George was really rather quiet. Sadie got the sense that he was an observer, someone more comfortable watching the proceedings and taking his time about things, but she had only known him for an afternoon. Still, his presence was reassuring. Sadie’s instincts told her that he was a good sort. Brennan’s contempt only further cemented her good opinion of George. It was good to have a friend already.

 Two friends, even! Seine was hilarious, and his suggestion to find secret passageways his old man had recommended was a [i]very[/i] tempting offer. As if Hogwarts wasn’t magical enough! Secret passageways were just too fantastic an opportunity to pass up.

Sadie passed the time bantering and people watching. Most of her fellows seemed excited to be here—a stout blonde girl looked rather queasy and the girl from the boat had found a small collection of rather grim looking companions. Most of them had strikingly similar features, but Sadie didn’t know what to make of that. Before she could pose the question, the grey haired witch from earlier swept back in.

“Alright dears, it’s time. Single file please!”

They shuffled into a long line, following the woman (who had soil on her cheek, Sadie realized belatedly) into the most beautiful hall Sadie had ever seen. Hundreds of candles bobbed in the air, golden lights all a glitter. Seine nudged her shoulder and pointed up at the ceiling, where the heavens glowed in all their splendor. She breathed a sigh of wonder at the sprawling of stars and finally understood for the first time why it was called the Milky Way. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, as if even the stars had magic here. The hall was lined with four long tables, a sea of black robes and four waving banners dangling from the ceiling that stretched into infinity. 

Sadie spied Brennan sitting with a beaming dark haired girl and another surly boy. He nodded at her, and despite being a total jerk, the acknowledgement made her grin and wave brightly. 

They paused near a table at the head of the room, but Sadie was too short to see what the stout witch was doing. She stood on tip toe, to no avail.

Suddenly, a large, ratty hat floated into the air. Its brim shifted as if opening into a mouth and it, bizarrely, began to sing;

[i] Oh you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap![/i]

Sadie gaped. The hall burst into applause. That was officially the weirdest thing she had ever seen. Seine didn’t look phased—she turned to George, whispering in an alarmed tone,

“Did that hat just [i]sing[/i]?”

“Bendix, Freyja!” the stout witch called. A tan girl popped out of line not far ahead of them, strolling towards the hat. Sadie leaned out of line to see her drop onto the stool and, gingerly, look up as the hat was placed on her head. After a long moment, its booming voice echoed throughout the hall,

“Hufflepuff!”

The table of gold and black began to applaud enthusiastically. The girl smiled lightly, hopping off and wandering over as if she had all the time in the world. 

“Coty, Ellis!”

Sadie craned her head as a red haired girl strode confidently towards the front. The hat barely touched her head before it bellowed “Slytherin!” to the hall. The girl smirked her way over and it occurred to Sadie to be nervous. What if the house didn’t sort her?! What if it said she wasn’t good enough and she had to go home and--!!

“Sadie,” Seine whispered, nudging her. “You’re up.”

“What?” No—she hadn’t heard—the line was shifting, looking for whomever had been called and she flushed, scurrying towards the front. Her heart had never beat so fast in all her life. She nearly knocked over the stool when she tried to sit on it and there was a rippling of snickers in the hall. Sadie did her best to sit straight and not freak out before the hat was dropped on her head and she couldn’t see anything.
 
[i]Well, well. Another Ethans, I see.[/i]

“What?” Sadie whispered. It took her an embarrassingly long moment to realise that the voice in her head was the hat. That was strange—and fascinating. Sadie longed to understand it.

[i]Not as angry as the other one, are you? Plenty clever… and oh yes… what a thirst to prove yourself. Hmmm… aha but you do like a good thrill though, don’t you? Yes, I think you’ll do quite well in—[/i]

“GRYFFINDOR!” The hat roared. Sadie jumped as the Great Hall blinked back into existence, the hat swept off her head. She stepped off the stool rather more gracefully than she’d sat on it and scurried towards the cheering table. “Fairclough, Kestrel,” was called behind her, but Sadie was hunting for a seat. The girl she’d seen with her brother waved her over and Sadie complied.

“Wow, you’re like, the prettiest girl ever,” Sadie blurted, then flushed as she realized she had said that out loud. 

“RAVENCLAW!” The hat shouted. The girl was laughing, her voice suddenly drowned out in a cheer across the hall. She squeezed Sadie’s shoulders affectionately.

“Merlin’s tits, Bren, she’s darling!” 

Brennan grumbled something, but the girl hugging her was ignoring him with enviable ease.

“I’m Xia He, welcome to Gryffindor. I’m the fifth year Prefect. That’s Amos,” she nodded to the fellow grumpy boy sat with her brother.

Faragher, Kenji became another Ravenclaw and Firmin, Mattieu another Gryffindor. Fulton, Marjorie a Slytherin; Godfrey, Graham and Greenwich, Tasia and Harrigan, Niall all to Gryffindor. Sadie tried very hard to focus as several more students were sorted, but it was so hard to focus with all the chatter and the excitement in the air.

Suddenly Seine was bounding over to her side, dreadlocks bouncing as he sat next to her and laughed about the hat’s argument to stick him in Ravenclaw. Sadie scanned the line for George, giving him a thumbs up and a flash of teeth with Seine, her heart beat finally beginning to slow.