The scariest part of being wrangled into a room with hundreds of kids older than you would have to be everyone looking at you, calculating your next move, betting on you. What would you do, what would you say, how would you say it. Would it be enough. So Reagan did what she did best and walked into the unforgiving great hall with a stone cold face, merely looking around at the people and straight ahead, she followed McGonagal her peers lagging behind, she passed the Gryffindor table and saw Hermione wave at her she gave a hand movement to mesmerized by all the magic going on around her.
McGonagal held out a single hand, a sign for them to stop. She stopped of course, but that didn't mean Richard didn't, he was to busy looking around and bumped into her nearly making her fall over. Reagan turned to glared at him and he whispered a sorry.
On the Slytherin table Adrian Pucey and Adam McDante made a bet. Boy Ravenclaw, Girl Gryffindor. Two tables over at the Gryffindor table George and Fred Weasley made a bet, Girl Slytherin, Boy Hufflepuff. The two sets of boys looked at each other, satisfied that neither of them had duplicate houses, the betting progress had been something he four boys had been doing since their first year and they would be goddamned if a little house rivalry was going to make them stop. In fact it made the bets even more fun.
Meanwhile McGonagal had stepped up the old steps and picked up the old scroll next to it was an old hat on a nearly brand new stool. She began calling names, name after name. Okay so four names until it was Reagan's turn.
"Reagan Birch-Fawley." There were several murmurs across all tables, several from recognition of the first and Slytherin for recognition of the last. Reagan held her head high and marched up to that stool and sat down. She looked up at McGonagal straight at her square glasses and she swore she saw her break into a smile. Then she dropped the hat on her and she couldn't see.
"Hello." The hat said in Reagan's mind. She tried not to flinch to much, but she was sure they saw it.
"What the bloody hell." It was reasonable to her to say something like this when someone invaded her mind, but to that hat she was being a rude eleven year old. Like all the other eleven year olds.
"Language young one, now let's see where to put you." The hat was silent for a little while during this time Reagan swung her legs back and forth before settling them. She began to tap on the bench not able to hear any of the murmurs outside of her hat.
"Five knuts she's a hatstall." George whispered to Fred.
"Twelve knuts it's under two minutes." Fred whispered smirking.
"You're on." The two said at the same time shaking each other's hand.
Several moments passed and Reagan sat there, not knowing what to do. "Have you came to any solutions yet." Reagan says to the hat who grumbles something before answering.
"No you are incredibly hard headed." In this moment Reagan tries incredibly hard not to laugh, because she swears to whatever deity her parents believe she will come here looking cool and she will leave her looking cool, whatever happens in between doesn't matter as long as you tie up any loose ends. So she vouches for a tight lipped smile while ducking her head.
"That's rude." The hat keeps mumbling.
"Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin?" The hat finally answered the questions she had while simultaneously have her question everything.
"Why not Ravenclaw?"Reagan had wanted to be in there since Luna had said that she did, and what happened in the compartment.
"Ravenclaws are accepting of usually everybody, while you question and are suspicious of everyone. Also Ravenclaws are incredibly creative everything they do is a work of art, to their parents at least." The sassy hat said and Reagan dipped her head away from where anyone else could see.
"Fair enough. But I don't think Gryffindor is a good one I'm not that brave." Reagan reasoned. This was true. She was never the bravest.
"Your first memory is you on the biggest roller coaster for your six year old mind. Loved and enjoyed the thrill it gave you that's why Gryffindor. That and you have a code of honor. You don't know it yet, but you do. And dear, it's where the brave dwell at heart. You would save them, but you won't sacrifice yourself without a plan first." This hat was very good at reasoning. Very very good. Reagan wasn't exactly sure where the hat was getting this stuff. Maybe he could tell the future.
"Okay but I don't think I'm that kind or hardworking." She reasoned against Hufflepuff well, but its reasoning for Hufflepuff was better.
"You got me at kind, but hardworking and loyal those are some of your biggest attributes." Stupid hat, "Only when you want to work hard."
"You got me there, but what about Slytherin. Isn't that for people who are pure of blood?"
"Never mind that, what about your value of tradition and the pranks, when you don't get caught, or how crafty you are. The feeling you get when revenge goes perfectly planned. Now where to put you?" The Damned Hat questioned thoughtfully.
"Slytherin." Reagan demanded. She was now gripping the sides of the stool holding on and close to teetering over.
"What?" The hat sounded smug as if he knew this was going to happen.
"Those girls told me I couldn't, I told them nothing, but I want to be the first one. The. First." It sounded like the hat chuckled, like she had proven herself.
"You would do well in Slytherin, you would be become like a cactus. In Hufflepuff like a daisy. But in Gryffindor like honey suckle." That hat had found out how she likes metaphors, she likes books, taking the words apart, putting them together. One of her greatest joys.
"I've always liked how resilient cacti is." Now it was Reagan's turn to sound smug. It seemed as if time passed very quickly as they went through the conversation.
"Once I choose, you can't go back."
"Good."
"SLYTHERIN!"
