It's my birthday tomorrow! So to celebrate, I'm posting this chapter earlier than scheduled. Finals kicked my ass and I haven't gotten much done, but I still have those eighty pages already written up remember?

I just realized something- I started going over this idea in my head while watching the Forbidden Pastime case and wishing someone would tell Mai to shut up already (she really got on my nerves in the last episode of that arc), but the Harry I ended up writing will probably be right rioting right beside her. Go figure.

"What do you really think?" Shibuya asked him quietly, the ghost hunter had pulled Harry, Takigawa, and John away from the others.

"I firmly believe it's not a poltergeist or a simple ghost. I don't have enough information to confirm anything besides that, but I'm leaning toward nothing at all." He confided, and appreciated it when the other two didn't immediately step up to disagree.

"What about you Hosho?" Shibuya switched to the monk without any further pressing.

"I still believe it's a residual haunting."

"And you, John?"

The priest took a bit longer to answer. "Well, I'm not sure. Though I do agree it's become quite dangerous here."

"What about you?" Harry asked curiously. Shibuya supported both Harry and Hara's claims, but he hadn't given his own theory yet.

But Shibuya was already leaving, a solid air of disinterest circling his head. "I'll hold off on my opinion for now, I'd like to investigate this from a slightly different angle." He deflected, and left the room without another word.

"So what do you think about this guy?" Takigawa asked after him skeptically. "He knows how to put on a show with all his equipment but I'm not convinced the boy wonder knows what he's doing."

"He knows a lot about ghosts." Harry pointed out. "And he knew about Hara's work. I don't know if he actually has an idea yet, but I believe he's genuine."

Takigawa gave a snort. "No offense kid, but I really don't expect a runemaster to recognize the real deal."

"I'm nineteen." Harry hissed, well and truly fed up with the disrespect.

"Yeah and I don't believe that for a second either, pipsqueak. You're smaller than Mai, for crying out loud." Takigawa snickered.

Harry was short, not to a ridiculous degree, just about five foot four, but he hated being reminded of it. It brought back all the memories he'd rather forget.

The nights he'd go without food, the hollow ache in his belly that would never go away. And so many years later he'd faced it again in the woods, with a handful of berries and a squirrel to share among three starving teenagers sure they were going to die tomorr-

Harry spun on his heel and stormed out of the room before he said something he'd regret. Helpless rage and frustration echoed from years ago like ghosts. He would come back when he couldn't hear Hermione fighting off tears as she skinned the squirrel by the fire.

Harry sucked in a huge lungful of air, letting it out in a whoosh as though it could cleanse his insides. He felt as though he'd been holding his breath all day.

He shouldn't have gotten so carried away, but he hadn't been prepared for the jab. For all that Harry complained to himself about the others' tempers, he'd lost his own in a second. Ridiculous.

Smoothing his hair out of his face, Harry took one last big gulp before trotting down the steps and to the streets. Maybe it was just jitters from being stuck in the decaying school house for so long, should he wander around for an hour?

"Potter, could you come here a moment?" Harry let out a squeak and whipped his head to the side to discover Shibuya sitting in his van typing away on another computer. So that was where the ghost hunter wandered off to.

Harry pulled himself together, he was too old to angst like this.

Placing a grin on his face with the utmost care, Harry trot to the van. "Sure, what's up?"

"I couldn't ask with the others in the room, but what is your opinion as a wizard? I understand that you are more sensitive to ghosts than your non-magical counterpart and your upbringing may allow you more insight in the case."

Harry froze mid-step, those words blew by much too fast. Swallowing, Harry kept the grin on. "I-I see, so you did recognize me. If you don't mind my asking, are you a squib?"

Shibuya glanced up at him, though he never stopped typing.

"No, but I am in contact with several squibs. At first, I was unsure if you were an imposter, but after close scrutiny, I've decided you're telling the truth."

Close scrutiny? Harry hadn't noticed, Shibuya had looked much more intent on staring down Hara and educating Taniyama to grant him much attention. Had he been snooping through the Daily Prophet?

"I'm glad I suppose." Harry said awkwardly and switched the subject.

