Assumptions
Chapter 1, Prologue: Always Alone
Lorcan Scamander looked down at the Christmas present his kooky mother had bought him. It wasn't wrapped, but even if it had been, Lorcan knew he would have been able to guess what the gift was. A thin gold thread was knotted around a heavy, leather-bound book titled: The History of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks- They Exist! He glanced at the authors' name at the bottom of the cover and inwardly sighed; 'A Book by Luna Scamander.' His mother, a wizarding naturalist, believed that her fathers' stories of the mysterious, never-before-seen Crumple-Horned Snorkack were real, despite what his mother's old school friend regularly argued. Lorcan had to admit, he was siding with Mione on this on- normally he accepted all of his mothers' strange stories, which was an awful lot. Although, being a firm believer in the fact that science can prove almost anything, Lorcan wasn't going to state that a fabled creature was real, based on his mother's childhood bedtime stories, anytime soon.
However, not wanting to hurt his mother's feelings, he smiled at her and said, "Thanks Mum."
Luna beamed at him. "I knew you'd love it! Your daddy waited in line for two whole hours just so he could get you a copy for Christmas!"
Lorcan's twin brother, Lysander, who had been unusually quiet, snorted into his bowl of porridge at his mother's comment. Lorcan had to admit, it was pretty hard to believe that there had been a waiting line for two hours just for a book written by someone who many thought of as 'a raving, loony nitwit'.
His father, Rolf Scamander, shot daggers at Lysander, clearly warning him not to dishearten his mother's blissful mood. Thankfully, the twin kept his mouth shut, again unusual, Lorcan noted, and instead ripped open his present. It was a large box, the wood polished to sparkling shine so bright you could see one's reflection in it.
"Wow Mum! A broomstick servicing kit! Thank you, thank you, and thank you!" Lysander whooped when he unlatched the box. His parents chuckled as Lysander fiddled with all the boxes' contents. Lorcan looked on enviously. Of course he loved books, just not ones written by his parents- and definitely not when it was all he got for birthdays and Christmases. At least Lysander had gotten something he could entertain himself with and not be bored to death by.
No, be happy for your brother- he could end up playing for England. He'll let you have a go of fixing up is broom, a cheerful voice told him.
But then again, you are pretty crap at Quidditch- you fell off a rocking horse when you were nine, and it wasn't even rocking, a small, snide voice jeered.
Shaking the voices from his head, Lorcan strengthened and plastered on a smile for his brother. He knew his parents didn't have favourites, but he couldn't help feeling that maybe they didn't know their son very well.
He slowly turned from the family room, and took his book with him, along with the other thirteen books he'd received from family and friends. Lorcan climbed the spiral staircase to his room and set his gifts down on his desk. Sighing once more, he opened his desk drawer and dumped the Crumple-Horned Snorkack book inside. Tired from waking up at the crack of dawn to open his presents, he flopped down on his bed, his hands linked behind his head. Lorcan counted the star stickers on his ceiling twelve times, just to be sure, before his tired eyes closed and he fell into a dreamless sleep.
ooooo
"Lorcan, wake up! Come on, we're going to see everyone! Come on, Lorcan, Dom will be there!" Lysander shouted excitedly, pushing and shoving his brother awake, before disappearing out the door to get ready. Lorcan groaned as he rolled over and saw the clock- 11.15am. He'd been asleep undisturbed for nearly four hours. He vaguely remembered his mother's present, and again groaned. Stretching, the young boy tumbled out of bed, his messy brown curls springing up around his face. Of course he had to get up- how could he have forgotten? His mother, Mione, Ginny and Fleur had organised a reunion. They didn't see each other all that often- they had massive get-togethers about twice a year. That was the only time when he saw the Potters and the Weasleys. Lorcan's mother had been close friends with Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione since they went to Hogwarts, and he supposed that Bill and Fleur were invited because their children were around the same age as Lorcan and Lysander. Dominique was the same age as the twins, and she would also be starting at Hogwarts the following year. When she spoke to Lorcan, she was very polite, but the trouble was, she hardly ever spoke unless it was to her cousin, Fred. Lorcan could sit with her normally quite comfortably and not say anything at all, and she would do the same. They were very peculiar for children of such a young age. She was a lot quieter around Lysander though- and that meant practically mute. Lorcan wondered if she was scared of him.
Shrugging the family issues away, Lorcan got dressed and met his family downstairs. The family piled into the rusty car, and set off for the park where they were all meeting.
ooooo
When they arrived at the venue, Lorcan was surprised to see who greeted them first- Neville Longbottom, another school friend of his mother's and the Herbology professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It seemed almost everyone had been invited this time.
"Hello Luna, Rolf- Lysander and Lorcan, right? You're going to Hogwarts next year, aren't you?" he asked them, grinning.
Lorcan's mouth was forming a reply when Lysander opened his first.
"Yep- I'll be there, out on the Quidditch pitch, you wait and see!" he said proudly, lifting his head high, before running off to see Teddy and Victoire, who, as usual, were talking together. Lysander had always been close to those two. Lorcan trailed after him, his fingers twiddling anxiously behind his back.
Finally spotting a familiar mass of fluffy light red hair, Lorcan made his way past the crazy group of Harry and Ron's children.
"Hello," he said, plonking down into his seat.
"Oh, hi Lorcan," Dominique murmured, her grey eyes meeting his own blue ones. The two sat in silence after that- it wasn't awkward, but it wasn't majorly pleasant either.
Finally, Lorcan asked, "What house do you reckon you'll be sorted into next year?" This, he had decided, was a relatively safe question- easy to answer, simple… though apparently not so much for Dominique.
Her face screwed up in concentration as she thought about it.
"Well, I suppose all the Weasleys have been in Gryffindor…" she said, but Lorcan knew that she wasn't answering the question on purpose. He didn't push though.
"Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad. I don't think I'd like to be in Hufflepuff, I'd feel stupid," he said, though as soon as the words left his mouth he wished they hadn't. Dom raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
That left Lorcan thinking- what if he was sorted into Hufflepuff? Or worse, Slytherin? He knew his mother had been in Ravenclaw, so he had a chance- or did he? Was the Sorting Hat based on genetics? Or was it just plain intelligence? Lorcan had no idea, and he was a little too proud to ask anyone.
He sat back, rather uncomfortably, in his chair, as he thought about the school he would hopefully be attending the following year- God help him if he turned out to be a squib! After all, he hadn't really shown much magical talent in his life; he just read a lot.
Fred Weasley, George and Angelina's son, would be being sorted too- he and Dominique were close so they'd be bound to stick together. But he would have no one. He would be alone, with no friends, as always. Lorcan said no more for the rest of the gathering, thinking instead of what the next seven years of his life would bring him.
Author's Note: Hopefully, there will be nine chapters in all about Lorcan's life at Hogwarts, including this prologue and an epilogue. Reviews for the story would be very welcome- thanks for reading! (: