by Deirdre Blair
Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah...see previous chapters...blah, blah, blah...
Summary: Some things get a little more complicated now that Yue's entered the picture. And Divination's class proves to be very eventful. Could this be the dawn of change? Perhaps...
Author's Note: Chapter seven...ah, we're here. I never thought it'd turn out this successful. Of course, a year from now, if I could go back and change things, I probably would. But things happen. Anyway, I'm just glad that all of you have stuck with this story. And for those of you who haven't, thanks for reading it in the beginning. Mou...I'm talking as if this is my last chapter. But, we've only just begun! Oh, and the lack of Harry/Hotaru can be explained. I had too many things to do in the last chapter, and a good romance scene would've distracted you! But now, I have made up for that. Plenty of nice Harry/Hotaru stuff to satisfy you.
Oh, and there's a Divination part coming up. I absolutely do not know anything about Divination. Don't hate me! I'm making everything up.
Rating: PG13
Genre: Drama/Romance
Pairing: Harry/Hotaru, Draco/Blaise, Ron/Hermione
Warnings: Male/Male SLASH
by Deirdre Blair
Changes
Previously on Tragic Angel...
~She was such a mystery, that Hotaru Tomoe. He wanted to get to know her more. He knew there was a whole other side to her that nobody ever got to see. But he wanted to see that side of her. He was quite sure he'd like it.~
~"Today, and during a period of two weeks, we'll be concocting a Telepathy Potion. You've read about it in your books. It's a very complex spell, and if one thing goes wrong, you could be broadcasting your most personal thoughts into every mind of every person in this country," Snape informed. "The purpose of this potion is to share voluntary thoughts to only one other person--the person you'll be partnered up with."~
~"You were just disappointed that she didn't choose you, I know," she said in a small voice. She sat, staring forward. Harry saw the corner of her eye twitch somewhat. She was very angry.~
~"He-Helios-kun?" she looked at him with wide, tear-soaked eyes. "Did I just lose my best friend?"~
~Chibiusa fell into Helios, nuzzling herself into his white shirt. "What could be deeper than friendship, Helios-kun?"
Helios looked into the distance, his hand on Chibiusa's back. He seemed to think for a moment before whispering, "Betrayal."~
~As if on cue, the double doors opened to reveal Professor McGonagall. Her eyebrows rose as she looked the boy over. "You must be Yue."~
~"We're joined, you and I." When saying that, he linked his pinkie with hers and brought their two hands up to eye level.~
-
After Yue had taken Hotaru off, Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat around the fire, talking amongst themselves. Neville, Seamus, and Dean had already gone off to different things. Ron and Harry were engaging in their routine chess match, while Hermione sat by the roaring fire and soaked in the pages of her latest book.
It was just like old times.
However, they had a topic of discussion that old times didn't. And it would come up eventually. Harry just felt a little guilty that he was the one to bring it up. "How do you think Yue knew Hotaru?" he asked conversationally.
Hermione, expecting this question, shut her book and set it in her lap. She stared into the fire, eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure. They're both Japanese, but that doesn't mean they know each other. Though, don't they look a little bit alike?"
Ron looked up. "You think they might be related?" he asked, curious. He didn't think so, but he could've been wrong.
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. It was just a thought. They both have the same dark violet hair--and dark violet hair is a rare thing indeed. Maybe we should ask Yue when he gets back."
Just then, they felt the pressure change. Everyone in the room looked up. "What was that?" Hermione asked, a little fearful.
Harry stood up, looking at the window that was so high up on the wall. It was deep black sky, nearly starless. He furrowed his brow. Something was amiss, yet everything looked normal. "Maybe we should go check it out."
Harry, Hermione, and Ron hurried out of the entrance, and collided into Makoto Kino. "What are you three doing out here?" she asked in feigned surprise.
"Um...we were going out to the Quidditch pitch...it's a lovely night and we were thinking of getting a jump-start on our Astronomy homework," Hermione half-lied.
Makoto's eyebrows lifted. "No, I don't think you should go outside right now."
"But-."
