Okay so, Arthur would be the first to admit that turning up at a sweet shop first thing in the morning, drenched, shivering, looking intensely sickly and starving was not his brightest idea of all time. The shop keeper eyed him worriedly as he paced through the isles looking for whatever caught his eye. In the end he bought two pumpkin pasties, a packet of sherbet lemons and a box of Bertie Botts every flavour beans.
Of course, looking like he did the woman was oddly surprised that he didn't try to run out of the store in order to steal the items. Arthur Kirkland, was no thief (unless it was with his family because in his eyes that didn't matter considering they were all evil lunatics anyway). He found himself wondering over to an empty, slightly damp bench before digging into the food that he'd bought.
Arthur moaned in happiness as his teeth sank into the first pumpkin pasty, at this moment any type of food would have tasted like a 5 star meal. He scarfed down the first of the pasties in seconds, not savouring the food for one moment, he really did feel like it was going out of fashion as he ate.
"Bloody hell, I've hit rock bottom..." Arthur mumbled to himself before moving to eat the other pasty because one he was still hungry, and two, he'd already paid to enjoy the damn things. Arthur really hoped that nobody could see him at the moment because in all honesty he knew that he looked a complete and utter mess.
"Well, I'll be killed if I go home, so that's not an option" he mused, finding himself getting absorbed into his own mind. He knew that he needed some clean clothes and a shower but he had more important things to do considering that he would be going to Hogwarts tomorrow. Arthur found himself smiling as his thoughts drifted to Matthew and Kiku, he wondered where they were momentarily before setting out to find the things listed on the invitation to his new school.
Mattie awoke in the warmth of his twins arms, a loving smile curled its way onto his lips as he nuzzled his face into the warmth of this brothers neck. "You're tickling me" Alfie chuckled suddenly let out a loud giggle as Mattie moved his fingers to the other boys sides. Al found himself wriggling uncontrollably as his brother relentlessly attacked his sides. "Stop, please, I surrender" the older one cried, his laughter filling the air around him.
Mattie let go with a satisfied smirk laced onto his features. "And here I thought that a hero never surrendered" Matthew teased, watching as Alfie's eyes narrowed, in that moment he knew that he accepted the challenge. "Counter attack!" The older one exclaimed before pouncing on the surprised amethyst-eyed twin and tickling him. Mattie squealed loudly as, tears fell from his eyes.
"Alfie, stop" he giggled uncontrollably trying his hardest to push the older one away from him. It only took a moment for Alfie to trip over his own feet and fall off the bed. "Ouch" the sapphire-eyed boy groaned before jumping to attention, his brother had disappeared from the bed, making Alfie look around curiously. "Where'd you go?" Al asked out loud before moving around to stalk the other. He moved to his knees before crawling around the bed, just as his head was about to peek around to meet the sneaky eyes of his brother, a loud chuckle erupted from behind him.
"Honestly, what are you two doing?" Adeline howled, almost falling over in joy, her children were really the strangest pair. "Is that pancakes?" Mattie asked jumping from his hiding spot and sniffing the air in excitement.
"Why, yes, yes it is" the blond woman chortled as she gestured to the boys sitting on their bed. Once their bodies reached the bed, she placed a large tray on their knees revealing a large buffet of different foods. From pancakes to bacon, their eyes lit up, before large grins overtook their small faces. "Thank you, mother" they cried, picking up their forks and digging in.
They simultaneously hummed in approval at the taste of their mothers cooking. She leaned down to kiss their foreheads before exiting the room. "Mattie, I had a weird dream about that boy that we met yesterday, did you have the same dream again?" Alfred asked curiously, the twins often found themselves having either the same or eerily similar dreams to one another.
"Eh, yeah, he was there and so were you and I, oh and this strange Japanese boy who I've never seen before" Matthew recalled, putting his fork to his mouth as he tried to remember more about the strange dream. "Yeah, dude, it was so weird we were definitely at Hogwarts though" the older twin informed the younger before putting his fork into a piece of crispy cooked bacon and bringing it close to his lips.
"Well, we go there tomorrow so maybe we can see the future and we'll meet that British dude and the Japanese one, too" Alfie shrugged off the thought, before stealing the last bit of Mattie's pancake with maple syrup. "Eh, but that was mine!" Mattie exclaimed with a pout on his face. "First come, first serve, dude" Al chuckled biting half of the pancake on the fork and giving the last half to the Canadian who grinned gladly.
