September 1, 1894 - The Great Hall

The first years enter to a room already filled with students at their tables; they stand in the aisle before the sorting hat is brought out and begins to sing the sorting song. When your name is called, you walk up and the hat is placed over your head.

The judgement begins.
**

"Describe yourself in three words."

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"

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Reply to this post with one post only. Include your character's answers to all five questions that the Sorting Hat asks. First years can reply one after the other. They do not need to wait until the sorting hat responds to each individual. This allows for a quicker sorting for the first years. When the sorting hat does respond, it will reply to all previous first years with one post. The more detailed the answers the more accurate the sorting will be. Include the character's thought process and the logic used in their decision making. If your answer does not give enough information to make a judgement call or is very closely tied, a second round may be necessary.

My goal is to reply to this thread to sort first-years at least once every 24 hours!

Phineas Black II Regina Pendergast Jameson Potter Chloe Greene Ramona Pendergast Zackary Carter Stella Pendergast Margaret Wallace Hester Frey Caspian Pettigrew Kaatjie Spaans Ellen Ilkin Caroline Weasley Desmond Shacklebolt Georgianna Shacklebolt

  

Jameson Leo Potter had made it to Hogwarts, had waited with a mix of anxiety and enthusiasm for the moment before him now. His sorting fell before Gideon's, but long after Zackary's, somewhere towards the middle of the horde of young students. That was good, at least: no nerves about going first, no agony of going last.

Though he had been warned that the Hat would speak to him—within his very mind—knowing and experiencing were two different things altogether; the lad started slightly when the first words came through. Jameson was determined that his answers should be the correct ones, and was rather off-put that the questions posed by the Hat seemed not to have an immediate right answer. It couldn't send you home for horrible answers, could it?

"Describe yourself in three words."
My uncle says that I am reliable, Jameson began. How could one distill an entire human being down to a mere three words? And my aunt tells me often that I am kind. I would like to think that I am clever, though I suppose, he finished with a wry smile, that we'll see how true that is soon enough.

He had taken early to books, to academic pursuits, and his more... rambunctious decisions were often encouraged by those around him, rather than taken spontaneously.

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"
I think it would be horrible, knowing what was going to happen, the boy decided quite emphatically. He thought of his mother, his father, both dead before they were three-and-twenty. Imagine knowing you were to live such a short life, and having that looming over you for years? Or seeing your future and not liking what you saw? No thank-you, foresight of the magical sort was not for Jameson.

I don't know if I would like to change into an animal either, he added, but it seems a much more pleasant way to live.

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"
The young wizard searched his mind for the relatively short list of potions of which he was already aware. After all, it would not do to present the Hat with an idea that someone else had already come up with! Inventors were supposed to be radical, creative, make real change in the world. That was why those that actually accomplished things were so often those with time on their hands: how else where they supposed to make such creations?

I know there are potions that bring sleep—what about a potion to replace sleep? Think of all the time you might have to do whatever interests you if you didn't have to sleep? Someone could become really good at quidditch as they'd have more hours to practice, or a healer could come up with cures for the diseases that still remain!

Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?
Not really my business, was the thought that came immediately to mind, but Jammy knew that that couldn't be the correct answer. He was supposed to answer that he would... stand up to injustice? Or at the very least, tell a professor.

I would, I think, he began carefully, "tell the professor—privately, though, so as not to embarrass anyone. Or make himself look like a tattle-tale.

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"
Somehow, this caused the longest consideration in the lad. He had to conclude, though, I don't have an enemy; I'm only eleven!

  

Phin wished sorting went by first name instead of last name. If he'd had his way, he wouldn't be one of the first under the Sorting Hat. He was nervous. And the worst part was, he didn't even know what outcome he wanted. He supposed the good news was he was pretty sure he could make friends no matter what house he ended up in, and that would probably be okay. Phin also wished it wasn't so obvious who his family was--he stared straight ahead as he walked on shaky legs to the stool at the front of the Great Hall, doing his best not to look around so he wouldn't see his father at the head table, or Sirius, or anyone else he knew, who didn't matter nearly as much but Phin was nervous enough to think it would be embarrassing if any of them knew, anyway.

