Disclaimer: All portions of the HP universe/worlds/characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies. All portions of the Yujincho universe/worlds/characters are the property of Yuki Midorikawa and Hakusensha (publisher). This story is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written for my own enjoyment. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter 27: Twisted Tales and Trying Times
Hogwarts Castle, Scotland
May 1994 ~ June 1994
By the time their small, battered group reached the Hospital Ward there was a veritable army of political, military, legal, and diplomatic figures assembled both inside and outside of the infirmary. Ryuu shuffled to a stop as he viewed the lines of opposition that had been drawn and wondered what he had missed while he'd been caught up in yet another troublesome and unwanted adventure. The first faction was led by a pompous little man in an expensive lime green suit crushing a lime green bowler hat in his hands and contained a number of political figures and six burly aurors.
Ryuu easily recognized the short one as Cornelius Fudge (the English Minister of Magic) and the man standing behind him as Lucius Malfoy. He also recognized the rather ugly witch that was shorter than the minister with an unpleasant expression on her face and two more wizards that had been at Shogun and Malfoy's trials but could recall their names right that moment. There was also a pair of dementors hovering beside that group that were being contained by a trio of just barely corporeal patronuses.
A second faction was led by Ryuu's father and included Sander Bongledash, a representative from the Japanese Magical Magistrate's office, England's Magical Ambassador from Japan, Professor Flitwick, a woman wearing a monocle whose face Ryuu recognized but whose name he couldn't recall, Augusta Longbottom, and several more Aurors. The third group was mostly comprised of the school's faculty lead by Headmaster Dumbledore, several staff members, two members of the school's board of governors, and strangely Headmaster Yamamoto. The fourth and final group was made up of just two people; Madam Pomfrey and Healer Inoue.
Dumbledore was calmly standing with his hands folded behind his back as he watched the other three groups while those standing beside and behind him were displaying various states of anger, worry, and disgust. Except for Headmaster Yamamoto who appeared even more serene than Dumbledore as the Japanese wizard stood with his arms folded across his chest, his hands tucked inside the sleeves of his formal kimono, and his face a blank mask. Madam Pomfrey and Healer Inoue were trying to eject two of the other three groups from the ward; the Minister's in particular as that group appeared to be in conflict with everyone else considering that was the group that had brought the dementors into the school and into the infirmary of all places.
The Minister's voice rose and fell in agitation as he blustered, bullied, bellowed, and bartered in order to get his way. His voice grating on Ryuu's ears almost as much as Lucius's oily tones that could be heard just below the Minister's. Standing in direct conflict with the Minister was Ryuu's father; his voice level, calm, and full of unrestrained fury as he castigated the English Minister of Magic for sheer idiocy with polite words that had many of the Japanese wizards present smirking with delight as the 'muggle' father of a 'foreign upstart' cut the pompous windbag down to size and ground him in the dirt while said wizard didn't even realize it.
If Ryuu had not been in quite so much pain, he might have enjoyed the show a bit longer; as it was his shoulder throbbed, his wrists and ankles burned, his chest ached to the point where it was starting to hurt to breathe, his entire body felt like it was on fire, and all the yelling the Minister was doing was giving Ryuu a headache. Pulling his hanbo back out from the sheath on his back, he placed on end on the floor and balanced it in the crook of his right elbow before he lifted his right hand up to his mouth and let out a piercing whistle that cut through the room like a hot knife through butter. Everyone turned sharply to view the new arrivals and Takashi let out a sigh of relief to see Ryuu standing there in virtually one piece.
"Now see here, boy…" the Minister indignantly spluttered only to be cut off when Ryuu let out a second whistle that was louder and longer.
He then grasped his hanbo and slammed the end of onto the floor before leveling a glare at everyone who was currently blocking his entrance into the infirmary. When that didn't get any results; Ryuu stepped backwards and side ways so that his glowing scar was visible to those inside the room while his enormous patronus pushed through the crowd in order to clear the way. As the spirit wolf passed through, it casually destroyed the two dementors with a snap of its jaws before it squashed the other patronuses like bugs beneath its paws. That set the Ministry's side to shrieking in anger until the spirit-wolf turned its glowing golden eyes on them and they felt the brunt of Ryuu's unbridled fury that had given birth to the powerful guardian.
Ryuu followed in the wake of his patronus, Hatake and Moody stepping up behind him with Kimura in tow, and Madara bringing up the rear carrying Sirius Black. Minister Fudge regained just enough backbone to order the aurors on his side to immediately take Black into custody. The moment the six men drew their wands, Ryuu's familiars placed themselves between the Aurors and the unconscious criminal while Ryuu froze and turned his head to face the Minister. Hatake, Flitwick, and Madam Longbottom all moved to stand behind the familiars and drew their wands; the three of them knowing the familiars wouldn't protect the criminal without reason.
