Natural Bond
Hariel woke up too early for comfort, it was still dark outside. She stepped into the shower, dazed but unable to sleep anymore. The hot water pounded on her back as she slowly tried to breath, to let go of the tension knotted into the muscles of shoulders. Rationally she knew that not all wixen were going to hurt her, that the representative would be Japanese and might not even know her at all... She truly believed that Luna and Hermione would never hurt her.
But the fear was just too strong, too linked with magic in general if not her own magical core.
She tilted her face up to the streams of warm water, rushing over her naked skin like a warm hug. When she finally left the shower, she towelled off roughly and put on track pants and one of Ryoga’s t-shirts. She had slowly developed a habit of stealing clothing from Ryoga, Ryoma and Nanjirou. Their clothes were associated with good things, large and warm, almost like a hug in fabric form. That they dwarfed her form just made her feel safe.
Before anybody even stirred at the Echizen household, she was out of the door, locking it securely behind it. For once she took the short route to the river, only to lap around it to the next bridge to run around on the shores again.
It took her a long time to let go of the anxious thoughts. It all boiled down to the fact that she did trust Nanjirou and Rinko not to let anything happen to her.
As the sun finally crested over the horizon, she spotted Kaidoh making his way towards the river. Speeding up too catch up to him, she nodded in greeting, focussed on keeping her breathing even and deep.
At their usual stop, she hunched over, hands on her knees, trying to get her breath back. “Fsshhhh, you’re not normally this tired?" The taller brunet spoke up, curiosity and concern evident in his grumpy voice.
“I ran from our usual bridge to the next one three times." Kaidoh’s eyes widened, she’d been running for over an hour? “What happened?" He asked gruffly. Hariel didn’t usually do this and for her to disturb her own morning routine something was likely wrong.
Hariel huffed. “That obvious huh?" He shoke his head. “No... I just got to know you better." Kaidoh murmured, looking away awkwardly.
Her eyes softened. “Thank you for asking, Kaoru-kun. I have an appointment with k-kaa-chan and tou-chan to talk about going to school. I dreamed about the memories." She ended up saying. All true, but without mentioning that it had been specifically the magical world which had set her off. Since he was a mundane.
“Fsshhhh. It’s good that you can call them that, now." He commented softly. He had been the silent witness of her slow integration into her new family. She had needed advice and reassurance sometimes and he was more than willing to listen. Just like she was always willing to listen to his frustrations and worries.
For two introverts, the quiet companionship and helping hand were more than appreciated. She nodded, because she was happy to be able to call them that now.
She leaned against his shoulder, and he silently adjusted to take the weight, used to her need for contact now. He sometimes patted her head and often sat close enough as a silent invitation for exactly this ritual. He could admit to himself that over the months he had become attached to this girl.
Hariel hummed quietly, her magic soft and coiling smoothly. She sighed noiselessly, at least the reinstated contact with the magical world could help her research what was going on with her magic. She had thought her magical reaction to Ryoma had been accidental magic and a one-off. That was obviously not at all true, because her magic was drawing her towards Yukimura, Kaidoh and even Fuji, the older one, very strongly.
It seemed to like Yuuta well enough, but nothing like this. Thoughtfully she realised that her friendship with Yuuta was probably, for lack of a better description, normal. Her bond with Yukimura and slowly with Kaidoh as well, was much closer than usual. Ryoma was good friends with Momoshiro now, but their friendship was like hers and Yuuta’s.
The only bonds she could really compare her two closest friendships with was her connection to her brother and the magical bond with her godfather.
She dismissed the thoughts, she was just going in circles after all without new information. “Say, Kaoru-kun, do you want to have breakfast together? I can make us something at the temple, because nobody else is going to be up for a while."
He nodded slowly, they usually went their separate ways after running together, but maybe this was fine. Hariel reaching out was a good thing, he knew he was socially awkward and grumpy but she was his friend and he could certainly appreciate spending time with her.
They jogged towards the temple, in easy silence as always. She unlocked the door, making sure to be somewhat quiet on the off chance that Nanako and Rinko were still sleeping. The male Echizen’s could sleep straight through just about any noise after all.
She gestured towards the table. “Take a seat, I’ll make breakfast." She said softly, taking ingredients for a healthy breakfast out of the fridge. “Fssshhhh." He hissed, as he sat down awkwardly.
Hariel nearly grinned, for all that he looked intimidating, he could be very innocent and kind.
“I’m going to sign up for Seigaku." She mentioned out of nowhere, finally sure of her decision as she realised she already had true friends at that school. Ryoma would never allow anything to happen and she’d heard enough about Coach Ryuzaki to trust that there were adults there who would genuinely do their job. Not allowing students to actually suffer at their school.
“Fssshhhh, good." He answered shortly, but kindly. A hint of happiness at the idea of seeing her at school evident in his voice.
She gently sat a plate down in front of him. Taking a seat right beside him. She ate slowly, she’d never turn down food after nearly starving at the Dursley’s but sometimes she ate slower if her mind was elsewhere. She leaned her head against Kaidoh’s shoulder, tired. Old memories, and her endless debates with herself whether to go to school taking their toll.
“Hariel-chan, good morning. Who is this?" Nanako stated softly, coming through the kitchen door dressed for university. “Ah, Nanako-san, this is Kaoru-kun. We run together every morning." She turned to look at Kaidoh. “This is my cousin, Meino Nanako." Nanako hummed, she hadn’t known. Hariel wasn’t necessarily being cagy, but she was an introvert conditioned to keep to herself.
“Nice to meet you." The brunet muttered awkwardly, accidentally looking threatening in his discomfort. Nanako almost wanted to shrink away shyly when she noticed that Hariel was hiding a smile. Looking closer, she spotted rosy cheeks as he glanced away and realised that he was likely just shy.
“Nice to meet you too, Kaidoh-kun." She gathered her bento from the fridge. “I’m sorry I have to go right away." She bowed politely and left the same way she had arrived.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while. “Did you up your training again? I thought I saw you doing a different exercise?" She asked idly, comfortably leaning against his shoulder.
“Inui-senpai created a new menu for me." Hariel hummed approvingly. “I doubled it." “You are a stamina monster, Kaoru-kun. I’d hate to be scheduled to play against you." “Fsshhh, you have amazing stamina as well, Hariel-chan."
“What is Inui-senpai like? You spend a lot of time with him right?" She asked curiously. Deciding to go to Seigaku likely meant getting to know Ryoma’s team. She couldn’t avoid it anymore. She was still intimidated by crowds, but she knew from the stories, and her interactions with the two regulars she knew other than Ryoma, that they were good people.
“Senpai..." He stopped, a thoughtful frown on his face. “He helps me out a lot." He eventually stated. Hariel nodded, that was good, and coming from the grumpy reticent boy a ringing endorsement.
Ryoma walked in to the kitchen half dressed, stopping short in confused surprise. “Kaidoh-senpai?" “Fshhh, Echizen." He said grumpily. Realising the time, he stood up. Patting Hariel’s head very gently he nodded to her. “I’m going now, see you tomorrow Hariel-chan, thank you for breakfast." “Bye Kaoru-kun." She murmured absently, standing up to cook Ryoma breakfast, taking the empty plates along towards the sink.
