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+------- Thread: Sorting Hat (/showthread.php?tid=420)
Sorting Hat - Gideon Blackwood - 08-31-2025
Great Hall
01 September 1920
01 September 1920
Everything about this night was strange, a sense of deja vu wafting over him as he waited by the front doors for the incoming first years. It had been many years since he graced the halls of this building as a student, but it felt like just yesterday. Gideon Blackwood: Deputy Headmaster and Hufflepuff Head of House. He was a touch bitter that he wasn’t the Slytherin Head, but he would make due with the badgers.
Pulling out his pocket watch, he saw that the students should be arriving any second. The second through seventh years were already in the hall and seated. The first should be here… Ah, and there they were.
The sky outside lit up with a bolt of lightning and rumbles of thunder. The weather had taken a turn towards the dramatic in the hours leading up to the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. Perhaps the Gods were trying to tell them something.
The tiny first years sloshed into the building, sopping wet and shivering with the bitter cold wind. Amongst the crowd of tiny humans, he saw very recognizable faces, his own blue eyes staring back at him. His niece and nephew, Elowen and Gareth, twin eleven year olds starting their time at Hogwarts. He wondered where they would end up after putting the hat on their heads.
Once the last drenched child entered the building, the doors shut and Gideon looked at the shivering horde of tiny humans he sighed. They looked cold and terrified. He made sure to make eye contact with a few specific students, who may be shocked to see him at the castle. Afterall, while selling robes in his family's shop, he neglected to tell the students that he would see them in just a few short weeks.
“Hello to you all, and welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. First things first.” His deep voice echoed off the walls. With a wave of his wand a sudden burst of warm air enveloped the first years. A waft of steam rose from their huddled mass, leaving behind a group of much warmer and much dryer children. Some of the hair was frizzier than they probably liked, but that wasn’t his concern.
“If you will, please follow me.” With no time to waste, Gideon made his way up the stairs and towards the door to the Great Hall. Turning, he waited for them to quiet down and come to a stop before him.
“Beyond this door is the Great Hall. Once we enter, I will lead you to the front where you will each take a turn being sorted into your house. Once sorted, your uniform will change into your house colors and you will find a seat at your house table for the remainder of the feast. Listen carefully to the Head Mistress, she will give you very important information to start the term. If you have any more questions, be sure to find your Head of House for more information. Shall we get festivities started?”
Without waiting for an answer, Gideon opened the door and walked with confidence down the main aisle and towards the front of the hall. There, sitting on top of a stool, sat a rather grubby looking leather hat. Once all had quieted down the pointy headpiece began to sing.
I welcome one, I welcome all,
To the castle this fateful fall.
Listen as I sing this song,
For those here, have done no wrong.
Unlike the leader who came before,
Those here now want to restore.
The magic was ripped, torn and broken,
A new leader has wisely been chosen.
The magic is strange, strained and cracked
The wards malfunction, open to attack.
But do not fear, for things are better.
Day by day, we get through this together.
Here we stand, brave and new,
With staff untested, Professors few.
Students here, and some away,
Hopeful more will return one day.
Here at Hogwarts things remain,
Houses stand against the pain.
Through it all we stick together,
Even through the darkest weather.
As a Lion, you are brave and bold,
You will charge ahead when the days are cold.
As a Badger, you are hardworking and humble,
Staying loyal while the thunder rumbles.
As a snake you're always determined and sly,
You will forge ahead as rain falls from the sky.
As an Eagle you stand witty and curious,
Even as the stormy wind, rages furious.
So first years!
Step right up, so we shall see,
Where you belong, as decided by me.
Will it be, the brave or kind?
Maybe the proud, or quick of mind.
Thank you for listening to this or that,
For I am, THE SORTING HAT!
To the castle this fateful fall.
Listen as I sing this song,
For those here, have done no wrong.
Unlike the leader who came before,
Those here now want to restore.
The magic was ripped, torn and broken,
A new leader has wisely been chosen.
The magic is strange, strained and cracked
The wards malfunction, open to attack.
But do not fear, for things are better.
Day by day, we get through this together.
Here we stand, brave and new,
With staff untested, Professors few.
Students here, and some away,
Hopeful more will return one day.
Here at Hogwarts things remain,
Houses stand against the pain.
Through it all we stick together,
Even through the darkest weather.
As a Lion, you are brave and bold,
You will charge ahead when the days are cold.
As a Badger, you are hardworking and humble,
Staying loyal while the thunder rumbles.
As a snake you're always determined and sly,
You will forge ahead as rain falls from the sky.
As an Eagle you stand witty and curious,
Even as the stormy wind, rages furious.
So first years!
Step right up, so we shall see,
Where you belong, as decided by me.
Will it be, the brave or kind?
Maybe the proud, or quick of mind.
