The Sorting Ceremony
The Sorting Ceremony
The Sorting Ceremony was always an intense moment of anticipation, but this year it felt especially charged. As the first-years filed into the Great Hall, eyes wide with awe at the enchanted ceiling and the long table filled with expectant faces, there was an underlying buzz of curiosity. This was the moment they would each find out where they truly belonged.
Sorting Hat Song
Oh, here I sit, and here I sing,
The students come, the Sorting’s king!
From Gryffindor’s courage, bold and bright,
To Slytherin’s ambition, keen and light.
Ravenclaw’s wisdom, sharp as steel,
And Hufflepuff’s heart, honest and real.
But in this room, some wit and might,
Shall shape the future with great delight!
In Gryffindor, the boldest leap,
With hearts that soar and secrets deep.
Slytherin laughs at the challenge ahead,
With cunning plots and dreams they’ve wed.
Hufflepuff’s steadfast, no trick to play,
They’ll work, they’ll strive, they’ll light the way.
And Ravenclaw, with books in hand,
Will lead the minds, and make a stand.
Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the room, her stern gaze sweeping over the group before she called the first name. The Sorting Hat sat on the stool, waiting patiently.
"James Potter."
James walked confidently to the stool, his nerves well hidden beneath his usual mischievous grin. He sat down, the Sorting Hat resting on his messy hair for a few seconds before it declared, loud enough for the whole hall to hear, “Gryffindor!”
A cheer erupted from the Gryffindor table, and James stood up, grinning widely, as he gave a dramatic bow. He hurried to join his new housemates, already feeling the camaraderie with the people around him. But as he passed the other tables, his eyes scanned for the other faces he’d met on the train, wondering where they might end up.
Next up was Sirius Black, and as he took his seat, there was an unusual pause. The Sorting Hat seemed to hesitate. Sirius’s face tightened, clearly unsettled. He wanted to be in a house different from his family’s, something that would set him apart. "I want to be different," he thought desperately, as the Hat seemed to deliberate.
“Hmm, yes,” the Hat murmured, “you certainly have the potential for greatness... but there’s something else here—ambition, even for one so young. You could go far in Slytherin... but that doesn’t seem to be where you want to go.”
Sirius’s stomach churned. “I don’t want to be like them,” he whispered, more to himself than the Hat. “Please, not Slytherin.”
The Hat chuckled softly, “Ambition... cleverness... brave as well. You are clever enough to carve your own path. But where, hmm? Ravenclaw would suit you—your intelligence and wit, yes—but there’s also courage in you, a fire that’s hard to ignore.” It paused for a long moment, considering the possibilities.
“Ravenclaw?” Sirius thought urgently. “Yes... but I... I need to be different, clever, brave, something else!”
The Hat hummed thoughtfully, “Ah, I see... clever and brave. I’ve decided, then.”
“Ravenclaw!” it shouted.
A quieter cheer came from the Ravenclaw table. Sirius let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He was relieved but also disappointed. He had hoped for Gryffindor, where James had gone. Still, he was determined to make his own path, as the Hat had said.
Lily Evans followed Sirius, taking her place on the stool. The Hat was quiet for a moment as it considered her. It whispered thoughts in her mind, weighing the qualities that made her who she was.
“You are brave, yes,” the Hat mused. “But your loyalty, your deep sense of duty to your family and friends... that’s the deciding factor. You are fiercely loyal.”
Lily thought of Petunia, of the complexities of their relationship, of how her sister’s absence weighed on her heart.
“Hufflepuff!” the Hat declared after a short pause, its voice ringing out.
The Hufflepuff table applauded warmly, and Lily gave them a small smile before walking over to join her new housemates, feeling a sense of comfort in her decision. She wasn’t quite sure about her place in the world of magic yet, but she knew she would be loyal to the people around her, just as she had always been.
Next came Severus Snape, who took his seat with quiet deliberation. The Sorting Hat seemed to take longer with him than the others, considering his mind with a certain focus.
“Ah, yes,” the Hat murmured. “Slytherin is the obvious choice, your cunning, ambition, and thirst for knowledge.”
Severus’s face didn’t change, but he was tense, his fingers gripping the stool. The Hat paused again, as if waiting for Severus to give a final push one way or the other. “Slytherin, yes,” the Hat confirmed. “You will find your place there.”
The Slytherin table was silent for a brief moment before clapping. Severus stood quickly and walked to the table with a stiff back, his face unreadable. Though he had expected it, it still felt like something final, as if the Sorting Hat had given him a path that he couldn’t turn back from.
Peter Pettigrew was next, and he was sorted quickly into Gryffindor without much hesitation. The Gryffindor table cheered, and Peter, looking slightly nervous but excited, joined them.
Remus Lupin sat down, and the Sorting Hat paused only briefly before declaring, “Ravenclaw.” The Ravenclaw table applauded, and Remus made his way over, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Marlene McKinnon, who had spoken a bit with Lily on the train, was next. “Gryffindor!” the Hat called, and Marlene grinned widely, joining the cheering crowd at the Gryffindor table.