“You know Kaidoh-senpai?" Ryoma asked grumpily, he did not like realising that Hariel had developed a whole life outside of their family while he had been stuck at school every day. Hariel, dense as a brick sometimes, realised he was grumpy but not why. “Uhm, I... uh, run with him every morning?" She answered, a little bit confused and slightly wary.
Ryoma sighed, the Dursley’s had never wanted to know anything about her, always ignoring her. Getting Hariel to share her thoughts was like pulling teeth. She was simply too used to keeping everything to herself. She really couldn’t help it at this point.
“Just... try to talk more about the people you meet and the places you go, Ri-chan. We want to know about your days. I’m not mad, just surprised to see another one of my senpai here without warning."
“Sorry." She said softly, looking down as she passed him his full plate. Ryoma merely sighed, pressing a loving kiss to her cheek as he went to sit down. Karupin jumping into his lap. “Thank you for making breakfast." He merely said.
Hariel had cooked enough for the rest of the family, making sure to put the plates safely away covered in clingwrap, she retreated to her room. She wasn’t going to the hospital today, at least not in the morning.
She puttered around uselessly, before sighing and going for another shower, taking neat clothes with her as if dressing in war armour for the upcoming meeting with the magical representative.
She closed her eyes and let the water carry away her tears, as if they’d never been there. Rivulets sliding down her skin, she sighed in defeat. This meeting had to happen. She knew that it had to happen, she couldn’t afford to ignore her magic for much longer. For multiple reasons even.
Dumbledore had said that Voldemort wasn’t dead, and even if she distrusted the headmaster immensely in this he was likely being truthful.
Her magic could also go out of control, though she didn’t think it ever would, not if she had managed to trust her magic even with the Dursley’s systematic attempts to make her afraid of it.
She sighed, the lessons on obscurials had been a painful mirror of what she could have been. Magic taking on a mind of its own was uncomfortably familiar. She hadn’t told anyone, but she was a little bit afraid that she might have been on her way towards becoming one.
Only the buried memories of her time with her parents had likely created faith in magic in her. Enough that her independent magic had still been accepted as part of her and so remained nominally in control instead of completely separate as it was in an obscurial.
Still, she did have to complete her magical training, and so she needed to overcome her fear of the magical world. If Voldemort ever did manage to come back he would hunt her to the ends of the earth. If for no other reason than that, she desperately needed training.
Droplets clinging to her eyelashes and body warm and slick, she dried of. Her second shower had helped a little bit against the rising anxiety bubbling away in her stomach.
A simple black t-shirt, deliberately leaving her scars visible. Simple jeans and twisting her hair up in a bun. She took a deep breath, looked at her own face in the mirror and decided that she was as ready as she was ever going to get.
She descended the stairs for the second time that day, joining Nanjirou and Rinko in the living room. Nanjirou drew her into his side, sheltering her in a warm embrace. “It’ll be okay, bishoujo." He said kindly.
She curled into his side, closing her eyes and trying to keep her panic under control.
When the bell rang, Rinko got up to let in the representative of the Japanese Magical Ministry. A short woman with black hair and grey eyes entered the room.
She bowed politely. “Good morning, Echizen-chan, I am Kawakami Kizaru." She stated in a low soothing voice.
Hariel bowed back. “Nice to meet you, Kawakami-san." She stated as neutrally as she could. Nanjirou also bowed politely. “Echizen Nanjirou." He stated gruffly. Rinko motioned for the woman to take a seat on one of the chairs, manoeuvring the woman neatly away from Hariel and Nanjirou.
“Would you like a cup of tea, Kawakami-san?" She asked, claiming her attention and allowing Hariel a moment to gather herself. The woman nodded. “Thank you, Echizen-san." “Call me Rinko, Kawakami-san, we are all Echizen’s." The woman merely nodded gracefully.
She turned to face Hariel. “Now, Echizen-chan, the Japanese Magical Society is aware of your fame in Europe. We are also fairly well informed of what happened during your years at Hogwarts, since most of it ended up in the papers." She looked disapproving.
“We consider what happened to you to be gross child endangerment. Your records show multiple hospital visits without explanations, or even decent medical care. There was slander from the papers as well." Kawakami sighed out, as if frustrated just talking about the topic. Hariel could sympathize.
“You will need a magical education, but honestly, I recommend that you choose home schooling. It would make it easier to keep your presence in Japan under wraps." Hariel’s eyes widened. This was not at all what she expected. It was good, though it wouldn’t make her trust the brunette witch, but it went a long way in soothing her fear.
“We want to offer you the option of magical witness protection." She scowled. “Dumbledore-san is being very persistent in trying to track you down and it would not surprise me at all if the man resorts to illegal options. He seems obsessed with you. In the International Confederation of Wizards he tried to claim that your return to Britain was necessary for the wellbeing of his country based on a prophecy. He then refused to produce the prophecy."
She sighed. “To be frank, Echizen-chan, the man disturbed the entire Japanese envoy, so we unanimously decided not to tell him that you are in Japan." Hariel bowed. “Thank you. So much." Tears appeared in her eyes. “I’ve been so afraid he’d find me. I was afraid that, that kaa-chan's legal adoption wouldn’t be enough. That he would drag me back to Hogwarts anyway."
Kawakami’s eyes softened. “It’s no problem, it was no more than any morally sound adult should have done. You are being stalked and we feel that as a minor you ought to be protected. Adults would be protected as well but as a minor, we have even more options to hide you. Japanese magicals hold children to be near sacred." She explained kindly.
“I, uh, I want to go to Seigaku." She said softly. She hadn’t even told her adoptive parents yet, but maybe this lady could help her combine her home schooling in magic with her attendance of a mundane school.
Rinko’s eyes lit up. “That’s great, sweetheart. We’ll enrol you." She turned towards the adult witch. “I mean, that is an option right? For Hariel to be home-schooled magically and be enrolled in Seigaku?" Kawakami nodded. “That will actually help in the long run I think. Nobody who has heard of the Girl-Who-Lived would think she’d attend SeishunGakuen." Kawakami said.
“Are you aware of the option to change your name magically as well?" She asked softly. It was a delicate subject, but the young girl needed every layer of protection possible. “I...no, what would, uhm what would that mean?" Hariel asked, confused and shy.
“It would make Hariel Potter disappear magically, no letters would ever go towards you if addressed that way even if somebody found a way to circumvent the mail wards we put up around your residence." She frowned. “We couldn’t legally contact you before you became a Japanese citizen and as such, without your permission," she nodded to Hariel’s parents “the wards are illegal. The ministry judged this to be allowed under the circumstances though as part of the magical asylum we along with several other nations, granted you in response to Dumbledore’s claim."
Nanjirou nodded. “We would have granted permission for those wards anyway. Thank you, Kawakami-san, for protecting our daughter in a way we can’t." He stated slowly, bass voice serious as he bowed his head in respect.
“Very well, I’ll make sure to leave the permissions forms with you, so that we can file them." The grey-eyed woman’s eyes softened. “It was no problem, what happened to Echizen-chan was wrong and we are glad to do our part to protect a minor."
