Fun fact I learned today: Lacerta is latin for lizard, and Orcus is Latin for ogre (according to google translate, at least). Also FYI, in this Hogwarts AU, you enter Hogwarts at age 12. Also in this AU, the muggle and wizarding world are VERY segregated - half bloods are rare. No muggleborns in this AU.
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half-blood
(Hogwarts AU)
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"Slytherin!"
For a moment, shock forces the crowded Great Hall into silence.
And then the whispers begin, devouring the silence with hungry glee.
"Why is everyone so shocked," a burly Gryffindor mumbles around a lamb chop. "She's from the House of Lacerta, after all. Did they not hear Professor Rigurd call out the kid's name before she was sorte-"
"Don't be daft, Carrion." The small blonde seated across from him sniffs. "They're shocked because she's a half-blood." Ramiris smirks, eager to forgo the opening feast to partake in some gossip.
"You're kidding?! House Lacerta has a half-blood? Some distant relation or someth-"
"Oh, don't tell me you haven't heard?" Ramiris preens. "Don't your parents tell you anything, Carrion? Well, my Mother told me over the summer holidays that Lord Abiru had a daughter with a muggle and that she was coming to Hogwarts this year."
"But that doesn't make sense." Carrion frowns, at the words and at the fact that she's cut him off again. "Lord Abiru married Lady Elysane didn't he? She's a pureblood, I thou-"
"That's the worst part." Ramirui 'stage-whispers' loudly enough for even the Hufflepuffs at the table next to them to hear, "apparently he cheated on Lady Elysane, and she was so heartbroken she died from sadness."
Carrion raises a thick brow. "Eh? I could of sworn my mum said she died from dragon feve-"
"AND apparently little Gabiru hates his so-called sister for it. Blames her for his mom's death and everyth-."
"Gabiru's going for captain next year, did you hear?" A different voice intercedes cooly.
Ramiris visibly bristles at being interrupted, while Carrion guffaws at the redheaded male beside her before responding. "What? No way, Guy. No bloody way, even if he's a noble heir. You think Slytherin will let a fourth year be captain? Especially after someone as good as Diablo gradua-"
"Would you stop distracting my audience Guy?"
"Give it a rest, Ramiris." The fifth year Crimson heir dismisses the irate blonde. "None of us care about a little first year girl getting a snake patch. I care about my team winning the Quiddith cup." A small smile curves Guy's mouth, "-and if you cut off my best beater one more time, Eastman's face might just match the red in his robes."
Milim bursts out laughing, and dramatically tries to match the red lining her rob to Carrion Eastman's cheek while he flushes even further and tries to shove his neighbour's unwanted hands away.
Frey rolls her eyes, while gently pulling Milim away from a now furiously embarrassed Eastman heir. "Well I, for one, am interested."
Guy snorts. "What are you even doing at our table, 'Puff? It's the sorting ceremony, shouldn't you be with your own house?"
Frey bluntly ignores his question. "Even if Ramiris babbles nonsense half the time, the other half of what she says can be informative."
Ramiris nods in a see, see, look at how important I am, sort of way; seemingly entirely oblivious to the fact that she was just insulted rather than complimented.
Carrion snorts, pointedly turning his face away from the Nava heiress and facing back towards Ramiris. "I still don't believe you. All kids of the twelve Ancient and Noble families have literally all known each other since we were in diapers. Did Lord Abiru hide her in the muggle world or something until she turned twelve? Why haven't I heard of her before now?"
Ramiris looks giddy with delight when the others turn to her in askance. "I heard Lady Elysane's dying wish was that her husband's bastard be exiled to the muggle world, but Lord Abiru snubbed his ailing wife and kept the girl to be raised at Lacerta Manor."
"And yet we've all been there every June for Gabiru's ridiculously theatrical birthdays, and I've never laid eyes on her." Frey responds.
"She'll be the only half-blood in our school, a royal bastard, and despised by her brother on top of all of that." Carrion looks contemplative. "Any non-nobles looking to curry favour with House Lacerta's heir are going to give her a wide birth." Finished being contemplative, he reaches for the Yorkshire pudding.
Frey frowns. "If Gabiru hates her, she's probably praying the other students only give her a wide birth." (Of course, cruelty is one thing the girl will probably face. But there are more forms of cruelty than just schoolyard bullying. Frey doesn't vocalize the other, darker thought that passes through her mind. She doesn't say that there are so few noble blooded girls, only six in their generation. She doesn't say that perhaps there are non-noble pureblood heirs that wouldn't mind making a social stepping stool out of a half noble bride.)