Dorcas Meadows was placed in Slytherin, and the table seemed pleased with the decision, though she appeared lost in thought as she walked over to them.
Mary McDonald was sorted into Hufflepuff, her calm demeanor fitting perfectly with the house’s values. She joined Lily with a warm smile.
Emmeline Vance, like Marlene, was placed in Gryffindor, her excitement barely contained as she found a seat among the other first years.
Lastly, Alecto Carrow, with her dark eyes and a distant expression, was sorted into Slytherin, where she met the approving gazes of her new housemates.
As the Sorting Ceremony came to a close, the first years were seated at their respective tables, and the hall filled with conversation. James, who had been anxiously searching for the others he’d met on the train, finally caught sight of Sirius at the Ravenclaw table. Though they weren’t in the same house, their friendship had already formed, and James grinned, waving at him.
Lily looked across the hall and caught Severus’s eye. Though they were in different houses, there was something in the air between them that felt unspoken but understood. And as the night carried on, she couldn’t help but wonder what the coming years would bring—for all of them.
And with that, the Sorting was done, and their journey at Hogwarts had truly begun.
Petunia Evans, standing nervously in the grand hall of Mahoutokoro, was aware that this moment would define her future. Unlike the Sorting Hat ceremony at Hogwarts, Mahoutokoro's method of determining house placement was more introspective, more personal. Instead of a crowd of students watching, each new arrival was given the time to reflect on their inner strengths and attributes. It was quieter, but no less significant.
The main hall of Mahoutokoro was both ancient and awe-inspiring, with its high ceilings and stone walls adorned with intricate carvings depicting the magical history of the school. A large, open papyrus scroll was displayed at the head of the hall, its edges curling slightly. Students were to approach it one by one, placing their hand upon the center, and the scroll would reveal their destined house, accompanied by a brief narrative that explained the house's values and why it had chosen them. It was an intimate process—no one would know what house Petunia would be placed in, except for her.
Her heart raced as she approached the scroll, uncertain of what would happen. Petunia had always felt like an outsider in the magical world—too ordinary, too late to the game. Hogwarts had never felt like a real possibility for her, and now she stood on the threshold of something entirely new, in a place where the expectations for magical potential seemed far higher than anything she'd known before.
With a deep breath, Petunia placed her hand on the center of the papyrus. For a moment, nothing happened, and her nerves flared. But then, slowly, dark ink began to form kanji characters in the center, glowing with a soft light. The characters swirled and shifted until they settled into place.
"Shunrai – Distant Spring Thunder," the scroll read aloud, its voice rich and deep, echoing in the silence of the hall. Petunia’s heart skipped a beat. Shunrai. That was the house for the boldest, the most inquisitive. "Those of House Shunrai are characterized by their confidence and curious minds. They are known for testing boundaries and a thirst for knowledge."
Petunia blinked, her mind racing. Confidence? Curiosity? Was she really like that? She wasn’t sure she felt any of those things. But the scroll continued, speaking of her placement in a voice that seemed to speak directly to her.
"House Shunrai values those who are willing to seek knowledge beyond what is easy, to challenge norms and push the limits of their potential. A true Shunrai student is not afraid to take risks, for they know that the pursuit of discovery requires daring."
The narrative continued to praise House Shunrai’s students for their ability to lead with courage, for their relentless drive to understand the world. Petunia stood still, her hand still resting on the scroll, absorbing its message. Testing boundaries? That felt foreign to her. She had always been careful, cautious, afraid of making the wrong move.
But perhaps that was the point. Perhaps this was the opportunity to break free of the fears and self-doubt that had always held her back. The house didn’t only look for those who were naturally bold or inquisitive—it was for those who were willing to step into the unknown, even if they didn’t feel fully prepared.
The kanji characters flickered once more and then vanished, leaving behind only a faint impression of their ink on the papyrus, as if to mark the change that had just happened. Petunia, still processing everything she had just heard, felt an unfamiliar sense of pride rising within her. She had been chosen for this house, and while it was daunting, it was also an honor.
Her eyes lingered on the house’s emblem—a stylized representation of a thundercloud, vibrant and dynamic. It seemed to represent everything she had yet to understand about herself: potential, strength, the power to make waves, to break through the barriers of her own self-doubt.
Petunia stepped back, her hand still tingling slightly from the scroll’s touch. The hall around her was still quiet, and she took a moment to reflect on the house that had just claimed her. Shunrai... Distant Spring Thunder.
As she walked toward the Shunrai students who had gathered, waiting to welcome her, Petunia felt a quiet determination welling up within her. It was a house that would challenge her, push her, perhaps even transform her. She wasn’t sure what her future at Mahoutokoro would bring, but for the first time, she felt as though she might be capable of more than she had ever imagined.
Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts, Lily Evans was starting her journey as a first-year student. Petunia’s sorting had been just the beginning of a new chapter in both their lives, each of them taking different paths, one in the magical world of Hogwarts, the other in the world of Mahoutokoro. Despite the distance between them, their paths—though separate—seemed to intertwine in ways they would soon come to understand.