"Going back to your question, I haven't sensed anything at all. My school held a poltergeist and I've met many since, and I've already stated that I don't believe that's what this is."

Shibuya looked up again and this time held his gaze. Was this his close scrutiny?

"Thank you, that was all." And Shibuya looked back at his screen, effectively dismissing him.

"Actually, do you mind if I sit here with you? I don't want to go back in just yet." Harry chuckled, and the teenager gave a sigh.

"So long as you're quiet."

Harry didn't thank him, instead he folded his legs and sat on the curb beside the van. He didn't want to sit inside with Shibuya, the open street, and unbridled wind was like water against a burn.

Shibuya's endless typing seemed softer than before, Harry tilted his head and watched the clouds slide across the sky. The sun had dipped enough that the long shadows hadn't yet reached him, but the sunlight wasn't harsh either. Harry basked in the warm light.

He could feel his hackles drop and his heart rate even out, it really had just been nerves. He was fine. He didn't work with others regularly, rarely there would be another runemaster or some sort of manager overseeing his work, but never this sort of competitive clash of strangers.

Harry huffed. He had gone soft over the past two years if stress from grouchy coworkers had provoked him of all things. Or perhaps he hadn't noticed his limits before, when he could sharpen his aggression by the fire with eyes ever searching the edge of their camp.

Oh well, he'd bitten it back and wouldn't have to apologize to the infuriating monk, it wasn't all bad. Harry wasn't sure if he could say anything sincerely to the man, let alone an apology.

Harry shut his eyes as the wind picked up, combing cold fingers through his bangs, and pulled a book out of his bag.

"Harry?"

Harry glanced up from the paperback, moving from melodramatic chase scenes to stare into guilty blues.

Harry straightened and bookmarked the page he was on. How much time had passed? It looked to be approaching dusk soon. It had only felt like a few minutes shared with the detective and her criminal lover. Just as he'd predicted, the vigilante had given up his illegal pastime in order to save his love from her captor.

"Hey John, are you going to do an exorcism?" He asked curiously, looking over the formal black robe and rosary the priest was sporting. He even had a small bible tucked under his arm.

"Yes, I'm going to start in a few minutes if you'd like to see, but that's not what I came out here for." John admitted, shifting uncomfortably. Harry waited, tucking the book into his satchel.

"I would just like to apologize for anything Monk said to hurt your feelings. If I had known it was bothering you I would have stopped him." He managed earnestly, worrying the beads of the rosary in one hand.

Harry smiled, working with others wasn't so bad if that meant he got to speak to people like John. He could appreciate the rare brand of honesty and kindness in the teenaged priest, it was hard to find. No wonder he was ordained so young.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, I could've said something instead of stomping off." He told the other gently, pulling himself on his feet.

John chewed on his lip. "Monk didn't mean it either. I won't lie and say he was being polite, but he didn't mean to make you so uncomfortable." He blurted like Harry would cut him off at any second.

Harry made sure he didn't, still and silent. He liked John and he had been immature earlier, so he would listen. "I understand that it was just teasing," he began, "and I will continue to work with him. But I don't expect him to apologize and I don't expect we'll ever be friends."

John shifted and squirmed for several awkward seconds before nodding sharply.

"I understand." It wasn't approval, but it wasn't disapproval. Harry would take it.

"Enough of that." Harry clapped his hands together and worked himself into excitement. "Let's go see your exorcism!"

John drew himself up in a serious manner and nodded solemnly, hands clenched around his bible. He looked every bit the proud man of God. They walked back into the building together side by side.

"There you are," Taniyama greeted when Harry entered Shibuya's room of monitors. "You didn't want to stay with John?" She must've seen them walk in together from the cameras.

"It's a little dangerous to stay in the same room as an exorcism without protection." He quoted stiffly. Though he was touched by John's concern, he didn't like being sent away on the grounds that should John somehow come in contact with a spirit, a runemaster would be completely vulnerable.

Shibuya's assistant glanced at Matsuzaki for a moment before turning back to the screens to watch John. She must be thinking about the principal and vice principal's injuries, by the sour expression on Matsuzaki's face she'd come to that conclusion as well. At least they didn't argue about it.

