The Story of the Sorting Hat

Title: The Story of the Sorting Hat

Author: ClaMiAl

Rating: K

Disclaimer: Nothing's mine. And I don't get any money for it. Sad, but true.

Author's Notes: I've written this little fic some time ago. It sort of just popped into my mind in the middle of the night. Well, that seems to be the time when I get the best ideas, for some strange reason. Anyway. It's a one-shot, and I don't have any intentions of adding to it at the moment, though I guess, it would be an interesting exercise. Well, we'll see. If I get any good ideas, then I could perhaps make it into something a bit longer. But either way, please let me know what you think of it. It's one of the first fics I've ever written, so it would be nice to see if other people like it. For any feedback, questions, or comments (though please no flames), you can email me at [email protected].

The Story of the Sorting Hat

I have a very interesting job, though to most it would seem rather boring. After all, I have the whole year off and work for only one day. Actually, I even work for only an hour on that one day. That day is September 1^st, and I am the Sorting Hat of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Heh, I've always wanted to say that. It makes me sound very important - and in fact, I am.

My job is to sort the new first years into their Houses, either Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, or Slytherin. If those names sound familiar, well, they *are* the names of the Founders of this school. And my story starts in the time of those selfsame Founders, which was a long time ago.

I started as an ordinary hat in a wizarding store not unlike the one that goes by the name of 'Madam Malkin's' today. Next to me, on this shelf, were more hats, and in fact I was just one of several that were stacked one atop the other. Some had different colors, ranging from black to brown and green, red or other even brighter colors. I was one of the brown variety. Of course, I don't have any memories from that time, since I was just an ordinary hat back then, but Godric was so nice as to share his memories of this particular purchase with me.

Well, one day, while I was sitting on that shelf, a young man came in. He was happy to tell the owner of the shop that he had just finished his apprenticeship and was in need of a few new cloaks and hats that would fit his new image. He bought several cloaks, some black, some dark blue, some a bit finer than others, and the turned to the shelf with me and all the other hats on it. He picked me and a black one, and tried us on, looking in the mirror - mirrors back then thankfully had not developed the tendency to make unfit comments yet - to see which color would go better with his robes. Finally, he chose the black one. I am quite thankful for this fact, since if he had chosen me, I would probably have had a much more boring life - and a much shorter one.

The way things were, however, he took the other hat, and put me back on the shelf. He paid and left the shop, and a man that had been standing near the entrance, waiting for his turn, came forward. He was only in the need for a new hat, since he had lost his last one in a bet with a friend. This man chose me. And he was Godric Gryffindor, then future founder of Hogwarts. Of course, he didn't know that yet, and neither did I.

He wore me for several years - how long exactly, I do not know. Since I don't sleep I'd have to count the days and nights and finally the years, and doing that without loosing count is very hard to do - believe me, I tried. Besides, back then I had not been enchanted yet; I was still just an ordinary hat - a good-looking one, if I may say so myself, but nonetheless, just a hat.

At some point Godric and his friends got this stupid idea of founding a school for magical children. It was unheard of in that time, young children with magical potential were taking in by wizards and witches as their apprentices...or burned or otherwise killed by their muggle parents. But those four, two women and two men, all of completely different backgrounds, got it into their heads that they could build a school and then teach all the children that came to them. Only later did they find out that they, four normal human beings, could not possibly teach all the students, but that realization took some time in coming - though, to me it seemed rather obvious.

So, one day, there they stood, in front of a castle that hadn't been there the day before, in the middle of nowhere next to a lake in what later became Scotland. Furthest to the right was Helga Hufflepuff, a woman with a kind face, short and squat, a little rounder than was strictly necessary, but back then men preferred women like that. Everyone wants to have a friend who is like her, honest, loyal and staunch, always seeing the best in others, quiet but supportive, no leader but a follower - one that thinks and doesn't follow blindly, however. She would give you advice if you needed it, but she was the last person to initiate a change, in fact she was quite passive. One of the exceptions to that was the founding of Hogwarts - but you know the saying with the few exceptions proving the rule or however it goes? It was her idea to build the Great Hall and to use it as it is still used today.

