Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter Nine

Watching Seamus, Dean and Neville be sorted into Gryffindor, Kefira was more than ready to be sorted in the house. After listening to the Sorting Song, she couldn't imagine being in any other house. Finally, she heard her name being called.

"Kefira Walsh."

Pushing through the remaining students, Kefira made her way to the front.

"Did they say Walsh because I'm pretty sure that's another Weasley." Someone muttered as went by. 

Kefira skipped her way over the stool, eyeing the stern lady from earlier that watched her. She plopped down onto the seat with a wide grin.

The hat had barely touched her head when she heard it about to yell out.

"GRY-"

"Hi." she interrupted the hat.

The Sorting Hat went silent for a moment.

"Hello." he greeted her in return.

"How are you?" she asked, minding her manners as her mother had reminded her to do before she left onto the train.

 "Well, aren't you a unique one." The hat mused.

Everyone in the Great Hall watched as the hat had suddenly stopped mid announcement and there was a stretch of silence.

"Wonder if she'll be a hat stall." Seamus whispered to Dean as they sat at the Gryffindor table.

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"It's when the hat can't decide which house to put you in." Seamus said.

Neville glanced over to where Kefira still sat, her hands resting in her lap and a smile on her face, the rest of her face was covered by the large hat.

The hat had placed him in Gryffindor even though he had requested Hufflepuff or rather begged to be placed in Hufflepuff. He would have thought for sure that the Sorting Hat would have instantly placed Kefira in Gryffindor. She was brave there was no doubting that and that's what being a Gryffindor was all about. If he got into Gryffindor and she didn't, he would have to question a lot about the hat's decision making.

Six minutes had gone by and even the professors began to mutter amongst themselves. Professor Snape had a brow raised as he watched the girl, swinging her legs back and forth waiting for her house to be called.

He didn't understand what was taking the hat so long to announce the house. He knew she was destined to be sorted into Gryffindor the moment he met her. She was loud, over-confident, fiery , and a complete nuisance, all the qualities that made up a typical Gryffindor.

Already she had managed to find herself in some sort of incident as she had entered the castle soaking wet before the Sorting. He pinched the bridge of nose slightly with a quiet sigh, he could already tell she was going to be a handful and between the infamous Potter being at the school, it was the last thing he needed.

The silence was finally broken startling everyone.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Professor McGonagall lifted the hat from the girl's head allowing her poofy hair to spread out everywhere after being confined.

The Gryffindor table let out a thunderous cheer welcoming their newest member.

Before Professor McGonagall could even react, Kefira hopped up onto the stool happily and let out a roar causing the students to roar back.

"Miss Walsh! Get down from there!" McGonagall scolded her, with a hint of smile threatening to escape  her lips.

Kefira hopped down and skipped over to her table before sitting down in the available free spot.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the other Weasley?" she turned her head to see the two red headed twins from earlier.

"Hello." she grinned at them.

"That was quite the stunt you pulled up there." One of them said.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was just showing off the Gryffindor spirit."

"Kefira was it?" the other asked.

"That's right."

"Fred." One of them extended their hand to her.

"George." the other took her other hand, crossing her arms.

"Weasley." they said together.

"Nice to meet you boys." She said as they shook. She quickly looked down the table at Dean and Seamus, who waved at her. 

But her gaze fell on Neville who looked bent of sorts. After the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore greeted them all and welcomed to the feast, Kefira got out of her seat and wandered over to him.

"Hey Neville, you should be happy! We got into the best house." she said clapping him on the back.

"Oh I don't know, I don't think I was meant to be in this house."

"Why not?"

"Because..well..you're supposed to be brave in Gryffindor..."

"You are brave, you just don't know it yet."

"I don't think so I..I'm not brave." he said with a frown.

"Yet." she added again. She scooted herself between Neville and the person sitting next to him, much to the person's irritation.

"The hat put in this house for a reason." she said. "So he must have known that deep down you are brave, you just have to believe it."

"I'm too afraid of things to be brave." he admitted in a quiet tone.

"You can't be brave without fear." Kefira told him.

"What?" he appeared confused.

"My dad told me that being brave isn't the absence of fear. Being brave is having fear but finding a way through it."

"I-I never thought a-about it like that."

"Yeah my dad can be pretty smart...sometimes." she smiled.

Neville smiled back at her.

"Anyways, you're already halfway there to being brave. You got the fear part down, now you just need to push through that and you'll be all set. You have to find your inner roar."

"My inner roar?"

"Courage."