Author's Note: Going to divide the next chapter up into three parts... Right now, it's pushing 12k words, and that just seems a little long. I think I've got three decent breakpoints, so we'll see how this works. Further note, mind that some of these characters will be a little OOC because situations are different in this world. As an example, Silver's still alive in this story, which is going to have an impact on how Gray gets portrayed. Hopefully I don't make them too OOC, though.
CHAPTER TWO
The Boy Who Brought the Sky
The trip to London was long and terrifying for the blunette girl. While out at sea, Juvia was calm enough. The sea was there to sing to her and keep her steady. However, once they docked at the Port of London, whatever semblance of peace the sea had given her was gone.
She never knew so many people could exist and all in one place. There seemed to be no end of them or the buildings that rose high into the dreary sky, all of them converging down on her. Suffocating her. And the noise. Oh, how she hated the noise. She missed the sea and its gentle song. She even missed the pattering of rain. How did people live with the screams of machinery and quarreling of crowds as they rushed about, all competing to be heard above the others? She found herself unintentionally shrinking against Professor Jose, willing herself to disappear. To somewhere safe. Somewhere quiet. Professor Jose did nothing to console her. He just kept pushing through the crowds, headed for some destination he didn't see fit to share with Juvia. He only paused once they stood in front of a building with a sign that read The Leaky Cauldron. He stepped inside, and Juvia quickly followed.
The roar of London disappeared with the closing of the door behind her. The building was still loud, but the sound had an almost musical quality to it, a cacophony of voices and sounds that blended together in a chaotic display. For the first time since she left the abbey, she smiled, hardly even noticing when Professor Jose took her case from her and handed it and her meager set of possessions to the man behind the bar. Her eyes darted about the room, entranced by the glasses that moved on their own and the people that waved wands like the abbess had about, the air above them lit in an array of colors. Every person she passed as she followed Professor Jose through the building seemed to be laughing, swapping stories, playing games. Everyone except a boy sitting alone at one of the tables. The boy, from what she could see, was about her age. He seemed the one quiet and somber patron in the tavern, his head bowed and face obscured by a mess of long black hair. As she passed by his table, he turned slightly, a dark red eye glaring at her. She slowed, staring back.
"Lockser," Professor Jose said, drawing her attention away from the red-eyed boy.
"Yes, Professor. Sorry, Professor," she said, falling back in step with him.
He led her out back behind the pub to a back alley enclosed by a brick wall. He tapped a few of the bricks on the wall, and the others shuffled away, rearranging themselves until they revealed a path to another street.
Juvia's breath caught in her throat as she followed him into the newly exposed street, wide-eyed and entranced. Her eyes darted from the strange little storefronts to the people in odd robes of all different colors. Overwhelmed by all the sights, smells and sounds, she was six years old again, and just as she had all those years ago, she pressed up against one of the storefront windows, dazzled by the objects on the other side that moved and spun unbidden.
"The rain's letting up," she heard a boy behind her say. She immediately tensed, feeling her face flush, too terrified to turn around.
"Finally. I thought it was never going to stop," said a girl. "What a dreadfully gloomy day."
Juvia's fists balled up as she felt a flush of anger chase away the fear and embarrassment.
Finally? Finally?! She had what? A couple of hours of rain to deal with? How terribly unfair for her!
The sky rumbled.
"Uh oh. Think we spoke too soon, Luce," the boy said.
For the first time, she wanted the rain. She wanted it to drown out the voices. They had magic too, didn't they? Shouldn't they have been different? Shouldn't they have understood? The abbess had asked her to forgive the islanders. They didn't understand. They didn't know. They feared and hated her because of it. But these people were supposed to have understood! They weren't supposed to have been like the villagers! It wasn't fair! Juvia heard the girl behind her yelp. It took a few seconds for Juvia to realize why. The raindrops falling around her steamed. Burned. Boiled.
"Calm yourself, girl," she heard Professor Jose hiss next to her, and a stab of fear gripped her, suddenly terrified that she was ruining her chances. The rain, though still falling, went cold. "Come." Professor Jose grabbed her arm and dragged her down the street. She followed along mutely behind as the rain poured from above.
He led her past a number of stores, past a number of people, past the whispers that she remembered as a child. Why had she left the abbey? It wasn't any better. Just more people to hate her, and no sea to sing her to sleep.
