Home
Hariel shielded her eyes as she stared up at the hospital, the sun already starting to set. Her right hand was encased in a navy blue cast up till her elbow. I hope he gets better. He doesn’t deserve this.
“Hariel, what did the doctor say?" Nanjirou asked. “I have to come back in two weeks to get the break checked. Luckily it is a clean break." The Samurai nodded. “Che, can you play tennis?" Ryoma asked, focussed as he always was on tennis. The raven nodded, absently cradling her broken wrist close to her chest, curling around it to prevent further damage.
Nanjirou watched silently, not liking what the instinctive reaction implied.
“I can, though obviously not with my right hand." Hariel said quietly. She had missed playing against skilled tennis players. She had long since conquered any challenge that could be found in the courts of Surrey and most people in Hogwarts didn’t even know what tennis was. Hermione did, but the girl wasn’t interested and Hariel could accept that. She couldn’t force someone to love her favourite sport.
The two Echizen’s nodded as Nanjirou unlocked the car.
“Bishoujo, do you have a cell phone?" Nanjirou asked all of a sudden. The raven blinked, a little confused at the sudden subject change. “No I don’t. Why do you ask, Nanjirou-san?"
“We’ll get you one, that way you can let us know if you ever wander off and won’t make it home for dinner or anything like that." The Samurai stated blithely. “I have enough money to buy one myself, you don’t need to do that for me." Hariel shyly responded, unused to being given things, especially expensive things.
“Kids shouldn’t worry about money. Rinko and I will look out for you." Serious hazel-brown eyes met hers for a moment in the rear-view mirror. “We care, Hariel-chan. So let us do this for you, okay?"
Her eyes widened, as she nodded timidly. “Thank you." She whispered.
Hariel pocketed her keys, a sketchbook and a pencil. Then she started jogging. Always being hunted by Dudley and his gang had made sure that she ran multiple times a week in primary school, desperate to get away. That it made her feel free and helped build stamina for tennis meant that she kept running. In her avoidance of almost every single human being at Hogwarts the last few weeks she was there, she had started running for longer and longer stretches of time.
She ran through the unfamiliar streets as the sun started to rise. Houses passed her by, other people passed her by and all the while nothing touched her.
It felt like everything just ceased to matter when she was running, as if none of her problems could catch her like this. She knew that wasn’t true of course, but the feeling of freedom was addicting.
When she eventually came across a river she looked at the sun sparkling over the water and instantly decided that this would be a part of her new route from now on. She took out her sketchbook and started drawing. Shading the water in pencil and adding little details to try and capture the quiet wonder of the glimmers of light refracting in the water in quick-silver flashes.
When she had been admitted to Hogwarts she had stopped drawing, taken in by the magic and the amazing new world. Spending all of her time trying to learn more magic.
When Hogwarts was revealed to be a haunted horror house with a thin layer of normalcy painted over it, she picked it back up. It might not be magic, but she was good at this and she loved drawing. It had been an escape from reality when she was young and that was still the same.
Running, flying, drawing... they were all escapes in the end.
Hariel wondered why her life had ended up this way, that most of her hobbies involved trying to escape reality and what that said about her.
The petite witch opened the diary Luna had given her in the hospital wing. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw sentences slowly appear on the first, up until now blank, page. The handwriting was large, curling loops and whimsical dots.
‘Hello Hariel. I told Hermione Granger that is welcome to write to you as well in this dairy. I think she is composing a letter right now. Hermione Granger is very kind, and highly logical. I don’t know how she is going to believe in magic like this... Perhaps the Heliopaths will burn away the disbelief for her one day. Do you like Japan?'
The bluenette grinned, she could easily picture Hermione’s perplexed expression upon meeting Luna. She was so grateful that she could keep in touch with her friend now... and maybe, maybe even make a new one.
Happily she settled in to write to the two girls. ‘What kind of magic did you weave into the circlet you gave me? It feels... focussed, sort of like an amplifier.’ She was curious. The circlet made her feel more centred. She didn’t feel any malice in the whimsical magical artefact though. It was dripping in Luna’s airy reality-shifting magic.
‘There are mind-magics woven into your crown.' Came the utterly unexpected answer. As Luna explained the spells she had anchored into the bluebell weave, Hariel’s eyebrows rose. If a seer told you that you should learn about occlumency though, well she wasn’t going to ignore a second warning from the kind blonde.
Hariel dropped down into the seat next to Ryoma. They were going towards the tournament he had signed up for. Sleepily she blinked, trying to keep her eyes open. She hadn’t slept well. She never slept well anymore. Her head lolled to the side.
Ryoma seamlessly adjusted his shoulder as Hariel’s head finally landed on him. The girl had been dazed and tired all morning as she followed him through Tokyo. It came as no surprise that she had eventually fallen asleep, lulled by the rocking of the train.
Three high school teens were being rowdy right in front of them. One of them was swinging a racket around wildly.
“Ne, you." Ryoma stated stoically. “You guys are being too loud."
The teen who had been swinging a racket tried to laugh it off. “I can’t believe I’m being told off by a little kid." He said to his friends, trying to save face. A brunette girl flinched when he nearly hit her, again. He ended up dropping the racket when the train shook.
Hariel blinked sleepily as she was woken up by the sudden shaking. “Bingo." Ryoma said carelessly, correcting him on his handgrips. She smiled a tiny washed out version of her old smile, because she always enjoyed it when Ryoma was being a brat. Just as well really, since that seemed to be his default state.
