FIC - NO CHALLENGE

[mmailliw]

Title: The Sorting of RAB
Summary: This piece consists of Regulus Black's application to Hogwarts is Home at age eleven, using the brand new Sorting application at Platform. I wanted to do two things with this piece:
I) Give that new application a test drive without having to leave my beloved dungeons for two months
II) After Draco Malfoy got so soundly Muggled, I wanted to see if ANY canon Slytherin could write a Slytherin application to Hogwarts is Home at age eleven!
Characters/Pairings: Regulus Black
Genre: semi-crack but I try to stay as true to character as possible
Beta: (none)
Rating/Warnings: G
Medium: fic
Word Count: 2257
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: YES! This is one of my favorite pieces!

1. What HP character do you identify with most and why?
   Apparently this “HP” refers to someone named “Harry Potter” mentioned later on? I've always known that the Potter line was a pureblooded family that stayed just barely on the pureblood side of the blood treason line. However, the fact that one of the Potters went so far as to name his son the extremely common Muggle name of “Harry” suggests that the Potters might almost be as bad as the Weasleys these days! In the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, we would never think of using such common Muggle names: we are always named after stars in the sky to represent how we naturally rule above the rest of the Wizarding world.
   
   
2. What one moment in the books was the most meaningful to you?
   I am not sure what you mean by “in the books”. However, the most meaningful moment to me was the moment that I heard the Howler my parents were sending Sirius the moment he was Sorted into Gryffindor. This told me several things. First, my brother was likely to turn away from his family, including me. Also, I would need to be extra careful toeing the line in order to avoid my mother's wrath. Finally, there was a possibility that my older brother could become one of the people blasted off of the family tree; if so, I would actually stand to become the heir of the house!
   
   
3. What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?
   I am flying over the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch, wearing my Head Boy badge underneath my Quidditch robes. The final Quidditch Cup of my career comes down to this moment... and I see the Golden Snitch right in front of me. I immediately grab it and the audience cheers in admiration of my victory. Looking at my house's stands, I first see my parents, who have come all this way to cheer me on. Next to them is my older brother Sirius, who is cheering louder than the rest; after all, he respects and loves me so much that he will admire my victory even when it is at the expense of his old house.
   
   
4. If you were to become headmaster at Hogwarts, what is one thing you would change about the school or how it operates?
   I would make sure that only those people coming from worthy pureblooded families would be allowed to attend. Muggle-born students come in with crazy ideas that they insist are of equal value to our own, trying to pollute the atmosphere. Worse, they come to Hogwarts so far behind on basic spellwork that they dumb down the curriculum so that the best wizards never can reach their full potential. And let's not even talk about the rumors that the current headmaster accepts non-human beasts as students...
   
   
5. If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it, and what would you call it?
   I would choose to make Potions, definitely, given the choice. The Potions Master at Hogwarts, Horace Slughorn, has always been a close personal friend of my family. I really like him for a number of reasons; for example, he seems to admire and respect me whenever he visits and always wants to introduce me to people I enjoy. Also, he gives me some of my favourite sweets that Mother would usually not think as proper for a member of the House of Black to be seen with.
   
   
6. You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one Harry Potter character other than Hagrid and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you'd want with you.
   I would want my dear brother Sirius to go into the forest with me. First, it would be a sign that he still loves and respects me despite rebelling against Mum and Dad. Also, his boldness would enable that I would never have to take any unnecessary risks; if a step seemed risky, he would be more than happy to be the one to take it for me and let me know if it was safe. As for an 'object', I would take my house elf Kreacher. He is completely loyal to me and always does what I ask of him - and I am sure that he would find a way to help us escape with the power of his special house elf magic.
   
   
7. What was your ideal job as a child? What is your ideal job now? Do you think it would be the same in the Wizarding World?
   As a member of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, I should not have to worry about choosing a profession. What matters more is being in a position where I can have influence behind the scenes. It would also be nice to win an Order of Merlin award like the one my grandfather recently won. That award would earn me respect from my family and continue its legacy, as well as serving as a stepping stone to power.
   
   
8. What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?
   The decisions that are the most difficult for me to make are ones where I have to choose between two conflicting loyalties. For example, when my brother Sirius is home from Hogwarts, I have to witness nasty arguments between him and my parents over just about everything. I have never actively taken a side in those arguments simply because both my brother and my parents are family.
   
   
9. If you had the opportunity to live forever, under what conditions would you accept? And if you did choose to live forever, what would you do with eternity?
   I disagree with this question. The Most Noble And Ancient House Of Black will ALWAYS live on forever, and while it does, my family will still be around. But with my current family members dying out, I would then spend eternity as the head of the House of Black. I would be able to perpetuate my family's legacy the way I see fit, free from the shadow of my overbearing mother. I would likely use this position to be in charge of a large chunk of Wizarding England - without the responsibility of, say, being Minister of Magic.
   
