There was Cutty ahead of him. He was nervous. If Cutty could do it so could Charlie. Charlie snickered slightly when Cutty's full name was called out. Cuthbert? What parent would call their kid Cuthbert? Ok he was Charlie but that was much better than Cuthbert. He would giggle at Cutty about it later. Here's to hoping they were in the same house.

Tudor, CHARLIE

See no Charles or anything like that. Thankfully. Hehe Cuthbert.

Charlie stepped up to the little stool and parked his little bottom on it. Multiple folds of skin overhang, so your couldn't even see the top of the stool anymore. He really needed to work on that. No more overhang. He felt the little cloth hat land on his ginger head.

Keen ability to do well...yesss...ambitious..yesss...you'd do well in Slytherin.

Slytherin. With Cutty. Yes Cutty was going to be in that house. Yeah he'd like it there.

I see greatness in you. But friendship. Friendship will do you well.

HUFFLEPUFF

Oh. Charlie pulled a sad face, and looked towards Cutty at the Slytherin table. He wanted to be there. He looked towards the Hufflepuff table. There was Forrest and Bristol though. Maybe he would be ok there.

He wobbled off to the table.

Okay, Benzi was going to take it back. Hogwarts really wasn't all that big.

IT WAS HUGE. O__O

Once the boats had hit the shore, Benzi's mouth had been permanently open as they walked towards the castle - CASTLE, IT WAS A HUMONGOUS CASTLE - up the stairs and into what seemed to be called the "Great Hall". Benzi would have scoffed at the name, because how great could a random hall be at the end of the day, yet his words died in his throat as soon as the double doors opened.

In total silence, Benzi shuffled across with all the other first years and some bigger kids towards the table where all the adults sat, all the while gaping at this "great hall" place. People were talking around him yet he heart little of it. He didn't really understand WHY they were going towards the adults - which were probably the teachers, he thought in hindsight - until he noticed an old black hat on a stool randomly sitting there.

Er. . . Were they supposed to like, bow down to a hat? Was a black pointy hat the school symbol thing?

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Benzi eavesdropped on a few conversations between the other excited first years and quickly learned that the black hat was called the Sorting Hat.

Why? Did it decide whether you got in or n- OH. OH NO. IT WAS HAPPENING NOW.

Wide eyed, Benzi stared in horror as kids began going up to the stool to be sorted into their houses. He knew Mummy and Uncle Jake had been in the same house, but HE COULDN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE. Did they hate the other houses? Would they be mad if he wasn't in their house?! WOULD THEY NOT LET HIM COME HOME?!?!?!??!!!?????

Blood rushed out of his face as his stomach tightened. He watched people go up and run to their new tables and for once was really glad his name was towards the end of the list.

"Rider, Benjamin!"

Next. Benzi waited, along with everyone else in the Great Hall, for the next kid to walk up. No one did. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"RIDER, BENJAMIN!" The name was called again, a little louder this time. Still, no one walked up. Benzi looked around at their little group, wondering if perhaps something had happened to this Benjamin Rider kid on the boats. Hey, that was funny, he was also a Rid-

O________O

"Excuse me, move, that's me, lemme pass, comin' through," Benzi barged through the group of bodies that separated him from the stool. Did they suddenly turn up the heating? It was really hot in here, he sort of couldn't really breathe. They really should turn down the heating.

Trying not to make eye contact with anyone, he ran up to the stool and sat quickly, feeling everyone's eyes on him as the hat was placed on his head.

Well you've come a long way... Haven't seen one of you at Hogwarts in quite a while..

Huh? Who's this? Why're you in my head?!

...

I see yearning in you.. A want to be better, to prove yourself worthy... perhaps with the greens you'll make your match... but alas, your thirst for power and greatness sadly lies rather dormant.. yet you want to learn, you want to grow and be good for others and yourself... ooh, your mother! I remember her here, as your uncle..

You're the hat aren't you?! PUT ME IN THEIR HOUSE PLEASE I'll do ANYTHING I'll.. I'll.. I'll help wash you!

Hmm... I am not sure whether that is wise..

Benzi blinked as the hat hummed a little more in his head but really tried to zone it out because it wasn't going to put him in Mummy's house! Stupid hat. He HATED this hat.

