#kanamari diariko

[athyrabunlord]

LLSHP AU (S) - Yule Ball

Main Story: [LLSHP AU - Yoshiko Tsushima and the Fallen Angel]

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

[FFN link] [Pixiv Link] [Translated to Chinese by plin2290]

Sequel blips: TriWizard Tournament series- [First Task] [Yule Ball]

A/N: Look I’m so very creative with my titles lol. Like the previous blip, this one is just a segment of the whole TriWizard Tournament saga. Hopefully I’ve succeeded in portraying the overall tone of this Ruby-centric sequel series. A lot of elements are related to the Main Story so it’s definitely recommended that you read the Main Story before the sequel. Anyway, enjoy! XD

“This is a flash grenade.”

Ruby gulps nervously, not because she understands what that Muggle terminology means but because of You and Chika’s serious expressions. Chika is seated in one of the couches with her arms folded and her characteristic ahoge drooped, while You is carefully inspecting the object before placing it back into the wooden box.

“Even in the Muggle world, this isn’t something accessible to civilians,” You says thoughtfully, her gaze trained on the item as if she could unravel the mystery. “Chika-chan and I have seen enough movies to recognize it. Even if it’s not a flash grenade, it’s… still a grenade, a bomb.”

“Why would they give me something like this though?” Somewhat frustrated, Ruby begins to pace around the her Prefect dorm, a habit she’s picked up from Kanan since her First Year. “I wonder what Osaka-san and Kazuno-san have in their boxes?”

After the end of the First Task, it was announced that the Second Task would be held after New Year’s. The official only stated that the item in the wooden box is vital to the nature of the Second Task, and that the champion should get to know their respective item before then. Each champion is also allowed to bring one more item with them in this Task, and the only hint was that the two items should balance each other.

Furthermore, there is one special condition that will be announced on the day of the Second Task, and Ruby had an iffy feeling about it so she’d like to prepare for the worst.

But, what is she supposed to do?

“Hmm, no other hint at all huh?” Chika slowly chews on her mikan pastry, her eyes not shimmering as usual whenever she enjoys her snacks, but rather filled with concern for her friend.

“No. I heard the Durmstrang principal was rather upset about the secrecy but that’s it.”

“I guess this is fair. Unnerving, but fair.” You pats Ruby’s head, prompting the latter to smile. “We’ll research more on the grenades, you can count on us! How about the other item?”

“Onee-chan suggested I bring the Kurosawa sabre. Since there’s so much we don’t know about the Second Task, the sabre can at least protect me.”

Truthfully, Ruby isn’t as keen on the idea. She would much rather bring a bottle of Dittany in case she gets injured but in the end, she agrees with her sister that prevention is much better than treatment.

“That’s a great idea, as expected of Dia-san! I bet she’ll be surprised when she sees you in action~” Chika also bounces up from her chair and wraps her arm around Ruby’s shoulder. “Hehe, she doesn’t know what you’ve been working on, right?”

At this, Ruby grins playfully and does a Rubesty pose. No matter how much she practices, she acknowledges that she will never be skillful in swordsmanship. Therefore, at her request, Chika had been more than happy to teach her the complex Charm that makes her Beater bats hover around her like sentient guards. Except, in this case, Ruby has utilized it on the Kurosawa sabre. The last time they dueled in the Room of Requirement, the sword was quite the force to be reckoned with.

“That’s our girl! Uuuaaaah, You-chan, I can’t believe our Ruby-chan’s all so grown up now.” Dramatically, the Head Girl flops against her girlfriend and pretends to wipe away her tears with the latter’s scarf.

“A true champion of Hogwarts! We’ve raised her well~” You picks up Chika and spins her around while pretending to sniffle.

Ruby chuckles at the duo’s familiar antics. The couple never excludes her from their theatrics and she always enjoys watching them interact anyway. Being around them makes her feel happy and at ease, all the troubles churning in her mind evaporating away. You and Chika truly are magical in their own special way.

Not to mention, they’re both very perceptive.

“Something’s bothering you, right? And it’s nothing to do with the Tournament.”

Ruby doesn’t see a point in hiding it. “I’m worried about Yoshiko-chan and Hanamaru-chan.”

The duo exchanges a knowing look. “Right, we’ve been trying to grab hold of them too but they’ve gotten pretty good at evading.” You chuckles quietly at the last bit. Years of running away from the You Watanabe Fanclub must have trained Yoshiko well.

“I’ve talked with Hanamaru-chan, but it wasn’t enough - that’s the bad thing about having my own Prefect dorm, I miss being roommates with her. Outside of my Prefect duties, I try to look for her but she must’ve learned from Kanan-san where the best hiding spots are around the school. There just aren’t any… right opportunities.” Exasperated, Ruby resumes pacing around the room. “The most I’d gotten out of her is that, she kept saying it’s her fault but Yoshiko-chan won’t accept her apology and insisted she’s the one at fault instead.”

This isn’t a fight where she could just make the two talk and compromise. There’s no side to coax into admitting fault and apologize, not when both parties believe they’re the guilty ones. Both are very reluctant to talk about the subject further. Hanamaru had requested her to drop the subject and she couldn’t bring herself to push it. After all, Hanamaru had never asked her for anything, so how could she refuse?

“You just focus on the Second Task. Leave Hanamaru-chan to You-chan and I!” Chika pumps up her fist. “No one can evade our MVP Seeker for long! And I’m sure Riko-chan can grab hold of Yoshiko-chan and talk some sense into her.”

Ruby trusts the duo and her future sister-in-law, she really does, but it’s gnawing away at her conscience that she hasn’t been helpful towards her best friends. This useless feeling, it’s all too familiar, like how things were years ago back in the Estate.

“Aww, don’t make that face, Ruby-chan! You have a lot on your plate and you’ve already tried your best, cheer up!” Chika’s smiles then shifts to a mischievous one. “Don’t you have something else urgent that’s coming up very soon?”

You catches the drift and snickers. “Oh yes, the fun stuff~ I heard you have gained quite a bit of following after your awesome performance at the First Task~”

Ruby twitches uncomfortably. A tradition that’s existed for centuries, one that each champion must participate. A mandatory ‘task’ that she really doesn’t want to be under the spotlight for.

“So, who’re you taking to the Yule Ball?”

A strangled whimper is all she could reply to that.

==================

“There! How’s Yohane-sama’s amazing skills!?”

“Thanks for styling my hair! You really are good, Yoshiko-chan!”

“It’s Yoha-... whatever, hmnff, as long as you recognize my awesomeness, little demon no.4!”

Even though Yoshiko quickly hides it, Ruby notices that fleeting hesitation and that confirms her doubts. Still, she decides to put that on hold for now so they can finish dressing up. She glances around at all the makeup and accessories as well as the various clothes they no longer need, and acknowledges that this is the messiest that her Dorm has become in a while.

She couldn’t help but smile as Yoshiko poses in front of the mirror, relieved at this arrangement. It definitely is more relaxing to be in her best friend’s company instead of a fan’s. She thought You was joking but there had been several ambushes in the preceding weeks, including the time she almost drank a glass of juice that has Love Potion in it! It was downright scary!

Is it really such a big deal, to be featured on the front page of the Daily Prophet as a champion’s partner?

After much consideration, Ruby had originally asked Riko to accompany her for many reasons. Even though You and Chika had volunteered, Ruby did not want to split the couple especially since this is their last year at Hogwarts. Riko was in charge of performing with the piano so Ruby would only have to open the dance floor as Hogwarts’ champion and she is done. It would also be nice to spend time with her future sister-in-law, showing their closeness under public scrutiny. Neither Dia nor Riko has expressed concerns for the public’s opinion of their engagement but Ruby still wants to show her support whenever there’s an opportunity.

But then, Yoshiko had demanded to accompany Ruby. In spite of her best friends’ situation, Ruby had hoped that Hanamaru and Yoshiko would go to the Ball together. What surprised her more though, is the fact that Leah asked Hanamaru and the latter agreed. It didn’t seem like Leah got along with any of her schoolmates, at least the ones within Durmstrang’s entourage, but she did not expect Leah to ask Hanamaru of all the people.

Sighing, Ruby half-heartedly fixes her cloak and tries to ignore the weird feeling in her chest. Ever since this strange turn of events, she’s been feeling restless and confused. She doesn’t get annoyed often, which is why she has no idea how to deal with this tension in her body. True to their words, You and Chika had hunted down Hanamaru, and Riko had a long chat with Yoshiko as well, but Ruby has yet to see any improvement in their situation. Why else would Yoshiko go with her and Hanamaru still going with Leah? And Yoshiko hadn’t complained that her girlfriend was going with someone else. Just what’s going on? This doesn’t make any sense!

“Why the serious expression, Ruby? The fallen angel-”

“Yoshiko-chan. Tell me what’s going on between you and Hanamaru-chan. Please.”

It’s now or never. Ruby feels awful for ruining the merry atmosphere but she can’t bear it any longer. As expected, Yoshiko’s grin drops but she continues to stare at her reflection in the mirror. Ruby patiently remains silent as her friend fiddles with the ribbons and puts on her earrings. The raven-haired girl then reaches up for the quill affixed in her bun but stops at the last moment and leaves it be.

“... I guess it’s been long enough. Lily’s urged me to talk to you about it but…”

Ruby panics at the sight of shimmering tears in her friend’s eyes but Yoshiko irritably wipes them away with her gloved hand.

“Goddamit. It’s just hard to talk about, especially… to you.”

“Me?” Ruby hasn’t expected that, and is more than startled when Yoshiko whirls around and enters her personal space in one swift stride.

“Who am I, Ruby Kurosawa?”

The husky tone and the proximity cause her to cringe and instinctively clutch at her chest. Her heart quickens in fear in spite of her mind inwardly screaming otherwise.

“... I’m sorry. I just wanted to see your reaction.” Yoshiko murmurs sadly and backs away, returning to her spot in front of the mirror.

“Y-Yoshiko-chan, that’s not… I didn’t mean-” Ashamed, Ruby tries to ignore the prickling ache from the scars of sectumsempra and boldly places a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder. Yoshiko smiles slightly at that, but the sight just makes her feel worse.

“It’s okay. I thought I’ve gotten over it. I thought we’ve all gotten over it, but it’s not that easy is it?” Yoshiko gingerly touches the mirror’s surface, her fingers trailing the shape of the quill before clenching into a fist. “I am Yoshiko. But I am also Yohane. I’ve accepted that. Or I thought I did.”

“Yoshiko-chan-”

“Things were going so well, y’know, between Hanamaru and I. Both of us, we thought we’ve moved on. But then, this one time, when we were kissing and things were getting heated between us, she… started crying. She was horrified and kept apologizing for thinking of...”

Ruby feels cold. No wonder this has been so difficult for her two friends to talk about. Back in their Second Year, Hanamaru had confided in her that she would involuntarily recall the first kiss she shared with the Yoshiko she fell in love with, and how guilty and conflicted she felt about being so intimate with the Yoshiko now. Ruby had tried her best to reassure her friend and always made sure to give the two privacy to sort things out, so things had never escalated to this point.

It was already painful to put herself in Hanamaru’s shoes, let alone Yoshiko’s.

“I told her it’s not her fault but, well, I’m just… I don’t know what to do anymore,” Yoshiko chuckles dryly and turns away from the mirror at last. “I love her, Ruby, but maybe she loves the Yoshiko I used to be more.” Yoshiko closes her eyes and shakes her head. “No, I shouldn’t doubt, I shouldn’t… I-I’m sorry to just dump this on you-”

Not knowing what else to do, Ruby hugs her friend tightly. “I’m the one who made you talk, Yoshiko-chan. I’m sorry I’m not helpful at all. It’ll be very hard, I understand that, but things cannot go on like this. I’ll be there if you two need an extra voice, anything, but please promise me you’ll talk to her. I w-will too. You’re both too important to me, I refuse to let the past get in the way of my best friends becoming h-happy.”

“Hey now, why’re you the one crying? You’re messing up my masterpiece!” Yoshiko laughs, sniffling hastily and hands over a handkerchief to Ruby. “Thank you though. I… I really appreciate it. I needed that. I really, really am grateful.”

Ruby smiles weakly, forcing away that horrible memory of Yohane almost killing her to the back of her mind. She needs to be strong, especially now.

“Heh, I remember you used to be a lot shorter than me.” Grinning, Yoshiko mischievously pats her head before tugging on her side ponytail. “Not anymore though. You’ve grown into your princely outfit for sure.”

“I’d r-rather wear a dress like you do. I look weird! Even the outfit I wore to the Banquet in our First Year is better than this…”

“What, you’re doubting Yohane-sama’s fashion sense? Trust me, you look great. Those two Gryffs will be all over you, not to mention your little fanclub-”

“Yoshiko-chan!”

“Fine fine. Why don’t you escort the great fallen angel to this Yule Ball and show the rest of the mortals what dancing truly is?”

Ruby stands straighter and chivalrously takes her partner’s hand, finding herself relaxing now that Yoshiko is smiling again. The expression still looks a bit stiff and her eyes are clouded with doubts, but overall she appears more relaxed at least.

The Christmas Banquet in their First Year was when her two best friends finally faced their feelings and confessed. Ruby fervently hopes that the magic of such dance would bring them back together once more.

====================

“They seem to be having fun.”

Ruby couldn’t help but mumble as she and Yoshiko sway along the waltz. It probably looks comical for any onlookers, that their attention is not on each other but on another pair. Indeed, after the first dance that each champion is obligated to start off the night, Leah and Hanamaru have remained on the dance floor and are seemingly absorbed in each other.

At first, the Durmstrang champion looks just as placid as she always does. She seems to despise the spotlight being on her just as much as she dislikes dancing for the formality of the Tournament. However, she is now chuckling at something Hanamaru said. That’s a positive expression, one that Ruby has never seen before. When did they get so close?

“That’s just the way Zuramaru is. She’s good at making us loners open up.”

Ruby frowns at Yoshiko, tugging so that the latter is close enough to hear her whispered words. “Even with the situation between you two, I don’t see Hanamaru-chan just agreeing to being Kazuno-san’s partner. It’s not like her.”

“Well, I agree this isn’t like her, but maybe she just wants to get her mind off of things. Maybe that Durmstrang champion has something I don’t?”

Ruby deliberately steps on Yoshiko’s foot, earning an angry yelp. “None of that, Yoshiko-chan. I was going to wait until after they finish dancing to get you two to talk, but I think enough time has passed.”

“W-Wait, now? But, what should I say?”

Yoshiko’s uncertain expression softens Ruby’s heart, but she recalls their earlier conversation and steels her resolve. “What you said to me. Knowing Hanamaru-chan, she would understand. If she continues to apologize, you just need to hug her and express your feelings until she can’t possibly think of anything else.”

“... where did you-? I’m gonna tell Dia-san that Kanan and Mari have been teaching you unnecessary things. Or was it those dunderheads?”

Ruby blinks. “What’s wrong with hugging? You-san and Chika-san hug all the time, they would cheer each other up that way.”

Yoshiko still looks dubious for some reason but sighs and nods. “Alright. Let’s go for it.”

After giving her friend’s hand one last encouraging squeeze, Ruby leads her around the crowd and towards the dancing pair. Leah’s expression darkens as soon as she notices her, which inexplicably irks her.

“What do you want?”

The Durmstrang champion is clad in a formal outfit fancier than her school uniform. The furred cloak is styled over one shoulder, with the school’s double-headed eagle embroidered proudly over the velvet scarlet. Her shoulder length hair is pulled to a sleek low ponytail, giving her a refreshing and regal demeanor in contrast to her usual slightly unruly appearance. If it weren’t for her vicious scowl and biting tone, she would have passed as a foreign royalty.

Hanamaru, dressed in a pretty but simple dress of white and dark crimson, drops her gaze nervously at their approach. If it weren’t for Leah’s tight grip on her wrist, she might have bolted from the dance floor. Ruby wistfully reminisces how she used to be the one fleeing from confrontations and Hanamaru being the one to give her courage.

Taking a deep breath, she firmly steps forward and reaches for Hanamaru’s hand.

“Kurosawa, what’re you-”

“Couples should spend the rest of the night together.”

“Ruby-chan, I-”

Ruby simply gives her dear friend a soft smile before nudging her towards Yoshiko, who’s been standing awkwardly to the side. Just as Leah is about to reclaim her partner, Ruby loops one arm around hers and drags her away. Soon, other dancing pairs obscure her view of her best friends but she trusts them to at least try to make it through one song together.

If glares could murder, Ruby is certain Leah has killed her a dozen times already. “You’ll pay for this!”

“I do apologize for interrupting your night with Hanamaru-chan, but-”

“Ha! I don’t really care, Kurosawa, but your friend’s stories are entertaining at least. Between a dreadful night with an eyesore, like you, she’s the better alternative.”

Frowning, Ruby tries to ignore the insult. “Stories?”

“Yup. She won’t stop talking about you and that girl… her girlfriend, I assume?” Leah rolls her eyes. “Like I said, rather than useless chatters, I do find her stories interesting.”

“I see… that’s why you asked her to the dance?”

“That’s right. She did Disarm me that time in the hallway. More impressive than you anyway.” Leah trails off, glancing between their connected hands and the fact that they’re swaying to the ballad. “... are we dancing?”

“Oh. I suppose we are-?” Truthfully, Ruby hasn’t realized that she’s taken the lead position with one arm loosely wrapped around Leah’s waist. She was too focused on getting the Durmstrang champion as far away from Yoshiko and Hanamaru as she could that the Pureblood etiquette ingrained in her soul must have automatically kicked in.

“This is ridiculous! Two champions dancing together?” Leah tries to back away but Ruby tightens her hold, worried that the former might storm back to her friends. “Hey, let me go! Do you have any idea how stupid we must look?!”

“I-I think we look okay, Kazuno-san. Um, in fact, I think you look quite nice.”

“What-? That’s not the point! We’re both donning the formal capes! No other pairs are like us!”

“That’s not true. Osaka-san is dancing with her senpai from Beauxbaton, and they’re both wearing dresses. Oh, Yoshiko-chan and Hanamaru-chan are in dresses too-”

“Have you even seen suits from Beauxbaton? And your friends are weird so they don’t count! Look at the rest of the room, everyone else is in suit-dress pair! Why is my logic not getting through your dumb brain?!”

Ruby dares to sneak a peek around, all the while making sure Leah doesn’t break free. Kanan and Mari had gone to Australia shortly after the First Task but managed to return here in time to attend the Ball. The married couple is putting on quite the performance at one corner of the Great Hall, along with a couple of alumni that Ruby recognized to have participated in the past dance competitions. Unlike two years ago though, Kanan is wearing a satin tux that shimmers in dark violet, while Mari is wearing a lovely turquoise cocktail dress.

Among the onlookers are Chika and You, who look ready to join the impromptu show judging by their excited grins. The Head Girl’s glossy suit must be handmade by her girlfriend, whose complementary mermaid dress gives her a mystic quality. Another quick glance to the unoccupied piano tells Ruby that Dia must have escorted Riko somewhere quiet, perhaps at the various food benches, but she isn’t given the chance to search further.

“Tch, you’re stronger than you looked-!”

The abrupt tug almost causes them to lose balance, but Ruby manages to use the momentum to twirl and dip Leah before returning to their previous position. Quiet applause indicates that there are people watching them and, judging by Leah’s frown, she definitely did not like that.

“I’m very close to giving the proverbial middle finger to the Yule Ball’s decorum and just leave this accursed dance floor.”

Ruby has no doubt Leah would go through with her threat, and a part of her is tired of having to put up with the hostile Durmstrang champion. However, the atmosphere around her is just so nostalgic that she doesn’t want anything to ruin this pleasant moment. Many things have changed since the Christmas Banquet two years ago, but Ruby is confident to say that they’re all mostly for the better.

Her friends are all here and, at the end of the day, they’re happy with their lives. Even Yoshiko and Hanamaru, Ruby believes with all her heart that they can sort through their issue together.

How about herself? She doesn’t know. She’s certainly come very far since the friendless scaredy-critter living a lonely life in the Kurosawa Estate. She’s content with the way things are already. There’s no need for more, just a bit of peace is more than enough for her.

“Let’s just have fun dancing, Kazuno-san. It’s the holidays, so we’re meant to relax. How about a truce, please?”

Maybe her calm tone is finally getting through to Leah, since she only sighs instead of struggling again. “... why do you have to stick to me anyway? Don’t you have a horde of merry friends to dance with?”

“They’re with their respective partners, and I really want Hanamaru-chan and Yoshiko-chan to make up. Things haven’t been going well with them-” Ruby stops herself, wondering if she’s revealing too much to someone who, technically, isn’t even her friend.

“Really? With the way Kunikida kept talking about her, I never would’ve imagined they had any problem at all,” Leah huffs, scrunching her nose in disgust. “And make up? More like make out.”

Ruby looks over her shoulder to see that her friends are indeed kissing. Although, unlike Leah’s exaggeration, Yoshiko and Hanamaru are simply sharing a chaste kiss. The exchange appears hesitant, but at least they’re both smiling at each other and that’s all that matters.

A warm sensation fills Ruby’s heart at that wonderful sight. Her steps become lighter and she really feels immersed in the calming movements of the music now. She has to blink rapidly to keep the tears at bay though, and she isn’t surprised to find Leah deadpanning at her.

“Seriously, are you crying? Hnff, you’re so weird.”

Perhaps the joy has emboldened her, for she blurts out an ongoing question before she could stop herself. “Why do you dislike me so much, Kazuno-san?”

Leah raises an eyebrow, as if not expecting her to be so direct. “I have my reasons, Kurosawa,” she says coolly, “Are we done yet? I’ve already put up with you long enough, not to mention I was unknowingly involved in your little circle’s drama.”

This is probably the longest and sort of civil interaction she’s ever had with the Durmstrang champion, so she doesn’t want to waste this chance. “The music is getting good! Besides, I’m enjoying dancing with you. You’re a good dancer.”

“Duh? Much better than you are. While we’re on this, why are you leading anyway? I’ll show you how it’s done.”

True to her words, Leah switches their position and smoothly demonstrates the movements, each and every step precise yet graceful. Their cloaks flutter slightly at each turn, adding to their dance as if they’re part of the routine.

“See that? Come on, match my steps, don’t be so clumsy.”

Sure, Leah is chuckling at her expense but it doesn’t feel as mocking as it was before. As the melody continues to play in the background, their discussion becomes more light-hearted the more they focus on various aspects of dancing and eventually about wandworks.

At one point, Leah even laughs at a joke she made.

Ruby decides that the Yule Ball and, by extension, the Tournament, aren’t so bad after all.

[iamonion-blog1]

Hhe y a list of my love live ships bam

Muse

-nozonico

-eliumi?

-rinmaki

-kotopana

Aqours

-diariko

-yohamaru

-kanamari

-chikayou

Anyway yea h expect some art or shit,,

[scytherion]

alphabet ask: all vowels :D

nice!!!!!! hello!!!!

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

aaaah well I’ve recently been really into yohachika,, as well as yohachikayou as bros.. and rohaid has recently made me fall back into youriko hell hehehe

diariko/diamaru/diayou are always having a strange hold on me, and a new rikomaru fic on ao3 made me fall for it too,, hahah yall should check it out!! give it love!! it’s called Pastel and it’s a soulmate au with a twist ;000

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

I’m not sure if it counts, but I wrote a nicomaki fic like,, last year? it’s a coffeeshop au and maki walks into the glass door and falls on her face and nico laughs at her. it’s great eli aids in many jokes about nico’s height

as with all of my fics I find it extremely cringey and the ending is real abrupt but hey,,,,,,,, it’s still here on ff.net.. In my defense my fics never really keep on tangent I apolo gi s e

and I’m in the process of making one but I’m not quite sure it’ll finish. (involves alpacas and picnics……)

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

the rwby fandom and kind of the voltron fandom even though I was technically never in voltron but yeAH goes to show hoe bad it was? I still love rwby, but mostly because I’m forsaken canon and ignored all the shipwars :’)))

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

like, from my itunes? there won’t be much recognised from there, you’ll have to give it a listen.

…. and shuffle gives me “miss you” by AAA!! aaah this hard but….. hmm,, it seems like a kumirei song, especially in those future aus when reina leaves to study abroad.. if we’re talking ll, hhoLY shit it’s probably kanamari/kanadia……..

song: x lyrics + tl: x 

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

love live: it’s gotta be my nya child reen she’s just so happy n cute and sporty and also so much potential for puns/bad jokes/headcanons so she’s a lot of fun to play around with in aus…. 

kagepro: kido!! best danchou who is lowkey nonbinary my child……. extremely relatable I’m quite close to them in personality too….. also in the anime the most extra person on earth when speaking to momo…… the mom

hibike: nakagAWA NATSUKI this lil shit is a good passive child who eventually breaks out of her shell and becomes really snarky…… also almost me she’s precious I love her you dont know how many times I pause an episode to screenshot her literal every movement on screen

basically all of them are good for puns and bad jokes and are usually in some way or form, a lil shit

[athyrabunlord]

LLSHP AU (S) - First Task

Main Story: [LLSHP AU - Yoshiko Tsushima and the Fallen Angel]

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

[FFN link] [Pixiv Link] [Translated to Chinese by plin2290]

Sequel blips: TriWizard Tournament series- [First Task] [Yule Ball]

A/N: As per twitter vote from a while ago, I’m starting with a blip in the SequelTimeline (hence the (S) behind the usual tag of LLSHP AU). This is part of the TriWizard Tournament series. I’ll try to keep them as consequential as possible, but the blips’ might be all over the place depending on my muse. We’ll see XD;

Note: This blip takes place a year after ch21 of the MainStory, meaning chikayouriko are FifthYears and yoshimaruby are ThirdYears.

“The Beauxbaton champion has drawn the Ukrainian Ironbelly.”

Ruby Kurosawa could barely hear the noise outside the tent. Everything is muffled except for the pounding of her terrified heart. The Hogwarts uniform has never felt so heavy, so suffocating on her body, and she has to loosen her scarf a bit just to breathe a little better.

Shizuku Osaka gives them a graceful courtesy and holds up the miniature Dragon for the officials’ view one more time. Before it could breathe fire like its real-life counterpart, a swift but powerful Freezing Charm tames the replica, which she then affixes onto her brooch like an ornament.

Composed and elegant, the black-haired Beauxbaton champion is just as what her school is known for.

“Please proceed.”

Leah Kazuno calmly takes a step forward and reaches into the bag to draw her opponent. The petite but imposing Durmstrang champion remains unfazed even as she reveals the miniature creature in her palm for the officials to see. The leopard-like beast has a body full of spikes akin to a cactus, and it is growling warily with its intelligent eyes glancing at its surroundings.

“The Durmstrang champion has drawn the Nundu.”

Ruby swallows hard. That’s another dangerous level-5 magical creature, one that requires teams of highly qualified wizards and witches to subdue! Just how insane is this TriWizard Tournament?!

While she is on the verge of hyperventilating, Leah taps the replica with her wand, stilling its movement through a non-verbal petrificus totalus. Scoffing, she coolly gives it back to one of the officials before smoothly healing her prickled hand.

Fearless and professional, the sharp-eyed Durmstrang champion is every inch the representative of her school.

“Please proceed.”

Ruby tries not to flinch as she places her hand on the hilt of the Kurosawa heirloom, desperate to rein in her composure. After one deep breath, she approaches the official and shakily reaches into the bag. A sharp sting almost makes her drop the miniature beast but she perseveres and holds it up high.

She blanches at the growling replica in her palm.

A human-like head, a lion’s body and a scorpion’s tail. It’s unmistakable what she has to face in the First Task of the TriWizard Tournament.

“The Hogwarts champion has drawn the Manticore.”

Her heart plummets and with it, strangely, so does her fear. A peculiar sense of numbness washes over her, a resigned sort of acceptance that this is her fate and she must overcome it. She glances down at her hand, where the miniature Manticore’s stinger had pierced her palm. The sight of blood, no matter how little, still makes her stomach churn, though it also boosts her confidence.

She had bled way more before, and she lived. She can and will do this. As if sensing her grim resolve, the replica grins up at her before hopping back into the bag.

The Minister of Magic clears his throat, garnering everyone’s attention, though she has difficulty concentrating on his speech. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Professor Koizumi gazing at her with concern, and so she stands up a little straighter and holds up her chin high. She will do her Head of the House proud.

“... that said, we understand these three creatures are highly dangerous and could not be subdued even by teams of trained Hit-wizards under normal circumstances. Therefore, these beasts were specially selected by our Board and collaborators. A warrior from the Goblin Nation, Arkus, has graciously offered his help should it be necessary to stop the Ukrainian Ironbelly.”

At this, a scarred and bearded Goblin bows brusquely, his stance just as regal and intimidating as the massive battle axe he is holding. Perhaps it is ingrained in her upbringing through the Patriarch’s lectures, for Ruby innately feels respect as well as wariness towards the small humanoid.

“And Mr. Scamander will also be on the standby to tame his Nundu, which he has kindly provided for this Tournament.”

Ruby nods at the amiable wizard, whom she has met a few times at the Estate as the Patriarch’s valued guest. Kanan and Mari have talked about him as well, having traveled around the world with the famous Magizoologist a few times last year.

“Last but not least, Professor Toujou of Hogwarts has already negotiated with the chosen Manticore, and the beast has agreed to act only within the rules of this Tournament.”

The ever-enigmatic Head of Ravenclaw gives Ruby an encouraging wink then, prompting her to smile back in relief. Everything seems to be well under control. While the Tournament is known to have caused deaths in the past, surely this one would be all okay with the way the Board arranged for various scenarios.

The officials then exit the tent with the Beauxbaton champion to debrief her, and the remaining adults follow suit to prepare the arena as well. Ruby suddenly finds herself alone with the scowling Durmstrang champion.

“How fortunate you are, Kurosawa heiress. I bet your Professor has already made a special deal for you to win.”

Leah’s expression is blank, her eyes carefully guarded, but her voice is as vicious as poison. Ruby turns to face her peer and she is vaguely aware that her legs are no longer shaking.

“No. She trusts me, and I trust her. Hogwarts will never resort to cheating.”

“Then what was that look of relief on your face?”

“Knowing that there wouldn’t be any casualties among the bystanders.”

Leah’s expression darkens. “Is that all? Aren’t you scared? I saw you shivering like a pathetic rabbit since the moment you entered the tent. You don’t belong here. You should forfeit, for your own good.”

“I’m scared, very scared.” Ruby couldn’t help but smile at the tremor in her voice. She really hasn’t changed much over the years, but she is also proud to acknowledge that she has become stronger too. “But I will not run away. The Goblet of Fire chose me for a reason. Thanks for being worried about me though.”

“You wish. I just don’t want you to ruin the prestige of this Tournament.” Leah snarls, her stance rigid and proud. “Think of the mess if there’s already death in the First Task.”

