life passes by
"Shacklebolt, Kingsley!"
The black-haired boy steps up to the stool confidently. The Hat is lowered onto his head.
The Hat debates with him for a minute...two minutes...three minutes. Everyone's eyes are upon him - can this be a hatstall?
But just before reaching the four-minute mark, the Hat screams, "RAVENCLAW!"
The blue and bronze table cheers loudly, and the sound is echoed across the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables. Half-hearted claps from the Slytherin table.
The boy smiles, relieved at his house.
.
The library is empty and completely quiet.
A girl enters and plops into a seat next to a dark-skinned boy.
"Kingsley," the girl says. "You've finished the Defence essay?" She makes sure to speak quietly, as Madam Prince is watching them like a vulture.
The boy nods. "Yep," he gestures to a piece of parchment on which ink is drying. "Kind of hard, to be honest."
"I found it relatively easy, though I had to look up quite a few things. But phrasing it, actually writing it - that wasn't hard."
"Too bad Defence is required," Kingsley grumbles. "I mean, with switching teachers every year, some good, some bad, shouldn't the school apologize for that in some way?"
The girl's lip twitched. "Uh-huh," she says. "But Hogwarts hasn't operated at a profit in seven hundred years, and the tuition is ridiculously low. That's an apology."
"True," Kingsley agrees. "But I hate this Defence teacher. Don't you, Alice?"
The girl - Alice - nods. "Absolutely," she says. "He's so prejudiced and gives us loads of homework! The Slytherins barely get any!"
"And what did he say when one of those Gryffindors complained?" Kingsley mimics the teacher's voice. "Life ain't fair, Black, and it's time you learn that."
"And during our O.W.L. year too!" Alice groans, a little too loudly. Madam Pomfrey glares at them. Quickly, Kingsley erects a silencing shield, so that anyone outside of their little circle cannot hear any sound within the shield.
Alice gives Kingsley a high-five. "Nice one," she praises. "Where did you learn it?"
Kingsley shrugs, a little embarrassed at the praise. "A book in the Shacklebolt Library," he answers. "Oh, that reminds me - our little book trade?"
"Christmas Holidays," Alice says immediately. "You keep putting it off, so don't forget!"
Kingsley laughs. "I won't."
"You better hope you keep your promise."
.
Kingsley scribbles as fast as he can on the exam parchment. He stops abruptly at a question, tries to figure out the answers for a solid two minutes, then decides that it is a waste of time and continues.
Beside him, Alice is doing something similar.
He better get a good score on this thing.
.
It's Kingsley's sixth year and the teachers are starting to give him more homework.
Why?
Your N.E.W.T.s are approaching!
Those are in seventh year, but as a Ravenclaw, Kingsley understands why he has to work harder now.
But that doesn't mean he has to agree.
He's staying up late nearly every night as a result, and he's considering quitting the Ravenclaw Quidditch team to make time for all his homework.
.
The next match is coming up soon - Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff.
"Hufflepuff has quite a strong team this year," The Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain and Keeper, Jackson, paces up and down on the Quidditch field. Kingsley is getting dizzy just by watching him.
"They have good Beaters, so Addison and Campbell, mind you work on your skills, and their Chasers can really work together, so Shacklebolt, Skies and Anderson, you work on that - their Seeker's okay, I suppose, but I still think Cash is better…"
Finally, Jackson wraps up his speech.
Kingsley shoots up to the skies, as well as the rest of his teammates (except Jackson).
"I'm releasing the Quaffle!" Jackson yells from the ground. He taps the belt restraining the Quaffle and throws it into the air.
Kingsley dives and catches the Quaffle with one hand, nearly falling off his broom. Embarrassed, he resteadies himself and throws it to Skies, who neatly passes to Anderson, who does a reverse pass to Kingsley, who is the closest to the goals…
The two Bludgers are released, and one nearly hits Kingsley in the head. He's forced to do a stupid kind of twirl and drops the Quaffle.
"SHACKLEBOLT! Don't drop the Quaffle! Keep the Quaffle in your possession for as long as possible until you score a goal."
Kingsley mentally groans.
.
Kingsley passes his N.E.W.T.s with flying marks.
An O in everything except History of Magic (but to be fair, who cannot sleep through that class?).
.
He's invited to the Order of the Phoenix by Albus Dumbledore shortly after finishing his seventh year at Hogwarts.
Interested, Kingsley accepts the offer.
.
The Shacklebolt family is killed a month after Kingsley joins the Order.
WC: 800