He took a deep breath, then sat down and tried not to jump when the hat was placed on his head. Don't be a sissy.

"Describe yourself in three words."

That... that wasn't such a bad way to start. Phin thought he could do this if it was simple like this. "Umm... Curious. Thoughtful? And..." He bit his lip. "...Open-minded?" Was that one word or two? Was that cheating?

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"

Phin had to really think about this one. They all had their merits, he thought. He'd like to be taller, and it'd be nice if his ears didn't stick out so much. He thought Seers probably had interesting lives, though he didn't personally know any--he was pretty sure?--but then it had to be a pain to know when something bad was coming that you didn't have the ability to stop. But if he could turn into an animal... That would probably be the best thing. Maybe he'd be able to fly, or run really fast, or swim underwater without having to worry about coming back up for air. "I think I'd want to change into an animal," he said.

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"

"Oh, that's easy." Phin felt a little more confident now. This wasn't so bad. At the very least, the Sorting Hat wasn't asking him any questions that made him feel stupid. "I'd invent a potion that would let me do all the cool things animals can do--run fast, fly, swim underwater--without having to actually turn into one." He didn't actually know if there were already potions that did that sort of thing. Probably? Well, he'd invent a better one.

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"

"I'd probably confront them? I think?" Phin shifted uncomfortably. Cheating was wrong, he was sure of that, but he thought it might depend on the circumstance. He wasn't sure what circumstances would make it right, but that was why he would rather confront the person first before going to a professor. He wanted to understand why someone was doing what they were doing before he got them in trouble. That only seemed fair.

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"

Phin did not want to answer this. He wondered if he could just not answer, if the Sorting Hat would let him just pretend he hadn't heard the question and move on. Phin sat as still as possible, as if this would make the thoughts go away, but an image of his mother came unbidden to his mind anyway. He felt instantly guilty, and just said, "I... I don't know how I'd defeat anyone. I don't think I should."

  

Ah! It was finally here! It was all Mo could do not to hold Stella's hand and squeeze tight. She was nervous and excited and ah, the waiting was going to kill her! Having a last name closer to the end of the alphabet was killer! Finally it was her turn and she let the Hat fall over her eyes, ready for what came next.

"Describe yourself in three words."

That's easy! Adventurous, outgoing and generous!

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"

Change into an animal, being able to fly without a broom would be so wonderful! If I could fly whenever I wanted and never have to worry!

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"

If I could invent a potion.... I guess I would create something that was an antidote to any illness. That way people, no matter what made them sick, could get better. That would be a good thing to have.

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"

I am going to call them out right then and there! Cheating is not okay, it's okay not to know something, but it's not okay to take other people's work and make it your own.

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"

My enemy? I don't think I have any actual enemies? I'm probably my own worst enemy when I get unsure about myself or something I'm about to do. I think it'll only get better as I get older and more confident. I'm not really sure. This seems like a hard question for an eleven year old.

Was that it? Just those weird questions? This seemed fishy...

---

  

---

The boys he had travelled on the boat with had almost all been sorted before him. Jameson would be sorted sometime after. He tried not to focus too much on which houses his friends had ended up in. Soon, he was called up and he sat on the stool as the hat was placed on his head.


"Describe yourself in three words."
Caspian wasn't quite sure what to say about himself that could be boiled down to three words. Someday the best? That felt overreaching but he could privately admit to himself it was the first thing that had come to mind. "Goal-oriented, I suppose?" He had resolutely followed the flying schedule he had made for himself since the age of eight with minimal change until the blasted flying ban.

"I am friendly too, I have a whole lot of friends." For some children, it was mostly because they all ended up around each other all their lives but it counted in Caspians eyes.

"Ambitious. I'm going to be someone amazing that my father explodes in pride to talk about at all his parties. And people want to beat him up because his son is just too amazing for them to handle." And, he admitted to himself, a small part of him also wanted to outdo his father in every way but that felt a little disloyal to actually admit. Even if it was just to some crusty, old hat.