“Of course, I don’t want to die either,” Ruby’s grip tightens on the hilt of the sabre. “I… I’m scared of pain, I can’t handle it, but I know I can face death if things were to reach that point.”

“Oh?” Leah’s demeanor loosens slightly, as if she hasn’t expected such response.

“I’ve already faced it before.” The faint pink scars from sectumsempra are visible reminders of what she had experienced on that terrible night, but compared to what her precious friends and family have endured back then, this Tournament should be within her ability to handle.

She, Ruby Kurosawa, is Hogwarts’ champion after all.

========================

Judging from all the gasps, cheers and applause outside the tent, Ruby is certain that Leah has succeeded in her Task just as Shizuku had. Both champions did not take more than ten minutes to achieve their objective, which is to retrieve a wooden box that their respective opponent is guarding. Each of them is only allowed to cast five spells, whether it be a Charm, Curse, Hex and so on, and the box can only be moved through actual contact, not by magic. It is meant to test the champion’s resourcefulness, wit and raw magical power, as well as their physical abilities.

Ruby has no plan whatsoever.

Her knowledge of the Manticore is limited to what she has studied in her family library. All those articles talk of how extremely dangerous the violent magical beast is, of how its magically resilient skin render wizards’ spells useless and thus there have only been one or two recorded triumphs against such creature. How is she, a mere Third-Year, supposed to get past the Manticore’s guard?

She stares hard at her wand, hoping to draw strength and guidance from the Holly and dragon heartstring core. She wishes for her friends and her sister to be with her right now, instead of being in this tent alone with her paranoid mind. To be fair for each school, no one is permitted to make contact with the champion, not even their respective Headmaster. Earlier, Chika and You have already tried to sneaked in but were quickly dragged away by their House Head before the officials noticed.

Ruby would have welcomed the Gryffindor duo’s presence. Her bravado earlier has faded enough for the small critter part to emerge, causing her thoughts to sink deeper to the pessimistic end as the clock ticks by. It’s not because she doesn’t believe in her own strength but more because of the countless scenarios against such a terrifying opponent.  She does enjoy the thrill of challenges to an extent, perhaps due to the duo’s influence over the years, so she tries to focus on that positive thought.

“Hogwarts’ champion, please enter the arena.”

Whimpering, Ruby wipes at her damp eyes one last time before standing up. With every step she takes, the fear is gradually left behind and that sense of numbness has returned once more. There is no running away now.

A thunderous cheer greets her as soon as she enters the Pit, which has been modified to accommodate the spectators and the Task. A quick glance reassures Ruby that various officials are stationed around the arena, especially for the guest section to ensure safety. Whatever happens between her and the Manticore will not affect the innocents.

When she walks past the student bleachers, she waves bashfully at the applauding Ravenclaws and searches the crowd for her future sister-in-law. She soon finds Riko and relaxes under her encouraging smile. The House of Hufflepuff is deafening in their cheers with, surprisingly, Professor Koizumi and Hanamaru being the loudest. Ruby could feel her ears burning, half embarrassed but half elated as well at such display of support from her best friend and Head of House.

As if not wanting to lose, Chika and You lead the Gryffindor section in the cheers with their flamboyant banners and Charmed fireworks. It’s over the top, really, but also so very like them. Ruby couldn’t but wave back just as energetically at the Head Girl and the Quidditch star. Passing shadows overhead prompt her to look up and smile at Pana and Lucifer. The two familiars are gliding and circling to keep with her pace, as if to act as her escorts. Fiery words of encouragement soar through the sky after them, providing entertainment for the onlookers. Ruby doesn’t have to glance at the Slytherin section to know that it is Yoshiko’s work, though her peers must have pitched in to help her control this Charm in order for it to work on such grand scale.

By the time Ruby reaches the Professors’ bleachers, she is smiling not just to reassure her friends but also out of genuine joy and love for them and her school. The Hogwarts staff are also clapping politely, some more exuberantly than the others. Dia looks tense but she is smiling as well, with a familiar golden cat draped on her shoulder and a large wolf head peering over the seat beside her. Kanan and Mari must have pretended to be Dia’s pets to sneak into this guest section. At Ruby’s hesitant wave, Kanan howls loudly and Mari swishes her tail like a flag, prompting Dia to frown and tug at her friends’ ears. Undeterred, the married couple continue to make a lot of noise and motions, making Dia sigh in exasperation.

The familiar comical interaction loosens Ruby enough for her to remember to bow in front of the Kurosawa Patriarch and her parents. The old austere wizard is not smiling and only gives her a brusque nod, but those who know him well can see the fierce pride in his eyes.

Shizuku seems amused at the lively display at her entrance, while Leah is wearing the darkest scowl ever. Both champions look disheveled, with Shizuku’s hair ribbon somewhat singed and Leah’s cloak having claw-shaped rips, but at least they appear mostly unharmed.

Ruby allows a quiet sigh of relief to slip past her lips. Her fellow champions made it through and there are no injured spectators. She nods at the panel of referees and the official standing just at the edge of the arena.

“Are you ready?”

With one brisk turn, she takes out her wand and takes one step inside the field of boulders and rocks. A cool brush of magic indicates that a powerful protective shroud must have been activated, keeping both combatants trapped within the arena as well as to shield the audience. At this point, all Ruby could hear are her quickened heartbeats and the sinister rumbling from the enormous beast at the other end of the modified Pit.

The Manticore is grisly to look at, like a creative project gone horribly wrong. Whereas the Sphinx appears majestic despite having a human head and the body of a lion, the Manticore is like a mutated and bloodthirsty version due to its wild mane and rows of sharp fangs. Its scorpion stinger tail is poised high in warning as it paces back and forth in front of the wooden box, her objective. Its powerful paws make heavy sounds on the gravel, its predatory eyes trained on her the moment she entered.

“So this is what I’m up against, a little rabbit,” the sentient creature’s voice sounds disturbingly human without any hint of a growl. “Ladies first then, so the show won’t be over too quickly.”

The insult almost makes Ruby smile in bittersweet nostalgia. Everyone tend to underestimate her and for the longest time, she had believed their evaluation to be true.

Not anymore. I’m not strong, but I’m not weak either. She could feel magic flowing steadily between her hand and her wand.

“I’m ready.” She tells the official without glancing at him. A hush falls over the arena but she could barely feel the eyes watching for. The Manticore is grinning at her, slowly licking its lips. A vague plan forms in her mind and she exhales deeply.

As soon as the wizard signals the start of her first Task, she raises her wand and shouts. “Expecto patronum!”

The amused beast barely moves even as the silver black jaguar snarls at it, an empty threat due to its intangible form. In spite of the confused murmurs in the background, Ruby finds herself smiling as the sight of her Patronus boosts her confidence. She is no longer alone in facing this terrifying monster.

“Wingardium leviosa!”

The huge boulders tremble from the Levitation Charm but only the medium-sized rocks actually float towards the center. The Manticore remains unfazed, even yawning tauntingly at the gradually increasing number of rocks gathering in the middle. Ruby keeps her arm steady in spite of the strain of such area spell and pours forth even more magic.

“Accio!”

Her third chosen spell summons the Kurosawa heirloom from outside the arena and she directs it towards the growing rock pile. The Manticore tenses at last, growling in anticipation and pawing at the ground. Just as the creature begins to run, Ruby yelps a string of incantations, moving her wand in sharp jabs.

The fourth and fifth spell is a combination of an advanced Transfiguration and a Charm, developed by You and herself under Professor Minami’s supervision. Ruby almost buckles from the strain of magical output but perseveres, willing and shaping the rocks into the image in her mind while the sabre acts as a focal point.

Rocks gather and morph around the the sabre, forming a long tail that eventually connects to a massive body with four limbs and an armored head.

Gasps and shouts could be heard from the audience and the Manticore stops abruptly, wary of the animated shape blocking its path. The grotesque replica raises its rocky tail, the sabre’s blade glinting under the sunlight, and lunges at its living counterpart.

Its movements are awkward and jerky but there is undeniable power behind each of its pounding footsteps. The real Manticore laughs haughtily when it tries to swerve around the slower clone and almost got slashed by its surprisingly fast tail. The two creatures crash into each other soon after, tearing and biting and gouging with the scorpion tail. The Manticore is undeterred by its opponent’s body of rocks, clawing and digging through the cracks, breaking the Transfigured creature from raw strength alone. For such a gigantic beast, it is nimble and agile, cleverly dodging the Kurosawa sabre instead of parrying it, knowing the blade would injure it whereas no magic could.

Ruby shivers instinctively from all that noise of the savage fight, though she manages to force her legs to move. She runs towards the boulders, ducking for cover when she hears a snarl rather close by. Worse comes to worst, she still has her wand to protect herself even though it meant being disqualified for using more than five spells. She could vaguely feel the tug of her magic animating the replica and, with a pained grunt, she increases the output towards her creation and wills it to endure the assault longer.

As soon as the boosted Transfigured beast collides against the Manticore, she dashes towards the end of the field. Many times she is tempted to look over the shoulder, to see if the monstrous creature is chasing her, to check if her creation is still standing, but flight mode is commanding her action and all she could to do is keep going.

Almost there.

Her lungs burn from the exertion and her throat aches from the screams she keeps fighting down.

Right there, on that patch of grass.

She almost stumbles at the abrupt cut of magic, indicating that her stone creation is no more.

She dives for the wooden box, tucking and rolling, just in time to dodge the Manticore’s tail slash. Panting, she glares up in defiance at the grinning beast. Its mane is wilder than before, covered in rubble that is doubtlessly from when it obliterated the replica, and its magically immune skin is unmarred by any of the replica’s attacks.

Ruby rolls to the side just as its massive paw comes down on her, sprinkling dust and causing the ground to quake under the force. Before it could pounce upon her though, a silver silhouette leaps in front of her protectively.

Startled, the Manticore could only stare at the proud black jaguar Patronus, which shimmers brightly under its caster’s fearless gaze. The stalemate lasts for a while but neither side relents. Ruby barely dares to breathe, her wand not raised but gripped tightly and ready for action.

“… it cannot attack me. I can just jump through it and rip your throat out,” the Manticore’s fanged grin widens when Ruby glares back even as her legs begin to tremble. “Yet, I find myself unable to move in awe of its power.”

From the corner of her vision, she notices the officials and Professor Toujou already on the standby. Ruby’s friends are all at the edge of the arena as well, blocked by the shield but their wands already poised for action.

The announcer takes a step forward and speaks firmly. “The champion has already acquired the wooden box.”

”Silence, human. You don’t look tasty, but you’ll do.” The Manticore sits down on its haunches and growls menacingly at the wizard who dares to point his wand at it. Professor Toujou clears her throat, prompting the Manticore to relax slightly and roll its eyes. “I know I know, don’t harangue me, Nozomi.”

Ruby blinks when the beast suddenly grins at her. “I concede, Kurosawa heiress.”

A deafening roar from the audience follows the Manticore’s words, drowning out even the official announcement of her victory. Tears well up in Ruby’s eyes but she barely feels them as she finds herself buried under her friend’s tackling hugs.

Miraculously, she has overcome the First Task.

============================

Ruby finds her mind drifting away to blissful peace as she licks at her lollipop. It’s one of her favorite snacks but it’s been a while since she’s indulged herself in the treat. As a Third-Year and a Prefect, she’s decided to cut down on her sweets intake in order to present a reliable, mature senpai image and so far it’s worked. She does miss being in the background though.

Ah, this tastes heavenly!

Smiling, she notices her steps are bouncier than usual as she walks down the empty hallway back to her Prefect dorm. Most of her Housemates are in the Great Hall, decorating the place for dinnertime, while her friends are preparing for the celebratory party later the night in Chika’s Head Girl dorm.

The Gryffindor duo had successfully rescued her from her peers, allowing her to take a little break in her dorm before having to socialize for the rest of the night. Indeed, Ruby isn’t fond of being under the spotlight even though her responsibilities nowadays require her to be. Thankfully, her friends are all very understanding of her, knowing that she needs a little breather. Chika and You claim that they’re going to raid the kitchen anyway, while Kanan and Mari must be catching up with Dia and most likely teasing her and Riko’s recent not-so-secret engagement.

As for Yoshiko and Hanamaru, well, hopefully they’re on speaking terms again. Ruby frowns at the thought of her best friends, wondering what the problem it is this time. They do argue from time to time, but those have all been harmless bickering, something Mari reassures her to be a form of flirting.

However, it feels like Yoshiko and Hanamaru have been keeping their distance, either avoiding each other or always sticking to Ruby so that they’re never alone by themselves. Just what had happened? Ruby would rather that they have heated arguments so at least she could play peacemaker, but this is something else entirely.  

Sighing, Ruby ponders for the umpteenth time about romantic relationships. She does get envious of that special closeness she’s witnessed in her friends, of how happy her sister is with Riko and so on, but she also finds it stressful. There are so many things to think about, and she is doing fine being the supportive role within their group of nine without being attached to anyone.

What’s more to ask for, if she already has her friends and family?

Suddenly, she couldn’t move her legs anymore and, with her feet stuck to the ground, the momentum makes her bend over awkwardly. Flailing her arms for balance, the lollipop falls to the ground and is kicked away by a dragon skin boot.

Ruby peers up to find Leah glaring at her.

“You didn’t even sense me coming.”

Though slightly irked by the loss of her snack, Ruby is more unsettled by how angry her fellow champion looks. “W-Why have you used partial petrificus on me?”

“To test you - just when I thought you to be a worthy opponent! But look at you, your guard is pathetic,” Leah snarls as she paces around Ruby. Since there is no wand in sight, it must have been a wandless, non-verbal petrificus, implying the witch’s skill and power. “Beside, what was with all that earlier?”

“What do you mean?”

“That circus out there! All that cheering, even that dumb Manticore, being all buddy-buddy with one of your Professors! I knew it, there must’ve been a deal going on.”

Ruby says calmly. “I did not cheat, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”

Leah then aggressively enters her personal space, their faces now barely an inch apart. “The TriWizard Tournament is not a game.”

Even though the flight alarm is going off in her head, Ruby is able to keep her voice steady. “I know.”

“Then why do I feel like you’re holding back?”

“I’m not.”

Leah growls in frustration, this time taking out her wand and points it threateningly under Ruby’s chin. “My instincts have never proven me wrong, Kurosawa.”

Ruby winces at the derisive way the Durmstrang champion utters her surname but she maintains eye contact. The silent stalemate continues for a while, neither relenting. Ruby notices for the first time that Leah is actually shorter than her, despite the latter having such an intimidating aura that made her presence so much larger.

Leah suddenly whirls around to deflect a Jinx and easily parries another Hex. Without thinking, Ruby breaks free of the Body-Bind Curse and grips Leah’s wrist before the latter fires off an offensive spell.

“I’m okay, Hanamaru-chan, Yoshiko-chan, please put away your wands.”

Hanamaru looks wary while Yoshiko’s expression is dark, but both lower their wands as they briskly approach them.

“What did you think you were doing, to my friend?” Yoshiko’s husky and menacing tone jostles an unpleasant memory in the back of Ruby’s mind but she forces it away.

Leah ignores the newcomers and continues to glare at Ruby. “So, you can move. You dispelled my Curse non-verbally as well.”

Ruby neither admits nor refutes that statement. After that night at the Estate, they’ve all worked so hard on wandlessly countering Body-Binding Curses. She hasn’t encountered any situation she had to utilize this skill until now.

“Oi, I’m talking to you.” Yoshiko stomps forward and uses her superior height to glare down at Leah. A familiar Ashwinder slithers out from her sleeve and drapes around her neck like a scarf. Leah looks disgusted at the hissing snake and raises her wand the same time Yoshiko raises hers.

“Expelliarmus.”

Hanamaru now holds both of their wands, her expression shadowed by her glasses. “No fighting in the hallway, right, Ruby-chan?”

Ruby swallows hard. Her best friend is rarely upset but it is obvious that this is one such time. “R-Right. Guest or not, y-you’d have to follow the rules here, Kazuno-san. Yoshiko-chan, really, I’m okay.”

Yoshiko huffs and folds her arms, while Leah nods curtly, seemingly taken aback by the turn of events. If Ruby isn’t mistaken, she even looks somewhat impressed as Hanamaru returns her wand back to her.

“You got lucky, Kurosawa.” Leah yanks her hand out of Ruby’s grip, reminding the latter that she’s been holding it this whole time. “Heed my words - I will be the victor in the end.”

Ruby exhales tiredly, watching her fellow champion storming down the hallway with the fur cloak billowing behind her. Durmstrang seems like a stressful environment to study in, or is there more to Leah’s drive in winning the Cup?

“Are you okay, Ruby-chan?”

“Yeah, just surprised and exhausted,” she smiles weakly at Hanamaru, noting the deliberate space between her and Yoshiko. Her two friends aren’t looking at each other and the tension is thick. She also notices that Lucifer is nestled in Hanamaru’s hood instead of Yoshiko’s like usual. Seraph the Ashwinder flicks its tongue at Ruby’s questioning gaze and nods imperceptibly before hiding under its master’s sleeve once more.

Ruby sighs again. This is only the First Task, and there appears to be more to come, Tournament or otherwise.

[athyrabunlord]

Summary Post thingy for 2017~ I see no improvement whatsoever maa maa

[athyrabunlord]

LLSHP Interlude2 - Of Feathers and Wind

Arc1: [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7]

Arc2: [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14]

Arc3: [Chapter 15] [Chapter 16] [Chapter 17] [Chapter 18 - sanguinem pudicitia (TBD)]

Interludes: [Carbonado (1)] [Carbonado (2)] [Of Feathers and Wind] [Delphinus (teaser blip)]

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

[FFN link] (up until ch14!) [Pixiv Link] [Translated to Chinese by plin2290]

A/N: Here it is, a Ruby-centric chapter! Surprised? (⌒ω⌒) Yup, this interlude is told from Ruby’s POV, about various points throughout the story so far and her relationship with the other girls, such as \CYR/ and more. And in spite of my simple 5-bullet point outline, this turned into the longest chapter ever wtf. Hope you’ll enjoy this, and any feedback is welcomed as always! Words: 10,159

“It’s rare that you have a day off.”

Ruby nods distractedly, tugging her favorite lop bunny plushie under her chin and tightening her hug. She shifts a little and smiles when she feels a warm body lying down behind her as if offering to be her cushion. Just as she leans back against the large wolf, her golden-haired companion also flops down against it, making the wolf growl in exasperation.

Ruby giggles at Kanan and Mari’s interaction, grateful for their company on an otherwise inane day at the Kurosawa Estate. It’s rather pitiful that she has no idea what to do with her free time, having very little of that in all her fourteen years of life.

Hobby? She does like creating things, whether it is plushie toys or adding accessories to her own clothing, but it’s getting more difficult to hide them. There is no trustworthy person in the House of Kurosawa, especially the house-elves. It’s not because they have bad intentions or anything, but rather they are under strict orders to obey their masters and mistresses. The word of the patriarch, her grandfather, is absolute. Even Father and Mother cannot defy him.

Friends? Ruby has no friends. Unlike some Purebloods or Half-bloods who go to community schools prior to entering Hogwarts or other magical schools, she learns magic under various instructors’ tutelage. Due to her jam-packed schedule, she is unable to mingle with other peers let alone go out to have fun. She grew up watching the lonely silhouette of Dia’s back and learns to suppress that destitute feeling herself.

It’s only recent years that Ruby notices the change in her older sister’s demeanor. As soon as Dia earned her private compound after becoming a Prefect, she constructed a small garden as if in defiance of the family’s pre-set structure. Also, unbeknownst to their large family, she modified the spells to the perimeter in order to allow secret entry for her two best friends.

Mari Ohara and Kanan Matsuura, the two friends who have made Dia smile, are now keeping Ruby company as per her request. At first, Ruby feels awkward around such strangers, knowing they are just doing her sister a favor. But as time goes on, she could sense that they are genuine in trying to help out the Kurosawa siblings. In a way, they are a bridge between the sisters.

“Hehe, that bunny sure looks like Dia~”

Ruby smiles up at the smirking Mari. “It is supposed to be Onee-chan! See, I made one for Onee-chan when we were younger, and she made this lop bunny for me.”

“Daww, if only we could sneak you over to her side of the compound right now…”

Kanan huffs and paws at the tatami in agreement.

“Thank you, but I don’t want to risk you two getting caught.”

The house-elves have turned a blind eye to the two visitors, as they had entered Ruby’s room in their Animagus forms. Their orders are to keep unauthorized people out of her room, and nothing about animals, so on this technicality they are able to keep up with this arrangement. Ruby isn’t sure what their response would be if they were to leave the room, so it’s better to play safe.

“Such a cute little sister~ I’d love to adopt you but that overprotective condensed carbon would have my head, teh-heh.”

Truthfully, Ruby enjoys being pampered by Mari. Both she and Kanan are rather forward in their physical affection, something Ruby yearns for from her older sister but she could only recall a few instances that Dia ever hugged her.

After all, such open displays of emotions are not allowed in their proud Pureblood household.

Dia has always been strict towards her, unyielding and perhaps even harsh in reprimands, yet Ruby could feel that her sibling truly cares about her. All those countless times Dia would slip snacks to her, sneak into her room to read storybooks to her whenever she had nightmares, and all the times she would speak on her behalf in risk of punishment.

Ruby just doesn’t know how she could ever return such gesture. Anything she can do, Dia definitely can do too. Just how can she help her sister, if ever?

“So, just how much free time do we have?”

“Hmm, until dinner time I think? My tutor had an emergency that requires his immediate presence so he would not be available for this whole week. Father said I should use this freed-up time to prepare for next week.”

“Next week huh… my my, even Ruby-chan is going to Hogwarts now~” Mari caresses the younger girl’s hair. “How time has flown by, ne, Kanan?”

The wolf lets out a sharp bark, its unusually long tail wagging and practically sweeping the tatami.

“Yes, I’ll… finally be able to leave here and join Onee-chan at Hogwarts.” Ruby unconsciously sinks against the wolf even more and smiles appreciatively when Mari wraps a comforting arm around her.

“We’ll have so much fun together! Although, as per Dia’s request, you’ll have to pretend that you don’t know us, okay?”

Ruby pouts. “I don’t understand. Sure, I know why we have to be so secretive here, but why at Hogwarts too?”

“You never know who’s watching. Besides, Dia was… well, you have heard about unknown assailants going after her right?”

“Again!?” Ruby covers her mouth after the loud squeak, hoping that hadn’t caught a house-elf’s attention. “I thought that hasn’t happened for years, and the previous assailants have long been identified and caught…”

“Yes, but these are new enemies. Unlike the past cases, these new ones don’t seem interested in ransom, or damaging the Kurosawa name - they are keen to capture Dia alive. The way they move and cast magic… there’s something off about them. Very off.”

“T-Then, I’m sure Grandfather can figure out something and-”

“No.” Mari’s surprisingly firm voice makes Ruby wince. The older girl smiles sheepishly and softens her voice. “There’s a reason, a reason we can’t divulge, but it’s necessary to keep this a secret just between the three of us. The most I can tell you, Ruby-chan, is that this is the problem Dia’s facing. She doesn’t want to endanger you.”

“I-I can take care of myself though…”

“We know, dearie. We’ve tried persuading Dia, oh believe me, but you know how obstinate that penguin is~” Mari shakes her head, only to yelp when the furred form behind them transforms and causes her to lose balance. “Oi, Kanan!”

The ponytailed girl winks at her and gives Ruby a brief hug. “We need to keep our status as unregistered Animagi a secret as well. This gives us a lot of advantages to staying undercover - although, those attackers have already labeled me as Dia’s guard dog or even the school’s hound or something. Of course, we’ll try to keep contact as much as possible, hmm?”

“Okay…” Though still sad, Ruby relaxes in the older girl’s embrace and tries to suppress her trepidation. She truly enjoys Kanan and Mari’s company, that they are able to fill in the lonely void, but it just isn’t the same as having her Onee-chan around.

The older they become, the harsher the House of Kurosawa is at disciplining them. Indeed, this week is very rare for her, since her daily schedule is usually filled back-to-back with very little room for rest. Perhaps, her grandfather and the other elders have finally given up on her? Deeming it useless to train her because she will never be able to catch up to her sister anyway?

Such thought makes her feel both relieved and frustrated at the same time.

As if sensing her concern, Mari joins the hug and whispers encouragingly. “You have the potential. Just ignore whatever those geezers tell you! You’re a strong witch, Ruby-chan, perhaps even stronger than Dia in a way.”

Ruby blinks, unable to comprehend such concept. “Me? Stronger than Onee-chan? How is that p-possible? T-There are so many spells I can’t even cast…”

“You’ll see someday, Ruby,” Kanan chuckles warmly and also pats her head. “Believe in yourself.”

“Uyu…” Still confused, Ruby allows herself to relish in the older girls’ comforting warmth since she won’t be able to enjoy it once she goes to school. She’s used to being alone, so even if she’s unable to make any friends in Hogwarts, she should be fine, right?

Really, that dull ache in her heart is nothing more than a minor inconvenience. She just needs to keep up a good front, be the Kurosawa that her family’s raised her to be, and eventually becomes strong enough to assist her sister. Yes, that should be her goal. Otherwise, she has nothing to motivate her, nothing to work for.

What does Ruby Kurosawa want to do? She doesn’t know.

Suddenly, Kanan and Mari transform into their Animagus forms so fast that Ruby barely has time to steady herself. As she watches the wolf and cat slip out of the room, presumably off the porch and into the bushes, she realizes that someone must be coming.

Taking a deep breath, she greets the Head of the House with a courteous bow. “Grandfather.”

The maroon-haired wizard nods curtly and gestures for her to stand up. Though wizened with age, the tall Kurosawa patriarch exudes a powerful and fearsome presence. His emerald eyes are just as sharp as a cunning predator, always watching and calculating. It is through his contributions and achievements that the House of Kurosawa is able to become one of the most prestigious Pureblood families in the magical world.

Though retired now, the former Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot still holds great influence and many from the Ministry continue to seek his advice. Ruby rarely sees the busy man one-on-one and only interacts stiffly with him during family meals.  

Therefore, for him to show up here in the afternoon, he must have a few choice words to deliver in person prior to her attendance to Hogwarts. Ruby prepares herself for a lecture about upholding their family prestige.

What is in a surname anyway? What does it matter if you are a Pureblood or not? You are your own person, not a puppet to a mere name. She knows fully well just how much her extensive family has contributed to society, whether as accomplished Aurors, Curse Breakers for Gringotts Bank and more. But surely, those relatives are talented because of who they are individually, not because they’re members of the Kurosawa family.

As the patriarch begins his speech, Ruby’s attention begins to wander in spite of her best effort to listen. She glances at the grand painting on the wall, a painting that every member of the main House has in their chamber.

The Black Jaguar is the representative animal for the House of Kurosawa. Proud and stealthy, the predator hunts with its cunning and prevails even in the darkest of the night, fast like the wind. Independently strong with powerful bites that can pierce even armored reptiles, the Jaguar is the Kurosawa founder’s Animagus form. Every member of the family is acquired to learn powerful offensive spells that can penetrate an opponent’s shield Charms, but Ruby has yet to master any.

After all, the Black Jaguar is everything Ruby Kurosawa is not.

No matter how you look at it, Dia resembles the graceful Black Jaguar more than Ruby could ever be.

She gazes at the slightly ajar door, where the wolf and the cat had gone. At least, Dia is no longer completely bound by her duties. As soon as she becomes an adult and graduates from Hogwarts, she should be able to gain enough freedom and assert a certain amount of power, especially with great friends like Kanan and Mari by her side.

Ruby wonders if she would ever get to experience that.

“Ruby Kurosawa.”

She flinches at the patriarch’s deep voice.

“S-Sorry, Grandfather, I w-was just nervous that I would not d-do well and-”

“It is unbecoming for a Kurosawa to lie,” the wizard’s austere demeanor is rather suffocating. “Weakness is not tolerated. You will hold your head high and speak in a clear voice when you join the House of Slytherin in your Sorting next week. Your older sister has fulfilled my expectations - I expect no less from you. Do you understand?”

She has to clench her fists so hard so that the pain would keep her focused. It takes all her willpower to not stutter as she replies with a louder tone. “Yes, I understand, Grandfather.”

No, she does not.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ruby could faintly feel herself smiling as she turns and stretches in her cozy bed. Under layers of patchwork quilts and amazingly soft pillows, she is ready to hibernate for a long time! Alas, the biological clock due to her strict upbringing prevents her from falling back to sleep. With a reluctant sigh, she crawls out of the bed and goes about her morning routines.

In spite of just leaving the warm covers, she does not feel the morning chill at all because of how comfortable the Hufflepuff Dormitory is. Though located in the cellars, the chambers are Charmed to have the perpetual warmth of the sun and, whenever needed, provide the actual sunlight. Combined with various plants that furnish the rooms as well as the copper-themed decors, the peaceful ambiance allows students to feel as if they are out in an endless field, embraced and sheltered by Mother Nature Herself.

Ruby hums a quiet tune, greeting her Housemates with a timid smile. She holds her chin a bit higher when they return the gesture, but she still fidgets bashfully as some of the other girls inquire about her wellbeing.

Even though nearly a week has already passed since her Sorting, her Housemates remain concerned about her due to the Howler incident. Ruby will never forget how the Head of House, Professor Koizumi, had sternly eradicated the shouting mail, and how her fellow Hufflepuffs had comforted her. Muggleborn and Purebloods alike are protective her and have been since.

This is the Hogwarts House known for its sense of loyalty, fairness, and dedication. Ruby feels quite loved and relaxed here, though she would need time to adjust to this new style of life. Her magical prowess, previously deemed weak compared to her extraordinary sister, is now hailed as amazing and advanced. Already, she finds herself helping out her peers with some of the school assignments, and she greatly enjoys being able to pass on her knowledge.

Perhaps such standards have always been wrong, or perhaps there should never be such judgment at all. As Professor Koizumi told them on their first day here, everyone should be able to excel at what they enjoy and nurture that.

Truly, Ruby is proud to be Sorted into the House of Hufflepuff!

When she returns to her room, she notices that her pet owl Pana is still snoozing on the bedpost. So is her roommate and best friend.

“Hanamaru-chan?”

Hanamaru Kunikida curls up into tighter in a ball, smiling in such a relaxed way that Ruby feels her soul being healed from the sight. Giggling, she shyly prods at the brunette’s cheek. The soft sensation resembles that of a mochi, prompting her to poke even more.

“Ru~by-chan~”

Whining, Hanamaru stubbornly keeps her eyes closed. Pana lets out a sleepy hoot as well, hopping off of the bedpost to nest on Ruby’s pillow.

“Hanamaru-chan, senpai told me that there’s going to be special bread and buns for breakfast this morning! We’ll have to get ready and-”

“I’m up zura!” The brunette rolls off the bed, wrapped in the blankets and all, and bounces a bit before unfolding like an egg roll.