Reagan happily plucked the hat off of her head and set it down on the stool reveling in the claps and cheers she got from the Slytherin table and the two twins from Gryffindor who seemed extra happy, even though the rest of their table booed at the young girl. The first Slytherin to be sorted. It hurt to see even the supposedly kind kids boo, but she hightailed her way to the table that cheered the loudest as a "Collin Creevey." was called by McGonagal. George smirked at Fred who swore and gave him twelve knuts.
She sat next to a girl with pretty golden hair and an Egyptian looking boy who tried to slick back his wavy hair using gel. It wasn't working.
"Hello." Blondie said looking happy, or well conveying happiness, she was good at.
"Hi." Reagan said off handedly waiting for the next girl who sat with them in their compartment to be sorted.
"I'm Daphne Greengrass. And this is Theodore Nott." Daphne introduced the two. Theodore though looked much more interested in the book he was reading. Theodore had light brown eyes and sun-kissed skin. His eyes focused solely on the book about what seemed to be Vampires in Mythology: What's Fact and What's Fiction. Reagan couldn't blame him since Daphne Greengrass seemed about as two dimensional as a Scooby-Doo cartoon. But nonetheless the two who were about to be brought to boredom by Daphne nodded along with every word she was saying.
"So, what's your blood status?" Daphne asked Reagan who was now seeing the purpose in this conversation. Reagan rolled her eyes and tries remembering everything she could about pureblood etiquette.
"Half-blood." Reagan answers with the lie pretending to be bored, even though she is freaking out as Daphne nods as if saying, "this seems okay, but let me check with headquarters first."
Back in the group of first years Luma was waiting patiently with fifteen other first years. Ernest Kacey had just been called and sorted into Hufflepuff. "Luna Lovegood." McGonagal called looking over at the first years spotting the long silvery blonde hair and giving her a crinkly smile.
Luna stepped on foot in front of the other to get to the stool where the hat sat. She could feel the curious gazes, but instead kept her head held high. She smiled and waved at Reagan before McGonagal took the hat off of the stool before Luna gracefully sat down on the chair. McGonagal gently placed the hat on her head, when it covered her eyes she smiled brightly and a nervous first year chuckled.
"Hello, ." Luna Lovegood thought happily, her legs swinging back and forth, she looked completely at ease unlike her friend who sat stiffly.
"Hello, Miss Lovegood." Mr. Hat greeted just as politely as Luna had, Luna nodded happily as to what the hat was saying.
"So where shall I be sorted, Mr. Hat?" Luna asked the million dollar question ablutions to all as she moved the hat from her view and looked up at the ceiling where she saw stars.
"You want Hufflepuff, when Hufflepuff is all wrong for you. Where you need to be is Ravenclaw." Luna frowned and was pulled back to Earth by this harsh statement.
"Can you tell me why, sir?" Luna asked pulling a sour face at the rude hat.
"When the time comes Miss Lovegood."
"RAVENCLAW!"
Richard Pevensie breathed a sigh of relief. At least he'll have someone he knew in his dream house, even if she was a bit odd. He waited a simple two names before he was called, he was nervous and wasn't very good at hiding it. Reagan noticed that his hands were shaking and she noticed that he almost slipped and steadied himself on the stool.
"What do we have here." An omniscient voice asked. And there was a horrified look on his face. Several chuckles from all houses at the look on the previously pouting first year.
"An eleven year old getting advise from an article of clothing." Richard said not even realizing that the voice was coming from his head. A few chuckles from the professors table didn't notify him of the voice inside his head.
"Watch yourself boy, I'm an accessory." Richard burst out laughing and nearly fell off the stool. "You're nervous."
"Noooo, how could you ever possibly tell." Richard said aloud again Dumbledore had a twinkly smile on his face and stars in his eyes, the sorting this year was very interesting.
"You have a lot of wit, and from the drawings on your arm, you're creative, not snobbish, but what's that?" The hat said his voice changing tone so it actually sounded surprised.
"What's what. What is it you omniscient hat." Richard said and the two fourth year Slytherins thought their chances were very good of the boy being in Ravenclaw.
"Your heart. You're so kind, and you work so hard, dedication, fair play, you aren't very patient, but you're so tolerant towards all people, and your going to need support." The hats voice was kind. "You are the best kind of person that should only be reserved for Hufflepuff."
"So let me gue-"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The cheers were loud as he threw the hat back down on the stool and rushed to great some new people. There were loud boos from the Slytherin table, but he paid those no mind. He rushed to sit next to the prefect as a hope of sort of protection from a nasty looking boy called Zacharius Smith. There were only nine people left to be sorted.
Ginny Weasley was the last person to be sorted, like she was always the last for everything. The last sibling, the last one to ever go to Hogwarts. The last one to get school supplies. But she was always the first girl. And her family wouldn't let her forget that. Always treating her like an eggshell. She was tired of it.
So before McGonagal called her name she marched up the steps and grabbed the hat out of McGonagal's wrinkly hands. And nearly ripped it shoving it in her head.
