Newcomers The Sorting ceremony 2017-2018 Closed

Upon entering the castle, Benji eagerly climbed the stone steps with his fellow classmates until finally they arrived at the great hall. What was once a great roaring noise of laughter, shouting, and general merriment soon became still as the doors to the great hall opened and the first year group shuffled in. Benji walked in with his long time best friend Lettie, who appeared very focused. Benji had known Lettie a long time and suspected she may be nervous. Noticing the tension, Benji made a quick remark to attempt to ease his friend’s nerves. “Dibs on not being first!”. Lettie retorted "Mum said they call us out in alphabetical order by our last names, so I'm pretty sure you'll probably be first.. Now shut it, I don't want to miss anything!”. Benji grinned. He and his classmates arrived at the spot where they would wait to be sorted, awaiting to stand trial from a hat that would soon determine where he would be spending the next seven years of his live.

Benji was beginning to become anxious now. His palms were filled with sweat; he brushed them off on his robes and looked out across the house tables to the Hufflepuff table, where his brother Thomas waved. Benji became more nervous and began thinking about how much it might disappoint Thomas if he were not placed in the same house.
Suddenly, Benji heard his name being echoed through the great hall, “Benjamin Addington”. He marched over to the sorting hat and sat on the stool. The sorting hat was placed in his head. The sorting hat felt larger on his head than he had imagined. Suddenly, a voice began speaking out of the top of his head.

“BENJAMIN ADDINGTON…A NERVOUS ONE, BUT CLEVER AND HUMBLE. YOU HAVE STRONG DETERMINATION. A DESIRE TO BELONG. SOMETIMES A STUBBORN ONE, AREN’T YOU? HMMMM…”

“Does this always take this long” Benji thought, feeling an eternity had passed since he felt the heavy hat fall on his head. Suddenly, the sorting hat bellowed “RAVENCLAW” and the hat was removed from his head in an instant. Panicked that he did not get sorted into his brother’s house, Benji quickly scanned the room in disbelief looking for his brother. Benji found Thomas in the crowd at the Hufflepuff table. A pit grew in his stomach. Thomas had a look of disbelief as his jaw seemed to nearly hit the table below. In this moment, all noise drowned away, and there was silence as the two siblings looked at each other. Thomas then grinned and nodded his head. Benji felt a wave of relief as he found his way to the Ravenclaw table. The pit in his stomach remained, but feeling a sense of approval from Thomas helped. He still had Lettie. Her turn would be coming up soon.

Benji joined the house table and was met with warm welcomes and introductions from his new classmates. Benji looked across the table at other first year students and eagerly awaited for the sorting to conclude, when he could then explore the Ravenclaw common room and begin making his own memories of Hogwarts, a new place to call his home for the next year to come.

Vivian found a hard time sitting still in her seat even before the ceremony has started. Seeing so much magic in the hall kept her quite busy though from looking at the paintings, the ghosts, and even the candles kept her attention well enough. Even in her home with her mother being a witch she had never been in a room with so much activity. She couldn't help but feel nervous as she kept fiddling in her seat. As she tried resorting to looking around the room again she nearly jumped out of her seat seeing one of the more 'playful' ghosts jumped out from under the ground next to her. Breathing quickly she kept her eyes on the table again as to not have any more of that happen.

Looking down at the wood of the table she sighed gently thinking about how the year would go, and of course what house she would be sorted in. Vivian's Mother had many years ago gone to Hogwarts too, but she never heard any stories from her about her time here. Her Mother being a Hufflepuff is all she knew from when she had found the robes in her Mothers closet. Vivian wished she had asked more questions now as she felt overwhelmed.

That is until they all had to stand up to get sorted.

With the familiar twinge of fear as she and the other first years stood up it was hard to not just flop back down onto her chair. Still with the talking hat and all getting up and walking with the rest became fairly easy.

As it turned out though watching people being sorted makes it harder not just want to flake out. She almost started chewing on her nails again, but she knew that the teachers and headmaster were watching, and there was no way she would want them to possibly judge her on that. When it finally came to her turn to sit down and be sorted she practically jolted out to the hat. Sitting she could barely even hear the sorting hat speak over her heartbeat. That is until she heard it's voice more clear than glass as it yells out.

"Ravenclaw!"

