Quinn hadn't thought about what the Sorting Ceremony would entail. Specifically, having to go up in front of the entire school to be Sorted. The thought of it turned his legs to jelly without the need for a curse.

"Kingsley, Quinn!"

A chill shot through him. Quinn stiffly began making his way to the front of the room. So many people. Watching me. Hundreds. Probably over a thousand. Two thousand? Three? By the time he got up to the front of the room and sat down, his hands were shaking and he was a bit sweaty. He scanned the crowd of people, all of whom he could now see clearly from the front of the room. Everywhere he looked, eyes were trained on him. The school was waiting with bated breath. Some were whispering to each other. Smiling. Giggling. Were they giggling and smiling and whispering because of him? Had he done something wrong? Was he supposed to sit yet? Was he supposed to say something before he got here? Could they see his knees shaking under his robe? Could they see his knuckles turning white from gripping the edges of the stool? Was he—

Plop. The Hat was on his head now. It began mumbling to itself. "Alright, let's see about him... him? No, not him... at least, not now..."

What? What? What did the Hat mean by that? Could people hear it? Is that why people were giggling and smiling and whispering now? Was he doing something wrong? Had he done something wrong? What if he messed up the Sorting? What if the Hat said "Nothing for this one. Next!" and that was that, kicked out of the school, laughing stock of the Wizarding World, back home for you, with your parents that you're uncomfortable around and the kids at school who hate—

"Calm down, calm down! Too many thoughts in here, making it hard for me to find what I need to know." Oh, great. Now he was even disrupting the Hat. Quinn closed his eyes, hoping that not being able to see all the students would put his mind at ease. Turns out that it didn't, but it was enough to give the Hat what it needed.
"Well, I can certainly see Hufflepuff—you've got a lot of it in you—but I think that ultimately, where you belong is...

Ravenclaw!"

As the Hat was taken off and the crowd erupted in cheers, Quinn stood up and looked across the tables of students. His hands and knees were still shaking, and his head was spinning. The Sorting Hat's words echoed through his mind.

Not him. At least, not now.

Quinn forgot himself for a moment, not sure where he should be going or what he should be doing. Ravenclaw. You're Ravenclaw? Blue. Ravenclaw is blue. Quinn found the table with the blue tapestries and hurried away from the front, as fast as his legs could take him.

Apollo had thought about the sorting ceremony A LOT, particularly over the last few months. He had little idea of where the ancient hat might place him, but his mother had assured him that they were all great; her best friends had been in Slytherin and Ravenclaw, as had his maternal uncles. And of course his grandparents were Hufflepuffs. The one thing that Apollo knew for certain was that he couldn't imagine going through Hogwarts in a different house from Bella Connolly.

The small moussy-haired boy squeezed his best friends hand as the sorting began. The hyphenated name came in handy since Adara put him towards the top of the list to be called. A final look at Bella and another hand squeeze at the call of his name, Adara-Stark, Apollo

They were all great houses, he reminded himself, trying to relax but the feeling of hundreds of eyes on him was something he couldn't shake. The hat fell to cover his eyes, which made him feel slightly better to not see the eyes. Until it started talking in his ear, giving the eleven year old the heebie-jeebies. Why had none of his family talked about the talking hat?? They only talked about the houses themselves, not the actual process!?!

Ahhh... Another Adara... Another Rose... A Stark. Much History... Much greatness in your family. I remember your mother's sorting like it was yesterday, A strong desire to prove yourself. A lot of energy too.

"Can you please sort Bella Connolly with me?" he whispered into the fabric. Although the hat probably didn't know who that was yet.

So you care about your friends... yes.. okay, you'd do well in Hufflepuff ... and yet that thirst and loyalty... slytherin will help you on the way to greatness

It then fell silent. A minute... two minutes... five minutes must have passed and Apollo's eyes rolled upward to peer at the hat. Did it fall asleep? "Hello?" He whispered weakly, his impatience rising.

Ah sorry, yes I see it now... better be...

Gryffindor!!!!

The hat removed from his head, Apollo hopped off the stool slightly disoriented from the light after the darkness of the hat and ran towards the scarlet and gold table.

Delilah had just walked down the aisles of the Great Hall and up to the front near the dais. She peered behind her and saw all the older students watching and waiting. They were probably starving and just ready to get this over with. Regardless, this is where she was right now, and she wasn't bothered by the pressure at all. There was just something about house fires, deceased parents, and orphanages that made this sort of thing a breeze.

