[System Text]
"Speech"
Written Text
Chapter Three: Sorting Time
Professor McGonagall looked over us with her stern gaze before I caught a slight twinkle in her eye as she caught sight of certain students most likely thinking of their relatives either as former classmates or students. The I saw her lips twitch as she caught sight of our group or more specifically the slightly bouncing Hermione at my side. Then she began to speak. "Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is an important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours." She paused for a moment before letting her eyes roam over the crowd of gathered first years once more before she continued to speak as she focused on one student in particular. "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly."
Once McGonagall had turned away I gave Hermione a quick spank to her rump to get the girls attention. "You are drawing too much attention to yourself and need to calm down." I whispered to her before she could draw any more attention to us.
[Obedience with Hermione Granger has risen by ten and Affection has risen by five]
Hermione blushed as she clearly was starting to like the way I treated her, and I was going to use that to my advantage until her will crumbled into my arms to succeed in my quest of making her my slave. I would not let myself be used and tossed away like I was in my past life, here I would be the one to come out on top. I will need to balance my skill gain with gaining reputation gains so that I can unlock more feats along with achieving different things before I level up too much since I need to get the prerequisites for the feats before I gain too many more levels.
I heard the other first years discussing how they thought the sorting would go before the ghost came in through the wall talking about giving Peeves another chance. I ignored all of this in effort to focus on the girl beside me. Hermione was starting to get herself uncontrol as Professor McGonagall came back into the entry area that we were standing around in. She ordered us to form a line and follow her.
I poked Hermione in the side to keep her from spouting off the random facts about the ceiling being bewitched to reflect the sky outside. I ignored the song as I read the book and the various fanfictions from my last life. I heard Professor McGonagall start to speak once she stepped forward with a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted."
The first name she called out was Hannah Abbott. Hannah wore her blonde hair up in a pair of pigtails over her pink face. McGonagall wasted no time in putting the sorting hat on the girl's head which took no time to sort her into Hufflepuff. She was followed by Susan Bones who had her red hair in a long plait down her back. Bones went into Hufflepuff as well before the sorting was continued on with the first male to be sorted one Terry Boot. Terry Boot was a plain brown-haired boy that was sorted into Ravenclaw. He was followed by Mandy Brocklehurst also going into the house of the wise. Then came Lavender Brown whose hair matched her name and the first to be sorted into Gryffindor. Millicent Bulstrode a black-haired girl with a heavy, jutting jaw who had a large square build was the to be sorted into Slytherin. The next to be sorted was Michael Corner a long darked haired pale skinned boy who went into Ravenclaw. He was followed by another male with dark hair, a Stephen Cornfoot also going into Ravenclaw. Then came the first of the troll twins in the buzzed hair Vincent Crabbe who after a quick sitting went into Slytherin. It took me a moment before I recognized the next individual called forward as the dark haired girl with glasses did not come to mind right away but the name Tracey Davis was common in many of fanfictions that I had read before. She went into Slytherin as she had in the books and fanfictions of Harry Potter. Tracey was followed by another name of a witch that did not stand out in the books in the long blonde haired Fay Dunbar who was sorted into Gryffindor. She was followed by Kevin Entwhistle a dark haired boy that went into Hufflepuff. He was followed by the ever pompous Justin Finch-Fletchley also going into Hufflepuff. Then came the next boy the sandy haired Seamus Finnigan who was sorted into Gryffindor. The next one to be sorted was another blonde boy one Anthony Goldstein who went into Ravenclaw.
At this point I was starting to get fed up with my name being as far down in the list as it was because I was not able to affect all of the students sorted before me besides my actions on the train which would only affect Hermione. I saw the second of the troll twins Gregory Goyle go into Slytherin just before the bushy haired girl's name was called. Hermione's sorting took a few minutes before she was finally sorted into Ravenclaw. She was followed by the beautiful blonde haired Daphne Greengrass who was sorted into Slytherin. The next to be sorted was the mini afro headed Wayne Hopkins going into Hufflepuff. He was followed by a thin girl with light brown hair named Mary Jones who was sorted into Gryffindor. The next person to be sorted was clearly her sister a slightly chubby girl with light brown hair named Megan who became the newest badger.
Then came my name as Professor McGonagall call out "Kong, Yin" I quickly made my way up to the stool and had the hat placed on my head. 'Oh my, this is a very interesting. You literally have only been alive in the this world for a little over a month but you have such interesting memories. Yes, you are a mighty fine one so tell me where you will be sorted. Ah, I see you are going to be going to the house of the loyal because of your past life choices so it must be,' "Hufflepuff!" With that last word called out loud I rose from the stool and headed towards the yellow colored house.
After I seated myself beside Susan Bones I choose to ignore the rest of the sorting except for clapping along with the rest of my house. I was surprised when Parvati was sorted into Hufflepuff with me and waved her over to sit beside me with gave me a ping on the system.
