Chapter 21:
"SLYTHERIN!" cried the Sorting Hat. The black haired girl grinned as she hopped off the stool and headed for the Slytherin table.
"She must be bad news," whispered Kat to Nessa as she nodded.
"Jones, Kathrin!" called Dumbledore, looking up from the scroll. Kat and Nessa widened their eyes and exchanged glances.
"Oh no, my turn already?" she whispered fearfully. Nessa gave Kat a tiny shove towards the stool. She sat upon it and Dumbledore placed the hat on her head.
"Hmm…let's see…Another Jones sibling eh? Well, this shan't be so hard then…GRYFFI-NDOR!" cried the hat. Kat let out a huge, noticeable sigh as she hopped down from the stool. Dumbledore chuckled of her relief. Nessa applauded excitedly for her friend as she watched her skip merrily to the Gryffindor table.
"Malfoy, Abraxas!" called Dumbledore once the applause died down. A blonde boy with a pointed face walked up to the stool, sitting himself on it. Dumbledore lowered the hat onto his head and very quickly, the hat cried out, "SLYTHERIN!" Bewildered, yet pleased with himself, at the Sorting Hat's fast decision, Abraxas Malfoy stepped off the stool and trotted over to the Slytherin table.
As more names were called, the first years were leaving the group at the bottom of the stool and heading off to their House tables. Nessa and Tom waited for their names to be called, and finally, their moments had arrived.
"Riddle, Tom!" called out Dumbledore, glancing at Tom. Nessa shook his arm with excitement and shoved him slightly up to the stool when he wouldn't budge. Tom cautiously walked up to the stool and climbed up on it, Dumbledore lowering it onto his head.
"Riddle…Riddle…I see now…yes…" muttered the hat. Nessa listened closely to what it was saying, but all the words she heard made no sense to her—they didn't seem to fit together. She looked up at Tom curiously.
"Yes, right…SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat shouted. Nessa gasped and Tom widened his eyes shockingly. The Slytherin table stood and applauded for their new-comber as Tom, bewildered, walked off to his new House table. He looked back at Nessa with an eager look. She nodded and sighed.
"Sterling, Nessa!" Dumbledore called. Nessa's face broke into a smile as she looked up at Dumbledore and climbed onto the stool.
'Please, keep me with Tom! Keep me with Tom!' she thought.
"Ah, a Muggle-born…extraordinary talent I see…Yes, I know the perfect House for you…" Tom anxiously watched Nessa.
"Feh, Muggle-born? Gryffindor most likely," said the Abraxas boy. Tom looked at him and glared.
"Don't say that. Nessa will be kept here with me, she will!" argued Tom. Abraxas Malfoy just laughed.
"Doubt it. No Muggle-born has ever made it into Slytherin! She'll be sent to Gryffindor," he assured. Tom glared even harder at the boy; he wasn't liking him at all, nor this House.
"Slytherin. Slytherin. Slytherin," he muttered. He saw Nessa look at him, her eyes anxiously awaiting her fate.