Houses Challenge – Hufflepuff – 2nd Year – Standard - restriction - member of Hufflepuff - Prompt: [color] - Gold
Word Count: 1139
September 1st 1991
"First yers over here, First yers." A lantern hung above the heads of all students spilling out of the Hogwarts Express.
'Okay, that half giant over there is Hagrid.' Zacharias Smith was mentally filling away the faces to the names he had heard from his cousins over the years. He looked around the platform. The Hogwarts train had just unloaded the students and in the sea of black robes, he could see the lantern held high in the air by Hagrid, the gamekeeper, who would lead them to the Sorting Ceremony.
His older cousin had come home that Saturday to escort Zacharias to platform nine and three-quarters for his very first trip to Hogwarts. What if he was sorted into a house that was not Hufflepuff? At least, if no one was there, he would be able to ease into the potential disappointment of his family. The Smiths could trace back nine generations of Hufflepuffs—if he didn't get in, it would be devastating. Even encroaching on never go home again territory!
The inky night sky shone few stars in the sky overhead as he joined his fellow first years on the boats enchanted to take them into the very bowels of Hogwarts. The sharp tang of autumn mixed with the murky scent of seaweed, and anxiety of the fifty or more kids that joined him on this journey. Which ones would be sorted into Hufflepuff with him? A boy with shockingly bright Weasley red hair was in the boat next to him; he will likely be in Gryffindor.
He looked around and attempted to size up the occupants of the boats around him. The ones looking straight ahead, those are the gold lions of Gryffindor. The clique in the back, they might as well be wearing their green ties already; they are most definitely bound for Slytherin. Hufflepuffs, his future housemates, those could be anyone. They really blended in with the crowd, so maybe that is why they wear yellow—looking for some way to stand out? The Ravenclaws were the the know-it-alls with their nose stuck in some book or another.
The boat brushed up against the dock, and everyone got off the boats with little trouble. The billowing sea of black cloaks traveled up the stairs where Hagrid handed us off to another Hogwarts occupant Zacharias was warned of: Professor McGonagall. The severe eyes rushed over the crowd, and silence fell upon the group instantly.
"Now, you will line up here, single file, and we will walk together into the Great Hall. You will wait in the line until your name is called, and only then will you walk forward to be sorted. Once your House has been determined, you will join your fellow housemates at their respected table. As soon as all of you have been sorted, which you will, Professor Dumbledore will make the beginning of year announcement. After that, the feast will begin." Briskly turning away from the group, she led them through the dark grey stone corridors, until they came to a set of wooden doors; each four feet wide, and at least ten feet tall. Holding his breath, Zacharias waited until the doors opened and he walked over the threshold before he let it out.
It was nothing like he had imagined. The scale alone was awe inspiring. Every eye, along every table in the Great Hall turned towards the group. He had never felt so small in his life. Risking a glance out of the corner of his eye he spotted the Hufflepuff banner hanging high in the rafters. The yellow background, and the black badger emblazoned on it. A fearsome mascot, the badger—small, unassuming, and cunning. The classmates that sat at the adjoining table were of all shapes and sizes. The only constant, was black robes with an intricate patch on the chest. Some of the girls were wearing hair bands and jewelry in the house colors, and some of the boys had ties, or vests. A few of the students even sported yellow and black argyle socks, with badgers running around them.
The other Houses were represented, but he did not have time to look at them, nor did he worry over much how green the Slytherins were, or how many Gryffindors had gold lions on their sleeves. The ceiling was the same inky black as it was outside, and there were a few stars just peeking through the overcast sky. The impressive group of professors up on the dias, and in front of them was a small wooden stool. Upon it sat what Zacharias knew to be the Sorting Hat.
It seemed to take forever to get to his name, even though he knew with Smith he would likely be one of the last to be sorted anyway.
"Smith, Zacharias." Hearing his name called, he walked forward past the first years that stood in line with him risking one last furtive glance over to the Hufflepuff table. Sitting on the stool, the hat did not make the immediate decision it did when it was placed upon the Abbott kid's head. The world went black, and he could hear the Sorting Hat talking to itself around his head.
"This is either madness, or brilliance." Thankfully his cousin had warned him of the propensity of the hat to begin talking to its victims. "It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide."
Zacharias wondered what could possibly be taking this blasted contraption so long, when he was most certainly meant for Hufflepuff! The Hat seemed to be taking pleasure in making him crazy.
"Can you just please say Hufflepuff so I can put my yellow and black tie on." With exasperation, Zacharias fidgeted in his seat. Waiting for an answer, when, instead, the Sorting Hat shouted:
"Hufflepuff!"
Zacharias let out the breath he did not know he was holding. Hiding the smile behind a well placed smirk, Zacharias walked brazenly toward the table with his fellow Hufflepuffs; most of them slapped his back or gave him high fives on his way down the line. After pinning the small gold badger his mother had given him this morning to his robes, he began the task of looking up and down the table to try and figure out who he should sit by. This was his first decision as a Hufflepuff, then he remembered a kid from the train. He was sitting by himself, a little ways away from the nearest housemate.
"Hi, I'm Zacharias." He stuck out his hand to the boy.
"Hello, I'm Justin," the kid replied back shyly.
He took a seat and waited while Dumbledore stood, the firelight of a thousand candles glinted from the gold rim of his glasses, and he began the back to school speech. This was going to be a great seven years!