Hariel’s eyes were looking a little glossy, because nobody had ever cared just because she was a child, always more legend than person. Nobody had ever flat out stated that what Dumbledore did to her, trying to force her into that tournament, was wrong, not because they loved her or liked her but just because she was a minor.
It might have made her feel normal, in the best possible way.
Kawakami reached into the bag she had brought with her, taking out a stack of papers. “I can see that you are becoming a little overwhelmed, Echizen-chan. I will take my leave. Here are the papers related to home-schooling, warding permissions and options, magical witness protection and the information for the ritual of a magical name change."
Within a few minutes, goodbyes had been said and the woman was gone.
Nanjirou gathered his shaken daughter up in a gentle hug. He rubbed her back with a large warm hand. “Breathe bishoujo. It’s okay." She sighed, leaning her tired head against his solid shoulder, feeling protected and loved. “Tou-chan... why did nobody in Hogwarts react like her, what was so wrong about me that they couldn’t even treat me like a regular teenager? Why did all the other students hate me?"
The Samurai sighed. “I guess it was a toxic situation which only grew more out of control because your old professors never corrected bad behaviour in the students. It had nothing to do with you, you should have been treated a lot better in general."
He sighed, frustrated and tired. Hariel was still so damaged by her relatives and her years at Hogwarts. He couldn’t help her. Which was what he wanted to be able to do so badly. Because he didn’t understand it himself. The people around her had gone completely out of control towards her.
Rinko walked back into the room, stepping up to them to hug Hariel as well. “I think that went well. She was very willing to work with us to keep you safe."
Hariel sighed, tired and out of it. “Tou-chan, can you bring me to the hospital? I need to tell senpai that I’m going to school soon, so I won’t need a tutor anymore." Nanjirou nodded. “Sure bishoujo. Ask Ryoga to pick you up later, okay? His classes end in a few hours and he’ll practically be going by the hospital anyway." She nodded distractedly.
Nanjirou ruffled her hair softly, pushing her towards the stairs. “Go get your stuff, we’ll go soon." She nodded in a daze.
In her room, she gathered her backpack and several other things before bounding down stairs again. “I’m ready." She said softly.
They were sitting in the front seats of the car when Nanjirou spoke up again. “When do you want to start at Seigaku?" Hariel hummed, fiddling with her cast. “Next week maybe? If that isn’t too soon. How long will it take to enrol me?" She asked, semi-timidly. For all the ways she had grown comfortable with him, she still found it hard to ask for things if she thought it would inconvenience them.
“I’ll take care of it, Hariel. Don’t worry about it. Are you all caught up?" She nodded vaguely. “Japanese literature is still... difficult. Seiichi-senpai said that I was good in the other subjects." She mumbled vaguely, head still spinning with the new options.
Nanjirou drove the rest of the way in silence. Parking the car momentarily before the front entrance, he leaned over to her. Gently he ruffled her loose hair, which was curling in a wavy mess down to her waist. “I’ll see you at dinner, okay bishoujo?" Hariel nodded, then before she could second guess herself she hugged him. “Bye tou-chan." She said quickly, opening the door and getting out.
She waved shyly as she walked away from the car. Nanjirou smiled brightly and waved back, before driving away.
She knocked on Yukimura’s door softly. She had let him know that she wouldn’t be able to come until the afternoon and he had said that was okay but she still felt like she was inconveniencing him.
At his soft “Come on in." She opened the door. The navy-haired boy had company, a boy with messy hair and eyes just a shade of green darker than her own. “Ah, sorry, I can come back tomorrow." She muttered shyly, already turning around.
“Mura-buchou, who is she?" A voice rang out behind her, before she could leave the room entirely. “Hariel-chan, come here." Yukimura ordered gently. Shyly, looking down she come to a stop besides his bed, opposite the unknown boy in the room.
Yukimura frowned, spotting the deep purple smudges beneath her eyes. Clearly his friend had not been taking care of herself well, or nightmares had kept her awake again.
Gently taking hold of her wrist, he tugged her down. Pulling her into his side to rest against him, he frowned down at her too wide glassy eyes. “This is Echizen Hariel-chan, Akaya." He stated softly. “Hariel-chan, this is KiriharaAkaya, the only second year on the Rikkaidai team and my kouhai."
The boy frowned. “Are you Mura-buchou's girlfriend?" He asked bluntly, almost accusingly. Hariel squeaked. “No! I mean, he is very pretty but we wouldn’t fit and he is my tutor and a very good friend." She rambled, flustered and thrown of balance by the boy’s unexpected presence.
Yukimura who occasionally felt the need to tease people leaned his head on her shoulder, wrapping an arm around her waist tightly. “Are you saying you don’t want me Hariel... I’m hurt. Ryoga-san also thought we were together, maybe it’s a sign, that we should be together."
“S-Senpai..." Hariel protested, flustered despite herself. Not by his proximity but by his teasing. Yukimura smiled, seeing Kirihara wide eyes was funny and seeing Hariel flustered was always cute.
“No, Akaya, to answer seriously, Hariel-chan is not my girlfriend. We are very close friends, I’m tutoring her while I’m being treated here." Hariel leaned into his hold, tired and rapidly becoming sleepy because of his warmth seeping into her. With her magic also responding to her longstanding passive wish to help him she was crashing hard.
Blinking sleepily up at Kirihara, she cocked her head. “Do you want Seiichi-senpai to be your girlfriend, is that why you sounded jealous? I think he would make a very nice girlfriend. He’s very caring and gentle, pretty." She murmured vaguely, already half asleep as the lack of sleep that night caught up with her.
Kirihara squawked. “No, I don’t and are you calling Mura-buchou a girl?!"
Yukimura snorted softly, fondly carding a hand through her long hair. “I’ll take it as a compliment, but you do know that girlfriend is a description for a girl in a relationship right?" Occasionally Hariel had a stray thought which was... off.
Hariel frowned. “Only technically right? I mean, girlfriends are always portrayed as the calm cute type in the media or at least as the one who takes on more caregiver tasks, so I thought it was mostly a description of the more... hmm soft one? Which could be either a boy or a girl? Because relationships can be between all gender combinations and two boyfriends would be confusing?" She asked a little bit confused.
For the most part she had been raised to be invisible and hadn’t had anything explained to her. This wasn’t a problem because she was smart enough to pick up on almost all social norms without guidance but as Yukimura had discovered, in some cases this had resulted in a slightly offbeat grasp on how it all worked. She didn’t seem to really possess any inherent gender bias herself because she hadn’t even really been able to identify as a person.
Now that she was older, she was being confronted with the fact that she was a girl. She hated being tied down, she hated being forced into anything, even a role just because it was expected.
Kirihara was shocked. In shock. He had never thought that anybody would get away with calling buchou a girl. Even if it was apparently a compliment. Usually when one of his opponents called him a girl he destroyed them. Seeing Kirihara’s confused look, Yukimura elaborated.
“I’m not angry when people call me a girl because they are implying I look feminine, I’m angry because they mean it as an insult." He stated gently. Kirihara nodded numbly. Apparently this was a day for destroying his preconceived notions. He hadn’t expected the navy-haired teen to act so casually with a girl.
