"Now I will call you one by one by name, and you will wear the Sorting Hat. It will decide what House you'll fall in." She raises a list to her eyes and says, "Burberry, Matilda." A mousy-looking girl runs up to the hat and puts it on, shutting her eyes with force. After a few seconds, the Hat calls, "Gryffindor!" She grins, removes the hat, and runs to her assigned table to generalised applause.

Anthony also claps!

"How did you not know there was a hat?" whispers Thea.

"It's supposed to be a secret. From first years."

"Weird," Willow opines.

A few more people are called and then: "Knox, Anthony!"

… Well okay then!

He walks up to the front.

When he puts the hat on, it... talks to him. In his head.

Well, hello, hello.

… Hello, he responds, looking surprised.

Communication seems to be what you're about, yes... Being part of a system, understanding the people in it and making your community work. I do know where you'll fit best.

"Hufflepuff!"

There is of course a lot of applause.

– Okay then.

He takes the hat off and puts it back on the stool, then walking over to the Hufflepuff table.

A few people later one "Maxwell, Willow!" is called.

She sits under the Hat, and it deliberates for a while longer than it did for Anthony, but eventually calls

"Ravenclaw!"

After her one "Norton, Jacob!" is Sorted into Slytherin, and a few more people down the line the Headmistress calls a "Travill, Thea!"

Thea looks around briefly, then walks to the front with an attempted air of confidence.

This is slightly ruined when she picks up the hat, puts it on, and it's – well, rather too large.

Hmmmm... What a curious mind... A deep dissatisfaction with the world, and a sense of duty to set it right and lead by example. Your ambition is admirable... but its source is rather selfless. Yes, I know exactly where you'd fit best.

And without waiting for her input it declares, "Gryffindor!"

… That was kinda rude, she thinks, then takes the hat off.

Towards the Gryffindor table she goes.

A couple more people, then finally the last one, "Woods, Sadde!" She manages to pronounce the name perfectly.

So he puts the hat on.

Slytherin, he thinks immediately.

...are you quite certain? Yes, I see what you mean, more ambition than I've seen in a while... but a true desire to understand the world, and there is the situation of being a muggleborn...

Yes, it's the whole point, I'm gonna fix everything starting with how they all hate muggleborns.

Very well.

"Slytherin!"

He takes off the hat and walks self-satisfiedly to the table, to the final wave of applause.