Echizen Lily Hariel
Hariel stuck a notebook, several pencils and lunch for two into her bag. Wandering of towards the hospital she hummed to herself. The long walk soothing to her tattered mind, still plagued by nightmares.
She knocked on Yukimura’s door, waiting for his approval before opening the door. “Hariel-san, I asked my parents to drop of my first-year books. I looked them over, if you are ready, I want to ask a few questions to figure out what level you are in all the different subjects."
Hariel nodded, dropping her bag on the foot of his bed before taking a seat right beside him. She didn’t feel all that awkward around him, his kind nature relaxing her. For a teenager he was remarkably mature.
Spotting the dark circles under her eyes, Yukimura resolved to make this fast, maybe he could manage to make her take a nap. She certainly looked like she needed it.
“Miss Potter, I presume that you can manage English perfectly as it is your native language. I can mark that subject as a pass, right?" He asked her in only mildly accented English. She nodded blankly. “I guess you can, it can’t be that hard to gain a decent score in my own native language."
The Echizen’s usually switched between the two languages at will and Hariel was the same. Yukimura nodded, he plucked a textbook from the side table. Hariel tried to answer as best as she could as he started questioning her thoroughly.
Math turned out to be remarkably easy compared to arithmancy which she had chosen as one of her electives. Essentially arithmancy was math with magic as an extra factor to consider after all.
She frowned as she tried to answer some of the trickier questions. Hariel felt like she was failing by not knowing the answer to many of his questions. She still wasn’t good enough. She was thankful that Yukimura didn’t seem angry or disappointed.
Eventually he nodded to himself, marking down her last few answers. “Well, you are actually ahead in quite a few subjects, but behind in Science and Japanese Literature." Hariel nodded, somewhat dazed but headily relieved that she hadn’t failed too badly. She had tried very hard to pay attention, but she was already exhausted before the review of her academic skills started.
Seeing her head loll to the side, Yukimura put down the notebook. Leaning over to lift her petite form, he dragged her into his lap. While normally he wouldn’t be nearly so bold, he could see that she was quickly reaching her limit and he could easily guess that she was still being plagued by nightmares. Hariel curled into the heat which was suddenly so close, her magic humming comfortingly and soothing her initial instinctive flinch away.
Remembering the way she had settled down when he patted her hair, he was taking a guess and hoped that physical contact would keep her nightmares at bay.
Readjusting his bed to so that he could lean back, he smiled as she curled up on his legs, face pressed against his stomach. She sighed lowly, nuzzling closer, already half asleep.
He gently stroked her back, trying to sooth her to sleep. “Wha?" Hariel murmured, somewhat confused at her new position. “Shh, go to sleep Hariel-san." Yukimura murmured gently. Hariel’s eyes closed slowly and her breathing started to even out.
It was the early evening when Hariel started stirring. “Hey sleepy head." Yukimura greeted kindly, happy that she had slept without nightmares. He was still carding a hand through her hair in soothing rhythmic strokes.
Hariel yawned delicately. “I-I’m so sorry for falling asleep on you." She bit her lip anxiously. She started sitting up. Yukimura merely placed a hand between her shoulder blades, exerting a small amount of pressure to keep her in place. “I wanted you to fall asleep Hariel-san. So don’t apologize. You looked exhausted, so I’m glad that you slept this long."
Hariel, now reassured that she hadn’t done anything wrong, twisted to lie on her back, her head leaning against his chest as her legs fell apart to lie on either side of his legs. Yukimura twined his hands together over her stomach, keeping her locked in place. “Thank you." She said softly. “I’m glad I could help." He answered, equally soft.
“Ne, Seiichi-san, are we friends?" She asked sometime later, still mostly dozing lightly on top of him. “Hmm, I like to think so." The navy-haired boy started braiding her hair in increasingly complicated patterns. “I’m glad. I don’t have many friends."
He sighed. “Me neither, it is hard to relate to other teens when my life is currently so different from theirs." She nodded thoughtfully, that had happened to her as well, was still happening. “Still, I’d rather have one amazing friend, then twenty fake friends who disappear at the first hint of trouble." She still resented Ron for abandoning her. Was she being selfish by feeling like that?
The violet-eyed boy merely nodded. “That is very true. Shallow friends are useless. My team does care, but they just have a hard time seeing me like this. They’re not sure how to act." Hariel hummed, comfortably nestled against him. His answer confused her a little, because how hard could it be to be there for a friend?
