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Chosen Ones
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Chapter 3 – Returned
Tatsumi was taking a last walk around town. In the morning, she was to leave for Britain and would be gone until Christmas. She would miss this place, though she was looking forward to seeing Draco again, and find out if the other two were there as well. Tatsumi expected all four would be gathered at Hogwarts, but Magic had never specifically said they would, which was making her slightly nervous.
*Ceramic shatters!*
The sound made Tatsumi stop mid step and look up ahead. What she saw made her see red. She had always had great respect for the dead, but after being raised by Shinigami that respect had taken on a whole new level. Ahead of her, a group of punks – two boys and two girls – wasn't sharing her sentiment, however, as they simply laughed as a homemade flowerpot laid smashed on the ground whiles the ghost of a very young boy was crying nearby.
*Snarl!*
The tallest of the two boys calmly turned his head towards the noise, expecting a dog or something, but was rewarded with a fist to the face, breaking his nose and sending him flying.
"The fuck are you doing?! You wanna die, you little bitch!?" The smaller boy yelled angrily waving his fist at her threateningly.
Tatsumi twisted around with another snarl as her eyes slit in anger, and she was sure the boy got a glimpse of her claws as she landed a kick to his groin so hard that his eyes rolled back in his head, when the pain registered, causing his body flumped forward as he fell to the ground.
"Aaah! It's a monster!" One of the two girls screamed.
"Let's get out of here!" The other yelled.
However, before they could run away, Tatsumi grabbed the backs of their clothing and slammed them both to the ground facing the memorial.
"You call me a monster?" Tatsumi said calmly. Her teeth were bared and her eyes shadowed menacingly. "Yet you're the ones who destroy a grieving family's memorial. Why?"
"Oh come on!" One of the girls yelled as if she'd done nothing wrong. "If they really missed the brat they would've put down something more than an ugly-ass pot!"
Tatsumi was standing on their backs now, pinning them to the ground before she grabbed the two girls by the hair and forced them to look at the memorial.
"Let me get this straight." Tatsumi said ominously. "You destroyed a memorial for a dead little child, because you thought the flowerpot was ugly?!"
The other girl whimpered, and the first one was frozen in terror as Tatsumi lifted a clawed hand seemingly towards her. She closed her eyes, but nothing happened as Tatsumi used her hands to gather the shards before puzzling them together. Once done, one pile showed the imprint of a small child's hand was clearly visible along with the name of the dead child. Another pile showed a much larger handprint, most likely from one of the child's parents.
"You see that?" Tatsumi said angrily. "That is a symbol; a happy memory shared by a parent and their child, frozen in time. So while the pot may not be a piece of art, it was made with love. This pot may be worthless to you, but to the family who put it here, it is invaluable."
Neither girl said anything. The other girl was sobbing, while the first one was wisely keeping her mouth shut, though whether it was because she'd realized what she'd done, or simply realized that mouthing off wasn't going to save her, Tatsumi didn't know.
"Say you're sorry." Tatsumi ordered.
"I'm sorry." The other girl whimpered sincerely.
Tatsumi let her go and she scrambled to her feet and ran away crying. However, the remaining girl hadn't said anything. Tatsumi pinned her harder to the ground, causing her to cry out in pain. "I didn't hear you." She growled.
"I'm sorry." The girl whimpered weakly.
"I can't hear you." Tatsumi growled.
"I'm sorry!" The girl said louder.
"LOUDER!" Tatsumi demanded.
"I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!" The girl cried.
Tatsumi looked at her. "… Good enough." She said letting go and straightened up.
The girl didn't dare move at first, then she slowly glanced back only to be met with a glare that almost made her soil herself.
"Don't ever do it again." Tatsumi said ominously. "NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT OR THE NEXT MEMORIAL WILL BE FOR YOU!"
The girl screamed in terror and ran for her life.
Tatsumi was still fuming as the ghost of the little boy reappeared by the light pole, still crying. She forced herself to calm down, letting her eyes and canines to return to normal before she turned to the ghost and kneeled down before gently petting the boy on the head.