Widening her eyes she looked up only with her eyes before having the hat taken away and the table of Ravenclaws stand and cheer. Giddy she smiled and stood up walking over to her table finding an open spot and sitting. Looking back up now with another student sitting on the stool, she smiled. She had found her people. Now to get through the rest of the year.

Standing with the group of new students waiting to be sorted, Mikayla couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Her dad had tried to explain the ceremony as best he could, having never been apart of it himself, and all the explanations in the world wouldn't have been able to prepare her. With an intensity that surprised even herself, Mikayla watched the first couple students become sorted into one of the four houses. The process was a bit peculiar, what with the giant hat reading everything about them to make a decision that would last for the next seven years of their lives.

She had been so focused on the process itself, that the sound of her name startled her. It took more effort than it should have to place one foot in front of the other and walk over to the sorting hat. She made it all the way to the stool, bracing herself before sitting down on the hard wood surface. The hat was placed delicately over head, so big that it covered most of her face. All the preparation in the world also could not have prepared her for the voice she heard, clear as a bell.

"What an interesting mind. Ambitious, longing to prove yourself, but also a hint of reservation," Mikayla started at the words, wondering how this thing could read her so clearly when it was so hard for her to even understand herself and what she was feeling. Mikayla squeezed her eyes shut, wondering when the hat would finally make the decision that seemed to be lasting a lifetime, instead of just a couple of seconds.

"Slytherin!"

Mikaylaa exhaled, the sounds around her seemed muffled as she hopped off the stool and looked for the green color that would indicate where she now belonged. She turned to where the cheers seemed to be the loudest, and saw what seemed like hundreds of happy, smiling faces. Mikayla started making her way over, already planning the letter she was going to send her dad in her head. He would be proud, no matter where she went, so she wasn't too worried about that. What she was worried about was making friends and fitting in in this completely new place.

Robert was not anxious during the ceremony. He knew where he belonged and so did the hat. Looking around the room, he could spot the other students talking to each other, worrying about the House they were going to get sorted into. "Robert Bush!". He was next. Walking steadily and not showing any emotions he sat on the chair and the sorting hat was placed on his head.

"Oh, Mr. Bush.", the hat whispered, "It's been some time since the last member of your family was sitting right on this chair. It was your mom and dad if I remember right, yes?". Robert nodded. "It appears that you already know which House you want to be put in. You'll become a great wizard one day and your parents will be proud of you. Make sure to use the power you will acquire wisely.", the hat concluded. "SLYTHERIN!". Robert stood up to a resounding sound of applause from the Slytherin table. As he was walking towards it a big grin was painted on his face.

Until now the only glimpses of the magical world and Hogwarts grandeur came through the storytelling and ramblings of Alice's adoptive father, Bron Stormblood.  In all honesty Alice had begun to wonder how many of these stories were accurate accounts or fabricated exaggerations.  As the emerald eyed youth stepped into that grand hall of majesty of majesty and light she found her father's stories to be completely undersold.  Never had she seen so many witches and wizards all in one place.  Their numbers seemed as infinite as the tables they sat.  It was overwhelming to say the least.

Alice wanted to slide silently through her peers with a nimble backpedal and vanish into those hallowed Hogwarts halls.  She would rather explore this incredible place independently of the crowd.  Alice was one that enjoyed her solitude and revolted the clamor of the masses.  However, she knew what came next.  The sorting hat.  Bron had told her of the process.  It wasn't standing in front of the entire school that bothered her.  Timid shyness was not her shortcoming.  Rather, having some raggedy old hat peer into the inner workings of her mind and judge whatever it found was what put her on edge. What could the hat possibly decide for her to be? A slytherin snob or a Gryffindor suck-up? Perhaps a Ravenclaw mental case or the dreaded Hufflepuff goody two-shoes.  There simply was no winning.

After what felt like an eternity of names, delegations, and jeering applause Alice finally heard that dreaded summons. "Alice Stormblood?!" Boomed some unplaced voice.  With a grunted sigh Alice sauntered between the tables and to the front.  Despite her age Alice was comparatively taller than most of her peers with a thin frame and long limbs.  Her hair, which changed as wildly as the weather, was short and blond withe streaks of crimson red spiking wildly.  Once before the school Alice couldn't help delivering a sarcastic lazy salute to the long table of famed wizards and professors before dropping into the warmed seat and having the hat placed upon her, hands raised towards her peers as the devil horns of rock and roll.

