Bakugan Battle Brawlers At Hogwarts
Third Year
· The Firebolt
The whole school was bustling with cheers and excitement. The long awaited match of Gryffindor vs. Slytherin would take place in three days time and like expected rumors and bets were going all around for the time being. The Gryffindors were excitedly chattering about Quidditch strategies from one place to the other while the Slytherins would taunt at any of them, quite sure their team would win now.
Runo on the other hand was filled with nerves. She had been in plenty Quidditch games before and never in her life had she experienced such uneasiness. Well, that was before her Nimbus 2001 broke into pieces. She pressed her hands together and prayed somehow that her broom could get repaired, but no such luck. It had already been around a month or so, and she still hadn't purchased a new broom.
Jake Vallory was going to murder her if he found out that she hadn't purchased a new broom. The Shooting Star she was using for practice was okay for the moment, but for a Seeker that broom was garbage. Runo couldn't go fast enough to slip past the Bludger and she honestly felt the slowest on the team. She couldn't afford to lose the game now.
Runo scrambled her ponytail even more as she slouched on the Gyrffindor Common Room, surrounded by Divination and Herbology homework. Fabia and Chan Lee exchanged a curious glance between each other before Fabia moved her chair closer to Runo's. The three of them were huddled together in one of the tables in the common room, each drowning in their respective homework.
"I assume you haven't told Jake about your broom" Fabia spoke in whispers, looking around to see if the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain was actually around "Just purchase a Comet 260 for the moment! I'm sure it'll work out fine. The broom will be here in no time and we'll win against Slytherin!"
"I told you I don't want a Comet for a broomstick!" Runo murmured back. Her roommate gave her a flat look and she could help but to blush in embarrassment "It doesn't offer much and just looks good for appeal" She shook her head in exasperation "I've been looking at 'Which Broomstick?' for ages but nothing looks good"
"Why don't you purchase a Jiatsú then?" Chan Lee spoke up, eyes never leaving her History of Magic parchment "I've heard that the Chinese National Quidditch team is using them and is quite good looking as well"
"Yeah but shipping from London to China will probably leave me broke" Runo said back. She looked down at her homework. So far the only thing she had managed to accomplish was scribbling two sentences over her Divination parchment, while her report on the Puffapods for Herbology was long forgotten "I think I'll talk to Shun to lend me his broom or something"
"He'll won't be able to" The voice of Dan broke through their conversation. Her heart stilled for a moment before she turned her head towards him. The brunette was standing next to her chair, a small frown over his face. It had been ages since they've talked. After Runo had gone to practice with his father, he refused to talk to her and she in turn did the same. Their interactions had been forced in Quidditch practices but during class they would mostly ignore each other. "Keith Clay made him the new Seeker for the Slytheirn team"
"EH?! Shun Kazami is the new Seeker?!" Fabia practically shot up from her seat, earning quite the attention from the rest of the Gryffindor students "When did all of this happen? Wasn't Hydron the Sekeer?!"
"He was," Dan continued as he crossed his arms over his chest and began explaining "Apparently that match we had the other day against Slytherin was the last chance of Hydron for being in the Quidditch team. It was something along the lines of not fitting well in teamwork along with his arrogant attitude. So Clay made tryouts for the Seeker position and Shun got the spot"
"We're utterly screwed!" The green eyed girl exclaimed, and began pacing back and forth around the table "Hydron along with Nene Kaneda were the weak link in Slytherin's Quidditch team, but with one of them gone and replaced by no other than Shun Kazami, we'll be doomed for sure!"
"Oh Merlin" Runo banged her head on the table, her nerves skyrocketing even more than before. The pressure was on "What to do? Shun will get the snitch in no time if I use the Shooting Star. He's even faster than me with a regular broom…" She began to mumbled sentence after sentence, her mind filling in with worry and stress, the homework over the table long forgotten "We're going to lose"
"Oi!" Dan pulled her right ear, making her yelp in surprise. She pushed his hand back and gave him a small glare. The brunette was still frowning, surely still not willing to forgive her concerning the events with Soichiro Hoshi "Don't combust so early in the game! We're not on the Quidditch field yet!"