The train pulled into the station and Ryoma softly grasped his best friend’s hand pulling her along as he left the train. Completely ignoring the spluttering high schooler as he went.
Hariel yawned. “S-Sorry for falling asleep." She said, another yawn escaping her as she rubbed her eyes drowsily, trying to get rid of her sleepiness. Ryoma snorted, kneeling down in front of her. “Come on, get on." Hariel blinked. “Are you sure? I can walk." The cat-eyed boy nodded. Carefully she climbed on, sighing softly as he easily lifted her up.
He had shifted his tennis bag to rest against his chest, so that he could hold her legs as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder. “Go back to sleep. I know you didn’t sleep well." Hariel settled her head on his shoulder, no longer fighting to keep her eyes open. “Ne, Ryoma..." “Hn?" The boy hummed in question. “Thank you..."
Her nose pressed into the junction of his neck, she was easily lulled to sleep by his familiar scent. “Do you know where the Kakinokizaka Tennis Garden is?" He asked a girl with twin braids. “I-It’s to the south." The girl stuttered, staring at the long black braid with blue shimmers draped over his shoulder and the sleeping face of a really pretty girl pressed against his neck.
They look good together, I wonder if they are a couple... The girl thought, trying to be quiet so that she didn’t wake the beautiful girl, who had deep purple smudges under her eyes. She’d been relieved when he spoke up on the train, since the racket had nearly hit her several times.
Ryoma nodded and started walking. Hariel’s warm breath tickling against his skin. When he still didn’t find the Tennis Club fifteen minutes later, he sighed and turned around. He passed through the station again and this time went out of the north entrance. He ended up being late, losing by default.
Normally he hated losing, but for once he didn’t mind. Hariel needed all the sleep she could get, and he’d never leave her alone this vulnerable.
Ever so carefully he placed the sleeping girl on the ground, deciding to take a nap himself. Hariel, now deprived of that wonderful heat, automatically curled up against his side when he flopped down beside her.
Dozing off in the sun, he completely missed the girl with the twin braids standing over him, her red-brown eyes staring at him guiltily.
Ryoma and Hariel were drinking a ponta in the sun after their nap, when the high schooler from the train showed up again. As he started bragging about being one of the finalists, Hariel muttered at Ryoma. “Ne, Ryoma, who is this idiot?" Ryoma snorted. “I have no idea, he doesn’t look strong though." Hariel’s eyebrow rose as the idiot challenged Ryoma to a tennis match.
She grinned as Ryoma started talking, being his usual cocky self. He was funny when he was in the mood to challenge someone.
She smirked as she watched the start of the match. Ryoma was destroying him while demanding that he play seriously, but he himself wasn’t even using his left hand. Not that he would need to against this second-rate player. Hell, she could defeat him and according to her own standards she was incredibly out of shape, having had nobody to play against at Hogwarts.
A girl with twin braids was staring at him in awe. An older woman in a pink sweat suit explained that Ryoma was clearly in no danger of losing. Hariel was kind of touched by the girl’s concern though. In most other cases a match between a high schooler and a middle schooler would be a bad idea indeed.
“He’ll be fine." She said softly. Ryoma started using his twist serve to chase him off, easily winning the game. The older woman grinned. “He’ll never in a million years win against Echizen Ryoma."
Ryoma looked up at the woman. “Who are you? How do you know my name?" He asked bluntly, as Hariel handed him his jacket and bag.
“I am RyuzakiSumire." She gestured to the girl with twin braids besides her. “This is my granddaughter Sakuno. I trained Nanjirou. He called me to mention that you were coming to Seigaku." Ryoma’s eyes widened minutely. “You trained oyaji." He nodded respectfully.
Then he turned around and smiled softly at Hariel, he could see the dark circles beneath her eyes and he wanted to go home so she could rest. He started leading her to the exit.
“Bye." Hariel snorted at his rude farewell. Quickly bowing her head, she said goodbye as well and hurried of after her standoffish friend.
The raven was curled up on the couch, sketching Hedwig in mid-flight. Later she would re-draw the lines in ink, so that she would never forget the fierce friend she’d lost. She thoughtfully looked at all of her coloured pencils.
Finally she chose a golden shade, which was as close to how Hedwig’s hauntingly beautiful eyes had looked as she could get. Carefully, shading with darker gold and brown she finished colouring her drawing. The rest of her owl was in black and white.
“Bishoujo?” Nanjirou asked, looking up at her from where he was sprawled over the floor, reading a magazine. “Hmm?” She hummed, still focussed on detailing the wings. “Are you planning on staying in Japan?” Hariel froze. She had just fled, with no plan. She had barely remembered to make sure she could access her money.
She should have expected that question. She couldn’t stay here taking advantage of their generosity forever. “Yes, so I... guess I’ll get an apartment. I should make sure somehow that I can’t be found.” She answered, distracted. Mind spinning with options to make sure that nobody in Britain could find her. If Dumbledore did... he’d probably force her to come back. To compete in that lethal tournament.
Hermione would be able to track her through the muggle world, so she didn’t need to leave any magical trace at all. Luna could come along if they did end up as good friends. She had a good feeling about the little blonde seer.