The only inconvenience was that she, too, was starving. That AND the fact that she was super curious about her sorting. These would the be the people she'd live with for the next seven years, and coming from an orphanage, she knew that sort of thing was important. There were certain kids everyone wanted to room with, and then there were certain kids everyone dreaded rooming with. Delilah tried to give everybody a fair chance, but it still made her sort of concerned.

"Ellerby, Delilah," someone said.

Oh, okay, well...no time like the present! The first year drew in a quiet sigh and stepped forward. A talking hat. The sorting hat. Just add that to the list of things she never, ever experienced in the muggle world. She tried to talk herself into taking things slowly, so she didn't stumble off the stool and give everybody an unintentional laugh. Pretty soon, she was situated and the hat was on her head.

"Not the faint of heart at all," it began.

Well, that was starting out by stating the obvious. Delilah didn't consider herself taken aback by too many of life curve balls these days. She tried to remember which of the houses might be for those not faint of heart, but she couldn't place anything right now.

"Another Ellerby," it continued.

Her mom, right? But her mom hadn't been an Ellerby in her Hogwarts days. Her father had been the Ellerby around that time. Somewhere in the back of her memories, Delilah only remembered her mother doing magic around the house. Was her father magical, too? It was something she desired to discover one of these days.

"Ambitious, but adventurous," it continued. "Alright then..."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Delilah would have been okay with any house, but Gryffindor it was. Mmkay then. Let's go meet those new housemates. She hopped off the stool with a little more confidence this time and headed toward the Gryffindor table.

It was worse than she had imagined. The hat that is. Delaney can vaguely remember the stories her father and older brother told over dinner during summer months about Hogwarts and the Sorting Hat. She knew it was old. Well-worn. But she had never imagined it to be so tattered and discolored. Even from where she stood near the back of the group, she would make out of the loose threads unraveling at the seams. Hopefully it didn’t smell.

“Whittle, Delaney!”

She walked silently up to the stool and slowly lowered herself down. She looked straight ahead at large doors near the back of the great hall that led to the rest of castle. Refusing to look at her peer. And then suddenly she couldn’t see anything at all but inside of that old hat.

“Hello?”

A Whittle? Haven’t seen one in quite a few years….. Different than your brother aren’t you?

Luca? Luca had been sorted into Ravenclaw. Like their mother. Delaney didn’t want to be like her mother….

Not Ravenclaw? Hmmm you wouldn’t do so bad there you know… the thirst for knowledge is here….. but not for the right reasons

Delaney let out of a huge breath of air she didn’t know she had been holding onto.

Brave and loyal…. Perhaps Gryffindor...no…not pure of heart

The small girl wrinkled her nose in annoyance.

No. I can see it now, you have a desire for greatness don’t you, you’re determination…yes I can see now you belong to…

“SLYTHERIN!”

A slow smile spread across her face as she was flooded with relief. Her father’s house. And as she hopped off the stool, there a noticeable bounce in her step as she went to find a place to sit at the Slytherin table.

Aries wasn't scared at all (he was).

His eyes were wide, and his heart was fluttering like a butterfly as he walked into the great hall. So far, it was EVERYTHING he had hoped it to be. From the ceiling to the ugly sorting hat on the stool. Grinning like a fool, and his hand very much in Atlas' - which was the most natural thing in the world, the older twin walked and tugged his brother along to the dias.

FINALLY.

As the first years started walking up to the hat, it was incredibly hard not to whisper things in Atlas' ear, because obviously Aries had a lot to say about who didn't seem like they belonged in the house they were dropped in.

BECAUSE UGH. Did that mean he wouldn't get to be in Hufflepuff? It was a secret wish of his. A wish he wanted to drag Atlas along in too.

Soon though, the moment of truth arrived and he heard his name being called out. Turning to look at Atlas, he smiled wide and in the most 'can-you-believe-it?' kind of way - then turned around to make his way over to the sorting hat - but definitely not before giving Atlas' reluctant hand a gentle, assuring squeeze.

Heart wildly fluttering, Aries' excitement showed as the hat was placed on his head.

"A new Flamsteed!" it said -- to which Aries rightfully blushed.

"Really? You think Hufflepuff is where you belong?"

...

...

"Um yes?"

"Really?"

".....Uh - no?"

"Precisely. GRYFFINDOR" it announced and blink it was done.

Atlas Leonel Flamsteed was a great many things but patient was not one of them.

