Sorting [Chapter 2]
Title: Sorting
Rating: T
Summary:What chance in the world did Zuko have in beating an ancient magical hat? none he decided as he resigned himself to his fate, hoping briefly that his father wouldn't be too disappointed, but knowing otherwise
Zuko-centric
Harry Potter/Avatar TLA crossover
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Chapter 2: The Letter
Zuko shoved a piece of toast in his mouth, eyes roving through the sea of students that occupied the dinning commons. Last night had been somewhat uncomfortable, with the tentative questions from his dorm mates. So far all he recalled about their names was that the red head was Ron and the pudgy one was Neville(they had left the biggest impressions on him.). The sixth years where…accepting, but nothing could change the fact that he was new and they had been together for the whole of their schooling. None of them had seemed approachable as friends though, none accommodating enough. They all had their own cliques and those where already set. It was Hell wading through the tense atmosphere. Apparently, he was…intimidating to some of them. Maybe, Zuko thought, they could sense the taint on a subconscious level. Chewing a bit more viciously, Zuko frowned, debating the pros and cons of hitting his head on the table.
Azula was a problem. She'd been waiting for him outside his dorm room last night and, after sending a portrait in to get him, she had started her usual put downs. He had growled and grunted, glaring all the while, but he knew that she was right about one thing. "Dad is going to kill you Zuzu. He said you had to get into Slytherin, and only Slytherin." She'd had, of course, mailed him before, and so it was with mild trepidation that Zuko found himself sitting wearily in the great hall awaiting the letter from his most loving Lord and master that was sure to come containing his fate.
He had a feeling that whatever was going to arrive for him, wasn't going to be good.
Resting his head on his right hand, he sighed, brows furrowing, settling in for the dreadful wait. The swish of robes and the sound of someone cautiously sitting across from him, interrupted his silent brooding, and his eyes quickly caught sight of another human being in maroon robes. It was hard not to notice, with that bright red hair…she had a resemblance to one of his dorm mates, that boy Ron also had bright red hair…and freckles…and…well, she was like a female version of Ron. He raised an eyebrow, "...Weasley?" It wasn't demeaning of harsh, just a simple question, but apparently, from the way she winced, she hadn't expected his voice to be quite so austere.
Her reluctant nod allowed his eyes to droop once more, and settle into his normal menacing air. "E-excuse me…?" he grunted, but didn't open his eyes again, laughing ay himself at how she squirmed. He might not be as good at this as his sister or father, but he could make people uncomfortable if he wanted to. "Would you-" Owls flooded the great hall, and Zuko didn't spare the blushing teen another thought.
The owl…it landed neatly in front of him, dropping the letter into his hands, accepting a small piece of scone, before taking flight again. "Who sent you mail?" The Weasley girl was still here. He frowned a little in her direction, and she promptly fell silent. Fingering the envelope, Zuko sensed there was more than ink and parchment within the innocent crème paper. But there was nothing he could do about it, so, sighing he tore open the top and regretted it instantly, as pain erupted on the left half of his face. He resisted the urge to clutch at it, suspecting that if he did, whatever was eating at his face would also start burning his hand. Taking out the letter inside, he felt the tears that he was holding back from the pain, start flowing freely. He had been disowned. Of course he had. He hadn't really expected anything less, though hope and self delusion had always been his strong point.
The girl across from him was making a fuss, and as the faculty table rushed toward him, he set the letter on fire. Elemental magic had always been his specialty, and although he wasn't as adept at it as Azula(he never was at anything, and probably never would be), it wasn't a common skill. Whatever was burning his face, judging from his father's expertise in all thanks dark arts, was most likely either a)incredibly painful 2)lethal 3)permanently damaging 4)incurable or 5) all of the above. The safest way to deal with this, he couldn't think of at the moment. The pain was too much. Burning would be better than this. Fist clenching his robes, the idea stuck and as he choked on a sob,and without much deliberation, he set his face of fire just like the letter. Fire cleanses, he recalled from one of his teachers lectures. It's just too destructive to do much good for usual ills. Good thing this wasn't "usual."
The whole hall, which had been in a panic before, gasped as the new students face erupted into flame. And Azula's watery smirk momentarily turned into a look of horror. The mask slipped back on and her usual sneer became malicious once more. She was relieved to see the fire go out, but sneered once it did, walking out of the hall. She needed to collect herself somewhere. The girl's bathroom seemed like an appropriate place.
AN: OK, I promise:
Zuko will NOT be paired with Ginny Weasley(I just thought it would be funny for her to have a crush on our lucky Zuko) and…
The other characters will come in at some point, and lastly,
Azula will have some kind of heart and affection for her family. I see her as a much more complicated character than just full of hate.
Yep, so thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. The next chapter will be up whenever I get around it it. ;D
ALSO I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.
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