Ruby bursts into giggles and fondly helps her friend sit up. “Your hair’s all messy, hehe~”

“Yours too~” Hanamaru giggles as well and reaches for the comb on the nightstand. “Pigtails today?”

“Yes please!”

“Leave it to me zura~!”

Ruby closes her eyes in bliss as Hanamaru patiently and gently brushes through her tresses. The therapeutic sensation brings a nostalgic memory of a time Dia used to comb her hair, making her smile whimsically. Well, she needs to get used to the fact that time does not go backward. What’s in the past is in the past, and she has such a fun and welcoming future to look forward to!

“All done! Hehe, you’re so cute, Ruby-chan~”

Though Hanamaru is seven months younger, she has that aura of a loving grandmother that makes Ruby want to rely on her. Yet, at the same time, Hanamaru has childish bouts of excitement that makes Ruby want to protect the petite girl.

Like now.

“So what bread? Are the house-elves going to bring them to the Common Room like last time zura? Or! They’ll pop up out of thin air at the Great Hall as usual? Maybe we should really use those rice cookers Professor Koizumi’s set up for us? I’d love to have some rice for breakfast too zura~”

Ruby affectionately combs through Hanamaru’s disheveled hair, enjoying her friend’s fascination with magic. Being a Pureblood, she is unable to relate to a Muggleborn’s amazement at even the simplest of spells. However, she supposes that it is similar to how she feels about Muggle technology. Steel boxes with wheels that run on something called electricity? Small rectangular devices that can communicate with people who have the same thing no matter how far they are? In her opinion, Muggle inventions are so much more incredible than magic.

Hanamaru seems uncertain about things like ‘internet’ and ‘computer’ though. Maybe she should ask Kanan and Mari whenever she gets to see them. She did glimpse them a few times at the Great Hall and around the castle, but there hasn’t been any opportunity for them to talk in private.

As for Dia, Ruby vows to find her elusive sister. She has a feeling that Pana has something to do with Dia, and there’s so much she wants to talk with her sister after all! Such as, the House of Hufflepuff is so much more wonderful than she could ever imagine.

She cannot imagine herself as part of the House of Slytherin, as per all the other Kurosawas.

“Okay, one more try zura…”

Ruby watches with bated breath and inwardly cheers on for her friend, whose brows are furrowed in utter concentration.

“Accio glasses!”

The thick-framed glasses twitch a little but otherwise do not move from their spot on the table. Pouting, Hanamaru retrieves them manually and put them. “What am I doing wrong zura? Mari-senpai was able to summon it from who knows where!”

Having heard all about her after-curfew adventure, Ruby could only chuckle ambiguously. How is she supposed to tell her friend that the enigmatic blonde Ravenclaw is just as skilled as Onee-chan?

“You’ll get better, Hanamaru-chan! It’s a higher-level spell, and this is only our first week at Hogwarts!”

“Right… there are so many books waiting for me at the Library zura~” Hanamaru’s eyes glaze over in reverence, and she’s practically skipping as they make their way out of the Dorm and towards the Great Hall.

Ruby shakes her head in exasperated fondness, resigning to the fact that she’ll have to enlist the help of their mutual friend later to drag Hanamaru away from her Shangri-la.

And speaking of the girl, the raven-haired Slytherin is tapping her foot impatiently by the door.

“Hey! You’re late! I bet Zuramaru overslept again huh?”

Yoshiko Tsushima is an odd person but in a good way. There’s always a special zest in everything she does, a sense of purpose and confidence that awes Ruby ever since their encounter back at the King’s Cross Station. Her dramatic poses and rather comedic dialogues never fail to brighten up her day.

Yoshiko’s sharp gaze sweeps over them and, a moment later, she is fixing their scarves and picking out lint from their hair.

“Geez, you two, what can you do without me?”

Ruby nervously glances around, sheepish that she appears less than impeccable in public. Perhaps being in the relaxed atmosphere of Hufflepuff Dorm makes her drop her guard. But then, she reminds herself that she no longer has to fear any repercussions from her family now. Surely, a bit of mess is okay?

But see, Yoshiko is also a very nice girl. She might hide it under cynical remarks or seemingly aloof expressions, but Ruby could tell that Yoshiko does look out for the two of them, claiming that the ‘two critter-like Puffs need a clever Slytherin to lead them!’

Hanamaru stares at the smirking girl. “Yoshiko-chan, where’s your bun?”

“My b-?” Yoshiko flusters and combs through her hair with her fingers nonchalantly. “The great fallen angel just happens to decide upon a different hairdo today. O Little Demons, it is pitiful that you cannot sense the aura in which the night sky-”

“Ah, I know, Yoshiko-chan overslept too and only made it here just moments before us zura~”

“Did not! As I was saying, the night sky-”

“Let’s go get some of the special bread you mentioned earlier, Ruby-chan~”

“Hey, lemme finish, you mere Zuramaru!”

Ruby chuckles at their bickering, playfully allowing Hanamaru to lead her past the growling Yoshiko as they search for a vacant spot to sit down. Sometimes, Ruby still wonders if she’s dreaming, that she’s able to meet and make friends with kind girls like them.

Indeed, she’s quite blessed here at Hogwarts, especially in the company of her two best friends.

She inwardly vows that she will help them however she can, and contribute as much as she could to the House points as a thank you to the House of Hufflepuff.

This shall be her new goal!

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“For Kanan-chan’s sake, we’ll definitely win the first Quidditch match of the year!”

Smiling slightly, Ruby watches Chika swinging her Beater clubs and shouting in the empty Pit. The bleachers creak a bit as You sits down beside her and joins her in observing the mikan-haired girl’s exercise.

“Kanan-chan was here earlier, flying on her broom but Professor Sonoda saw her and, well, you know how our Head of House is like,” You chuckles quietly, her gaze filled with fondness as it follows her teammate’s energetic movements.

Indeed, the Potions Professor is a strict witch who also has the best intention to her Cubs. “I’m sure she just doesn’t want Kanan-chan to get hurt more…”

“Haha, oh I know, Professor Sonoda cares about us a lot! Did I tell you she’s the one who took us to the Diagon Alley after delivering the letters to us? And years before, she accompanied Kanan-chan too!”

After a few moments of silence, You speaks up abruptly, her blue eyes narrowed in contemplation. “I wonder why Kanan-chan got hurt in the first place though. I mean, she is stubborn enough to not go to the Infirmary for treatment but this is preventing her from a Quidditch match! Chika-chan and I are looking forward to it so much too, so there’s no way Kanan-chan did this just because! There must be a reason…”

Ruby nods, also frowning. Something feels off ever since Yoshiko and Hanamaru brought her to the Room of Requirement, and they began intensive training under the three Fifth-Years’ tutelage. While Ruby is infinitely glad to be able to spend time with Dia, she can sense that they are not telling her a crucial fact.

After all, before her entry to Hogwarts, Mari and Kanan had told her that it was best to keep a distance from them due to Dia’s unknown attackers. Yet now they want to train her to defend herself better?

And why Hanamaru and Yoshiko too? What is she missing? Just what had injured Kanan? Why are the attackers also targeting Yoshiko?

And, why are Chika and You being kept out of the loop too?

“I’m curious too, but I trust them.”

Ruby and You look up to see Chika smiling assuredly at them. The sun-like girl twirls the bats, only to groan in frustration when they slip out of her grip and lands a few paces away. The other two girls chuckle at her antics, and Chika’s smile widens.

After the laughter dies down a little, Chika folds her arms behind her head and turns towards the Pit. “Riko-chan, Kanan-chan and the others, I believe that they have a good reason for keeping secrets from us. I don’t wholly agree with that of course, but I can understand and appreciate their sentiment.”

“You mean, if we know something that might endanger them, I’d withhold the information?” You is about to salute but hesitantly drops her hand. “I guess so, but I’d still tell them so we could all work on confronting the problem together…”

“Bingo! That’s what I would do if I were in their shoes!” Chika pulls a startled You to her feet, hugging her and spinning her a few times. “Hehe, as expected of You-chan! I knew you’d understand me!”

“Ahaha, I am your childhood friend after all,” You grins, this time giving Chika her best salute. “So, the reason we’re not pushing them for details is because-?”

“I still respect their decision.” Chika then holds out her hand towards Ruby, her smile warm and kind. “You think the same too, don’t you, Ruby-chan?”

“… yes. Onee-chan’s always wanted the best for me. I-I’m willing to wait.”

“That’s our Ruby-chan!” You and Chika both pull Ruby up and give her a brief hug. “We’ll wait until they are ready to bring us into the loop. Until then, the best we can do is give them our support.”

“Y-Yeah. I will become s-strong enough so they can depend on me more,” Ruby timidly does a Rubesty pose. She’s seen the determination in Hanamaru and Yoshiko’s gaze every time they practice-dueled against Dia and Kanan. Her friends are driven by something, making them formidable and seemingly invisible in spite of not being able to land a hit on the two older girls.

It’s aspiring to watch them.

“Ah, but you can depend on them more as well, Ruby-chan.” Chika squeezes Ruby’s hand encouragingly. “They are your best friends, just as you are theirs. I’m sure they’d want you to rely on them more too.”

“And there’s us too, Ruby-chan.” You wraps an arm around the pigtailed girl’s shoulder and nods at her partner. “We may be two grades apart, but we are more than just senpais! We’re crewmates of the same ship, aren’t we?”

Ruby bashfully shrinks but giggles at their affectionate gestures. She randomly met You one day when she was running away from the ghosts and the older girl away from her fanclub. Through You, she got to know Chika and they’ve been close ever since. Even though they are not from the same House and the same grade, she finds it incredibly relaxing and fun to be in their company.

As inseparable as the Gryffindor duo is, she’s never felt like an outsider whenever she is with them. That’s just Chika and You’s rather magical charisma.

“I really admire you two,” Ruby whispers as she shyly loops her arms through the older girls’. “S-Sometimes, I just… I just…”

Chika and You patiently wait for her to gather herself, smiling when she gives them uncertain glances. She swallows hard and lowers her head in shame when she finally allows her weakness to slip out of her heart. She hasn’t revealed this to anyone, not even to her bunny plushie or Pana.

“Sometimes I just want to curl up and pretend I don’t know anything just so I don’t have to deal with it all. I-I’m not brave at all.”

“Neither are we, Ruby-chan.”

“Ha ha, we maybe Lions, but that doesn’t mean we’re brave!”

“Uh-huh, it’s more like, we’re impulsive and don’t really think about the consequences, kishishi~”

“Act first, think later, yousorou~”

“Right behind you, Captain Watanabe!”

“That’s the spirit, Firstmate Takami! But, see, that’s why Riko-chan often gets mad at us, ahaha…”

“That’s just our way of dealing with things.” The humor from Chika’s expression is then replaced by uncharacteristic seriousness. “I try to find see the silver lining in things, to make it easier to confront whatever’s in my way.”

“So that you’d find the confidence to walk forward, to hold your head high. Always have a hopeful outlook, Ruby-chan,” You gently caresses Ruby’s hair. “You don’t have to be brave or anything. You just have to be yourself.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to take a break, to stay away from all the hardships.”

“No one is invincible. That’s why we have each other. We know they’ll have our backs, especially during our downtime, because we will do the same too.”

“So, please don’t feel bad for coming here to the Pit for fresh air, Ruby-chan. We’re here, yeah?”

Ruby could feel her eyes dampening under the lovable duo’s warm gaze.

“And you know what? You’re braver than any of us, willing to throw yourself into this without knowing anything just so you could help your friends.”

“O-Of course, they’re very important to me.” Sniffling, Ruby hastily wipes away her tears and meets the duo’s eyes without hesitation. “I’ll do anything I can to help them!”

“Uuuu, our Ruby-chan’s grown up so much, Miss Watanabe~”

“I understand, Miss Takami, she definitely can fly on her own~”

Ruby can’t help but giggle at their parent-like theatrics. She does feel like a weight has been lifted off of her chest. Sharing a grin, Chika and You summon their respective brooms to their hands.

“Speaking of flying, now that we got all that off our chest, let’s go for a race! Nothing beats lifting the spirit than a good ol’ lap around the Castle!”

“Piki?!”

“Come on, Ruby-chan, join us! I saw how you were on your broom - I was there during the First-Years’ first Flying lesson!” Chika pumps her fist, passion blazing in her eyes. “I know both Hanamaru-chan and Yoshiko-chan enjoy flying, but so do you! You also have the most flying experience out of the three of you, so there’s potential!”

“Ever thought about joining the Quidditch team? I think I overhead Mari-chan asking you guys one time,” You smoothly Accio’d Chika’s Beater bats for her. “Dia-san was the reason why I became a Seeker. She was just so amazing - it’s unfortunate her duties don’t give her enough free time to be on the team.”

“I-I actually didn’t know Onee-chan used to play Quidditch until recently, but I-I did know she’s a good flyer,” Ruby nostalgically clutches her hand to her chest. “When we were younger and had more free time, she used to take me to the sky on a specially modified broom that can seat two people.”

“Daww, that’s so sweet of her.” “Then, wouldn’t you like to play Quidditch too?”

“I did consider it, but in the end I-I’m happier on the ground,” Ruby finds herself blushing, hoping her reasoning doesn’t sound silly. “After all, all of you are up in the sky, so it’s better that I’m on the ground so that if a-any of you somehow falls, I-I’d be able to save you.”

“Ruby-chan!” “Ru~by~chan~!”

“Piki!!”

Though flustered, Ruby soon joins the older girls’ laughter. The way the duo treats her is similar yet different than how Mari and Kanan treat her, and she greatly appreciates their support. While she doesn’t understand You and Chika’s attachment to her, she’s quite content with being their cuddle toy. Dia will always be her big sister, but there’s always room for more sisters in her group of family-like friends.

“Oi, what’re you ruffians doing with her?”

Peering over Chika’s shoulder, Ruby notices Yoshiko and Hanamaru heading towards the Pit. The two girls appear disheveled, most likely after another intense dueling session with the Fifth-Years, yet they look strangely proud as if they’ve accomplished a great feat.

“Ruby-chan, we weren’t able to have lunch together earlier, so let’s go have an afternoon picnic by the Lake zura~” Hanamaru happily holds up a basket full of desserts and sweets. “Chika-san and You-san, please do join us too!”

Yoshiko strikes a pose before glaring at the Gryffindors. “Hmnff, be thankful for the benevolent Yohane-sama’s invitation, O Lost Ones. Lily is looking for the two of you, for your unfinished mock exam papers.”

Ruby giggles at Chika and You’s comically fearful expressions then and there, and even more so when they fly away at an incredible speed just as she notices the Ravenclaw Prefect approaching them from a distance.

“I think they’ll be fine. Let’s go have the picnic, Hanamaru-chan, Yoshiko-chan!”

Though puzzled, the two girls smile at her and they each automatically loop arms with hers. Everything will be fine because, at the end of the day, they are all together.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Um, d-do you know where Hanamaru-chan is, Riko-san?”

Riko pauses in retrieving a book from a bookshelf, lips pursed. “I… believe I saw her earlier with Kanan-chan and Mari-san.”

“R-Right.” Ruby’s shoulders droop as she returns her attention back to the thick tome on the table. Her mind, however, is definitely nowhere near the condensed paragraphs of texts.

“You’re worried about Hanamaru-chan and Yocchan, ne?”

Ruby nods shyly, unable to meet the older girl’s gaze even as the latter gingerly sits down beside her. The Moonstruck incident has affected their group dynamic more than she has expected, and the cracks are widening too much for her not to worry.

In spite of recovering steadily, Mari is being kept under watch by an unusually surly Kanan. Having known the two longer than the other two First-Years, Ruby understands that it’s just Kanan’s way of caring for her girlfriend, that she’s simply being overprotective. Alas, Hanamaru is determined to cheer up the older girls and also to train herself harder after feeling so helpless at the Shack.

Another reason is, as Hanamaru had privately revealed to her, to give Yoshiko the space she needs. The Slytherin has been brooding and unenergetic even since finding out that she may have inadvertently killed the werewolf that chased her. No matter how much they tried to convince her otherwise, Yoshiko simply closes off herself and is often wandering around the castle, looking for something.

Ruby sighs quietly. Months ago, she is certain that Hanamaru would have persisted in accompanying Yoshiko. Instead, she even forgoes her books and solely focuses on improving offensive and defensive magic with Kanan and Dia.

Does being a couple change their dynamic?

Prior to Moonstruck, her two best friends had assured her that nothing has changed, and it was true that they acted mostly the same. They had just been more open with each other, especially in imperceptible physical contacts like holding hands and lingering touches. She doesn’t know if they realized it but it was quite obvious how much they like each other just from their gaze alone.

Truly, Ruby is very happy for Hanamaru and Yoshiko from the bottom of her heart. Therefore, seeing them both like this frustrates her, due to how useless she is in helping them. She doesn’t know if she should join in Hanamaru’s training or go look for Yoshiko. Usually, she would be sparring with Chika and You as well to improve her dueling capabilities, but she feels unreasonably exhausted today and thus ends up accompanying Riko to the library.

It’s a nice change of pace in this peaceful atmosphere, and Ruby can appreciate why Hanamaru loves this sanctuary so much.

“I believe they will be fine, Ruby-chan.” Riko’s voice is gentle as she organizes the parchments strewn over the table. “It’s just my conjecture, but I think they are trying to regain their sense of self-worth, to retrieve their confidence, before they can bring themselves to face each other again.”

“I see…” Ruby says hesitantly, half-understanding Riko’s point but not really either. “Shouldn’t it be better for them to stay together, especially during such rough times?”

“Yes, it should be, but that’s something we cannot interfere with. Yocchan and Hanamaru-chan would have to take that step themselves. When they are ready, we can give them the nudge they need.”

Ruby nods in contemplation, using the minimal knowledge she has of couples. Kanan and Mari bicker quite often but it’s mostly harmless and playful, and Dia would be there to play mediator whenever necessary, or so the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had told her. There are You and Chika, whose closeness makes Ruby think of a married couple from storybooks but it doesn’t seem like they are a couple? Prior to Moonstruck, Yoshiko was determined to set them up for some reason, and Ruby is quite supportive of that idea.

If they are indeed a couple like Kanan and Mari are, would they have avoided each other like Yoshiko and Hanamaru are doing? If one of them got injured, would the other become overbearing like Kanan does to Mari?

Ruby doesn’t know, but she dearly wishes to help her friends like how Dia is able to.

“Um, what would you do in this situation, Riko-san?”

“…me?”

“Yes, erm, w-would you seek out You-san and Chika-san to bring them together?”

Riko has an oddly distant look then, making Ruby wonder if she had spoken something she shouldn’t have. “I would… want to, to do everything I could so that things would go back to the way it was, but that’s not up to me to decide. I cannot… force them.”

“Right. I think I can understand that.” Ruby recalls all the instances when Yoshiko and Hanamaru looked like they wanted to ask her about her relationship with her sister, but they did not pry out of respect for her privacy. “T-Thank you, Riko-san.”

The older girl gives her a soft smile before resuming to tidy up the paperwork and books. As Ruby observes Riko, she couldn’t help but find similarity in how she and Dia work. Both are diligent and take everything seriously, that they would shoulder responsibilities more than they need to and they often play the anchor in their year-groups.

Is that what attracted them to each other? While it had never been stated aloud, Ruby has seen the way her sister looks at Riko, especially during the Banquet, and their respective reactions at Riko’s Patronus.

Truthfully, Ruby is rather envious of how the pretty Ravenclaw has captured Dia’s heart. She always feels like she hasn’t spent enough time with her sister, even though it’s already more than she could’ve imagined compared to back at the Kurosawa Estate. Therefore, it’s as if Riko had taken what remains of Dia’s free time away from her…

Alarmed, Ruby shakes her head and guiltily lowers her head for even thinking of such horrid thought. Riko makes her sister happy, that’s the most important thing!

“Are you okay, Ruby-chan?”

“Piki! U-Um, I was just thinking, um, it’s nothing!”

Ruby feels even more ashamed under Riko’s concerned gaze and squeaks when the latter places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I… um, if you’re okay with it, I’d be more than happy to h-help you with any problem-?”

Riko’s voice is rather uncertain, though for some reason that makes Ruby think of her sister and words slip out of her mouth before she realizes it.

“How are things between you and Onee-chan?”

“Dia-san and I-?”

Deeming it already too late to salvage the situation, Ruby nods nervously and tries to meet Riko’s eyes. “Y-Yes. I k-know Onee-chan’s busy ever since the incident at Hogsmeade, so you probably haven’t had the chance to meet often-?”

“It’s true, we are both quite busy but we try to meet as much as we could. She’d send me letters and…” Riko trails off, blushing and averting her gaze. “Why do you ask?”

Ruby wasn’t expecting the normally composed Ravenclaw to become flustered like this. Envy is slowly overcome by curiosity as she peers at the older girl. “I’ve never seen Onee-chan like that with anyone. She’s happy with Kanan-chan and Mari-chan but it’s different with you, Riko-san.”

“S-She is?” Riko’s cheeks darken and she seems to be lost in thoughts for a moment. Then, as if making up her mind, she squirms a bit before whispering. “May I ask you something, Ruby-chan?”

“What is it?” Ruby sits up straight, surprised and certainly unprepared for what Riko does next.

“T-This… this is more than just a gift, isn’t it-?” Carefully, the Ravenclaw tugs a necklace from under her collars, the black diamond glinting under the lighting. It isn’t just any other jewelry, but the carbonado necklace that Dia had received on the same day she first got her wand. Ruby herself had received a similar ruby ring dotted with spinels and small pink-sapphires during the same occasion years ago.

Such gems are considered precious not because of its value, but because of what they represent for a Kurosawa.

“D-Do you know what this is, Riko-san?”

“Dia-san’s told me that, this is a black diamond thus it represents her, that it would protect me.”

“Yes, every Kurosawa owns a piece of jewelry like this. He or she is supposed to keep the item until…” Ruby gulps, awed by the revelation before her. Any vestige of jealousy dissipates as she finds herself smiling joyously at the blushing girl. “Until she finds that special person to give it to. Onee-chan gave you the necklace because she considers you her other half, Riko-san.”

“E-Eh? Ehhhhhhh?!” Riko hastily covers her mouth, glancing around her to see if anyone’s looking their way. Thankfully, the library is quite empty on a sunny day like this. “I-I mean, I know of its importance, a-and what it means for a Pureblood to give away a jewelry but, s-still, other half? T-That’s just, I mean, we’re still so young to be thinking about-?”

“This just means Onee-chan is really serious about you, hehe.” Ruby finds Riko’s reaction rather cute. She’s always thought of Riko as a mature and reliable senpai, and now she could see why Dia is so fond of her.

“W-We’re both still students a-and-”

“Well, when did Onee-chan give it to you, Riko-san?”

“… w-when she told me she loves me.” Riko mutters quickly and proceeds to hide her face behind her scarf. Her reddened ears remain visible, however, and Ruby finds herself giggling again. Her earlier bout of jealousy seems silly now, for this means that her family truly is growing.

Dia may be the only one related to her by blood, but she deems their group of nine a family and now, one of them will become even more special.

“Yup, Onee-chan is serious about you. While this is different than an engagement ring-” Ruby beams at Riko’s incoherent stammering and continues. “- it’s still something. A promise ring or, rather, necklace. She just wants to show that she still wants to be with you after she graduates. Of course, that’s just from her, so you don’t have to feel pressured to-”

“But I love her too,” Riko blurts out and, in spite of her fierce blush, her voice is steady and firm. “I want to be with her no matter what happens.”

“I’m happy to hear that!”

Riko seems surprised when Ruby gives her a hug but returns the gesture a moment later. Ruby smiles contentedly at the older girl’s whispered words.

“Thank you for accepting me, Ruby-chan.”

And so it is with bouncing steps that Ruby heads for the Room of Requirement, ready to train until utter exhaustion to celebrate this occasion! Unexpectedly, she only finds one person in the chamber but it’s the person she wishes to speak to the most at that moment.

“Onee-chan!”

“Ruby?” The Head Girl pauses in scribbling something on a parchment and, immediately, Ruby knows what it is.

“Oh, don’t mind me, Onee-chan, I’m just going over there to practice more Transfiguration spells. Where are the others?”

“Hanamaru-san somehow convinced Kanan-san to bring Mari-san to the Quidditch Pit, and Chika-san and You-san joined them,” Dia shakes her head in exasperated fondness. “It is a nice day out after all, for once, and Professor Ayase is insisting that I join my friends out under sun instead of being cooped up in the Castle. You should go as well, Ruby. I will do so too after, uh, sending this letter.”

“Okay! Oh, by the way, Riko-san is free too and in the library right now.” Before Ruby could slip away, she hears the chair squeaking and hurried footsteps behind her.

“R-Ruby? Why would you say that? D-Do you know something-?”

Ruby smiles at her flustered sister. Though nowhere as apparent as Riko had been, Dia’s loss of composure is still visible and Ruby finds that quite endearing. “I was just talking to Riko-san and, well, I’m really happy for you both!”

Dia opens her mouth and closes it a few times, unable to utter a word. She coughs and tries to appear nonchalant. “… what do you think then?”

“Hmm?”

“Of us. Riko and I.”

The lack of honorifics, the quiet tone, and the almost pleading expression are new to Ruby. She’s never seen her sister so vulnerable, and it takes a few moments for Ruby to understand what’s happening.

Her older sister is asking her for her opinion, her approval even.

Ruby gulps nervously, uncertain what to think of this new position, but then she realizes that there is no reason to be. All she has to do is to convey her thoughts in simple words.

Smiling, she reaches for Dia’s hands and holds them firmly. “I think the two of you are perfect for each other. Congratulations, Onee-chan!”

“…thank you, Ruby. That means a lot to me, to us.”

The smile that Dia gives her is the most beautiful one she’s ever seen.

Instead of going outside to the Pit, the Kurosawa siblings then spend the rest of the afternoon chatting about random but fun topics. Even though Ruby wants to give Dia alone time with Riko, the Ravenclaw had responded to the letter that she plans to stay in the library a bit longer and would join them later.

Perhaps Riko notices that the sisters never had much opportunity to be in just each other’s company, and for that Ruby is very grateful. After all, their group of nine is tightly-knit and there are usually groups of three or more at one place at a time. Dia has her own circle, and Ruby recognizes that she has grown up as well. No longer the little girl in her sister’s shadow, and any of the senpais’ protective shrouds, she’s found her place with Hanamaru and Yoshiko.

While Ruby is slightly saddened by the thought, she is also proud of how far she’s come from the lonely critter practically confined in the Kurosawa Manor. Her world has long expanded from just her and her sister, and it will continue to grow.

Dia mentions how difficult it would be for the Elders to approve of her relationship with Riko, but she has prepared herself for the hardships ahead the moment she gave the necklace to Riko. Without any hesitation, Ruby offers her full support in anything she could do in the years to come. Dia is legally an adult and, in just a few more months, she would be officially recognized as a full independent witch upon graduation. Even though the Kurosawa Patriarch’s position remains indomitable, Dia would at least have enough power on her own since she would not have to rely on her family.

If worse comes to worst, she can choose to break away from the House of Kurosawa, like some of the blacked-out names in the family tree had done.

Of course, Ruby hopes things will not come to that, but she will be ready.

Nothing shall stop her from being her sister’s pillar of support.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ruby jolts when something drapes around her shoulders and is about to stand up but a familiar voice halts her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I tried to get your attention a few times but, well, I thought you’ve fallen asleep.”

“I-It’s okay, I j-just didn’t hear you.”

Embarrassed, she gratefully tugs the warm shawl around her shoulders and tries to wipe away any traces of tears. To her mortification, more and more tears keep leaking out and she finds herself sobbing again. Hasn’t she cried enough already? All she’s done this morning is hide at this corner of the Greenhouse to let loose her emotions.

It’s too hard.

It’s too much to wake up in the Hufflepuff Dorm and not seeing Hanamaru’s sleepy expression.

It’s too much to go to the Infirmary and see Hanamaru’s smile while knowing her best friend no longer remembers her.

It’s too much to look up the staircase and not being able to go the Room of Requirement, especially knowing that her sister and Riko won’t be there anyway.

She so wants to be strong for her friends, knowing how much pain Chika and You must be feeling, knowing how much Yoshiko has suffered and still is, and knowing how Mari and Kanan are trying to keep everyone together.

But in the end, no matter how many encouragements she’s received since coming to Hogwarts, she’s still just a crybaby.

“Shhh, it’s okay to cry.”

When Professor Koizumi gently embraces her, Ruby crumbles and allows herself to bawl like she’s never done before. There’s only so much she could keep inside, only so long that she could fight down her flight instinct.

She’s always liked her Head of the House. The Muggleborn witch rather reminds her of Hanamaru, serene and infinitely patient, but also gets childishly excited when it comes to certain things. Such comparison makes her heart ache even more, and she clings tighter to the maternal woman.

She doesn’t how long she’s stayed like that, relishing in the protective hug and rhythmical caresses on her back. Sniffling, she reluctantly pulls away and tries to clean away the mess she’s made on the Professor’s dress.

“I-I’m sorry, I d-didn’t mean to just-”

The ochre-haired witch only gives her a kind smile. “There’s nothing wrong with crying. In fact, I’d be even more worried if you aren’t crying.”

Confused, she peers up at the Professor, who taps the ground with her staff and seems to beckon the magical plants with her magic. A soothing aroma fills the air then, and it somehow helps Ruby to calm her breathing and washes away the fatigue.

“Being emotional means you still have the capacity to feel, that you have yet to lose hope. It’s better than nothing at all. You’re frustrated, you wish the outcome could’ve been different. You don’t want the same thing to ever happen again. Then, doesn’t that mean you’re still willing to fight for your beliefs? Losing emotions would allow despair to settle in, and that’s when the wall separating you from the rest of the world would be erected.”

Ruby flinches, the image of Yoshiko’s forlorn silhouette flashing in her mind. The Slytherin has become so very withdrawn, and something tells Ruby that it’s not just about Hanamaru’s loss of memory. Something else must have happened down in the Chamber of Secrets.

It’s understandable that none of them could truly smile again after everything that’s happened, but it’s as if Yoshiko’s lost the special spark that makes her who she is.

“How… how should I help? How can I take down that wall?” Ruby lowers her gaze, her grip tightening on her wand. “I will never give up, but saying it and actually achieving it are different things. I haven’t been able to help anyone, not my own sister, not my best friends. I-I feel so useless.”

“That’s something I can relate to. Something many of us can relate to, I’m sure.”

“…really? B-But Professor, you’re so a-amazing and… I can’t imagine you ever feeling helpless.”