Honda Kiku awoke to the sound of his brother frantically arranging all of the things in his room in order to pack for Hogwarts. "Wake up, aru" Yao mothered as the Japanese boy glared at his adopted brother. "You know that I don't go until tomorrow, correct?" Kiku asked with a frown, seeing the older one so worked up was rare, so he wasn't as annoyed as he looked.
"This is the problem with waking up at 4pm in the afternoon, aru you miss all the time that you were meant to spend packing" the Chinese man told the other sternly making Kiku cast his chocolate eyes towards the clock. "I had a nightmare and woke up at three in the morning, I couldn't get back to sleep until around seven" he mumbled not wanting to see the pity in his older brothers eyes.
"Arthur will be fine, you will see him tomorrow morning" the older of the pair muttered, before stopping and putting the clothes he was packing down. Yao moved to kneel at his brothers feet, who was sat upright on a chair near his bed. The Chinese man placed his hands in his brothers before looking up to see the younger ones eyes. "You've known that boy since you were seven years old, and I've never been able to stop you from going near him despite the dangers, if you insist on being by his side, then promise me you'll put your safety first if put in a dangerous situation" Yao pleaded, his warm eyes not leaving the youngers nonchalant ones for a second. Kiku sighed, looking conflicted for a moment as he dropped his gaze from the others.
"I can't promise you that, I'm sorry" Kiku told him honestly, he'd never put his life before Arthurs, because the Brit was as close to being his family as Yao or Leon was. The eldest brother dropped his head, pressing a hand to his eyes for a moment. "I understand, stay safe" he whispered before walking away from Kiku, leaving the Japanese boy to watch him leave with a frown. "I'll try onii-san, I will" the raven thought aloud, his face contorted in sadness.
The next day was a rush of panicked last minuet packing and a mass amount of tearful goodbyes for Kiku's family. Honda never finished his packing much to the chagrin of Yao Wang who frantically yelled at both Kiku and Yong Soo to get their stuff ready. "We're going to miss the train at this rate" the Chinese man grumbled as they rushed past all the usual businessmen and women who were trying to board trains in the normal world. They only got a few strange looks from those in the station and Kiku truly believed that was only because Yong Soo's owl wouldn't be quiet as it rustled in it's cage.
"Arthur!" The happy Korean shouted as the confused Brit came into his vision. "Oh, your here, I was thinking that you might not show up..." Arthur trailed off, not wanting them to see how lonely he was waiting by himself. "Nope, we just got trapped behind all these god-damn muggles aru" Yao informed him while looking at the other people on the platform like they were demons. "Okay, so platform 9 and 3/4's is just through that wall" Yong Soo announced before pointing to a solid brick wall. Arthur blinked before turning to his friend, who only shrugged as an answer to the silent question.
"It's okay to be nervous aru, Yong Soo will show you" Yao laughed at the look on Arties face. Yong Soo look determined for a moment before charging strait into the wall and disappearing through it. "That's bloody cool" the Brit giggled before grabbing the small trolley he had which had two cases on it. Arthur pushed the trolley towards the wall and closed his eyes. Suddenly, a large breeze rustled his hair making him open his eyes. "It's nice isn't it?" Kiku asked suddenly appearing next to the Brit.
The train in front of them was a vibrant neon red colour, it's coat shimmering in the sunlight and smoke towering from the top. Arthur smiled brightly, he'd never seen a train look so beautifully unique before.
"Yeah, it is" Artie answered Kiku's question before pulling the trolley forward onto the train. "Tickets please" someone from behind them asked, as Yao gave the man the tickets for both the kids. "I'm free..." Artie whispered, not noticing how Kiku's face softened when he spoke.
They boarded the train, walking down the train to get a seat in an empty carriage. "This is really cool, I never thought that I'd be here" Artie told the Japanese male with a grin as they waved goodbye to Yao who was dramatically crying. Kiku chuckled before looking around to see if Yong Soo had followed them, he hadn't.
"I'm glad that you are though, have you had a think about what house you want to be placed into?" Kiku asked, momentarily forgetting that Arthurs fate was most likely set in stone. "I'm guessing Slytherin..." Arthur chuckled noticing how guilty the other boy suddenly looked. He put a reassuring hand on the Japanese boys shoulder and smiled happily.
