A GIRL AND HER BOOK, "Better Be..."
1 September, 1992 ○ 6:40 PM GMT
"Hmm," the Hat whispers to your mind. "A curious girl, with such a guarded mind. Talent abounds for you, but your teeth are wet, and the thirst for knowledge has already set in. But can knowledge alone sate your thirst? Would you be content with wit beyond measure as your greatest treasure?"
You want to shout yes. Ravenclaw, please—
"You crave the comfort of those similar to you, but you reject Sorting among your family and those who care for you. You crave the admirations of your crush, but away from him you seek to rush," the Hat muses on, not caring or not responding to your interjections. "So confident that the Ravenclaw will provide you comfort and kinship, but will you provide kinship and comfort to them? Maybe you would be better among the Snakes, where the innocent will be spared your fangs,
"Or among the Lions, where your bravery can shine through. Seven generations of lions in your blood, and yet you prefer the blue…"
Yes, you do. Ravenclaw, please. They'll understand you most, and Luna will be there for you. You can compete with your housemates there in things you care about.
"The quest for knowledge is not always one of understanding. That solace you seek would be better found elsewhere; among the Hufflepuff, you'll not have a want, and among the Gryffindor you'll not bring a stare."
You want to bring a stare. You want to understand. And there's no
way that you'd be a Hufflepuff, however much comfort they might offer. The sound of the Hat's laughter fills your mind.
"No, certainly not—I fear Helga would crawl out of the grave if I put you among her house, Miss Weasley…" The Hat harrumphs.
"But what of Slytherin, where your new friend lies? I feel the passion burn in you, the drive to overcome and do more than just try. Slytherin would demand you become the best you can be just to get by… When you dream of the looks on your brothers faces when they see you sorted to Ravenclaw, do you imagine how they'd respond to you as a Slytherin?"
You frown. Slytherin House… it does make a sort of sense, doesn't it? And the look on Fred and George's faces would be something else.
"What of your ambitions? The house of Salazar will foster them best. From boys to impress," you flush at the Hat's taunt, "to the spells and arts hidden over which you obsess… and the rumors, the whispers, where better to put all the words on your family to rest? How better to protect your family? Already, your ambitions demand for your House to rise… would you give it all up to learn past your measure?"
You shake your head. No. No, you're not giving it up. That's not what being a Ravenclaw would mean. You want to learn, and to compete with your classmates, and to be around people who understand you, like Luna…
"Who will compete with you more than the Slytherins? Who will fight against you harder, than a pureblood who sees you become the champion of his House? Prove yourself, and who among them will dare insult those who you love and protect?"
You tremble. But Ravenclaw…
"Ravenclaw will foster you, and you will do well within them. Penny and Luna will take you in, and you will surely learn. But for the passions that inside you burn, for the achievements we know you long to earn, there is only one place fit for you to learn. Ginny Weasley, better be…"
"SLYTHERIN!"
McGonagall pulls the hat from your head. You look over to your family members at the Gryffindor table. Fred and George are becoming as white as ghosts while they slowly lower a pair of "WELCOME TO GRYFFINDOR, GIN-GIN" flags back down to the table. Percy claps for you, and he's joined by Beth Squire and Ruby Jukes at their tables. Ron is still nowhere to be seen.
Over at the Slytherin table, the reaction is muted. There is some clapping spread across the table, but none of the fanfare you'd expect to be associated with the last Sorting of the night. The table's made itself fuller than it was when you last looked at it; there's barely a spot available, even at the end of the table reserved for the first years.
You get up and make your way to the table, glancing at others throughout the Hall. Luna smiles at you and claps loudly as you pass by the Ravenclaw table. Eurig leads a number of the Hufflepuffs to clap for you as well when he notices your quieter reception.
You take a seat at the table's end, sitting beside Priscilla Newcastle and Christopher Rose. Priscilla sighs when you sit down next to her and turns slightly away. Christopher doesn't turn away from you, but he doesn't exactly look at you either. Across the table from you, Harper Burke whistles before he reaches a hand out across the table for you.
"Finally, a Weasley who isn't a fuckin' blood traitor, huh?" You don't reach out to take his hand, instead glaring daggers into his soul for the insult. Burke snickers at your glare. "Yeah, this'll be fun. Rose, you know the only thing worse than being a mudblood like you?"