"Speaks the one who has a broom" Runo said. She pushed back her bangs and closed her eyes. Her mind was jammed up all together and with Fabia practically screeching in the background she couldn't concentrate at all. Her eyes opened and looked back at Dan once more. The boy looked back at her and she could still feel the frustration flowing out of him "I though you and Shun weren't on speaking terms"
"We aren't." He mumbled, taking a few steps back from her. Her stomach stirred as she watched him look away "I only heard it from Mira Clay back at the Great Hall" He sighed and took in a deep breath "Don't think you'll be forgiven that easily"
She bit on her lower lip. Of course she knew that already, no need to remind her every five minutes or so. Alice had taken the same position of refusing to talk to her. They were waiting for an apology from her part. But she needed to take care of Soichiro Hoshi first. Once she could get that murderer back into Azkaban or send him to hell she would be satisfied and she would apologize for causing such a burden. But for the moment, she couldn't apologize.
"I wasn't asking for forgiveness" She shot back. Dan fumed but Runo turned her head away, taking in hand her Herbology report. Chan Lee looked up from her homework for a brief moment, scanning the two of them with her eyes, but didn't say anything else "I'll apologize when all of this is over"
"What do you mean by that?" Dan asked, urgency clear on his voice "Runo I swear to Merlin if you're really going after-"
"RUNO!"
Billy Gilbert burst through the door of the Common Room, all eyes on him. He had his signature cap backwards, hair tied in a small bun and his uniform drenched in sweat as he tried to regain his breath. Over his arms was a large package, even larger than him. Everyone started mumbling to one another as the blonde made way towards her. Runo looked puzzled as the boy stood before her and presented her with the large wooden box.
"It's for you" Billy panted, "Professor Drago told me it came through mail" He continued to pant and fanned himself with his cap. She gave him a small 'thank you' and took the packed between her hands. She eyes it with curiosity as she laid it across the table, a few Gryffindor students looking towards it with curiosity.
"What's that?" Fabia came back, a small pout over her lips as she looked at the package. Runo shrugged as she started to look for a tag or some sign of whom was it from. Nothing of such was attached to the box.
"Did Professor Drago say who sent it?" She asked Billy.
"Nope. The only thing he told me was that your owl carried it to his office during Christmas. He was finally able to give it you" She was even more confused now. Lumos had left the castle to retrieve a package? What was that even about? She looked down at the package once more, suddenly feeling quite apprehensive of whatever was resting inside. The only person she could think of who'd use mail to send something for her would be Bella Black, but that woman would never send something to her, unless it was something bad. She shuddered at the thought and opened up the box.
A brand new broomstick was resting inside the box. A lustrous ebony handle gleamed at the light, along with hazel twigs at the bottom of the broom. Iron glistened at the foot grips along with decorations over the broom and a golden registration number gleamed at the side of the handle. Runo gasped once she recognized the famous broom.
"It's a Firebolt!" Dan exclaimed besides her. She couldn't stop looking at the broom as many students now hovered over her table and looked down at the broomstick.
"A Firebolt?!"
"Look at the handle!"
"Hey Runo is it really yours?"
Students started talking among themselves, everyone still looking between the broomstick and her. With shaking hands she took the box in her hands and looked for a note or something to know from whom was it from. Nothing appeared once again and she was left with more doubts.
"Billy are you sure this was for me?" She asked the blonde, her mind still not believing what was happening.
"Positive" The boy as well had taken a spot beside her, looking amazed at the broom "Do you have an idea on who might've send it?"
"Not really" She gulped and continued to marvel at the Firebolt before her. Last time, Tigrerra had gifted her the Nimbus 2001, but she was sure that her teacher wouldn't go out of her way to buy such an expensive broom as this one. She racked her brain for someone but the Firebolt was way too expensive, no one she knew could afford that kind of expense. Her eyes found Dan's. He looked surprised as well but a bit worried as he looked at the broom.
"Runo you have to fly it!" Fabia encouraged her suddenly popping up from her side, a big grin plastered over her lips "It's like Merlin opened up the sky for us to win the game! We'll be unbeatable with that Firebolt by our side against Slytherin!"
"Don't pressure her Fabia" Chan Lee scolded her, looking now quite annoyed at the crowd that had gathered around their table. The Chinese shook her head and looked up at Runo "I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the broom, just take it on a run I suppose"
"I'll accompany you!" Fabia cheered, quickly locking her arm with hers. Runo yelped in surprise as her roommate started dragging her out of the Common Room "Come on Runo, the weather is perfect for trying it out!" She managed to grab onto the handle of the Firebolt just as her friend continued to drag her out of the room. Excitedly a bunch of her housemates now followed closely behind her as they headed towards the Viaduct Courtyard.