“Why? Are you being followed?” Nanjirou asked, bass voice serious and sharp hazel-brown eyes watching her carefully. “I think... that Dumbledore might force me back to compete in the Tri-Wizard tournament. He didn’t believe the contract broke so he’ll likely claim it is for my own good.” Hariel said bitterly.
Adults never did tend to trust her. McGonagall hadn’t believed the stone to be in danger either. Dumbledore hadn’t believed her when she said she broke the contract. They had stripped the firebolt from Sirius as well, not trusting her to check it on her own.
“Who is your guardian in the magical world?” Nanjirou asked, frowning. “Dumbledore, most likely.” Hariel answered. He was the Defacto Magical Guardian for students who didn’t have one. “We’ll need to get you emancipated. Otherwise he could legally force you to go back.” The Samurai said, he had picked up on some nuances of the law from Rinko.
Hariel’s eyes widened. “That’s perfect. Nobody could ever force me to go back to the Dursley’s either.” She said, entranced by the idea immediately.
“And Hariel,” She looked at him curiously. “you can stay here. We’d love it if you would live with us.” The ex-pro said softly.
A week later Hariel was in the hospital for a check-up. Rinko had been worried about her scars which weren’t healing well. She was sitting in the waiting room when a kind doctor recognized the lingering magic around her scars as curse damage. Being a trained magical healer, he notified her attending doctor that he would take over as her physician and called her into his office. Apparently in Japan they had mixed hospitals, Magicals discretely helping muggles.
“Hello, Miss?" “Potter Hariel." She answered shyly, afraid to be recognized even here. He merely nodded. Then he waved his wand, the cast turning and twisting in mid-air to bare her arm and her curse scars to his gaze. He frowned, and then guided her towards a rune inscribed metal frame.
The man pulled her arm through the null-zone, trying to cancel out the residue from the curse so that she could be healed. “I don’t know who initially treated this, but this is barbaric." He muttered angrily. Hariel froze, looking up at him with a deer in headlights look.
The man merely patted her head very gently. “You did nothing wrong Potter-san, but this could have been healed entirely if you had been treated correctly from the start. The curse-residue should have been dispelled immediately. I’m sorry to say that I can only lessen the scars now, they’ll be clean lines instead of thick ropes."
Soft blue healing magic glowed around the blood red lines, easing their sting and encouraging the healing process.
Hariel bowed gratefully. “Thank you for all the help, doctor." She murmured softly as he magically redid her cast, the bandages twining back around her arm and then the dark blue plaster was hardening back in place. Her scars had been stinging something fierce, but now the pain had dulled to a soft throb. She sighed out in relief, the aching pain had been wearing on her.
Bowing politely she left the office, gently closing the door behind her. She wandered down a hallway, quite lost after saying goodbye to the healer/doctor.
She sighed to herself, wondering if Madam Pomphrey had known and deliberately left her with scars, or if the British were just very behind on the times. Did null-zones, no magic zones, even exist in Britain? She was fascinated with the runic sequence. It was hellishly complicated but somehow very elegant. She’d never seen anything like it back in Britain.
Runes had been her best subject ever since she started taking it in her third year. Britain didn’t have a lot Rune Masters though, the subject falling by the way side in the backwards country. Most British wixen deeming it too complicated. Lazy imbeciles...
Her eyes widened when she spotted the boy from the waiting room, Yukimura Seiichi, sitting in a bed, staring out of the window. Drawn to him by her magic, which seemed to be pulling towards him, she entered the room. “Hey." She said softly. “Ah, Potter-san." Yukimura Seiichi greeted his unexpected visitor.
“How are you doing?" She asked kindly, awkwardly standing at the end of his hospital bed.
He sighed, somehow not really feeling the need to pretend with her. She would likely see straight through him again anyway. “The treatment hurts, everything aches." Hariel’s heart also ached, for him. Though she had never been as sick as he was, she was well acquainted with pain.
Without a second thought and operating mostly on instinct, she settled on the side of his bed. Gently carding her hand through his navy locks, she pressed her cool palm against his warm forehead. “I’m sorry to hear that." The teenager sank into her side, he felt safe with her. On some level he recognized that she wouldn’t judge him.
Time passed without either really being aware of it. Hariel just kept gently patting his hair, while Yukimura leaned against her steady strength, for once allowing himself what he saw as weakness. Hariel, ever so softly, subtly traced the rune for energy on his back. Her magic sinking into the imaginary lines, guided by the idea of the rune. She couldn’t heal him, but she could help carry his burden. If only for a little while.
When she saw that he had fallen asleep, she stopped and slowly curled up beside him. She’d already been mostly on the bed with him and now she slowly curled up like a cat beside his legs. It wasn’t like he didn’t have the space and she was so tired that she gave into the temptation to lie down, already halfway asleep and barely aware of her own actions.
The warm golden light of the setting sun woke Yukimura, who blinked in confusion. It wasn’t like him to fall asleep in the hospital. He stared down at the small girl curled up against his leg, he gently started patting her hair when he noticed that she was shivering. He frowned as he noticed the silent tears streaming down her pale cheeks. Droplets clinging to her dark eyelashes.
Why was she crying in her sleep noiselessly? Why silently? What would train that into someone? None of the answers he could think off were good. He tenderly un-braided her hair from the thick braid and started carding his hands through the black strands softly. She sighed, instinctively pressing her cheek against his warm leg, tension finally leaving her tiny frame. The tears slowly coming to a stop as his warm hands soothed her.
