/ the zodiac signs are personified into human beings. a harry potter au in which hogwarts was closed by the ministry because of the danger it was putting the students in + dumbledore's fall. it's opened again under a new headmaster to properly educate young adults in the form of magic university.
/ chapter 1/10
A crowd of bustling people seems to drown Pisces alive as he struggles to pull his loaded trolley along beside him, desperately trying to find the train he's already running late for. He searches the brick walls for a clock before locating one that shows it's already 10:55. A steadily increasing panic attack seems to suddenly skyrocket within him as Pisces realizes he has five minutes to find this stupid train and board it before it leaves without him.
His owl, Atlantis, hoots impatiently from where he's nestled in his cage, resting atop the pile of luggage sitting precariously on the rusty trolley.
"Shh, Atlantis," Pisces hushes with an impromptu that even surprises him. He sighs, runs his hand through his curly mess of dirty blond hair. "Just… just give me a second, I need to think." The train station is whirling before him, and Pisces is having a hard time composing himself as he grips his trolley ever tighter.
"Guessing you're a new student, too?" Pisces turns on his heel at the voice and finds a tall boy standing before him with navy blue hair. He's got this kind look about him that makes his grin appear permanent—Pisces likes it.
"How… how did you know?" Pisces murmurs, stricken by the mischievous eyes the boy is flashing at him.
"Just a lucky guess." He takes a pause. "Well, that, and there isn't another person in this train station with nearly as much luggage and a freaking owl." He laughs and gestures back at his own trolley weighed down by numerous bags of luggage. "Name's Aquarius, by the way." He sticks out his hand and Pisces hesitantly shakes it.
"Pisces," He murmurs back uneasily, and then there's this long awkward pause where they're just holding hands and looking at each other. Aquarius, however, either hasn't noticed or doesn't care. Then, suddenly, he seems to remember something and yanks his hand out of Pisces' with extreme urgency.
"Shit! It's already 10:57; we have to get going! Come on, I'll show you the way." He suddenly starts pulling along his trolley while he speed walks away, and Pisces hurriedly follows with his own trolley.
They stop at a divider between platforms 9 and 10, and Aquarius nods towards it. Pisces is about to ask what he's supposed to do when Aquarius suddenly grabs his hand and starts sprinting at the divider with full speed. Pisces is stumbling over himself, trying not to trip over the trolley wheels or Aquarius' feet while frantically checking over his shoulder in case any luggage has fallen. At the same time, he's freaking out at Aquarius' actions and desperately trying to figure out the boy's plan in his head before they hit the divider.
And then the wall comes all too fast, and Pisces squeezes his eyes shut as he braces for the impact… but it never comes. After a moment, he slowly peeks open one eye, and then the other before gawking. This is it, this is Platform 9¾.
There are students milling around everywhere, greeting friends and waving goodbye to parents and family members as they rush to get on the train before it leaves. It seems there are about a hundred cats everywhere, almost two hundred owls in cages. He can't stop staring at the people all around, realizing he's finally with people who are like him—he's no longer an outcast, he's here with a fucking family. It's Aquarius' voice that brings him back to reality.
"Man, am I glad that worked!" He laughs aloud and Pisces suddenly whips around at him. The navy haired boy pulls along his cart behind him as he leads the way into the Hogwarts Express. Pisces follows closely behind, still suspicious about Aquarius' comment. "You know, my mom told me that was the only way to find Platform 9¾ to get on the train, but I didn't think she was actually right! Saves from the humiliation of slamming into the divider, am I right?" Pisces is about to freak out and shout at Aquarius when he accidentally bumps into somebody and is forced to apologize. "I was thinking," Aquarius continues absentmindedly. "That it's a good idea we stick together? What do you say?" Pisces only sighs in response.
"Yeah," He replies because he realizes he really doesn't know anyone at all right now, no matter how 'connected' he feels to all the wizards and witches in this train at the moment. "Yeah, okay." But Aquarius doesn't seem to have heard the second part as he suddenly runs ahead and waves him over.
