Despite the tumultuous conflicts they had run into in the course of their friendship, it seemed now that the six teenagers were closer than ever. Christmas was fast approaching, bringing with it the joyous anticipation of holidays, presents, and parties. It was almost impossible to quench the irrepressible Christmas spirit that permeated the air, and as the teachers rushed to hopelessly cram some last bits of knowledge into the heads of their excited students, it was difficult to dwell on anything.
"Are you lot going back to Japan for your holidays?" Dean Thomas asked merrily, thumping Yuki on the shoulder. "Or will you be staying to see a real English Christmas?"
"What about you, Dean?" Seamus said. "Going home to see your mam?"
Dean grinned back. "Of course. Where else would I get a proper Christmas dinner?"
His question was, of course, somewhat jesting. The handful of students who would be remaining at Hogwarts for the holidays had a resplendent Christmas feast to look forward to, with merrily crackling fireplaces to doze in front of later, once they were thoroughly stuffed.
Hogwarts spared nothing in the Christmas preparations. Every day, new decorations appeared in the Great Hall, and in certain classrooms. Of course, the Potions dungeon remained as austere as ever, but Professor Flitwick's Charms classroom smelled deliciously of pine and acorns from the multitude of wreaths pinned to the walls and floating merrily in midair. Even Professor McGonagall had allowed a few jolly Christmas ribbons space on her classroom walls.
Of course, with Christmas came the chill air and the last of lessons; snow had settled itself comfortably over the Hogwarts grounds, creating a picturesque scene. Tohru laughed happily whenever she accidentally wandered into the crossfire of a snowball fight, even after taking a snowball or two directly to the head. Kyo, to the surprise and eventual acceptance of his fellow students, turned out to be an invaluable asset in these fights. His superb reflexes combined with his fierce competitiveness meant that Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors alike tried to get him on their teams, often bribing him with food. Yuki, on the other hand, stayed clear of the snowball fights entirely, often shaking his head as he walked past.
"Barbaric, isn't it?" Ernie Macmillan said pompously, seating himself next to Yuki on the stone steps where Yuki was watching yet another vigorous snow war and sipping hot cocoa. Yuki nodded his agreement, grinning. "I never take part in that kind of thing," Ernie continued, shaking his head, "but those ninnies seem to be enjoying themselves, don't they?" His tone was more good-humoured than condescending, and a smile was tugging at the edges of his lips. Yuki liked the Hufflepuffs, Ernie especially. Tohru sometimes walked to class with Ernie's friend Hannah Abbott, a sweet girl with pigtails.
"I'm just making sure Tohru doesn't hurt herself," Yuki said with a smile. "Looks like they've finally roped her into a fight."
Sure enough, with goading and prodding from the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff girls, Tohru had laughingly consented to get in on the fun. She was terrible, there was no doubt about it – a tall, stocky Hufflepuff boy kept stealing her snowballs just after she painstakingly formed them, by pointing his wand and commanding "Accio!" through fits of laughter. Finally, with a determined look on her face, Tohru commanded "Accio!" right back, and her stolen snowball zipped out of the boy's hands and returned to its rightful owner. The boy's expression was briefly startled, before he and several watching students broke into uproarious guffaws.
"So are you her boyfriend, then?" Ernie prodded mischeivously. Yuki spit his cocoa and choked.
"It was a joke!" cried Ernie, thumping Yuki on the back. The pale boy recovered and stopped choking.
"No, no," Yuki said, shaking his head. "It's not like that with Tohru…" he trailed off. "But, is it like that with you and Hannah Abbott?" he fired back with a wicked grin.
"Absolutely not!" said Ernie matter-of-factly. "We're just very good friends, you know. And notice how I didn't choke when you asked me."
"Ha ha," Yuki said drily. They both continued to watch the snowball fight until its end, although no one could quite tell who had won through the screams and laughter.
Harry was finally starting to really register the pileup of homework. He dimly wondered how Hermione could manage to be even more worried than he was – her homework was always done on time and handed back with perfect grades. That fact didn't stop her as she frantically studied in her spare time, after running out of assignments to complete.
"The OWLs are this year, Harry, you've got to take them seriously," she snapped over a large pile of books. "You too, Ron!"
"Oh, Hermione, they're ages away," Ron said, unconcerned. "We're all going to pass, anyways."
