harry's creature inheritance

a letter from hogwarts

Enrico's POV

My dad handed me the letter and then left the room, saying dinner would be ready in an hour.
Sitting up, I examined the envelope—it had the Hogwarts seal on the back, still sealed tight.
"It's not time for Hogwarts letters yet, is it?" I asked Severus.
"No, they usually get sent out halfway through August," he replied.

Curious, I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter, reading it aloud for my mates.

The letter:
To all Hogwarts students—
The staff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry request your attendance at a compulsory resorting and classification/inheritance check on the 1st of August. The Sorting Hat will re-sort, classify, and reveal any creature inheritances.

If you have a genuine reason for not attending, please notify a staff member immediately by owl to arrange an alternative date.

You need only bring your wand. Lunch will be provided upon arrival, and you may leave once classified.

We look forward to seeing you on the 1st of August.

—The Staff at Hogwarts

"I forgot about that," Sev chuckled. "It's only the Sorting Hat. The Ministry made it compulsory starting this year so students like you aren't placed with unsuitable families."

"Speaking of families," Lucius began, "how were the Dursleys? Did they treat you right?"

(AN: I'm just going to copy what Enrico told his parents here because—lazy.)

"The Dursleys hated magic. The moment they realized I was magical, they started treating me like dirt under their shoes. The cupboard under the stairs was my bedroom until I left this morning. They beat me, starved me, and treated me like a house-elf. If I didn't finish a chore properly, they'd punish me with beatings and throw me back in the cupboard. Dudley, my cousin, used to play a game called 'Harry Hunting.' They would chase me down and then beat me when they caught me."

They stared at me, shocked and unsure what to say. Then Arthur leaned into my shoulder and hugged me tightly.
"I'm sorry, Ric. I should have noticed the signs," he said softly, a tear in his eye.

"It's not your fault. It's nobody's fault but my uncle's," I told him. I put my arm around Arthur and snuggled closer to Lucius, who had draped his arm around Sev.
"Is that what triggered your panic attack in Gringotts today? Because of your uncle and cousin?" Lucius asked.
"Yeah. I suffer from severe anxiety and PTSD."

Time skip:

After dinner, my mates and I decided to head back to bed for some more rest. I cuddled between Sev and Arthur, with Lucius lying on Arthur's other side.
(They'd already talked about the whole mate thing and got to know each other better—I'm just too lazy to write that conversation here.)

I snuggled closer to Sev and drifted off to sleep, my mind already thinking about the resorting and classification tomorrow...

edited- 5/7/2025