"I suggest that you order your aurors to lower their wands," Takashi ordered sharply. "If any one of them fires a single spell at my son's familiars, even a harmless one, I will see that each and every one of you are sentenced to prison for threatening my son; including you Minister Fudge, since you are the one who ordered them to attack. That's if my son doesn't take matters into his own hands; as is his right."
The Minister blustered and insisted that they were obstructing justice right up until the end of Ryuu's hanbo ended up two inches in front of his face. The dried blood staining the end making the cowardly wizard swallow thickly as he quickly backed away from the obviously dangerous piece of wood. Ryuu stood there with his hanbo rigidly held out as Madara moved into the room and placed Black on one of the beds while Tenji and Shogun took up protective stances; the owl on the rail of the bed while the cat sat on the man's chest. Once the threat to his familiars seemed to pass, the aurors standing down reluctantly; Ryuu resheathed his staff and limped over to his father.
Ryuu's control cracked just a little as he looked up at his father and his anger vanished a moment later as he swayed on his feet. Takashi caught him before he could fall and Ryuu winced as his shoulder and chest were jarred while his nerves were set on fire again. As Takashi swept Ryuu up into his arms and carried him to the bed beside the one where his familiars watched over Black, Dumbledore cleared the room with the help of a few others while a small handful of wizards migrated to Ryuu's bed.
Healer Inoue moved to start healing Ryuu while Madam Pomfrey began running scans on Kimura; checking to find out if the wizard had been kissed or if he was just suffering from the effects of the dementors and magical exhaustion. Moody moved to sit in the chair beside Black's bed while Hatake sat on the end of Ryuu's bed. Professor Flitwick handed a bar of chocolate to Moody and another to Hatake before he sat in between the two beds, his concern over his student's condition easily apparent.
The only other three people to stay were two of the aurors that had stood in the group with his father and the woman with the monocle that Ryuu had recognized but couldn't name. The two aurors joined Moody in watching over the unconscious criminal while the woman walked over to Ryuu's patronus where it had settled directly across the room from Ryuu's bed.
"Fascinating," the woman murmured. "I have never seen a corporeal patronus this color, this large, or this solid before. There are stories of a wizard once having a patronus the size of a giant but I always believed it to be an exaggeration. And for it to have destroyed the dementors so effortlessly as well as canceled out the patronuses of seasoned aurors is mind boggling. Why hasn't its presence faded?"
"He will stay until my son dismisses him, Bones-sama," Takashi replied as he stepped back out of the way to allow the healer to help his son. Takashi then joined Madam Bones beside the spirit wolf and reached out to touch the patronus curious to know what memory and emotion had fueled this version only for the real Madara to stop him.
"Don't, Natsume, you will not like what you will see. It is not pleasant."
Takashi frowned as he turned to glance at the wolf before letting his eyes drift to his son who was currently cringing as Healer Inoue manually snapped his left shoulder back into its proper place.
"While the memories he used were happy, the creature is fueled by pure rage and unimaginable grief."
"Can a patronus be fueled by anger and grief?" Takashi asked loudly as he glanced sharply back at Madara at that revelation.
"No; patronuses can only fueled by happy memories and positive emotions," Madam Bones replied automatically as she turned to frown at Takashi who was staring at an empty space beside him.
"How certain are you about that?" Takashi countered, drawing the attention of Hatake and Professor Flitwick.
"Why do you ask, Mr. Natsume?" Flitwick inquired.
"The form my son's patronus took is Nyanko-sensei's natural form whereas this morning his patronus was Nyanko's earthly vessel of a lucky cat. This form… this is the form Nyanko fights in; it does not radiate warmth and happiness unlike the previous form his patronus had taken. Nyanko-sensei told me, just now, that this form was fueled by pure rage and unimaginable grief even though the memories tied to it are pleasant."
"When that patronus first appeared it let out a wave of rage that swept over the grounds before it attacked," Hatake added. "It was vengeance and justice and it didn't chase away the dementors; it destroyed them. Out of the hundred plus dementors that were down there attacking Ryuu-kun, less than a dozen of them were able to flee; the rest of them were destroyed just as easily as the ones it destroyed in the ward just now."
"Over one hundred…?" Madam Bones repeated. "There wasn't supposed to be more than ten total any where near the school. Either someone allowed the damn things to breed, someone sent more of them without my permission, or the damn things acted on their own."
"I counted one hundred thirty-seven on the map before the dots overlapped too much to count them all," Takashi stated quietly as he turned away from the beautifully tragic patronus and stared at his son, who was currently sitting up with his shirt off having his ribs scanned for fractures; a lurid purple and black bruise covering the upper third of the teen's chest with a matching bruise encircling his shoulder from the dislocation. Unseen from where he was standing, Ryuu's back was a near solid bruise from just below his shoulders all the way down to his lower back centered along the spine where he'd hit the trunk of the Whomping Willow.
"Kuso, my son was just finally nearing a complete recovery from last year's mess… once again he's become a walking bruise with who knows what other internal injuries. I don't know how much more of this I can take; it kills me each time I see him like this."
