Sorting Out Thoughts
Matilde Rayne
If there was anything that Mattie knew going into her Hogwarts sorting, it was that everyone in her family had an opinion on where she would end up - everyone but her, that was.
Her parents firmly believed she would end up in Slytherin, like they had, though Mattie felt this was more due to their own wishes for their daughter than anything they had really seen in her. Certainly Mattie had dreams and goals, but she was also tentative and reserved. She wasn't the sort to leap forward and grab every opportunity. While she could probably keep her head above water in the house of serpents, it was most definitely not the house that she would thrive in.
Then came her eldest brother, also a Slytherin. Unlike their parents, he recognized that his own house wasn't the best fit for his little sister, but determined to put his own mark on the discussion, he offered an alternative: Gryffindor. In trying to qualify his sister's un-Slytherinlike tendencies, he went too far in the opposite direction, putting too much weight on the few moments Mattie had been bold and unafraid to speak her mind. Of course, it was still a closer estimate than their parents' guess - Gryffindor was a much better chance than Slytherin.
Also chiming in was another brother: the youngest of three brothers, but still a few years older than Mattie herself. This brother belonged to Gryffindor, but also did not claim Mattie for his own house. Instead, he recognized her kindness, patience, and genuine desire to understand others; he took her for a Hufflepuff.
The third brother, the middle brother, was a Ravenclaw. He was the quietest in this debate, only offering a knowing look and a simple "We'll have to see."
Mattie went into her sorting with a jumble of thoughts running through her mind. She remembered everything her family had said, and bounced between wanting Slytherin versus Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff, and then...
"But what do you think?" said the Hat.
And that was such an intriguing thought. What did Mattie think, indeed? She thought about it for a moment and concluded that the loudest voices aren't always right, and those who say little often have the best insight.
And so the Hat shouted, "Ravenclaw!"
