Yikes was this hard to write! I was just about finished with it when I decided I didn't like how some things turned out and tried editing. Ended up writing another twenty pages. Now this is two chapters and I'm still not sure I like what I did with Monk. What do you guys think?
Harry came back that night, wary and tense. He held tight to a satchel full of runes and a head full of ideas.
The moon glinted silver off the rotting wood of the schoolhouse making it gleam, a threatening protrusion than reached too far into the sky. In the darkness, Harry felt like he was walking into enemy territory.
The monk was going to attempt his own exorcism, and for all that the man was childish and irritating, Harry would watch. Taniyama had bravely returned as well, hefting equipment back into the building to record any further activity. She had a permanent scowl fixed on her face that only darkened whenever Takigawa or Matsuzaki entered the room.
John seemed to be the only one in high spirits, helping Taniyama with the heavier things.
"Harry!" The priest greeted him past the hall, camera stand tucked under one arm. "I didn't get a chance to speak with you earlier."
"It was a hectic morning," Harry said wryly. This case was becoming a monster, it'd been awhile since he'd felt nervous enough to tuck his wand into the sleeve of his coat. But with a building liable to collapse at any moment and housing a malevolent being that had yet to show itself, he felt naked without the press of holly against his forearm.
"Speaking of, how are you? You weren't hurt?" There was a splotch of sickly yellow sitting on John's temple, offset by his blond hair, but that had been from Harry's failed rescue the night before.
John readjusted the stand. "Not a scratch if you can believe it. We were very lucky." He sighed, and then gave Harry a clear once-over. A wrinkle pinched between his eyes.
"What about you? You're still limping, is your leg bothering you?"
To Harry's chagrin, hiding the arthritis was no longer an option. He hadn't been able to rest his leg all day and it had only gotten stiffer and sorer since that morning. Harry would have to ice the joint if he didn't want to draw even more attention to the injury by using a crutch the next day. Even leaning casually on his good leg didn't stave off the jabbing pain in his pelvis.
"It's a little stiff," Harry admitted and switched tracks. "Are you here to watch the exorcism too?"
John's expression didn't change. "I am. You should sit down while Monk prepares."
He ducked out of the hallway and into an adjacent room before Harry could decline. It sounded as though John was busy adjusting the stand on uneven floorboards and so Harry took his opportunity to limp deeper into the schoolhouse.
Only the hallways and a few rooms were lit, the rest were pitch black and ever creaking. Harry had no idea how he managed to sleep in such an unsettling place on his first day in Japan, the schoolhouse seemed so sinister now.
In a particularly large classroom at the end of the hallway, a bored looking Matsuzaki stood at the door. "Monk's exorcising in here."
Harry poked his head past the priestess, the desks had been pushed away from the front of the classroom to make room for Takigawa, centered in full robes. He hadn't started chanting yet, instead speaking with a ferocious Taniyama. Whatever the subject was, she looked fit to bash Takigawa over the head with the microphone device in her arms.
To Harry's bewilderment, as soon as he hobbled past the doorway the monk jolted and broke free of the girl to crowd in on him instead.
Harry hunkered a little lower to the ground, ready to duck an attack no matter how his hip screeched.
"Hey man, you sure you wanna be here?" Takigawa asked in an odd tone, not goading. "I know I was kind of a punk earlier but I'm not gonna judge if you bail tonight."
Harry took a quick step back and out from under the looming man. "I don't leave cases half-finished."
"Yeah, but it's pretty dark out and since I'm doing my exorcism you're just wasting your night." Takigawa shrugged, Harry had no clue where he was coming from.
"It's not a problem." He said slowly.
The monk looked frustrated. What was he trying to pull? "How do you think you're going to help with a leg injury? You can't detect or defend yourself against ghosts and now you can't run. This place is dangerous even for spiritualists."
Anger sparked in his chest, sending heat through his system. "I can-"
"Sorry that took so long," John interrupted, hopping from the hallway to right in between Harry and Takigawa. "Had to make sure the camera was recording. What's going on?"
"I was just assuring Takigawa that I am able to pull my own weight and won't be deterred by any assumptions others might make of me." Harry hissed, the tip of his wand a brand against his skin.
John rounded on Takigawa. "I didn't mean it like that!" The man protested, "He's limping so badly- and with what happened yesterday it isn't safe for him to stay!"
"That is my decision to make, and it's not safe for anyone in the building. Being a spiritualist doesn't guarantee protection against whatever is in this place, and it certainly won't help if the roof caves in." Harry snapped, he was their only line of defense if the schoolhouse collapses like Shibuya predicted. It would mean a round of obliviating and the Japanese Ministry of Magic, but no one would die on his watch.
