Jacob glanced around nervously and tugged at his robe collar as he took a seat at his house table. Sure, he'd been around toward the end of last year, but this felt different. This was his first time starting the school year at Hogwarts. He really hadn't made any friends last year, and he was dreading starting his OWL year -- which was a new concept to him anyway -- without anybody to commiserate and relax with. He hoped he'd be able to change his fate in that department soon.

As other students were filling in, he remembered that he was about to witness his first sorting ceremony. He thought back to his own sorting at Ilvermorny. It had been very different from the one he was witnessing now. At Ilvermorny, he had been chosen by both Horned Serpent and Thunderbird and had to make the choice himself... Horned Serpent had felt logical since he was studious, but Thunderbird must have sensed a grain of adventure-seeking even he hadn't realized was there. On an impulse, he went with the storm-producing beast. He hadn't regretted it -- he was proud to be a Thunderbird and still carried a badge with him. The Sorting Hat, on the other hand, had decided last year that he fit best with Ravenclaw. He had wondered at first if there had been a mistake since Thunderbird seemed to correlate most closely to Gryffindor (although he did know that it wasn't a straight-across comparison)... But after all, he was inclined to agree with the hat's decision, especially after seeing how rowdy the Gryffindor table often became. He may want some excitement, but, well... Not that much of it.