"No, Mr. Potter, it isn't safe. Especially not now," Makoto stressed.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked, a bit peeved.
Makoto looked out the window that displayed the Quidditch pitch, though did not show inside of it. "It's not yet time for you to know the things that are going on there. Not yet."
Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. "Maybe we should ask Dumbledore what's going on."
Makoto shook her head, nearly laughing. "Dumbledore's a smart man, so he's probably got it all figured out by now. Destiny has taken a detour and left it all up to one person to decide which way the wind will blow," Makoto replied, sounding uncharacteristically prophetic. "He won't tell you anything yet. It's up to someone else to let you in. I wouldn't go poking my nose into things that aren't my business yet, if I were you."
Giving up, the three turned around.
When in the common room, Ron was a little put off. "Don't tell me we're going to give up that easily!"
Harry, determination glittering in his eyes, continued walking towards his dormitory, and then returned a few minutes later. "We aren't." In his hands, was the Invisibility Cloak.
Hermione's eyes went wide. "Harry...I don't think we should disobey Professor Kino. She looked like she knew what she was talking about."
Harry glared at her. "Look, Hermione, I've heard enough prophecies for one lifetime. If I don't see what's going on, see what Kino doesn't want us to, I'll go completely insane."
Hermione and Ron looked at him wtih curious stares. "What other prophecy have you heard?"
Harry bit his tongue. "I haven't. Let's just go."
"I think I'll sit out on this adventure, Harry," Hermione replied shaking her head. "She didn't say we'd never get to find this stuff out, she just said that we shouldn't be let in on it right now." Hermione grabbed her book.
"Fine! Ron?" Harry looked at his best friend.
Ron looked torn between his best mate and his love interest. "Well...er..."
Harry rolled his eyes, threw the cloak over himself, and exited the common room.
He passed Makoto, though he thought she saw him. Her amused green eyes followed him. But he ignored her. He nearly ran to the Quidditch pitch, and then entered it. He scanned the area, and found two people facing off. He stood where he was. He couldn't see Yue very well, but could see Hotaru with relative ease.
He saw her stand there, her wand drawn, and then saw her cry the Impedimentia curse, hurling Yue to the other end of the pitch. Harry gasped. The Impedimentia curse wasn't that effective, and it certainly wouldn't knock a person back a hundred feet. In seconds flat, he saw Hotaru hesitate and run to Yue, her wand back in her pocket.
Wondering what the heck was going on, Harry moved forward a bit to get a better look. Yue had left a blood streak on the wall. He heard her ask if he was all right, and he heard him reply with a whining voice. He had moved close enough to see a fondness spread across her face.
She asked what had happened, then an orb was brought out. It was then that Harry noticed Yue's different clothes, just before a school uniform returned. Then he heard something a little disturbing.
"And you called me 'Taru-chan' as you knew me..."
Yue had yawned while she said that, and looked like a mixture of boredom and fatigue. "Yes, that's because I do," he replied.
"How?" she asked.
Harry felt a surge of jealousy when Yue linked his pinkie with Hotaru's and said, "We're joined, you and I."
"Joined?" she asked. Harry wanted to hug her, break her from her naivety.
He didn't get to hear the rest of their conversation, because his ears were pounding. Oh yeah, they knew each other all right. They were either reinacting some sort of union, or Hotaru had suffered from some sort of memory loss and he was explaining such a union. When he looked up again, he saw their heads come together. From his angle, it looked as if they were in a deep kiss.
Yue was going to die. He didn't know why, but Yue was going to suffer severe torture.
They were both leaning against the wall at this point. Hotaru had broken from the contact and was now curled up in Yue's embrace. He was holding her head to his chest. They were both completely still. He caught a glimpse of Hotaru's forehead and saw the corner of something that was glowing. His eyes narrowed.
In minutes, it looked as if they were finally going to go inside. But when Yue got up, Hotaru didn't. Harry wondered this, and figured Hotaru fell asleep in his arms. How cute.
Then Yue looked in his direction. He didn't look furious, he didn't look content, but he did wear a mask of amused curiosity on his features. "You aren't supposed to be here," he said in an equally amused voice. His raised his hand, a wind picked up, and blew the cloak off of Harry.