It took another hour before she stirred, eyelids fluttering open. Confused for a moment, she stared at the hand carding through her hair, which was unbound now, spread around her like a dark halo. Following the hand up to the person attached to it, she stilled as she realised her position, hoping he wouldn’t get mad. “Potter-san." Yukimura murmured. “Did you sleep well?"
She nodded, she had slept well. Which was unlike her, as she had been having nightmares for years now. “I apologize for falling asleep, Yukimura-san." He smiled, and this time it felt real. Subconsciously she mirrored it. She was happy that he wasn’t merely masking something again. “You have a really pretty smile, when you smile for real." She blurted out, before flushing and hiding her red face against his leg.
Yukimura grinned. “Thank you." Automatically he started patting her head again. She merely pushed back against him, enjoying the warm gesture before both froze. Suddenly quite aware of their position. Eventually Yukimura spoke up. “Thank you, so much. I feel a lot better now." Hariel smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling happily despite the slightly too flat colour of her eyes. “I should say that, I have not slept this well in a long time."
The boy in the hospital bed hesitated for only a second, before deciding that he did not want to take the chance that a third coincidental encounter might not happen. “Potter-san, will you... visit me again? Only if it is no bother of course. I’d like to get to know you."
Hariel looked at him, as he nervously bit his lip. “I will, I’d like to see you again, and you can call me Hariel you know." With just how much her magic twined around his slender frame, it was likely that she would end up at his side a lot. Her magic had driven her towards Ryoma as well, and he had ended up being incredibly important to her.
He sighed out in relief. “Only if you call me Seiichi, Hariel-san." She nodded. “Uhm, can I have your phone number? I don’t want to show up at the wrong time." She asked fairly stoically, a small spark finally coming to life in her eyes. He was interesting.
He nodded immediately. “Yes of course."
Hariel left the hospital clutching a single piece of paper with numbers on it and a soft smile.
“Bishoujo, since you’ll be staying in Japan... Are you going to sign up for a school?" Nanjirou asked casually over dinner. Hariel froze, she hadn’t even considered it. If she applied to a magical school she was fairly sure she’d be found and dragged back to Britain. On the other hand she was sure she’d be incredibly behind in a muggle school.
“I don’t know." She muttered, green eyes widening in distress. Nanjirou reached out to pat her head. “Relax bishoujo, I just wondered. You could choose home schooling for a while if you don’t feel up for it." Hazel-brown sharp eyes had seen the way her smiles stretched a little too thin and plastic. How she was always up late, yet awake before all of them...
“I don’t know what to do. I probably need magical training, but I categorically refuse to return to Hogwarts." Hariel blurted out sharply. Rinko merely nodded. “You are not going back. The child endangerment you endured there was horrific. I should sue them." She said viciously.
Hariel breathed out lowly in relief. “M-Maybe home schooling for a while? I think I am behind in the mundane subjects." Hermione’s tutoring could only substitute for so much after all... Nanjirou sighed, pained at her hesitance. What had her awful relatives and those horrific people at her school done that she didn’t think she was allowed to have an opinion. She’d never been this skittish...
“I’ll take care of it." Nanjirou merely stated casually, trying to reassure her. “It shouldn’t be that hard to find a tutor. Maybe some kid a few years ahead of you can help you reach the level of the schools here. After that you can decide if you want to be home-schooled or go to school in the long run."
Hariel nodded thoughtfully. “So that way I won’t have to decide until it is certain that I won’t be behind if I want to join a school." Nanjirou nodded cheerfully. “This way you’ll have options."
Hariel nodded gratefully, thinking that this was a good solution. “Ne, Hariel... where is Hedwig?" Ryoma asked. The snowy owl still hadn’t shown up and just like Karupin could find him, he knew Hedwig was bonded to Hariel and should have found her by now.
Tears sprung in her eyes, which she hurriedly tried to wipe away. “She is.. She is dead." She forced the words out, spitting them out as if they burned her from the inside out. Hand instinctively clutching the only feather left of her beloved friend. She had charmed it to be encased in unbreakable glass, wanting to preserve the tiny snow-white feather forever.
She wore that necklace, always. Close to her heart.
Ryoma’s eyes widened, as the only one in the family with a bonded familiar only he could fully understand just what she had lost. He stood up, hugging her tightly from behind. “I’m so sorry, Ri-chan..." With the way she was struggling to breath evenly as tears burned in her eyes and she shuddered against the memory, all of the Echizen’s knew better than to ask more questions.
Familiars never died of old age...
Hariel scribbled a reply to Luna’s strange question. Then she added a paragraph for Hermione, about home schooling. Idly she drew a portrait of Yukimura, she had mentioned meeting the boy in the hospital and the other witches had been curious.
She was glad Luna had given her an untraceable way to keep in touch with both her and Hermione. She already missed her book-ish friend like crazy, she didn’t want to imagine what it would have been like to not even be able to write to her.
She chewed on her pencil, wondering how Sirius was doing. If the innocent convict was alright. She hated that she had no way of knowing. She couldn’t risk any owl coming to see her here. Nobody could know she was in Japan, or Dumbledore would drag her back, legally even.