A soft crackle caught everyone's attention, it was coming from the speaker.

"More strange noises." Kuroda mumbled to herself.

"Wait, turn up the volume." Takigawa told Taniyama, leaning over the chair to get a better look.

John was standing in the middle of the room downstairs, his open bible was held to his chest and he was still reading. Hadn't he heard the noise too? Harry moved closer, trying to make out the priest's expression.

The prayer came out louder when Taniyama cranked the dial, and static crunching noises carried through clearly.

John still didn't look up from the bible even as the crackle deepened menacingly, had he managed to catch the attention of a spirit?

Harry checked on both his glyphs and the report came back clean, so what was making that sound?

It was then that he noticed the ceiling curve and distort, the wallpaper twisting around the wooden frame. The noise was coming from there, with each twist the crunches grew louder. And John still hadn't looked up from the bible.

Did he honestly intend to remain praying even as the room came down on him?

Harry took off, tearing out of the room and taking the stairs two steps at a time. He couldn't find the breath to pant, every cell of his body urging him faster.

Harry barely made the turn of the hallway racing up to the second floor, without concern he immediately dug his heels into the splintering wood floors to halt before John's room. The creaking and groaning were so much louder now, John was almost shouting above the din to be heard.

He threw open the door and didn't bother with words. Already he could see the cracks forming over their heads and the screeching of floorboards shifting together was almost deafening.

"Harry what-?" John only had enough time to get that out before Harry crossed the room and grabbed his arm. With a bruising grip, he dragged the both of them to the door, but he was already too late.

With only seconds to react, Harry recognized the sudden roar and tackled the blond to the ground instead, covering as much as he could of the larger teenager. He didn't get a chance to do anything else before the ceiling came crashing down.

He would never regret becoming a runemaster, but knowing wandless magic would've been useful then.

...

"-ohn? Harry? Just stay right there I'll get Naru!"

...

"Hey, are you guys okay?"

...

"Can you stand?"

"I-I'm fine, but I don't know about-"

"Harry!"

"Wait, don't touch him yet."

...

"...Harry?"

...

Harry felt hands straighten him out, smoothing around his head and rolling him onto his back.

Harry forced his eyes open and they began watering immediately as the thick clouds of dust settled over him. His whole body throbbed like one giant bruise.

"Neither of them is bleeding but John has a pretty good bump on his head." Matsuzaki told someone.

"It's nothing, I don't even think it will bruise." John spoke from a little further away and he sounded frightened.

Harry jerked upright, looking for the threat. It was incredibly dark, though. His teary eyes flickered and the ground roiled uncertainly. Two hands settled on his shoulders, holding him still.

"Woah man, relax for a moment. Are you hurt anywhere?" It was Takigawa hanging over him, searching his face for something with a worried pinch between his eyes.

"What happened..." And then he remembered.

Harry turned away from the monk to see the floor littered in plaster and broken beams, almost bathed white by the debris. The ceiling above was just a few standing boards and the jagged remains of what came spilling onto their heads.

"How's John?" His head snapped back to Takigawa quick enough to startle him.

"I'm fine, Harry. You saved me just in time. What about you?" John pulled himself into the decimated room and out of Matsuzaki's clutches to kneel beside Harry. His hair was a sandy gray with plaster and there was a sizable knot on the side of his head, but he looked fine besides.

"I'm okay." Harry said a bit slowly, looking down at himself to check for any splinters or bruises of his own. There was some tell-tale soreness around his back and shoulders, but he was miraculously unharmed.

"Here, let me help you up." Takigawa pulled away to climb to his feet and then hoisted Harry gently. Harry accepted the hand and got on his own legs only to let out a hiss of pain.

"What's wrong?" Both John, Matsuzaki, and Takigawa crowded close, looking for the injury they missed.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Harry waved them away, favoring his right leg. "Just sore."

Now that he was no longer filled to the brim with adrenalin and worry, his hip made it very clear that he wasn't allowed to jump up stairs and launch at people in the same day. It wasn't agonizing, the pain had only taken him by surprise.