"Not at the rate you two have been going!" Hermione glared at them both. Harry slumped miserably in his chair. He didn't even want to think about homework right now.
Later, when they were strolling through the halls (and subtly avoiding Hermione's nagging,) Ron seemed a bit worried.
"You don't suppose we should start studying?" he fretted. "We will pass, won't we?"
"'Course we will," Harry said with false bravado. "If we don't, Hermione will have our skins."
"I bet Yuki's going to ace them," Ron said, a bit enviously. "Maybe even give Hermione a run for her money."
"Yeah," Harry said. "I bet he will. Ron, can we not talk about the OWLs?" He was starting to feel on edge with the whole discussion.
"You bet," Ron agreed heartily.
Hermione was not the only one already worrying about OWLs. They had to be careful to avoid mentioning the exams in Tohru's presence, or it would set her off into a blind panic. Somehow, Yuki had time not only to finish his own homework (and perfectly, to boot) but also to patiently help Tohru with hers. She worked long and hard, but she was only human after all; she lacked the natural scholarly aptitude of Yuki and Hermione, which Harry secretly found a bit comforting. Kyo, on the other hand, seemed to treat homework like a nuisance – he did it when necessary and earned the necessary grades, frustrating his teachers. McGonagall had occasionally made pointed remarks on his potential to do better, which seemed to fly straight over his head.
The odd friendship between Kyo and Ron remained strong, although now Kyo was opening up to Harry and Hermione as well. As they had in the weeks before that fateful Care of Magical Creatures class, the six spent most of their time together, joined increasingly by other Gryffindors and the occasional Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood in particular were quite taken with Tohru, and the sentiment was very much returned. The three often studied or walked to classes together, Luna entertaining them both with mad tales from the Quibbler, delivered in her strange and dreamy voice.
Finally, the last week of class was upon them. Professor Snape seemed to take the holidays as a personal affront, and was determined to squeeze in as much misery as he could before his victims were freed from the Potions dungeon until spring semester. He snapped, glared and hovered over the hapless Gryffindors as they struggled to complete increasingly difficult potion recipes. That, combined with Professor Umbridge's increasing unpleasantness, put something of a pallor over the building holiday excitement.
"Honda," she sing-songed in class one day, a menacing smile on her face. "Would you please recite your answer to the eleventh question found in yesterday's homework?"
"Yes," Tohru replied hastily, beginning to shuffle through her papers in search of the assignment. It had been a particularly nasty one, with answers expected to be in the format of mini-essays. Since English was still not Tohru's strong point, everyone (even Harry and Ron) had helped her as best they could with her grammar and with deciphering the textbook's dull, dry passages.
"Oh, no, no, no, Miss Honda," Umbridge said wickedly, a smug grin on her toadlike face. "Now that wouldn't do, would it? Recite it from memory, please."
A sharp whisper travelled around the classroom. Even for someone without Tohru's difficulties in English, the request was cruel – with answers expected to be at least three paragraphs long, there were very few who could even remember the first half of their answers.
"Ah…" Tohru trailed off, her cheeks turning pink.
"Why?" Seamus Finnigan asked loudly.
"Hem-hem," Umbridge coughed as the class began to whisper. "Mr. Finnigan, I don't know that you're qualified to tell me how to run a class," she said in a sickly sweet tone. "Are you qualified to teach a class, Mr. Finnigan?"
"No, but neither are you," Harry snapped, finally losing his temper. Umbridge turned to him, a scandalized expression on her face.
"Defensive spells are not necessary for anyone other than Aurors employed at the Ministry of Magic," Tohru interrupted, standing up. "In this chapter, we learned about the various defensive spells an Auror might use and the theory behind them," she continued in a strong, clear voice. "Expelliarmus is a beginning spell, but its value must never be under-" she stumbled over the word, then continued. "Under-underestimated. Expelliarmus causes the opponent's wand to fly out of his hand, leaving him effectively weaponless."
The class was stunned to silence – meek Tohru was reciting the homework answers, from memory. Umbridge opened her mouth to berate Harry, but Tohru talked right over her.
"The Expelliarmus spell is, of course, useless to anyone other than an Auror. In the peaceful life of the model magical citizen, there is no need to render anyone wandless," Tohru droned on over Umbridge's protests. Eventually Umbridge gave up and her fat little body heaved itself into her desk chair, where she sat watching Tohru with her beady little eyes.