“Seiichi-san, can I visit you this afternoon?" Hariel dropped back onto her futon in Ryoma’s room, staring at the sun-speckled ceiling. He didn’t have her number, so arranging for a visit was entirely up to her. Why was this so hard? He had even asked her to visit again, so surely he hadn’t minded that she had ended up falling asleep on him?
She wanted to ask Hermione what she should do. Only she would be just as clueless, which would then reassure her. Snorting softly to herself, she made a mental note to mention it in her next letter. For now she would just have to figure it out herself, England was asleep right now.
Grasping her new phone tightly in her hand she stared at the flickering light for a while. “Hariel, what are you doing?" Ryoma asked from the door, a little amused at the sight of the girl splayed out like a starfish. “I really don’t know." She curled up on her side, resting her head against Ryoma’s knee, who had just sat down on his own bed. She gently stroked Karupin’s spine as the cat butted against her hand.
“Oyaji is clearing out the guestroom. It’s going to be your room." The cat-eyed boy mentioned casually, playing with the long dark hair spread out over his knees. Green eyes flickered open in surprise. “Really? Isn’t that a bother, I really can just get my own apartment you know, I didn’t know it, but apparently I am very rich." She mentioned hesitantly. Nobody had ever gone as far to carve out a space just for her.
Ryoma bopped her on the nose. “Don’t be stupid, we want you to stay. Oyaji has been excited and kaa-san mentioned something about decorating with you. Don’t spoil their fun." His eyes softened. “They like you, I like you. We want you around Ri-chan." Ryoma watched the blue light dance over her hair for a while. “Thank you." Hariel eventually said softly. “No problem." Ryoma answered gently.
Eventually Ryoma asked a question which had been niggling him for some time now. “Hariel... what happened with Ron and Hermione?”
Hariel froze, eyes dimming until they resembled nothing so much as frozen green glass, empty and reflecting nothing.
“Ron and I are not friends anymore.” She stated coldly with a hint of finality, clearly considering the subject closed. Then she bit her lip. “Hermione was the one who said I should go to you. I really miss her. She was my only friend in the castle at the end. I only just met Luna, maybe we can become friends... but for now, I’m still getting to know her.”
Ryoma’s golden eyes narrowed with concern and anger. Hariel was the most loyal person he knew, so what the fuck had that idiot done? And why had the brilliant friend of his Hariel send her away from Hogwarts? He listened to Hariel’s babbling, about a strange blonde seer and her comical questions. Her kindness and Hermione’s research attempts... and all the while, he wondered why anybody would ever abandon Hariel.
It was the early morning and Hariel was running. The world wasn’t awake yet. Arsenic green almost seemed to glow in the dark as the girl ran, the shadows cloaking her and clinging to her small frame persistently. The velvet blue of the night had yet to retreat completely in the face of the rising sun.
She felt like she could run forever, just her and the pavement, her thoughts quiet for once. Her legs burned with effort, a pleasant counterpoint to the cold air she sucked deep into her lungs in greedy gulps.
She made her way towards the river she had discovered on her very first run in Japan. Streaming water always felt cleansing. At Hogwarts she had loved spending time at the edge of the lake as well.
It was still a beautiful soothing sight. This time she didn’t stop to sketch anything, the world still cloaked in twilight making it too hard to sketch. She passed a boy who was hunched over, trying to catch his breath.
She merely passed by, not willing to disturb the peaceful atmosphere. Nodding in passing as she ran like the wind.
If she had looked back, she would have seen him nod back in respect. If she’d been less distracted, she would have noticed her magic reaching out in thin curious ribbons towards the brunet.
Hariel softly knocked on the door to Yukimura’s hospital room. Even though he had mentioned that she was more than welcome to visit him this afternoon, she still felt like a bother.
“Come on in." A soft voice called softly. She shoved open the door. “Hey." She greeted quietly, not sure if she was supposed to come closer or not.
Violet eyes met hers, and all of her discomfort disappeared. Somehow this boy just made her feel so incredibly safe and understood. “Hello Hariel-san, thank you for coming." He murmured gently. “How are you today, Seiichi-san?" She asked gently, genuinely interested in his answer.
“Hmm, I am tired, but the pain is manageable today." He answered softly, sad violet eyes staring out of the window. He missed being able to move freely. His parents tried to visit often, but they didn’t live in Tokyo and couldn’t take him outside every day. Hariel spotted the lingering sadness weighing down on him and wished she could erase it.
“Can I give you a hug?" She blurted out spontaneously, quite unlike her, but her guard was down because her magic was reaching for him.
Ryoma’s hugs always made her feel better. She thought maybe a hug would help him as well. She was well aware that hugs didn’t magically fix anything, but they did make her feel a tiny bit better. Sometimes small things like that made all the difference.
Yukimura blinked, surprised. Seeing her red face and realising that she had likely not even meant to say that out loud, he chuckled lightly. Her embarrassed face was weirdly endearing. “Alright." He opened his arms, what could it hurt?
Hariel sat down beside him and gently hugged him around the shoulders. Yukimura wound his arms around her waist and slowly relaxed against her warm presence. Hariel leaned her head against his shoulder and tried not to cry. The gentle embrace of this boy was precious, a soft warm moment unexpectedly found.
When a little while later, she slowly let go, he blinked at her with moist eyes. “Thank you." He murmured softly. Hariel smiled, an old sad edge lingering around the expression. “Any time. Truly." She answered softly. Giving into the impulse to ruffle his hair gently.