Under the combined glares of Harry and John, Takigawa squirmed.
"Fine whatever, just stay with the group." He huffed angrily and broke away from the confrontation in a hurry.
Harry opened his mouth to refute another unwelcome order when John gave him a nudge with his elbow. The priest shook his head once Harry caught his eyes, firm.
Neither of them held any authority over Harry, and he didn't want to give them the impression that they did. But he wasn't stupid, he wouldn't allow any other member to wander away and he needed to remain close by in case magic was necessary.
With a theatrically put-upon expression, Harry gave a defeated shrug and allowed himself to be steered into a chair against the wall while Takigawa began his exorcism.
"Can I talk to you?"
Harry stared at Takigawa reluctantly, after the uneventful exorcism he had been eager to retreat to a quiet corner and work on a better glyph set, and much more eager to avoid further interaction with the monk.
John ducked out of the room with an unsubtle look of encouragement on his face that immediately implicated him as a cause for the conversation. Matsuzaki and Taniyama had already left as well, so the two were now alone in the classroom.
"Sure." Harry wandered back to his chair from the freedom of the hallway, his hip ached when he lowered himself back down.
Takigawa shuffled awkwardly for a few moments, pursing his lips and strangely resembling a scolded child. He really was nothing like any monk Harry had ever met in his tours of Asia.
The silence stretched uncomfortably, broken only by the creaks and groans of the walls around them.
"Well if you're not-"
"I'm sorry." The monk blurted, face red.
Harry stared, nonplussed. What was with these mood-swings?
"I keep saying the wrong things but I've been meaning to apologize since yesterday morning." Takigawa continued, carefully not making eye contact.
"What are you sorry for?" Harry couldn't help asking. The man certainly hadn't appeared contrite when he called Harry a burden just ten minutes earlier.
"I screwed up when I called you pipsqueak, I was just messing around but I guess I took it too far." He mumbled, "And John said I implied that you were a fraud or something, after the last big attack, you know? I don't really remember what I said, I was just so mad at Naru. And just right now I messed up and made you all defensive." He trailed off, flopping a hand helplessly.
Takigawa paused and pulled in a deep breath, like he had rehearsed the next part. "I think you're way over your head with this case, the principal made a mistake hiring you, and that runology has no place in spiritualism-"
"Is this part of your apology? Because it s-"
"But! I also think you are a genuine, hard working runemaster." Takigawa finished loudly. "You have a respectable work ethic and you seem like a pretty cool guy."
This time, Harry felt his face heat up with alarming swiftness, unprepared for the heap of earnest compliments. "T-thank you?"
Takigawa shook his head roughly as if to dispel Harry's words. "I still stand by what I said about your being here, it just doesn't mean I don't like you or your work. And I really don't want to fight you or whatever I've been doing, okay?"
The man risked an anxious glance down at Harry's face. "So are we good?"
Harry nodded jerkily, he would much rather forgive Takigawa for his childish taunts than prolong this any further.
The monk let out a gust of relief and grinned toothily. "Great, less tension all around you know? Could you call me Monk or Hoshou now?"
"You don't like Takigawa?" Shibuya called him that too, and Harry had no indication that the man disliked it.
"It's fine for things like business meetings and stuffy Mt. Koya ceremonies, but I like to think I'm more of a casual kind of guy." He shrugged lazily.
Harry could agree with that. "Then I'll call you Monk, like Taniyama does." He didn't put a lot of importance into names, but he generally liked to call only his friends by their first names, and he wasn't sure how this truce would turn out. Monk gave him an approving thumbs up.
Harry pulled himself back onto his feet, digging the palm of his heel into the pulsating pain in his hip and they moved to finally exit the room.
"Oh, Monk," He remembered to say, making sure the man was listening. "I can respect thinking a runemaster can't handle spirits, so you have to respect that I don't think you exorcised this one." No one had outright said it, but the disappointing silence during the chant hadn't instilled much confidence.
Monk frowned immediately, indignation in his eyes. Harry watched closely, exactly how much of that apology had been orchestrated by John?
To the man's credit, he deflated in the next moment and gave a casual wave. "Fair enough. I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong."
He turned into the hallway and headed off to the Shibuya's chosen headquarters, Harry stared after him but made no move to follow.
Perhaps Monk wasn't so bad after all.
Harry rolled his shoulder and crossed away from the others. He doubted it would remain peaceful for long, especially with Taniyama's temper, and he would rather find a secluded spot nearby.
