A/N: Okay, guys, this is how it all began. I probably should have started with NozoNicoEli since they were the first to enter Hogwarts, but I just really wanted to write some MakiRinPana interaction and give them a little bit of love. So without further ado, here we go!
I don't own rights to Harry Potter or Love Live.
Guys, I am so sorry for all the page breaks but I had to break up the parts. Please forgive me.
- 54
As the whistle of the Hogwarts Express sounded off to signal the beginning of its departure from Platform Nine and Three Quarters, shouts of goodbyes and promises to write could be heard between the passengers of the railway cars of the train itself to their own respective family members back on the platform that had chosen to accompany them to see them off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, some making their return to the school for another year while some would be starting out as a first year.
And among those young passengers that would be attending Hogwarts for the very first time sat a girl all by herself in one of the many compartments of the raliway car, luggage stowed away above her and novel in hand.
Purple eyes scanned the pages as she pulled an out of place piece of fuzz from the sleeve of her navy-colored cable crew sweater, which she could have gathered from a number of places, ranging back to earlier that morning when she had first put the sweater on as the maids and butlers hustled and bustled about in the mansion to prepare for the young girl's departure from home for the next few months, to the journey to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, to saying goodbye to her mother who had accompanied her to see her off before stepping onto the Hogwarts Express and finding a nice, quiet compartment to herself so she could catch up on her reading instead of joining the other passengers in sticking their heads out the railcar's windows to say last minute goodbyes.
She had already said goodbye to her father that morning before he went to work at St. Mungo's for the day and goodbye to her mother before she had boarded the train. That was it. There wasn't any reason why she should have stuck her head out the window to call out her goodbyes when she had already said them. Besides, her mother was most likely already gone.
And as the young, scarlet-haired eleven year old turned the page in her novel, her ears picked up on a conversation just outside the closed door to her compartment.
"It's okay, Kayo-chin! You'll see your mom, your dad, and your grandparents when Christmas gets here, nya!"
"I know, Rin, but I've never been away from them before," The second girl in the conversation sounded as if she were about to cry. "It's all new to me, but I can't imagine how you feel! Your parents couldn't even come!"
"I already told them goodbye before we came, so it's all good, nya! I'll see them at Christmas! Besides, we need to hurry up and find somewhere to sit before I get train sick!"
"Can you get train sick?"
"Don't know! I've never been on a train until now, nya! Finding somewhere to sit should keep that from happening, though!"
The scarlet-haired eleven year old abruptly looked up from her novel to the closed door of her compartment. There had been a lot of people to board this train, so there wasn't a doubt in her mind that her compartment was one of the very few that wasn't full. It wasn't that she was against anyone sitting with her, it was just that she preferred being by herself because that's all she had been used to growing up as the only child of her two parents. She wasn't one for social interaction unless it was necessary.
And as she hoped and prayed that the two conversing girls would find another compartment with room enough to seat the two of them, the door slid open and an orange-haired female popped her head into the compartment.
"Hi! Is it okay if Kayo-chin and I sit with you, nya? There isn't any room in any of the other compartments, and I'm afraid I'll get train sick if I stand up for too long!"
"Don't scare her, Rin!" The girl behind her warned.
But unbeknownst to the two girls, it was already too late. The scarlet-haired eleven year old had already jumped in her seat at the sudden intrusion but had quickly recovered with a glare that could have melted the tallest glacier in existence.
"If you can keep it down so I can read, then I don't see why not." It was unusual for someone her age to be as aloof as she was, but that didn't mean she was heartless.
The door to the compartment slid open as the orange-haired female and her much quieter dirty blonde-haired companion made their way inside with a cheery "Thanks!" from the former. And as they placed what little luggage they had on the shelf above them, the two plopped into the seat on the opposite side of the other girl.
"I'm Rin Hoshizora, nya! And this is Hanayo Koizumi! This is our first year at Hogwarts! What's your name?" The orange-haired female known as Rin stated the introduction.