"Harry Potter, I thought it was you."
Harry, his identity revealed, stood up with his wand out. "How did you know I was there? I didn't make any movements, or noises."
Yue crossed his arms, his wand not even out. He didn't even seem fazed by Harry's weapon. "I'm not like you, Potter, in case you haven't noticed yet. Neither are Hotaru, Makoto, or Setsuna. However," he said. "Now is definitely not the time for you to know why."
Harry's eyes strayed to Hotaru, who looked dead. "If you've done anything to Hotaru..."
Yue's eyes flashed. "I would never do anything to her. I love her. I've loved her since the beginning."
Harry suddenly felt as if his legs were going to give way at any moment. He suddenly felt very heavy, and ultimately cursed gravity. His voiced the only question on his mind. "And does she love you?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Yue smiled brightly. "Of course she does. It'd be a little odd if she didn't. What are you so upset about?"
Harry shook his head, feeling defeated. "I'm not sure..."
Yue's eyes widened with realisation. "You love her too, don't you? But you haven't known her but for...maybe a couple of days?"
Harry met Yue's eyes instantly. "I don't love her. I don't even like her." He took interest in the ground again. "Well, maybe I like her a little bit. But that doesn't matter. She's yours and that's that." With that, Harry stormed off with his Invisibility Cloak. He suddenly wished he had followed Makoto's orders.
Yue looked at Hotaru, bemused. He picked her up. "You've been busy while I've been away, haven't you?"
-
The next morning, Hotaru felt as if a heavy rock had thrown itself onto her head and repeatedly pummelled her with it. The sunlight drenching the room was much too bright, and the footsteps of her dormmates were much too heavy. Their gossiping was like a flock of raving mad seagulls crying into her ears. Ignoring the slight dizziness and throbbing of her head, Hotaru got out of bed and went into the bathroom, where she would wash up.
It felt like she had drunk over a hundred ounces of rum the night before. She wondered briefly if she had. However, she didn't have the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Hotaru turned on the warm water and took a nice, long shower. She got out, dressed herself, and went about her morning routine. A groan from one of the other girls told her that it was only Wednesday. Hotaru felt like groaning too.
When Hotaru was dressed in her school uniform and black cloak, she gathered her homework and things and went to the Great Hall for breakfast.
The whole place was a relentless assault on her senses. The over-whelming scent of pancakes and such things, and the noise level, were almost too much to handle. She gritted her teeth and made her way to the Slytherin table.
Blaise greeted her with a friendly, but hard, slap on the shoulder. "Well, good morning!"
Hotaru saw only red and immediately began to strangle Blaise. "Don't. Touch. Me!" she cried. Everything was much too sensitive. She felt someone pulling her off of Blaise. She got to her feet, spun, and saw that it was Draco.
"What the hell has gotten into you?" Draco asked, a little flabbergasted.
Hotaru shivered a little, clenched and unclenched her fists, and took a seat. "Sorry..." she mumbled as she fought to tune out the incoherent din of the students. Only a few saw the spectacle.
"What's your problem, Tomoe?" Blaise asked, suspicious and a little bit hurt--emotionally.
Hotaru shook her head. "I don't know. Something's wrong though. All of a sudden, everything's too bright, too loud... Or maybe, I'm just really sensitive right now..." she replied, not even bothering to look at the plate in front of her.
Among those who saw the display, Harry and a few Gryffindors were some of them.
"Did you see that?!" cried Ron, a little impressed. "Tomoe just started strangling Zabini! I was surprised she didn't deck Malfoy. I would've...for even touching me to begin with."
Harry just watched the three with shock. When Hotaru went to strangle Zabini, he saw she was incredibly furious. If it had been him, he wouldn't have calmed down. He would've kept throwing his fists. Didn't Tomoe not like Malfoy and Zabini? Hadn't she once said they were awful friends? If that was the case, why didn't she attack them--either verbally or physically?
Yue's eyes narrowed and a small smile spread on his face. "What are you thinking, Potter?" Yue asked.
