Punch Me Harder

PlaySetQ

Author's Note: I took full liberty of my creativity and threw it at Harry Potter, soul mate AUs and SasuNaruSasu: the result was this. I changed a lot of what's cannon (you'll see). This is a fic where the Naruto characters are in HP setting (so no HP characters in here, sorry). It's a Naruto and HP AU/fusion more than it is a crossover.

Warnings:

:-: A warning for Sasuke's dysfunctional family, even if it's basically canon. And bullying, slurs and blood discrimination, P.O.V switching and slow to start (slow burn?).

:-: The Japanese Wizarding School is actually a thing. Google it – I got my information primarily from Pottermore and rest I made up.

:-: The 'last name' thing is a magical Japanese cultural thing I made up, it was necessary for the plot.

Enjoy!

Pureblood Boy

One of the very first things Uchiha Sasuke ever understands is that for every witch or wizard there was, by some divine miracle, another who fits them perfectly. The second thing that Sasuke understands is that some witches and wizards were lucky (namely purebloods) and some weren't.

Sasuke is told only to address them as 'muggleborns' in public, as times were changing; 'mudbloods' and 'unfortunates' were only words that were allowed to be used comfortably by his father behind their family manor's ancient antique doors.

"Slurs," Itachi tells him later after he's heard the words for the very first time. It's night and quiet and way past Sasuke's bed time. His beloved and envied older brother sits at the end of his four-poster bed, absently rubbing his feet through the thick, fluffy comforter. "Is what mudbloods and unfortunates are called. They're mean words meant to degrade and hurt other people. You shouldn't ever use them Sasuke, not just because their impolite – but because you could really hurt someone's feelings."

"But father says them." Sasuke brings up, a little rebelliously and more than a little curiously.

The Uchiha was old money and old tradition but never old news. Their family was famous and large – Sasuke can't count the number of first cousins he has on two hands, let alone all of the Uchiha clan. (Although he does know all of them. As an heir of the head family it's expected, even if he's the second.) They all live in a community of large, expensive and expansive homes on the outskirts of the Japanese magical community. Despite how many of them there are, there's only one Lord and Lady – Sasuke's parents.

Without fault, all Uchiha listen to their Lord and Lady.

Itachi going against his father words no matter how subliminal - disapproving of something his father approves of - in such a way is something Sasuke's never seen before. Going against his father simply wasn't done. At least not by other Uchiha.

"Father also curses a lot," Itachi points out, raising his eyebrow. "Are you going to start cursing because father does?"

The little boy pales and shakes his head no, pouting just a bit and absently rubbing the back of his hand where his father had hexed with a very light stinging jinx the last time he'd caught Sasuke saying something considerably rude. Cursing, even if his father did it, would no doubt land him in more trouble than just one lightly swelled hand and a week without his toy wand.

Itachi slides himself up to the top of the bed and settles himself against the two soft, firm pillows that Sasuke wasn't using. Itachi's hair was tied back and noticeably still neat and tidy and his pajamas didn't look to have a wrinkle to them. Sasuke sticks out his lower lip again and runs a tiny hand through his own nest of hair. He tries to straighten out his pajama shirt, wishing, not for the first time, that he could be a little more like his brother.

Itachi's eyes soften and gestures for Sasuke to come closer. The boy beams and eagerly cuddles up to Itachi's side, insecurities immediately forgotten. Itachi wraps one arm around his young brother, huddling him close.

"Why?" Sasuke asks and digs his little chin into Itachi side, as if forcing him to pay attention.

"Why what?" Itachi rebuttals and tries to shuffle Sauske closer.

Sasuke huffs out in frustration. His eyebrows crinkle in a way that's supposed to appear angry but ends up only making him look cute. The flash of irritation only lasts for a few seconds and after the little episode ends, Sasuke flushes at his own impatience. A little ashamed when Itachi raises an eyebrow at him yet again and Sasuke can spot the curl of amusement at the end of his brother's lips.

"Why does father call them those names if they're mean?" He clarifies, tilting his head in confusion.

"Sasuke…" Itachi hesitates briefly and his lips twitch downward for only a moment. Sasuke for all his tutoring and training, is still a child and doesn't catch it. "Muggleborns are often called mudblood because they have two muggle parents instead of magical ones. A muggleborn is the first wizard or witch in that family. Wizards and witches like father think that their blood isn't magical enough to be taught, that's it dirty. Which is wrong – the level of magical ability doesn't aspire from genes."