"Oh, what's this?  There's a nasty streak in here, Alice...." The groggy hat grumbled.  All the while Alice maintaining a face of displeasure.  "But tenacity and cunning... Slytherin could do you well.  Then again... a ferocious fearlessness... more caring for others than you'd like to admit.. where would you like to go, hmm?"  The young witch rolled her eyes. "Azkaban." She sighed.  Alice could swear she heard a mild chuckle from the hat, or perhaps that was just wishful thinking. "There may be a lion in you yet, Ms. Stormblood." The hat continued before thundering to the hall. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Alice seemed taken back by the sudden proclamation.  Just like that her sorting was complete and the hat removed.  The stool she was so eager to be out of just moments before now felt like a newfound comfort zone compared to the long table of cheering house-mates.  The witch jumped to her feet and with a half-smile struggling to be restrained stepped to her new family.

Clad in black first-year robes that were just a tad too big for her frame, Marjorie remained confident as ever as she stood among all of the other Hogwarts newcomers that eagerly awaited to be assigned to one of the four houses. The young girl had been told stories about the sorting ceremony for many years prior to this exact moment. There was not a single member of the Highvale dynasty that had been sorted into any house other than Slytherin. It was her destiny, or so she thought, to be sorted into the house of Salazar that had served her family well in their time at Hogwarts for many generations. She kept her head held high above the crowd around her as best she could. If one were to describe her attitude towards the proceedings, it would be that of indifference. When what she perceived to be weak-minded individuals were sorted into Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff, she glanced to the nearest person and let loose a sly remark and a small laugh. There were so many new students and sorting through all of them was certainly a daunting task. She wondered how the sorting hat never got tired of performing his duties so ardently. In fact, Marjorie was focused on just about everything else going on in the Great Hall than the proceedings at hand. Her last name was H, right in the middle of the pack, and she knew that if she was to survive this ceremony she would need to distract herself lest she die from boredom in front of the entire school.

Name after name was called. A student would be called to the front of the stage, the raggedy hat placed on their head, it would taunt them for a moment or two and then shout them off into the direction of where they belonged to the applause of everyone else who belonged to that house. She was caught up in idle conversation with those around her. She was particularly guilty of zoning out as well, finding herself lost in whatever thoughts occupied her mind. Probably about how uncomfortable the clothes she was wearing was, or how she was wearing the same clothes as everyone around her. Unanimity, now that disgusted her.

"MARJORIE ANNE HIGHVALE!"

The sound of her name brought the elven year old back into reality. Those she had made small talk with as she stood waiting smiled to her and with as much confidence that a young girl of her upbringing could bolster (which was a ton), she climbed the steps to the stage and gave the man leading the ceremony a smile before sitting down onto the wooden chair as thousands of wizards and witches had done before her. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she sat in the chair. Her back was pressed fully against it, and the faintest of smiles tugged at her lips as she looked out across the Great Hall. Everyone was else was staring back. She was at the center of attention and she loved every moment of it.

Before long, the old brown sorting hat was placed onto her head. She sat still as it taunted her aloud in front of all of Hogwarts.

"Another Highvale? How many of them are you?" the hat asked rhetorically. "SLYTHERIN!"

It was almost a no-brainer. In fact, Marjorie was shocked with just how long the hat took to make its decision. A resounding five seconds. As Slytherin echoed off the walls of the Great Hall, accompanied by the cheers of old and new Slytherin alike from the young men and women clad in green and black, an overwhelming sense of pride swelled inside of the young girl's chest. For the first time since she had been at Hogwarts she smiled. It was a smile like none had ever seen, her lips stretching as far wide as they could possibly go. A smile of pure joy, a sense of accomplishment and finally, belonging to something that was bigger than her family's legacy. The real world was starting for her.

As she stood to boisterous cheer and clapping, her eyes scanned the table of current Slytherins for her brother who was five years her elder. Descending from the stage to join other Slytherin newcomers at the table, she found him. A thumbs up and a smile were her two reward but it was enough. She cast him a smile before taking a seat with the rest of the first year Slytherins, instantly mingling and turning her attention to the next Hogwarts newcomer whose destiny would be decided before all of the school to see.

