Sorting Ceremony 2019-2020 Archived

Thomas was confused.

He'd been immensely confused since his arrival, bombarded by excited chit chat between two of his close friends along the boat ride. Something about houses, sorting, family lines, and honor? While not fully understanding the conversation, in fact barely understanding much at all, the boy smiled and nodded as long as he could manage. If there was one thing he hated beyond anything else, it was the perception of ignorance. Tommy wanted nothing more, pretty much all the time, than to appear intelligent and competent.

Even as he sat in his chair, impatiently awaiting his turn, Thomas cast stern glances to those near him who were jittery. He sat as still as possible, seemingly more mature than some of the others in the room. In truth, Tommy was just as scared and nervous as his peers, possibly even more so due to his inherent fear of failure, but he'd grown more reserved and less overt with his emotions as he got older.

"BAINES, THOMAS!"

Go time. After Thomas made his way to the front, sitting unmoving in his seat, he waited for what felt like eons for something to happen. Silence seemed to be the only thing the hat had to offer him, but after a few agonizing seconds of anticipation, he experimentally tried to reach out. He thought as hard as he could, unsure of exactly how to communicate to a sentient hat capable of reading minds, trying to broadcast a hesitant, Hello?

"OH! Good morrow Ser Baines. I have been waiting for the next of your line for quite some time." Startled by the formality, and by the fact that there was suddenly a voice in his head, Tommy hesitated before reaching out again, Line? What do you mean by that? "Let's not bog ourselves down with family business. That's not why you're here, is it Thomas? Let me see..." The hat was silent for another bout of seconds, which felt like hours. Growing more and more agitated, Thomas shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"An impatient boy, then. Much like your father, and his brother. You've got a lot of passion in that heart of yours. Don't try to hide it now, I know your drive for success runs deep." Thomas didn't understand how the hat even knew that he'd been mildly affronted by the accusation. Baffled, and mildly curious, he decided to take a bit of a backseat at the hat prattled on and on. He wanted to know how the thing worked, how telepathy was even possible (though, in the realm of magic, he presumed there were few limits anyways). As the boy contemplated, the hat seemed to reach its conclusion abruptly.

"There it is! What sets you apart from your line, and what defines you. That intellectual curiosity, the desire to know more about anything and everything. You want to grow strong, yes, but you also want to expand your periphery. To see new horizons, to learn as much as you can. I do believe I have your placement properly sorted." The hat laughed mirthlessly at its own joke, making it difficult for Thomas to take the moment seriously. However, before he could totally process what the living headgear had to say, it exclaimed loudly into the Great Hall, words seemingly filling the room:

"RAVENCLAW!"

He recognized the enthusiastic cheers from some of his friends, looking over to the table that was apparently his new home. The Ravenclaw's table seemed to have the most subdued response to new members, still visibly excited, but not as brash as Gryffindor and not as overwhelmingly friendly as Hufflepuff. Tommy noted idly as he made his way there, perhaps this was a good fit after all.

[quote][quote]Was it hot in here, or was it just Sylvie?

She felt a bead of sweat roll down her temple. She quickly wiped it away, taking a deep breath in, then out. In, then out.
Come on now, O'Niell, pull yourself together. What, are you afraid of a hat? Don't be a wimp! She bounced her leg in anticipation as the Sorting Hat went through was sounded to her like role-call. L names and M names, N names and then... Oh, dear. The moment was fast approaching. It was approaching a little too fast, actually. Why did she feel so nervous? It was only house sorting.

"O'NIELL, SYLVIE!"