[Respect with Parvati Patel has gone up by two]
After the Indian beauty sat down beside me I gave her a smile and bumped shoulders with her. Just as Parvati and I settled from our light flirting the hall broke out into whispering as Harry Potter was called forth to be sorted. I looked around during the hat stall that occurred as he sat on the stool arguing with the sorting hat. Most of the students were excited to see where The Boy-Who-Lived would go but more than a few of the Slytherin students looked like they did not care and would happily see the Potter heir leave the castle. I was less than impressed by the attitude of all the fools around the Great Hall. I clapped along with the rest of the house after Potter was sorted into Gryffindor before tuning out the rest of the sorting. One thing I did notice was that there were a few more students being sorted than I expected so that must mean I am in a mix of the books along with a few of the movie characters. This was a simple thing to work around although there were still less than fifty students in my year group. I ignored the few words that Dumbledore spoke before the feast appeared and happily set up a simple meal for myself avoiding most the meats trying to stick to a fairly healthy diet. I very much enjoyed the company that I had during the meal. I made sure to speak with Susan Bones who was on my right, Parvati on my left, along with another Asian girl named Leanne Laughlin who was sitting across from me. At the end of the meal I turned with the rest of the house to listen to the Headmaster as I heard a new triple ping from the system.
[Respect with Susan Bones has risen by five]
[Respect with Leanne Laughlin has risen by five]
[Respect with Parvati Patel has risen by five]
Dumbledor cleared his throat after the desserts had disappeared while he stood up. "Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few star of term notices to give you all. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils, and a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." At this Dumbledore's eyes went extra twinkly as he glanced at the Weasley twins before continuing with his announcements. "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch. Finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." I heard a few chuckles and some conversation before the Headmaster finished his speech. "And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"
I held in a groan as the bearded fool went about leading the school through the stupid song. After the Weasley twins finally finished their version which was similar to a funeral march before we were dismissed and sent to our common rooms and dorms. We first year Hufflepuffs followed the fifth-year prefect male who introduced himself as Gabriel Truman.
Gabriel explained that the Hufflepuff common room is entered from the same corridor as the Hogwarts kitchens. Proceeding past the large still life that forms the entrance to the latter, a pile of large barrels is to be found stacked in a shadowy stone recess on the right-hand side of the corridor. The barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, will open if tapped in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff'. As a security device to repel non-Hufflepuffs, tapping on the wrong barrel, or tapping the incorrect number of times, results in one of the other lids bursting off and drenching the interloper in vinegar.
The group of us made our way up a sloping, earthy passage inside the barrel a little way until a cozy, round, low-ceilinged room is revealed, reminiscent of a badger's sett. The room is decorated in the cheerful, bee-like colors of yellow and black, emphasized by the use of highly polished, honey-colored wood for the tables and the round doors which probably lead to the dormitories.
A colorful profusion of plants and flowers seem to relish the atmosphere of the common room, various cacti stand on wooden circular shelves that are curved to fit the walls, many of them were waving and dancing at anyone who got close to them, while copper-bottomed plant holders dangling amid the ceiling cause tendrils of ferns and ivies to brush our hair as we passed under them.
A portrait over a wooden mantelpiece carved all over with decorative dancing badgers shows Helga Hufflepuff, the founder of our house, toasting towards us with a tiny, two-handled golden cup. Small, round windows just level with the ground at the foot of the castle show a pleasant view of rippling grass. These low windows notwithstanding, the room feels perennially sunny even with it being dark out now.
Once we were all inside the common room Gabriel cleared his throat before he began speaking. "Here in Hufflepuff we separate you a little differently than in the other houses. While the two up in their towers are separated by gender down here on the lower levels we do not have those enchantments. I do not know how Slytherin deals with this problem as they keep it just as secret as we do here. In Hufflepuff down each of the hallways behind me are apartments with four bedrooms each with their own common area and bathroom. As you make your way down the hallway you will see that there are four stones on each of the doors that light up for claimed rooms. You may select your own room from any that are currently unclaimed, it will be yours as long as you remain for your time here as a Hufflepuff student. Now with all that cleared up we will be having a house meeting at seven in the morning before going to breakfast and starting classes for the year so go pick a room. To claim your room tap the back of the door with your wand."
Once the prefect was done with his speech I made my way down the hallway on the left until I came to an apartment with only one of the stones lit up. I quickly entered into the living room of the apartment it was as cozy as the common room with a pair of couches around a low table with a pair of study desks against the wall under some more round windows. I saw that the bathroom was to the left with one of the bedrooms while the right side had the other three which were open. I chose the room in the back as it was likely to have a window in it.
As it turned out there was a window in the room I had chosen, and the room was furnished with comfortable wooden beds that was covered in a patchwork quilt. I tapped the door with my wand to claim the room as my own and heard a pop behind me. Spinning around I saw my trunk had appeared at the foot of the bed. I let out a sigh figuring that a house elf must have delivered my stuff once I claimed my room. I started to put my clothes away in the wardrobe while waiting for people to come and see me.
Author's Endnote: I took inspiration from Strings of Fate by Knife Hand for the layout of the Hufflepuff dorms.