The Sorting Ceremony

"Ravenclaw!"

Aisa was quiet as she waited with the other first years in the great hall. She simply observed what was happening around her without reacting to it, the way she usually did in new situations. Abian had tried to prepare her for this, but his descriptions hadn't really done much to give an accurate account of Hogwarts. Though she had already spotted a few things she had assumed were things Abian had simply made up. Her brother had always had an overactive imagination. Aisa felt a small pang of... sadness? Nostalgia? As she remembered how they used to pretend they had superpowers together, like the heroes in Abian's comics. She supposed they had been right, in a way, even if it was entirely different from how their childish games had gone. Aisa wasn't sure about Hogwarts just yet, lacking her brother's unbridled enthusiasm. She had already realized that he had been completely right about the lack of electricity, and was disappointed. She had been sensible enough to only pack her acoustic guitar, but knew that she would miss playing her electric one. But she supposed learning magic was something that made up for that, at least in some ways.

She pushed her hands into her pockets and looked at the hat as it started to talk. This, too, Abian had warned her of, so she wasn't too startled by it. But it was still a very strange sight, especially as was singing. When the song was done, people were called forward to be sorted. It went in alphabetical order, and Aisa knew she wouldn't have to wait long. Despite the hat's best attempts, she still didn't know very well what each house did. She wished they'd gotten information that wasn't in the form of a song. As awesome and useful as music was, it wasn't really the best way to explain a complex system to a bunch of kids. At least, not without giving them a lyric sheet. She sighed, looking over at the students in the great hall once more. She just spotted Abian waving at her, when her name was called. Aisa only had time to shoot him a quick smile before heading over to the stool. She wasn't afraid to end up in a different house than her brother, Aisa trusted herself to do well on her own.

"Gryffindor!"

Malaika was a jittering ball of impatient excitement at the front of the Great Hall. Having the initials MM was the worst - no matter how a list was organised, you could guarantee Malaika Moon would be slap bang in the middle. Even her birthday was in the middle of the school year, which meant she’d inevitably be waiting through loads of other people to get sorted, without even the cool factor of being the finale.
Every time Professor Supervising-The-First-Years turned her back, Mally was chatting with someone else. She didn’t mean it to be rude - she was just so incredibly excited. Like, a year ago, she hadn’t even known that magic existed, and now she was at a school for witches and wizards! In New Zealand!
“Oh wow,” she whispered to no one in particular when someone she’d chatted to on the way here had been sorted into Slytherin. “Is that good? I only really know that Ravenclaw is the nerd house. Oh, no offense!”
There really seemed to be all kinds of people in her crop of students. She wasn’t worried - not at all. If anyone was good at matching personalities to suit new friends, it was her.
“Moon, Malaika.”
Not that she changed personalities when she moved, per se. It was more something you got better at the more you did it. And she’d had a lot of practice at it. Running experiments, finding out what worked and what didn’t, and changing it, the next time, the next school, the next country.
“Moon, Malaika!”
Now she just had to learn her defining characteristic. Did this magical hat think she was brave, or ambitious, or smart, or loyal? She just hoped she didn’t get the nerd one - although her fellow housemates might be very useful for homework help if she did.
“Malaika Moon!” She shook herself out of her thoughts and tripped bashfully towards the stool and hat. A few giggles here and there came from the crowd. Didn’t bother her - she grinned back and bowed gracefully before hopping up onto the stool and feeling the hat lower onto her messy hair. A rush of adrenaline shot through her as the voice rang through her head.

"You belong in GRYFFINDOR!"

The Great Halls doors flew open as the first years scurried their way across the long walkway. Kirishima walked along them, following the Professor guiding them. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, following the other First years who made a group along the front of the Hall. Kiri mainly kept her head down from everyone else but the glances she got around the hall were extraordinary. She smirked as she saw the ceiling lit made to look like the sky outside, the lit floating candles, the 4 tables of the 4 houses, the 4 houses banners hanging behind the long staff table. All the things that Shima had told her about, though of course it wasn't the same since this was Hogwarts in New Zealand and her Auntie attended Hogwarts in Scotland. Kiri didn't mind though, although she was sad they moved away from Ireland where she had grown up it was still Hogwarts. Kiri was amazed by the wonders that she had already seen in the Hogwarts castle, but didn't plan on making the stunned faces the other first years continued to give.