“A team?" She asked curiously. “Rikkaidai’s tennis team, I am still the coach and captain, even if I can’t play right now." He answered proudly.
She grinned. “I love tennis, if you are the captain, you must be good. Will you play a match against me when you get better?" Hariel, contrary to other areas in her life, was shameless when it came to tennis, the Echizen’s had thought her well. Yukimura blinked, she sounded so sure that he would get better. He smiled softly. “Yes, I will. Hariel-san have you been playing tennis for long?"
She nodded, a soft smile lingering on her face at the memory invoked by the question. “I met Ryoma when I was five, he taught me how to play tennis. So yes, I’d say I’ve been playing for a long time, even if I didn’t always have the opportunities to play against others consistently." Gently lacing her fingers through his she watched their hands in fascination. “I love tennis, it has always been about friendship for me. It’s a lot of fun to play against good tennis players."
Yukimura stared at the girl who was contently playing with his fingers now. Tennis... for fun? When was the last time he played for fun? Rikkaidai was all about winning. It was a harsh environment, even he thought so and he was at the top of the food chain...
To think that she just loved the game, when did he lose that? He hummed vaguely in answer, still quite stuck on his sudden revelation.
“Should I call you sensei? Since you are basically going to be my teacher?” Hariel asked idly, native level Japanese or not, she still didn’t grow up here and some of the details of the culture eluded her.
Yukimura slowly shook his head. “No, I will tutor you, but I am not a teacher.” He looked at her relaxed face thoughtfully. “I suppose the appropriate suffix would be senpai.” He mused out loud.
Hariel nodded. “Seiichi-senpai then.” She murmured, pleased. She’d never had an upperclassman she could rely on before. In Hogwarts none of the older years had ever helped her, they’d just harassed her. She shuddered for moment, she was almost certain that her scars had been caused by some students from the older years, her own class wouldn’t have known higher level malevolent magic yet.
Yukimura watched, somewhat fascinated by the emotions so clearly displayed on her face. She could be cagy but her face was less shuttered, her emotions subtly displayed. “What are you thinking about?” He asked on a whim.
Hariel curled up on her side, face pressed against his warm stomach. “About my old... senpai. They really weren’t worth the suffix.” She eventually said, disgruntled. “My old school was horrible. The older years never really helped out anybody younger and the school was divided in houses. Fierce rivalries just made everyone hate each other.”
Yukimura’s hand stilled from where he had been carding it through her long blue glinting hair. “Does that make you angry?” He vaguely wondered if he himself was a good senpai...
A single green eye peeked up at him as she lifted her head slightly. A fiery resentment burned there. “Yes. I think it is disgusting to abuse the respect of younger kids. I was often in trouble and... nobody ever really lent a hand even though they easily could have.” She sighed, hands clenching into the blankets tightly. “Gossip can have devastating results and nobody tried to correct that. Nobody ever said sorry for calling me a liar either, even when I proved them wrong...”
A warm hand curled fondly around the back of her neck. “Is that why you are still deciding whether you even want to join another school?” He asked kindly. She nodded vaguely. The rampant bullying in Hogwarts did make her hesitant in joining a new school. What if it was just as bad there? She’d been bullied all throughout primary because of Dudley and the magical world with its seesawing between worship and slander was even worse.
“I brought lunch for us.” She mentioned, in a blatantly unsubtle bid to change the subject. He nodded, willing to let the subject drop. “Thank you. You didn’t need to bring anything for me.” Hariel shook her head, a kind expression on her face, finally levering herself up to sit crossed legged on the foot of his bed. Grabbing her bag and plopping one of the two bento boxes into his lap she distributed the chopsticks.
“Hospital food is always so bland and disgusting. I wished somebody had saved me from that. It was no problem to bring some food for you too.” He smiled, though he wondered how often she had been in the hospital... “Well, then I can only gratefully say thank you.” Hariel flushed at his sincere thanks, unused to being thanked for her work. “N-No problem.”
Hariel had been in Japan for a little over a month, when the doorbell rang one afternoon. She opened the door, gasping in shock as she saw who was on the other side.
Long dark hair, light grey eyes. She threw herself forward. Sirius had been the first person after Ryoma who she had gotten truly comfortable with. He was a link to her parents, and her magically bonded godfather. Which ensured that he couldn’t harm her even if he tried. If he broke that bond, magic itself would rise up to punish him.
She could feel her own magic curling around the warm dark magic of the man, clinging to it like a small child to its mother’s apron strings.
