 not throwing away my shot | Slytherpuff | roll for initiative | woof you ❤
Alfie walked into the Great Hall, his eyes wide with wonder. Everything looked so cool and fancy and grand. The ceiling looked like the sky! And there were tables with lots and lots of people in their school robes. And they were all magical. And so was he. He had been looking forward to this moment ever since getting his letter, and now it was here and it was really real.
Alfie didn’t know exactly what was coming. He knew that the first years were going to be sorted into one of the four houses. He kept forgetting the names of them, but luckily the talking hat sang a song about them. He’d heard about the hat too. Dahlia had mentioned there was a talking hat. Alfie thought that was really cool. A talking hat! But she hadn’t told him exactly the purpose of the hat. Then one by one his fellow first years were called up to wear the hat, and it yelled out what house they were. Cool! Alfie had to wait a bit for his turn, but when his name was called he excitedly made his way up to the front.
He sat on the stool and the hat was placed on his head, falling over his eyes. And he waited. There was a long moment of silence. For Alfie, who was ready to burst with excitement, it felt like it could have been hours but it was really probably about a minute. He wasn’t expecting the hat to talk again, because it hadn’t spoken aloud when any of the other first years had it on their heads except for when it called out their houses. But then he heard the voice in his head.
“Ah, a young muggleborn in a world of magic. I’m pleased to see such joy in your head. Let’s hope that lasts, huh? Now, onto the matter of your sorting. A bit of a tricky one. You have a kind heart, but also a keen mind. Your sense of wonder could serve you well in Ravenclaw.”
Alfie tried to remember which one Ravenclaw was. Oh right, the smart one. He was a bit pleased that the hat thought he would be smart enough for that. But he was also a bit intimidated. It was true that he liked learning new things. But for him that involved more exploring and less studying. (Yes he didn’t know all the nuances and was relying on stereotypes, but that was all he had here so cut him some slack). He wasn’t sure he’d fit in with the smart house.
“I see your hesitation. Do not fear, intelligence comes in a variety of ways. Yes, you could do well in Ravenclaw. Perhaps even Gryffindor, with your adventurous spirit. But no, I know the best place for you.”
“HUFFLEPUFF”
That last bit was loud, shouted for the whole hall to hear. Alfie beamed as the hat was removed from his head, and he hurried over to the Hufflepuff table where he now belonged. |