"Runo, Fabia wait!" Dan yelled amongst the crowd as everyone followed after them. A couple of students watched the scene with curiosity as they kept going their way towards the courtyard. Runo kept a tight grip over the Firebolt as they managed to get to the grassy field in Hogwarts. The sun was blazing and the weather was almost as if it was on her side. The Gryffindors all huddled around her, excitedly chattering and trying to convince her to ride the broom.
"Come on mount it!" Fabia told her excitedly. Runo looked at the lot and everyone had happy grins over their lips and nodded along her friend.
"Wait a minute!" Dan intervened at that moment. He took hold of her left wrist and turned to her "I need to speak to you alone" A couple of whistles and cheers were heard amongst the crowd, making the brunette blush "Just ugh come a bit with me!" The boy dragged her away from the crowd, a worried expression over his face.
"What is it?"
"What do you mean by 'what is it?'" Dan muttered to her, an annoyed tone to his voice "Don't mount that godforsaken broomstick that's what!"
"Why?" Suddenly defensive, Runo held on tighter to the broom's handle.
"We don't know who sent it!" He argued back "For all we know Soichiro Hoshi might've sent it to you without anyone knowing!" She looked down at the broomstick "Look we don't know if that thing has a curse or a jinx on it or not"
Runo bit down on her lip as she thought of the idea. It was a clear possibility. Hoshi could've easily sent the broomstick somehow and take it to her. But, Lumos had delivered it to her in the first place and more specifically Professor Drago had already looked at it. If the broom were that jinxed someone would've already noticed after all.
"I get your point, but Professor Drago already looked at it." She said back, taking a few steps away from him "Lumos delivered it and I completely trust my owl. Besides I really do need a broom for the game against Slytherin"
"Oh forget about the game Runo!" The brunette messed up his hair, suddenly taking a deep breath: "I'm more worried if something happens to you now. You could fall down from your broom once more and Mister Lazar won't be able to catch you." The last part he said in such a frustrated tone of voice that she really doubted it was Dan talking.
"Gunz Lazar has nothing to do with this Dan." She said. He gave her a look but she continued "I'm not going to fall again, but I still need to try the Firebolt. I won't go too high I promise"
"Runo-" Before he could say another word, Fabia got between the two, clearly exasperated by all the waiting. Without any warning she dragged Runo back into the center of the grassy field. Dan released a frustrated sigh but followed after two of them nonetheless. The crowd had now grown bigger and from the looks of it even students from the rest of the houses had gathered around it.
"Now that you lovebirds are done! Let's see that Firebolt!" She cheered along with the rest of their housemates. Runo gulped in nerves as she looked down at the broomstick in her hands. While it was true that she had always dreamed of owning a Firebolt, she also couldn't shake the thought that Hoshi might've been the one behind the luxurious gift. She bit on her lip, but she still needed a broom for the match and what broom was better than the one on her hands.
With a shaky breath, she placed the broom between her legs as the cheering started once more. Her knuckles were white from gripping the handle too hard but she couldn't help the erratic beating of her heart. With a yell she kicked the ground beneath her and it was as if all sped up around her. She was shot up in the sky with such speed and magnitude that she felt like flying for a moment.
Runo let out a laugh as she found herself surrounded by clouds and the sky. She looked down to see the rest of the Hogwarts castle along with the tiny crowd of students at the Viaduct Courtyard. Letting out a laugh, she sped around the castle to such velocity that everything was a blur around her. The Firebolt was better than she could've imagined, it seemed to follow more of her thoughts rather than movements. The broom would turn at the slightest change with such fluid movements that she couldn't help to be happier. Her hair was dancing in the wind as she flew towards the ground, the cheers of her housemates getting louder. When she was just about to crash on the grass she flew upwards, just slightly touching the grass before ascending twenty meters in the air.
Her cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. She couldn't help but to keep on testing the Firebolt again and again, too happy to even stop. Now she knew why the broom was the best choice for anyone playing Quidditch. It was nothing compared to her Nimbus 2001, and she could feel it perfectly.