“Sirius...” She whispered. The innocent convict swept her up, holding her tightly as he carefully scented her. Reassuring himself that she was safe.
“Fawn...” He whispered. Rejoicing in feeling the magic of his baby girl.
Later, bundled into the living room with Nanjirou and Rinko looking on curiously at the drifting duo, Hariel finally asked. “How did you find me?” It was a niggling worry in the back of her mind. She never wanted to go back.
Sirius, who had his goddaughter gathered in his arms as he wallowed in her magic and scent spoke up in a grumble. “I used a ritual to track you down through the magical bond.” Hariel nodded. She didn’t think others could replicate that, since Sirius was as far as she knew the only one bonded to her magically.
“I’m so glad I found you again.” The animagus muttered hoarsely against her wild hair. Hariel blinked back tears. She had been missed...
“I heard about what happened to Hedwig. Hermione sent me a letter.” Sirius frowned. “I’m so sorry fawn, I know you loved her, she was a really special little lady.” Hariel nodded sadly.
“I can’t stay long, I’m still being hunted by aurors.” Sirius grimaced as he admitted it. “I needed to make sure that you were okay though.” He softly brushed her hair away from her eyes. “Do you need anything? Can I do something for you?” He asked softly. He couldn’t stay with her, that would only put her in danger, but he loved his baby girl very much.
Rinko spoke up. “We are already planning to emancipate her. So that she doesn’t have to go back to Britain ever again. She can stay with us and we’ll look out for her.” Her eyes softened as she looked at the tired run-down man. “She’ll be safe here, Black-san.”
The Black Lord nodded thankfully. He had already seen that this couple loved his fawn like she was their own. He approved, he knew that James and Lily would have wanted the best for her.
“I’ll ward Hariel before I go, with the Black Family protection charms. It won’t help against everything, but it should make it a lot harder for anybody to track her down even if she uses magic.” He stated roughly.
Hariel tightened her grasp on her godfather. She didn’t want him to leave. “Please stay.” She whispered softly against his chest.
He sighed into her hair. “Oh fawn, it is far too dangerous for me to stay. I’ll leave you one half of a linked set of mirrors and a two-way diary. We won’t lose touch again, and I’ll visit as often as I can safely manage okay?”
She nodded sadly. Soon she was wrapped up in a soft ward, the magic lingering on her skin warmly like a father’s embrace. She swallowed against the tears. It was like magical proof that she was loved.
Within the hour, the dark-haired wizard had disappeared again, leaving a mirror, a dairy and protective magic in his wake.
Fuji stared, intrigued. The enigmatic girl was back again, watching them practice. She didn’t seem to be speaking to anybody and he wondered what her link to Echizen was.
Her eyes were still ice-cold green, though a small spark of life now flashed in her gaze. Deep purple smudges under her eyes spoke of too little sleep and he wondered what had happened to her.
Her wrist was still encased in a cast and he wondered if that had been a simple accident or something more sinister... He had watched how she moved and she wasn’t clumsy at all. In fact he wouldn’t be surprised if she played tennis as well.
Hariel wandered away from Seigaku as the practice came to an end. The honey-haired regular had moved so fluidly and gracefully that it was mesmerizing.
She ended up at the temple to pick up her racket. She greeted Nanjirou and Nanako quickly and said goodbye in the same breath. Within a few minutes she was outside again, running down the sunny steps. Seeing Ryoma having fun with the regulars made her want to play a match as well. She walked to one of the street courts, squinting at the sun, enjoying the heat gently warming her body. Japan had a far more pleasant climate than the cold Scottish high lands.
Pulling out her green racket she started warming up, trying to hit the ball against the same spot over and over again. The exercise meant to warm up her muscles was doubling as way to increase her accuracy.
“Oi, I want to use the court, so get off." A boy with a small scar and angry grey eyes spoke up as he entered the court. Hariel, raising an imperious eyebrow, was instantly reminded of Malfoy and decided that she didn’t like him. “No." She stated coldly.
“What do you mean, no." The brunet growled out. Hariel calmly looked up at him. He was a full head taller, but that didn’t intimidate her. “I’ll play a game with you if you want, but I certainly won’t leave just because you say so." She countered calmly.
“Fine, but if I win you’ll leave." He said grumpily. Hariel, spotting sadness and frustration hovering in the edges of his bitter scowl, wondered if maybe he wasn’t actually a bad person at all... “If I win, I want you to tell me why you are so angry." He nodded sullenly, sure that he could win against this tiny girl.
