Warning for violence, trauma, magical illness/sensory overload.

Chapter Seven - The Color Red

Blaise had never seen Draco so silent before.

Draco was usually loud. Sometimes belligerent surely, but mostly loud and used to power. He made his points clear, his position clear. If you doubted it, you wished you were dead. Or you were more powerful, but nobody spoke about that.

This Draco was silent, expression stormy and exhausted.

Every fourth year gave him a wide berth as much as possible. Even the Gryffindors who hated him so much, but that could be argued as due to simple exhaustion. Following that display of clear superiority, the professor had proceeded to drive them into the ground. They had run and run, done jumping jacks and push ups, stretches and sit ups. Anything that could be considered physical exertion she had done to them in small bits. And to any non-quidditch player, any non-pro duelist, it was like your first time swimming after not doing it in years.

And she had not threatened them once afterwards. Then again, she hadn't quite threatened anyone at all. She had pointed out a very simple fact, something no one cared to mention. Something no one wanted to think about.

A great many things if he thought about it.

Some part of him, the part that was distant from his mother's seven different rich husbands and the land they were buried under, was angry. Angry that a teacher had betrayed the expectation of not harming a student, that the Noble education that his family and families before him in the end was dismissed like a leaf in the wind.

But this was someone from a faraway country who did far away things. Mahoutokoro, from his reading, only separated by year and by ability. And they started so young the idea of houses was laughable at best. She would not understand. The Houses determined goals and objectives, left inclinations. They taught you who your friends were, in the end.

But why? A little voice whispered. Isn't that your job?

They were children, of course not.

His thoughts were cut off by the door opening to the common room and Tsukino Yuki walking inside. Her cane tapped the ground as always, sweeping the room with sound. Ever since Friday, it was the only sound she made in her House. Even though every eye was on her, she walked steadily towards her dorm room, just as she had done every day so far.

However, the sound caused Malfoy to look up. There was a nasty, hurt, angry gleam in his eyes.

"Tsukino." His voice was currently a hoarse whisper, grey eyes ferocious and wild.

"Bastardize my name again, you filthy animal and I'll shove my cane between your legs," the girl replied, voice as bored as his acidic. "What? Did my sister make you have to sweat? Did you get threatened?" Her voice was clear and loud. Unlike Draco, who had preferred a low whisper, for once, she let her voice carry. After all, only the second years had not been in lessons and they were in now. She did not have to lie or even care. They all knew their place? "Did you all get to hear how silly you all are?"

"Your sister humiliated me." Theodore's voice came out through grit teeth. He was still too terrified to actually do anything but then, that was a given.

Tsukino shrugged. "I'm sure you deserved it. Going to gang up on me too? Make an example of me for your wounded pride?" She continued her trek. "Get over yourself. I've met worse than you."

"Do they not teach mudbloods respect in your school?" Draco was reaching. He was trying so hard and he had to know it. No one knew her blood status. "Do they not teach you honor or glory or the importance of blood? You are allowed to disgrace magic itself?"

Yuki paused. She turned her head. "My home taught us to live so those things someday could matter. Not to be complacent because my family had a friend in a high place. That friend won't last."

"She attacked us!" Draco interrupted. "Turned all those fools against us."

"You all have had years to do that!" Tsukino had started to tremble. Draco began to smirk, but it faded at the fury in those eyes that were somehow locked on him. "Years and years! Of calling people mudbloods! Of rubbing money in people's faces! Of going six on one on children!" She strode over to him and swung her cane so hard into Malfoy's face despite the foot of height difference, they all heard the shattering sound of cone. She then turned on Nott, who wisely started to back away. But he wasn't fast enough to stop her from jabbing the dull item in hard enough into his to draw blood.

"Your families have had years of watching people murder! Years of jinxing and cursing and harming others! You people! Them out there! And for what?! What is this for? Nothing! I have read so many of your books and there is! No! Reason!"

Tsukino' voice was growing higher, almost distorting with some rage. It was somehow louder than the strangled voice of pain. "Just a bunch of bodies! A bunch of starving abused orphans! Is your money saving you now? Is it making your blood any less red, Nott?" She cast her eyes around to all of them.