"And unfortunates?" Sasuke's wide innocent eyes stare up at Itachi like a small puppy. A small, sleepy, puppy as his eyelids keep drooping and flittering close without permission.

Itachi chuckles and sweeps his hand across Sasuke's bangs. "Well, that's a little harder to explain." He shuffles off the side of the bed and Sasuke hastily reaches forward with his little hand and catches Itachi's pale wrist.

"Are you going?" Sasuke reluctantly asks and he can't keep the anguish out of his voice. It's not rare for Itachi to pay attention to him, but it's rare that they share intimate moments like these. "Can't you stay?"

Itachi smiles softly at his brother, he impulsively motions Sasuke closer. The little boy ends up sitting on his knees by the edge of his bed, fidgeting slightly. Itachi gently pokes at his brother's forehead, observing amused as a thin line of red dusts his little brother's cheekbones.

"Maybe later." Itachi promises and straightens out the non-existing wrinkles on his nightshirt. "But, I can tuck you back in."

Sasuke scrambles back to the middle of his bed and throws himself under the covers. He lays stiff as a board as Itachi straightens out the comforter and sheets. With a gentle but precise hand, Itachi expertly pulls the covers over Sasuke's small body tucking the fancy, very fine-made sheets and comforter in around him.

Sasuke squirms just a little, burning out the rest of whatever restlessness had been left from the day before settling down. With a final touch, Itachi restores the firm pillows he'd been leaning on to their regular state.

"Good night," Itachi wishes from the doorway, his voice not-quite a whisper but not exactly anything louder.

"Good night." Sasuke returns just as softly. Watching Itachi quietly leave his bedroom, a warm feeling swells in his chest. Sasuke grins into his pillow and traces the centre of his forehead with a finger.

-Q- Four Years Later -Q-

The sun beams into his window like an over-excited child on Yule. Sasuke emits a loud, over-dramatic groan into his pillow and tries to bury his face further in. However, all that gets him is something too close to self-suffocation to be comfortable. Despairingly, the whole process ends up waking him up instead of sending him back into the dream world.

Stubborn and unwilling to forfeit the fight (because logically, the eight-year-old knows you can't really fight the sun, but that still wasn't going to stop him from trying). Sasuke pulls the covers over his head instead and snuggles back in. His attempt at sleeping in longer ends a minute later when Milly knocks on his door.

"Young Master?" Milly's hesitant squeaky voice rings in Sasuke's ears. "The Lord and Lady require your presence in the dinning room."

"Okay, Milly." Sasuke replies, slowly getting out of bed. He pauses to rub at his right eye, getting rid of the tiny ball of crust that's gathered in the corner. He clumsily walks over to the stand at the end of his bed and grabs his school robes folded neatly and compressed there.

"May I enter?" The house elf inquires, nothing-less than polite and pristine as trained by the Uchiha head house elf. Milly was a house elf abandoned when her European owners lost their political power in a court matter against the Uchiha. Sasuke had begged to the keep the thing after seeing it and reluctantly his father was talked into it by Itachi.

After that, Milly was trained in housekeeping and was given a bit of an education as all house elves in Japan were expected to have. If a guest was served by something as dirty and uneducated as Milly was before she was bonded to the Uchiha, it was as good as an insult. In other words, how Milly was before wasn't acceptable and new clothes, a bit of an education and manners were installed.

Sasuke hastily changes his underwear and chucks his dirty night clothes into the hamper. He struggles into the cream, cotton, high collared undershirt and white pants. Finally, he slips on his robes calling out a hasty, "Yes!"

Milly goes straight to work, making her young master's bed and lightly dusting the items of furniture.

"Young master looks rather dashing in his school robes." Milly comments excitedly, swishing her hands to control the seven fluffy dusters swishing around the room.

The boy grunts in reply, standing in front of a tall, dark oak framed mirror. His eyes are locked on his hair and there's a firm grip on his hair brush. He's trying to style his hair in one way or another but all it does is stick straight up.

"The elf's right, Sauce." The enchanted mirror adds in and Sasuke snorts disapprovingly at the English nickname. He sends an annoyed glare at the thing, "It's Sasuke." He firmly corrects, "It's Japanese, I'm Japanese, and you're supposed to be Japanese."

The mirror sulks and Sasuke can tell it's upset. "Well, I was going to tell you to leave your hair as it is and that you looked great but," the mirror snootily says, "that was before you made fun of me."

"The robes are pink," Sasuke flatly counters, glowering slightly. He self consciously tugs at the end of the loose cuffs.