She was easily a foot shorter, had one hand in a cast and a delicate bone structure. Basically, she looked as if a stiff wind could knock her over.
“Which?" Hariel asked after she stuffed her jacket into her bag, feeding her ponytail through a cap. “Rough." She spun her racket. “Your serve then." Calmly she took her spot across the net from him.
He served, a fast ball which Hariel easily returned. Rallying briefly, he hit the ball back towards her side of the court before it fully bounced up. “Super Rising." He murmured. Watching as the ball was missed by his tiny opponent.
Hariel, intrigued by the challenge hit a few balls which created perfect opportunities for his Super Rising. “Ah, I get it." She started bouncing, using her one-footed split step to react fast enough to return the Super Rising.
Her opponent looked on in surprise as she easily started keeping up with his aggressive pace. When it was her turn to serve, she easily kept her own service game by hitting clean sharp slice shots.
Hariel watched, surprised, as the grey-eyed boy hit a shot which spun like Ryoma’s twist serve halfway through a rally. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him wince.
“Ne..." She spoke up calmly. “Are you okay with hurting your shoulder that much?" She asked, eyes tracking him seriously. He frowned at her grumpily. “What?" “That shot... it looks like you are straining your shoulder enough to do permanent damage." Assessing things like that was something she learned from Nanjirou, who had made sure that Ryoma Ryoga and Hariel all knew how to safely play tennis.
His grey eyes widened. “Permanent?" He muttered, seeming to be in a mild shock. Hariel looked on with sympathy. “Don’t use it again. You should be fine then, straining your shoulder like that won’t damage the bones permanently immediately, just over a long period of time." She tried to reassure him.
With him off balance, Hariel ended up winning their match 6 games to 3. “So... what is your name?" She asked, handing him a bottle of water as they collapsed in the grass. “Yuuta." He looked at her curiously. She grinned, the expression slightly cold but genuine. “Well Yuuta-san, it is nice to meet you I guess. I’m Hariel."
They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the good weather. “So, Yuuta-san, why are you so angry?" She finally asked, it had been bugging her. He clearly enjoyed tennis, probably loved the sport even, but he was also very frustrated and angry.
“I want to beat my brother." He declared fiercely. Hariel’s eyebrow rose. “Is that why you needed that spinning shot?" She asked curiously. He nodded. “My brother is a genius at tennis, everywhere I went I was always known as his little brother. Nobody knew my name..."
Hariel sighed, the story was familiar to her. She had always been second best to Dudley in the eyes of her aunt and uncle. Actually, for them she hadn’t even been in the running. “That’s why I quit Seigaku and now I go to St. Rudolph, I’m staying at the dorms there." She hummed in understanding. “What did your brother say when you transferred?" Yuuta frowned. “He didn’t even protest, just said that if that was what I wanted he was fine with it."
Hariel grimaced, a picture of what had likely happened quickly forming in her mind. “Is it possible that he was just trying to support you?" She posed the question gently, this was obviously a very sore subject for him.
“I guess..." He sighed. Hariel squinted against the sun, thoughtfully observing his resigned face. “You know, if he is a good big brother, he must have wanted to protect you and since he was being used to hurt you, against his own wishes even that might have been why he supported you changing schools. If he cares for you then it must have been awful for him as well, to be hurting you without even meaning to."
His eyes widened, as if that had never occurred to him. “How does your brother treat you anyway? What did he do during all this?" Grey eyes narrowed in thought. “He... always teases me, but he also protected me from bullies a lot when we were younger. Maybe he really was just trying to help."
Hariel smiled gently. “Why don’t you try and spend some time with him." A sad look crossed her face. “He’s still your family, maybe you shouldn’t allow other people to drive you apart. If he loves you, that is worth more than being seen by strangers as your own person. Why should they matter in the first place. You shouldn’t have to do anything to be seen as you. It is their loss if a shiny tensai distracted them from you."
“Hn, I might." A phone rang. Hariel fished her new cell phone out of her bag. “Hello?" “Hariel-chan, you missed dinner. Where are you bishoujo?" Nanjirou asked worriedly. Green eyes widened. “Sorry Nanjirou-san, I was playing tennis on a street court and I lost track of time. I’ll come home right away." “Relax bishoujo, it is fine, we were just worried when you didn’t show up like you usually do." The bass voice reassured.