"Don't worry about it, what house do you want to be placed into?" He retorted, wondering what his friend wanted to be placed into. "Well, Yong Soo's in Hufflepuff and Yao was in Ravenclaw, so I'm thinking Ravenclaw" Kiku began before flinching a little "I don't want to be crushed to death by that idiot each morning" he finished, imagining the happy-go-lucky teens hugs... Arthur let out a laugh at the honest fear of being cuddled by the overly excitable Asian boy.
A knock came from outside their cabin, making the British boy look up. "Hello, fancy seeing you here, eh" a calm Canadian voice rang out making Arthur smile. "Hello, Mattie" the blond replied before motioning for the other boy to enter and sit with them.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, there's nowhere else to sit and my brothers being embarrassing by fangirling about the quidditch team" Mattie blushed slightly, ignoring the amused look from the Brit. "This is my best friend Honda Kiku, Kiku this is Matthew Williams-Jones, I met him yesterday we got out wands together" Arthur explained allowing the Canadian a chance to turn round and inspect Kiku before actually speaking.
Mattie looked taken-aback by the Japanese male. "I know this is going to sound completely crazy but I really think that we were made to be friends" Matthew announced with a huge grin. He quickly sat down and awaited the other two's reaction to his declaration. "So, you know everything then?" Kiku wondered aloud making the Brit flinch and shake his head. Matthew watched the exchange with a confused look on his face.
"My name, I was trying to tell you yesterday, I'm Arthur, Arthur Kirkland..." the blond explained, his voice dropping to the faintest whisper at how ashamed he was to be related to the awful family. Honda couldn't help but feel sorry for the other boy, because he was going to have to be announced under that name in front of the entire school and then have to deal with the consequences of his families actions. It was going to be hell.
Mattie froze, fear coursing through his veins sending cold chills across his body making him shake.
"K-k-kirk-land" Mattie stuttered not wanting to think about who he was currently sitting with. "I'm sorry, you can leave I won't be offended or anything" Artie mumbled not once looking at the Canadian since he knew what he would see.
"I-I don't want to..." The blond replied, he didn't think that Arthur was a bad person. Kiku looked shocked for a moment before smiling at his new decided friend. "He's not like the others" Kiku told him with a warm look on his face. Mattie nodded to himself, he couldn't deny that he was frightened by the idea of being friends with a Kirkland, but he'd seen the good in him, and even Ollivander had said so.
"As I said, I think that we were born to be friends, I've seen it in my dreams" Mattie told them before leaning back on his chair to get comfy for the rest of the train ride. "Actually I think we should probably get changed into our uniforms before someone comes to check on us" Kiku laughed as he watched the Canadian wriggle on the seat. They quickly pulled out their uniforms before blushing intensely as they turned in separate directions to get changed.
"Can I turn around yet?" Arthur stuttered, a furious blush covering his face. "Yeah, can I?" Mattie cried out, Kiku hummed a reply that they guessed meant yes as they all sat down. "That's a tad big on you Arthur" the Canadian chuckled as he looked at the oversized uniform. "I only had enough money to buy one, so I decided to get a bigger one and not have to deal with a uniform being too bloody small at the end of the year" Arthur explained, an unhappy look etched on his face at he looked at his hand that didn't even come out from the sleeve holes. Mattie's smile fell for a moment as he suddenly realised that the uniform was the smallest size that you could buy. 'How skinny are you, Artie?' Mattie wondered anxiously, looking sideways to see the other male look down in sadness.
"Mattie bro!" An obnoxious voice interrupted the boys comfortable silence, swinging the door open violently as he jumped into the carriage. "Alfred, what have I told you about lowering your voice" Mattie calmly nagged, crossing his arms as he spoke to his twin brother. "Aw, don't be like that dude, where you been?" Al asked excitedly, making the younger of the boys motion to the two other people in the room.
"Ah, it's you the dude in diagon alley who wouldn't say his name and stuff, I'm Alfred F Williams-Jones, but you can call me Alfie" the overly loud boy announced holding his hand out to the green-eyed boy. "I'm Arthur Kirkland" the other shyly told the American who went pale at the name. "Holy mother of hamburgers, really like the evil, scary, I'm going to kill you Kirkland?" Alfred asked, not sparing the boys feelings for a moment making the younger twin shake his head and drop his skull into his hands. "Yes, you wanker, happy now" Arthur growled suddenly feeling very angry about how this person had categorised him.
"You're so disrespectful Alfred, imagine how Arthur feels when you say something about that about him, who clearly isn't evil or going to kill someone" Mattie shouted, raising his voice for one of the only times in his life. Kiku glared at the American who was already cowering because of his twins outburst. "Umm, look sorry, I didn't meant to offend you or anything" Al muttered, his voice sounding constricted at the idea of upsetting his twin brothers new friends.
