Chapter 4: The Welcome Feast
The Great Hall was fantastic. Ryan could only hope that there was this much wonderful food at every meal, but he knew better.
Yeah, Right. The Welcome Feast is an everyday meal.
He made his way to the long table decorated with blue and gray banners. As he sat down with the other older teenagers, he noticed an old woman enter the Hall with the hat he had just been sorted with.
--------------------
Wow, this could be tough, the Hat spoke into his thoughts, I see you've got the brains and determination that belong to a Ravenclaw, but I also find that you value courage and the feelings of others. Perhaps you'd fit better in Gryffindor? I've never had the pleasure of sorting a teenager, and it's proven difficult, as I said, but I believe I've finally come to a decision. You definitely belong to…
"RAVENCLAW!"
The shout echoed through the Headmaster's office. Ravenclaw? What was all this about belonging places? Ryan had always assumed that people just came to school to be taught, not to be sorted into different clubs or whatever this hat was talking about.
"It appears that you will be living in the Ravenclaw dormitory for the next couple of years, Mr. Sevad. Rowena Ravenclaw, who founded the house, valued Intelligence and Skill above all else. It is an honorable house to be sorted in, Ryan, and you should feel proud. Having gotten things 'sorted' out, I will now walk you down to the Feast."
--------------------
The woman placed the sorting hat on a small stool. Then, the hat burst into a song about the different houses and what it meant to be in each one. As soon as the song was over, kids ranging from ten to eleven years old sat in front of the Head Table and placed the old hat on their head. Not long after, they too were shouted in the right direction of where they belonged. Ryan was extremely gracious that Professor Dumbledore didn't force him to be sorted along with all the kids. Lost in thought, he let his eyes roam around the Hall. The ceiling was probably the most interesting. Ryan felt like he could stare into the nighttime sky forever, until –
"Hello! Yeah, welcome back to Earth!" She was standing behind him, practically shouting at this point. At the success of getting Ryan's attention, she sat down backwards and leaned back against the Ravenclaw table. "Hi. I'm Lena. I saw you walk in and didn't recognize you. What's your name?"
"I'm Ryan. Nice to meet you, Lena. Are you a sixth year too?"
"Nah, seventh…but don't worry about that. So where'd you come from?"
"The States. My parents shipped me over for potion abuse."
"Jeez, that's pretty rough. I still think you're cool though. I've got to get back to my table, but we should have a chat later, eh?"
"Yeah, I'd like that," said Ryan. She was short, with long black hair. Somehow, he was surprised to see her join the Slytherins, who made rude faces at any Gryffindor who dared steal a glance at their table. Ryan's eyes traveled to the person she was sitting by. Their eyes met, and he became lost in them.