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"
Caspian had to think log and hard about this one. There were merits in each as well as drawbacks. When it came down to it though, he saw nothing about his appearance he felt he needed to change. He was still growing and so was not worried about his height and personally thought he otherwise did not look like a hags backside. Seeing the future also felt like it would just be inconvenient and make him worry about things he currently barely even thought about. That would be no life. "Change into an animal." He could sneak around places he wasn't allowed to go and see what the deal was.

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"
Caspian wrinkled up his nose in concentration. A potion? "I would invent a potion that would... I don't know. What do you want from me? I'm eleven." He thought a little more on it. "I suppose something that enhances stamina and endurance? That way I could go flying for hours without getting tired."

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"
"I would stay quiet about it." Actually, he would probably also let the person know what he had seen. Perhaps get them to do him favours in exchange for his continued silence. What was a little indentured servitude to someone who would cheat in class? Caspian figured he should probably feel guilty for his mind immediately going there but he didn't. It wasn't like he was the cheat in the scenario.

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"
Caspian thought long and hard as if he had accumulated a great many nemeses in his eleven years of life. The enemy he named was not a person at all but rather a decree. Which he supposed meant he was beefing with the entirety of the Hogsmeade Village Council and Broom Regulatory Office. "The flying ban," he answered. "And I suppose one way to destroy it is to fly anyway or join the Ministry and dismantle the law from the inside. Or bribe the right people."

  

Maggie sat quietly in the hall, trying not to cause a scene or be noticed by anything or anyone magical.
, she had heard a couple of people nearby mention her name, or at least she thought she had. This place was huge and the noise of all the excited students around her was overwhelming. Her eyes hurt from holding back the tears and if she wished to just place something over her head and drown it all out. There was a precession, one after another of children taken up to that chair and subjected to a talking hat, there must be another way of deciding which dorms they would stay in, Maggie didn't know enough to care about who she would be immured with. She watched as several other children seemed so happy, she tried to tell herself that it meant it couldn't be all bad, but she wasn't listening.

She also wasn't listening when her name was finally called, or the second time, until one of her table mates nudged her and she made her way to her fate. She kept her eyes down and her mouth shut until she reached the chair, worn smooth in places by many many students and flanked by black clad guardians. As she turned, she felt the iron grip of one of the Professors on her wrist pulling her into place while another made sure she was in position, would the small metal flower clip in her hair make it more painful? she didnt know. The professor lowered that brown leathery cap onto her skull and she felt its brim cutting into her, the poor girl's heart was racing so fast as she awaited her judgement.

One of the adults whispered something softly in her ear but her mind was too overwhelmed to properly process it as a tear ran down her face and she felt the chair getting hot under her hand.

"Describe yourself in three words."
”I don't know… i'm sorry”
Wicked? lonely? scared? they were the only things she could think of, how to put three words on to a girl who had caused her family so much pain.

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"
”Erm… an animal?”
She wished she could see the future, see a day where she could walk out of this place and everything would be OK, she could see her family again. But that vision was so far away right now.

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"
”I don't know… I don’t know”
Right now she would take a potion that would turn her into a muggle, maybe one that could undo time and save her little brother from the injuries that she caused. She glanced around, she needed to give an answer as everyone was cross with her.
”A potion to make people happy”

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"
”I’d tell the teacher, I promise.” she nervously replied as acrid smoke from the sparks spells she didn't know she had cast wafted from a bunch of flowers on the Professors table. With so many Wizards here it was undoubtedly caught and extinguished immediately, but she recognised that smell and her eyes widened. If she caught someone cheating? She wouldn't tell a soul and would pray that they never saw her catch them, if she could hurt people accidently, she would not want to incur the deliberate wrath of any of the other children here.

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?”
”I don't have any enemies, I'm sorry.”
That man at the ministry who took her family away? The wizard who sired one of her ancestors and put this curse into her family line that she now must be punished for? Herself? How could she ever hope to defeat any of them with what she had, the little flicker of anger at her situation as she remembered those that had caused it helped to at least dilute her fear just a little. Her heart raced and she hoped there would be no further questions for her

---

  

---

Hester was, absolutely, still terrified. But at least she wasn't actually fighting a troll or something, like her brothers had taunted. She made an unseemly squeaking noise when the Hat began speaking to her in her mind. No, no one had prepared her for the truth of the Sorting Ceremony. She was definitely writing to Mother about this.

