Burning Bright

Chapter 4: The Sorting

'Professor Weasley!' said Professor Black as he and Meli stepped up. 'We've one more to be Sorted.'

'Welcome!' Professor Weasley said to Meli. She was an older woman with half-rimmed reading spectacles and ginger hair twisted up into a bun. She was holding an exceptionally old, patched, frayed, and dirty wizard's hat. 'You're just in time. Have a seat!'

Meli sat down carefully upon the stool, and Professor Weasley set the Sorting Hat down upon Meli's head. Face burning as she became suddenly aware of the fact that every eye in the Great Hall was on her, she averted her gaze, trying not to look at anyone. She heard an unfamiliar voice start speaking within her mind.

'Ah, yes,' said the Sorting Hat. 'A bit older than the others, aren't you? Ah, but potential abound—practically chomping at the bit to make up for lost time, I see.' She heard the Hat chuckle, and she couldn't help but smile herself. 'Quite a bright mind, I see, plenty of curiosity—you've recently learned that you possess a rare ability, I see you're quite eager to uncover what secrets it holds, determined to hone it to its fullest...so...where to put you?'

'You'd better be in Slytherin,' Rowan had said, smiling, over supper the night Professor Fig had first brought Meli her letter. Her mother, uncle, and grandfather, however, had all been in Ravenclaw. She supposed she didn't mind one way or another where she went, though this didn't seem to help the Hat much. It hemmed and hawed for a few more minutes over whether she was more suited to Ravenclaw or Slytherin, to the point where she was starting to get a bit annoyed at the indecision. The Hat seemed to sense this, as it laughed again.

'Don't worry,' it said. 'I think I've got it...yes. Yes, let's make it SLYTHERIN!'

She heard the Sorting Hat shout its decision for all to hear, and her brother's yell immediately afterwards as he stood up, grinning ear to ear. Applause rang throughout the Great Hall. Professor Weasley removed the Hat from Meli's head as she stood up, and with a flick of her wand, Meli's waistcoat, necktie, and the satin lining and trim of her robe turned green, the emblem on the left side of her robe changing to bear the green background and silver serpent of Slytherin House.

She stepped down from the platform and made her way to the Slytherin table, Rowan and a few other students edging down the bench to make room for her.

'I knew it,' said Rowan, beaming as Meli sat down next to him.

She looked at him flatly. 'No, you didn't,' she said irritably. 'Ye said I'd better be, not that I would be.'

'Same difference,' Rowan said airily. 'So what happened? Why were you and Fig late? He said ye were gonna go up with the rest o' the first-years.'

'Not now,' she said quietly, glancing around. She was going to tell him everything, but she didn't want to do so in a hall crowded with quite literally everyone in the castle.

The Sorting Ceremony now complete, tureens and platters of food and pitchers of water and pumpkin juice now appeared out of thin air on the tables, and Meli suddenly became quite aware of how hungry she was, not having eaten since breakfast. She helped herself to a plateful of chicken-and-ham pie and a couple of bread rolls while Rowan got into the mashed potatoes. He chuckled.

'Hungry?' he asked.

'Starvin',' Meli replied.

'Didn't Mum pack ye somethin' to eat on yer way here?'

'Didn't get the chance,' she said. 'I'll tell ye later.'

Though the Great Hall was filled with students' indistinct conversation, Meli herself was fairly quiet. She didn't talk to much of anyone besides Rowan, and after she had finished her supper and pudding, she found that all she really wanted was to go to sleep. She sat there with the rest of the school, waiting for Black to dismiss them, when he stood from the High Table and the chatter died away.