He was going over different detection glyphs in his head. Perhaps a full on summoning set might work, or should he switch to elementals and wait for something to catch? Sometimes spirits were vulnerable to water or fire runes and might try destroying it. His detection glyphs had been complete failures so he'll have to focus more on blind defense and offense in hopes of inciting a reaction.
"I thought we agreed not to go out alone." An accented voice murmured from the hallway.
Harry spun around, startled. John had popped his head in, eyes catching on Harry's notepad. It must've looked like gibberish to him, all theoretical half-drawn runes.
"I'm not alone. The others are only a few doors down." Harry huffed as he reclined back into his chair, and John managed to look amused and disapproving at the same time.
"I don't think that's how Hoshou meant it."
"You're by yourself." Harry pointed out, and John shook his head.
"I'm just setting up cameras for Mai. You should come back with me."
Harry couldn't deny that John was right, and the dark room was creepy enough without knowing some invisible spirit was lurking to border on distracting. He wordlessly tucked his notepad in his bag and trailed after the smiling priest.
"So you talked to Monk about me?" Harry prompted once they exited the room, and John had the grace to look bashful.
"I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds."
Harry maintained his lighthearted manner. "Well, I think we both came to an understanding so I suppose you succeeded." He allowed. "But next time just talk to me, I don't like it when people go over my head."
No more people who know what's best for him.
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that." John protested, eyes wide.
"I don't care how you meant it, talk to me next time and let me handle my own problems." Harry pressed, his casual demeanor cracking around the edges. The priest looked abashed, nodding urgently.
"Of course, of course. That wasn't my intention at all." John promised, so Harry bobbed his head in acknowledgment. It hadn't been a big issue, but he would much rather kick up a fuss and nip that kind of in-your-best-interest thinking in the bud.
He let John speak with Taniyama at the stairs before allowing himself to be dragged around the building in the name of looking for clues. He had a sneaking suspicion John was also trying to avoid getting in the middle of a shouting match, but he wouldn't call him on it.
Instead, they walked through the haunted school house quietly, eyes peeling for spirits.
Harry's hard lean off of his burning leg gave his footsteps an uneven croak across the floorboards that had them jolting often, but no actual paranormal activity could be found.
Working together they reached the back of the building quickly and doubled back, and that was when John stilled.
"Do you hear that?" He asked softly, and Harry strained his ears.
The ceiling was tapping hollowly, as if someone was walking in a straight and steady line up the hall. Harry firmed his grip on the wand hidden in his sleeve and hedged closer to John.
It was heading for the stairs, and the closer they got, the harder it was to hear over the arguing at the bottom.
"Shh!" John hushed seriously, catching everyone's attention. "I hear something."
This was enough for the spiritualists and the recently arrived Kuroda to finally quiet and Harry could hear much clearer now. It was stalking circles around the top of the stairs, teasing them.
"Someone's here." Matsuzaki whispered.
"I know." Monk hadn't shouted, but in the hushed silence, his words rang loudly.
The thumping began descending the stairs and Monk chased after it, racing up the stairs and out of sight.
"Are you nuts?" Taniyama demanded shrilly behind him.
The man didn't return immediately and there wasn't any noise after he reached the second floor.
"Do you see anything?" Harry called.
Monk responded quickly and didn't sound distressed in the least. "Nope, must've imagined it."
"That's crazy- all of us?" Taniyama scoffed loudly as the monk went back down the stairs. "I definitely heard something! You heard it too, right Monk?"
"It was just the wind." Matsuzaki hummed carelessly, and this was the last straw for Taniyama. Her face turned tomato-red and she wheeled to face the two eldest in the room,
"I am sick of this! You didn't get rid of them either, did you? After what you said to Naru, this makes you look so stupid!" Her tirade continued, "I don't remember Naru coming up with any lame excuses, do you? Funny how the adults are acting like chil-"
A loud knock sounded right above Taniyama, cutting her off effectively.
The knocks came back, harder and faster. They shook the floorboards above their head, raining dust down.
The lights shattered one by one off the ceiling, glittering like burning embers even as it plunged them into darkness deep in the grasp of the schoolhouse. Harry's heart thudded in his chest, harmonizing with the pounding slams of the walls and ceilings.
"This is the most activity we've seen yet!" John announced.
"Sounds like there's more than one!" Monk sounded alarmed now, turning to the others. "It's dangerous in here, let's get outside."
"I'm right behind you," Taniyama promised, "Come on Kuroda, follow me!"
