Sorting Ceremony 2023-2024

Thinking - Speaking - Others

1st September 2023

Edmund's heart raced as he followed the current of students, his Muggle-born mind struggling to grasp the magical wonder unfolding around him. The hall was enormous with very high ceiling and levitating candles, floating and swimming in the air as if carried by an invisible pool of water. The moving portraits hanged on the walls added to the surreal atmosphere. It all felt like something out of a dream.

As he settled into his amazement, the headmaster of Hogwarts welcomed the first years and introduced himself. Edmund, still in awe, listened carefully as the concept of sorting and houses was explained. He was very focused and was determined not to mess up his first day. Though, anxiety welled up within him and he felt his heart pounding fiercely as if trying to leap out of his chest. "Calm down...calm down...calm down..." he repeated to himself, struggling to control his trembling body.

He watched as other students were getting sorted until it was finally his turn, "Edmund Ayala!" A professor called. His heart skipped a beat as all eyes turned to him while he made his way to the stool with quick, nervous steps, almost tripping halfway. He climbed up the stool and the Sorting Hat was placed onto his head. He scanned the room with wide, terrified eyes as a few moments passed in nerve wrecking silence until a voice whispered in his head, "Edmund Ayala. Relax, little boy." At this point, his focus was solely on the voice. "Wha- How is this possible?!" He wondered. "Hmmm... Interesting, very interesting. Gryffindor? No, no. Absolutely not Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat's internal debate echoed in Edmunds head. "Oh yes! That's it! You'll be a perfect fit there..."

Hufflepuff!!

Edmund flinched as the hat announced his house, and the room erupted in applause, particularly from the Hufflepuff table. They whistled and cheered in excitement, and Edmund couldn't help but smile. They seemed genuinely happy and excited, and that filled his heart with warmth, happiness and a sense of belonging. He stepped down from the stool, and stood there amused, staring at the students as they continued to clap and cheer until a professor placed a gentle hand on Edmund's back and ushered him toward his table. He sat down with the rest of the Hufflepuff members, receiving smiles and welcomes from his new housemates, which made him feel that he already found his second home at Hogwarts.

As soon as the sorting hat said he was in Griffindor, he got really surprised, he never though he would be considered brave or fierce, but he tried to look calm and bored. He sat down with the other Griffindors, staring quietly to everyone. He couldn't say anything, what would they say? He barely noticed some of them smiling at him, but he just stared at his hands that were on the table. He felt shy and nervous, but soon that feeling was replaced with happiness, maybe euphoria.
Lutristis was deep on though, before noticing more new griffindors, slitherings, ravenclaws and hufflepuffs going with the rest of their housemates. He quickly noticed he was not the only one, that was nice.
Lutristis didn't talk, not even a word, he just limited to listen the things the griffindors said, not even fully paying atention. He did not really cared about that.
He took a look from where he was sitting to the Hufflepuff table, it was his wizard father's house, he would have wanted to be there, but he knew by what his father told him, the hat was never wrong, so he had some reason to be choosen for Griffindor.
Well, at least he was a Hogwarts student and did not took more than 2 minutes to be sorted.

Helena felt rather flustered surrounded by the other first years. Her ocean blue eyes darted quickly back and forth as the young eleven year old girl clutched her hands tightly together trying to shy away behind her luscious honey blonde hair. The pit of Helena’s stomach fluttered with a sheer amount of butterflies. Helena controlled her nervous breathing trying to calm her nerves glancing around her surroundings.

Helena was too zoned in her own world she did not notice the other first years being ushered into the Great Hall. Her face flushed in embarrassment as she rushed slightly behind the other first year students. Helena stepped forth into the Great Hall gazing up at the enchanted ceiling with awe on her face. Helena heard stories from her Mother and Father about Hogwarts or at least what they have informed her about the Wizarding school. Helena prepared herself to be sorted into the house of Slytherin like her parents and her parents, parents before her.

The nervousness that resided inside Helena’s stomach seemed to fluster more as the young girl seemed to drown out every word that was being spoken ahead at the head table by the headmaster. Helena’s nerves didn’t seem to calm much no matter how much the girl twiddled with her hands to calm down.