"That's not just being sore, did you strain yourself?" John studied the leg as though he could see straight through trousers and skin to check over the muscle and bone beneath.

Despite the pain stabbing into his upper thigh, Harry felt better standing up. The daze fell away and he was aware of everyone huddled close, but staying out in the hallway with flashlights. The crash must have scared them.

"Don't worry about it, old injury." He sighed airily and limped out of the wreckage. Chunks of splinter and plaster fell off his shoulders as he moved, Harry probably looked just as bad as John.

"Maybe you should see a doctor just in case." Matsuzaki hummed disapprovingly so Harry struck a pose, arms outstretched.

"I'm totally unharmed guys, there's nothing to treat but a little arthritis."

"Harry!" Kuroda must've taken his stance as a welcome because in three bold leaps she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Hey, what did I say about touching him yet? There are still splinters in his shirt!" Takigawa barked over his head, and Harry shot him a look.

"He is right here."

"We saw what you did from the camera, it was incredibly heroic!" Kuroda buried her head into Harry's neck, which must've been uncomfortable.

Harry pat her hesitantly, trying not to lean away too obviously. He had no idea Kuroda liked him so much, she hadn't been nearly as concerned over Hara.

"I just jumped on him. I might have caused that bump, in fact." He chuckled weakly, pulling her away to give a reassuring smile. In all honesty, he wasn't used to giving this kind of comfort, the kind that wasn't a bottle of firewhiskey and a shoulder to cry on.

"We're all fine, it was just loud."

Her wobbling lip firmed a bit and she bobbed her head before squeezing him into one last hug.

To Harry's utter relief she let go and stepped away, looking decidedly less distraught.

"In the interest of safety, I think we should call it for the night." Shibuya announced, peeking busily into the room with a flashlight of his own. What was he looking for?

"Mai, you're dismissed." He threw over his shoulder distractedly and the girl perked. "Really?"

"...yes."

Shibuya's decision seemed to be the right one, everyone relaxed and let tired little smiles flit across their faces. Had they been expecting to stay the night after the ceiling had come down like that?

"Alright, I guess I'll be back bright and early. While there's still life, there's still hope." Matsuzaki said with a cheerfulness Harry hadn't heard from her before.

"Just admit it and say you're scared." Takigawa jabbed with a much more familiar smirk, and the woman stormed away without another word. The monk followed after her playfully.

John watched Shibuya step into the room with a badly disguised frown. "Well, seeing as I nearly lost my head a minute ago, I think I'll take you advice and retire for the evening."

But instead of leaving, he approached Harry. "Please allow me to walk you home." There wasn't a hint of self-consciousness on his face, all business.

Harry blanched and shook his head. "No thank you, I can get there fine on my own."

John's frown deepened, and his eyes fell back to Harry's leg. "I insist. It's my fault you're hurt after all."

Harry shook his head again, taking an unbalanced step back. "It's not your fault, I was the one who chose to run like a maniac. I'm not hurt, either. It's just arthritis, I can barely feel it."

John stepped forward and carefully snagged his wrist in a slow mimicry of what Harry had done to him before the ceiling fell.

"Then please let me walk you home as a friend, it would make me feel much better if I knew you'd arrived safely." He urged, and Harry's cheeks grew hot.

He didn't want to show his friend the seedy motel he was staying at, and it irked him a little that the priest was treating him like a child again. But he couldn't lie and say he still wasn't touched by John's kindness.

"If you're very sure," Harry began reluctantly, "you can walk me halfway home. But I'm your friend too, and it would make me feel better knowing you got home at a normal time."

John smiled happily, and it didn't escape Harry that the priest remained quiet.

"Please allow me to come as well." Kuroda asked, and this time, Harry was much firmer.

"Sorry, but we've kept you out more than long enough. Your parents will be concerned soon and I'm not going to allow a minor to wander around at night, especially for my sake."

She scowled angrily but held in her biting words. It wouldn't have mattered, Harry wasn't going to budge. He had kept the girl in the dangerous building for long enough.

"Fine." She snapped, and stomped down the stairs and out the door.