In an unspoken command to form pairs, Taniyama and Kuroda took the lead, followed by Harry and John, with Matsuzaki and Monk on the rear.
They stumbled down the pitch hallway and toward the door, the entire building shuddering around them. The barest light from the doorway stood out like a beacon in the total blackness of the schoolhouse, nothing could be discerned from the shadows surrounding them.
Harry allowed his wand to slip free, desperately trying to find the ceiling while he was running blind.
When they took a corner, Harry couldn't see the giant shelves trembling against the walls, but he could hear the creaking clearly as they dislodged and came crashing down. He didn't have time to react when the heavy shelf connected with his skull, he wasn't even sure who else had been caught under them.
All he could do was tumble down with it, wand dropping from his limp grasp to the sound of splintering wood and screaming.
The first sensation Harry felt was a gentle rocking motion, something warm holding him close.
The second was overwhelming nausea and in the next moment, Harry found himself on his knees, vomiting violently on to the floor.
He blinked, head swimming and body swaying weakly.
There was noise all around him, but Harry couldn't piece any of it together, too busy puking his guts out. Breakfast and lunch blew out of him, and Harry wasn't lucid enough to even be embarrassed.
Once he finished, he slumped thoughtlessly against the warmth keeping him steady, the noises continued rising and falling in sharp intervals. His nausea had abated somewhat, and he was positive there wasn't much left to hurl anyway.
He was being moved, much slower this time, Harry twisted his head as best he could to look around with watery vision.
Harry was in a lot next to a van, it was dark out, only illuminated by a distant streetlight and the moon. There were people all around him, someone was carrying him. The noise was coming from their faces...they were saying things to him in a fast gibberish.
"Wha..." He moaned, his head giving a savage throb. What was going on? Had there been an attack?
The person carrying him put him inside the van, propping him against the side so he didn't fall right back out. The words were getting more agitated.
The fog cleared a little and Harry realized he was just sitting limply and staring at nothing, which wasn't right. And with that little clarity came another jab inside his skull.
"Ow..." He hissed, bringing clumsy hands to cradle his aching head. They came away sticky.
"-ry...Harry, can you hear me? Harry. Harry, look up." Someone said, startlingly close.
Harry raised his head to find a blond teenager on the other side of the van, eyes searching him for something. What had this person said? Harry couldn't remember anymore. He knew him though.
"John." He croaked, he felt like he was swimming through molasses, but he could recognize the priest speaking to him.
"Is he snapping out of it?" The man who carried him asked, Harry gingerly moved his head to study the other's features. He knew these people.
That was Monk, and the woman a few feet away was Matsuzaki. Weren't there more of them before?
"Harry, are you listening to me? What hurts?" John asked, pulling him back.
Harry was listening. How could he not when the other was so close? A lot of things hurt, though. His face and arms ached from hitting the floor probably. His stomach was still roiling and scorching a strip down his throat that tasted nasty. His back hurt too, in an absent bruising sort of way. But what took the cake was definitely his head, thrumming like someone had trapped a centaur in it.
"Harry?"
"My head hurts." Harry frowned, "I think I hit it on...something." Something heavy and huge and loud. Everything had been loud a second ago, right? Crashing and screaming like werewolves on a hunt.
"What's he saying?" Takigawa demanded, but Harry didn't know why. Was he slurring?
"He hit his head but he doesn't remember how, he could have a concussion." John reported quickly.
"Of course he has a concussion. That shelf was three times bigger than him." Matsuzaki snapped, but before Harry could decipher her meaning, John plowed forward.
"You were hit by the shelf, remember? When we were running out of the building."
A shelf, that sounded right. What had he been running from, though? And why had he stopped?
An attacker. The building. They had been running from the old school house. It was trying to hurt them, blowing lights and knocking things over, so everyone had run away. No fortified tents or Hogwarts to hide in. Harry made to clench his wand tight only to feel his nails dig into the skin of his palm, it wasn't in his hand anymore.
"W-where's my wand. " Harry rasped seriously, and John frowned.
"Wand? What wand?"
Harry matched the expression, he always had his wand close by. John should know that. Why was he confused? Had John been hurt too?
"Were you...hit?" He asked in concern.
John still looked confused, but he answered clearly. "I'm fine, just bruised. I caught the shelf on my shoulder to keep it from landing on you after you fell." He looked unharmed. No blood or pain that Harry could see with half-blurred vision. He nodded and turned to Takigawa.
"What about you?" The man stared silently at him, eyebrows knit together and he didn't look like he was going to respond any time soon. Was he mad? Had Harry puked on him?