“Helena Rose!”

Helena was shaken out of her dream like state glancing back up towards the front were the headmaster stood with the sorting hat. Taking in a shaky breath Helena walked shakily up towards the front where the stool sat resting for the young first year. As Helena neared closer she clambered on top of the stool awaiting for the hat to rest on top of her head.

Helena held her breath as she awaited for the hat to sort her. Helena’s nails dug int her palms as she sat on the stool trying to keep a straight posture after all being from the Rose family she has a name to uphold after all. The young honey blonde girls thoughts swirled around until she heard a buzzing in her ears.

“Ahh yes another Rose I see. Hmmm quite tricky you are. Not like the others very Loyal and caring at heart. Hmmmmmm so it shall be… HUFFLEPUFF!!!”

As the sorting hat was removed from Helena’s head the young girl stood frozen in place before shakily moving towards the hufflepuff table her ivory skin grew paler resembling a ghost. Helena felt her world shatter knowing how her parents would feel the feeling of utter fear swelled inside the young girl as she trekked towards the Hufflepuff table.

To Be continued at the Hufflepuff table.

About half the others had been sorted into their houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. As each person placed the hat on their head, listened to its short monologue, and sat down at a house table, Leaf could feel the dread rising- to sit on a stool in front of the whole school with everyone hearing their innermost thoughts: the idea was unbearable.

"Leaf Shard." Another knot twisted in their stomach as they stepped forward and, shaking with nerves, sat on the stool. Everyone was staring at them like vultures as the hat was placed on their head.

"So, nervous are we?" Leaf flinched at the volume of the hat's voice. "Hmm...A good mind. A passion for adventure and a love for reading. I know just where to put you..."

Ravenclaw!

As soon as the hat had made its decision, Leaf darted away from the hat and followed the Ravenclaw table until they found a gap between two older students halfway down. The one to their left was constantly patting them on the back and whispering random words of encouragement, making Leaf feel exceptionally annoyed.

Time passed and Leaf just wanted to sit somewhere quiet and read or write. They didn't care about the other first years' houses- none of them were friends or really meant anything to Leaf. But they had to endure the social gathering for a little longer.

September 1st 23-------

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The Sorting.

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-------Great Hall

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Remedy's Dialogue #796f4e Sorting Hat's Dialogue #557e8b Headmaster Lear's Dialogue #93592a

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During the offloading from the First Year's wooden vessels, time slowed as Remedy refused to peel her eyes from the statuesque Castle, daring not to miss a mere second devouring its grandeur. Darkened corners of the castle illuminated magnificently against the twinkling sky, rendering Remedy to breathlessness. Over the course of her life, the dark haired girl had observed portraits of Hogwarts and taken heed to anecdotes of her father's, her aunt's, and her grandparents' attempts to describe the castle time and time again. Nothing compared -- seeing was believing, that was for certain.

Stalking the grounds side by side with Helena, formalities exchanged during their journey along with a galore of complaints from students around them regarding the temperature, they finally rounded the end of the wind roads that led them inside and through a corridor, wandering one after right after another. Nearly every portrait, most elegantly painted but dusty-coated frames, greeted them with warm smiles along the ascent. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, relieving her of a caustic gaze.

Before the horde of students, two faculty members parted the grand carved mahogany double doors revealing four long banquet tables. With an eerie creak of the doors, curious faces of elder children maneuvered to gaze upon the arriving First Years.

There was a warm, crackling fireplace on each side of the hall, hundreds of floating illuminated candlesticks overhead, and a starry sky above. It seemed that her family's ancedotes overlooked the fine titbits of the Great Hall; Remedy now wondered if it served a purpose of freeing her of expectation and gifting her the endowment of the Great Hall's splendor. The wide-eyed students shuffled inside the Great Hall, the doors would shut prompting a period of awkward pause. The Headmaster, rather grandiloquent armour-clad, stood up from his roost during this juncture, his presence demanding utter silence, and waltzed to the center of the room.

As Headmaster Lear spoke, Remedy's eyes drifted to the table nesting under the emerald and silver banner, eyes searching for certain faces. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings and older faces catching her interest, Lear's voice boomed with assistance of a charm, forcing Remedy to intermittently redirect her sight to him. However, curiosity was a cruel mistress.