As Tohru boldly forged on, gaining confidence as she went, the excitement in the class was palpable. Students were stifling laughter and trying to avoid Umbridge's deadly glare. Kyo was grinning wolfishly from ear to ear, his face filled with pride.
Finally Tohru concluded her reading. She smiled politely, bowed to Umbridge, and sat quietly in her seat. There was a long silence.
"Class…is dismissed," Umbridge choked out, her fat face turning a very ugly shade.
When they arrived for lunch in the Great Hall, Tohru was met with a wave of whoops, cheers and applause – the word had spread. She blushed scarlet and nearly dove under the nearest table, but Yuki glanced at the teacher's table – he could have sworn he saw McGonagall raise her glass in Tohru's direction, with just a hint of a smile.
Umbridge was particularly nasty for the remainder of the week, but with Tohru's courageous stand still fresh in everyone's memory, it hardly dampened the current of excitement carrying them all towards the Christmas holidays.
Finally classes were done, and it was decided that the Sohmas would be spending the holidays with the Order of the Phoenix at Grimmauld Place. Arthur Weasley came to collect them from the train station in his magically enhanced Ford Anglia, and soon they stepped into the dark, dim front hallway.
The Order had made an attempt at cheering the place up for Christmas; the dingy walls were crammed with wreaths and pinecones and ribbons. Mrs Black's portrait had been covered by a particularly jolly blanket knitted with a pattern of Christmas trees and little presents. The effect was somewhat jarring, but the familiar sounds of people bustling about the house and chattering livened up the atmosphere more than decorations ever could.
"Well, we're home," Mr. Weasley said happily. "And, Tohru, someone's been waiting eagerly for you to get here."
"Eh?"
"Onee-chan?" a small voice came from down the hall.
Tohru's eyes widened and her face turned pink with happiness. Her eyes filled with joyous tears. For a second she just stood there, and then she suddenly took off running down the hallway.
"Kisa-san!" she cried. The rest followed to see her locked in a bone-crushing hug with a little girl. They were both laughing and crying as they hugged. After a moment of this, they began chattering away rapidly in Japanese.
"Kisa!" Yuki said happily. The little girl extricated herself from Tohru's arms and smiled at Yuki. She was a stunningly beautiful child, with flaming orange hair and exquisitely delicate features.
"Konban-wa, watashi no namae wa Sohma Kisa," she said politely and bowed to Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"They don't know Japanese, stupid," Kyo said, although his tone was affectionate. "How much English have you learned in school?"
Kisa blushed. "Ah," she stammered. "I am Sohma Kisa. Pleased to meet you," she tried again in stilted English. Tohru smiled proudly and collected Kisa into another adoring hug.
"Nice to meet you, Kisa," Hermione said, bowing. Harry and Ron awkwardly gave their names and followed suit. It was almost too much for Kisa; she turned pink again and, flustered, hid her face in Tohru's robes.
"Kisa-san is a little shy," Tohru explained kindly.
"Wait," Kyo said, his eyes narrowing. "If Kisa is here already, then who else-"
"Children! It's Daddy!" a voice came from down the hall. Yuki kept his cool and stepped to the side, but Kyo and Tohru weren't fast enough – they were caught in a flying tackle hug by a tall man with dark, shaggy hair.
"GAHHHH!" Kyo choked out. He punched the man in the stomach and wriggled free, taking Tohru with him.
"Ow," the man said, his bottom lip quivering. "You're terrible. Just terrible. How did Kazuma-san ever raise such a terrible child?"
"Shigure-san!" Tohru said delightedly, although she stepped warily back in case of another tackle hug.
"I guess you haven't met him, but this is Shigure, our cousin," Yuki introduced. "He's creepy, don't get too close."
"I like him just fine," someone chuckled. This time it was Harry, Ron and Hermione's turn for a bear hug.
"Sirius!"
Sirius Black chuckled and gripped Harry's arm affectionately. Molly Weasley was next to come down the hallway, and following her were a crowd of unfamiliar people – Sohmas, Harry guessed – and assorted Order members. After the hugs, kisses, greetings, and chattering subsided away, they all trouped to the kitchen, where a sprawling and delicious meal was spread.
"Right. Let's just go round the table and get everyone's names straight," Sirius said, when everyone was properly seated. Tonks and Lupin introduced themselves; Mrs. Weasley introduced herself, her husband, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny; Mad-Eye Moody grunted his name as his eye spun crazily; and finally Harry, Ron and Hermione introduced themselves.
