The Kind Hufflepuff

Chapter 5: Sorting Hat

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The Kind Hufflepuff

Chapter Five: Sorting Hat
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Calista Higgs smiled softly at anybody she made eye contact with as she left the train while she searched for Bertie or Sirius. Once she was off the train, she looked around to see the large lake before them and a path on the side where carriages stood that weren't being pushed by anything. She ignored the cries of "Firs' years o'er 'ere!" as she nervously looked around, trying to find somebody that she recognized until she recognized the crying red head from the train and nervously walked towards her boat, smiling at the girl who nodded in agreement.

"I've read so much about Hogwarts," Lily squealed to Severus as Calista investigated the water below, curious about the creatures of the lake below her. Finally, she grazed her fingertips into the water as the giant man from earlier called, "Duck!" as they passed by the bridge.

While they passed under the bridge, Cali thought back to the letter that her brother had sent, talking about this very ride back in his first year and got ready to see the castle once they passed. "Look," Cali whispered as she gestured towards the beautiful castle that revealed itself.

Before them laid their home, the castle that they would spend most of their time in for the next seven years of their lives. The castle in which they would grow up, learn spells, and make both friends and enemies. The details of the castle were unknown, contrasting against the dark sky, the stars and the golden light coming from the castle gave only the faint outline, almost as though it was trying not to scare the upcoming students.

Once the boats docked, Cali jumped out and rushed into the main foyer of the castle and got as close as possible to the professor that stood patiently at the front of the room. She looked as elegant as possible, a dark red cloak surrounding her frame as her graying hair was pulled into a tight bun while her hands met in front of her stomach. "Hi, I'm Cali!" The girl greeted the professor who gave a small smile in greeting.

Once the professor felt satisfied that the first-year students had gathered into the room, she turned towards Hagrid in expectation who smiled, "firs'- years, Professor McGonagall." The man had introduced as she nodded in greeting towards the rest of the students.

"Thank you, I can take them from here." With this, Hagrid walked through the main doors that stood before the group as McGonagall cleared her throat which successfully quietened the group. "Welcome to Hogwarts, the start-of-term feast will begin shortly but there are other important matters to do until then. You all must be sorted." She looked around the group, almost like she was sizing up the crowd before continuing, "The sorting ceremony is incredibly important and special as whatever house that you are sorted into will be your family while you are within these halls. You will have classes, live with them, and even spend time with them."

She paused and Cali figured that it was for dramatics purpose before continuing, "There are four houses that you have the opportunity to be sorted into. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. They all have a unique and noble history, each representing pieces of your personality though this will be something that I am sure the hat will explain. While you are at this school, you have the opportunity to either gain or lose points depending on your behavior and there will be a feast at the end of the year to celebrate the house with the most amount of points." She made eye contact with Cali before continued, "The sorting ceremony will be in a few minutes. Please smarten yourselves up."

With that, Calista hastily tied her tie in an awkward fashion until somebody cleared their throat. She turned towards the house, seeing a scrawny boy with dark hair and beautiful blue eyes that reminded her of her own. "Oh-uh," He started once he realized that he had caught her attention and smiled nervously, bringing his hand to his neck as he scratched awkwardly. "Do you need help with that?" He gestured towards her tie which had been tied into a knot at best, causing the girl to smile sheepishly as she nodded.