"Prescott, Delilah."

The first year glanced up as her name was called. She was nervous, but it wasn't because the spotlight now seemed to be on her. It was because this moment was full of pressure. Once that Hat called out the name of a House, there was no going back. There was no begging the Hat to change its mind if she ended up not being comfortable with where she was placed. Besides, what was that she'd heard people say? There were good things and good people in each house?

She balled and unballed her fists in anticipation, took a small sigh, and then stepped forward. It seemed like minutes had passed since they'd called her name, but it'd only been a few seconds. She slid onto the chair and felt the Hat rest upon her head.

Slytherin.

Gryffindor.

Ravenclaw.

Hufflepuff.

That was the order she'd decided on. She wanted to be a Slytherin with Gryffindor being a close second. There was some shuffling about on the Hat's part, and then things seemed to get underway.

"Slytherin, hmm? I can see the ambition, but..."

But.

There it was. That one little word told Delilah that the Hat wasn't going to agree with her, and if it did, it wouldn't be an easy process.

"The bravery prevails. The daring and the nerve are what set you apart."

Delilah had wanted to be a Slytherin very badly. That's the house her mom had been in, and that's where she'd hoped in her very heart she would go. She could sense this wouldn't be the case, though, and in her thoughts, she started preparing herself for it. Gryffindor was her second choice, and there'd be good things awaiting her there. It wasn't her third and fourth choice, at least. Okay, I'll be fine with Gryffindor. More than fine. If not in Slytherin, then please be Gryffindor.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

...and just like that, Delilah was a lion. Oddly enough, she wasn't dwelling on Slytherin in her thoughts. It seemed like a memory as she looked toward the table of her new housemates. A lion. So that was that. She should get moving then. This was enough pressure for the timebeing. She slid off the chair as the Hat was removed from her head, and then she headed toward the house table.

Her new house's table.