"He walked away from the fight this time," Hatake murmured as he too turned around to examine Ryuu's visible injuries. "That's far better than how the previous three times ended or how his previous two encounters with the dementors affected him."
"Does your son know how to prepare his memories so that they can be copied for viewing?" Madam Bones inquired as she critically studied the bruised thirteen year old.
"Yes, I dare say he's had more than enough practice at it."
Madam Bones crossed over to Ryuu's bed and sternly asked him for his memory of what had happened that evening. Ryuu dropped his chin to his chest and leaned forward as Healer Inoue healed the abrasions on his back from the bark of the tree before spreading the bruise balm over his entire back to speed up the healing process. When Ryuu looked up again he nodded before closing his eyes so he could focus on the entire memory; once he had it he opened his eyes and signed that he was ready.
As if he'd timed his entrance to that exact moment, Headmaster Dumbledore strode regally into the Hospital Wing with Headmaster Yamamoto at his side; Dumbledore carrying his pensieve in his hand. All those present except the tall black Auror that Madam Bones instructed to stand guard over the prisoner, the two healers, and their two patients entered the pensieve to view Ryuu's memory.
The memory started with Ryuu walking out of the bathroom, freshly showered and wearing just a clean pair of pants. He'd just pulled on his shirt, slipped on his robes, tucked his wand holsters into his sleeves, and buckled the sheath of his hanbo in place across his back when the memory suddenly went black; no flash of light and no indication that an attack was about to happen. It was troubling to the school staff viewing the memory that the attack had occurred inside the Ravenclaw Tower since the Dorms were supposed to be protected against such things.
After an indeterminate stretch of blackness, the memory shimmered back into existence before solidifying to reveal the run down interior of the Shrieking Shack. The first true shock the adults received happened the moment they came face to face with a very much alive Peter Pettigrew looking worse for wear. After that it was one shock after another as Pettigrew demanded information about Voldemort, demanded to know the whereabouts of Voldemort, and admitted to serving Voldemort.
Just the fact that he was actively searching for Voldemort was more than a little disturbing. The knowledge that the man had used the Cruciatus on the thirteen year old and held the curse for over two minutes had those that had known Ryuu for years swearing up a storm while the aurors and other law enforcement officers present were impressed that the teen had managed to continue functioning despite the severe pain he must have been feeling. The way Ryuu handled himself during that part of the ordeal showed him to be in partial control of himself if not in complete control of his emotions at the time.
He actually remained pretty levelheaded considering his age, his past experiences, and the fact that he was near helpless at the time. Moody praised the boy's planning and tactics when he used the dog's sudden appearance to free his familiars instead of just sitting there. That his owl was the one who freed him and the kneazle joined the fight instead of fleeing confirmed just how close of a bond Ryuu shared with the two animals. The viciousness of the three animals' attack on Pettigrew was not quite as shocking Ryuu's violent attack as he at first attempted to kill the man before he incapacitated him instead and then prevented the dog from killing the man; a wild angry dog that looked to be completely insane.
The rest of the memory took their breath away as Ryuu discovered the dementors, dragged Pettigrew through the house, followed the dog hesitantly when it showed the way out, and headed for the confrontation with the dementors. Takashi felt his heart stop when Ryuu witnessed the four adults being overwhelmed by the dementors, he stopped breathing at the sheer fury etched on Ryuu's face when the teen witnessed Hatake about to be kissed, and he nearly fainted when the tree smashed into him and they witnessed how he'd dislocated his shoulder.
Only Takashi could see and hear Madara in the memory so to the others it appeared as if Ryuu levitated himself out of the tunnel and then levitated Black with just a glance. Takashi laughed weakly when Ryuu kicked Hatake in the kneecap before using the wizard's disciplinary tactics against him because the man hadn't known how badly Ryuu had been hurt at first. The memory then went through the entire scene that happened shortly after the group arrived at the hospital and ended with Ryuu giving Madam Bones permission to take the memory.
As the adults left the pensieve, more than a few of them gave Ryuu speculative glances; those with military or law enforcement backgrounds especially because Ryuu had shown great potential. Takashi was just happy that his son was in one relative piece and not emotionally traumatized (well at least not to the extent that he regressed to the point he was at the end of his second year).
Moody, Hatake, and Takashi provided their memories from the night next which took far longer to view since they had not lost an indeterminate amount of time while unconscious. The sight of the tiny kneazle chasing off the fully grown werewolf was just as shocking and amusing as it had been the first time it had been witnessed. Only those who'd given oaths to Ryuu understood how it was possible since the wolf was a magical part of Lupin and he'd sworn to never harm him or his familiars. It was possible that Ryuu could have stood right in front of Lupin and not been at risk from the werewolf (not that any of the adults would suggest they try to prove it).
