 not throwing away my shot | Slytherpuff | roll for initiative | woof you ❤
Elena was feeling a lot of very strong emotions in her very small body. There was excitement, that was for sure. Excitement over starting her first year. Excitement over being here, at Hogwarts. In the Great Hall. About to get sorted and begin her journey at school. In the weeks and months leading up to this day, her excitement had been her primary emotion as she looked forward to this. But as the day got closer and closer, the nerves that had been hidden beneath the surface the entire time were starting to come to full force. And the primary source of her nerves was right here in front of her; the sorting.
She walked through the Great Hall and to the foot of the dais along with the crowd of her fellow first years, hand tightly grasping Alexei’s. Their whole lives, they had been a team. And while she knew that would never change, no matter where they were sorted, she still didn’t want to be separated from her twin. They weren’t meant to be apart. Their fathers had done their best to prepare them for the sorting, in particular their dad who had been in their exact position. He’d gotten sorted into Slytherin while Auntie Ellery had gone to Gryffindor. So she knew it was a possibility. And she also knew, deep down, that it was not just possible but probable. Because she also knew, deep down, that while she and Alexei were twins, and a team, they were very different. What best suited her might not be the best fit for Alexei, and vice versa. And if the sorting hat knew everything in their minds, like everyone said it did, then it would know that too. But she had tried to avoid thinking about that as much as possible, because it only served to increase the knot that had been building in her stomach.
It was torturous, waiting until almost the very end of the alphabet until it was their time to go. When it finally was, Alexei went first. It was sort of strange. A reversal of their normal roles. Elena was the one who went first, trying out new things first before Alexei followed. But it was good, Elena thought. Then she would know what her goal was, where to demand the hat send her. She watched anxiously, but luckily the silence didn’t stretch on too long before he was sorted into Slytherin. And then it was her turn.
She stepped up to the dais slowly, her eyes seeking out Alexei as he took his place at the Slytherin table while the hat was dropped over her head. Slytherin, she repeated forcefully in her mind. Slytherin. Slytherin. Send me to Slytherin.
Slytherin, eh? The words didn’t so much enter her ears, but fill her mind. It was sort of a strange sensation. Of course, where I just sent your brother. But I think we both know that’s not where you truly belong. It wouldn’t best serve you, help you thrive. She wanted to scream. If that was where Alexei was, of course that was where she belonged. Send me to Slytherin, you stupid hat, she thought desperately. The sound of a chuckle filled her head. No, I know just where to send you. And before she could protest again it called out for everyone to hear:
"GRYFFINDOR."
The hat was lifted off her head before she had a chance to really react. She wanted to reach for it, put it back on her head and give it a piece of her mind. But she was being ushered toward the cheering Gryffindor table. And though she wanted nothing more than to march in the opposite direction, her feet carried her in that direction. As she went, she looked back, giving the sorting hat her fiercest glare. |