"Whatever, it's fine, just don't jump to conclusions about people so quickly" Arthur moaned, his emerald eyes meeting sapphire ones momentarily. Alfie nodded, taken aback by the beauty held in the British boys eyes. "Okay, I got it, lets be friends I saw you guys in a dream after all so it's definitely destiny" Alfred grinned, seemingly letting the previous conversation disperse into thin air.
After rowing to the castle on a bunch of very rickety boats, the boys found themselves with a deep connection growing. "Honestly, bro you should just go by Kiku" Alfred decided with a grin making the Japanese boy sigh. Arthur found himself both liking and hating Mattie's brother, his obnoxious actions made him infuriating.
"Just call him Kiku and be quiet" Arthur told the taller twin who groaned, not wanting to drop the subject.
Mattie seemed to just ignore the situation, occasionally giggling at something that his brother would purposely add into the conversation. "There is a lot of diversity at this school, isn't there..." Mattie decided to speak, making Kiku look around at the other students. "Ah, these first years do seem quite diverse" he muttered, smirking at an Italian boy who was desperately trying to gain the attention of a grumpy looking German.
"Students listen up, my name is Elizabeta Héderváry and I am head of the Gryffindor house, you may call me professor Héderváry, the sorting ceremony will begin soon and you will enter the hall when I call you in, the students will be called in randomly, because honestly, I couldn't be bothered to figure out a good system" she announced spinning a frying pan in her hands before disappearing into the hall. The four boys looked at each other before laughing lightly.
"That's it, I want a frying pan, she looked totally awesome" Alfred declared making his brother and friends almost fall over laughing. Some of the other first years were also giggling at the overly happy American who was making his presence known whether the others in the room liked it or not.
"You're crazy, so it wouldn't be much of a surprise now would it?" The Canadian decided aloud before shaking his head at his brothers nutty announcement. "Get in here now" professor Héderváry growled at the students who couldn't help but laugh at her attitude, she was a strange teacher.
The students were ushered into the room where it seemed like thousands of others were sat at four individual tables throughout the hall. At the front of the huge room sat the headmaster, with the staff (par professor Héderváry). Banners of four different colours reined from the skies, with a starry night sky effect making them look as if they were floating in mid-air above them.
"There are four houses that you can be placed in, these are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, the sorting hat will tell your true nature and place you into your houses, let the ceremony begin" professor Héderváry announced, looking towards Head professor Germania to see if there was anything he wanted to add. When no reply came, she lifted up a list containing their names before beginning to call them up.
"Alfred F William-Jones" the professor announced, making the American turn to his twin and grin with excitement. He rushed onto the platform, and sat down on the chair where head professor Germania placed a hat on top of his head. 'Very interesting, I remember your parents you know, your exactly like them' the hat grumbled inside the blond's head. "Gryffindor!" The hat exclaimed making the entire red-tied house cheer in joy.
Alfred quickly leapt of the stage, shocking half of the people in the room before be sat down set to the second year students. "He's too excitable" Matthew laughed loudly, along with Arthur and Kiku who couldn't contain their laughter.
"Natalia Arlovskaya" the teacher called as a pretty girl walked onto the stage. Somehow she had an air about her that made Arthur shiver, the hat seemed to speak to her for a moment before making it's decision. "Slytherin" the hat called out, once again making the crowd erupt in joy.
"Tino Väinämöinen" was called next, the cute looking boy smiling lightly, his adorable features catching Arthurs attention. "Hufflepuff" announced the hat as the boy quickly got down from the stage to sit with someone on the same row, who it seemed like he knew. "Heracles Karpusi" was the next to be called up, even though he had to be woken up to go on the stage. "Ravenclaw" came the hats reply. Arthur and Mattie were getting more and more anxious as the time went on.
Feliciano Vargas- Ravenclaw.
Lugwig Beilschmidt- Ravenclaw.
Ivan Braginsky- Hufflepuff...
"Kiku Honda" professor Héderváry stated, making Arthur and Mattie freeze. They gave him a look that said 'good luck' before he carefully walked onto the stage. He sat down elegantly as the hat was placed on his head. 'You've been through a lot, haven't you' the hat mumbled frowning for a moment as it searched through the boys mind. 'I want to be in the same house as Arthur..." Kiku thought, allowing the hat to hear him. 'I can't chose what I haven't yet seen child, but I know where to put you'. "Gryffindor" the hat cheered making the Japanese boy freeze in shock. Ever since he'd noticed that Arthur would be a Slytherin he'd hoped to be put in that house. Kiku sighed before moving to sit beside Matthews annoying brother.
