Sixth year had not exactly started on the right foot for one Aurora Ackerly. Already feeling quite nauseous over the copious amount of confectionery she had consumed whilst leaning on her best friend Anna’s shoulder in their own compartment on the train, she had considered skipping the feast altogether. But this would be the last start-of-term feast she’d share with two of the most important people in her life and missing it would be a dreadful shame, even if her mind wasn’t in it and that she couldn’t actually sit with them until this sorting was over.

The Ravenclaw had sort of shuffled in procession after a group of younger students and plopped herself down somewhere on the table. She was smiling, it would feel incredibly unnatural to do otherwise but it might’ve looked a little off to the familiar observer. Her eyes darted over to the staff table and then across to the sorting ceremony and then wandered across the Great Hall where they skipped over the Slytherin table as her stomach did a little lurch and back to Hufflepuff searching out for her soul sister.

If two was company and three was a crowd.. what was four? Because as far as Aurora was concerned there was no room at the inn.