"It's your colour." The mirror wittily responds. Sasuke scowls. "And," The mirror states nonchalantly, "I would suggest wearing that red tie your mother brought for you. You wouldn't want to end up flashing your soulmate mark to anyone on your first day."

Sasuke gently touches the side of his neck, distracted for only a moment before nodding and doing just that.

"You look soooo adorable!" The mirror gushes and Sasuke was sure if the mirror was human it'd be attempting to pinch his cheeks. He holds back a shiver that attempts to jump down his spine, absently rubbing his cheek with the palm of his hand. Grandma Chouko always leaves a strong impression and Sasuke's cheeks red with finger prints and nail indents every time she comes to visit.

"I look like a valentine gone wrong." He deadpans, fiddling with the tie to make sure it's nice and tight.

Soulmate identifying marks are perhaps the only thing in existence that's immune to magic. There's no covering them; not even a metamorphmagus transformation or through polyjuice. There's always make up but it's isn't fool proof. Just covering the mark isn't optimum either, but it's a lot less work. Ironically, soulmate marks are like finger prints you can't hide (although they're supposed to be private). Each unique to its owner; a mark, a claim, of an unknown other.

"You look absolutely radiant darling." The mirror teases with a thick English accent.

"Bite me." Sasuke snaps, dramatically exiting his bedroom, his pale pink robes flare with the momentum of the turn. The sliding door slams shut, leaving a bemused mirror and a cheeky house elf behind.

"Ooooh," The mirror sing-songs. "He's going through puberty already?"

The house elf snickers, finishing the dusting and moving on to the dirty laundry.

Breakfast at the Uchiha manor was a meal where without fail every single member of the family showed up. His father sitting at the head of the twelve seated table and his mother to his right, his brother sitting next to his father and Sasuke, the last to appear, seats himself next to his brother.

His father gives him a stern disapproving look for a few seconds, he doesn't spare the time to say anything to reprimand him so Sasuke assumes he's in the clear. ("Breakfast is at seven o'clock, Sasuke. Breakfast is served at seven o'clock, I expect you be in that seat and eating by no later than seven o'clock." And that was the first and last time Sasuke was ever late to breakfast.)

Out of the counter of his eye, Sasuke spots the fancy analog clock that his mother had put up for decoration, although it does work. He lets himself relax, six fifty-seven was cutting it close but it wasn't late.

Itachi offers him a silent smile, nudging him gently with his shoulder – it really isn't a secret that Sasuke's not a morning person and therefore his grouchiness is increased by nearly ten times when he has to deal with people before nine o'clock. But his family is the exception even if he himself doesn't talk much.

His family is a busy one; his father, an important political figure and the head of the Aurour unit in Japan's Ministry of Magic. His mother, although not having a "real" job, is also kept busy with Uchiha clan matters and Itachi, who if isn't in school, is studying. Most of the time Sasuke really only sees his mother at lunch and dinner, father and Itachi both hole themselves up in their rooms or simply forget the time.

Breakfast is the only real family time Sasuke gets.

Without missing a beat when the clock strikes six fifty-nine, the house elves bring out the dishes. Promptly at seven o'clock the dishes are on the table and breakfast is served. The delicious smells of healthy, top-quality, warm food make Sasuke's tummy rubble.

The bowls of food situated in front of Sasuke are all his favourites. There's warm rice and miso soup with a side of boiled fish, eggs, plain toast and slices of juicy fresh tomato.

They all says their thanks in unity and then dig in. Sasuke targets the rice first, saving the tomato for last.

"It's the first day of school today." His mother casually states. Her lengthy ink black hair is tied up in a bun, styled in the latest trend. Her dress is beautiful; a silky one that compliments her wonderfully. She idly snatches the next piece of fruit between her chop sticks and rises it to her full lips. "Are you excited?" She asks and then eats the fruit.

"Very," Itachi finishes his own bowl of fruit, moving on to the miso soup. "If everything goes as planned I think by the end of the year I'll be wearing gold." He says it causally like it's a normal thing for a twelve-year-old tell his family.

Sasuke glares down at his bowl and catches the sight of his pink robes and glares harder. The tips and cuffs of it were darken into a vibrant red and any other family would be jumping for joy.

Typically, one's robes don't change from pink to red until their first 'actual' year at Mahoutokoro (the Japanese School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) at age eleven when you board there for the first time.