To make matters worse, the alphabetical order of the Sorting Ceremony put him once AGAIN behind his brother and just like with their birth order, it was off by one minor detail and that was that the letter 'r' came before the letter 't'. Everything came to him after his brother and the resentment was real...but obviously not palatable enough for him to truly hold it against Aries. The ugly monster of jealousy and spite did tend to rear its ugly head when they were fighting over something or another...usually something utterly inconsequential too. Or just outright ridiculousness. Like who got to marry Minerva Darling (for the record, it was Atlas. He just needed to sort out how to age himself about 20 years and scare off her current boyfriend).

His thoughts solely on the stool before them, Atlas' hand gripped Aries' rather tightly while they waited. First all the A names...then the B...C...D...E...finally dipping into the F's. Atlas hardly registered any of the names nor where they were Sorted despite Aries' running commentary that rivaled the announcers at quidditch matches, though his heart did quicken a bit any time Gryffindor or Ravenclaw was called out. Gryffindor like dad, Auntie Kiera, Auntie June, and Minerva Darling. Ravenclaw like Andromeda, their sister, and Auntie Jade. Auntie Daphne had been in Slytherin, but she had made it quite clear to both he and Aries that they had no shot of being Sorted there - entirely too much of their father in them, supposedly. Atlas had actually made a bet with her that Aries would be a Hufflepuff, the first in the Flamsteed line, which was something he questioned now because Daphne never placed bets unless she was sure she would win.

..........he was going to be cleaning mysterious gunk off her gear the next time he saw her.

Finally, Aries was called and there was a surprising bit of reluctance (THAT HE WOULD NEVER ADMIT TO) in releasing his brother's hand.

He had a complicated relationship with being a twin, okay?

Restlessness settled in to the 11-year-old's chest and he found himself shifting his weight back and forth and back and forth and back and forth to try and occupy himself for the eternity that seemed to be Aries' Sorting. Atlas even caught himself rolling his tie up in a tight little spiral and then releasing it so it flopped against his white dress shirt like a thin black tapestry. Dad would be furious if he saw him doing that. But dad wasn't here...SO.

...and that was another rabbit hole he did not want to go down.

So hyper focused on his own thoughts, the drifting in and out of active consciousness, and his own heartbeat drumming in his ears so loudly that he couldn't hear anything else... Atlas realized at the roar of applause that came as the Sorting Hat declared Aries' house that...uh...he hadn't actually heard WHERE his brother had been placed. Which was maybe for the best because they it wouldn't influence his own thoughts and biases once the Hat was on his head. Or at least not anymore than the ones already in place.

"Flamsteed, Atlas!"

He wished he could say that he strutted up to the stool with confidence, but the truth of the matter was he hardly remembered even moving from his spot in the crowd of first years and with the next blink he was sitting on his stool and staring out at a sea of mostly unknown faces that were all a little blurry for some reason. Feeling the hat placed upon his head, Atlas shut his eyes tight and gripped the rim of the stool with his fingers. He had his opinions and preferences, but more than anything Atlas just wanted an answer.

AH! Another Flamsteed...yes...how very interesting...so you think that you...oh yes I see...hmmmmm...but what about .... hmmm .... peculiar ... yes...yes...a rich and individualistic mindset you posses ... and one fueled by inquisitiveness, cool rationalism, and spirited curiosity. Perhaps...no...not there... your spontaneity and unpredictability do not make you suited for there ... not when they are paired with such a strong code of direct fairness and assumption...and a tendency unnecessary and unhelpful boundary-pushing ... just for fun ... yes...yes the choice is QUITE clear...yes...better be...

GRYFFINDOR

"

It had been VERY difficult to keep his mouth shut through the whole thing, especially during the bits where he wasn't so sure if the Sorting Hat was insulting him or not, and the sheer number of seemingly unfinished or half thoughts was more than a bit maddening. But as soon as the proclamation of GRYFFINDOR had been made, his eyes flew open and quickly rolled up to look at the Hat as it was plucked from his head and himself dismissed from the stool. Wiping his eyes, which made the sea of faces suddenly clearer, Atlas hopped off the stool and veered towards the Gryffindor table where he saw Aries clapping louder than anyone else. Or maybe he just imagined that.

There was a twist in his chest and a momentary desire to glare and groan, because he had thought that he had wanted to be Sorted anywhere BUT the house his brother had been placed into, butt he moment passed quickly. Imagine what trajectory he could have been on had he known Aries was sorted here as well and he had gone into his own Sorting with a more petty mindset. How would the Hat have interpreted him then? More closed-minded? Would it have been thoughts that caused a HUGE mistake to be made? Or would the outcome have been the same? And then the blonde thought, 'Does it really matter?' This was his reality and this was the path he was on now...and WHILE HE WOULD NOT ADMIT TO IT...there was relief knowing that he and his brother were going to take it together. All smiles and downright grinning, Atlas made a mad dash towards the table of crimson and gold to gladly join his brother and the rest of his housemates.

