"However," Tobirama continued, "As exemplary as your control may be, your magical output, your power, Miss Haruno, is pathetically weak."
Sakura scowled at the memory of those words. At how it was said so apathetically, so obviously, as if it was an unmitigated fact. Growing up, she was used to the names, the teases, the bullying; she had even gotten used to the slurs of the wizarding world about her blood; those were all said in exaggeration, to further demean her being, but how come Tobirama's words affected her greater than anything she had been thrown with?
Maybe because of the fact he never said it out of being condescending, the fact that he never meant to demoralize her or in any sort, the fact that he was only telling the truth.
Her mother once said that truth hurts the most.
Was this what she was feeling? This thing that's squeezing her heart and insides? This feeling of… unpleasantness? That makes her want to cry and physically hurt something.
She never thought herself capable of wanting to hurt anything, but as she was, she was sorely tempted to punch a wall even though she knew it would just hurt her later.
Sakura snapped from her thoughts just as she heard the professor dismiss them. With a sigh, she gathered her things into her bag, and mentally kicked herself for letting her thoughts stray too far that she had barely taken down notes for today's lesson.
Willing the thoughts about her apparent lack of magical power away, Sakura followed the rest of her classmates out of the room. Of which her gaze caught that of a blonde Slytherin. Sakura's verdant orbs met those of Ino's pupilless turquoise for the first time since she broke their friendship. There was this odd expression on her face as she looked at her and for a moment, hope blossomed in her that a bit of sense would finally grace her first female friend. Despite her bitterness, she still hoped that they would amend their friendship and put this silly one-sided argument about Sasuke to rest. However, for that to happen, Ino needed to swallow her pride first.
Unfortunately for Sakura, that day doesn't seem to be the day as she caught the sight of the familiar raven-haired coming towards her from her periphery. And just like that, Ino's face instantly twisted before she gave a stubborn huff with her chin pointed upwards. She joined a group of fellow Slytherins.
"You okay?" she heard Sasuke ask beside her.
Part of her wanted to scowl at her friend for breaking an opportunity but she also knew she can't blame him for this predicament of hers. Instead, she sighed as she turned her head towards him.
"I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle."
That seemed to have satisfied him as he nodded and said just as Naruto came up to her other side, "I'll see you guys later at dinner."
"See you later, Sasuke."
"Later, Sas!"
He gave them a small wave of his hand before finally parting from them. The Slytherins would be joining with the Ravenclaws for History of Magic while the Gryffindors will be with the Hufflepuffs for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Their DADA professor made it so the houses would be kept mixed so that no class would be shared by the same two houses twice in a row. His reason being in order to keep the students on their toes and not familiarize themselves with each other too much. It's also to promote healthy competition and to monitor which student keeps the title as best duelist of the year.
Sakura listened intently at Naruto talking about his excitement for his first upcoming Quidditch game as they walked together to their class.
.
"Alright now, everyone! Off your desks, please!" their DADA professor announced to the room with a clap of his hands to get them into motion.
Knowing the drill by now, Sakura and her classmates tucked away their belongings and stood at the center aisle before the professor whipped out his wand and set the desks and benches towards the walls of the spacious room, leaving a wide, open area.
When they were told to pair up to practice on their spells in a mock duel, Sakura whipped her head around to find Naruto. But before she caught sight of her fellow Gryffindor, her eyes found a certain, pale-eyed ravenette standing alone in one corner of the room, and an image of herself overlapped hers.
"That's Hinata, right?" she whipped her head back to find the blonde grinning widely at her, "What are you waiting for, Sak? Go ask her to be your partner."
She blinked, "Y-You don't mind?"
He cocked his head at her, "Why would I mind? You obviously wanted to be friends with her, right? There's nothing wrong with that. It'd be a little weird if you don't have a friend that's a girl. At least, that's what my mom told me. Besides, no matter how many friends you have, I'll always be your best friend, right?"
Sakura couldn't help but giggle at that. His sunny and happy-go-lucky disposition often made her forget how insightful the blonde can be. He may not be as perceptive or observant as Sasuke, but whenever the situation calls for it, he can always be counted on to bring out the bright side of things. As well as give that little push.