Go time. There was literally no turning back. Sylvie quietly wiped her clammy hands on her black robe and approached the hat with a confident expression. She sat on the stool and the large hat was placed on top of her head. She'd mentally prepared herself for this moment. At least she thought she did. She was freaking out, just a little bit. Let's do this.
"As I thought. There's a nervousness deep within you. A nervousness, though there's no true sense of caution to go with your jitters." She messed with her fingers as the hat spoke to her... Telepathically? She wondered if she was able to do that too, being a witch and all. Was there a spell for that? "Inquisitive. There's a drive within you. An almost chivalrous want to do good in the world, it seems. To make things right, much like your father wanted." My father? "Your father was a young man with a kind soul last I saw of him. But we have unfinished business to attend to, Miss O'Niell." Right! Right, of course. "A passion for knowledge, though you don't quite fit as a Ravenclaw. The kindness of a Hufflepuff, but... That wouldn't suit you, now would it? You have bravery inside of you and you take great pride in that. To me, your house is clear." Sylvie scrunched up her nose to hide her excitement. What felt like hours had only been about a minute in passing.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Gryffindor. That was it. That was her house. She could see her father's cheeky grin in the back of her mind. She could see her mother's disappointed gaze. She had so badly wanted her child to continue the line of Slytherins in her family. Sylvie began to sweat again as she stood up from the sorting stool and started the walk to her new table. The Gryffindors had erupted into applause at the announcement of their new housemate with as much rowdiness as she'd seen in a while. But the hard pats on the shoulder and tight squeezes from strangers- Or rather, new friends, made her feel excited. Like maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

     This place was...massive! It had to be the biggest room that Maxon had seen in his entire, yet short, life. His grandfather spoke of this hall. The wonderful ceremonies that took place, the great food his tongue would taste. Maxon couldn`t believe such a great room could exist. Yet, here he was, in the Great Hall. The young boy looked around the massive room. There were so many people here...all waiting expectantly for the new students to be sorted into their houses. Maxon couldn`t wait to know what house he would be in, but he was also a little nervous. What if the people in his house didn`t like him? He couldn`t imagine being in a house with people who didn`t like him for the rest of his time at Hogwarts.  He could only hope the sorting hat would put him in the right house. 

     Maxon listened to the headmaster as he made his speech. The boy shivered for a second, remembering the way the headmaster looked at him as he entered the room. His grandfather never told him that the headmaster wore armor! Though, his grandfather`s headmaster may have been different...

     Once the headmaster was done, and the hat had sung, it was finally time to start sorting. Maxon a pang of nervousness and anxiety. It was finally time! He waited patiently for his turn. He listened in and clapped whenever someone was sorted. Gyffin\dor...HufflePuff...then Slytherin...and finally Ravenclaw. So many people to sort, when would his turn arrive?

"Charris, Maxon!"

Maxon jumped a little when he heard his name called. He didn`t expect to be called so soon. Slowly, but surely, he walked to the front of the Great Hall, noting all the eyes that were watching him. He took a deep breath. Everything would be just fine. It had to be. Arriving at the front, he sat on the sorting chair. As the sorting hat was placed on his head, Maxon felt excited. This was it! He was being sorted!

"Ah! A Charris...a name I haven`t heard in years...."

Was the hat talking about his grandfather?

As if hearing his thoughts, the hat blurted, "Ah! Your grandfather! He was a bright young man. He was already thinking of his future. Oh, how he desperately wanted a legacy, to pass on his future knowledge of the magics to his descendants. But he was not selfish. Nay, he was loyal and brave, he was. Gryffindor made a fine house for him."

Maxon felt a sense of pride as the hat talked about his grandfather. He wondered if he would be sorted into Gryffindor as his grandfather was.

"But, I sense something different in you, young Charris. I sense loyalty in you, yes. But, I sense you may need to work on your bravery. However, I sense a hard worker in you. Someone willing to better themselves. Yes... Yes... I think it would be best to place you in a house that could fulfill your potential. You are not a Gryffindor like your grandfather...you are a..."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Maxon got off the chair with a smile. Hufflepuff. What an interesting name... He looked towards the table of cheering Hufflepuffs and smiled even harder. As he walked towards them he thought, `Maybe this won`t be as bad as I thought...'

Sophie was not scared, no, she was absolutely terrified. Not that you could tell just by looking at the blonde haired girl, in fact she made an effort to look calm and confident. Sophie knew that there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Her mother and father had been sorted into Ravenclaw and, very clearly, were sensible enough of people to not be upset by something as minuscule as her house. Yet the small voice at the back of her head saying that her parents wouldn’t love her anymore if she wasn’t a Ravenclaw made her queasy.