With a final laugh she swiftly descended into the Viaduct Courtyard a satisfied grin over her lips as she greeted the crowd that had gathered around her. Everyone had their eyes glued to the broom in her hands and some even were trying to touch it. Fabia rose through the crowd an excited grin over her features. Dan was quickly behind her, eyes still filled with worry and a bit of amazement.
"So? How is it?" She asked and in return Runo gave her the most confident smile.
"We're going to beat Slytherin to the ground"
"Everyone take your seats the most anticipated game of the season will just begin! Remember make your bets over the roaster and choose who'll be the winner of this match! All in good terms Professor Tigrerra!" Billy Gilbert's voice resounded all through the Quidditch Field, as the stadium rose with cheers and shouts.
Runo was bustling with excitement, a bright smile over her lips as she moved from one spot to the other. The Firebolt was gripped tightly in her hand and she couldn't stop her erratic heartbeat. She would peek out from the Gryffindor locker rooms and grin in mischief at the thought of using her bran new broom to beat Slytherin. Never had she felt so competitive over Quidditch. But, the thought of the dementors passing by once more was still present in her mind so she had tucked her wand underneath her Quidditch uniform.
"Okay guys regroup!" Jake Vallory called out to the rest of the team as they all approached him "So seems like everyone's pretty confident about today huh?" The grins on mostly everyone's faces were enough of a response to him. He turned to her an already knowing look coming his way "Runo I'm sure with your Firebolt here that we would end up victorious in no time"
"Count on it" She answered with confidence as the rest of the team cheered on. Taylor Harada along with Fabia gave her a playful shove and cheered even louder now as they all headed towards the exit and into the Quidditch field.
She gave a brief glance at everyone on the team and Dan's frown caught her attention immediately. He was between his two cousins, who were surely taunting him, but his sour mood wasn't like the usual one. He had a mix of worry and annoyance over it. Runo gulped a bit and continued forward. Surely her best friend was still against the idea of her using the Firebolt.
Everyone on the stands seemed to be waiting for them since the cheers and screams became louder and more erratic. Runo griped the handle of the Firebolt even harder as everyone took their positions in the field and Slytherin's team came into view.
"Eh so the rumors were true Misaki" Gunz Lazar taunted her as he approached his position and already mounted his broom. Runo couldn't help but to feel embarrassed about it, but still managed a small smirk over her lips "Grip onto your broom tighter now, I'm not sure I'll be able to catch you now"
"Don't worry Lazar, I'm sure we'll finish this game in no time" She grinned as the Slytherin Beater gave her back a smirk as well. She wasn't sure if her heart was going to burst out from her chest or not. She heard the excited whispers from Fabia and decided to ignore them as her eyes found Shun.
The raven haired boy was standing just in front of her, wearing the Slytherin Quidditch uniform and already mounted on his Nimbus 2000. He had a stoic look over his face but once he looked at her a small smile appeared over his lips. She couldn't help but to do the same as she mounted the Firebolt.
"I won't go easy on you Runo just remember that" He said as the memory of the two of them playing Quidditch back at Dan's house popped up in her mind. She couldn't help but to laugh at it as she recalled Shun winning almost every of their games.
"I won't expect any less of you Shun. I won't go easy on you as well" She smirked as Professor Skyress appeared on the center of the field. The tension in the air was present and Runo was more than ready to take off in her new broom. Jake and Keith reached the center of the field and shook hands as they retook their positions once more.
"Everyone on my marks, and remember play nice!" The Professor blew the whistle and Runo kicked the ground with all the force that she could muster. She practically shot up around twenty meters into the air, leaving everyone behind mostly. A bright grin over her face as she descended and dove right into action, trying to catch any glimpse of the snitch.
"And the game begins! Fabia Sheen doesn't hesitate and takes the Quaffle in her hands heading straight for the Slytherin's goal" Billy Gilbert spoke lively, the cheers around the field getting louder and louder "And today's main event is the famous Firebolt owned by Gryffindor's Seeker Runo Misaki along with Shun Kazami being the new Seeker for Slytherin! It is known that the Firebolt is the broomstick chosen by the national teams for the next Quidditch World Cup held next year!"
"Gilbert would you be kind enough to remind us what is happening in the actual game?" Professor Drago spoke up, along with the agreement of Tigrerra in the background.
"Right professor! Gryffindor scores! It is now fifty in favor of Gryffindor and thirty for Slytherin!"