"Don't cry, little one." She said softly.
The boy sniffed and looked up at her with teary eyes, so she gave him a reassuring smile. "Wanna see a magic-trick." She asked.
The boy sniffed and nodded as he wiped his eyes. Tatsumi smiled and stood, pulling out her wand; 11 inches, Yew (AN 1), with Phoenix Feather and a handle of red, jewel-quality obsidian with an avian design. A simple repairing-spell and the flowerpot was as good as new. The ghost was amazed and smiled as he hugged her, thanking her. Tatsumi smiled and ruffled his hair as she kneeled down to his level.
"Hurry up and go to heaven now, okay?" She said. "Your parents will worry about you if you stay here."
The boy blinked and frowned sadly. "But, then I won't be able to see them anymore." He argued weakly.
"You may be able to see them, but they can't see you." Tatsumi explained. "Isn't it better to know they're comforted by the thought that you're in a safe place? There are monsters coming by here every so often; I'm not sure if you've seen them."
The boy looked at the ground "I have seen them, but someone always comes and destroys them." He said. "Can't I stay here? Just for a little bit longer?"
"The longer you stay here the more likely you are to be found by the monsters." Tatsumi explained. She looked at his Chain of Fate; it was already disturbingly short. "Normally, I wouldn't say this, but your chain so short, I feel I have to warn you." She looked the boy straight in the eyes. "The monsters you see were once ghosts like you. The longer you stay here, the more your chain corrodes away, and, once it's gone, you become one of them."
"You mean…!" The boy exclaimed in shock. "Is that why there aren't any other ghosts around?!"
Tatsumi nodded solemnly. "Shinigami are normally very good at making sure ghosts pass on, but I bet you've been hiding from them, haven't you?" She teased slightly.
The boy blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." He said. "I won't hide anymore."
Tatsumi petted him on the head again. "Would you like me to help you pass on?" She asked.
The boy looked at her in surprise. "You can do that?" He asked.
Tatsumi smirked playfully. "My family's special." She said. "So, will you let me?"
The boy nodded. Tatsumi pulled out what at first appeared to be another wand, this one looking more like a miniature walking stick with a rounded head and a rather sharp looking wand-tip. Tatsumi gently tapped the rounded end on the boys' forehead, performing a perfect Konso, and sending the boy to Soul Society.
o000o
"I'm home!" Tatsumi announced as she walked into the house, having removed her sandals already, and put on her slippers as her grandfather flew at her… literally.
"MY PRECIOUS LITTLE PRINCESS IS HOME SAFELY!" He yelled. "I WAS SO WORRI-*bam!*!"
Catching her grandfather's face with her foot, Tatsumi threw the man to the ground and walked right over him to join the rest of her family in the dining room.
"You're late, Tatsu-chan." Karin said in an annoyed tone. "You know how Goatface gets when you miss your curfew."
"Sorry, Aunt Karin." Tatsumi said sitting down by the table. "I had something I had to do."
"Another ghost or another group of punks?" Karin asked almost bored while Yuzu served dinner.
"Both." Tatsumi answered, taking the bowl of rice that Yuzu handed her.
"Speaking of ghost." Yuzu said pointing to something behind Tatsumi. "You have another one."
"Huh?" Tatsumi asked and looked over her shoulder to see the ghost of a man appear behind her. "Oh, you got to be kidding me!" She groaned and got out of her chair trying to chase away the ghost.
Karin rolled her eyes at the all too regular occurrence while the others shared sheepish looks; "Just like her father, ne Ichi-nii? (AN 2)" She teased her brother.
"DON'T WORRY, TATSU-HIME!" Isshin suddenly appeared out of nowhere holding a bottle of holy-water and a cross. "GRAND-DADDY WILL RESCUE YOU FROM THE MEAN GHOST!" He popped the cork of the bottle and started squirting it everywhere. "BEGONE SPIRIT!"
