Newcomers The Sorting ceremony 2017-2018 Closed

Crystal was fidgeting nonstop.  What if she was sent to the wrong house and it didn't work well for her?  What if she wasn't capable to grow to the standards of what all her other house members carried?  She had never been this nervous, not even on exams.  "Calm yourself," she thought to herself, but she knew that this would be highly impossible at this exact moment.  She glanced around at all the others walking towards the sorting hat when their names were called.  Crystal was sweating, and then soon was turning frustrated.  Why couldn't she get this over with already?  Frustration pulsed through her veins, only being fueled by her nervousness.

Another person was called, then another.

"Hufflepuff!"

"Ravenclaw!"

This ceremony was seeming to go on forever.  She started to look at the faces of who was being chosen.  Some showed signs of relief and happiness, a couple rare sights of uncertainty or ungratefulness were also found.  Crystal's attention was snapped back to the sorting hat as she heard her name being called to go up there.

"Crystal Millington!"

She slowly walked forward and up to the sorting hat trying to her keep her expression relaxed.  She sat down on the stool that was there and felt the sorting hat placed on her head.  Crystal could then hear a soft whisper in her ear.

"Oh...  A Millington.  Haven't seen one of you in a very long time...  Yes...  Yes, I can sense power.  Anger, but yet secrets and fears that not even you have told the ones you are most close to...  Yes, I know exactly where I shall put you!"

She tensed clutching the side of the stool waiting for what the sorting hat was going to say.

"SLYTHERIN!"

A wave of surprising relief fell over her at that moment.  The sorting hat was taken off of her head and she could hear the Slytherins clapping for her.  She ran over to the table that the Slytherins were at with a smile tugging at the sides of her lips.

Lyra was more nervous than she'd ever been in her life.  She'd been so excited for this day to come, and now it finally was happening.
But she wasn't so excited anymore.
She saw her sister, Luna, smiling at her from the Hufflepuff table, and Lyra managed a small smile back.
Then the anxiety returned.
What if she didn't get into Hufflepuff?
Her family had been in Hufflepuff for generations, she couldn't imagine being the first one to break the tradition...what would happen?  Would her parents disown her?
Then again, what if she did get into Hufflepuff?
Lyra's dream house had always been Ravenclaw.  She'd never told her parents, of course, since she worried that they would be angry with her if she wanted to be in a house other than Hufflepuff, but Ravenclaw was her dream.
Look Lyra, she told herself, stop worrying.  Whatever house you're in will be fine.  Your parents won't care what house you're in, you know they won't.
Then suddenly, all too soon for Lyra's liking, her name was called.
Everyone's heads turned to her as she walked slowly up to the Sorting Hat; the short walk seeming to take a century for the eleven year old.
Finally, she reached the Sorting Hat and slowly sat down.
The hat was placed on her head and it started talking at once.
'Hm, another Ellsworth I see, usually I put your kind in Hufflepuff straight away, but you're different...'
The hat paused for a second, and then continued.
'You have all the qualities to be a Hufflepuff like the rest of your family, yet I see Ravenclaw in you too...either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw...'
For another few seconds the hat lingered, then called out, 'RAVENCLAW!'
Lyra smiled as the Ravenclaw table cheered for her and then looked over at her sister; was she angry that she wasn't a Hufflepuff?
But her sister cheered for her as loudly as anyone, grinning at Lyra as she looked over at her.
Lyra grinned as well as she walked over to the Ravenclaw table; this was the house she belonged in.

Delilah stood completely bewildered by the room she was in, it was absolutely massive, as a muggleborn who grew up in a small village this was insane, she couldn't stop looking around as she waited for her name to be called. The roof looked like there wasn't one and the walls looked magnificent, Delilah had always loved old buildings so this was just brilliant, she looked up and down the tables and wondered which one she would be in, after she heard the sorting hats song (which completely confused her, a hat that could not only talk, but sing as well?) she immediately thought of Ravenclaw for her, she was quite bright and she loved the ideas of the new classes as soon as she heard of them. 