Tears lingered there.

She stabbed her cane on the ground. It squelched. "My sister is a hero," she declared with fury. "She saved my home. She saved me, she does not have to be here, teaching you ungrateful, sheltered brats. And she is. So you respect her the same way you want me to respect that arrogant greaseball! Then maybe we'll get somewhere! Before your new stock of eleven year olds dies because you're proud, like your parents before you!"

She turned and strode sharply away. Parkinson was already near Draco, sobbing over him. He tried not to roll his eyes but winced. His face looked terrible. half of it purpling and the one visible eye bloodshot.

Blaise looked around the room. Everyone was trying to ignore the frantic whimpers and sobbing sounds. Some were whispering. Blaise let his gaze fall to Daphne Greengrass, one of the few of their year who looked relatively well off from their exertion.

He went to her. "You saw everything?"

She nodded, lips pursed. Few people enjoyed the physical violence.

"Can you give a neutral report on them to Madam Pomfrey?"

Daphne hesitated. "Certainly. However…"

"You can also lie. He did walk himself into that one." Blaise couldn't be fussed. But there was no way they, as a house, could let this slip out. Everyone could see the separation already. "Mind if I borrow your sister?"

"I… suppose not." Daphne frowned. "Zabini, that girl is dangerous."

"So am I." He smiled. So is my family. "But she is more like us than we think. Her sister is family. We protect family. And we have not. If we do not cull her…" He left the rest unspoken.

Daphne bowed her head. Then she turned and called her sister.

Thank god for Neutrals.

She hadn't even gotten to her own door, Blaise had found. Tsukino curled in front of it like a cat. Her cane was clutched tight in her hand, more like a weapon than what canes were used for. "Stay away."

Despite what he expected, her tight voice was controlled, each layer of fury simmering close.

Astoria looked at him, her grey eyes soft and wide and horrified.

"I'm not getting any closer, Yuki." Blaise kept his voice quiet. "Just wanted to talk."

"They won't kick me out." Her muffled words were punctuated with a laugh. "They need me here. He wants to wave his money, he can do better than that."

"They?" Blaise sat on his robe for the second time that day, motioning for Astoria to do the same. She did, bewilderment twisting her soft face.

"They." Yuki laughed. "You. Us. Doesn't matter. I'll come out of this. I have to. They need me to be unwelcome. To complete my mission." She paused. She lifted her head, eyes resting on Astoria, who flinched. "Did you know there's a curse on you?"

Astoria's jaw dropped and Blaise's eyebrow quirked. "How did you know?" Demanded the second year. "Who told you?"

"I can see it." Yuki rolled her shoulders. "I can see magic."

And with that sentence, so much fell into place.

"That is a disease!" Blaise quickly lowered his voice before it could echo. "The sheer amount of information from that is deadly. It's caused Obscurial after Obscurial in pureblooded children!" It was a dirty little secret in pureblood circles. There was no suppression of normal magic,but seeing everyone else's was considered animalistic. His mother scoffed at such, of course, but that was his mother, who had won her place with fear and not money.

"Has it?" Yuki laughed once more. "Well. I guess I'll just have to assume I'm not one of those, seeing as I'm still here."

"The headmaster needs to know," Blaise continued. "you're not safe here!"

"Who cares?"

"Anyone who rearranges Malfoy's face gets my love and testimony," Blaise replied with a crooked grin. Then he sobered. "You're going to keep suffering here. You should withdraw."

Yuki shook her head blearily. "Can't. Nee- She'll be alone in a school of people and unable to check on me. I need to be here. I have things to learn."

"I don't know," Astoria said, breaking from her shock. "If you can already break bones you've got a good skill set if your sister is anything to go by."

"Did she threaten people in your class too?" Blaise couldn't help but ask as Yuki chortled.

Astoria raised an eyebrow. "Of course not," she replied drily. "We had manners."

"You're just like your sister sometimes," Blaise mused before lunging to grab Yuki as she wobbled in her ball. "Merlin, you're light."