"He can't understand you, Harry. You're speaking English." John chimed helpfully. Harry nodded, he knew he was. That's the language Harry spoke, after all.
"Takigawa only speaks Japanese." John elucidated, smile fading. Harry blinked, that was right too. And Harry knew that, so why had he been speaking English?
"You- are you...Hurt?" He formed the words slowly, his tongue felt heavy when he was speaking Japanese now and the vocabulary came even slower than before.
"I'm fine, nothing hit me. Not so sure about you, though, or Mai." Takigawa's eyes flicked to something behind Harry, so Harry shifted to peer deeper into the van. Stretched out behind him was that girl who knocked over the camera and started working. Taniyama. She appeared uninjured, but she wasn't moving.
Harry lurched, heart thudding. A killing curse? "Why- What's…-wrong- not right...with her?"
"The shelf fell on her. She only has a little bump, though. So we're hoping it's more exhaustion than anything keeping her down." Matsuzaki said, skirting something on the ground with a disgusted look on her face before heading to Takigawa.
"Should I call the ambulance?"
A shelf fell, no spells. Right. That's because the building attacked and buildings couldn't shoot killing curses.
"Nothing, um, hit you too, right?" Harry asked, his vision was still fuzzy so he had to wait until she was closer to check her for injuries too.
"I was behind you, remember? The first shelf fell on Mai, and the second smacked you into the ground before John caught it and Monk dragged it off." She spoke too quickly, it was frustrating. Harry's head felt like mush, but he knew what she said wasn't challenging to understand.
"I think it's just a concussion, maybe some stitches. Someone will have to drive him to a doctor, but I don't think he needs an ambulance." Matsuzaki told Takigawa rather randomly, had Harry missed a question?
"Unfortunately I didn't drive here." John said, and Harry tried to join in.
"It's okay, I didn't either." John smiled at him again, but the other two just watched him seriously. Harry was in full agreement about sending him to a doctor, feeling so lost in a simple conversation was frustrating and embarrassing. What had he done wrong?
"I did." Matsuzaki sighed, slanting a half-hearted glare Harry's way. "You better not throw up in my car."
"I won't." He promised, he didn't have anything to throw up anyway.
"We'll keep an eye on Mai until she wakes up then. Please call if anything happens." John said politely, and Matsuzaki nodded.
Without warning, Takigawa bent over and scooped Harry into his arms. For all that Harry wanted to squirm out of his grasp and walk for himself, the sudden movement left him unsteady and spinning. If the monk let go, Harry would crash into the ground again.
"Sorry." He mumbled reluctantly, deliberately watching the car across the street to keep focused and not get sick.
"Don't worry about it, man. What are coworkers for if not carrying concussed fellow coworkers across streets?"
"Co...working?" Harry guessed cautiously, and Matsuzaki snickered into her sleeve.
"Where's my wand?" He asked Monk as they hopped off the curb. John had been confused, but maybe someone had picked it up.
"Can't speak English, I didn't take your bag if that's what you're asking." Right. Monk speaks Japanese so Harry has to speak Japanese.
"My...branch? The...in my hand…" What was wand? Harry couldn't remember.
They reached Matsuzaki's car and Harry was dropped in the backseat and swiftly buckled in.
"You mean this thing?" She suddenly piped from the front seat, and Harry's holly wand was shoved in his face.
"What the heck is that thing?" Monk asked, nonplussed, but Harry didn't pay him any mind. He snatched the wand up happily and gave the priestess a hazy smile in thanks.
"I found it next to Mai when we dragged her out, it looked important." She shrugged and Harry didn't hear what the monk's response was. He tucked the wand back up his sleeve and slumped against the seat. His head felt gross and wet and throbbed painfully, and fatigue was rapidly overtaking his nausea.
Between blinks the car door was closed and Matsuzaki and Harry were alone in the car. He watched confusedly at the buildings and houses jumping in and out of existence. The last time he remembered opening his eyes, they were in the waiting room of the clinic Harry had helped Lin to a few days ago.
Harry could only assume he was looked over, bandaged, and discharged, because he wound up back in his motel room. He did faintly recall Matsuzaki gently steering him with a strong hand and a calm voice until he was settled in his bed. She was much nicer then. Like Madame Pomfrey, if she split her compassion and her iciness into completely separate personas.
Harry might have told her just that, he couldn't really remember.
"...Ron.."
"...Ron."
"Ron, shut up." Harry moaned into his pillow, the snoring was unbearably loud and he was exhausted.