Before that, students are delivered back and forth from the school for class. This means Sasuke's almost two to three years ahead of his peers – which doesn't matter because he's six months (and counting because the robes aren't fully red yet) behind his brother. Whose robes changed hue in his first six months of his first year at Mahoutokoro, when he was seven.

The robes given to students of Mahoutokoro are charmed to change colour depending on experience, students' education is planned so by the end of sixth year their robes are either black or gold. Black being the final colour; the wearer must have top marks in every subject and have a top level amount of practicing and handling magic and control. Gold is the second to last colour: a student must have good marks and a top level amount of practicing, handling and controlling magic and anyone wearing less than these colours is considered failed by the end of all seven (technically eleven) years of magical schooling.

Itachi's robes are already gold and if you squint you can make out traces of black at the edges.

"He's a genius." Sasuke sullenly thinks. How was he supposed to live up to that?

The declaration catches father attention ("Everything Itachi does catches father's attention," Sasuke thinks, rolling his eyes mentally).

"Oh?" There's a grin stretched across his face and pride in his eyes. "That's my boy." His father gives a steady nod of approval in Itachi direction and shifts his gaze towards his youngest child.

Sasuke feels the look but doesn't meet his father eyes, afraid of what he'll see (Disappointment? Shame? Something unreadable?). Predicting the path that the conversation was about to go down, his mother quickly intervenes.

"And what about you, Sasuke? Are you excited for school?" She asks, smiling genuinely.

"For the school work, yes." Sasuke responds, decidedly not mentioning all the people he's not excited to see.

"And friends?" She urges, as if she's trying to use the power of her will to make sure one of her sons is to be more than a quiet bookworm.

Sasuke shrugs his shoulders, "All the boys are alright. But the girls are weird." He doesn't elaborate and his mother doesn't push him. After he takes the last bite, the clock shows seven thirty which means breakfast is over and he's right on time.

They leave the dishes for the house elves to clean and mother bids them goodbye at the door. She pecks father on the lips before his leaves and kisses Itachi on the cheek, hugging him briefly but tightly and lets him go with a simple and quiet, "good luck." Mother wouldn't see itachi for another couple of months. His older brother smiles gratefully and she moves on to Sasuke.

He outwardly rolls his eyes, and fusses as she plants one on his forehead and pretends it isn't the thing he likes most about the mornings.

-Q-

Mahoutokoro is, perhaps the most incredible thing that Sasuke's ever seen. The school is a palace in every right and sense of the word. It's grand and gracefully, like it's a god of in itself, perched on the highest tip of a remote island.

The Japanese styled towers rise like a pearly sun, the ground floors stretch from the peak of one mountain top to the fairest one in the same clump, yet doesn't touch either of the land masses because the school is floating above it. Suspended by time and ancient magics that Sasuke couldn't even begin to imagine.

Arriving at the school after being away for break is like taking a breath of fresh air after being forced to bath in pollution. It's exhilarating and refreshing and Sasuke's not sure how he could've possibly forgotten this feeling.

The moment Sasuke's foot touches the mutton flat jade that the whole school is pieced together from, his shoulder's relax from their unconsciously strained state. Sasuke steals a glance at Itachi.

By the softening of his older brother's eyes and the tiny curve of his lips, Sasuke knows Itachi feels the same.

The Uchiha manor was built by Sasuke's ancestors at the very start of their line a billion years ago (not really a billion years ago but takes just as much time to recite how many 'great's that is). Every single generation of the main family has lived and died in those walls. It's, undoubtedly, home. The magic there is familial and comfortable and a place where every Uchiha feels welcomed and safe.

Stepping foot into a place like Mahoutokoro that's existed longer then the Uchiha manor and had not just Uchiha, but millions of billions of talented and powerful witches and wizards walk these very halls is like going outside for the very first time.

The comfortable safe feeling of the Uchiha manor doesn't compare to the magnificence that's Mahoutokoro. It doesn't compare to the tingle of magic that tickles the back of his neck, doesn't compare to rich history of brilliance that lingers or the way his chest constricts because this place, this palace is the start of everything and every one and has been for a countless number of generations.

It's not home but it's the beginning – and that's just as important.

-Q-

It's takes until the middle of the year for Sasuke's robes to fully change from pale pink to red and his teachers are ecstatic. The staff are already calling him a genius. "Just like your brother!" One would say. "The Uchiha heirs sure are next level." Another chirms in, the statement is casual and Sasuke wonders if they already had expectations of his brother before Itachi step foot into the building and he also wonders if they can see him beneath the suffocating weight of Itachi's shadow.