Once all the first years were lined up at the front she heard the Headmistress speak and only seconds after a singing voice echoed through the large hall. Kiri lifted up her head, fixing her eyes on the source. The sorting hat. She stared, listening to the singing emitting from the patched wizards hat sitting on a tall stool. Once the sorting hat had finished singing she clapped with everyone else in the hall, smirking at the over exaggerated cheers and whistles heard from the tables behind her. One by one the Professor called the groups up to the stool to be sorted. Kiri was worried and hoping to get into a house she feels she could fit into but she wasn't as worried as it seemed alot of the others were.

It doesn't matter what house I get into anyway, I mean who cares, as long as I settle down and enjoy my time here. Not to mention work my way to my dream and learn as much I can. But not to get side tracked and not make friends of course, but also focus. I mean if they don't like you, they don't like you. You don't need them-

Kiri continued talking to herself, unaware that she had been saying a few words of it in a low mutter so that some of the first years around her could hear. Though she continued without bothering to listen to the giggles around her.

"Riverel, Kirishima"

Kiri took a few moments to register her name being called out. More giggles were echoing across the room before Kiri realised she was already being called up to be sorted. Kiri took a deep breath, stuffing her hands back into her pockets and beginning to walk up the the stool. She sighed, reaching the stool. Kiri raised her eyebrows, blowing the hair out of her face. She took a seat, feeling the hat being placed on her head and coming up over her eyes. A voice began ringing through her head as she mentally told the hat a lazy greeting.

"Ravenclaw!"

Molly had never been this nervous before. She knew the sorting process would be over in a matter of seconds - it was the build up that was making her palms sweat and her stomach turn. She felt as if she were waiting to be judged on all her innermost secrets and desires, which, in a way, she was. The hat would be able to read her like a book; and with so much seeming to ride on the outcome of its choice - the friendships she would make, the teachers she would have - she feared that the only way she was going to get through the next seven years was if the hat made a terrible mistake. Hardly any of the other children looked so nervous. That calmed her a little. But not so much that when the professor called her name, her heart didn't start thumping violently in her chest.

Brushing her hands on her robes, she made her way over to the stool and sat down. She gripped the edges of the seat, almost as if afraid of falling off it. She filled her mind with thoughts of Hufflepuff, the house she most desperately wanted to be in. Her dad had told her that the hat would take her preference into consideration, though there were, of course, much larger factors at play. All she could do was hope the hat was getting tired.

"You're just saying you want Hufflepuff, but you know that isn't the right house for you. You belong in...Slytherin!"

Mindi looked all around the hall examining all the details. She only had one friend in her life and that as her brother and now she had no one. Mindi looked at the teachers table staring at the teachers and then she noticed the banners hanging up on the wall of all the different houses.
Mindi's name was called with in 5 minutes. She walked up slowly just to make sure it was her that had to go up. It was. She sat on the stool hoping she would get into a good house and not the bad one everyone would talk about. She closed her eyes waiting to have her answer.

"Hufflepuff!"

Aegerine Night shouldn't be here. She should be going to the proper Hogwarts, in Scotland, not this anachronistic colonial imposter. Her mother had dragged her to the other side of the world to be with family she couldn't care less about, and the more she met them, the more she disliked them. She resented everything about this situation, having to leave everything she'd ever known and come to this place where everything was wrong. It was winter in June, and while she preferred that to the heat of summer, it remained jarringly unpleasant. Naturally Aegerine had done her research, and the reach of history, her favourite subject, was pathetically short here; written records only dated back to the Victorians, and the native people had only arrived in the thirteenth century or so. Even geologically speaking, the country was ridiculously young. Aegerine hadn't discovered anything about it yet that wasn't a disappointment.

