Awakening

By RaistlinofMetallica

Blanket disclaimer: Anything you recognize, except for my OCs and the plot, I don't own. I do this for fun and absolutely no profit.

Prologue

He had never been more frightened in his entire life than this moment. The entire world seemed to be staring at him right then and he couldn't escape. Slowly, he stepped out of the line and walked forward, trying not to think about how much these next few minutes would influence his next seven years.

Two men and a woman hovered in the air far above London, looking down at the great city below. No one would notice them, not unless they happened to have the gift of magic; even then, they would be dismissed as illusions of the mind, for there was no one with power enough to move as they did. But, that was to be expected of their kind.

The woman, wrapped in elegant flowing red robes, watched the city below with a sad expression on her beautiful face. She was slender and willowy, giving her the appearance of a young girl, though she was anything but. A breeze brushed her bangs out of her amber eyes and lightly tossed her long brown hair out behind her, revealing a golden crescent mark in the center of her forehead, its tips raised to the sky, and a golden oval on each cheek.

On her left, there stood a man in simple white robes with warm hazel eyes and a kind face. There were markings on his face as well, though his differed slightly. He possessed the same crescent mark as the woman, but the marks on his cheeks were different; he had silver diamond shaped markings instead of golden ovals. A lock of his short blond hair fell in his face, but he did not seem to pay it any mind as he focused on the city below. "Do you think it's true, cousins?" he asked, quietly, raising his head.

With a snort, the second man pushed his round-framed glasses up on his nose and replied, "Of course it is, Sol. Do you doubt your own senses?" He ran a hand through his wild black hair, sighing, and raised his piercing green eyes. Unlike his cousins, he did not wear robes. Instead, he wore a trench coat, a plain T-shirt, and leather pants, all in black. He, too, had the golden crescent on his forehead, though jagged red thunderbolts marked his cheeks.

He sat down on the three-legged stool and immediately looked at the ground, clenching the sides of the stool as hard as he could. Just a few months ago, he didn't know this whole world existed and his mother was just an ordinary lady. And then that letter came, turning everything on its end. Everything weird that had happened around him suddenly made perfect sense; he was a wizard and magic was running in his blood, or so his mother had said right before she told him that she was a witch.

His world was plunged into darkness as the hat flopped over his eyes and the hat began to speak. "What do we have here? A descendant of the most noble and ancient house of Black!"

"No, I do not, Nuit," the white-robed man, Sol, countered. Then, he sighed, and added, "But I'm confused as to why he has been reborn as a wizard on this world."

Nuit harrumphed and adjusted his glasses again. "It is fate, pure and simple, you blond twit. I don't see why we even have to be here!"

"He's my father!" Sol responded.

"Was your father," the dark-haired man said pointedly, correcting his light-robed cousin.

"At least I can say that he loved me, unlike you and your mother!" the blond hissed, his hazel eyes narrowing.

Nuit's face contorted in rage and he balled his hands into fists. "You take that back."

"Why should I? You know it's true," Sol smirked and haughtily crossed his arms.

Electricity crackled across the crescent on the dark-haired man's forehead and a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky. "Take it BACK!" he shouted, lightning punctuating his words.

"Nuit, calm yourself," the woman implored softly, placing a restraining hand on her dark-haired cousin's shoulder. "And, Sol, Nuit's right, we don't need to be here. Just leave him alone, okay?"

"That's impossible," he whispered. "My mum's the only witch in the family. I just found out a month ago."

The hat seemed to chuckle. "Then, why does your blood course with the old blood of wizarding nobility, dear boy? You are from a great magical lineage; it is as plain as day and night to me."

"You're lying," he muttered desperately, not wanting to believe that it was true.

Once again, the hat seemed to be quite amused. "Am I now? I am sure your mother had her reasons for not telling you. Quite a stubborn streak you've got there. It goes well with your proud nature. But those are qualities to be found in all of the houses and we must look deeper to find your proper place in Hogwarts."

"He started it, Luna," the white-robed man scowled, crossing his arms.

Fuming, Nuit spat, "I did not!"

"Stop it, the both of you!" the red-robed woman shouted. "You're acting like children!"

There was an uncomfortable silence between the three cousins.

"Why did we have to come back here?" Luna whispered, bowing her head to try and hide the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.

Sol resumed watching the city below before answering. "My father was reborn here, under the covenant of magic, which makes him our business."

"Born into a line of the disinherited and forgotten Blacks," Nuit commented, a strange distant look entering his green eyes. "A descendant of Alphard, the uncle of Sirius; with his name burnt from the family tree, he was forgotten and his blood was passed down generation after generation, to Maria - the true last Black."

The white-robed man smirked, more to himself than anyone else. "She married a muggle and gave birth to a son; she named him Louis."

"Your father," the red-robed woman said, matter-of-factly.

Sol nodded.

"I see courage in great abundance, yes. You had to face your fear to get here, didn't you, and you've yet to falter from your course," said the hat. "Gryffindor would be made proud by your presence, but you wouldn't be at home there. And though I see that you are steadfast and loyal, committed to your goals, I know that you are no Hufflepuff."

"What am I, then?" he breathed. He gripped the stool tightly in his anxiety.

The hat replied, "Patience, dear boy, patience. There is certainly an abundance of talent here, no doubt about it. Ah-ah, an artist, too, I see?"

"A little," he admitted softly. He was still learning and wasn't that good yet, though he wanted to be a great artist someday.

"There's the ambition I was looking for," the hat seemed to smirk. "There is no doubt now that Ravenclaw is not your place; you are too artistic for their academic tastes. So, where to place you, little Louis Birkin...if indeed there is a house that suits you..."

Instantly, he felt his heart sinking into his stomach. "No, there has to be a house for me. There has to be! I have to be in a house!" he pleaded in a desperate whisper. He was here at Hogwarts, wasn't he? He had to belong to a house! He was a wizard and he belonged here, just like his mother had said. He wasn't going to let his mother down without a fight. No... he'd prove it to the whole school if he had to! He'd become the best wizard in the whole school if that would show them he belonged here.

"Don't fret, child," the hat told him. "I now know where best to place you. Your house will be..."

An owl swooped out of the clouds, riding the air currents to the city below. There was a letter tied to its leg, a very important letter. Sol smiled, seemingly pleased, and watched the owl descend towards its destination.

"So, it begins," Nuit commented, folding his arms over his chest as his red-robed cousin nodded in agreement.

"SLYTHERIN!"

AN: This is a more direct prequel to Strength of the Dragon, centering on the character of Louis. I'll give house points to anyone who can figure out what Nuit, Sol, and Luna are and/or what series they're from. I'll also give points to anyone who can tell me where Louis' last name is from (I'll give you a hint: it's a video game series). Alphard, Sirius's disowned uncle is mentioned on page 104 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (from the UKfirst edition; please note that the North American edition's page number may differ). We know next to nothing about Alphard, other than he left Sirius a decent amount of gold. He may or may not have had a family, so it is entirely possible that the line of Black may yet march on... Reviews are welcome and highly appreciated.