Between one breath and the next, Hariel had fallen asleep, utterly past her limit. She always felt safe with Yukimura and with her magic coiling around him smoothly, softly supporting him, she had finally fallen asleep.
“Akaya, can you put her bag on the chair over there?" Yukimura asked softly. The messy haired boy nodded, taking the strap of cloth from her lax hand. Yukimura pulled her fully into his lap, where she instinctively curled towards the heat. She leaned against his chest curling up like a cat.
“Buchou..." Violet eyes pinned him in place. “Akaya, don’t worry about it. Genichirou met her too. When I get back to school, you might see more of her. I want to stay friends even when I leave Tokyo."
Gazing out of the window thoughtfully Yukimura hummed. “It is strange, I’ve known her for a few months, but it feels like decades." Kirihara looked at him weirdly. “Why do you allow her so close Mura-buchou? And why is she so weird?" He asked curiously.
The Tennis captain was silent for a while. When Hariel whined softly low in her throat, he rubbed a calming hand down her back. “I think it is because she doesn’t expect anything. She was just here one day and she doesn’t feel awkward around me because I’m sick, she doesn’t pity me. She didn’t even mind when I lost my temper because of the constant pain."
Kirihara made a frustrated noise. “We never meant to..." Yukimura smiled at him, a soft kind smile. “I know, nobody ever means to pity me, or to look at me differently.” He looked at Kirihara with intense scrutiny for a moment. “Akaya... it is not a failure on your part that you didn’t know how to handle me becoming ill. I didn’t even know. Hariel-chan just... has a lot of pain in her past and that made her react in a different way than people normally do. It was just something we understood about each other. Pity is the most useless, painful thing you can get under any circumstance.”
Kirihara stared. “Hah?" Yukimura merely nodded. “It might not look like it, but Hariel is very wise and kind. She hasn’t told me much about her past but I know enough. She went through a lot, but she’s a fighter.”
The younger boy sighed, still a little freaked out by a strange girl suddenly, from his perspective at least, being close to his Captain. “I guess, if you say that she’s strong and kind, that’s good enough for me. Maybe she’ll play a match against me?”
“Why do you assume she plays tennis?” Yukimura asked curiously. “She has the expected callouses.” Kirihara pointed out. “And if she is like you, then she must be very strong.”
“Ah, it’s so nice to see that you hold me in such high regard, Akaya.” Yukimura teased gently. The Rikkai Dai team were all fond of the baby of their team.
The messy haired boy left a little while later, intrigued by the mysterious girl who had become so close to Yukimura so fast.
“Hello? This is Echizen Hariel’s phone.” Yukimura answered the ringing mobile, stroking Hariel’s hair to keep her under when she stirred from the noise.
“Yukimura? Why isn’t chibi-chan answering her phone?” A fairly low voice asked suspiciously. “I’m afraid I wore her out.” Yukimura stated innocently.
“What are you doing to my baby sister?!” A wicked gleam was apparent in sharp violet eyes. “Hm, I wonder...”
“I’m going to pick her up from your hospital room in half an hour, don’t do anything else!” Click. He had hung up, apparently intent on hurrying over now.
Yukimura merely smiled, so naïve. Was the oldest Echizen really in university already?
“Seiichi...” She yawned delicately. “S-Senpai.” Blinking her way towards being fully awake, she smushed her cheek more firmly against Yukimura’s warm chest. “Don’t tease niisan. He’ll rant and whine to me.”
“I can’t help it, he makes it very easy.” The navy-haired boy said softly. He brushed his thumb softly over the still near black smudges under her hazy eyes. “What happened?”
“I decided to enrol in Seigaku.” The emerald-eyed girl said, ignoring the magical part of the day. “It.. Brought up a lot of old memories I would have liked to forget.” Yukimura hummed in understanding. “My surgery will be soon, after that I will only have another week here and then I can begin to recover. I’ll still have a lot of checkups.”
Hariel wound her arms around his waist, closing her eyes to try and ignore the implications. “I’ll miss... seeing you every day.” She muttered thickly. Yukimura pressed a soft kiss to her wild hair. “I’ll miss you too, but you are more than ready. I’ll come and see you whenever I have a checkup okay? We can mail, and call.”
Yukimura felt hot tears soaking silently into his pyjama top. “You better.” She said almost resentfully. She hated letting go of people she was genuinely attached to. She knew he wasn’t abandoning her, but she didn’t want to drift away from him. In only a few months he had become one of the most important people in her life.
“I’ll miss napping with you.” Yukimura said fondly. “I’ve never been as comfortable with someone in my personal space.” Hariel swallowed against the tears. “Me either.”
“It’s not the end of the world, Hariel-chan. You can make more friends, meet more senpai who will help you. It’ll be fun, going to school.”
She frowned. “I miss Ryoma-nii, I feel like I’m drifting away from him, and I want to meet his teammates.” She paused before adding. “Friends really. Because he never really had friends other than me, they must be nice people. I just... I hate crowds, and school still scares me and I don’t want to drift away from you either.”
Yukimura pulled her closer, into a tight hug. “You won’t. I won’t let you.” He smiled, a washed out far cry from his usual smile. “You know I can be stubborn, and I know you can be relentless as well. We’ll be fine. Not seeing me every day doesn’t mean we’ll be losing our friendship Hariel.”
She sighed, roughly trying to wipe away her tears. A gentle grip on her wrist stopped her, as kind violet eyes met hers, and tender fingers swept away the last of the teardrops clinging to her lashes.
A knock echoed through the room. “Come on in.” Yukimura stated calmly, trying to compose himself. Ryoga entered the room, stopping short when he spotted tear tracks on his sister’s face. “What happened?” He asked softly, coming over to lean over Yukimura’s hospital bed to hug her around the shoulder gently.
“N-Nothing, niisan.” Hariel murmured, leaning against his tall protective form. Ryoga carded a gentle hand through her hair. “Don’t lie, chibi-chan.” He admonished seriously. Yukimura held her hand in a soft grip. “We are just... having some separation anxiety. We’ve been each other's main company for months I think. It’s hard not to get a little entwined.”
Hariel, still off balance from the fast changes happening and Kawakami’s visit and the crying jag she just experienced, sagged against Ryoga’s solid frame. “I just... don’t want Seiichi-senpai to go away. I want to see him and nap together and talk about everything.” Watery eyes stared up into worried gold. “I’m really going to miss Senpai when he goes home.”
“I’ll bring you to him every weekend if you want to go, so don’t cry okay.” Ryoga softly used his shirt sleeve to dry the new tears away softly. “I’ll visit Tokyo as well, for my doctor’s appointments and then I’ll come see you to.” Yukimura reassured her again.
Hariel held up her arms like a grumpy child, tired and teary eyed still. Ryoga smiled at her, easily plucking her up from the bed. “I think your day has been too long, chibi-chan. I’ll take you home now.” She frowned. “No, I want to see Ryoma-nii. I never see him anymore.” Her tears were starting to track down her face again.