"Don't let Sasuke hear that," he chuckled as she continued to giggle, "Thanks Naruto."
It's really a wonder how he wasn't able to make friends at first. One would think people would just flock towards him.
"You know I always got your back, Sak," he gave her a thumbs up before turning on his heel and began waving towards another Gryffindor, "Hey mutt! Wanna be partners with me?!"
"Who ya calling a mutt, snail-brain?!"
With newfound confidence thanks to Naruto, Sakura set off towards Hinata. While part of her was determined to really befriend the girl, another wondered why she always seemed so alone. After all, weren't Hufflepuffs known for taking care of one of their own?
"Hi, Hinata!" she greeted, stopping right in front of her.
The ravenette squeaked, a blush once more painting her cheeks as she turned.
"Hello, S-Sakura," she greeted back with a small smile.
"I was just wondering, if you don't mind being partners today?"
Pearl eyes blinked in surprise at her before looking away, and for a moment, Sakura felt deflated that she would be rejected.
"Everything alright, Hinata?"
The ravenette was just about to answer when a pudgy boy approached them wearing the signature yellow and black of the Hufflepuffs. Being in the same year, she recognized the boy as Akimichi Choji. Although she's never talked to him before. She would often see him with Nara Shikamaru- the lazy Ravenclaw who's her closest competitor in the theoretical side of academics, and occasionally, with Ino. As surprising as that was. Though the blonde has never mentioned her apparent friendship(?) with the two. Well, for one, she at least knew that Choji and Shikamaru were also purebloods.
"Y-Yes, uhmm S-Sakura was just asking if she'd like us to be p-partners," she stuttered at the brunette before turning to her with a bashful smile, "I-I wouldn't mind if it's with you, S-Sakura."
Mentally cheering, Sakura couldn't help let out a beaming smile, but a sharp tug of her conscience stopped her from grabbing the other girl's hand in joy.
"Oh, I'm sorry but were you going to ask Hinata to partner with you, Mr. Akimichi?" she asked as she turned.
To her relief, Choji just shook his head as a smile tugged on his lips, "It's alright, Miss Haruno. I was just checking on my fellow Hufflepuff. Carry on then."
With a polite bow, he turned on his heel towards another Hufflepuff who had been watching them as well.
'Huh, maybe Hinata wasn't as alone as I thought she was,' Sakura thought before finally turning to the ravenette.
"Thanks, Hinata," she smiled, "Come on, let's get started before the professor thinks we're just lollygagging."
They took their spot not far from where they stood, taking five paces each to put distance between them. The classroom was spacious enough for all the students to practice with ease without disturbing the other groups. And as instructed, they began practicing the spells first taught to them in theory.
The first spell being the softening charm. While one levitated a wooden box (provided by their professor), the other would practice on using the charm before it could hit the ground. This they would repeat while taking turns until the professor, who has been walking around observing each pair, gives them approval to move onto practicing the next spell, which was the Fumos Duo.
These, Sakura found easy, having fully understood the principles and logic behind each spell after learning them thoroughly since the start of the term. Hinata seems to be holding out alright as well. Apart from a few misses because of her shy stance and reluctant wand movement, she's still able to execute her spells especially after a bit of encouragement from Sakura.
When they moved to the next set of spells however, Sakura's mind and heart took a turn. This time, apart from executing, they were supposed to practice protecting themselves against the Disarming charm, Full Body-Bind Curse, and Verdimilious Duo and Tria Spell (if they can) either by using counter-spells or shield charms.
This time, she couldn't help her mind from wandering back to that time in the Room of Requirement.
Sakura's brows furrowed as she pulled up a shield charm to protect her from Hinata's Rictusempra.
It was a second late.
…
"Weak?" Sakura stared, baffled at Tobirama's words as she felt her fist curl tighter around her wand.
"Yes."
"How?"
How what? How was her magic weak? How would he know this? How could he conclude such a thing after this one test? How could he say it without batting an eyelash?