Finishing the call, she started gathering her stuff. “Well, good luck with your brother Yuuta-san. I hope things work out between you." He nodded. “I hope to see you around Hariel-san, thanks for the advice. Maybe we can play another game sometime? You are a very strong opponent."
Hariel flushed, pleased with the compliment. “Here, my number. Text me if you are ever nearby and maybe we can play another game, I liked playing against you." He pocketed the scrap of paper she had written the digits on carefully, watching her jog away. What an interesting girl...
Hariel stared at the papers from Gringotts. Black on white proof that Dumbledore and the Weasleys had been stealing money from her. She frowned, the paper crinkling in her fist. “Hari...el?" Ryoma stared. Hariel didn’t tend to get angry a lot, but she was a spitfire when something did rouse her temper.
“Ryoma... they’ve been stealing money from me all along." She said, anger winding through her voice like a particularly insidious danger.
“Who’s they?" He asked tonelessly, golden eyes glinting angrily. “Dumbledore and the Weasleys." “You should get kaa-san to sue them, make them pay your money back with interest." She nodded. “Maybe, I need to get emancipated first though, Dumbledore might very well try to find ways keep me under his thumb if he knows where I am."
He nodded in understanding, the last thing he wanted was for Hariel to be dragged off by that senile old headmaster.
“Kaa-san can help, you should show her these papers." He finally stated calmly. Hariel eventually nodded. She always tried to fix everything herself, having never had anybody to rely on. Nanjirou and Rinko were quickly becoming an exception though, they were always supportive and they had been the only reliable adults in her life for a long time when she’d been younger.
Hariel gathered the papers back into the correspondence box from Gringotts. Then she followed Ryoma down the stairs towards Rinko’s home office.
“Sirius...” She whispered, watching in awe as the surface of the mirror whirled, before showing her the wizard’s softly grinning face. “Hello fawn. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just... wanted to see you.” Grey eyes softened. “It’s lovely to see you fawn. Tell me about your day.”
Eventually Hariel confessed to what she had found out about her vaults. “I just, I thought the Weasley’s were my friends. Even though Ron was a jealous git about me being selected I really thought that maybe the rest hadn’t abandoned me. They were just using me...”
Sirius’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Don’t worry about them anymore fawn. I’m sure you’ll make new friends. Who will stay with you through thick and thin. Like Ryoma, Hermione and Luna.” He frowned. “And in the meantime. I will make sure that nothing else happens to your money. The goblins don’t care about my sentence and they’ll be pleased that I am going to sue them on your behalf. They still recognize me as your magical guardian because the godparent bond is intact.”
He snorted. “If only the ministry was so sensible.”
Hariel smiled at him. “Thank you.” Soft grey eyes watched her face, taking in her smile happily. “Anytime fawn.”
“Seiichi-senpai." Hariel greeted the bed-bound navy-haired boy calmly. The smudges were still fairly prominent under her glassy eyes but she no longer looked as if she was going to collapse any minute now.
“Hariel-chan. How are you today?" He asked gently. Hariel flushed for a moment when she registered the changed suffix and then she smiled, pleased. “I’m okay, I still didn’t manage to sleep more than four hours, but that is a lot better already." She admitted candidly.
“How is the pain?" He sighed. “Like a dull ache, it just saps my energy." She nodded. Climbing onto the bed to relax back against the footboard she folded her legs beneath her. “I’m sorry to hear that." She stated sincerely.
He opened a textbook. “We’ll start with science okay?" She merely nodded. Yukimura somehow managed to make the subject interesting. He lectured her about two whole chapters but with his calming voice and undemanding presence she didn’t feel pressured and easily grasped the material.
He leant back, tired from talking. “Are you okay?" He nodded. Hariel crawled closer, tucking herself into his side. She felt her magic seeping into his body, acting as a buffer against the pain and exhaustion. His eyes widened briefly as he felt her body heat seep in. Somehow her presence was like a balm. “Do you want to take a nap?" She asked impishly.
He smiled, she clearly needed one and he could admit he was exhausted as well. “Why not. We already went through everything I had planned for today anyway." Kind violet eyes looked at her with a soft expression. “You did very well Hariel-chan."
“Thanks." She murmured, face flushed. She wasn’t used to compliments. He resolved to compliment her more often. He wound a strong arm around her waist and they settled together in a tangle of limbs. She yawned delicately, eyes already sliding shut. “Do you think it’s weird how easy this is?" Yukimura asked softly.