Yukimura squeezed her hand softly. “Go to sleep, Hariel. I’ll see you tomorrow okay?” She nodded, exhausted head dropping onto Ryoga’s shoulder. The brunet gathered Hariel’s backpack from the chair and walked towards the door. “Yukimura... thanks. For not making fun of her, for caring.” The navy-haired boy merely nodded. “She cares for me too, when my illness is too much.” Ryoga nodded and left.
He bundled Hariel safely onto the back of his bike, tugging a helmet over her groggy face. Making sure that she was clinging to him, he drove away.
Hariel was woken up by the absence of the soothing rumble of Ryoga’s motor. They were parked across the street from Seigaku’s entrance. “I’ll take your bag along, so just go find chibisuke, okay? I’ll see you at home.” The golden eyed young man stated kindly.
Hariel nodded, still somewhat dead eyed. She almost drifted towards the tennis courts. Not truly aware of her surroundings.
When she arrived, she saw that she had just missed Ryoma, he was walking away from the courts with Momoshiro. They were arguing and missed her completely.
Abruptly deprived of her goal, which had been the only thing keeping her going, she sank to the ground, leaning back against the tree she had been standing under.
Her eyes were already sliding shut when soft footsteps approached. “Hariel-chan...” A soft voice murmured, as a gentle hand brushed her bangs away from her face.
“S-Syusuke-san.” She whispered, and then to her horror, the tears came again. She harshly tried to wipe them away, mortified. “I’m so sorry. I’ll just, I’ll just go.” She said, shifting to get up.
Kind blue eyes met her eerie dead green orbs. He held out his hand, and then when he had pulled her up, he didn’t let go. He guided her wordlessly towards the regular’s locker room, which was already deserted.
Closing the door behind him, he sat down and pulled the silently crying girl into his lap. He didn’t say anything, didn’t even ask. He just softly rubbed her back, sheltering her in a warm hug.
Touched by his thoughtful kindness, she buried her face into his shoulder, hot tears tracking down his pale skin.
It took her a long time to calm down, and all that time, he just softly carded his hand through her hair, rubbing her back soothingly.
When the tears finally stopped, she leaned her aching head against his warm skin and tried to just breath for a while. Then, finally she lifted her head, biting her lip at the worried look in his cerulean eyes.
“I’m so sorry.” She whispered. “I was looking for Ryoma, but he was already leaving and I just...”
Setting warm hands on her hips he smiled at her. A real smile, soft and kind and nothing like the calm visage he usually presented. His eyes were open and focused on her and though his usual smile wasn’t a lie, compared to this one it lacked substance.
“Hey it’s okay. I’m not going to judge you Hariel-chan.” He said kindly. “Besides when else would I get a chance to hug a beautiful girl.” He teased her softly. The kind smile making it clear that he didn’t mean anything bad by it...
Hariel flushed, cheeks turning bright red. “S-Syusuke-san...” Subconsciously she clenched her hands into his shirt. “Thank you.” She eventually said shyly, looking away awkwardly. Fuji thought she was adorable. More than that... she was interesting. She seemed to be a lot like glass, incredibly sharp and she could take immense heat and bend, and yet the wrong move could and possibly did shatter her.
“You don’t have to tell me, but what happened?” He asked lightly. Hariel bit her lip, drawing his attention to her pink lips. He nearly groaned, now that she wasn’t upset anymore, she was a tempting sight. With wide emerald eyes, pink lips and soft curves, sitting in his lap and so warm under his hands.
“I’m going to Seigaku.” She said abruptly. “I just decided, but it’s hard. I really don’t like crowds, and I am worried that I’ll drift away from Seiichi-senpai. He’s... I’m really close to him and I’ll miss seeing him every day.”
Fuji tried not to be jealous. She had already said that it was a platonic relationship from both sides after all.
“That can be very hard to adjust to.” Fuji said thoughtfully. He looked at the deep purple smudges under her eyes. “You didn’t sleep well either?” He asked kindly. She nodded vaguely. “It must have been very overwhelming then.” Fuji stated smoothly.
She bit her lip again, glancing at him nervously. “You don’t think I overreacted?” He shook his head. “No. I barely know you, and still I know enough to know this for sure. Hariel-chan... deciding to confront your fears like you are doing right now is a very difficult thing. You should be proud of yourself.”
“Mhm.” She hummed, not sure what to say. They sat in silence for a while, calming and soothing to her frayed nerves.
Slowly he stood up, bringing her along and gently setting her to her feet. “I’ll take you home.” Fuji stated, more of an order than a request. Normally Hariel would protest, but with him she only felt safe. Magic, her magic, which she was only now paying attention to, was swirling around him in smooth coiling motions. Heating up inside of her and clinging to him like a cloak almost. Her eyes widened in surprise. Her magic had taken a liking to Ryoma and Seiichi-senpai and even Kaoru-kun, but nothing like this.
If those bonds were intense, then this seemed almost... indecent. It was like he was wading in her magic. Hot layers of the dense power shifting and pooling over his skin. She blushed, she didn’t even mean for that to happen.
He kneeled in front of her carefully, glancing up at her bright red face and carefully not grinning at her pretty red flush. “Come on.” He stated. Before she even realised it, she was doing what he had... asked? Ordered? She knew she could say no, but she didn’t want to.
Hariel’s slender legs encircled his waist, Fuji’s warm hands supporting her under her thighs. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder, discretely inhaling his scent. Rain and spice, hot and yet soothing. A contradiction. She let go of the tension and gracelessly curled against him, warm breath skating over the sensitive skin of his neck.
He walked out of the door, carefully closing the door behind him. He made his way of the schoolgrounds, thankful that they were deserted. She really didn’t need gawking strangers.
He nearly groaned as he felt her legs tighten momentarily around his waist. She was... was she pressing her lips to his skin? He nearly blushed, he was fairly certain that she had no idea what she was doing, but that didn’t really lessen the impact.
Trailing a soft finger over her thigh, he left a trail of heat even through her jeans. He could feel her inhale unsteadily and knew he was affecting her. “Ne, Syusuke-san, will you... will you come and look at the garden?” She was murmuring her question with her lips still a hot brand on his skin. He was fairly sure that she was just pressing her face against his neck in an unconscious need for reassuring skin contact, but it was unfairly distracting.
“I really liked spending time with you there.” She confessed shyly. Fuji was glad that she felt safe enough to do that. He wasn’t sure why or how his... obsession with her had grown so strong but it was reassuring to know that she seemed to be similarly pulled towards him as well.
“Of course. I’d never refuse spending time with you.” He stated, sincerely, pressing a soft kiss to the delicate skin of her inner wrist. So sue him, she was oblivious enough, and maybe sadly, damaged enough, that aggressively flirting with her was likely only going to fluster her instead of enlightening her to his... desires.
He could feel her lips curling up in a smile.
Hariel felt calm, reassured and... wanted? Because of the gentle grasp on her legs holding her up. He was strong, stronger than his delicate appearance would lead people to believe. She could feel his heart beat.
He hummed and she could feel the vibration rumbling through her soothingly. It was... safe, to be this close to him. Her magic wasn’t so much influencing her as it was drawing her attention to what was already happening.
