Till Forever Falls Apart

Chapter Twenty-Three: Sorted Once More

The feast was boring when you weren't being the one celebrated.

Is that narcissistic of me? Val chided as she tapped her fingers against the cold wooden dining table, listening to the hat's dreaded song.

"Does it make one up every year?" Padma rubbed her ears in annoyance.

"It has time," Anthony replied. "Must not have much else to do sitting on a shelf in some dingy closet."

     Anthony, Padma, and her were seated near the left end of the table, closest to the teachers. The frightened-looking group of first years huddled together in the center of the Great Hall, awaiting their fates as the hat finished its tune.

A weak applause was rattled from the students, and McGonagall stepped forward with her list in hand, reading off the names of the students one by one.

"I've never seen so many Hufflepuffs and Slytherins," Val's jaw dropped as yet another student was sorted into the house of students wearing dark green.

"We'll get a few more," Anthony said surely. "I've counted-we have the smallest house out of any other."

This was true. Compared to the amount of any other house in her year, there were not nearly as many Ravenclaws.   

McGonagall folded her list and returned to her seat. Padma rose from her place and looked for the group of new Ravenclaws.

"There's only... ten?"

"Ten?" Val said in shock. "The Hufflepuffs had twenty-three!"

Anthony angrily bit into his helpings of carrots and meat.

"We never win anything," he grumbled. "We were second in the house tournament last year, and then Dumbledore gave the Gryffindors 160 points! We were bumped to third place! We were third in quidditch too!"

"Can we really blame the Gryffindors for that though?" Val questioned. "It was Dumbledore's doing."

Anthony stabbed at his slices of steak. "You always take their side."

    "I most certainly do not," Val narrowed her eyes at him, surprised at his sudden accusation.

    Anthony's face was red with irritability. "Do you really want to be second to Harry all your life?"

The words stung her more than any other insult she had ever endured. Setting down her fork, she locked eyes with him.

"I've never been second to Harry. We're the same. Always have been."

"Do you know what people call you?" Anthony argued. "They call you the Potter girl. Some of them don't even know your name. People think you're Harry's little sidekick."

"And who do you think I am?" Val seethed.

Anthony stared at her hard. "You're Val. A Ravenclaw. Although you're with Harry, Hermione, and Ron so much, and sit at the Gryffindor table so often that people wouldn't be able to tell which house you're in."

"Anthony, why are you so mad?" Padma asked, placing a hand on his shoulder to see if he would look at her and gather any sort of information about the source of his anger.

He pulled away from her. "Admit it, Padma. Do you remember how much she cried when she was sorted?"

Anthony faced Val once more. "You say you're proudly a Ravenclaw through and through when we all know if you were given the chance to switch houses you would take it."

"I wouldn't," Val balled her fists. "I love being a Ravenclaw."

"Then act like it," Anthony spat.