Daex Claw a first year newly admited student at Salem Witches Institute entered the schools great hall with the rest of his classmates.

He did not know what to expect nor how the sorting would take place. For some reason no one really talked about it. Once the dors finaly opened hos classmates and himself proceded inside the Hall which seemed to be enveloped in flames. It was both a horrifying and mezmerising sight to behold.

Then to his horror he saw one of the professors urge another first year inside of the flames!

"What is she mad??" Asked Dalex to himself.. "we'll burn to death" he added ashe started freaking out but remained quiet..

It was now his turn and all he could think of was "is this it? What will happen now?" He asked in his head when he felt the professors gentle tap pushing him forward.

He closed his eyes expecting waitting for the searing flames to burn him and cause immense pain to but instead wen he opened his eyes he saw infront of him standing a shining figure pointing at him.. he looked in awed and listened carefuly as it began to speak.

The shimming figure before Daex had been through a long night of sorting kiddies, and though this was only a small part of what it did, the last few people had tried the Phoenix's patience. Sure, it had a lot of fun when it transfigured that kid--oh, yeah, was he gonna be surprised in a couple of years!--but some of the others....

There was that lying little bitch who thought she was some cast-off spawn of Death Eaters--what a load of crap. And then her worthless friend, the stupid girl with the Berlin Wall fixation ... well, it didn't matter, they were both headed for no good in the years to come--

Oh, and that goofy ass witch with the Twilight fixation ... Yeah, honey, Edward is gonna love you just as soon as he stops being a fictional character! The Phoenix shook what passed for a head: are these magical types getting dumber or what? it thought. Then again, it remembered the one witch with a thing for Herman Melville, so maybe things do stay the same as they change ....

As the Phoenix change its realm around it and this boy before it into something resembling a high mountain meadow, it changed it's clothing into something that looked like Muggle hiking gear. Sure, a bright red shirt and autumnal orange shorts might not be right out of the REI catalog, but the Phoenix felt right at home--

She kicked the dirt with her hiking boots. "Hellva day to get sorted, ain't it?" she said. The Phoenix motioned with it's hand. "Come on, lets go for a wall. Tell me a little about yourself--

"And try not to piss me off, or I'll toss you into a ravine."

Dalex was more than intimidated by the sorter, she seemed like no one he had ever encountered nor heard of, But regardless he showed respect and did as he was told as that is what his parents had taught him to do when in the presence of someone who is older and wiser than him.

Dalex took a quick second to take in everything that was around it was an amazing sight, unlike anything he had seen. As he began to walk forward following the sorter he began his story.

"Well you see, I come from a rather known and respected wizard family who is also known in the muggle community as the owners of an important corporation. Yes my family has, money, power, and fame, all the things anyone could ever dream of right?" he added sounding confident on what he had just said, but quickly followed it with a

"Wrong! Although to almost everyone else that seems like the most important thing I could care less about riches, fame, or blood status. To me all of it is irrelevant and would rather be able to do something that will help others rather than help me." he added "I am a learner trade, and a leader by profession, I like to be the first to try and do something someone else is afraid to try, and teach it to those who want to take the time to better themselves" he continued talking as they started going up a steep hill.. it was becoming difficult to keep talking and starting basically climb, but he went on.

"Im not the type to give up, I admire those who are determined to succeed even in the face of adversity as they use that adversity as fuel to their drive" he said as he began to get dirty all over and began to get bruises from the sharp rocks in front of him. Once they had reached the top he tried to catch his breath before adding one last thing.

"You probably hear this a lot but, I am different from everyone else. Im not just a wizard nor a spoiled rich boy, I am Dalex Claw.. nothing more nothing less" he added as he looked up at her waiting for her to say something back to him.

The Phoenix listened intently to the spiel as they climbed the mountain that existed nowhere but in her own realm. She politely kept her mouth shut as the maybe-student went on about his family, his position, his outlook on life.

She had to give him credit: he didn't falter at any point during their climb. He kept up and kept talking, though she had to admit there was something that bothered her ....

Pausing at the top, she turned to Daex and said, "Great, kid. You got all the chops a good wizard should have: a sense of integrity, a feeling of your own self-worth--and a line of bullshit that stretches from here to that peak way the hell over there."

She turned to him, her blank, pupil-less eyes glowing. "You sound like you're reading a bio off a dust jacket from one of those dusty old rags down in Trevor's sanctuary." She turned to her left and stared into the distance, and as she did another, taller peak appeared, and the path they stood upon began stretching up a ridge of this new mountain to its summit.