The Sohmas seated around the table were a strange mix of bright hair and eye colours, different ages, and strange styles of dress. The tall, lanky boy with black and white hair was Hatsuharu, and next to him was Rin, whose piercing eyes seemed to bore directly through you. Kisa held the hand of an enthusiastic blond boy named Momiji, whose speech bounced confusingly and joyously through a mixture of Japanese, English and what sounded like German. Harry recognized Ayame, Yuki's eccentric older brother, who was once again dressed and coiffed impeccably. Last was Hatori, a serious-looking man in an expensive suit, who nodded politely but otherwise seemed aloof.
Harry learned that not all of the Sohmas had come; some had to stay for family reasons or to work at their jobs. He saw no one matching the description of Akito, the Head of the Sohma family, although he filed it away to ask Kyo or Yuki about later.
"We have a couple more coming," Shigure explained, with a mysterious smile. "They can't stay for too long, though."
"Kagura?" Kyo asked, his expression somewhat pained.
"Alas, your dear love has to work over the holidays," Shigure sighed. Kyo's shoulders slumped in obvious relief.
"Kagura-neechan is working at a…a…Kindertagesstätte," Momiji said with a huge grin.
"A daycare," Hatori corrected, with a hint of an amused smile.
"Oh!" Tohru sighed, smiling widely. "That's so wonderful! She's…" her sentence trailed off.
"Always wanted to," Hatsuharu finished gently. No one asked why Kagura Sohma had never been able to work at a daycare before, and it seemed that no one would answer such a question, anyway.
"Tohru, Yuki, Kyo," Lupin smiled kindly at the three. "How have you been adjusting? How has Hogwarts been treating you?"
"Yes, Tohru!" Momiji cheered, nearly jumping out of his seat. "Tell us about the Hog-warts! Ayame-niisan said there is a giant!"
Dinner was spent in a lively discussion about Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and magic in general. The Sohmas had arrived in England three days prior and had been spending time with the various Order members who drifted in and out of Grimmauld Place, so most everyone was acquainted; everyone seemed quite taken with Kisa and Momiji. Hiro, it turned out, was at home – his mother, Satsuki, was pregnant with her second child. Ritsu was also still in Japan, helping his mother at the onsen. Akito was not mentioned, and by association, neither was Kureno.
Just as the Sohmas had infinite questions about magical life, the Order of the Phoenix members (Arthur Weasley in particular) were enthralled with even mundane details of ordinary Japanese life. Hatsuharu somehow found himself trying to explain martial arts to a very eager Charlie Weasley.
"You mean, Muggles actually go to school to learn to beat each other up?" he crowed, his eyes bright with excitement.
"No wands," Haru laughed easily. "We've gotta find some way to defend ourselves."
"Show us!" Bill urged.
"Absolutely not," Mrs. Weasley cut in. She glared at a disappointed Kyo, who had already been cracking his knuckles and eyeing Yuki.
After a long evening of animated conversation, Tohru and Rin eventually found themselves curled up in front of the fireplace. Kisa and Momiji were fast asleep, Hatsuharu was off with Yuki, and the adults were still talking around the kitchen table. Tohru had settled comfortably into a squashy armchair, while Rin sat on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest.
"Ne, Isuzu-san," Tohru said softly.
"What?" Rin's tone was sharp, as usual, but she had allowed her head to rest affectionately next to Tohru's knee.
"Why did you cut off your hair?"
"Hm," Rin grunted, her shoulders tensing visibly. "Does it matter?"
Tohru shook her head, but the corners of her mouth pulled downwards into a slight frown. "Well, no…"
"Things are changing back home, Tohru," Rin said, her voice hard. "Do you know that?"
The slight brunette let her gaze drift towards the fire. "No, Isuzu-san, I didn't…is everyone…okay?"
"You're stupid."
Tohru sat bolt upright, her face turning red. "Eh? I'm sorry, Isuzu-san!"
Rin's outburst had been characteristically harsh, but her features softened into a resigned expression. "Tohru…we're all…bad people." Tohru looked like she was going to protest, but Rin shushed her. "No…the Sohmas...we involved someone like you. That's why I didn't want to cry to you, why I fought so hard to resist being your friend. People like you are so…so kind…" she ran a hand through her messily cropped hair. "People like that get stepped on. Like bugs," she snapped. "Now you're halfway across the world, away from your family and friends, because the Sohmas told you to…now you have nowhere to go if you want to get away from…this." Rin made an exasperated gesture.
