A/N: All characters, places, names et al belong to J. K. Rowling and not me. Except for Jade, who does belong to me, technically.
"This is a transfer student from America. Her name is Jade Kathryn Sterling."
Jade looked around the great hall coolly, her piercing grey eyes flicking from face to face. She was wearing a tight black tank top, black hipsters, huge black boots, and a multitude of Hot Topic bracelets on each of her wrists. She was also wearing a rather disappointed expression on her face. No one was looking at her. And the ones that were had the glazed look of the terminally bored pasted onto their faces.
A 7th year Gryffindor tugged on the leg of her pants.
"Oi. What are you wearing?" the girl hissed, lip curling.
"Oh. Uh, I didn't have time to get changed into robes..." Jade replied in a whisper, flushing pink with embarrassment.
"Please, how long does it take to throw on a robe?" the girl rolled her eyes and speared a chicken leg with her fork. "By the way," she took a mouthful "I think they want you up there about now."
Jade, by now bright red, glanced at the front of the hall as the other 7th years at the table snickered. The Sorting Hat was sitting on a chair at the front, and an assortment of teachers were gathered around it, watching her impatiently.
"When you're ready, Miss Sterling." Professor McGonagall said dryly, raising an eyebrow.
Jade almost tripped twice over her heavy boots as she stumbled to the front of the hall. Vestiges of pink still remaining in her cheeks, she flopped down onto the stool, and forced a smile as Dumbledore lowered the Sorting Hat onto her head.
Interesting. The sensation of having the hat speak to her was slightly disconcerting, but she put up with it. You want to stand out but you're painfully afraid of being too strange and becoming an outcast.
"What?" she said, out loud. "I am not!"
The Hat gave an impression of laughter. You can't fool me, I can read your thoughts. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with you, it's quite common among children of your age.
"I am not a child!" She frowned, ignoring the beginnings of snickering from the assembled students. The teaching staff looked at each other in the manner of guests at a dinner party when the host's dog had just started licking itself in an inappropriate area.
The sheer loyalty that you feel to other people who are similar to you is overwhelming. Not to mention, of course, brands and bands .. Hot Topic, Sum 41, Good Charlotte .. odd names, but the force of your loyalty is astounding. With that in mind, I think I'll have to put you into...
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Jade shrieked.
"No! I don't want to be in Hufflepuff! That's where the boring people get sorted! I'm not boring!"
She ignored the angry glares of the Hufflepuff table, and took no notice when a pretty Asian girl at the Ravenclaw table began to sob quietly.
"Change it! Change it now!" she snapped.
"Yes, change it." a 7th form Hufflepuff rolled his eyes. "We don't want her in our house. And we are not boring, you're a stupid git."
"Hey, we don't want her in our house! Look what she did to Cho!" said one of the older Ravenclaws.
"Don't even think she's getting into Slytherin." The boy that had spoken didn't even deign to look in the girl's direction.
The Gryffindor that had tugged on Jade's pants earlier curled her lip in distaste. "No. Just no."
Jade burst into tears and ran sobbing from the hall, Professor McGonagall walking briskly after her.
Harry Potter turned to Ron. "Good grief," he said. "What a horrible person."
The End.