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Miranda is looking at wands. She wants two, but she isn't going to spring that on Ollivander until she's found a first one. This fir is not right. Neither is this birch, that stubby little rosewood, or this ebony. Hmm.
Aha!
This pine wand (phoenix feather core) likes her just fine. Sparks! Miranda pays seven Galleons for it and sticks it in her hair.
"Excuse me," she says, when Ollivander turns away.
"Mm?"
"May I have a look at some more wands?"
"Something wrong with the one you've got, Miss Swan?"
"No, sir, but please, I want a second one, in case this one gets lost or damaged."
"Planning on that, are you?"
"No one plans to lose things, I just -"
"Planning to mistreat the wand? Leave it lying around? Forget about it someplace, carelessly handle it -?"
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chanuphis
chanuphis
"I need you to call me by my middle name," says Miranda. "I don't go by my first." And you can't pronounce it.
"...Well enough, I suppose. I'll make a note of it. Miranda."
"If you would return to your group? We should be starting shortly."
bitterchill
McGonagall shuffles them into the appropriately-named Great Hall, where they stand herdishly.
Karen is sorted uneventfully into Ravenclaw. Next of the significant characters is Ari, who skips up to the Hat.
The Hat regards him curiously. Bit old for this, aren't you?
"Probably. I want to be put in the same place as Sally."
Who's Sally? Have I Sorted her already?
"Coming up after me. She's my best friend and I protect her. And if you try to put us in different places I'll just sneak into her House and stay with her anyway, so you might as well not bother."
She's like this too, I take it?
"Yeah. Less aggressive about it, though."
This won't be a problem, then. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Ari bounces off towards the badgerly table, to a certain amount of confused applause. Comments may be heard to the effect of "is he a half-giant or something?" He does not care.
Karen is sorted uneventfully into Ravenclaw. Next of the significant characters is Ari, who skips up to the Hat.
The Hat regards him curiously. Bit old for this, aren't you?
"Probably. I want to be put in the same place as Sally."
Who's Sally? Have I Sorted her already?
"Coming up after me. She's my best friend and I protect her. And if you try to put us in different places I'll just sneak into her House and stay with her anyway, so you might as well not bother."
She's like this too, I take it?
"Yeah. Less aggressive about it, though."
This won't be a problem, then. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Ari bounces off towards the badgerly table, to a certain amount of confused applause. Comments may be heard to the effect of "is he a half-giant or something?" He does not care.
to-cast-a-shadow
Sally is sorted almost instantly into Hufflepuff.
Xan's interaction with the hat is similarly brief, resting for a few moments on his head before depositing him unceremoniously in Gryffindor.
Leo has a bit more to be said. You're an interesting one. Smart... loyal... strong urges to go into both Gryffindor and Slytherin, both for others' sakes. I could put you just about anywhere. But, really, everything aside you'd be happier in "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Leo slinks off to the Hufflepuff table, muttering about how he might have liked a say in that.
Miranda's name is called.
Xan's interaction with the hat is similarly brief, resting for a few moments on his head before depositing him unceremoniously in Gryffindor.
Leo has a bit more to be said. You're an interesting one. Smart... loyal... strong urges to go into both Gryffindor and Slytherin, both for others' sakes. I could put you just about anywhere. But, really, everything aside you'd be happier in "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Leo slinks off to the Hufflepuff table, muttering about how he might have liked a say in that.
Miranda's name is called.
chanuphis
Miranda approaches the hat with careful, careful steps.
She sits. She puts the hat on her head.
Don't don't don't I know what you're going to say DON'T.
Why? asks the hat. You could not be more perfect. You could have emerged whole from the forehead of Salazar. And you know it; many children who think they know what I'll say are wrong.
If you put me there, I will go there for only as long as it takes to write my mum and beg her to send me to the Owly. They haven't started yet. They admitted me. I can get her to let me. You cannot succeed at putting me in Slytherin, you can only make a point of trying and help the school empty out that much more.
But your limitless ambition, your incisive cunning -
But their public relations problem the size of the bloody moon! But their historical genuine tendency to attract people who'd like me dead! (Miranda is making some weird faces under this hat.) I don't care if I could overcome it or not, I don't want to! Put me in Ravenclaw. You're all the way down to S and there's barely anyone there either. Put me in Ravenclaw and I'll make it work and no one will ever have cause to doubt you and Hogwarts gets me. Put me in Slytherin and I'll pitch a fit and go to Australia and nobody wins except the Owly.
The hat is silent, frowning on her head.
You could only actually make me go to Slytherin if I were less Slytherin and were willing to help your, irrelevant, counterproductive, goals at the expense of mine. Put me in Ravenclaw. I'll accept the other two if you know something I don't, but I don't think you do.