Runo swooped from one side to the other, eyes frantically searching for the Golden Snitch but nowhere to be found. The Gryffindor Chasers were giving it their all as they quickly regained control of the Quaffle and headed towards the Slytherin goal without hesitation. Shun was gaining up on her, flying at a close distance from where she was but she couldn't shake him off that well.
Kenji Kuso passed the Quaffle back to Taylor Harada and in the mist of all a glimpse of gold caught her eye. The Golden Snitch was frantically flying close to where a multitude of Ravenclaw students were. Without hesitation, Runo whooshed right into it, Shun quickly following her. She began trailing behind the snitch, as the ball quickly dove down and she went after it.
"Teach them how to do it Runo!" Fabia cheered her on along with a shot of excitement from Kenta Kuso. The Firebolt quickly gained up on the ball and she extended her arm, ready to take it into her hand. Suddenly a Bludger flew right past her, clearly shot by one of Slytherin's Beaters. She swayed to the side just in time to avoid being hit but in the process she lost sight of the tiny flying ball.
"Dammit" She cursed to herself, looking up towards the rest of the players. Dan quickly hit the Bludger back, sending it towards the Slytherin Chasers. The boy had a frustrated look on his face but quickly flied towards Taylor Harada and hit the Bludger away from her. She gave him a brief glance before flying all over the field once more.
Shun was still flying behind her and Runo was seriously starting to get annoyed by it. But the Golden Snitch was nowhere to be found. The cheers continued to grow as she flew past it all and Gryffindor scored once more.
"Gryffindor takes the lead! Eighty in their favor and forty for Slytherin! The Firebolt is as fast as ever but the Snitch is nowhere to be found!" Billy Gilbert exclaimed as the players kept going with the game "Just look how the broom flies! Misaki is taking the lead for sure and Shun Kazami is being left in the dust. I would be honored if that were me, after all the Firebolt-!"
"Mr. Gilbert" Tigrerra said with a certain tone of voice that made everyone run a shiver down their spine "Would you go back to explaining the game"
"Sure do Professor" Gilbert said between small whimpers "Gunz Lazar hits the Bludger once more, heading straight for Kenji Kuso but Dan Kuso intercepts it. Nene Kaneda has the Quaffle and passes it to Volt Luster and he scores!" The Slytherin cheers grow even more and a couple of groans left the Gryffindor students.
Runo cursed under her breath when suddenly she saw a small glimpse of gold. Without waiting for it, she dove right into it, not even sure if it was the snitch. Shun immediately went after her as she sped up across the crowd. Sure enough there was the Snitch flying just near the grassy field. She dove down, Shun right after her.
The wind was slapping in her face but she could only focus on the golden flying ball in front of her. That was until a tall black figure over by the field caught her eye. She gasped in surprise as she saw three dementors were looking up at her, hooded and moving towards her. Without waiting for an answer, Runo drew out the wand from her uniform and quickly pointed it back at them.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silvery wisp came out from the tip of her wand but she didn't bother looking if the spell had worked or not. She flew even faster towards the Snitch, leaving Shun behind without much of a thought. Runo stretched out her arm and in a swift second the ball was already in her hands. Her eyes looked down at the golden small ball and smiled as she descended towards the grass.
The whistle from Professor Skyress resounded all through the field as it erupted in cheers and screams. Runo was knocked out of her broom just as Fabia threw her arms around her and they both landed over in the grass. Taylor was next and plummeted to the ground with them. The rest of the Gryffindor team did the same as they all huddled on top of Runo, bright smiles over their faces.
"We won! We won!"
"Thank Merlin for the Firebolt!"
"You're too heavy sod off!"
"Gryffindor takes the win!" Billy Gilbert cheered as well, the screams and cheers surrounding the whole field "Runo Misaki caught the Snitch perfectly and with that broom who wouldn't! The Firebolt after all is-!" He stopped the rambling just as he noticed the look Professor Drago was giving him.
Runo finally could breathe as her teammates moved away and helped her stand up. Everyone enveloped in a hug soon after, laughing and joking at the situation. Gryffindor students flooded the field as well, celebrating with the rest of them. She laughed and turned just in time to see Professor Kuso congratulating Dan on their victory. Her brunette friend turned away embarrassed but his father soon pulled him over his arms and messed up his hair. Soon after his cousins joined in with their uncle.
"That was quite impressive if I must say" Shun was next to her, a sincere small smile over his lips "Though I wouldn't get too confident if I were you" Runo smirked and playfully punched him in his arm.
