The Sorting 2024

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Date: Backdated to September 2024
word count: 440 words
Interacting with/ Mentioning @MickeyForville

Ellie was so scared. So scared that she was standing as a straight and a tree branch. The boy next to her seemed pretty relaxed. Either he is muggle-born and is just in such wonder at all the magic or he is just good at covering. Ellie was so scared she almost couldn't hear anything, the only thing she could here was the faint noise of the sorting hat screaming GRYFFINDOR, RAVENCLAW, HUFFLEPUFF, SLYTHERIN and the lady saying others names.

“If I trip walking up there, just promise to laugh with me and not at me, yeah?” the boy next to her said.

"Hmm?" Ellie remarked, not paying attention at all, "Oh um yeah, I will laugh but like if you hurt yourself tripping, I will take you to the Hospital Wing of course!"

Ellie laughed. The way that was the first thing he thought to say to her! He seemed to have a sense of humor. Ellie looked at the purple on the tips of her hair, Oh, i'll need to fix it up when I get to go home again! Ellie thought, trying to distract herself from the stress of getting sorted. She came from a long line of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs and if she didn't get in to one of those houses...

"Mickey," said the boy-Mickey, “Nice to stand in terrifying silence next to you.”

Ellie laughed, this time paying attention to the boy, He really does have a strange but funny sense of humor!

"I'm Ellie!" Ellie said, feeling her body loosen up, now that she had found someone to talk to and become a friend, "You know, I'm probably going to trip walking u there to so uh yeah, its ok to laugh at me too!"

Ellie could take someone laughing at her for falling like that pretty well since, well it was a stupid mistake, tripping on the way to get sorted.

"I really hope I make either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw" Ellie remarked to the boy, "My whole family has been in either of those house! And if I'm not, that would be embarrassing!"

Ellie laughed, really she didn't care what house she was in as she viewed them all equally but Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff would be best for her.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat called out making Ellie jump! Lost in her thoughts, she completely forgot she was in the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry Great Hall!

"Oh, sort of random but what color do you think I should do my hair next year, I change the tip color every year," Ellie said, just to make conversation and also hoping not to sound weird.

Mikey grinned when she laughed. That kind of laugh that told him she got the joke, nerves and all. And when she offered to take him to the Hospital Wing if he biffed it on the stairs, he let out a quiet chuckle, nudging his elbow lightly against hers. “Deal. I’ll even make a dramatic exit if I go down. I will put my hands over my heart, whisper something mysterious like ‘Tell the frogs… I tried.’ You can say you witnessed it.”

She said her name Ellie and he thought it was a pretty name. Maybe because she was easy to talk to, or maybe because saying someone’s name made all this less scary. When she mentioned hoping for Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, he gave her a nod. “Those sound like good picks. I’m not really sure about where I want to end up. I’m kind of new to the whole magic thing.”

Then she hit him with the hair question, and he blinked in surprise. “Oh! Right hair. Uh…” He eyed the purple tips with mock seriousness. “Well, you’ve done purple. So next year... maybe blue? Like a stormy sky kind of blue. Or even better silver. That way you can tell people your part moonbeam.” He realized after he said it how strange that sounded, and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, that came out way more poetic than intended. I’m just nervus I guess.”

Another name was called and a cheer went up. Mikey looked toward the front of the line again, then back at Ellie. The nerves hadn’t vanished entirely, but they weren’t feeling so heavy now. The moment didn’t feel quite so big when it was shared with someone else.

Date: Backdated to September 2024
word count: 321 words
Interacting with/ Mentioning @Mikey Forville

“Deal. I’ll even make a dramatic exit if I go down. I will put my hands over my heart, whisper something mysterious like ‘Tell the frogs… I tried.’ You can say you witnessed it.” Mikey said, in response to Ellie offering to take him to the hospital wing.

