As he sat in the Great Hall listening to students names being called, Keith fidgeted in his seat. At first he had been nervous about talking with a genuine disembodied spirit at the front of a room full of people. He wished he had at least talked to someone on the train instead of ruminating on the implications of being a wizard and staring out the window the entire time.
After witnessing the first few sorts, the flames that erupted from the circle shocked him. After seeing a few more, he became fascinated with the change that showed on each person’s face as they emerged. In the last few minutes before his name was called, a girl to his right told him to calm down because his breathing became rapid and shallow.
“Domingo, Keith!” a voice called. His breath stopped and his heart thudded heavily in the ensuing echo and silence.
He hurried to the front and tried not to look at the multitude of faces that felt like they were locked onto his. "He's so short," he heard someone whisper. A knot worked its way into his gut as he forced himself to take that last few strides into the center.