"Describe yourself in three words."

"Uhm..." she spoke aloud, before remembering she didn't have to. Stubborn... kind... and maybe hopeful?

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"

Oh, I'd much rather turn into an animal, she thought with ease. Something with wings, perhaps, so I could fly!

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"

Oh, that's a hard one, she hummed, tilting her head in a way that made the Hat fall over her nose as she contemplated. I suppose I'd like to make it so no one misses out on school, so maybe something that helps kids get over sicknesses? A kid cure-all! I mean, adults can take it too, but it probably would have to have a different formula for the adults...

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"

Oh, tell the professor. Maybe wait until the end of class, but if it's a really important test, I'd let the professor know right away.

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"

Time. Everyone's worst enemy is Time, and it can't be defeated. The only way to be truly immortal is to do something big so you'll be remembered forever.

---

  

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set by LOU

deep in my bones, oh, yeah, i know — i am the champion

Zackary was more than nervous. Hogwarts houses were like, the only thing that mattered at school. What if he wasn't with anybody who was worth knowing? What if everyone made fun of him because he ended up in the wrong house?

It didn't help that he was one of the first students called up. Curse being a Carter! If his last name was at the end of the alphabet, at least he would have some time to see where the other kids ended up and figure out which houses to avoid. As it was, only the headmaster's son had gone before him.

"Describe yourself in three words."

The first thing that came to Zack's mind was just to state his full name, but that was probably incorrect. What were three words that he could use to describe himself?

I'm pretty fast was the first thing that came to Zack's mind. He pictured the hat as unable to see him, so maybe it was looking for physical descriptors? That made sense to Zack. But weren't houses about personality? Zack did want to end up in a house with people who were pretty cool. And also maybe rich so they could pay for him to do stuff if the debt that he heard his mum talking about made them actually poor.

And everyone thinks I'm pretty awesome Zack lied to the hat, So I have tons of really cool friends whose dads do cool things at work and also, they have tons of servants.

He did feel a little bad about lying, so for the last one he wanted to make sure it was something people actually said about him. And even if he didn't really understand her, his mum had known him the longest, so her judgement was probably accurate. Even if Zack didn't really like it.

My mum says that I misplace my things a lot, so forgetful, maybe?

There! That was three whole words. Zackary squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the hat to announce which house that he would be placed in. Unfortunately, it was not that easy. He heard another question being asked and groaned. That first one had already taken a lot of thinking!

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"

Oh, phew! An easy question. Or was it? Zack's first thought was that he would want to be able to change into an animal, but then he thought that changing his appearance would be pretty cool. Who knew where he would be able to sneak into? And he could pretend to be other people if it looked like he was going to get in trouble!

Change my appearance. Zack thought, then waited to see if he was all done with the sorting process. There was a lot of thinking involved with this. He had imagined something like a footrace, then everybody picking their houses based off of who was already in them. In comparison, this was boring. Almost like homework. Gross.

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"

I don't think I could. I heard that potions were really hard to make. But if I could... Zack didn't know what most potions did. But he did have an idea. A potion that would make me rich! And also my mum, I guess, because she's my mum. That way she wouldn't have to worry any more, and people wouldn't make fun of us for being poor.

No one had made fun of Zack for being poor. But it was something he considered when he thought about the way his mum looked sometimes. He would punch someone if they made fun of his mum. It was the honorable thing to do, since he hadn't yet been taught how to duel.

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"

I dunno, it's not really my business. That's professor stuff, right? Unless it affects me, like if it's a competition to cast the best spell and he drinks a best-spell potion right before. Zackary defaulted to assuming the cheater was another boy. Girls didn't have the cleverness to cheat properly. He based this knowledge entirely off of the fact that his five-year-old sister either didn't cheat or got caught, like when she moved the checkers around when she thought Zack wasn't looking.

Zack frowned, considering it again. He disliked how much considering and thinking went into these answers, but he needed to go into the right house!

