A/N- Alright, I'm not very sure about this, but I'll try my hardest since Harry Potter SYOC is a pretty new league for me. This will be an SYOC and well, adhere to the rules. I can't guarantee I'll be starting right away with this because exams are coming up, but I will try to at least make sure to read everyone's submissions. I have an idea for this story that I am going for and if you have ideas, feel free to share. This is quite different as it will be a bit angst-y and full of teenage feels.
Anyways, let's start!
Somewhere in Diagon Alley
It's been a few years at most and my anger and hatred for Hogwarts only grows. I used to love the idea of learning in that castle-like school and having fun with friends that I would make, so why have I become this way?
Why?
I remember distinctly that, the moment the news of my mother's death reached my father, he wept to no end. Finding my father in that heartbroken state, covered in tears and snot, drastically changed my whole life. Even now, years later, he wails like a madman almost every day, denying her death and bargaining to get her back.
Once upon a time he was happy, waiting for her return every year when term was over, for she worked at Hogwarts as a professor. He always had a smile about him. One that I would never see again. I felt like it was just the same for me. My smile was gone. Happiness was taken away by one single letter.
A letter… they sent a fucking letter. As if that was enough… As if that would be better than a direct visit from the Headmaster at Hogwarts. I always knew something would happen. Something terrible. Even I, as a child at that time, was always aware of that feeling.
People die and that is life. It's always easier to comfort friends who have had their loved ones die, but it's different the moment death knocks on your front door and tells you he's taken your mother. This letter was what broke my father's mind and heart and soul. Then again, even if those people had gone to our house, it would've ended the same way. My father would still be shattered inside.
As I entered Flourish and Blotts, a soothing, gentle greeting almost made me feel the warmth that I hadn't felt for some time.
"Good morning, young man. Isn't it a nice day to be out and about, looking at these handsome books?"
A wrinkly old woman smiled at me with her dull green eyes. It was strange. Her eyes weren't exactly as bright as her smile, and yet I could feel intense excitement despite the sluggishness of her rigid actions.
"What books might you need? Tell me, what is your name?" She started off by mumbling a few words in regards to the books every different year students would need. "Oh... And while you're at it, you should make sure to tell me what year you are. You are a Hogwarts student, yes?"
I noticed that I was staring too much and just answered her question. "Aerik Neverrem. First year."
Instantly, I turned away, familiar with the reaction everyone seemed to have at the mention of my last name. Sure enough, the woman let out an odd gurgling noise that I could only assume conveyed the usual shock and pity. I quickly grabbed my books and paid the old woman, thankful for the sack of Galleons my distant aunt had sent me, and turned to leave.
I had never wanted to be pitied or treated as if I was important, somehow, because of the death of my mother. And yet that was exactly what everyone seemed to do, even those polite enough not to speak of it aloud. I could feel their curiosity, their desire to know more about me. As if they actually knew anything about me at all.
Lost in my thoughts, I accidentally bumped into a girl, knocking her flat on her bottom on the dark mahogany wood floor. She groaned in pain and squinted up at me. Suddenly desperate to escape the awkward situation, I hurried out of the shop, struggling to keep my books from toppling to the ground. Once the bookshop was out of sight, I cautiously made my way back down the alley.
"Ollivander's… Shit. I have to pass by Flourish and Blotts again…" I stopped for a moment, deliberating, and was interrupted by a sudden noise to my left. I spun around.
Perched on the window sill of the nearest store was an owl, its orb-like eyes as black as the depths of night. It stared at me and tilted its head. I looked away, irrationally certain the owl could sense the darkness lurking inside me, the monster growing inside my soul day by day. I had grown used to hiding this from nearly every human being I met. Why did I feel like this owl could see right through me?
"It's a barn owl," said an amused-sounding voice behind me.
I pivoted on the spot again. "Shit." I didn't realise until a second later that I had spoken my thoughts out loud, and covered my mouth with my hand.
It was the girl from Flourish and Blotts, the girl I had bumped into and hadn't bothered to help. I took in her appearance. Her ashy blonde hair fell in long waves, her eyes glowed an unnatural bright blue colour, and her lips were set in a rather unfriendly-looking smirk.
"Don't tell me you thought you'd actually get away," she said, stepping closer to me. "Not after you left me there sitting like a duck."
Panicking, I stumbled back. Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!