Lost in her regrets, she didn't realize Professor had stopped until she smacked into him. After scowling back at her, he opened the door of the shop they stood in front of and shoved her inside, just in time for her to hear a boy cry out, "Fire in the hole!" She looked up to see something hurtling towards her. She only had time enough to close her eyes and brace for impact, an impact that never arrived.
Cautiously, she opened her eyes to see Professor Jose with his wand outstretched. The missile appeared to be nothing more than a wand itself, now laying quite harmlessly at her feet. Juvia started to reach for it but paused when she heard Professor Jose say, "Leave it." He pushed her forward as she took in the shop she was being herded into.
The first thing she noticed was a man behind the counter. Old and wizened, he had something of a wild look to him that had her reflexively taking a step back, but his eyes didn't seem to reflect any malice. He just seemed curious as he looked down at her.
The other occupant of the store was a boy her own age with a mess of raven hair and midnight blue eyes. Much like the old man, he was regarding her and Professor Jose with curiosity, and while she didn't feel the same uneasiness from him that she had with the old man, her hand still clutched at her amulet for comfort.
The store itself was something of a mess, like one of her storms had swept inside. Boxes were scattered all over the floor, and bits of broken glass littered numerous surfaces, knocked down by some unseen brawl.
"Professor Jose," Ollivander greeted the man behind her curtly.
"Ollivander," came the almost bored response. "I believe Headmaster Makarov already contacted you."
"Indeed." The old man's gaze shifted back to her, and her grip on her necklace tightened as she shrank backwards. "So this is the little storm child. Curious. Very curious. Let's see what we can find, shall we? I still need to find a match for Mister Fullbuster here. Fullbusters always need to be difficult," he muttered as he disappeared down the halls of the store.
"Family motto," the boy said to her with a smirk and she felt her own lips twitch into a nervous smile. "I'm Gray, by the way, of the aforementioned pain-in-the-ass Fullbusters."
"Juvia Lockser," she replied, her voice little more than a whisper.
"Muggle-born, I take it?" he asked. She tilted her head and must have looked puzzled because he soon clarified. "You just look a little out of sorts. I assumed you were Muggle-born and not used to this," he said with a gesture to the wreck of a room.
"Muggle? What's a Muggle?" Juvia asked, glancing back briefly at Professor Jose who had taken to waiting by the door. He merely scowled in response.
"Called it," the boy smirked. "Muggle's a non-magic person. Muggle-born just means you were born to non-magic folk. No wizards in your family?"
"Juvia doesn't know. Juvia's an orphan," she replied, looking down as her hands fisted the fabric of her dark blue coat, suddenly very aware of the discolored patches that dotted her coat and the faded and worn boots threatening to come apart.
The boy winced. "Sorry."
"It's not a matter," she said softly, grateful that he didn't ridicule her for how she spoke as so many had done before. "Juvia imagines she is a... Muggle? Muggle-born. She doesn't think there were many wizards in her area. Is that bad?"
"Of course not," Gray said quickly, though. Juvia thought she heard Professor Jose snort behind her. Gray must have heard it as well, a scowl marring his face as he glanced back in that direction. "One of my friend's mother is Muggle-born and she's one of the strongest witches I've ever met. Absolutely terrifying when she's angry. Which she usually is when I'm around," he said, the smirk returning. "Time to see what else can I break." He jerked his head to where Ollivander re-emerged, two rectangular boxes in his hands.
"Mister Fullbuster." He set one before Gray, and the other he set before her as she cautiously approached the counter. "And Miss Lockser." He removed the lids from both and, taking the wand from the box closest to Juvia, held it out to her. She took it from him gingerly. "Just flick it around."
Biting down on her lip, she flicked her wrist only to have a row of boxes go flying from their shelves, several of them passing dangerously close to the old wandmaker, not that he blinked in response as they whizzed by. Juvia let out a strangled cry as Ollivander plucked the wand from her terrified grasp. "Not that one, apparently," he muttered.
"Juvia is sorry! She-she didn't mean to!" she apologized in a panic. Ollivander didn't seem to notice.