"Well, that I cannot be sure," he answered, hand on his chin and completely oblivious to her inner turmoil, "There are several factors of course, such as your heritage- but that's a weak and discriminating example. I admit I have not read much on the topic. The theory behind the origin of a wizard and witch's magical strength is a poorly studied one."
…
"Expelliarmus!" she pointed, but the scarlet light that burst from her wand fizzled almost immediately just as it barely touched Hinata's shield.
…
"W-What difference does it make?" her stomach churned unpleasantly as her head became heavy the more she thought about it, "The important thing is that I can do the spell, right?"
"What difference does it make?" Tobirama parroted, his brows furrowed at her in disapproval for the first time, "Miss Haruno, just because you can do a spell doesn't mean it would be effective. Hypothetically, what if you found yourself faced with a dark wizard? Would you count on your spells' poorly-timed executions to save yourself?"
…
The pinkette hissed as she felt her foot become temporarily numbed because her counter-spell wasn't able to diffuse Hinata's Petrificus Totalus before it hit her on time.
Two seconds.
Her counter spell took two seconds to take effect.
She knew, she counted.
…
As if to prove a point, Tobirama brandished his wand and shot the training dummy with his own Disarming Charm that nearly toppled it back, if not for its spherical base that only made it wobble back and forth.
Sakura stared at him with wide eyes of disbelief. He conjured that spell so effectively, so quickly… and non-verbally! Whereas when she performed the spell, she was only successful in taking out the dummy's fake wand but it never budged an inch.
"Speed and efficiency, Miss Haruno. Magic is all about will and intent," he said, "if your spells couldn't perform as intended, at its highest capacity, then what would be the point?"
Without waiting for any reaction, Tobirama began swishing his wand in circles, arches, and jabs. She recognized them to be the spells on the list he gave her as well based on the wand movements he made. Each of which spurted a kaleidoscope of colors as spell after spell flew towards the training dummy without even a second pause. All Sakura could do was stare in shock, amazement, and indignation. As for some spells, Tobirama didn't even need to utter the words. He just kept going in those firm steps and graceful motions.
He almost looked like he was dancing.
The poor dummy didn't even stand a chance as it was hit before it could right itself again. Each hit also made a loud thwacking noise as it was knocked back on the floor. On the last spell, the dummy burst into splinters, leaving nothing recognizable about its original form.
"That, Miss Haruno," he turned to her finally, face still impassive and with nary a sweat, "is the difference."
…
The churning in Sakura's belly grew at the reminder. The difference and realization had been slowly dawning on her since she left that secret room. Her inner stubborn pride being the only thing that prevented her from accepting it. As well as the cause of this unpleasant feeling inside her.
I am weak.
"SAKURA! LOOK OUT!"
Green eyes snapped at Naruto's desperate shout but before she could realize what was happening, she felt herself fly back almost violently. The pain that radiated in her chest from where Hinata's spell hit her was barely registered as darkness immediately began to seep from the sides of her vision.
The last thing she saw was Naruto's frantic expression as he dropped down beside her before she lost consciousness.
She stirred with a groan, her eyes straining from the light filtering through her fluttering lids. Although blurry, she could make out the silhouette of heads looking down at her.
"W… what… happened?" she moaned.
"You got knocked out during a mock duel, that's what happened," chided an all-too-familiar voice followed by a click of their tongue.
"Duel?" she muttered as she propped herself up on what she belatedly realized- the soft white mattress of one of the beds in the hospital wing.
"Hey take it easy, Sakura. You shouldn't get up so fast," she felt warm, gentle hands over her shoulders as they eased her in a more comfortable position while another set of hands propped up the pillow behind her.
"Naruto?" she blinked numerously as she felt a dull throb at the back of her head. When she reached up to rub the minor ache there, images flashed in her head of bright colors exchanging back and forth before one eventually hit her.
"Hinata!" she gasped, finally remembering how she got hit by the ravenette's spell, "Is she alright?"
She glanced between her boys (Sasuke on her left while Naruto at the other).
"Trust you to worry about others when you're the one on the infirmary bed," the Slytherin let out a sigh mixed with frustration before nodding his head towards the bed screen behind him, "She's fine. She's actually been here as long as us."
