Well Shay didn't think it was possible to be any more mortified than she was at this moment. She had known about the sorting, sort of.........but being a sixteen year old surrounded by a bunch of little people was a tad bit embarrassing. It was bad enough being new, but this was too much. She just wanted to get the whole process over with as fast as possible. As she waited her turn, Shay decided that if she had to be put on display, she was going to own it.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard, Morrison, Shayla. Head up, shoulders back, Shay walked to the sorting stool with a confident stride. She was a New Yorker. She knew how to give attitude, even when you weren't really feeling it. Sitting down like she did this every day, Shay allowed the sorting hat to be placed on her head.

"Well, well, well, what shall I do with you?", the hat said. Shay had to resist the urge to laugh, 'cause, you know, a talking hat. That was kind of amusing. Somehow she maintained a straight face and prayed that it would be over with quickly. The hat continued to speak. "A bright mind, ambition, an adventurous spirit and a kind heart that you try desperately to hide. It seems that you could find success in any of the houses. But which one would suit you best? You have potential that you are not yet aware of and the best place for you is..........Gryffindor!"

Shay stood up and did not waste any time making her exit. She made her way to her house table. "Gryffindor here I come", she thought to herself.

Swann, Daisy.

Daisy was feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement as she made her way to the sorting stool and had the sorting hat placed upon her head. It was taking some time in choosing.

"Hmm, this is a very interesting one. You are very loyal, creative with signs of bravery and cunning. I think you are best-suited to.....Hufflepuff!"

Daisy was thrilled and stood up, making her way to her new house table.

Jason felt at a loss as he was shuffled into what everyone was calling the Great Hall. The majority of the students around him seemed to be familiar with what was going to happen, even the fellow first years who were quickly talking about which house they would be sorting into.

The young boy looked up into the rafters, looking at the house colors and emblems above him. First, he saw a yellow banner, with a badger emblazoned on it. Interesting, he thought. Maybe that will be my house. He had the same though as his eyes glanced to the red lion, the blue raven, and the green serpent. Each had it's own beauty and majesty.

One by one, students who came before Jason alphabetically were called to go to the front. At first, Jason was shocked by the talking hat (or sorting hat as it had referred to itself as). But it was just one of the many wonders in the room and one that he was more than willing to take at face value. Finally, his name came.

"Larson, Jason!"

Jason stepped forward, nervous. How did the hat decide? Jason knew nothing of the four houses....did that come into play with the decision. These thoughts continued to swirl around in his head and the large hat came down over his head.

"Ahhhhh," the hat said into Jason's mind, who jumped a little. Obviously the hat was just speaking to him. "My, my, my, aren't you the little worrier. There are great things in your future, young lad, great things." The last words were drawn out, as if the hat was pondering. "You will definitely need help. A good support system. Ravenclaw would do nicely. It would challenge your intelligence and help you to grow. But...no, I think it would be best to be....

"GRYFFINDOOOOOOOOOR!"

The hat was pulled off his head and he saw the raucous crowd of students at the red table beneath the emblem of the Lion began to cheer....no one had ever cheered for him before.

He stood up and moved over toward his house table, a smile creeping along his face.

Aurora was dreading this moment. Another of along line of Ravendels in Gryffindor House. She watched as each new student took their turn at the hat until finally she heard, "Ravendel, Aurora," called. Here she went, to the same fate as every other Ravendel.

She walked up and resolutely waited as the hat was put on her head. And then a voice whispered in her ear, "Don't want to be in Gryffindor, eh? You are rather adventurous, you know. Loyalty is there as well, but I don't see a hint of ambition. Don't know what you are yet? Well, I can help with that. Let's put all that intelligence and imagination in a place that will help you discover who you truly are. The best place for you is RAVENCLAW!" The last word came out loud and clear for everyone to hear.

Everyone in the hall was clapping, but her friend from the train, Rebecca, was clapping loudest of all. She had already been sorted into Ravenclaw, so Aurora was very happy to go and sit down next to her new friend.

