had no idea what the heck was going on, and this had been the case since running through a solid brick pillar at a train station, boarding a train with weird candy, and sailing across a lake in boats not steered by anybody, before entering a castle with moving paintings, floating candles and cultish looking kids in robes...

"I... I don't know what any of you are talking about. Please, just give me a minute, okay? Thanks."

Kent put his head into his hands, resting elbows on the table.

What have I gotten into?