Nearly everyone shared an 'Oh boy, there he goes again'-look while Yuzu just smiled sheepishly and Ichigo face-palmed. "The guy's a captain-class Ex-Shinigami, and he still does things like this." He muttered.
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(London, Kings Cross, Platform 9 ¾)
"Did you take your medicine, Tatsumi-chan?" Orihime asked her daughter as her husband was loading the girl's luggage into the baggage-compartment of the Hogwarts Express.
"Yes, mom, I didn't forget!" Tatsumi snapped half-heartedly as it was the tenth time she'd been asked that question. "I have it my shoulder-bag, and I'll just take another dose if I need it."
Having retained both her memories and her magic, her Motion Sickness had followed as well. Luckily, Kisuke was able to make a special medication for her.
"Remember to eat something as you do." Orihime cautioned.
"I will!" Tatsumi assured her. "Don't worry!"
Orihime pulled are daughter into a crushing hug. "Oh, my baby, I'm going to miss you so much!" She cried.
"Mooom!" Tatsumi whined, causing her father to laugh and ruffle her hair.
"Remember to write often, Little Dragon." He said grinning. "Otherwise your mother will raid the castle after the first week."
Tatsumi would've laughed, if not for the fact that her mother had nearly panicked after just three days when her older brother, Kazui, had gone to college; so instead she gave her father a deadpanned look. "I'm counting on you to keep her calm." She told him causing him to laugh even harder.
Tatsumi then spotted yet another familiar face. "That's…" She said and ducked out of her mother's grip and headed straight for a girl who had just arrived.
o0o
Lily Moon was the only child born to an older couple, but, rather than bringing a long awaited happiness to her parents, her birth had been the end of their happiness. Her blue hair had sparked a rage within her father, whom had immediately accused his wife of cheating on him. Even after a blood-test confirmed she was his child, the damage caused could never be repaired, and her mother had fallen ill and died while Lily was still very young. The Healers had never discovered the cause of the sudden illness, but some said her mother died from heartbreak, caused by being so violently rejected by her husband.
Discovering that she was a 'Returned', did nothing to help Lily's relationship with her father, especially seeing as she had retained the quirk of referring to herself in third person, and refused to lose her old name; Juvia. Lord Moon had eventually been forced to add 'Juvia' as a middle name for his daughter, adding to his bad mood. As a result, Juvia grew up with a father that was no better than a stranger; he rarely spoke to her, and he forced her to sit on the opposite end of the table, which was built for a large family, and she sat on the side so he didn't have to look directly at her. It made Juvia want to apologize to Lucy – who'd had a very similar childhood – for having been so mean to her.
Then, there was the rain. Not once, in this new life, had Juvia seen anything but rain or snow; reminding her of her past incarnation. She'd tried focusing on happy memories, hoping to lighten her mood and bring the sun out again, but every time she tried she was always reminded of the fact that she had lost everything that made her previous life happy. Her current life was, in some ways, even worse than her previous one had been, before she joined Fairy Tail. Her father never let her go beyond the manor-grounds, and she had no friends because her father restricted her so much. He knew she was the cause of the constant rain centered on their property, and it shamed him to the point where she nearly wasn't allowed to attend Hogwarts; he had wanted her to have private tutoring instead, but the man he had attempted to hire realized the connection between the rain and Juvia's depression, and convinced him otherwise.
That being said, Juvia was here alone. Her father was too 'busy' to escort her to the train. Juvia doubted he would've even told her where to go, and how to get there, had she not asked. She felt so lost. She didn't want a repeat of her previous childhood, but she had no idea how to avoid it; not with the rain that followed her. Maybe one of the professors would be able to help her? No healer had been able to, so far.
Suddenly, a pair of arms was around her; someone was hugging her, and her eyes widened as she recognized the pink hair. "Natsu-san…" She whispered in disbelief, and she was crying before it even properly dawned on her; she wasn't alone.
"It's been a while, ne Juvia?" Tatsumi said as the other held onto the girl for dear life.
