A hat tells me my business
NICO: "Join the lot of first years outside of the common room! It will all be fine, the hat is going to decide your future! A whole room of people, half of which think you're some crazed lunatic, will have their eyes on you as you stare back like an idiot! It will be fun!"
This was the equivalent of the speech professors had given me all morning.
Nothing about this was fun or easy. Did I want my parents to be killed? Did I want to have this constant feeling that there was somebody I was looking for? Did I want to feel like I was living in a life that wasn't my own? NO! I didn't, funny enough. Why would you even think that was a possibility?
This entire situation: It sucked. The worst part of it? Harry Potter.
But we'll get to why I don't exactly trust him later.
I'd never felt more self conscious than when that group of people was staring at me, raising their wands to me. I get that it was a gesture of respect, but I knew it was only half-hearted. 50% of these people felt bad for me, wanted me to feel accepted. As for the other 50%? Well, they thought I should be dead. I thought I should be dead. The only reason I had escaped that fire is because of one thing: an accidental discovery. But like I said earlier, we'll get to that later.
"Di Angelo, Nico!"
Well, here we go.
***
When the hat was placed on my head, I didn't know what to expect. But I definitely wasn't expecting the thirty solid seconds of intense silence.
"You've faced many struggles, Nico Di Angelo. You've fought many battles. It seems your bloodline has as well, yes, I see. Your father was a brave one, powerful, no doubt."
I didn't think anything in response immediately, because deep down I knew something wasn't right.
"This isn't my life," I thought, very clearly. "I know, no need to break the news to me."
"Oh, very well then." The hat pondered further.
"This isn't my life," I repeated. "I've come to that realization. Is this supposed to be some sort of lesson? When am I going to wake up? Do I have to click my heels and wish for home?"
"Witty, quick-minded. Wouldn't do bad in Ravenclaw, I suppose." The hat noted.
"That didn't answer my question. I want out of here. I want out of here and I want some bloody answers."
"Defensive, to the point. A sense of pride, perhaps? Maybe Gryffindor would suit you?"
"Please, pride? I think you're getting confused with somebody else."
"You're self conscious about many things, Di Angelo. Though, I don't see that as humbleness in your case. Maybe Hufflepuff wouldn't be the best answer," the hat said, matter-of-factly. I felt myself growing angrier by the moment.
"Not prideful then and definitely not patient. This brings us to a possible Ravenclaw, or maybe Slytherin."
"I want answers," I repeated. "I've gotten to a low enough point in my life where I'm begging a hat for answers. The least you could do is give me some!"
"I'm still deciding, son."
"Not answers about my stupid house, answers about my life!"
The hat didn't reply right away. All of my patience had been lost.
"Are you fucking serious?" I thought to myself.
"Strong language, no doubt. That shows that you have a sense of possible cunningness in your character. You will take whatever means to get answers from anybody, I can see it all here. You will accomplish much in this journey, Nico Di Angelo. But you will need to find patience. You need to find others, and they will be searching for you. You need to find her before it's too late."
"I-I need to what?"
"Your clever, there is no doubt. But your ambition to do what is right for you and those you care about it greater than any other trait you possess."
"No, back up, I need to find what?"
"SLYTHERIN!" I opened my eyes. The hall wasn't in a pity-filled silence as it had been before. Now, the silence was stunned.
"Alright, we got Di Angelo!" A boy with messy hair stood up at a table decorated with various shades of emerald and silver.
Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's jaws had opened so wide in shock I don't even know how they hadn't fallen to the floor. Harry didn't look surprised, nor disappointed like the remaining students of the Gryffindor table. He only looked confused. He smiled encouragingly all the same.
"Wooh!" The loud Slytherin boy started the cheering. The girl beside him joined, along with everyone else at the Slytherin table.
In a daze, I sat at the end of the table beside the loud, curly-haired boy.
"Leo Valdez!" He was about to shake my hand, but he hesitated. The girl beside him glances at me.
"Don't do it," she warned me. "Don't ever shake Leo's hand, trust me. I learned my lesson earlier." She showed me her hand, which had a few scattered blisters on it. Leo's eyes widened in alarm, but he didn't say anything.
I already didn't like this place.
No one said much to me. If they did, I wasn't listening. I was lost in my own thoughts. Save her? I had to save her? Who did I have to save, and more importantly, what did I have to save her from?
My mind was clouded with thoughts. I was in a daze that entire feast. That is, until I looked up from my table at my surroundings. The yellow and black table, I think it was called the Hufflepuff table, was filled with many students. Out of all of those students, one caught my eye.
I knew him.
I don't know how, I don't know where from, but I knew him.
The split second when we locked eyes made me remember one important detail about him: his name.
"Will." I mumbled to myself.
Leo nudged me. "Sorry, did you say something, kid?"
"No," I said. "No...I didn't."