((A/N: A rather large project I've taken on for the folks on the Wizard of Wor message board of , based on the RP that takes place there. This RP, still going strong, has lasted more than a year and has over 300 topics to its name. With 500 posts per topic, that comes out to over 150,000 posts (Yes, that IS over 9000). This fic will take place over three generations of Hogwarts students, perhaps more, and may never be finished. After all, I have a hefty amount to write.))
It has been a few hundred years since Voldemort's fall. His defeat ushered in two-hundred and some years of peace and security. Though Hogwarts closed down about one hundred and fifty years in, students who sought magical learning found other routes. The Magical world adapted. Almost one hundred years later, though, everything changed again.
Hogwarts reopened. The Minister of Magic made the announcement, but did not provide an explanation, or even an explanation as to why it closed in the first place. Owls flooded in, demanding answers, but they were ignored.
The new Headmaster, Genriala Thelen, a well known witch and confirmed metamorphmagus, has also remained quiet about the issue. She has, however, selected a decent and well known crew of professors, with such notable names as Kaia Pohl and Alfereth Potter among them.
The stage is set for a new era in Wizarding history, a series of wars that would begin almost immediately. Hogwarts braced itself for the coming conflict, but not even the most prudent of wizards could have predicted the pain that was to come...
Matt tapped at the wall with his wand. This was getting boring. Professor Thelen had just walked away and left them here.
The other first years seemed happy enough. Let them be happy. This would be new to them, he supposed.
One other child, though, seemed to be feeling the same way he did. Slightly overweight, with ginger hair and green eyes, he gave off an aura of boredom. The boy's head jerked up and looked right into Matt's eyes. Matt winked.
The boy shrugged imperceptibly and walked over to Matt. He had a sort of a strut about him, Matt thought.
"What?" he muttered. He sounded vaguely annoyed.
"Nothing," said Matt. "Looks like we're the only pure-bloods in this class. We're the ones who know what's what, that's all."
"I'm the one who knows 'what's what'", said the boy. "I'm Bruce. Bruce Shart. No doubt you've heard of the Sharts, the greatest pureblood line in England nowadays."
"What do you know?" said Matt, shrugging. "I'm Matt Kreckman. No doubt you've heard of the Kreckman clan, the only family that spends more on Wheezes products than food per year."
Bruce just stared. "What the fuck does that have to do with anything?"
"Language, language," said Matt. He was smiling. Absentmindedly, he began to twirl his wand.
Bruce watched the wand spin. "You don't even know any spells.
"Wanna bet?" said Matt, still smiling. "I could show you one-"
"-Try me-"
"-But I don't feel like attacking a crippled kid."
"C-crippled?"
"One, you're fat. Two, you show signs of mental retardation."
Bruce's face turned downright purple and his hand whipped to his belt. Luckily for both of them, though, the door slowly creaked open.
"Come with me, children," said the woman in the doorway. She was tall and stooped, with black hair piled into a clumsy bun. Abruptly, she turned and left. Normally, Matt would have disobeyed just to be contrary, but he was too bored to do anything but follow. Anything to get out of that room. He pocketed his wand and slipped through a group of kids babbling about "This whole magic thing" and got out safely ahead of Bruce, who got caught in the rush of children.
Through the halls they walked. Matt could feel his skin tingling with excitement.
XxXxXxX
Torir smiled to himself. That fat idiot and the grinning prankster may have thought that just because they were easily bored they were the only purebloods at Hogwarts, but he would soon prove them wrong. There were undoubtedly others as well. He strongly suspected that another student he had been talking to, Crosis, was one as well. He had tried to hide it with the cunning expected of a true pureblood, but Torir was just too damn good at reading people.
"...And that chandelier! I bet it would explode mightily!"
"Things don't explode mightily, moron. It just doesn't sound right. Besides, why waste an explosive when we can just unscrew it?"
"Dramatic effect, of course. Everybody unscrews chandeliers, Finch."
Torir's glanced towards the sound. Two boys, grinning broadly... and completely identical. Twins with a predilection for blowing things up. Why does that ring a bell?
XxXxXxX
"I'm Gwen, by the way" the girl said, smiling at the raven-haired girl who had been pushed right next to her when the students piled out.
"Lyn," she responded shortly, looking uncomfortable.
"Yeah, did you see the argument right before we pushed out of the room? Cool stuff."
Lyn didn't respond. She began to twist her hair around one finger.
"Don't want to talk? Well, if you change your mind, you can come find me. Not too many girls in this class. We gotta stick together, you know?"
Lyn's mouth twitched in a fair approximation of a smile.
XxXxXxX
"I'm Kratos, and he's Rapache," said the reddish-haired boy.
"Avadeus," said the kid they were talking to. He was tall and well muscled, with a regal air. He held out a hand and one by one, they shook it. As Kratos was withdrawing his hand, the line was jostled and sent somebody flying into his back.
"Watch it!" he growled.
"Perhaps," said Rapache, shaking his long dark hair out of his eyes, "We should talk at a more convenient time- Say, after we get where we're going."
"I'm really sorry," said the boy who had bumped into Kratos.
"No big deal," said Kratos, though he still looked a little peeved. "I'm Kratos. Who are you?"
"I'm Jimmy," said Jimmy. "Who are they?"
"Introductions later, like Rapache said," said Avadeus. Rapache nodded and grinned at Avadeus. I like him.
XxXxXxX
Crosis was annoyed. He was annoyed all the time, generally, but rarely was it a specific annoyance. He wanted to find that kid, Torir. He'd been interesting.
As he shouldered his way through the crowd, he spotted a girl. Asian and rather pretty. Next best thing, he thought with a grin.
"Hey bay-bee," he drawled, sidling up next to her.
The girl turned angrily. "What?" she said, more shocked than anything.
"You're lookin' mighty fine, girl," continued Crosis in the same drawl. "How 'bout-"
"You ASSHOLE!" yelled the girl with surprising volume, interrupting him with a punch to the gut. "I'm-"
Crosis's eyes narrowed and his mind raced with the possibilities of revenge.
"Will you shut up?" yelled Matt from the front of the line. "We're here!"
Slowly, the students filed into the great hall, absorbing their surroundings with wide-eyed and unbridled curiosity.