The hat considers. This is taking a while.
Miranda sits, tense, teeth clenched.
"RAVENCLAW," hollers the hat.
Miranda goes and sits next to Karen, smiling.
She sits. She puts the hat on her head.
Don't don't don't I know what you're going to say DON'T.
Why? asks the hat. You could not be more perfect. You could have emerged whole from the forehead of Salazar. And you know it; many children who think they know what I'll say are wrong.
If you put me there, I will go there for only as long as it takes to write my mum and beg her to send me to the Owly. They haven't started yet. They admitted me. I can get her to let me. You cannot succeed at putting me in Slytherin, you can only make a point of trying and help the school empty out that much more.
But your limitless ambition, your incisive cunning -
But their public relations problem the size of the bloody moon! But their historical genuine tendency to attract people who'd like me dead! (Miranda is making some weird faces under this hat.) I don't care if I could overcome it or not, I don't want to! Put me in Ravenclaw. You're all the way down to S and there's barely anyone there either. Put me in Ravenclaw and I'll make it work and no one will ever have cause to doubt you and Hogwarts gets me. Put me in Slytherin and I'll pitch a fit and go to Australia and nobody wins except the Owly.
The hat is silent, frowning on her head.
You could only actually make me go to Slytherin if I were less Slytherin and were willing to help your, irrelevant, counterproductive, goals at the expense of mine. Put me in Ravenclaw. I'll accept the other two if you know something I don't, but I don't think you do.
The hat considers. This is taking a while.
Miranda sits, tense, teeth clenched.
"RAVENCLAW," hollers the hat.
Miranda goes and sits next to Karen, smiling.
bitterchill
As the final name is called (something Xavier), Ari lets out a "Huzzah!" (This does not alleviate the general confusion surrounding Ari's existence.)
Professor McGonagall, along with some others, looks at him oddly. She then launches into a grand speech about persistence and endurance and the value of wisdom and courage. She requests a moment of silence for those "who should be in this hall today". She concludes with: "While I have not always been the best at following it, I shall always try to remember the advice of my predecessor. In this case, one piece springs to mind; 'Keep the speeches short, Minerva, the children need to eat.'"
She sits, to general applause.
chanuphis
Miranda eats. She introduces herself to Karen. She does not volunteer to explain her prolonged facial-expression-inducing Sorting.
bitterchill
The Hufflepuff contingent glom together as Leo asks what the hell Ari's deal is and he explains. (Leo and Sally rapidly agree to study together, because they are both brilliant and they recognize this.)
Xan declines to make friends at the Gryffindor table. Instead, he eats. And plots. (Mostly he eats.)
Xan declines to make friends at the Gryffindor table. Instead, he eats. And plots. (Mostly he eats.)
strangely-literal
The next day, class begins. There's been a great deal of staff turnover, and one of the new hires is rumored to be "a bit off". She's teaching Defense, which is rumored to no longer be a death sentence, so many of her students are on the edges of their seats.
On the first day, Ranvenclaw/Hufflepuff, she is seated at the desk in back of her lecture hall when the students enter. Her spine is ramrod-straight, and her hands are steepled in front of her. "Hello, class. Be seated."
She looks intensely uncomfortable, not that anyone has seen her looking anything else.
chanuphis
The Ravenclaw girls (of whom there are exactly two) come in together and are seated next to each other, nearish Ari and Sally.
strangely-literal
She stands stiffly. "We will be learning Defense Against the Dark Arts. We will learn an introductory combat spell, the stinging hex. Pair off by desk." She points her wand at her left arm and demonstrates incantation and movement, leaving a red welt; she doesn't react to the spell. She waves her wand at the blackboard, leaving instructions. "Begin."
planetarium
The Ravenclaw girls, among others, look reluctant to follow these instructions.
strangely-literal
"You're not practicing the hex. Which is strange, because I clearly remember telling you to practice the hex. It happened recently."
planetarium
"Professor, perhaps we could practice the hex on dueling target dummies, since that's what they're for?"
strangely-literal
"...Hm. Yes. That would be a good idea. I don't have any of those."
planetarium
"Well, then, maybe we could do this in another lesson, after you have found some," suggests Karen.
strangely-literal
"...I assume you will revolt if I tell you to simply cast it on each other regardless, because you fear pain."
planetarium
"Also making students cast painful spells on each other, um, is associated with things from last year," says Karen softly.
strangely-literal
"Oh. That thing."
She considers.
"I may need to revise my lesson plan. In the interim, I will teach you about Dark creatures, which would ordinarily be somewhat later. Because I doubt many of you have been personally traumatized by Grindylows. Those of you personally traumatized by Grindylows may exit."