And yet, and yet when she walked into the Great Hall with the other new first year students, and saw the size of it and the vaulted ceiling with the stars shining up above, she couldn't help but be impressed. Of course it was a Victorian reproduction of a castle, rather than a true castle, but in the privacy of her own mind she had to admit that the Victorians had made it very impressive. Of course, she would never confess that to anyone else, and she maintained an expression of studied disdain. While most of the others were looking around at the hall and the people (far too many people), Aegerine looked up at the stars. She could see Orion, upside-down, and the sight of the familiar constellation inverted reminded her once again how far she was from home. And then, at last, her name was called, and as Aegerine left the anonymity of the crowd all of her thoughts of what might have been fell away as she was confronted by what irredeemably was. She was here now, and however she felt about it the hat’s decision would affect the trajectory of the rest of her life. She felt terribly vulnerable all of a sudden, though she kept her head high and her pace brisk. She sat down awkwardly on the stool, painfully aware of all the eyes on her, mind seething with curiosity and anxiety. The hat slid down over her eyes, leaving her in merciful darkness to discover her place here.

"Ravenclaw!"

Gemma was ecstatic to finally be standing in front of the Great Hall, bearing the sorting hat on her head. She had always dreamed to be accepted into Hogwarts and wondered about all the friends that were awaiting her. She couldn't contain the excited smile that had crept up onto her face, lighting it up as though she were engulfed by fairy lights. She couldn't, however, stop a little seed of doubt from forming in her head. What if nobody liked her? What if she disappointed her parents? Oh, well' she thought, I'll do my best for myself and everyone is bound to like me after that! She looked around, trying not to let her nervousness show, when was the Sorting Hat going to makes its decision? She'd already waited her whole life for this, so why is it taking so long? She stayed silent as the Sorting Hat made its final decision...

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The travel to Hogwarts was exciting and slightly new for Samantha. When she was younger she heard stories about her father's experience in Hogwarts, and she hopes that her experience here in HNZ would be as great as her father's.

Samantha stands with the other first years. She stands there with excitement and with slight nervousness. She sees a hat, the sorting hat she remembered her father telling her. The look of it slightly creeped her out. but said nothing of it. She looked around the room to see the first years around her to get their reaction. Some looked nervous, some looked scared and some weren't even bothered by it.

She was finally in a place that was called Home to her. Samantha was excited to be in a school where she could be herself. Troubled thoughts clouded her mind. She thinks about if she can make friends. She thinks if she would do amazing at school and make her family proud, especially her father who, he himself is a wizard.

But all those clouded thoughts were interrupted by someone calling her name. It was time for her to be placed in a house... She sighs and gulps before she walks to the front of the room and sits on the chair that was provided for her. She looks at the crowd and becomes even more nervous when she sees unfamiliar faces as she feels the sorting hat on her head...

"Friendliness and hard work are key traits that Helga Hufflepuff valued. You'll do well in her house...HUFFLEPUFF!"

Seali strode into the Great hall with the rest of the First years and couldn't help but be amazed by the decor around it. She stared at the ceiling, then the House tables, the floating candles, the staff table. It all amazed her beyond words. Having been brought up in a muggle family with no idea about any of the wizarding world she was caught up with how she could describe everything that had happened the past month or so.

Once all the first years were lined up at the front she watched as the Headmistress said a few words before a hate, sitting on a stool, burst out into song. Seali jumped slightly, amazed that a hat could sing. She admired the sorting hat as it sang it's song before becoming quiet again. Seali clapped vigorously with the rest of the people in the Hall. And then, the sorting began. Sea had always been the kind and loyal type and after researching the houses she found that Hufflepuff was just that, But she was also extremely adventurous and brave, although many people always underestimated her strength and assumed she was weak which would normally be associated with Gryffindor. Seali kept thinking about this, then moving onto the subject of what she most wanted to do whilst at Hogwarts.

