Hogwarts, A Story

Halley's Sorting

Halley wasn't entirely sure how she had ended up sprawled on top of five people on the cold flagstones of the Great Hall, but she did know that however it had happened, it was probably her fault. She had never been the most coordinated and in a crowd this big, it was hard not to trip over. Face burning, she picked herself up off the floor and then offered her hand to a light haired girl who was struggling to sit up. I'm off to a great start, she thought to herself, only halfway through the alphabet and I've already caused  a minor disaster. Looking back, it really was a miracle she hadn't tipped everyone off the boat trying to cross the lake. It was embarrassing enough that she had stumbled into Glyn on the way into the hall. She supposed it was inevitable that she would make a fool of herself in front of a huge audience at some point, but she had hoped that would come a little later on.

The Lestrange girl who had been called up a moment ago was sorted into Slytherin, and Halley was just beginning to distance herself from the accident she had most likely caused as much as possible when her name was called. She felt her brain freeze, and found herself unable to move. Glyn prodded her in the back, urging her on, and she forced her legs to trip forwards towards the sorting hat. She sat down heavily upon the stool, and saw Xenophilius give her an awkward thumbs up from the Ravenclaw table out of the corner of her eye. The sorting hat was on her head now, muttering seemingly incoherent things, although that could've been because Halley's brain had basically shut down. Oh my god, she thought to herself, this is it, I'm being sorted. What if I'm a Slytherin? Or a Gryffindor? Or a Hufflepuff? Wait, what if I'm a Ravenclaw; am I even smart enough to fit in there? What if I don't fit into any houses? Would they just kick me out? Would I-  she was cut off mid-thought with a sudden roar of "RAVENCLAW!" from above her head. Halley breathed a sigh of relief. She was a Ravenclaw! She had wanted to be a Ravenclaw from a young age, she'd heard so much about the house from her parents and, more recently, her cousin. She shot a "thank god" look at Glyn, who smiled apprehensively in response. A cheer erupted from the house table and Halley felt her heart swell with joy as she made her way over and sat near the front of the hall.

A girl with dirty blonde hair was sitting opposite. She smiled at Halley.
"Hey, my name's Amelia Bones. What about you?" Halley looked bemused, as she didn't expect anyone to voluntarily talk to her at first, but introduced herself to Amelia, who nodded. There was a moment of silence between them as a nervous looking boy with mousy hair was sorted into Gryffindor, before Amelia spoke again suddenly.
"I hope they have roast chicken at the feast," she said genuinely. Halley was so surprised by this statement that she didn't think about her reply and blurted out "Well I hope there's pudding." Another beat of silence. Oh no. Oh no. Why did I say that, does she hate me now? And then, Amelia laughed, a real, honest laugh.
"So do I. I like sticky toffee pudding best."
"I'm more of a cheesecake person myself."
"But sticky toffee pudding is fantastic!"
Halley thought for a moment. Maybe making friends wouldn't be as difficult as she thought.

This chapter was a bit shorter than originally planned, but I've got a long one coming up for next time. As always, comments are absolutely welcome, and maybe vote if you liked this chapter? Who do you want to see appear next? ~ Swan