Games of the Heart - 1
Summary: Moving is always hard, even if it was your idea.
So I rather like this pairing and wanted to explore it just... without the death note. I should also note that I've combined the two universes in this fic and therefore changed a few things as to how magic works and operates in the world. The most important one is the absence of wands (though an enchanted stick could technically be called a wand it doesn't have the same ability/powers as from the HP world). This is mainly to balance the magic of the two worlds since shinigami and their death notes do exist, you just won't see them in this story. But I have another story planned in this same universe where they are present which will be coming after this one. Just... think of this story as a prelude to that if you miss the notes and fucked-up shinigami (I'm looking at you, Ryuk) premise.
Other wise enjoy and I will warn you now that this story will have an over-amount of fluff. If you like fluff bounce like bunnies, hop on the wall and ceiling like monkeys, and get ready for another sugar dose (Not that you need it. Sit down!)
The glass splintered the moment it came in contact with the stone, shattering on impact. Individual pieces fell to the wood floor boards with a loud clatter.
Clink.
The last shard hit the floor and Barty stood still for a second before cursing under his breath, "Bloody hell." He had done it again. Every time it was the same glass vase that went flying at the wall, each time he heard his father arguing with his mother. It was a wonder his magic didn't overreact when it was during a heated debate between his father and another member of the Ministry. Maybe that's why it didn't though. It was just a member of his workplace. Not his mother.
Even now he could hear their raised voices seeping through the wood beneath his feet. They hadn't stopped once when the vase shattered. Apparently they had gotten use to it by now. The first time his father had come up to the sitting room attached to the library and yelled at him. That had resulted in a painting falling from the wall and him being told to get his magic under control. That he wasn't some child without any proper magic training and there was no reason for any of it.
It was one of the few times his father had noticed him, much less yelled at him. That perhaps the rarest occurrence considering how often his father seemed to pretend that he didn't notice him for one reason or another. Usually it was work, other times it was his mother. He preferred it when it was work as he couldn't really be mad at his mother when even she came second to his father's job.
"I've been planning this for weeks and now you tell me you can't even attend your own house welcoming party because of work! You got the promotion, take a day or two off! It's not like it would kill you to spend some time with your family Bartemius!"
"There's an important matter I have to take care of-"
"They're always important! Don't you ever get a menial task? I haven't seen you for a month because of your work! Your own son hasn't seen you because of work! He already doesn't see his own father enough because he goes to Hogwarts for his schooling and now that time is cut into even more because you're off at the other end of the country!"
"What? You want to have him quit Hogwarts so he can see me more?"
His mother was laughing now, sounding like she was straining to get her voice back under control so she could yell again. "Do you think that would help with the way you are hardly here? Sure, you come home to eat dinner, sleep, get ready for work, but that's basically it. And you never come in at a reasonable hour! I understand that you're part of the Law Enforcement but at times this becomes ridiculous! Now, why don't you tell me what the hell is so important that you can't be here? And don't give me that it's secret-"
"It is!"
"So what? Do you not trust me with the information? I'm you're wife! There is no reason you can't tell me everything! Especially when it's obviously putting stress on you. Just because I don't know what it is doesn't mean I don't care, unlike you!"
"I do care!"
"Then what is the matter with you! If you care about me and your son you would be here tomorrow! Not staying overnight at the Ministry today to stay there during the party as well!"
"I'm working on a classified case. The perpetrator keeps evading us and is highly dangerous, that's why I can't be here. I can't give you more information than that. It would be against protocol and-"
"And you take it very seriously. I've heard you a thousand times before, Bartemius."
"Then why are you giving me a hard time about this?"
"Because you've been gone for a month already on another case and I didn't even know you wouldn't be coming back until two days after you had left! You left me to worry why you weren't home and thinking of the worst scenarios! That's why! The least you could do is inform me when you will be gone and where you're going! Not to mention when you're coming back! Has the idea of sending your wife an owl to do that never crossed your mind?"