Although she was extremely excited to be there, she felt really guilty for leaving her Granny in the highland village she came from, it was so small it didn't have a name, they just called it 'the village' and everybody there was born and raised there, it was a tight-knit community and she felt she could be herself there. Her elderly Grandma was a lovely woman, the type to invite all your friends into the house and give them sweets even if they didn't ask for them, she thinks that's where Delilah got her kindness from, she lived with her Granny because her parents passed away when she was a toddler, she didn't understand it at the time but as she grew older and learned that people pass away and you can't do anything about it she got more shy towards strangers and less open to everybody. 

Finally the time had come,

"Stewart, Delilah!"

She was taken aback by her last name being said first even though that was the same as everybody else, she quickly walked to the front of the crowd and sat down on the stool as the talking hat was placed on her head, she couldn't help but giggle as she thought 'what if the hat didn't fit on somebody head.' Suddenly the hat started talking while on her head "Quite an inquisitive one, you are, quite an upsetting past too, poor thing, but all that has been and gone now and I'm sure you will be happy with your house." The hat was silent for roughly 30 seconds but it felt like ages, then suddenly it boomed out,

"RAVENCLAW!"

Delilah immediately felt relief as she stood up from the stood and looked around once more before rushing over to the table with the people with the blue ties on sat, she sat down next to an older member of ravenclaw, maybe 3rd or 4th year and she was immediately welcomed by everybody and she felt the love she felt for her village come back once more, she knew 2 things, 1 that she was going to be really happy here and 2 that Granny will be getting a long letter pretty soon.

When Lucretia arrived at the center of the great hall with the rest of the students she noticed that she was still holding her breath for the amazement. She sighed so heavily that she thought everyone around her heard it, but she quickly realized that the other students were too focused on the majesty of the room to acknowledge her. The great hall was just magnificent: it was lit by thousands of floating candles and the cealing looked like the night sky. She had never seen anything similar. And now she was there, in this huge and magical school, surrounded by strangers, her future in the hands of a talking hat.
"Talking hat? But how does this sorting thing work?" she whispered to herself.
For a wizard-born, she was astonishingly ignorant about the school, except for those few information that she had read in some books at home or that she had succeeded in extorting from her father. She knew about the four houses and that her father used to be in Hufflepuff, nothing more than that.
"Does this mean that I will also be an Hufflepuff?" she wondered.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that she was now the next in line.

"Caldwell, Lucretia!"

A moment after she was sitting before the entire room, all eyes on her.

"Caldwell hm? Well, little miss, I knew your father...not a cheerful kind of person I have to admit, but very serious and gentle".
He was talking but at the same time, he was not...could it be that it was all in her head?
"Hufflepuff was the right choice for him but for you...I don't think so, no. I see an adventurous spirit, Gryffindor maybe? But then again no.  I also see a lot of determination, curiosity, the desire to always do better. Yes, that's right...

RAVENCLAW!


She got up from the stool and skipped toward the table where the students dressed in blue were clapping and cheering for her. She was happy because now she knew that there was a place for her in that school.

Shawn stumbled up to the chair, awkwardly taking a seat. The old and dusty hat was placed on his head, letting out a low groan.

"Hmm.. a child of muggle blood? Interesting.." The hat rested on his head, it's face twisting and contorting, as if there was some difficulty.  "Well, you are no idiot, and not much to have pride in.. A lover of the forest, I see. Maybe a hint of adventurous in you?" The hat was quite for another moment, before scoffing, "It is there, I feel it, but it isn't strong enough. No, your love come for a thirst of knowledge, yes. It is clear now."

Shawn could only look out at the crowd of students, slowly biting his lower lip. He had spent his entire traveling the wizard world, alone.  From impossible train platforms to magical moving boats, Shawn realized he had entered a world nothing like his small town. Honestly, he was kinda lonely. He didn't know how to relate to these people.. their ways seeming so strange and foreign to him. 'Well, maybe it's not all bad', he thought to himself, "maybe I can make some friends in my House!'