Harry jumped, startled out of his thoughts. "O-oh, nothing really. I just find it strange that Malfoy and Zabini were able to calm Hotaru down that well...without her cursing them into oblivion."
Yue was a little shocked as well, but it didn't look as if it was because of what she did. "And you think she's the type to do that?"
Harry nodded without hesitation. "It wouldn't surprise me."
Yue chewed on a piece of toast, his eyebrows furrowed. He joined in watching Hotaru intently.
Hotaru felt eyes upon her, and looked over her shoulder. She glared at Harry and Yue. "Idiots...why don't they take a picture? It lasts longer..." she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.
Blaise looked up at her, the strangulation obviously forgotten. "Huh?"
Hotaru narrowed her eyes. "Takada and Potter."
Blaise looked over at them, his eyes gleaming with malice.
Yue felt shivers. "That's one evil guy," he said aloud--unintentionally.
Harry looked up. "What? How can you tell?"
Yue tilted his head a little. "Well...actually, I wouldn't say he was evil...to a dangerous extent. More like...obsessively protective. But he can give off that aura well, can't he? Fooled even me for a second and I'm an excellent judge of character."
Harry blinked, not quite understanding. But he didn't say this aloud. "I think all of the Slytherins have that evil aura."
Yue looked at him, a little more than shocked. "You've got to be kidding me, right?" Harry furrowed his brow. "Some Slytherins, yes. But a lot of them are just misinformed and wouldn't really kill if given the chance. Take that blonde kid for example."
"Malfoy?"
"Is that his name? Yes, him. He's a lot of talk. This boy could fill up an ocean with his talk. But he's very little action. Or at least, he's capable of it, but wouldn't do anything about it. It's probably because he doesn't even know he's capable of it. He could be an extraordinary wizard, on either side. If I were you, Potter, I would at least try to get him to be my ally. You must take them where you can get them."
Harry just stared at him. "How do you know all of this?" he asked, suspicious.
Yue gave a broad grin. "I've been studying people for a very long time, Potter. As of this point, it doesn't take me long to predict people's personalities. Also, I can see with clear sight what is going on around me."
Harry, disbelieving, drank down his pumpkin juice.
Yue Takada scared him a lot. It wasn't the fact that he had a mysterious aura. It was because he knew too much for a person who only just arrived. It was because Yue Takada looked, felt, and even sounded inhuman. It was the same aura Hotaru had, but instead of intriguing him, it frightened him to death.
He didn't know if he liked Yue being so close to Hotaru.
-
The first class of the day was Divination. Blaise and Draco were in Arithmancy while Hotaru went into the Divination classroom. She had heard a rumour that the previous Divination professor had gone mentally insane and now the subject was taught by a centaur by the name of Firenze.
Hotaru couldn't believe it until class had actually started. A centaur, teaching Divination in a human-infested school? The entire idea was preposterous! Then, Firenze walked from the shadows.
Everyone looked upon him in awe. Obviously, they were still in shock about the new teacher as well. Hotaru didn't look surprised, but that was because she had become accustomed to hiding it. She just stared at Firenze, who seemed to notice her immediately.
He didn't say anything, but his eyes flickered over her and another individual for a moment or two. Hotaru looked to her right and saw Yue, who was greeting the centaur with an almost challenging look.
She had the distinct feeling, although the memories were still blurry, that Yue had been a friend of the centaurs on Earth for centuries. Firenze definitely seemed to be familiar with both of them.
The bell rang, and class had begun. "Welcome, students, to another year of Divination. Although most of you do not possess the distinct quality that is needed for this subject, I will teach you it regardless."
Some of the class looked quite upset.
"First, let me pair you off with your partner for the next eight weeks--while we study natural divination. It opens up to both centaurs, and to gifted humans. However, humans gifted in this sort of divination is extremely rare, so I do expect any of you to progress."
Once again, there were pouts.
"When I call out your name, I want you to go to your assigned partner. Then you will take a box from that pile over there. Afterwards, you will go back to your seats." Firenze didn't need to look at a chart. "Hotaru Tomoe and Yue Takada."
