So now was the time.

Honestly Noah should have set up a wager with several of the folks he had met in Diagon Alley or the ones who had been reconnected with. Often talk had found its way to Hogwarts houses, what the houses were like, and what the houses meant. Then the conversation would suggest that the former Pukwudgie ought to be a Hufflepuff. Ever since getting confirmation from multiple sources that he would indeed be a Hufflepuff, the fifteen year old transfer was delighted for this moment. He tried to act calm, cool, and collected which he almost succeeded at. Every now and then, he'd rock back and forth impatiently waiting for his turn to have the hat placed on him. Well... Considering his last name was Nam, he was dead stuck in the middle. 14/26 to be precise. 7/13. Well if you looked at it that way, he was much closer to the later half of the alphabet and perhaps the line. He didn't know all the students' last names in front of him or behind him so he decided to just wait.

And finally the time had come.

"Nam, Noah."

Hearing his name, he took a step forward with a confident air about him - his shoulders were back and he wore a content smile on his lips. He made his way up to the stool then turned around to take a seat on it. The hat was then placed on his head.

"My, oh my.. What do we have here... Another transfer.. My.... A desire to help and please your fellow mates... Loyal... indeed." The hat paused. "But there's this... unyielding fire... passion... courage... but heart....."

His eyes widened. He wasn't brave surely! He was... he just talked his friends out of doing silly things like when Islay suggested that they tried to get into the Tower of London to grab the jewels when they were exploring London with Jude and Chloe. He wondered where Islay and Jude had ended up. Chloe was certainly hanging out by the Ravenclaw House table. The boys thought had gone elsewhere while the Sorting House still mumbled.

I'm... thought he taking a deep breath as he tried to get a word in with the Sorting Hat who continued to ignore him. He took a deep breath, hoping that the Sorting Hat could read his mind. Hufflepuff.... The Sorting Hat paused. "Why that house...?" Noah paused. Everyone tells me that I should be there.. The Sorting Hat chuckled. "And where do you think you truly belong? I see courage... an inner strength.. a desire for knowledge and truth... but the courage is overwhelming and untapped. With great coaching from the Lions, you could be even greater."

"GRYFFINDOR!!" proclaimed the Sorting Hat.



Time froze... momentarily as Noah tried to process what just happened. He didn't have much time to think because he was brought back when the hat was lifted off of his head.

Gryffindor... Wait.. Did HE get a say in it too? He paused momentarily, then stood up, and headed down the stairs towards the Lion's table. He shot a glance towards the Hufflepuff table, spotting Kimmie, and smiled sadly. Maybe in another life he could end up there? He straightened his shoulders, commanding himself to stand tall once more. Perhaps Gryffindor wouldn't be so bad?

She was here!!!

Not even the rain coming down while they sailed across the lake could dampen Ivy's mood. She was SO READY to finally know what house she'd be in. She'd been thinking about them for so long, going over them and over them trying to figure out how she might fit into any of them. Probably embellishing a lot in her head about herself in the process, so some of it was probably not actually enough to fit into a particular house, but it was still a fun exercise!

While waiting for her turn, her eyes were scanning all around the Great Hall, from the ceiling to all the other students who were already seated. She was too engrossed in taking everything in that she wasn't at all nervous about being sorted in front of everyone. Mostly she was wishing she'd remembered to put the camera her dad had given her - !!! - in her pocket instead of her carry-on bag. This would be the perfect time to take a ton of photos!!

Would the professors have even let her take photos right now? She would NEVER KNOW now. Sigh.

"Grimm, Ivy."

Oh. Her turn now!

Ivy eagerly moved to sit on the stool, trying to sit still as the Hat was placed on her head.

"Oh, my, yes... This may not be a difficult placement at all... There is another possibility, perhaps, but... Hmm... Yes, yes, I know exactly where to put you..."

She looked up at the Hat just as it shouted,

"RAVENCLAW!"

Ravenclaw?

Ravenclaw!!!

It wasn't Gryffindor like her mum always said she hoped for, but it WAS the same house as her mum's mum, so that was cool!

She couldn't wait to tell her parents!!

But she'd have to get through the feast before she could write a letter.

The Hat was removed, and she hopped off the stool, now making her way down to the Ravenclaw table.

So this was the sorting. They just put on a hat that told them where they belonged? As in, literally told you. This was apparently a talking hat. Alexia was going to have to process that one later. There was too much going on to worry about the talking head accessory right in this moment.

But this brought up a point that Alexia was now very curious about. Was everything in Hogwarts magic? Okay, so she knew it was a magic school, but was there anything in here that didn't have magical properties? Did the banisters sing? Were the school bathrooms enchanted? It kind of reminded her of the old fairy tales her mom used to read her as a kid, ones with magic mirrors and such. Wait, did this place have a magic mirror? And did it have 'fairest of them all' knowledge powers?

"Harris, Alexia." The voice that said her name was unfamiliar, and didn't seem to put any emotion behind the words. She walked up to the stool, a smile of excitement on her face. Yes, excitement. She couldn't be nervous at a time like this. There was no way. She took her place on the stool. Should she tell the hat that she liked using nicknames instead of her real name? Or was that considered tacky? Was it weird if she talked to the hat?