Ron breathing racked up another notch, it was even noisier than usual. Was he sick?
"Ron!" Harry huffed grouchily, why hadn't the prat thrown up a silencing charm if he was stuffed up? It honestly sounded like he was sleeping in the same bed-
Harry's eyes shot open, a starburst headache lighting up his temples.
John was slumped in a chair beside Harry's bed, drool dried on his chin and snoring loud enough to wake the dead.
Harry stared, at a complete loss. Why did he have a priest in his motel room?
"...John?" He poked him cautiously, wincing at the pull on his back and arms. He felt sore and tender, and his head hadn't stopped throbbing.
John didn't stir, snoring steadily.
A shrill alarm suddenly burst from John's pants, sending Harry back against the bed in fright and John bolt upright in his chair, wide awake.
He immediately dug out a cell phone and fumbled with it until the alarm cut short, bathing the room in blessed silence. The noise had only aggravated Harry's headache, had he bought painkillers recently? The digging pressure in his temple wouldn't make a fun companion to a convenience store.
"What was that?"
"Oh, you're awake." John looked up and found Harry gingerly lifting himself back upright in the bed. "How are you feeling? Do you know where you are?"
"Um, should I not?" Harry took a quick glance around but they were still in his motel room.
"Well you've been confused and Matsuzaki said some things might need repeating. Do you remember what happened?" John leaned forward sternly, the drool still stuck to his chin and hair a tangle of blond locks. He made for a bizarre picture.
Harry was distracted from the surrealism when he realized that he actually wasn't sure what had happened prior to waking up, his recollection of the night surprisingly blurry. They had gone back to the schoolhouse, Monk's exorcism failed, and they had come to some sort of agreement. Then the building went dark and screaming and crashing came from every corner and Harry was running blind for the door-...
"Is everyone okay?" Harry demanded, searching John for injuries. He couldn't recall ambulances, but he could hardly remember anything after the last attack.
"You ask that almost every time." John snickered, but sobered when Harry glared impatiently.
"Mai took a knock to the head but she felt good enough to go to school today. You've got a concussion, but it was mild enough that you were allowed to leave the clinic with supervision. No serious injuries, thank the Lord."
A concussion. Harry had only experienced that once before when he was very young and hadn't managed to dodge Petunia's pan. He hadn't had any memory problems though. He had just been unsteady and confused for a few days, the Dursleys had assumed he was acting dumber than usual. Harry only knew it was a concussion because of a bragging classmate who had fallen out of a tree a few months later.
"Harry? Are you still confused? Do you feel sick?" Harry had paused too long, he shook himself from old memories and peered bemusedly at the priest.
"Supervision, huh? Have you been babysitting me all night long?"
John shook his head. "Ayako was here for a long time, we had to wake you up every three hours. I stayed with Mai until she was able to go home then came here to let Ayako rest."
Harry caught a picture of clarity from last night. He had been swaying in Shibuya's van and Taniyama had been passed out behind him. None of them had the keys to the van, Shibuya had only left it unlocked. If Mai remained there, no one could've driven to a safer spot.
"You stayed on site by yourself?" He asked incredulously. After an attack of that scale just hours before, that was an idiotically stupid move.
"Monk was with me! He dropped me off here and then took Mai home. We didn't know where she lived." He defended
"Why didn't you just bring her here? You could've both been killed!" All three of them were completely at the spirit's mercy for god knows how long in the middle of the night, without even a wizard to shield them from physical attacks. It was enough to make Harry's skin crawl, how close he had come to losing three people in one night.
John opened his mouth and closed it several times before melting sheepishly. "...I didn't really think about it." He admitted to the floor.
Harry glared, his fear melting into anger. "Well, next time you should think about it! What if you had been attacked with just Monk to help? All of you- including Taniyama- could've been killed. Until we know what it is, you can't underestimate the danger! Constant Vigilance!"
John kept his eyes on the carpet, hunched over in his seat guiltily. He looked like a shamed puppy. Harry took in a quelling breath, he needed to cool down.
"It's not my place to yell at you," He murmured reluctantly. "And I shouldn't blame you for the mistake. Monk could've moved her too. And nothing happened, so maybe it does stop immediately outside the schoolhouse."
"No, you're right. That was a big risk on our part and it could've ended badly." John grimaced. "I must look so careless to you, I never meant to endanger Mai."
"Not at all." Harry protested. "Everyone let's their guard down by mistake, I have no right to talk to you about any of this honestly, I fell asleep in the schoolhouse on my first day. It's just so strong now, I freaked out."
