A/N: Some portions of this story are borrowed directly from the game, which I do not own.
Arah was sprinting down St. Mungo's halls, breathlessly dodging Medi Wizards left and right, making her way to Jacob's hospital room. Arah's smile widened as she skidded around the corner, nearly knocking over a house elf.
"Sorry!" She laughed breathlessly as he grumbled curses under his breath, waving his mop disapprovingly after her.
At this point, she could get there blindfolded after all the nights she had spent roaming these halls. And then she was there. Room 309. Arah stood there for a moment, staring at the door, her smile slowly fading as she recall the last thing she had ever said to her brother.
I dont need you.
Her hand hovered over the door handle, frozen. The bitterness of those words still lingered on her tongue like a poison. Would he remember? Of course, she hadn't meant it- not one bit. She only wanted to sting him with weaponized words that would wound him most. What if he didn't want to see her? What if-
The door swung open as a young Medi Wizard with thick monocles blinked widely at her- he may as well have been invisible as Arah's focus shifted to her brother sitting up in the hospital bed, his once burnt skin, now scabbing over like a bad sunburn. Their shared golden eyes met as they stared at one another, all of the things she had rehearsed to say, now lost and muddled in her head as she gaped at him. The MediWizard looked awkwardly between the two of them before uncomfortably shuffling out of the room, leaving them alone.
"Hi Pip." Jacob gave an innocent smirk.
And just those two words caused her reserve to crumble as she flailed towards her big brother, throwing her arms around his neck, tears spilling freely as she wept into his arms.
"I thought i'd lost you." She managed to choke out between breaths.
"I'm here." he held her close, her shoulders heaving with every wave of tears that came. "I'm here." They hugged each other tightly- the sound of Jacob's sniffles not escaping her. "That's twice you've saved my sorry ass. I owe you, junior."
"If I weren't so happy to see you, I'd shove my foot so far up your 'sorry ass'." She gave a watery laugh, pulling back to survey him. There were still a few lingering burns wrapped in bandages, but for the most part- he had already begun to heal- not even a scar left behind.
"And I'd tell you I deserve it." He gave a weak smile- the common knowledge of their last fight settled between them. "I'm sorry, Arah, for how I left things-"
"No, I'm sorry. I never meant what I said." Arah shook her head, thankful for the chance to tell him how wrong she had been. "I was upset and angry."
"I know you didn't. It's just... sometimes I forget you're not a little kid anymore. I missed so many years of you growing up; one moment you were this small girl who used to get scared of monsters that hid under your bed-" Jacob chuckled, "And then next...I saw this young witch staring at me from the other side of a portrait- it was like looking into a mirror. You couldn't have been more than a few years younger than me. I wish I could have been there for you, Arah. To see you grow -." he paused, eyes beginning to glisten
Arah gripped his hands in hers, struggling to keep her lips from trembling as he spoke.
"I know your not a little kid anymore, but I worry about you, Pip." Jacob sighed, squeezing her hand tighter. "I was so used to being the big brother that took care of you."
"You'll always be my big brother, Jacob." Arah smiled, wiping her cheek dry with her sleeve. "I understand that you worry about me, but I'm not a child anymore. I know it's strange, but we can take care of each other now. We have to." Jacob nodded, clearing his throat as he try to get his emotions under control. "Besides, last I checked it seems that I have been the one saving you recently. "
That got a chuckle out of him, "That is true."
"We need each other."
Jacob nodded solemnly, patting the top of her hand with his. "I know I'm not usually great at expressing myself, but... I couldn't be more proud of who you've become, Arah."
Her heart swelled in her chest at the tender words her brother confessed. Arah wrapped him in an embrace again, squeezing him tight - sending a quick thanks to Merlin that her brother was still alive and by her side.
"Alright, enough of the soppy stuff. I'm not sure how much more I can take." Jacob laughed, pushing her away.
"It's okay big brother, I'll always be your annoying little Pip." She smirked mischievously, before plopping her finger in her mouth and shoving it toward his ear.
"YEUCH!" He swatted her hand away, but not before she licked another finger and stuck it in his opposite ear."That's not even a fair fight, I'm crippled!"
They both burst out in laughter, a snort erupting from her fit of giggles, causing them to cackle even harder. Arah collapsed on the bed, nursing the stitch that formed in her side. They hadn't laughed like that in a long time. As Arah caught her breath, she remembered something important she had meant to ask him about.
"Wait, the scroll! You did get it, right?!" she shot up from the bed.
Jacob looked puzzled before he realized what she was talking about. Quickly he shoved his finger over his mouth, "SHHH! Not so loud. How do you know about the scroll?"
"Long story." She waved him off. "Did you get Dai Ryusaki's Scroll or not?"
Jacob blinked, the look of bewilderment sent a surge of satisfaction to her pride. "You have been busy, Pip."
She shrugged nonchalantly. "I can be resourceful."
Jacob looked around the room, before leaning close to her in a hushed tone. "I found it."
"I can't believe it. THE Dark Scroll." she gasped.
"Quiet!" He hissed under his breath. "Well...half of it. Unfortunately, the other half is missing. The tale of Dai Ryusaki and the Dark Scroll actually had some truth to it. Mundungus helped get me a portkey to Japan to track down Ryusaki's scroll. The scroll seems to contain ingredients to a powerful potion, and I believe R is after the scroll so they can recreate it. I found it hidden in a mountain cave. The fire was a trap."
Arah gaped at him, "You're telling me you went all the way to Japan because you thought R might be after some legendary artifact to create a potion?" Arah spoke slowly, making sure she was following. She was finally able to piece together what she had seen when she read his mind several nights ago. The strange buildings and scenery, the old piece of parchment, the blackness. It all made sense.
"Well, when you put it like that it sounds like I just went chasing after it on a gut feeling. But I had gathered enough evidence from different 'R' members to feel confident enough to go looking about."
Arah shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you actually found it."
"So far I've only been able to decipher one of the ingredients. I need to get back out there and find the other half and stop 'R' from creating that potion. If this scroll falls into the wrong hands... the entire wizarding world could be in danger. I can't let that happen- I won't let that happen."
"WE won't let that happen." Arah corrected him, giving him a warm smile.
"We." He returned her smile, gripping her shoulder. "But if it's alright with you, I've had enough of this 'R' business for a while... You didn't happen to bring Exploding Snap with you? I've been bored to tears here."
Arah smirked, pulling out a deck of cards from her pack. "You mean these?"
"Oh thank Merlin, I thought I was going to die of boredom..." Arah glowered at his poor choice of words. "Too soon?" he chortled as she play punched him in the arm- a little too hard. "You're quite scary when your angry, you know that?"
The two chatted about everything and nothing, playing round after round of exploding snap as the sun dipped well below the horizon, welcoming the evening. Their laughter echoed throughout the dim halls as they shared stories and reminisced, making up for lost time. Even if it was for a short while, they forgot about their worries of 'R' and what trials the future held. For once, they got to be two ordinary siblings, a bond of blood so sacred and certain, it would carry them through whatever hardships lie ahead. As long as they had each other, they could take on what life threw at them. Together.
A/N: It warmed my heart to portray this special bond these siblings share. To my current readers, thank you for being so patient and hanging in there as this story grew to be much longer than I ever planned.
To new readers, I do hope you enjoyed reading this story.
As always, please leave a review 3