Shine With the Rest
Written for The Quidditch Pitch's monthly challenge. Obviously, I don't own anything related to Harry Potter.
As Filius Flitwick, the Deputy Headmaster, placed the Sorting Hat on Lily Luna Potter's head, all of her fears made their presence known again, having been temporarily forgotten at her first sight of the Great Hall. Its enchanted ceiling that reflected the sky held her spellbound until the sound of "Potter, Lily!" was called, snapping her out of her daze.
Sitting on the three-legged stool with the ragged Hat on her head, Lily wondered what House she would be sorted into.
"Well, don't get so impatient there, Miss Potter!" the Sorting Hat boomed inside her head, causing her to jump slightly in surprise.
You can hear me? Lily Potter thought, blushing at the soft chuckle the Sorting Hat provided as its answer.
"Let me see here, let me see… You are brave, and certainly courageous - but you also possess a keen intelligence; a loyalty to your friends; and a cunning streak as well. Where to put you – Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, or Gryffindor? Hmm…"
Oh please – don't put me in Gryffindor! I don't think I can live up to everyone's expectations! Please, please, don't put me in Gryffindor!
The Sorting Hat chuckled again. "Your father begged me not to put him in Slytherin – this is certainly a change in circumstances! Very well, not Gryffindor, so it had better be RAVENCLAW!"
As the Sorting Hat yelled out the last word, Professor Flitwick took the Hat off Lily's head and whispered "Congratulations, Miss Potter! Well done!" Lily gave her new Head of House a shy smile and made her way over to the Ravenclaw table, where she took a seat next to her cousin Rose Weasley.
"I'm so glad that you're in Ravenclaw, Lily, I always thought that you would be!" Rose whispered, giving Lily a hug.
"I'm glad I'm here, too, Rosie," Lily replied, returning the hug, "I hope that Mummy and Daddy will be pleased."
"Of course they will!" Rose exclaimed, "they'll be so proud of you! You can Owl them tonight – you can use your new owl!"
"That's a good idea, Rosie, thank you," Lily said, just as the Sorting ended with "Zabini, Blaire," (Hufflepuff!) and the Welcoming Speech began.
"Welcome, everyone, to another year at Hogwarts," Professor Sprout, the current Headmistress and former Head of Hufflepuff said. I hope that everyone has a good year, and, to get this year off to a good start, 'tuck in!'" With that final phrase, the Headmistress spread out her arms, causing the empty plates to fill with food. Lily forgot all about the letter to her parents and heaped her plate with all of her favourite foods.
Lying in her dormitory bed that night, she thought back to her Sorting. Her father had begged the Hat not to be put in Slytherin? It was, indeed, the exact opposite of what she had done – begging the Hat not to put her in Gryffindor. But she hadn't wanted to try to live up to her relatives' standards – in Ravenclaw, she could make her own path.