Harry Potter/D&D

[Elfin]

The frosty night air is still clinging to your bones by the time you climb up to the castle. It's hard to tell exactly how big the place is - you have nothing more than a vague, hulking silhouette against the darkness from here, and no light but the bobbing of a few lanterns up and down the line.

It hasn't been a very auspicious first day so far, that much had to be admitted.

The ride, as the Ministry officials had explained, was upon a train - a sort of magic carriage that moved without horse or wheel - and, escorted to the station by a Ministry wizard in coattails and bell-bottom pants (that was, apparently, what non-magic folk wore in this place), your motley crew attracted an uncomfortable amount of snickering.
On the 'train' itself, things had fared little better, and you'd been pushed into a couple of empty compartments almost by default...oh, but now the hulking giant of a man - Hagrid, he had said was his name - was raising his lantern up at the head of the line, and calling for attention.

He yells a couple of things, but you're back too far to catch anything much: presently, though, he raises his fist to the great doors before him and slowly lands three booming knocks upon them.

For a moment, they ring empty into the night; then the door cracks open, spilling a warm glow onto the first-years, and a new figure appears: an old woman who introduces herself as Professor McGonagall. She ushers you into the castle, leading you across an enormous, vaulted entrance hall lined with torches - a hush has fallen over your crowd, a marked change from so-far incessant chatter.

A grand marble staircase rises from the end of the hall, and to your left are a huge pair of oaken doors - from behind these, hundreds of voices rise into a muted drone. The great hall, no doubt.

But it's not here you're led. Instead, McGonagall takes the first years into a small chamber off the hall - and, after a brief introduction speech, explains the purpose and function of houses.

Then, at last, she orders the first years into a line, and leads you (footsteps rather like lead) back across the hall, and back to the great oaken doors which lead to the great hall.

"Follow me, now, students. The Sorting Ceremony's about to begin."

And with that, the elderly witch pushes back the double doors and leads you into the Great Hall, marvelous and splendid, lined with golden torches bearing spectral flame, ceiling rising into the image of an inky, clouded sky, and packed with hundreds of students: and at the head of the hall stands a rickety wooden stool, and atop it sits an old, tattered black hat.

Then McGonagall pulls a long parchment from her robes, and one by one she calls you up.

[druid91]

Griam is standing up near the front of the line, due to the misfortune of having the name Griam Emilian.


Fortunately a hat was part of the uniform, and he is doing his level best to look mysterious by wearing it. Whether or not this works... or he just looks like a fool wearing a hat is yet to be seen.

Anyone close to him can hear him muttering softly
"Why Gond, why in the name of all the holy gears do I have to go to wizard school? I'm an archivist not a wizard..."

[PersonMan]

Coris hadn't been able to glean much of the function of the train from his observations, and the castle hadn't done much to distract him from his thoughts-so far, it was one of the larger places he had seen, but still pathetic compared to Sigil, or a few of the other castles his parents had taken him to.

As the old lady began to call up students, Coris' thoughts turned in another direction: which name would they use? He had two last names, quite removed from each other as well...

As he hadn't been listening much during the explanation of the houses, Coris was a bit confused when he was 'sorted'-how set apart were these groups? Was it like a different school altogether, or were they like separate groups within a larger whole?

[bladesmith]

Since the wizard school was using her human name(apparently, a halfling name like Featherfoot didn't matter much, as it was a 'middle name'), Alisa was a little bit further behind Griam then she wanted to be, but she knew the others were scattered through the line, too. She wasn't all alone. Though as she looked back, with Bob sitting back at the door whining pitifully, she felt it. Her stockings were scratchy, her shoes were clunky, her robes were heavy, and the stone around her was so very lifeless. Alisa wanted nothing more then to be home. She wanted to go back to roaming the woods with Bob, chasing squirrels and listening patiently to old Orrindumrasom, the treant. She wanted to go back where things were normal, and she could dance with the pixies while her mother stayed up late into the night, telling adventurers what they would need to clear the nest of abyssal basilisks without getting turned to stone.

Alisa blinked away a fresh batch of tears.

Except, that was what this was, wasn't it? An adventure? She was journeying into a strange land, with odd customs and new creatures and strange magics. And adventurers didn't cry. That was what Mom had taught her. If things were bad, or sad, or stupid, or angry, you stuffed the feelings down until the job was done. If you let feelings tell you what to do, you got eaten by a dragon, Mom had always said. So Alisa would be strong, and adventure on until she could find a way back. After all, she had smart people like Griam and Saverana who would find the way home soon enough. Thinking on that, she picked up her head, facing the enormous great hall as she wiped the last hints of tears from her eyes. If this was an adventure, she was going to adventure like the best adventurer ever. And that meant not fearing the things you didn't have to.

[Elfin]

"Coris Aldehan."

As the battered old hat falls upon your head, a soft, low voice springs alive in your mind.

...

Who are you?

