The Sorting goes by quickly, and soon the Hat is being taken from the stool as the last kid is sorted into Hufflepuff. I breathe a sigh of relief as McGonagall begins to walk the hat down the aisle, holding it at almost an arm's length and eying its filth. Dumbledore stands and begins talking, but I don't pay attention to anything he says, because there is something unusual going on with the hat. It's shifting in McGonagall's hands, twisting around like it's trying to find the source of a smell. As I watch it, McGonagall walking closer to me, its "eyes" find mine, and it stops squirming. As the professor passes, I feel as if the hat is looking into my soul, reading my thoughts.
I am thankful when she walks past, because I think the worst is gone, but then his flap opens suddenly and my eyes widen as he speaks.
"STOP!" He shouts. Silence falls immediately over the entire hall. Dumbledore looks shocked, and McGonagall even more so. It's as if time travels in slow motion. My heart begins to beat faster, people freeze and turn to Professor McGonagall, and the hat's eyes remain on me. Professor Dumbledore looks alarmed, and he never looks alarmed, which is probably why everyone is immediately on edge.
The hat whispers something to the woman holding it, and she quickly stalks back up to the elevated platform and passes the hat to Professor Dumbledore. He places it on his head, and the whole hall seems to hold their breath as they watch his expression change. I wait silently, somewhere in my gut knowing that something big is happening. I wait and I wait until Dumbledore's eyes lock with mine.
After what seems like an eternity, the Headmaster removes the shabby thing from his head, and turns to all of us.
"It seems," He says, the suspense bothering me as I breath unevenly, "That a student in this room is not where they belong. This is an unprecedented event in Hogwarts history, but it is necessary that this person come up here and be . . . re-sorted."
The Hall explodes into chatter, everyone looking at each other and wondering who's about to be quote unquote 'transferred'. This is absolutely unheard of. Never before in the history of Hogwarts has someone been switched from one house to another.
"I swear to god if some Hufflepuff gets put in this house," Mandy says bitterly, and I smile weakly, not feeling up for any joking at the moment.
I hold my breath as Dumbledore demands silence, his arms in the air as he takes the hat off of his head and holds it in his hand.
"Will Cassidy Milton please come to the front."
My mouth falls open so fast that I have to save it from hitting the floor, everyone who knows me turning to stare. I look at my friends, who frown in confusion. I stay in my seat until Mandy nudges me, looking at me like I'm a traitor to her bloodline, which I guess I am.
I look back at Dumbledore, who smiles at me encouragingly, provoking me to abruptly stand up. For a moment, I'm frozen there, my feet sinking into the floor like it's quick-drying cement as I feel everyone's eyes dig into my body like a thousand fingernails. My breath is caught somewhere between my chest and my throat, and my ear drums thud rapidly to the beat of my heart. I swallow, my fists clenched and my body as rigid as a board until someone shoves me from behind and my feet start to move up the aisle against my will.
I remember walking up this lane in first year, when everything seemed massive and daunting and the aisle was a million miles long, people watching me as I go to get sorted. Now, the walk is even longer, and even more eyes are on me as I pass the tables. I look around, but I can't focus on anyone's faces; they're all blurred to unrecognizable blobs, reduced to pairs of piercing eyes that watch me on my death march. The whispering surrounds me like a hurricane, but I can't decipher any words from the muttering. It's all a jumble of judgement and curiosity. Even the staff table gazes in shock as I slowly trudge up the steps, my eyes on the hat as it patiently awaits my arrival,
YOU ARE READING
The Slytherin Transfer
FanfictionCassidy Milton was sorted into Slytherin at her first year of Hogwarts, exactly like the rest of her pureblood family. Although she doesn't feel like she fits in with the up and coming Death Eaters, once the Sorting Hat makes a decision, there's no...