You'll have to work hard to prove yourself worthy, but the wise house is your place. . .

RAVENCLAW.

Ravenclaw was a house? What were their names anyway? As the hat was pulled off his head, Benzi managed a smile as he saw and heard the applause coming from the blue coloured table. He could worry about Mummy later, because he had a HOUSE and he was in HOGWARTS.

Grinning broadly, Benzi ran towards his new table, his earlier mishap quite forgotten. HOGWARTS. HE WAS HERE.

Sophie thought maybe, just maybe, if she entered the hall chanting a barely audible Ravenclaw under her breath, maybe the Sorting Hat would pick up on those vibes from her from the very beginning and they would remove any thought that she might be a Gryffindor or Slytherin. She didn't want either of those, no matter what people told her about being a perfect candidate for either. She didn't want them at all. She was a perfect candidate for Ravenclaw, TOO, and she needed to be one. She knew it was where she belonged and no one could tell her differently. She knew herself better than anyone else. And if some raggedy hat didn't like it, she would sit there listing off her reasoning until she won and it changed its decision. She knew what she wanted and was going to go out there and get it.

From the moment she set foot in the Great Hall with the other first years, she stared down the Hat, not even bothering to glance around at her rumored-to-be captivating surroundings. There would be time for taking in the beauty later. Now, it was time to get down to business. Work first, play later. Just this once. This was the defining moment of her years at Hogwarts. The wrong move by the Hat could send her on a completely different life journey than she desired for herself.

By the time she reached the front of the Great Hall with the group, Sophie had made sure she was standing at the front of the pack, since she was going to be one of the first to be called anyway, and her eyes were blurred and teary because she had forgotten to blink. She did blink, then, when someone began to speak and explained the process, not taking her eyes off the hat and still murmuring a quiet Ravenclaw repeatedly under her breath.

There were a handful of other students whose names were called first, which surprised Sophie as she thought Brown would have her be first or second. Adams, Slytherin... Anderson, Gryffindor... Bayliss, Ravenclaw... Blackwell, Slytherin... Bride, Slytherin...

No Hufflepuffs yet. Only the three houses people had said they could see her in. That felt like a strange omen. She couldn't figure out what it meant, though.

'Brown, Sophie!'

With her head held high, Sophie strolled right on up to the stool, chanting Ravenclaw in a whisper all the while, and plopped down onto it with determination. "Ravenclaw," she murmured once more for emphasis the moment the hat was placed on her head, then she kept her mouth shut.

Ah, a fine young mind... great blood runs in your family, I see... hit wizard father, herbologist mother... Gryffindors... of course, you appear to have inherited that pureblood natural talent and wit... no doubt about that... ooohh, how ambitious... a wandmaker, you say?... yes, I see that... ahh... courage... mmmm... quite the fearless one, are we? We'll see about that... mmm... Ravenclaw, hm? ...yes, you could be great there... but your cunning and ambitious traits are just as finely tuned, aren't they? ...and your desire for adventure... loyalty... very bold, you are, but unknowingly insensitive... Sophie had an inappropriate laugh at that one. Many good traits... oh, yes... traits that will take you places, there's no doubt about that... yes... an abundance of enthusiasm... oh, but what's this? A disregard for rules... a bit too careless for your own good, eh?... yet a firm understanding of who you are, it seems... well, then... no arguments there... you have it in you... we'll see to that, won't we?...

"RRRRRAVENCLAW!"

"YEEEEEEEEEAH!" Sophie was probably the one to cheer the loudest as she jumped to her feet, pumped a fist, then casually turned around after the hat was removed and told it calmly, "Good choice." She winked at it - as if they had just worked out some sort of deal - and made a beeline for the Ravenclaw table. RAVENCLAW. RAVENCLAW. RAVENCLAW.

"Dylan Callaghan!"

The words seemed to echo all around the room and Dylan for a minute felt like he couldn't move his legs. Swallowing hard, he shuffled up to the stool and sat down and felt his heart race wildly as the hat was placed over his head. He held his breath, listening as it spoke to him.