"It's alright," she heard Gray say. "That's almost expected here. If you don't make a mess at Ollivander's, you're not doing something right. Here, watch." He took the wand from the offered box but no sooner had he touched it, the wand shot from his hands, ricocheted off the wall in front of them and impaled itself on the door behind, just a few inches from where Jose rested back against the door. The professor, much like Ollivander, did not move or acknowledge the wand, but he did glare at Gray. "Damn, that's the second one that didn't even let me hold it. I'm starting to think that they don't like me."
Ollivander sighed. "Fullbusters...," he groaned as he disappeared back down his halls of boxes.
"How do you get a wand, then?" she asked quietly.
"Just got to wait for the right one," Gray replied with a shrug.
"What if there is no right one?"
"Never heard of it happening. Don't worry, Ollivander will find you one. He even managed to find my friend Natsu one, and if he's able to find a wand willing to take that ash-for-brains, he'll find one for you no problem. Don't worry if it takes a few tries. I'm on my seventh wand. Dad said he went through thirty."
"Thirty-eight," said Ollivander as he re-emerged from the back rows. "Please don't take that as a challenge."
Gray grinned at her. "Ready to blow something else up?"
The next half hour passed in one spectacular failure after another, each wand brought adding to the destruction of the store, Ollivander accusing Gray of doing it on purpose, Gray accusing Ollivander of setting his wands against him. All the while, Juvia laughed. Laughed. She couldn't remember ever laughing before, not in all her years on Inis Stoirm. She hardly even smiled. But now, it bubbled out of her, joy overflowing until it had to be released.
At length, though, Ollivander managed to find a wand for Gray, the thirteenth presented. Both wandmaker and boy seemed skeptical, regarding the wand with distrust, as though both expected a delayed reaction. When none seemed forthcoming, the old man sighed in relief. "Rowan, 10 and 3/4 inches, dragon heartstring core."
"This is going to explode on me once I leave the store isn't it?" Gray accused.
"I can only hope," came the tired response.
Juvia watched the exchange with a small smile, feeling a pang of disappointment as Gray would soon leave, leaving her with the scowling Professor Jose to search for her match on her own.
"Feel free to go now. Let my shop be Fullbuster-free for another generation," Ollivander snapped.
"You haven't found Juvia's wand yet," Gray protested. "I'm not going until she finds one." Ollivander groaned before returning to his stock.
Juvia flushed and felt her heart swell a little as he spoke. "You don't need to. Juvia's sure you're busy."
"Nah, I'm all set," he waved off her concern. "Left this until last since I figured it'd take all day. Besides, I want to see how many wands you go through," he said with that smirk that made her feel dizzy and warm.
She only smiled softly in response, not able to trust her brain to form a reply that would make any sense.
"Whereabouts in Ireland are you from?" he asked.
"Inis Stoirm. It's an island in County Mayo."
"In the west, yeah?" She nodded. "My mum was from Galway. Ever been?"
She shook her head. "Juvia has never been off of her island before yesterday."
Gray whistled appreciatively. "That's got to be a bit of a shock coming from that to London."
She nodded. "Juvia was raised in an abbey. It was quiet. Lonely. London is so crowded and loud. It's hard to hear or breathe. Juvia feels like she's drowning in it all," she said, bowing her head.
"Well, don't worry. In a few days, we'll be at Hogwarts. Should be able to breathe there," he said, setting a hand on Juvia's shoulder. She felt heat rise to her face again, and she had to fight a little squeal of joy that threatened to burst out.
Fortunately, Ollivander appeared with another sacrifice and three shattered glasses later left again to find another.
"Just six more to catch up with me!"
Juvia groaned. "Juvia doesn't want to catch up. She doesn't think Mister Ollivander's store can handle it. And she doesn't think Professor Jose will be too pleased to spend much longer here," she said, saying the last part in a hushed whisper.
"Been meaning to ask about that," he said in an equally hushed voice, leaning closer to her. "What's a Hogwarts professor doing escorting you around Diagon Alley?"
Juvia frowned. "Juvia does not know. She just assumed that they did that for students who don't have families to go with them."
Gray frowned as well. "Maybe? My older cousin said he's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and a nasty piece of work."
"The Dark Arts?"
"Bad, dangerous magic. Curses, hexes, that sorta thing."
Juvia felt the knot in her stomach return as she glanced back at Professor Jose, leaning against the door, his eyes closed and expression bored. Her mind flashed back to the boiling rain. Back to the abandoned streets of Inis Stoirm, boarded up and left to rot. Her blood froze within her. Was the professor there to help her? Or was he there to keep others safe from her?"