Before I could take another step, the girl pulled me by my tie, and I overbalanced towards her. She growled and suddenly it was not a girl's head I saw, but a wolf with a snowy white pelt. The wolf's sharp teeth snapped at the air barely an inch from my nose, so close that slobber dripped onto my face and dribbled down the front of my suit. Almost retching with fear and disgust, I pushed it… her… away. The girl, for she was definitely a girl again now – had the wolf only been my imagination? – righted herself and stood still, glaring at me ferociously. Then, suddenly, she stumbled as a huge hand slapped her on the back.
The hand belonged to a tall man with pure white hair and gleaming yellow eyes. He gazed at me for a moment, then turned to the girl. "Apologize to him," he ordered.
The girl whined, sounding eerily like a dejected dog.
I stared resolutely at the ground for a few tense moments, in which no one said anything. Then I decided to resolve the situation by walking away. I had no interest in any apology the strange wolf-girl might or might not make. The incident had been my fault in the first place, and all I wanted was to never see her again. Hopefully she wouldn't be at Hogwarts.
Wiping the slimy fluid off of my clothes, I forced myself to think of what purchases I still needed to make before I could get out of this God-forsaken alley. I just need a wand… and an owl. The other materials are already back at the mansion.
I stopped in front of Ollivander's, and as I strode in, my heart blazed with a desire that simply demanded to be satisfied.
There is only one thing I want to do in Hogwarts. Only one thing, and I will make it happen.
A bell chimed as I entered, but the middle-aged man writing with a feather pen behind the counter continued on his task for a few seconds longer. His light brown hair complemented the grey of his eyes, and his glasses slipped down from his nose abruptly before he pushed them back up again with long fingers. Finally, he looked up.
"Alright… what is it that you want?" His voice was cold. It could not have been more unlike the old woman's from Flourish and Blotts.
Good question, I thought. I knew very well what I truly wanted. But this was not the time or context.
"I came for a wand." I said bluntly, intending not to stay any longer than necessary.
The man read me with eyes that glowed like the lustrous shine of the moon. I lowered my gaze, making no eye contact as I always did. He handed me a wand and in a monotone voice informed me what the wand was made out of. "Hornbeam, unicorn hair, eleven and a half inches, slightly flexible." He handed it to me. "Give it a twirl."
The moment I did, a howling wind swept through the shop, blowing away pieces of paper and disturbing wand boxes secured at the back of the counter. With a "tsk" from the man, he took the wand from my hand, and let me try another.
The second wand caused the lights to flicker and the lamp vibrated and sizzled. For a moment, I thought it was about to explode; then the man muttered an incantation and the wand flew back to his hand. The sting of the spell caused my hand to tense painfully, and I gripped it hard until the discomfort faded.
Wand after wand fared no better in my hand. Feeling myself panic, I closed my eyes and tried to think rationally. Couldn't I just go on with my life without a wand? I've had plenty experience with wandless magic after all…
My mind made up, I refused the next wand and silently turned, making my way towards the door. Then, suddenly, a huge screech split the air, like a thousand nails scratching a single blackboard. I turned back to the wandmaker and the many wand boxes behind him, from which that horrible screech seemed to be emanating.
The man himself was covering his ears as he started to go through the wand boxes. His eyes were darting around his own shop, searching where the awful sound was being emitted from. Finally, seeming to realise something, he dashed up to the very back where a box was pulled halfway out of the otherwise perfectly lined shelves.
Grabbing it quickly, the man rushed back to the counter, opened the counter door, and presented it to me with pained eyes. "E-Ebony wood… phoenix f-fea…ther." His hands were shaking and I was sure mine were as well; the sound was getting, if possible, even louder and shriller. "Ugh… th-thirteen inch…es… r-rigid… here. T-take it!"
The moment I grasped the box, the torturous, high-pitched ringing in my ears ceased, and a sort of peace radiated from the wand. I extracted it from the box. It was jet black and plain with no markings whatsoever, and oddly curved in the centre, but smooth to the touch. It felt comfortable, even natural, in my hand, as though it had been made especially for me.
I looked at the man and withdrew my pouch of Galleons. As the man accepted my payment, he was still shaking. After a few moments, he said tremulously, "You want something… that wand wanted to grant it…" He swallowed. "What do you want?"