Yukimura looked at the girl settled on the edge of his bed thoughtfully. It was strange how comfortable he felt in her presence, despite only meeting her a few days ago. Perhaps it is because the look in her eyes is so old, and so sad. She knows pain intimately. She seems much more genuine than other people...
Without thinking it over too deeply, he raised his hand and carefully stroked a soft thumb over the dark circles beneath her eyes. “You don’t sleep well, do you?" The question was mild, clearly more a statement, allowing her to decide for herself whether she even felt like answering.
Precisely because of that, Hariel did answer. “I have nightmares." She confessed lowly. With anybody else, she would have felt like she was complaining, but with this boy it wasn’t like that. It was like an unspoken rule that they would, could, be completely honest with each other. Neither would judge.
“I’m sorry to hear that, is there anything I can do?" Violet eyes met hers, with sympathy, but no pity. Yukimura hated it when people pitied him and he had a feeling that she was a lot like him. She shook her head. “I don’t think so. They’ll pass, they always do." She spoke as if her nightmares were an old companion.
“Hmm." He hummed, the silence between them comfortable. “Ne, Seiichi-san, are you allowed to go outside?" Hariel asked slowly. The navy-haired boy nodded. “Only in a wheelchair, but yes. It is actually encouraged but I don’t get many visitors. My friends visited me yesterday, but they were so uncomfortable that I asked them to go. I hate pity." Frustration burned in those violet eyes, loneliness as well as a sense of pride. He was too proud to allow people to pity him and he would rather be alone then pitied. Pity made him feel like he was less than human.
Hariel merely nodded. As an orphan she was well aware that to be pitied was a frustrating thing. “Do you want to go outside? We could go to the park." He nodded. Hariel crossed the room, and pushed the wheelchair to the bed. Clicking on the breaks she looked at him. “So, how do we get you in the wheelchair?"
He grinned, instead of fluttering about in discomfort, she just flat out asked. This girl was so different from other females their age. She was dressed very differently as well. No make-up, no too tight skirts, no mountain of ruffles. Just a too large long-sleeved black shirt with green symbols stitched neatly down the sides. Her legs were encased in jeans, feet stuffed in combat boots. There was a subtle kind of power coiled in her frame, for all that she looked exceedingly delicate.
“If you make sure that the wheelchair stays there, I can lift myself into it." Hariel, who had already made sure that the wheelchair was going nowhere, watched the boy in the grey pyjamas lever himself into the contraption. “You must be pretty strong." She commented thoughtlessly, watching his arms hold his own weight steadily.
Pushing the chair out of the room, she walked down the hallway. “Ne, Seiichi-san, how old are you anyway?" She asked, mildly curious as she pushed him through the front doors of the hospital. “I am sixteen. So, how old are you?" He was a little bit curious as well. Physically he thought she was around his own age, but her eyes were a lot older.
“I am fourteen." Hariel blinked against the sudden bright light. Wheeling the chair towards the park she vaguely stared at his blue hair, watching the sun shimmer over the locks. “Which school do you go to, Hariel-san?" Yukimura asked. He thought that she likely lived in Tokyo but there were a lot of schools here.
“I don’t go to school." She answered. He blinked in surprise. “Ah?" He hummed questioningly. “Nanjirou-san is looking for a tutor for me. When I’m caught up to where a freshman should be in Japan I’ll need to make a decision. Whether to join a school or be home-schooled."
“Tutor?" He asked calmly, intrigued. “Hmm, I can mostly manage with books, but I am from England so I’m probably behind in some classes and possibly ahead in others."
“You speak very good Japanese for an English native." He complimented her kindly. Hariel flushed. “All thanks to Ryoma and his parents." She mumbled, unused to being complimented.
“Ryoma is a freshman, he’s starting tomorrow." She continued out of nowhere, mind still caught on the idea of education and schools. “Who is that?" Yukimura asked curiously. “He’s my best friend. I am staying with him and his parents at the moment." Hariel eventually pushed his wheelchair towards a bench, settling down on the bench right at his side. She pulled up her legs, winding her arms tightly around her knees to curl up in a small ball.
“So, you’d be a senior then, right?" She spoke up again, after they’d been staring at the dancing leaves for a while, neither feeling pressured to keep the conversation going. “I am. Though I won't be at school much this year." A note of bitterness was reflected in his melodic voice. “That sucks." Hariel stated plainly, she didn’t particularly believe in dancing around the subject.
“Hmm." He hummed. Then he turned towards her, eyes nearly sparkling. “I could tutor you." He tried to stay calm, he didn’t want to look too eager. He was afraid of the too long, lonely days in the hospital. The idea of company, specifically her company was appealing. “I mean, if you want me to. If you can’t find a good tutor." Hariel turned her head towards him. “You’d be willing to do that? Even though you must already be having a hard time keeping up with your own homework, what with being stuck here?"
“I get good grades." He stated simply, without arrogance. “It is hard to remain motivated because I am tired and alone, not because the schoolwork is hard." He admitted, staring at a tree across the path. He felt like he was admitting to weakness and even though he thought Hariel wouldn’t mind, shame still burned low in his gut.
“Then, please tutor me. In return, I can help you out with your homework. I can’t do the work for you, even if I could I wouldn’t." He appreciated that attitude. “However, I can ask you the questions and write down your answers if you feel unwell. That way you can rest without falling behind."
