star-crossed | s. sallow & o. gaunt x reader

chapter one | the sorting

september 1st - 7:00pm - sorting ceremony

a chill ran down your spine as the sorting hat was gingerly placed upon your head, a sure harbinger of the events that were about to take place. a single breath hung in the back of your throat, solidified in place as you anticipated the hat's impression of you.

"oh," the hat mused, it's tone of voice somewhere between judgement and curiosity, "quite an enigma we have here".

the next beat of silence was deafening as the onlooking students clung to every word. they couldn't help but be interested in the new fifth year — a student joining this late was practically unheard of.

"a thirst for knowledge well deserving of ravenclaw," it pondered, "but a moral compass that points heavily towards sytherin".

yeah, fair, you couldn't disagree with the hat there.

"you tend to prefer the quiet solitude of the night, but a certain warmth blooms in your chest when you think of being surrounded by friends," it continued, "you reek of troubled loneliness".

how kind of you to say, you thought, nose scrunched at the hat's scrutiny of your less-than-ideal past. you were no stranger to seclusion, forced into early independence by a couple horrific people you were unfortunate enough to call your parents.

"however, an immense source of power lies dormant somewhere within you. i wonder what house might bring that power to life..."

immense source of power? now that was the kind of magic mind-reading hat analysis you could get behind.

"a most challenging decision," it finally clucked, "but you my dear, truly belong in the house of slytherin," the hat's voice boomed across the hall as he announced the name of your house.

a concoction of excitement and fear pulsed through your veins as the sytherin table erupted into whoops and cheers. standing from the stiff wooden stool, you turned towered professor weasley as she whisked her wand in a tight loop and gave you a warm smile. suddenly, your plain black robes were adorned with
details of sleek, forest green.

a confident smile played across your lips as you made your way to the sytherin table, and what felt like a hundred hands welcomed you by patting your back and ruffling your hair. it seemed as if being the house to snag the mysterious new fifth year warranted a great deal of excitement.

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professor weasley was the one to show your to the sytherin common room after the ceremony came to a close, and you could hardly contain yourself as the two of you walked inside. a dim, green glow seemed to emanate from every corner of the room, each wall carved from stone in elegant designs. a large fire place sat in the center of one of the walls, spreading a cozy warmth throughout the room despite its cold appearance.

"imelda!" professor weasley called to a group of students situated around the fireplace, "come here, dear".

a tall girl with dark brown hair and a fiery look in her eyes came walking over, a smirk on her face that felt more challenging than friendly.

"imelda reyes," professor weasley gestured to the girl, "a fifth year just like you, the sytherin quidditch captain, and your new roommate".

"pleased to meet you," you stuck out your hand in an attempt to start this potential friendship out on the right foot.

"you as well," she accepted your hand and gave it a firm shake, "i presume i'm supposed to show you around?"

"precisely, if you'd be so kind," professor weasley smiled. she continued to go over a list of tasks for imelda, which included orienting you to the dorms and making sure you were prepared for classes tomorrow, and then she took her leave.

imelda was certainly rough around the edges but she made a fair effort to give you a good tour and seemed as if she'd make a decent roommate. her side of your shared room was impeccably organized and adorned with a few uniforms and trophies from her years playing quidditch. your side of the room felt empty in comparison, the shelves and drawers begging to be filled with knick knacks and things. unfortunately, the exhaustion from today was catching up, and unpacking would need to wait till tomorrow.

you hardly even remembered laying down in the plush bed, green silky sheets enveloping you and urging you into a deep sleep as you dreamed of what your future here would hold.