HATS
The Great Hall was beautiful, just as Evangeline expected. It had huge windows on each side, long tables for each house, a raised section for the teachers to enjoy their meals with a grand podium featuring a beautifully crafted metal owl. But more importantly, the ceiling. That gorgeous ceiling, it reflected the night sky. All stars and clouds and inky black of night. Candles floated about in that great expanse. Gentle light that could never compare to that vastness.
Evangeline forced herself to wrench her gaze away from the ceiling and towards what was in front of her. The sorting hat sat on a small chair in front of the hall, the stern witch beside it with a long scroll of (presumably) names. All at once the nervousness reignited in Evangeline’s belly. She had forgotten about it in all the wonder and now she tugged at her sleeves in anticipation. With all her heart she wished she could be in Hufflepuff, be with her brother, even make friends with those quidditch players she had met briefly. But more than traditional superstition, she knew she would not be in the same house as her brother. How could she? No, she knew there wasn’t even a shred of Hufflepuff in her.
That meant she would be alone.
Or, maybe not. It was a grim thought. In Slytherin Evangeline supposed she might find Malfoy a welcoming presence… Griyfindor would provide an abundance of Weasleys. She knew, however, that she didn’t really fit in with them either. At least the people. Of course, the sorting hat may indeed have other ideas. The professor in emerald green began to read off names, the first year then approached the hat and put it on until it loudly proclaimed to which house they belonged. Evangeline silently cursed her last name for being so early in the alphabet. Her time came soon enough as the witch carefully called, “Evangeline Dox”.
A glance at the Hufflepuff table showed Theodore’s eyes trained on her. Nodding slowly in encouragement when she met his gaze. She approached the hat and sat down on the chair, briefly pausing to think of how long it had been since that poor hat had been washed. It made her flinch more prominent as the hat was placed on her head.
And then it was on her, her vision gone black as the hat slid over her head. She heard its long drawn out sigh but other than that it was silent. Evangeline tugged at her sleeves more, nervous energy filling her up. It was supposed to talk. Every book she had read said it was supposed to talk to you. And if it didn’t then it almost certainly sang your house out right after.
It was silent for well over a minute before it finally spoke to her, “A Dox huh?”
Relief flooded through her at the sound, but at the same time Evangeline wasn’t all too fond of the way the hat had said that, “Yes sir,” she affirmed. It was silent again for a while.
“Just like your father huh? Hard to place”
Evangeline almost groaned out loud. Her father’s sorting had reportedly taken far longer than normal, eventually dumping him into Slytherin.
“Made a mistake with him I did,” the hat continued. Her eyes went wide in the darkness. “I shall take longer with you, yes.” Now she really did groan. The sorting hat chuckled, making the hat itself bounce a bit on top of her head - someone in the audience snickered.
“You’re brave you know, unyielding, hm? Won’t be controlled easily will you?” She fought the urge to tug the hat off her head. Evangeline had been controlled all her life of course she went with it of course she wasn’t unyielding she hadn’t don- “Oh. But there’s cunning here too. Yes… yes… not bravery, but cunning, ambition…. Yes”
The sorting hat had quickly reeled from one extreme to the other. Or so Evangeline supposed, they weren’t exactly opposites, Slytherin and Gryfindor. Just different. Both could be cunning or brave or- “Ah, but an analytical mind. Bright. Oh yes… bright. I saw that brightness once before you know. Kole Dox had it in him. I’m afraid I squashed it in Slytherin. He could have been made, forged he could have been….” the hat stopped abruptly for some time, as if considering it’s next words carefully.
“He could have been so much if that brightness were not drowned by the dark… Yes I will not loose another mind to the obscure.”
The hat seemed so regretful that Evangeline began to consider it herself. She remembered the careful enchantments her father had put on Theodore’s new staff. The way he explored boundaries of magic when he wasn’t tied by business or… other affairs. What could he have been? Had he not gotten mixed up in wars so long ago? If he had been sheltered from his family, from the stench of the pureblood families surrounding him and running through his veins?
Through her veins too.
The hat was silent, as if warring with itself, turning things over in whatever mind it had. Did it think? I mean how did it even make these decisions anyway? Legilimency? What if someone was extremely good at blocking their thoughts or had a spell or potion with them to help would the sorting hat be unable to sort them? Or was its magic deeper than that? Maybe something of a different age or-
Crisp and clear, the sorting hat rang out, “Ravenclaw!”
A wave of shock rolled over Evangeline. She squinted as the hat was removed from her head and she once again returned to light, holding out a hand to block the light of even the beautiful stars. She was hyper aware of the babble of students that must have been happening this entire time as she stood, sparing a glance at the stern witch who watched her intensely and hurrying towards the Ravenclaw table.
She mulled the conversation with the sorting hat over in her mind as another took her place on the chair, not failing to notice that not once had the sorting hat had any aspirations of settling her in Hufflepuff… no.. of course it wouldn’t. There had never really been hope of that anyway. It was difficult to have that confirmed so sternly though.
Her thoughts turned to her father, to the fact even the sorting hat believed he should have been placed here. How the sorting hat could even be wrong about her. Just as these thoughts were building, a gentle hand landed on Evangeline’s shoulder.
A girl with long curly brown hair smiled softly at her, her prefect’s badge glinting on the Ravenclaw uniform.
“Welcome to Ravenclaw Miss Dox,” she said, smiling, “I’m Penelope Clearwater, your prefect,” Penelope held out her hand. Evangeline let herself relax as they shook hands.
“Nice to meet you,” she managed.
“Do feel free to come to me with any questions you have. I hope you come to call this house home.” Her smile was warm. Evangeline was about to respond when the sorting hat called out an excited, “Ravenclaw!” and Penelope’s attention was wrenched elsewhere as she turned to see who would be joining them. Evangeline turned with her, watching as a bright witch introduced herself then spoke with Clearwater in kind. Soon, she sat across from Evangeline - with her tanned skin and long dark wavy hair.
She held out her hand, “I’m Padma Patil,” she said, nervous though kind. Evangeline took her hand, just as Dumbledore called for the festivities to begin and a magnificent feast appeared between them.
“Evangeline.”