"Hey, Pisces! Come on! I found us an empty compartment!" And despite it all, Pisces can't help but slightly smile. It's kind of like Aquarius is starting to grow on him a little…
Pisces walks over, enters the compartment with Aquarius before he closes the glass door after him, and he shrugs off his jacket in an attempt to finally destress. He's about to ask Aquarius what they should do about the trolleys before the glass door suddenly slides open, a panting, long haired, blond boy standing before them. He pushes his hair behind his ear and a white cat that rubs against his leg catches Pisces' eye.
"Sorry to interrupt; is it okay if I sit here with you guys?" He doesn't wait for either boy to respond before continuing his rapid talking. "Okay, thanks. All the other compartments were full already, and I was running late." He huffs, stepping into the compartment before closing the door behind him, his cat already leaping up onto a seat beside the window. "I mean, honestly, how were we, as the first students in 50 years, supposed to figure out how to get on the stupid train? Besides, what are you even supposed to pack for a school year at a fucking castle? The struggle between picking the assigned books over my skin care was real, not to mention picking school robes over my actual silk robes; I am—" The rambling boy suddenly stops when he looks at the two, his eyes now focused on the two trolleys weighted by their luggage in the corner. He huffs.
"What have you got those in here for? You know they're supposed to stay out on the platform, right?" He, again, doesn't wait for a response before pulling a wand out of his coat's pocket. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Evanesco!" He points at the trolleys with his wand, and the carts disappear, the luggage once loaded on it now falling to the floor with a soft thump. Pisces' owl gifts a soft flutter of his wings at the sudden movement. The boy flips his hair over his shoulder and gives a soft sigh before smiling at the boys with something of calmness. "Sorry, I'm Libra. Nice to meet you." Aquarius and Pisces softly introduce themselves before the three then get to work with loading their bags onto the luggage rack. The train gives a lurch of movement, and they finally sit together; Pisces next to Aquarius and Libra across from them, his cat purring happily in the empty seat next to him.
"Is it…" Pisces begins once they've settled in nicely. "Is it true? The stories about Hogwarts? I mean, about what's happened to it?" There isn't even a second's beat of silence before Libra heartily responds.
"Oh, yeah, of course." He snorts, falling back into his seat as he drags his white cat to sleep on his lap.
"Well…" Aquarius begins, significantly more hesitant and thoughtful to his answer. "My mom told me it was true why Hogwarts was closed in the first place. You know, all that about it being a dangerous environment for the students, and Dumbledore's fall… and she says the real reason why they're opening it up again is because of some kind of prophecy that was told ages ago, but I hardly believe her." He gives a twinkling smile at that. "I heard the new headmaster wants to educate young wizards again, make sure there isn't any more trouble in the wizarding world or for the Ministry."
"Maybe," Libra says in a mystical tone, "The real reason why they're opening Hogwarts again is because they're planning on building a new army of better, older, more educated students." He offers a playful wink and Aquarius laughs loudly at that, which only makes Pisces laugh along as well.
A soft knocking at the door silences them, and they turn to see an old woman pushing a cart of snacks along, the words HONEYDUKES EXPRESS printed in pink lettering across the trolley.
"Any snacks for you boys?" The woman asks kindly, and Aquarius immediately jumps at the opportunity.
"Yes! I'll have a Cauldron Cake, four Chocolate Frogs, two Jelly Slugs, and six Drooble's Best Blowing Gum!"
"Two Pumpkin Pasties, and a Chocolate Frog, please." Libra kindly smiles. The old woman nods politely and turns to Pisces.
"Anything for you, dear?"
"Erm… just a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, please." He mumbles nervously. Pisces catches Libra glance at him mischievously through the corner of his eyes.
"That'll be 15 sickles."
"Don't worry, guys!" Aquarius quickly announces. "I've got this." He smirks as he pulls out a bag of coins from his coat and Libra quietly scoffs as Aqua counts out the fifteen sickles.
"If you're trying to win us over by buying us stuff, it's not going to work." He pauses. "Unless you're planning on buying us the Firebolt 2000, in which case, I'd be happy to be your best friend! That broom's a total babe." Pisces laughs to himself, and he loses himself in this stupor of actually feeling happy for once. But then a feeling of everything around him suddenly tipping and spinning stops him, and Pisces holds on to the edge of the table for a second.