"Why didn't you tell me you were the new Seeker?" The boy shrugged as if it was nothing, but still she pressed on "Come on, aren't you happy?"
"Oh of course I am" The raven haired boy answered "It slipped my mind to tell you, with everything else going on…" He drifted off in the last part, looking back at her in a more serious manner. She gulped and sighed. Leave it to him to get back to the important stuff.
"Kazami were going back!" Gunz Lazar appeared next to them in a flash, a wild grin over his face as he spoke. Shun gave him a curious glance, before looking back at her. Runo on the other hand felt like her heart would bust out of her chest any second now. The Slytherin Beater turned to her "You weren't kidding when you said you would finish this game early huh?"
"When it comes to Quidditch it is not a laughing matter Lazar" Runo was amazed on how smoothly she could talk, her mind was a mess and she was sure it could be noticed from a mile away. The blonde on the other hand only laughed and patted Shun on the back.
"It was a good game, though. Your Firebolt is very sturdy and fast, I'm impressed" She could only smile in return, surely her cheeks blushing red from the compliments (though it was towards her broom). Shun gave her a curious look, a small frown over his eyes "Well we have to go back or else Keith will give us the scolding of a lifetime. See you later Misaki!"
"Later!" She managed to stutter as she waved them a small goodbye to the two of them. Shun turned to her, another strange glance as he followed Gunz towards the Slytherin's locker room. Runo on the other hand felt jittery all inside and it was not because of the game that had just occurred.
"That was a pretty good Patronus if I must say" She turned and there, Professor Shinijiro was looking at her with a proud smile over his lips "It left me quite shocked, along with your victory as well"
"I didn't feel the dementors at all!" That was something that made her giddy inside "I didn't feel anything!" She almost jumped up from happiness and emotion.
"Truth is Runo, they weren't dementors…" Mr. Kuso said with a small smile, turning on his side so she could get a proper view of the scene developing in front of her "You gave Mr. Prince quite the scare…"
At a small patch of grass Hydron Prince along with his two lackeys, Sion Cornies and Lucas Smith, were lying on the field, each of them enveloped in a large and hooded black cape. She had to stifle her laughter as Tigrerra came forward along with Professor Skyress and went off with them.
"An filthy scheme to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker!" Tigrerra screamed at them, making a few students scurry off in terror. Runo on the other hand watched with an amused smile as Hydron's face turned to pure horror as she watched the professor "Fifty points off from Slytherin for each of you!"
"Such a bad morale! What name are you giving the house of Slytherin!" Professor Skyress continued to scold them, clearly taking their mischief as a personal offense "I don't want to hear any of your excuses!" Even some of the Slytherin students looked away in pure shame and embarrassment.
"Nonetheless the patronus you performed was good" Professor Shinjiro smiled once again, then turned to her with a more concerned expression "Runo I don't mean to intrude or anything, but are you and Dan on bad terms or something?" She turned to him, almost like she was caught red handed and he laughed.
"We're not on speaking terms I suppose" Mumbling she turned her eyes to the brunette. He was currently being embraced by an overexcited Jake Vallory and sandwiched between the Kuso Twins.
"Dan is quite the hot head you might've noticed" The professor sighed, looking towards his son as well "He hasn't told me anything though, but with that expression over his face you can just tell something is bothering him" In a swift motion he gave her a light pat on the head "I won't say anything but you're very dear to him Runo. You'll forgive each other eventually"
"I hope so…" She uttered under her breath, until the cheers grew even louder.
"Runo let's go to celebrate!" Fabia jumped next to her, an elated smile over her lips as the rest of the Gryffindor house cheered for the idea. They all went back inside the castle with the celebration in mind. It was more than she could expect in the end. The celebration lasted an entire day, the Gryffindor Common Room filled with cheering students along with candy and cake everywhere. Glasses filled with butterbeer were on everyone's hands, courtesy of the Kuso Twins whom had sneaked out of the castle thanks to the Brawler's map and made a small trip to Honeydukes.
Many students began to drift off and in the process some made it to their dormitories while others continued with the party. Runo was too elated to even sleep, and kept on awake until her eyelids couldn't hold on. Without much strength she sat down on one of the couches at the common room, Fabia taking the spot next to her. The minute she lied down she fell asleep. She didn't know if the party kept going or not, a dream clouding her vision.