Christopher Rose snaps to attention, looking at Burke. "No, sir,"
"Being like her," Burke jeers. "A blood traitor in this great house, well, you know there's gon-be a reckoning for that…"
Down the table, a second-year girl sighs and interjects. "Really, Burke, can't you wait until after the Feast to start this shit? It's hard to want to eat when I have to watch you spit all your self-righteous snot out over the table."
"Tracey, don't get involved," another girl's voice comes, almost devoid of emotion. She's got platinum hair almost down to her waist. You wonder if she and Felicia used the same glamour charms.
"'Tracey, don't get involved,'" Tracey mimes back to the first girl in an exaggerated drawl. "That's you, Daphne. He's being
gross, and while keeping your food down later might not be a concern for you, I'd prefer not to be visiting the—" Your attention is pulled away from their exchange of barbs by the arrival of Professor Snape back into the hall. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall quickly rise and follow him back out of the Hall.
With their departure, food appears across each of the tables of the room and the Feast begins. You focus on your own food, recognizing that none of the conversations going on near you are conversations that you'll be welcome to. The Sorting Hat sings, and you focus on its song:
"From the highest heights to the lowest lows,
From farthest flights or Hogsmeade's snows,
Come one, come all, hear my call;
I am the Sorting Hat, and I will sort you all
But before I go a warning, lest troubles fall
To smart Ravenclaw,
Treasure more than the wit you measure
Lest you find your wit too short for life's pall
To humble Hufflepuff,
Stand together, be strong and tall
Be careful who you crush when the Tower falls
To brave Gryffindor,
Not every battle that rages can be won
Steel your courage to live for your loved ones
And last, to clever Slytherin,
By founder's pride, come live again
The dangers you face come from within.
Raise one last glass to Hogwarts fall,
And pray to Founders Four above all
that this swansong is not our last call."
You spent the rest of the feast in silence, picking apart your food and thinking over the Sorting Hat's morbid song. The prefects were quick to escort you all to the Slytherin Common Rooms in the Dungeons after the meal. Some complained that there was no great speech by Dumbledore to open the year, while others suggested he'd just say some nonsense like he always does to open the year. Once you were escorted to the Common Rooms, you were shown to your dorm, which you'd be sharing with just Helen Prince and Priscilla Newcastle.
There's some time for socializing between the Slytherins after the great feast. Most of the students will gather in the Slytherin Common Rooms to get to know each other. You don't expect to receive a warm welcome if you attend, but at the same time, you don't expect to win anyone's favor by not attending the Slytherin Welcome Party either.
What do you want to do?
[] Attend the Slytherin Welcome Party in the Common Rooms (Pick 2).
-[] Socialize with…
--[] (Write-In) Someone you know?
--[] Whoever is willing to talk with you.
-[] Stay quiet and learn about your housemates.
-[] They'll play games, probably. Join a game you see.
-[] (Write-In) Something else?
[] Do not attend the Slytherin Welcome Party in the Common Rooms (Pick 2).
-[] Study in your dorm.
-[] Write a letter to (…)
-[] Write in your Diary about the day.
-[] (Write-In) Something else?
How do you plan to deal with Slytherins who insult your family?
[] Confront them. Burke will get his later. You will not tolerate insults to your family in your presence.
[] Endure them. They will stop in time. There's no need to confront them yet when your actions will speak louder than their words.
[] (Write-In) Maybe there's another approach?
AN: While there were more votes for Ravenclaw than Slytherin by a slight margin, there were a number of arguments made for Slytherin that hit on multiple notes of Ginny's character and played well into her traits. The major Ravenclaw argument was not a bad argument, and it was very reasonable for Ginny to have, but some of its component points applied to multiple houses and not just to Ravenclaw. The want to be around Luna was a legitimate inclusion in the vote, but it didn't strike me as reflecting something deep or integral to Ginny's character. Therefore, while Ginny came in with a strong preference to Ravenclaw and wanted that House as her first choice, she was swayable by the Hat and could not convince it against its preferred option of Slytherin for young Ginny. I hope that this does not cause too much discontentment among the voter base, and I am willing to discuss further as desired.