John let out a startled laugh, finally lifting his head to stare at Harry incredulously. "You fell asleep? With all the creaking and activity and reports?"
"I didn't mean to! But yeah, ended up staying the whole night."
John snorted, looking torn between amusement and anxiety.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Harry threw the covers off and climbed out of bed. A glance at the clock told him it was mid-morning.
John hastily stood up with him, the pinch between his eyes. "Careful! You shouldn't move too much. If you need anything, I'll get it for you."
Harry carefully stretched, wincing as he felt out every formidable pain in his body. He was tender in general, probably from crashing into the floor. He felt a little unsteady and clumsy, like he had taken a polyjuice potion instead of a blow. His head hurt in tempo with his heartbeat and searing fire licked up his leg and buried itself deep in his hip.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll meet you in the kitchen." Harry ducked out of the priest's way and toddled into the bathroom with the grace of an inferi, every inch of him unwilling to walk.
Harry stared dejectedly at himself in the mirror. It was times like these that had him completely agreeing with his coworkers' opinions. He looked beaten and useless, the burden Monk feared would slow them down. All pallid skin and tired eyes.
After tidying himself up as best he could, running a hand through his wild hair, Harry dressed in a clean pair of sweats and dragged himself out of his room.
Each step felt a bit like lightning, shocks of pain striking through him sudden and fierce. He had clearly run far too much yesterday, the joint was inflamed.
"Ayako found some aspirin in your cabinets." John greeted him from behind the counter, already opening the bottle.
"I'll have to thank her later." Harry sighed, pouring a glass of water before gratefully swallowing the offered medication. "She was really on top of this."
"She said she was a nurse last night, so she's probably handled conditions like yours frequently in the past." John made to steer him to a heavily pillowed recliner in the connected living room but Harry dodged to open the freezer.
"My hip is a little sore." He excused, pulling out the ice pack and finally making his way to sit down. He's lucky this motel had one already, he couldn't just pull his own pack out from his satchel, charmed for a perpetual chill.
Harry glanced around the room as he pressed the ice against his leg, ignoring the initial pain as he digs it into the muscle. "Where's my bag?"
"Oh," John pinked before retreating to dig through his fridge. "I'm sorry. It was forgotten at the schoolhouse with all the...excitement."
Harry sagged into his chair. He dearly hoped it hadn't been damaged, he trusted it with so many of his possessions. It would take a lot to break through the enchantments, but he didn't know nearly enough about the spirit to alleviate his concerns. At least he hadn't left his wand in the bag-
Harry ran a hand over his pockets, but he already knew the wand wasn't there. Had they been in his old clothes? He would've noticed when he folded and placed them in the hamper. A chill of true fear crawled up his spine. Had he left it at the schoolhouse?
"What hurts?" John demanded, getting a good look at his face when he came up with eggs from the fridge.
Harry balled his hands into fists, he felt absolutely naked without his wand. He didn't have it on his person often, but it had been years since it wasn't a step away at most. Anything could happen right at that moment and he would be powerless. A remnant Death Eater,supporter could burst through the door, a dementor could creep in his window, even a muggle could burn the motel down and he would have no way of protecting either himself or John.
"Harry?"
"M-my-" Harry swallowed, he couldn't say wand. "Did you see a...stick at the schoolhouse before you left? It would look different, long and thin with a polished handle?"
Like a ray of hope, John gave a happy grin and ducked out of the kitchen. He returned in a handful of moments with Harry's precious wand in hand.
"Is this what you're talking about? Ayako said it was yours. You left it in the bathroom a couple of hours ago."
Harry nodded eagerly, shaking off the renewed jabs of his headache in favor of grabbing the wand from John's hands and tucking it safely in the pocket of his sweatpants. "Thank you! I thought I lost it."
John laughed and trot back into the kitchen, looking pleased with himself. "No worries, mate. I'm glad I could help." He put a pan on the stove and began frying the eggs. "What is that stick for anyway? I've never seen a runemaster use something like that before."
Harry froze. He'd screwed up. What could he say? He'd never had to explain it before. Harry wracked his brains for a good lie.
"Um, it's just a holly branch. I got it when I was a kid, it's sort of like my good luck charm."
"It must have a lot of sentimental value for you" John hummed interestedly.
"Yeah, I guess. It was one of the first gifts I ever got." Harry ran a hand over his pocket, but his mind was on Hedwig.
He missed her fiercely, a bitter twist that left him with little room in his lungs for breath. His first true gift, his solitary companion during those long Dursley summers. And it was all his fault she was gone.