Harry and John waited a few minutes to make sure Kuroda was really gone before departing themselves.

Harry hobbled down the steps with a strong hold on the railing and kept his face blank in case John glanced behind. His hip prickled and burned, well and truly pissed off at him.

When they made it outside John paused, watching him catch up with a rather soulful look on his face.

"You put yourself in danger for my sake just now and I didn't get the chance to say it before, but thank you very much. I promise I won't forget it."

Harry felt completely unprepared for yet another show of emotion, his face grew hot and he worked hard to keep his eyes from skittering to the side. The priest's straightforward sincerity could be dangerous at times.

"Um, y-you're welcome. You don't have to thank me though, what are friends for, right?" He stammered. And it hadn't been much. Anyone would help their friend if they could see the threat ahead of time, and throwing himself on top of John hadn't done a lot of good anyway. Harry was certain John would've rather walked away with a bruised back like Harry than the knock to his head.

"What are friends for." John echoed warmly and thankfully started walking again. Harry was scared for a moment that he was going to be hugged again.

The runemaster relaxed when that steady gaze finally slid away and limped alongside John.

They fell into a companionable silence for a few minutes, admiring the night sky and relaxing after such a taxing day. So much happened, from Hara's fall to the principal and vice principal's injuries. Regardless of whether or not the building was haunted, it was an intense place to be in.

"May I ask you something? You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable." John interrupted Harry's reverie as they crossed a street.

"Sure." Harry shrugged, he had a pretty good idea what John was going to ask.

"How did you acquire your injury?" John didn't specify, but he was watching Harry's gait meaningfully. It didn't hurt enough to warrant his emergency stash of pain-reducers, but the hot jab of each step made it impossible to mask his wobbly limp.

Harry couldn't very well tell the truth, but he didn't want to lie to his friend. Thankfully he had been around enough Muggle clients to have cultivated the best response.

"I was injured in a fight a few years ago and it didn't heal properly." It would never heal properly. But given time, he was optimistic about fading. The much smaller scar on his forehead had taken sixteen years to fade, and that was with a horcrux exacerbating it. Hermione had given an estimation of twenty years, but she took care not to factor in any personal faith in order to avoid giving him false hope. So it could be less.

"I'm sorry." John spoke solemnly, and didn't probe deeper. Which was fine with Harry, it got awkward speaking about Voldemort and his Death Eaters in muggle terms. Not many people believed him when he spoke about teenage scuffles with fearsome neo-Nazi gangs after all.

"It's fine. I'm fine." Harry said strongly, throwing an extra skip in his step to get slightly ahead and make sure John was watching him. He had already dealt with his friends' sorrow and he didn't want to go over it again. There wasn't any need to mourn him when he was doing the things he loved.

A ghostly smile slanted across John's face and he looked down at his shoes. "Then I'm glad."

Harry was glad as well, he had found a good friend in this little town.

Harry overslept.

He had gone to bed throbbing and exhausted and had gotten up well after dawn the following morning. Petunia would've killed him if he had dared pull such a stunt in his youth, it would be lunch time in only a few hours.

Harry scrambled off his bed and darted for the tiny shower, he was already at the bottom of the totem pole for being a runemaster, he couldn't afford to add lazy to the list or none of his coworkers would ever respect him.

He was washed and changed within twenty minutes and jogging out the door with a bagel in hand.

His leg still hurt, but it wasn't so fresh. Harry could hide it easily and if he sat a little more today and put less pressure on the joint he should be right as rain within a day or two.

"Sorry I'm late!" Harry panted, turning the street corner and jogging up the road to the old school house.

Harry stopped short when he realized no one was there. The doors were still shut and there weren't any spiritualists sitting on the porch. Was he the first one to arrive?

Harry spotted Shibuya's van parked by the building and approached curiously. He wouldn't leave it overnight, right?

The back was hanging open, and inside Shibuya was slumped by a computer with a coat carelessly tossed across his shoulders for a poor imitation of a blanket. Harry couldn't judge anyone for sleeping near their work, but it was worrying to realize he hadn't left the volatile building after everyone else. What if he had gotten hurt?

