"Smedley, Charlie."

Charlie more-or-less jumped at the sound of her name, causing those around her to snicker. With a sheepish blush on her cheeks, she stood up properly and made her way towards the stool with the yucky hat on it.... with all eyes in the room on her. It wasn't like she could have asked for sorting ceremony advice, either. Her parents were muggles, after all... a word she had only just learned from overhearing the conversations of others on the train. Muggle, a noun, describes a person lacking magical abilities.... It wasn't their fault, of course. She just felt lost. They didn't really have the money to get her nice school supplies or a nice wind, either... which also wasn't their fault. Money was hard, that's all.

To avoid breaking out in hives before she even got sorted, Charlie focused on the movement of her cobblestone floor -- left, right, left, right, left, right.... And soon enough, she had made it to the stool.

Gingerly picking up the hat with the very tips of her fingers, she placed it on her head and turned around to sit where the hat once was.

Things just got weirder from there.

Smedley, Charlie.... I can tell you're quite nervous.

Her eyes went wide as saucers. The yucky hat could talk?! Is it that obvious? she thought, biting her lip as a means to distract herself and keep her emotions in check.

Sure it is, but I've been doing this for a while, but there's no need to worry. I can tell you're intelligent... wise, even. You're bright, have done very well in your muggle school studies, and will be sure to excel and flourish at Hogwarts.... As for which house it will be in -- well, it could really be any, but my instinct overwhelmingly favors....

What?! She was horribly impatient. It should have been obvious to her also, as she had been paying attention to the hat's song, but nerves were a thing.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Cheers erupted from what she gathered was the Ravenclaw table, due to all of the blue -- her favorite color. With a wide grin and a renewed sense of confidence, she removed the hat from her head and practically galloped towards her new housemates... her home.