01 [September 4, 2016: Sunday, Week 1. It's evening, about dinner time. After a long train ride filled with magical chocolate frogs, Eliana, Luke, and the rest of the students finally reach Hogwarts. The first years were taken to the Black Lake and small boats that magically steer themselves, to make the trip to the castle for the first time. They also met Hagrid, an enormous man who apparently teaches Care of Magical Creatures, though he was very preoccupied with a few noisier boys (a James Potter and a couple of Weasleys, among them) who seemed to already know him.] 01 [Hogwarts made an impressive sight, and the night was clear and pleasant, which probably helped keep spirits reasonably high. Once there, they were led to the Great Hall by Neville Longbottom, the Head of Gryffindor House who seemed nice enough. He explained that they would be called up one by one, to have the hat put on their head, and it would determine where they should go. And not to worry, because the hat is never wrong.] 01 [And so now... now, they're in the Great Hall, with floating candles and TONS of students, sitting at four long tables that probably correspond to houses (given their robe trim and ties), and a large table with professors watching them, all waiting to watch the first year s/reaping/sorting. The hat just sang its song, and Professor Longbottom's already called up the first couple of students, sorted to the loud cheers of their respective houses, when he says loudly, "Eliana Casale!" No pressure.] 01 [Session Start!] 06* Eliana starts, even though she knew it was coming - her name is early in the alphabet, after all. She swallows dryly and looks at Luke, who's probably next to her. 06* Luke gives Eliana an encouraging smile and the tiniest of nods. 06* Eliana nods back, biting her lip a touch, before turning away. Despite her nervousness (because she *is* nervous), she walks steadily to the sorting hat. She climbs onto the stool, and Professor Longbottom drops the hat on her head; it slides over her eyes and she fights the urge to push it up, instead clamping her fingers around the edge of the stool. 06* SortingHat drops Eliana into soft, warm darkness. "Hm, let's see...interesting..." You crave knowledge and take pleasure in it for its own sake, and you dislike living by other people's rules... 06* Eliana 's eyes are shut tight behind the hat's rim, but if they weren't, she would be blinking. ~You're talking to me? Nobody said the hat would talk to me. Can other people hear you talk to me?~ Oh, no, of course not. All of my conversations are private, and will remain that way, unless you choose to share it. 06* Eliana is vastly relieved. ~That's good to know.~ 06* SortingHat somehow gives the impression of smiling, even though Eliana can see absolutely nothing inside it. ~Hm-mm-m, I was saying...an inquiring mind, but you also desire power, and you're not squeamish about admitting it.~ 06* Eliana sounds vaguely offended. ~It's annoying when people *are*. Everyone wants to accomplish something, or they'd might as well not be alive.~ Ah, but some people genuinely do not desire power. *mental shrug* And for those who do, but do not wish to admit it, either to themselves or others - that is an important characteristic for me to take into account as well, you know. 01 ~I don't actually know. How do you sort, anyway? Just based on what we want, or what we're like, right now? What if people change?~ 01 ~Professor Longbottom said that you're never wrong. Is that true?~ I sort based on who you are. That doesn't change as much as you might think. And you are full of questions, aren't you? Hm, perhaps Ravenclaw... 01 ~It doesn't matter to me very much. I'm pretty sure that no matter where I go, everyone's going to think I'm different.~ 01 ~I'd ask you to put me into Luke's house, but he hasn't even been sorted yet. Could you put him in my house?~ Hmph. And what if he doesn't belong where you belong? 06* Eliana thinks about that, running through scenarios with Luke and... ~Sorry,~ she thinks, ashamed. It's all right. I hear that more than you might think. But...while people will think you're different at first no matter where you go, you *will* be accepted. Slytherin accepts its own, because they know all who enter their house have the seeds of greatness in them. And Ravenclaw welcomes inquiring intelligent minds no matter where they spring from. The question is simply where to put you...your uncle is right, you know. You do think like a Slytherin. But your *desires* are so very Ravenclaw...what to do, what to do... 06* Eliana nods physically. And mentally. ~They both sound like really good houses,~ she thinks, though she's dubious that anyone would *actually* accept her. She listens to the hat hem and haw for a bit before asking, ~Do you need to know anything? If it'll help?