His thoughts were interrupted, when the hat gave out a long and loud shout,

Ravenclaw! 

With the announcement, applause erupted from the Ravenclaw table, as they welcomed their newest member. Shawn smiled, making his way over, ready to start a new adventure.

The reality of being a witch and attending a magical boarding school finally sunk in. A thousand if not more candles suspended in midair with the night sky obscuring the ceiling of the great hall. The whole atmosphere reminded Norah of a medieval court, and the setting was more than perfect. This castle surrounded by a lake was to be her home not simply for this year but for the next seven years to come. She gaped wide eyed from table to table and barely registered the headmaster's welcoming speech. More first years brushed past the small girl and forced her further into the hall and away from anything that felt familiar outside. The older students all sat at four long tables with mixed interest in the jumbled first years. Norah spied a few craning their necks to get a better view as she continued scanning. The candles, to her amazement, never seemed to burn any lower nor drip wax onto the heads of the unfortunate students underneath.

The shabby old hat had escaped her notice at first. A crease opened in the shape of a mouth, and then the most incredible thing happened. The hat sang. How a hat sang she couldn't begin to guess, but it was a remarkable composition. And not simply because it came from a hat, though maybe it was some sort of hat-radio. A part of her sincerely doubted that. She listened with rapt attention to the hat's description of the four houses.

From just his verses, Ravenclaw and HUfflepuff immediately came to mind as places where she'd like to be. Just, loyal, patience. Those were all good traits. Norah was never extremely patient, but she had a sense of morality and stayed true to her friends. Then there was Ravenclaw. Her parents had imparted a love of learning and curiousity of the world upon her, and she adored knowledge. Norah, while studious, wasn't always bookish. She enjoyed doing and getting dirty. There was plenty of time to dwell on the merits of the houses while she waited her turn. Mayfield was in the back half of the alphabet, and the professor that led them in was only getting to the C's.

"Mayfield, Norah!"

There was a moment's hesitation while Norah forced her legs to cooperate. Some of the students practically danced up to the hat certain of where they'd be. Other creeped and dragged their feet. No turning back now, she thought. She marched up the steps stiff and nervous. The hat drooped over her eyes enveloping the world in hazy darkness.

"Hmm, curious. You have an eager mind and cleverness."

The deep voice of the hat echoed through Norah's mind. Her head whipped around to identify the speaker, but there was only more darkness.

"You think you belong in Ravenclaw, but I see ambition and loyalty. You value teamwork and determination. No? Slytherin will help you achieve your goals. You are more than just a clever mind."

The hat, to Norah's discontent, seemed to read her mind. While it seemed to take her opinion in account, she also realised that verses of one song hardly matched up to centuries of sorting. Norah relented to the hat's superior wisdom on the matter. The voice rang out but not from within her head.

"SLYTHERIN!"

And then, the warm light of the candles returned to her as the hat was whipped off her head for the next student. She bounced slightly on her way to the cheering table of Slytherins and was given a place at the table with hearty welcomes and comments about how Slytherin was the best.

A thousand tellings of the same stories from her mother and aunt had, as it turned out, done little to prepare Camilla for the grandeur of Hogwarts or the extreme culture shock of the transition from Camilla Jarvis, normal (sort of) girl to Camilla Jarvis, Hogwarts first year student. Everything, from that moment her mother had given her a soft nudge of encouragement at King’s Cross station to now, as she entered the Great Hall and fought not to gape too obviously at the ceiling, adorned with candles in such a way that it almost felt like looking up at the night sky, had felt like a wild dream and Cami was determined to commit every last moment of it to memory. Her mother had told her to enjoy and embrace every moment of this experience and that was exactly what the young girl intended to do. Sure, this was technically a school and there would be lessons and teachers and all that stuff she’d already been subjected to for seven years but this wasn’t just a school, it was Hogwarts, this was where she was going to learn how to be a witch. She smiled widely at noone in particular as her gaze darted from table to table, house to house.