Rose knew how to behave during ceremonies (her mother's long, dry brunches taught her how to best behave during events), but she could hardly contain herself while the hat called Highvale's house. She wanted desperately to sit where her father once sat, and make him proud by being sorted into his house. Rose already knew how she looked in Slytherin emerald from when she tried on his old school robes, but she could hardly stand being dressed in all black any longer. Call my name already! She thought, impatiently. If anybody was to be sorted into Merlin's former house, it would certainly be her.

When at last Marjorie whats-it finally got off the stool Rose dubbed her rightful (but temporary) throne just half an hour ago, she nearly sprung out of her seat. "ROSE BERKSHIRE!" Rang throughout the Great Hall, and Rose stood up proudly. She lifted her chin, smoothed out her fine black robes, and strode to the front of the room. In a gentle flourish of expensive black fabric, she took her seat just as she'd rehearsed at her golden vanity at home. It was finally coronation day.

The weight of the hat on Rose's head was greater than she expected, so she tilted her head back a bit to keep it from falling over her eyes. After a brief moment of silence, the hat chuckled, low and long. It was clear it knew exactly who it was dealing with. Rose was no Malfoy, but her blood was just as old.

"You know exactly where you belong," The hat mused.

Rose gave the hat a small nod, faded photographs of her father in her head.

"Well, if you're sure..." The hat sighed. "SLYTHERIN!"

Rose grinned as the hat was taken off her head. She stood up, reminded herself to put her shoulders back, and took her rightful place at Slytherin's table.

Finally, Moringa had stepped into the famed Great Hall of Hogwarts. After the long and boring train journey spent sitting across an exceedingly quiet girl who avoided all her attempts of conversation, she didn't think she could stand being awake another second, but when she got on the boat that would transport her and the other newcomers across the lake and to Hogwarts her excitement was renewed and exhaustion forgotten. The mere sight of the castle got her brain working overtime, trying to imagine exactly how the classrooms and the dormitories would look and having only her parent's stories to rely on. 
Now, finally inside the Great Hall, she lined up with the other first years to prepare for the sorting ceremony. With the headmaster's introductory speech over, names started being called out and excited students would step up to the hat and get sorted fairly quickly.
Suddenly, her name was called, and Moringa was jolted out of her convoluted train of thought to be put on the stool and under the sorting hat. 
"Ah, Ms. Pulver! I remember your father well... and, of course, your mother! Mabel, was it?"; unsure if she should reply or not, Moringa kept oddly quiet. 
"As I understand it, there's quite the streak of Slytherins in your family... but everything has its exceptions. You're not quite as cunning as a Slytherin, are you? You're certainly smart, but Ravenclaw isn't your fate either...", Moringa squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation. "There's some nerve in you, Ms. Pulver.". 
Nerve? What could he be possibly talking about? Moringa certainly didn't think nerve was her strongest suit--"GRYFFINDOR!", the hat shouted. 
And so Gryffindor it was.

The anticipation of it was making her sick. The adrenaline, coursing through her veins and feeling like ice, expelling itself in the form of sweat and a tapping foot. Of course it had started the moment Coriander had gotten her letter, but since then, it had just gotten worse. Sleepless nights thinking about Hogwarts and what house she may be in, progressing to an almost tangible feeling of impatience. On the train, it had finally become so intense that it hurt. To say that Coriander couldn't wait to be sorted was an understatement. Distantly she wondered if those around her felt the same way, or if there was something wrong with her.

Finally, Coriander was called up. She stumbled a bit on her way to the stool, but didn't care. She'd been waiting for this for ages, since her last birthday, and now she was mere moments away from joining her house. When the sorting hat touched her head, Coriander instinctively held her breath, waiting for what it had to say.

"I see mischief, but what is it hiding? A need to prove oneself, perhaps..." Coriander hoped that nobody else could hear what the hat had to say. She couldn't tell, with it being so loud in her ear. Besides, it was happening so fast that she hardly had time to feel any nerves. "You'll work hard on what you think is right, that much is for certain... I think you'd do well in -

"Hufflepuff!" The hat shouted, causing Coriander to jump.

What? Was Coriander's first thought. Hufflepuff was not what she expected. This wasn't the right time to reflect, though. There were plenty of others waiting to be sorted, so she was forced to walk over to the Hufflepuff table, where many were waiting with wide smiles. It wasn't that Hufflepuff was a bad house, just... unexpected. Whatever, Coriander would deal.