Ellie laughed, "And I will tell the frogs for you, don't worry!" Ellie said that with a straight face, "I actually will, it will be so funny! I'll do it where others are watching and I'll be like, Mikey told me to tell you guys, I tried. I will try to keep a straight face don't worry!"

Ellie laughed, hoping he laughed with her.

"Those sound like good picks. I’m not really sure about where I want to end up. I’m kind of new to the whole magic thing.” Mikey says. Yup, definitely a muggle born!

"Well, if you want I can teach you and help you learn about the wizarding world!" Ellie said with a smile.

Ellie really wanted to help him, she wasn't just saying that, she had grown up with witches and wizards around her so the wizarding world was nothing new. She asked him the question about what color hair she should do next and he looked confused. She pointed to the tips of her hair, hoping he understood.

"Well, you’ve done purple. So next year... maybe blue? Like a stormy sky kind of blue. Or even better silver. That way you can tell people your part moonbeam.” Was what he responded with.

Hmm, Ellie had never done blue, or silver for that matter. Maybe blue... If she made enough friends, maybe her first year at a real school, at a really boarding school wouldn't be so bad.

"Mikey Forville," The lady called.

Ellie looked at Mikey and smiled, "Good luck!"

Ellie knew that even if they were in different houses than each other, she still had a friend

The moment he heard his name his heart contracted sharply. Behind him was the sounds of the Great Halls hushed whispers and occasional shouts of cheer. The rustling of students adjusting in their chairs moved to a dull, muted buzz. He could see Ellie smile at him, her lips moving in a quick ‘Good luck’ and it felt like a life buoy tossed across the tempest. He swallowed hard, returned her smile and mouthed ‘Tell the frogs... I tried.’

Then, his legs began to work, a small miracle, as they felt as if they had been replaced by jelly. The shoes made squelching sounds on the slick hardwood floor when he took a step. The hands were clenched into fists in the overly long sleeves of the robe.

He looked up at the bewitched ceiling. The same sky, the same stars on a never-ending night. He exhaled. It took a lot of willpower to convince himself that it was an ordinary evening and that the thousands of pairs of eyes were merely an illusion. And that this was not the most interesting point in his life to date. He climbed onto the stool, and slipped the Sorting Hat down over his eyes. It was much too big and he could smell dust and old paper. A second later, he heard a tiny giggle in his ear.

“Hmm... not bad brain. Just a little jittery, I guess? But there’s also something here... oh yes, and there’s a bit of the other thing too, isn’t it? You’re smart, but you’d like to avoid responsibility... you’d like to help others... you believe in loyalty, but you don’t always feel you belong...”

Mikey closed his eyes and clutched the stool. He remembered Ellie saying that she would help him and that smile on her face, the one that said she already knew how scary this was.

“Well, better be... RAVENCLAW!” sorted the hat with a warm and contemplative voice.

Once again the hat was removed from his head, and for a second he just stared, as though it wasn’t quite clicking that the Hat had said what it did. He finally stepped down from the pedestal and, with the roar of the audience, began to walk to the Ravenclaw table. His legs were steadier now. For a fleeting moment, he turned his head back only a single time and met Ellie’s gaze in the march past. He gave a thumbs up and his smile was genuine as he heard her name called.

Date: Backdated to September 2024
word count: words
Interacting with/ Mentioning @Mikey Forville

Mikey's name was called. He whispered to her to tell the frogs how he tried. Ellie smiled distant minded. Her last name's first letter was what? Fifteen letters away? Ellie did the quick math, If D is the fourth letter and R is the eighteenth letter... FOURTEEN MORE LETTERS TILL ME! Fourteen More letters of standing here without a friend, without someone to talk to, fourteen times the amount of kids who have last names that start with the letters in between, to be board!

Mikey had made it to the stool, without falling. Guess I won't need to tell the frogs how he tried! Bummer! I was looking forward to that! Ellie laughed quietly, desite how sad she feels right now, knowing she will be bored without Mikey next to her. Hopefully Mikey's in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff since I have a high chance of getting those houses...

