Katherine Greenwood: The Hidden World #16

Instructions

Katherine's POV: The hat seemed to look deeper into my thoughts. "You're shy." I felt my face get warm. "Yes." "You don't like being the center of attention." "No." "You often worry about what other people think of you." I nodded. "And yet, despite being frightened, you still came forward." I thought about that. "I had to." "Perhaps. But you could have let your fear stop you." I didn't know what to say. The Sorting Hat was quiet again. "Hmm..." I waited. "There's intelligence here. A desire to learn. A great deal of curiosity." I wondered what that meant for where I would be placed. "But there's more." "What else?" "You're loyal to the people you care about. You value your family very deeply." I thought about Mum, Dad, Ava, Cecilia, Lucy, and Walter. "I miss them," I whispered. "I know." The hat paused again. "And you have courage." I almost laughed. "I don't think I do." "Oh, but you do. Courage doesn't always mean being fearless. Sometimes it means being afraid and moving forward anyway." I thought about King's Cross. I had been terrified. But I had still gone through the barrier. I had still boarded the train. And now I was sitting underneath a talking hat in front of an entire school. "You're right," I whispered. The hat seemed pleased. "You could fit into more than one house, Katherine Greenwood." I became nervous again. "Which one?" The hat didn't answer immediately. I waited. Then it spoke again. "You have a mind that wants to discover things. You ask questions. You think carefully. You observe the world around you. You don't simply accept something because someone tells you it is true. You want to understand it." I felt my heart begin to settle. "And I think you'll find people who appreciate that." I waited quietly. The Sorting Hat seemed to make its decision. Then it shouted so loudly that I jumped. "RAVENCLAW!" Suddenly, I could hear the Great Hall again. The hat was lifted from my head. For a moment, I just sat there, blinking. Then I heard the Ravenclaw table cheering. I stood up slowly. I had been sorted. I was a Ravenclaw. I looked toward the Ravenclaw table. Students were clapping and smiling, and I could see Lily cheering for me from where the remaining first-years were standing. I smiled back. Professor McGonagall gestured toward the Ravenclaw table. "Well done, Miss Greenwood." "Thank you," I said quietly. I walked toward my new house, still trying to understand what had just happened. I had been nervous. I had been scared. And I had talked to a hat. A talking hat. I wasn't sure I would ever get used to that. But as I reached the Ravenclaw table and found an empty place to sit, I felt something I hadn't expected. I felt like I belonged somewhere. For the first time since receiving my Hogwarts letter, I wasn't just the girl who didn't understand magic. I was Katherine Greenwood. A first-year Ravenclaw. And this was my new home.