Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the plot. Asha is alohamora080's.
Asha Parekh Thomas- September 1, 2019
The small Indian girl near the back of the group of first years stood quietly alone. She was so different from them, with her dark skin and dark eyes, so they tended to keep her distance. Little Asha didn't mind, however, because her brother, Daniel Dirk Thomas, was waiting for her after the Sorting Ceremony. He was her best friend, her one true companion, and she knew that they would hate to be separated by the Sorting Hat. He had told her all about Hogwarts when he was on vacation, so she already knew that the hat would try and talk to her, and she could probably find her way around the Gryffindor common room better than some of the seventh years. Her brother was only a third year, so they got along well since they were close in age.
Asha looked around at her fellow students, choosing to watch them rather than join in their conversations. Her brother had always said that she was the observant type, which Asha really liked. Here and there, the small girl caught snippets of conversation. She could see Lily Potter, who was the little sister of Albus Potter, one of Daniel's best friends. Standing next to Lily were her cousins, Roxanne and Hugo Weasley, and her friend, Kristen Longbottom. A little farther off were Lily's other cousins, Louis and Lucy Weasley. All of these kids had famous names, which Asha had always envied. She wanted to be more famous, but she supposed that she had a well-known enough name, because her parents were Dean Thomas and Parvati Patil.
Asha watched, perplexed, as some man, her dad had referred to him once as Professor Longbottom, and Daniel had said that he was the Head of Gryffindor House, walked into the Entrance Hall. He had a stool in one hand, and a tattered old hat that must have been the Sorting Hat in the other. Asha looked at him as he said, "Let's go on in, they're waiting for us," before he led them through the tall oak doors.
Asha was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Great Hall. The ceiling stood at least twenty feet in the air, and large pillars held it aloft. There were four long, oak tables packed with students aged 17 to 12. She caught sight of the giant scarlet and gold table, and with it her brother, who was laughing with Rose Weasley, Molly Weasley, Albus Potter, and Scorpius Malfoy. She tried to catch Daniel's eye, but he was too involved to pay attention to his kid sister. She knew that he would watch her be sorted, so this momentary indifference didn't really bother her. She noticed that he had a book clasped in his right hand, which was no surprise at all to her.
Finally, they began to line up in front of the whole hall. Professor Longbottom cleared his throat, and the talking ceased immediately. Asha finally caught Daniel's eye as Professor Longbottom was giving the instructions, and she caught his wink in her direction. She grinned back at Daniel, and began to think about house options for her.
Slytherin was not an option for Asha. It wasn't like all Slytherins were bad, but it was more like she wasn't cunning or ambitious, so Slytherin wouldn't fit at all. Ravenclaw wasn't that much of an option for her either; although she was smart she was not particularly built on brains. Hufflepuff was a good choice for her, because Asha always tried to do the right thing. She was incredibly loyal, so that would be good for her. Lastly, Gryffindor seemed to be the place for her. She was brave, courageous, and outright just. It was the best fit.
Not too long after that, Professor Longbottom was calling, "Thomas, Asha!" Asha quickly walked up to the hat without a second thought before placing the hat on top of her dark brown hair.
"Oh, Miss Thomas, how are you? It's been two years since I sorted your brother, and I remember how he was thinking about you as he was deciding which house he wanted to go to. He chose Gryffindor over Ravenclaw, largely because he knew that you would be more likely to go to Gryffindor than Ravenclaw," a voice said excitedly in her ear.
Er, Asha thought, I guess that's nice of him. Although he didn't have to, you know. Now, about my house…
"Ah, yes, you could go in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. You are intensely brave, and nice to everyone you meet. So where do you choose?" the hat asked, surprising Asha.
Well, I guess I'd like to go in Gryffindor so that I can be with Daniel. I also think that it's the best fit, don't you? Asha thought.
"Yes, I do agree with you. Now that I think about it, Hufflepuff is for someone who's more in the back of a fight, looking out for their friends, and I gather that you would most likely be in the front, fighting like the Gryffindor that you are," the hat agreed.
Asha nodded. Yeah, I think that sounds like me.
"Well it's settled then. Better be… GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted the last word to the whole hall. Asha took off the hat and proceeded down to the cheering Gryffindor table, noticing that Daniel's face was split into a wide grin. Asha sat down at the empty seat on one side of him, grinning all the while, and turned to watch the rest of the Sorting Ceremony.
A/N: Please review!