"Leggo I'm fine," she grumbled.

"Uh-huh." He hefted her up. "Where's your sister's office?"

Yuki told him and barely even squirmed as Blaise and Astoria trooped through.

People hissed at them.

"Traitor," grumbled one.

Astoria looked at her fellow second years, huddled around the first years and nodded her head to them.

Yuki raised her head and growled.

Blaise watched every one of them freeze and barely avoided dropping her himself.

"Werewolf," whispered a fifth year in horror.

Yuki cackled. "You wish. They're dangerous one day a month. I always will be."

Astoria smacked her on the arm. "Not dangerous right now."

Yuki tilted her head towards her as Blaise felt Daphne prepare to pounce. Then she grinned.

"I think Zabini's looks are all he has going for him so I'll save them so I never need them described to me."

Blaise coughed and Astoria sniggered. It was so unladylike someone else laughed.

He was just happy she didn't look ready to cry again. He wasn't good with crying.

"You can… See my curse?"

Astoria had not asked about it until now, far into the corridors and close to the rooms they needed to go into. The halls were empty. Most people were still down at dinner, barring the Slytherins likely spreading rumors. So much for that, we solve our own problems internally thing.

Yuki nodded. She had eventually just stopped moving much. "I can see that it's all over your blood vessels. It's in your sister's too, but it's paler there. It might need a priest or a cleansing… no idea. Uncle would know."

Blaise tilted his head. The curse of the Greengrass family was an unlucky unkept secret, and the only reason that they were still a well to-do family was because of their blood and money and how every female Greengrass seemed to persuade men they were turkeys in political fields. "You have an Unle who deals with curses?"

"I have Uncles who deal with procreation," Yuki said with a shrug. "But also a priest. My papa's uncle by distant marriage apparently does curses for a living and curse breaking." She paused. "Potter's up ahead."

"Potter?" Astoria tensed up beside him, as all people close to the ear of Malfoy did, as all who knew the threats of the Dark Lord did.

"Are there any other gits with curses on their heads in this school?" Yuki shifted. "Why the hell is he sitting outside my sister's office?"

Blaise really wanted to know how she had his exact position mapped out but then he turned the corner. Good, because his arms were going to hurt.

Sure enough, the starry Gryffindor was sitting on his robe, scratching away on parchment. He looked up from a spare and stared at them, squinting a little.

"Yuki!" He sprang to his feet when he caught on, as heroes do and Blaise was filled with the briefest flare of envy. When had this happened? When had that clearly drawn line been smudged?

Potter strode up to them, small form full of its own divine fury. He was a little specky, now that Blaise was really looking. Like he'd just gotten some meat on his bones. "What happened?" he demanded, green eyes too big and too drawn. "Someone else decide to try and use her for a chew toy too?"

"Malfoy and Nott tried," Astoria didn't have to sound quite so defensive, but then she was twelve and used to the onslaught of Slytherin loathing that existed. "She broke Malfoy's face. And Nott's leg."

"I didn't break his leg. Just severely damaged tendons and muscle tissue." Yuki was grinning a little. "Among other things."

"Don't need to sound so happy about it," Blaise muttered, finally setting her down. "Anyway, she's suffering from magic influx from seeing every last bloody bit of it in the castle so we figured we'd bring her to the professor who can do… whatever she's doing here." He crossed his arms and glowered at Potter now. "And you?"

Potter's cheeks flushed and his fist clenched tight around his wand. "I wanted to talk about today's lesson," he said simply. "Ron and Hermione are… well, they're arguing about it and I got a headache."

Too honest. Blaise shoved that thought away immediately and focused on the fact that Potter was expecting something bad to happen. "Fair," he finally said with a shrug as Yuki sat down on the floor. "I have some questions too. Let us wait together, shall me?"

"You don't have to," Yuki commented. "You're just going to hear me get cursed out in Japanese."

All three of them looked at each other. Then, smiling ever so slightly, Astoria countered, "Friends are for hearing friends get sworn at."

Yuki, of all things, blushed.

By the time Professor Tsukino came back to her office, they were playing a muggle version of hangman.