Ella entered the hall and her jaw dropped. She had never seen such a magical place. It was an extremely large space filled with students and professors and she was, well, seriously nervous about being sorted. She followed the line of first years to the front of the great room where the sorting hat was waiting. Ella was trying her best to take in as much detail as she could, letting her eyes wander and her mind take mental notes of things that she must write to her family about. She had just spotted a familiar face in the crowd of first years when a loud voice called, "Ella Bishop?"

Ella nodded and slowly approached the stool. The hat was placed on her head and she took a deep breath. A million thoughts were racing through her head as the hat began to...wait, was it whispering!?...yes, it was whispering in her ear.

"Ahh yes, small yet brave. A friend to anyone in need. A smart girl indeed. But where to put such a child?" Ella's heart was racing a mile a minute. She could feel eyes on her and was afraid she might faint if she looked up so instead she focused on her shoes. "Nervous, yes very nervous.Ella felt like she had been up here for ages. She wished the hat would just make a decision already! She wanted desperately to be in a good house, a place where she could make friends and feel at home. She closed her eyes tightly and began thinking about her family. She wished her dad was here.

"Ohh yes, I know just where you belong...better be HUFFLEPUFF!"

Ella looked up as the applause began. She breathed a sigh of relief as she approached the Hufflepuff table, anxious to sit down and process what had just happened. She smiled shyly as she was greeted with words of welcome.