He nodded. “That makes sense." He looked somewhat sad. “I wish I could say I won’t need the help, but the doctors already warned me that I’ll only start feeling worse the longer the initial treatment lasts." Hariel grasped his hand, driven by her sympathy for him to comfort him. “You’ll be okay." “I hope so... I really hope so..."
Hariel walked onto the campus. She might not be a student, but as long as she only went towards the tennis court that likely wouldn’t be a problem. Standing behind the tall fence she looked at Ryoma. He was taunting one of the upperclassmen. She snorted, that brat, always causing trouble.
Tired green eyes ringed with deep purple stared at the court. Watching the regular and Ryoma play a game cheered her up slightly. It looked like the Seigaku regulars were indeed good tennis players. Even with his twisted ankle that second year, Momoshiro, was a good player. “Ne, Ryoma, did you have fun today?" She asked quietly, when the freshman finally left the court to go home.
“Ah, Hariel, I didn’t know you were coming." He smirked briefly. “Yeah, Momo-senpai is good." The girl nodded. “Despite that busted ankle he was easily better than the rest of the Tennis Club." Ryoma nodded, excitement gleaming in his golden eyes. “I think I will like Seigaku. Looks like oyaji was right." He frowned minutely. “Not that I will tell him. He would brag." He seemed offended at the sheer idea. Hariel’s lips twisted into a pale parody of a grin.
“I found a tutor." She mentioned as they made their way towards the temple. “Oh?" Ryoma hummed questioningly. She nodded. “Seiichi-san is older than me. He can help me catch up to where I should be in any subject I am behind on, which is likely all of them. I haven’t exactly been to mundane school lately." Ryoma raised a questioning eyebrow. “Who is he?" He asked bluntly.
“A third year I met at the hospital. He offered to tutor me." Ryoma looked at her curiously, since that didn’t tell him anything. Hariel, who could be somewhat oblivious didn’t notice anything.
“When do you want to start?" Hariel frowned at the text message from Yukimura. Honestly, she had no idea. “Nanjirou-san?" “Hmm, what is it bishoujo?" He asked distractedly, giggling at Karupin who was hunting the toy he was moving with his feet.
Hariel picked up the cat halfway through his pounce. “When should I schedule my tutoring sessions? I found a tutor yesterday." The samurai blinked, surprised. “That was fast. Did you go looking for one? I told you I could take care of it." He cocked his head. “I suppose the easiest thing would be to go during school hours. That way you won’t miss dinner and you can still play tennis with Ryoma and me in the evening."
Hariel smiled, a tiny curl of her lips, they were all incredibly tennis obsessed. But then, she wasn’t any different. “Does during school hours work for you?" She texted back, patting Karupin until the cat curled up in her lap, purring up a storm.
He texted back with an affirmative. Hariel stuck her phone back into her pocket and gently placed Karupin back onto his feet.
“I didn’t go looking for a tutor, Nanjirou-san, I just met Seiichi-san at the hospital and we ended up talking. He offered to help when he heard that I was looking for a tutor." She belatedly answered as she wandered away.
“I’m going to watch Ryoma’s tennis practice at school." She called out as she started pulling on her trainers. “Oh, going to watch seishonen hmm. Try to be back with him before dinner. Rinko is cooking Japanese." He called back, already giggling away at his magazines again.
Hariel shook her head, she liked the eccentric man. He was unapologetically himself.
She started jogging towards Seigaku, relishing in the way the wind whirled around her tugging at her hair and clothes.
Fuji stared in interest at the girl who was watching the ranking matches from the shade. She was very quiet but something about her drew him in. She was more fixated on the matches then any of the boys. Strange for a girl their age...
Her eyes were emerald green and incredibly empty. A small spark was lit whenever she watched an interesting tennis move, but otherwise they might as well have been glass.
Clad in a long-sleeved t-shirt despite the summer weather, shorts and scuffed trainers she was by no means a girly person. She was beautiful though, with her long dark hair, pale sharp features and big uniquely coloured eyes.
His eyes kept being pulled in her direction, despite the interesting match between Kaidoh and the new freshman, Echizen. She wasn’t wearing a Seigaku uniform... so what was she doing here?
He was impressed when Echizen managed to beat the second year at his own game, securing a spot as a regular in the process. The girl in the shade smiled minutely. When the club ended and he was preparing to go home, he spotted the raven and Echizen walking together.
He seemed to be worrying over her and eventually convinced her to accept a piggyback ride.
Empty green eyes stared dispassionately ahead as the girl rested her head on Echizen’s shoulder. What could make someone’s eyes so cold? Fuji wondered...
Hariel bounced the ball on the court a few times. *Pock, pock, pock.* She was trying to get used to using her left hand. Despite being largely ambidextrous in tennis, her right hand was still her dominant hand. Since she was playing with her left hand, Ryoma was playing with his right hand, to ensure a fairly even game.
Tennis woke some of the fire which had been slumbering in her. The numbness she was still partially encased in cracking slightly.
She hit a sharp slice service, making the green-haired boy work to return it. They rallied for a few shots. Hariel used her speed to appear behind the ball, managed to hit it behind him, just out of his reach.
“Fifteen-love." Nanjirou called, grinning from the side-lines. It was good to see Hariel come alive again.
