Crystal the Half-Ghost Witch

Chapter 15

It took several days before the professors deemed the Sorting Hat clean enough to resume its duties. They gathered the unsorted students and had them stand to the side of the hall before dinner, just as the first years had on their first night.

Crystal eyed the hat. While it was still a bit dirty in places, it was pleasantly clean compared to before—it was no longer covered in layers of grime. She had no objections to putting the Sorting Hat on this time.

Since she was the one who had caused the sorting to be interrupted last time and was the last name called, she would be the first to be sorted.

She willingly sat down on the uncomfortable wooden stool, wincing when she felt a splinter poke through her skirt. She would need to remove that soon. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head, and it covered her eyes, preventing her from seeing the sea of students watching and anticipating which house she would be placed into.

Crystal had learned that people expected her to be sorted into Gryffindor, like her parents. They thought that the Girl-Who-Lived could only be a noble Gryffindor.

While she wouldn't deny her bravery or her tendency to jump into things without much thought, there was more to her than that. She loved learning but didn't make it her sole reason for existence. Her ambitions for the future were simple, and she was fiercely loyal, but only to those who showed her the same loyalty in return. Crystal knew she could fit into any house; she thought the house system was flawed, as it only bred discord among students.

Gryffindors were supposedly the perfect heroes, always defending others and bringing honor to their families. The headmaster and deputy headmistress clearly favored this house over the others. However, all Crystal had seen so far were Gryffindors bullying students from other houses, mostly Slytherin.

Not all Gryffindors were bullies, but a significant number were.

Ravenclaws were seen as know-it-alls who buried their noses in books. Crystal had heard rumors that Ravenclaws would pick one student each year to bully so badly that some even transferred to different schools.

Slytherins were thought to be cunning and ambitious, but from what she'd seen, they were mostly lazy and entitled. Many of them coasted along on their parents' achievements. She'd heard Draco Malfoy threaten people with his father's influence to make them fall in line. What would he do when he was an adult and couldn't get his way?

Hufflepuffs were often seen as lazy or the "spare house," but Crystal knew they were loyal and hardworking. Sure, there were a few bad apples, but she expected that. Of all four houses, she liked Hufflepuff the best.

Crystal jumped when a voice spoke in her mind.

"The Headmaster might have asked me to place you in Gryffindor, even going so far as to try to charm me into doing so. But you wouldn't do well there. Yes, you are brave, but the other Gryffindors would never accept you defending others from them."

"You would excel in Ravenclaw. Your wealth of knowledge would make them envious, but I believe we don't need someone in the hospital wing so early in the year."

"Slytherin would aid you on your path to greatness, but once again, we do not need someone sent to the hospital wing so soon. This leaves—"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat proclaimed loudly, causing the black and yellow house to erupt in applause, while the other three houses and the staff were left in shock.

Crystal took off the hat and handed it to Professor McGonagall, who was momentarily frozen. She then made her way to the Hufflepuff table, taking a seat next to Cedric, who clapped her on the back.

It took a few minutes, but soon enough, Crystal watched as the rest of the students were sorted. After everyone had been placed, Crystal and the other new first years were introduced to the upper years.

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Yeah, I have no idea where the rest of this chapter went off to. I'm going back and correcting spelling and whatnot but this chapter is like half the size it was originally when I first wrote it.