"Rin!" The other girl, Hanayo Koizumi, bumped Rin's shoulder with her own. "She said not to disturb her, so we shouldn't!"
"I just want to know her name, nya! What's so bad about that?" Rin replied.
The scarlet-haired female's eyebrow twitched at the disturbance but decided not to voice her slight agitation as she continued reading, not even bothering to look up from her page to address the two.
"Maki Nishikino. It's also my first year at Hogwarts."
Rin's eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning. "Really? That's so cool, nya! We can all be best friends!"
"Rin!" Hanayo whispered harshly.
"What?" Rin asked in genuine confusion.
Maki turned the page in her book, having already tuned out the two girls sitting in front of her.
It stayed that way for maybe a mere five minutes. Maki was immersed in her novel while Rin and Hanayo both held quiet conversation, depsite the latter having to shush the former multiple times so the scarlet-haired girl wouldn't be disturbed. That was their deal, after all.
But then Rin couldn't help her curiosity as she caught a glimpse of the cover of the book Maki held.
"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes? Kayo-chin has the same book, nya!"
Maki's eye twitched at the interruption, but once the statement completely registered in her brain, she lowered the book down into her lap, leaving it splayed open as she did so.
"You do?" She asked, looking at the girl sitting next to Rin. "Have you completed it yet?"
Hanayo shook her head. "It was on display at one of the bookshops on Charing Cross Road while I was getting all the things I needed on my school list, and it's something I've been wanting to read for a while, so I bought it. I'm still reading Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart, so I probably won't start on that one just yet."
Despite the quiet way in which she spoke, Maki still heard every word.
"I just finished Holidays with Hags the other day, so now I can say I've finished all of his books. I left most of them at home, but I have Wanderings With Werewolves and Voyages with Vampires on hand just in case I want to reread them. You can borrow them sometime if you'd like."
Maki found herself looking away from the pair, twirling a strand of hair as she did so.
Hanayo adjusted her glasses with a small, shy smile. "Th-thank you. Those are the only two I have left to read from him. If you do let me borrow them, I promise I will bring them back."
While the two continued conversing, Rin reached into the pocket of her yellow hoodie and pulled out a carefully wrapped Cauldron Cake that she had purchased from the trolley when she first boarded the train, removing said wrapper, and offering some to the other two females in the compartment with her.
When both kindly rejected the offer, Rin took a generous bite and continued listening to their conversation happily as the train chugged along the tracks.
"It's so cool, nya!" Rin exclaimed as she looked up at the pitch black silhouette of Hogwarts castle that was slightly illuminated only by the torches on the outside of the castle walls.
The speed in which the orange-haired female had emitted in a hurried surge forward out of pure excitement, practically resulting in her almost falling forward into the waters of the Black Lake, caused the boat to rock from side to side.
Hanayo whimpered, clutching onto both sides of said boat in an attempt to steady it.
"Rin!" She called out, reaching a hand forward to pull her best friend back into a seated position by yanking the back of her black robe.
Maki, who had been seated in another boat with another student not far behind theirs, sighed in annoyance at their antics as the fleet of boats continued on their way across the dark waters to the school.
As the group of first years made their way into the Great Hall, all students from all four tables turned to look at them.
Hanayo whimpered at all of the sudden attention that they were being given, but felt a surge of comfort and reassurance when Rin grabbed ahold of her hand.
Beside the pair, Maki was overcome with curiousity as she looked over the inside of the room and over some of the faces of the older students seated at the tables.
And for some odd reason, her roaming eyes came to a halt once she laid them upon a student with hair the color of a raven which had been tied up into two twin-tails on either side of her head in dark green ribbons that just so happened to match the green and black robes she was wearing.
Her appearance, which closely resembled that of a small child, baffled the redhead because it was blatantly obvious that she had been older than Maki herself since she was already seated at the farthest table in the room with the other students. Maybe a second or third-year at the most.