Hotaru wasn't the least surprised she was paired with Yue. But she was a bit disappointed. She had hoped to be paired with Harry, so that she could work her way into getting him to like her even more. She walked over to Yue, didn't speak at all, then retrieved a box.
They took their seats.
Minutes later, everyone was paired off. Harry with Ron. Neville with a Hufflepuff named Sera Weston. Lavender with Parvati. Dean with Seamus. Others were paired off, but Hotaru didn't recognise any of them. When everyone had gotten a box and were seated, Firenze began.
"You'll notice that I've paired you with your best friend, or the person you trust the most. That is crucial at your level. If you were somehow gifted, then you wouldn't want your deepest secrets and desires heard by just anyone, would you? Natural Divination opens up a whole other side of you, if are one of the gifted," Firenze explained. "It deals with the wind, water, nature, and fire. The boxes you hold each carry the basic amount of water, nature, fire, and wind."
Being ever curious, the entire class opened their boxes. The question on their mind was--how could you box fire and wind? Obviously, there was a way how. There were four glass bottles. The one with the blue lid held water. The one with the green lid held leaves that had come from a tree, a couple of flowers, or grass. The one with the red lid held fire--as unbelievable as it was--swirling within it. The one with the white lid held blowing gusts of wind. You could tell because there were a few specks of dirt in it and they were blowing about randomly.
Firenze didn't seem to mind. "You'll also notice that in the box, there are two small bowls. They are for the nature and water. You must keep the lids on the wind and fire. If you open the wind, it will be forever gone. If you open the fire, we will all be engulfed in flame."
Lavender raised her hand and asked the obvious question. "If we can't take out the wind and fire, how are we supposed to use them?"
Firenze got a gleam in his eye, and he made quick eye-contact with Yue and Hotaru. Hotaru got the feeling that he thought both of them already knew the answer. "That, Ms. Brown, is what I will explain to you later. First, we'll work with the easiest one--nature. It's a living thing, so it will be easier for you to hear its voice...if you have the Gift."
The class was listening intently for directions.
"Pour the contents into a bowl and set it in front of both of you." The class did as they were told. "Now, I want you to close your eyes, and clear your mind of everything." It looked as if the class was being obedient. "Once everything is clear from your mind, repeat after me. Tok sim ri nor acksi e perim binte mi."
Blinking, the class looked up at him as if he were insane. Somehow, Hotaru seemed to understand it a little.
Firenze, a little impatient, translated it. "It's the ancient tongue of Jupiter--the planet governing nature. It means 'open ears to the voices of wisdom before me'. It is the incantation to open your ears to what the plant has to say. Without saying this first, you will not be able to speak with nature."
"Unless you're from Jupiter..." Hotaru mumbled in a barely audible voice.
Yue smirked and Firenze shifted a little. "It is the ancient tongue of those who ruled Jupiter. It was only spoken by the Council and the royal family. It was taught to the centaurs long ago. Now, I will speak slower so that you may proceed. Tok sim ri."
"Tok sim ri," the class chanted.
"Nor acksi e."
"Nor acksi e."
"Perim binte mi."
"Perim binte mi."
Suddenly, Hotaru heard a rush of voices hit her ears. She grabbed onto the nearest thing to steady herself, as she felt as if she were about to faint. Yue was grabbing onto her too.
Hotaru shut her eyes extra hard, trying to block out the whispers that were coming from the flowers in front of her. She only briefly noticed they were asphodel--the flower she given Yue at his death.
In the rising whispers, Hotaru heard a distant voice. It was saying, "If you are hearing the voices of the plants, then concentrate on my voice alone." She tried, and she succeeded. While the whispers could still be heard, Firenze's voice was heard above them all.
"This is your assignment: to ask from the wisdom of nature what may come to be. Repeat after me, but only if you hear the whispers. Kusu mi e hei yis tandi ri ta."
Only four voices--Hotaru, Yue, Harry, and Lavender--whispered the words. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but each fate was different for each person--that was plainly obvious. When the reading was finished, each person opened their eyes and stared wide-eyed at the plants--still focused on them. Each was perspiring beyond normal.