"My my my, that's some nerve you got there. You Weasley's are all so brave and chivalrous. But you, you my dear are so much more than that. But more than all what do you want to be?"
"I wanna be me."
"But do you know who you are."
"No, but I know what I'm not. I'm not kind, I can be mean a lot of the time, I'm not creative, or smart. I'm not resourceful. But I know I am a good person."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Ginny Weasley had practically threw the hat at McGonagal before racing down to where her brothers were, where she belonged. There were cheers and she was sure half of them were from Fred and George. She looked around after sitting. She saw the girl from the train in Slytherin looking bored as she sat between two golden blonde girls talking her ear off. Ginny caught... Reagan's eye and smiled. Reagan didn't smile back, but she did look less miserable. She saw Luna on the next table next to no one, talking animatedly to no one. She saw the boy who got into Hufflepuff look around worriedly before a prefect smiled at him and told him what was going to happen.
Everyone seemed okay. Everything seemed fine. But there was a girl wishing female Slytherins were more intelligent. And there was a boy wishing that the people would appreciate his sarcasm. And then here was a girl not caring about anything in the world except for her father and his imaginary beast. Then there was another redhead, looking at her plate and the world around her not noticing the other plates full with food, but she felt a burning in her pocket. Tom must be writing again.
The four stuffed their faces, like everyone else at the sight of food, each one leaving with their fifth year prefects. Ginny snuck a glance at Luma as she saw they were going the same way, Luna like always was looking everywhere, but Ginny. So Ginny turned away to see her brother and Harry Potter join them up the stairs.
"Where have you been?" She snapped."
"None of your bloody business." Ron replied grabbing Harry by the wrist to join their other friends leaving Ginny in the dust. Like always.
Reagan was pulled out of her daze of staring at the plate she licked clean only to be grabbed by the wrist of the girl in charge, who just muttered, "Honestly you half-breeds are the worst." Reagan's mouth hung open, before she glared at the girl.
"Manners," she began whispering to herself, "maketh man." As soon as she finished her little quote, she was shoved next to the blonde girl her age as they headed down the stairs to get to the common room. Only to be stopped by the fifth year boy in charge. He simply held out his hand and commanded the entirety of the first years in front to stop.
"Look at your surroundings." The boy said gesturing to the walls around him. "Do what you can to make it into the common room." It was a flurry of robes flapping and people rushing to do anything while Reagan stood there trying to remember something, anything she could about the Slytherin dormitories. Salazar's son. Yes, it was his sons painting.
Reagan looked around rapidly trying to find it. He was tall. Not broad shoulder, but scrawny and nearly drowning in furs. She looked behind the pug nosed second year to find it. Reagan stood in her tip toes to reach behind the girl to press her hand down against the painting. A door materialized right next to the portrait of the scrawny boy and people looked around wondering who it could've been while Reagan walked into her common room.
It was the single most amazing thing she had ever seen in her very short life of eleven years. It wasn't warm or cozy looking. The fire burned a brilliant blue on top and yellow on the bottom, charmed she was sure, to create a light green in the middle. The fireplace that held the fire was a dark grey, nearing black but not quite there, and very royals looking as if several millionaires had wanted the most luxurious of all girl laces and threw their money into that one, then covered it silver. Couches were arraigned around the fireplace, emerald green in color. There was a lush carpet that covered from where the black wood of the dungeon floor met the couches there was black carpet from there to three feet in front of the luxurious fireplace. Seven doors left of the fire place was marked with the names of every girl, except for the one on the farthest left. That one, just like the one on the farthest right was kept empty of names. That's when Reagan noticed the view they had of the black lake. It was basically an aquarium. She saw mermaids and sirens of fairytale creation, but then she saw an angry red creature hiding in the glass and an ugly looking purple fish pass by before noticing it had an audience and swam off, Reagan could still see it though. She saw a pretty little siren, around the age of twelve wave at her through the glass, and that's when Reagan noticed, she had crept through the common room just to get to the view of the lake. Her nose was pressed up against the glass and she tried to look below, but only saw ugly looking sea weed and another ugly red creature.
A golden haired sibling, Astoria had pulled her from the amazing view and winking siren to be pushed into their room. She and Astoria Greengrass were only two of the five girls sorted into Slytherin. There were only three boys this year. Reagan looked into the dormitory to find five beds, each of them enormous, with the prettiest bed frames, each of them curling had pretty designs with the first letter of each of their names, Astoria, Thea, Roseanne, Persephone, and Reagan. Reagan was nestled between Thea and Rose, right in the middle of a pit of rich purebloods. While they droned on and on, about clothes and nails, and the absolute best spells for hair seeing as they wouldn't have 'their house elfs' anymore. Reagan, ever the loner, sat in her bed, pulled the covers over her head and tried to block out their unstoppable chatter. But it was no use, and for a flutter of a second she wondered how she would survive in the blood purist den.
Okay so for my lovely cast Dakota Fanning as Daphne Greengrass, Elle Fanning as Astoria Greengrass, Rami Malek as Theodore Nott. Read, review, I don't love you, but I sure do appreciate you.