As they set out the Phoenix said, "What are your desires? What are your dreams? Scale back the press release and give me the lowdown on what makes tu different from the other mouth breathers I've had to kick around tonight. Tell me of your dreams and wants ... give me that part of you that holds everything you feel, and not what you want others to see, 'cause I could give a Shit." She turned and smiled, but there was little warmth in her expression. "After all, if I'm gonna lock your ass inside a coven, I wanna know you're not going to be a total closet case."

Dalex considered what the Phoenix had asked him.

"What are my desires" he repeated to himself as he began to walk once again towards the newer higher sight. It was overwhelmingly high as he began to climb.. He had stareted without saying anything He was slightly distracted with the thought of if he would be able to continue the journey. What would happened if he could't go on any longer.. would the Phoenix abandon him there and let him die, or would she help him?

He was then snapped back to reality as he tripped over a small rock on the steep way up.

"Oh well" he started "I desire knowledge and power" he told her. "I want to know everything that I can learn and be as powerful as I can be." he added

"Why I am not exactly sure yet, but I just feel that If I have knowledge and power I can be ready for anything or anyone who might get on my way or the way of those who I care for" he added as he got distracted and tripped over another rock stuck on the climb up and fell sliding down several feet down. For a moment he thought he would be a goner and would just fall all the way down but he managed to grab hold of the first rock he had tripped on and used that as his stepping stone to climb back to where his companion was. He was all bruised and tired now, but the Top did not seem to far off now.. or perhaps his eyes were fooling him from the dirt that got in them from the fall.

"Do you think that I can ever become who I want to become?" he asked her unsure if she would be able to answer his question. After all he had shared rather deep and personal things he did't usually go about telling everyone, and if she was going to assign him to a coven she had to be able to see right through him to place him in the best place.

He wondered if she could really determined who he really was after this treacherous path and self exposing moment form his end.

Chuckling, the Phoenix said, "The last guy who wanted to be ready for anything or anyone who might get in his way ended up getting his ass handed to him 13 years ago." It looked over at young Dalex. "But only after he took out a hell of a lot of people who ended up getting in his way."

It stopped walking and cast it's gaze upon the boy. "You can tell a lot about a person by their goals, Claw Boy. Let me give you some hard truths--" The smile that became etched upon the Phoenix's face possessed not one iota of mirth. "Those who've come before me talking about how they want to learn as much as they can and become as powerful as possible ... they usually flame out. And not in a very pretty way, 'cause when they go down, it's not due to the actions of someone who wanted to know everything and be uber powerful, but rather due to the actions of someone completely unassuming who just has that touch, that ability to know what magic is and how to make it do what they want it to do--

"And believe me when I say, every one of you full bloods who come in here with the intention of becoming 'Big and Powerful', they end up spending a large part of their time here pissed off because someone who never set up to be 'Big and Powerful'--is."

The Phoenix poked a hot-to-the-touch finger into Dalex's chest. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be the best: that's admirable. That's a goal every student should set. But to say you wanna know everything and be the most powerful ..." The spirit giggled. "Kid, I can think of a few first years all ready come though here that are gonna give you a hell of a run for that title." Winking, it added, "And they don't even know it yet."

It turned off to continue following the pathway to the peak. "Desiring knowledge and power is a great thing--if this were House Slytherin over by there in Hoggyville. If I let you out of here go talk to Professors Sladen and Lovecraft: they're a couple of old Snakeheads. Ask them if they think you're devious and ambitious enough to be worthy." She waved for Dalex to follow. "Come on, kid; we're almost to the top. Tell me why you really wanna be in a particular coven."

Dalex hear the Phoenix tell him about his desire. He understood what she meant but regardless he was also not going to change his mind.

"I never expected that being the best would be easy. I know there's going to be others who are going to be just as strong amd determined and even others stronger than me, but just like they are going to give me a run for that title so will i" he told the phoenix as he cntnued the climb.

He had never done anything of this sort.. and he thought about how peculiar this sorting ceremoy was. He then concluded to himself that this was part of the test to see how much determination and drive each student had before giving up. But Dalex was not going to give he knew that the obstacles presented here would be in one way or another materialized in the rea world as he progressed through his magical learning career as well as beyond that.

"One thing I forgot to mention is that I want to become and Auror. I feel that I would have the potentia and right character to be one once I have compleated my education." He added.

He could see it now.. the top was very close.. they were very high up and it had become rather difficult to breath.. panting as he continued up he was not going to give up. He was so close.. to close to give up last minute. So he continued and said

"I think being a morrigan would help me on the way to become an auror. I'm certain that there I will trully find my home in the school while I'm a student here in the Institute" he concluded as he placed one hand at the very top as he pushed himself up.