A low cackle escaped her lips as the Hat sassed the Headmaster; her interest was piqued by a short glance at the reactions of the other professors. This obviously wasn't a rare exchange from the intelligent Hat based on a few sighs and eyerolls.

Remedy glanced upon Helena with a passive smile on her lips as she anticipated the first year of Slytherin comradery and a building friendship between them. While the dark-haired girl would never admit it, Remedy felt a tad daunted by this, but knowing Helena would be entering Slytherin with her and that they'd be together helped the lump in her throat to choke down easier.

Her brown eyes could detect Helena was still guarded and in her own head, but Remedy hoped with time that it would change between them. In her own train of thoughts, Remedy did not comprehend her surroundings. The ceremony was off to a rapid start, Lear firing way to hurry through his lengthy list, name after name announced followed by deafening "GRYFFINDOR! HUFFLEPUFF! SLYTHERIN! RAVENCLAW!"

Her brow furrowed as some familiar faces were sorted within their expected houses, and others not so expected. Of course, it was no one that Remedy cared for, but still left the girl curious. Nothing could prepare Remedy as she heard Helena's name called.

Silence.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Applause.

Remedy did not applaud. She didn't blink. She couldn't take her eyes off Helena.

How could her friend betray her like this? How could Helena abandon Remedy to meander this strange journey alone?

How could she, after all the years of expectations built up of this very day, leave Remedy in the dark?

Remedy remained stoic throughout the ceremony; her mind fumbling through years worth of memories trying to recollect the signs. Was this Helena's goal all along? Was the Helena Remedy thought to have known, all a lie? Was the intelligent, all-knowing Hat wrong?

The Sorting Hat is never wrong.

"Norden, Remedy."

Raising her chin as the attention fell upon her, Remedy hiked up the short steps with confident strides before taking a seat to face everyone. Her eyes scoured down the Hufflepuff's table searching for Helena, a smirk now replacing her once hardened face as their eyes met, a thirst for retribution overcoming her. She could hear her father's words now: "Stay poised and let them choke," and so she will.

Remedy peered upwards as the sorting hat was lowered onto her lengthy dark hair.

"It's been a long time since I've had a Norden in my chair, yes, this is quite unexpected. Unexpected, indeed. You are a prideful one, aren't you? Perhaps you'll do in Gryffindor.."

Remedy's eyes flashed with a sense of panic.

"I know, I know. That just won't do! You're much cunning and ambitious.. There's only one true place for you," the hat let out a short silence before bellowing, "SLYTHERIN!"

A wave of relief washed over her panicked features as the hat was plucked off her head just as fast as it was on. As she strided towards the cheering Slytherin table, Remedy turned her head to smile back at Headmaster Lear and her professors, before searching for an empty place to sit and observe the duration of the ceremony.

Tags: @Helena Rose. WC: 911

Annabelle is weirdly terrified, she knows that she's meant to be a Slytherin but the look of fear on her sister's face that she would normally sneer at has caused an uncharacteristic look of fear to appear on her's. She immediately wipes it off her face, ready to sneer at an obviously terrified halfblood that bumped into her, she forces an apologetic smile on her face directed at the halfblood.

She observes all of the students called and what house they are put in, only sneering at the ones put into their houses immediately.
She flinches when she feels a hand wrap tightly around her own, she looks down and sees a ring with the initials L.R. on it and immediately knows it's her sister. Instead of pulling away, she held tighter. Only letting go when she hears her name called, she easily glides to the stool and sits down, keeping her face stoic as the hat is put on her head.

"Annabelle Lilith Rose, I remember sorting your mother! Nasty shock for your aunt when your mother was put in Hufflepuff!" a voice booms loudly. "Hmm....Difficult very Difficult. Determination and Chivalry, maybe Gryffindor. Wait...no...no. Not Gryffindor, you'd do great in....SLYTHERIN!" There was a loud boom of applause and cheers from the emerald green and silver table but Annabelle didn't hear it.

