Closed The Sorting ceremony 2018-2019

Erin stood impatiently at the very back of the first-year student line, her crimson eyes scanned each and every student meticulously. As she examined the students, she saw that a substantial amount came from Britain. To Erin it was quite easy to distinguish a brit in a crowd, they usually had a sophisticated accent and an infuriating superiority complex. "I haven't seen a brit in donkeys years!" Erin would say out loud, causing some students to look back at her in annoyance. "What are you gawking at? Crack on before I make ya." Erin might not have been the tallest student, in fact she was probably one of the shortest, but her fierce attitude and her aggressive Irish accent made her quite the fearsome little dosser.


As most students kept on about their business after Erin's thuggish threat, the hat placed in front of the professors would start to sing. Safe to say it wasn't really Erin's forte, but it sung better than most Irish Folk bands she knew. From her very limited knowledge about Hogwarts and magic in general, that rather ugly hat was called the 'Sorting Hat' (-10 points for originality, but an A for effort). Her mother told her to answer all of its questions as truthfully as possible, but Erin needed to see the kinds of questions the thing would ask before she could promise that. After the hat was done singing, thank god, it was time for the reading of the history of Hogwarts. Erin sighed as she realized that there would be more boring filler before the sorting ceremony, its like they designed the ceremony to keep students on their toes. She braced herself for a story that would probably make watching paint dry look exciting, but as the story started; she felt herself...entranced? There was so much more history and tradition with magic than her parents ever allowed her to know. There were even wars and pseudo-celebrities. She felt the words form together and form vibrant scenes in front of her, the description of the events were so detailed and vivid! As the story came to an end a wave of disappointment filled Erin's body, though she wouldn't dare admit it. But now that the stories and songs were finally done with, it was time for the chopping block...the Sorting Ceremony!

Erin watched on carefully as child after child found out which house they would be in for the rest of their time at the school. Some of them were overjoyed about their placement...others not so much. Her father had told her briefly about the four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Huflepuff. From what she heard she gathered that: Ravenclaw were basically glorified nerds, Hufflepuff were a bunch of holy joes, Slytherin were a gang of throw shapes, and Gryffindor was where her oul fella went. Those weren't his exact words, but she felt that her paraphrased version was much easier to understand. Before she knew it there was only one student in front of her, one student between her and the famous Sorting Hat. The child went up and rather quickly got placed into their house, Erin wasn't really paying attention, fear and dread starting to slowly creep up her spine. She shook her head and looked back at the hat, this grungy hat wasn't going to intimidate her. She started to walk up to the hat, a look of determination and glory on her face.

"Miss Roo-" The hat would be cut off by Erin sitting down and placing the hat on her head, she didn't care if this was seen as rude; she was ready to find her house immediately. "Well I can see someone didn't want to waste anytime." The hat would say, chuckling a bit. "Lets see here, you definitely have the bravery for Gryffindor, but you are a loyal friend; like a Hufflepuff. But wait, you have the thirst for knowledge like a Ravenclaw, but the ambition of a Slytherin." Erin's eyes would light up with fear, and then anger. "Are you acting the maggot fella? There's no way I'm anything like a Slytherin!" This comment would garner some angry stares from Slytherin students, but Erin just stared back at them, almost inviting them to say something. The hat would chuckle once more before saying, "That's all I needed to hear... GRYFFINDOR!" Erin smiled joyfully as she heard those words, taking the hat off and placing it back onto the chair. Her improper introduction left some people unsure of whether or not they should clap, but after some time the Gryffindor table started to erupt in nervous clapping and cheering. Then the other tables joined, all except Slytherin....Jerks. Erin shrugged it off and started to walk to the Gryffindor table, ready for whatever life was about to throw at her.

The small girl clung onto the fabric of her robes, eyes taking in the magical sights of the outside of the castle with a deprived sort of hunger, that clung to her skinny frame and her chocolate stained face, lust and apparent awe on her pale face, flushed from the minor wind and cold of Scottish September. On the boat ride to the castle, she had gotten separated from the group of children that had been in her compartment on the train, and no longer could see Adam's blonde hair, or Avalon's dark hair. Her trunk had been left behind, but the sticky remains of chocolate and sugar already adorned the pockets of her robes that her hands were currently thrust into, along with discarded wrappers.

