Sanders Sides One-Shots

Slytherin

Harry Potter AU

Warnings: Self-hatred, bullying, and neglect/abandonment

Ship(s): Platonic LAMP

"Sanders, Patton!"

The youngest Sanders boy walked nervously up to the stool, trying to smile as he searched the crowd for his brothers. His oldest brother, Logan, stared at him intently from the Gryffindor table. 4th year Roman was standing up at the Ravenclaw table, his eyes shining with pride. 6th year Virgil wasn't watching Patton but was already moved over so that there was an empty seat for his brother to sit in when he was sorted into Hufflepuff along with Virgil, just like everyone expected. Patton wasn't so sure though, and his nervousness grew, even more, when the sorting hat was placed on his head.

"Ah yes, Patton, I've heard about you. You're the supposed destined-to-be-Hufflepuff everyone's been talking about," the sorting hat mused, and Patton almost felt hopeful. The hat tsked, and his heart fell again.

"Are you sure you want to go there? Wouldn't you rather go to a house where you could progress and grow, and become the wizard you were meant to be?" the hat said wisely to the anxious eleven-year-old boy. Patton blinked, thinking about it for a moment. He supposed the hat was right. Just because everyone else wanted to be a Hufflepuff didn't mean he was actually going to be one. He let out a teeny smile and nodded.

The house hummed in approval before saying, "Then it ought to be....Slytherin!" The last table to Patton' s left erupted into cheers and claps, and a few students even stood up to greet their newest house member. Patton hopped down from the stool, trying to smile as he searched the crowd for his brothers once again. Virgil was talking to a friend, Logan was looking down at the table in shock, and Roman was glaring at Patton with such a ferocious anger that the young wizard was sure holes had been burned through his body. Tears welled up in his eyes and he ran the rest of the way to the table, fighting back those gosh-darn-ding-dang tears in his eyes as he sat down on the bench. He was immediately clapped hard on the back, engulfed in hugs, and greeted so many times he lost count. He smiled once more, looking at the other boys and girls with dull eyes.

The rest of the week was hell. Every time Patton tried to talk to his brothers, they would turn away from him, acting as if he didn't exist. Virgil was the only one to cast him the occasional pitying glance or squeeze his hand as they passed by one another in the halls, but Logan and Roman made no move to accept Patton's horrifying stance as a Slytherin. Their father, Thomas, had always taught the four brothers that Slytherins weren't always evil (he'd been close friends with Scorpius when they went to school), but it seemed that Patton and Virgil had been the only ones to listen to that lesson.

"Hey, snake-face! Where are you going in such a hurry?" Patton walked faster, clutching his books tightly to his chest as he was followed closely by a group of older students, his brother Roman included in the mass.

"Just get to the dungeons. Just get to the dungeons and it'll be fine," Patton whispered to himself, trembling a bit as the taunting voices of the older boys began to creep closer.

"He asked where you were going!" Roman shouted, and the comment was quickly followed by a chorus of hideous laughter. Patton's heart leaped into his throat and he was about to break into a run when he was grabbed by the back of his robe and shoved against the wall, his head slamming against it with a sickening crack. He groaned, black dots dancing in front of his eyes. Through the haze, he could see that the boy holding him wasn't his brother, but a 7th-year boy from Gryffindor.

"P-Please let me go, I need to get to potions," Patton said hurriedly, keeping his eyes cast down and praying that the older boy would show him some mercy. Instead, all he got was a laugh and his feet being knocked out from under him. Patton saw Roman's surprised face before a foot came flying towards him, and his head snapped back with the force of the kick, a loud crack sounding as his head smacked against the wall and his nose broke, blood flowing freely. Patton groaned in pain and curled up into a ball, tears welling up in his eyes as kicks and punches continued to come his way.