She couldn't wrap her head around why this girl was still wearing ribbons in her hair at her age. Maki's own mother had dwindled down on putting bows and ribbons in her hair by the time she turned nine, so seeing anyone passed that age wearing anything of the sort was a ridiculous concept to Maki.
If Maki had been anywhere remotely near the table the student was seated at, she would've overheard the conversation between her and the other twin-tailed student seated next to her.
"What the hell is this kid's problem?" The raven-haired Slytherin spoke in a harsh whisper. "Like seriously. Just take a picture. It'll last longer."
"Funny," The purple-haired one replied with a small sideways grin as she kept her eyes on the new meat rolling in. "She's probably thinking the same thing about you, Nicocchi.~"
Nico scoffed at the insinuation. "Yeah? Well, she looked at me first, Nozomi."
Nozomi couldn't help but giggle at the pout on her friend's face.
"Anyway," Nico began as an attempt to quickly change the subject. "What did your cards say this time?"
If Nico hadn't kept her ruby-eyed gaze on the group of first years, she would've seen the small glint that flashed in Nozomi's turquoise ones.
"The stars have aligned in our favor, but not just for you and I. Everything has fallen into place. However, the exact time of when it will become apparent is unclear. In other words, Nicocchi, this is the group we have been waiting for."
"You said that last year, didn't you?" Nico asked quietly as the first years were being introduced to the Sorting Hat. "Or close to it at least."
Nozomi only nodded sagely before turning her attention from the Sorting Hat's song over to the table were the students of Gryffindor house were seated, eyes staring tenderly upon the back of a student with a blonde ponytail.
When Nico didn't hear her friend reply, she followed Nozomi's line of sight and almost growled, eyebrows arching down into a glare.
"Ayase," She spat venomously. "I still don't know why you hold her on such a high pedestal when you know what her family did."
This made Nozomi turn her head abruptly to Nico, eyes flashing a twinge of hurt that quickly turned into anger.
"If you knew the acts your father and my father committed back then, you would understand why the Ministry had no choice but to send them to Azkaban."
Thunder rumbled in the distance as soon as the purple-haired Slytherin finished that sentence.
The anger Nico harbored in her facial features faltered a bit at the admission, but she quickly recovered.
"My father fought against the dark forces with the rest of the Order," The raven-haired Slytherin put all of her willpower into keeping her voice low. "The Ministry framed him for something he didn't do, and now he's rotting in Azkaban for it, Nozomi. You can't expect me to just be okay with that."
Inwardly, Nozomi willed herself to calm down and released a soft exhale, the hurt and anger she had initially felt exiting through the breath out of her mouth.
The fact that Nico still held a firm belief of her father being an innocent party made a part of Nozomi's heart ache. Mainly because it was the exact opposite of what really happened.
Oh how easy it was for a kind and noble person to turn over to the Dark Arts with the right temptation.
If their fathers had never crossed paths, then it never would have happened. Nico's father would have continued his duties and obligations to the Order, and her father would have continued down the shadowy path of the dark forces.
If that had never happened, Chikashi Yazawa would have never betrayed the Order of the Phoenix.
The very thought only caused Nozomi to resent her father even further. The hatred she held for that man burned with the passion of a thousand suns.
Maybe there would come a day when Nico would finally find out what really happened.
Nozomi tried to set the record straight with her multiple times, but the raven-haired Slytherin would not have any of it, which would always end up causing an argument between the two.
But Nozomi wasn't in the mood to argue right now. She actually never was because that wasn't her nature, but there were times when she would have to almost bite her tongue in half just to prevent the retort that was on the tip of it.
So right now, she clamped her mouth shut like she had multiple times before about this subject and moved her gaze to the Sorting Hat ceremony, where the Sorting Hat had just finished up its song and Professor McGonagall began calling out the names of the first year students.
"Hoshizora, Rin!"
Finally hearing the call of her name, the orange-haired female energetically bounded forward and parked her behind on the stool.