But if the teacher asks if I saw him cheating I wouldn't lie about it. Except if he was one of my friends and really needed to cheat. Zack said, You remember I mentioned my cool awesome friends earlier.

There. Now the hat would know for sure that Zack needed to go into a good house. And not one with lots of uncool people or girls!

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"

Zack was a bit stunned by the question, mostly because he didn't really consider himself as having any enemies. Sure, when he played games with other boys his age there were teams and if he lost he was usually quite frustrated and had occasionally resorted to violence, but soon enough he would be playing again and the teams would be mixed up and yesterday's rival was today's ally.

I heard they don't usually let first years on the Quidditch team. Zack thought, But I bet that I could probably fight all the other people who tried out for the Quidditch team and win, and then they'd have to let me on the team because then nobody else could play!

---

  

The hat did not spend much time considering Jameson Potter before shouting out "RAVENCLAW!"

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Phineas Black II was, the hat noted to the boy's head, very different than his father. "RAVENCLAW!"

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Ramona Pendergast's skeptical excitability made her easy to place. "GRYFFINDOR!"

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As did Caspian Pettigrew's early scheming. "SLYTHERIN!"

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The hat considered Margaret Wallace, hemming and hawing to itself as it tried to get through her fear. "How do you want to be remembered, and why?"

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Hester Frey was announced as a "HUFFLEPUFF!"

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The hat hardly had to consider Zackary Carter before announcing: "GRYFFINDOR!"

---

  

"How do you want to be remembered, and why?"
Margaret felt the hat wriggling around on her head as it spoke, another question? why are you doing this to me? she thought, wishing for the foul thing to be the next thing to burst into flames.

"I don't know, erm... for getting the best grades because then everyone will think I'm clever."

The generic platitude that she spoke did not match her head. She didn't really care about grades, but the other children that had passed seemed to, and she would say anything just to go to her room and be alone. She wanted to be forgotten.

---

  

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Kaatjie was nervous. Hogwarts houses, as she understood it, were a Big Deal — and what if she did not get placed with anyone who liked her? She wished that Spaans started earlier in the alphabet — this would have already been done with if she had her father's last name. Finally, the hat was lowered onto her head. She closed her eyes.

"Describe yourself in three words."

Just three? How on earth was she supposed to describe herself in three words? Creative, she thought, first — people always told her she was creative, whether it was drawing or telling stories (or sometimes telling fibs.) Stubborn. Stubborn was, as Kaatjie understood it, not a compliment — but it had described her mother, too. Enthusiastic. Or, as her aunt put it: Kaatjie had a lot of energy.

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"

Oh, see the future, Kaatjie thought, right away. She liked her appearance, and being an animagus seemed cool — but the future. If she had seen the future when she was a child, maybe she could have saved her mother. Then she would have gone to school on the continent, and been spared from the hat speaking to her in the first place.

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"

Any potion? If it was any potion, I'd try to stop death. Kaatjie thought things like that existed already, right — but they did not exist well enough, if Ana had still died. And the hat had not asked her what she thought was attainable — it asked her what she thought was possible. So there.

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"

Well it depends on who it is, Kaat thought. If I don't like them, I'll tell the whole class. But if we're friends, I'd talk to them about it later — maybe they just need help. Maybe I saw wrong. She did not think she would be friends with a person who would do wrong like that forever — she would need to talk to the person directly. And if they were already someone she did not get along with, then well — Kaatjie did like to be proven right.

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"

Kaat thought about this, nose wrinkling. My father, but not on purpose, she thought. And he won't be for long. I'm going to get him to know me, and then — well, then we'll be on the same team, and he'll probably take me on trips and tell me I'm just like him.

Hopefully that would be enough?

The following 1 user Likes Kaatjie Spaans's post:1 user Likes Kaatjie Spaans's post
   Don Juan Dempsey

Regina could feel the judging stares of a million eyes upon her as she took a seat upon the stool and the Sorting Hat was lowered onto her head. As she had awaited her turn, she thought of the important people in her life: deceased parents she scarcely knew, Evelyn, Elwin, and what houses they had found themselves in. Would they be disappointed if she did not follow in their foosteps? Regina was already disappointing enough as it was.

