My Time to Shine (Dance Moms/Harry Potter Crossover - Part 1)

Chapter 5: The Hufflepuff Common Room

The next thing Mackenzie knew, the sorting hat was on her head. She had felt as though it took ages for it to be her turn but the rest, up until now, had been a huge blur. She remembered changing into her crisp, new school robes that were not yet distinguished with a house emblem, taking her enormous owl cage in her arms and transferring it from the train, riding across the clear water of the Black Lake by boat, and even the awestruck feeling of laying eyes on the ominously beautiful Hogwarts Castle for the first time. But it had all gone by so fast! She was ushered into the Great Hall by an extremely stern-looking older woman, whom she later discovered was Professor McGonagall. Everyone was nervous and did not talk to each other. Kenzie was huddled with her newfound cohort from the train but didn't dare flip around to exchange a nervous look.

"Yes, I see the work you are willing to do and the devotion you have towards your craft." The Sorting Hat was talking into her ear in a very upfront and decisive manner.

"But I'm not Maddie, no! I'm Mackenzie. Please don't mistake me for Maddie. I'm Mackenzie, I'm Mackenzie." She thought fervently after hearing the character traits the hat thought she possessed.

"I know you are not Maddie," the Sorting Hat assured her, "You have many qualities that put you apart from your sister. You are a hard worker, Mackenzie, but you do not put your ambition before others. You possess a kindness and willingness to lift others up with you that your sister does not. You show all the qualities of a true Hufflepuff. That is where I will put you. Yes."

"Oh my gosh, thank you. Thank you!" she thought to the Hat, although she was doubtful whether it heard her for a booming "HUFFLEPUFF!" had sounded, once it had resolved to its decision. Everything went back into real-time. She stood up from the stool or rather jumped down as it was quite high up, and bounded to her house table. Everyone was cheering and the students at her table, in her new house were calling her name and high-fiving her from all around. She immersed herself in a whirlwind of canary yellow and black strangers that would quickly become her Hogwarts family, all the while grinning from ear to ear.

Mackenzie looked over to the Slytherin table and spotted her sister. Maddie gave a half-hearted clap and a small smile that did not extend to her eyes. Kenzie already knew that the Slytherins thought all the other houses were lesser. It was unfortunate that Maddie couldn't show more enthusiasm for her sister's sorting but nothing could ruin this day for Mackenzie.

The hall began to die down as Professor McGonagall, the Head Mistress of Hogwarts, stood and beckoned for their attention. Ziegler, Mackenzie was the last first-year student alphabetically to be sorted, which meant the sorting ceremony had come to an end. This is the part that Mackenzie had been looking forward to, the welcome feast.

Maddie had told her all about the food appearing on the gold plates and how you could eat anything and as much as you wanted. This was far from how it was at their home. The girls were often given small, nutritious meals that Kenzie far from enjoyed. Even though their mom, Melissa was the only dance mom who gave them ice cream upon occasion (their friend Kendall's mom wouldn't allow it at all), their "dance diet" was not something the girls looked forward to. Being dancers though, they did have to fuel themselves correctly. But sometimes Kenzie didn't want to be on Broadway. She just wanted to stay home and eat chips.

It was unlike anything she had witnessed, not even Thanksgiving dinner, which was quite the celebration in America. There were pork chops, roast beef, chicken pie, sausages, steak, kidney pie, roast, mashed and boiled potatoes, peas, carrots, and Yorkshire pudding. She took a sample of everything, wanting to get the most out of the meal.

She had gathered all of the food onto her plate and was about to dig in when someone began speaking to her from across the table. "Hi! I'm Alison Werdlow. Who are you?"