At that, said ravenette peeked from behind the screen. Slowly and cautiously, as if she wasn't sure whether she had the right to be there in the first place.
"S-Sakura?" Hinata began softly, it was almost inaudible, "H-H-How do you f-feel?"
Despite being the one to have been hurt, Sakura felt a stab of guilt in her chest at the way Hinata's expression twisted into one of nervousness and fear. The poor girl looked like she was on the verge of crying.
"I'm alright, Hinata," she smiled widely, hoping that it would be enough to ease the Hufflepuff, "Thank you for asking."
To her own relief, the other girl's quiver subsided and she even let out a small smile of her own. With the knowledge that the pinkette wasn't mad at her, Hinata decided then to step forward till she was at the foot of her bed. Her pearl eyes casted a nervous glance at Sasuke and Naruto, the former looking down at her like a hawk while the latter watched on curiously before breaking out into an encouraging grin. Hinata's face reddened at that and she snapped her head down as if it would hide the way her cheeks turned crimson. Sakura couldn't help raise an eyebrow at that. How curious. Her hands also fell to fiddle with the edge of her uniform vest. Although whether it was also because of Naruto or her remaining nervousness towards her, she wasn't sure.
"Uhmm…" she started, "I-I'm sorry, S-Sakura. I didn't mean to… h-hurt you back there. I-"
"Hey, hey, hey now," Sakura interrupted, already getting the idea and wanting to save the girl from the needless rambling. She scooted forward and grabbed her hands between hers, "No need for that. It's my fault anyway. I wasn't paying attention. Really, Hinata, there's no need for you to apologize."
She looked up, mouth open as if to protest when Sakura squeezed her hands a bit more in reassurance. Hinata pursed her lips in thought for a moment before finally nodding.
"A-Alright, if you're s-sure. I'm glad you're okay, Sakura."
Hearing the girl say her name without a stutter for the first time, Sakura beamed and almost forgot the dull ache still mildly throbbing at the back of her head.
"Thanks for checking in on me, too, Hinata. That was very sweet of you," she smiled brightly, and Hinata smiled back just as sweetly.
Behind her, Sakura ignored Naruto's indignant "What are we? Chopped liver?" comment before he yelped out after a soft thwacking noise which she guessed a pillow being hurled at him.
"Oh good, you're awake."
Their attentions then turned to the new visitor. Madam Shizune, the school's mediwitch nurse, smiled down at them before finally settling her gaze on the pinkette. Sakura was sure she had been listening in on them earlier.
"How are you feeling, Miss Haruno? Do you feel any pain anywhere?" she asked as she stepped over the side of her bed beside Naruto.
Sakura shook her head, "I'm alright. There's a faint throbbing here but I hardly notice it really."
"That's good to hear. You hit your head when you fell down after that spell hit you, that's why you blacked out, but it's nothing a good bit of salve can't fix," the mediwitch nodded in satisfaction before turning to her friends. "There's no more need for you lot to fuss. Miss Haruno will be just fine. However, I'm going to have to ask you to stay and rest here for a few more hours, Miss Haruno."
Pink brows shot up towards her hairline, but before she could voice her concern, Naruto already did it for her.
"Huh?! But why?! I thought you said she'll be fine!" he practically yelled.
"Mr. Uzumaki, I would like to remind you that you are in the hospital wing and therefore should watch the level of your voice," Madam Shizune scolded that made the blond effectively cow into a pout but failed to extinguish the spark of defiance behind his eyes. The older witch then held her hands up to her, placatingly, "I promise it's nothing too serious. It's just that while I was running diagnostics, I noticed that you were very close to complete magical exhaustion."
Sakura blinked. Magical exhaustion? Her? She's read about it, of course. It's a common condition for wizards and witches whenever they overstrain or overuse their magic more than their body allows. They liken it to the body's muscles, where exercise causes tears in the muscle tissue and if not given adequate time to heal and recover, the tears would get inflamed and become practically useless. Magic, in turn, is linked to the body not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually.
"By any chance, you haven't to happen be overexercising your magic lately, have you?" Madam Shizune asked.