Thank you for listening to this or that,
For I am, THE SORTING HAT!
The Great Hall erupted into raucous applause, whistles and cheers. Gideon, not done with his duties just yet, pulled the scroll out of his inside robe pocket and began reading the shorter than normal list of names.
“Alderbash, Aiden”
((OOC: WELCOME FIRST YEARS! Feel free to RP your sort! No need to wait for others or go in any order! HAVE FUN!))
RE: Sorting Hat - Gideon Blackwood - 08-31-2025
1920: Sorting
Gryffindor
First Year
Lindsay Thatch
Fourth Year
Matilda Nordstrom
Timothy Blackburn
Tulip Asquith
Sixth Year
Rosalie Laurence
First Year
Lindsay Thatch
Fourth Year
Matilda Nordstrom
Timothy Blackburn
Tulip Asquith
Sixth Year
Rosalie Laurence
Hufflepuff
First Year
Maevie Golding
Fourth Year
Ellen Graymere
Percival Harman
Benji Laurence
Alice Ravenstone
First Year
Maevie Golding
Fourth Year
Ellen Graymere
Percival Harman
Benji Laurence
Alice Ravenstone
Ravenclaw
First Year
Elias Everett
Joshua Henley
Second Year
Everleigh Ravenstone
Fourth Year
Oilibhéar Ó Coigligh
William Arsenaut
Sixth Year
Cassian McCormick
First Year
Elias Everett
Joshua Henley
Second Year
Everleigh Ravenstone
Fourth Year
Oilibhéar Ó Coigligh
William Arsenaut
Sixth Year
Cassian McCormick
Slytherin
First Year
Hera Redcliff
Fourth Year
Ren Al-Sayeed
Ruth Elliot
First Year
Hera Redcliff
Fourth Year
Ren Al-Sayeed
Ruth Elliot
RE: Sorting Hat - Elias Everett - 09-01-2025
Elias shivered with the other first years in the Entrance Hall, his robes still damp and clinging uncomfortably. His hair stuck up at weird angles from the drying spell. He tried to wipe his scraped hands on his robes, but the rough fabric just made them sting worse. Then he felt guilty for rubbing blood on the new robes that the scary Deputy Headmaster, who had also been at the scary robe shop, had made for him. His head spun a bit trying to make sense of it all. Through those doors, voices echoed off stone walls, but it sounded quieter than he'd expected.
When they entered, the Great Hall was enormous. The ceiling showed the storm still raging outside - dark clouds and flashes of lightning. How did they make it match what was really happening up there? This was his sorting, the most important thing ever, and his brain kept wandering off.
House tables looked half empty. Where was everyone? The Great Hall felt too big, too echoey. Elias spotted Eamon at the Gryffindor table and his brother pulled a ridiculous face at him. That helped a little.
Dozens of candles floated overhead without anything holding them up. Why didn't they drift away?
Stop it. Focus.
A ratty old hat sitting on a stool started singing about some bad headmaster and broken magic. That made no sense.
"Alderbash, Aiden," the man from the robe shop called.
Names. They were really doing this. Elias watched as the first student walked up to the hat. He was starving - would there be roast beef? And maybe those fluffy Yorkshire puddings? Thick gravy, like Dad made...
More names got called. Each student seemed to take forever with the hat. Elias's mind drifted to warm bread rolls with butter melting into them. He shifted from foot to foot.
How many were there before his turn? It felt like ages, and his socks felt damp inside his shoes.
Then: "Everett, Elias."
That was him. Elias's shoes squelched slightly with each step as he walked toward the front, his damp robes twisted and clinging in all the wrong places.
Up close, the stool looked tiny, and the hat slumped on top like old rags. But it had been talking - singing, even. What kind of spells could make fabric do that?
He sat down and the brim fell over his eyes, blocking out everything. His hands shook as he waited in the darkness. What was supposed to happen now? What if the hat didn't work on him? What if something was wrong with him and -
Curious mind, said a voice right in his head. Even now, terrified, you wonder how I work. Rowena would have liked you. "RAVENCLAW!"
The Ravenclaw table cheered and clapped. Elias pulled off the hat with still shaky hands. His robes were turning blue and bronze.
Ravenclaw. He walked over to his new table, grinning.
RE: Sorting Hat - Maevie Golding - 09-01-2025
Maevie's eyes were big as saucers, grin plastered on her face for so long now, her cheeks hurt like hell. Arms wrapped around her middle and shivering in her soaked clothes, hair clinging to her face and neck as she entered through the double doors of the castle that had first revealed itself on their boat ride across the lake.
It felt like one of those sugar rushes she'd get when she had too many sweets with her friend from school back home. The giddiness, the seemingly endless flow of energy rushing through her body, the excited pound of her heart and the joy warming her from the inside.