Lukas Bondevik was next, being placed in Ravenclaw.
"Matthew Williams-Jones" the professor called, Mattie quickly moved his arm to squeeze Arthurs hand. "Be brave, alright and ignore what anyone says" the Canadian told him confidently, leaving Arthur with the rest of the students. He waited for the hat to be placed on his head, flinching slightly at the feeling. 'You really are a strange bunch, William-Jones, so much quieter than your brother I see' the hat decided as it spoke to him. 'Please, for Arthur look beyond his name' Mattie cried back, not caring about the house he was placed in. 'That's my job, Matthew' the hat softly told him. "It has to be Gryffindor" the hat spoke aloud, gently, making the boy kindly look at his new house.
"Arthur Kir..." Professor Héderváry started, stopping halfway through to look clearly at the name before announcing it, knowing a mistake would cause an outcry. "Arthur Kirkland..." She declared looking down into the group with conflicted eyes.
A trail of whispers shot around the room making Arthur feel suddenly impeccably afraid. Artie stepped out from the group of students feeling a bunch of burning eyes, glaring daggers into him. Sobbing students saying something about this being an 'outrage' sang in his ears as he walked onto the stage. He shook slightly as the hateful looks clawed at him.
Arthur sat on the stool, finding his courage in the words that had come from Matthew. The hat was placed on his head, as everyone watched knowingly. Artie found comfort in the eyes of his friends who looked at him, giving him a place to look at and not shake.
'Arthur Kirkland, I've had three people sit on this chair and call for your soul to be saved today' the hat told him with a pain in his voice. 'That's because they are kind, tell me can my soul be saved?' Arthur countered, wanting to know the answer with all his heart. 'How can you save something that isn't lost, you've seen too much, too soon, your heart is in pieces boy' the hat cried showing sadness on the outside as well. 'It frightens me, being here, I could get these people killed' Arthur told the hat, knowing that it might already know. 'And yet, for once you chose to do something for yourself while knowing the consequences' the hat countered, not allowing the boy to regret his decision for a moment. 'I know where to put you now, it's the only place where you've ever belonged and the only place you ever will...' the hat trailed off with those conflicting words. "With your true family Arthur" the hat said aloud making the kids in the room look confused. "With the Gryffindors!" The hat screamed, allowing the house to explode with both cheers and outcries.
Arthur felt his body move on its own as he practically ran towards his friends. He could feel his eyes cloud over with tears as Kiku pulled him into a hug. "I told you that we were family" the Japanese boy sobbed as he clutched Arthur as close to his own body as possible.
"Always friends" Mattie told him boldly as he was pushed towards the twins for another hug. The kids around him looked at him with both incriminating and otherwise worried looks. "You avoided fate, Arthur" Alfred told him with a broad smile, that told him all he needed to know about the American twins feelings. "I did..." Arthur realised before sending the older twin a blinding smile, that reached across his whole face.
Alfie stopped for a moment, his breath caught in his throat as he watched the blond become overwhelmed with glee. The American found his heart beating faster in his chest and moved his hand over his clothes in order to feel the heavy ba-thump that continued rhythmically. The boy barely noticed that a new Hufflepuff had been announced as he clutched his chest. "Are you okay, Alfie?" Mattie asked calmly, concern wrapped around his features.
The blue-eyed boy grinned at his younger twin, exhaling deeply. "I'm more that okay!" He announced before pouncing on the purple-eyed brother with a happy giggle. Kiku could only shake his head with a small hidden smile resting on his lips, he looked at his best-friend wondering what he could possibly be thinking at a time like this...
The boys didn't even realise that the sorting ceremony had finished, the only clue that it was over being the mass amount of different types of food suddenly flowing over the tables. "Wow, there must be thousands of things that we could eat on this!" Mattie cheered, looking eagerly at a plate of pancakes that were just a quick dash away, his mouth watering.
"I'm going to eat so many burgers, that I'm going to throw up!" The American yelled, as he started on his first one, plucking it from a large tray in front of them. Arthur watched the others in complete silence, seeing Kiku gently lift some chicken from a pile to their left.
The cooking all smelled delicious and looked amazing.