It...He almost put me in GRYFFINDOR! Out of all houses, GRYFFINDOR! She was so shocked that she didn't feel her legs move,
until she sat at an empty spot at the Slytherin table. She was promptly snapped out of it after she heard the word HUFFLEPUFF after her sister's name, she was disappointed but cheered the loudest causing amused looks to be directed her way.

Esther was frozen in place, she was terrified about what house she would be in, both of her older brothers were in Gryffindor, she didn’t want to mess that up by being placed in Slytherin. She only snapped out of her worry when her new friend she met on the train, Annabeth, came up behind her.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine, you’re going to be sorted into Gryffindor, I know it” she kept saying with a look of determination on her face. I eventually built up the courage after 2 minutes to keep moving closer to some big, brown doors, I had no idea what was behind it. Then a man came out of no where and stood in front of us all,
“Good evening students. Before you can start your glorious journey at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry you will need to be sorted into one of four houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Once you have been sorted you will go and sit with the rest of your house, it will be like your family for the rest of your school life. Any questions” he said, no one put their hand up.
“Very well then, follow me” he said walking towards the big doors that were now opening the closer we got to them. As we entered the hall we were greeted by student in 4 different colours glaring at us, I started to blush and get all sweaty with all the attention. Without any warning Annabeth grabbed onto the hand and squeezed it so hard the circulation must of cut off. I looked around more, mostly on the Gryffindor table, and saw my brother Neat staring at me, smiling. I smiled back but I was sure my face was still red. After what seemed like forever we finally made it to the front where an old worn out pointy hat was sitting on a chair.
“Okay everyone settle down, when I call your name you will come up and sit on this chair and I will place the hat on your head, you already know what to do from there” the man said picking up the hat. I looked at Annabeth and we had to cover our mouths from laughter so we wouldn’t be heard.
“Anthony Aldera” he said, a boy with dark brown hair walked up to the seat and sat down on it, gripping it so hard his knuckles turned white. The hat was placed on his head and he nearly fell out of his chair for some reason.
“RAVENCLAW”
the hat shouted making a couple of us first years jump, we had not been expecting it to talk. The hat went through a few more people, obviously in alphabetical order.
“Annabeth Moarse” the man shouted. Annabeth let go of my hand and went up to the chair, trying her best to put on a brave face. She sat their for about 2 minutes, the longest so far before the hat shouted,
“GRYFFINDOR”
She smiled and walked over to the table, sitting across from my brother Newt, obviously she new that’s where I would sit. It went through a few more people until there was only a few more people left, me and another boy.
“Esther Woods” the man shouted, I walked up to the stall tightly holding onto the end of my robes sleeves. I sat on the stall staring at hundreds of student. I felt like I was about to have a panic attack until I saw my brothers, Newt and James, and Annabeth smiling and giving me a thumbs up. I took a deep breath and relaxed.
“Ah another Woods, I wondered when I’d be seeing on of you again” someone said, I was in shock for a moment before I realised it was the hat.
“Hmm, very hard, yes very har. You have great bravery and would do anything for the ones you love, but also you are ambitious and probably one of the brightest students I have came upon, apart from Hermione Granger who came to this school years ago. Hmm I think I now just the place” the hat said before taking a break and shouting,
“GRYFFINDOR” I walked over to the Gryffindor table and was immediately engulfed in a hug by my brothers before sitting back down again and continuing to listen.

To be incredibly frank, Muggle primary school had not at all prepared Bex for Hogwarts.

Sure, her father had told her stories of his own school days, about the ghosts, the moving corridors, and late night revising sessions that turned into parties in the Ravenclaw common room, but in truth she had always kind of pictured Hogwarts as her primary school in Leeds, only bigger.

Hogwarts was nothing like she'd ever seen before. Her previous school may as well have been a shack, in comparison.

She did her best to stick with the other first years as they made their way into the hall, craning her head to to see everything she could as she passed. Hogwarts was gigantic, with paintings covering the walls that whispered about them and, in some cases, called out encouragement as they all walked past. As the flock made their way into the Great Hall, they were greeted by the Headmaster who was wearing.... armour? If her primary school teachers had worn armour, she probably would have enjoyed maths a lot more than she had.