“On the contrary, I’m only able to get this far because of my friends. It’s under their encouragements that I’m able to pursue the path I love. But see, I also believed in myself and tried my hardest.” Professor Koizumi’s voice is soft as she pats Ruby’s head. “I do not know the whole story behind you and your friends, Ruby-chan. I wish I could help you more, so just know that all of us will be here, whenever you’re ready. I’m certain the other Professors have told your friends the same thing.”

“I-I wish I could’ve told you more but w-we can���t,” Ruby swallows hard and shakes her head. “Besides, this is something between the nine of us. If we can’t solve it amongst ourselves… if I can’t do something to help them out, that… would be meaningless.”

“Nine… is it?” The Herbology Professor sweeps her gaze over the Greenhouse and taps her staff again. “Together, the nine of you can surely summon a miracle.”

“…really? But-”

“Magic is capricious. Some would even say it’s sentient. Unlike the rules of science in the Muggle world, magic is not bound by restrictions. There are always exceptions and endless possibilities in the world of magic,” Professor Koizumi reaches for the vines that have extended from the other side of the Greenhouse and dropped something in her palms. “Ruby-chan, you’re one of my seedlings, my Hufflepuff. You will bloom when the time comes.”

Ruby blinks as the woman conjures a basket and places several sweet potatoes in it before giving it to her. “Professor-?”

Her Head of the House smiles. “Replenishing your energy is important, Ruby-chan. Please have these while they are still hot.”

She could feel the warmth from the freshly baked sweet potatoes, from the Professor’s smile, and from the inner strength that coursed through her veins.

“T-Thank you for everything, Professor Koizumi! I-I’m really glad to be a ‘Puff!”

Ruby fidgets a bit and decides to give the woman a shy hug before exiting the Greenhouse. She’s very grateful for her time here in the House of Hufflepuff. Though still sad and overwhelmed by all the terrible things that happened, she’s comforted by so many good memories with her best friend - sharing snacks within the Dorm, out in the Greenhouse or even at the monthly outdoor grill hosted by her House.

Even without her memories, Hanamaru would surely appreciate this simple yet meaningful gesture.

As she continues her trek back to the Castle, a burst of gale makes her pause and wrap her scarf tighter around her neck. She turns towards the direction of the Lake and notices a dark spot fluttering near the shoreline.

“That’s… the bat, that’s Lucifer. Then that must be-” Before Ruby realizes it, she’s already heading towards the lonesome figure sitting on a boulder near the Lake.

Yoshiko doesn’t seem to notice her approach, her expression closed off and her gaze solely focused on a glimmering shape hovering in front of her. The silver Patronus resembles a fish, though it doesn’t seem like any species Ruby has seen before.

Lucifer lets out a curt screech when she gets nearer, prompting her to halt warily. Yoshiko glances at her and nods in greeting before shifting her attention back to the Patronus. Crooning, Lucifer then flies towards an overhanging branch and perches there, maintaining a distance between them as if keeping watch.

Ruby tentatively steps forward. “Yoshiko-chan-? Um, a-am I interrupting something-?”

The raven-haired girl shakes her head, her hand outstretched towards the Patronus to pat it. Even though her fingers sink through the silver fish’s translucent body, she seems satisfied with the way it glows brighter.

“S-So, that’s your Patronus, Yoshiko-chan. It looks strong.” Though still uncertain of the situation, Ruby boldly sits down next to her friend and sighs in relief when the latter doesn’t reject her presence.

“… strong, huh. Right, I guess it is.” There’s an odd smile on Yoshiko’s visage. “It’s a coelacanth. It’s… a deep sea fish that Hanamaru and I learned about together, from an encyclopedia, many years ago.”

Ruby gazes at the glimmering Patronus, marveling at its form and its saturated magic. ��H-How were you able to summon the Patronus, Yoshiko-chan?”

“Honestly, I don’t know how I managed it, other than the feeling that I know I can do it.” Yoshiko’s expression becomes blank again as the coelacanth swims around the air and under the Lake’s water. “Of course, a happy memory helps. I think… Lily focused her feelings for Dia-san, while I did the same for Hanamaru. Except, rather than just thinking about a single memory, it’s more of a collective feeling.”

“Collective feeling-?”

“Yeah. A certain resolution, I’d say. It’s not exactly ‘happy’, but it’s still a positive emotion. It gives me the strength to keep going.”

Ruby gingerly gazes at Yoshiko, recalling what Professor Koizumi just told her about emotions. Yoshiko is sitting beside her right now, within arm’s reach, yet why does she feel so far away? Based on what she said, she still has hope and treasures their bonds.

Then, what is this sense of finality?

“Yoshiko-chan, d-don’t leave us, okay?”

Yoshiko turns towards her abruptly, eyes narrowed. “What makes you say that?”

“Yeek! Um, I just… it’s just a feeling…”

“You’ve always been a perceptive one,” Yoshiko chuckles quietly, flicking her wand and dispelling the Patronus. “Don’t worry. Whatever you sensed, it’s not what you think. I’m just… lost, I guess. I can still keep training, learn more spells, become better at dueling, but then what? We don’t know where the enemies went. We don’t know what’s going to happen to Hanamaru, Lily, and Dia-san.”

Ruby drops her gaze and rests her hands on her lap.

“All I can do now is try to improve and strengthen my Patronus. It’s the key to defeat Y… that feathered witch. With this goal, I have something to work towards and keep myself occupied so I don’t have to think about all… that.”

“Patronus, huh.”

“Yeah. So, what do you want to do, Ruby?”

Ruby looks up into the sky, recalling all those instances she’s set herself goals so that she would have a sense of purpose. While the specific goals change every once a while, the fundamental part remains the same, doesn’t it?

All she ever wants to do is to be helpful. But how exactly? Just stand there and wait for things to happen? Only make a move when the opportunity presents itself?

No, she needs to take control. There’s a difference between just being idle, and patiently wait for the prey to come. Sometimes, you have to chase after your goal. Hunt for it. Pounce after it.

Make the first leap.

“Ruby-?” There’s faint surprise on Yoshiko’s expression, which Ruby counts as a good sign. Smiling, she continues to untie her pigtails and loosens her hold to allow the ribbons to flutter away along with the breeze. It’s been a long time since she’s let down her hair, but she feels just as refreshed as the first time Hanamaru did her hair.

“Hanamaru-chan and I have always looked up to you, Yoshiko-chan. We may not understand the fallen angel or the feather you put in your bun, but we really look up to you.”

Yoshiko grimaces at that, clenching her fists. “About that. Don’t. That’s nothing to admire, that’s not even who I-”

“You’re you, Yoshiko-chan. If you want to return to the sky, then we will be the feathers to help you fly.That’s what Hanamaru-chan and I have promised.”

“But she doesn’t even remember us anymore, Ruby!”

Ruby determinedly meets her friend’s hollow, pained eyes. “For now. She’ll come back to us one day, Yoshiko-chan. In the meantime, I will make sure you can continue to soar without fear of falling down.”

Taking a deep breath, she holds up her wand with a steady grip. “Expecto patronum!”

A burst of light forces the two girls to clench their eyes shut. When they open their eyes again, a large silver feline is prowling along the shoreline of the Black Lake. Graceful and brimming with power, the Black Jaguar Patronus bears an uncanny resemblance to the same painting in her room back in the Kurosawa Estate.

Shocked doesn’t begin to describe Ruby’s feeling, but a part of her understands why her Patronus ends up taking this form. After years of conflict, she’s finally accepted herself and that includes being a Kurosawa. However, rather than submitting to the responsibilities expected of a Pureblood, she has vowed to take control and make it her strength instead of her weakness.

The Jaguar’s fanged grin seems to be encouraging her.

“That’s… amazing, Ruby.”

Yoshiko looks awed, the first expression Ruby’s seen in a long time that’s not wholly shadowed by sadness and pain.

Ruby hastily wipes her eyes and casts another spell. “Wingardium Leviosa.”

The basket levitates towards Yoshiko, who tilts her head questioningly at the sweet potatoes beneath the cover.

“Let’s go eat these with Hanamaru-chan. We should eat them while they’re still warm!”

Whenever you feel down, both you and Hanamaru-chan, I’ll be here to lift you both.

[athyrabunlord]

LLSHP 12 - Within the Pensieve

Arc1: [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7]

Arc2: [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14]

Arc3: [Chapter 15 -  Under The Black Lake (TBD)]

Interlude: [Carbonado (1)] [Carbonado (2)] [Of Feathers and Wind] [Delphinus (teaser blip)]

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

[FFN link] (finished the interludes!) [Pixiv Link]

A/N: The longest chapter yet. Well, based on the previous one, you should be expecting the tone of this chapter. I won’t say more, this isn’t easy for me to write either, but I’m also very pleased to have reached this point for this story. Hope you’ll enjoy and again, any feedback is always appreciated! Words: 9,890

“I don’t understand! Why can’t we just tell teachers?”

Chika gestures wildly, her teary eyes filled with frustration and worry. You tries to calm her down, though her own voice is trembling with unrest as well.

“We enjoyed working with the Aurors, and they’re trustworthy!”

“It’s not like Riko-chan to disappear - she’s not in her dorm, not at the Hall, not at the Room or anywhere else!”

Yoshiko could only focus her willpower in maintaining a calm facade, for she needs to be strong for Hanamaru and Ruby, who are each hugging her arm. She could feel their anxiousness rolling off of them in waves, so she struggles to distract her mind by becoming their pillar rather than running around in helplessness. Or, perhaps, they’re the ones giving her the strength to keep standing instead?

They’ve all split up to try to find Riko after Dia confirms that she has not sent any letter to her today. Even after scouring the Ravenclaw Tower, the classrooms and the library, they could not find Riko. Those who claimed to have seen her with Dia point them towards the garden, yet even Kanan’s keen nose could only pick up Riko’s scent there and no one else’s. Anything else is either too weak or covered by something else, preventing her from singling out a trail. All forms of communication has failed - either Riko hasn’t brought the Protean-Charmed parchment with her or she is in no state to send a message.

Yoshiko shudders at that terrible possibility.

“We cannot bring outsiders into this.” Dia appears as stoic as ever, though everyone present knows her enough to catch the hint of panic in her eyes.

“Why not?! I would’ve think you’d gone to Professor Ayase already! I’m sure she and the other Professors can help us-”

“This is serious, Dia-san! Riko-chan is missing! Missing!”

“I know that!” Dia snaps and is about to say more when Kanan places a hand on her shoulder.

“Maybe Chika’s suggestion isn’t that bad of an idea-”

“This is a case of a missing student,” Mari interjects before Dia could erupt, “Enough hours have passed and this is a legitimate claim. While we don’t know if the… if that would affect her due to any of our actions… it’s worth a try.”

Chika frowns and You purses her lips, both brimming with questions but are held back by Kanan’s stare.

“We don’t have any other choice, Dia,” Kanan growls tiredly as she drops a handful of grass onto the ground. Riko’s scent has already faded enough from the garden that she could no longer detect anything other than the areas where her steps must have lingered. “Besides, it’s almost time for curfew - soon the Prefects would be gathering to direct any wandering students back to Dorm and to patrol the hallways. The school will find out.”

Grimacing, Dia turns to look into the dark night sky, as if desperately looking for some clues from the stars. Indeed, they’re in quite the predicament now. Like the Moonstruck incident, they could maybe involve the staff and possibly Ministry-officials to help their search and Riko would be unaffected by the Vow. Like Mari said, this is a case of a missing student and has nothing to do with the group’s research and anything relevant.

But involving outsiders would require them to explain and elaborate in details, risking the exposure of their secret.

Yoshiko empathizes with Chika and You’s displeasure at the situation, for they don’t know about the Vow, but a part of her is irrationally angry at them for not knowing. Then she mentally kicks herself for even thinking that, since the duo only wants to do what they think is best, out of concern for their best friend.

Suddenly, a familiar screech catches her attention.

“Lucifer!”

Under her wide eyes, the bat circles above their heads with jerky, hasty movements. The brief elation of reunion then shifts to confusion.

“Why are you here? It’s still winter-? And you were never willing to fly so close to the school, let alone come to the garden…”

Lucifer lets out a croaked bark and a few high-pitched squeals. Though not understanding her minion’s language, Yoshiko ventures a guess. “Y-You know what we’re trying to do here? About Lily?”

Another screech, its movements even more urgent now.

“W-We should follow Lucifer!” Yoshiko blurts out, meeting a mixture of confused and skeptical expressions. “It’s always liked Lily, so I’m sure it’s trying to help us!”

“But…” Dia pauses and stares at the bat with her hands clenched. “Very well, a clue is a clue. Based on your stories, Yoshiko-san, this creature could very well be magical and perhaps truly knows of Riko-san’s location.”

After a quick discussion, it is decided that Hanamaru and Ruby return to their respective Dorms under Mari’s escort while the rest follow Lucifer. The blonde is understandably reluctant to remain behind, but she admits that she has yet to recover enough to be much of a help should a dire situation arise. Ruby is naturally forbidden to accompany them, and Hanamaru decides to stay with her friend, trusting the older girls to watch over Yoshiko.

The Gryffindor duo salutes to that, and Hanamaru gives Yoshiko a quick kiss, parting with a whispered “please be careful”. Ruby hugs her older sister, tears of frustration swimming in her eyes, but she holds her head high proudly as she also gives Yoshiko a hug.

“We will be back soon,” Kanan says somberly, exchanging a wordless gaze with Mari before the latter ushers the Hufflepuffs back into the Castle.

Yoshiko finds herself the center of attention, scrutinized by expectant eyes while Lucifer continues to hover above her. The finicky bat appears to only trust her, which leaves her the responsibility of leading them the way.

They travel quickly but silently out of the castle grounds, with hints and directions from the older girls about which paths are more obscure. Thanks to Kanan’s knowledge from her frequent patrols, they are able to make it to the Forbidden Forest undetected. Lucifer then leads them to a small clearing that Yoshiko is rather familiar with. She greets the Thestrals with a pang in her heart, recalling her past visits with Riko and the innocent promise they made only earlier the day.

A promise that she may never fulfill, a pessimistic part of her reminds her. She swallows hard and pushes such horrid thought away as she tries to explain to the others what Lucifer might be suggesting.

Dia frowns at the prospect of needing to travel via Thestrals to reach wherever Riko is, since this further confirms that the Ravenclaw was taken against her will. Kanan seems to have a stare-down with a Thestral, though her unfocused gaze implies that she cannot see the magical creature either. Yoshiko glances between them nervously, but thankfully the Thestral paws at the ground a moment later as if to express its consent. Nodding, Kanan mounts it fairly easily, considering that it is invisible to her eyes, and pulls Dia on after her. Chika and You’s grim expressions haven’t changed and, with Yoshiko’s help, they nimbly get onto the winged creatures as well.

Gulping, she climbs onto the last one, a bigger Thestral that she is closer to since it would always eat the apple she offers. She thinks of Riko again and despondently pushes away the memory, awkwardly directing the winged beast to take flight just as how she had seen Mari done with her Hippogriff. The ride is much smoother in comparison, perhaps due to her connection to the creature or she is overall too edgy to notice anything else. With Lucifer as lead, the five of them take to the air and over the Forbidden Forest. As experienced flyers, the four older girls remain steady and calm on their respective mounts, though she could see their nervousness from the way they hold onto the Thestrals. After all, to them, they are riding something invisible with an expanse of clouds and trees beneath them.

The trip does not take as long as they had expected, for they soon descend amongst barren trees on a hill where a thin layer of snow still covers the ground. After Yoshiko hops off her Thestral and thanks them for their help, she is met with Dia’s terse expression.

“We are back here… Hogsmeade or, rather, the Shack is somewhere down the slope, and this is roughly the area where…” She glances at Lucifer, frowning when the bat shoots off in a certain direction. “I think I know where it is going.”

They follow warily with their wands out, with Chika and You sticking close to Yoshiko and Kanan right beside Dia. Even though it’s been a month since the Moonstruck incident and the Aurors have already swept the area, they could never be too careful.

In between the trees they hurry, the soft crunches of the snow the only sound in this dreadfully silent area. They could use more discretion but the urgency of the situation compels them to forgo subtlety.

“I knew it… but I do not know how your bat come to know of this place.”

Dia stops in front of a particularly tree, where Lucifer is making curt clicks and circling above her. Kanan lets out a quiet growl, frowning as she flicks her wand and tries to sniff the area. “I do not see anything out of the ordinary, Dia.”

Yoshiko nods in agreement, but that’s when she notices the grimaces on Chika and You’s faces.

“W-What is this place, Dia-san?” Chika murmurs in a whisper, her determined expression betraying a hint of terror. You bites her lips and keeps a steady grip on her girlfriend, to either support the latter or herself.

“... I see, the two of you can still see the Hut.”

“The Hut-?”

“This place is protected under the Fidelius Charm,” Dia says softly, sadly, and gestures at the tree or, rather, the space in front of the tree. “Please, describe exactly where it is to Kanan-san and Yoshiko-san. I am certain that Riko-san would not mind.”

At Yoshiko’s blank look, Kanan murmurs. “When a place is enchanted with a Fidelius Charm, only a Secret-Keeper, or Secret-Keepers, can reveal its location if they so wish. Without the knowledge, we can be standing right in front of it without ever discovering it… which, I suppose, is what’s happening right now.”

Chika and You exchange a shaded look. “But how come we can see this… this Hut? I’m sure neither of us have been here before.”

At Dia and Kanan’s significant glance, Yoshiko connects the dots and her shoulders sag in sympathy. This place must be where Chika, You and Riko once used as a hideout and, in spite of the Memory Charm, the Gryffindor duo’s subconscious still retains knowledge and thus enable them to see it.

“Even though Riko-san brought me inside once, I still cannot enter it without an original Secret-Keeper, due to another Charm at its entrance,” Dia’s tone is urgent.

Chika and You exchange another pained look, their breaths now quicker and more shallow. “It is… smaller than the Gamekeeper’s cabin, the left side almost touching this tree stump, parallel to this root hidden beneath the snow. Its shingled roof… it aligns with that middle branch of that tree over there.”

Right before Yoshiko’s wide eyes and Kanan’s surprised frown, a building materializes out of nowhere, with the exact appearance described. There hasn’t been that much space between where they were standing and the tree, has there? If it weren’t for the severity of the situation, Yoshiko would have marveled at the wonders of magic and the existence of such a spell. Alas, as it is, she could only grip her wand tighter as she approaches the Hut, intimidated by the ominous aura that it emits. However, its worn wooden wall and weathered tuscan red roof give it an overall mediocre appearance, unlike the haunted-looking Shack.

Lucifer lets out an impatient screech and claws at the door, and so the duo hurries for the equally average-looking door. The knob turns easily under their touch, revealing a dusty foyer that leads to an ordinary living room. Upon seeing the upturned table and chairs and the soccer ball perched on one, the duo suddenly freezes.

“W-What-?” “Ugh-!”

Chika collapses onto her knees, holding her head, while You clutches at her chest, her face scrunched up in pain. Kanan immediately crouches beside them and rubs their backs. After a quick exchange, Dia and Yoshiko continue inside the Hut while Kanan remains at the foyer to care for them.

Yoshiko glances at them worriedly before looking around, finding no hint of anyone being here though that sinister sensation lingers in the air. Lucifer flies around the house, frantic and lost, before hissing at a closed door that leads to the basement. Dia unsheathes her sword and gestures for Yoshiko to follow behind as they make their way down the stairs.

“...perhaps Riko-san had fallen asleep after doing some research.” Dia mutters aloud, as if trying to convince herself rather than to Yoshiko, but her unspoken words ring loudly in their ears.

If that’s truly the case, with Riko’s personality, she would have informed someone that she would be here. And there’s the issue of that fake Dia that the other students had seen her with at the garden.

The sense of foreboding intensifies as Yoshiko reaches the last step, flinching upon Lucifer’s distraught squeal.

She so desperately hopes to see Riko napping at her desk, perhaps tired from reading or after hours of brewing a difficult potion. That she would be nudged awake, teased by them about sleeping marks on her cheek, and she would be cross with them and maybe even swat the duo for their bad jokes.

That they would all return to the Castle, chatting and laughing, and back to their Room where their routine would resume as if nothing ever happened.

Instead, all she could see is the Ravenclaw lying on her side on the floor, surrounded by a fallen stool, upturned pots and broken vials. Her long burgundy hair is spread messily, some tangled and some stained with a deeper hue like some sort of macabre art. Her cloak is ripped at some places, also dyed in that same dark maroon.

Blood. Yoshiko’s stomach lurches.

Riko’s outstretched palm is also bloody, sliced by the shards of the shattered vial that she must have been reaching for, while her other arm is cradled against her chest. Her parted collars reveal the carbonado necklace, which had gleamed with power when Yoshiko saw it earlier but is now dim with the chain broken around her neck. A faint glint flickers upon Dia’s approach, only to die out as she slowly kneels down beside the unmoving girl.

Riko’s eyes are closed, her skin deathly pale, though the reddened area beneath her eyes and dried tear tracks imply the horrors she must have experienced.

Dia’s hand gently brushes against her cheek, wincing and faltering before gingerly cupping it. Though her eyes wide in hysteria, Dia stiffly reaches for Riko’s hand and presses her fingers against the latter’s bruised wrist.

Yoshiko holds her breath, seeing but not really comprehending the sight before her. Lucifer is nestled in her hood, its shivering warmth a slight comfort for she could feel the heat draining out of her body.

“... t-there, a pulse. It is there, I am sure of it.”

Dia’s hitched voice does not sound certain at all.

Yoshiko could not bring herself to speak.

She could not bring herself to do anything except stare numbly at the prone girl who’s been like a sister to her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries is a dreadful place, even by hospital standards. While the reception area on the ground floor is still depressing and filled with rickety chairs, at least the place is teeming with visitors, patients with minor issues and staff, giving an illusion of a lively atmosphere, that there’s hope for treating the various ailments.

However, the hallway of the Janus Thickey Ward on the fourth floor is deathly quiet.

Yoshiko has never been to another magical place other than the Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, though she knows enough to sense that the magic nature in the air is unnatural. The other two locations feels bright, bustling with activities and a wide range of both positive and negative emotions. Here, there is nothing but a husk of what a magical place should feel like.

A void that tastes bitter with perpetual melancholy.

She once broke her leg when she was little, from falling off of a tree she had climbed. That experience with the Muggle hospital makes her to never want to return to that horrid place again, so she cannot fathom how permanent residents of this Ward and their family members feel.

Therefore, it is with a relieved though guilty sigh that she allows the staff to escort them back onto the ground floor, as all visitors are required to wait there until further notice.

A raspy croon prompts Yoshiko to scratch Lucifer’s small and warm form. She’s grateful that the bat has not left her side since their trip to the Hut, for its presence serves as an anchor to reality. Even now, she could still feel her mind drifting away as if determined to flee from the horrendous facts she is forced to accept.

Due to the nature of the Unbreakable Vow and the Fidelius Charm, they had to carry Riko out of the Hut before calling for help. Kanan kept a close eye on You and Chika while Yoshiko ushered them onto the Thestrals a distance away. Dia had to pretend she was the only one who had discovered Riko, though Yoshiko isn’t sure what else she had told the officials to keep the scrutiny away from the rest of them and to keep their secrets safe.

Everything that happened afterwards had been a blur, for Yoshiko found herself at St. Mungo’s with the rest of their group by the time she snapped out of her shock. Mari, who must have gotten Kanan’s message, came here with Hanamaru and Ruby and joined them at the reception area. They had all attempted to follow the Healers to the emergency ward but, as expected, they were blocked.  

Dia, along with the Deputy Headmistress and the Head of the Ravenclaw who were summoned here by the officials, have gone somewhere, most likely to go over the details. An investigation is inevitable, one that could possibly endanger Riko’s life but at this point, they do not have any other options.

Based on the little information they are given, Riko’s condition is harrowing.

The cuts on her limbs are superficial and already healed, and her hand is expertly repaired and bandaged. Her mind, however, is what the Healers are gravely concerned and thus they have her placed in the Janus Thickey Ward, a private wing meant for patients with permanent magical damages.

While they are not privy to the full report of Riko’s diagnosis, such allocation already implies more than enough.

“We shouldn’t be here,” Chika speaks up, her voice thick and barely a whisper. “W-We won’t be much help but… we should still stay by her side.”

You nods in agreement, her eyes red and puffy from crying but there is a deadly calm gleam in the darkened blue. Then again, all of their eyes must be bloodshot, from both fatigue and tears. Yoshiko knows hers are. They’ve been awake the whole night and who knows what time it is now, with no windows or the will to care.

“We can’t.” Kanan says slowly, gently. “We are… we are not family. Her parents are with her right now.”

Parents.

Yoshiko subconsciously cuddles Lucifer against her chest. She has always been content with just their group of nine, so much that it is easy to forget that they attend a magical school of over a thousand students of various backgrounds. It’s not just about them - there are so many people that could be potentially involved, directly or indirectly, in this situation, so many loved ones who have no idea what is happening.

Yoshiko has never known her parents, and the other girls have not spoken much of their respective families either, but she could empathize what the Sakurauchis must be feeling. For them, their daughter was kidnapped and tortured for reasons unknown, and that she may never wake up.

Yoshiko clamps a hand over her mouth when her stomach does a painful churn. The nausea has not left her since the Hut and she doesn’t think it would ever go away. She could feel Hanamaru rubbing her back, and so she takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. The brunette’s face is pale and clearly terrified, understandably so, for there is something about the dim corners and shadows that are reminiscent of Dementors.

Or, perhaps, it is the sense of despair oozing beneath the optimistic conversations of the reception areas. Patients healed from hexes, potions gone wrong or other maladies, smile with their loved ones, and Yoshiko is irrationally furious at them for daring to be so happy when her sister-figure is…

“Onee-chan.” Ruby stands up suddenly, and Yoshiko turns to see Dia tiredly approaching them. As they all burst into various questions, she holds up a hand and looks at them each in the eye.

“Follow me. We are given half an hour.”

Her tone is brusque, commanding immediate compliance. Without waiting for her response, she turns away with purposeful steps. Though nonplussed, Yoshiko wordlessly trudges after her, her hand gripping Hanamaru’s tight while Lucifer remains curled up in her hood. Once they have reached the third floor, Dia speaks to a staff member and shows him a parchment that has the hospital’s emblem and the Kurosawa crest at one corner. The wizard skims the document and nods curtly, directing them to a particular room before leaving them alone.

Dia places a few wards over the entrance to ensure their privacy. There is nothing special about this small room, which has two desks and two couches, and some sort of tall pedestal between those furniture.

“Now, will you tell us what’s going on?” Chika’s voice is shaking. “How is Riko-chan? We also saw Professor Ayase and-”

“As I said, we are only given half an hour,” Dia interjects sharply. “The Aurors, Riko-san’s parents and the Professors wish to know the details of how I come to discover her, so I insist that I am given time to put my thoughts together as I am still in shock. The Professors had seen the necklace on Riko-san… I think they understood, so they vouched for me. Also, my family name proves to be useful at such times, for I am granted this privacy and access to a Pensieve.”

Before any of them could speak up, Dia holds up a transparent vial that contains a small amount of a silvery substance.

“Riko-san was guarding this in her hand, the hand that was not cut by the shards.” Her voice remains monotonous as if she is talking about the weather.

Chika and You appear mutinous at her attitude, but Kanan steps in front of them and speaks quietly. “What is it?”

“Memories. There must be some clue, some message Riko-san so desperately wishes to preserve before… before…” The heiress’ composed mask crumples momentarily, though a look of grim resolution flickers in her darkened emerald eyes and she is placid once more. “We do not know how and why she was at the Hut. The place is relatively undisturbed, suggesting that her… captors were not there, that she somehow escaped them. The answer could be here.”

She gestures at the unremarkable pedestal against the wall. Upon closer look, Yoshiko decides that the weathered brick base actually resembles a plinth, except a stone basin is placed atop instead of a statue. This bowl has runes and other strange symbols engraved onto the side with various precious stones fitted.

Dia’s hand quivers a little as she plucks out the stopper and pours the vial’s content into the basin, which presumably is the so-called Pensieve. The droplets of translucent liquid merge with the misty substance inside the bowl, swirling and sinking until some sort of image begins to form. After giving the younger girls a glance, Kanan and Mari both wrap an arm around Dia’s shoulder in support, and the heiress whimsically places her hand on one before peering down.

A flash of light later and they are gone. Yoshiko opens her mouth to exclaim only to find that her voice still refuses to cooperate. Ruby gently links her arms with Yoshiko’s and Hanamaru’s before tugging them towards the basin as well.

“The Pensieve allows the viewer to… immerse in the person’s memory, not just see through their eyes. It’s a personal item, but I believe Hogwarts has a shared one for Her Headmasters and Headmistresses, while here in St.Mungo’s it’s used for Healers to review extracted memories.” Ruby explains in a flat voice, the tremor replaced by somber determination as she asks. “Chika-san, You-san, are you sure?”

The duo looks as if they are about to throw up, the turmoil evident in their eyes, but their reply is simultaneous. “We need to know.”

Giving one another one last nod, they follow the Fifth-Years into the Pensieve.

Everything appears to be made of liquid and gas, yet upon closer inspection the buildings, the cobblestone roads and even the passers-by look just as three-dimensional as in real-life. Yoshiko huddles close to the older girls, fascinated and bewildered by the phenomenon they are witnessing. Judging from the expressions on their faces, none of them have entered a Pensieve before either, in spite of knowing its function.

“This is the Diagon Alley,” Dia murmurs thoughtfully as wizards and witches fill up the main road. “Though it appears different than I remembered…”

“Y-Yes, when Professor Hoshizora took me here, Flourish and Blotts had a bigger sign zura-?” Hanamaru looks just as uneasy as how Yoshiko herself feels. While she enjoyed her brief trip here getting her supplies, it just seems so horribly wrong to revisit the Alley in this manner.

“Look! It’s Riko-chan!”

Yoshiko’s eyes sting at the sight of the burgundy-haired girl, who appears a bit shorter than she remembers. The younger version of Riko is gesturing at the shops, exuberant and radiating with joy, unlike the one who’s barely breathing in the hospital.

Yoshiko does not dare to glance at Dia and clings to Hanamaru’s side.

A graceful witch, whose appearance resembles Riko, offers to accompany her in getting the supplies. Riko shakes her head rather bashfully. “I’ll probably be spending a long time from shop to shop… Okaa-san and Otou-san can go ahead, we’ll meet at the Apothecary.”

The Sakurauchis chuckle fondly at their daughter’s response but allow her to part ways with them. As the eight girls follow the younger Riko down the street, You suddenly speaks up. “Wait, I remember now… this is where-”

“Any second now...” Chika’s teary eyes are both hopeful and sorrowful.

Up at an alley corner, a wizard lets out a startled shout when the leash slips out of his hand and his Crups run loose. Three of the Jack Russell Terrier-look alikes make a beeline for Riko, who turns around just in time as they pounce on her. She stumbles backwards and knocks over a bucket of quill pens outside of Scribbulus Writing Instruments, as well as spilling all the content from her knapsack.