Sakura's brows furrowed in thought. No, she doesn't believe to be using her magic too much. Well, except for that spell exhibition she did in the Room of Requirement with Tobirama… yes, that must be it. She's never had to cast so many spells in such a short amount of time in one day before. Their mock duels in DADA were practically tame compared to what Tobirama had her do… what she consented into. Honestly, she wanted to slap herself from not paying attention.
That sense of anger and disappointment at Tobirama's blunt words must've affected her more than she realized.
"Well, we have been practicing a lot lately," she said carefully, looking down as she played with the white sheets on her lap. Particularly, she didn't want the mediwitch and the Slytherin beside her to notice what her face couldn't conceal. Not that her explanation wasn't completely a lie. She doesn't want them to pick up on the fact that she had something more to hide, "We have a lot of practical tests coming up next week."
"I see. Although I always appreciate a studious student, you certainly overdid yourself this time. I hope that this experience would serve as a lesson for you to take better care of yourself, Miss Haruno. Magical exhaustion could be very dangerous. Do you understand?"
"Yes ma'am," Sakura dipped her head a bit lower in acquiesce.
"That's a good girl," Madam Shizune smiled contentedly before clapping her hands together, "Right, now why don't we leave Miss Haruno to her rest? I've allowed you three to stay until Miss Haruno wakes up but don't you still have classes going on right now?"
Unsurprisingly, Naruto loudly protested at the fact that his free time was over and had to go back to the rest of his classes. Sakura couldn't help but giggle at how he deflated when he realized neither Sasuke nor Hinata would side with him on this.
"Aww man, you guys are no fun," Naruto huffed before turning back to Sakura, "We'll still get to see you later, right?"
Madam Shizune answered for her, "Not to worry, Mr. Uzumaki, Miss Haruno should be all good to be released by dinnertime. Now come along, I'll write you your passes."
She ushered them away as they wished her to get better and that they'll see her later at dinner. Sakura couldn't help the flutter in her heart at their sincerity over her well-being.
"You rest easy now, Miss Haruno. Your professor should be coming by shortly to see you. Oh, and Miss Haruno?" the brunette called with one hand on the edge of the screen. She winked, "You're lucky to have such wonderful friends."
Sakura blushed and muttered a hasty thank you before the mediwitch finally left her to her lonesome.
Now that she's left with no one but her own thoughts, Sakura plopped herself back down on the bed. Eyes staring at the rounded stone ceiling of the hospital wing. She held up her hand toward it, as if reaching for the ceiling before turning it around to stare at her palm.
Magic exhaustion.
That would explain why she felt so tired lately. After that eventful trip to the Room of Requirement, she hadn't exactly gotten enough sleep. Though would anyone really be able to relax so easily when someone told them their shortcomings to their face?
Yes, that would explain her poor performance at DADA earlier… but it's not like her previous performances in that class have been any better, and it would be a lie to say that she was focused during her mock duel with Hinata.
Still… she can't shake off the feeling that going with that route would only be some poor excuse. That Tobirama's words actually held some merit after all.
Her stomach churned at the memory of that. She didn't like it at all.
.
True to her word, her DADA professor stopped by sometime later and was glad to know she was alright. To her relief, their mock duel only served as a practice so she didn't have to worry about any grade affecting this mishap. He also told her that such accidents happen in DADA all the time so she wasn't the first nor the last student to end up in the hospital wing because of an accident. Even though she knew he only said that to comfort her, she still couldn't help but feel inadequate.
Sometime after the professor left, Sakura eventually fell asleep. Finally succumbing to her fatigue and with the help of a Sleeping Draught. She woke up just in time for dinner, and after Madam Shizune was ensured that she's recovered enough to move about on her own, she let her go.
When Sakura exited the Hospital Wing, the corridors were practically empty. She supposed it could be because the entire student body has already gathered at the Great Hall. With her own stomach demanding for food, Sakura brisked her way through the silent corridors. However, just as she was about to round a corner to what's supposed to be a straight path towards the Great Hall, Sakura stopped in her tracks.
"Why do you care?"
