That was the scariest moment for Kiku at Hogwarts so far. He could have sworn that the headmaster had taken an extra long look at him, from behind those thin glasses.

"Let's be on with it," the headmaster commenced, gesturing to the side, "First and foremost, we must sort the first-years into their Houses."

Hagrid emerged from a side door, holding an odd drape in a strange fashion. (But when had he vanished from their group? Surely a large man like Hagrid couldn't have slipped away so easily.) He placed it on a stool which Kiku had failed to notice before, and stepped back, reaching for a scroll tucked unceremoniously under his arm. Poor Hagrid. He could be quite clumsy sometimes. He wasn't the most "educated" when it came to formalities.

Hagrid unraveled the scroll quite noisily, and Kiku saw the looks that some of the other professors had. This was extremely awkward for them. Kiku could tell right away that Hagrid had never done this before.

Hagrid cleared his throat.

"When I call yer' name, please -uh- step forward and take a seat on this stool. I'll place th'Sortin' Hat on yer head, and th'Sortin' Hat will decide which House ye' belong in." There was a pause, before Hagrid realised his mistake. "Oh!" He hurried to unveil what was likely the ugliest hat Kiku ever saw. It was a wizard's cap, no doubt, but it was a brown, leathery thing with buckles and many folds. A face suddenly emerged from the folds, and the Japanese was alarmed.

"Jane Dursley-" Hagrid called, and everyone watched a timid brunette child slowly step forward. Hagrid nodded at her, beckoning to come closer, and he helped her onto the chair, after removing the Hat. Then, without further ado, he slid the Hat down onto the girl's head.

"Bah!" The Hat cried, jumping into animation, and the girl flinched. The poor thing shook. "A weak heart, but a kind heart... Yes, yes... I see..." The hat went on, making vague observations about the girl. Kiku wondered if the hat could read the wearer's thoughts. "...HUFFLEPUFF!"

Cheers erupted from all around, and applause crackled. Some of the students from one of the outer tables gave a standing ovation. The girl, Jane Dursley, slid off of the chair with a bright smile on her face, and she was directed to sit at the outer table with the standing students.

Oh, those must be students from the Hufflepuff House, Kiku realised.

The students were gradually sorted into their Houses. Kiku smiled broadly for Peter McDallen, when he, too, was sorted into Hufflepuff. His mannerisms were similar to Jane Dursley's, and Kiku soon discovered the standard to which the Sorting Hat held its wearers: a person's /character/.

Watching Chauncey Higgins's placement was very amusing. The freckle-faced boy strode forward with some measurement of confidence, but when he sat on the stool, he shriveled up, mumbling a chorus of lines that were once uttered by another boy many, many years ago on that very same seat.

"Not Slytherin-" he whispered desperately, "Please don't put me with Slytherin- anywhere but Slytherin-"

The Sorting Hat barked, "Not Slytherin? Another Higgins like you would surely fit in with Slytherin..."

Chauncey then had the nerve to yip, "No! I'll die if I'm stuck with Shannon!"

Kiku had to resist the urge to look back and find his sister's face in the crowd.

"...Very well..." The Hat murmured, "... I give you to... GRYFFINDOR!"

More applause and whoops erupted. Chauncey's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Kiku clapped especially for him. He watched Chauncey step down to join the Gryffindors at their table. Welcoming hands pat his back, and Kiku found Chauncey's sister. She looked both indifferent and relieved. At least everything worked out well for them.

Kiku nearly had a heart attack when his name was called. He swallowed a small knot and stepped forward. Eyes drilled into his back. He could feel them. A sudden hot flash swept over him. He suddenly felt unreasonably exposed. He felt suddenly, as if everyone knew that he was the one who got sick on the train. Well, this would certainly be interesting, to see which House would receive this awkward fledgling. Kiku seated himself stiffly, and Hagrid lowered the Hat onto his head. The Sorting Hat jerked forward on his head with a hiss; it was surprisingly much heavier on his head than he thought it would be.

"Well, well~" the Hat mused, "Intelligence, I see much of it in you. ... You're firm,... kind... but you are a thoughtful person, I see... A dreamer, of sorts... RAVENCLAW!"

Kiku almost missed the House name, he was so muddled up in his thoughts. He spotted Harley, sitting towards the middle of the Gryffindor table, who threw a sharp whistle out for him. Kiku slid off the seat, confused. Which table was Ravenclaw's?

"That way, Kiku," Hagrid kindly pointed. Kiku was momentarily stuck, before his feet brought him down to sit with his classmates.

"Welcome to Ravenclaw, mate!" One of the boys greeted warmly, among other complimentary welcoming phrases. Things settled back down, so that the remaining students could be sorted.

The little girl who had taken his hand on the boat was also sorted into Ravenclaw. Kiku received a grin and a thumbs-up from Chauncey, and likewise from Harley. Kiku was curious about the white-haired boy, but as for the rest of the students, he hardly paid attention. He scanned the room for Arthur Kirkland.

"Emil Steilsson," Hagrid named, and the Asian's attention was diverted. The boy with silver-white hair was stepping up. He watched the young man sit, and the Hat made its own proclamations about him. It said that he was "iron-willed", but not much more. Even the Sorting Hat had trouble dissecting people sometimes, it appeared. After murmurings and mutterings, the Hat said, "HUFFLEPUFF!" The strange-looking boy stepped down and was received. The last two students were sorted with ease.

Once everyone was seated, the headmaster rose to her feet and took to the intricate podium. She then began to lay out the ground rules of Hogwarts, such as curfews and forbidden zones. She explained briefly about a sport called "Quidditch", and explained the House Cup. A long last, she rang in dinner, and before their eyes, platters upon platters of food magically appeared before them. The room was filled with clamour once more, and the students eagerly picked at the plates. The Asian student reached for the roast in front of him, helping himself to a sliver, before moving on to get some stuffing. Very quickly, the setup became tricky. Plates would soon vanish and new plates with different comestibles would appear. It took a little while for Kiku to figure out that magic was rearranging the plates on the tables, so that everyone could have easy access to the food in turn. He honestly didn't have much of an appetite though. He could still taste the Every Flavor Beans, and it disturbed his pallet. He managed the roast and the stuffing, but that was it. He couldn't be bothered with the switching platters either.

"Oi, what's ye'r name-?" A Scot piped up, piquing Kiku's focus.

"I'm sorry-?" Kiku returned, hardly being able to understand him over the other voices around him.

"I said what's ye'r name?"

"Kiku Honda-" he answered. Did he not hear Hagrid say it before he went up to get sorted?

"Pleasure!" the Scot reached a hand over the table. Kiku shook it, but jerked it back when a platter suddenly appeared. The Scot was surprised too.

"Sorry- Shoulda kept an eye out fer that," he muttered. Kiku nodded, briefly studying the man. He had bright orange-red hair, which stood out easily among everyone. Hard emerald eyes which struck him familiarly in the strangest way had Kiku wondering. The piercings in his ear gave Kiku the impression that this upperclassman was edgy.

Something across the room had his eyes fleeing suddenly.

At that moment, Kiku spotted Arthur staring back at him.

"Me' name's Allistor. Allistor Kirkland."

He was seated at the Slytherin table.