Chappie Seven
A/N Sorry about the cliffie in the last chapter! I won't do it again--okay, I make no promises LOL
Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on Araminta's head. She could feel the eyes of everyone at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry staring at her. What was taking so long?
A voice filled her head, and Araminta had the feeling that she was the only one who could hear it. "Ooh. It's sparkly in here."
"What? Where?" thought Araminta.
"In your head. It shines. You have so much magic..." The hat was silent for a time. "You had to go and make things difficult, didn't you? Where to put you?"
"Not Hufflepuff. Anything but Hufflepuff," thought Araminta as loudly as she could.
The Hat laughed. "Of course not Hufflepuff. You're not a hard worker. You don't have to work hard; everything comes naturally to you. Ravenclaw...that wouldn't be a good fit either. Ravenclaws love learning things for the sake of learning, and you just learn things as you go along naturally. You'd be bored with all of their studying.
"So, the problem is this: Do I put you in Gryffindor, or in Slytherin? Your heart is pure and brave, but you wish to rise to the top. Gryffindor... Slytherin... Gryffindor... Slytherin..."
Finally, the Hat made its choice. "Slythindor!"
A confused murmuring broke out around the Great Hall. "Slythindor? What kind of House is that?"
Albus Dumbledore rose from his seat and clapped his hands for silence. "Never before in the history of Hogwarts has the hat been wrong. I myself do not know what a Slythindor is, but it seems the hat could not choose between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Am I right, Araminta?"
Araminta nodded, tears in her eyes. If the hat couldn't decide, maybe she would be sent home. Maybe she wouldn't get to attend Hogwarts after all.
"In that case, the only thing to do is to give you a room of your own and have you spend half your time with the Gryffindors and half of your time with the Slytherins. We'll have your 'House' colors be green and gold to compromise, unless you'd rather red and silver?"
Araminta shook her head. Green and gold would go well with her complexion, and at least it wasn't to be red and green! She liked Christmas, but not that much.
"Tonight, you may choose where you would like to sit for the feast. I think your friends are waiting for you." Dumbledore gave Araminta a benevolent smile as she ran to sit with Blake and Selene. The whole hall burst out in cheers.
It was amazing. Everyone should have hated her--the hat had practically said she didn't fit in. Instead, Hogwarts welcomed her with open arms. If she had to be away from home, away from her dads, at least she got to be somewhere pleasant.