She recognized that arrogant, bitter, seething voice. Up to now, she still hadn't forgotten about that Slytherin student that looked at her with so much disdain as if she wasn't worth anymore than the dirt between his shoes. Not even Sasuke had looked at her with such disgust in their first year.
"She's just a filthy little mudblood. I don't understand why you even have to bother."
"P-Please don't call her t-that."
'Hinata?' this time, Sakura took a peek around the corner and true enough, there she was. Head bowed down submissively in front of her blood-prejudiced cousin, Neji.
"Sakura is a-a very kind person, a-and I wanted her to be my friend…"
"Oh, and you're on first-name basis now?" Neji huffed, "Have some pride, cousin. Why would you want to be friends with someone who's not only below your station, but also someone who's obviously weaker than you? Yes, I've heard what happened during your DADA class."
"T-That was an accident-"
"She is weak!"
Behind her hiding spot, Sakura flinched. Not only with the way those words were delivered, but also because she was reminded at how much that word haunted her till now.
"When will you understand that such things are just the way they are? It's that mudblood's fate to be born beneath you. Stop stooping down to her level! You're the heiress to the Hyuuga House for Indra's sake! If you have to uphold the qualities of your house then you should show loyalty to your clan! If your father hears about this-!"
Sakura found herself marching down the corridor before her mind even realized what she was doing. Cousin or no, he practically attacked Hinata and something inside her festered and boiled over she felt as if she would explode. She could handle other people talking smack about her but when it came to those she cared about, she found herself baring her metaphorical fangs.
"HEY! Knock it off!" the pinkette practically shouted at Neji's face as she came between him and a shaking Hinata, "Can't you see you're bothering her?!"
His pale eyes widened at her sudden appearance but it was immediately replaced with a deep scowl, "Mind your own business, mudblood."
He said the slur with great emphasis, as if reminding her of what she was but at this point, the blood flowing through her veins ran so hot it curled her hands into fists, that she simply couldn't find it in herself to care.
"You leave Hinata alone, you bigoted mindless troll," she said through gritted teeth, unaware at the wide-eyed fear and surprise in Hinata's eyes behind her.
Neji reared his head back both in shock and anger at her words. He took a menacing step closer to her, taking advantage of his full height to tower over her much smaller frame. His pearly eyes met her own burning emeralds head-on.
He growled, "You dare-"
"What is going on here?"
Deep, commanding, powerful.
The tension between her and Neji immediately snapped in attention towards the owner of the voice whom she's come to familiarize with for the last couple of weeks. The older Hyuuga hissed something indecipherable under his breath before stepping back a few paces from her and looking over his shoulder. His face was still twisted with annoyance.
"Tobirama."
The white-haired Ravenclaw walked with ever-confident strides. His hands behind his back as his umber eyes scanned over the three of them. Sakura swore he looked at her a bit longer.
"It's time for dinner. All of you should be in the Great Hall right now," he addressed to all of them but his eyes were fixed on Neji, his face impassive.
"I could say the same to you."
"You forget, Mr. Hyuuga, that I am a prefect, and I was on my way there myself. You three however weren't exactly walking."
She felt his eyes on her, making her look away reflexively, but that only made her kick herself mentally upon realization that she just made herself suspicious. She reminded herself that despite his scholarly qualities, Tobirama was a stickler for the rules and takes his role as a prefect very seriously. After experiencing first hand what it was like to be at the end of that side of him, she definitely didn't want to go over that again. If he couldn't excuse his own brother, then what were her chances of getting out of this unscathed? She wasn't even sure if they counted as friends.
"We were just catching up," Neji lied.
"Then you can catch up at dinner. Off you go, now," Tobirama all but commanded and it didn't take more for Neji to turn on his heel and start walking with heavy footfalls.
Sakura, too, took this cue to leave, but just before she could meet Hinata's eyes, she heard him say:
"Miss Haruno, a word, if you please."
Stilling, the pinkette chanced a glance at Tobirama. Unsurprisingly, he still had that blank look on his face even as he stared down at her. When she turned to Hinata, the Hufflepuff had her brows furrowed in worry. After what happened earlier at DADA and with Neji just now, she didn't want to cause the girl anymore trouble so she mustered up a smile for the ravenette and tried to make herself look as convincing as she can.