When Sasuke's father finds out all he calls it is an improvement. Sasuke tries to ignore the silly, heavy weight in his stomach, because really what he expecting? A show of pride or approval? – "You're not Itachi." He reminds himself after the fact, "You don't get approval."

For once, Sasuke's selfishly thankful that Itachi was born first because how much more would it hurt if father still liked Itachi better even if he was born second? The spare?

And it's conflicting, Sasuke loves his brother, loves him more than anything in the world. But he also gains father's approval without lifting a finger, for just being who he is and that's enough to stir resentment. It's complicated and Sasuke does what he's always done when he can't handle something – he ignores it until he can't anymore and then he ignores it some more.

Other than Sasuke's robes, nothing changes throughout the year. The girls still get red faced and weird when he's around them and he still really doesn't have any initiative to make friends. The other boys, although they take their studying seriously too, don't commit themselves to it like Sasuke does. They do it more because their parents tell them and less because they enjoy it like Sasuke does and they certainly don't do it to catch up to an older brother's back or catch their father's attention.

Well, that's fine. Sasuke doesn't need friends anyways.

And he tries to persuade himself he doesn't care.

-Q-

Haku is someone Sasuke never noticed. He always sits in the back and he never makes a noise and the teachers don't usually call on him unless it's for the morning roll call. He doesn't have any friends and he's perfected the art of making himself appear smaller and invisible.

Sasuke – someone who doesn't pay any attention to his classmates at all at this point; all the girls are weird, except for maybe, the Hyuuga heir who's as committed to studying as Sasuke is and doesn't turn as red as a tomato when they're in the same room but he won't approach because of their family political rivalry. And all of his male classmates who Sasuke's opinion of them drops every time they open their months – frankly there's not much worth paying attention to.

And there's no chance he's ever going to find a friend here, at least that's what he thought until the last month of school came around and Sasuke was staying after hours to get extra help on a particularly hard transfiguration question (which meant, in reality it was supposed to be impossible for anyone in their grade to answer it except maybe Hinata with a good amount of time and a lot of extra help and Sasuke, who really only needs clarification on a few things).

He'd been going to collect his quidditch practice uniform before heading home when the sound of badly muffled crying pulls his attention to the changing rooms across from the lockers where personal training brooms and uniforms are kept.

The occurrence is odd because it's already seven o'clock, two hours past home time. It could be an older student but this was a "Pinkies" (a nick-name for the day students) locker room. Curious and a little concern, though he wouldn't in a thousand year admit it, he carefully approaches the door to the changing room and knocks gently.

"Hey." He speaks lowly and calmly. The muffled sounds disappear right after he spoke, leaving only a tense quiet behind. "Do you need clothes?"

"I…" The small voice replies, it's a little hoarse from all the crying and a more than a little hesitant. There's a deep breath as if the person on the other side (a boy, Sasuke guesses because this is the boys changing room) is gathering resolve. He clears his throat before asking, "Who are you?"

Sasuke raises an eyebrow and doesn't say anything for a moment until he realizes that this person can't see his Uchiha Eyebrow™ and ignores the heat on his face. He instinctively touches the side of his neck (he's not embarrassed he forgot there was a door there, not at all).

"Uchiha Sasuke. Who are you?" He inquires confidently, though there's still a hint of red on his face.

"I… I need some… pants please." The word pants is said like Sasuke's great aunt says 'failure', like it's a fate worse than death.

Sasuke's not sure what the deal with pants is but it's not his business so if the person in there asks for pants then he'll give him pants.

"I have an extra pair." Sasuke suggests, already walking back towards his locker, "I'll lend them to you for today and you can give them back tomorrow."

"…Okay." The boy agrees quietly in the changing room.

Sasuke whispers under his breath his password to his locker and the door slides open. The locker has a ledge dividing the space in half and a single sliver hock is screwed into the side. Sasuke grabs the sports bag hanging there and collects his uniform and his spare robes. He zips the bag up and closes his locker.

With the extra white pants still in hand, Sasuke presses the changing room door open a crack, just enough to snake his hand through and hand his pants off to a stranger.

"I'll be going now," Sasuke informs the unknown person. "I eat lunch by the potted sakura trees, so you know where to find me."

The next day a boy with straight long chocolate brown hair pulled back into two ponytails resting at his neck greets him at the sakura trees. He holds out Sasuke's white pants like an offering.

Sasuke takes them without uncertainty.