Hariel was a speed-demon on the courts. A fiercely analytical opponent, she didn’t get angry, she got even. With her incredible eyesight and ability to add extremely tricky spins she was incredibly difficult to beat.
Ryoma grinned in anticipation. He loved playing tennis against her, they were almost perfectly matched. Every point was fought over fiercely and any win he managed against her was hard earned.
An emerald racket flashed through the air and the ball sailed over the net, hitting the ground only to bounce unexpectedly to the right. Ryoma lunged, barely managing to return it. Hariel jumped, seeming to almost float in the air before smashing the ball down with incredible force.
As Ryoma served, Hariel ran, managing to return his twist serve by countering the spin. Ryoma used his one-footed split step, managing to hit the ball into the opposite corner of the court, where she couldn’t reach it.
Hariel looked at his bouncing form thoughtfully. One-footed split step... Her eyes zeroed in on the technique he was using.
It took her three games, but by then she was reasonably sure she could replicate that split step. Starting to bounce she watched Ryoma’s startled expression. Grinning as he finally served, she used her newly mastered split step to appear behind the ball, cancelling the spin by sliding her racket in the opposite direction, she hit the ball back.
Nanjirou grinned as he watched Hariel master the split step. Ryoma was going to be hard pressed to win now... Copying his technique was an excellent psychological attack. It was just bad luck that it amplified her existing talents and melded perfectly with her style.
Eventually Hariel collapsed besides Nanjirou, Ryoma dropping down at her side. “Good game." Ryoma nodded. “You too, that was really good, how you copied my split step." She nodded slowly, she was proud of that. “I don’t think I could have won without it, you really improved Ryoma."
Ryoma nodded. The game had been fierce and Hariel had managed to win only after a long tiebreak. As always, they were developing alongside each other. Encouraging growth and enjoying the challenge.
Tennis with Ryoma was a battle, a clash of wills, exhilarating and soothing at the same time.
‘So that is how I won.Ryoma was too shocked to recover in time. I don’t think it will help me much if I play against him again. The split-step does fit with my own tennis though, very well even.’
Half a world away, Hermione smiled down indulgently as the excited sentences flowed over the book. Luna’s wide grey-silver eyes were reading along as well. “Hariel loves tennis very much. Is the sport interesting?” She asked Hermione whimsically.
The two witches had been spending most of their free time together, even though they were in different years and houses.
It had taken Hermione some time to warm up to the incredibly off-beat girl, but she was kind and more importantly kind to Hariel as well.
“I don’t particularly like it, but I do understand why Hariel does. It’s a physical and mental challenge. She loves the thrill, I think she has an easier time connecting to people on the court then off.”
Luna blinked her large drifting eyes. She wrote an airy looping response slowly. ‘Hariel... will you teach me about tennis when we meet again?’
The bluenette smirked, hidden in the shadows, as she watched the tall regular trash Ryoma. He was quoting statistics as he ran, glasses glinting in satisfaction.
Fuji frowned, he was missing something, the mystery girl wouldn’t be so content if Echizen was going to lose. His eyebrows rose slightly, observing the first-year closer, he finally noted that he wasn’t intimidated. If anything he seemed... fired up.
Hariel was the only one who knew, down to her bones, that Ryoma would win. When Ryoma started beating back the third-year by the inches, Fuji was the only one who was unsurprised besides her.
Hariel smiled softly in delight as Rinko showed her to her new room. “We can paint it whatever colour you like. If you want to add anything, or hang up any posters, we can help you. Don’t hesitate to ask if you want something." Rinko watched, smiling softly, as Hariel took a hesitant step into the room.
“Is it really okay for me to stay here?" She whispered softly. Rinko hugged the young girl, rubbing her back gently. “Yes, you can stay here sweetheart." She answered kindly. Hariel needed time and patience, needed to be reassured again and again. Like a skittish deer she had to be coaxed into feeling safe.
Rinko was well aware that they couldn’t heal all the damage done to her in a few short days, but they could shower her in love and affection. Teaching her that she was worth it, that she had a place with them, was something she was likely going to spend a long time on. She didn’t mind. Hariel was more than worth it.
In disbelief and growing hope, she spun around in her new room. Nanjirou rested his chin on Rinko’s shoulder as he watched the petite teenager spin in circles. “I think she likes it." He said cheerfully.
They had stripped the room of all the old things left behind. Now there was a new hardwood floor, a new steel bedframe with a new mattress and a wooden nightstand. A wooden closet was added as well. “I love it." Hariel whispered in awe. They had done all of this, for her.
She’d never had her own room before. The Dursley’s had only ever given her a cupboard, and when she was finally allowed to sleep in Dudley’s second bedroom it had been made very clear that it wasn’t really her room, she was just graciously allowed to stay there for a while.
Ryoma stood in the doorway, watching her fall onto the bed. “I’ll take your trunk to your room, so don’t go trying to lift it. You still have a cast on you know." Hariel nodded.
Ryoma dragged her trunk to the foot of her bed, where she could sit on it if she wanted. She unpacked, for the first time emptying it completely. She felt... wanted, looking at all of her earthly belongings scattered around her very own room.
As she looked around the room, she wondered distantly if this was what it would have felt like to live with Sirius. She wanted to talk to him, to see him. She just didn’t know how...
At the end of the evening she stared at the ceiling, tucked into her new bed. Amazed that she had a place here.