Surprising approximately no one, Ramona had been sorted easily into Gryffindor. Part of Regina yearned ardently to join her elder niece, but Gryffindor was for the bold, the brave. She would not wish to seek comfort in Mo's presence only to feel misplaced for the next seven years. Perhaps she and Stella could be together instead, somewhere that felt less intimidating.

(As though any of this could feel less intimidating.)

"Describe yourself in three words."
Polite, respectable, and accomplished. After all, they were the three things demanded of any young society lady. But was that all G was? Was she not also kind and loyal to her family? Was she not patient? Shy? Nervous? Guilty?

No, no, there was a correct answer, according to the late Olivia Pendergast, and Regina had given it.

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"
The Hat could not bestow these abilities, could it? Surely her sisters or cousins would have mentioned it if it did. Seneca was a metamorphamgus, but that was not one of the proffered gifts, and she'd had that power before she started at Hogwarts.

Her answer came shyly. See the future. She might have saved herself years of fretting about being a witch if she had known she'd be going to Hogwarts, after all. She might also have been able to avoid Padmore Park that day. Seeing the future, in Regina's estimation, was the best way to have the future one wished—and perhaps be the impetus they needed to guide the present a bit more clearly.

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"
I'm sorry, I really don't know.

Merlin, but she hated not having an answer. Had all the other first years been faced with the same questions? Caspian was smart enough to have come up with good answers, and students had been sorted into Ravenclaw so they had to be clever, but they couldn't all have brilliant enough ideas to meet the hat's standards!

Right now, she just wished for a potion that would bring her a sense of ease.

Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?
Cheating was wrong. Regina knew that. Oh, there were the little things one did to get ahead, but that was not so much cheating as playing more creatively. Ares cheated a chess sometimes, but G never did.

She, however, was a student. It is my responsibility not to cheat, but it is the professor's duty to ensure no one else is, either. I would not help them to cheat, but I would focus upon my own actions and not theirs. 

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"
Her enemy?! Was she supposed to have an enemy? Regina couldn't fathom defeating anyone!

My enemy is... the witch trailed off, biting at her lower lip as she tried to come up with an answer, any answer. My enemy is anyone who would try to harm me or those I care about. I would defeat them however I could.

Unless they could be cowed by needlepoint or sitting nicely, though, she doubted she had the skills to defeat anything more than a flobberworm.

  

Well, the boat had gone poorly, but at least it was over. Giddy wiped at his mouth with the edge of his sleeve as unobtrusively as he could. His mother would have a handkerchief to hand, he thought, and it was not the first pang of homesickness - or sickness - he had felt but it was potentially the most public and he quickly blinked away his watering eyes. Finally, his time at the hat came and he took to the stool with all the dignity he could muster, wondering if it would be quicker to just ask to be put with Jammy.

"Describe yourself in three words."

Furrowing his brow, Giddy realised then and only then that this was not to be an actual test and that his confidence in his intelligence seeing him through would definitely make no difference. Easily surprised, he thought drily. And resilient, he added, thinking about his mother.

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"

Changing into an animal was an impressive skill no doubt, but he had several relatives that could do that and he knew it could be achieved with some study. And his uncle Faustus had once told him about the concealment elements of auror training - and how they could go wrong - so that could be done too. The future on the other hand. I think it would be better to see what's coming, then you'll know what to do when no one else does. And then you were probably more likely to win.

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"

He had seen poverty and illness, and how their tendrils could reach out and affect others too but was there a potion that could fix that? Surely if there were it would already have been invented? It depends what people need.

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"

Tell on them, Giddy thought with a sniff of contempt.

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"

At the moment his primary enemy was seasickness, but he doubted that was what was called for. Licking his lips he grimaced at the lingering taste and thought, again, of his mother and how she would make it better. Had that love always been guilt?

I don't know yet, he thought, but when I find out I'll let you know.