~ Never mind that it can see everything in her head. Well. Where do you *want* to go? You would fit well in both, it's true...but if you think you would be happier in one or the other... 06* Eliana mental-blinks and then thinks in rapid succession: ~I don't know! I don't know anyone,~ and ~I don't want to let my uncle down, but I don't know if *any* house would really let him down, he's so happy I have magic anyway,~ and ~Luke had BETTER stay friends with me if I end up in Slytherin - expected if he doesn't because he doesn't like Slytherin but I will make his life SO MISERABLE,~ and ~Are resources different depending on houses?~ 06* SortingHat follows all this without any apparent difficulty. This conversation is happening at the speed of thought, after all. ~The resources provided to each house by the school of Hogwarts are the same. However, because of the nature of each house, you will have slightly different resources in each in terms of your housemates and head of house.~ Its mental tone is thoughtful, though it doesn't comment on any of the rest of her thoughts. 01 ~Oh, that's good!~ 06* SortingHat inquires carefully, ~So, it's all the same to you?~ 01 ~I'm sure it wouldn't be if I knew everything about the houses, but since I don't and obviously *can't*... it's as same to me as it possibly could be. I'd ask you where you think I would do best, but you don't really know, do you?~ Well, it rather depends on what you want to do best *at*. Each house would strengthen you in slightly different ways. 01 ~Oh? I take it the only ones in the running are Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Gryffindor sounds especially stupid.~ 06* SortingHat snorts mentally. ~You do not belong in Gryffindor. You have some courage, it's true, but your application of it is not right for that house.~ 06* Eliana thinks, pleased, ~Good.~ 06* SortingHat forbears further comment. ~All together, I think it'll be...~ And Eliana can hear its voice ringing through the whole hall as it shouts, "SLYTHERIN!" 01 [The Slytherin table erupts into loud cheers as the hat is pulled off of Eliana's head, and the rest of the hall remains silent.] 06* Luke claps for Eliana, and gives her a small smile and wave if she meets his eye on the way to her new table. [Matthew watches Eliana as she heads to the Slytherin table, then glances back at Luke in time to see the wave. He frowns.] 06* Eliana slides off of the stool and glances around, her eyes meeting Luke's unapologetically. She blinks in surprise at his smile and offers a tiny one back before walking to her new table, where she's greeted enthusiastically by the other snakes. 01 [Sorting continues! Students end up in Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and a couple even end up in Slytherin. Romulus Lupin gets an enthusiastic "GRYFFINDOR!" and basically no one is surprised. Eventually, Professor Longbottom calls, "Luke MacRae!"] 06* Luke looks rather nervous himself, and either he's not trying to hide it or he's just terrible at it. Maybe both. But after a deep breath he walks quickly up to hop onto the stool and put the hat on in turn. He also curls his fingers around the seat of the stool to keep his hands occupied. 01 [Professor Longbottom drops the hat on Luke's head, and he's soon in darkness as it slides right down over his nose.] 01 Aaaah, Luke MacRae. Let's see what we have here... interesting... well, you're not Slytherin, certainly. Some decent Ravenclaw material, though. You're clever with no small love of learning. 06* Luke eeps mentally. Having someone going through your head is kind of eep-inducing. ~Ummm...yes...?~ 06* SortingHat chuckles a warm chuckle; it's quite nice, even if he's rifling around Luke's head. "They're good qualities; you don't need to be ashamed of them. Ah, let's see. You're kind, hardworking, tolerant - some excellent Hufflepuff potential, too. And a pinch of Gryffindor chivalry. Where to put you, then." ~Umm...I was hoping I'd be with Eliana...but I can't go to Slytherin...~ 01 Oh, no. No no no. Not enough ambition and nary a desire for power. And you don't want to go there, besides. Um. No. So, um - where should I go? 01 You have an inquisitive mind. But it does not seem to drive you as much as a desire to help others and make them feel included. Your dedication to your friend despite your misgivings concerning her house makes me think... 06* SortingHat opens his mouth and roars, "HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hufflepuff table goes wild, and there's a smattering of applause from others, including Eliana all the way at the Slytherin table. 06* Luke gasps a breath of relief, which is fortunately just before the Sorting Hat is pulled from his head again. He hops up and turns to run over to the Hufflepuff table - but he turns back for just a moment to smile again at Eliana. It's a little wistful this time, though. 06* Luke drops down beside his brother Matthew at the Hufflepuff table. At least when he's sitting no one can see how his knees are shaking in reaction. [Matthew grins at Luke. "Congratulations!" He reaches out a hand automatically to ruffle his little brother's hair, but he reconsiders halfway through the motion and claps him on the shoulder instead.] 01 ["That was fast," says one of the Slytherins. Another responds, "Sorting's going pretty quick this year, except for a couple." He nods to Eliana. "You, for instance. You were up there forever."] 06* Eliana somehow both flushes and glares at the older student. But it's not very scary. She's only eleven. 01 [From all the way across the room can be heard a "WOO! GO LUKE!" Yup. That's Mark, standing on his bench and waving his arms. Two of his classmates grab him by his robes and yank him down, laughing.] [Vesper leans over. "But she came to the right house in the end, of course." He gives Eliana a brilliant smile. "Welcome to the house of the great."] 06* Eliana 's glare completely disappears and she smiles tentatively at Vesper. "Thanks." She notices a badge on his uniform and is about to ask about it when Professor Longbottom calls the next name, and the hall expectedly falls silent. 01 [Things continue apace, eventually reaching James Potter, and everything drops into an even quieter hush than normal. The boy strides confidently up to the stool, and the hat barely touches his head when it shouts, "GRYFFINDOR!" He smiles triumphantly as the Gryffindor table goes batshit, but a lot of other houses cheer - Slytherin is the only table near silent, the only noise being comments to each other.] 01 ["Of course," the boy next to Eliana comments, rolling his eyes. "If the hat put Potter somewhere else he'd have to eat himself."] 06* Eliana turns to the boy. "What's so special about him?" At which a girl with short blond hair leans over from two seats down. "You don't *know*? Oh." She glances Eliana over. "Muggle-born, aren't you? Well. James Potter is the son of *the* Harry Potter, who saved all of the wizarding world his seventh year. We'll probably hear about it nonstop now that he's in this school." [Vesper shrugs. "It had to happen eventually. If we're lucky he won't be too much of a brat about it himself at least." He grins wickedly. "And if we aren't, at least I only have to deal with it for one year. Good luck to the rest of you," he jokes.] 01 [The boy groans and the girl makes a face, while Eliana just frowns, replaying the boy's short sorting in her head.] 01 [Back to sorting! There a few more Ravenclaws, Slytherins, and Hufflepuffs - and two Weasleys, among others, ending up in the Gryffindor pool of students. Nobody takes as long as Eliana did. Once it's all done, Headmistress McGonagall stands, welcoming the new students to Hogwarts with a short speech, and with a wave of her wand their robes change, trim matching their house's blue, green, red, or yellow, and an enormous feast appears at the tables. Let the beginning of school feast begin!] 06* Luke suddenly realizes how hungry he is now that he's not occupied with being nervous, and seeing that the other students are doing so, he starts serving himself some of whatever looks good with alacrity. 06* Eliana ventures to ask, as she puts various foodstuffs on her plate - one of each she can easily reach; she's curious! - "Is sorting usually family-based?" [Vesper answers again. He's helping the new kid! Even if she is muggle-born. "Sometimes, sometimes not. The Weasleys are *always* in Gryffindor, and all of my family have been in Slytherin. But some families go to different houses, too."] 01 [A lot of stuff looks good, so Luke has a few choices! One of the girls across the table, just a bit older than him, notices and says, "Make sure you get some pumpkin juice. It's really good."] 06* Luke smiles a little tentatively at her. "Oh, thanks." He looks around a bit before spotting it. "Um, this one?" 06* Eliana nods, more comfortable as Vesper's answering. He's old, but he *did* help her out, so... "That must be awkward, then. The idea of ending up in another house when everyone in your family thinks you shouldn't. I bet it's a reason the hat keeps sorting certain families into the same house." [Vesper eyes Eliana with interest. "What makes you say that?"] 01 ["Yeah, that's the one! Here." She gets up - she has brown hair and blue eyes - and passes it over to Luke, as it's closer to her than it is to him. "I'm Veronica Bell."] 06* Luke blushes. Why does he always do that? "Luke MacRae," he says as he takes it. "Thank you." 06* Eliana blinks at the older student. "Well, there seems to be a lot of reasons the sorting hat might put someone into a certain house. Personality and drive are obvious ones - like all of the stuff it sings in the song - but just whether or not someone would *want* to end up in a house has to matter, too." 01 I mean, you're supposed to belong. You're not going to belong somewhere you don't want to be. And what your family expects probably matters when it comes to feeling like you belong. 