"Juvia was so lonely." Juvia said between sobs. "Juvia really thought she was here alone."
"You're never alone." Tatsumi told her. "As long as you bear the Fairy Tail Crest; we'll be with you no matter where you are."
Juvia nodded and attempted to compose herself. She took the handkerchief that was offer to her by Orihime and dried her eyes.
"There." Orihime said comfortingly. "Are you okay now?"
Juvia sniffed, wiping her nose, and nodded before finally noticing something was different about her friend. "Natsu-san, you're…" She said.
Tatsumi raised an eyebrow and smirked in amusement. "Thanks for finally noticing." She teased, causing Juvia to blush slightly.
"You two should hurry up." Orihime said leading the girls towards the train, which was about to leave, though she did make sure to introduce herself and reassure Juvia that her luggage was already onboard thanks to her husband.
Tatsumi dragged Juvia to a nearby compartment and the two waved goodbye from the window as the train started moving. Once her parents were out of sight, Tatsumi again grabbed Juvia's hand and lead her through the train.
"Come on, let's go find Lyon." She said.
"L-Lyon…?" Juvia stuttered in surprise. She had just warmed up to the thought of letting him court her, when they were killed, so the revelation that he was there with them made her heart beat just a little bit faster.
They found him rather quickly. He was half shielding a certain other blue-haired Fairy Tail Mage, dressed in a bright, orange summer-dress, against a pug-faced girl who was flanked by the two ugliest boys Tatsumi had ever laid eyes on.
"Dracie!" The pug-faced girl whined like a brat. "You can't possibly be choosing a blue-haired freak of a mudblood over me!"
The hallway instantly froze over. "I suggest you watch your tongue before I freeze it, Parkinson." Draco said. His glare was absolutely frightening. "Don't forget; you lost a toe the last time you used that word in my presence."
"She's going to lose more than that if she uses it again." Tatsumi said, giving the girl an evil, fanged grin as she walked closer.
Flames danced in her eyes and in a flash, all the ice was gone, making the hallway feel more a sauna. The pug-faced girl screamed at the sudden change in temperature, her eyes wide in terror. Losing her smallest toe to frostbite was one thing, but being burned by fire was another. Her precious hair could be singed, her perfect skin could be ruined, and her beauty could be permanently disfigured!
"Stay away from me, you fiend!" The pug-faced girl yelled, leaping away.
The two mini-trolls took this as sign to step in and cracked their knuckles ominously. Tatsumi just tilted her head as her grin widened playfully; an excited giggle escaped her, but she made no move towards them. The mini-trolls suddenly looked unsure; like prey sensing the presence of a predator.
"What are you two idiots waiting for?!" The pug-faced girl yelled, prompting the two mini-trolls to attack.
However, in a second flat, they were both on the floor. No one except Tatsumi had bothered to move, and not a wand was in sight. Seeing her two brutes on the ground, the pug-faced girl panicked.
"Just wait until I sic the prefects on you!" She yelled and turned to run, but instead she bumped right into one of said prefects; a Slytherin who was not amused by the thought of being manipulated by a bratty first-year who had yet to earn her place.
"And how, if I may ask, would a first-year 'sic' a prefect on them?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"U-Um…" The girl stuttered frightened.
The prefect scoffed at her and turned to Draco. "Perhaps you can enlighten me as to how this started?" He asked.
"Parkinson doesn't agree with my choice of friends and decided to take offense." Draco said. "Then, she made the mistake of siccing her brutes on the wrong person."
"I could see that." The prefect snarked and returned his attention to Parkinson. "Because you're first-years, I can't take any points from you until you're sorted, but I will be taking note of your names so that your future Head of Houses can deal with you later. I recognize Parkinson, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, but not the others." He looked at the girl Draco had been shielding, silently asking her to introduce herself.
"Hermione Granger, Sir." The girl said bowing slightly to be polite.
