Child after child was called up to the stool, and yelled into a House by the Sorting Hat's booming voice, and all Jamie could think about was about what would happen when she was the last standing. She was tired of continually crouching in order to not stick out, and in the end, she fell to her knees and sat cross-legged.
Damn those small eleven-years old.
And then there were three children left, then two, then one, then Jamie was alone, sitting on the floor looking like she didn't have a care in the world.
Minerva McGonagall blinked, the parchment covered in names hanging loosely from her hands. Never once before had she missed a child's name.
"Who are you?" said Albus Dumbledore, standing up. Jamie looked at the old man, with the long beard and the twinkling eyes.
"Jamie," she called out. "Jamie… Smith."
McGonagall quickly scanned her parchment. There was no Smith, Jamie. With a sharp shake of the head, Minerva indicated to the Headmaster that this girl was not enrolled in Hogwarts. But Minerva hadn't counted with the sharp mind of one Remus Lupin… the latter stood up from his seat at the teachers' table, his hands shaking slightly.
"Miss Smith," he spoke, "would you please tell us your age?"
Jamie grinned. "I just turned fourteen… three days ago."
Minerva gasped. So this was Jamie..! The one girl the Hogwarts staff hadn't managed to contact for she moved all the time, never staying in the same spot more than a few days. And if she had just turned fourteen, she would be in third year nonetheless.
"Well," sighed Albus under Minerva's gentle gaze, "On with the Sorting."
Jamie got up gingerly, her legs wobbling slightly, and all but sauntered up to the stool. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, and after only a few seconds, the brim opened and boomed "GRYFFINDOR!"
And just like that, Jamie was enrolled into Hogwarts without robes, without a wand, but with well-meaning teachers.