You’re standing in the Great Hall, pressed between rows of nervous first years. The enchanted ceiling looms above, stars glittering as if the night sky itself had slipped inside. You shift uneasily on your feet, surrounded by nearly a hundred students, your heart pounding.

Blaise:“I’m so nervous, guys.”

You glance at him, then at Mattheo Riddle, Draco Malfoy, Lorenzo Berkshire, and Theodore Nott, each hiding their nerves in their own way. Across the line, you spot Harry Potter, already the subject of countless whispers.

McGonagall: “Before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. There’s Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.”

The first name is called, a student stepping forward toward the old stool and the Sorting Hat. The silence deepens, your stomach twisting.