Ryuu was dozing when they'd finished, Nyanko-sensei curled up on the pillow beside the teen's head rubbing his nose against the barely visible scar on Ryuu's left temple. The cat stopped when Takashi and the wizards reappeared, the youkai looking ill at ease over being caught offering comfort to the sleeping teen. Takashi moved forward and sat down beside his son and left the wizards to worry about dealing with the aftermath of the attack and the legal connotations about the revelation that Pettigrew was alive and a Death Eater. Takashi absently interjected his opinion only once, stating that he'd be hiring Bongledash to represent Black at his trial; a trial they weren't going to give the man until Takashi reminded them that he hadn't had one in the first place.
It was right after he gave that announcement that Nyanko told Takashi that Sirius Black was the stray dog that stayed with them over winter break which meant that Sirius Black had saved Ryuu's life when he attacked Pettigrew that evening. Black's status as an animagus was confirmed by a few quick spells from Dumbledore, who was a Transfiguration Master; that alone reaffirmed Takashi's belief that there was more to the situation than what could be seen on the surface.
When Lupin was brought in sometime after the moon set, they were surprised to find the man looked far less weary than he had prior to his transformation. He confessed that the kneazle's status as an alpha had greatly affected the wolf and that he hadn't had as much trouble for the rest of the night as he usually did when he hadn't had his potion.
The werewolf immediately asked how Ryuu was and the tension melted from him when he learned that Ryuu's injuries had been limited to extensive bruising, some scratches, a few rope burns, a dislocated shoulder, mild exhaustion, and nerve damage. He then growled angrily when he heard that the teen had been exposed to the Cruciatus Curse for an extended period of time. A few minutes later, Lupin gave a copy of his memory from the previous night before he dropped off to sleep in order to recover from his transformation.
Ryuu woke up around midmorning the next day feeling stiff and sore (his shoulder throbbing slightly) and the searing pain of his nerves muted by the warming pads that were tucked around him. He was pleasantly surprised to find that he'd be allowed to leave the infirmary in a day or two once the antidote to the Cruciatus had been prepared and so long as he passed Madam Pomfrey's final exam.
He was sitting up reading through the book that Hermione had dropped off for him sometime that morning when Sirius Black woke with a start. The black auror, who was watching over the escaped convict once more, warned him not to make any sudden moves and the gaunt man moaned about Pettigrew escaping and Harry being in danger because the rat was the one who betrayed the Potters. Black then began sobbing about how he'd failed his godson and bemoaned the dementor attack until the auror kindly asked the man to pull himself together and get a grip.
While the man was ranting, Ryuu was studying him and listening to not only his words but the underlying emotions. Tenji finally broke the man out of his fit when he swatted the man across the face with his tail and yowled imperiously from his perch on the man's chest. Black's reaction would have been funny if Ryuu wasn't feeling so conflicted about the man; he'd practically jumped out of the bed and would have landed on the floor if not for a couple of quick spells from the auror that caught him in midair and dumped him back on the bed. Hearing the tall black man threaten to stick the man to the bed with a sticking charm if he didn't behave did bring a smile to Ryuu's lips because it wasn't something he'd ever imagined he'd hear an auror say.
Ryuu then glanced across the room to where his patronus was stretched out across three beds that had been pushed together and his mood plummeted. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs (ignoring the slight twinge in his left shoulder and the way the burning pain of his nerves increased as he pulled away from the heated pads) as the reason for that particular patronus forcefully pushed its way back into his mind. He began trembling a bit as he saw his uncle being held at the mercy of the dementors playing over and over again in his mind.
Even more so than his own personal nightmares of the times he'd been so close to dying and filled with paralyzing fear; seeing the man who'd helped him so much over the years, a man who'd become as much a part of his life as his parents and grandparents, seeing him on the verge of death or worse cut deeply. And knowing it was because of him, because his uncle had come to find him; that hurt for more than any thing else he'd ever faced. It was something he never again wanted to experience. Before he became too wrapped up in his fear and anger, the door to the Hospital Wing opened and Luna skipped into the room carrying Ryuu's book bag.
She glanced at the patronus briefly before she searched the room for him and the smile on her face could have lit the darkest room when she saw him. She practically danced across the room in her happiness and Ryuu pushed his darker thoughts out of his mind as he smiled a bit at the way she reminded him of a fairy. Without any hesitation, the second year climbed up onto the bed with Ryuu and gently took his hands in hers as she studied him intently for a moment. Off to the side, the auror and Black both turned to watch in silence; the auror mildly curious and intent on keeping an eye on Black's every move and Black because he'd finally noticed that Ryuu was in the bed next to him.
"I'm glad you're okay, my Dragon. I was worried for you last night when they said you were missing. Himiko was inconsolable and she cried almost all night long; even after the battle on the grounds was over. I would have come to see you sooner but they wouldn't allow us out of the tower last night and Professor Flitwick insisted that I go to all my classes this morning when he caught me sneaking out early." She paused a moment then and studied him intently before asking, "You are alright, aren't you?"