“AMOUR, SOPHIE!”

The small girl’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her name. Sophie took a silent yet deep breath before almost reluctantly making her way towards the the ratty, old hat.

“Another Amour I see...” A strange voice that she assumed came from the hat muttered inside her head, “If I remember correctly I sorted your father into Ravenclaw.” Sophie nodded, yes. “Very interesting... I see a lot of similarities between you two...” The grey eyed girl’s heart leaped as she was compared to her father, she had looked up to the wise yet humorous man ever since she could speak. “And yet you are so different from him. You truly have a desire to prove yourself, to be great. But also such creativity and intelligence... Not to mention your loyalty.. In fact, none of the houses would be awful to you. I think one of them sticks out between the four though. Your father could have been a Slytherin you know, with his cunning and ambition.”

‘Impossible.’ Sophie thought, her father was a Ravenclaw through and through.

The sorting hat chuckled making Sophie blush in raw embarrassment, “I see those traits in you too yet even more pronounced. Yes, I think I have decided where to put you.” The ratty hat finished, “Better be SLYTHERIN!”

The blonde girl stood up, still awestruck by what she had learned about her father, before walking slightly more confidently to her new table as the Slytherins cheered. Who cared if she wasn’t a Ravenclaw? Sophie still could and would make her parents proud of her.

This is the place where the road stops. Hogwarts. A huge castle, even more impressive when you face it. It's not a drawing in a school book, it's not a photo taken at the end of a Quidditch championship – my father was Keeper at the time; he has shown me this picture where his team holds a trophy and on which we can see the castle in the background –, it's not a miniature like the one my parents built with me. No, this time it is the real Hogwarts, of which I can only view a small area.
We soon enter the Great Hall, this very large room. I must admit I'm quite impressed, so impressed that my eyes open widely, my face can't remain expressionless. Rare enough to be mentioned. Yes, that's right, I'm pleased to discover Hogwarts. I feel like I was entering one of the miniatures I have in my bedroom. I'm reduced to a little figurine.

The professors and older students are looking at us, First-year children still unaware of the place where they will sleep tonight. Still not wearing any house colors.
Well, we are not totally in the spotlight, the Headmaster holds a great position. He even wears an armor, quite uncommon. The assembly is soon totally quiet. Especially when he begins his speech.
I pay attention to what he says even if there are some points I already knew thanks to my parents. I stand straight, hands behind my back. I keep in mind my parents' pieces of advice. Be irreproachable. Respectful. Remain silent when someone is talking. Don't draw attention to yourself except when the Sorting Hat will call you.

Then the Sorting Ceremony starts. Names are called one after another. Houses are given one after another. Students acclaim their new comrades one after another. Sometimes it's pretty long and the Hat seems hesitating, sometimes it nearly doesn't touch the child's head and instantly shouts out the house. I'm waiting patiently.
After two boys who were sorted in Slytherin, it's my turn.

PHINNEY, ANGUS! Right. I stay stoic, walking towards the hat in the middle of all these people. I'm not nervous but I'm not used to so much attention on me. I take the Hat carefully, sit on the chair and put it on my head. Beyond the fact that it is too large, it gives a strange sensation. I startle when I hear its voice talking in my head.

Let's see... A Phinney, well, I sorted both your parents in Ravenclaw, right? I don't have to answer, the Hat already knows everything. It knows my parents better than I do. Don't overestimate me. I read hearts, not biographies. You're a bit naive, more than your parents, for sure. I just listen. Barely thinking about what it says. As always, my head seems empty. I feel some confidence – you give easily your trust uh? I could sort you anywhere, you wouldn't ask any questions. How funny, your parents were much more curious about me, themselves, this sorting. I'm waiting for its judgment. My parents said I would be a perfect student for Ravenclaw. However you don't know if you are actually like your parents. And the answer is.. not really. You don't look further ahead than the present moment. You trust very easily, as I said earlier. You are also more naive, not questioning what people tell or command you. Before I can understand this as "you are a dumb little boy", the Hat continues. These are not faults, and you are not dumb. I would even say you are quite wise. But keep in mind that it's not a fault either to be different from your parents. I don't understand if it is still sorting me or moralizing me. Let me do my job. What was I saying... Wise, yes, and calm and hard-working... You could have your place in Ravenclaw, that's right. But your parents can't see what I see. You have a kind heart and the desire to help others... Moreover, you don't particularly want success or great knowledge. You would certainly feel pressured there, while it's not in your nature... Do you agree? At this stade, maybe the most important part of the sorting, I'm not able to understand the whole speech of the Hat anymore. I'm listening but I'm not sure if I'm the one in this description. Actually, I never thought of it before. I can't agree or disagree. Trust me. It shouldn't be difficult for you. I have no doubts anymore, the best for you is
– HUFFLEPUFF!