A wisp of silver was standing right in front of her. Runo was somewhere deep in the Forbidden Forest, creatures far in the distance and a scream slowly making way into her ears. The grass around her started to frost over and just then the wisp started moving forward. Unknowing on what to do she started following the silver wisp, as it slowly started taking the form of an animal and moving faster than before. Runo was now running after it, coldness seeping in her skin as she kept going. A clearing was up ahead and the roar of a creature startled her awake.
She opened her eyes at a sudden thud coming from the Common Room. Slowly she lifted up her eyes, the only light source from the room being the firewood burning by the fireplace. Fabia was by her side, sleeping like a log, along with the rest of the housemates that had kept partying. Many were sprawled over the carpet. Cushions all around and some had even fallen asleep over their chairs, Dan and Billy being one of many.
Runo quietly sighed as she lifted up her eyes to look over to the fire. A man was standing right in front of it. Her heartbeat stopped and eyes widened. His dark blond hair was tied to a low ponytail, gaunt eyes looking at the fire with nostalgia. He looked as skinny as ever, bony fingers stretching out to feel the warmth of the fire. No one in the room stirred as they kept on snoring away but the nerves were getting to her.
Anger and rage were filling her up but she didn't want to cause a commotion in the common room, or wake everyone up. If that occurred she wouldn't have the opportunity to get her hands on Soichiro Hoshi. Fabia snuggled to her even closer, mumbling someone's name as she did so. Runo shifted her eyes at her and now guiltiness started. If she didn't speak up all of her friends and housemates would be in trouble.
Hoshi didn't move from his spot, his hands still drawn towards the fire as a content sigh escaped his lips. She bit down on her lip hard enough to not make a single noise or movement. The man turned around and that's where she noticed his pair of grey eyes. The flashing memories of her parents made way into her mind, as she carefully moved her right hand towards her robes, where her wand was resting.
Runo tried to even out her breathing, her hand inching closer and closer to her wand, as she kept her eyes lidded to see if Hoshi was planning something. Pretending to be asleep she finally clasped the wand in her hand and slowly opened her eyes. Grey hues were looking down at her. Hoshi was now standing a few feet away from her, a surprised expression over his face.
"Runo-"
Before she could even move a shriek of fear startled everyone. Runo quickly shifted her eyes and saw Chan Lee at the base of the staircase, hands over her mouth and a horrified expression over her eyes. Hoshi moved like the wind and ran towards the fireplace. She didn't care anymore as she pushed Fabia away and went after him.
Her mind was fueled with rage as her wand suddenly released red sparks from its end. Hoshi was slipping away right in front of her and she couldn't let that happen. The man basically threw himself in the fire, almost as if it was planned. He turned to her for a moment just as the fire started to consume him and he was disappearing.
She couldn't let him get away. Her legs chased after him and just as she was about to jump in the fire as well, someone collided with her body. They were both thrown to the side and collided with the hardwood floor. Runo pushed the person away, trying to go after Hoshi was once more. Said person took hold of her wrists, preventing her from pursuing the man and she watched in defeat as the man disappeared right before her eyes.
Everyone awoke soon after that and just before they could ask questions the door to the common room opened. Professor Drago along with Tigrerra strode inside the room with their robes on and wands drawn out.
"What were you thinking idiot?" The person whom had stopped her had been Dan. He was still holding her in place, almost sitting on top of her, a frustrated and worried expression over his eyes "I told you it's suicide to go after him" He whispered to her, letting go of her wrists.
"Professor Drago, what's going on?" One of the Fourth years asked, just as the two professors moved towards the fireplace. Many started whispering among themselves just as Runo managed to sit up in the floor. Dan was still sitting next to her, grim look in his face. She couldn't say anything at the moment.
"We received a warning that someone had infiltrated the Floo Network illegally from a Muggle home and entered here" Professor Tigrerra explained in a soothing voice, careful to not frighten the First Years and Second Years "We were advised to come check it out immediately, but it seems the intruder has already left. Did any of you know who it was?"
Dan looked at her, but Runo adverted her eyes to the floor. She could tell them, but she didn't want to be involved in an interrogation between Professor Drago and Tigrerra. In the state that she was in, she could spill everything she knew and thus blowing the small chance of her actually going after Hoshi.