"Hi, hat." She couldn't help herself. If the hat was going to place her in a house, she might as well speak to it. It was the LEAST anybody could do. Did the hat have a name it liked to be called by? Or did it exclusively go by its title? She couldn't imagine anyone would much like that.

"Hmmmm." The hat ignored her. Figures. It was a magical hat that told you house sortings, not responded to greetings. Still, it didn't hurt to say hello to a girl.

As the hat contemplated, Alexia couldn't help but fidget slightly. She was fine with any house. She didn't know enough to be choosy! She just wanted to start off her year with one of the tables and meet all her new house mates. Although, Isla had said she was a .... what was the word? Sli- Slithering? Did Alexia want to be one of those too? She wasn't sure.

"This shouldn't be a difficult decision," The same voice said. Alexia wouldn't have pegged that for the hat's voice. She thought it would have been lower. "You seem like a ....." The hat paused, and Alexia smiled. She liked the theatrics. It seemed only fitting for someone like her. "Yes, you're definitely a...." She was a what? What was she?

"Gryffindor!" The hat was very loud. But Alexia had found her placement. She was going to be whatever a Gryffindor was.

"Cool," Alexia said. She couldn't help but speak at that moment. She was sorted into a Hogwarts house and was officially a student here. Pride swelled up in her chest. Or maybe that was hunger. She wasn't sure. Anyway, the hat was taken off of her head and she hopped off of the stool. Before going to meet her new housemates, she quickly smoothed down her hair so she didn't have magical hat-head.

...no they DIDN'T!

HOLY MOLY!

When they entered the Great Hall, Michael's breath was taken away by the ceiling and how vast the place was and everything. It was such a warm and welcoming place. His neck hurt from trying to look at every inch as he tried to walk as slowly as possible. For the time being, he was oblivious to the curious eyes on them, because the angle between his chin and torso never went lower than 45 degrees. The ceiling was just so amazing. Now, THIS was magic!!

Too amazed and overwhelmed to pay much attention to where they were going, he didn't notice when they were brought to a halt and bumped into the student before him. He mumbled an apology, and looked finally ahead to see what was happening.

Well... remember the Hogwarts: A History in his bag? He never got to read it past the few pages. And remember that girl he was FORCED to share a compartment with? He was too rude to her to really learn anything about what was about to happen. And he was too busy studying the Entrance Hall to pay much attention to the explanation before they were led in... so when he finally paid attention to the most important thing in his Hogwarts life, it shocked him.

First, there was a very, very old hat that... could sing. The aforementioned hat was sitting on a stool. He frowned as he listened to it, trying to concentrate, but he didn't get much. Gryff... what? Valiant? And the other funny name was... hardworking? Loyal? Ambitious? He wasn't particularly any of these. And what did that mean, anyway? Why were they even sorted into anything?? He thought this was going to be random! Was he supposed to sit a stupid test?? He growled to himself. He took all back! He didn't like this school!

The Hat said something about itself too, but this young boy was too upset to even appreciate a singing hat. So when they were called upon by alphabetical order, he was further confused: there was no test, but the Hat just shouted those funny words? And a table clapped? Ooooh, now it was clearer: this was yet another fascinating magic - a hat that could read minds! And there must be 4 groups of prople then, based on 4 tables... wow, okay, this kinda made sense now. He wondered what type of person he was. Luckily, he didn't have to wait for long.

"English, Michael." He walked up the dias and sat on the stool. So how was it going to -

'Uh huh, a very curious boy about life...'

"Huh!? Who's talking?" He knew who was talking, but he didn't hear it with his ears... if he did, this was rather embarrassing. The Hat didn't speak out loud -

'But also clever enough to spend just enough effort to complete tasks and no more...'

Hehehe yes, Michael was proud of that. He grinned.

'Not afraid to speak his mind...'

...which earned him punishment from time to time...

'Loyal to friends... very helpful too, and kind... able to think out of the box... few things can scare you, and those are legitimate fears, anyway.'

"Yeah. Like snakes." The Hat might be speaking in his mind, but Michael was not. He wasn't shouting or anything, but he was loud enough for those beside him to hear.

'Hmm... do you have any preference between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, son?'

Err... say again? Rave and who? No no, he didn't rave much in his life. Dialogue (or fight) was key to many problems!

"Wherever I'll learn how to read -"

"Gryffindor!"

"...minds, like you."

The Hat was removed from his head, and he got up. Well, the previous students just sat by whichever table was clapping the most, so that was what he did. He still didn't know what exactly this meant, but he wasn't very much concerned. He just spotted his table, and went towards to sit.

Ugh, he was HUNGRY! Why weren't they served food already?

Ooohhhhhh wow. Wow. It had been a day of wows. A week of wows. A month of wows. The most spectacular sorts that he was still trying to process but it was so fantastic! Had this always existed? Had all these people? In his mind, magic only began to exist, truly exist, a little over a month ago. And suddenly he had to process that there was a whole system, a whole society, a whole people who could use magic.