"Muggleborn?" The prefect asked trying not to show his surprise. 'Granger' was not a wizard-name, yet a Malfoy of all people was helping her.
"Yes, sir." Granger said.
The prefect studied her, but quickly noticed Draco's glare and wisely chose to move on. Like Granger, the other two girls introduced themselves without a verbal question.
"Tatsumi Kurosaki." Tatsumi said eyeing him; she hadn't liked the way he had looked at Levy, and she was silently daring him to say something.
Juvia was far more polite. "Lily Juvia Moon, Sir." She said bowing politely.
"Kurosaki?" The prefect repeated. "As in…"
"That's right." Tatsumi said dismissively.
The prefect wisely changed the subject. "Very well." He said. "I take it the four of you will behave yourselves?" It wasn't really a question, but Draco nodded anyway. "Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle; the three of you will come with me."
As the three were led away, Draco opened an empty compartment and the others went inside. 'Levy' and Tatsumi took the window seats and Juvia sat next to Tatsumi. Closing the door behind him, Draco pulled out his wand – 10 Inches, 'reasonably springy', Hawthorn with Unicorn hair and a silver handle – and threw up some privacy wards to make sure they weren't disturbed. He then took the seat next to 'Levy'.
"Well, that was interesting." A new voice said, causing everyone but Tatsumi to tense.
Instead, Tatsumi greeted the ghostly image that had joined them. "Hey Maggie." She said happily.
Magic smiled at her and returned the greeting, causing the others to relax in realization that the woman was a friend. "I'm sorry for scaring you, Young Ones." Magic said. "However, I felt I should explain myself to you for tearing you away from your previous lives before your time."
"I was wondering why we all remembered." Draco said. "Are you a God then?"
Magic smiled. "Not quite, Little One." She said. "I am Magic, a Divine Power, and we are much different from Gods. Normally you would not be able to see me, aside Tatsu-chan, who carries the blood of a Soul Reaper, and hence able to see my ethereal form. To show myself to the rest of you, I have projected an image of magical energy."
"So, what is it that you want with us?" 'Levy', now Hermione, asked. She was not happy to have been killed shortly after her wedding day.
"Tatsu-chan will be able to give you the details of your mission, so I will keep this short." Magic said. "Little over a century from now, mundane technology will reach a point where it is capable of detecting magic, and the wizard world will be discovered. Unfortunately, the wizards' views on Mundanes will make it rather impossible to maintain peace, and a war will break out; a war that will not end until the planet is left barren of all life. That is what you need to prevent."
In shock, the three turned to Tatsumi, hoping that it was a joke, but Tatsumi's serious expression told them otherwise.
"How?" Juvia asked. "How are we supposed to prevent such a thing?"
"By changing the wizard world while there's still time." Magic said. "Magic is not supposed to be divided by something as ridicules as 'Light' and 'Dark', everything has a balance to it and wizards are destroying it by using such idiotic terms. Magic is not good or evil; it's all about intent. Wizards are ignorant, both to their own nature, and to Mundanes; both of those have to change."
"Is it really that bad?" Hermione asked nervously.
Draco scoffed. "Wizards seem to lack anything remotely resembling common sense." He said. "Truth is, many neutral or light wizards who claim to be pro-muggles are so ignorant that they think muggles are cavemen still. They think muggles are no more intelligent than apes, and therefore no possible threat to wizards whatsoever."
"And it's that mentality that made wizards so hostile in the future." Magic said. "Having those beliefs so utterly and thoroughly shattered had frightened them. They went from believing they were on the top of the food chain, to realizing they were at the bottom of it; and people like your father weren't taking that news sitting down."
"But, why us?" Hermione asked. "I mean; I can understand why Natsu was chosen, but why me?"
"Because of the roles you're playing." Magic said smiling at her before she motioned for the group to look around at each other. "What do you see when you look at each other?" She asked. "Fellow mages. People who died defending the future Queen of Fiore. You see friends and colleagues, though not all off you are from the same guild, nor are all of you human, but, to you, that has no say. But, what does the outside see when they look at you?"