"You are quite clever and seem eager to learn, but I also see you are a hard worker. Loyal, caring, and quite friendly." Dylan felt his heart beat faster and his face get hot. "I also see you're very patient." The eleven year old held his breath. Was this the part where it announced his house?! Merlin's beard, this was taking too long!

Finally, it shouted out to all of the great hall to hear.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Beaming brightly, Dylan slipped off the hat and skipped over to the Hufflepuff table. He felt so happy. Hufflepuff. He was a Hufflepuff! It felt so good to know what house he was in. He had a good feeling he'd get along with everyone in the house.

Hazel had been looking forward to being sorted for a long time, but now she was simply... terrified. Part of her wished her name wouldn't be called, but she breathed an internal sigh of relief that she was indeed magical when she heard, "Hazel Rawthorne!" By the time she got up and successfully sat on the chair, she was almost shaking with fear. The sorting hat said something about being loyal and true, but she couldn't really hear. She closed her eyes and hoped for the best.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the sorting hat shouted. She had never been happier in her life.

The boat ride had only lasted maybe five minutes – fifteen max - but Fern felt like it had lasted YEARS, what with those mean boys laughing at her and that carnivorous squid slinking around under the lake’s dark surface. As soon as they landed, the 11-year-old had positively sprinted into the Great Hall, where she had been reunited with her cousin. And now they were going to get sorted into Hufflepuff, and everything was going to be perfect.

Fern half-listened to what Tallulah was whispering to her as they waited; she was busy trying to pick out Minnie and Forrest and Toby at the crowded tables. Catching a glimpse of the older girl at last, she gave a big wave, but before she could see if Minnie had seen her, Tallulah’s name was called. Trying not to squeal, she gave her cousin the double thumbs up, and mouthed, “Hufflepuff!” So confident that the yellow and black house was the only possible one for them, Fern didn’t even bother to cross her fingers.

Yet when the hat finally spoke, it didn’t say Hufflepuff. It said Slytherin. At first Fern thought maybe she had heard it wrong, but suddenly Tallulah was hugging her, and it wasn’t a “YAY WE’RE IN THE BEST HOUSE" hug.

Soon after her cousin had gone off to be with her housemates, Fern’s name was called. She walked to the hat in a daze, and barely noticed it when the hat was placed on her head. At first she didn’t even hear it talking to her either.

“Well what do we have here? Not afraid to speak your mind, I see; that’s a Gryffindor trait. And oh, bit of a big dreamer, eh? Want to be the best? That’d be Slytherin…but no, no, I think Hufflepuff might be the best for y-“

Jolted into consciousness by the mention of Hufflepuff, Fern shouted, "No!" before slapping a hand over her mouth. Whispering, she begged, “No! You have to place me in Slytherin! I have to be with my cousin! I have to be with Tallulah! Tallulah Palmer, you just sorted her, in Slytherin, and you need to sort me there too!” Even if it meant she had to be in the same house as that bad boy, Cuthbert Whatever, who had been sorted before Tallulah.

“Slytherin, you say? Even though your heart is set on Hufflepuff? I can see it. There’s no hiding, you know.”

“My heart’s not set on anything but being with Tallulah! You can’t separate us! We’re family!” Fern smacked her fist against her thigh and hissed, “Who made you the boss anyway, you stupid hat?”

“Godric Gryffindor, a man far wiser than you. And what I see in you is diligence and a sense of right and wrong – but even more than that, a loyalty so strong, you’d sacrifice your own happiness for someone else. All of which are qualities of a true Hufflepuff”

Fern swallowed a scream. “Listen up, hat. You don’t mess with Fern Quimbley. You put me in anything other than Slytherin, and I’ll feed you to the squid.” She smirked smugly; no way could it argue with her anymore. Not after that threat...

“HUFFLEPUFF!”

NO! Fern whipped the hat off and threw it on the ground. She almost started to stomp on it, but then she caught sight of the adults – professors – sitting close by. Giving them her sweetest smile, the child picked up the hat and dusted it off before setting it on the stool.

“Remember the squid,” she whispered to the dingy hat, before walking to the Hufflepuff table, hands balled so tight her nails dug into her palms. She was not going to cry. Not in front of everyone. Later, maybe, when she was unable to fall asleep and wishing she had crossed her fingers after all.