John threw a pensive look over his shoulder, but turned his attention back on the pan before speaking. "I see. Then it is very important indeed."
The rest of the morning fell into companionable silence, interrupted only when John presented a delicious spread of eggs and toast for the both of them.
He must've finally caught a glimpse of his wild cowlicks, however, because after penning his cell number onto a napkin he ducked out to clean himself up at his own hotel room.
Of course, he had made sure to mother Harry within an inch of his life before leaving. With all curtains closed tight against the sun and a TV remote in hand to entertain himself. A cold glass of orange juice at been placed beside him with the bottle of aspirin, and a low bench from the kitchen counter had been pushed against Harry's chair until it could be used as an ottoman for his aching joints.
Harry would've been embarrassed over how helpful John's doting actually was, when every part of him felt simultaneously beaten and incredibly heavy, but he hadn't even managed to keep his eyes open five minutes after John's departure.
With barely the awareness to move his plate to the table, Harry's head tipped forward, his eyes slipped shut, and he let the fatigue drag him down into sleep.
Just for the record, Harry is capable of moving in a speed faster than walking without repercussions. It's that he never stretches and breaks into sprints up and down stairs whenever he moves, so he keeps straining his muscles.
Also, I looked up so many medical articles on concussions I'm practically certified. I wanted to play with his perceptions, but nothing serious enough to warrant a hospital stay. Also, there was no way they all got out unscathed after those two giant shelves fell on them. I'll give Mai her latent PK and spirit guide thing, but those looked big enough to kill someone.
Did you guys know Matsuzaki was a nurse? I just found out! She's also only twenty-three! I seriously thought she was thirty... What was up with the crack about how young Naru is by comparison if the age difference is only a year wider than Naru and Mai's?
And now for questions- There were a lot, so I shortened them. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! I loved all the tips to help with Harry's character and interactions, they were a huge help!
Tigergirl1723:
I'm excited for the next update! I love this series already and I'm excited that you are adding harry potter t the mix. Will this be a slash? If it is will it be a naru/harry or lin/harry? If you already pointed this out I apologize for asking again but I can't find where you might have said it was. Can't wait for the next chapter.
Thank you very much, and I'm glad you're enjoying this! I'm not completely tossing out romance, but I'm leaning on a no. If it does become romance, it won't be with either Naru or Lin. Naru's underage and Lin is way too emotionally closed off for me to try taking a stab at pairing him. Feel free to ask any questions, it's no problem.
ChoralMusic:
Will Harry learn any ofuda (Japanese runes/charms/spells/seals specifically having to do with spirits), or will only Ayako use them in her protection charms?
[...]
Will there be anything from Harry's past coming up (in the literal sense, as in them meeting again), or the Japanese Ministry of Magic?
I like how you made Harry and John so far three-dimensional characters; they're much more real/human than other writers portray them.
Wow this review is long...
Great question! Harry will not learn Ofuda, I'm planning on magic-ing up his runes as he learns more about spirits but this is still the strictly European interpretation. That's for my own sake, sufficiently researching Ofuda looks really hard haha!
It's always been a pet peeve of mine when a crossover mixes both elements evenly. I think it gets too cluttered. We might get a quick visit with his friends. But that's all I'm aiming for.
Thank you very much, I wish there was more John love in the fandom, he's such a sweet guy.
Detectivegirl21:
How did I not find this before? I adore ghost hunt crossovers. I'm really glad you made John so observant, I always feel like he never gets enough attention. On the subject of abuse victims, most of them have a tendency to keep to themselves and try not to upset a group (Harry defends his opinion but doesn't outright say there are no ghosts.) they will also act differently to things. Ex, Harry stiffening up when touched, or hugged. John and Naru will pick up on that fast!
[...]
Also does Harry wear gloves to cover the marks of Umbitch's torture sessions? Cause if the others see it they'll probably freak out. Can't wait to see how you're gunna try to keep him tied to Japan, oh and the mother-henning that's coming with the next case. And wow this really went on for a while. Why do my reviews always do that . . . . . . . . ?
I kept the first half of your review in because those are some fantastic suggestions for not just the plot, but descriptions like body language! I'm trying to incorporate them right now because they're amazing, thanks so much! Harry doesn't wear gloves because the scars aren't immediately obvious.
Oh yes... the mother-henning. I'm honestly torn between putting him in the case from Day 1 just for him to hover like an angry bear over Ayami for a couple of days, or later on so the plot's less leisurely. Opinion?
And that's it! Feel free to ask any more questions, you guys are great!