Hi everyone! This story takes place in the future of Hogwarts, so these are original characters.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hogwarts, any of the spells I use, or the magical locations.
Adrian stared up at the bulk of Hogwarts with his dark eyes, feeling a detached curiosity. This was the school he would be attending for the next seven years, as his parents supposedly had, yet it meant little to him.
The other new children clambered out of the boats behind him, but Adrian paid them no heed.
He hated people.
Nevertheless, he got in line with them as the teacher had instructed and began to march towards the immense castle.
When they entered the doors, gasps of surprise were heard from all around. The true size of the building was now becoming apparent. Huge swooping arches adorned the ceiling and the walls were covered in moving portraits. The white marble floor beneath their feet gleamed fiercely and reflected all that stood upon it.
They were led into a side room, much smaller than the entry hall but large by any other standards. There they were told about what to expect from the next hour or so. After a moment, however, Adrian stopped listening.
~DetrimentalStorm~
"Get up, you worthless piece of scum!" the old maid screamed. She aimed a vicious kick at the head of the boy lying on the floor.
Adrian groaned in pain and rolled over, revealing the left side of his face, which was covered with bruises. He scrambled away from the maid and hid behind an elegant table beside the stairs. His face was throbbing in pain. He touched it gently with his fingertips and, as he drew his hand away, he saw that his palm was now covered in blood. He pressed himself against the wall as he prepared to be discovered.
The maid rounded the table. Just as she drew her arm back to slap him, a quiet voice reverberated through the room that sent shivers down his spine.
"That's enough."
The maid turned quickly, once again composed. She held her head low, as if ashamed, as she said, "Good day, master. Excuse us, we were…" She stopped in mid sentence, for the man was ignoring her. He leaned over to inspect the cowering boy in the corner. Adrian glanced up, hoping for compassion.
But of course, this was impossible.
The man grabbed Adrian by his hair, hauled him to his feet, and threw him back down to the floor.
The man dusted of his finely tailored suit and said calmly, "Get back to work, boy."
~DetrimentalStorm~
Adrian shivered at the memory as he stood in the Great Hall.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The call of the Sorting Hat jerked him back to reality. He would be facing its call soon. He couldn't predict what house he would be in. What if it didn't put him in a house at all? After all, he wasn't like everyone else. He was nearly indifferent to the world.
"Dacher, Alice!" It was the woman who had brought them in that was calling names. She was tall, with dark blond graying hair. Simaley was her name, he recalled.
The Sorting Hat called, "RAVENCLAW!" and the girl named Alice bounded off to her table.
"Darcover, Adrian!"
Adrian began to walk, his footsteps making soft thumping noises on the hard floor. He sat on the stool in the center of the hall, his eyes roving over the characters below him. Professor Simaley placed the gray, ragged hat on his head, where it began to speak to him.
"My, my, you're a strange one, aren't you? Very intelligent, but you lack interest… Ravenclaws need curiosity. And that darkness… It will have to be SLYTHERIN!"
Adrian realized that the hat had shouted the last word aloud. He returned it to the professor and went to sit at the silver and green clad table.
Adrian ignored the rest of the sorting. He was trying to block everything out, a skill that had been very useful in the past. He didn't see the floating candles above the tables, didn't hear the shouts and cheers as the new students discovered their houses, didn't smell the perfume of the girl across from him, didn't feel the bench under him. All was gone.