Welcoming Feast (1350-51)

The frumpy old hat had just finished bellowing its song when Professor Aitken rose from her seat. With a sigh, she approached the podium and called the Hall to silence.

“We are about to begin the sorting process. First years, please line up and we will begin the ceremony shortly. Thank you, and have a lovely feast.”

Aitken directed the small first years into a somewhat orderly line and looked at the children she would be teaching this year. As usual, there was a variety of children all shapes and sizes. She recognized the Muggleborn she had escorted to Diagon Alley, and the boy she had met in Flourish and Blotts. The group was quite diverse and Aitken thought she could already point out the troublemakers. Two dark haired boys were attempting to play with their newly collected wands when she tapped them on the shoulders. They wouldn’t be doing that again, as was apparent from the frightened looks upon their faces.

First years really were a breath of fresh air, though Aitken would never admit this aloud. Hopefully they would turn out to be a good bunch, only time would tell. Approaching the podium once more, and leaving the first years under the watchful eye of another Professor, Aitken unrolled the scroll and called out the first name.

As Nadia made her way up to the stool where the sorting hat lied, a million thoughts raced through her mind. I simply mustn't be in Gryffindor, and Merlin forbid I be in Hufflepuff. Father would surely disown me. I couldn't bare to be disowned, no money, no honor, it would be dreadful. I must be in Slytherin or Ravenclaw. If that hat dares to put me elsewhere, it won't be able to sort anymore.

Nadia's footsteps were both graceful and light as she approached the wretched hat.

How foul! That hat must be ridden with all sorts of diseases. I believe it is time they replace it. To say it was simply threadbare would be a compliment. If I had a say, that thing would not touch a single strand of my hair.

Nadia sat upon the stool, as a lady does, and waited for the Professor to lay the Sorting Hat upon her head. Startled, Nadia gave a little jump when she heard the hat begin to talk.

"Intelligent, very rude, yet maintains manners when needed. Obviously pureblooded, very ambitious, has a deep craving for understanding and friends though..." muttered the Sorting Hat quietly.

Anything but Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, please!

"You'd do well in Ravenclaw, but ultimately my choice is... SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat yelled across the Great Hall.

Nadia was ecstatic, she wouldn't be getting disowned for the time being! With a smirk on her face, Nadia waltzed down to the Slytherin table to greet her older classmen. This year was already off to a good start.

Adelaine stood in the line with the other shaking first years and watched the sorting progress. Pfft, she thought as she rolled her eyes. Of course Nadia would be in Slytherin, she certainly had the snobbish quality the man seemed to have valued. Adele watched silently as the petite girl went off coolly to join her new housemates.

"Adelaine Beaumont."

She jumped. Her name had been called, and without really even knowing it she was now sauntering up to the stool. Noticing that she was shaking slightly, Adele made herself snap out of it. You must keep your cool, she thought calmly.

Keep her cool? This was the most important moment of her life so far. She had to join Nadia in Slytherin. Her entire family was Slytherin, as long as she could remember she had been hearing about the great house. Her parents were counting on her, and it made her shudder to think of what would happen were she to be sorted into one of the other houses. Timidly, Adele sat on the old wooden stool and the Professor placed the hat on her head.

"Well, well, a Beaumont. Real Slytherin material, yes. But..there's something different about you, isn't there? Yes, something slightly different indeed..." She held her breath as the battered old hat thought aloud. "I think I'll place you in...RAVENCLAW!"

Cheers from the Ravenclaw table deafened her ears. Ravenclaw? How could he put her in Ravenclaw?? Didn't that stupid old hat know that she had to be in Slytherin? Grimly, she stood up and marched to her table, head held high. She mustn't let anyone know how nervous she really was.

Mitri had never been so nervous in her life. A rush of blood made its way into her cheeks as she approached the Sorting Hat. She knew there was no possibility for her to be sorted into Slytherin, thank Godric. Yet that still left three other houses.

I hope I'm not sorted into Hufflepuff, I'm sure it's a lovely house but I don't think it'd be right for me. Ravenclaw or Gryffindor sound swell, though I am leaving towards the gold rather than the bronze. Oh well, time to see which house I shall be staying in!

Mitri sat on the stool and waited for the hat to be put on her head, it really was a disgusting hat. Rather than have the hat take its time, as soon as it touched her head it bellowed out its decision for the Great Hall to hear.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Mitri leaped up in joy and practically skipped her way to her new table where she was warmly greeted. It felt like home. Mitri had a feeling of belonging as she sat among her peers and watched the Sorting. This year was going to be magical! Pun intended.

