Rise From Dust | Harry Potter

Twenty

There and then, every bit of the girl reminded Harry vividly of Daphne, though the older girl admittedly flaunted more of the haughtiness.

What blew Harry off his rocker was when the hat exclaimed:  

"HUFFLEPUFF!" 

Silence greeted the girl's sorting as a few claps resonated within the hall. Indisputably, it was without doubt everyone expected the younger Greengrass to be in Slytherin. Astoria didn't fret on how the people reacted to her sorting. She cutely wrinkled her nose in distaste of the old Sorting hat. Flinging her silky black hair over her shoulder - Harry noted another habit from Daphne -, she strode gracefully to the Hufflepuff table, crumpling in a seat next to Noah with a heavy relief sigh. To Harry's joy and a quirk of a smile, she excitedly chattered away, unmistakably happy to be with her friend, rather than in Slytherin house with her sister. Noah tried his very best in keeping up her speedy conversation, all the while nodding his head rapidly, yet at the same time shaking his head. Harry tilted his own in mild skepticism at the boy's movement. He didn't think it's feasible for anyone to be able to do that.

"I cannot imagine for one second that Astoria would be in Hufflepuff. Slytherin, or possibly Ravenclaw, but not Hufflepuff..." gasped Callista softly. "It had, in fact, never passed my mind at the thought of Astoria in Hufflepuff or even Gryffindor. This is, well... astonishing!"

"This verifies that not everything is what we think, or what we predict it will be. A person's choice or life does not rest in someone's hands. Perhaps, influenced by the people hovering around the individual, but never chosen for the person. In the end, it all comes down to the fact of whether the person will choose this or that, and in that instant, it is where the person's life forges an unforeseeable path for him or her..." An unconscious broad smile crept up Callista's lips. It was one of those occasional times why Callista kept reverting to her thoughts in being awe of whether the true reason of Harry's presence in Ravenclaw was on account of his way on supplying wise words in such appropriate timings.  Harry had his attention elsewhere. He discerned his gorgeous blond friend to be in shock, mouth agape a little bit, and a strand of her hair dangled loosely over her face. 

"For the very least, we get to see Daphne so astounded - speechless too. It's rare we get to see such reactions from her."  Callista perked at this and allowed her eyes to wander to the Slytherin table. Sensing two pair of eyes on her, flippantly ribbing on her, Daphne shook her head, her shiny blond hair dancing lightly around her face. She awarded them with the fiercest and meanest glare she could accumulate. Harry was impervious to her cold mesmerizing light green eyes, smiling in a way of merriment. Nevertheless, Callista had to look the other way, chuckling ever so slightly.

"I hope Sheila doesn't get to see Daphne in such state, Harry, if not- and I speak too soon." By the Gryffindor table, Sheila had indeed caught the sight of Daphne and once she captured Daphne's attention, she poorly imitated Daphne's earlier action, together with her jaw dramatically dropping. Grasping the meaning behind it, Daphne's face burned red in anger and contented in glowering the girl from afar, abstaining herself from going over to the Gryffindor table and whack the perky girl.

Finally, the last name was called out, signifying the end of the sorting. Professor Flitwick, a tiny wizard and the head of Ravenclaw, levitated the three-legged stool and the old hat out of the hall. As the headmaster rose to his feet, beaming at the students, all noises fizzled out. Professor Dumbledore delivered a welcoming speech for the old students and accepted the new students warmly. When the ancient wizard touched on the topic of the Dementors, many if not most, shed a fleeting look at Harry, and a few eyes lingered on him. This left Harry considerably perplexed. 

"Did I miss something?"

"I'm amazed you couldn't fathom it out yourself, Harry." Callista flashed him a surprise look. "To sum everything up, many people were grateful of you for commanding them to barricade themselves in each of the compartments they were in, albeit advising in a very harsh way."