Harry came closer and inspected the ghost hunter. He didn't appear injured or harried, but there were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was messier than usual.

Harry backed away to avoid waking Shibuya up and shuffled aimlessly on the property. He didn't want to interrupt what little sleep Shibuya was getting but he also didn't want to leave him to go inside. What if someone tried stealing his computer? Or if he shifted into the sunlight and got heatstroke under his black coat? It was rather warm today and Shibuya was even paler than Harry.

Harry's dilemma was solved when Taniyama came bounding up the block, making a bee-line toward her employer. She apparently had no qualms waking the teenager up. "Oh hello, Harry! Naru? Did you sleep here last night? That can't be good for you."

Harry blinked. What's a Naru?

Shibuya stirred and blinked sleepily, looking up at the both of them. A hand rose to brush his bangs away from his face, but it just made his hair more unkempt. "Hey Potter, Mai. What are you two doing here at this hour?"

Taniyama froze beside him, so Harry answered.

"It's almost noon, Shibuya. When did you go to sleep?"

"Morning!" Takigawa interrupted cheerfully, they all turned to find Matsuzaki and John standing with him. "Looks like someone had a rough night!"

"Looks to me like someone's trying to leave early." Matsuzaki said, sickly sweet.

"You're right." Shibuya deadpanned and Harry spun right back around.

Shibuya was rude and antisocial, but no one who felt intimidated by the building would spend the night alone working in it. He had seemed just as invested as everyone else in solving the case.

"Why?" Harry had to ask.

"Because I already solved the case." Shibuya watched all four of them gape.

"So you cleaned that schoolhouse by yourself?" Takigawa guessed, and Shibuya shook his head.

"No, I didn't do that. There was no need to." Harry perked, so that meant his glyphs had been correct. There hadn't been a spirit after all. But what had caused the phenomena?

"What did you figure out?" He asked eagerly.

"What did you do?" Taniyama chimed in, leaning closer to get a look at Shibuya's computer.

The ghost hunter shifted the laptop to face them as he pulled up lines and charts of all sorts. "Last night I compiled all of my experiments, these are some surveyings. The schoolhouse is sinking. In fact, it sank point-two inches just last night."

Takigawa yelped. "It what?"

"It's called subsidence." Shibuya offered.

"Yeah, so what? You think subsidence is to blame for the phenomena we experienced?" Matsuzaki scoffed.

Shibuya switched to a topical map. "This entire area is reclaimed swamp land. When I looked into the distribution of wells that were once in use, I discovered a large aquifer that passed underneath the schoolhouse. But when I checked the wells that are in the immediate area I found I found them all to be dry." He explained. All the while, Harry couldn't help the slowly growing grin on his face. It all made sense, it explained everything. From the chair sliding to the windows breaking, to the ceiling caving.

"Which means...?" Taniyama hummed.

"The soil here was weak to begin with and since the water is dried up there's a hollowing effect happening underground, so naturally the structure built above it will be sinking." Shibuya summed up for them.

"So you're saying the glass, the chair moving, and collapsing were all due to subsidence?" Takigawa questioned slowly.

"Yes, the floor in the classroom on the Eastern side of the building where the ceiling collapsed was three inches lower than on the West side." No wonder it had taken Shibuya all night, he had been remarkably thorough. Harry should've expected that from such a young and successful businessman, he supposed

"But what about the strange noises?" Matsuzaki sounded markedly less smug now.

"Probably the sound of the wood shifting." Shibuya closed his computer and climbed out of his van. "We should have the surrounding area declared off-limits. It's so structurally unsound it might come down any day now."

Harry winced. It could have collapsed while he had been sleeping on his first day, or while he was working with Kuroda. Or any time in between. He had been very lucky this time around, he would have to remember to be more aware of his physical environment on his next case. Wizard or no, that wasn't a situation he wanted to be in.

Shibuya tucked his computer into a shelf and waltzed into the building as if he hadn't just decided it was a death trap.

The rest of them shuffled and hesitated, even Taniyama. But Harry needed to diffuse his two glyphs and Taniyama had to help pack up all that equipment, so they finally crept inside.