"Now, to break the connection, repeat after me. Maen hei maknabe tokhan."
"Maen hei maknabe tokhan," four dead voices whispered.
In that very instant, it seemed as if Lavender, Hotaru, Yue, and Harry had returned to normal. However, they only seemed like it. But they looked as if they felt like hell. Some of the students noticed that what they thought was sweat near the four's eyes were actually tears.
They had been mourning the fate of the world.
"When you have collected yourselves, tell me what you saw. Yue Takada first."
Yue was the first to recooperate. He looked at Firenze, but his eyes still held that distant, far-away look from before. In a soft voice, he replied, "In centuries to come, if the Chosen Ones fail, then the entire galaxy will be submitted to eternal peril. All light will be gone, all life will be diminished, all hope will be forgotten. That is only a summary of what I saw." His was a hollow voice, ridden of any emotion--as if he were speaking as a third party. He wiped his face on his shirt sleeve.
Firenze nodded, as if he either approved or was satisfied with Yue's talent. He looked to Lavender. "Lavender Brown, tell me what you have seen."
Lavender looked up at him as well, still trembling from shock and despair. In a shaky voice, she said, "Everything...barren. Everyone's dead...nothing remains. So many dead bodies...so much blood...so much death. And so much hatred." Lavender began to sob a little. Parvati held her. "Such wretched, pure hatred. Nothing but it remains...everything else is gone. That's what could happen, should the Chosen Ones fail... The land of love and beauty will cease to exist..."
Hotaru's head snapped up, her eyes wide upon Lavender.
"Hotaru Tomoe, it is your turn to reveal what you have witnessed."
Hotaru paid Firenze no attention. She got up, strength having been recovered, and walked over to Lavender. She took Lavender's hand and held it up to her own cheek. "The land of love and beauty..." she whispered as she closed her eyes. "Sh...let me in."
Hotaru leaned forward, her forehead touching Lavender's. Lavender let out a strained noise as if she were holding in immense pain. Hotaru bit her lip, trying to concentrate. Seconds passed, and Hotaru opened her eyes, and sat back on her heels. "Venus," was all she mumbled as she made her way over to Yue. She looked him directly in the eyes.
Yue returned the stare, then looked back at Lavender. In words that could not even be made out, Yue spoke to Hotaru. She returned with the same tongue. When Ron looked to Harry to ask if it was Parseltongue, he decided not to. Harry was as baffled as he was. It wasn't Parseltongue.
"She is the Chosen One, you think?" Yue asked in his native Saturnian tongue.
Hotaru shook her head. "I can't be certain. But she descends from Venus. That much is sure. She saw a fortune of Venus. If she were a true Earthling, she'd have seen the fate of Earth. I know we both saw the same thing--the fate of Saturn if the Chosen Ones fail."
Yue nodded. "All right, we'll continue this conversation later. We're getting strange looks."
Hotaru nodded as well and looked at Firenze. "If I told you what I saw, it'd be no different than what Yue saw. We saw the same exact thing--the fate of a world of silence."
Firenze closed his eyes. "All right. I see. Harry Potter, it is your turn."
Harry kept his gaze to the floor. "And if I told you what I saw, I'd be breaking a promise to both myself and to someone important."
Firenze's eyebrows lifted and he seemed to get the message. "I understand." He paused. "Never before have I seen four Gifted ones in one room together. This is interesting, at least. I will speak to Professor Dumbledore about giving you each special classes."
Hotaru, Harry, Lavender, and Yue looked at each other, a little confused.
-
In an empty classroom, Makoto Kino sat at her desk. She was grading the papers that were just turned in by her second year Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff class. Then suddenly, she felt an assault of whispers filling her head.
She clutched her head, seeing visions of complete desolation. She saw things that weren't her's to see. The planets that were being shown weren't her own, but Venus, Saturn, and Earth. And the last one, it was the most eerie of all... She knew exactly who it belonged to.
"Harry Potter...such a tragic destiny..." she whispered just before she collapsed onto her desk.
-
When class ended, Firenze suggested that they each take off the rest of the day and spend the remainder of it in the hospital wing. He made sure they took his suggestion.
