Royalty [A One Direction AU]

{1} The Secret Son

(The story will be in Niall's POV unless stated otherwise)

I stare at my mum, unable to process what she just said. "I'm a what now?" I ask, my mind whirring. She sighs and repeats her words.

"You are a sorcerer." She says simply.

"And that is...?" I ask, still confused as heck. I mean, it's not everyday you come home and your mum tells you that you're something you thought only existed in story books.

"You know Harry Potter?" She asks, and I nod slowly. "It's sort of like that. There's a whole magic hierarchy that I'm going to get your father to explain to you." My mum says, and I can't help but gasp.

"My dad? But I thought-"

"We lied. Niall, we hoped that you weren't like him, but you are. And that's why you are going to a special school in London. Your aunt is the headmaster, she'll explain everything to you." My mum says. I simply nod, too tired to know what to think. "Go pack. You leave in a week." She says, and I run to my bedroom.

~•~•~•~•~

I stand in front of the building in awe, staring at the huge castle. Mum said it was a school, so I was honestly expecting something completely different. I hear laughter from behind me so I turn, finding myself face-to-face with two boys about my age. The taller one has curly brown hair and bright green eyes that remind me of a cat, while the other has short brown hair that would be covering his sparkling blue eyes if it wasn't swept across his forehead.

"I assume you're the new kid Headmaster told us about?" The tall one says in a distinct British accent, shooting me a dimpled grin. I nod slowly, feeling a bit intimidated, and the shorter one grins as well, sticking his hand out.

"The name's Louis Tomlinson. This is Harry Styles. And you are?" He asks, also British, his voice higher than I would've thought.

"I'm Niall. Niall Austin." I say unsurely, shaking Louis' hand, then Harry's. I hear someone clear their throat behind me and I turn around again, this time seeing someone who I only learned existed last week.

"I see you've met Louis and Harry already." My aunt comments, looking at the two. "That's good, you're in the same hall. You two run along, I need to take Niall to my office." When I turn again Louis and Harry have disappeared, and my aunt takes my hand. "Come on, your father is waiting for us." I follow her into the building, and straight into an office where a man is sitting.

"Hello, Niall." He says, and I grin.

"Dad?" I ask, and the man nods. He came over this past weekend and we went to the beach together, me him, and mum. At some point he disappeared, though, saying he had business, and he never came back.

"Before you say anything, let me explain. There are many levels of magic, the weakest being witches and the strongest sorcerers. The most powerful sorcerer is respected by all Spellcasters as well as the other classes of Magics. Simply put, the most powerful family is the royals. The royal family goes by the last name of Horan." I nod, confused as to why my dad is telling me all this.

"Niall, how old were you when you first did something unusual?" My aunt asks.

"Five." I say with certainty, the image of my uncle with burning pants funny but terrifying at the same time.

"Most Spellcasters don't discover their abilities until they're at least thirteen. You have lived with your mum for all these years for protection. Your last name isn't Austin, it's Horan." My dad says, and suddenly everything makes sense.

"You are a prince, Niall." My aunt confirms. "I run this school as the sister of the king, and no one here knows who you are. You have to keep it that way. If anyone asks when you discovered your magic, keep the story the same but say you were twelve. You are a sorcerer, but you must pretend to be a wizard, the second level of Spellcasters. Befriend anyone you like, but you must be Niall Austin to this school, not Niall Horan. Understood?" My aunt commands. I nod again, trying to sort through all of the information I just received.