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[Squall Leonheart]

as i said in the introduction, i am going to be running a series of challenges for RPers to do, which i hope benefit the skills of those who are unable to write long posts, and also benefit those who already write longer posts, but struggle. those who don't struggle, you are always welcome to posts your own work, as some of this will be used for me to help teach people less able. if you prove adapt at doing longer posts, i will enlist you to help me train people.

in the challenge, i shall set a topic which you have to stick to. and ill also set three things you must include in the piece, and a minimum word count. the word count does not mean you stop there. more credit will be given to those who create a piece that exceeds word count, but doesn't go on too long. keep it lively and interesting. and please don't copy other people's work, make them your own. thanks. finally, at the end, i want a brief summary from you about how you found the task. did you find it easy to achieve the word count, or hard and you just scraped it?

all pieces must be written in third person, as your character.

Topic: It is your characters first day of Hogwarts. you walk into the great hall and stand in front of the other pupils, waiting to be sorted.
begin your story in line, waiting for your name to be read out by Mcgonagall. end your story with your character sitting at the table assigned to them

you must include:
a detailed description of the great hall
an explanation to the feelings your character has.
a detailed description of an object your character notices

Word Count: 150 words.

good luck

[Kayleigh Mae]

Kayleigh stood in front of a huge, oak front door, looking around nervously. She fidgeted where she stood, waiting impatiently for something to happen. The giant man, who they called Hagrid, knocked three times on the door. Almost immediately, a tall woman opened the door. Her black hair was pulled into a tight bun. She had a stern look about her, Kayleigh's first thought upon seeing her was that there was nothing gentle about this woman. She distantly heard Hagrid address her as Professor McGonagall, but she was so nervous she didn't hear a thing. She started speaking about the Sorting Ceremony and the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Before Kayleigh could fully pay attention, the woman had gone. Kayleigh turned and whispered into the ear of a small girl,
“What was it she said?” she asked tentatively. The girl turned to her with a frown on her face,
“She said she'll come 'round to get us when the Sorting begins. Now shh,” the girl whispered, bringing her index finger up to her mouth as she did so. As if she had proved her point, the girl turned back around and looked straight ahead. Kayleigh sighed and sat back waiting for Professor McGonagall. She wondered what they'd have to do to be sorted into their house. She was frightened that they would have to do some sort of advanced magic or something that she didn't know how to do.
Before long, Professor McGonagall returned and ushered the first years into the Great Hall. Kayleigh followed the girl who had told her what McGonagall had said. Once in the room, Kayleigh looked around and gasped. There were five tables in the room. Four, she assumed, that represented each house. Thousands of candles floated above each house, lighting the room. At the front of the room there was a table relatively higher than the others, looking out on the house tables. On the table were golden plates and goblets, they seemed to make the tables shimmer. Kayleigh looked up at the ceiling. She gasped again, as did the other students who had happened to look up at. The ceiling – or rather, what was supposed to be the ceiling – was a deep, midnight blue with stars twinkling throughout it. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and Kayleigh looked over to see she had placed a stool at the front of the room. Upon the stool was an old hat, it was patched, frayed, and really dirty. A rip near the brim of the hat opened up, it widened as if the hat had a mouth and the hat began to sing.

“Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't just on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!”

“When I call your name,” said Professor McGonagall, “place the hat on your head and sit on the stool to be sorted.” She reached up and pulled a long scroll out of mid-air. She unfolded and began reading off names. Kayleigh fidgeted nervously where she was, waiting for her name to be called. The girl in front of her was called toward the beginning and Kayleigh heard that her name was Anna DuVal. Finally, after what seemed like days to Kayleigh, Professor McGonagall started reading off names of people who's surnames began with the letter “M”.
“Mae, Kayleigh,” she said and Kayleigh nervously walked up to the stool. She placed the hat on her head and sat on the stool. The hat fell over her eyes, all she could see was blackness.
“Ah, yes,” the hat said, “You're very loyal, I see. You'll do great in HUFFLEPUFF,” the hat had shouted the name of her new house out to the whole of the school. She saw her fellow Hufflepuffs clapping for their new house mate. She smiled and headed over to the Hufflepuff table, sitting down at the end of the table and watching the rest of the Sorting. Now that her nerves had disappeared, Kayleigh realized just how hungry she was and couldn't wait for the Sorting to be over so they could get on with the feast.

[OOC] Considering I didn't write the Sorting Hat song, I didn't include that in my word count.