It highlighted the safe feeling she got from his sharp presence. It whispered in her mind of an immense intellect and a certain loneliness which she understood. At their core, they were alike in a way which was so hard for most to understand.
Her by her fame, him by his gifts, set apart from others before they even knew why.
Fuji walked, the silence between them comfortable for all that they still didn’t know each other that long.
Wistfully she stared at two girls giggling together, walking by arm in arm. They were clearly close friends. “Sometimes I wish I had that as well.” Fuji hummed questioningly. “I only have one female friend and she isn’t the type to care about make-up or boys.” Hariel sighed. “Not that I am either, but I would have liked to experience it at least once, going shopping and buying cute things together.”
She blinked, her eyelashes fluttering over his skin softly. “It always looks different from when a boy and a girl walk around together, even if they aren’t dating. I wonder why...” “If males giggle or like cute things they are made fun of. Even if they don’t mind going with a girl they pretend to mind, because it is expected." Fuji said softly.
Hariel frowned. “Stupid, if you liked pink dresses, I’d still think you were cool.” Fuji smiled at her honest confession. “That’s good, Hariel-chan.” Her eyebrows rose. “Why? Doesn’t that just make me weird, it’s like everybody has a set opinion on how things should be except me.”
Fuji turned his head towards her, their faces close enough for her to see the darker blue rings around his pupils. “Pretty...” She whispered subconsciously. “Thank you, you are very pretty too.” He answered teasingly.
Then he turned serious. “I think it is beautiful that you just want people to be accepted Hariel-chan. I am mistaken for a girl, often and I don’t mind. Being female isn’t inherently better or worse than being male. We all have feelings, likes and dislikes. Most people desperately want to fit in though.”
“Why is being a girl an insult with people our age?” Hariel asked. She had some theories, but he seemed willing to explain the complex social rules and she was really curious.
“Because stupid teenage males believe that they are stronger and better than females. It is a stupid, outdated disrespectful belief but despite falling out of favour officially it is still an opinion held by many.”
“So just because males are typically, not even always, physically stronger they are better?” Fuji nodded. “Essentially. They ignore that females can take more punishment, can handle more pain, that they are usually better with emotions and many other things.”
He shrugged loosely. “I don’t believe it at all. Male or female, it doesn’t matter to me.” Blue eyes burned brightly. “My oneesan is amazing and nobody will ever convince me that she is lesser for being female.” Hariel smiled, his obvious respect and love for his older sister was endearing.
They fell silent again, Hariel mulling over the semi-new revelations and Fuji wondering how someone could just miss the complexities of genders somehow. She wasn’t stupid.
“You can let me down now.” She said calmly, as they reached the temple stairs. Fuji slowly loosened his grasp on her thighs, allowing her to slide down to the ground. Hariel forced herself to let go, it was silly to cling.
Before she even really noticed him move, he had already claimed her hand. “Lead the way.” He said calmly. She nodded numbly, guiding him to through the door.
She guided him to the living room, intent on offering something to drink. It was already occupied though. Both her mother and her oldest brother were already home. “Ah, Fuji-kun, hello.” Rinko stated kindly. “Where is Ryoma, chibi-chan?” Ryoga spoke up, concerned. Hariel bit her lip delicately. Fuji pressed a warm hand to the small of her back in support. “Echizen went with Momoshiro, they just missed each other.” His soft voice explained.
Ryoga’s eyes widened, he had only left his upset chibi because he was sure Ryoma would take care of her. “Are you okay?” He asked, concerned but trying not to show it too much. Hariel, for all that she blossomed under care was extremely independent.
She nodded shyly, quota for words mostly used up for the day. “Do you want something to drink, Fuji-kun, Hariel?” Rinko asked politely. “I.. Uh.... water?” Hariel answered unsurely. She usually just did everything herself, and having people fetch things for her was still foreign to her.
“Water is fine for me as well, Rinko-san.” Fuji spoke up softly. Without thinking it over, Hariel tugged Fuji to the couch. She sat down and Fuji followed easily. She let go of his hand, murmuring a quiet apology. Fuji brushed a lock away from her forehead. “If I minded, I could have pulled away. Hariel-chan...” He looked at her seriously. “I will let you know if you ever do something I don’t appreciate.”
Hariel smiled, she found that reassuring.
Ryoga observed the two with interest. He had seen Hariel with Yukimura, but with nobody else. She was a loner for all that she thrived on being with people. This tensai kid though... he seemed to be growing closer to Hariel almost alarmingly fast. It might have truly been alarming if he hadn’t seen the soft smile on Hariel’s face.
“So Fuji, you decided to bring our chibi home?” He asked curiously. The tensai nodded. “I wanted to see the rest of garden and had nothing else to do this afternoon.” He said serenely.
Hariel spoke up. “After we drink something we can go to the garden. I wouldn’t want to keep you for long after you so kindly walked me home.” Her voice was soft and timid. She was tired but somehow she didn’t want him to leave...
Ryoga’s eyebrows rose. Hariel clearly wanted the kid here, even though she wasn’t feeling well. Much like a wounded predator she didn’t usually let people close when she wasn’t feeling well. So what made this kid the exception to that rule?
Rinko brought them the requested water, handing Ryoga an orange while holding a cup of tea for herself. “Fuji-kun, will you help my Hariel adjust to school? She’ll need kind senpai to show her around so late in the year." The honey-haired teenager smiled softly, eyes curved shut as usual. “Of course, Rinko-san. I already told Hariel-chan that I’d... ensure that nothing happens to her. I won’t let anyone bully her.” He told her delicately, heated too sharp blue eyes appearing for a split second.
Ryoga and Rinko nearly flinched back, for a teenager he was for a single second... dangerous. Hariel had the opposite reaction, shivering mildly in pleasure that someone would defend her so fiercely.
“T-Thank you, Fuji-kun.” Rinko said, off balance. The tensai smiled serenely. “Of course, it is no trouble.”
Ryoga breathed out slowly. “Yeah, thanks Fuji.” He added calmly, no need to show the brat that he was intimidating.
“Let’s go, Syusuke-san.” Hariel spoke up cheerfully, excited at the idea of showing him her roses. They hadn’t gotten around to it last time.
“Ah Fuji-kun, you are welcome to stay for dinner.” Rinko said. The teenager nodded in acceptance, before following Hariel out of the room.
Casually rolling up his sleeves he offered Hariel his arm. Her hand settling softly on the bare skin the warm contact soothing.
Proudly Hariel declared. “These are my roses. They’ve grown beautifully over the last few months.” Fuji looked at the flowers with interest. They seemed... larger, more vibrant then normal roses.
He leaned down, delicately inhaling as he brushed a finger over the soft petal. “This scent...” Hariel’s eyes widened. She knew the roses held the scent of her magic, but she hadn’t considered someone might pick up on the difference. In fact, nobody should be able to tell without magic.
“It’s incredibly attractive. Thunder, ash and rain.” Hariel blushed, he could... he could smell her magic. He looked at her curiously. “These roses carry... your scent.” He told her softly.