01 [Veronica grins. "You're welcome." She decides not to comment on the blush. "Are you excited, finally getting into Hogwarts?"] [Vesper nods. "That's true." He smiles with just a touch of self-deprecation. "It certainly didn't ask me - it was on my head for no time at all. I'm Vesper Kartal, by the way." He extends his hand to Eliana to shake.] 06* Luke grins back at her, encouraged. "Yeah! But I was really nervous waiting to be sorted and then walking up in front of everybody." 06* Eliana blinks. "Really?" She shakes his hand. "I'm Eliana Casale. Um..." She lets go of his hand and points out the badge. "What's that mean? That badge, if you don't mind?" 01 [She nods. "It's scary. I was shaking SO HARD when I went up there, but everyone swore they couldn't see it. But it didn't end up so bad, even though Dad *really* wanted me to get into Gryffindor."] [Vesper smiles. "Good to meet you, Eliana Casale." He glances down at the badge on his chest. "Oh, that. I'm Head Boy. Means I get to boss other students around." He winks at her.] Oh yeah? 06* Luke grins. "My brother Mark wanted me to go into Gryffindor, but I don't think he really thought I'd go there." 01 [Veronica laughs. "Yeah, my dad was in Gryffindor. But... I really didn't belong there, and so I'm here." She shrugs. "Your brother probably thinks the same. Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors get along really well anyway."] 06* Luke nods. "That's what he says." 06* Eliana grins at Vesper. "That has to be fun, sometimes." [Vesper grins back. "It has its moments. Of course, I have responsibilities, too." He seems pretty serious about that part.] 06* Eliana asks, curiously, "Like what?" And then with a little more bristle, "Is it only for boys?" 01 [Veronica nods, considering. "You're Matthew's little brother, right?"] [Vesper grins at the cute eleven-year-old bristle. "Oh, no. There's a Head Girl, too." The grin fades into an irritated expression. "This year's Head Girl is in Gryffindor."] 06* Luke ducks his head and nods. "Um, yeah." He smiles a little more. "I think he's glad I'm in his house." 01 Really? 06* Eliana looks across the room, but the Gryffindor table is way on the other side, and there's no way she can pick their students out in the mess. [Vesper nods, still with that half-preoccupied look of irritation. He's gazing in the direction of the Gryffindor table himself. "Unfortunately, yes. We don't always get along."] 01 ["He should be! This is a great house." Veronica smiles. "I know Matthew's probably got you covered, but let me know if you need any help, okay?"] 06* Luke smiles brightly at her. "Okay. Thanks!" 06* Eliana turns back to Vesper, as trying to look across the room is getting her nowhere. "What's with them, anyway? Bravery sounds like a strange criteria for a house. I mean, it's all a little strange, but why bravery?" [Vesper's shrug as he turns back to Eliana is studiedly casual. "Don't ask me. Apparently Godric Gryffindor thought it was important."] 01 [Another student slides in next to Veronica and starts up a conversation with her. Something about transfiguration this year, and what they did over break.] 06* Eliana frowns, trying to figure it out. "Well, it *is* important, but bravery by itself is kind of destructive. Isn't it? Though the hat did mention chivarly, but-" She makes a face. [Vesper smiles at Eliana, pleased. "There are so many more *useful* virtues."] 06* Eliana nods. She looks out across the room to the Hufflepuffs to see Luke, but the Ravenclaw table is still in the way so she only gets a little glimpse. 01 [In the meantime, a pretty Slytherin girl walks up. "Vesper!" she says, delighted. "I've missed you over break!"] [Vesper twists to look up at her. He doesn't move any closer, though his voice sounds warm. "Evangeline. It's good to see you again."] 01 [She smiles, also warmly, and moves to sit next to Vesper. "Who's your new friend?" she asks, gesturing to Eliana without looking at her.] [Vesper shifts over to make room for her, incidentally putting a little more space between them. "Evangeline Coruscant, meet Eliana Casale. Eliana, this is Evangeline Coruscant."] 01 [Evangeline looks Eliana over briefly and says, "Charmed," then turns to Vesper before Eliana can even respond. "So! I *have* to tell you about what happened over the summer."] 06* Eliana opens her mouth, but when Evangeline turns away, she frowns a touch and goes about eating her food. 01 [And so, food was had and it was delicious! Can the beginning of the year feast be anything but?] 01 [Session End!]