He could hear the others walking deliberately slowly behind them before ducking inside and heading for the bottom of the stairs.

Taniyama brushed past him to follow her boss and he knelt beside his triad set. Matsuzaki and Takigawa trailed after the school girl.

Harry pressed his palm against the warm triad and began the careful work of untangling them. They were almost completely fused, but he could still snag onto their separate strands and weave the runes apart. The magic fought, pulling in tight, but he smoothed them right back out again and pulled them apart.

Once Harry fully separated his Sowilo he went to work diffusing it, tugging the magic loose and letting it dissipate into the air. After that, he didn't need to rip the paper and instead moved on to the next one.

He pulled the Ansuz away next, the hold weaker without Sowilo. He pulled the magic apart, dodging a static crackle before he finished.

By the time he completely neutralized Algiz, Kuroda had arrived.

"Good morning." Harry greeted politely, tucking the papers into his pocket. She tracked his movement for a moment.

"Good morning, Harry." She murmured. "What are you doing?"

Harry did his very best to remain calm and unaffected even as he cringed inside. He didn't want to be anywhere near this girl's tantrum when she found out they were leaving.

"Diffusing my detection glyph." He got back to his feet. "There's one more upstairs." He added lamely, before retreating to the second floor.

Kuroda didn't follow him, thankfully. Instead stalking to Shibuya's classroom where she would undoubtedly hear the news.

Harry distracted himself with his second triad, kneeling before it and going to work untangling the glyph.

It didn't take long, by the time he'd caught a strand he could hear her voice raised in anger.

Harry heard Shibuya snap in the middle of diffusing his Algiz, clear voice ringing. Was that going to devolve into a full blown argument?

Harry had to focus to successfully neutralize his other two runes and stopped paying attention to the murmuring below his feet.

He was very lucky that he finished in time to get back to the first floor when a crash shook the entire building. He'd rather not fall on a structurally unsound second level. The commotion came from Shibuya's classroom.

Harry tried to run in, but the doors suddenly began slamming open and closed and nearly caught his hands in a thunderous smash. The paper was shredded and he could see clearly into the room. Everyone looked terrified, and Kuroda was crouched in a circle of shattered glass.

"What's going on?" He demanded over the clammer.

"Well, it's more than just the place sinking!" Takigawa snapped much to Harry's irritation.

"Well? Naru?" Taniyama snarled at Shibuya, who was watching the doors in utter shock.

Seeing that his coworkers weren't going to be any help, Harry left to snatch a chair from the other room.

"Back away from the door!" Harry barked, and waited for them to clamber backward before throwing the chair as hard as he could against the mangled sliding panels. They splintered under the force, clearing the way and dragging Shibuya out of his daze.

"This is it! Everybody out!"

No one needed a second opinion, and in a rush of feet and panting, they were bursting outside. The building went eerily quiet as soon as their feet left the porch.

"I-is anyone hurt?" Harry wheezed, searching the recovering spiritualists for any obvious injuries.

"Kuroda cut her hand, but it just needs a bandage." Matsuzaki reported softly, curled around the silent girl. Taniyama stumbled over to comfort her so Harry didn't bother.

"What was that?" Takigawa growled, pinning a vicious glare on Shibuya. "And don't try to feed me that 'sinking theory' again. That was a full-on poltergeist wasn't it?"

"That sound wasn't just the creaking of an old building," Matsuzaki joined in. "something was definitely banging on those-"

"Hey, you're bleeding." Harry interrupted, pushing past Takigawa to get a better look at Shibuya's hand. He was keeping it slightly tucked under the cuff of his coat, but the blood was dripping down his fingers.

Shibuya pulled away before Harry could touch him, tense and guarded. "It's just a scratch." He hissed coldly.

"Just goes to show that you can't depend too much on technology." Matsuzaki sneered, completely ignoring the injury. "For a minute there I was actually about to believe you and your phony results."

"Exactly how where they phony?" Harry challenged, temper hot. "He explained every piece of evidence he found and every conclusion he made from it, and it was sound. You believed it because his theory was credible!"