I will be, Ryuu signed after he gently freed his hands from hers. I might not be the best of company for a couple of days but I should be alright.
"Why? Why is it always you?" Luna asked softly as she dropped her gaze and picked at the edge of the covers where they'd pooled around Ryuu's lap when he'd sat up earlier. "I may not have been here in your first year but I've heard what the older students said about the troll and what happened with that teacher. And last year… with the snake and another teacher… and now this year."
I don't have an answer I can give you, Ryuu finally signed after a minute. There are things I can not speak about and I will not lie to you or to our friends. Things that I wish I could change and things I wish I could forget. I am sorry.
"I understand," Luna replied seriously before she smiled and passed him his bag. "I'm glad you told me honestly that you couldn't tell me because I would have been hurt if you'd lied to me, my Dragon. I brought you your things; I thought you might like to have them."
Thank you, Luna.
The two of them sat in silence after that, Luna once again slipping her hand into one of Ryuu's as they flipped through their text books reading the work they'd been assigned the day before (Ryuu) and that morning (Luna). At lunchtime, Hermione, Neville, Fred, George, and Colin invaded the infirmary smuggling in real food for Ryuu and his two familiars and bringing notes and homework assignments from Ryuu's morning classes. The offering of food pulled Shogun and Tenji away from where they'd been watching over Black as the children crowded around Ryuu's bed. The seven children then shared the impromptu picnic feast sitting on and around Ryuu's bed and talking about classes and the rumors currently flying about the school.
All too soon, Madam Pomfrey descended on their informal party and kicked the other children out of the hospital wing and Ryuu was once again left alone with his thoughts. He didn't really have long to sink back into his depression though as his parents came to see him next; the two of them having nothing to do now that most of the students were in class. While Ryuu spent time comforting his mother (who was a little distressed about what had happened the night before and over his latest injuries) Takashi approached Sirius Black.
"You are a most puzzling man, Sirius Black," Takashi quietly stated so as to not draw his son's attention. "I have spent most of the year trying to figure you out and what motivated you to do the things you did. Contrary to popular belief, people do not really change over night; not naturally. I'm aware that there are spells that can make it seem that they have but that is not a natural change. So when records showed you changed between one moment and the next I questioned it. There was no explanation for it… no thin threads building up to the moment where it all changed that could, in hindsight, paint the picture of your decent into madness."
"You're wrong… grief… indescribable grief can change a man in an instant," Black rasped. "It twists the way you think and makes you do stupid things. The grief and associated guilt eats you alive."
"And yet that grief is tied to the bonds you developed with the one you lost. It is not the loss of life that breaks you it is the loss of everything that tied you to that individual; your world being pulled out from under you. If you had not been so close to that individual you would not feel the same amount of grief," Takashi countered as he crossed his arms and studied the man once more.
"Besides, even if I agreed with you and said that yes, grief could change a man overnight that would not explain why you snapped since according to all of the information available you willingly helped to murder your best friend by handing their location over to Voldemort. Why would you grieve if that was the case? Then again, there was speculation that you snapped because your lord and master had been defeated."
"He was never my lord and master, James was my brother in all but blood!" Sirius roared. "I would have died for him! I would have died to save them all! James and I fought with all we had and lost friends and family to the bastard; why the hell would I have betrayed the one person that was closer to me than my own parents were? We were all supposed to be brothers; James, Remus, my self and Pettigrew."
"I would have died for any one of them. We thought nothing could ever make one another turn our backs on each other. But out of all of us James and I were the closest. I admit I worried that Moony would be vulnerable because of something beyond his control but didn't think he would turn on purpose; it was more that I feared he wouldn't be able to help himself."
"What does that have to do with the Potter's deaths?" Takashi asked as he glanced sideways to see his son and wife both paying close attention now; the expression on Ryuu's face closed as the teen stared at Black.
"James and I came up with the perfect plan," Black whispered as his eyes became haunted. "We would tell everyone that I would be the secret keeper but in truth I would just be the decoy because everyone knew I was James's best friend. We would hide the true Keeper behind our bluff and if they came after me then I could lead them on a merry chase. James wanted to have Moony be their Secret Keeper but like I said I feared he wouldn't be able to help himself and so I told James to use Wormtail instead. Lily; she wanted Dumbledore to be their Secret Keeper but James felt the old man had enough on his plate. Like a fool I argued with both of them and convinced them that Peter was the perfect choice."
Black broke down a bit as he clutched the sheet that covered him and it took him a few minutes before he could continue, "They'd barely been hidden behind the Fidelius for a week before Peter ran to Voldemort and sold them out. I'd gone to check on him after the spy Dumbledore had in Voldemort's inner circle gave the news that Voldemort was going to make his move; that someone had given the dark lord the information he needed. I feared they'd captured Peter; he was always the weakest Marauder. When I found Peter missing and no signs of a struggle, I went to warn Prongs and found that I was already too late. My brother and my sister were dead and their son was taken from me and all I was left with was the knowledge that I'd killed my brother because I foolishly trusted the wrong friend."