“Don’t worry, my ma told me that it listens to what you want,” she heard one student murmuring to another in comfort.

The Sorting Hat Cami craned her neck, trying to get a better look over the heads of the score of first years nervously shuffling through the Hall ahead of her. The nervous energy of her peers was almost palpable as the first student made their way to the front, ready for the decision that would impact every aspect of the next seven years of their lives, the eyes of the entire school on them. Camilla felt her own stomach lurch in sympathetic anticipation as the hat was placed on the student’s head and began its deliberations. The silence seemed to stretch on and on, doing nothing to ease the nerves of those waiting until, finally, the hat barked out its decision. The first, new Hufflepuff.

From that point on, time seemed to speed up in a series of declarations and cheers until, finally, there was only one student left between Camilla and the Sorting Hat. Her heart hammered in her chest, as much from the weight of decision as that from the gazes of her fellow students. Inwardly, she chided herself, why was she so nervous? Hadn’t she, only this morning, told her mother that she didn’t really care which house she ended up in?

“Jarvis, Camilla!”

With a deep breath, Camilla smiled a touch nervously and walked to the front of the hall, flinching just a little as the haggered old hat was placed on her head.

”Haggered, am I?”

Camilla grimaced nervously in the darkness beneath the hats rim.

“The first Jarvis but my, if you aren’t your mother’s daughter. Now, where do I put you? A good mind. Perhaps a great mind, with the right push. So eager to succeed. Ah, but there’s courage, warmth, mischief. So like your mother. Well, it’s just going to have to be…”

The pause was the longest and most painful Camilla had ever experienced, and it lasted little more than a moment or two.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Camilla let out a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding as the hat was lifted from her head and the world swam back into focus. As she walked toward the Gryffindor table, amid whoops and pats on the back she realised, for the first time, that she had cared which house she’d end up in, she’d cared very much.

Thomas Wheeler felt sick.

It wasn't that he was afraid, specifically. In fact, he'd looked forward to starting his first year at Hogwarts ever since the first time his father had regaled them with tales of his own school days. Tom had been excited when the letter inviting him to attend the school had arrived; he'd been excited when they'd gone to Diagon Alley to pick up his supplies for the year; he'd even been excited as he'd said goodbye to his parents and the twins at King's Cross, despite the fact that this would be the longest he'd been away from them in.. well, forever. No, his first year at Hogwarts would be a grand adventure, one that he'd been looking forward to for the longest time. Even if it was a little daunting, he'd been determined to enjoy it. And yet, despite all of that, a feeling of apprehension had been growing in the pit of his stomach from the moment they'd disembarked and begun their journey up to the castle. Maybe it was the crowd of other children his own age; or the towering castle that had been around longer than even his grandparents; or maybe just the fact that this was it - the moment that would start off the next seven years of his life. Whatever it was, by the time they'd made it to the Great Hall his belly was in full revolt, roiling with a nameless dread that showed no sign of letting up.

In the Great Hall, the Sorting Hat sat waiting for them. It was a battered looking thing, not at all what he'd imagined from the stories, yet Thomas couldn't take his eyes off of it - or, what little of it he could see through the press of first years waiting to find out which House they'd be sorted into.  His heart thundered as the first student was called up, sitting on the stool in front of everyone while the Hat muttered away and a hush fell over the room. Then, without warning, the Hat barked its decision - a Hufflepuff - and the student was released to a chorus of cheers and whoops from their new House table. Everything after that was a bit of a blur, albeit a painfully long one; they were called up in alphabetical order, and with a surname starting with W, there were more people in front of Tom than behind. If nothing else, that was something that helped him combat the nervousness - impatience to get through the sorting process. By the time they came around to the W's, he was practically dancing on the spot.

"Wheeler, Thomas!"

It was all Tom could do to keep himself from taking a running start, fueled as he was by that mixture of nervousness and boredom. Quickly he separated himself from the rest of his peers, practically marching to take his place at the front of the hall and sitting rigidly while the hat was placed on his head.