As Elora waited to enter the great hall, from the corner of her eye she noticed a small mouse scratching at the main door. Without thinking, She quickly walked back towards the door, not caring at the looks from the other students. She quickly reached for the mouse scratching behind its ear momentarily. "There there, just a few more seconds.." she said softly to the mouse before she opened the door slightly. Bending down, she placed her hand down centimeters above the ground so that the small rodent could get down easily. Once it scurried away, she shut the door quietly before running back to join the group of kids that were already filing into the hall

As she entered the hall, she was mesmerized by the overall atmosphere of the great hall. Especially the ceiling, it was just as breathtaking as her mom described it. She continued to take in the sight around her, as the students went to the sorting hat one by one until her name was called. "Elora Smith". She carefully made her way up the steps, before taking her spot on the chair, the corners of her lips curving slightly as the hat was placed gently on her head.

"Mmm..This is easy. Willing to lend a helping hand to anyone, even the smallest mouse...although faint, I see a sense of bravery and loyalty...you must be...HUFFLEPUFF!!" the hat said loudy.

As a loud cheer, roared from the HufflePuff table, the smile on her face grew wider. She instantly hopped off the chair and headed towards her new house.
Thinking of all kinds of adventures that she'll encounter.

She wasn’t nervous. Stasya wasn’t going to admit how nervous she actually was when the boats had landed and all the other first years and she had been led into the castle. Although she hadn’t been able to keep herself from shoving her hand into her pocket to finger the letter inside, getting comfort from that since she knew she wouldn’t see most of her friends until she’d gotten inside the big doors to the Great Hall. She wanted to show that she could handle this, even if she figured nobody really would care if she looked scared. She knew she wasn’t. Just maybe a bit overwhelmed, even with the information she had gotten from Henry and Derf before actually being able to come. Either that or she was just sad that she couldn’t check on how Dobby was doing until after the feast. It was the first time, aside from when she’d been at primary school, that she hadn’t had the squirrel with her. Maybe he was scared being stuck with whatever other creatures were in the barn. First things first, she was going to have to figure out where that was and go down there to make sure he knew she was still there.

Waiting for her name to be called, she had let her grey-green eyes scan the tables until she saw familiar faces, and she had given her friends at the Hufflepuff table a grin. It was only a matter of time before she could talk to them again. Until then, she continued to let her eyes wander, taking in everyone else she’d met this summer, sometimes before. Sometimes after, although both Emmeline and Aurora were up there waiting with her. Except, almost before she could actually take everything in, as she had turned her gaze to the adults sitting at that table up on a dais, she heard her name being called.

“Anastasiya Dalgaard-Volkova.”

She had forgotten that her name was sort of near the beginning of most lists. It startled her for a moment to remember that, but she had walked up to the stool with her head held high. She wanted to be able to tell her papa she hadn’t been scared. Even if having the hat lowered onto her head was a little scary, since it obstructed her view of the tables a little. And also, she hadn’t really expected the voice that had sounded in her head. “Um, hi Mr. Hat,” she said softly, before she remembered the hat probably couldn’t hear her. Or anyone else, really, unless they had been awfully close to her.

“Such a polite one,” the hat had responded, startling g her again. Maybe it could hear her. Except it had gone on speaking before she could ask. “A curious one too. Independent. You could have fit in well at Durmstrang, you know.”

But my friends aren’t at Durmstrang. She had responded almost without thinking, although that was true. Besides, Durmstrang was way farther away from home than Hogwarts was.

“Very true. Although you don’t seem to have difficulty in making friends either so I don’t know why you’re worrying. A social one, you are, along with that independence. There’s intelligence there too. Loyalty, determination… you think you’re cunning but you aren’t really. Which eliminates Slytherin…”

She had let the hat go on without responding, although she was starting to feel like it was being awfully condescending. And going on for an awful long time, discussing what she was and what she wasn’t. What he thought about her, which made her wonder if the hat was a boy or a girl. Honestly it was just easier to think it was a boy. A kind of annoying boy, and she’d started to imagine the reactions from her friends whenever the hat finally got to the point. And then it finally did.

“Better be… GRYFFINDOR!”