His head starts experiencing this unbearable, throbbing pain, and he squeezes his eyes shut with a grimace. Noises begin to fade as if he's underwater now, and when he opens his eyes this time, he sees a handsome boy staring right back at him.
He's got this amazingly chiseled face as if sculpted by the Gods themselves, and his eyes are so dark, Pisces can see his own blue ones in them. His hair is dark and slicked back with stray strands framing his already beautiful face, and there's this mysterious aura that's radiating all the way to him. Pisces can't help it; he's falling right into his trap. Before he can get up and introduce himself, a loud noise startles him.
"Pisces! Hello?" The image of the handsome boy before him suddenly vanishes like a thin mist, and Pisces is staring at Aquarius who's got this dumb, amused smile on his face. "You okay, man? Kinda spaced out for a while…" But Pisces is having a hard time paying much attention as his focus seems drawn somewhere else…
He glances out the compartment where the old lady with the trolley is still sorting the sickles into a fanny pack around her waist. Across the narrow hallway, he sees a boy in the glass compartment with features resembling exactly to the boy in his vision. The dark haired boy is staring at him, and when he sees he's caught Pisces' eyes, he grins.
His smile is nothing like Pisces has ever seen before—it's so wolfish. His canine teeth peek through just the slightest bit, and his mouth is so red; Pisces is sure he's about to faint. A strong cunning feeling escapes from the boy's grin, and Pisces takes a deep breath before the old woman finally closes their door, walking away. At the snap of noise that's come from the door closing, Pisces immediately turns to look back at his friends, his chest heaving.
Libra snorts, pushes his box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans towards him.
"Don't even waste your time." The blond consoles as he coolly licks the chocolate that's begun to melt on his fingers. Pisces is about to question what Libra means when Aquarius speaks first.
"Fuck! I got three Geminis and a Capricorn!" He huffs, holding out the collectible cards that come with every Chocolate Frog. Aquarius' three Geminis appear to be bickering with each other, Capricorn awkwardly trying to edge as far left to the frame of his portrait as possible. "As if I don't have them already." He mutters angrily. "I've been trying to score Virgo for ages!"
Without hesitation, Libra wordlessly holds out the card he's gotten from his Chocolate Frog, a portrait of Virgo, the new Hogwarts Headmaster, grinning charmingly at them with a small wave. Aquarius immediately snatches the card from Libra.
"Seriously?" Libra chuckles half heartedly.
"Keep it. I'm not really a collector of cards." Aqua silently marvels at his new Virgo card for a moment, lost in his own trance before tucking it carefully into his pocket.
"What about you, Pisces?" He asks, and Pisces suddenly looks up, still examining his box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "Who've you got in your collection?" Pisces turns a scarlet shade, and he ducks his head in embarrassment.
"Er… I don't collect the cards. Actually, I wasn't even allowed any of this stuff before..." He trails off and Aquarius lets out a surprised 'Oh,' before pushing over one of his Gemini cards and his Capricorn card.
"Well, keep these. You know, to start your collection."
Pisces spends the rest of the train ride admiring his cards, listening to Libra's endless gossip, laughing at Aquarius' endless jokes, and enjoying the fact that he finally has friends.
The journey across the Hogwarts grounds to the castle spooks Pisces, to say the least. The carriages are old and Victorian in style, lit only by headlamps and pulled by invisible horses. Libra tells Pisces not to worry about their luggage; Hogwarts will take care of it, apparently.
Pisces, however, finds himself shaking his head nervously while in the carriage, worrying only about Atlantis and what will happen once they arrive at the castle.
As it turns out, Pisces is only all the more anxious when he finds out the first years are to line up so they can be 'sorted into their houses', or whatever that means.
They've lined up alphabetically, and Pisces can't stop worrying his lip between his teeth as Professor Sagittarius (of Transfiguration, he'd informed) leads them out into the Great Hall, where the students normally eat. When Pisces walks in, he's amazed by everything in the room.