Hariel sighed, opening her eyes to stare at the ceiling for a long moment. “No. Somehow you just make me feel safe and I tend to trust my instincts. They haven’t led me wrong yet. It’s like I’ve known you for years." He nodded, since he felt the same way.
The nurse who came by fifteen minutes later smiled at the cute picture they made, curled up together like kittens.
Hariel spend the next couple of weeks building a routine. In the mornings she went for a run, then she was tutored by Yukimura. She brought lunch for two to the hospital and ate with him. Then she wrote down his answers after reading out his homework out loud. They napped together often because he was usually exhausted by then and Hariel was still being plagued with nightmares and so needed the extra sleep as well.
Every few days she would have a match against Yuuta-kun, or she trained with him and every evening she played against Nanjirou or Ryoma. Sometimes both.
Early evening she spend in the immense garden around the Echizen’s house. She loved working with the greenery and plants she worked with always ended up healthier, stronger and prettier. She sank her magic into the plants to help them grow. It was the only time of the day she regularly used magic. She carved runes every now and then, but not every day.
Strengthening the flowers made sure that her magic didn’t build up or become restless. Curiously she had watched as the roses she tended to became stronger, the colours more vivid, the petals softer and larger. They smelled like witchmagic now. An indescribable scent which reminded her of thunderstorms, ash and rain.
She still watched Ryoma with the regulars every couple of days as well, but she always left before practice ended. She wanted to meet her brother’s team, but she didn’t quite feel up for it yet. She’d had too many bad experiences with groups bullying her.
On this particular day she was napping on Yukimura’s bed, his gentle hands carding through her long loose hair. A quiet knock on the door was all the warning they had before a tall teen with dark hair, a cap and dark eyes entered the room. “Yuki... mu... ra...." He seemed to be in shock at the sight which greeted him.
His best friend was playing with the long hair of a girl who was curled up against him fast asleep.
“Hello Genichirou." He greeted softly. He gestured towards the chair next to the bed. Softly he tugged on her hair. “Hariel-chan, wake up."
The green-eyed girl blinked, dazed. “Hmm, Seiichi-senpai, is it time to go?" She asked. He smiled, amused by her slightly childish behaviour, which only really surfaced when she was half asleep.
“No, but my friend is here, and I want you to meet him." Her eyes instantly flickered open. She looked at the dark-haired teen who was clearly shocked.
“This is SanadaGenichirou, we’ve been best friends since we were kids." The teen bowed politely in greeting. “Genichirou, this is Hariel-chan, I’m tutoring her in science and Japanese literature."
Hariel bowed her head. “N-Nice to meet you." She tried to think of a way to get out of the conversation, since Sanada was staring at her, which was deeply uncomfortable for her. Being the centre of attention never ended well for her. “I have to go, I promised Rinko-san that I would be home early today." She smiled softly, the expression warmer than it had been even a few weeks ago. “We’re going to the store to pick out paint for my room." She hopped of the bed and quickly swept all of her books pens and papers into her bag.
“I’ll see you tomorrow Seiichi-senpai. It was nice to meet you Sanada-san." She bowed and in a flash she was gone. The door gently clicking shut behind her.
Silence reigned for a moment. “Who is she, Yukimura? Are you dating her?" Sanada asked tonelessly. Even if he was curious, that didn’t tend to show. Yukimura could see straight through that of course, they’d been friends since childhood. He shook his head. “No, she is my friend but we are not dating. I don’t think we ever will."
Sanada’s dark eyebrow rose minutely. “Ah." He was still surprised. Despite Yukimura’s gentle demeanour and the kindness he treated most people with, he wasn’t one to get close to most. “She’s special." The navy-haired boy eventually said. “I met her when she was getting her wrist treated, somehow we ended up talking. When I told her about my illness, she didn’t even flinch."
Sanada nodded. That was rare, it explained neatly why Yukimura was so accepting of her presence but it didn’t explain why she had been napping on top of him. That was very close for people who only met recently. Yukimura who was familiar with his stoic face correctly read the lingering curiosity. “I don’t know, she just feels familiar. It doesn’t feel like I’ve only known her for a few weeks, it feels like much longer."
Sanada hummed. A mysterious girl indeed, the capture buchou’s attention so easily.
Hariel stared at the freshly painted walls, quietly awed and happy. Her room had been done in the combination of soothing violet and bright blue which ended up working really well. Rinko absently swiped away a drop of paint from Hariel’s cheek. “Well, do you like it?" Hariel nodded. “It’s amazing." Awe clearly shimmering through her voice.