As the hat sang it's song and the names of her fellow first years began to be called, Bex took the opportunity to take in the room, staring in awe of the high ceilings lit with floating candles, and the tables full of students that seemed to go on for miles. All of the other First Years around her either looked uncannily confident or like a writhing, anxious mess. It reminded her a bit of being lined up for the school talent show when she was 8 (notoriously remembered as the one where her classmate Ricky Anton had peed his pants in fright in the middle of his clarinet performance.) She was quite possibly one of the least concerned people in the sorting line.

In truth, the actual sorting process was of less interest to her than the school itself. Her dad had been in Ravenclaw when he attended, and she wouldn't mind being sorted there. While her mother had never attended Hogwarts, her father had once said, when she was little, that she would have absolutely gone to Hufflepuff, and while she didn't really know what that meant, she felt she would be happy in a house that her mum would have thrived in. She thought Slytherin would probably be fine, too, but anyone who spoke to her for five minutes could tell she would be a rough fit for Gryffindor, so Bex wasn't harboring any illusions on that front.

She was lost in her own thoughts and hardly listening when her name was finally called.

"Lark, Rebecca!"

She quickly made her way up to the front, and with the exception of one embarrassing second where she mistakenly reached out her hands to take the hat, before she realized that the hat was placed on her head for her, her sorting began with little fanfare.

"Ah, so after 20 years we get another Lark... and just as curious and headstrong as the last. You're a hard worker, so perhaps Hufflepuff? But no, you much prefer the end results than the work it takes to get there. You like the clothes, but not the washing."

Bex felt that this was a rather rude, (if true) thing to say, but was smart enough not to talk back to the thing her head was inside of.

"You have a strong desire to prove yourself... you'd do well for yourself in Slytherin. But the means are just as important as the ends for you, and you lack the guile that the house can demand of you. Hmm... You crave recognition and validation, but also exploration and discovery. And, perhaps most importantly, you have a deep-seated need to be right. Well, it has to be then... what is certainly shaping up to be a Lark family tradition... I suppose you could say two birds with one stone. No? Your father didn't enjoy my jokes either."

The hat seemed to clear it's throat, which was a startling thing to hear from something without a throat, before it called out "RAVENCLAW!" across the hall.

Thankful that her sorting had been relatively quick and painless, Bex quickly made her way over to join her new housemates at the Ravenclaw table, ready to take on her first year.

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It was all so surreal. Nothing in the muggle world could've ever prepared Harley for this day. From Diagon Alley to the boat ride it all felt crazy; in a good way, of course, but crazy nonetheless. The castle itself was beyond astounding, unlike anything an eleven-year-old boy from good old Rotherham would experience.

All he could do was gawk at his surroundings as the group of first years passed through to the Great Hall for their sorting ceremony. Harley wasn't sure of what getting sorted actually entailed, but he was excited for it all the same. Or maybe it was the gutwrenching nerves of being so far away from home in a completely new world. Well, whichever it was, he was feeling something intense.

Names soon began to be called out as first-year students were sorted into their respective houses one by one. The sorting hat was probably the strangest thing he'd seen today, which is saying a lot. A hat that could talk and determine what suited you the best? Now that was crazy. Or, at the very least it was crazy for Harley. The boy simply watched as his peers sat on the stool; he wondered what it would feel like— if anything at all. He wondered what classes would be like next week and he wondered if he'd make friends quickly as he usually did. All the wondering was enough to zone him out completely.

"HARLEY JUKES"

Startled, Harley quickly snapped back to reality upon hearing the headmaster yell his name. For a moment, he thought he had done something wrong, then remembered he was in the middle of the sorting ceremony. With each nerve-racking step, he slowly made his way to the front and took a seat beneath the sorting hat.

"Hmmm, great talent yes, lots of creativity... Definitely dedicated, and oh! Exceedingly loyal. Well, it must be HUFFLEPUFF!"

Hufflepuff it was. Harley rose from the stool amidst the round of applause from his fellow Hufflepuffs. He didn't have any expectations coming into the Hall, but he was rather satisfied with the outcome. Yellow is a pretty colour, he always thought.

With that, he sauntered his way over to the Hufflepuff table, his anxiety slightly alleviating after being sorted.