Her back throbbed from the acid of the salamander, and her head hurt a bit from the fainting that had occured on the train, but for the first time in months, Eris was not hungry. She had gorged herself on candy, and even though all the names of the candies, and their contents, had been strange, they had been delicious, and just as good as any "muggle" candy that Eris had been offered on nicer days at the park.

It was not time to think about the past, it was time to think about the present, as the children were lead into the castle by an adult, who's name and features Eris could not see unless she hopped up and down, but jumping up and down was an activity she had done once already today, and was not going to do again. Not when this was her first day of school, and what she did would be remembered for seven years at the magical castle that towered above her, flickering with light and the magical allure that drew Eris to it, walking in the crowd of children, eyes focused upwards, almost tripping over her feet in her haste to enter the castle.

Her robes were too large and even with her focus turned towards walking instead of the castle, it was hard not to trip over herself as Eris followed the throng of children into the Small Hall, where they were given a lecture on what to expect when they entered the larger hall. Eris paid no heed to the adult talking to them, eyes darting around to land on the paintings that talked and moved, pointing and waving at the cheekier students that talked to them, or making faces at the young muggle borns that were ogling them, Eris included.

This was the world that her mother had taken away from her, and it was amazing. The paintings scared her, enough so that Eris recoiled from the wall, taking her place in the middle of the crowd. She was lost in the sea of faces, just a short red head in the sea of other red heads and short kids, along with a few taller kids that stood out in the crowd.

Had her mother once stood in the same room, the same plain black robes sinking on her tiny body? There wasn't much that Eris and her mother shared, but their tiny frames were the only thing, and the thing that defined their physical features. And apparently, their magic was another thing they shared. It was hard to imagine a young Jane standing in Eris's footsteps, a kinder Jane without two daughters and a lifetime of hatred towards the school Eris now stood in, and the world that Eris had just been exposed to. What house had her mother been in? Even without her mother being around her, and even with months away from her, Eris felt worry and her's mothers' shadow settling over her, just as the doors to the Great Hall were thrown open, and the new students pilled into the room.

The room they had just been thrown into by the man was lit by thousands and thousands of candles
glowing brightly above the children's heads. While most candles were attached to something, these seemed to glide seamlessly, floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting, older and wiser than the new group. Each of the four tables was decorated in different colors. Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue, with an drawn on animal pressed onto the colored fabrics.These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets that looked like they cost more than the flat Eris had grown up in with her family.

Eris turned her gaze away from the tables, to stare at the rest of the hall, a gasp building up in the back of her throat. The front of the hall had another long table where the professors were sitting, staring at the new students or at the old ones. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking, but the sight of all the adults sent a shiver down Eris's spine and fresh terror coursing through her, and she quickly looked away, to stare back up at the haunting sight of the floating magical candles. It was hard to believe there was a ceiling at all, as when she looked up, the top of the building looked like the night sky, stars and clouds dancing across in, what was no doubt, a spell to look like the outside. There was no time to marvel over the hall, though, because the sorting was to take place, and that mattered more than anything. Even the magic around them.

The sorting was going to take place, and from what Avalon had told her, Slytherin was the best house and Hufflepuff was the worst. Those two houses were hard to spot in the sea of green, yellow, blue, and red, but a frayed hat spoke, as the man warned it would. Even so, it took Eris by surprise, as the hat opened it's mouth, which was no more than a hole in the dirty mess of fabric perched on a stool.

The hall, even though it held many children, fell silent as everyone listened to the hat's song with rapt attention. When it was over, the first of the names started to be called. It was a flawless transition, and Eris's heart beat in a crescendo, as the first of the E names started to get called, and then it was her own name that echoed through the blonde haired man's lips.