Rinko’s eyes softened. “I’m glad you like it." She sighed. “I’ve been working on getting your emancipation processed, but as you are a British national the papers are being processed in Britain. Something or someone is blocking the process." Hariel glanced at her fearfully. She never wanted to return to that godawful country.
Rinko bit her lip nervously for a second. “Hariel... would you allow us the immense honour of adopting you?" Green eyes widened in shock. Adoption... she had never even thought about it. But now that Rinko was bringing up the idea she was quickly realising that there was nobody she would rather have as family then the Echizen’s.
They had always loved her and looked after her and they were filling the hole in her heart, the lack her parents had left, at an amazing rate. She already saw them as reliable adults she could depend on, an extreme rarity for her. “I... are you sure? You... really want me?" She whispered, shocked.
Rinko gathered her up in a tight hug. “Of course, we want you sweetheart. In our hearts you’ve been our daughter ever since Ryoma dragged you home to meet us when you were little. We didn’t want to infringe on the memory of your parents and we consider you to be ours with or without paperwork. You are welcome to live with us either way. Emancipated, adopted, that doesn’t matter."
She sighed, tenderly tucking a stray lock of blue-black hair behind her ear. “I’m asking now because adoption would be easier to fast track as long as we have the Dursley’s approval. It would be a closed case as long as they consent." Hariel burrowed into her embrace. “Yes..."
“My girl, my baby..." Rinko, who also had tears in her eyes met the bright green gaze of the child she had claimed in her heart as hers a long time ago. “Come, let’s tell Nanjirou and Ryoma the good news." Hariel nodded shyly. “I... they won’t.... mind?"
Rinko smiled softly. “Of course not, Ryoma has been begging us on and off almost since he met you for us to adopt you and Nanjirou loves you just as much as I do. I talked this over with him first and he was all for the adoption sweetheart." Hariel nodded. “Okay, let’s go tell them."
Hariel lingered in the shadow of the tree, watching the regulars do odd exercises as the tall third-year who had been beaten by Ryoma waved a glass full of murky green liquid in their faces. His glasses seemed to be glinting eerily.
She watched, giggling as one by one the regulars ran to the water fountain. Only the captain and the honey-haired regular seemed to be immune.
Spotting the twin-braided girl who had been worrying over Ryoma at the summer tournament she slowly walked up to her. “Hello, Ryuzaki-san." She murmured softly. The brunette turned towards her, startled. “Ah, Potter-san." She said nervously. “Y-You can call me Sakuno i-if you want." She stuttered slowly.
She wanted to befriend the sad girl with the beautiful eyes. Not because Ryoma-kun was close to her, but just because she seemed lonely and nice.
Hariel’s green eyes brightened slightly, happy that she had made the choice to talk to the shy girl. “Sakuno-chan. Then, please call me Hariel." She blurted out happily. She’d never really had many friends and this shy girl seemed to be very nice. Genuinely honest and kind.
“A-Are you not going to Seigaku?" Sakuno asked softly, taking in her non-uniform clothes. Hariel nodded her head softly. “I’m being home-schooled. I’m from England, and I am not caught up to the Japanese curriculum."
Soft red-brown eyes looked down slightly at the shorter girl. “Your Japanese is very good, Hariel-chan." The green-eyed girl smiled softly. “Thank you." She murmured.
The two girls watched the regular’s practice together, slowly getting to know each other, and finding that they clicked pretty well.
‘Sakuno-chan seems really nice, but very shy. I think she joined the girl's tennis club. If I ever go to school it might be fun to practice with her...' Hermione grinned at Luna. They were glad to hear that Hariel seemed to be reaching out to others.
The petite witch had been so isolated at Hogwarts... More than that, she’d been met with hostility. “She sounds happy.” Hermione commented softly. Luna’s gaze, darkened, silver-grey turning to dark grey in an instant. “She has nightmares though...” The little seer had caught glimpses, and the night terrors were vast and terrifying.
The brunette sighed. “She always does, and she always hides them too...”
Luna started writing a reply in sloping swirls. Purple ink glittering up from the page. ‘Hariel, are you familiar with wrackspurts? They are invisible and float into ears to cause confusion in people’s brains. Maybe RyuzakiSakuno suffers from an infestation?’
Halfway across the world, the green-eyed witch who read the runaway sentence giggled.