“R-Really?” She stuttered. He wound a strong arm around her waist, drawing her closer. Leaning over to softly press his nose into the junction of her neck he inhaled deliberately.
Hariel stood still, flushed and feeling strangely hot.
“Mhh, yes. You do smell like your beautiful roses.” He whispered into her soft skin, lips pressed delicately against her pale neck still.
Hariel nearly moaned, he felt good, so close.
“S-Syusuke-san...” He hummed softly, the vibration sinking into her. “What is it?” He asked wickedly, well aware of the effect he was having on her.
He pulled back a little bit, watching the pink blush on her cheeks... down her neck... He drew a line down from her collarbones between her breasts to her stomach. “I wonder how far down you blush.”
She shuddered slightly under his touch. Aware that he couldn’t push too far too fast he reluctantly pulled back a little bit. Her slender frame had felt so good against him.
Winding a slender strong hand into her hair he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. “You have grown wonderful roses. Will you show me the rest of your garden?” He asked gently.
Hariel, cheeks still blazing and magic searing hot and drawn tight enough around him that she felt almost melded to his side nodded in a daze.
“Y-Yes of course." Fuji smiled down at her, eyes open as they always were with her. His arm settled naturally around her waist, the contact hot and obvious as he slipped his fingers under her t-shirt, drawing blazing lines on her skin as he absently stroked her hipbone.
Hariel had a hard time concentrating on showing him the rest of the garden, Fuji smiling down at her serenely as if he had no idea what he was doing to her.
The tensai in question did know exactly what he was doing and nearly groaned at the way she bit her lip and the seemingly permanent pink blush on her face. He had seen her swallowing down noise and was pleased that she was... affected by his proximity.
Ending up back at the porch Fuji sat down and drew the fascinating stunning creature down with him. Into his lap.
Hariel hid her burning red face against his neck, but didn’t protest at all. Fascinated by the way her magic turned burning hot and the feelings he evoked in her, even if it was a lot to handle and made her feel a little bit intimidated.
Warm hands squeezed her hips. “Say Hariel-chan, would you like to go shopping for new clothes sometime?” He asked curiously, mind still caught on her wistful comment.
Hariel hummed in confusion, barely following what he was saying, attention caught on the strong body beneath her and his maddening scent of rain and spice.
“I don’t know any girls in Japan, and I don’t have a boyfriend so no...” She answered absently, unaware of the scheming look in the tensai’s eyes.
“Saa...” Hariel clamped her knees around his hips, speaking up without lifting her face, resulting in hot breath skating over his skin as her lips moved against his neck.
Reflexively he grasped her hips tighter at the feeling. “Syusuke-san... why did you pull me into your lap?” She asked shyly.
“It feels natural, safe, to have you close by feels like comfort.” He stated without shame. Hariel’s brain stopped. Safe? As in she made him feel safe? “Oh... I feel safe with you too.” She returned softly, presuming he meant nothing by it. Nobody was ever interested in the freak after all and at Hogwarts no boy or girl had ever been interested in her. Hariel, dense as a brick, had remained blissfully unaware of the increasing interest in her as she had grown older.
Fuji nearly groaned, he could just tell that she had thought he didn’t mean anything by it. He did wonder why she seemed to be under the impression that this was normal between friends.
“Hariel-chan... will you be okay?” He asked seriously, looking into her poison green eyes with heated cerulean blue.
She turned bright red and seemed speechless for a moment. “I..I.. yes.” She stuttered eventually. Fuji, pleased and relieved, tilted her head by winding a pale hand into her long hair and leaned towards her.
Rinko called them for dinner, breaking the spell. Hariel scrambled off him, bright red. Fuji merely followed her smiling at her embarrassed retreat. Sharp blue eyes appeared for a second. More and more interesting, there was no way he was letting her get away.
Hariel blushed and stuttered her way through dinner, still completely caught in the memory of his face so close, his hot touch on her skin...
Rinko smiled at the sight, Nanjirou frowned at the smiling menace seated next to her and Ryoma wondered what was going on.
“Fuji... did you do something?” Ryoga asked suspiciously. His sister wasn’t the type to act like an airhead.
The tennis player merely tilted his head to the side, enhancing his cuteness which often had him mistaken for a girl on purpose. “Me?" He asked casually.
Rinko cooed. “So cute, Ryoga, Ryoma, when are you getting girlfriends, or boyfriends?” She demanded. She wanted more cute scenes. Hariel blushed fiery red at the insinuation that Fuji was her boyfriend. Ryoga looked away not willing to own up to the fact that he had been on a few dates.
Ryoma turned red. “Mom!” He said, appalled. “Oh, are you into someone, seishonen?” Nanjirou asked teasingly. “I don’t think a shy girl would fit you very well... ne Ryoma-nii do you even like soft people?” Hariel asked bluntly.
The cat-eyed boy sank lower into his seat as all the eyes turned to him, blue eyes gleaming at him amused with his predicament. “I don’t know.” He muttered rebelliously.
“Maybe you should get a boyfriend.” Hariel continued obliviously. “I don’t think a soft soothing boy or girl would suit you.”
Rinko and Nanjirou’s eyebrows rose. Fuji, already somewhat familiar with Hariel’s skewed thought process on genders smiled. She created chaos naturally and it was so funny to watch.
Ryoga who had heard about the entire gender debate from Yukimura groaned. “Chibi-chan, I know you consider girlfriend and boyfriend to be roles which can be filled by both genders, but you’re confusing Ryoma.”
Hariel frowned. “Oh... sorry.” She turned back to her plate, pretending to be engrossed in her food. Fuji, never one to let such a golden opportunity go spoke up. “Maybe Echizen would make a good girlfriend. He’d be all cutely embarrassed, trying to hide that he cares with his scowls but still taking such good care of his significant other.”
Hariel looked at him in delight. “Exactly, Ryoma would be the girlfriend, so he can’t get a girlfriend. It wouldn’t work well.” Ryoma watched on in horror. Fuji-senpai and Hariel together made a weird kind of contagious sense. Worse... he could understand where she was coming from but the tensai was just skewed in the head all on his own. How had she found someone who matched her so well in all the worst ways.
Hariel was already well aware of how these things were supposed to work. She had spoken about it at length with Yukimura who had explained why Kirihara had been so weirded out by her comment. She was still Sirius’s fawn though and this pranking opportunity was just too good. She was also protesting gender roles in her own way.
She didn’t believe in restricting things for people just because of their gender. Ryoga, spotting the teasing glimmer in her eyes suddenly pointed at her, halfway through Nanjirou’s and Rinko’s miniature lesson. “You! You already know, you are just fucking with us now.”
Fuji smiled angelically. “It’s an interesting point of view though, don’t change Hariel-chan.”
She smiled. “Okay.” She said happily and went back to her dessert as the rest of the family stared in disbelief. She hadn’t pulled a prank yet since she came over, but from her tales about Sirius they should have expected it sooner or later. They called each other very often and his influence was beginning to show.
Hariel followed Fuji down the hallway to say goodbye. She closed the front door behind her, looking up at him shyly. She genuinely hoped that he really did like spending time with her...