The boy blinks at him with wide honey eyes and stares and Sasuke blinks right back, there's a tangible silence between them. Sasuke doesn't know what to say but he was raised better than this.

"Thank you." He decides is the best response and places the pants down beside him.

The boy takes a seat next to Sasuke and tenses like he waiting for something and Sasuke has no idea what the deal with this kid is.

"You're going to waste your lunch break if you don't start eating soon." Sasuke points out, eyeing the tray of food in the other boy's lap pointedly.

The other boy stares at Sasuke again with a wide eyed look that makes him a bit uncomfortable. He nods and starts eating his food. The last fifteen minutes of lunch pass exactly like that. It was obsivously awkward but also… nice at the same time. Sauke's never really eaten lunch with anyone before.

The bell rings ending lunch and starting the second half of the day.

Sasuke feeds his leftovers to a garage can by the entrance of the main hall. The garage can has been affectionately dubbed 'Akane' for a reason Sasuke doesn't even want to know. A name tag is slapped on the front of it, probably stuck on with a spell. The enchanted garbage grinds up the remains of Sasuke's lunch, shredding the food and plate alike before swallowing it.

The other boy follows suit and they make their way back to Sasuke's classroom. Once he realizes that the other boy wasn't so much as following him as he is heading in the same direction, Sasuke once overs the guy.

He stops walking and his eyebrows furrowing. "Come to think of it he does kind of look familiar…" Sasuke thinks mutely.

"Are you…?" Sasuke starts and pauses, the other boy goes a little pale and his hands shake.

"Am I…?" He replies though he sounds very nervous and his pale skin goes paler.

"…in my class?" Sasuke finishes and looks away, not meeting the boy's kind eyes. How rude was that? How could Sasuke not notice? He scowls at himself and fights down a blush and presses a hand against the side of his neck.

The boy doesn't say anything and Sasuke reluctantly looks back at him. He's expression is nothing sort of bewildered and Sasuke's at lost to why.

"…Yes." The boy says, still looking like he'd fallen asleep and woke up in a world full of ninjas. "I'm Haku." He introduces himself.

Sasuke takes note of the lack of a family name but doesn't comment.

"Hn." Sasuke nods and that was that.

Friendship with Haku was as easy and relaxing and as natural as magic. It was… pleasant for the lack of a better word. Haku was quiet but not too quiet and he liked to study as much as Sasuke did. Having someone who gets into the nitty-gritty of theory as much as practice of their lessons as much as Sasuke does is refreshing and exciting.

You also get to know a person when your friends with them. And Sasuke knows Haku values school as much as he does, maybe if possible, more.

It's almost ten minutes into the fourth period of class, lunch had ended a mere fifteen minutes ago, and the seat beside him is glaringly empty. Haku had left lunch just about three minutes before the bell ring excusing himself to the bathroom. But almost twenty minutes later, there's still not a sound of a scribbling quill, no soft breathing, no Haku. A swell of anxiousness balls up in his stomach.

Leaving anytime before the end of the day's classes is highly unlikely seeing as there's a hospital ward here. Unless, something horrible happened to Haku's family, which Sasuke doubts. He's not an idiot so he doesn't bring up 'family', it's become akin to a taboo topic between them. However, it doesn't change the fact that not once has Haku mentioned any family members and despite roll call, Sasuke still doesn't know Haku's family name.

Which, Sasuke ponders, means one of two things.

A) He's ashamed of them and they did something bad and public. Sasuke can't, for the life of him, remember anything scandalous happening to any important family in the last year (big enough that others would know) and, most importantly, his father didn't tell him to stay away from the boy.

Or: B) He doesn't have one… as in, an orphan.

An orphan with unknown origins. Which means that Haku could be a…

Sasuke narrows his eyes, his mind whirling and sharp, dark, eyes scan the room and catch the gleeful expressions on a group of five of his male classmates sitting at the back of the room and the prideful looks they were casting at the Haku-less seat.

Sasuke suddenly remembers in clarity the incident that started their friendship. He'd never found out what exactly led Haku to needing an extra pair of pants. Itachi's words from all those years ago are brought the front of his mind.

"Wizards and witches like father think that their blood isn't magical enough to be taught, that's it dirty."

Sasuke's hand whips up into the air in a flash and the speed startles the teacher, making him pause in the middle of his sentence.

"Yes…?" The teacher replies with a crinkled brow.

"…to degrade and hurt…"

"May I go to the bathroom?"

-Q-