There was bravery in doing the mundane things that might not of seemed scary, but were. Eris's small feet couldn't walk fast enough, as she hurried through the space between the four tables, and sat down on the tiny stool, feet dangling as she wedged the hat onto her head. Her newly cut, bright red hair poked out in tufts of messy curls, as the darkness surrounded her in the abyss of fabric.

It was silent for a moment, and than there was a voice ringing through her head. A voice only spoken to her, away from the pondering whispers of children discussing her future house. This moment was just for Eris, and it was terrifying.



The way the hat said her last name would of lead a smarter girl, who wasn't tied down with fear and nostalgia about her mother to frown in confusion, caused Eris to arch an eyebrow under the hat, a shiver going through her whole body. What was a piece of clothing going to do to her, why was it being so threatening?

Eris mused in an attempt to feel in control and calm her heart, before the curt voice laughed in her head again.




Eris replied breathlessly, voice sounding awed, even in her head. This hat was like the mind readers in her stories, admittedly less human in nature, but still a mind reader.

The hat chuckled again at her last thought, and Eris imagined the hat shrugging it's shoulders, if it had any.



And so she thought of what she wanted. She thought of the green scarf locked in her mother's bedside drawer, along with a key to some vault, tucked into her truck. She could say she wanted the house of green, Slytherin, and maybe walk away as a green snake, cunning and ambition the traits that she would prize for the next seven years. She could follow in her mother's footsteps, and maybe one day win her favor back, and go home to see her sister's head of brown hair and her impossibly large smile once more.

There were a manner of things Eris could do, but she did not know what she wanted, for the first time in her young life. One thing she knew was she did not want to follow in her mother's footsteps. She did not want anything to do with her mother. From the moment she had let tufts of hair fall to the ground under a bridge, she had sworn to leave her past behind, to move on, even without her sister.

Bella would be proud of her, even if she had never stood against their mother. She would of wanted Eris to be her own person, to embrace her magic. There would be no following in her mother's large footsteps, and no going back after this.

She was a witch, and she was not going to be like her mother.


The words sounded strange on her tongue, but the hat laughed again, jovial, before letting out a noise that indicated it was thinking.



The hat paused again, aware that the small girl was hanging onto it's every word, clutching it like a life line, eyes widened and face flushed with excitement and fear under the messy mass of old fabric that covered her face from the public and the crowd around her. She had been under the hat for a while, and the children her age were growing restless, ready to face their own verdict, find their new house, and eat some food before starting classes. The small girl did not move for another moment, head rushing with so many thoughts and her face running through so many different emotions that it was almost impossible to decipher what she was feeling, even if there wasn't a hat blocking her face.



Before Eris could ask what the hat meant, and why she would need fire, the hat spoke again, and the girl knew it was the final verdict, and that she was about to find out what her house, and her family would be for her time at the magical school that lingered out of her vision, the bright lights of the hall shining through faintly, through the fabric. It was an awful lot of pressure, and it was terrifying, but under the fear of finding out who she would live with, there was excitement and eagerness for the next seven years of her life, spent away from her mother's rules and her father's absence. The only thing she would miss was her sister, and surely, seven years would lessen the pain.




The hat roared out loud, the stark change from talking in her head and talking out loud throwing Eris off balance, as she yanked the hat off her head, and stood up. The house of red was cheering, students standing up to clap for her, and the other newcomers before her looking up with timid smiles on their faces.

The hat was now off her head, and when she looked up, the house of red and gold was cheering,

and Eris felt a lot freer, as she made her way over to the table, taking her place at the end of the table. Her hands clasped together, as Eris looked down at the empty plates and goblets. She offered smiles to any of the other children who looked at her, as the rest of the sorting took place.

At one point, Eris looked down at her robes, to see they were no longer plain black, and now had a sigil of lion, with red and yellow stripes. This was going to be her home for the next seven years. How strange, but how nice.

A lion wasn't a bad animal to be, anyways.

