Leta Lestrange stood in the crowd of first-years, her stomach sinking further down with each passing second. She wished she could make herself invisible. She knew it would be a while before they got to L, so she tried to distract herself by staring at the banners hanging from the walls. But that only made her feel worse. Everything reminded her of the choice that was about to be made for her - one that had been made long before she was born.
Finally Dumbledore called her name. "Lestrange, Leta!"
All eyes turned to Leta, and she stepped forward nervously amid a wave of murmurs. She sat down on the stool, and Dumbledore put the hat on her head. "Just put me in Slytherin and be done with it," she thought, staring up at the ceiling.
"Slytherin, eh?" the hat said, and Leta nearly jumped. "Well, you are a Lestrange… and I haven't put a Lestrange outside of Slytherin for centuries."
"Then what are you waiting for?!" Leta thought fiercely, recovering from her momentary shock. "My father would kill me if I wasn't in Slytherin."
"But you are not only a Lestrange," the hat went on. "Your mother was a very different sort, and you have much of her in you as well."
"I never knew my mother," Leta thought. "She died giving birth to me. Father never talked about her. I grew up with a stepmother."
"You are determined and proud," the hat observed. "Yet you are also brave, and capable of great love."
Leta scoffed. "Surely you can't be suggesting I should be in Gryffindor," she thought.
"There have been those who defy tradition and choose a house different from that of their parents," the hat said.
"You mean I have a choice?" Leta asked, surprised.
""Well, I do take a student's choice into account," the hat told her. "It could be a chance for you to make up for mistakes in your past."
Leta froze. Could the hat read her mind and tell that she had killed her brother?
"You are afraid of being bullied by other Slytherins," the hat said.
"Yes," thought Leta. "But I'm more afraid of them bullying me for NOT being in Slytherin."
"If it's bullying you fear, Hufflepuff might be a wise choice," the hat said. "It does have a reputation as the kindest and friendliest house."
"Hufflepuff?" Leta repeated. "That's worse than Gryffindor. I'd be laughed out of Hogwarts."
"Well, if that's how you feel…" The Hat paused. "SLYTHERIN!"
Leta sighed with relief. She got down from the stool and went off to join the other first-years at the Slytherin table. It was going to be a long seven years.