The Hollow Beneath Hogwarts

20. Changes

"I am the sorting hat, tattered and old
For centuries I've sorted the brave from the bold
The friendly from the smart, cunning from the shy
I place you where you belong, I always like to try

I can look inside your head, your secrets I can see
I see the one you truly are, you cannot hide from me
It may be a big decision but fear not, I am always fair 
The houses you are sorted to, you'll feel at home there

Your powers are incredible, the best I've seen for years
You will be liked by all four houses of your peers.
You have a kind and gentle soul, unique you truly are
Given the right guidance I belive you will go far

So where to place you, where should you go?
This is the hardest decision, I'll have you know
You have traits from all four houses it's true 
And I am struggling to find the right place for you

No one spoke for several long moments after that. The office had fallen completely silent.

Sloane sat frozen in the armchair with the Sorting Hat resting upon her head, her hands gripping tightly at the edges of the seat beneath her robes. Goose sat perched on the armrest beside her, tiny black eyes darting nervously between Sloane and Professor McGonagall.

Sloane didn't dare move. Didn't dare breathe. The silence stretched longer. And longer. Her heart hammered so violently in her chest she was sure both the Hat and McGonagall could hear it. This wasn't normal. She knew enough about Hogwarts history to know this absolutely was not normal.

The Hat was supposed to shout a House almost immediately. Not sit there in silence like it was having some sort of existential crisis.

Sloane swallowed nervously. "Um..."

Nothing. Professor McGonagall's brows slowly began drawing together. The Sorting Hat remained perfectly still atop Sloane's head.

"Well?" McGonagall snapped suddenly.

Sloane physically jumped in the chair. Even Goose squeaked.

"We have an entire hall full of first years waiting to be sorted," McGonagall continued sharply, folding her arms now. "Can we perhaps speed this process up a little?"

The Hat let out what sounded suspiciously like an offended sigh. "I am trying." Sloane blinked. The Hat's voice echoed through the office now instead of just inside her mind. "It is not an easy task."

McGonagall raised one eyebrow. "Sorting students is quite literally your only task."

"Yes, yes, very amusing Minerva." The Headmistress looked deeply unimpressed. The Hat continued anyway. "This child possesses... exceptionally unique qualities."

Sloane's stomach tightened immediately. Unique again. Everyone kept calling her unique tonight and she honestly wasn't sure whether it was meant as a compliment anymore.

"She would thrive in any House she entered," the Hat mused thoughtfully. "And yet..." The patched brim twitched slightly. "She belongs fully to none of them."

McGonagall's expression sharpened. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," the Hat replied patiently, "that she fits everywhere."

A pause.

"And nowhere."

Sloane's chest tightened painfully at those words.

Because somehow—

That felt horribly familiar. The Hat continued thinking aloud now.

"She has Gryffindor courage certainly. Fierce courage. Reckless courage even." The Hat gave a tiny hum. "A willingness to sacrifice herself for others without hesitation." Sloane thought briefly of her mother. Of Kendall. Of the stories she'd heard her entire life. "She possesses Ravenclaw intellect and curiosity too," the Hat continued. "An endless hunger for knowledge. Wonder. Creativity. An instinctive need to understand the world around her."