Daphne walked up to the hat. She was nervous. Her grandfather had told her before "Just getting in is an accomplishment in itself. No matter what your house is, you are still you." When she was called, her anxiety spiked, making her almost lose balance. The room was mainly silent except for a few conversations here and there. She sat down and put on the hat, almost jumping at its voice.
Ah. Ms. Black. I remember your grandfather from when I sorted him a long time ago. He is a good man and truly belonged to Gryffindor. Let's see here... She sat straight up, trying not to fidget with her robes or anything, but failing miserably. You seem to be a hard one to sort. Of course, you are no Gryffindor, like your great-grandfather, and you are not Slytherin either, though they are not all bad. The hat contemplated more and more. Her mind started to race with worry. Was it taking too long? Was she unsortable? Was there some sort of mistake? Come now child, you are fine. There is nothing to worry about. It is taking an average amount of time, you are not unsortable, and there is no mistake. You belong here. The hard part is... Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. The hat again paused, probably thinking over his options. I believe the correct place for you to go is..."Hufflepuff!" she silently thanked the hat, who responded with a quick You are welcome. She went to sit in her new house. Looking at the others talking, and laughing, she smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Bea held her head high as she approached the hat. While small for her age, she was determined not to be seen as weak by her classmates. Despite her facade of bravery she was terrified. Her mother, Caroline Sinclair, had been head of Ravenclaw during her time at Hogwarts and was determined to make sure her only daughter thrived at the magical school. Her sorting was short and quick, and the Sorting Hat whispered in her ear that there was no doubt about it. She was absolutely a Slytherin. Bea's heart sank. Weren't Slytherin's the mean ones? Her mother had warned her all about the Slytherins, and how they would shame poor Beatrice for having a "mudblood dad". It didn't matter that Bea had barely talked to her dad since the divorce.
"Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat called loudly, and there was a cheer from the table of green and silver. Bea stood up, still holding her head high and walked over, taking a seat. She was greeted by the other Slytherins, yet remained semi in shock at the declaration.

Morgan stood at the back while the other students were called to the front. She couldn't understand why the kids were so anxious. 'It's just a hat. Literally.' she thought. Fine, maybe the hat did sing, but there were loads of weird stuff in this school. A singing hat was no match to a painting which greeted her just a minute ago. Instead of waiting for her turn nervously, Morgan spaced out that the ceiling which looked like the sky on a summer night. If she were to have her phone with her, that would've been awesome. 'Dad needs to see this one.' Perhaps she could make a painting like that one, if only she had artistic talent, that is.
Minutes passed and the sorting hat was still sorting others into their houses. Morgan wondered in which order the names are being called out. She could've sworn there was a kid with the last name starting with V, shouldn't she be called out first?
"Gryffindor!" the sorting hat yelled to a girl after having a long talk with her. Morgan's eyes rolled to the table to which the girl went. The students all wore red and gold there, their faces beaming with pride and confidence. Morgan spotted a guy waving his hand to her with a smile. 'Doesn't he get that that's the reason why younger ones get nervous?' she asked herself, looking in another direction.
"Hufflepuff!" the sorting hat exclaimed once more. Morgan saw yet another girl smiling and walking over to another table, where the students were wearing yellow. She smirked as she saw the other ones welcoming the first-year. A table filled with friendliness and warmth, that was exactly the opposite of the table she'd be going to.
"Slytherin!" the sorting hat shouted, this time much faster than usual. Was the sorting hat having favorites? She'd never know. Morgan noticed the shock in the girl's face, who sat on another table full of green. She overheard people talking about Slytherin on the platform. The house for the bad, they called it. Morgan glanced at the table. Not all of them seemed bad though. A few students there seemed to have a short temper, but most of them looked bored at the ceremony. Morgan didn't blame them, even she was getting tired from standing, and she was one of the people who were to actively take part in this. Morgan didn't understand how the others were able to clap each time a student heard their house being called to them. She was quite sure that she'd end up in Slytherin.
"Morgan Jones!" Morgan lifted her head. Finally, after so much waiting time. She casually went up front and sat on the wooden chair. As soon as the hat touched her head, the hat yelled.
"Ravenclaw!"
A mix of confusion started to linger as she headed to her table. Why didn't the hat chat with her, just like the others? Was it so sure that she'd be in Ravenclaw? But...
Morgan looked at her house. The students all wore blue at this table. Half of them had glasses on. Morgan could faintly hear the seniors talking about some old magic theories near her seat.
Ravenclaw. A table for the wise, the smart, the nerdy. Morgan never thought of herself that way. A sudden fear rose in her thoughts. What if, what if she is the dumbest kid in the house? What if all the smart kids ask themselves why the heck she was chosen for this house? Morgan sighed. Oh well, at least those students were clapping for her and greeting her, and she was grateful for that.