“Syusuke-san thank you for coming over today.” The tensai smiled serenely, stepping closer to the petite teenager who had captured his attention.
He brushed a lock of hair away from her face, leaning over to hug her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Hariel, pressed up against the strong tennis player blushed bright red, then hesitantly wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She laid her head against his shoulder, soaking in the comfort and the happy flutters in her tummy caused by him.
Fuji smirked, satisfied by her willing proximity. “Hariel-chan... can I have your phone number?” He asked, mouth hovering close to her ear, warm breath skating over the shell, eliciting a small shudder.
Hariel hummed. “Mmh? My number, okay.” She said, a little dazed by the heat of her magic and his body so close.
“You never gave me an answer, will you model for me sometime?” Hariel turned bright red, she knew him well enough by now to realize he was completely serious.
She nodded shyly. “Okay.” Sharp cerulean brightened at her answer. “Thank you.”
Fuji left, her phone number added to his contact list.
‘You like him, Hariel. He sounds interesting.’ The neat almost print-like black script marched over the page. Hermione was smiling slightly, glad that Hariel had found someone she liked. She’d never noticed that some wizards had been interested in her, dense as she was. Probably for the best though, they had all wanted Hariel, Girl-Who-Lived.
“It’s good, Hariel will smile more." Came Luna’s singsong commentary. ‘Will you draw us a portrait? He sounds... pretty.’ Came the looping letters in sparkly purple, Luna always wrote in purple ink, which Hariel privately thought suited the seer perfectly.
Face bright red, she started drawing, she’d obsessed long enough that she could draw Fuji from memory, easily.
‘Fuji Syusuke would make a beautiful girl as well.' Purple swirls, then in neat black print. ‘He sounds smart, and mature, I would like to get to know him...’
Hariel smiled, that was Hermione, as always the intellectual rated higher than the visual.
The discussion over schooling was ignored in favour of boy-talk. Or rather, Fuji-talk. Hariel was glad, it was a far more pleasant topic to pursue for her, even if her cheeks almost permanently glowed.
She called Sirius on the mirror. Kind grey eyes looked at her from the shimmering surface. “Hello fawn. How did the meeting with the Japanese magical representative go?”
She sighed. “It was okay. They are firmly against Dumbledore. They ok-ed magical home schooling for me.” She frowned. “I want to go to Seigaku, and now tou-chan is enrolling me, but I’m still... not that good with crowds.” She muttered, embarrassed by her weakness.
“It also means I won’t get to see Seiichi-senpai much anymore.” Sirius frowned, seeing his baby girl upset was never easy. “I’m sure you’ll stay good friends fawn.” She hummed. “My magic likes him, that just... makes me miss him more.” She murmured.
Sirius looked at her, startled. “What do you mean, your magic likes him?” “It clings to him. Spirals around him. It tugged me to him.” She answered shortly, afraid she was doing something wrong. Luna had said it was magicks gift to her, but then why did Sirius sound upset?
“Fawn... does your magic usually do things independently from you?” She bit her lip, nodding hesitantly. Sirius paled rapidly. “Did... did you ever have blackouts?” He asked, in a strangled voice. She immediately shook her head. “No. I never lost complete control of my magic. Sirius... I’m not an obscurial.” She tried to reassure him.
Sirius was still highly upset though. “But you could have been and almost were.” He stated, in a tiny voice.
She nodded. “I... yeah.” She admitted uneasily, afraid that he would think her a monster. “Oh fawn, I’m not mad at you. I’m just upset at the Dursley’s and Dumbledore. You never should have been left with them. Lily specifically put it in her will.”
Hariel blinked, she hadn’t known that. “I... why does my magic like some people? It’s not just friends or family. I love Ryoga-nii just as much as Ryoma, but my magic never tugs towards him.” She asked, confused.
Sirius frowned thoughtfully. “Sometimes... we meet people who are almost destined to be in our lives. It’s not a guarantee, not forced, not fate. It’s... an option, a sign.” He stated softly, grey eyes far away.
“James was my brother, even in magic. That didn’t mean that I loved Regulus any less. But magic just, bonded us naturally.” She inhaled sharply. She couldn’t even imagine losing Ryoma. It hurt too much.
Grey eyes softened, looking at her clearly again. “Magical bonds are a mysterious subject, and most wixen never have one formed naturally.”
“I... can it... alter behaviour?” She asked, a little afraid she had accidentally usurped free will from her precious people. Sirius immediately shook his head. “No. It allows you an instinctive deeper insight which usually leads to almost immediate trust, but the bonds never influence your free will. They can be avoided or broken even. It’s not like they make you do anything fawn. They are a gift from magic.”
She exhaled, relieved. “What about when my magic doesn’t just go towards someone, but also... ah, heats up?” She asked, her face flaming red.
Sirius smirked. “Did you meet a special young man or woman perhaps fawn?” He asked, delighted. Hariel deserved all the love and luck in the world.
She nodded. “I... maybe? I really like him..." She whispered shyly. Sirius hummed. “Lily once described her bond with James, a rare natural one, to be like liquid heat.”
Hariel brightened. “Mom had a bond with dad?” The wizard nodded. “They were some of the rare magicals who had a natural love bond. It existed from the moment they met, but Lily resisted fiercely because James was, in her words, an arrogant toerag.”
He smirked. “So you see, nothing has to happen because of the bond.” Hariel smiled, relieved.
“Can I tell them? None of them are magical.” She asked, unsure if there were rules surrounding magic and bonds. Sirius nodded thoughtfully. “Well, bonds are near sacred to magicals, so you can absolutely tell anyone you are bonded to.”
His eyes widened. “How many people are you even bonded too?” Hariel blinked at him, not sure why he was surprised by this. “Uhm, first Ryoma when I was very young but he already knows about magic. Then Seiichi-senpai when I first arrived in Japan. I met him when kaa-chan made me get treatment for my wrist.”
She cocked her head cutely, ignoring the steadily growing shock in the grey eyes of her godfather. “Then Kaoru-kun, we always run together in the mornings, he’s very grumpy and introverted but we just understand each other. Then Syusuke-san.” Her cheeks grew hot. “My magic heats up around him.”
“That’s... maybe the highest number of naturally occurring bonds every recorded.” The Black wizard stated in quiet shock.
Hariel groaned. “No, nope, I am not special. No way. It must just not be well recorded.” Sirius nearly giggled. “Maybe.” He didn’t think so. “That’s a lot. Are all of the bonds the same?” She shook her head. “No. Not really.”
“Ah well. Yes you can tell them. If they are bonded to you they should subconsciously already be aware of magic because it has been touching them all along. It shouldn’t be hard to convince them.”
She sighed. “I don’t know if I even want to tell them. I should, it involves them as well. I just... what if they react like aunt Petunia?” She asked, horrified at the idea.
Sirius longed to smooth a hand over her soft hair, to sooth the fear. “They won’t. Have faith, magic would never bond you to someone who hated magic.”
She nodded tearfully. “I really hope so.” She was flagging, the day already too long and too eventful.
“Go to sleep fawn, I can see the dark circles under your eyes from here.” The Black Lord said softly.
She nodded sleepily and said goodnight, curling up under the covers.