The Sorting Chapter 4:

Liz gulped. Even knowing what was going to happen, she was still nervous, and a little scared. Professor Slughorn read the first name,

'Araya, Metkel!'

Being the first he was basically setting the standards for the rest of them. He was a stumbling little black-haired boy with calm brown eyes whom still seemed at home within these walls. He became the first,

'Slytherin!'

While,

'Assemani, Liliane!'

Refusing to meet anyone's eyes, bowing her head so only her brown hair was visible (her hands lost somewhere in her big sleeves) became after two long minutes the first,

'Hufflepuff!'

Then there were two more names (both Sorted in Slytherin) before,

'Beilschmidt, Gilbert!'

Gilbert walked up with a cocky confidence that Liz couldn't help but to admire. He got the hat on top of his head, and right away,

'Slytherin!'

Professor Slughorn took the hat back, almost stunned with how fast it had taken before Gilbert got Sorted.

'Bonnefoy, Francis!'

As Francis walked up, he shot smiles and winks to the tables he passed. Which made more than one girl giggle, and other girls (and boys!) blush. The hat had barely covered his golden locks when it shouted, proclaiming him as the first,

'Ravenclaw!'

With a flourish, Francis gave back the hat to an unprepared Professor Slughorn, but luckily the assistant(?) took it.

'Carriedo, Antonio Fernandez!'

Antonio, whom hadn't stopped smiling since he stepped into one of the boats, except for that brief period with the lake creature, walked bouncingly up to the platform. His ears weren't even covered when,

'Hufflepuff!'

Antonio was halfway to the Hufflepuff table, when he realized that he still had the Sorting Hat on. Still smiling, and laughing along with everyone else, and not in an awkward way either, it was as if the Sorting had given him courage, he ran back, and handed the hat back.

Not everyone took the Sorting in stride, though.

'Croasdell, Yvonne!'

For example, was shaking like a leaf from her coffee brown her to her toes, her big green eyes half-closed, until,

'Hufflepuff!'

Dawlish, Stephenie was also Sorted in Hufflepuff, and immediately wedged her way next to Antonio. Staring at him with worship in her eyes.

Dingle, Riley was the next one to be called upon, and she was Sorted in Ravenclaw, where she hardly dared to look at Francis, whom she was sitting across from; she just stared down at the table, blushing.

'Dorji, Kharma!'

Was the most wide-eyed of them all as he walked towards the Sorting Hat, his grey hair swaying uncertainly. He almost didn't hear,

'Hufflepuff!'

Gryffindor didn't get anyone before,

'Edelstein, Roderich!'

'Gryffindor!'

Someone in the crowd mumbled that "of course, Gryffindor is going to have a black-haired boy with glasses". The only thing that had been missing was green eyes; Roderich had violet ones.

Three more people, Kate Eriksen, Angela Franzen, and Lucinda Grant were Sorted, all in Ravenclaw, all crowding Francis.

Gregson, Rachel was placed in Slytherin. Looking extremely haughty as she sat down at the table, rather too close to Gilbert in Elizaveta's opinion (when she later thought of it).

As the girl before her walked off, all Elizaveta could think off, was how confident Gilbert, whom she hadn't taken her eyes off, had seemed when it had been his turn. She herself was shaking inside.

'Héderváry, Elizaveta!' It was her turn.

If Elizaveta had thought that seeing other people being Sorted would help her nervousness, she was dead wrong. Still shaking inside, but calm on the outside, she went up. Concentrating on walking like she was balancing on the ledge on the balcony of her family's summer house back home in Hungary, she slowly walked to the platform, where Professor Slughorn stood, smiling down at her. Taking step by step, she soon stood in front of the stool everyone to be Sorted sat on. Turning around, she realized, by reaching her hands behind her, that she needed to make at least one more step before she could sit. She did. She sat on the stool. The hat was lowered on to her head. Luckily, for her nerves, the Sorting didn't take long. Three seconds later, it shouted,

'Gryffindor!'