‘I... don’t think so Luna. Maybe Dumbledore is suffering from wrackspurts though, he seems to be going very senile indeed. I’m being adopted, because he is blocking my emancipation.' She wrote back carefully.
Hermione blinked, then she picked up her quill. Neat black script marched along the page. ‘That’s not legal. It’s good to hear that though, you deserve a family Hariel, a family who loves you.’
Hariel blinked, more swirling purple followed. ‘That’s lovely, I’m sure the golden mirrors will look out for you.’
She frowned in confusion. ‘I don’t know what you mean by that Luna-bell, but I’m sure it will make sense in the end.’ The blonde smiled serenely.
“Hello fawn.” The grey-eyed wizard in the mirror said happily, taking in the sight of his goddaughter. She wasn’t as worryingly thin anymore. She didn’t look as pale and drawn, haunted, as she had when he’d first gotten to know her.
Leaving Hogwarts was obviously the best thing she could have done for herself.
“Sirius... the Echizen’s, they offered to adopt me. Rinko-san suggested it because Dumbledore can’t block it, but she also said that they already think of me as theirs.” Wide green eyes stared at him.
Sirius blinked then snorted. “Whatever worries you have been cooking up in that pretty little head of yours, stop. I already knew that they love you like a daughter and I heartily approve. James and Lily would be glad. I think of you as my daughter too and always have and they loved that. James was my family, magically we had a bond of brothers.”
Misty grey eyes looked at her, a sad smile on his face. “Fawn, James and Lily would have loved to watch you grow up, but that was stolen from all of you. This is good, Lily always said that she wanted you to be loved above all else. They would be happy that you’re being adopted.”
“But... I don’t want to replace them as my parents. I love my parents. I feel like I’m being selfish.” She eventually whispered tearfully.
Sirius sighed, wishing he could hug his baby girl. “Fawn, you are just getting more parents. James and Lily would never feel that way, they’d just be grateful that somebody is loving you and taking care of you while they can’t."
Hariel smiled at him tearfully. “So this is really okay?” Sirius nodded. “Yes. I’m happy for you Hariel.”
“Ne, Ri-chan. Will you be changing your name?" Ryoma asked later the same day. Hariel blinked. “Is that an option?" Nanjirou nodded. “It is up to you of course, you’ll be our daughter either way, Echizen or Potter. But yes, it is an option."
Hariel hummed thoughtfully. On one hand, she didn’t want to lose a link to her parents. However she was also well aware that her name was famous and changing it might prevent people from finding it. She idly swirled her chopsticks through her noodles. “I want to honour my parents, but I also want to belong with you..." She said shyly.
Rinko looked at her thoughtfully. “I don’t think changing your name would matter very much to your mum and dad. If it was me, then all I would care about was my child’s happiness. Last names don’t facture in to that. Ryoma could carry another name entirely and if that made him happy I would be happy for him. My bond with my children isn’t dependant on a name. It goes much deeper than that."
Hariel nodded. She knew her mum and dad had loved her, they’d died for her. Maybe they wouldn’t mind her changing her name... Sirius had said that all they wanted was for her to be happy.
“I... I’d like to be an Echizen." She eventually stated, quietly but with confidence. Nanjirou pressed a loving kiss to her forehead. “Alright bishoujo. Welcome to the family then, Echizen Lily Hariel." Hariel grinned, incredibly happy.
“I’m being adopted." Hariel blurted out the next morning as she entered Yukimura’s hospital room. The gentle boy blinked. “Congratulations, Hariel-chan." She plopped down onto his bed, a happy smile on her face. “As long as my aunt and uncle sign the papers I am going to be Echizen Hariel in a few days."
He gently hugged her close. “That’s amazing. I’m happy for you." She blushed, unused to people wishing her the best. “Thanks." Hariel’s eyes started sliding shut. She had been so excited and amazed that she hadn’t really slept much, and being near Yukimura was draining her magic. With her sincere wish to help him her magic tended to passively leak out to support him. She was perfectly fine with that, but it did make her tired.
She yawned, the excitement fading and leaving her to crash. Yukimura smiled softly. “Go to sleep Hariel-chan. I can see that you didn’t sleep well." He brushed a gentle thumb over the purple splotches under her eyes. “These are getting darker again." She hummed, feeling warm and safe tucked into his embrace. Within minutes she was fast asleep.
The violet-eyed boy gently stroked her hair as he contemplated her circumstances. People didn’t get adopted when they already had a loving family. He hoped this worked out for her. She deserved a happy home life.