"Peter had us all fooled," Lupin interjected as he sat up from across the way. "We never really thought him strong enough or clever enough to be the spy in our group. Peter was the one that had me convinced that you'd finally gotten caught up in the madness that filled so much of your family; that your brother's disappearance had you crawling back to your parents because you secretly blamed one of the Order for killing your little brother and hiding the body. I truly believed you had been capable mentally and magically of killing him and those other people. Seeing his name on the map last night was a shock; finding out he was alive and had hidden that fact for over ten years made me realize how wrong I'd been about you."
"Knowing he was alive and out there was the only thing keeping me from loosing myself in Azkaban; along with the knowledge that Harry still lived. I knew I was innocent and because it wasn't a happy thought the dementors couldn't take it from me like they took most all of my memories of my brother from me," Black rasped as he stared at Lupin with haunted eyes. "Then I saw him… there he was sitting as pretty as you please on the redhead's shoulder in that picture. The stupid rat had found himself the perfect family to hide with and when I learned he was here… all I could think of was that rat hurting little Harry… James's little boy… and I couldn't… I needed to kill him… he was here and I needed to kill him before he hurt Harry."
"How did he hide the fact that he was alive? Wouldn't someone have recognized the man?" Takashi asked with a frown as he glanced between Lupin and Black.
"He was a rat… a stupid fat rat. He cut off his finger and changed into his animagus form and disappeared into the sewers after he blew up the street. And then he lived the pampered life of a pet of a well connected if not well off family where he'd be able to follow the news of the wizarding world and any information about Voldemort or the other Death Eaters without risking being caught because the only ones that knew he was a rat were either dead, in prison, or too grief stricken to bother."
Ryuu stiffened in his mother's arms the moment he heard Black's words and he looked right at Lupin and signed, Ron Weasley had a pet rat… he accused Hermione-chan's cat of killing and eating it when it disappeared earlier this year.
"I'm sorry to say I didn't make the connection when I heard about that incident," Lupin replied tiredly. "At the time I still thought Pettigrew was dead."
Shogun and Tenji both tried to attack Weasley's rat before the school year started; it was the first time they'd seen the rat and they reacted violently. The only other time they reacted like that was around the stray dog that started following me around in Hogsmeade.
"Kneazles are smart, they can sense truth and lies or deceptions and postal owls have a sixth since of their own when it comes to recognizing magical signatures because that is how they find the recipient of the letter they are delivering," Lupin explained. "As familiars both of your animals are even smarter than others of their species because the bond allows for an exchange of magic, thought, and feeling… it is complex and it boils down to your magic enhancing your familiars so that they are as strong as you are. And… and did you say there was a dog following you around Hogsmeade? Padfoot, really?"
"I didn't go looking for him," Black muttered. "I was half starved when I stumbled across him that first time and he whapped me upside the head with that stick of his; thought I was going to buy the Quidditch Pitch right then. Didn't even recognize him at first."
Ryuu froze again as he tried to process exactly what was being said, his mind turning it over and over again until he made the connection between the rat-faced man, Weasley's missing rat, the nicknames that the two men had been tossing about, and Black's comment about Ryuu laying into him with his staff. Jerking his head around he stared at Black with eyes that were darkened with conflicting emotion.
The dog was you… you are an animagus like the rat-man… it was you in that house that saved me. You attacked the rat-faced man and saved us.
"Yes, he was," Takashi stated. "It took us a while to figure it out last night after viewing your memory. What I don't understand is why Lupin-san didn't mention the fact that Black was a shape shifter in the first place; back when news of his escape was first released. If he had truly been after my son… we let that dog into our house and he slept in my son's room all through the winter holidays."
"I would never harm him… I needed to protect him," Black quietly replied. "Seeing him happy and loved was a comfort after all of the years of not knowing and I couldn't stand the thought of Wormtail taking that away. Can you answer me one question though? Why doesn't he speak?"
"That is a long story and one I'm not ready to share with you right now," Takashi replied, a hint of steel entering his voice as he leveled his gaze on the gaunt wizard. "You still have a lot of explaining to do and you have not earned mine or my son's trust; though his familiars are at least willing to give you a chance. I've hired my lawyer to represent you in the trial we've managed to convince the British to give you since you were railroaded into prison without one back in nineteen-eighty-one. Will you cooperate?"
"Why? Why would you do that for me?" Black asked instead.
"Besides the fact that everyone deserves a fair trial; you saved my son's life. I'm not happy that you snuck into our home as a dog but given the circumstances I doubt I would have been willing to allow you into my house as yourself at the time either."
"I… I don't know… there is a rat I need to hunt. He… he's your son now and he's happy; even a blind man could see that. What use is a broken godfather?"