"Hornazail, Seali"

Seali jumped slightly, then realising she had been called her smile broadened and she strode up the the stool. She had learnt alot about the Sorting hat through the books she hadn't stopped reading and prepared to say a mental Hello and heard the sorting hat. Seali sat down on the stool as the hat was placed on her head. She smiled even broader and said a mental 'Hiya!' in her head before a voice began to ring in her head. Seali couldn't help wonder what house it would be...

"Though you might be brave, that doesn't always make you a Gryffindor. The same is true that being intelligent doesn't always mean you're a Ravenclaw. You can have both of those qualities and still belong in a different house. I get deep in there and see all of your traits together and then see where' you'll do best. You'll find out firsthand because you're actually a...Hufflepuff!"

Aiden was really looking forward to the day he would walk in Hogwarts New Zealand, see the Great Hall live himself. His parents would always talk about how amazing their sorting day was, how excited they were the whole day. He wasn't very excited, he just wanted to finally know the house he'll be sorted in. He walked in the Great Hall along with the rest of first years. While walking closer to the front, he was looking all around the Great Hall - all the decorations, all the people around. He felt like a new journey was about to begin.

He looked at professors and smiled. Aiden listened to every word that headmistress said. When sorting hat began singing, he wasn't feeling any emotions at all, Aiden just really wanted for the sorting to begin, because he knew that it would take quite a while. When sorting finally started, Aiden finally felt a bit more relaxed, knowing that his "time" would come soon. He didn't really have any expectations for house to be sorted in.

When headmistress said his name, he walked onto the stage, sat down on the stool and waited for headmistress to put the sorting hat on his head. He wasn't smiling, he was just keeping a poker face and waiting for the hat to say something.

"Ravenclaw!"

Acacio walked into the Great Hall with the rest of the First years. He looked around and admired the decorations that were covering the magnificent hall he had heard so much about from his siblings. Aca looked round, Spotting each of his 6 siblings sitting around at their houses tables, waving at him. He smiled, waving slightly back before staring up at the staff table. Aca couldn't help to be nervous, but it wasn't because of the sorting, it was just because he was an overall shy person. Even though he was an Extrovert he would only be chatty around friends he was close with. He bit his lip, cross his fingers and keeping his eyes on the staff table instead of the many students staring at the group of first years walking down to be sorted.

Once they had reached the front of the Great Hall the first years made a small clump along the front of the hall, eagerly waiting to be sorted. Aca listened intently the Headmistress and zoned out, only to be broken out of his day dream when a singing voice echoed through the hall. He looked up, smiling as he saw it was the sorting hat. This wasn't a surprise to him as his siblings told him about the sorting hats songs each year. Once the sorting hat had finished he clapped with the rest of the sudents and Professors, then turning and waving once more to his siblings who looked just as eager to see him sorted. Aca then turned his head forward again as the sorting began. It took quite a while for them to finally get to Aca as his last name began with a Tr, but eventually he broke out of his day dream as his name was called.

"Treeneze, Acacio"

Aca shakily walked up to the stood, sitting on it before closing his eyes so he didn't see the many people staring at him. Though, he could steel feel all eyes on him. He then felt the sorting had be place on his head, the brim coming down past his eyes. Aca mentally greeted the hat, hoping that he would remember his many Siblings before him and be nicer. He took a deep breath and waited for the voice to ring through his head. What will it be..

"Gryffindor!"

The room was filled with rowdy students, hollering and shouting, but as the first name was called, everyone went silence. Lavender-Rose sat in her chair holding tightly to the edge of her skirt. She felt nervous energy flood through her as she wished so hard to be in the same house as all her family. Everybody seemed so happy in rhetoric houses, and she hoped she would be too. In seemingly no time at all she heard her name “Finch, Lavender-Rose” and the young boy next to her smiled a toothy smile and gave her a nudge. She stood up and carefully smoothed down her clothes. As she made her way over to the hat, she could hear whispers from older students about whether she would follow in her families footsteps. As she took a seat on the wooden stool, her stomach dropped as she imagined her family’s reaction to her being placed in another house. She shut her eyes tightly as the hat was placed on her head. She took a deep breath and...