"Juvia?" Gray's voice stirred her from her thoughts. "You okay? You look like a ghost just spooked you."
She forced a smile. "Juvia is fine. Just her mind wandering." Ollivander returned with another well-timed entrance and another strike-out on the wand. "Five more to go," she smiled at Gray, and he chuckled. "Are you looking forward to Hogwarts?"
"I guess so," he said with a shrug. "Not looking forward to classes, but it'll be good to finally learn how to fly a broom properly."
"Fly?"
"Yeah?"
"Like, in the air?"
Gray smirked. "Yet to see someone fly through water." The smirk vanished as the blood fled Juvia's face. "Oi! It's alright. It's safe, I promise. It's a lot of fun, you'll see. And it's easy. Much easier than finding a wand." He looked relieved as Juvia visibly relaxed. "How about you? What are you looking forward to?"
Juvia bit back the first response that jumped to mind. Instead, she merely said. "Juvia is looking forward to everything about magic. She's never been around it, really. It's all so amazing. Like a fairy tale."
Gray chuckled. "I can see that. I guess I'm too used to it. Been around magic all my life."
"Will most students at Hogwarts be like that?"
"I guess so. I mean, I know a lot of kids that'll be starting with us, and they're all purebloods and half-bloods."
Juvia frowned, nervously toying with the amulet around her neck. "She's going to seem like an idiot."
"You won't," he said quickly. "I promise you, growing up with magic or not won't matter as long as you keep your head. Remember that friend's mother I told you about? She was Head Girl for her year, and she didn't know a thing about magic before she got to Hogwarts."
Juvia nodded, feeling a little relieved but still resolving to do all she could to not look a total fool. She was going to prove she belonged somewhere. "Do all wizards know each other?" she asked after a pause.
"Huh?"
"You said you know a lot of the students starting this year. Does everyone already know each other?" she asked, feeling her obstacles as an outsider starting to grow.
As soon as she asked, though, she wished she hadn't. Gray's face fell, and he shifted awkwardly. "There was a war, years ago," he said finally, his voice quiet. "A lot of us were evacuated to St. Rowena's by our parents. It's an orphanage that they turned into a shelter for all of us displaced kids during the war. When the war ended, we went home to our families. At least those of us with homes to go back to did. Some just stayed at St. Rowena's. But we all kept in touch afterwards."
"Juvia's sorry," she said softly. "She didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
He shrugged and smiled, a forced half-smile that didn't reach his eyes. "It's alright. Back then, I don't think a lot of us really understood what was going on. It was just like we were all sent to an extended summer camp, and a lot of us became friends there, so it wasn't all bad."
Juvia didn't say anything in response.
Ollivander, thankfully, arrived with another wand and was sent back again, all the while muttering about the influence of Fullbusters.
"So, I'm guessing you don't know much about Hogwarts then?" he asked, seeming determined to move on to happier topics. Juvia shook her head. "Well, you'll get to know it soon enough, but the first thing you'll need to know are the Houses. There's four of them. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin." He said the last one with a grimace. "Gryffindor's the best of them. All Fullbusters end up in Gryffindor. Family tradition." He beamed with such pride that Juvia giggled into her hand.
"Like wrecking Mister Ollivander's shop?"
"Of course! With how well you're doing at that, you'll probably end up in Gryffindor too." She grinned back at him, rather liking the thought. "Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff aren't that bad, though. My cousin's in Ravenclaw. He's a pompous ass, but he is clever, like most Ravenclaw. Slytherins are... well, you don't strike me as a Slytherin," he muttered, his expression darkening. "They're evil gits. The lot of them. Never heard of a dark wizard that didn't come from Slytherin."
The boiling rain, the urge to bring down the storm on all of them, flashed back to her, and she shuddered.
Gray frowned. "Are you cold?"
She smiled and shook her head. "Just someone walking on Juvia's grave."
Ollivander arrived a few seconds later, looking thoughtful. He set this latest box onto the counter and removed the lid before extending the wand to the blunette. A shiver ran up her arm as she took the wand, drawing a small gasp from the blunette. She shut her eyes as the feeling spread through her whole body. It was as if she was being submerged, sinking down into the depths, but she didn't feel afraid. It felt like going home.
