“Gimenez, Sabbath” his name had been called.

Sabbath approached the squat stool preparing himself for his turn to be psychoanalysed by a… hat. This wizarding world was seriously bizarre! He’d flicked through a few of his texts earlier and remembered reading about the four houses into which first years were sorted. There were lists of personal attributes that determined which house each student would be sorted and he had amused himself by trying to predict which house the ‘soothsaying sombrero” would place him.

Sabbath had considered his own attributes compared to those of each of the houses. “Hmm” he thought to himself. “ Was he brave? - Well, yeah, he was no ponce! But, he wouldn’t stick his neck out if there was nothing in it for him”. So he dismissed Gryffindor immediately.
“Was he loyal and friendly? He could be, but then again, he was very selective with his real friends. He’d suffer no fools! Well, that’s Hufflepuff out, then” he thought.
“Was he clever and sharp-minded? Well, he thought he could definitely fit into this house. He was no dullard” Maybe Ravenclaw, then?”
Then he considered the last house, Slytherin. “Was he cunning, ambitious and resourceful?” He’d laughed out loud at the description - there could be no doubt in his mind. This was him in a nutshell! How many times had his wily ways and artful dodging brought him out on top”. He grinned to himself assuredly. He was certain to end up in Slytherin, it was a given…

Then, a sobering thought occurred to him…

A label like this could be quite a liability for a guy like him. He certainly didn’t want a description like this preceding him, it was bound to carry some kind of prejudice? At least from some people. Just imagine how many sly opportunities could be missed if people already suspected that you might have ulterior motives!! It would be akin to wearing a sign on your forehead!”.
Slytherin, he thought, best described his heart, but, Ravenclaw might best serve his purposes.

As he lowered the hat on to his head, he wondered if the old hat would let him choose… he would certainly have a try at swaying it’s decision...

“Ravenclaw, place me in Ravenclaw” Sabbath tried to project to the hat. “Ravenclaw, hey? The hat crooned, “I see you fitting well elsewhere young man. You already have a history of cunning and wiles, I think you’d go far in Slytherin” it said.
Sabbath started back-peddling, “I can see you read me well, but I implore you, hat - Sir, to consider offering me the opportunity to turn over a new leaf”
“Hmm” the hat replied.
Sabbath continued, “You see, I feel like I’m on the cusp of a whole new start here at Hogwarts, I just need to belong to house that can guide me with steadfast logic and intelligence. What do you say, hat, Sir? Place me in Ravenclaw, give me a chance…”

The hat was obviously vacillating on its final decision and Sabbath felt the seconds stretch uncomfortably. The hat finally spoke:
“Slytherin would embrace you, of that, I am sure,
But you’ll widen your prospects within — ‘RAVENCLAW’”

Sabbath grinned widely “pfft, thanks hat” Sabbath thought. He’d certainly pulled the wool over its eyes!