"You would walk away? Throw away the rest of your life to chase after that man when you have a chance to right the wrongs that were done to you? Do you not even wish to find out what my son thinks or feels? To give him the chance to decide for himself if he wants to get to know you?"
"I…"
"Shut up, Padfoot, and just say thank you," Lupin ordered.
"Yes, mother Moony," Black muttered before he muttered out a barely heard and slightly curt thank you.
Ryuu spent the next two days alternating between watching the wizard in the bed next to his, working on the various class assignments his friends brought for him, and being entertained by his various visitors. Snape delivered his first dose of the Cruciatus Antidote around supper time on the day after Ryuu had woken up and the adult wizards in the room at the time (those that didn't know Ryuu's full history) grew contemplative when they observed the thirteen year old downing the steaming yellow potion without any hesitation and without showing any reaction to the foul taste.
That, along with the fact that the pain he must have been feeling prior to taking the antidote hadn't crippled him, was very telling for those that knew enough about the Unforgiveable Curses to know how much damage the pain curse can do no matter how short a time one is held under it. Ryuu was released from the Hospital Wing shortly after lunch on the fourth day of his stay in the infirmary and he'd paused before passing Black's bed; his eyes dark with confused and conflicting emotions as he stared at the man that was his godfather and, up until just a few days before, supposed to have been the enemy. The look of longing, regret, and guilt in the man's blue-gray eyes was almost painful to see.
When Ryuu finally left the room he was even more confused about how he should feel about the man. The large spirit-wolf pacing silently behind him through the halls didn't help as the patronus radiated his rage and grief from the night of the attack; constantly reminding him of what he'd nearly lost last night. He just couldn't bring himself to dispel the patronus though; the close call from that night and the way the dementors had been drawn to him all year making him fear that he wouldn't be able to draw on a happy enough memory to fuel another patronus should this one vanish.
A check of the time told Ryuu that he was due in his Advanced Runes class in about fifteen minutes and he altered his course towards the classroom after finding that Luna or Flitwick had packed his runes book and carving kit in his bag. When he entered the room all eyes turned to stare at him; the older students he shared the lesson with eyeing him and his overly large patronus curiously. He ignored them as best he could though and for the first time all year sat in the very back of the classroom where the wolf-spirit would not interfere with the class due to the emotions it was radiating.
Professor Babbling was startled by the addition of the magical construct but didn't allow it to interfere with the class; her presence commanding and strict as she lectured them for the first twenty minutes before allowing them to carve out simple fire repellant wards onto balsa wood tiles before they were allowed to move onto the more complex version of the ward carved on tiles of slate. Once class was over, Ryuu dragged his feet on his way to his next class; his afternoon training sessions with Hatake. It wasn't that he didn't want to see his quasi uncle, because he did; it was because he wasn't certain if he was ready to deal with the aftermath of everything that happened last night.
Despite the fact that he took his time he still arrived at the dojo on time; one did not turn up late to Hatake's lessons unless one wanted to spend the entire class period being made an example of by being forced to perform the most humiliating of tasks. When he stepped inside the dojo he found his uncle sitting in the middle of the floor mediating with his back to the door and the handful of other students that usually shared this lesson with him conspicuously absent.
The change in routine left Ryuu feeling a little off balance as he put his things in one of the lockers provided and set his familiars down on the only chair in the room. He then slipped off his shoes and took off his robe before stepping onto the tatami mats that covered the floor. He shifted nervously before he tentatively began stretching and warming up like usual; pausing awkwardly whenever he had trouble focusing on the usually easy to follow routine. It wasn't until he began going through his first set of katas that Ryuu finally relaxed and allowed his body to flow through the familiar stances.
"Come sit with me and meditate, Ryuu-kun," Hatake ordered after Ryuu had been at his katas for roughly eighteen minutes and most of the tension had dissipated from the teen's frame.
Ryuu complied without any of the hesitation he'd shown earlier and he was soon floating through the gentle fog that always filled his mind when he mediated. He had to struggle to retain the peaceful feelings though as shadows filled every corner of his mind with memories from the attack. The sudden influx of positive emotions from an outside source startled Ryuu into opening his eyes only to find a familiar silver mammal standing practically nose to nose with him.
"You looked like you could use a little positive reinforcement," Hatake explained as he eyed Ryuu critically. He then jutted his chin in the direction of the silvery-gold wolf sitting just beside the door as he added, "It would probably help if you let go of the anger you are carrying with you everywhere."
I can't.
"Explain."
I'm afraid to dismiss him. I'm afraid I will need him and not be able to call him again. I couldn't… I tried… but I couldn't summon any positive emotions or a happy memory strong enough to shape a patronus at first. I don't ever want to be caught like that again and if I dispel this patronus I don't know if I could call out another and I never again want to have to see or feel what I felt that night when I called this patronus into being. Seeing you… watching them… knowing and fearing what they would do to you… it felt like someone had ripped out a part of my soul.