When she opened her eyes, Ollivander was watching her, still looking thoughtful. She nervously shifted under his gaze until he spoke a moment later. "Elder, 11 inches, phoenix feather core. Interesting. Very interesting. I look forward to seeing what you do, my dear. Now, off with both of you. Mister Fullbuster, may you remain an only child. With any luck, I'll have retired before another Fullbuster comes of age." With a wave of his hand, he focused his attention on setting his shop in order.
She turned to Gray. For a second, she thought she saw a troubled look on his face, but it was replaced with a grin so quickly, she supposed she just imagined it. "Only nine tries! Guess Fullbusters really are exceptional pains-in-the-ass. Congrats!"
"Thank you!" she beamed at him. "And thank you for staying with Juvia," she said, feeling a blush creep back onto her cheeks.
"Wasn't anything. I had fun hanging out with you," he replied. He seemed honest. The heat in her cheeks grew fiercer. No one had ever wanted her company. No one enjoyed her company. Even the Reverend Mother, kind though she had always been to Juvia, always seemed to seek her out as an obligation, not because she actually wanted the little rain witch's company. But Gray had. He had no obligation to stay with her, but he had. He wanted to. For a brief moment, all those wretched years before seemed to melt away, all worth it for that one hour in the wand shop.
Behind her, Professor Jose cleared his throat. She turned to look back at him and found him staring at her with those unblinking dark eyes. She drew back slightly under the weight of his stare. A second later, though, he turned towards the door. "Come now," he said, and Juvia dutifully followed with Gray close behind. He opened the door, and Juvia flinched at the gleaming light that poured in. Raising her hand to shield her eyes, she stepped outside.
The rain.
Juvia's breath died in her throat as she removed her hand from her eyes.
The rain was gone, the gray clouds parting to let patches of the brightest blue she'd ever seen sparkle through.
"The sky..." Her voice sounded foreign even to her. Small and soft and broken.
Gray looked up. "Huh, the rain cleared up while we were in there."
"Juvia's never seen it before."
"Huh?"
"The sky. Juvia's never seen it. She only ever seen the rain."
Gray chuckled beside her after a second's pause. "I knew it rained a lot in Ireland, but I didn't realize it rained that much. It's pretty nice, isn't it?"
Juvia felt a tear slide down her cheek, certain for the first time in her life that it wasn't rain. "It's beautiful."
If he saw her crying, he didn't mention it, and she was grateful for that. She just stayed, staring at the sky. A couple of minutes later, though, they heard a boy calling out from down the street. "Gray!" Juvia looked back at him, and he winced.
"My cousin," he explained. "Been sent to fetch me, I'm guessing. Going to have to go. See you at the train in a few days, Juvia," he said with a wave and a grin.
"Goodbye," she replied with a wave and sheepish smile of her own. She watched him disappear into the crowded streets, the stupid smile on her face never faltering. When she could no longer see him, she turned her attention to Professor Jose who had been oddly quiet since they stepped outside. She had expected him to drag her onward from the first second she paused, but he had his eyes upward to the blue sky that dazzled her.
Seeming to be cognizant of her gaze on him, he looked down at her, his face thoughtful. And then he looked to her wand. "Let me see it," he said, his hand outstretched.
She wanted to say no, to clutch her wand tighter and closer, but he was a Hogwarts professor, and she was worried that they may not take her after all if she were disobedient. So, after a pause, she handed the wand to Professor Jose. A breath later, a shadow fell over her, and her gaze went up to the sky to see the last slivers of blue drowned out by the gray. "No," the word came out in a horrified whisper. "No! No! Give it back!" Her cries turned loud and frantic as she clawed at his robe, trying to grab the wand back from his hand.
Professor Jose didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn't care. His eyes were on the sky again, muttering to himself, but he did lower his hand enough to put the wand within her grasp.
She snatched the wand back and held it close, her eyes immediately back on the sky, but the clouds remained; cold, gray and dark. "No," she wailed. "No, please! Please come back!" The sky would not listen, and fresh tears began to fall as did the rain, heavy and cold.
"Very interesting," she heard Professor Jose say. "Well, onward." He turned and walked away. After one last desperate glance to the sky, seeking out a non-existent sliver of blue, she followed behind, head bowed and heart breaking.