Ilvermorny: Patrick, Christian, Ashley and Lina

"Paladin Christian, please," Crio said.

Christian stepped up to the Knot next, as he had been asked. The carvings twitched again for a few moments, and finally stopped with only the Thunderbird still flapping its wings.

Christian looked very pleased. "I was hoping I would be a Thunderbird."

"Yes," said Lina, "It sure fits a man who loves adventures."

"Paladin Patrick," said Crio.

The smartest of the Paladins took his place for sorting. He watched with anticipation as the carvings seemed to contemplate his standing in Ilvermorny.

There was not much hesitation. Soon, the gem in the Horned Serpent's head began to glow, while the other three carvings remained motionless.

Patrick was happy with this. "I'm not exactly a scholar, you know, but I'm glad to be in another house that favors the brain above everything else."

The others looked on with pride.

"Paladin Lina," Crio said next.

Lina looked like she was one of the most eager of them all, in spite of always going either last or close to last. She took her place at the Gordian Knot.

The enchanted carvings seemed to be deliberating over her sorting very meticulously, because it took a long time for them to come up with an answer. At last, to everybody's surprise, all four of the carvings voted in her favor. It seemed that all four houses wanted her!

Lina started. So did Crio. "Uh, what exactly am I supposed to do if all the houses want me equally?" Lina asked Jim.

"Same as if two or three houses chose you, I guess," said Jim. "You choose the one which appeals to you the most."

Lina looked at the carvings again. "You mean, I have complete freedom of choice?"

"Apparently, yes, from what Jim says," replied Crio.

Lina put her chin in her hand and looked down. They all seemed good to her. She had a pretty good body for adventure, and she was highly intelligent and clever. She also had a heart for helping people immensely, and she loved adventure and living for her soul. But which was her greatest part? Body, mind, heart, or soul?

She thought about it for a couple of minutes. Suddenly, she remembered how she liked to help kids in her world as a school counselor, and how she wanted to be a child psychologist someday. Then, it hit her.

"I choose Pukwudgie!" she said loudly.

The others stared at first, amazed that she would choose the one that had the funniest name.

"Pukwudgie?" Christian remarked. "You want people to laugh at your sense of humor for a weird name?"

Lina stared at him incredulously. "No. I want people to know that I like to heal lives, especially those of children!"

Crio said, "That sounds like a good enough reason to me. Don't you think so, Paladin Christian?"

Christian sighed. "Well, it does make a little more sense."

"Paladin Ashley," Crio continued.

Ashley, the last remaining Paladin, took the appropriate spot on the Knot. She watched with interest as the carvings judged her silently.

After a minute or so, the Thunderbird flapped its wings once more, while the other carvings remained still. Ashley smiled with pleasure.

The others complimented her sorting.

"So, then, where do we go next?" Ashley asked.

"I suppose we should go on to the castle," Crio suggested.

"Yeah," said Bonnie, "Let's meet the inhabitants."

Suddenly, as if the end of the second Sorting ceremony had triggered its revelation, another door opened in the back of the second antechamber. Beyond it was a place which looked almost like some sort of store. The sign above said "Ollivander's."

They all were surprised, and Jim looked more than a little delighted. Crio couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"More surprises from the Harry Potter stories, I suppose?" he inquired.

Jim grinned. "Looks like it," he said. "Shall we?"

To be continued in "Ollivander's Paladin Wands."