   
10. What is one thing you would never want said about you?
    By far the worst thing anyone could say about me would be to insult my blood status or the blood status of my family. We in the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black are the most illustrious and most pureblooded of the known pureblood families in existence and suggesting that we are anything other than pure, or worse, suggesting that we are mere servants of another, is the gravest insult I can imagine!
    
    
11. Do you believe that moral actions should be judged by the intentions behind them, or by the consequences they create?
    he only morality that matters is the preservation of the line and traditions of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black: “Toujours Pur” - which means always staying pure, uncorrupted, and true. Therefore, with the code of the House of Black, moral actions should be judged by their intentions and intentions alone: one's intentions need to be pure and not corrupted by Muggle-loving or other actions that endanger the house. Such purity will of course be reflected in the consequences; the House of Black will continue on and thrive as it always has.
    
    
12. What do you look for in a friend?
    I've never had the chance to hang around with people my own age other than my brother Sirius. So he became my closest friend almost by default. I admired and looked up to everything he did, trying to play with him whenever possible, and hoping I could be like him while still maintaining good standing in the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. Then, two years, he left for Hogwarts and, I was told, angered the family immensely by being Sorted into Gryffindor. Ever since then, he seemed to have no time for me. Even when he was back home, he would spend all his time talking about his new best friends, angering our parents and making me wish I was cool enough to hang out with him.
    
    
13. What trait most annoys you about other people?
    I am most annoyed when people choose to pick fights with each other for no reason. It pains me when my brother and my parents fight with and yell at each other. I love and respect my parents, but I also admire Sirius so much. I would hate to have to choose between my family and my family; this is a choice that no member of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black should EVER have to make!
    
    
14. What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
    1) I am pureblooded. No Muggle blood runs in my veins; therefore, the Wizarding ways are completely natural to me. This means that I will never be confused by any standard Wizarding ritual.
    2) I am a member of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. Among the twenty-eight known English Pureblood families, the House of Black is by far the most esteemed and privileged. The status of being of that house is one of the things I am proudest of.
    3) I am a good mediator. When my family sits down at the dinner table, my brother and my parents usually end up fighting and yelling at each other. I suspect that they would have come to blows at some point by magical or Muggle means except for me. My presence always ensures that the fights end, and hopefully will help them reconcile with each other before Sirius does anything really rash, such as run away.
    4) I am sneaky. If I am scheming and want something hidden, it stays hidden until the very moment I want it revealed. This is how I have managed to survive under the domineering thumb of my mother without ever getting her anywhere near as angry at me as she has been at my brother. And I think it will ultimately make a big difference in my life.
    5) I am smart. Before Hogwarts, I underwent the standard intensive Pureblood training regimen that all young members of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black must go through prior to receiving that letter. Although a lesser wizard than me could not have made it through, I breezed through the training classes without struggling even once. I expect such success to continue throughout my Hogwarts days.
    
    
15. What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
    1) I am a bit too meek. There are quite a few things I would love to do or say but end up choosing not to because I am afraid of the wrath of my mother. Therefore, I do not stand up for myself nearly as much as I would like to.
    2) I am not the heir. My brother Sirius is two years older than me and therefore he stands to be the head of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black even if, in his angriest moments, he claims he wants no part of it. As a younger sibling, I need to make sure Sirius becomes an appropriate head for the family when my parents die.
    3) I can't make friends with Gryffindors. Most of the time when I see Sirius these days, he is around his Gryffindor friends James, Remus, and Peter. I always try to impress these cool older kids, but they seem to want nothing to do with me. If I was able to impress them, I would probably be able to get my brother to pay more attention to me.
    4) I am too secretive. Often, it seems like no one understands how I really think. While this is often a plus, this makes it impossible to acquire new allies. If I am in a position where I am away from my family, this might force me into a dilemma where I am alone versus the entire world, a situation which could very well lead to my demise!
    5) I am less attractive than my older brother. Granted, I have had two fewer years to develop than he has, but this gives me less charisma than Sirius. When I go off to Hogwarts, my family connections will help me out a lot; however, being smaller with a less handsome face than my brother means that I might not be as influential in Hogwarts or the world at large as he is. If I end up in his house, I will always be seen in his shadow and never as my own person... and this is something I could never stand.
    
    
16. Name: Regulus Arcturus Black (“RAB”)
    
17. Age: Almost twelve
    
18. Where did you find out about us? I knew about you almost from birth; every proper Pureblood has heard about Hogwarts since before they can remember!
    
19. Do you plan on being active in the communities once you are sorted?
    I don't know what you mean by “the communities”, but I plan on becoming an active and prominent member of my house. I hope to become Prefect and Head Boy as I mature, and also a dominant Quidditch Captain and Seeker.
    

William//Slytherin//75 points for Slytherin!