Chapter Text
“Todd, Jason!”
Feeling the stares on him as he walked to the front, Jason reminded himself that his clothing was just as new and shiny as everyone else’s here. Of course, that thought then just made him feel ashamed of himself. He’d been Bruce Wayne’s ward for less than five months; he wouldn’t start taking this money for granted, not now, not ever.
Jason shifted his gait so his sneakers dragged along the ground a bit and his cloak fell open slightly, revealing his favorite hoodie underneath. There. Better.
The room was silent as he sat down on the chair in the front and lifted the hat onto his head as he had seen other students do. It would sort them into houses, which was weird to Jason but supposedly normal for an English boarding school. Apparently, this school was modeled on a major one in Great Britain. The white upper-class wizards that had been among the first to ‘settle’ the East Coast had sniffed their noses at the school founded by an Irishwoman, of all people, and created one that reminded them of home barely two hundred miles away.
It was called Schola Artis Magicae, for God’s sake. These people had not been imaginative.
No. No, I suppose they weren’t.
Oh, great, the hat was talking to him. How did that even work? Was it telepathy or just a shallow whisper into his ears?
A curious mind, huh? Brave, too, though. Hm… Do you have a preference?
Jason had read up on the houses in ‘A History of Magic’ before he came here, but even Alfred hadn’t been able to satisfactorily explain to him what the point was. Dividing children up by allegedly defining characteristics seemed premature to him, not to mention leading to potentially dangerous stereotyping. Why not just go and go by favorite color or something? What was the problem with drawing lots? It was just stupid—
I see. “Ravenclaw!”
Right. That was the blue and bronze table. Jason headed towards under applause that was lukewarm at best. A few students smiled at him, but mostly everyone was occupied with watching the rest of the sorting hat ceremony.
When it was over, the food appeared. At least Jason had read about this, so he was prepared for this. Still, this was… a lot of food. Even Alfred would disapprove of the waste. Who even made all this? Hopefully, it was just a feast for a special occasion…
As he ate, Jason looked around. The Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables were behind him, so he focused on the Slytherin one (green and silver). He tried to remember what this house’s supposed defining trait was—cunning? Ambition? Something like that? Honestly, most of them just looked like kids to him. One of them was even tinier than all of the other first years. With a pang of pity, he thought: He’s gonna get eaten.
Then, another one of the Slytherins said something, and Jason watched as the tiny first year drew himself up and fixed him with a glare so cold Jason was a bit surprised it wasn’t magical and turned the older student into stone. Jesus, where had the kid learned to do that? Jason clearly didn’t need to worry about him.
Maybe he should worry about himself. None of his fellow first-years had spoken a word to him so far.
After dinner, their prefect took them up to the tower. The riddle system for the portrait seemed easy to crack to Jason, but maybe that was the point? This was a school, for God’s sake. They were shown their rooms, but when Jason made to follow the other boys inside, the prefect took him aside. “Look, we’re aware you’re in a somewhat… unique situation.”
Jason just stared at him, saying nothing.
“And I thought… It just happens that two years ago, only one boy got selected for Ravenclaw. I’ve never been happy about having anyone living alone, so… maybe you’d be more comfortable rooming with someone your own age?”
Great. Another thing that would make him stand out. Jason wanted to decline, saying he’d be just fine rooming with the eleven-year-olds.
However… looking at the group that was supposed to be his, he counted six people. Jason knew himself well enough to know that living with this many kids would drive him up the wall within a week. Rooming with a single person who hopefully had matured a bit might be more manageable.
“Okay.”
The prefect looked relieved. “Great. I already talked to him, he loved the idea. Your dorm is this one, then.”
The staircase shifted enough to let Jason knock on the small, wooden door.
“Come in!” a cheerful voice called.
Jason did. The room was airy and spacious with two four-poster beds and roomy closets, as well as huge floor-to-ceiling windows. A lanky redhead sat on the ground between the beds, a multitude of random items spread around him. The first thing Jason noticed about him was his smile; the second was his hands, incongruously large and calloused for someone who looked like a breeze could topple him over.
“Uh, hi? I’m supposed to be staying here.”
The boy got up in a hurry. “Jason, right? Nice to meet you, dude, I’m Roy.”
“Hey.” Jason gave an awkward little wave.
“You can put your stuff in there. I’ve been sleeping by the wall, is that alright with you?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Better than, actually. Closed spaces still made Jason antsy.
While Jason unpacked his things (all the equipment Bruce had bought, some clothes, his favorite books), Roy sat back down on the ground and watched him. “So you’re my age, right?”
“I guess? I’m thirteen.”
“How come you’re only starting now?”
Jason, to his own surprise, appreciated the frank questions. Might as well get it out now. “I was only adopted into a Wizarding family last year.”
“Oh yeah, by the Waynes, right? I know your brother.”
Well, that made one of them. Dick had been very distant when he’d been home during the summer; Jason had gotten the distinct impression that he’d disapproved of Bruce adopting Jason. The fighting had been hard to miss.
“Didn’t you get your letter before that, though?” Roy asked curiously.
Jason shrugged. “Sure. But I had no way to follow up on it.” A kid trying to fend for himself on the streets didn’t have the kind of resource that got him to a magical train station. Not to mention, he wouldn’t have been able to afford a wand, back then.
Trying to lighten the mood, he added: “I also thought it was a prank. Like, if you’re a muggle, giant owls following you to draft you into a magic school means that you’ve either gone mad, your friends are having a laugh, or someone is trying to kidnap you.”
Roy snorted. “Fair. Well, you’re here now. Wanna help me build a glitter bomb?”
Jason took in the equipment surrounding his new roommate. “That’s a lot of stuff for a simple glitter bomb.”
“The plan might just be to have it follow around the DADA teacher. Have it spell out stuff, maybe.”
“Why the DADA teacher?”
“She likes making the first-years cry on their first day.”
Jason thought of the prim blonde sitting at the teacher’s table and plopped down next to Roy. “Can you add sound? I’m thinking ‘Barbie Girl.’”
Roy held out a hand. “Jason, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Jason shook it gravely. Maybe this year wouldn’t be so bad.