It's lit by a thousand—no, a million—candles that float high in the air, and the ceiling appears to be the sky instead, a bright moon casting a foggy light behind clouds as it rains. At the very front of the room is a stage where a long table sits (probably designed for the staff, Pisces guesses). There are four long tables that fill the rest of the room, and four huge banners hang from the walls with intricate drawings on each: A blue banner that spells RAVENCLAW with a swooping eagle, a green banner that spells SLYTHERIN with a coiled snake, a red banner that spells GRYFFINDOR with a roaring lion, and a gold banner that spells HUFFLEPUFF with a searching badger.
When Pisces looks ahead at the staff table, he sees Professor Sagittarius is already placing an old, worn, tattered wizard's hat on a stool. He then takes a step back as if to stand in its shadow, and the Great Hall goes quiet. Then, with a great take of breath, the hat sings.
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry,
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin,
Where you'll meet your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For a Thinking Cap."
The Great Hall suddenly erupts in applause, and Pisces found himself excitedly clapping along as well. His excitement, however, drops considerably when Professor Sagittarius pulls out a list to read the name of the first person to try on the hat.
It's a boy named Aries who looks angry and sleepy and annoyed all at the same time as he steps up the stairs and sits promptly on the stool before slipping the hat over his head. There is nothing for a moment, and then the hat shouts, "Slytherin!" The first sorting of the night belongs to them.
This continues for a long time, student after student approaching the stool and nervously slipping on the hat before joining their house. Aquarius, Pisces notices, is sorted into Gryffindor, accompanied by Libra soon after. And then they call Pisces' name.
He timidly walks up the stairs before taking a seat at the stool. The hat is soft and worn in his hands, and Pisces slips it over his head—he suddenly feels ridiculous. That is until he hears a voice in his head; it's almost like there's somebody in there, rummaging through his thoughts. What do we have here? it speaks. Well, well, well, a prophecy! We haven't had a chosen one in a long time… No, you're not like the last one. You're different… Consider yourself blessed boy. "Ravenclaw!" The hat suddenly shouts, and Pisces flinches, yanking the hat off his head as he scurries over to the table adorned with blue tablecloth.
He turns and finds Aqua and Libra sadly waving over at him, but the only thing Pisces can think about is what the Sorting Hat's said to him… surely it can't mean anything.
Trying to distract himself, he looks up at the stage and sees the same boy whom he had a vision of earlier—the same boy who smiled at him. The hat shouts "Slytherin!" and he saunters off the stage with a sense of ownership to him.
Once the last student is sorted, Professor Virgo, the headmaster, steps up to the podium with charming eyes. He grins.
"Welcome! Welcome students, to a year of learning at Hogwarts! It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself as Virgo, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He smiles at the students all filling the tables below. "I'd like to say a few words, and here they are: Lemondrop! Nittbix! Oddment! Blubber! Thank you, everyone!" The Great Hall echoes with laughter and applause as Virgo stands with his twinkling eyes. After a moment, he clears his throat.
"Students, some start of term reminders: Pupils do not have to sit with their houses but are encouraged to do so; however, the rule of students trespassing into houses other than their own still remains. All students shall be reminded that the forest on grounds, known as The Forbidden Forest is, as you know, forbidden to all pupils. The caretaker has also asked me to remind you that magic is not allowed in between classes in the halls. Quidditch tryouts will be held in the third week of term. If you are interested in playing for your house, please speak to Professor Sagittarius. Also, all students who wish to escape an especially painful death shall remember to keep away from the right corridor on the third floor. Thank you." Professor Virgo laughs with bright eyes and takes a seat with the rest of his staff.
Hardly a moment's beat has passed before Pisces is startled by two people sitting on opposite sides of him—it's Libra and Aquarius.
"We decided to come sit with you." Libra cheerfully says. "You know, since we're kind of best friends now."
"It's a bummer you're not in Gryffindor with us." Aquarius huffs. "Would've been cool to share a dorm with you. Well, I guess you can't pick your Houses." Libra rolls his eyes.
"The saying goes, 'You can't pick your family,' idiot." Aquarius chuckles.
"Oh, yeah." He shrugs. "Well, to each his own!" With that, food magically appears on the table, hundreds of platters splayed out on the blue tablecloth. Hungrily, Pisces loads his plate with food and looks at his two friends who're bickering to each other in a playful manner. Pisces grins.
This is going to be the best year of his life.