Then there was Rowena Ravenclaw. She looked like the complete opposite of Helga. Rowena was tall, thin, with somewhat hard facial features, sharp eyes hidden behind glasses. Her hair was dark, not honey colored like Helga's, and long, reaching halfway down her back when she did not pull it up into a bun, which she always did. She was very studious, preferring to learn from books than from another person, and believing what was written in books over what she was told by others. The fact that those books had been written by another person once, and therefore could be as wrong as what she was told was completely ignored. But aside from this - which made most people think of her as arrogant and cold - she could be a good friend as well. But unlike Helga, who was a very social person, Rowena preferred somewhere calm with as few people to distract her as possible. Since she devoured any book she could get her fingers on, she was knowledgeable in almost any subject that would come up in conversation. It was her idea to build such a big school library.

Next to her stood Godric Gryffindor, with me on his head, of course. He was an imposing figure, a huge man with arms as thick as other men's legs. Though unlike his size would suggest, he was a very soft-spoken man - unless, of course, he was up to something. I think this whole soft-spoken persona was developed so that he did not frighten everyone off before he could even introduce himself. But befitting his size, he went through his life, taking on any challenge, trying to do everything at least once, seemingly not afraid of anything. He was charismatic, and a leader many would follow, but not the one to think his actions through - which often got him in trouble. But he was still a very happy person, with light brown hair and a constant smile on his face. Some swore his eyes twinkled more than was normal, but since I was mostly on top of his head - and don't have eyes in the strictest sense anyway - I can't say whether that was true or not. We have to thank him for the many secret passageways, trick steps, moving staircases and anything else that can be used for pranks or just makes one's life difficult.

Last but not least there was Salazar Slytherin. Even though he was dwarfed, standing next to Godric, he was still quite tall - at least for men back in those days. Over the years people have become taller and taller. When he walked into a room, all women turned to look at him, and all men turned and scowled sat him. With his long and thick black hair and dark eyes he looked like an aristocrat, and he behaved like one as well. In fact, he was one, but that is besides the point. He had money, lots of it, and had grown up and lived in the belief that money could solve every problem he might have. And until then he had been proven correct in this belief. When he had been a child, the other children flocked to him - because of his money - so he never lacked friends. When he had grown up, girls had giggled and looked at him shyly, and his parents could choose his future wife from dozens if not even hundreds of girls - because of his money. He never had to get into any fights, for he had guards and what we would call bodyguards today, to do the fighting for him - thanks to his money. And he never had to work, since he already had the money. So, as you can imagine, he was quite arrogant, believing everybody to be beneath him and expecting them to look up to him. But once you got past that, he was a passionate, intelligent man. He had eyes and ears everywhere and his fingers as well. He did not know everything that had been written down like Rowena, but he knew everything you could know without touching a book - which did not mean that he did not read. If something happened in his village or, later on, in the school, he knew about it. He seemed to see life as a play, with everyone as actors and him as the writer. He played other people, subtly influenced them, pulled their strings - and all this without them noticing. He did not only know what was going on, he was behind it as well. With other words, he was one hell of a sly bastard. But once he called you friend, he used all his skills to protect and help you. Apart from that, he was magically powerful as well and ruthless to boot. The effect was, of course, that no one wanted him as an enemy. Thanks to him we have the wards around Hogwarts - which still hold like they did on their first day, even though so much time has passed since then - the lake with the Giant Squid and the Forbidden Forrest with all the dangerous creatures in there - and, of course, the Chamber of Secrets with the Basilisk, which, by the way, was supposed to protect the school against muggles.

So, there they stood, in front of a castle they had made out of nothing but ideas and hopes. It was the first magical school in the world, soon followed by others. Of course, they could not wait to go and see for themselves what they had created, so they went inside and were speechless. The walls were still bare and the rooms empty, but the staircases were moving - here Rowena shot Godric a poisonous glare, angry that he had come up with this idea and not her - and the whole school seemed alive. Then, they entered the Great Hall and for the first time saw the Crest of Hogwarts: on it were a snake, a lion, an eagle and a badger; the animagus forms of all four founders. That was, I think, when it sank in, when they comprehended what they had created and started. They looked at each other with smiles on their faces, proud and beaming, and then Rowena swished her wand and made a table with chairs appear. They sat down and started planning the specifics.