The Japanese boy took a single bite before a warm smile grew across his gentle features. Arthur took the same thing as Kiku, a chicken leg that was tenderly cooked. He took an attentive bite, it was the tastiest thing he'd eaten in a long time, a really, really long time.
"Wow..." The blond muttered catching the others attention. Mattie sent him a questioning look before Kiku shook his head as if to tell them not to ask. The Brit slowly ate the rest before putting down the bone and placing it on his plate.
"You should try these burgers, Artie!" Alfred declared, letting lettuce fall from his lips. Kiku cringed lightly at the disgusting display of manners that the American had just shown.
"Ah, I'm full, I couldn't eat another bite" Arthur told him, with a kind look. Mattie frowned slightly, feeling conflicted on whether or not to confront the Brit. "But dude, you ate like one tiny thing" Alfie shouted for Mattie, making the Canadian glare at his brothers insensitivity.
"I don't really have a large appetite, anyway yesterday I ate two whole bloody pumpkin pasties, so I'm good" Arthur grumbled, not liking where this conversation was going, since he already heard this enough from his stand-in mother Kiku. "Dude, that's nothing we ate them After breakfast yesterday but before lunch and we also had dinner, oh and we had supper" Alfie told him, making the British boy feeling incredibly sick.
"I've told you many times that you need to eat more Arthur, try and eat one more thing and increase your appetite bit by bit" Kiku decided, pointing a knowing look in the now angry Brits direction. The green-eyed boy simply shook his head and placed his face into his hands in order to hide from the burning gazes of his concerned friends and the disgusted looks of onlookers who knew about who we was and decided to hate his from it.
Arthur sighed lightly before pulling out his new wand and placing it to his head. Mattie gasped trying to stop him, as Artie did a spell that he'd heard from one of his brothers prisoners, to help him remember things.
He was often told it was a spell to 'penetrate the mind' and it was dangerous to cast on oneself, but he saw the others use it on each other to avoid the pain of torture. After a while, Arthur stopped caring about the consequences of using dangerous magic on himself. "Legilimens" he incanted before feeling the closure of his eyes.
Arthur felt his eyes open in a dream-like reality.
"Antonio's going to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, he wanted me to go there too" a cold Italian boy told him with a coy look on his face. "I've never heard of it, what is it?" A younger version of himself asked the exhausted boy leaning against the damp cell walls of the Kirkland dungeon.
"Well, it's a huge castle that's used as a wizard school, and there's a housing system and stuff, it's a lot to explain" the boy muttered before flinching in pain, closing his eyes to avoid seeing the guilt on Artie's face. "I'm sorry, and now you're here, but I'm going to make sure you see him again, your precious Toni" the British boy replied watching a warm, crimson flare across his friends cheeks. "Shut up, bastardo he's just a moron who happens to be a kind-of sort-of friend" Lovino spat back, not wanting to be made fun of by an eight year old. Arthur chuckled slightly before groaning in pain.
"Oi, you okay?" Lovino asked worried slightly for the smaller boy who often at with him in his cell. "It only hurts when I breathe, what about you?" Artie told him cheerfully making Lovi's face fall. "Idiot, you wouldn't be in pain if you stopped taking punishments for me" the Italian shouted, feeling anger rise in his chest, while the Brit glanced at the ground sorrowfully. "But, your here because of my family, trust me, nobody should have to face the cruciatus curse on their own" Arthur sighed feeling tears well up in his eyes. Lovino gulped as he remembered the searing pain, that crushed his bones, burning him alive.
"You shouldn't have to go through that for me" Lovino groaned, hating himself for not being able to protect the youngest Kirkland. Of course, he'd seen them preform the curse on him hundreds of times now, but he hated to see the other boy in so much pain.
"Don't worry about it, when we get out of here, we'll be able to help people who've been in as much pain as we have" Artie sighed, holding onto the hope that they would both make it out alive together. Lovino gasped lightly, he truly didn't believe that he was going to survive, but mostly be didn't think that he would be able to keep his sanity if he did.
"Can I tell you a secret, Artie?" Lovi cracked, feeling tears fall from his eyes at the grief-filled eyes of the younger boy in the room. "I'd be honoured" Artie muttered back, knowing that this was going to be something upsetting.
"When, they were...hurting me" Lovino started, making Arthur gulp.
"I had to think about how I wanted to die for the first time, and well, I came to the conclusion that the only person who I would willingly let kill me would be Antonio..." Lovino trailed off, waiting for the emerald-eyed boys reaction with a small smile.