Even though the Crups are all wagging their forked tails in a friendly manner, nudging and licking at her, Riko is trembling in fear and unable to move except to cover her face.

“S-She’s always been afraid of dogs,” Chika whispers morosely, “But it’s thanks to this that we…”

The commotion outside the shop garners quite a bit of attention, but most people are too busy trying to subdue or chase back the other wandering Crups to help out Riko.

Except for a shorter Chika and You, both dressed in Muggle outfits.

“Don’t worry, we’re here to help-” Before Chika could reach for the Crups, the magical canines turn around and pounce on her instead. “Ahaha! Aren’t you guys cuties~ Shiitake is still the best of course but- hehehe! It tickles! Do you think I could get one as a pet, You-chan?”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea, Chika-chan,” You grins at her friend before pulling Riko to her feet. “Are you okay?”

Still fearful, Riko could only nod and scoots a bit behind You while Chika chats with the Crups’ owner, who apologizes profusely to them, the shop owner and the small crowd that’s gathering around them. Riko’s blush darkens at being the center of commotion and sinks behind You even more.

“Well, no harm done overall,” You chuckles amiably and passes a handkerchief to Riko, who gratefully uses it to wipe at the dirt and the Crups’ slobber over her robe.

“Ne ne, are you a First-Year too?” Chika pops up behind You, peering at the taller girl.

“... yes, I’m here to get my supplies,” Riko looks them over nervously, relaxing when the duo grins and gives her a thumbs-up.

“Awesome! It’s decided then, You-chan and I will be your bodyguards!”

“E-Eh?”

“What Chika-chan meant to say is,” You fondly flicks her friend’s forehead, “We sort of sneaked away from the witch who was accompanying us so we could have more freedom to look around. Before we get caught, we’d like to accompany you and get our school supplies together.”

“Sonoda-san won’t be happy with us,” Chika giggles, not at all repentant, “Kanan-chan’s warned us~ So, we might as well make the best of it while we’re free!”

“O-Oh, I see.” Clearly, Riko’s thought process cannot match with the duo’s, though she gives them a hesitant smile. “My name is Riko, Riko Sakurauchi.”

“You Watanabe, nice to meet you!” Signature salute and grin.

“Chika Takami!” The smiling girl digs into her pocket and gives a mikan to a very confused Riko. “Here, a sign of friendship!”

“T-Thank you?” Though puzzled, Riko appears pleased at her new friend’s declaration. “Oh, I’d need to get my stuff, please wait a moment.” She sheepishly gestures at the various items that had fallen out of her knapsack.

Before You and Chika could scramble to retrieve them for her, Riko flicks her wand and commands her belongings. One by one, book and quill pens and other supplies, return to her bag in an organized fashion.

“T-That’s so cool!” “It’s a miracle!” “You can use your wand already? How many spells do you know?” “Ah, Chika-chan and I are Muggleborns, so we’re really looking forward to-”

As the duo chatters on, Riko giggles at their enthusiasm and patiently elaborates on what they wish to know. Such simple, everyday sight makes Yoshiko’s chest ache something fierce, and a quick glance indicates that You and Chika are doing all they could not to break down.

“Wait, is this… you-?” Mari suddenly says, pointing at a dark-haired girl who enters the stationary shop just moments after the trio left. Indeed, a younger Dia is looking over the items on display, eyes sharp and guarded while a pair of wizards accompany her close behind. After some deliberation, she shakes her head and exits the shop.

“Those are my family guards,” Dia’s voice is wispy. “Could it be… that quill… I was right, that quill was indeed meant for me. I would only use a quill pen made of the finest, darkest feather. Riko-san must have inadvertently retrieves it into her bag earlier…”

Yoshiko stares hard at Riko, filled with the urge to run forward and tear the accursed quill out of her knapsack, to prevent all the horrible strings of events from happening.

But she knows it would be futile. This is only a fragment of memory after all.

They are powerless to do anything, except to learn and try to catch as many details as possible.

The next few sequences of memories are obviously very precious to Riko, showcasing her Sorting into the House of Ravenclaw, reuniting with Chika and You at the library and growing closer to the duo. The scenes swirl and morph quickly, jumping through their first year at Hogwarts, uneventful but fulfilling as the three of them become best friends.

Before the start of their second year, Riko decides to bring more quills from her home, perhaps due to the fact Chika and You tend to forget theirs in class and bemoan about Muggle pens. One of the quill pens is the lustrous one she has accidentally taken from the shop with her own.

However, as the scenes depicting the discovery of the quill’s power unfold, the surroundings become slightly murky and blurred, as if interfered by an outside force.

“Even in the memory, its magic is malignant,” Dia says flatly, “Or, perhaps, her memory has already been… damaged due to…”

She doesn’t need to finish her speculation. Yoshiko feels sick again, a bitter tang filling her mouth as she watches Riko excitedly showing You and Chika the quill. The magicked item looks so innocent in the memory, so helpful as it guides the trio in their studies and gradually shares more knowledge. Any vestige of skepticism for the quill fades when it teaches Riko more than she could ever hope to learn from her family’s library, about the Origin and magical cores.

Yoshiko clenches her teeth in disgust at the affectionate term that the sentient quill jots on a notebook.

Lily.

Through the quill’s help, the trio’s abilities grow heaps and bounds, though under Riko’s diligent supervision and actual painstaking hours of studying, their improvement does not seem suspicious at all. The ritual for the Vow and the usage of the Hut are so blurry that the eight girls could not see anything substantial, and at one point the surroundings are so enveloped in darkness that they have to huddle close in fear of sinking into oblivion.

Thankfully, the clarity returns as the scene fast-forwards to near the end of the first term, in the last week of November. There was a Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, where You played as the Lions’ Seeker and Chika as the Beater for the first time. After an overwhelming victory, Riko drags the duo to somewhere seclusive and dropped heavy hints for them to confess to each other.

The fuzzy quality of the memory dissipates a bit after that, the scenery lighting up to mirror the owner’s feelings about the matter. Yoshiko absentmindedly rubs circles on the back of Hanamaru’s hand, infinitely grateful to be able to feel the warmth of her precious person. As if understanding her sentiment, Hanamaru squeezes her hand in return and leans against her.

They both look in the direction of Chika and You, frowning in sympathy at their bewildered expressions. After all, for them, they had just become a couple recently, but Riko’s memory is showing them otherwise on so many matters.

Abruptly, the surroundings darken again like a veil has covered them, and a moment later the shroud shifts away to reveal a disturbing sight.

“No, stay away! D-Don’t come any closer!!”

Yoshiko could hear Chika and You draw in a sharp breath, or is it herself?

“Oh god, is this-?” Groaning, You clasps for her head while Chika collapses on her knees, whimpering.

The memory versions of the duo are slumped on the ground, blood marring their pale cheeks and staining their robes and hair. They are staring blankly into space, their lips slightly agape and unresponsive to the situation around them. Riko is crouched in front of them protectively, her eyes wide in hysteria as her trembling hand points her wand at the approaching Kanan, Dia and Mari. She glances between the three, her teary gaze not showing recognition as warning magic sparks off the tip of her wand.

“Dia, maybe it’s best that we Stun her for now…” Mari’s wand is also raised, though she’s careful in aiming it away from the distraught girl.

“Yes, I need to see if they’re… Chika and You are-” Kanan’s words are cut off by Riko’s desperate cry.

“Don’t you d-dare! I will not let anyone-! No one will ever hurt them a-again, I swear-! It’s my turn, I will be their guard, I will p-protect them-!”

“Kanan-san, Mari-san, do not use any spells on her. We must not,” Dia says firmly, holding up her hands to show that she is unarmed. “Sakurauchi-san… is it? Please, we are here to help. Do you recognize us? I am a Slytherin Prefect, Mari-san here is a senior from Ravenclaw, certainly you have seen her a few times, and Kanan-san here is a childhood friend of…”

“Y-Yes, I  have met you before…” Though still guarded and quivering, Riko allows Kanan to get closer, her eyes never leaving her fallen friends’ forms.

As Kanan checks over You and Chika, she furrows her brows and mutters. “What happened to them-? They’re, unresponsive, what-”

At this, Riko begins to sob and collapses on the ground. “Y-you don’t understand! T-they were-! Those people, they used Crucio on them! I-I had to, I had to make it as if the Curse never struck them-! I-It was the only thing I c-could…!”

“Chika! You!” Kanan’s alarmed call pulls their attention from the memory scene to the actual duo, and they worriedly gather near the two crouching girls. They are both cradling their heads, grimacing in agony.

Are they remembering the trauma they had endured?

“Perhaps we should-”

“No, we need to see this to the end,” You waves away Dia’s hand while Chika’s pained eyes blaze in determination. “We need to know.”

Nodding, the rest of them keep a careful watch on the duo as the memories swirl again, this time with an ethereal and cloudy quality. Riko grew closer to the three Fifth-Years, learning and recuperating with the incident while keeping a careful distance from You and Chika.

Throughout these sequences, there is a muffled noise in the background though Yoshiko could not discern what.

Dia gasps sharply as simple scenes depicting herself and Riko play out in front of them. Moments of them walking around the garden at a grand manor, falling asleep against each other in the Room of Requirement, the Mirror of Erised, and so on, all of which are filled with such tenderness that Yoshiko finds herself relaxing in spite of the situation. She tries not to look at the memories of Dia and Riko, and instead focus on the surrounding details though she hasn’t noticed anything out of ordinary.

Eventually, Yoshiko meets herself in the form of the curious, brazen newbie as she, Hanamaru and Ruby were greeted by Riko at the entrance to the Hogwarts Castle. The pang of nostalgia hits hard, and Yoshiko feels pity for her past-self, for being so idealistic and ignorant of what the future holds.

Familiar scenes follow after that, and Yoshiko notices that Riko’s been watching over her more than she lets on. It almost feels surreal, so wonderfully peaceful, to see school life unfold in front of her eyes again. The tutoring sessions, the Room of Requirement, the Thestrals, and the Christmas Banquet seem like a lifetime ago, and Yoshiko so desperately wishes to return to those halcyon days.

“You did not have to wait for me,” Dia admonishes quietly as she enters the Room, though a small smile tugs at the corner of her lips.

Riko looks up from the work bench, where she appears to be nodding off though her hand is still gripping the ladle rather firmly. Apparently, she’s been brewing a potion for a very long time, with her hair messily tied up in a bun and sleeves rolled up, and her collar is unbuttoned, revealing the carbonado necklace. It could be a trick of light, but the black diamond seems to shimmer joyously to reflect its wearer’s mood.

“Well, you should’ve gone back to your dorm too, to rest, instead of coming here,” Riko smiles playfully.

“We are both stubborn,” Dia shrugs, quirking an eyebrow as she peers at the cauldron. “Hmm, Draught of Peace? Why are you brewing it?”

“Oh, I thought… I thought you might like to have some. It’d be handy to have such a potion at hand too, considering how things have been after New Year’s,” Riko’s gaze drops. “Perhaps, Yocchan should drink some too…”

“Perhaps,” Dia says slowly and leans closer to the Ravenclaw. “You should have it instead. I know you have not been resting properly, Riko.”

“None of us have, least of all you, Dia.” They stare at each other for a moment, neither willing to relent.

Finally, the intensity of Dia’s gaze causes Riko to look away in embarrassment. “What? I-I know I probably look funny… I also made a mess here but this potion is rather difficult, and it got awfully hot at one point and there are-”

“You are beautiful.”

“- all those specified stirring and…” Riko falters, confused, only to blush and pout after she processes Dia’s words. “What? Dia, when are you so smooth with words?”

It’s Dia’s turn to look puzzled. “I am only saying the truth-?” She lowers her head and speaks with uncertainty. “Apologies for interrupting you, but I assure you that everything I say, well, I mean it.”

Blinking, Riko couldn’t seem to find the words to say. At the end, she giggles and reaches for Dia’s hand, squeezing it. “Silly, there’s no need to apologize.”

“I see-?”

“You’re so endearing.” Giggling again, Riko then tilts her head and presses her lips against Dia’s in a chaste kiss. “I love you.”

Dia smiles softly and kisses back with that same tenderness.

Suddenly the scene ripples and the ground quakes, prompting the girls to hold onto one another lest they plummet into the gaping hole that tears across the plane in front of them. Faint outlines of the surrounding slowly settle, though they no longer have the same clarity as before. Even then, Yoshiko finds the liquid-like and misty chamber familiar, for it’s the same one she saw in that werewolf’s mind. Wet, dripping ceiling, ancient brick walls and intricate designs on the wall.

Then, she realizes just what that muffled sound in the background is all along.

Screams.

“Stop… s-stop-!”

Riko’s screams.

Dia immediately rushes towards the Ravenclaw’s convulsing form, her hand futilely passing through her cheek and unable to do anything. Amber eyes are blank with terror and agony, sweat and tears streaming down her cheeks while her interrogator points Riko’s own wand at her.

“Legilimens.” The stranger’s feminine voice is husky and distorted. Riko gasps and shudders, eyes now clenched as the aggressor invades her mind. The surrounding ripples again and darkens, deteriorating so much that they could not make out just how many of the hooded figures are as they stand behind the witch who must be their leader. Even then, the witch’s face is obscured by both her hood and her blurrying outline.

“Crucio.”

You and Chika lunges at the antagonists but they stumble through the memories’ intangible bodies, and soon their helpless shouts are once more drowned by Riko’s screams.

“Stop it! S-Stop hurting her!” Chika whimpers while You swings her fists fruitlessly at the murmuring enemies.

“Legilimens.”

Another strangled gasp and pained grimace.

“Crucio.”

Broken screams.

“Legilimens.” The witch pauses a moment later and lifts her wand, giving Riko a brief reprieve to gulp for air. “Hmm, finally something worth of note. Rejoice, all of you, I have finally discovered the weakness behind the Kurosawa heirloom as well as the flaw in the Manor’s ward.”

The hooded figures begin to whisper excitedly while Riko sobs in anguish as invisible confines continue to hold her tight against the stone statue. “N-No… no…”

“Yes. Thank you, for providing us with such valuable information,” the witch’s giggle is filled with cruelty. “We were right in choosing you. The heiress’ two friends prove to be most difficult, though we almost had one at New Year’s Eve. The little sister is worthless, so that just leaves you, the confidant and lover, ne? Just what else can you give us, hmm?”

“S-stop… no… I won’t…”

“We know you have the answers. We can feel it in your subconscious, you will yield to us!” One of the hooded figures snarl at her.

“Ne...never…”

The witch nonchalantly points Riko’s wand at her again.

“Crucio.”

With Riko’s screams, the fractures in the scene expand more and more. Suddenly, the witch stops the Curse and dispels the confinement, causing Riko to crumble onto the floor without invisible ropes to hold her up. Dia’s arms are extended as if to catch her but, naturally, she could not get in contact with her.

“What are you doing?” A hooded figure takes a step, only to halt in reverence when the witch turns to them.

“This is enough for now. A human mind is so frail after all.”

Riko remains limp on the ground, though her body is still twitching from the aftermath of the Cruciatus Curse. However, the captors fail to notice her shifting onto her side. Her dimmed eyes are distant as she grasps for the carbonado necklace around her neck.

“P… Po… Portus,” Riko whispers laboriously, causing the black diamond to glow blue though the unnatural light is covered by her hand and shielded by her body.

Before the witch and the other hooded figures could react, a bright veil envelopes Riko’s form and she vanishes with the impromptu Portkey. The scene warps along with her form, spinning in such high speed that once again the girls are forced to hold onto one another.

Suddenly, they are at the basement of the Hut, where Riko was found, and she lands with a crash, knocking over the stool and pots. She remains slumped for several moments, wheezing and trembling without the strength to move. Her grip slowly loosens, revealing the necklace to be shattered and the carbonado now lackluster, its magic reserve used up.

Painstakingly, Riko then reaches for the flasks that surround her, ones that weren’t fractured from her landing. She drops one after the other, her hand lacking the strength to clutch at it. One vial slips out of her palm and, as if expended, her hand falls after it. When the glass shards slice into her hand, her gaze regains light briefly. With one last burst of energy, she manages to grab another vial and holds it near her cheeks to collect teardrops.

A ghost of a smile graces her face before her expression relaxes in alarming weakness. “...I… I’m sorry…”

The rifts in the scene crack again and suddenly, they are all flung out of the Pensieve back into the room.

Yoshiko wobbles a little before collapsing back onto the couches, finding the others in a similar disorientated state. Only Dia remains standing, though it is because she is clutching at the edges of the plinth and still peering down at the basin.

“...they will not get away with this. How dare they harm one of my important people,” Mari growls darkly, though she stiffens and deflates when Kanan wraps an arm around her.

“Yes, though for the time being, we need to be rational, for Dia’s sake.”

The pair gingerly approaches their friend, though it is Ruby who closes the distance with a few unwavering steps. Wordlessly, she hugs her older sister from behind.

Yoshiko then realizes that Dia is shaking in silent sobs, her tears trickling into the Pensieve.

“There… are a lot of things we need to confirm, if you don’t mind, Kanan-chan, Mari-chan,” Ruby’s voice is still characteristically quiet, though there is an edge behind it that’s reminiscent of Dia’s authoritative tone.

You and Chika’s faces are pale with cold sweat, but their voices are just as steady. “We don’t fully remember what happened, even after seeing… all that, but we’d appreciate it if you can fill in the details for us.”

Kanana and Mari share a glance before nodding. “We’re running out of time. We’ve talked about this before with Dia - if we can eradicate the enemies before they are found by anyone, then there wouldn’t even be a secret to hide.”

“Which, technically, nullifies the Vow. We’ve been too careful before, too defensive,” Mari’s low voice regains that icy rage. “It’s time for us to strike.”

“We don’t have much liberty now that, from Hogwarts’ point of view, a student has been brutally attacked. The school may very well shut down if no solution is found.”

Yoshiko could feel Hanamaru nodding slowly beside her while the rest of them begin to suggest possible courses of action.

She couldn’t really bring herself into the discussion.

She just feels numb.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She doesn’t remember exactly how they had returned to the castle, though probably with an Auror escort since Hogwarts is no longer considered safe. As Dia’s testimony is still required, Kanan and Mari decide to stay behind at St. Mungo’s along with Ruby. Chika and You are torn between staying and accompanying Yoshiko and Hanamaru back to the school, but the Deputy Headmistress insists that they stay for a check-up.

Indeed, the duo appears sick enough to garner the concern of any onlookers.

Apparently it’s the break of dawn, the sun barely peaking over the canopy tops of the Forbidden Forest by the time Yoshiko snaps back to her senses and gazes out of the windows of the hallways. After a quick look over, the school’s matron suggests that they return to their respective Dorms to rest for now, as there will be an announcement later about all classes being cancelled for the day. Staff will be holding an emergency meeting while Aurors are already being stationed around any entrances around the perimeters.

Yoshiko doesn’t want to return to the Slytherin Dungeon, and certainly doesn’t want to sleep in spite of how exhausted she feels. Restless, she paces outside of the Great Hall while Hanamaru stays close by. They have not exchanged a word since the Pensieve or, rather, neither of them have spoken since then.

Hanamaru has always viewed magic to be wonderful, like an amazing discovery that could only happen in the future. ‘Mirai zura~!’, as she is fond of saying. In spite of everything they learned about the Vow, the feathers and even after the Moonstruck incident, Hanamaru remains optimistic and determined to see the light of the magical world.

But now, she is probably stunned into silence by the ugly reality they witnessed.

How Yoshiko wishes to comfort her girlfriend, though she has no confidence in doing so since she is rattled as well.

Kanan and Mari are correct in saying that they’re running out of time, but what can they do? They don’t know where the enemies are hiding. They don’t even known their true objective other than wanting the Kurosawa heiress for something.

And there are the accursed feathers too.

Where do they start? And how?

Perhaps the three Fifth-Years could put up a fight, but Yoshiko knows that she will be useless in a true battle against Dark wizards and witches. She considers herself strong and talented enough, but she is simply too young, too inexperienced to make a difference.

Yoshiko shakes her head. The most she can do is wait for the older girls to return with Ruby. Surely, with the eight of them together, they can come up with a feasible plan.

She shudders at the thought, realizing that she could no longer say nine when referring to their group. A flood of emotions carefully held at bay now crashes upon her and she has to lean against the wall for support. She tries not to burst into tears even though that’s all she really wants to do now.

Lily…

No, she mustn’t give up hope. Hanamaru’s said it before. Chika’s also said it before and heck, even Yoshiko herself had said it before. Magic is miraculous. Of course there are good and bad even here in the magical world, just as in the Muggle world. Light and darkness cannot exist without the other, as simple as that.

Yoshiko grits her teeth. She doesn’t have the luxury to cry. There must be something she can do, something only she can do.

The weight within her hood shifts and suddenly, Lucifer takes flight and glides down the hallway. Startled, Yoshiko tugs for Hanamaru’s hand and follows after the bat. Soon, they arrive at the abandoned laboratory and once again, she couldn’t shake off the sensation of deja vu.

This place must be connected to the dingy chamber, where the werewolf was drugged and Riko was tortured. Together with Lucifer, the two girls begin searching the bathroom for clues that could’ve been missed.

Every stall, every crook and cranny, every single faucet is thoroughly examined. However, just like last time, they could not find anything out of ordinary about this place.

Then, Lucifer lands rather ungracefully at one of the faucets, ears flattened as it claws at the tap. Yoshiko squints at the marble surface, her hand tracing over at the slight bump and wriggly carving on the side. While this carving does make this particular sink differ than the other ones, she could not discern what it is supposed to be.

A worm? A flattened sideways S? It could be anything really, since the surface has eroded over undoubtedly a very long time for it to lose its defining features.

Frowning, she gestures for Hanamaru to take a look as well. The petite girl furrows her brows, intrigued and puzzled as she traces the outline of the carving just as Yoshiko has done.

When she opens her mouth to speak, Yoshiko is unprepared to hear a discordant hiss instead of an actual word.

Before she could question Hanamaru, the carving glows and causes all of the faucets to shake with magic. The shimmering carving, its outline now revealing it to be a snake, thrums in power as a gaping tunnel appears beneath the shifting sinks. She pulls Hanamaru behind her protectively, holding her breath in apprehension as the one with the snake slowly sinks into the floor, allowing passage to the massive pipe that seems to lead somewhere underground.

This is it. This must be where the enemies are hiding! I need to tell the Fifth-Years at once!

Yoshiko frantically digs into her pocket for the Protean-Charmed parchment that Mari gave to her, debating exactly what to say since it could only transfer a short message to the recipient.

Just as she is about to tap the first word with her wand, she is shoved towards the opening and there’s a fleeting sense of being airborne before gravity pulls her down.

Into the darkness she tumbles, falling and falling, sliding this way and that down the meandering pipe and unable to stop her descent. Her sense of direction is completely messed up by the time she rolls to a stop onto a wet floor.

Sputtering, she ignores her aching body and scrambles for her wand, which has fallen a good distance away. After a quick Lumos, she quickly surveys her surrounding, too wary to input more magic into the spell to see better in case she alerts enemies. The area is dank from dripping water between the cracks and smaller pipes, but this alcove has nothing else special about it except for the grand pipe she has just fallen from. She stares at the opening, crouched in a hesitant stance, and waits with a thumping heart. Seconds pass by, counted by the rapid pounding of her heartbeats, while her mind is still struggling to comprehend what just happened.

No one else was in the lavatory with her except Hanamaru.

There’s no way.

It must’ve been someone else. And, if it really had been Hanamaru, there must be a reason why she pushed her down, right?

There must be!

But what was that awful hissing sound she made before the snake carving activated?

Yoshiko remains crouched even as the brunette slides down the pipe and lands softly on her two feet, the movement uncharacteristically graceful akin to a feline. Nowhere is the serene albeit slow way Hanamaru walks, for each and every one of her step appears to be calculated and purposeful as she approaches Yoshiko.

Her wand is raised, pointed straight ahead at the Slytherin with a steady grip.

Why?

The longer Yoshiko gazes at Hanamaru, the more convinced she is that the brunette is the real one. They have not left the other’s side since St. Mungo’s and before that she stayed with Mari and Ruby, giving no opportunity for an imposter to drink the Polyjuice Potion. And even if somehow that happened, the effects would have long worn off.

Lucifer joins them a moment later, the bat warily steering away from Hanamaru and perches on Yoshiko’s shoulder. She swallows hard and tries to inch closer, only to recoil when a powerful Reducto shatters the tile in front of her.

Hanamaru’s expression is calm as she continues to point her wand at Yoshiko, the ground sizzling from the residues of her magic.

What’s happening? Why is this happening?

Then, a fluttering sound, of great wings flapping.

Yoshiko blinks.

A burst of gale causes the torches to flare to life one by one, down a seemingly endless stretch of hallway behind her. The damp bricks, the intricate and distinctive Slytherin designs on the wall, the musky and ancient atmosphere, everything is the same as what she saw in the werewolf’s mind, and from Riko’s memory.

Another powerful flap of wings sends shivers down her body.

Dazedly, she turns her attention to the front and pretends not to notice her shaking hand. She watches as a black feather slowly sways along the wind and gently makes its descent on the ground. Another soft click accompanies it, and she looks up with trepidation at the figure that just lands beside Hanamaru.

A raven-haired girl, dressed in a familiar dark cloak, tilts her head and raises an elegant eyebrow as she appraises Yoshiko. A pair of black feathery wings are spread wide behind the stranger, and one wing is slightly furled around Hanamaru’s form in a territorial manner.

Shock cannot even begin to describe Yoshiko’s feeling, though she is drenched in cold fear.

The winged girl looks exactly like what the Boggart had transformed into.

Her mirror image smiles, the minute movement exudes both beauty and menace.

“We meet at last.”

Her husky voice has a mesmerizing quality to its lilt, filled with the kind of confidence that Yoshiko repeatedly tries to imitate but could never have.

“...j-just… who a-are you-?”  Her throat is painfully dry, her voice scratchy from not using it for a long time. Even though a part of her knows the answer already, she still doesn’t want to acknowledge it until she hears the confirmation.

The doppelganger's fanged grin is predatory as she slips an arm around Hanamaru’s waist and pulls the latter against her.

“I am Yohane, the fallen angel.”

[athyrabunlord]

Yule Ball outfits ( ´ ω ` ) from Chapter 9 of [LLSHP AU]

[athyrabunlord]

LLSHP Interlude - Carbonado (1)

Arc1: [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7]

Arc2: [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14]

Arc3: [Chapter 15 -  Under The Black Lake (TBD)]

Interlude: [Carbonado (1)] [Carbonado (2)] [Of Feathers and Wind] [Delphinus (teaser blip)]

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

[FFN link] (finished the interludes!) [Pixiv Link]

A/N: I should be writing LLSHP 11, I really should, but I can’t get this out of my head OTL No way I can wait until the whole story is finished to write this behind-the-scenes chapter, so here it is, a DiaRiko special interlude. It shows how their relationship develops prior to the beginning of the main story and up to chapter 10. And somehow it got so long I had to split in two parts

[You don’t necessarily have to read the main story to understand this one, but there are a lot of connections so it’s highly recommended you do, to appreciate Dia and Riko’s bond]

Words: 7,181

Riko Sakurauchi is vaguely aware of the pleasant floral scent as she starts to break away from sleep. The pillow feels more comfortable than she could remember, coaxing her to snuggle and drift back to blissful oblivion. How long has it been since she has felt this relaxed, this sated from rest?

Something odd about her whereabouts prickles at the back of her mind, enough that she is forced to blink her eyes open to assess the situation. Silky green and silver greet her as she sweeps her gaze around the familiar yet unfamiliar room.

Slytherin… the prefect dorm-?

Her eyes widen a fraction when she locates another girl seated on the window sill, reading a thick tome. The light that filtered through the panes is Charmed to resemble sunlight, but retains the Lake's unique tints since this is the Slytherin Dungeon as opposed to the Ravenclaw Tower. Dia Kurosawa's silhouette is enveloped in that soft glow, giving her an unapproachable yet picturesque aura, like a painting to be admired from afar.

Disorientated from vestiges of sleep still, Riko sluggishly gets up in a sitting position.

"Good afternoon, Sakurauchi-san."

Riko tilts her head. "Good afternoon, Kurosawa-san… h-how long have I been asleep? And, how did I get here-?"

Dia slightly lowers her head, the book now closed in her lap as she turns to face Riko. "Apologies. It has come to my attention that you have not had much sleep the past few days. Therefore, when I found you napping in the living room, I took it upon myself to place you on my bed, as it would be more comfortable than the chair."

Fragmented memories of her reading books come to mind. Riko coyly meets the older witch's concerned eyes. "Thank you, for everything. I know I must be intruding and-" She jolts in realization and tries to get off the bed. "Oh, I'm so sorry for taking up space, I didn't mean to just fall asleep and-"

"Sakurauchi-san, it is fine. I did not feel sleepy last night anyway, and a few hours of nap on the couch is more than adequate." Dia is now standing beside her, her hand gentle but also firm on her shoulder as if to keep her from leaving the bed. "You need to rest more than I do."

Riko sighs shakily. That brief sense of contentment from earlier seems like a figment of her imagination, now that reality has caught up again. "H-How is-?"

"Takami-san and Watanabe-san are fine. Kanan-san is taking care of them, and I have requested Mari-san to inform me should anything peculiar happens." Dia summons one of the chairs beside the desk and places it close to the bed before sitting down.

Kanan Matsuura is Chika and You's childhood friend and someone they both look up to, while Mari Ohara is her fellow Ravenclaw Housemate with a reputation for her quirkiness and brilliant grades at many courses. The two seniors are also Dia Kurosawa's most trustworthy friends, and have been helping her cope with that terrible incident just as much as Dia has.

She didn't know them back then and neither did they, yet circumstances had brought them together and, already, they have done so much for her.

"I see. Thank you, again, for…" Riko swallows the huge lump in her throat. "I'm not ready to face them yet."

"Of course, that is understandable." Dia's husky voice is kind. "However, you will need to face them eventually. The first term may be over soon, but surely they would like to see you before they go home for the holidays, and vice versa."

Riko gives her a slow nod, not trusting herself to speak any longer. Despondency soon devolves to dread while guilt makes it difficult to breathe. She could still hear Chika's agonized scream as those hooded figures struck her down with a Cruciatus Curse. She could still see the blood staining You's robe and fair hair when she blocked a cutting Hex from hitting her. Most of all, their blank eyes when she desperately wipes their mind clean of the incident, of their research group, of her…

"Shhh, it is okay. Let it out."

A hand is gently caressing her back, and Riko does find it easier to breathe after a while.

"You should not have involved yourself with me. Kanan-san and Mari-san too," she chokes out, her voice feeble and strained.