"The last of dementors are gone; they were rounded up this morning by the aurors and returned to the prison," Hatake declared the moment Ryuu's hands stilled. "Do you remember when I told you that very few adults were able to perform the patronus spell and out of those that could even fewer could produce a corporeal patronus?" Ryuu nodded slowly in response to the question.
"It is not just about the amount of power a witch or wizard has available to draw on, and the patronus requires a good deal of magical power; it is also about having strength of will as well as magical and emotional control. When a witch or wizard is under duress they have less control over their magic and even less control of their emotions. Regaining that control during a highly stressful situation is extremely difficult for fully trained adults let alone a half-trained teenager."
Glancing over at the patronus lurking by the door, Hatake paused for a moment before he continued, "That you were able to produce a patronus at all that night considering the circumstances is amazing. That you performed the spell using the emotions you were feeling at that time should have been impossible; the patronus is not meant to house just any emotions. The spell is designed to draw on positive emotions in order to create a buffer that is used to counter the despair that a dementor generates. No normal patronus has the power to destroy a dementor."
Hatake looked over at Ryuu again and quietly ordered, "Put your rage and grief to rest and allow yourself time to come to terms with what happened. Once you have regained your inner balance, we can address any problem you still have casting a patronus."
Ryuu bowed his head and reluctantly climbed to his feet to comply, meeting the patronus halfway across the floor. Reaching up he placed his hand on the wolf's nose and shook beneath the power of his emotions from the night before as he pulled out his cherry wand and used his right hand to dispel the creature. Unlike the Nyanko-patronus, this one didn't slowly fade after being dispelled; it exploded in a shower of gold and silver sparks that filled the entire room before they vanished as they arched down towards the floor. The abruptness caught Ryuu off guard and he ended up on the floor in shock; not quite certain of how he'd gotten there.
The rest of the school year passed by in a blur for Ryuu as he prepared for and took his end of year exams. He did his best to put on a brave face for his friends so he wouldn't pull them down with him as he struggled with his depression and uncertainties. It grew easier by the end of term when the worst of his memories from that night had faded from his waking thoughts and his nightmares had grown tamer. The fact that he was able to talk about everything that had happened with his parents and his uncle when the need arose without having to wait until he left the castle helped tremendously.
Kimura-sensei was finally released from the infirmary two weeks after the attack. He'd come very close to losing his soul that night and it had sent his body into shock due to the traumatic experience destabilizing his magical core. The man had come close to dying more than once while he was in a coma and only the fact that he was in good health physically, very strong emotionally and mentally, and was a highly disciplined man magically had given him the strength to pull through with the help of Madam Pomfrey and Healer Inoue. It didn't hurt that they'd wasted no time in bringing the wizard up to the infirmary so soon after the incident.
The wizard wouldn't be up to performing any high level spells any time soon though and as a result the tutoring sessions he normally had with Ryuu were taken over by Professor Flitwick; who'd been kept appraised of Ryuu's progress because he was the teen's Head of House. If not for the oath that Flitwick had given to Ryuu over the summer those lessons might have added to the stress Ryuu was already feeling at the time. As it was, Flitwick had given an oath to the teen and the two of them were able to avoid the unnecessary period of distrust that Ryuu always seemed to exhibit around most other adults when placed in a one on one situation.
It was on the night before the students were scheduled to go home that Ryuu finally managed to reproduce his Nyanko-patronus; under the supervision of Kimura, Hatake, and Flitwick with his parents watching from the side. He'd spent an hour meditating with Kimura's crane, Hatake's red panda, and Flitwick's raccoon patronuses sitting around him submersing him in their happy memories. It was still smaller than the original patronus but it was solid and stable as it sat in front of Ryuu and watched the other three ethereal patronuses cavorting around it. Ryuu eventually named it Neko-chan in honor of the name that Hatake always called Nyanko-sensei; much to the disgruntlement of said youkai.
Over all it had been yet another difficult year; what with the dementor attacks, Malfoy's attack, the two long drawn out trials, and his kidnapping by Pettigrew and Ryuu was happy to be going back to Japan where he would be safe.
Translations: Japanese to English
Kuso – swear word
Neko – cat
AN: There we go. Didn't think it would take me this long to wade through a few chapters checking for mistakes but it is hard to focus on things right now. Hopefully, it was worth the wait and hopefully the next chapter won't take quite as long to throw up.
I've also decided to start posting my Gundam Wing/Harry Potter crossover even though it isn't quite finished (though it is close to being finished). I need something else to focus on aside from writing the various WIP's I have and editing the same story because my brain is permanently fried. I'm hoping that doing so will help me get through the slump I'm in regarding the sequels to Chaos by Request and Wishing Door/Wizard's World (YR1).
09-20-12: Chapters 13, 14, 15, & 16 were just updated with recent edits.
09-21-12: Fixed an error in the dialogue that a helpful reviewer pointed out.
