The Sorting Ceremony Y45

[Logan Lyle]

Logan could not wipe the grin from his face as he was ushered into the Great Hall. He'd been told stories about what to expect when he got to Hogwarts, but none of them compared to what he was really seeing with his own two eyes. He'd never been to a real-life castle before. His sisters were going to be so jealous when he told them. The space was huge, even the lawn was much larger than the small courtyard his old school had, and he looked forward to running around and exploring every corner. Since the train ride in, everything around him felt like it was all one big high-budget theme park. What he'd initially mistaken for numerous television screens in one of the hallways on the way inside had been moving paintings. It had reminded him of a time when he was much younger and had tried to print off a gif from the school computer, only to be disappointed to see that it didn't move on the paper. Here, they did! He almost couldn't believe it. It had always been hard to trust that half of the things his aunts had told him about the wizarding world were true, and while he'd seen some of it for himself, much of it seemed like an exaggeration at the time. Here, now, he believed it all. It was amazing.

It was hard to focus on what the school principal was saying when there was so much to take in, but Logan's attention was immediately drawn back to the front of the hall when he heard that the hat was going to sing them a song. This was way cooler than any school assembly he'd sat through before. He stood on his toes to get a better look, but from the other end of the hall he couldn't quite make out where the mouth was supposed to be on the hat, or if it even had one, but he bopped his head along to the hat's little tune all the same. This was so much fun, and he hadn't even been sorted yet!

The time finally came for the new kids to make their way up to the front of the hall, and Logan bounced on the heels of his feet in anticipation. This was it, the big moment everyone had hyped up, and he was excited to be sorted. The houses at his old school were all far less grand, named after the neighbouring streets rather than the founders. He looked forward to seeing where he'd go, or if it even really mattered in the end. It wasn't long before he heard his own name called, and he half-walked, half-jogged down the aisle and up to the stool the hat sat on. He beamed at the principal and turned to sit down, facing the sea of people he didn't really know yet. It was a shame, especially seeing a few of the kids in his group who seemed to already know each other well, but he knew it was only a matter of time. As the hat settled on his head, the only thoughts that raced through his mind were the words of the hat's song, catchy and stuck on repeat. Or at least, the verses he could remember, while the gaps he filled with humming under his breath.


"You've got great taste in music, but it's other areas that will help me figure out where to send you. Your value of friendship would make you a good fit for Gryffindor but overall I think you'll do better in Hufflepuff!"​

 

[Twilight Ferngully]

Twilight, or Twily as they went by to their mom, stood in the center of the Great Hall, feeling extremely nervous as all eyes were upon them and their fellow first-years. They startled as they heard their name being called, and had to be pushed forward to go ahead to put the Sorting Hat on their head. They held their breath as the Sorting Hat spoke to them inside their head, nerves wracking through them as they hoped to be put into the house that suited them most.

"Your mind is eager for knowledge. You are heading to...Ravenclaw!"

 

[Dillon Elliott]

Before today, Dillon had been pretty sure he knew everything there was to know about Hogwarts. He'd been relentless in his questioning of Conan and his mama, prying memory after memory from them until he practically had a mental map of the place. Standing in the Great Hall, however, Dillon was quickly realizing that he didn't even know half of it. The castle was so much grander than their descriptions, so much more striking than even his own imagination, and he was doing his best not to gawk at the ceiling, the candle, the people — all of it. It was the first time all day that Dillon had shut his mouth.

As the headmaster began his speech, Dillon searched the Gryffindor table for Conan. It was hard to pay much attention to the speech when there were much pressing matters at hand. Like the fact that he was about to be sorted. As awesome as Gryffindor sounded, Dillon couldn't help glancing occasionally at the Slytherin table. That had been his dad's house, and even though he knew Conan would disagree, Dillon thought it'd be pretty neat to share a house with his dad.

Really, as long as he wasn't put in Ravenclaw with all the other nerds, he would be happy. The speech finally ended — and not a moment too soon. Dillon just wanted to know where he would spend his next seven years. But first, the hat had to have its say. Its voice was a little unexpected, but once Dillon got over his surprise, he elbowed the person next to him. "I heard that every year, there's always at least one kid who the hat decides is unworthy, and they get sent straight home," he whispered solemnly. That wasn't true at all, but he was curious to see if he could cause a little panic before the ceremony's end.

"Elliott, Dillon."

Dillon could barely suppress his grin as he strode toward the stool. He gave the Gryffindor table one last searching glance before looking up at the hat, which had been placed on his head. Dillon knew the hat could hear him, and since he still wasn't sure which house he wanted, he decided to use this brief moment to request something else. Hey, can you give my brother Conan a shoutout? You sorted him two years ago. He thought it'd be pretty funny if he could embarrass his brother a bit in front of the whole school.

"Ah, Conan Elliott. Gryffindor. I remember everyone I've sorted, see. But let's put the focus on you where it belongs. You're adventurous, sure but that's not all there is about you. I see leadership and a strong drive... sorry, you won't be joining your brother. You're heading to...Slytherin!"

 

[Neal Severn]

Neal could feel her heartbeat like a hammer that couldn't find its nail. The names were coming quicker now. O, P, Q, R, and finally S. This was it. She had enough adrenaline in her body to run a marathon and she almost did, right out of the door and all the way home. But great things were waiting for her here. Far greater things than awaited her at home. And though the serpent on the banner above her head seemed to be leering down at her with dark, beady eyes, she parted the crowd and staggered up to the polished stool. With an explosion of snow-white hair, she was difficult to miss despite being short for her age, and her mind was no less striking. The hat would see it all, the wild hopes and ambitions, the fear and its unyielding ever-present sibling, determination. Even her darkest thoughts weren't private now. There was nowhere inside herself to hide.

"Your mind is quick and focused, I see...but you're also ambitious. Oh, you're not a fan of snakes are you? That'll make this quite interesting...maybe you'll think differently about them soon... because you're a...Slytherin!"