"But we are," Dia says evenly. "We share a common foe, a common goal. What happened has happened. We are in this together now, Sakurauchi-san. Please do not hesitate to depend on us more."

Riko flinches from the selfless offer. She understands the gist of the Kurosawa heiress' situation, that those hooded figures are the same ones that attacked the Pureblood for reasons unknown. Even then, she is grateful for the company and support. She wouldn't know where she would be now, if Dia and her friends hadn't found her curled up beside Chika and You's prone bodies. She was a complete sobbing mess then, and she refuses to become one again.

She swallows down a whimper and subconsciously pulls the blanket closer so the floral aroma fills and soothes her sense once more. "Thank you, Kurosawa-san."

Dia's small smile is just as warm as it was back at the campsite.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

'Depending on the proficiency of the Charm, memories are either suppressed or irreversibly erased. Therefore, it is possible to recover those memories-'

Riko stares hard at the wizened page of a thick tome she had managed to find from her family library. She is by no means an expert in the Memory Charm, but if she is trained properly and learns as much as she could about spells and the body, she might be able to reclaim the memories she had wiped from Chika and You's minds.

This is it then, her new goal. Surely, by becoming a Mediwitch, she would be qualified to do just that.

Sighing tiredly, she rubs the bridge of her nose and sinks back against the chair. At least she has accomplished something today. The holidays have been horrid so far, as she is unable to speak to her parents about what truly transpired at school due to that accursed Unbreakable Vow. Other than the feeble excuse of wanting to research and study more, she could not explain to them the reason behind her distance and subdued demeanor.

Chika and You have been sending her letters, their lively entries bringing her both joy and guilt. Their parting at King's Cross Station was awkward and brusque, with her making pitiful excuses about family commitments. She doesn't understand why the duo is still so attached to her, since the Memory Charm should have eradicated everything and made her a simple classmate to them. Yet, it is as if the whole mess with the quill never happened and they are still close friends.

I miss them. So much...

At least, according to those letters, they don't seem to be suffering from any aftereffects of the spell and are as energetic as ever.

Riko slaps her own cheeks and stands up determinedly. This is no time to be despondent. While her family library isn't as vast as Hogwarts' collection, she is certain that she would discover valuable information. It feels therapeutic even, studying and researching on her own, rather than learning from a sentient quill. She feels that, by understanding the origin of something, the newfound knowledge is earned and is safe, controllable within her ability.

It's New Year's Eve today, so she might as well make the last day of the year as productive as she could.

She has no idea how many hours have gone by, but when a commotion outside snaps her concentration, she notices that the sky has turned dark. Frowning, she approaches the window with her wand out, dubious of the possibility of intruders since the Sakurauchi residence is well-Warded.

Suddenly the alabaster windows blast open with a strong gust.

"Good evening~! How is my favorite kouhai-chan doing?"

That peculiar pitch could only mean one person. Riko closes her eyes and reopens them again just to make sure she isn't hallucinating. There, mounted on a majestic Hippogriff, is Mari Ohara with her signature Cheshire grin. She has never been particularly close to the flaky senpai, so how did the blonde find out where she lives and why is she here?

Her inner question must have been obvious on her face, for Mari holds up her finger and says. "Just want to confirm something, Rikocchi. You don't have any plans tonight, right?"

Riko hesitantly shakes her head.

"Alright~ Then you're coming with me! I've already informed your parents that I'll be borrowing you for, oh I don't know, a few days~"

"Huh? What-? Where are we-?"

"Come on!"

Mari has been helpful and encouraging so far, and her presence within the property means Riko's parents must have approved of her entry. Therefore, it wouldn't be harmful to see what the older witch wants, would it? Perhaps the loneliness over the holidays have worn Riko out more than expected, for she reaches out and takes the blonde's offered hand.

This could sort of resemble a pivotal scene in a fairytale where the prince in shining armor picks up the locked up princess with his gallant steed, except the said princess is hoarsely screeching in fear and confusion, while the said prince is cackling in glee as they soar above the clouds.

Riko regrets not rejecting the invitation outright. All she could do is cling to Mari's back as the Hippogriff sail across the sky with twirls and spins every now and then. She has never been a fan of flying growing up, preferring the Floo Network or Portkey as method of travel. And, with her recently acquired skill of Apparition, she sees no point in ever touching a broom again in her life, not after watching all the reckless stunts Chika and You pull during Quidditch.

But this is, for a lack of better word, insane!

"Lighten up, Rikocchi! Have some fun~!"

"This is so not fun, it's dangerous- yeeeeeeek!"

When they finally descend in a condensed forest, thankfully in one piece, Riko practically leaps off the Hippogriff just to savor the safe sensation of terra firma again. Her knees are still shaking though, making her glare and folded arms not as intimidating as she has hoped.

"Mari-san…"

The blonde senior has the audacity to giggle. "Oho~ Not bad, Rikocchi! Work on it a bit more and you could be as scary as Dia!"

Riko resists the urge to stomp and tries to breathe calmly. "Just where have you brought me, Mari-san?"

Mari merely winks and sends off her Hippogriff back into the night sky. With one crooking finger, she beckons Riko to follow her. Though dubious, Riko has no choice but to follow her companion through this unfamiliar landscape. The forest trail is narrow but appears to be meticulously maintained, with the hedges trimmed and the soil compressed evenly. The quiet atmosphere is not unsettling like the oppressive aura of the Forbidden Forest, but it does share that ancient and magical presence.

"Just where are we-?" Riko murmurs and is about to cast Lumos when Mari stops her with a light tap.

"No light or any traceable spells, not in this territory, at least not until the coast is clear. Ah, there she is~"

Riko tenses when she spots a large silhouette padding towards them. She blinks when the wolf smoothly transforms into a familiar ponytailed witch.

"Kanan-san?"

"Hey. Glad you could make it."

"Make it to what-?"

Kanan chuckles exasperatedly. "You didn't explain to her, Mari?"

"I want it to be a surprise~"

Riko looks between the two older girls, but she pushes the confusion away for the time being and approaches Kanan anxiously. "How are Chika-chan and You-chan? T-Their letters said you had a snowball fight-?"

"Yup! Between them and Shiitake, I had no chance!" Kanan smiles amiably as her voice softens to an understanding tone. "They are doing just fine, but they miss you a lot."

Something inside of Riko deflates and she just feels weary. "I see... I do too, so much, but I-"

She blinks in surprise when Kanan ruffles her hair. "None of that here, not today at least. Mari and I are going ahead to make sure your entry won't be detected. Will you be okay on your own for a bit?"

"S-Sure? I'm not a little kid," Riko resists the urge to pout, though it does feel oddly refreshing to be treated like this. She often has to play the older sister figure within her group of friends, so this is a pleasant change for once. "You won't explain what's going on here though-?"

"Mari's kept this a secret this long, I'll do the same," Kanan and Mari exchange a small smile before the two change into their Animagus forms.

Riko leans against a tree, her fingers nervously wrapped around her wand as the wolf and the cat darts into the shadows. She has no reason to distrust the two older witches, and this forest does lack that ominous aura as the Forbidden Forest. The whole trip so far has thrown her routine schedule of research out of loop but it isn't wholly bad. This rather reminds her of the spontaneous excursions Chika would come up with, or the rare childish adventures You would lead them around the Black Lake.

No matter how much she tries, she keeps sinking back into that quagmire of remorse. Thankfully, true to Kanan's words, she doesn't have to wait for long.

"Good evening, Sakurauchi-san. Apologies for the wait, and for Mari-san's behavior as well."

"Kurosawa-san?"

Riko is astonished to find Dia carefully descending in front of her on an unusually large broom. The Kurosawa heiress is dressed in a simple vest and jeans, an unexpected outfit for someone of her station and making her appear like a Muggleborn.

"I assume neither Mari-san nor Kanan-san explained why they have brought you here?"

Slow nod. Dia shakes her head in exasperation. "I do not understand their intention either, but perhaps it is best that we talk inside." She gestures at the forest and at a direction beyond the canopies. "This is the Kurosawa Estate, and a complex system of Wards prevent any outsiders from entering the grounds. This trail is the only method of approach via Muggle means, but we can at least fly over the Manor and enter my private wing this way. Please get seated behind me."

Humbled and just a little apprehensive, Riko glances at her surroundings one more time before sitting on the invisible cushion of the large broom. "I've never seen this kind of broom before…"

"Ah yes, this one was specifically modified to fit one extra passenger," Dia's voice is rather monotonous. "I used to fly around with my little sister."

"I didn't know you have a little sister-" Riko bites her lips but the inadvertent question has already slipped out.

"... Ruby is four years younger than me, and she will be attending Hogwarts as well, for next year." Dia clearly doesn't want to speak more on the subject, so Riko nods and gingerly holds onto the handle in front of her seat.

Once Dia ensures that Riko is secure, they effortlessly ascend over the canopy and towards the distant Manor. The maneuvers are precise and steady while maintaining decent speed, making the whole ride a pleasant experience as opposed to the heart-stopping skydiving she did with Mari earlier. Nostalgia fills her as she recalls how Dia was the Slytherin Seeker when she first came to Hogwarts, and the times she sat with Chika and You in the breachers cheering for Kanan. Chika wanted to become a Beater after seeing her childhood friend's daring strikes, while You found the agile Slytherin Seeker to be cool and aspired to become one too.

Smiling wistfully, Riko leans forward and subconsciously wraps her arms around Dia's waist as if this would fend her from the night chill and these distant memories.

If Dia has any objection to such proximity, she does not say anything. Riko relishes in the warmth as she dazedly appreciates the view below. The Kurosawa Estate is truly a sight to behold, the extensive network of buildings and ground comparable to Hogwarts itself, just on a smaller scale. The mixed style of traditional Japanese ceramic roof tiles and Western arches present a rather austere atmosphere for any onlookers.

The central Manor resembles more like a fortress than a simple residence, so Riko is slightly relieved when Dia veers off to the side and descends towards an open area closer to the hedge that encompasses the entire Estate. This private section is more simplistic in appearance, with a quaint two-story house that has wooden verandas and traditional Japanese shoji doors.

Riko has the odd sensation of something cool traveling up her body as she carefully steps onto the grass, possibly the effect of the Wards accepting her presence. Unlike the frigid night air in the forest, the surroundings feel warm from heating Charms as if she is indoors. She glances around the garden in wonder, admiring the aesthetic arrangement of ornaments and small ponds with miniature bridges.

It must look breathtaking during spring, when the flowers bloom and the koi fish visible beneath the water.

Stretched on the porch are Kanan and Mari in their Animagi forms, appearing comfy and right at home as if they are Dia's house pets. Riko smiles in amusement at the idea.

"Well then, the two of you owe Sakurauchi-san an explanation," Dia puts away the broom and conjures a cushion for her guest on the porch before pointing her wand at her friends.

Mari purrs lazily and flops against Kanan, who lolls her tongue and wags her long tail. Riko couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

Dia's tense shoulders relax slightly as she lowers her wand and sighs in resignation. "Again, I apologize for their behavior, Sakurauchi-san. I hope you were not forcibly taken away from family gatherings or other engagements."

"It's okay, Kurosawa-san. I'm rather… humbled to be able to come here," Riko suddenly feels out of place, since she hasn't known any of the three older witches for long. The adrenaline has faded enough for the timid side of her to surface, making her drop her gaze uncertainly.

Dia furrows her brows and resumes glaring at the wolf and cat. Like chided children, the two Animagi transform back.

"We do this every year, Dia."

"Yes, but why did you involve Sakurauchi-san?"

"We thought she might like some company. It's New Year's, yes?"

As if on cue, a grandfather clock chimes somewhere behind the shoji doors, signaling that is is already midnight. Kanan and Mari share a grin before pouncing on their friend in a group hug.

"Happy birthday, Dia!"

The Kurosawa heiress stumbles a little but accepts her friends' fervent attention with grace. Riko frantically checks her pockets and despairs when she only finds her wand and nothing else. Then again, nothing would have been good enough to count as a present anyway.

"I didn't know it's your birthday, Kurosawa-san, I'm sorry I didn't bring a gift-"

"Do not fret, you did not know and it seems like you were brought here abruptly in the first place," Dia sends another withering glare at her smirking friends. "Besides, you have already given me a present."

"I have?"

"You seem to like the way I have arranged the garden, a small personal project that I am rather proud of," Dia holds her chin high and gives her an uncharacteristic child-like smile. As if embarrassed by the slip in composure, she then coughs and gestures for Riko to follow her onto the porch. "I am glad to have you here, Sakurauchi-san. Let us go inside where it is more comfortable, and I will bring some refreshments."

"Hehe, we shall party all night long~! Are you ready, Rikocchi?" Mari lunges at Riko's back, placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulder to usher her.

"Mari and I have prepared quite the cake, we'll definitely need your help to finish it," Kanan folds her arms behind her head and brings up the rear as the four witches enter the house.

The amiable atmosphere makes Riko's heart flutter in joy, something she hasn't permitted herself to feel since that incident. Before Dia could close the shoji door behind them, a horned owl swoops down and deposits a parcel onto her hands. Riko vaguely recognizes the bird as Dia's familiar, but what catches her attention is the small forlorn smile on Dia's visage as the latter inspects the present and the card attached to it.

She is familiar with such expression - sorrow and helplessness carefully veiled so that friends would not worry. Before she realizes it, she has already placed a comforting hand on Dia's arm, wishing she could do more for the older girl.

Dia gazes at her solemnly and repeats what she said earlier, in a softer voice. "I am glad to have you here, Sakurauchi-san."

Riko smiles. "I'm glad to be here too."

And it's not because she wouldn't have to endure loneliness back home, but because she gets to spend more time in Dia's company.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Riko ended up spending the remainder of the holidays at the Kurosawa Estate with Kanan and Mari. As the heiress, Dia had many duties and was rarely seen until well after dinner time, so Riko was left in the other two witches' rather enjoyable company.

Kanan seems to know exactly when she is feeling down and would provide comforting words, while Mari's unpredictability doesn't even give her the time to feel melancholic. Through them, Riko learns a lot about the Kurosawa family, of how they hold great pride in their Pureblood status and does segregate the Muggleborns and mixed lineages. While it isn't wholly in a condescending way, they do believe that they have special privileges as descendants of an ancient bloodline.

This is the reason why Kanan and Mari are unable to enter the Estate through the front entrance, as Kanan is a Muggleborn and Mari has Muggle heritage. The Sakurauchi line has diluted over the centuries, with marriages to Muggleborns or Half-bloods and so on. Therefore, even though Riko's mother and paternal grandmother are Purebloods, the traces of Muggle lineages in her blood would have barred her entry as well. Dia has specially set up her private wing so that her friends could enter via the forest trail.

Riko doesn't know why, but Kanan and Mari seem to enjoy sharing Dia's little secrets with her, such as Dia's favorite dessert or her borderline-fangirl idolization of the Deputy Headmistress. Even then, Riko only grows more fond of the austere heiress, finding these uncharacteristic sides of her rather cute and make her more approachable.

However, there is one topic even Kanan and Mari would not touch upon, respecting their friend's privacy. Riko has only caught glimpses of Ruby from afar, for the younger Kurosawa lives on the other side of the Estate under the elders' careful scrutiny. From what Riko could deduce, Ruby's magical abilities, while much better than average witches', are not up to the Kurosawa's standards and thus she is allowed very little freedom. The siblings only get to interact with each other during lessons and meal times, though Riko could tell that Dia cares about her little sister very much and vice versa.

Still, everything is merely speculation. Dia never elaborates much, and Riko doesn't pry. Family politics isn't something an outsider like her could interfere with after all.

"Ohayousorou!" "Riko-chan, you're early!"

Riko smiles warmly at her two best friends, who envelopes her in bear hugs the moment they spot her at the train station. The relaxing holidays are therapeutic enough for her to face Chika and You again.

It's a new year and the second term of their Second Year at Hogwarts. She is ready to confront her demons.

There's just something magical about Chika and You, for they easily break through her reserves and soon after, she finds herself laughing with them as they settle down in their compartment. She misses Chika's silly puns and adoration of mikans. She misses You's piles of fashion magazines and spirited salutes. She recalls how some of her Ravenclaw peers questioned her choice of company, considering the Gryffindor duo's less than mediocre grades and boisterous disposition. Even now, her answer is still the same.

They may be dorks, but they're her dorks. Her precious, courageous friends who didn't even hesitate in throwing themselves in harm's way to protect her.

"Hmm? Is there something on my face, Riko-chan?"

I stared too much. Blinking, Riko flusters and is about to wave it off when she does notice bits of chocolate dotting Chika's cheek. Chuckling fondly, she points it out and waits for You to clean it up like she usually does.

To her surprise, You merely nudges and teases Chika, while the latter grumbles good-naturedly and wipes her own cheek. Riko shrugs away the peculiarity and soon their conversation falls back to normal.

However, as time goes by, Riko notices more and more of the nearly indiscernible distance between them. Sure, Chika and You still act buddy-buddy with each other, but nowhere is the closeness they share as a couple. Back then, as long as they're only in Riko's company, they would inadvertently express their affection for one another.

Those cute secretive glances they share, shy blushes and content smiles, where have they gone?

Hoping she is just being paranoid, Riko forces out a chuckle. "You know you don't have to hold back around me. Thanks for the consideration, but I'd rather you just be yourselves."

The duo looks confused. "What do you mean?"

"Usually you'd hold hands or, um, you'd kiss You-chan's cheek just to make her flustered-?"

"Eh! W-W-Why would Chika-chan do that?" You sounds shocked while Chika's jaw drops. "Why this all of a sudden, Riko-chan?"

Dread settles in her stomach but she persists. "But, that's normal for a couple, right-?"

"We're not a couple!" The duo denies simultaneously. "We're best friends, Riko-chan. We've known each other forever, it'd be weird if we go out..."

Riko feels numb while their words reverberate in her chaotic mind. But that's exactly it! Both of you have crushes on each other as long as you can remember! You both confided in me, that you didn't want to ruin your lifelong friendship, so neither of you did anything! I was the one who managed to make you two confess!

Color drains from Riko's face as realization claws at her. And I was the one who took away all that. I Oblivated you both, and because I was too weak and inept, you had to save me and shield me and you paid the price and lost so much-

"Riko-chan?!" "Where are you going-?"

Filled with nausea, she runs out of their compartment and past startled students down the hallway. She needs to go somewhere secluded but she is practically trapped on the train. She opens the connecting doors and enters the next cart, then the cart after that, and more, just to get as far away as possible.

Suddenly, she runs into someone and almost tumbles backwards if it weren't for steady hands wrapped around her. She looks up to see Kanan's concerned expression and feels a familiar sting at the corner of her eyes. Before tears could leak out, Kanan pulls her into a warm hug.

Somewhere behind, she could hear Mari chatting with Chika and You, who must have run after her. It seems like the blonde is successful at diverting their attention, for soon their voices become inaudible beyond the connecting doors.

"We'll take care of Chika and You, you just keep going to the last compartment in the next cart, okay?" Kanan murmurs gently near her head before loosening her hold. Giving her one more encouraging pat, the ponytailed girl leaves her to her thoughts.

Riko dabs at her eyes and swallows the lump in her throat. Really, how could she ever repay them for their kindness?

Taking a deep breath, she follows Kanan's instruction and soon reaches the destination. Gingerly, she knocks on the door and pulls it open after hearing the occupant's permission.

Dia appears taken aback, a textbook still open in her lap as emerald eyes glance at her up and down. "Sakurauchi-san, what happened-?"

"M-May I stay here, please?"

"Of course."

Riko hastily enters the compartment and closes the door behind her, hoping her movement isn't as embarrassingly desperate as she thinks.

Rather than gesturing at the empty spot opposite of her, Dia scoots away from the window to make space. Riko gratefully takes the seat, prepared to wallow in melancholy while staring out of the window.

Yet the silence doesn't last for long. The warm and dependable presence beside her soothes her, and soon she finds herself opening her own books and discussing several topics with Dia.

A part of her hopes the train would never stop, though she doesn't understand where such thought came from.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The second term is hard, not just from her personal issues but from the intensive courses as well. Now that she's aspired to become a Mediwitch, she has discussed with her Head of the House and Deputy Headmistress, receiving permission to take Advanced courses for various subjects.

This change in schedule allows her to spend more time with the three Fourth-Years and less time with Chika and You, which has its pros and cons. While the heavy workload distracts her enough that she would not feel guilty distancing herself from her best friends, she also longs for their company and all the what-ifs had she never found that accursed quill.

While Chika and You not being a couple still bothers her, she's able to pretend nothing is wrong since they are usually at the library or around other students. Like old times, she enjoys helping them with their assignments and even berating them for their antics. Sometimes Kanan would join them, and with the older witch as mediator, she's able to achieve a sense of normalcy.

Due to them sharing the same House, Riko also spends quite a lot of time in Mari's company. The blonde's randomness, while exasperating and rather irritating at times, is just her way of showing affection. Riko subconsciously begins to think of Mari as a sister and a part of her likes to believe that Mari thinks the same too.

And there's Dia. The Slytherin prefect, as a Head Girl candidate, is very busy with various duties just as she had been back at the Estate, yet she is always there for Riko whenever she needs her. Since that time on the train, Riko has consciously acknowledged Dia as a place of refuge, though she realizes that it's been the case all along since that fateful day.

Also, whenever their eyes meet in the hallways, Dia would nod or smile at her, and such simple acknowledgement is enough to lift her spirits for the rest of the day.

Their secret group of four still meet at Dia's prefect dorm, as it grants them enough privacy, but soon they notice that the space is no longer big enough to accommodate their research or practice sessions. Riko almost wants to suggest the Hut, her old hideout with Chika and You back then, but she feels sick at the thought of returning there. As if understanding her dilemma, the three Fourth-Years never mention it either.

It is by pure luck that, two months into the second term, they discover the Room of Requirement. Riko's pet Kneazle Sandy, a loyal and intelligent familiar, would often wander around the Castle with Animagus Mari, and that's how they ended up stumbling upon the odd door opposite of the troll tapestry on the 7th floor.

This almost-sentient room provides anything they need, and they are able to train and study to their heart's content. However, in spite of the available resources, they have no breakthroughs on those enigmatic black feathers found on those hooded assailants. There just aren't enough samples to analyze these magic-imbued items, and whichever diagnostic spells cast upon them bring an array of results that could not be categorized.

The frustration only pushes her to study and improve herself more.

"Sakurauchi-san, perhaps it is best that we call it a day."

"N-No, Kurosawa-san, I haven't even gotten past your defense, let alone disarm you."

Panting, Riko raises her wand again and attempts to aim in spite of her trembling arm. She knows that she is well over her limit but this isn't enough. An enemy would not take pity on her just because she is exhausted.

Her spell dissipates upon hitting the invisible shield Charm around Dia, who simply stands there. In fact, she has barely moved since their duel began. And she hasn't even unsheathed her saber.

"You were never this stubborn, Sakurauchi-san, what happened?" Dia speaks in a severe tone, and Riko cringes like a child caught red-handed. Frowning, Dia glances over at the grand ornate mirror at the corner of the room and lets out a deep sigh.

"You must stay away from the Mirror of Erised. It will only do you more harm than good."

Riko lowers her head, ashamed yet unable to admit her faults. Sometimes the pang of longing becomes too much, and she finds herself staring woefully at the reflection for possibly hours. Within the mirror, she is happy, Chika and You are still a couple, and they are in their Fifth Years and have successfully passed their N.E.W.T.s.

"... if only Ruby and I are Muggleborns, or even other Purebloods, we might be happier."

Puzzled, Riko looks up to find Dia staring wistfully at the direction of the Mirror.

"I am proud of my family history, and so does she. It is my great pride and joy to be entrusted various responsibilities as the heiress, to be able to live up to and surpass my family's expectations. But, at the end of the day, what is the point, if my own little sister cannot be happy? Am I… happy?"

"... Kurosawa-san?" Riko tentatively approaches the older girl, whose expression is oddly calm and devoid of turmoil in spite of the sadness laced in her tone.

"All of that is merely wishful thinking, is it not? The Mirror shows us what we desire, and that is just that, a desire. It will never become reality."

Riko winces. She knows that, the rational side of her has always known, but the pitifully hopeful part of her refuses to see the truth.

"I am not saying these to discourage you, Sakurauchi-san." Dia's voice is quiet and lulls Riko into a peaceful state of mind. "We could work as hard as we could, to try to make that desire a reality, but it is also important to acknowledge your own limit. After all, how can you achieve your goal, if you collapse along the way?"

Riko tucks her wand inside her pocket and offers a weak smile. "Right. I'll rest and strive to become even better the next day."

"Good. We will resume the duel tomorrow." Before Dia moves to tidy up the area, Riko grasps for her sleeve, stopping her. "Yes?"

"Um, I was just…" Truth be told, Riko doesn't know why she did that, but she feels like there's something she should do, especially after the taller witch disclosed a rather personal secret. Peering up shyly, she then notices dark circles under Dia's eyes. "You need to rest too, Kurosawa-san."

"I will, but there are still some tasks I need to finish before-"

"No. Like what you've just told me, you need to rest too." Normally, Riko would've felt weird using such a firm tone towards a senior, but she sincerely hopes Dia would listen to her. The heiress has always appeared indomitable, but up close, signs of fatigue could not be hidden.

A revelation then occurs to Riko. "Is it because... I'm taking too much of your time? You've already helped me so much with my assignments, dueled and researched with me-"

"Not at all. I… I enjoy being with you. Helping you I mean," Dia looks away and puts on a stern expression before returning her gaze to the shorter girl. "I am well aware of my own limit. I just need a few more hours or less. You should head back to your dorm-"

"Then let me help you. What is it? Is it organizing the list of students for the Hogsmeade trip?"

"Sakurauchi-san…"

"Please."

They stare at each other for a while, neither willing to relent. Surprisingly, it is Dia who averts her eyes first, and Riko cheers inwardly while maintaining a calm expression. "Very well. I just have some paperwork…"

Perhaps it is sometime after midnight that they have finished everything. Riko stretches, her limbs burning with fatigue and neck stiff from the lack of movement, but her mind feels oddly awake. It feels rather refreshing, to work hard on something that has nothing to do with those feathers or the academic workload.

"You would make a good prefect, Sakurauchi-san."

Riko shakes her head, pleased but also flustered by the compliment. "You think so?"

"I know so. You have the right type of mentality to commit yourself to such demanding position," Dia murmurs thoughtfully, "I am certain many professors would not object, and Professor Toujou may have already placed you as a candidate already… although, she was the one who gave the prefect badge to Mari-san last year…"

"Did I hear my name?"

Blinking, Riko looks towards the door to see Mari strolling in with Kanan behind her. The two Animagi would usually patrol the school grounds at Dia's request, the cat around the Castle and the wolf in the Forbidden Forest. While the hooded figures haven't been seen since that day, they agree that it's prudent to stay on guard while searching for clues. So far, nothing has been found but at least they did understand the domain so much better now.

"Right… I think I sort of remember, in my First Year," Riko did wonder why the prefect had changed to a different witch within a week.

"Too much work. I enjoy my free time, thank you very much~" Mari shrugs with the kind of nonchalance that she knows would tick off Dia. The Slytherin pinches the bridge of her nose, as if to rein in her temper.

Ever the peacemaker, most of the time anyway, Kanan gives Riko a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Well, I agree with Dia, you'd make a wonderful prefect, Riko-chan."

"Speaking of which, what're you doing here still? I'd thought Dia would've sent you off to bed already, like the fussy mother hen she is~" Mari's grin only widens when Dia glares at her.

"Sakurauchi-san was very helpful, unlike someone," Dia huffs as she organizes the various parchments on the desk. "But yes, now that we are finished here, we should all retire. It has been a long day."

Riko almost feels reluctant to leave, but after they descend the stairs and reach the intersection, Dia turns to her and bids her goodnight before parting ways.

It is only after the two Ravenclaws arrive at their Dormitory that Mari giggles. "You should smile more often, Rikocchi. It fits you, and makes you look very cute~!"

Blushing, she immediately scowls and ignores her senior's smirk as she heads for her room.

The rest of term passes by rather uneventfully. Riko pours all of her efforts in those Advances classes, aiming to pass her O.W.L.s when her peers are just starting to prepare for the mock exams. Guilt will probably always lurk at the corner of her mind, but she is able to use it as fuel for her determination and she isn't as prone to bouts of depression anymore.

True to her promise to Dia, she balances her studies with sleep while making sure the older witch does the same. Mari, and even Kanan, would tease her about how they have never been able to get Dia to listen to them before. Riko is dubious of that claim, considering how close the three Fourth-Years are, for she is simply a kouhai fortunate enough to be tutored by the talented Slytherin.

Still, it makes her rather giddy to know she has certain influence over Dia.

By the end of the term, Riko could very well admit that she's tired and looks forward to the summer break. Those O.W.L. exams are indeed as stressful as the rumors, though she couldn't quite relax yet, not until she receives her grades. Unlike the rest of the applicants, she would know the results sooner since they're needed for her to plan her course schedule for the next year.

When she does receive the notification, she is utterly stunned, since she hasn't expected to receive Outstanding on all her O.W.L.s. She almost thought the parchment in her hand is a prank, but the Ministry of Magic's seal is proof enough.

Ecstatic, she clutches the document close to her heart and searches through the school for that one person to share her joy with. While her grades are the result of her hard work, she hadn’t accomplished it by her lonesome after all. Now that she has regained her sense of self-worth, she feels more confident in challenging the unknown in the future.

One day, she will definitely recover Chika and You's memories, and resolve the mystery behind those attackers.

She spots the Slytherin prefect walking down the hallway ahead of her and, before she realizes it, she is already calling out her name.

"Dia-san!"

Startled, Dia whirls around with an eyebrow arched. Riko is only vaguely aware that she is babbling, but she could no longer contain her joy as she shares the results of her exams with the older witch.

" - so because of these, I can continue on to take N.E.W.T. level course. Ah, of course, it will be another full year before I can even attempt tackling those exams but, I believe I can do it. No, I will do it!"

Now that she's finished speaking, she peers up at Dia and tries not to fidget under those intense emerald eyes. Slightly embarrassed by her outburst and out of character behavior, she is about to apologize when Dia holds out her hand and smiles gently.

"Congratulations, Riko-san. I too, believe in you."

Even though it had been a slip of tongue on her part, Riko is quite pleased to hear the senior return the gesture. Their distance has dwindled one more step, and that delights Riko in a way different than her marks.

She tries to fight down the flutters in her stomach as she shakes Dia's hand, relishing in the warmth and the simple connection between two people.

"Thank you, for everything, Dia-san."