The redhead looked across the crowded sea of faces as she prepared for her journey at Hogwarts to begin. It was absolutely terrifying to be in a room this large with this many people. Amadea was fairly certain she had never been in a room with this many people before. 

She was distracted from her fear for a brief moment as she inspected the room itself. The Great Hall was absolutely breathtaking. The ornate decorations of the walls and the ceiling that seemed endless and the rows of tables that stretched out in front of her, it was all enough to take her breath away (though it wasnt like she had any to begin with). After all, she was still terrified. At the front of the room sat another long table, perpendicular to the rest. Seated across it were many adults, which Amadea assumed were the professors. They looked quite intimidating from the angle she was watching them at, and she wondered if it was intentional or not. She wondered which of the teachers she was going to have. She tugged on her long black robes, trying to adjust them and make them more comfortable, but not knowing exactly how to accomplish that. She wasn't used to wearing such attire and felt as though it was dragging her down. She wished she could have stayed in the T-shirt and shorts she was wearing on the train. 

Amadea came from a family of nonmagical people. She wasn't Muggle born, per say, considering there was magic in her blood, but it came from a long while back and Amadea didn't know much about magic. She hoped this wouldn't be too much of a setback as she began learning about the wizarding world. It seemed as though many of the Purebloods had already been immersed in magic and everything there was to know about it, but Amadea couldn't be too sure. After all, she had only just stepped into the school. 

Amadea watched in awe as the raggedy looking Hat on the stool at the front of the room opened it's mouth and began singing loudly. She resisted the urge to laugh out loud and scream at the same time (because gosh the noise that would make...) and instead looked around at the other students around her to see how they were reacting. It seemed as though many people weren't fazed by this singing hat, so Amadea decided not to show any reaction either. She didn't want to be the odd one out. 

Then the Sorting began. Amadea didn't know much about anything at Hogwarts, but she knew about the Sorting. Apparently the Hat could read thoughts and put everyone in a House. There were four: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Each of them had a reputation. From what Amadea had heard, Slytherin was the best and Hufflepuff was the worst. But apparently people with certain qualities went to each of the Houses. Amadea didn't know what house she was going to be in, but personally didn't care. She just hoped it would be the right one for her. 

Her name was close to the beginning of the alphabet so it was not long before she heard her name being called. 

Hannah stood among the first years anxiously hearing names being called. "Slytherin", "Hufflepuff", "Ravenclaw". The Sorting Hat called out methodically as first years went up one by one. As Hannah stood there, she fiddled her fingers and looked around The Great Hall. Amongst the hall she studied the four elongated tables behind her. All the students sitting at them looked eager, and excited.
"Ginger, Hannah", a Professor had called her name and snapped her out of her daze. She looked up slowly and walked as normally as she could her hands shaking with anxiety.
"Yes, let's see now..." The Sorting Hat's voice boomed across the room. Hannah's hands were drenched in sweat and gripping her robes.
"Nervous...very nervous, but an underlying sense of wisdom, and insecurity", the Hat continued. Hannah began to chew at the side of her cheek and surveyed the room, all eyes were on her, both kind and unkind.
"I sense unsureness, weakness, yes, a strong sense of weakness, but great potential. One who would indeed sacrifice themselves for others..". Hannah loosened her grip on her robes at these words.
'What is this hat thinking?' Hannah wondered to herself as the eyes continued to burn on her.
"I am not wrong." The hat responded to her mind aloud. "Better be....Griffyndor!"
Hannah trembled as the hat was removed and as the table in front of her rose with cheers. She slowly made her way to the table where she was welcomed at the head. However she stalked off all the way to the end. The hall quieted down, and Hannah sat by herself wanting desperately to do nothing but be home.