The sorting hat was sitting on Mikey's head. I wonder what its saying to him!

"RAVENCLAW!!" The hat screamed and the Ravenclaw table erupted. Mikey seemed to follow the cheers to the table. He caught her eye, and smiled. Even if she wasn't a Ravenclaw, she knew she had a new friend. Now I sit here and wait for a long time by myself!

The Ravenclaw table greeted him with a storm of respectful applause and cheers, and someone went so far as to slide down to give him space. His heart was finally slowing, but his fingers still tingled. As if there were coals and sparks beneath his skin. The Sorting Hat had noticed more in him than he was willing to acknowledge, more even than he was willing to acknowledge to himself.

He sat, squirming uncomfortably in his robes, nodding vaguely to the blue-silver mass of greeting faces. But his gaze kept straying back to the line of standing first years. There were too many of them. Some of them seemed scared. One kid seemed like he was going to cry. Another seemed like they were going to fight the Hat itself. But Mikey's gaze always seemed to come back to Ellie's face.

She was still standing there, her colorful hair and brighter eyes absorbing the Great Hall like she was taking it all in at once. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking, if her heart was racing like his had been, or if her mind was racing ahead three paces already. She seemed lost without someone to accompany her now, and Mikey felt a staggering flood of guilt. He hadn't even considered how empty that line would be with no one to share a laugh with.

He leaned a bit forward, trying to glimpse over a couple of the taller Ravenclaws. More names. More applause. A Slytherin. Then a Gryffindor. Mikey's foot was tapping beneath the bench without him noticing. And then, finally. "Randensmith, Ellie!" Mikey looked up quickly, his gaze fixed on her as she moved forward. He smiled to himself in silence. "You got this," he said quietly under his breath.

He hadn't even realized he was holding his breath until she sat down on the stool and the hat fell over her head. Whatever house she was sorted, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or something entirely different. He had no question that he'd be shouting the loudest when the hat screamed out its decision. Because Ellie had been his very first conversation at Hogwarts. And he sort of hoped, wherever she was being sent, he would get to laugh with her again.

Date: Backdated to September 2024
word count: 389 words
Interacting with/ Mentioning @Mikey Forville

Ellie watched Mikey at the Ravenclaw table longingly, He is lucky his name is so close to the beginning! The Ravenclaws truly were welcoming. Ellie could tell he was uncomfortable though.

He looked over to the unsorted first years. Ellie made eye contact with him and smiled, again. She turned around to look at the rest of the great hall. It truly was a amazing building. The stained glass was beautiful and the ceiling was very enchanting. She felt like a muggle-norn who had no clue Hogwarts had existed! The way her cousins had described was nothing like the actual looks, they had done the castle no good judgement. They had described it has as "Wonderous, and beautiful. There was rainbow lights shining though and a ceiling that reflected the sky!" but that was to vague to what her eyes were feasting on. Yes it was true, rainbow lights probably did shine through during the day and the ceiling did look exactly like the night sky but it was more enchanting. Maybe the fact she was seeing it in person but whatever the case...

Her name came way to fast. "Randensmith, Ellie" But, but it was only like... what how did it go so fast! Taking a deep breath she walked up to the stool, feeling the eyes on her. She reached the stool and sat down. The hat plopped below her eyes, Ellie's brain told her to fix it but a voice in her head told her otherwise.

No, no, its fine. The voice said and Ellie got scared for a second, then realizing it was just the sorting hat, she relaxed, Well, a jumpy mind... Ellie blushed. But also a smart brain that loves to learn. Wait... if you had to choose between learning or your friends and family, you would choose family, very loyal hmm. Well givin your mind you would do good to be in "HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat screamed the last part out and the table of Hufflepuffs erupted. Ellie knew she should be happy, this was one of the houses her family had always been in but she looked after Mikey. They would never be in the same house but at least she now had another friend and connection.

Ellie looked over at Mikey and smiled before setting into dinner with her new hufflebuddies!