TBC in part2

[athyrabunlord]

Azalea x Guilty Kiss (✯◡✯) clean lineart wassat

[athyrabunlord]

LLSHP 9 - Christmas Banquet

Arc1: [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7]

Arc2: [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14]

Arc3: [Chapter 15 -  Under The Black Lake (TBD)]

Interlude: [Carbonado (1)] [Carbonado (2)] [Of Feathers and Wind] [Delphinus (teaser blip)]

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

[FFN link] (finished the interludes!) [Pixiv Link]

A/N: (ง •̀_•́)ง Yup still keeping up this update schedule of 1 chapter every two weeks! Still slowly editing previous chapters though XD; Anyway, this feels more like a long filler chapter tbh, but it’s full of fun stuff! I enjoyed writing it, so I hope you’ll enjoy reading it too! Words: 8,073

Yoshiko grins at her reflection in the mirror.

How can anyone look so flawless? So utterly bewitching? How can such a perfect human being exist? Ah, no mere mortal could be this beautiful, that is the truth. She, the great Yohane, is a fallen angel after all!

For the umpteenth time, she smoothes the non-existent crinkles of her raven-black velvet dress, her silk gloves brushing over the grey ribbons and white frills. The dark magenta rose imprint along the hem only accentuates how majestic the wearer is.

She is so, so ready for the Christmas Banquet!

Chuckling huskily, she takes one step towards the grand ornate mirror and lightly touches its shiny surface. The last time she used a full-body mirror, the Mirror of Erised, she was filled with unpleasant sense of inferiority and downright confusion of her own identity. But now, this ordinary mirror shows her who she truly is, and she is pleased with herself.

Why desire to be a pristine angel, when her current self is even better?

All the challenges she's faced and the possibility of her soul being damaged only make her stronger.

That incident with the colony of Acromantula caused her to become wary of even the tiniest spiders for days, but since then she has been faring better in those practice duels against the older witches. Her improvement was the only reason why Dia lifted the tickling Jinx she set on Mari. Still, the blonde is banned from coffee and lemon pie until further notice, much to her horror. Taking pity on her, the rest of the group manages to convince Dia to disregard this rule just for tonight's feast.

The Christmas Banquet is an end of the first term celebration where esteemed guests from outside the school would attend as well. The astounding feast, prepared by House Elves and staff members together, is actually not the main attraction of this event.

The spotlight is the Yule Ball, which was originally part of the famed Tri-Wizard Tournament that used to take place between three magical schools. Nowadays, it is a ballroom dance competition that was started by some of the professors back when they were still students. Considering Hogwarts' long history, this is a fairly recent tradition that's been gaining popularity over the decades. The dancing pair not only have to be the best in their waltz, tango or other types, but also boost the flair of their performance with magic. Yoshiko heard rumors of explosive fireworks, dancing leprechauns and even actual storms in the past.

Chaotic, yet incredibly thrilling. What better way to end a term with a blast?

Of course, she did consider entering the competition and enrapture everyone in her fallen angel charm, but there is one teensy bitsy setback she just can't seem to overcome.

She's horrible at ballroom dancing.

And also, she has no partner.

Alright, not one but two setbacks in total. Her confident grin slips into a scowl. Before Hogwarts, she's been an avid follower of Muggle hip-pop, rock and rap, and she knows all the various choreography by heart.

However, ballroom dance is a whole different matter. Riko had been kind enough to try teaching her, but she's stepped on the older girl's feet one too many times. After she fled the Room of Requirement in mortification, it took Hanamaru and Ruby a lot of convincing for her to even attend the Banquet at all.

Yoshiko shakes her head. Her two best friends are correct - all she has to do is look pretty and enjoy herself. There's no need to force herself to waltz or whatever!

Now that her confidence has returned, she steps out of her room to join the rest of her Slytherin housemates so they can head down to the Great Hall together. Whispers of praises and even friendly greetings make her tilt her chin high. While she isn't particularly close to any of them, they've all been civil to her and respect her wish for privacy.

"Nice dress, Tsushima-san!"

"Ku ku ku, I made it myself! I hand-picked all the materials and accessories~"

"That is fascinating! And the ribbon in your hair matches everything so well."

"Oh and your earrings..."

Truth be told, Yoshiko is rather taken aback by all the attention she's been given. Is it because she's dressed all fancy and could probably pass for a noble Pureblood? Or, perhaps, they have truly acknowledged her as a true Slytherin seeing how her grades have improved leaps and bounds under Dia's tutelage? Yoshiko hasn't really paid much attention to her housemates the past few months, so focused on her training and spending time with her friends.

She makes a mental note to be nicer to them. It doesn't hurt to make more allies, especially amongst those who share the same House as her. She searches a crowd for a familiar face, and quietly asks a wizard nearby.

"Erm, does anyone know where Dia-san is?"

The Slytherin prefect, whose aristocratic features imply he must be from an ancient Pureblood family, informs her that Dia is currently with the staff and guests, as the Kurosawa's representative.

Yoshiko pouts. Since she does not have a 'date' or partner, so to speak, she is hoping that she could stick to Dia's side until they reach the Hall at least. Alas, it looks like she'll have to make it there on her own. The rest of her Housemates look like they have partners already, and she isn't comfortable with the idea of accompanying someone she isn't close with anyway.

She quietly trails after the other Slytherins, glad to be distracted from her thoughts by their praises and curious questions about her fashion. Hushed murmurs then reach her ears after they step out of the Dormitory, and she blinks in surprise when the people in front of her part ways to allow a familiar girl to get through.

Yoshiko can't help but whistle in wonder. "I almost didn't recognize you! I thought I'm supposed to meet up with you and Zuramaru just outside the Hall?"

Ruby smiles shyly, clearly uncomfortable at how every pair of eyes seem to be on her. The shorter girl is clad in a dress robe of ebony and ivory hue, though the cape is adorned with the Hufflepuff bronze. With her hair tied in a ponytail, she looks rather dashing yet retains her characteristic cute aura.

"Um, Hanamaru-chan said she'll meet up with us later… she's having some trouble with her outfit, but when I tried to stay and help, she asked me to pick you up," Ruby twitters. "Hehe, you look so pretty, Yoshiko-chan!"

"Hnff, of course, it's Yohane-sama you're speaking with." As someone who enjoys the spotlight, Yoshiko is starting to find all those whispered conversations around them disconcerting. "Let's go then?"

As if understanding her intention, Ruby nods and holds out her gloved hand in a chivalrous manner. It is at such moment that Yoshiko has to remind herself that, no matter how harmless and critter-like Ruby is, she is still a Kurosawa Pureblood who has a different upbringing than her. Either way, the gesture endears the shorter girl to her even more.

"Heh, it's like you're a knight in shiny armor-," Yoshiko's grin twitches. "Well, I probably shouldn't use the word 'shiny', ugh. But really, why the dress robe? You look really good in it but I'd expected you to wear a dress?"

"Oh, that was my plan but last night, I received a parcel from m-my family. This is the formal attire I used to wear back then during important events. See? These colors represent the Kurosawa family," Ruby's smile softens, prompting Yoshiko to gently squeeze her friend's hand in comfort. "It's the first mail I've received from them since the night we got Sorted. I see they're trying to reconcile with me, so of course I'm more than happy to try as well."

"That's good. I mean, they should've long accepted you but at least this is better than nothing. Although, the Hufflepuff color-?"

There's a mischievous twinkle in Ruby's green eyes. "Hehe, I modified it myself. I'm proud to be a Puff and I'll always be."

Yoshiko chuckles fondly at her friend. "And I'm proud of you, Ruby. How about Zuramaru though? Please don't tell me she's also in dress robes or some… high-class samurai outfit or something."

It may sound ridiculous though she has no problem imagining the brunette wearing that. Hanamaru does love literature, especially romance fiction set in certain historical periods. Or, she could be draped in fancy ribbons and flowy dresses, not knowing how to put it on, while murmuring 'mirai zura' in admiration.

Ah, Hanamaru will probably smack her if she says that to her face. She can try, Yoshiko smirks, tonight, the great Yohane shall not be tamed by a mere little demon's whims!

"You'll have to wait and see, Yoshiko-chan. I promised Hanamaru-chan not to say anything to you because she wants to see your reaction," Ruby's steps gain a bit of a bounce as they walk down the hallways.

Yoshiko doesn't get a chance to protest because a pair of familiar orange and silver pounce on Ruby the moment they round the corner. Unlike her, the Gryffindor duo is quite vocal about their adoration of the handsome little Hufflepuff.

"Piki!"

"As expected of our Ruby-chan!"

"A real noble! A real prince!"

"Look at the fabric, look at the design! It's the real deal! Ahhh do you mind if I borrow it tomorrow? For research?"

"Hehe, you and your costume obsession, You-chan~ Still, both of you look so ikemen~! Kya, aren't we lucky, Riko-chan?"

Yoshiko allows her gaze to sweep over the three Third-Years, amazed by their respective appearances. Riko has chosen a conservative gown of amaranth and wine hue that's decorated with sakura petals along the hem, a perfect outfit that matches the pretty wearer's personality. Simple and elegant, the Ravenclaw chuckles daintily at her friends' antics. No doubt the voted campus beauty will be surrounded by suitors vying for her hand in a dance.

Chika is as cheerful as always, though there is now an inexplicable grace added to her charisma. Her hair is straightened with the signature braid adorned with a white rose. As opposed to her usual bright colored clothes, she is wearing a dark indigo cocktail dress embellished with white satin belt. Admittedly, if it weren't for her familiar laughter and fawning over Ruby, Yoshiko would have thought she is a refined guest from some upper-class family!

"Ehehe~ You-chan styled my hair!" Chika twirls around and winks at Yoshiko, who grins back in spite of herself. Yup, that's still the spirited Beater alright. "Can't thank you enough, Captain Watanabe!"

"Ha ha, 'twas my honor, First Mate Takami!" You salutes back, this characteristic gesture now rather suave given her outfit. Unlike her buddy, the Seeker is dressed in a formal suit that is probably made from pricey material, judging from the way it gleams at just the right angle. The popular witch, combined with her attractive smile, will most likely be chased by her fanclub the whole night.

Noticing Yoshiko's questioning gaze, You chuckles heartily. "I was going to wear a dress too, but ahaha our Housemates kinda bullied Kanan-chan and I into wearing a suit… they prepared this outfit for me, and I can't resist! I'm so going to research the fabric and its origins later! I mean, look at this tie! The gradient color is so pretty!"

"Well, you both look quite nice. Are you each other's dates?" Yoshiko smirks. Even after witnessing the duo's impressive teamwork and display of powerful magic, her opinion of them as dunderheads hasn't changed. Nowadays though, it's more of an affectionate nickname than having any derisive connotation behind it.

"Nope," they reply simultaneously. "We're Sakurauchi-hime's escorts tonight!"

Riko, who is standing several paces behind them, squeaks in surprise when she's promptly sandwiched between the two. It looks comical really, if Yoshiko doesn't know the history behind the three. While the self-proclaimed bodyguards playfully tease their flustered friend and Ruby, two more witches join their gathering.

"My my, everyone looks so gorgeous~!"

Mari, for some reason, is also wearing a tailored suit, her usually wavy golden hair straightened for the occasion and styled at the back with a few emerald clips. Combined with the azure bowtie, dark jacket with peaked lapels, turquoise waistcoat and more, she is fully decked for the Ball. She would have passed for an European gentleman if it weren't for her generous chest area, which just couldn't seem to be hidden.

As if reading her thoughts as always, the blonde smirks at her and puffs out her bosom even more. Yoshiko despairingly glances down at her own and grumbles. "Hmnnff, don't you look excited for the feast."

"You bet I am! I'm dying for my precious lemons," Mari purrs sweetly as she tugs on her date's arm. Yoshiko is pretty sure the implication has flown over the others' heads, and she groans inwardly at the realization that she is corrupted enough to know the Ravenclaw's double meaning.

Mari's lovely date appears just as exasperated. The tall witch has long cascading indigo tresses as dark and flowing as the ocean itself. The gradient plum and purple color of her silken mermaid dress complements her hair and eyes, while the translucent violet shawl gives her an overall mystic quality. Although, she looks familiar for some reason.

"Kanan-chan! How could you! You were supposed to wear a suit with me!" You puffs up her cheeks in dismay.

Yoshiko's eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. Come again?

"Ahaha sorry You," that laidback tone of laughter definitely belongs to the Gryffindor Lions' Captain. "We flipped a coin and I lost, so I had to wear the dress."

Yoshiko could only stare.

"Oh oh oh~ You've ensnared the lil'kitty here in your charms, Kanan~" Giggling, Mari rests her chin on her partner's shoulder.

"What!? No! It's just that, I've never seen her without that whip of a ponytail!"

"She hisses~ Maybe she'll scratch too~"

Yoshiko indignantly snarls at the blonde, almost blurting out that she's the cat Animagus, not her, but manages to remember last minute that You and Chika are present too. Her irritation subsides a bit when the others also agree that they've never seen Kanan with her hair down either.

"Anyways, Kanan and I will so win the Ball this year! We've had four years of practice, it's our turn to finally shine!" Fire blazes in Mari's eyes, though her expression couldn't remain serious for long as a Cheshire grin breaks through.

"But how about your arm?" Yoshiko squints at Kanan's supposedly injured arm, which looks unblemished.

"Mari cast a glamor Charm on it, and for the duration of the dance, I can do this," the older witch taps her bracelet and momentarily reveals strings of magic that blend in with her hair. "This enables me to move my arm as per my thoughts."

"Remember not to overuse it." Riko clearly doesn't seem too happy that Kanan isn't letting her injured arm rest.

"Don't worry, Rikocchi~! That's why I'm the lead, yes?" Mari winks at her junior. "I'm wondering though, none of you are entering the competition?"

Chika waves her hand. "Welp, I'm interested, but not with you two as rivals! Besides, we're keeping Riko-chan away from nasty suitors! Also, protecting our Ruby-chan."

At this, the Gryffindor duo smothers the startled Hufflepuff in a hug. Yoshiko rolls her eyes. "How about this one? I still remember how scary your fanclub is, You-san."

You points to herself, blinking naively. "But I'm with Chika-chan and Riko-chan?"

"So? They'll still try to get to you. Since you don't have a partner, many will try to make you dance with them," Yoshiko explains as patiently as she could. Could this dummy be more dense?

"But Chika-chan and Riko-chan are my partners-?"

Yoshiko groans and facepalms.

"Did you hear that, Rikocchi? Just enjoy yourself tonight," Mari's voice is light and teasing, though Yoshiko could understand the underlying meaning. Riko does appear tense from all the affection You and Chika have been showering her with.

"But I-"

"No buts! Fallo e basta~ That means no Disillusion Charm either." Tutting, Mari holds up her finger like an older sister chiding an unreasonable sibling. "It's a banquet, a feast, a celebration! Come on, Dia must be dying to see our lovely faces inside the Hall already."

"It'll take a while before we can rescue her from those guests though," Kanan smiles as her partner leads her inside, followed by the playfully bickering You and Chika who take Riko by the arm on each side.

"We're gonna wait here for Zuramaru," Yoshiko calls out after them, determined to ignore her growling tummy at all the delicious aroma wafting towards her nose.

She glances at Ruby, whose hair is a tad disheveled from all the hugs she received earlier. She helpfully holds up a pouch mirror as the shorter girl fixes her bangs. "So? Who're you gonna dance with later? Chika-san? You-san?"

"E-Eh? But you said you're not going to dance right? Then I can't just leave you alone," Ruby says firmly.

"Oh I just assumed you gotta dance as a Kurosawa. I overheard from my Housemates that many of them are expected to dance, to present their family or something. Then again, you don't have to, since you're here as Ruby, simple as that."

Ruby returns her grin. "Well, I do want to dance with Hanamaru-chan and you, if you don't mind, Yoshiko-chan."

"... you saw how I stepped on Lily's foot didn't you? She was nice enough not to say anything but I'm sure she had to use potions to make the bruises go away."

"That's because you were under pressure. It'll just be us three, so you'll be fine!"

Yoshiko finds Ruby's smile infectious. "I just gotta do my Rubesty huh?"

"Yup! Starting right now!" Suddenly, the shorter girl turns her around and pushes with strength unexpected of her.

Yoshiko feels her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Hanamaru, who gives her a bashful little wave. The brunette is wearing a traditional kimono of amber and gold shades, extravagant in its floral motif and intricate designs fitting for festive occasions. Even then, the whole attire somehow emphasizes Hanamaru's unique aura of humility and serenity.

She is beautiful.

"Sorry to keep you two waiting zura… it's been a while, so it took me some time to on the obi," the brunette sticks out her tongue sheepishly, gesturing at the elaborate sienna sash around her midriff.

Yoshiko is still zoned out while the two Hufflepuffs giggle and fawn over each other's attire. She only snaps back to her senses when Hanamaru reaches up and prods her forehead.

"Ow! What did you think you were doing, you disrespectful little demon!"

"Because you weren't paying attention zura!"

"No, I'm over-paying attention, Bakamaru," Yoshiko mumbles in embarrassment, hoping her cheeks aren't red.

"Zura?"

"Nothing, and stop giggling already Ruby! Geez, what's with the little demons tonight. It's mutiny, I say!"

"Yoshiko-chan is easier to rile up tonight, ne, Ruby-chan?"

"Mari-san called her a kitty cat earlier, Hanamaru-chan~"

"Oooh, that fits her zura~"

"Grrrr, shorties don't get to talk." Miffed, Yoshiko ruffles their hair using her slightly-superior height, grinning in satisfaction at their protests. "Why the kimono though? You're gonna stand out since everyone's wearing western-style clothing."

"Not true zura. Professor Koizumi is wearing a kimono, so is Professor Sonoda," Hanamaru pouts, "Besides, I don't have any dresses zura, and it's what my grandma sent me when I Owled her that we're having a banquet."

Thank you thank you, may Satan bless your soul, Grandma Kunikida. Yoshiko chants in her head while outwardly appearing as nonchalant as possible. "Whatever. At least you're wearing contacts and not wearing those granny glasses. Let's go in already. I'm starving!"

"Me too," Hanamaru attaches herself to Ruby's offered arm, giggling. "Hehe, we're like your dates ne, Ruby-chan?"

In response, the dashing Hufflepuff bows to Yoshiko like a gentleman and holds out her other hand. The Slytherin rolls her eyes at their expectant gaze and curtsies before accepting it.

Though flustered, Yoshiko finds herself giggling with her friends as they enter the Great Hall together.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Again, that's Miss Ohara and Miss Matsuura with their spectacular performance. Please give them a round of applause!"

The Charms Professor has already used the Sonorous Charm to do announcements, but even then her voice is drowned by the student body's thunderous cheers. Yoshiko finds herself clapping just as hard as everyone else, amazed by what she has witnessed.

Magic really brings a simple ballroom dance to a whole new level, doesn't it?

The waltz started normally like ones Yoshiko had seen in older Muggle movies, with the two witches moving in tandem and in sync. Never would she imagine the jokester Mari and jockey Kanan to twirl and sway so gracefully along with classy music. They were obviously well-rehearsed, but their years of friendship probably enabled them to read each other's movement to make everything flow.

Then their pace picked up, morphing seamlessly to a tango while the sparks and whirls of fire lit up the center stage. With a mixture of levitation charms, aguamenti and most likely some advanced magic Yoshiko knew nothing of, a screen of water enveloped the pair like a dome. Mari and Kanan seemed to be competing, fervently swimming around the arena as conjured marine creatures, the seal and dolphin Patronus Charms, and Transfigured creatures joined their acrobatic dance.

Needless to say, they finished with a literal bang, glitters and all, skating down the icy slope which dissipated into cottony snow flakes.

Yoshiko has to admit, that is one shiny performance.

"Yup, I'm glad I didn't try to enter the competition, at least not this year!" Chika's eyes are practically sparkling. "I'd rather watch the performances! Hehe, and watch Riko-chan playing the piano of course."

The Ravenclaw is seen smiling behind her grand piano, surrounded by Elves and other student members of the orchestra. In a way, Riko is shielded from possible suitors and the majority of the audience's attention during the Yule Ball, which is probably why she accepted the position in the first place.

Yoshiko sips at her strawberry punch, thoroughly enjoying the banquet so far. After the mouth-watering Christmas feast, the long tables in the Great Hall were then rearranged to make space for the Yule Ball in the center. High tables full of desserts and drinks were lined up against the walls while attendees mingled and simply enjoyed the show. The translucent ceiling was charmed to show snowflakes gently drifting in the evening sky, even though it didn't snow at all today.

At the front, the usual staff tables have been replaced by round ones for the various guests. Ruby had discreetly pointed out to her two Muggleborn friends some of the important figures, such as Heads of certain Departments from the Ministry, representatives from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, and even the illustrious wandmaker from Diagon Alley.

The Professors appear to be familiar with many of these guests, judging from the friendly and relaxed manner of their conversations. This encourages the older witches and wizards to introduce themselves and network among these influential people. Yoshiko notices many of her Slytherin Housemates already making impressions with the Ministry employees.

The most distinguished one is the Head Girl. As the Kurosawa heiress, Dia is dressed in full regalia of ebony and ivory, with the Slytherin cloak charmingly donned over her left shoulder. Various medals and trinkets decorate her garment, while her lustrous long hair, pulled in a fishtail braid, is draped elegantly over her right shoulder. With her austere demeanor and confident smile, she blends in well with the other adults. Yoshiko has almost mistaken her as a guest, a royalty even, and once again she is struck by the weight of being a Pureblood.

Dia isn't here just as herself, but as representative of her family.

Ruby appears antsy as well, unable to go help her older sister since they have to maintain the image of estranged sisters in public. They have no idea who the enemies are, and there is a possibility that they could be among the attendees right here in this very Hall.

Yoshiko downs her beverage and reaches for a different drink. Ruby's anxiousness is rubbing off of her, so she is relieved to see Mari and Kanan heading for the front. Surely, the two would rescue their friend as they had declared earlier. Oh, the pair has stopped to greet a bearded blond man. Judging from the familiar way they act and his uncanny Cheshire grin, he must be Mari's father. It's easy to forget that the quirky Ravenclaw came from a prestigious family too, since she doesn't act like one.

"Aren't you drinking too much zura?"

Yoshiko shakes her fingers at the frowning Hanamaru and takes another sip of her candy cane cocoa. She furrows her brows and puts the drink away before reaching for another one on the table, this time an eggnog coffee.

"Not this one either?" Ruby asks with an exasperated smile.

"Nope. At least, I don't feel any different," Yoshiko glares at the mug. "Just where could it be?"

Earlier, right before the Yule Ball, the Deputy Headmistress had announced that the Potion Professor prepared a surprise - the Felixis Felicis potion was randomly added to one of the many drinks. Yoshiko is determined to find that Liquid Luck. Being plagued by misfortune all her life, she wants to experience how it feels to not be unlucky for once, no matter how temporarily.

So far, no success.

"Maybe I should just go for those-"

"No," Hanamaru pulls at her arm before she could head for the cocktails and wine glasses on the other side. "You're still underage zura! Professor Sonoda stressed that it is for everyone, so they wouldn't have mixed the potion with drinks that aren't accessible to the younger students zura."

"Hnff, what would a mere Zuramaru know-"

"Oh, the next performance is starting!" Peacemaker as always, Ruby gestures at the center where another pair strolls through the floor just as confidently as Mari and Kanan did earlier. Since Yoshiko's feeling quite bloated, she decides to take her friend's advice to give up and enjoy the rest of the Yule Ball.

By the end, Yoshiko finds herself agreeing with Chika, that the competition is quite fierce. Mari and Kanan were good, but so were the others. It would probably be down to technicalities and the popular vote to determine which pair gets to be winners.

"Ok, so what now?" Yoshiko looks around the Hall, puzzled by how no one seems to be leaving. "Isn't the Banquet over?"

"Pfff, this is where the fun starts!" As if on cue, different sort of music starts playing and many students flood into the center stage to dance. Chika opens her arms dramatically. "Come on, who wants to start? Heh heh, Ruby-chan, how about you?"

"E-Eh? I-" The younger witch is gently but firmly pushed towards a confused Hanamaru, who is also nudged by a grinning You.

"Go on, enjoy yourselves!" The Gryffindors say in unison, which seems to give Ruby the courage she needs to ask the brunette for a dance. Both giggling, the Hufflepuffs enter the dance floor with their postures relaxed. This isn't like a performance where practically everyone is watching you, so the two girls are able to dance normally without such pressure.

Admittedly, they look adorable, and Ruby is a good lead! Chivalrously, she twirls the brunette around and her steps are unhurried for the latter to follow. Hanamaru's kimono sleeves twirl with her movements, the ribbon in her hair fluttering a bit as she try to match Ruby's pace. If only there's a camera!

An annoying prod to her side jostles her out of her observation. "What do you want?!"

"Don't you wanna dance too?" Chika pouts, one arm draped around her buddy You. "Come on, ya gotta save You-chan from her fangirls~"

Yoshiko peers over their shoulders and flinches at the sight of many witches staring their way, their bodies tense as if ready to spring into action the moment You steps away from the safety zone of expensive champagne glasses nearby. "And throw myself into a pack of rabid beasts? I think not!"

And besides, these dunderheads are quite transparent. They keep glancing at Riko's direction every few minutes, obviously waiting for the right moment to ask her for a dance. The Ravenclaw is currently occupied at the front, conversing with some of the Elven musicians.

"Yoshiko-chan, would you like to dance with me?"

"Ruby? You've finished dancing with Zuramaru?" Relieved to get away from the Gryffindors just for a while, Yoshiko hurriedly takes Ruby's offered hand.

"Oh, she's dancing with Kanan-san right now-"

"What?!"

Miffed, Yoshiko searches the crowd for the ridiculously tall-and-short pair. Indeed, the two are smiling brightly as Kanan attentively complements her movements with the younger girl. At least, the pair looks more like siblings than a couple, unlike the others around them. Gah, why is Bakamaru giggling so much? Is it really that fun!? What's with the blush?

Yoshiko takes a deep breath. Nope, she is so not jealous. The older Gryffindor has done a lot for them, and she's grateful for her help. Nuh-uh. Not jealous. Zen mode.

"I thought Kanan's supposed to be retrieving your sister from those guests?"

"Yup, Onee-chan's not trapped at the front anymore," Yoshiko follows Ruby's finger and sees Dia and Mari conversing on the side, surrounded by various prefects and students. It would be awhile before they could make their way to where Chika and You are. "Fine, whatever, let's get this started!"

"Okay, so first you- piki?!" Before Ruby could position them in the standard waltz stance, Yoshiko drags her friend around and twirls rather aggressively.

"Ku ku ku, I ain't gonna abide by silly ballroom rules! This is a free for all, Ruby! The music is kinda upbeat too, so I'm gonna do it my style!"

As much as she could in this dress anyway. It is really too bad she can't breakdance, or she's certain that she could impress many fellow students with her awesome techniques. Some of the Muggleborns are familiar with her moves and even cheer her on, while the Purebloods just stare at them blankly. There's curiosity in their eyes though, so Yoshiko happily pulls the squeaking Ruby along with her flow.

"That's pretty wicked, Yoshiko-chan, didn't know you could dance!" You is grinning while Chika welcomes an exhausted Ruby back to their midst. Yoshiko poses proudly, adrenaline rushing in her veins while a brilliant idea occurs to her.

Maybe she should ask Hanamaru for a dance?

She isn't given the opportunity to ask, for You excitedly pulls her onto the dance floor before she could react. Cold sweat trickles down Yoshiko's neck when she hears furious murmurs and disappointed grumbles from the pack of hungry wolves... no, fangirls.

You-san, you dense idiot! You're too close! Yoshiko couldn't help but blush when the older witch pulls her close, so close that their cheeks are practically touching. There are some screams or maybe cheers around them, she couldn't tell the difference, but out of instinct she clings to her partner as if this could save her from fangirls' wrath.

"Eheh, hang on~ Yousorou!"

"Wha- yeeeek!" Suddenly, You picks her up and throws her into the air!

She automatically tries to cover her fluttering dress, but she discovers that she doesn't have to. You must have conjured dancing feathers that hover around her, to block any viewers from seeing her underwear while she is airborne. Several brooms appear out of nowhere, and You tap-dances her way into the air, laughing and bowing as she approaches the slowly descending Yoshiko.

Strong arms easily catches her when You frog-leaps over the assembled tower of brooms. The athletic Gryffindor spins her around for several more paces before gently setting her back on her feet. The spectators' deafening applause overcomes the fangirls' protests as You rubs the back of her hair and hesitantly waves.

Yoshiko breathes raggedly, trying to comprehend what just happened as she leans against the older witch's shoulder.

"That was pretty good! Maybe we could refine it and enter the Ball next year- ow!"

Yoshiko scowls ferociously and smacks You's arm hard.

Again.

And again.

And once more.

"C-Chika-chan! She's punching me!"

"That's just a form of affection zura~"

"What-! Watch what you say, Bakamaru!"

Her ears feel like they are burning when she notices the rest of their group chuckling at their antics. At least, Hanamaru has returned from her dance with Kanan and is now stuffing her face with various desserts. Good, that's the Zuramaru she's used to. Be good and stay there. Keep feeding.

"That was amazing! What about it? Like You-chan said, you should form a duo, maybe called 'You & Angel?" Chika's previously tamed ahoge has sprung back up, swaying eagerly as the girl gives them a hug.

"No! And g-get off! I'm sweaty," Yoshiko pries the exuberant Gryffindors off of her person. Is this what Ruby feels all the time, being crowded by the baka duo? Although, it doesn't feel that bad, it's nice actually, because she can sense that the two witches are sincere in their hugs- no! The great Yohane shall not fall for their charm so easily!

She retreats to the side, huffing and puffing, and rummages through the tables for a drink she hasn't tried before. She glares at a glass of mikan juice, filled with pulp, for a good full minute. Taking a deep breath, she grabs the beverage and gulps down the content in noisy slurps.

Tearfully, she sticks out her tongue and waits for something to happen. Nope, other than a disagreeing tummy, she doesn't feel any special. Still no luck in finding that Felix Felicis potion. She glances back at her friends, noting that Chika and Hanamaru are now busy examining some sort of mikan dessert while Ruby happily eats a cup of pudding. Riko has finally joined them and is nibbling at a sandwich that You brought for her from another table. Kanan and Dia are several paces away, surrounded by admirers and younger students who must be taken by their respective outfits.

Hmn, where's that shiny cat Animagus?

She finds her answer a moment later when something reels her back onto the dance floor. Her vision is momentarily obscured by a top hat, which she scrambles to pull off. Half filled with annoyance and resignation, she blinks at the blonde witch holding out her gloved hand.

"Shall we dance~?"

Her lilting tone is a pitch lower than Yoshiko is used to, compelling her to accept the offer. Grinning, Mari begins to lead her around the other dancers, spinning her away and pulling her back at the right moment. Due to their height difference, Yoshiko is forced to peer up at the smirking witch, whose endowed bosom are rather distracting in an irritating way.