"If you can pass all the N.E.W.T.s you can be anything you want at the Ministry." The Phoenix stepped off the trail and became suspended in mid-air, floating over what looked like a shear drop off of almost a couple of miles. "Your future isn't determined by your coven, or your instructor, or even your classes. As Professor Arrakis would say, 'Your future is up to you'.

"Yeah, a lot of Ravens end up becoming aurors. So do a lot of Owls and Snakes, believe it or not." It shrugged. "Again, it's up to you. You can do what you like ...."

The Phoenix got a devious smile on it's face. "Assuming, of course, I let you out of here." It waved it hand and suddenly all of the peak--all of the mountains around them, in fact--vanished, save for the top 2 meters of the summit upon which Dalex stood. "See, right now, you're ass belongs to me, and ... maybe I think you're giving me a good bullshit story about everything--

"So, right now, tell me: why should I let you live? Tell me why I shouldn't send a smoke husk of flesh back to the Dinning Hall." Again with the mirthless smile. "And don't think I wouldn't, 'cause I have before ...."

Dalex sweat dropped as he saw everything literally vanish as if they were never there in the first place.

The the Phoenix asked why did she let him live. He became slightly frightened but managed the courage to say

"Because my life is not meant to end here, nor by your hand. I'm not seer but I know that I will achieve greatness no matter where I go. I will aim for the stars and even if I don't end up where I so desire I know I will end up somewhere High, weather you want to believe it or not, weather you think i am worthy or not, because in the end it doesn't matter what you or others think or say. What matters is what I want and I desire." he said as he gave her a smirk forgetting he was at her mercy.

"I will overcome any and all adversities no matter what, that you can be sure of" he added as he gave her a deviant gleam.

"Now then.. what's next? more cliffs? more questions? what other sort of crap do you want me to answer before I can join everyone in the dinning hall" he added starting to grow tired of this made up world and questioning.

He now stood tall and string and more determined than he had ever been.

A quizzical look came over the Phoenix. "Oh, I'm sorry." She looked about as if expecting something to show up. "Am I wasting your time? I didn't realize I was keeping you from something."

It glided up to him and adjusted his shirt. "You know, the last person who acted like I was wasting their time... I tortured them to death. And in here, 10 seconds of your time real time can be like... well, as long as I like. Maybe a day-- Maybe a month--" She brushed imaginary lint from his shoulders, and the air began to heat and dry noticeably as she said, "Or maybe a year. All depends on my mood...."

The Phoenix got so close to Dalex his eyebrows began to singe. "And right now, you're making it a lot worse."

Then she backed away, smiling. "We're 3200 meters up. You'll hit terminal velocity in 7 seconds and what passes for bottom in 46. When you get the bottom your body is going to burst open like a grape and it's going to hurt--"

It chuckled softly. "But what's more, I've sorted you..." She pointed a finger at him and loudly intoned, "You are Mórrígan!"

And then the Phoenix added, "And what that means is--you're gonna remember dying." She wiggled her fingers as the last of the land vanished and Dalex started to fall. "See ya in your dreams!"

Dalex fell.

As stated he reach terminal velocity in just over 7 seconds. At 266 kilometer per hour he plummeted towards what passed for the ground. And as stated he hit the ground hard. He felt his body yield; he felt it break apart; he felt his skin rupture and his organs go flying.

It did indeed hurt.

A lot.

And just like that, he was back in the Dinning Hall, lying in the center of the circle, remembering everything he'd felt only a moment before.

Erywin walked over and stood over the boy. She couldn't tell if he was shaken, but his position indicated that something not so very nice might have happened with their crazy entity.

"Well, young man," she said, helping him up, "it looks as if our resident spirit is having a field day tonight. Come sit with your new brethren." She patted him on the back. "And welcome to Mórrígan. You'll find we're not as bad as everyone is going to tell you we are."

Dalex was not afraid of the phoenix anymore, he was certain she was telling him the truth about everything he had juts heard.

But just before he had began to fall he had been sorted. Into the coven he had hoped for and so nothing else mattered.

He fell so fast and so hard the pain was immense, but it was quick. It lasted a second if that.

After what felt like the worst thing ever experienced he was back on the dining hall, on the floor, panting and rather sore. He stood up looking at someone who had approached him, remembering the pain he had been in he shivered slightly. But it was that same sensation that had now become his motivation to keep forward and never give up. If he could endure that much pain, if he could endure what felt like death. Then he could take everything else life itself would throw at him.

He began to walk towards his table as instructed by the Professor and clapping was heard for the newly sorted Morrigan. He looked back in the direction of the flames saying,

"Thank You Phoenix.. You've showed me much and for that. I will never forget you.." he said loud enough so he could be heard be her.

"That and I'm glad I'll never have to go through that again." he said in his head, but part of him was happy to finally be officially part of this Institute.