All of a sudden, the voice seems deathly afraid.

There are demons within you. Evil...you do not belong here.
Who are you? You should not have come to Hogwarts. Your very essence is bound to some hidden fire...

I am Rule-of-Three.

...not of this world...no, but wait...

I see you.

...I cannot tell who you will turn upon...

None escape me, Coris Aldehan Ris Hiroi.

...


"...Slytherin!"

...

"Griam Emilian."

As the battered old hat falls upon your head, a soft, low voice springs alive in your mind.

Ah...you are...different.
So keen a mind, yes, but something else as well...There are things within you I can see that I have never seen before. Things not of this world...
Ah, but yes. You must be one of them...I heard them talking about you. Griam Emilian. You are truly different, child: a mind like yours comes only twice in a century...
I must admit, I do not quite know what to make of you. Within you are many marvels, many dark talents...Ravenclaw, perhaps? But I can see within your heart: there are shadows there, a lust for dark secrets. Slytherin would fit you well.
Yet for your shadows, you will go on long after the others have failed. I am no fortune-teller, Griam Emilian, but your allies will be glad indeed that they chose you.
Better be...

"Gryffindor!"

...

"Alisa Hollis!"

As the battered old hat falls upon your head, a soft, low voice springs alive in your mind.

So you are the third of them. The strange ones.

There are no shadows or evil secrets within you, that I can see. Simple, perhaps, but there is greatness within you as well...Hufflepuff, I think. You will do well, Alisa Hollis.

The hat then almost seems to frown.

But no...you are not so simple after all. Then, what should I have expected?
Whatever friends you pick, Alisa Hollis, they shall be glad, for you will never fail them.
...And there will be trials for you, of that you may be sure. Tread carefully...for now, though, feast. I am not sure whether you shall ever return to your rightful place, but until such time, sleep well in

"Gryffindor!"

[druid91]

"Griam Emilian."

As the battered old hat falls upon your head, a soft, low voice springs alive in your mind.

Ah...you are...different.
So keen a mind, yes, but something else as well...There are things within you I can see that I have never seen before. Things not of this world...
Ah, but yes. You must be one of them...I heard them talking about you. Griam Emilian. You are truly different, child: a mind like yours comes only twice in a century...
I must admit, I do not quite know what to make of you. Within you are many marvels, many dark talents...Ravenclaw, perhaps? But I can see within your heart: there are shadows there, a lust for dark secrets. Slytherin would fit you well.
Yet for your shadows, you will go on long after the others have failed. I am no fortune-teller, Griam Emilian, but your allies will be glad indeed that they chose you.
Better be...

"Gryffindor!"

Swapping his newer hat back in place of the sorting hat, and pulling it down so as to shade his face against the candlelight above, Griam stands up noticing the hems of his new robes turning red, he walks over to join the other red robes. Soon after sitting down he speaks,
"Hey guys. Question, what's a Slytherin? I assume it's one of the other color-robes... but which one? In addition which are the Ravenclaws?"

[PersonMan]

"Coris Aldehan."

As the battered old hat falls upon your head, a soft, low voice springs alive in your mind.

...

Who are you?

All of a sudden, the voice seems deathly afraid.

There are demons within you. Evil...you do not belong here.
Who are you? You should not have come to Hogwarts. Your very essence is bound to some hidden fire...

I am Rule-of-Three.

...not of this world...no, but wait...

I see you.

...I cannot tell who you will turn upon...

None escape me, Coris Aldehan Ris Hiroi.

...


"...Slytherin!"

...

Coris raises an eyebrow at the odd voices, considering their meaning. Luckily, his occasional forays into the realm of 'actually paying attention' were enough to let him know where he was to go-a group of his fellow Slytherins.

After a moment, a thought sprung into his mind. Slytherin sounded alright, but it led him to a much better name...Slythling*! Now, that was the beginnings of something great! A Slythling, perfect!

*That's with a long y, like scythe, so it sounds rather different than Slytherin.

[M. Mayonnaise]

Christopher is scared half to death. He stands in the Great Hall next to his adopted sister, Saverana. The fingers on his right hand tap rhythmically against his leg without him realizing it - pinky-ring-middle-index-middle-index-middle, pinky-ring-middle-index-middle-index-middle...

He really shouldn't be here. He'd been told over and over again that he was not to learn magic. He was not to attempt spells. He was not to study magical theory. He was already bending the rules with his own special powers, and he couldn't even control when he developed those. Now he was choosing to learn wizardry? He couldn't even imagine what they'd do to punish him. Lock him in his room for months? That old knight, Gregor, might even hit him this time. He'd looked like he'd come close to doing so before. Christopher didn't even know what he'd done to make Gregor so mad. It was like he was mad at him just for being alive.

