And then there were four.
Nymphadora Tonks.
Donaghan Tremlett.
Charlie Weasley.
And Benjy Williams.
Four last little first years waiting to be Sorted to their respective Houses – whichever they might be. Which was a matter of copious conversation among the aforementioned four in their travels prior to their arrival at this very moment, standing before the faculty and the whole student body of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
For in the time since departing from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters via the Hogwarts Express, the girl and the three boys became fast friends – thanks in part to a particularly pedantic Head Boy who insisted all of the first years sit together in alphabetical order on the train, so that they would be most prepared and efficient come Sorting time.
Even so, the rest of the students in the Great Hall were getting restless, more than ready for the start-of-term feast to appear magically before their eyes. Professor McGonagall consulted the end of her long roll of parchment, even though she already had each of the new students' names committed to memory since receiving their owls at the end of July.
Her eyes flicked over her square-rimmed spectacles to the motley group of four.
"Tonks," McGonagall pronounced clearly and concisely, "Nymphadora."
If that sprightly pixie of a girl could have breathed fire (as she sometimes so wished), she would have instantaneously incinerated the parchment bearing her given name, as well as all sources of audible snickering from the four long dining tables within the Great Hall.
But instead, the dark eyes in her heart-shaped face merely twinkled with bloody murder as she obediently crossed in front of the teachers' High Table to a lone stool, upon which sat the ratty Sorting Hat. Tonks, quite pleased that she had, in fact, managed to not trip over any nothingness en route, quickly climbed atop the stool and perched quietly whilst she was beHatted.
The boys hadn't been quite sure what to make of this girl at first, but, naturally, the three of them simultaneously developed school-boy crushes on their school-girl comrade-in-arms. Her mother (Andromeda) had been a Slytherin, she had told them, but the thought of such a fate for the twee creature that was sharing their train compartment had instantly dissolved the conversation into fits of cacophonous laughter on the boys' part, coupled with a kind of blustery indignation from Nymph— ("Tonks! My name is Tonks. I don't care what you've heard…" She had fixed each of them with a steely glare and a pointed flourish of her wand. "Call me Tonks, or it'll be a week before they can even find or start to remove these Every Flavour Beans from your brains!") —uh, Tonks.
By the time the first years had disembarked from the boats which carried them across the lake and over the domain of the giant squid and the merpeople, the boys offered that they had changed their minds, if their theory that a wizard or witch could be sorted according to their appearance were indeed true, as Tonks' normally mousy hair had turned a rather violent and sickly-looking shade of green. ("Very Slytherin." Benjy had assured her.)
"Wotcher!" Came a muffled and exasperated cry, at the same time as the Hat announced, "HUFFLEPUFF!" to exuberant cheers from yellow-and-black clad students at one of the dining tables. Tonks upset the stool upon dismount, but made it the rest of the way to join her housemates relatively unscathed, stealing a few furtive glances back at the three boys from underneath her lightly bobbing fringe of now-blonde curls.
Professor McGonagall made an extensive mental note of the budding Metamorphmagus' abilities, then eyed the remaining boys, two of whom (the red hair clearly belonging to another of the Weasley brood) were light-heartedly jostling the third, who sported an unwavering great mane of brown hair.
"Tremlett, Donaghan." She beckoned him forth.
Charlie had reckoned that Don ("Or what about 'Donny'?" The red-head suggested. "Nah, bosh! It's Donaghan." had been the reply.) would get Gryffindor just for looking the most like a lion of any of the first years. This had rapidly degenerated into a discussion about where the school would then put Charlie, as he was the only troll-faced student Benjy claimed to have ever seen. Tonks amicably offered to rig the proceedings so Charlie wouldn't be alone, as she could transmorph her face into a pretty decent troll impression.
"RAVENCLAW!" The Sorting Hat shouted quite suddenly, and the last two boys clapped out of shock, both knowing they would never themselves make it into that House which values wit and wisdom above all else, whilst wondering what else Donaghan had not mentioned to them (or they hadn't asked about) on the train.
"Weasley, Charles." McGonagall nodded the stocky, freckled boy towards the stool.
A raucous whistle sounded from the Gryffindor table as Charlie took a seat. That would be his older brother Bill, already a third year. Charlie had been a bit worried, hoping he would live up to the reputation of—
"GRYFFINDOR!" There really wasn't any doubt. Charlie couldn't contain his broad smile and tossed the Sorting Hat lightly into the air before bounding off to join his brother.
And then, of course, there was only "Williams, Benjamin."
Benjy locked eyes briefly with Professor McGonagall as he walked across to retrieve and put on the enchanted Hat. He wasn't afraid, and not just because he was the last (and thus had seen the whole rest of his year Sorted), but because he had taken all of the Professor's words to heart, and he truly wanted to know who his House – his family within Hogwarts – would be. Who he would learn and spend his free time with, who he would earn House points and win the House Cup for. He wanted to fulfill Professor McGonagall's entreaty and be a credit to the House that would be his.
The battered old Hat covered his eyes, vanishing the thousands of floating candles, the tables laid with golden dishes, the hundreds of staring students, teachers, and ghostly faces.
In an instant, it would all be his. He would belong to a House, and have every right to the whole of Hogwarts as anyone else. Everyone a king in this single kingdom. He, a master of nothing (as yet), but also servant to none. Friends all within reach, and more beyond. They would all be his. And when the Hat was lifted, tugging up his shaggy, ash blond locks, it would reveal an impish – but truly happy – grin.
Nymphadora Tonks was a Hufflepuff.
Donaghan Tremlett was a Ravenclaw.
Charlie Wealsey was a Gryffindor.
And Benjy Williams was – and forever would be – "SLYTHERIN!"