"Slytherin!"

Today was finally the day! Izzy had spent the entire train trip on the Hogwarts Express in nervous anticipation. She was extremely excited in order to get things started and find out what house she would be spending the next 7 years of her life in. She was beyond excited to start her lessons and even though she knew that she would probably be one of the few that did, she didn't care. She was just happy to be here. She followed the rest of the students through the Great Hall, and waited for her name to be called. When it was, she approached the hat and took a seat underneath it. Now was the time!

"You'll reach your true potential in... Ravenclaw!"

Jatin Tiwari was rarely ever nervous, but today was the day he was going to be nervous. He was going to finally get his house. He had waited years for this day, and now, it was finally here. There were four houses that he could place him in, and he believed that he was going to go into Hufflepuff. Hilton had been in Hufflepuff. Now she was in training to be a police officer for New Zealand. Kishen was a Slytherin who was full of nervous energy. His brother was always confident around him, but when it came to magic, he lost that confidence. Jatin did not want magic to be that way for him. Then there was Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Jatin was the type to just believe what he was told when it came to most things. However, he had begun to develop a string of rebellion, especially against their father, who believed they were cursed for possessing magic. He was beginning to question why Kishen was devoted to their religion the way he was. Kishen wanted Jatin to be as religious as he was, but Jatin did not believe that was meant for him. He felt that he was meant for something bigger than Hinduism could ever give him.

"Tiwari, Jatin."

Jatin's attention was called to the stool. The boy walked up and took a seat at on the stool. The Sorting Hat was placed carefully on his head. The boy looked over all four of the tables confidently. He couldn't wait to join his new home.

"Gryffindor!"

Amy Jewel had been super excited when she received her letter. The rest of her siblings had told her stories about the great Hogwarts, and she had always marveled at them. Today was the day that she would finally stand beside them all at Hogwarts. She was so nervous.

Amy smiled at a few of the kids around her. The doors to the Great Hall opened, and she gasped with amazement. The hall was full of kids, all laughing and talking. As she watched the older students at the tables, she saw her older siblings scattered around the place.

The group of first years made it to the front, and the hall became quiet as a lady began to speak. From there, the rest of the ceremony slowed until Amy finally heard:

"Jewel, Amy."

The time was here. Nerves exploded in her stomach. She slowly walked up and sat on the stool. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head. "Please," Amy thought."Don't do something stupid like fall off the stool!"

"Hufflepuff!"

Ben was shaking. What if he didn't get put in Slytherin? His parents would probably disown him. He'd waited so long for this day to finally come, but now he couldn't be sorted soon enough. Why oh why did his name have to be so far down the list?

But finally, after what felt years, it was his turn.
"Richards, Ben," the wait was over, and now he just had to make it to the chair without fainting.

"Slytherin isn't right for you. No, definitely not. You belong in... Ravenclaw!"

Anette stood there surrounded by other first years. She couldn't hide her excitement. Everything was so big, beautiful, old but magical. She watched people around her and didn't really pay attention to the sorting cetemony in front of her. Her eyes roamed the room. The candles above her head caught her attention. 'I need to learn that spell,' she thought, 'mom and dad would love it!" She heard clapping and when she quickly checked what was happening, she saw a kid who has just been sorted into Gryffindor. She blinked quickly when her name was called. "Oh dear..." She whispered on her way to the stool. She carefully sat down and waited.

"Hufflepuff!"

Lenny stood up and had fun watching the other kids luagh at him as he sat down he realized.... He forgot his PS4

"It probably wouldn't have worked anyway! Don't worry, you'll find some fun, magical games here in your new house...Hufflepuff!"