"You go on ahead, Hinata. I won't be long, I promise,"
Hinata looked back at her with that worried face but otherwise didn't say anything. Especially when she took a brief glance at Tobirama, her lips clamped shut. Thankfully, Hinata nodded and turned on her heel, albeit reluctantly.
When the other girl was at a considerable distance away, Sakura took a deep breath before finally turning her attention towards Tobirama.
Their eyes met immediately; Sakura had to chew on her bottom lip in reflex. It was all she could o to not tense when that sensation niggling at the back of her neck returned (no, not from when she hit her head earlier) whenever she looked into his eyes. That sensation that he was using magic to cover them.
"Hyuuga Neji is a very proud member of the Hyuuga clan, Miss Haruno. He is the nephew of the current head of their house and is third in line for the position despite being the eldest of his cousins" he began, making her frown; unsure where this was going, "He's brilliant and at the top of their year, but he's also notorious for his uncensored views on blood status."
"Yeah, I can see that," she hissed sarcastically, remembering the first time she met the Slytherin.
"You should be careful of whose company you choose. Not everyone is as open to change their opinions as Mr. Uchiha Sasuke."
She pushed her tongue on her cheek, "I appreciate the warning, Mr. Senju, but this is not something I can't handle."
"I do hope so."
A moment of awkward silence passed over them. At least, for her, it was. Tobirama just stood there. Back straight with his hands still behind his back, just staring at her as if he could see right into her soul. She almost forgot how intense his eyes can be, glamor magic or not. Meanwhile she tried not to shift her weight on one foot to another due to her nervousness. She really has no idea what to expect from him then and there.
"Why were you out here, Miss Haruno? Did you fall asleep in the library again?"
She shot him a glare. Unsure whether that was supposed to be a joke or not with the way his expression remained stoic.
"No, I didn't," she huffed, crossing her arms and looking off to the side, "If you must know, I just came from the Hospital Wing."
Because she wasn't looking at him, she missed the way his eyebrows raised, as well as the way he took a step closer.
"Why?"
She sighed, "Had a little accident during DADA."
Sakura felt the softest touch of fingertips over her head, and when she snapped her head back towards him, she felt her breath hitch at how close he'd gotten. There was a slight furrow between his brows as his eyes stared down at her with even more intensity. The red stripes on his face practically glowed under the moonlight that shone from the window beside them.
Damn, Ashura, why is he so tall?
"Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked, his voice deep but careful. As if anything else would make her turn tail and run.
She hardly heard his words until she felt his fingers brush a stray lock away from her face and she took a large step back. Hopefully, stepping away from the window and into the dim light of the corridor was enough to hide her scarlet cheeks.
"I-I'm fine," she stuttered out, "I wasn't seriously hurt, but Madam Shizune said I should rest for the rest of the day because I was apparently on the verge of magical exhaustion."
His furrow deepened, "Magical exhaustion?"
"From that time in the Room, I guess."
"Magical exhaustion can easily be remedied by a good night's sleep," he iterated, taking a step closer but not as close as before, "Miss Haruno, what's keeping you from a proper rest?"
Sakura chewed on her bottom lip, weighing the risks of telling him the truth or not. Would he get upset if she told him? Good. That'll make them even.
"You," she blurted.
"Me?" Tobirama blinked. Genuine confusion marred on his face, "Why?"
Is this guy for real?
Sakura's fists tightened. She snapped stubbornly, "You know why."
He didn't like that.
"Miss Haruno, forgive me if I fail to see your point on how I could've possibly contributed to your deficient performance. I would greatly appreciate it if you could illuminate me," despite the articulate he worded that out, his tone of voice betrayed the way her answer irritated him. He practically demanded that she'd tell him.
"You called me weak," Sakura relented reluctantly.
"You are weak."
"That's the thing! Must you be so blunt about it? The way you said it made me really upset."