When Madam Pomfrey exited the room, Hotaru clucked her tongue. "I swear, that woman is the most extreme worrywart I've ever encountered," she replied in light tones.
The four lied back on their beds.
"Why did you look into my prediction, Tomoe?" Lavender asked in a curious voice.
Hotaru rolled over to her side and looked at the girl. "Because of what you said. You said, 'The land of love and beauty will cease to exist'. Earth isn't the land of love and beauty, Brown-san. It is Venus. When I placed my forehead upon yours, I saw your prediction and I saw the symbol of Venus. You, whether you want to hear it or not, are from the planet of Venus...or at least, you're a descendent of the people who came to Earth from Venus."
"How did you?"
"How did I look into your prediction and determine your lineage?"
"Yeah."
Hotaru rolled back over onto her back. "That is a story for another day."
-
Hotaru remained awake during the day, regardless of the fact that she was a little tired. Lavender slept soundly while Yue and Harry accompanied her insomnia.
"I'm used to this sort of thing. I see it every night in my dreams," Harry replied when asked why he wasn't sleeping. "So my prediction didn't wear me out as much as Lavender's did."
"Ah, so your prediction was about Voldemort then?" Hotaru asked openly.
Harry blinked at her bluntness. "Um...in a way, yeah." Nothing else was said for nearly hours. Harry grew unbelievably tired and fell into a deep sleep.
Yue frowned. "He's a wicked old man, isn't he? The things he's done...I'd like to chop him up into little bits and feed him to sharks if it were my destiny to fight him."
Hotaru glared at him in a scolding way. In a harsh voice she said, "Don't say that! He isn't as bad as everyone thinks!"
Yue lurched himself out of bed, staring at her wide-eyed. "Not as bad--! Hotaru, do you know what you're saying? He kills innocent children without hesitating!"
Hotaru sneered. "He didn't kill me when he had the chance."
"That's because you've been his obediant little lap-dog, haven't you?" he snarled. "He saw you for the power you had and now he's using it to his advantage. Don't you see? He's sucking you dry! He's killing everything that makes you you and awakening a monster that should've never been released to begin with!"
"And that's my fault that monster has been released? I fight every day to push it down into the depths of my soul--so far down that it will never surface...but it's getting harder every day that I live!" Hotaru's tears began to crawl to her eyes.
Yue climbed into Hotaru's bed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. "And you honestly think Voldemort has nothing to do with it? He's smarter than you give him credit for, Taru-chan. He's already seen that you possess such power that could be useful to him in the future. He'll betray you in the end, take your power, and then use it to kill every last person on Earth on the side of the light. You know this."
Hotaru nuzzled herself in Yue's chest, more memories of this coming clearer. There were still blurs, but Hotaru now realised that Yue Takada was her beloved reincarnated cousin. "Do I? Maybe I do...but I don't want to see it. Yue-kun...am I destined to be betrayed time after time? No matter how many different lives I live? Is that my eternal fate?"
Yue held her tightly. "Of course not. This is the bad part of your destiny, but the sunshine is coming. The happiness we once had so long ago will come again and then we'll never have to suffer...ever again."
"I love you, Yue-kun," Hotaru whispered.
"I know, Taru-chan."
-
Harry couldn't sleep that well that day. He lay there perfectly still, and dozed off for a few seconds. But the minute something was spoken, he was awake again. Or at least, he thought he was. It could've been a dream...everything Yue and Hotaru had said.
He had heard them talking about Voldemort, thinking he was asleep. Then he heard the rustling of sheets, and knew Yue was climbing in bed with Hotaru. He was suddenly very angry.
Then the words he had been dreading, "I love you, Yue-kun," in the most desperate, loving voice Harry had ever heard.
He wanted to throw Yue out of the window at that moment.
Then it was eerily quiet, and he heard the pitter-patter of footsteps making their way over to him. Probably Madam Pomfrey, he thought. He pretended to be sleeping.
"Potter...are you awake?"
It was Hotaru. Harry's eyes opened in a flash and obviously, he had startled her. Her face was inches from his, and then suddenly it was a few feet away. "Um...yeah...now I am."