"I... look, Althea, I'm sorry. But I didn't have any way to contact you at the time when I left. I got the letter to you the moment I was able too, surely you know that? I didn't mean to have you worry about me-"
"It's my job to worry about you! What happens when you don't come back one of these times? How do I break the news to our son! Think about things before you open your stupid mouth!"
It was unnaturally quiet for a few seconds. "You already invited our friends and family, just have fun. I know you haven't seen your own family with them being so far away. You're always saying how you want our son to spend time with them anyway ever since my father passed away. Just think of it as time to be with them and I'll be here the following day and we can all do something as a family. Does that sound good?"
"Fine."
He didn't hear the sigh, but knew his father must have made it. "Okay, I'll see you then. We got all our resources on this one. He'll be in Azkaban soon enough." It was likely his father would press a kiss to each cheek of his mother before the door closed behind him, though she wouldn't return the gesture. His mother never did, always too strung up after a verbal fight.
With the door closed it was silent again in the house. Besides the fire crackling in the hearth across from him, which was more for show than warmth. That and he couldn't stand absolute silence. The sound of the flames was comforting after listening to the latest yelling match between his parents.
The sound of bare feet against wood stairs met his ears sooner than he thought they would and he decided against getting up to fix the broken vase. He didn't have a vial of the required solution anywhere near him right now anyway, and he would much rather keep looking through the pamphlets rather then get up to find one. Unless they were out. It was possible since he personally hadn't bothered to make anymore with his father's recent absence. He hadn't thought he would break it again.
"Barty?" his mother's voice came from right behind the door before she pushed it open. She stopped in the doorway, blue eyes moving over the floor that was covered in the pamphlets he was looking over. Each one was completely open, listings of apartments and images of the rooms covering most of the wood boards. Except for where the vase had crashed into the wall, he had left that spot open just in case.
"Can I go now?"
His mother didn't say anything for a moment, still looking at the floor and probably at the name of the apartment complexes. They weren't in English. With a sigh she stepped slowly around the pieces of paper until she could sit in the chair next to his. Her eyes scanned over the unopened pamphlets on the table between them. He already knew each had the words, Tokyo, Kanto Region, Japan, written on them. 'You've chosen already then."
Barty frowned, still looking at the current pamphlet in his hands. "Mahoutokoro School of Magic is in Tokyo." Not that he needed to explain that. After all the times he had expressed interest in moving away she already knew which magical school he had chosen.
His mother was silent.
He turned quickly to her. "You said I could go. To get away from him, it's not like he'll notice I'm gone anyway. It'll take him a year at the least to figure it out."
"Barty-"
"I was top of my year again. You said I could have whatever I want all the other times before this one. This is what I want. I'm old enough to live by myself now."
"You're fifteen," his mother said it as if that should end the conversation.
"Fine, I'll take back the year comment, but I can live by myself by wizarding law. Just because it's rare in the muggle world doesn't mean I can't do it."
Althea sighed, "That's not the point..." She leaned over, picking the pamphlet out of his hand to look at the apartment he had been staring at for minutes now. Sakuragawa-Mura. More details were explained in japanese below, though the images would tell her it had a studio layout. "You've already learned the language then?"
Barty nodded. "I learned this school year on my own time. I know what I need to get by and I'll continue learning over there. It won't stop me from doing well on my OWL or their equivalent of an OWL."
"I thought you said you didn't want to be near the magical world." Althea placed the pamphlet back down on the table between them and he quickly picked it up so it wouldn't get lost among the others.
"I'm only going to be at Mahoutokoro for the yearly tests. I can study the subjects fine on my own without a teacher. I've already been accepted into a junior high over there to blend in."
"I suppose you've already packed as well."
Barty looked over at his mother who was staring at the fire in the hearthstone. "I wanted to do that today."
"Then you want to leave tonight." It wasn't a question.
"That would be preferred. I can always see my aunt and uncle some other time." His mother was silent again. "Can I?" he pressed.
"Okay."