Stepping into the Great Hall felt as if time itself had stopped. Floating candles cast a warm glow on the students sitting at the four long tables. The tables were clad in plates, platters and cutlery of gold and silver. On the other side of the hall was the teachers' table. Lyra's gaze was drawn to a man. His beard (which was tucked into his belt) and his hair were argent, striking against his amethyst robes. Even from a distance Lyra could see his aquamarine eyes peeking out from behind his half-moon glasses. Albus Dumbledore. He seemed like a walking anachronism to Lyra. The headmaster turned his head and, for a second, his amiable eyes met hers.
Afraid to accidentally make eye contact with anyone again, Lyra looked up. Her breath hitched. The ceiling was a sea of black velvet, splattered with stars. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She continued gazing around, eyes wide with awe. Lyra drank in her surroundings, trying to commit everything to memory, when suddenly she heard-
"Emerson, Lyra!"
Lyra's legs felt heavy with dread. She took a deep breath, and slowly made her way to the stool where the hat awaited its next victim.
As the Sorting hat was placed on her head, all of the doubt she had fought so hard to shut out, seeped through to her mind, filling it to the brim.
I'm not daring enough to be a Gryffindor. Not smart enough to be a Ravenclaw. Maybe if I were more determined and less selfish I could make it into Slytherin or Hufflepuff but I'm not. I don't belong in any. What if there's been a mistake? My parents weren't wizards after all. Maybe this is all a dream.
Lyra's anxious ramblings were cut short by a small voice that seemed to be whispering directly into her ear.
"An interesting mix we have here, but where to put you? Where to put you..." It seemed like an eternity before the hat muttered, "An interesting mix and yet... You're mainly... HUFFLEPUFF!", shouting the last word out to everyone in the Hall. The hall erupted in a rather deafening cheer.
Lyra breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe her being here wasn't a mistake after all. She got up off the stool, feeling a little light-headed, and walked towards the mahogany table that was occupied by her- as Professor McGonagall pointed out earlier, Hogwarts family. Her fellow Hufflepuffs. It was filled with people who were grinning at her, congratulating her. A girl shuffled over to make room for her.
She had pretty caramel skin, her hair was a curtain of black silk, long and flowing. The girl's chocolaty brown eyes danced as she stuck her hand out, "Hi! My name is Sofia. Sofia Santiago," she said cheerfully, "Welcome to Hufflepuff!"
Hey everyone! It's Aelin. I know this one is a little short, but it doesn't help when all of your friends are amazing at writing. I hope you enjoyed it despite the questionable length. I wrote the majority of this chapter whilst listening to Harry in Winter, which is quite possibly my favourite music out of all of the films- I can't recommend it enough! Please point out any mistakes and comment your thoughts on this chapter as well as what house you think everyone else is going to be in.