Hotaru walked up to him and seated herself at the foot of his bed, her knees to her chest. "Yue's asleep, you can be truthful. You were awake the entire time."
Harry sat up. "How did you know?"
"Oh, certain parts when I was talking about Voldemort, you tensed."
Harry bit his lip. "So, now what? Are you going to kill me?"
Hotaru blinked. Then suddenly, she began to giggle hysterically.
"What's funny?" Harry asked indignantly.
Hotaru shook her head. "Kill you? That's funny. Why would I do that?"
Harry furrowed his brow. "Because now I know you work for him. And you don't trust me to keep my mouth shut, do you?"
Hotaru crawled beside Harry, and sat on her heels. "But you've known since day one that I've worked for Voldemort. You may have not realised that you knew, but you knew. Why do you think you've been so intrigued, yet hating me all the same?"
"I-I haven't been hating you."
Hotaru blinked. "Really? Hm. And here I thought I was being a good villain."
Harry felt like smiling a little, and he did. "No, Draco Malfoy still has number one spot for school bully."
Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Better not let him hear that. He'll be rejoicing for centuries to come. Whether you want to believe it or not, you mean a lot to him. Maybe not in the sense that friends mean a lot to each other...but you give him something to do besides get an ugly tattoo on his forearm."
Harry bit his lip again. "Do you...do you have a tattoo?"
"You think I trust you enough to show you?"
"Sorry...but why do you trust me enough to not say anything?"
Hotaru looked away for a moment, trying to answer the question to the best of her ability. "You should know, Potter, that some people dig themselves into holes that are so deep, they need a rope or ladder to climb out of them."
Harry, acting on impulse, grabbed her hand. "I'll always have a rope for you."
Hotaru looked up at him, startled by his action. She looked deeply into his green eyes, wondering just what he was getting at. Why was he acting like that? Why was he trying to help her, when she was trying to befriend him and then betray him so she could finally be free? Why did he have to look so determined to save her from forever being trapped within the depths of her hole? Why couldn't he just be a complete jerk so this wouldn't be so hard? Hotaru took her hand away from Harry. "You don't want to go making friends with people like me, Potter. I'm unreliable, untrustworthy, and unpredictable."
"And you can't chose my friends for me."
Hotaru walked away and to her bed, covering herself almost completely with her bed sheets.
-
That night, when Madam Pomfrey went to bed, Hotaru snuck out of the hospital wing. She snuck past the Great Hall, and down towards the forest. Hotaru stood at the edge of the forest, her eyes closed, and called Trinity telepathically.
The majestic pegasus came without delay. "You wish to speak to me?" she asked.
Getting right to the point, Hotaru looked Trinity directly in the eyes. "Tell me, and be honest. Have there been any fatalitys back in Crystal Tokyo?"
"There has been one," Trinity replied in a melancholy voice. "Minako Aino, Sailor Venus, was killed last night."
Hotaru looked down, dreading that statement. "You know this means that she isn't one of the Chosen Ones, right?"
"Yes. Minako Aino was never meant to be a Chosen One. Have you figured out who will become the new Saviour of Venus?"
Hotaru looked up at the castle, towards the hospital wing. "I have a guess, but I could be wrong. I hope I'm not."
TBC...
Author's Note: Well, that's the end of Chapter Seven. Can any of you guess who the Saviour of Venus will be? Ten points and a hundred cookies for those of you who guess right (but I'll never tell...you'll have to wait and see!). I hope you've enjoyed this story thus far. This chapter was a little difficult to write, and it wasn't my longest. And a lot of relationships have been made withing a short period of time. But a lot of drama has been going on and sometimes a lot of drama in a short period of time brings people together faster than normal. Um, please review!
*"Kusu mi e hei yis tandi ri ta" means "tell me of what may come to be".
*"Maen hei maknabe tokhan" means "close what has been opened".
I don't really know the tongue of ancient Jupiter...I made these words up. So...yeah. I'm just a dummy making words up to suit my needs. Sorry if it confused anyone. -Deirdre Blair