Noticing his leg was shaking a bit from his nervousness, Christopher tries to calm himself by taking a small black gemstone out of his pocket. He'd conjured it with his special power, and it was very clearly not of this world. Pitch black, its facets seemed to reflect shadows instead of light. Turning it over in his hand, Christopher distracts himself for a moment by making it catch the shadow in different ways. He takes breaks to listen to his friends' sortings, hoping he'll end up in the same "House" as at least one of them. Gryffindor was sounding like the place to be - he'd always been close friends with Alisa.

But soon, the old woman - Professor McGonagall, he remembered her introducing herself as - had reached "Nexus, Christopher". Hastily tucking the black gemstone into his pocket and giving a small smile to Saverana, he makes his way up to the Sorting Hat.

[bladesmith]

"Alisa Hollis!"

As the battered old hat falls upon your head, a soft, low voice springs alive in your mind.

So you are the third of them. The strange ones.

There are no shadows or evil secrets within you, that I can see. Simple, perhaps, but there is greatness within you as well...Hufflepuff, I think. You will do well, Alisa Hollis.

The hat then almost seems to frown.

But no...you are not so simple after all. Then, what should I have expected?
Whatever friends you pick, Alisa Hollis, they shall be glad, for you will never fail them.
...And there will be trials for you, of that you may be sure. Tread carefully...for now, though, feast. I am not sure whether you shall ever return to your rightful place, but until such time, sleep well in

"Gryffindor!"

Alisa took the battered hat gently off of her head and set it down on the stool, bowing slightly towards it in thanks. Her mother had once told her a story about a magic cloak, that was really a cursed person, and it cursed a prince who was rude to it. So, it was probably good to be nice to clothing that spoke. However, once her back was turned on it, all bets were off on her solemnity. With a smile and a sharp whistle she prodded Bob into motion, and he raced to her as she raced towards the table where her new adventuring party was sitting, colliding roughly with her and almost sending her sprawling at Griam's feet. Instead, she managed to get turned around and sit down next to her friend before she toppled, and Bob had to content himself with sitting at her feet and getting his head scratched as she tried to face the others while sitting backwards, smiling from ear to ear.

"Griam, we're in the same house! And its a griffon house, with a lion! Do we get griffons? 'Cause I saw a griffon once, but it couldn't talk to me, and it was kinda mad when I got close to the nest, and... Oh, hi everyone!"

[MistressBaerne]

Beside Christopher, Saverana was trying to keep her emotions in check. There was no reason to be worried about anything - she already was a witch, after all; there was no way a daughter of Intalasha the Conjurer, even a mere 81-year-old, would have chosen a different path. She'd learn what this school had to teach her until her mother came to rescue everyone from this bizarre plane. Nothing to worry about at all. There was no reason to have butterflies in her stomach, since they wouldn't be here long enough for whatever this 'House' thing was to matter. There was no reason to wonder how well she'd get along with her Housemates, since she'd be home and in her favorite nook before the Winter Solstice, with a plate of nutcakes and an interesting spellbook.

Noticing Christopher's discomfort, the petite elf smiled in what she hoped was an encouraging manner. She thought she could guess what was troubling him.

"Don't worry. We'll be home before it matters, and nobody will mind that they made you study magic. It can't be very good magic, anyway, if they have to use those sticks."

[druid91]

"Griam, we're in the same house! And its a griffon house, with a lion! Do we get griffons? 'Cause I saw a griffon once, but it couldn't talk to me, and it was kinda mad when I got close to the nest, and... Oh, hi everyone!"

Griam sighs... And replies, "Yes Allisa, they give all the young gryfindors pet griffins. We ride them when we battle the Raven-claws riding their giant ravens. And the hufflepuffs ride giant badgers like gnomes. And fight against the slytherins who ride giant snakes. They are all trying to capture the enemy leaders left sock and return it to the goal before the other team can."

This is said with a completely straight face, despite his tone dripping with sarcasm.

[bladesmith]

"Awesome." Alisa knew Griam was kidding her, but it was always a lot more fun to play along. She'd break that straight face of his one of these days.
"But if Coris is the enemy leader, I'm not taking his sock. Its gross. Though maybe he could teach me how to ride a snake. Its harder then you would think."

Flipping her feet over the bench to sit properly at the table, she tried to keep her face as sober as Griam(failing miserably). So it was that she finally faced the others that were to be in her 'house'. Huh, maybe this would be more like a guild then a party. There were a lot of people here. Maybe, since they were all in a house, they were supposed to be like family. That would be neat. She sometimes wondered what it would be like to have brothers and sisters, and now she had a whole bunch. Her smile broke a little wider when Bob shoved his big head under her arm, grinning wolfishly(ha!). She at least had brought a little family with her.

[Super_Fluous]

Gavin raps his fingers on the chair with boredom and just a bit of irritation. It seems he would have gotten a chance to get this over with already, but early he had snuck off to look around, and thus had missed his turn.

He turns to the student next to him with an air of complaint.

"Really, school? Don't the people in this world have better things to do with their time? I've been to school already. Frankly its not all its cracked up to be."