sorting -- 1992

After a summer of laying empty, the Great Hall was again opened to greet its congregation of smelly youth, basking in the candlelight and the glow of their own souls. That's some sappy shit. The babes in their crisp black ties and dress were gathered in a corridor not far from the feast, being given the usual brief behavioral check. This year's chosen chaperone, a Mr. Kettleburn, noted he felt abnormally off his mark this year; to compensate, he made sure to toss in a pinch extra austerity. He would wind up a quadruple amputee by the year's end.

Karin's robe was far too long for her, but her mother kept claiming it would fit her as the wait she was growing. Usually, her expression was far too solemn for someone of only eleven, but now she looked like any other little girl having the time of her life. Her mouth was agape in a broad grin as she matched the stars into imaginary constellations. She then actually skipped forward and tugged on the robe of the nearest boy in front of her.

"Loooook! Or listen!" she hissed in a shaky voice. "They're singing for us!" She pointed to the rows of students neatly lined up at the side of the Hall. In chorus they were indeed ushering in the First Years with song.

The boy, who immediately protested and fought to worm free of the girl, was actually trying to enjoy the song in peace before she had jumped on him. Their families were business associates. She was clinging to a familiar face -- typical childish behavior. Antonio Digandi didn't have time for childish behavior. "Please get off of me." His voice was that of a child's, unmistakably. "You wouldn't want to shout and miss something." Yet, his tone was one of an adult -- polite, almost accommodating. The girl was naive. He pitied her. The last thing he would want would be to make the first cut. Reality was cruel.

Pretentious bastard.

"Oh!-" Karin's mouth flipped into an upside "U", but she immediately perked back on after she processed the boy's face. "Antonio, I didn't even recognize you! It's been so long! Are you wearing your underwear too tightly or something? Relax!"

A tanned boy with bright-no, blinding red hair chuckled from nearby. It was evident he had been listening from his merry expression.

The small, curly-haired girl was squished between a rotund boy and a gangly redheaded girl. Holly Brown was the youngest of three and had by no means inherited the apt social skills her siblings had. She couldn't just walk up to people and start a conversation. The mere thought of doing that made her stomach do flips. The buzz of chatter all around her made her incredibly nervous - how on earth was she supposed to make friends with everyone if they already seemed so buddy-buddy with each other?

"I think I'm going to vomit on your robes," A timid voice came from behind Holly. It was a rather stout girl, with perfectly sized robes, and hair done in a tight braid wrapping from the top of her head down to her ribcage. Her cheeks were heavily rounded and her eyes wide, and it seemed like she was shaking slightly, almost imperceptibly.
"I'm very sorry if I vomit on your robes." Selia squeaked out. It seemed as if she was trying to carefully control her breaths, and failing.

He faked a sigh when he freed his arm and shook it a bit, then shot Karin a kindly smile and pointedly looked ahead at the empty stool they were being led to.

Lambs to the slaughter, he thought. He had a general idea of where he would be going and, while he wasn't particularly keen on the possibility of familial interaction, by far it was the best option he could get, so his parents say.

At his future table sat Mel Astor, hair as sleek as fine silk and topped with a horrendously cheap-looking black ribbon. She was gazing at a brown-glazed glass dish filled with a fluorescent orange bread pudding. Her eyes were shining, and her lips here parted ever so slightly. None of this was hyperbole -- she looked like a fucking idiot.

Holly turned around to face Selia. Oh, thank God, someone else here is as nervous as I am, she thought. "Erm--please don't vomit on my robes," she said. "Uhh, if you are going to vomit, though, maybe try to aim away from me, haha!" Holly smiled, and making noise that almost sounded like a laugh (if you were hard of hearing, maybe). She was trying to lighten the mood. She wouldn't be surprised if it didn't work.

Selia managed a smile back at Holly, which, at the moment, was much more like gritting her teeth with her mouth open.
"I... Uh, I'll try, I guess. I can't aim anything. Ever. Also, I'm Selia. Selia Rosensteel." Her voice was growing closer and closer to being inaudible.

"Oh my God, what is she doing?" Serenity was turned all the way around in her seat, staring directly at her sister. Every once and a while she would snap back to face her Gryffindor table mates to show them her strained face, and each time she would whip long spirals of golden hair into Padma Patil's face next to her. It was a wonder Serenity's neck hadn't started to ache.
"She's going to vomit. She's going to vomit and embarrass me, I can see it in her eyes. And what on earth did she do with her hair? She looks bald from far away. I specifically told her to look presentable. I can't watch this train wreck happen." And yet, Serenity continued glaring directly at her sister.

"I'm Holly. Brown." And, with that, Holly had run out of conversation topics. She had no idea what to say. Absolutely none. Luckily, Professor McGonagall had just gotten up to the stage and was standing next to a tattered hat on a stool. "What is that?" Holly asked Selia, as if she would know. "It looks... gross."

Libby was sitting next to Serenity, craning her neck to get a look at Selia, who, incidentally, happened to be standing next to Libby's own sister. How cute! "Oh, man. I hope your sister pukes everywhere. That'd be hilarious."

Selia shrugged. "I remember over break my sister complained about hat sanitation. Maybe this is what she meant." As she talked to Holly, her breaths began to even out with her speech.

Serenity jabbed Libby with her elbow. "Um, no! She's my sister, and the whole school would see it. Everyone would make fun of her, and by association, they'd be making fun of me." Serenity sighed deeply.
"Christ, I specifically told her to wear mascara."

"My siblings told me all of this crazy stuff would happen for the Sorting... but is this it? I mean, if your sister talked about it..." Holly breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't be completely relaxed until she was actually in a House, but this helped. Baby steps.

Libby choked on her water when Serenity jabbed her, but just laughed. "That's exactly why it would be hilarious! God, she does look super nervous. She's with my sister, too! Oh, Serenity, what if they're best friends?! They're both super awkward; it's a match made in heaven."

With a light shrug, Karin turned away and began chattering with some nearby students. Antonio was always a little eccentric, even when he was younger. He got these quiet, sulky moods where he shunned everyone outside of his bubble. And well... he was doing that right now.

~

"Here," Another olive hand shoved the bowl of orange pudding Mel's direction. "Remember last Sorting Feast you drooled all over yourself?" Boris DiGandi was just as coarse three months earlier.