And that was when Godric had an idea. They had decided to divide the students into four 'Houses', each one under the control of one of the founders to help the children along. But the question was how to select which child would go into which house? The idea he came up with was simple and ingenious. Why not enchant a hat? So that is what they did, choosing me for this most important task. They put an imprint of each of their personalities in me, along with several charms to make me speak and give me a consciousness.

So that was, when I became aware. My first memory is of me sitting on a table with four people looking at me expectantly. Of course I knew who they were, since I had a bit of their personalities, and what I was. Then they discussed how they wanted the Sorting Ceremony to go. I listened attentively, and a few weeks later, when Hogwarts was opened for the first time and the first students arrived, I did it just like they wanted me to. And since then, I've done it hundreds, no, thousands of times, once every year, in the evening of September 1^st.

Years later, after all the Founders had left, either because of sickness, old age, death, or in the case of Salazar some...'differences in opinion'...yes, that's a nice way to put it, I had an idea. I was sitting on a shelf again and watching the Founders' office. Well, that's what I still called it, but it was by then already the Headmaster's office. At the time I was quite bored, since there was no one except me currently in the office, which was still quite empty and bare. I thought that it would be a nice idea for me to sing. Not just a school song, but a song telling of the Founders and their Houses. I knew that most of the professors and some of the older students had known the Four, but what about the new children? They had heard of them, certainly, but it would only be a matter of time before these four people would be forgotten, lost to the mists of time. I wanted to keep them alive in the minds of the students and teachers alike, remind them of who they had to thank for this school, and, not least of all, tell them what the four Houses symbolized.

Now, I can proudly say that that was one of the best ideas I've ever had. Not only does the song tell of the Founders and their Houses, but it also gives me something to do during the long nights while I sit in the still and empty office, here on my shelf. Plus, on occasion, I have used the song to speak warnings. In fact, I am in a perfect position to know what is going on in the world - which is quite ironic, if you think about how much I actually see of the world. Almost all wizards in Britain and some from other parts of the world have at one point or another attended Hogwarts, and I have sat on their heads, riffled though their minds, learned who they were, where they came from, and what they knew.

I had done this with Merlin, who by now is quite famous, and has been for some time, with Dumbledore, who is often compared to Merlin in his greatness and is just as famous even though he is still alive and, by the way, Headmaster of this most noble institution. I have also sorted Tom Riddle, to name only the latest Dark Lord. Of course, back then he was just an eleven year old boy, but even back then I saw that he had the potential to become what he is today. And I have sorted Harry Potter, the youngest celebrity of the wizarding world, the boy who is destined to fight Tom Riddle. But of course, I have sorted all those other children as well, children who are no less important or unimportant, but who have either been forgotten and lost in history or are just called ordinary.

I am no seer, or rather, no fortune cookie, but knowing all that I know, I can sometimes predict the future. I learn of all the plans, wishes and dreams of all those people. So, of course I am not surprised if a little boy who was hateful, mistreated and isolated becomes a Dark Lord. I tried to prevent that, I hoped that putting him with boys similar to him, would help him find friends and learn to love, but it was not enough, or perhaps it was the wrong thing to do.

Sometimes I wonder, in what house would I sort myself, if I could do that? Would I go to Hufflepuff, to the house of the loyal, of those who give good advice? Or in Ravenclaw, with all the knowledge I already have and will collect? Or Gryffindor, to the brave, daring to decide on a child's future without too much contemplation as I do every year? Or perhaps Slytherin, knowing everything, influencing all those around me to get the best possible outcome?

I have traits from all four founders, but so does everyone else. Perhaps, I think sometimes, it would be best to unite the Houses, because, after all, all the students go to Hogwarts first and foremost. And is there really a point in making even more divisions in their daily lives? Isn't it enough that there are rich and poor, boys and girls, tall and small, intelligent and stupid and all those in between? The Founders had a good reason to divide the students, and it was a logical step to decide to split them according to their personalities, but today...to me it seems quite superfluous.

But I am only a hat after all. What do I know about those strange people that call themselves wizards and witches? Well, I just hope *they* know what they are doing, because that is one thing that I have never understood.