Joshua was unable to remain calm. He was fumbling unnecessarily. Nervousness and excitement filled him. He was staring at all the first years. "Those in Gryffindor seem fine. I don't want to be in Slytherin though, they seem nasty. Hmm.. I wonder which house I'll be in. Wherever I may be placed, I'll do my best to get along with them."
He thought. He readjusted his robes and glasses. But doing so was in vain. When his name was called he hurriedly went to the front but tripped by someone's robes. His glasses went flying and his robes were a mess. My. What a start. He stood up burning with shame. He can feel his cheeks getting red. He can hear a bunch of people snickering. The headmaster silenced them though. A first year wizard handed him his glasses and he immediately tidied myself up and went to the front.
"Here goes."
He sat at the chair and the sorting hat was placed on his head.

"Gryffindor!"

Rory was unable to contain her excitement. Today, she would finally, after 11 years of waiting, be told her Hogwarts house! She had spent sleepless nights leading up to this one, contemplating what her life will be here, if she is in griffindor should she die her light brown hair a deep maroon? No, she decided, perhaps she should let herself get some friends before scaring away people in the halls. “Oh the halls!” she thought, they’re so big and beautiful yet so old and worn....

“Grace, Rory”

She heard her own name and almost cracked her neck in two, moving her eyes so quickly off the beautifully bewitched ceiling to the professor at the front holding the hat above a stool, her stool. Rory walked up oblivious to the stares of the hundred odd, already sorted, older kids. She made it to the stool and sat down with a smile, excitement glowing through her cheeks and happy body. The professor gave a warm grin in return as she lowered the hat down on Rory’s head.....

"No, not Gryffindor. Better be ... Slytherin!"

Cressida walked passed the pulpit onto the stool, feeling only curiosity why they needed to be separated into houses at all. They had never felt the need for separation before and although it was mighty impressive that the hat could talk and sing they questioned if this hat knew the repercussions one might have being put into one house over another. During their ride to Hogwarts they had learned that there was one 'bad' house from the other prospective students but they knew better than to listen to that whereas some might believe it. Cressida hoped that the hat took this into consideration but cared not for their own house. The young student glanced upwards once the hat was put onto short blonde hair, seeing the brim of the hat feeling suspicion of the entire process but knew that at present there was nothing they could do about it.

"Hufflepuff!"

As i heard my name being called. I walked looking down and feeling shy. I sat at the stool still ain't looking straight to the crowd. I suddenly feel something in my head. As it speak i got surprised and nervous wishing it will put me to my heart's desired house

"Slytherin!"

Aelin was standing with the other first years not understaning why they were all so nervous it was actually getting a bit annoying when a girl beaide her actually sceeled all Aelin felt was exitment and a bit of boredom, how much longer would she have to stand here.

Then finally the woman in the front said “Galathynius, Aelin” and Aelin almost jumped tothe stool to sit down in exitment. The hat was put on her head and it slid over her golden hair and her safire eyes so that she couldn’t see the rest of the hall. For the first time since she came here she got nervous what if she wouldn’t come into the house she wished. Then she heard a voice in her head that said...

"Brave, Adventurous, Loyal. There's only one house for you. GRYFFINDOR!"

Isla was very unsure of herself as she followed the students ahead of her through the great hall. The clear night sky twinkled above them, with floating candles lightly dancing around the room. Isla took a deep breath before setting her gaze at the panel of teachers ahead of them, making sure to stop her footsteps alongside the other first years around her once they reach the foot of the stage.

Isla giggles a bit listening to the sorting hats song, imaging a quick ballet routine in her mind to match the tempo. She was slightly sad as it came to an end to soon, but her nerves filled her up again once she heard students names being called out. One by one the group got smaller before Isla heard the next name being called out.

"Hawthorne, Isla."

Her hands started to shake as she took the steps up to the wooden stool with her new headmistress standing beside. Isla turns around before softly sitting down on the small seat infront of the whole student body. The amount of eyes on her made her more nervous that she has every been before, and was slightly grateful when the leather hat was placed on her head as it slipped over her eyes - blocking her view of the school.

"Yes, you're smart but learning isn't what drives you. You belong in...HUFFLEPUFF!"