But only his brother would be receiving a celebratory tackle.

Neither of them Hufflepuff (thankfully) but Aries had still dragged him along regardless.

"Tilly, Eden!"

It was her turn! Time to approach the talking hat! Amazing. The wizarding world got weirder every day, and the eleven-year-old was here. for. it.

And then the hat began reading her mind.

Let's see...wow, quite the spirit you have, hmm? But not Gryffindor, no, that much is clear...perhaps Slytherin...the ambition is there, as is the thirst to win and prove your worth...yes, you are used to winning by any means...a bit aggressive, are we? What did that Lindsey girl ever do to you? Yes, you lack a certain...je ne sais quoi...found among the snakes...

Eden's eyes widened and then narrowed. Was the hat insulting her? Where did it learn French? How much of her mind could it read? Could she charm her parents' prison beanies and read their minds? How long had she been up here? People were staring...well, of course they were, she was in front of the whole school getting her mind read...

My, my, my...I'm afraid you will have to find the answers to your questions on your own, and I suspect you will find some help from your housemates...yes, yes, you most definitely belong in...

...RAVENCLAW!

Cool. She hopped off the stool, smoothed out her skirt and hair, and made her way over to the cheering blue table that she now belonged to, now a member of the Smartiepants Club at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To her happy surprise, it looked like Quinn had already saved her a seat.

"Hemlock, Cornelia!"

It was about time! Even though her last name fell earlier on in the alphabet, Cornelia was bored and getting tired of just standing there. She hated waiting, and she definitely was not impressed with how the sorting process actually happened. Did that mangy thing really have to be put on her head? From where she stood, she couldn't help but think that it was probably one of the ugliest hats she had seen and assumed that it probably smelled like old people.

Despite her desire to not have to temporarily wear the Sorting Hat, she walked up to the stool with confidence and sat down. She knew the decision would be quick. Well, it had better be a quick one. It was very clear to her which house she would be joining soon, so the theatrics of it all was not needed.

"Ahh, a Hemlock. It certainly has been a while since I last —"

I already know everything you're about to say, Hat, she thought, rolling her eyes. My papa was a Slytherin, and my mum a Ravenclaw. Can we skip over this history lesson? We both know where I belong.

There was a moment of silence after the thought rattled off in her mind. She expected the thing to tell her off for interrupting it, but was a rather surprised when nothing of the sort happened and the voice continued on.

"Just as I thought. Definitely not the patient sort. ... Now, let's see what else we have here. ... Ahh. Not a bad mind, even your studies isn't much of a priority. ... Though I do see quite a bit of nerve and determination ... interesting, very interesting ... perhaps ... hmm ... no, not quite. Your motivation lies elsewhere. The desire to prove yourself is certainly here, oh yes, and there is talent yet to be tapped into. ... Yes, indeed. With the proper guidance and resources, you —"

Cornelia stopped listening as the patchy hat rambled on. The thing really did like hearing itself talk, didn't it? At this point the first year was ready to grab hold of the thing and toss it on the floor, shouting out the name of her house with pride. In fact, the idea sounded perfectly splendid to her. She very well could finish the Hat's job more efficiently and look good doing it too.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Both of her hands were about to grab onto the flap of the hat when it shouted out her house. Was she surprised that it wanted no one to steal its thunder in the end? No, not in the slightest. However, she didn't care about that. Cornelia was all smiles as she removed the hat from her head and finally made her way over to where her fellow Slytherins were already seated. She couldn't wait to write to her papa with the good news!

"O'Neill, Tadhg"

Merlin thank goodness, it seems like he was waiting forever for his name to be called. Walkikg up he hat on the stool and waited for the hat to speak, he knew the process his parents told him about the whole process. What he didn't know what house he truly was, his father was a Slytherin while his mother was a Hufflepuff, so he wondered. His mind was wondering so much he jumped a bit as the sorting hat spoke.

Ah... an O'Neill been awhile since I sorted one from your family, such a noble house of Purebloods."