Magic motioned to Draco. "You have a pureblood from a Dark family." She said, then motioned to Juvia. "You have a pureblood from a Neutral family." She then motioned to Tatsumi. "You have the half-blood 'Girl-Who-Lived', a beacon of Light and savior of the wizard world. And, finally." She motioned to Hermione. "You have a mundaneborn witch who knows nothing of the wizard world. A witch at the bottom of the food-chain."
"All walks of life." Hermione summarized in realization. "One from every category in which wizards have divided their people."
Magic nodded. "In addition, you each have been put into a role where you are able to make a difference." She said. "Draco's father was, and will be again in the future, the Dark Lord's right-hand man. Tatsu-chan has the people standing behind her, awaiting guidance. Hermione will be a source of inspiration for other mundaneborn witches and wizards. And Juvia, is your shadow; a guard that is invisible, listening and watching."
"You're saying the Dark Lord isn't dead?" Draco asked shocked.
"He is not." Magic said. "Though he is not quite living either. Right now he is possessing one of your professors at Hogwarts, but do not act on this just yet. The outcome of the war is not your concern, though it is a factor. Your job is to show people that there is no such thing as light or dark; the world consists of shades of grey. Unfortunately, this means that both Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore are now your enemies, and both need to be neutralized for you to succeed. Albus Dumbledore is fated to die before the war fully breaks; an event that will demoralize the wizard world unless you can prevent it. In previous timelines, Dumbledore's death caused many to give up fighting, and as a result many died, leaving their children to take their place on the battlefield."
"That's terrible." Juvia said horrified.
"So, basically we're entering the war as a third side fighting against both the light and dark." Draco summarized. "Changing the wizard world will be easier if we're the ones that come out as the victors of the war, but how do we do that without getting people killed?"
"You cannot save everyone." Magic said sadly. "But, you can give them a choice to fight. In previous timelines, the Final Battle of the war is fought on Hogwarts grounds. With the exception of Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix, the fighters were all students, battling against Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. There were no Aurors, no back-up from the rest of the wizard world; just inexperienced students of Hogwarts against experienced murderers; many who had fought in the last war, after which they had their hearts frozen in Azkaban."
"So, we need to take control of the students." Draco said. "That won't be easy."
"It will be easier than you think." Magic said proudly. "Many events will come together to act in your favor; your defense professors especially due to the Curse on the position. I advice you to take advantage of this as soon as possible. Once the students are loyal to you; changing the world will be easier. Future Ministers will be in that school along with future Aurors, Healers and Teachers; and you will be there to show them the way, just by being yourselves."
"But, how will we reach all the houses?" Hermione asked.
Magic smiled. "Think about it." She said. "Which house will you be in? The girl who loves books and enjoys studying for fun. Which house will the ambitious ice-prince be in? Or the loud, brawl-loving girl? And what about the girl who values friendship above all else?"
"One in each house, huh?" Draco said smirking. "That'll be interesting."
Magic returned the smirk, but was forced to leave shortly after, leaving Tatsumi to answer questions. The revelation that they would be allowed to return to Earthland once their mission was complete, significantly lightened their mood, but being back in time was confusing; seeing as their past selves were still alive, and would be for years. Conflicted, they discussed the battle that had killed them, and what the consequences were if they interfered. The most important one being completely ruining Magic's plan by preventing their own deaths; which they all agreed they couldn't do, no matter how much they wanted to. Their mission was too important; after all, the Divine Powers wouldn't have gone through all the trouble if it wasn't.
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Author's Notes:
1) Tatsumi's wand is a Twin to Voldemort's; this is because I think Yew (at least what I read from Ollivander's notes on Wand-woods) fits her character better than Holly.
2) The Japanese "ne" translates as "right?", "huh?", or "isn't it?"; it can be put at the end of a sentence to create sort of question. It can also be used where one would say 'you know?' or 'don't you think?' as it essentially asks for agreement or confirmation.