A Harry Potter Fan Fiction: Our Potential
A/N : Hello all! This is my first ever fanfic, so be gentle if you decide to review! This is a fic primarily including my OC, Aurelia Becker, Albus S. Potter, Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley. I don't think I'll get Rose and Scor together, though...tell me what you want, really. So, yes, this is 'Our Potential', enjoy!
Disclaimer: J.K.R. owns, I simply want to.
Prologue
"Becker, Aurelia."
Her head snapped up to the front of the hall, and her sharp green eyes focussed on the withered hat that a female Professor held in her hands. Heart beating furiously in her chest, Aurelia broke from the crowd and strode confidently over to the rickety stool, just as seven others had before her that afternoon. Shooting a furtive glance at the hat, she thought to herself: how on earth is something so old and damaged to make such an important decision? I will not be put in the wrong house! Aurelia fought back a wince as she sat upon the seat, recalling her sister's threatening words of warning.
No. Slytherin was the only option.
Professor McVersan placed the hat on her head and, to Aurelia's displeasure, a musty, dirty smell filled her nose as the rim fell past her ears. Her eyes stared ahead, seeing nothing. Ah, the second Becker daughter. I've been anticipating your arrival. She was half-expecting some kind of voice within her head, as Vitani had made it quite clear that she would have some kind of conversation to decide her house...but she had not expected it to be with a hat. Aurelia found herself repeating her earlier queries in her head. The hat chuckled knowingly, Your mother thought the same thing when I sorted her, I must say, your resemblance is uncanny. This time she did wince. Too many people over the years had told her how much she looked like her mother, either wearing a sneer, a look of pity, respect, or even once a look of awe. Aurelia felt uneasy every time her parents were mentioned. Hmm, not a follower of their footsteps? Perhaps Slytherin isn't for you...
NO! – she shouted inside her mind – It has to be Slytherin! Her hands were shaking now, something that always happened in tense situations. Alright, well, you certainly have incredible potential – more than your sister Vitani ever did – yes, extreme loyalty, a sly intelligence, sharp mind. She swallowed and calmed herself down a bit. Your bloodline is definitely more than satisfactory. However...there is an underlying bravery, not to mention loyalty to your family. You would thrive in Gryffindor.
Aurelia's heart stopped. Vitani's words rang out in her head: "It's not as if you'll ever make Gryffindor. No one worthy of our presence belongs in that foolhardy, brainless house. Hufflepuff too. Mudbloods, blood traitors and weak non-believers belong there. It's no place for a Becker. The bite in her last sentence stabbed through her, the threat clear in her cold tone.
It has to be Slytherin. She though determinedly. There had been countless stories of the horrible people that schooled in the Slytherin House, but if Aurelia could handle her sister, then she felt she could handle anyone who she came across during her academic years. The more she thought about the reasons Vitani had given her for continuing the family tradition (apart from that fact that it was her obligation to her family), the more appealing it was. Sitting on the stool with the hat atop her head, Aurelia blinked and pictured what her life would be like, and for the first time she knew it was possible, it could be real because she was there now. She would be respected – Vitani's second reason – in Slytherin. Not the fearful and hostile respect that adults sometimes gave her, but proper, admiring respect because people in Slytherin all had a mutual understanding. They knew. Her blood was the purest, as Vitani had said – even the hat had confirmed that it was 'more than satisfactory'. Aurelia suddenly relished in the idea of being the most popular, most talented, most respected member of her year. Overcome with sudden determination and arrogance, she thought I will be. I'll show everyone that their stares of open disgust and furtive looks of fear mean nothing to me, as do they themselves. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and she managed to catch Vitani's eye in the crowd. She stared at Aurelia with narrowed eyes, and she could tell that Vitani was silently demanding why she wasn't sitting with her already, having being sorted immediately and without question. Aurelia only gave her a lopsided, wry smile. The sorting hat needed no more, and without any further musings, shouted: "SLYTHERIN!"
She rose from the stool gracefully, and the Professor took the hat off her head. Filled with new-found confidence, she strode over to the Slytherin table and sat next to her sister, who was with a brown-haired boy with sharp features.
"Why on Earth were you up there so long, Aurelia?" She demanded, her voice as cold as steel in winter. Aurelia regarded her calmly, and merely replied with, "Mainly, it was complimenting me and our family." She stared at her for a fraction of a second before breaking out into a smug smirk. She still had suspicion in her eyes, but Aurelia knew that that was only the beginning of the facade to her sister, the lies, and rather than fearing it, she embraced it, just as she embraced the idea of her new character.
Aurelia turned her attention to the front, still smirking, awaiting the next name to be called.
"Byrne, Daniel." A sandy-haired boy made his way carefully through the crowd and up to the front, and sat atop the stool for a minute before being sorted, and so it continued.
Aurelia found herself getting extremely bored of watching, and she thought grudgingly that she'd have to watch this every year. Her head gradually turned away with each name, finally resting on the shiny wooden table, and she just listened. Daniel Byrne was sorted into Ravenclaw, Gabrielle Carr was sorted into Gryffindor – to which Vitani scoffed with disgust and subsequently hissed under her breath as everyone else clapped – Hilary Duncan into Ravenclaw, Pete Dyre into Hufflepuff, Corey Gregory – Slytherin, Mei Chang – Ravenclaw, Valentina Merrigold – Slytherin, and so it went on boring Aurelia until the names reached 'M'.
"Malfoy, Scorpius."
Aurelia inclined her head to the front again, and smiled as she saw the head of platinum blonde hair rise out of the dwindling crowd. She crossed her fingers under the table, silently praying to Merlin for him to be with her in Slytherin. By the time 'Slytherin' was called out, her fingers hurt with having crossed them for so long, and with such intensity – Scorpius was up there for surely much longer than her. However, he was placed in Slytherin, and she welcomed him with a genuine smile. He smiled back, but there was evident nervousness in his expression. Aurelia tried to press it, but he sent her a look that said 'we'll talk about it later'. Aurelia understood that look perfectly. She sighed, however, looking back at the table as she just listened again. The names were reeled off again, name after name – not one name she recognised until 'Potter' was read out. Aurelia didn't glance up to see 'Potter, Albus'. The Potter family was a particularly big part of Vitani's lecture before they boarded the train, most of it being that Harry Potter deserved to be repeatedly kissed by a dementor for 'taking our parents lives away'. Aurelia didn't mention that who Harry Potter killed took plenty of lives away also – she knew that that would only earn her a clip round the ear and a speech of how those people were unworthy scum, undeserving of any magical power. Aurelia didn't quite believe the things that Vitani told her, but she did well to not let that show and to nod along. Despite this, she still did not want any associations with the Potters. They'd just be another family to stare her to the ground with hatred.
Finally, after another long while, the final name was called out, the final person sorted into their house. Aurelia looked expectantly at the empty dishes before her.
"Let the feast begin."
A/N : Phew! Well, that was the sorting. You don't learn an awful lot about the characters in this chapter, but it is a prologue, is it not? Right-oh, you know what to do. Like it? Review. Hate it? Review and tell me why!
HPIML x