---

  

By now, he thought he knew what to expect. Filing in by name, Desmond watched the dozen ahead of him go through the sorting. It looked easy enough, just sit down and wear a hat for a moment, then listen to what house it called out. He didn't really see anyone trying to make an impression, exactly, or answering hard questions like a test.

His hand was still smarting from Gia's firm grip, though she'd let up on him since they entered the Great Hall. Des had looked at everything while he waited, and now that he was ushered to the front for his turn at the hat, his eyes had nowhere else to look. Except for Gia, who was looking at him with big eyes and bigger expectations. So he'd better not screw this up.

That was an odd thought to have just before the hat settled down on his head, and a new voice boomed inside it.

"Describe yourself in three words."

Happy, fast, and... Des had to search for a moment, how do you say 'never alone' in one word? He always had Gia by his side, or pretty close behind him. For a long time, they were only ever the twins to people other than their parents, even among family sometimes. Even now, he wanted to ask that question of Gia, and not the hat, but he didn't think talking was allowed. No one else had, so the boy kept quiet.

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"

Everyone spent their time telling Des about his future, anyway, so there was no need for him to ask about it. Someday he'd be at Hogwarts, someday he'd run the family business, someday he would be great. Those usually came true if he just waited long enough. He didn't fret about them, or about his appearance. That was more of Gia's thing, and his sister did look nice for all the effort she put into it. So that just left, I suppose I'd like to change into an animal, it would be fun to live a different life for a bit. But only if I could come back to this one.

"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"

I don't know if a potion does this, but I would want one that can let me talk to Gia anytime. He grinned at Gia from under the hat, even though it wasn't exactly times like these the boy was thinking of because he couldn't exactly talk right now. Maybe when I open my pocket watch or something. That way I can be up on a broom and tell her to watch my trick, or ask her something if we aren't together.

Which they might not be if the hat put them in different houses. Desmond wanted them to be together like they always were. Being all by himself, without his parents and his sister, like some of the other children he had talked with on the train and in the boats, must be awfully lonely.

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"

That's a really dumb thing to do, because cheaters wind up dumb. That's not what I would say to them, I would probably say, 'you'll never get better at anything if you cheat.' Desmond was great at a lot of things, but he hadn't always been. Those times had been tough, trying something again and again until he got better. That's all you have to do, really. Cheating's not the way, just keep trying until you get better.

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"

That was a hard one for Desmond. He actually had to think about it, and all by himself. It felt like forever, or almost really, until the boy gave up thinking. I don't know if anyone's really my enemy. Some people don't like me because of my family, I guess, and say rude things about me or them.

Des didn't like those times, they made him want to lash out and hurt people. That wasn't the right way to deal with it, he knew, but he couldn't help the feelings. It only helped when he talked with his sister about it. And some people are just having a bad day sometimes, and they act mean to feel better. At least that's what mama says, who is the smartest person in the world after Gia.

He supposed the hat hadn't met Gia yet to know, and Des wasn't sure if the hat had eyes somewhere. Maybe the person wearing the hat was supposed to be its eyes, so he looked at her as if introducing them. Georgianna, you'll meet her after me, and she's who I'd talk to if someone was really my enemy. Because if you know Gia, and I know her very well, she always has a way of thinking about something that looks at the bigger picture. Every time we come up with a plan together, it always works out, and that's who I'd want helping me if I had an enemy.

When the hat fell silent after that, Des breathed easily. He had done it, like he always did. Whatever the hat called out for him would be just as much of his Destiny as getting here. And he was ready for that, too.

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   Georgianna Shacklebolt

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Courtesy of the lovely Lady!

Gia clapped wildly for Desmond as his Destiny started its next chapter. Her heart was beating wildly as she was called forward. Minding her manners, Gia curtsied to the hat and the professor setting it on her head. Taking her seat, she was all smiles as the hat slipped down to catch on her hair. “Hello, Master Hat. I am so excited to meet you. My mama talked about you and you just met my brother, Desmond. And don’t worry, I know we could be sorted into different houses. That’s okay, I want to go to the best house for me. I’m so excited!”