I stand up as I hear people applauding. After removing the Hat, I can see from which table comes the biggest clapping: the yellow one. Hufflepuff.
I have a slight smile as I walk towards my new fellows. I don't know if it was long but it seemed so. Yet I thought it wouldn't difficult for the Hat to sort someone not arguing. Actually, it was embarrassing how it jumped on each tiny thought I had. Sure, it was a very special moment, but not so great.

My parents didn't tell me many things about the houses, in order to let me form my own opinion. The consequence is... I don't know if they'll be okay with the fact that I don't follow in their footsteps.
At least, I guess Hufflepuff will be a nice house where spending seven years.

Edna was unusually quiet as she stood waiting to be sorted. She had been put in an entirely new environment. A school she had only recently learned about and was amongst people she had never met. She had always been good at making friends, talking, not being nervous. But under these circumstances, none of that seemed to matter. This was, in her eyes, the most important moment so far. She would be given a house, one she would stay with for the rest of her time at Hogwarts. What if she was placed in Slytherin. All she could do was worry. Her name was farther down on the list so she had plenty of time. As more people got sorted, she started tallying up how many new students got in each house, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, another Hufflepuff, Gryffindor. She stopped counting. Edna knew whatever house she was put in, she would like it. The hat seemed to know everything. Of course, that only helped her a bit. She tried to think about what Essa might be doing back at home. Would she be getting ready for school, or have been too late and their parents just let it slide. Edna was jolted out of her homesick thoughts by her name being called.
"Selester, Edna" She walked up and sat down on the sorting chair. The hat was placed on her head. She was scared, to say the least, but at this point, she had decided no matter what, it would be fine.
"Ah, Miss Selester. No need to be nervous. Well, you seem to be a tough one" Edna was more nervous than before, but she calmed herself. "Brave as well. Very friendly, willing" Her thoughts were now on what her traits could possibly mean. From what she had heard prior to being called up was that Sythein was an evil house, though she didn't believe that entirely and Ravenclaw was smart. She hadn't heard anything about the other two except from the song the hat sang earlier. "Adventerous as well" Edna gave a slight nod as she thought about her many adventures in the woods by her house, but Essa had always been there for those. "Miss Selester, you think quite highly of your twin..." There was a brief silence before the hat continued "Naive, and strong-willed. I think I know what house to put you in " The hat said in her mind.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted. Edna stood up and gave the hat back. There was a table that was cheering and clapping the most, the Gryffindor table. She made her way over there thinking about what the hat had said to her. Her excitement was overflowing. Her joy was uncontainable, she had a large smile on her face as she sat down with her new house.

Gabby paused for a fraction of a second as she stepped into the enormousness of the Great Hall. It's walls towered above her, impossibly tall, and the candles dipped up and down slowly, immune to any sort of gravity. Beside her sat the four tables, one for each house, with students crowding the benches, all eyes on the advancing First Years. Gabby didn't like the attention, the thought that everything she did was being watched, and made sure she stuck in the middle of the crowd, where students flanked her every side like bodyguards.