"Poor thing." A carefree Milim tuts, while stuffing a pumpkin juice-drenched treacle tart into her mouth. She chews loudly. "Slytherin's going to eat her alive."
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But, see, the story begins not in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, between salted whispers and sweet Cornish pastry crumbs.
No, the story starts in the ancient halls of Lacerta library, six years prior, between a well kept bookshelf and an unlit fireplace.
"Who are you?" Drawls a bored seven year old Souei Kijin.
If the boy's older cousins had heard him, the duo would have thrown a fit. Then the two would have whined repeatedly about how a stranger earned his words so easily. If the boy's Uncles had heard him, they would have sent a small prayer to Merlin, bemoaning about their sad little nephew finally opening up to others after his parents' deaths just the year prior.
But the boy's (annoying but sometimes kind of okay) cousins were elsewhere on the Manor grounds. 'Shion's probably still trying to bully the older boys into letting her play quidditch with them, even though she can't even fly yet. Shuna's with the little girls practicing dancing. Benimaru's still playing foot-quidditch with the other boys. Uncle Hakurou and Uncle Kurobe are probably still with the other Lords in Lord Abiru's solar, doing Lord things.'
Souei really, really, really hates other people (his relatives from the House of Orci being the sole exception). So, he finds himself searching the Manor for both solace, as well as the library that he had found the year prior with his mother. (He misses her, he misses her so much.)
In fact, the only thing Souei hates more than other people... is being ignored by other people. It isn't something that happens often. He's the Kijin heir, people never ignore him.
He calls out once more to the brown haired boy facing the bookshelf, the kid's back turned away from him. "Hey, you."
No response.
Souei feels his skin burn, in both embarrassment and irritation that morphs into anger.
'Why are you here, I want to be here with my mom. Why are you here? Get out, get out, GET OUT.'
He stomps towards the other child, yanking at the boy's elbow to turn him around, only to see-
'Oh.'
It's a girl.
'Dad said I should always be nice to girls.'
But then the startled girl starts crying, and saying sorry. And maybe he should let go of herm but he feels a bad feeling in his stomach. And even if she's crying he doesn't want her to run, so he doesn't let her go.
"Stop crying," he demands, tightening his grip on the girl. But she keeps on going on and on, saying sorry again and again and again.
"I said stop crying."
He yells only so he can be heard over her tears, but then sort of regrets it when she immediately responds by bringing her free arm over her face. Souei flinches, the bad feeling in his stomach feels even worse. "I'm not going to hit you. You're a girl."
She settles just a bit, and looks up at him nervously.
'She's got green eyes,' he observes, 'just like Lord Abiru and the loudmouth birthday boy.'
He turns his gaze to the ground, sees a well-used book that had fallen out of her hands when he had so roughly turned her.
"What were you reading?"
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Five years later, a twelve year old bluenette feels the frayed fabric of the Sorting Hat fall on his head.
Souei knows he has options.
'My oh my, what intellect in you, boy.' The hat offers him blue and silver, with a set of wings. Souei knows he could enter his late father's house, and follow the steps of all his Kijin ancestors.
'Oh, and such chivalry too.' The hat offers him red and gold, along with a lion's mane. Souei also knows he could enter his late mother's house, and spend his evenings in the common room with Shion and Benimaru.
Ravenclaw and Gryffindor would be perfectly expected choices for the heir and last living member of the Noble and Ancient House of Kijin.
'Hmm, what's this? What fervent loyalty to your family, and to...' The hat almost offers him Hufflepuff, but the old thing looks further, and finds the story behind the boy's cherished green eyed girl.
While the Sorting Hat digs deeper into the boy's psyche, Souei's hungry gaze prowls the left side of the hall, hunting for a different pair of verdant eyes. He finds them - set in the face of a dark haired boy that jokes with his friends, seemingly having no care in the world. Souei glares at the green and silver lining the monster's robes.
A memory of the green eyed girl covered in bruises flashes through his mind.
Souei knows there was only ever one House he would choose. He knew there was one purpose that mattered more than learning and bravery and kindness.
'Slytherin,' Souei nearly growls at the hat. 'Put me in Slytherin.'
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-Want more of this AU or back to altered canon AUs? Let me know! -
