The Sorting

Disclaimer: The Sorting Hat, Harry Potter and all associated characters belong to Ms J.K. Rowling there is to me no monetary profit from this work of fan fiction and it is submitted as a purely scholastic exercise.

Thoughts

"Spoken"

~Mind to Mind Speech~

After I finished my annual song and bowed to the four House Tables, I hear Minerva announce, "Abbott, Hannah," and I wait and watch as a young blond girl approaches. I wonder, will she be in Gryffindor like her Father, or perhaps Ravenclaw like her mother was. As she sits upon my stool, I feel myself slip over her head. As I was designed I slip down so far that I cover her eyes, shutting out all distractions and giving me access to her mind through her eyes themselves.

~Ah! What's this I see? You desire to prove yourself without your parents' shadows looming over you? A very Slytherin trait if there ever was one, young Hannah.~

I feel a shiver of fear run through her. ~No, not Slytherin, my Father would disown me!~

~You should not assume such things young lady, a Father's love can overcome most prejudice reactions~, I say.

~PLEASE, Not Slytherin!~ She whispers back in desperation.

~Very well, your loyalty to your family makes you a clear candidate for~ "HUFFLEPUFF!" as I yell the house name the House Table Second from the right burst into applause, and Minerva takes me off Hannah's head as she scampers off to join her new Housemates.

"Bones, Susan," Minerva calls out the next student to be Sorted.

Now here is a clear cut case if I have ever seen one. As I slip over her eyes all young Miss Susan can think is I hope I'm with Hannah. I do not even have to initiate communication in order to know that I'll grant her wish to be with her friend in, "HUFFLEPUFF."

For the most part the Sorting goes on without a snag, though I am more than a little upset that the compulsion charm placed on "Malfoy, Draco" overcame my magics making me proclaim him as a Slytherin before I even sat upon his head little own looked into it. A few other interesting cases came up, "Granger, Hermione" and "Longbottom, Neville" for instance were both brave enough to ask for Gryffindor in spite of their fears of not being worthy of the House, ironically proving that they were in fact the perfect candidates, and then there was the curious case of the Patil twins, usually in cases of Magical Twins their Twin Bond makes it impossible for them to have noticeable differences, but in the case of the Patils, Padma was a Ravenclaw that had courage that would have put Godric himself to shame, while her sister Parvatti was a Gryffindor that had a thirst for knowledge that Rowena would have been proud of, then came the call for "Potter, Harry."

I'll admit that sparked even my interest. I remember both his parents very clearly. Both of them were what I've heard the Professors call Hat stalls. His Father, James Potter, could have easily been in either Slytherin or Hufflepuff, but ended up choosing to follow Sirius Black, whom he had met on the Express, into Gryffindor. Sadly his Mother, Lily Evans, was excluded from Slytherin because of her blood status; however she did get to choose, going with Gryffindor over Ravenclaw. So it was not surprising to me when I slipped over young Harry's eyes to find a very complicated young lad.

~Ah, yes as challenging as both your parents Mister Potter. Courage a plenty, Wisdom won through the worst of circumstances,~ I'll have to have a discussion with Albus as to just why Mister Potter was left with Those Muggles against the advice of BOTH Minerva and Severus, ~and cunning that would lead you to greatness in Slytherin.~

~Not Slytherin, Not Slytherin~ (1), he practically begged me.

~And why not Slytherin, it could lead you to greatness.~ It is my job to place students where they will do the best in their studies and as such I feel I have to advocate a house in which I feel they would thrive, even when they could thrive in any of the four Houses.

~Please I will do anything just don't put me with Malfoy.~

So that's why a bad encounter with another student that makes him feel uncomfortable around them. Well that would prohibit him from pursuing his academics. ~Very well that does make my job easier Mister Potter. However, you could still go into any of the other three Houses so let's take a look too see where you would do best, shall we? Let me see you will be a truly loyal friend though I feel I should warn you that you shouldn't take everyone at face value indeed I think in order to help break you from that habit I shall eliminate Hufflepuff, though you would make many friends there I feel that you would be far too easily led astray if we were to encourage that particular flaw. Next I fear that your thirst for knowledge is far too tempered, by your belief that the only knowledge worth knowing is knowledge that can help you survive, for Ravenclaw to be a good fit so if you're sure you don't want to be in Slytherin?~

~I'm sure anything to stay away from that skinny Dudley knockoff!~

~Well then that only leaves…~ "GRYFFINDOR!" as I finally yell out the House of Bravery's name the House furthest to my left explodes into cheering. I can even hear the Weasley Twins singing out "We've got Potter, We've got Potter (2)." It takes a good five minutes, and two threats of Detention from Minerva, for the Gryffindors to calm down.

From there, there were no real exciting Sortings and my job was finally finished when "Zambini, Blaize" was Sorted into Slytherin and I was carried out of the Great Hall.

1) Not Slytherin, Not Slytherin and "We've got Potter, We've got Potter" are both direct Quotes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone see disclaimer for ownership rights