Gryffindor. Not the House that Gilbert had been Sorted in. Nor the House that Francis had been Sorted in. Nor the House that Antonio had been Sorted in.

No, she had been Sorted in the House that that other boy, Roderich Edelstein, had been Sorted in. As the polite applause that followed everyone whom got Sorted roared out, and she was reminded, repeatedly, to give the hat back and leave for her chosen House, she cast an apologetic glance over to where Gilbert sat at the Slytherin table.

The Sorting went almost in a blur for her now, though she did register on a subconscious level more people being Sorted,

'Jacinto, Jorge!' Whom it took three minutes before he was Sorted in,

'Gryffindor!'

'Jousse, Ian!' Biting his lip before,

'Slytherin!'

'Korkpov, Artus!' Relaxed and lounging, it took two minutes before,

'Ravenclaw!'

'Maurer, René!' Was the first to be the last to be Sorted into a House,

'Gryffindor!'

'Shafiq, Abdullah!' Smoothed down his hair after being Sorted in,

'Slytherin!'

'Stanley, Monde!' Tapped his legs before,

'Ravenclaw!'

'Sylvan, José Luis!' He became the last,

'Ravenclaw!'

'Werner, Anita!' Looking a little sickly, got Sorted as the last,

'Hufflepuff!'

And lastly,

'Zwingli, Basch!'

Being Sorted in,

'Slytherin!'

The Sorting had commenced, but before the Feast could start, the woman the new students thought was the Headmistress rose from her seat at the centre of the front table.

'I welcome all new students to Hogwarts, she said in a pompous voice that still managed to be dignified, and to the returning ones; hello again. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm your Deputy Headmistress Lucy Weasley, acting this year as your Headmistress, and as such you will refer to me as "Headmistress Weasley" or "Headmistress" for the duration of this year. I'm sure you're all famished, but before the Feast can start, I've got some information to you all, as I firmly believe you will be more attentive when you don't have delicious food to distract you. Firstly, no matter how tempting it may be to be tough and show off, you're not allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest, unless accompanied by a teacher or as part of a punishment. Secondly, no snowball fights indoors, yes, I know we're months away from snow, but still. Thirdly, Mrs. Brown has asked me to inform you that there is in fact sensors alerting her every time one of the students try to break in to her office where she keeps all the records of the lawbreakers, items she has confiscated and items she has found across the School grounds. Yes, I'm aware that the previous custodian, Mr. Filch, didn't have that kind of alarm, but seeing how he died two years ago, may he rest in peace (at this many of the older students looked dubious and even disgusted), it's about time you accept that there's a new change concerning the custodian's office's security. Fourthly, she would also like me to inform you that the new and extended list of items that are illegal have been posted on the wall outside her office door. Feel free to look it over. Fifthly, for the first four weeks, the Seventh Floor is off-limits to everyone not having a class on that floor, except for Thursday in a week's time, when no one, unless duly asked to, is permitted on that floor, other than to walk pass it on the way up to Eight Floor and beyond, or on the way down to Sixth Floor and beyond. Sixthly, leave members of the club of which you're not belonging to alone. And lastly, don't underestimate the teachers and staff; we're a lot tougher and smarter than we look.' She let it all sink in before continuing, 'That said, enjoy the Feast!'

Author's notes:

Oh, Elizaveta, you have no idea how nice you're going to think he is.

In the next chapter:

'So, we'll receive our schedule here tomorrow?', Elizaveta looked at the girl whom she still didn't know the name of, it had completely slipped her mind to ask.

'Yes, it's standard procedure. I would recommend that you just hurry towards wherever your first period class is going to be, and not study the whole schedule. It can take some time to get to class from here, depending on which class you're having. And most teachers are strict about appearance in class, even if it's your first day.'

[...]

'My name is Irina Vlad.'

[...]

As Elizaveta turned back to Irina, the metal on her wrists clang against the table.