A riddlesome adventure

Chapter 5- the sorting

As you, Tom and the rest of the first years clamber out of the uncomfortable boats a streak of light illuminates a large wooden door ahead of you- the door into Hogwarts. A young woman comes out to usher you in- claiming her name is Prof. McGonagall. You seem to be late and so the first years are rushed into the castle. You are ushered along through the wide entrance hall along several candlelit corridors into a huge bright hall. The eyes of all the older students turn towards you and your face burns. You drop your head as the first years make the long walk of shame to the front of the hall. The whole year lines up, ready to for their fate to be decided. Your brothers had told you about the sorting ceremony. You wonder desperately- why Pobbsmufnn?!! Why not Zabble or Zooglobbin? Even Yawblig or Xrampleion  would be better than POBBSMUFNN. You thank God you didn't go with your backup of Anklewinbleman. You beg for the minutes to slow down like they did those 3 months you were lying in bed framing your own death but to no avail. Soon you can hear the young McGonagall's voice calling:

"Pobbsmufnn!" 

You tentatively make your way up to the stool positioned in the front centre of the hall (why couldn't you just go off into a room on your own?). You cautiously sit down on the old wooden stool and put the patched, decaying hat on top of your head. Immediately the hat begins to speak in a raspy voice:

"Plobbus McFinn? But... but... you're a squib- you're not supposed to be here!"

"WHAT! THAT'S NOT MY NAME! WHERE DID YOU HEAR THAT! I'VE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF PLOBBUS MCFINN! I KNOW ONLY LUCI POBBSMUFFN!

"Woah, woah- calm down. I can see inside your head. I can also see that you are squibbly no more. You could do great things, you know- only which house to put you in?"

"Definitely NOT Hufflepuff."

All of your brothers are in Hufflepuff- a McFinn tradition (your great-great grandmother had actually traced the family tree back to Helga Hufflepuff). You'd always dreamed of Hufflepuff- it had always seemed the natural path to your life. Your Grandfather had even said that no McFinn had ever been a Hufflepufflier Hufflepuff since Helga herself. But this tradition is not worth the risk of following.

"No- I can see that. You've a little bravery in you, a fair amount of brains (quite different from your brothers, I might add- they were never the smartest spoons in the drawer). AHA- I've the perfect house for you. Bold, ambitious, not afraid of the hair gel I notice: SLYTHERIN!!!!"

Slytherin, eh? You trot on down to your table and sit next to the other first years to wait out the sorting. You sit next to a girl named Bellatrix. You notice that the annoying boy from the boat is also sorted into Slytherin house. Oh God, you think to yourself. Well, he certainly is annoying.