Arthur didn't move an inch, leaving Lovino the chance to carry on with his confession. "And then I noticed something, your oldest brother he has similar eyes to Toni, and suddenly I was thinking that as long as I am looking into those eyes, I can sleep peacefully!" Lovino finished, seeing Arthur's shaking body turn to engulf him into a long, embrace. The two boys found themselves rocking one another back and forth, feeling each others pain.
"You know, your eyes are similar too, so make me a promise, yeah?" Lovino asked, pulling the other boy back on his lap and looking Artie dead in the eyes. The blond shook his head manically, fear radiating from him as his gaze moved to his legs. "No, no I could never hurt you, ever, I'd rather die" the Brit sobbed.
Lovino watched him fondly, moving his hands to stroke the soft blond strands of Arthurs hair. "You're so beautiful, Arthur and your heart is so pure, I could never hurt you either, but I only trust you, to help me, if I fall apart..." Lovino whispered placing his hands on the eight year olds face, though Lovino was only ten, he knew that he had to protect the smaller one. "If, I fall apart, then you have to kill me..." Lovi sobbed, his eyes overflowing with tears at the idea of the small Kirkland crying manically over his body.
"I don't... Deal, but you have to make me a promise too" Artie coughed, looking the older boy in the eyes once more. Lovino nodded in reply, if Arthur would keep to his promise then he would happily make a similar deal.
"When I get you out of here, I might not come with you..." Arthur stated making Lovino start to open his mouth. "No listen, the only thing that I want, is when you're in the big world again and you're at Hogwarts, dating Antonio and living with your brother, remember me" Arthur asked him, taking the boys hands in his own and placing a chaste kiss on Lovi's cheek.
"Okay, but why do I have to date that bastard, I'd never go out with him, that's disgusting, nope" Lovino growled making the younger boy chuckle. "Lovi and Toni, kissing in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N" Arthur teased before being brutally cut off by Lovino's lips crashing against his own in an attempt to shut up the taunting eight year old.
Arthur blushed furiously before pulling away and covering his lips with his hand. "How could you do that you, bloody wanker, I hope you and Toni eat each others faces" the Brit cried out, feeling incredibly embarrassed. "Bastardo, don't bring that idiot into this, idiot!" A flustered Lovino screamed back. The two argued until they fell asleep in each others arms.
One week later and Arthur had to let Lovi go, holding their promise close to his heart, forever and always.
"Arthur Kirkland, wake up this instant!" A furious voice rang out through the air as the boys eyes shot open to reveal a bunch of concerned teachers and frightened looks of his friends staring at him.
"What's wrong?" Artie asked, looking at them confused. Everyone else had seemed to have left the rooms, to where Arthur didn't know. "What were you thinking, casting that spell?" Kiku asked angrily, he'd never known what the spell was for until it was explained to him by one of the teachers who was concerned that the boy was asleep and not waking up. "Boy, you must be more careful, why on earth were you casting such a spell?" Head Professor Germania asked carefully, kneeling down to the boys height.
"There was someone who I wanted to share this moment with, someone who I'm not sure I can ever see again" Arthur told him, feeling as if the man was trustworthy somehow. The large blond-haired guy stared at Artie for a moment, before sighing loudly and smiling at the young Kirkland.
"I need to speak with you, boys would you run along, this is a private conversation" Professor Germania announced, turning to Kiku, Matthew and Alfred who watched with worry laced onto their features. The three boys nodded slowly, before reluctantly getting to their feet. Kiku leaned towards Arthur placing a small kiss onto his cheek.
"See you soon, okay" the Asian boy told him, a light smile graced his face before the raven followed the two blonds, looking back only to be shooed by the Head Professor. "It's okay Kiku, I'm sure the head professor just wants to tell Arthur how dangerous that spell can be..." Matthew trailed off, not really believing what he was saying but wanting to help the raven relax. "Somehow, I don't think that's it" Kiku murmured, as he entered the Gryffindor common room...
"Arthur, I'm sure that you know why I want to talk to you" Head Professor Germania told the little blond in front of him. "The invitation to come to this school was an accident wasn't it" Artie muttered, a sad look coming over his face. The older blond took in the boys reaction for a second noting that the boy wasn't angry and definitely wasn't violent. "That's correct, your family is far too dangerous to attend Hogwarts, your brothers were at this school and during that time, not one of them didn't turn evil" Germania grumbled, not wanting to think about how the older Kirkland's turned out.