A part of him was a little bummed. It meant he wasn't as special as he'd first thought. But...on the other hand...he was no longer alone. There was a place he could learn more and people who were like him. The thought was enough to make his insides bubble and the boy, freshly 13 and ready, wasn't sure how much longer he could contain himself before he utterly exploded.

This was A MA Z I N G.

Kitt Lazarus.

Trying not to appear as eager as he felt, Kitt moved up to the stool and waited for the hat--IT WAS A TALKING HAT, A BLOODY TALKING HAT. HOW BLOODY BRILLIANT WAS THAT???? And it sang. It was a neat song. He wanted to learn it. He wanted to learn everything. Where did he start??

"Ah, a curious one I see...where to put you, where to put you."

The hat was talking to him. Was it a real question? He knew nothing of the houses and had no answer.

"I see a bit of Hufflepuff in you, yes...yes and some Ravenclaw, too. A thirst for knowledge. A hunger to know more. You would do well--"

"Are your guts invisible? Am I wearing hat guts but can't feel it because mAgIc??" Not waiting for the question to be answered, Kitt removed the hat and poked his hand inside. "I'm like Houdini, mate!!! Bruv, you got a rabbit in there?" He turned to face the other students at their tables, ready to impress. He'd watched enough magic shows afterall and they needed to know that he was as "in it" as they were. "Abra Kadabra!"

The hat sighed heavily.

"Gryffindor!"

Was...was that his cue? Had he missed it?? "Gryffindor!" The boy shouted, trying to stay hip and current with this hat.

Nailed it.

The hat being removed brought his performance to an end. Right. Gryffindor. That was the red one, yeah? This was amaaaaaaaaaaazing. He'd keep saying it. Definitely.

Honestly, Cassidy had not entirely paid attention to her classmates' sorting because she was busy wringing the ends of her robes that had gotten squishy wet during the boat ride across the Great Lake. Her parents did not mention this. The redhead thought the idea of a boat ride would be FUN and less WET, because of course water didn't make anything wet. Duh, duh, DUH.

"Belrose, Cassidy Lily." WHOA okay, that was fast! There were perks where the alphabetised surnames were concerned, and this was one of them. Cassidy hurried over to the stool, beaming at the directions of Alex, Benji, and Cél because they have to see this!!! She was even waving at them! This was IT, LADS AND LASSES. "Hullo, Mister Hat!" Good evening, Miss Belrose. I sense you're very excited tonight.

AHA, she knew this! She knew the hat could talk! "Surprise, surprise! I'm finally here now! It's SO nice to officially meet you!" Cassidy couldn't wait to be sorted like her mummy and daddy!

I knew your mother and father. I remember their respective sortings. They did well in Slytherin, where they belonged. "You bet they did! It'd be GRAND FOR ME TOO! You know, that means you'll have to—"

But you'll have to take your own path, Miss Belrose. Which is why... "What?" She zoned out and Cassidy became utterly confused. If only the Hat could speak more direct-to-the-point because she couldn't wait to be sorted into Slytherin.

"...GRYFFINDOR!"

"HUH?!"

The redhead cried in response, but she was greeted by LOUD APPLAUSE from the table under the red banners. Cassidy didn't think this was VERY COOL and she demanded the Hat for a resort, but she was quickly reminded that there was another name following hers on the students' list, so she quietly (LOUDLY) scoffed as she stalked towards the Gryffindor table.

Cassidy Lily Belrose was going to be disowned. She could FEEL IT.

"Quentin, Finnegan."

Oh good Merlin. Finny had been stood firmly in place for what seemed like ages. That was the roughest part about having a last name toward the end of the alphabet. So many people had gone before him and... well? He had started to think that maybe he wasn't actually supposed to be here. Had mum and dad sent him to the wrong school? Was he here too early? The panic was starting to set in.

"Quentin, Finnegan?"

The voice boomed louder, jolting the young boy from his terror and tossing him into a new kind. His hand finally raised in uncertainty as he moved through the last few stragglers, a nervous eye searching the Gryffindor table as he stumbled forward. Where was Marnie? In his distraction, he genuinely did stumble, falling to his knees and skidding just a little against the smooth floor. His cheeks burned as laughter tore through his ears- it had not been his own. His eyes darted anxiously around as he found his way to his feet again and finally took his seat.

In all of his time imagining what this would be like, he'd never really accounted for the hat to be put on his head so quickly, to be able to feel the movement and the shifting as the hat peeled through his thoughts, his inner self; something he wasn't even sure he knew much about yet.

While Finn was too afraid to talk, the hat certainly wasn't.

"HUFFLEPUFF"

The hat had barely been on his head???? This wasn't- it wasn't supposed to be like that! There was supposed to be talking and deliberating and- and- How did it just know?????????

"Uh, um?" the applause coming from the table under the yellow banners was somehow drowning out his ability to think. The next name was being called and he was all sorts of... fuzzy? He felt dizzy. This was all so overwhelming and and... But Marnie was in Gryffindor.

He was shuffling down the stairs (careful not to trip this time) and moving toward the table with the yellow banners and the loud applause, his eyes still flickering over the the Gryffindor table as he took his seat.

......

Hufflepuff.

Just like dad.

Huh.