Tadhg was rolling his eyes as the hat talked, he wasn't in the mood for a history lesson on his family. He wanted to get sorted and sit down and eat, his feet were hurting and he was hungry, he envied Dahila on her being so close. Although he had a feeling he wasn't going to be in the same house as her, but they were always going to be best friends no matter where they were or what house they were in. Hearing the hat talk so more, he finally paid attention to the important part.

"Ah... yes very loyal and protective of family... hardworker and very determined, would make a good Hufflepuff just like your mother....

"Okay.... Hufflepuff that isn't a bad house depite what others say, my mother says it's a wonderful house it's the house you're put in cause you fit in every single house." Although he thought that to himself he knew the hat could hear it.

"Ah.... yes but the thirst to prove yourself and the determination. Just like your father you very well are, a bit like your mother I see but very well like your father indeed."

"Okay... so am I a Slytherin or a Hufflepuff which one?" Tadhg thought getting a bit annoyed.

"Yes... yes... impatient indeed, very well then, just like your father before you better be...

SLYTHERIN!

Taking the hat off, he made his way to the cheering table of green and silver. He couldn't wait to tell his parents the good news, especially his father who was going to be so pleased that he gotten sorted into Slytherin. Taking a seat he waited with his other fellow snakes for the feast to begin.

If Dahlia had been at all anxious throughout the incredibly long day, she had not let it show. Her excitement to finally be at Hogwarts had easily surpassed anything else that she had previous felt. All she was able to focus on was where she would be sorted.

Getting to stand with all the others as they waited for their names to be called was only a little nerve-wrecking. Somewhere in the sea of students sat at the four tables in front of her were her older siblings and cousins. She tried at her best to seek them out, a smile on her face that said it all, 'This was the best day ever!'. Standing right beside Lily, their shoulders arms brushing one another's she gripped her sisters hand in her own. Her other hand was clasped onto her brother Elias' who was standing just in front and in the middle of her and Lily. This was something they always had done since they were really little. It kept them all calm and showed how much they were a team.

Only did she let their hands go when her name had been called.

"Donovan, Dahlia!"

It was her turn! It felt so strange going before her brother and sister. This wasn't the usual order they did things in. Refusing to let herself be nervous she flashed them a bright smile, headed over to the stool and sat down. The Hat was placed on her head where it slipped down over her eyes taking her focus away from everyone that she knew was watching.

"Ah, yes, yes, another Donovan. I've sorted many before you."

This was clearly a fact that she had known her entire life. Her Papa had been in Slytherin and her Mum had been a Ravenclaw. Her older siblings were mixed between both houses and she had cousins spread about as well. It was no doubt that her family was a large one.

"Very much like both of your parents and your siblings before you. Any house would suit you well. Loyal, Dedicated, Adven-"

Dahlia giggled quietly trying hard not to miss a single word the hat spoke to her. 'Uh-huh. I'm okay with any house that you decide... but I'd really really love it if you kept us together..' Us being Lily, Elias and herself. If they got split up now, she wouldn't know what to do without them!

"Well then. Like so many in your family before you... let it be...

RAVENCLAW!"

As the hat was lifted from her head, Lia slid off the stool, gave her siblings a double thumbs-up (one for each of them) and a huge smile as she hurried off towards the table of blue and bronze.

Ravenclaw was an amazing house. Lots of her family had been sorted there.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, really. Nobody in her family had ever attended Hogwarts before and the only thing she knew about this place was from reading about it. BUT, she had been thinking about the sorting ceremony a lot over the summer and had concluded she would be a Hufflepuff. Yep, it would only make sense. She was NICE and LOYAL...and stuff.

"Monteleone, Bethani!"

She squealed in her head. The butterflies in her stomach were trumped by the excitement of finally, FINALLY, getting an answer to the one question that had been mulling around in her mind since she found out she'd be going to Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons. Blegh, Beauxbatons. She'd never say that to her parents though. Anyway, she'd be fine wherever it put her. She made her way over to the stool and plopped herself down. The hat was placed on her head and she drummed her fingers against her knee in anticipation.

Let's see...ahhh, quite a mischievous one. You have an adventurous streak, and it seems you appreciate learning and you are quite strong-willed, although...you are not particularly competitive...no, that is not the place for you...I see you have a strong determination to protect those who cannot do so themselves...and you possess a desire to prove yourself...hm, Hufflepuff, you say? No, no, you would not succeed there...and alas, you do not possess the cunningness of a snake...and so it must be

"Gryffindor!"

She took the hat off her head, whispered a thank you to it, and leaped up from the stool with a bright smile. She couldn't wait to meet everyone, she thought, as she rushed over to the red and gold table.