"It was Soichiro Hoshi" Chan Lee spoke up. The Chinese girl was still rooted to the spot, looking quite pale and shaken up as she spoke "I-I saw him by the fireplace, he was looking at the students and then he vanished" Runo sighed in relief after that. Well at least she hadn't told them about her almost jumping in the fire.
"We need to disconnect the Floo Network from here" Professor Drago said in an urgent tone of voice "Everyone go back to your dormitories, everything will be fine" After that Tigrerra pretty much forced everyone up and head to their dormitories. Dan went to hi without uttering another word to her and Runo went her way as well. She had a feeling they wouldn't be talking for a longer time now after the incident.
She sighed but headed on to her room, followed closely by Fabia. Chan Lee was still with Tigrerra who offered to take her to the Infirmary after the shock. Her friend hadn't looked her way even once and she had a feeling that she had suspicions on what had just happened. Runo chose to ignore it. Finally they reached their dormitory and sighed as they plopped on their respective beds.
"Hey Runo?" Fabia asked in a timid a shy voice.
"What's up?" She answered, quite confused as to why she would act that way.
"Do you think Hoshi is after you?" The girl sat up in her bed, eyes stuck on the floor. Runo did the same, her back resting over her pillow, as she looked at her friend "I mean he has broken into Hogwarts twice and he went looking for you at your orphanage…"
"If you put it that way I think he is." She simply said "But last time he tried breaking in Hufflepuff's Common Room, so he's trying to get to someone else as well"
"There's a rumor flying around about that actually" The blunette confessed. She looked around, as if to reassure herself they were the only ones inside the room as she inched closer to the edge of her bed "Remember Joe Brown?"
"What about him?" She already knew the relation between Joe and Hoshi was one of father and son, but she had to feign as if she didn't know.
"Well apparently Joe is related to Hoshi in some way" She explained, "Some believe that he is against Hoshi like pretty much the rest of the wizarding world. While other thinks that he helped him infiltrate Hogwarts"
Runo widened her eyes at that. She looked at Fabia, expecting some kind of joke, but the girl looked as serious as ever. At that she inched closer to her bed and listened now with more attention to her friend.
"You remember Baron Leltoy from Hufflepuff right?" Runo nodded straight away, the image of a cheerful purple haired boy instantly appearing in her mind "Well he told Mira Clay, from Ravenclaw, that during that night that Hoshi infiltrated the castle that Joe was nowhere to be found" She continued just as Runo inched closer to her the tale. She had to ask Julie if all of this was true or not "And that many nights after that, he has been sneaking out of the common room and come back with blood on his clothes!"
"What?!" Runo hissed, her mind spinning with the information "Then, is he helping Hoshi or what?"
"No one knows!" Fabia said back "Whenever Hoshi's name is uttered around Joe, he gets all defensive and leaves the room. Now that's quite the strange thing if you ask me" She shook her head and then looked out the window "It'll soon be morning, let's go back to sleep"
Runo actually wanted to hear more of the tale but didn't oppose as she felt a yawn coming her way. She lied down on the mattress and soon after Fabia was asleep right away. Turning to the left side of her bed she thought about the situation. She had always assumed that Joe felt some kind of resentment towards his father for all of the things he had caused inside his family, but now she wasn't sure that was the case anymore. Sighing she turned once more and tried to get some sleep. If Joe were actually helping Hoshi in some way, things would only get harder for her.
HEY GUYS! I'M SUPER SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY! It's been a month or so since I came back to Mexico and I'm finally back in school and whatnot haha so I'm super busy again and well I got a job as a Graphic Designer so I'll be super busy with that as well haha sorry once again!
So Runo gets the Firebolt too haha I thought about it for some time about if I should it give it to her or not and well I ended up going with it haha also Shun is the new Slytherin Seeker, so the Slyhterin Quidditch Team has gotten a hell lot stronger than before that's for sure. Alsooo our little protagonist is getting in some serious trouble after this I swear haha so once again I managed to write the next two chapters for this story, and everytime we're coming closer towards the Fourth Year!
Also another heads up, for those of you waiting for MBB (Mutant Battle Brawlers) and LP (Lost Princess) hang with me for a bit, I'm picking up the pace with those two stories hahaha. It's more likely that I will publish first for LP than MBB but bear with e once more haha Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, if you have any question, doubt or comment do please leave a review or even PM me! Thanks for all the constant support you guys, you are the best! Have a great week!