"Describe yourself in three words."
“Do you want to know what I think or what other people would say to describe me? I think Des would say I’m smart. You met him before me, but I also think he’s smart. He’s just different smart than I am. Papa would probably say ‘helpful,’ but that is more about how I behave, not who I am. Mama would say that I’m creative, and I like that. That’s three words, but I do hope you’re asking about what I think.

If you mean three words from me, I would say I’m clever, creative, and thoughtful. I don’t mean to brag, but mama said to tell you all of the truth. I am very clever, I like to make plans and find new, fun ways to do things. I dislike too much routine and like to think of better ways for things to be achieved. It’s fun!

I’m creative in loads of ways. I love to sing and dance and I am very good at piano. I do enjoy writing and journaling things. It’s so much fun to think about all the ways something could happen or how to reach a goal. I love finding fun ways to do boring things. I’m very good at motivating Desmond to do lessons with me, and that’s because I come up with lots of good reasons for him to listen. That’s creative.
I’m thoughtful, too. You know, this is difficult Master Sorting Hat, ladies aren’t supposed to brag. I’m thoughtful in lots of ways. I’m thoughtful because I’m happiest when I get to think, but also because I care about other people. I like to make people feel better and that means taking my time and thinking hard about things.”

"Would you rather be able to change into an animal, change your appearance, or see the future?"
It would be wonderful to change into an animal, but it wouldn’t be my choice. And I know my future is going to be great. My job is to learn everything I can to make sure that Desmond and I can elevate the family. I want to know some parts about the future, and I’m excited to take Divination in two years, but I don’t think the future is set, so what is there to see? There are so many possibilities, and I think the only thing that’s certain is that my future will be great if I do my work.
That means I’d like to change my appearance. I wouldn’t change many things, but it would be wonderful if I could change my hair whenever I’d like without needing help. And I could make my clothes so interesting! That would be wonderful; I could find ways to enchant my school robes so I could still be fashionable in uniform."


"If you could invent a potion, what would it do?"
Gia propped her chin on her fists, deep in thought. “Well, I don’t know lots of potions yet, so I don’t know if what I think already exists. I don’t know, but I don’t like to not try and answer a question. It’s important to bring solutions and not just problems. Hmm.” Gia considered, gently tapping out Ode to Joy on her knee out of habit. Giving a little wiggle of excitement, Gia came to her conclusion. “I know the perfect new potion! What about a potion that made it so you could only hear the good, nice things someone was thinking of you? That would be brilliant because there are lots of people that need more confidence and sometimes, they don’t believe it when you tell them something kind. This way, you could hear the good parts yourself!”

"Imagine you see someone cheat in class. What do you do?"
“That’s not hard at all. Cheating is wrong. You should always be able to ask for help, but cheating is bad. It depends on when I know. If it’s during an exam or during class, I might wait so I don’t cause a scene. If the person hasn’t apologized already, I will talk to the professor after class. Cheating is absolutely wrong because you’re missing out on chances to practice and get better. If you don’t do your own homework, you aren’t learning, and that would be awful.

"Who is your enemy and how will you defeat them?"
Gia giggled. “I’d don’t have enemies, I’m eleven.” Gia thought hard about this, taking her time assembling her answer before offering, “I think my enemy is ignorance. It isn’t a person, but it’s in a lot of people. When I think of everybody who’s been mean to me or my brother or our family, they’ve all been ignorant and silly. I guess it’s my enemy because it’s something that I can fight. People don’t have to be ignorant; they can learn, if they try.
So, I will defeat my enemy, Ignorance, by learning loads and making sure I help others learn, too. Mostly Des, I think I’m going to spend lots of time making him do homework."

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   Desmond Shacklebolt

The hat, at a bit of a loss, announced "HUFFLEPUFF" about Margaret Wallace.

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That was certainly a conception of enemies. "GRYFFINDOR! for Kaatjie Spaans.

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Regina Pendergast was another "HUFFLEPUFF!"

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Oh, good. Mother issues. Gideon Riley was another "SLYTHERIN!"

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There were a set of twins again this year? He'd had so much fun with them last year. GRYFFINDOR!

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This one seemed like she would handle the prospect of separation better than her brother before her. RAVENCLAW!

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