The Great Hall buzzed with magic and murmurs as one by one, the names of new students echoed through the chamber. Golden candles floated overhead, casting warm light across the enchanted ceiling that mirrored the starlit sky outside.
"Abbott, Emilia!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Bones, Timothy!"
"Ravenclaw!"
Harris stood quietly near the back of the line, heart thudding beneath his robes. Around him, new students whispered nervously while older students looked on from the long house tables. Somewhere near the Ravenclaw table, a girl with straight black hair and sharp, observant eyes was also waiting her turn, Cho Chang, just another first-year like him.
Next to Harris, Summer Greengrass stood with perfect posture, her expression calm. On his other side, Alex Richards looked pale.
"Do you think they let you eat before you throw up or after?" Alex muttered nervously.
"I think they clean it up with magic," Harris said flatly.
"You're not helping."
Then came the call,
"Greengrass, Summer!"
Summer stepped forward, each movement deliberate. She sat down gracefully as the Sorting Hat dropped over her head.
"Ah, a Greengrass. Steady and sharp… Not power-hungry, no… but proud. Protective. Hmm. A balance of tradition and quiet strength."
"You'd thrive in Ravenclaw… but Slytherin will give you the path you seek."
"Slytherin!" the Hat declared.
Polite claps and cheers came from the green-and-silver table. A fourth-year boy with a prefect badge nodded her way.
As she passed Harris, she gave him a small, unreadable look, not quite a smile, not quite a warning.
"Richards, Alex!"
Alex took an awkward step forward and nearly tripped on his robes. The Hall giggled softly. He sat stiffly on the stool as the Sorting Hat dropped onto his head.
"Oh, now here's a loyal heart. Bit of a mess up top, but you'll sort yourself out. Yes… Hufflepuff."
"Hufflepuff!"
The table erupted into cheers, and Cedric Diggory, a second-year, waved him over with a smile. Alex looked dazed but relieved.
Then came the name Harris had waited for.
"Wells, Harris!"
He walked forward quietly. No gasps. No stares. Just another student. Just another name.
That's how he wanted it.
He sat on the stool, and the Sorting Hat fell over his eyes. The world dimmed.
"Now, this… this is something different," the voice whispered in his mind. "Thoughts too deep for your age. Memories layered like pages in a book not meant to be opened yet. You… are hiding. But learning."
"There is kindness here. Care. But also caution. Ravenclaw would give you the questions you seek. Yes… yes, clever child. That's the one."
"Ravenclaw!" the hat announced.
Harris got down from the stool, heart calming as polite applause rose from the blue-and-silver table. As he walked over, a pair of red-headed twins sitting at the Gryffindor table gave him a dramatic bow and whispered something like, "Another brainy one. Duck when you pass Snape."
Fred and George Weasley, unmistakable with their identical grins, winked at him before turning their attention to whispering mischief.
Harris sat down quietly at the end of the Ravenclaw bench. Cho Chang joined shortly after, giving him a brief glance before focusing on the Sorting. Neither of them stood out, not yet and that was exactly how Harris liked it.
Across the hall, Alex gave him a tired thumbs-up. Harris smirked softly in return.
From the Slytherin table, Summer gave no sign she'd noticed.
The last names were called, the hat removed, and soon, the great golden plates shimmered with food. Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, thick bread, and buttered corn appeared before their eyes.
Laughter rose. Glasses clinked. The nervous air faded.
As Harris looked around, the warmth of the hall settled into his bones. He took a deep breath, soaking in the magic, the light, the feeling of possibility.
This was home.