With the wand in my hand, I glanced at the man and an involuntary smile began to curve my lips. It wasn't a happy smile, no, much the opposite: the sheer hatred in my heart was overwhelming. And now I had exactly what I needed to express it.
"Guess you'll have to watch me then," I said at last.
The man only looked at me. His crouching figure straightened and his breathing slowly became normal. As if a spell had been cast, he seemed to forget what had occurred, bending over the counter and starting to write again. I pushed the door open, inspected the wand once more.
Never mind. I spoke too soon. And to think, this wand's desires coincide with mine…
I stepped out to darkening skies. In the time I'd spent in the store, a storm had crept up on London and had nearly arrived. Even as I watched, lightning struck somewhere in the distance, followed by a roar of thunder.
"My ride should be around here somewhere… where the fuck is he?" I muttered to myself, closing my eyes, waiting for the raindrops to start falling… still waiting…
Where are they?
...drip drop drop drip drop...
There's the sound...where's the rain itself?
I opened my eyes to see a red umbrella blocking the downpour. An older boy stood by my side, a cage in hand containing the very barn owl I had seen earlier. The cage looked heavy, but the boy held it in one hand with apparent ease, like it was nothing.
I looked at my watch, then very deliberately at the other boy. "You're six minutes late… Moran."
I didn't have to yell at him; Moran understood his mistake. He bowed his head and clicked his tongue. A small carriage rolled towards us, and I climbed inside.
"Sir… how was your trip to the bookshop… and the wand shop?" Moran inquired as he hopped in after me, checking to make sure the Thestrals were turned in the right direction.
Three words sprang to mind immediately.
"Unexcitable. Disgusting. And wonderful."
A smile crept in my face once more as I gazed intently at the wand that had chosen me.
"Hogwarts… you will pay."
A/N- Okay, how was it? Please tell me if I should continue or not. Tnx!
Well, now the rules:
1) Follow the story. Just so you get the updates.
2) Label your subject with Name - Age - Blood Status - House. It will be easier to sort the characters with that. (Also, mind that this takes place way way after Harry Potter's kids!)
3) Be as descriptive as you can on your submissions, and it has to make sense. It can't be all over the place. If there is something out of place, explain why that is the case so I can understand and maybe help fix it or even use it.
4) No relations to canon characters as that will require more research on my part. I know the characters but not to heart.
5) Also, if you have questions, ask them in a different PM. Again, it'll just be easier on my part.
6) To make sure I know you're still there, just review. Doesn't have to be in every chapter or tons of paragraphs of review but just so I know you're still interested.
7) Feel free to tell me if I have grammar mistakes and such. English ain't my first language, peeps! I would appreciate that. Also correct me if I happen to make a mistake on the story regarding the objects or anything in particular in the Harry Potter world.
8) These may not be long chapters though I will inform people if it ends up being long. I would probably make it short so there are a lot of chapters.
9) Lastly, this isn't a first come first serve, so take your time. Also, this SYOC doesn't need a lot of characters for now. It might later on but yeah. I think that's it.
10) Delete those inside ().
Here is the Form!
-Basic-
Full Name:
Nickname (Explain how they had gotten it):
Age (11-16 = would determine year) and Birthday:
Blood Status (Pure Blood, Half Blood, Muggle Born):
Nationality and Hometown:
-Appearance-
Hair color/style, eye color, skin complexion, physical build, height, etc.:
Clothes worn under robes or on days without school:
Personal Information- (Simplify if you can)
Personality (asides from their normal everyday personality, how do they treat/ think about their classmates/teachers/headmaster/older/younger students?):
Sum up Personality (10):
Likes (3):
Dislikes (3):
Hobbies/Skills (3):
Fears (3):
Romance (if yes, what kind of person and how they would act around that said person):
History-
Pre-Hogwarts Life (what was their childhood like? what they felt about going to Hogwarts):
Family (explain importance, alive/dead/sick, even jobs parents have):
Hogwarts Life:
House (explain why they should be sorted into that house):
Year:
Favorite Subject and Least Favorite Subject (Charms Class, Potions Class, etc. and explain):
Everything Else-
Pet (owl, cat, etc. and a simple description of what it looks like):
Wand (In detail from wand wood, core, length, and why it chose your character):
Special Ability (If you have one, have a flaw that comes with it= Parseltongue, Metamorphagia, etc.):
Patronus (What does it represent?):
Anything I Missed:
