Sorting Ceremony 2019-2020 Archived

Eyes followed the unsorted first-years as they made their way past the tables. Ainsley glanced around nervously. She'd never been in such a large room and all the eyes following them felt like they were suffocating her. Some of the other first-years whispered quietly, but Ainsley simply nodded or shook her head if they spoke to her. She was too nervous to say anything. What exactly would they have to do for the Sorting?
When the first boy was called up, she sighed happily. All they would have to do is place a hat on their head? That's not that hard. Slowly, all of the first-years nearby were called and then finally...
"Thatchere, Ainsley,"
Ainsley glanced around, slowly moving forward. She eased down onto the stool and for only a moment, stared out into the sea students, and then the hat fell over her head, and there was only darkness.
"Well, hello, there," Ainsley jumped, surprised by the sudden voice in her ear. "Quite fearful, aren't we? Hmm, another Thatchere. It's been a long time since I've sorted one of you. He was scared too," for some reason, this reassured Ainsley, even though she knew it wasn't possible. No one in her family had been a witch or wizard. "Good mind on this one, quite loyal too. And quite courageous. More so than I've even seen before in a Thatchere. I think I know just where to put you. Better make it...GRYFFINDOR!"
Ainsley sighed as the hat was pulled off her head and the clapping students in gold and red robes came into view. She happily moved toward the table, smiling and greeting the other first-years before sitting down and turning to continue watching the Sorting. She wasn't sure exactly what the Houses stood for, or exactly what the wizarding world was like, but she was thrilled to be a part of it.

After the long train ride in which she slept and the imposing castle and crowds, she was a bit drained. But there were visible ghosts! GHOSTS! She couldn't wait to ask them everything and anything but Reina was too tired right now. She wasn't used to being surrounded by so many people, especially since most of the people in the hall were staring at them. Looking up was lovely though, the stars and candles, it'd be nice to read in. As soon as the hat started talking was when she looked down. Huh... neat. She wondered how it worked. Did it have some sort of ghostly tentacles to burrow into your brain or did it read the students' auras or maybe it would ask her questions like a quiz-



-Gah! She shuffled forward keeping her eyes straight on the stool she was meant to go to. She never paid much attention to others when she had somewhere to be. Unaware if anyone thought her odd or not, Reina plopped down on the stool ready to be sorted.

"Hmmm, I can tell you right now you won't be in Slytherin."
Yeah that made sense in her mind. Slytherins valued ambition and Reina didn't have an ounce of the stuff. Usually ambitious people paid attention to things like social hierarchies and just other people in general, but Reina found she didn't have it in her to do so.
Anyway she thought "Do you have eyes or do you just sense people's presences?".
The hat chuckled "Definitely a raven."
"Already! But you haven't ruled out the other ones yet, I know people can have multiple values and all, but I'm just curious about why I should go into Ravenclaw over the other two. I guess I do like the idea of Ravenclaw the best and blue is a nice color but I want to be thorough."
"Yes too many questions not enough time, I unfortunately have several more children to sort. But you already know why you wouldn't quite fit in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, don't you." The sorting hat stated before opening it's mouth and shouting.



Reina hopped up and found a seat at the clapping table filled with returning and newly minted Ravenclaws. She supposed that she did already know why she belonged in Ravenclaw, Reina knew herself pretty well after all, at least as far as she knew anyway.

Lilith was the last one in. She did it on purpose; she had done her best to hide herself, and she did quite a good job of it.
Gradually, the line shortened with each call of the name, each yell of the talking hat in a professor’s hands—what had they called it?—yes, the Sorting Hat. The other kids went to one of the four long tables in the room. She looked up. The ceiling was simply so high, it reminded her of the sky she used to see when she was perched on the rooftop of the little house she lived in.
Then, after what seemed like forever, there was only her left in the line.
“Arachne, Lilith!”
She blinked, feeling the many eyes on her, and suddenly she panicked. Something told her to move, though; she listened to that voice in her head and inched forward, sitting on the stool. She felt the weight of the Hat placed on her head.
Well, well, look what we have here.
She flinched and nearly fell out of her chair. So not only can the Hat talk, it can also talk in her head.
Girl, open your mind! Make this quick. Otherwise you’ll never get sorted.
For some unknown reason, she obeyed. The Hat seemed to be surveying her Memory Lane. Of course, she didn’t know what that is either. She only heard the expression once, when her grandmother—her only relative except her father, who never returns from work ever since she was 5—is telling her a story, about a year ago. After a pause, the Hat spoke again, in her mind:
I see. Creative. Wise, in some aspects...Yes, you did quite an amount of reading....fI see you like to think. Well, then. Let me announce your house.
She didn’t reply. She didn’t see how she could reply to a voice in her head.
Then, in a booming voice, the Hat announced to all the other people:

The hall erupted in applause; however she did not see the point. She joined the long table with her...fellow Ravenclaws? She could see that they would make her company in the next almost-a-year. Well....that would take some getting used to....

Adeline bounced nervously from one foot to the other. She didn’t mind crowds so much, it was just that she typically stuck to the outskirts, but now she found herself in the center of a large group of first years who all looked as confused as she was. Addie strained her neck, trying to see past everyone around her and catch a glimpse of her surroundings. She could just barely make out four long tables full of older students, to the back was a large set of doors, and at the head of the room, on a raised platform was one more table lined with a bunch of adults...Addie could guess that those were all of the professors.

A booming voice rang throughout the Great Hall, welcoming the first years, and pretty soon after, the sorting hat chimed in before bursting into song. Adeline chuckled as some of the students packed in around her gasped in surprise at the talking hat. It wasn’t difficult to distinguish the muggleborns from the rest. She rolled her eyes as the song about Hogwarts’ founders stretched on and on. It was ridiculous to stand through this whole ceremony, especially since she already knew what was coming her way. As far back as she knew, her ancestors had been Ravenclaws, and despite the negative comments her brothers had made about her ending up a Slytherin or a Hufflepuff, Addie knew she would turn out the same as the rest of them.

Soon after the hat finished its tune, the headmaster started rattling off names, and little by little, the crowd grew smaller as students were sorted and went to join their new classmates. Addie could now see more of the Great Hall: the portraits along the walls, all whispering and chattering about the activity going on, and the massive quantities of food in the center of every table. Her stomach grumbled as she realized how long it had been since she last ate.

“Adeline Hughes.”

The voice interrupted her train of thought, and for a moment, she stood frozen, a resounding silence enveloping the hall. Ironically, though Addie loved causing a scene, she wasn’t terribly fond of being the center of everyone’s focus. Adeline pushed her way through the remaining first years, and slowly but confidently, she sauntered up to the stool at the front of the room. As she turned around and took a seat, she searched for the Ravenclaw table, the one she would soon be joining, but before she could determine which it was, she felt the sorting hat slip down her face, and everything went dark.

Alright, let’s get this over with… Addie thought to herself, drumming her fingers against the side of the stool in anticipation.

Now you’re a funny one… came another voice--though Adeline was unsure whether she had heard it or thought it.

Oh? And why is that?

Not an ounce of fear or anxiety in you. That is highly unusual, particularly for a Hughes.

Why would I be anxious when I already know the outcome?

Ah, so you already know that I’m going to put you in...GRYFFINDOR!

Light flooded Adeline’s eyes along with the overwhelming sound of cheering. Stunned, she rose from the stool and unsteadily made her way over to the table with the applauding students. She faked a smile as she joined the rest of the Gryffindors, attempting to laugh off her doubts about where she was placed, but as the sorting continued, Addie couldn’t help but wonder what the sorting hat had sensed in her that even she hadn’t discovered yet. For so long, her family had made a point of telling her how monstrous and evil she was...but weren't Gryffindors known for their courage and bravery?

No, there was no way she belonged at this table with all these goody-goodies. The sorting hat was wrong, and she was going to prove it.

Kate was excited to be finally at Hogwarts. She looked around the Great Hall as the hat sang. Her parents had told everything about Hogwarts and it was finally the beginning of her new life. She looked at the girl who took the hat off and ran to the Hufflepuff table and jumped when she heard her own name "Gray Kate". As she stepped forward she heard a clapping. She turned and looked at her cousins, sitting at the Slytherin table. They weren't the only Slytherins clapping. She sighed as she sat down and the hat fell over her eyes.
and here we have an other Gray. I remember your parents. They were proud Slytherins, but you The hat hesitated for a second you are different. Ambitious of course but also loyal. Too much ambition for an Hufflepuff thought. You're smart, but not very hardworking and quite rebel She smirked a bit at that remark
Not a Ravenclaw then. It's Griffindor or Slytherin. You're brave and I see you're going to fight for your ideals. But you wouldn't sacrifice a friend for your own glory or even for your own life. I know where to put you Kate held her breath as hat yelled

She stood up taking the hat off and looked at the cheering table. With a smile she walked towards them and even the deadly glare her cousin gave her wasn't enough to make her feel bad. Gryffindor was indeed the best word in her whole dictionary. She was sure of it as she sat down with the other lions.

I always tought that I would be brave and strong. Now I dont think so. I feel week, my stomach is sore and I have difficulty breathing. Everyone can see the fear in my eyes. I have feeling that this is not going well. When I hear someone says my name, I freeze. I wish I would just run away. But I know that I have to do this. I rise slowly and start walking to the Sorting Hat. I try to breath, but it feels inpossible. I sit down to the place, where hundreds others have sat and heard their fate.
When the sorting hat starts speaking, I feel that I lose my mind. It tells things to me. What kinda of people I am, what things I am going to be and what I am going to do. I feel kinda of angry.
With whose permission does it dig my mind? By what right does it dictate to know what I will be? I want to figure it out by myself. I´m not going to do what this Hat says. I am going to live my life how I want to live it.
I got first time tought: Maybe I don´t want to be here? Maybe I don´t belong here? But this is what I am. I am witch. This is the way I have to walk. And what ever it takes, I am going to do this.
I forgot that the Hat hears what I am thinking. It have thought long. What if its going to say, that I dont fit to any house and I have to go home?
Then it speaks to me again.
"Hmmm... you have a lot of traits that fit to Slytherin. You are sometimes glorious and a little cunning. But you would fit to Gryffindor. You are Brave and you are not afraid to sacrifice your life for another. But most of you just want to learn, make eternal trusted friends, and work towards it. You want to help others if possible. You want to be liked and loved some day. You fit the best..."
Now tw hat says it to everyone.
"HUFFLEPUFF"
They take the hat of and I walk to others Hufflepuffs.

I was so nervous being in front of so many people. All of the first years were all grouped together like a herd of sheep, surveying the beautiful surroundings of the school. I listened carefully to the sorting hat's song and applauded when it finished. I myself wanted to be in Slytherin, just like the rest of my family, but Gryffindor or Ravenclaw would suit me. Since I wasn't very social, however, Hufflepuff probably was out of the question. My last name made it so I was called somewhat in the middle of the pack.

Longhorn, Iha!

Taking a deep breath, I climbed up the stairs. The ragged Sorting Hat wrapped around my head, and I could hear it speaking to me.

Ah yes, another Longhorn! Quite a line of Slytherins. Good family. However, you are a bit different aren't you... maybe we need to go with... GRYFFINDOR!!!

The hall filled with cheers and applauds from the Gryffindor table, as I made my way down from the podium and to the other Gryffindors. The next first year moved up to the platform. While I was a bit... disappointed, I contemplated the Sorting Hat's words. A bit different? What could that ever mean?

The approach up the stairs into the castle was both exciting and nerve-wracking for Adrianne Watkins. She had been looking forward to this day ever since her older brother had gone off to Hogwarts two years ago and had heard tales from him of this day. He had been sorted into Hufflepuff and told her tales of late night snack runs to the kitchen from his common room and how he and his friends would get up to mischief and prank the other houses. Her brother was a beloved student of the professors here at Hogwarts and she felt there was a lot to live up to.

Upon reaching the top of the grand staircase that would lead her and the other first years into the Great Hall Adrianne suddenly broke out in a nervous sweat as she realized this was it- she was about to be sorted! Glancing around at the other students she noticed they too were nervous. As the doors to the Great Hall were opened Adrianne gasped. It was so much bigger and better than she had imagined! Remembering what her brother had told her about the enchanted ceiling she looked up in awe at the sheer spectacularness spanning above her revealing a stunning night sky and stars twinkling far above, accenting the beauty of the moon. She was so stunned by the ceiling and by her surroundings that she almost bumped into the first year in front of her but stopped herself just in time.

The first years had all gathered in a group up by where there was a very tattered looking hat sitting on a stool. Because her brother had already told her about the sorting ceremony she knew what to expect and therefor wasn't as surprised by many of her fellow first years, though she was still caught a bit off guard, having never seen anything like it before. The sorting hat sang a song about the four houses of Hogwarts: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Adrianne wondered what house the sorting hat would put her in. Would it be Slytherin like her mother? Or Hufflepuff like her father and brother? While she was standing there lost in thought about what house the hat might put her in she heard the hat call out "Gryffindor!" and someone she thought was named Iha Longhorn put the hat back on the stool and join the Gryffindor table.

Before she too much time to wonder how long it would be before they called her name she heard "Watkins, Adrianne!" and nervously walked up to the stool and put the hat on her head.

Ah, said the sorting hat. Another Watkins eh? I remember sorting your brother and your parents. Are you going to follow in the footsteps of your mother or your father and brother?

The hat paused as if contemplating what to say next. It felt as though the hat were looking deep into her soul and her memories, and it was a weird feeling knowing the hat could see all parts of her mind.
Nothing was hidden from the hat.

No, I don't think you would do well following in your family's footsteps of being in Slytherin and Hufflepuff. I rather think there is something much deeper hidden away in you waiting to be discovered, something you yourself don't yet know.

Adrianne wondered where the hat was going with this. What did it mean there was something yet to be discovered in herself? She was intensely curious at that.

Yes, I think you will do quite well in the house I'm thinking of. You have the heart of a true GRYFFINDOR!

The hat shouted the last word to the whole hall which was waiting in anticipation. The table filled with those clad in scarlet and gold clapped and cheered loudly and welcomed her to their table with many pats on her back and a chorus of "well done's" by many of the older students there. She sat down next to the other first years still feeling a bit stunned but also immensely relieved to know where she belonged. The hats words still rang in her ears and she knew that later she would think more about what the hat had said. At the Hufflepuff table her brother gave her a thumbs up and Adrienne felt relieved. It was going to be a good first year at Hogwarts.