Arya stood, stone still, and awaited the calling of her name. What was the big deal? All these other little first years, shaking and anxious, were really starting to tick her off. What a way to make an impression, she thought of a young boy in front of her who looked like he had seen a ghost he was so afraid.

"Arya Lannister."

Here goes nothing. Head high, Arya put on a brave face and strolled calmly up to the stool and sat down. If being muggleborn made her immediate trouble, the least she could do was play it off as if she couldn't care less. The professor placed the beat up old hat gently on her head, and she almost jumped as it began to speak.

"Hmmm...a feisty one, aren't you? A natural leader, very loyal, quick to defend your friends...I know just the house for you. GRYFFINDOR!"

A sea of red jumped up and cheered for her and she grinned broadly. Rushing down the marble steps, Arya surveyed her new family. Each and every one of them wore a slightly mischievous smile. Perhaps this really was where she belonged. An entire house full of people like her was just too good to be true. Joyous as ever, she took a seat at the table next to the girl, Mitri, whom had also just been sorted into Gryffindor.

"This is so exciting, isn't it?" she shouted over the noise, turning to Mitri with a smile.

Morgana could not hide how nervous she was. As she approached the Sorting Hat her cheeks turned a deep crimson red. she sat on the stool, unsure which of the houses would become her home.

"not Slytherin" she thinks "please not slytherin, i dont belong in that house"
so that left Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Gryffindor.

as Morgana sat there she coulnd help wonder why they didnt fix that poor sorting hat, surely there must be a spell that could help. as the hat was lifted ready to be placed on her head she became even more nervous.

"what if she was placed in slytherin?" she thought "what if she was rubbish and couldn't do any of the spells or potions?"
the hat didnt even reach her head, it got to above her head and yelled
"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Morgana jumped up beaming from ear to ear and quietly made her way to her new table where people of all ages were clapping and welcoming her to her new house. she sat down at an empty seat to watch the rest of the Sorting ceremony.

Her parents had gone over it, hundreds and thousands of times before. Don't be nervous at the Sorting Ceremony. They'd talked about it with a little quirk of their mouth, a smile that showed just what they thought of the ickle firsties who screamed and cried and acted frightened when it all boiled down to putting a hat on your head, and really, who couldn't do that? Hahaha. Haha.

But the atmosphere in here didn't make for a particularly calm one. Lisette, whose name placed her at the bottom of the list, wriggled and fidgeted impatiently as other children came and went. Some looked almost bored by the process, while others seemed incredibly nervous. Herself...?

She was feeling a mixture between excitement and fear, as she imagined many others were. The fear was irrational, though - her parents wouldn't scold her for getting or not getting into a certain house. She was just contemplating her parents' reactions when suddenly-

"Lisette Zeoko."

She began a slow, shuddering walk towards the stool. She sat down, took a deep breath, and the hat was gently placed onto her head.

"Intelligent, that I can see. A thirst for knowledge, eager to learn and study hard. This one isn't too hard...RAVENCLAW!"

To say she was happy was an understatement as she smiled and made her way towards the sea of blue.

Fiona Ellington sat with her head perched upon her hand, elbow on the table, fingers tapping on the empty plate before her; all the rules of etiquette completely broken. Was this setting a good example for students? Probably not. Did she care? Definitely not.

Her stomach rumbled and her mood darkened more. It was like this every year, that blasted hat took it's sweet time sorting 100 or more students. She thought perhaps he did it on purpose, to prolong the wonderful feast as much as he could. Finally, the beaten up old wizard hat bellowed "Ravenclaw!" and the little Zeoko girl hurried off to her seat.

"About time," she muttered, rising from her chair and walking to the podium.

The professors who'd been reading names and keeping students in line went back to their seats, and the herbology teacher rushed out to grab the hat and stool. Reaching the podium, Ellington took a moment to survey the first years as the rest of the school quieted down. It was practically the same crew that entered last year. Some were scrawny, timid little things; some were unusually large for their age, yet scared out of their minds; others were looking far too pleased with themselves...

"Students, teachers, caretakers," she cleared her throat and began. This would not take long. "As your headmistress, I welcome you to back to Hogwarts! First years, I do you hope you enjoy it here. Mind the rules and we shall all get along splendidly. Now, the feast!"

She moseyed back to her seat as the Hall filled with cheers, applause, and food. Superb, glorious food at last.


[[OOC: If you are entering the thread and have yet to sort yourself, just sort of summarize your sorting and then enjoy the feast!]]

Adelaine couldn't suppress a small giggle as Headmistress Ellington rushed through her speech. The woman was hungry, that wasn't hard to see. They were all hungry. Adele, for one, was too nervous to eat anything before her parents brought her to Hogsmeade, so she was quite anxious to dig into the feast.

"This all looks fantastic," she said to anyone willing to hear.

Trays of roasted chicken, braised lamb, kidney pies (which she hated), stews, vegetables of every kind, souffles, breads, jugs of pumpkin juice and so much more crowded the four long house tables. Her housemates were about to see exactly how big of an appetite this skinny little girl had. Piling a bit of everything onto her plate, Adele turned to the girl next to her. Lisette Zeoko was the last to be sorted, which was probably why she got cheers from all four houses.

"Are you excited to be here?" she half-shouted, the table was so loud. "I've seen quite a few people who look absolutely dreadful."

Filling her cup to the brim with pumpkin juice, she pondered that for a moment. How could anyone not be happy to be here? She took a long sip and her eyes widened.

"Bloody hell, this is best pumpkin juice I've ever had!" she shouted, surprising herself into rather unladylike speech.

Headmistress Ellington sure was a funny sort of character, incredibly eager to begin her dinner. Well, it wasn't like Lisette was any different. Her stomach was rumbling as food, glorious food, instantly appeared on the table. She heaped piles and piles of the delicious foods onto her plate. She hadn't eaten for a while, having only bought snacked a little before travelling to Hogwarts. A wise move. Saving her appetite for this delicious feast!

Jut as she was about to tuck in, she heard a loud and excitable voice almost shouting across the length of the table. Turning her head to the side, she recognised the Beaumont girl who'd seemed...well, nice enough, during their brief almost-encounter at Flourish and Blotts. Well, she was trying to make conversation! How nice.

"I am, in fact!"She smiled widely. That usually won people over. Normally she wasn't one to immediately start trying to socialise with others but Beaumont was not only very powerful, but had tried to contact her first. Being friends with her didn't seem like a bad idea. "What about yourself?"

Lisette took a huge sip of her juice at the same time as the Beaumont girl next to her, and almost started to choke out of laughter at her unexpected jubilation. "Bloody hell, this is best pumpkin juice I've ever had!" Patting herself on the back, she had to agree. This was like seven flavours of heaven mixed up into one delicious drink.

Adele tucked in to her second helping of lamb stew and bread. She thought of her house elf at home, Tomlin. For a moment, she almost felt a bit bad for the hundreds of house elves below in the kitchens, cooking all day for a bunch of students that probably don't really even appreciate them.

"Try the garlic bread, it's delicious," she noted to Lisette before taking another bite. "I couldn't be more excited! Of course, I've been hearing about it my whole life, but the real thing is so much more fascinating than the stories."

Another girl had just introduced herself; the small auburn haired girl who was sorted a few people after her. Belet. She seemed nice enough, though a bit standoffish. Perhaps she just had to get to know her first.

"Good to meet you too! Are you excited to be here?" she responded, scooting back a bit so that the three of them could all talk to each other. "Have you tried the garlic bread?"

Mitri smiled largely at Arya, and said, "This is amazing! And look at the food, have you ever seen so much? I'm Mitri, if you didn't hear my Sorting. I'm glad to have you for a housemate and I hope we'll be friends!"

Mitri quickly made up her plate, but was lost to why her goblet was empty.

"Arya, any idea how to get a drink? I'm parched!"

"I couldn't agree more." She smiled widely at who she hoped would soon be her new friend. As she requested, she took a loaf of garlic bread from the wide selection of the food so generously cooked up for them. Thank you house elves!

"My parents have told me about Hogwarts my entire life, just as I assume yours have." She remarked in an offhand manner as she continued to feast. "But it's wonderful to actually be here. It's even more beautiful than they described." It was. The magnificence and splendour of the castle was really quite unmatched. Unlike anything she'd ever seen before! And to think she would be sleeping here for the majority of her school years. She almost wanted to sigh in delight, but then again that would look rather foolish.

She grinned at the other Ravenclaw girl who'd chosen to speak to them. "Hello, Marigold! I am, in fact. I wasn't pressured into this house but it's a nice thing all the same." What a gathering. All first-year Ravenclaw girls chatting to each other.