Maybe it was just her, but since getting off the train, time seemed to be going by super fast. Which was silly because she wanted time to admire EVERYTHING around her, but then again, it was good because it meant that she could soon get back to her bestie. Forrest. Merlin, she hoped she'd be in Hufflepuff with him and Elodie and other cool peoples.

She turned around and looked for them, but there were other taller first years in her way and the tables were massively long anyway. She was sure that she could look for him later. Right now, she was waiting to be sor--

"Haigh, Bristol."

IT WAS HER. THAT WAS HER. ASDFGHJKL;

She bounded over to the sorting-place, grinning widely. If you asked her, there was nothing worrying or scary about this process what-so-ever, so she didn't understand why people weren't all cartwheeling up to the sorting hat. Not that she had, but she would have if it was something that was deemed socially acceptable to do in the Great Hall.

Here goes nothing, she thought and sat down on the stool and had the hat placed on her head.

"Hellooooo, Mr. Sorting Hat," she whispered, peering up at it sat on her head.

Hello, Miss Haigh.

The hat's 'voice' sounded out in her head. Could others hear it, or was it just her? In that case, could she talk to it in her head too?

Yes, you can, but that isn't why we're here, is it?

The hat was correct. It was time for her to be placed in Hufflepuff and she was bouncing up and down in anticipation.

Let's see. A courageous soul, sometimes recklessly so. Unafraid to have opinions heard. Very head strong. You would do well in Gryffindor.

O_______O

And yet, there's more. A quick witted mind, intelligent beyond many, many first years. Impressive, but I see that Ravenclaw, too, is not where you would like to be. Hufflepuff, to be with your truest of friends. Hmmm, you have the traits. Especially a loyalty beyond compare. You would do anything for them. Anything. So certainly unafraid of toil.

I see only one correct option here ..

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Thank you, thank you," Bristol said and grinned, before removing the hat and giving it a gentle pat. Wasting no time, she headed off to the Hufflepuff table, where she was met with smiles and claps. This was her second family now and she KNEW she'd love it here.

Whether the kid wasn't the type to make fuss of everything or was he simply uninterested remained a question. He went through the fear of riding a boat to the castle, scared stiff if suddenly a bunch of lethifolds decided to attack them was mentally exhausting him. The kids before him all showed some sort of panic when the hat was placed onto their heads and Angeal wasn't quite sure why. Phantom, Angeal. Upon hearing his name, the boy headed straight towards the stool without hesitation, and he gazed at the worn out looking hat.

He calmly sat on the stool, which he struggled a bit thanks to his unfortunate height. His face remained indifferent as the hat was placed onto his head. Dark eyes widened as he heard a voice in his head, which clearly didn't belong to him.

"Aha~" said the voice. "Another Phantom, I see... It has been a loooong time since the last came here," he paused. "Interesting... Hmm... But you're... Different. From the other Phantoms..." proceeded the voice, his voice was hesitant.

"I'm nothing like them!" said Angeal under his breath. His voice was trembling, but not out of fear nor nerves. It was more to... Anger. He had the feeling that this bloody hat will annoy him for as long as it will take it to sort him.

Nothing like them? Nothing like one of the oldest, wealthiest and not to mention, produced among the most successful wizards and witches, the Phantoms? Ah! Adopted. That explains it. "Different is good though. A whole bunch of Phantoms had either be Gryffindors or Ravenclaws..." it paused again. "However, you do inherit some of their traits."

At this analysis, the corner of Angeal's right eye twitched. He pursed his lips, failingly trying to prevent from sneering as one escaped. He rolled his eyes, hoping that all this will be done quickly.

"Courage... Yes... Plenty of them. A great deal of patience indeed... But I doubt that now... Hmm..." it paused, again. "You are... Very different as a person alone. Especially among your peers... Hold on..." and again as it mused for a moment.

And it continued. "You are ambition-driven and know very well how to get what you want. Whatever you want." it stopped, planning to head for the conclusion soon. "I see you have experiences of leading others despite your young age. Then you better be...

"SLYTHERIN!!"

Hopping off the stool with nothing but a faint smirk, he headed straight for the Slytherin house table, where students were cheering and applausing.