This time though, she couldn't fault any sweets, not entirely at least. The trolley lady had provided quite the assortment but everything since boarding the train in London had contributed to the way she felt now. The ride itself, their arrival at Hogsmeade, the boat ride, seeing Hogwarts for the first time.
The hours had passed quicker than should be normal and suddenly she found herself within the very castle she had dreamed of for weeks and weeks, facing a familiar face. "Oh, I know him,*" she whispered excitedly to the student next to her. "He made my robes!" The man from the robe shop! She had liked him back then, so seeing him here was a pleasant surprise. When his eyes landed on her, Maevie waved excitedly.
Only a moment later warmth encased her, drying her clothes to free her from the cold stickiness and easing the shake of her muscles. Although her hair was now a mass of red locks, puffed up around her head and making her look even more insane than the eyes and smile already did.
But she didn't mind.
Because the mystery man was no leading them up a staircase, to another set of doors where he explained what Lindsey had already told her and Elias when they had met at the tailor's shop. By now Maevie was bouncing on her feet, unable to keep still anymore, the thrill of anticipation wanting her muscles to move.
And finally they did.
Maevie's mouth fell slack as her head tilted back, eyes turned upwards. Lighting flashed where a ceiling should be, dark clouds roiling and rain peltering until it dissipated into nothingness. Candles floated above their heads and throughout the massive Hall like held by invisible strings, casting the space in a warm glow.
Unable to take her eyes off the ceiling, Maevie stumbled into the student walking in front of her as they suddenly came to a halt. "Oof, sorry*," she mumbled with an apologetic grin before spotting it! The hat!
A song broke from it, speaking of things she didn't understand fully, but she clapped furiously anyway with the rest of the students when it finished and then waited silently but nervously as name after name got called.
When at last hers sounded.
Excitedly, Maevie pushed forward, beaming at the man as she sat, feet dangling as she faced the Hall and all its students and then the world went dark.
"Oh, now that's an easy one!", it spoke in her head, followed by a rumbled hum that sounded almost like a chuckle. "Hufflepuff!", it announced only a beat later and the world reappeared with the removal of the hat.
Clapping rushed in her ears as she found a spot at the proper table, the dark of her robes turned sunshine yellow.
* feel free to be nudged and/or walked into!!
RE: Sorting Hat - Catherine Holloway - 09-16-2025
Among the shivering, newly dried first years, Catherine stood slightly taller than the rest, her dark hair still a wild frizz from the abrupt loss of heat. Her heart was pounding, a lumpen, vibrant beat against the wall of her ribcage. She was a tangled mass of emotion, and the Sorting Hat's melody only added to the cacophony in her brain.
The song talked of something being amiss, a new commander, and magic that was "strained and cracked." As the other students whispered uncomfortably, Catherine's brow furrowed in thought. The phrase new staff and students away called forth a torrent of questions to her mind. What had happened to the old ones? What did a new commander mean, and who was the old one? And what did it mean that the magic was "strained and cracked"? She asked herself all of them; the logical and curious part of her mind starved for information.
She stood transfixed as the hat sang, tilting to one side, cocked head, as if trying to unravel mysteries of its song. Having finished, she felt disappointed. She had been hoping to gain more information, more clues, more poetry. Instead, she was told to line up.
As they said her name, Catherine advanced with an unusual combination of nervousness and self-assurance. She sat on the stool and they positioned the big hat on her head. It was huge, obscuring her eyes and darkening the world outside. The only light she could see was the black lining of the hat.
"Hmph," a voice in her mind said. "Difficult. Very difficult. You have an appetite for learning, a keen intellect and a disposition to investigate… A very investigative nature. You ask questions about everything and will accept nothing on faith. You also have an inventive intellect, teeming with ideas and considerations far beyond what others may see."
Catherine was listening so intently to the voice that she couldn't remember to breathe. She wanted to shout out that she wished to learn, that she wished to know all there was, but she was silent.
The hat continued, its soft murmur in her mind. "You see, you have your wild side too. You may be a nerd, but there is some part of you that needs to bend rules, to cause some trouble. It's a curious combination. You would be a good fit anywhere… but where to put you?"
The hat pondered the thought for an instant. She knew what she wanted. She wanted to live among the halls of the wise, the curious, and the inventive. It already felt like home to her. She breathed deeply, expecting.
"Well then," stated the hat, its voice a little louder. "It's decided. I know precisely where to put you. You would thrive among those of your kind. RAVENCLAW!"
There was a cry of cheering from the Ravenclaw table, and the hat was removed from her head. She caught a glimpse of blue as her uniform changed color and a silver raven on the front of her robes. She experienced a thrill of welcome and belongingness as she strode over to the Ravenclaw table and took a seat, her face stretching from ear to ear in a grin. She was home.
-----
ooc: her brother, Carter would have been sorted into Gryffindor or Slytherin... idk