He'd only seen them once after they had left the school, their blank expressions as the eldest casted a killing curse made the professor shudder. "I understand, if you want me to leave then I will, but please, tell Kiku that he'll always be my family and that I love him, Matthew and, oh what the heck, Alfred too" Arthur asked Germania, getting ready to be told to leave the school. Artie had to make sure that he told his new friends (and Kiku) what he felt because once he got back home, he would most certainly be killed. "I'm not asking you to leave Arthur" The professor declared, snapping the former out of his thoughts.
"Y-y-you're n-not?" Artie stuttered finding himself startled by Germania's declaration. Artie laughed lightly, the fear of having to go home leaving his tense body. The older man shook his head, finding that the younger adorable, as he chuckled the fear out of his head. "No, but I must warn you, there are a lot of students here who will not accept you as a part of this school, I would love to change that for you but your family has taken away a lot of people that some of these kids care about, and for that reason you will have to be hyper aware of who you can trust" Germania explained, a knowing look of horror in the Head professor's eyes. Artie nodded, he knew exactly what his family had done, after all he was there, he saw every prisoner, every torturous spell and every body...
"I will just have to prove that I'm not like them, as the first Kirkland Gryffindor" Artie told the former with a large determined smile. "Yes, yes I'm sure you will" Germania chuckled, he really hoped that the boy wouldn't get killed at the school, there were so many students that would hate him, how could he stop all of them?
Head Professor Germania escorted Arthur to his common room, wanting to make sure that the boy wasn't killed on his first day. By coming to the school, the younger student had placed himself in so much danger, but then again Germania could see that he was in danger no matter what he did.
"This is the common room for Gryffindor, your dorm is up stairs to the right and I believe you are sharing with Kiku, Matthew and Alfred" the Head teacher told him, making the young boys features light up as he ran towards the room leaving the professor with a quick 'thank you, I will never forget your kindness'. Germania smiled, before exiting the dorm, maybe this Kirkland was different?
"Arthur!" Mattie exclaimed as he walked into the room, the Canadian pulled him into a warm hug before letting go to allow Kiku a turn. The Asian boy wrapped his arms around Artie, glad that he was staying by the ravens side.
"Yo, dude I totally thought that the teach was going to throw you out of here or something" Al announced as he too hugged the blond wizard. Mattie threw a glare at his twin, who only shrugged as engulphed the Canadian in a cuddle.
"It was an accident that I got an invitation to the school, but I'm being allowed to stay" Arthur quickly summed up the conversation not wanting to worry Kiku anymore than he already did.
The Asian boy looked down to his feet in thought for a moment before pulling Artie over to his bed. "Honestly, he won't even let us pull him by the hand but you can sleep in the same bed, no fair" Mattie groaned, feeling left out considering he thought that Kiku was adorable. The Japanese boy looked at them shyly for a moment before reaching out to grab Matthews hand, a shy blush covering his face.
Mattie grinned brightly, happiness enveloping his features, he lightly squeezed Kiku's hand before letting go so Kiku could go to bed. "Thank you for trying..." The Canadian flushed, his body curling into his twins with a coy smile. "Dude, that was so cute" the American laughed, making Artie blush for some reason. Kiku hugged the other close, before allowing sleep to overtake him.
Artie soon noticed soft snores emanating from across the room, which he quickly discovered was Mattie. "He's so sweet ain't he, my twin?" A teasing voice shot out, when Artie looked over to them. Arthur noticed a sad look on Alfie's face, in contrast to his voice. Arthur didn't respond, he just decided to listen to the other boy. "He really likes you, but I don't know, our friend, he was hurt by you so much" Alfred grimaced, before gasping at blaming Artie for what had happened. "I'm sorry, that place is hell, and I just said you, no I meant your family!" Alfie exclaimed before flinching and looking towards Mattie checking if he had awoken.
"I don't blame you, I come from monsters, why shouldn't I be the same?" Artie muttered back, brushing his fingers through Kiku's soft raven hair. Alfie noticed how sorrowful the British boys voice sounded when he spoke about his family. "Hey, were they always like that?" Al asked, his mouth moving before his brain could kick in. Arthur let out a soft chuckle at the question. "No, once they were kind and loving and I miss them" Arthur sighed, thinking about his brothers loving smiles and gentle hugs.
"Goodnight, Alfie" Arthur yawned before cuddling the Japanese boy closer and closing his eyes...