Gabby had thought about the Sorting; on the train, as they sailed to Hogwarts on those wooden boats, ever since her eldest brother Luis had written home, explaining to his Muggle parents the houses of Hogwarts and the ceremony in which they were separated. He had been a Hufflepuff, caring and loyal, always willing to lend a helping hand, and had a calming presence about him. Gabby's sister, Sofia, had been a Slytherin. Clever and daring, she always wanted to be up the top, and was always in the thick of things.
Gabby was more like Sofia than Luis, she loved rushes of adrenaline and acted before she thought, but was quieter than her elder sister. If Sofia were a tiger, growling and roaring, claws unsheathed, she was a panther, hiding in the shadows, eyes watching carefully, waiting for the right moment to pounce. Still, Slytherin always seemed like the house for her.

Gabby halted with the the rest of the group as they reached the top of the hall, and fidgeted with the hem of her robe as each of the students stepped forward to wear the hat. It was ragged and patched, but had the air of importance about it, with every eye on the room trained on it. She tried to focus on the Sorting, filing people's faces and their names, but gave up soon after when her nerves overcame her.

"Marquez, Gabriela!"

Gabby stepped forward, sitting down on the chair and placing the hat gently down on her head. It was a large hat, and slid down her forehead, covering half her eyesight. She was partly glad though, now she didn't have to see the whole hall watching her.
"Gabriela, Gabriela," the hat murmured, it's voice deep and ageless. "Like to be called Gabby though. Let's see... you're a complicated one. A couple of years ago you were a completely different person. But now - quick, sometimes too quick, very mistrustful, but you've got a big heart, easy to break. A good friend to have, but a bad enemy. I think I'll put you in... SLYTHERIN!"

Gabby made her way down to the Slytherin table, her nerves replaced with excitement as her new house cheered in congratulations. She smiled self-consciously as she took a seat down with her new family.

The shuffling line of first years was loud and giddy with excitement, but Bast was just ready for it all to be over with. He already knew where he belonged; there was no edge of suspense, no worries about his place, no apprehension to see what the Hat had to say. His pale blue stare flickered over to the Slytherins, drifting over the students there with distant interest, and he knew that he would be joining them shortly. They seemed like a quieter table — quieter than the hollering Gryffindors, who screamed and stomped for new lions and booed and stomped for all others — and for that he was thankful. The Great Hall was beautiful, captivating, full of magic, but he had a raging headache. It was hard to enjoy it all when every shriek of excitement sent another throb through his temple. 

"Aurelius, Bastille!"

Relieved to be out of the squirming line of students, and on his way to a quiet place to sit out the rest of the feast, Bast stepped forward quickly. His strides were measured and calm, with a self assurance that said he knew what he was doing here and knew too how this was all going to end up. The Aurelius's were a pretty typical family, after all, with a pretty typical House. He didn't need to remember his father to know that he was his father's son. 

"Hmm, confident of that, aren't you?" the Sorting Hat rumbled as it settled over his head, and Bast was briefly disgruntled to note that his House hadn't simply been declared on sight, as it was for some others. "No, young Aurelius, I don't think you are quite as set as you think... Slytherin, you think? You certainly are loyal, maybe a bit too quick to resort to any means to reach your ends... Yes, I think you might fit there... But you are curious, hungry for knowledge, like a true Ravenclaw... And above all else, brash and true to yourself. You don't shy away from a challenge, do you? I'm not sure if it's courage or stubbornness, but I think you'll be...

"GRYFFINDOR!"

A split second of shock, of delayed processing — for he'd been trying to figure out where on Earth this Merlin forsaken Hat was going with this — and then, incredulously: "What?"

There was no time to argue with the Hat, to demand it double-check, for Bast was already being shuffled off the stool and sent off to the hoard of screaming, hollering, waving Gryffindors in dismayed shock. There was no bloody way he belonged with these lunatics, and he sent a parting glance towards the Slytherin table before he was being pushed down beside some older lions. 

"This can't be right," he muttered, staring down the table with forlorn dread, and he pressed his head into his hands as his headache spiked. Someone patted his back, remarking that Gryffindor was the best, but Bast just groaned and did his best to tune all of the chaos out. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe he'd fallen asleep in the compartment on the Hogwarts Express, and this was all just a nonsensical nightmare. 

Or maybe that bloody Hat was just downright evil. Gryffindor, his arse. 