"Another Wheeler, is it?" Thomas fought the urge to jump; he'd known the Hat would speak, but hearing about it second-hand and actually experiencing it were two different things. "I remember your father. A mixed bag, your lot, aren't they? You could put a Wheeler anywhere. So what should we do with you?" The boy sat still, staring straight ahead and trying not to think about the outcome. "A good heart on you. Hufflepuff, perhaps?" Tom scowled, and the Sorting Hat laughed. "No, you've a hard head, don't you? Determined not to be your father. And determination is a fine trait - but not your guiding one. No. I think I know just the place for you."

Despite himself, Thomas looked up, breath held as the pause seemed to stretch into one long endless moment before --

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The breath left him in one long rush, and all of a sudden the knot in his stomach burst into something else - relief, maybe? Whatever it was, he felt lighter as he clambered to his feet and made his way to the Gryffindor table, grinning tentatively at the clamor and encouragement of his new Housemates.

Rhea stood in line impatiently, just wanting to get the Sorting over. She knew she would get sorted into Slytherin, like her entire family. Sure, there was Uncle Gaudin who was sorted into Ravenclaw, but no one ever talked about him. But as her name started with a 'B,' right in the beginning, she knew she had to wait a while. 
Finally, her name was called. "Bishop, Rhea!"
Rhea confidently walked over to the Sorting Hat, planting it onto her face. It fell down and covered half her face, and she pouted. 
Let's just get this over with, she thought. 
Ah, an impatient one you are, I see, said a voice. Rhea scoffed. 
No, I just know what house I'm going to go in. And, I'm hungry, Rhea replied. If the Hat could laugh, it would've. 
Well there's only one place a Bishop can go, aren't I correct? questioned the Hat. Yet, I sense courage and chivalry in you. Ah, you are also determined to get your goals, I see. very conflicting, indeed. To go with your family's history, or where your soul truly belongs.
What was happening? Rhea had been sitting on the stool for almost a minute, and she was starting to get worried. Why was the Sorting Hat taking so long in sorting her where she truly belonged?
No no, silly girl. Slytherin is not where you belong. Not at all. Why, anyone with this much bravery deserves to go into only one house!
                                                                   GRYFFINDOR!
Rhea was frozen in shock, just for a moment. The roaring from the Gryffindor table shook her back into focus, and she hopped off the chair, making sure to keep her confident facade. She wasn't sorted into Slytherin. Instead, she was sorted into Gryffindor. Not just any house, but the rival of her family house. 
She was going to be the next Uncle Gaudin. 
What was she to tell her parents?

Callisto Smallwood had no doubt of what house she would be sorted into.  It was her legacy. Slytherin. Her mother and father were both fine students of Slytherin in their time. There wasn't a known Smallwood who wasn't in Slytherin. Her three older cousins were all in Slytherin. And adored by the entire family it should be noted. From the time she had been born, Callisto's family had been building her and telling her exactly how she was supposed to live her life. She didn't want to think about what would happen if she was sorted elsewhere. So, she didn't. 

Callisto held herself with confidence when her name was name was called. Perching herself onto the stool, she held her head high. This shouldn't take long. 

"A Smallwood, eh? The last Smallwood I had was your cousin, correct?" Callisto wasn't very bothered by the hat speaking. It was expected. Although, she wished it would just get to the point. She knew what house she was destined for. Did they really have to go through all of this small talk? "You're a confident one, I see. You think you know exactly where you belong? Better than me?" I never said I knew better than you. I simply know my family, and myself. How could I belong anywhere other than Slytherin? "Yes...yes, ambition and cunning are traits that settle well with you, but there is something that sets your apart from other Smallwoods....I say...GRYFFINDOR!

The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers, but Callisto felt immobilized for a moment. This...couldn't be right. What would her mom think....her grandma? Scanning the Slytherin table she found her cousin's eyes. Somehow smug and disappointed at the same time. The confidence the girl had once held was shattered as she climbed off the stool and made her way towards the Gryffindor table.