"Why do you want to dance with me anyway? Go back to your partner already." And keep that said partner away from Zuramaru, cheh.

"Why not? It's fun to dance with my cute little kouhai~ Besides, everyone's dancing, no?"

Yoshiko dares to glance around, noticing that Chika and Ruby have entered the center stage as well. You has somehow retrieved Kanan from Dia, who waves off her friend and is still occupied by the other students. It looks like the Gryffindor duo have failed or haven't tried asking Riko for a dance. Hanamaru is keeping Riko company as the two girls exchange accessories. True to her name, the sakura hairpin looks good on Hanamaru, while the saffron ribbon seems to make the hue of Riko's hair richer.

"Worried about Rikocchi, are we?"

"Well, yeah. Since that day with the Acromantulas, I've been watching her and the other two. It doesn't seem like Lily knows about the rumors, but those two bakas should be less obvious!"

"Hmm? Like how obvious you are towards Hanamaru-chan?"

"Yeah, exactly that! Wait what?! No! W-W-What are you talking about!"

Snickering, Mari tugs Yoshiko close and muffles her indignant shrieks against her coat. "Calm down~ Rikocchi is smart. She probably knows already, but doesn't want to believe it, understandably so."

"I see… what do we do then?"

"Now now, don't you worry about her. Just leave it to Kanan and I! We've got it worked out. You just focus on getting your girl~"

Mari smothers Yoshiko against her chest again before she could protest. "You'll see soon enough. It took a lot of convincing earlier, but Kanan and I cracked her down. There's no way Rikocchi would say no, teehee~"

Yoshiko scowls in the embrace and reluctantly relaxes. The hug does feel nice and comforting. While a part of her still doubts Mari due to her wacky ideas, she does agree that the senior is dependable whenever the occasion calls for it.

By the time they return to Riko and Hanamaru, the other pairs have finished their dance as well, while Dia has finally extracted herself from admirers. Yoshiko looks at every single one of her friends, pleased at this little bubble of nine. Her eyes meet Hanamaru's, and she freezes in self-consciousness. Puzzled, the brunette tilts her head and smiles adorably. A small splash of whipped cream is stuck to her puffed up cheek, which Yoshiko exasperatedly wipes away with a napkin.

"Aren't you eating too much, Butamaru?"

Frowning at the teasing nickname, Hanamaru punches Yoshiko's arm.

"Ow, that hurts!"

"Hnff, it'd better hurt zura!"

Yoshiko rolls her eyes. "Whatever, like you said, that's just a form of affection, ku ku ku~"

To her surprise, Hanamaru appears flustered and scoots away, placing a bewildered Ruby between them. Huh, that didn't go well. Time from Plan B.

"Okay, Yoshiko-chan, wish us luck," Chika and You suddenly whisper near her.

She hastily grabs hold of their arms before they could head towards Riko. "Wait, you're gonna go for it-?"

"Well, you're the only one we've told our little secret to, Yoshiko-chan," Chika fiddles with her fingers while You lets out a forceful chuckle. "Yeah, Chika-chan and I figure, it's now or never. We'll see which one of us Riko-chan picks, and we can move on."

"But-" Yoshiko helplessly glances at Mari, whose fiery eyes are focused elsewhere. Likewise, Kanan seems to be holding her breath, her expression intense as she stares in the same direction. Curious, Yoshiko and the two Gryffindors turn to look for what's holding their attention captive.

"Riko-san, may I have the pleasure of dancing with you?"

Dia's posture is slightly tense as she extends her hand towards the dazed girl. Riko's lips are parted in soundless surprise, her eyes wide as she glances between the gloved hand and Dia's earnest gaze. A pretty blush crawls up Riko's neck and cheeks as she daintily accepts the offer. Both smiling, one pleased and one coy, the pair slowly makes their way towards the dance floor. Many pairs of eyes are focused on them, most likely just as taken aback as Yoshiko is. She hasn't expected Dia to ask, or Riko to say yes.

Yet, looking at the two witches swaying to the gentle ballad, it somehow makes sense. They look like a match made in heaven, the way they seem absorbed in each other's presence. There's no need to concern themselves with unwanted attention, for they are already in their own world.

Yoshiko sighs quietly. In a way, she is envious. That's the kind of perfect scene she wants to appear to onlookers, with…

She glances at her friends, seeing how Hanamaru is just as mesmerized while Ruby looks happy for her older sister. Kanan and Mari exchange a quiet high-five, both grinning at how it turns out. Now, all that's left are the two possibly heartbroken duo.

Though disappointed, there is also something else in Chika and You's calm expressions. "Well, it's not like we have a chance against Dia-san anyway." "Yeah, it's not surprising that Riko-chan would accept."

Yoshiko scoffs and roughly pulls at Chika's arm, looping it around You's. The two witches blink at her innocently.

"Go on, go dance already. Don't mope here. Didn't you tell me to enjoy myself earlier? Now, it's your turn, both of you."

"Huh? With Chika-chan?" "With You-chan? Eeeh?"

"Shoo, off you go!" Their disbelief is actually heartrending to see, knowing what they used to be, so Yoshiko assertively pushes the two towards the dance floor. You nervously brushes through her hair while Chika awkwardly plays with her braid. After a few moments, their fingers finally interlace as characteristic smiles blossom upon their visage.

"Welp, just as she said, let's just enjoy ourselves, You-chan!"

"Yeah, wanna try an even more difficult stunt, Chika-chan?"

"Oho, you mean with more brooms and possible aquatic additions too, captain?"

"I knew you can read my mind, partner~ Let's consider this a prep for next year's Yule Ball!"

Like a proud parent, Yoshiko folds her arms and gazes after the pair until they blend in with the crowd. Matchmaking success! Whatever happens after is up to the two, but Yoshiko is confident that something good would bloom from this night.

"Hehe, they look cute together, don't they?" Ruby appears just as happy.

"All thanks to Yohane-sama!" Grinning, Yoshiko grabs a glass of water and pretends it's champagne. "Cheers, everyone!"

As they toast to many things, the clinks of glasses and laughter have re-ignited the rush of adrenaline she felt earlier. If the others could pair off so smoothly, surely it isn't that difficult to ask a certain brunette out for a simple dance?

Alas, as decreed by a fallen angel's misfortune, she misses her chance yet again. Hanamaru suddenly grimaces and excuses herself. "I-I need to go to the washroom zura-!"

Kanan blinks. "Oh, I'll go with y-"

"We need to stay to hear the announcement, for the winning pair of Yule Ball," Mari lightly taps on Yoshiko's shoulder. "If I recall correctly, you've drank a lot tonight, haven't you?"

"Y-Yeah, I did. I'll go with Zuramaru then. Ruby, you coming?" Though a little confused, she does agree it's better to go with company instead of alone. For some reason, Ruby shakes her head and makes a Rubesty pose.

"Huh? But-"

"Just go already, Yoshiko-chan!"

Still not understanding Ruby's encouraging smile, Yoshiko shrugs and hurries after Hanamaru. In contrast to the boisterous Great Hall and its glamorous decor, the corridors appears rather desolate and even sinister. Candles valiantly light up the path as she walks past some of the straggler students and into the courtyard. Her heels crunch quietly on the thin layer of frozen snow, leftover from days before, and her breath comes out in fleeting white puffs.

Hanamaru is standing in the middle of the garden, seemingly entranced by the bright quarter-moon and the glittering stars in the night canvas above.

"Hey, are you okay? I thought you're going to the washroom?" Yoshiko hesitantly approaches her friend.

"Hmm? Yoshiko-chan?" The brunette glances at her before returning her gaze towards the scenery. "I was… I felt quite dizzy earlier, so I thought it was something I ate zura."

"Pff, you did eat a lot…"

Hanamaru furrows her brows, though her expression relaxes a moment later. "Anyway, as it turns out, I just need some fresh air. I feel a lot better now zura."

"That's good at least. With the way you ran out earlier, I thought you were gonna hurl, heh," Yoshiko then slaps herself inwardly. She needs to stop making fun of the brunette or else she'll never be able to get that dance she wants!

Thankfully, Hanamaru seems to be too engrossed in this tranquil atmosphere to get upset. "What do you think, Yoshiko-chan? This feels like an illustration from storybooks zura. Isn't it beautiful?"

Yoshiko has always found nature to be otherworldly, an abstract concept to be admired and nothing more. The most she can do is immerse herself in the peace that nature offers. Yes, the icy snow appears to blanket the ground and any vegetation in an artistic manner. Yes, the cloudless sky allows the viewer to search among the constellations for possible shooting stars. Yes, the night breeze, while frigid, is also fresh and cleansing.

She glances at the smiling brunette by her side, savoring how the moonlight gently envelopes her form. "Yeah, beautiful."

"Right?" Hanamaru remains oblivious of her companion's gaze as she spreads her arms. "Sometimes I still can't believe it, being here in the world of magic and being able to use magic."

"Uh-huh, I'm with you on that. Hogwarts is… amazing." Yoshiko reaches out and gingerly takes hold of Hanamaru's hands, turning the shorter girl towards her.

Hogwarts never fails to take her breath away even though she has been here half a year already. From time to time, she would find herself admiring her surroundings, whether it is the Aviary, the towers, the forest, or even her own Dormitory. The ancient and austere magical presence makes her humble, makes her feel so incredibly tiny and insignificant.

But that was the same back in the Muggle world, wasn't it? She was just one of the many faces that passed by the shops, walked down the streets, and simply trudged through each day. She was unable to accomplish anything meaningful, and that had depressed her even though she carefully buried such feeling.

And so, this is the one difference between here and the Muggle world. Here at Hogwarts, she is given the ability to make a difference in people's lives and even her own, no matter how little it seems at first.

The adrenaline from before has calmed down to something soothing, like whispers of encouragement from Lady Luck herself.

"Well then, allow me to make this special scene even more fairytale-like."

"Zura?!"

Yoshiko gallantly tugs her companion against her, slipping her arm around the latter's waist. Due to the proximity, the shorter girl could only nestle her head against the crook of Yoshiko's neck.

"Dance with me, Hanamaru."

The brunette makes an incoherent mumble, her ears reddening. Yoshiko could feel Hanamaru's heartbeat against her, so she's certain that the latter could feel hers as well. Though embarrassed, she's also elated to have finally taken this step. Furthermore, unlike her previous experiences, she has not stepped on her partner's foot, has not lost her wits from unexpected movements, and has not carelessly taken control of the dance with her own style.

No, this is a simple slide and glide dance where the pair sways along the melody. The courtyard may be silent, but Yoshiko can clearly hear the music in her pounding heart.

"Y-Yoshiko-chan, you know how to waltz zura-?"

"Heh, the great Yohane learns fast. You're not bad yourself either."

"... I-I'm just following your lead," Hanamaru mutters shyly, leaning into their semi-embrace even more. Yoshiko stiffens and inadvertently stops the dance, with both of her arms wrapped around Hanamaru's waist to steady her.

Neither move from their position, enthralled by this mysterious ambience that encompassed them.

"So, pretty good year so far I'd say. We got to come here, learn magic-"

"- and I got reunited with you, and we've gained so many good friends zura."

"Right. Fantastic banquet, isn't it?"

"It is. Everything about today is… well, it's been magical zura."

Yoshiko nervously pulls away just a little so she could look at Hanamaru. The brunette's flushed cheeks probably mirror her own, encouraging her to do what her heart yearns.

"The perfect way to end the perfect night."

She leans down and smooches Hanamaru's cheek before backing away. The warmth and softness of the brunette's skin lingers on her lips, so tantalizing that she is tempted to kiss her again.

Should she push her luck? Is this too much?

Blushing, Hanamaru appears shell-shocked, staring at Yoshiko with wide, innocent eyes. Though mortified, Yoshiko returns the gaze earnestly to show that she isn't fooling around.

Hanamaru swallows hard, glancing to the right and then to the left while her arms remain loosely wrapped around Yoshiko's waist. As if making up her mind, she places one hand on the taller girl's shoulder and tiptoes.

Their lips meet chastely, once and again.

"Merry Christmas."

[athyrabunlord]

After 7 chapters (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ finally a title & some sort of cover art for [LLSHP AU]

[athyrabunlord]

Is there a reason why you made Dia's patronus and animagus form a rabbit/bunny (I don't know what's the difference between a rabbit and a bunny)

Ahaha, welp rabbit = bunny (eh, as far as I know anyway), but I just like switching between using the two terms. Her Animagus is a rabbit because, in spite of her tough front, a part of her is still a peaceful person who despises confrontation and scares easily. Between flight and fight, she would much rather flee but due to her upbringing and the circumstances, she is the witch she is now. Since her Animagus form show her truest self, she dislikes using it or revealing it to anyone. Only Kanan, Mari and Riko know.

And nope, Dia’s patronus is a penguin (the reason for that is explained here in a very old post, but also for a different reason that will probably have to be written out in a spinoff chapter or something, if I can ever get to that point). It is Riko’s Patronus that is a rabbit (as of Ch10). The reason for that is in the story (//ω//)

[athyrabunlord]

I love diariko so much even though they haven't don't anything but I love every little moment they have. I'm holding you responsible for making me fall into diariko hell

I think I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again - you have no idea how happy I am to see people liking DiaRiko _(:’’’3」∠)_ It’s my favorite guilty ship but I don’t feel guilty at all dragging people onto this ship mwahaha

Yes, nothing much has happened for DiaRiko yet. They’re rather complicated as a ship, and I must state it here that they are not a couple as of Arc1. They each have their own burdens and priorities, but there’s an intangible bond between them that they’re both aware of. There’s mutual respect, there’s unconditional trust, and there’s something they couldn’t put a name to. Dia cares for Riko and looks out for her, while Riko wants to assist Dia in any way she could and she admires Dia. 

More to come in Arc2 :’D

[athyrabunlord]

About LLSHP AU (Afterword)

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

[FFN link] [Pixiv Link] [Translated to Chinese by plin2290]

I’m just so pleased and happy to have made it! I have so many existing incomplete stories that it’s astounding for me to actually complete a multi-chapter story. Once again, I’d like to say a huge THANK YOU!! to my readers for staying with me to the end, providing me feedback and expressing interest, motivating and inspiring me enough to reach this point.

The following is really just about my rambling, about my thoughts, about the planning process and my decisions, so do keep reading if you’re interested in the makings of this story. I just feel like sharing (aka: blah blah blah) since, again, I actually friggin completed a story omg (´；Д；｀)  

===================

First of all, let’s go way back to near the end of October 2016, not long after LLS Season 1 ended. Yes this is so long ago lmao. After drawing several canon-related fanarts and writing short blips to satiate my thirst, I decided to create a complete whole AU so I can fantasize more XD I ended up picking the Harry Potter verse because, come on, it’s always fun trying to Sort your favorite characters and think about their abilities and whatnot.

Ideas started to whirl and initial sketches began. There’s an old post explaining why I Sort the girls into their respective Houses. That’s also when extra details were pondered over, the why and the pros in doing so. You should know by this point that I’m a complete useless 3rd Years trash, but as I brainstorm more, I realize that their story is more suitable to be a prequel, something that supplements a main story. And so, what should the main story be about? What kind of story do I want to present? Who would be the perfect main character/narrator for this?

Yoshiko. In canon, she’s already associated with (black) magic and, as a First-Year and Muggleborn, she would be perfect for a reader to immerse into this fascinating new world of magic through her perspective. As an old post says, I fudged up the School Term and age during the initial stage and didn’t realize until everything’s all finalized, that’s why I had to keep it as it is XD;;;;

Anyway, at this point, I’ve already decided Yoshiko to be a Horcrux, with the antagonist of this story to be Yohane, and how the last few chapters are going to play out.  Everything else, even the other characters’ backgrounds are all further elaborated and refined based off of this central plot. On a side note, how sexy is Aikyan’s solo in the 3rd Live, I mean, the white and black wing I could only think about Yoshiko/Yohane DX

Ahem, I’ve always found Yoshiko’s character fascinating, that there’s a Yohane side of her even though, really, she’s Yoshiko (a good girl). The Chamber of Secrets and the Half-Blood Prince are the main source of inspiration for this particular idea, but of course HP fans might notice many elements from the original story used or modified in my story. I’m also a strong believer that the Patronus Charm can do more than just warding off Dementors or Lethifolds (and Obscurus), hence its significance in this story, especially later chapters.

Therefore, each girl’s Patronus was tentatively decided at this early stage, with 1 or 2 possibilities. After this, I then thought of what ships should this story present. As much as I did not want romance/ships be The Major Point, I have to acknowledge that ships are what people go for in a story, myself included. I understand shipping might turn people away from even trying a story, that’s why I kept it secret for the first few chapters before confirming it on tumblr (where the chapters were first uploaded). I was just testing the waters, to see if people are interested in the story enough to keep reading even if the ships aren’t their preferences.

Back to planning stage - as a multi-shipper, I did not want to set in stone right off the bat what the ships are either. And thus I continued expanding on ideas and see where things would  go, keeping most of the initial interactions and important moments intact. This is why there are times it might seem there are multiple pairings even though nothing was specified (cough wee kanadia, youriko etc (｡･ ω<)ゞてへぺろ♡). Not to mention, as the main character, Yoshiko will always have moments with each of the 8 girls. I remember joking in an old post that, if this were a gal-game, there are various routes to this story, from the default path to those you have to unlock via certain conditions XDDD

Naturally, members of the 1st-year trio and Guilty Kiss get more screen time with Yoshiko. Then, as a fellow Slytherin and part of the tsurime trio, Dia does too. Not to mention Season1’s anime ED shows You & Angel together, You gets special moments too. Chika is Aqours’ leader who first accepted Yoshiko into the group as datenshi, so I tried to show that as much as I could given the circumstances in the story. And so, this leaves poor orca on the side lol. But yeah, YoshiMaru, YoshiRiko, YoshiRuby, so many possibilities! However, as more details get finalized, such as Yoshiko’s childhood, her Shiira-KANSU! Patronus and about the Augurey, YoshiMaru just happened. Things seem to click into place with their love as the focal point and I was able to keep expanding the story. First puppy love, innocent and pure. A dream that grew to become reality. Could other ships have worked? Yes, but then that would’ve given this story a different direction and it wouldn’t have been LLSHP AU – Yoshiko Tsushima and the Fallen Angel anymore. As I developed YoshiMaru more and more, I was very satisfied with my choice.

On a side note, I confirm Yoshiko did have a crush on You at first (and Hanamaru had a crush on Kanan) xD it’s mostly just physical attraction in a “the-senpai-I-admire” kind of way, and it soon morphs to strong friendship as this story progresses. I don’t know if this was obvious at all but that’s why these two girls always have a soft spot for Gryffindor Baka#2 and Baka #3 xD!!!

On the other hand, I was not expecting DiaRiko to form. Yes, it was my guilty ship but I didn’t intend for them to be a couple in this story, just close friends/confidantes. In canon, they’re already the straight man of their respective year trios (most of the time anyway, I’m looking at you ponkotsu penguin). Yet, given their respective pasts and personalities, they became intimately close and found solace with each other, and that kind of relationship is what I tried to show to the readers, especially through the Carbonado Interlude. They’re not predestined to fall in love but they did and found happiness. Out of the four ships, I was most worried about DiaRiko since it’s a rareship unlike the other three. That’s why I keep saying how pleased I am that it ended up being well-received by fans ;;A;;

ChikaYou came to be as I finalize the 2ndYears’ background and Riko’s part, while KanaMari’s story is set aside for the prequel and thus not given much spotlight in the main story (and also due POV effect). In spite of how much I adore ChikaYou, it’s also not shown much because of what happened in the story but also because I wanted to present their dynamic as a duo and CYR bond with Ruby (since that’s how Yoshiko perceives them most of the time anyway).  

Ruby, my widdle cinnamon roll baby, is left unpaired for a reason. I want to show that platonic/friendship love is just as wonderful and powerful. There’s a saying ‘lovers come and go, but friends are for life’, and that’s exactly what Yoshiko and Hanamaru meant for Ruby, and vice versa. Now, while I’m on this, I have a confession about Ruby’s fate. After the concept arts were drawn and uploaded, I was finalizing the details of the three Arcs before I toss the first chapter onto tumblr. The end of ch19 is definitely one of the biggest climax of the story - Ruby ended up being Yohane’s target instead of Dia. Originally, uh, yeah, Ruby is supposed to die because her wounds were too much. Regular healing spells do not work on sectumsempra, only a special counter-Curse could reverse the effects. I tried very hard to find a way around it to save her. I don’t want my baby to die, any of them really, and she still have so much ahead of her. Fortunately, I was able to save her through Yoshiko/Yohane which, in turn, saved this raven-haired girl as well. I was able to continue working backwards on finalizing the Arcs and individual chapters with a peaceful state of mind.

‘Yoshiko’, as in the one who’s been narrating the story from ch1-20, still died in a way, but at least I was able to change the story from Bad End to True End (?). True End is the ch21 I uploaded. Bad End route would have Ruby dead, Yoshiko gone and ch21 would turn out completely different. A Happy End would be Yoshiko the Narrator miraculously alive and the others not having scars or still recovering, but I just find that too unrealistic. I’ve minimized the, uh, damage enough as it is, given the circumstances. J.K. Rowling did go on a killing spree in Book7 but come on, with a psychotic maniac like Voldemort and all those magical spells, you can easily kill people. You don’t need Avada Kedavra to kill someone, a sudden Diffindo or Reducto is enough. I’ve chosen my sacrifice and one is too many already. And speaking of sacrifice, let me talk a bit about Riko and why she was the ‘first victim’. Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare. Even though this story was outlined even before the First Live, this song already stands out to me from the anime, a song where the 8 of them sang in Riko’s absence but her spirit is still with them. And so, I sort of portrayed that the way it is in this story. Even though Riko didn’t get any lines from ch12 onward until ch20, her role remains significant and is the pivotal point for the remainder of Arc2 and Arc3. In terms of the plot, I’ve followed my outline quite closely. All the core points remained unchanged as I write out the chapters, though how I write a chapter (ie the wording, the extra little details, and actual professor dialogues instead of just narration) did change as I go along, influenced by more of the official content. Facts about characters that are only revealed in Season2 or other media such as SIF etc were not incorporated into this story (for example, Kanan being afraid of ghosts and height). As I mentioned in an older post about wands, I would have chosen phoenix feather for Ruby’s wand core had I known about the Duo-Trio results. The Kazuno sisters would have been incorporated into the story alas, back then, very little was known about Saint Snow in Season1 of the anime. Yes… season2 was finished and, like, a total of 15 live performances have happened between the creation and the completion of this story LOL Back to the plot. Seven is said to be a magical number in the HP verse and that’s why each Arc has 7 chapters. Arc 1 is the Intro, Arc 2 is the turning point, Arc 3 is the climax and the resolution. Sounds easy and straightforward so I thought I would’ve finished the story within a year. Well. It ended up almost taking two years lmao. Obligations IRL aside, new ideas, more AUs, more fanarts etc also make sticking to the update schedule difficult. It’s the worst when it comes to writer’s block – you have the outlines, you know what’s supposed to happen in a chapter, yet the words just aren’t flowing and you’re stuck. Thankfully, with you lovely readers giving the feedback and encouragement I need, I made it over each bump on the road to get to the finale. Hanamaru wrote most of this story, yes. Each chapter titles with exception of Ruby’s interlude and ch18-19 also showed up in ch21. The title of the ‘book’ is supposed to be revealed in the Epilogue but, since I had to upload it onto Fanfiction.Net, I can’t just call it LLSHP AU so I had to reveal “Yoshiko Tsushima and the Fallen Angel” right away. Back then I called this a temporary title because I did think about giving this story an alternate title, since she didn’t write the interludes, ch21 and the epilogue. However, at the end of the day, this still suits the story best. After all, the individual titles for ch21 and the epilogue make up the story’s title.

“Yoshiko has always known that she isn't normal like everyone else. Surely, she would master everything about magic at Hogwarts, and become the amazing fallen angel she's meant to be. Little did she know, her school year would be more than eventful as she makes great friends, uncovers secrets, and learns what it truly means to be Yohane.” - this is the summary I put on Fanfiction.Net. It speaks from both Yoshiko the Narrator’s perspective, and Yoshiko from the Epilogue’s perspective. It probably sounds confusing but I hope you understand what I mean. So, what’s next? I’ve invested a lot in this world of LLSHP AU already and there are still so many more possibilities, especially with the rather open ending both ch21 and the epilogue presents, so I’m definitely not done with this AU! Since I have the memory of a goldfish, I don’t know if I’ve already mentioned this but the prequel will be told mostly in Mari’s POV. It will have occasional Dia and Kanan POVs too (because I’m a shameless 3yrs-oshi and writer privilege); Rather than taking forever to write and cramping the scenes into a massive interlude chapters, I’ve decided to split it in shorter chapters - this will roughly be a 12-part story that took place before the main story, showcasing segments of the kanadiamari’s first 3 years at Hogwarts.

This prequel is… relatively normal and lighter compared to the main story, meaning it’s more school-oriented and more slice-of-life episodes for the most part (at least, that’s the outline), and much more Professor cameos. There will be more N-card girls to be showcased as well, such as kanadiamari’s Housemates and Quidditch teammates. Overall, it’ll be shiny °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° There will not be a full sequel to the main story. Instead, there will be blips/drabbles about events that happen after the main story, as teased in the Epilogue - the TriWizard Tournament for one XD And, unlike the main story, the ideas for blips in this sequel-timeline are more vague, so I’ll be able to incorporate new content into it (as in, from official content 2017 onward such as proper characterization of Saint Snow).

There are plans for omake/filler fun blips as well - little incidents that happened throughout the main story or, rather, ‘excerpts’ that Hanamaru wrote but didn’t make it to the final version of her book. The first Halloween, more scenes with the Professors, birthdays and so on.

There are also plans for character-exclusive blips as well, similar to an Interlude. For example, DiaRiko’s ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) cough cough.

My tentative plan is to keep going with the prequel, and maybe every few chapter or so I’d write a sequel-timeline blip. I’ll see how my muse and inspiration is in the future, I’m already extremely satisfied that I finished the main story XD And I do want to work on some of my other existing AUs (ie Animus AU and Mafia AU just because I’ve already invested time in creating the concept arts and so I don’t want them to sink into oblivion…) or who knows, there might be new AUs. I mean, pretty much every new SIF set is enough to inspire a brand new AU please allow me a moment to giggle like the trash I am over the DiaRiko UR set *pterodactyl screech*

AHEM. Another thing is illustration/artworks. Since most of my time was spent on writing, there are much fewer artworks than I would’ve liked for this story. I think I mentioned this somewhere that I’d love to have an individual cover art for each chapter alas, no time at all DX I’d like to have at least one illustration per chapter too but OTL I can only pick one and so for this AU I chose writing over drawing. Cry.

Anyway, I’ve rambled long enough and I think I’ve talked about everything I want to get off my chest. If you have any questions/feedback, go ahead and fire’em at me, since I’m now able to answer anything without fear of spoilers now XD (unless your question is about the prequel or things that happen in the sequel-timeline)

Thanks for reading the whole thing and, ofc, staying with me until the end of this story!

[athyrabunlord]

Below are my responses to Ch21 of LLSHP AU~ ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

@scarletmayhem Thank you for your continuous support! There will be more content from me in the future for sure, whether it’s for LLSHP AU or other new stuff! And yes, there will be the prequel, I’ll talk a bit more about that in the Afterword~

@aq0ursbo Indeed, ch1-20 that you’ve been reading was written by Hanamaru.Thank you for your continuous support! In spite of the hardships in this story, the nine girls overcome them, individually and with each other’s help. It’s about kagayaiteru after all, and I’m glad to hear it’s affected you positively.

@ anon No worries, that’s what feedback is for! That is one of the things I was concerned about with ch21, the way Yoshiko was introduced. If you’re referring to how there’s something off in every scene, then that effect is actually intentional, since I want to show how Yoshiko is slightly out of place in spite of how hard she tries to integrate herself. If you’re not referring to this, then it’d just be my bad writing (´Д` ) As my best girl, I feel bad that it’s only this last chapter I got to show some Honoka screen time XD As for the angst version of this chapter, I’ll talk a little bit more about it in my Afterword, so please do check it out when I post it!

@neko-chan2000 Thank you~! There will be more stuff from me for sure

@softoxidation Thanks for your long lovely review! I like how you’ve broken it down to different parts, I definitely enjoyed reading this! It makes me smile whenever readers notice and appreciate the little things~ The point of ch21 is indeed to show Yoshiko through the others’ POV. Everything is considered a miracle already, but the girls work hard to help each other recuperate. It felt refreshing for me to write her through other POVs, having written mostly from Yoshiko’s POV this entire story XD

The ashwinder is indeed meant to be symbolic. It was born from the ashes of the fiendfyre, where Yoshiko/Yohane ‘perished’. Its lifespan is supposed to be short, like an incomplete Horcrux, but it lived and is living well. Its legs are combustible, meaning it’s potentially dangerous, like how ch21′s Yoshiko is, but her friends have accepted her for who she is in spite of that.

Poor Hanamaru definitely has the hardest time coping with the situation out of everyone else. It’s not explicitly stated in ch21 but she managed to recover her memories that was lost after ch14. She has to deal with that, on top of dealing with the fact that she practically killed Yoshiko (her Patronus dealt that fatal blow to Yohane before Yoshiko’s Patronus struck). Staying with her grandparents and Yoshiko during those six months did help her. She and Yoshiko aren’t girlfriends in ch21 due to the circumstances, but the feelings are still there, strongly too, so all it’ll take is for time to bring them together again.

My baby Ruby grew up so much since ch1. She is quite independent now, watching over her precious friends who are like family to her, but she still enjoys her onee-chan cuddling her and her friends doting on her.

DiaRiko deserve a happy ending and I’m sure you all agree with me. Their love story isn’t blazing passionate and fiery like other romances, but it’s there and deep and everlasting. Yoshiko sort of sees Dia as a sister too (though now it’s more like a .... sister-in-law kind of way? XDDDDD) Yoshiko will continue to call Riko ‘Lily’ though, but Riko certainly knows how Yoshiko sees her and is quite pleased with that.

ChikaYou didn’t get enough screen time the entire story so I’m glad to give them their much-deserved moment here. They’ve always been together, whether as friends or a couple, and they light up Yoshiko’s heart and everyone else’s mood even during difficult times and that’s their strength. Aqours’ sun.

KanaMari is another baka couple that didn’t get much screen time because, as Yoshiko said, she didn’t even know they were going out lmao. I wrote that little bet thingy in Mari’s concept art so friggin’ long ago, it gives me great satisfaction to finally reveal it too. Indeed, they will get their own story in the prequel, I’ll talk a bit more about that in the Afterword!

Overall, thanks for your support and I hope you’ll look forward to more from this LLSHP AU and my other works!