It was good that Isla wasn't a shy kid, because as she walked down the aisle of the Great Hall and toward the Sorting Hat, there were 555, 600 eyes on her. Well, that was a big exaggeration. A really big one. First of all, she had no idea how many eyes there were in here, and even if she did, she doubted seriously they were all looking at her. It just felt like they were.

The firstie joined the crowd of other first years at the front of the Great Hall and waited impatiently for her name to be called. It didn't take long, because Bellchant, Isla was pretty much among the first names to be called. Isla had already figured she would be a Gryffindor, but it was just a matter of getting the hat to announce that. When her name was called, she stepped forward and took a seat on the chair, drawing a deep breath as she did so. How was it possible that this was one of the most terrifying moments and one of the most exciting moments of her life?

Once the hat was on her head, she felt it moving around, and she giggled at the feeling of it. "Hmm. A Bellchant child. Haven't had one of you in a while," the hat said. Isla's eyebrows wrinkled inward. A Bellchant child. Was that a good thing or a bad thing for the hat? She had no idea what kind of students her mom and dad had been...

"Determined to do well, I see," the hat continued. Isla nodded and made a face that said 'Yeah, I can see that, Hat.' It continued making some 'hmm' sounds and occasionally muttered something like 'I see.' Finally, it made its decision.

"SLYTHERIN!"

A super shocked Isla let out a small gasp. Wait. There had been some mistake. She was supposed to have been a GRYFFINDOR, not a Slytherin. Weren't the Slytherins the bad guys? Or the ones that became bad? She didn't want to be a bad guy when she grew up! "Umm, say that again, please," she whispered.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat said, loud and proud. There had been no mistaking it this time. "Okay, thanks," she said to it.

With eyes that felt as big as quaffles, the eleven-year-old stepped down and walked slooooooowly to the Slytherin table.