Amber was not the kind of girl to be shy but after all that had happened today she hid shyly in the corner. She was completely surprised when the letter came but glad at the same time, she didn't miss her home, in fact she was glad she ran away but she did miss her little brother and sister. When she first arrived at the castle she stared up at the hugeness of it, and wondered how something like this could exist. However she decided to let go of the past and pay more attention.

She followed the rest of the first years into the great hall, when she walked in she was even more amazed. "What is this place?" She thought to herself. All she knew is that magic was accepted here and that she didn't have to worry anymore. There were a lot a students sitting at the tables and she tried to recount what she learned from what few books she had read on the train. "Griffondor, a house for the brave and noble. Slitherin, a house for the cunning and ambitious. Hufflepuff, a house for the loyal and hardworking. Ravenclaw, a house for the book lovers basically. I wonder if i'll be in Ravenclaw..."

A professor walked up carrying a hat. Wait, what? A hat? Amber wondered why they were bringing a hat of all things. The professor set the hat down and stepped back. Ok now this is getting even weirder. Amber was confused but still open minded, considering that she was in a world full of people who were like her, so when the hat started singing she was surprised but not completely wierded out.

The professor started calling names and amber waited for her name to be called. Now was her chance to think about a few things, like how cool this whole thing was! She thought about what she would do in the summer when she couldn't stay here, she guessed maybe she could go to her aunts house or a friends house. She hoped she would make a few good friends or at least a friend, she hadn't really talked to anyone on the train because she was busy daydreaming.

"Amber Smith!"

She looked up surprised realizing that it was her turn to be sorted into a house. Walking up to the chair, she sat down and let the hat be placed on her head.

hmmm... I see, a bit of a bookworm are we? You would fit well in Ravenclaw. Deep inside you though, you are ambitious so perhaps Slitherin. However looking at it from a different perspective, you would do anything and everything to protect a friend despite not having any at the moment. Hmmm, I know now!

Hufflepuff!

She stepped down from the platform as cheering filled the room and for once in her life she felt respected and perhaps even loved as she sat down at her house table and was greeted by her house.

Tedrick fidgeted nervously in the uncomfortable wooden stool, feeling as if he was slowly being burned away with the judgment of everyone in the room, including the teachers. Deep down inside, Tedrick knew that he was being absolutely irrational because he knew everybody didn't exactly care about a scrawny boy sitting in a chair with a mangled old hat on his head, but he still felt-

Tedrick nearly died in fright as a voice resounded in his head. A mangled old hat, you say? Now, you and I both know that this mangled hat decides your very future in Hogwarts! Then, the Sorting Hat went silent, as if he were sifting through the contents in his brain. That was not a happy thought.

Oh dear. Tedrick tried to relax, but with every second that passed, his heart pounded louder in his ears and he felt a little short of breath as if a weight were sitting upon his chest. Suddenly, Tedrick recalled that only half an hour earlier, he had been practically vibrating with excitement. And only a year ago, he had wanted to become a psychologist. Now that I think about it, I was pretty dumb for me to assume that I'd lead a normal life or something, especially since I could perform magic. Tedrick's mind wandered a little bit as he thought about home and how Mother had always talked about her and Uncle Vincent's house.

So, you wish to be put in Slytherin, where your only relatives have gone? Maybe it would be the right choice... Yes! I belong there, trust m- But you do show some Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw traits... Oh no. As Tedrick mentally prepared to argue his case, he swore he heard the hat laugh at him. Well, I see that you are absolutely determined to be a Slytherin. You want to keep a semblance of tradition in your family of Slytherins... And your ambition and cunning truly shine through.

There was a terrible, heart-stopping pause as the Sorting Hat seemed to make a decision.

Obviously, it'll be... SLYTHERIN!