But Mr. Hat… Her protest trailed off as the hat had been lifted off her head, freeing her to step down and go to her newly chosen house. She just wasn’t really sure what to think…or what Derf would think. What Henry would think. The cheers were largely ignored as she slowly went down to the red table. Yay Hogwarts, but what would she do now?

Lorelei was glad that her last name put her at the beginning of the line to get Sorted; although she knew what was going to happen, she was still nervous about which house she would be placed in. Her mother had been a Gryffindor, while her father had been a Ravenclaw, and she knew that both parents were expecting her to be placed into either one of those houses.

"Lorelei Chase!"

Through her reverie, Lorelei heard her name called out. She shyly made her way to the stool and sat down; a moment later, the Sorting hat was placed on her head.

"Hmmm...a reader..." the hat began. "Rather shy and introverted, preferring your own thoughts over very social situations. Knowledge is important to you, and you have quite the creative side to you as well. I think you'll do well in RAVENCLAW!"

Emmeline stared around the Great Hall with eyes as wide as saucers as she shuffled in with the rest of the first years. She wasn't sure that this room had a ceiling as she gazed at the sky above her before being brought sharply back to Earth by the Sorting Hat and its song. She could feel the eyes of hundreds of students fastened on her and the rest of the first years, which was not a very nice feeling at all. Emmeline was very glad that Stasya and Aurora were up here with her, and she scanned the House tables carefully until she found Derf at what must be the Hufflepuff table. She smiled nervously at him, fervently hoping that she and Stasya would join him there soon.

As Stasya was called up, Emmeline crossed her fingers inside her robes. The other girl knew A LOT of Hufflepuffs, and Emmeline was shocked when Stasya was sorted into a different House! Her own nerves seemed so much more apparent now, but she threw Stasya a small smile as she watched her go off to the Gryffindor table.

The line of people waiting to be Sorted seemed to move SO slowly after that. Emmeline had never thought about last names before, but she really regretted having an "S" name now. But finally, finally...

"Sparkes, Emmeline."

Emmeline's legs seemed much heavier than normal as she walked up to the stool and had her vision partially obscured by the Sorting Hat. This was kind of scary...

"Hmm...interesting, very interesting. Plenty of courage I see, and a strong thirst for independence. There's talent, and not a bad mind either, but where to put you?"

Emmeline jumped as the Sorting Hat started talking inside her HEAD! She didn't feel brave or smart or whatever the other Houses were at the moment, any House was fine for her just now... She knew her parents really wanted her to be in Slytherin, but Nanny had said any House was good, and that Emmeline should "be her own person at Hogwarts." So she thought she wanted to do that, whatever that meant...

"Ah. Well, in that case, better be:

GRYFFINDOOOR!"

Emmeline felt a sense of great relief as the Sorting Hat was pulled off her head and she made her way over to the red-clad students and Stasya. Barely paying attention to the cheers, she thought that it would be better if there was a House just for creature-lovers, or for everyone! Her mind already half-full of plans to sneak Derf into the Gryffindor dorm so he could be with her and Stasya, she smiled as she joined her House.

Zarina was here for the first time at Hogwarts. She knew she needed to be sorted into one of these houses. She looked around and saw the colors of blue, red, green and yellow. She hoped she wasn't in the yellow house. Not one of her favorite colors. Zae was getting ansty and nervous when she was hearing the names being called. Least her last name began with C so it shouldn't take too long. Soon as she knew it her name was called,

"Carraro, Zarina!"

She breathed in and out deeply and closed her eyes and began to walk up to the front of the room. She walked to the stool and sat down and faced the entire school. This was terrifying at all. She saw the Professor give her a warm and comforting smile and placed the hat gingerly on her head. It did feel old and ratty but hey it did the job. The hat began to talk? Well of course hats talked in Hogwarts and it began to say, "Hmm. Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?" Zarina sat there wide eyed. She closed her eyes and thought,

"Not hufflepuff, Not hufflepuff...."

"Hmm well I think I better put you in.....

SLYTHERIN! "

Zarina beamed and was relieved. She would not have to wear yellow. She saw the sea of green cheer for her and she walked with a kick in her step toward her current home. She sat down in her seat and couldn't stop smiling when she got pats on the back.