"Stop! Stop it, leave him alone!" someone shouted. The pain kept coming and Patton let out a quiet moan, tears dripping down his face and nose onto the floor. Roman was there and he wasn't doing anything. Logan didn't care. Virgil was too scared to help. Patton was alone. He was destined to be evil, to be a monster, to hurt people, and he was getting what he deserved. He cracked an eye open and saw Roman looking down at him, surprised, amused, even happy, as one of his friends kicked him again. Patton screamed and cried and tried to curl up tighter, hiding his face in his hands.

"Crucio!" another person said with glee, and Patton shrieked, eyes blowing wide with pain as his body jerked and twitched. Every atom felt as if it were on fire, burning his flesh away and rocketing through his veins like poison. He couldn't even scream anymore, his mouth gaping open silently, beads of sweat on his forehead.

"I SAID STOP IT!" the person howled again, and Patton gasped in surprise as the pain was suddenly gone, and someone grabbed him by the collar and yanked him upwards. He screamed and flailed blindly at the person holding him, only to be dragged away and then clung to like a lifeline. Still sobbing and shaking in terror, Patton looked up to see Virgil looking down at him with a stricken face, trails of moisture that matched Patton's already on his face. He glanced at the boys who had been kicking him, his breath hitching in surprise as he saw Logan repeatedly punching a guy he had pinned up against a wall, his eyes filled with blind rage.

"STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!" Logan roared, throwing one last hit before letting the poor student go, watching him run off in terror. Breathing heavily, Logan turned back to face Patton, who was clinging to Virgil and crying openly, his knuckles white from clenching his robes. Roman hung back as Logan knelt down on one knee and opened his arms up to their youngest brother, who sobbed and flung himself into Logan's arms. Swallowing hard, he bowed his head in shame.

"T-Thank you! Thank you s-so much!" Patton wailed, his voice muffled since his face was buried in Logan's shoulder. The Gryffindor held onto his brother tightly, his heart filled with regret as he saw the blood and tears smeared on the front of Patton's robes. This was their fault.

"Don't thank us, Pat. If we had just...accepted you in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. We could've protected you," Logan mumbled into Patton's hair, rocking slightly back and forth. Patton sniffled and nuzzled into the crook of Logan's neck.

"N-No...i's okay. I understand. Y-You don't...you don't have to pretend. Roman isn't," Patton said quietly, his voice sounding so broken. The three other brothers were silent, and Virgil glanced at Roman coldly, eyes looking his 14-year-old brother up and down judgingly.

"You told me you'd help him."

"I-I know, but-"

"You promised me. You swore on your honor you'd try to accept him."

"I know I did. I'm sorry! I didn't know they were going to hurt him!" Roman said with his eyes clenched shut. "That's no excuse, I know, there isn't any, but I promise that I didn't want to hurt Pat." Patton's shoulders trembled and he shook his head.

"I deserved it. It's fine," Patton muttered.

"No," Virgil said, his voice sharp. "No, you didn't. God damn it, Pat, why do you have to think like that?" Patton blinked and looked at his older brother, watching as he scrubbed frustrated tears out of his eyes. "Everyone....everyone thought I was going to be a Slytherin. I should've been there for you more. I should've d-done something," Virgil choked out.

"We all should have done something. Pat, if this is anyone's fault, it is ours. Can you forgive us? Them, at least?" Roman asked quietly, unable to meet the other boy's eyes. Patton kept his head against Logan's chest, dazed and confused at this sudden exchange of guilt and blame.

"I...I forgive you. I forgive all of you. It's okay," Patton said. Roman burst into tears and Virgil scooped Patton up into his arms, swooping him away from Logan and hugging him tightly as he spun around. Patton laughed for the first time in ages as he hung onto Virgil tightly, forehead pressed to his, eyes closed in content.

"W-We...We should take you to the infirmary, Patton. Can I take you?" Roman asked as Virgil set Patton down and ruffled his hair. Patton glanced at the other nervously, biting his lip and twisting the sleeve of his robes in his hands.

"Okay, Ro..." Patton said, holding out his hand for the other to take.