Once Angela got off the train she followed the others to the Great Hall and looked around it in awe, it was beautiful. She tried to see over the shockingly tall first years and tried to kindly push her way through the crowd, to the front. She got to where she could see just as the headmaster was about to talk

"Hello everyone! Welcome, first years, to Hogwarts and welcome back other years" Loud cheers could be heard from the crowd and by everyone at the tables. There were a lot of people who made Angela a bit nervous but she brushed that aside. "Now first years you will come up here, one by one and sit on the stool. The sorting hat will be placed among your head and put you into your respective house. All decisions are final! If you do not like your house then you will have to deal with it, but you will soon love it once you get used to the people and accustoms" The headmaster called the first person up, "Hm...yes...brave but loyal, Insightful but shy... but what's this? Very sly, very sly indeed and I detect... Ambition. Ah yes, I think SLYTHERIN!" 

Students were being called out one by one while Angela was thinking of the thing her father told her, he told her "just think about you, your true self and nobody else. But I'll be counting on Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw"  He told her that just before she had left the muggle world and was caught by surprise when her name was called "Nelson, Angela!" She left the crowd and walked up to the stool, "Hello hat" She said softly and sat down as it was placed on her head "Hmmm, oh yes, very kind and loyal, dedicated too, but very smart... Resourceful and is very insightful and creative. RAVENCLAW!" The Ravenclaw table cheered and Angela stood up "Thank you Mr. Hat" She smiled and walked off towards the Ravenclaw table, someone welcomed her and told her Ravenclaw was amazing. She took out a small notebook she had in her pocket and a quill she also had that was given to her by her dad and drew the sorting hat calling out Ravenclaw as her house. She was exhilarated to be placed in Ravenclaw and watched as everyone else was being sorted into their houses with a smile on her face.

After the decent train ride and the alluring boat ride across the lake, Lauren decided that she should brace herself for the Sorting Ceremony. She had a superstition where if two things go right, one thing will go wrong, and if it doesn't, she had to look forward to being anxious about her situations from then on.

She didn't even know how it could even go wrong, she was just being placed into a House. As much as she understood, Houses didn't really matter, at least pertaining to her grades. But Lauren knew that she wasn't going to be some bookworm dedicated to the study of magic for the next seven years, she was definitely going to try to have fun. But other kids kept whispering about it, like it was a sacred event, like things could go very right or very wrong, and it was really bugging her out.

Like she often did when she felt too anxious, Lauren tried to think clearly about the details. Most of the kids were just hoping not to get into Slytherin or Hufflepuff. They said if they were smart enough they'd get into Ravenclaw but everybody was a Gryffindor. They said that if you got into Slytherin you were a deatheater and if you got into Hufflepuff you were too soft. Lauren did know what to think of all of this, it seemed like she had just joined a game she had no idea about.

Lauren and the group of first years finally made it to the Great Hall. They went in and they made a line to be sorted. All of the eyes watching them ft strangely focused on Lauren, like they knew she was different. She folded her arms and lifted her chin a little higher in the air, clenching her teeth. She wasn't afraid of any of them.

“Wheeler, Lauren.”

She almost didn't hear her name. Lauren jutted forward then went into a slow walk. She made her way to the little stool, where a very old looking hat sat. She squinted down at it before picking it up and sitting down, placing it over her head.

“Wheeler, Wheeler, I don't think I've come across your kind in a while...a very long while.”

Lauren flinched, even though she had just witnessed this same thing happen to many others before her. She opened her mouth to respond, but the hat continued on.

“I see that it's not that big of an adjustment, you seem to be getting along rather well...you are very resilient, missing your old ways, feeling that you have to change for this magic world you're in. But don't you know that it's all the same?”

She wondered how he even came to this notion.

“...no, I see that you're the brightest in the stars, but you are perhaps one of the biggest, one mighty...but although you're particularly brave, it's not because of you're courage, but because of your compassion.

“I don't have much of that—” she muttered, but the hat interrupted her again.

“Indeed, I know which House will fit you best, because your loyalty is your highest claim—HUFFLEPUFF.”

And it was because of one certain event that she knew very well the hat was referring to that she landed in the House of Badgers.