The first years walked into the hall together, their feet shuffling on the stone floor. Everyone in the room was staring at them. Antimony looked back just as curiously. Then her eyes trailed away from the students and up to the charmed ceiling. The Great Hall was magnificent, with grand arching ceilings and tall walls. Antimony stared at the candles for a moment, her shoulders relaxing minutely. Father liked to enchant candles like these for parties. The familiarity of them quieted her mind, just a little.

Antimony startled when the singing started. They had taken out the hat. Some of the other first years looked confused or afraid, and Antimony wondered which of them were mudbloods and which of them just had parents who didn't prepare them. Either way, she pitied them.

Antimony's attention was caught again when the hat started to sing about Slytherin. My house, she thought proudly. Every Galanis for the past two centuries had been sorted into Slytherin. It made sense; Galanises were practical creatures, and Slytherin was the most practical house, the only one which guaranteed success. Mother said Hufflepuff was the house for those who valued contentedness over true satisfaction, and Gryffindor was full of "incompetents" (even though Hermione Granger, Antimony's hero, had been a Gryffindor). The only one worth anything other than Slytherin was Ravenclaw, and they still weren't as good as Slytherin. So of course every Galanis--including Antimony-- gets sorted into Slytherin.

Antimony looked across the room at her soon to be housemates. She pressed her lips together and fiddled her sleeves with tentative excitement. Who will she make friends with first? She hadn't had any luck on the train--for some reason no one in her car wanted to talk to her after she told everyone what a great house Slytherin was-- but she knew she was going to make friends once she was sorted.

She had to.

"Galanis, Antimony!"

Antimony heard someone whisper behind her, and her face flushed. They're talking about me. I know they are. They always do. She could handle it, if they were. Her cousins were worse.

Antimony walked up to the stool, her posture perfect and eyes level. She nodded to the person holding the hat before sitting primly, her hands folded delicately in her lap. The hat was placed on her head.

Ah! A Galanis, Slytherin for you... but wait, what is this? Antimony's initial contentedness at the hat's words faded as it continued, Such a thirst for knowledge, your mother was right. Precocious, indeed. Perhaps you would be happier in Ravenclaw... Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. Oh goodness, this was horrible! You are loyal to your family, but Hufflepuff wouldn't suit you, no... Well, at least there was that. You also have a great capacity for bravery and grit! You would feel right at home in Gryffindor....

You take that back! Antimony thought furiously, her eyes stinging. Oh no. Oh no.

There is nothing wrong with Gryffindor, my dear. Why, Hermione Granger, is a Gryffindor! That soothed the wound a little, but not enough. "Incompetents," her mother said, "They act first and think later, destroying all in their path." Was Antimony so much like that? Oh, that just isn't true!

Please, just put me in Slytherin. Please!

You wouldn't be happy there at all, my dear, said the hat gently. She didn't care. She'd do whatever it takes. You simply aren't a Slytherin. Antimony drew in a shuddery breath. Not at all? She wasn't a Slytherin at all? No.

Whispers began to break out in the hall.

She'd show this stupid hat. Antimony drew upon every ounce of cunning she had. She demanded to be heard.

Antimony thought loudly over the hat's musings. If you put me somewhere else, I'll be miserable, and my family will be very upset. I can't make friends if I'm not in Slytherin. Isn't the hat's purpose to sort students where they belong? If I don't belong in Slytherin now, I will when I grow up. I'll be a Slytherin for so long that's what I'll be on the inside, too. That's what I want, to be a Slytherin on the inside, and I'll try to do that even if I'm in the other houses. So shouldn't you help me and put me in Slytherin anyway?

The hat mulled over her words.

She added, I think wanting to be a Slytherin is ambitious all on its own! The hat still didn't say anything. Father said, "Gifts get you halfway to a man's heart." Maybe she could bribe the hat somehow--

"SLYTHERIN!"

The applause afterwards almost matched the sheer euphoria Antimony felt as she took off the hat and made her way to the table. She'd done it.

Maybe she was a real Galanis after all.