And as soon as she felt the Sorting Hat be placed snugly on the top of her head, Rin heard it speak to her.
"Ah! Full of energy you are! So many thoughts running rampant through this mind of yours, oh yes! From the very second I was placed atop your head, young lady, I could already tell you were not suited for the likes of Slytherin nor the likes of Ravenclaw.
Hmm. You have the kindness and loyalty of a Hufflepuff yet it seems that you carry a great burden on your shoulders, Miss Hoshizora, or rather something that you consider a great burden. For one to carry on as you do even with this weight on your shoulders exhibits a class act of bravery, indeed. Yes, I know where it is in which you belong."
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted.
The table of Gryffindors erupted into loud cheers and applause as they stood from their seats. And once the Sorting Hat was removed from the brand new member of Gryffindor house, she jumped up and all but sprinted over to the table where a seat was waiting for her next to another orange-haired female, who patted the space for her happily.
"Hi! My name is Honoka Kousaka!" The girl greeted her new Gryffindor junior with an outstretched hand. "I'm a second year! It's nice to meet you!"
Proving that she wasn't a bit shy around strangers, Rin reached for the hand in front of her. "Likewise, nya! Rin Hoshizora at your service!"
"Koizumi, Hanayo!"
Hanayo squeaked as she heard the call of her name and stepped forward carefully, avoiding the urge to look out at the audience of students that she could feel were watching her every movement.
Once she sat slowly upon the stool, the Sorting Hat was on her head before she could even register what was happening.
"A timid one you are, Miss Koizumi. A timid one, indeed. Placing you in Slytherin or Gryffindor would be out of the question just based on that aspect alone since they are the more bold houses here at Hogwarts. Hmm. I would have to say..."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted into applause and cheers as the hat was removed from Hanayo's head and she made her way over to said table but not before looking over at Rin at the Gryffindor table.
The orange-haired girl caught a glimpse of the nervousness in her eyes despite the small distance and gave her a thumbs up with a reassuring smile.
That was enough to put a little more pep in Hanayo's step as she eventually got to the Hufflepuff table, sitting beside a student with ash-colored hair.
"Welcome to Hufflepuff! I'm Kotori Minami!" The student all but chirped as she held her hand out in greeting.
And with a small smile, Hanayo returned the handshake.
"Nishikino, Maki!"
Wordlessly, Maki walked forward to the stool where Professor McGonagall was waiting with the Sorting Hat, which was placed upon her head as soon as she sat down.
"You possess one of the most intelligent minds that I have ever come across in all my years of existence, young lady. Oh yes. So young yet so wise. Slytherin could use a cunning mind like yours, Miss Nishikino. You have all the credentials that Salazar Slytherin would have looked for in students. Ambition, determination, cunning. I could go on forever. But I think an intelligent mind like yours would be better suited for..."
"RAVENCLAW!"
The Ravenclaw table stood from their table to applaud and shout their approval. Once Professor McGonagall removed the hat, Maki stood from the stool and went to sit at the table of her new house where a blue-haired student greeted her by nodding her head once in her direction.
"Umi Sonoda. I look forward to getting to know you, Nishikino."
Respectfully, the redhead returned the nod.
A/N: You guys remember in one of the other stories when I told you that Nico used to hold an extreme hatred towards Eli? Well, now you know why. This is one of the reasons why Nico was a spiteful Slytherin around this time, but she has changed her ways as you know.
NozoEli isn't dating at this point in time (and none of the other ships are either yet if I might add), but Nozomi definitely pines for Eli here.
During the HonoRin interaction after Rin was sorted, Eli was definitely there, but she was sitting at the farther end of the table. You guys have seen the show and how she was cold and distant at the beginning. The same can be applied here as well.
Thank y'all for reading this junk that I put out. It really warms my heart, you know? You guys are the best, and it's definitely an honor to have you guys read this garbage. I love you so much. Never forget that.
Until next time!
- 54