"You'd rather I sugarcoated it? I cannot do that kind of disservice to you," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "In case you've forgotten, the whole point of that exercise was to test your magical aptitude. And we've found out that the reason you are able to perform spells almost effortlessly with only your first or second try, was because of your innate magical control. However, subsequently, the power and efficiency behind those spells are left to be desired."
"I know that!" she couldn't help exclaiming. At this point, her bubbling anger towards him and herself conflicted with her voice of reason.
He insisted, "Then why are you upset at me for only speaking the truth? I would think you would appreciate the frank reality than a white lie."
"I do! It's just that…" she paused, taking even breaths to will herself to calm down. Anger always clouds one's judgement. She knew… honestly, she already knew that she was weak. She had actually noticed it since her first year. Why her spell casting always had a buffer compared to the rest of her classmates no matter how perfect her casting was. She thought it was only because she lacked practice and understanding of the magic. Now that somebody else noticed and had given her that clarity… What really is the reason that made her so upset? "It just wasn't very nice…"
"Nice," Tobirama drawled out the word, as if testing it on his tongue, "Have you not heard of the phrase: 'Truth Hurts'?"
"Of course, I have, but that doesn't mean I'm immune to it."
Yes, that was it. She was upset because despite his intentions, it still wasn't a nice thing to say and her innocent heart didn't like the open criticism. Especially since he basically left her hanging after he said those words. What exactly did he expect her to do, or how was she supposed to react after that?
"Miss Haruno, the real reason I told you that, was for you to realize and witness your weakness yourself," he reasoned, "Your magical output is weak? Fine. You are upset because of it? That's a natural response. So tell me, Miss Haruno, what are you going to do about it? Will you just stay there and brew on your self-loathing forever?"
She took in his words carefully. Now that she's said her piece, her logical mind finally took over and registered his every word. They said that Ravenclaw was the house of the wit and intelligent, but it was also home to the eccentric and indifferent. Pacifists and neutral parties that primarily sought the logic and reason behind things. Logic and Intelligence for Knowledge's sake.
"No."
"Good," he nodded in satisfaction, "You said it yourself, Miss Haruno. One must first identify the problem in order to find the solution. You should heed your own advice."
She still didn't look at him. She wasn't sure if he was just stating facts again or if he was really trying to comfort her. He didn't sound the latter.
"Come, we're late to dinner."
In silence, she followed his lead towards the Great Hall. Her head hung low in defeat. Even though there was still a bit of irritation nibbling at a small part of her.
She really wasn't good at confrontations.
They were just outside the Great Hall's large double doors when Tobirama suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"I'm sorry."
Sakura snapped her head up at him, her eyes wide in astonishment. He was looking at her, and even though his expression still remained impassive, there was something in his eyes that made her think otherwise. No, it wasn't his glamour.
If she had to hazard a guess, she believed it to be sincerity.
"W-What?"
"For making you upset," he clarified, turning to fully face her, "Believe me when I say it was none of my intention to hurt you. I thought by letting you know your shortcoming; you'd be able to find a way to resort it. I did not anticipate that it would lead to your… hospitalization."
He paused, letting her take a moment to digest his words. When it seemed that she wasn't going to respond to him anytime soon, he continued.
"However, I will not apologize for speaking the truth. You are a very promising witch, Miss Haruno. You are no born prodigy, but you are a diamond in the rough. If you bridge that gap as early in the game as you are now, who knows what greater heights you'll achieve?"
Tobirama didn't wait for her this time as he raised a hand towards the large door handle.
Honestlly, she's stunned. She doesn't know what to say.
His expression never changed. He's blunt, straightforward, and strict, but he's humbled enough to admit his mistake and even acknowledge someone's capabilities. Really, if she didn't know his proclivity for honesty and abhorrence for idle chatter, she would think he was just buttering up to her.
"Will you help me then?" she let out before he could push open the door, "Bridge that gap, that is."
He turned to look at her over his shoulder, the barest of smiles pulled at his lips, "If you'll have me."
Yes, Tobirama, Sakura will have every single part of you. Lol.
It's too early to have this fic focused on romance but I'll just throw this bone out there.
NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE ON TOBIRAMA'S POV!
Stay Awesome!
Ciao~!