"Akito-san did that, didn't he?" Tohru tugged on a strand of Rin's hair, looking her dead in the eyes. Rin opened her mouth to say something angrily, swatting Tohru's hand away, but Tohru spoke right over her. "Isuzu-san. You talk about these "kind people," but you're a kind person," she said firmly. "You were hurt by Akito, and you want to protect your loved ones from being hurt that way. Did you tell Hatsuharu-san about this?"
"It's none of your goddamn business," Rin snapped.
"Then, it's none of your business if I choose to come here!" cried Tohru. "I'm sorry, Isuzu-san, but it's too late to tell me to stop getting involved. I made a choice, and I want to…I want to stay with all of you!"
Both Rin and Tohru had gotten to their feet, and were facing each other squarely. Rin's fists were clenched at her sides. "You think that the curse is broken, don't you?" Rin said hotly. "You think that you stepped in and saved the day and we can all go back to…well, whatever the hell "normal" is? You think it's that goddamn easy?"
Tears of frustration were starting to build behind Tohru's eyes, creating a prickling feeling she tried to force down. "It's not broken," she said fiercely. "I know that. I know that! I want to…"
"Give me a break," Rin snarled. "Go home to Japan, Tohru! There's no reason for you to be here, away from everything, it's – it's –" her shoulders began to shake. "It's dangerous here!" she cried, her face going deathly pale. Tears were now openly flowing down Tohru's cheeks, but her expression remained fiercely stubborn.
"What's going on in here?"
Remus Lupin, Molly Weasley and Shigure Sohma stood in the doorway. Shigure smiled darkly. "Little Rin," he said softly in Japanese. "Have you made Tohru cry again?"
Tohru covered her face and fled upstairs, past a startled Hermione. "Shut your stupid mouth," Rin growled, and pushed past Shigure.
"Don't leave the house, my pet!" he called blithely after her. A door slammed in response.
"What were they fighting about?" Lupin asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Who knows?" Shigure said, with a shrug. "Unusual to see Tohru so worked up, but Rin's always been temperamental."
"Poor dears," fretted Mrs. Weasley. "Perhaps I should –"
"Neither will talk," Shigure said cheerily. "Tohru will be polite about it, at least, but Rin might bite your head off. Just let them cool down for now."
"Rin's worried sick about you three," Haru told Yuki casually. He was lying on his back on the floor, with his legs propped up against the wall. It looked unnatural but Haru seemed to be quite comfortable.
"I'm worried about you," Yuki replied with a sigh. "What's it like back at home, Haru? Be honest."
"Oh, you know, this and that…" Haru glanced up at Yuki from under his hair. He grinned wickedly. "Don't worry yourself, my darling Yuki."
"Stop that," Yuki said, making a face. "I said to be honest."
"Hmm. Akito's angry, but when is he not?" Haru let his head flop back against the floor, running a hand through his already-messy hair.
"How bad is it, Haru?"
Haru's eyes suddenly went very hard. "I think he did something to Rin. They said she was in the hospital, but then…why was her hair all cut off? That's not like her. She's not telling me something."
Yuki was about to reply when they heard raised voices coming from downstairs. Someone came running down the hallway and closed the door forcefully behind them. He got to his feet quickly and stepped out into the hallway; seeing that Harry and Ron had done the same, he shared a puzzled look with them. Soon Rin stomped up the stairs. "Don't leave the house, my pet!" they heard Shigure's voice call after her. "Piss off," Rin growled under her breath, ducking into the room she shared with Kisa and slamming the door.
"What's going on?" Ron asked. Hermione trotted up the stairs, also wearing a confused expression.
"Was someone fighting with Rin?" Haru drawled, the hardness gone from his eyes.
"Yes…I think it was Tohru," Hermione replied. "I was just going to go see if…"
"What's going on?"
Yuki sighed, restraining himself. "For God's sake, Kyo. Where were you?"
Kyo narrowed his eyes, but didn't answer.
"Well, I'm going to go see Rin," Haru said nonchalanty. Hands in his pockets, he strolled towards the door Rin had just slammed.