"Of course the runemaster is going to back up the wannabe-ghost hunter." Matsuzaki's grin was all teeth. "You two are completely useless when dealing with an actual poltergeist so you may as well make up your own results to sucker people out of their money."

"Stick around, kids, and you'll see how the true professionals do things." Takigawa jeered and the two flounced off the property and down the street together.

"What's with them?" Taniyama huffed. "I haven't seen them doing anything productive."

Harry tried approaching Shibuya again, his hand still hadn't stopped bleeding.

"You need to get that hand looked at, or at least disinfected and wrapped." He fretted.

"I will be fine." Shibuya snapped. "You should just tend to Kuroda."

Kuroda's wound was already wrapped and wasn't bleeding freely. Harry surged forward and snatched the ghost hunter's wrist.

Shibuya tore his arm away with brutal strength, casting wild eyes over his shoulder. He looked fit to scream. "I'd appreciate it if you left me alone right now." His soft growl may as well have been a roar for all the quivering fury in his tone.

"I'm so mad at myself I could throw up."

Without waiting for a response, Shibuya stormed away in a mood as black as his shirt.

Harry took a moment for himself after that, staring up at the school house.

He had been so sure not even an hour ago that he was right, and he had proven himself as a runemaster in the paranormal profession. He had dissolved both his triads with glee, ready to pick up another case with newfound confidence.

All of that was moot now, he had been completely wrong. For all that everything had made so much sense in a scientific frame, the last phenomenon had blown subsidence completely out of the water.

The building was haunted, and Harry hadn't sensed anything the entire time.

Harry liked the challenge, and he liked to learn new things. But for something that could so clearly evade both runic and technological detection, perhaps he was outmatched. What could he do against something that wasn't affected by detection or disruption runes? If he couldn't even see the spirit, how could he help?

Harry sighed. He needed to pull himself together.

This despair was probably just proving Matsuzaki right. Isn't it worse to quit than fail? He came here to learn, and learning didn't always mean success.

He would take a moment to cool off and then go at it again, he just needed some space. Maybe some lunch would help him, or writing a letter to Ron and Hermione. Just being away from the building, that's what he needed.

That height bit at the beginning might have come off a little melodramatic but I can't imagine Harry ever being tall. He was starved as a kid, under constant stress as a teenager, and was literally homeless for a year. Five four is the UK women's average and Masako's height if you need a reference. Mai is actually fairly tall for a Japanese women, she exceeds the standard height by two inches and is only 14. So he's not unrealistically tiny is what I'm getting at.

Speaking of unrealistic, of course Harry and John don't leave that room without a scratch. I still have no clue how John managed to escape a collapsing ceiling without even a speck of dust on his pristine priestly robes in the anime. Magic.

Ddragon21:
I feel like Runes are a bit underpowered in this. you do know that runes can even affect peoples minds as well with wards usually in magic themed stories including harry potter. does harry even use his wand also? there is also magical items that don't need wand like a trunk with multiple compartments he could keep around. an expanded bag? I love the story so far I just feel like his magic side is nerfed especially when he is supposed to be a rune master. shouldn't they also have spells on soul magic? voldemort was a wraith after all.

I have already stated that all my research is my own. I went onto websites and forums created by people who made a living being actual rune makers. I looked up all their conversations regarding spiritual influence and checked out books on runology.

I'm using the Elder Futhark alphabet and those specific interpretations. So while I understand there are many interpretations (specifically in rpg type games) where runes have a much more spiritual leaning, this is what I have found and made my base.

Harry does use his wand but right now he's working for muggles on a case he's not even sure is real so why would he keep a wand in his pocket? He keeps it in his bag for emergencies. As for magical items, why would he bring those along? He has an expanded bag already and travels through magical means- both for convenience. I really don't see a reason for him to surround himself in magic when he was raised as a muggle and is among muggles.

Yes Voldemort was a wraith, and remember how no one could track or stop him in that form? Quirrel had no defense and Hogwarts had no detection.

Thank you for your questions and I'm glad you're enjoying this story, but I stand by my decisions.

Feel free to ask any questions, you guys are great!