The crowd roared deafeningly as the quaffle went back in forth between the players, Slytherin standing up and screaming defiantly when they scored. Shouta watched with a slightly bemused but overall interested face as he watched the game known as Quidditch unfold before him. He glanced across the stadium to see an extremely bored Hitsugaya reading a book, despite the urges from Hermione and Ron to watch the game. He frowned slightly when one of the bludgers went after Harry twice; his suspicions confirmed when the thing started chasing him. He watched as the rogue bludger damaged several of the pillars around the field. He didn't notice Hitsugaya perk up and watch, too focused on trying to think of his course of action.
The crowd leaned forward in their seats as the snitch, Harry, Malfoy, and the bludger all dived under the stadium. When Shouta realized he wouldn't be of any help just sitting there, he reached into his pocket, cursing silently when he remembered that Kurotsuchi had denied them the soul candy. He looked at Hitsugaya, who seemed just as frustrated, when out of nowhere Malfoy came out from under, tumbling off his broomstick and onto the ground, Harry flying out in front of him. Both boys raced quickly down into the arena, oblivious to the curious looks they garnered. They barely heard the announcer screaming how Gryffindor won the match, keeping their eyes on the bludger that kept trying to smash Potter's face in as they sped onto the field.
Harry had just avoided another deadly hit to the head when Shouta jumped up and grabbed the ball, wrestling to hold the thing still for Hitsugaya. "Hurry up, dammit. This thing's harder to hold onto than it looks." He grunted, Hitsugaya nodding hastily and freezing the rogue bludger in the other boy's grasp. Shouta easily crushed it, little bits of melting ice falling to the ground. Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid came rushing towards the 3, Harry just looking stunned towards the transfers.
"Are you okay?" Hermione blurted out worriedly, crouching down beside her friend.
"No, I-I think my arm's broken." Harry muttered in reply, shifting uncomfortably on the ground. Gilderoy Lockhart and several others rushed over, Lockhart pulling out his wand and crouching beside the boy.
"Not to worry Harry, I will fix that arm of yo-" The Professor started before Hitsugaya abruptly cut him off.
"You sure?" He asked sarcastically, earning a snicker from the brunette beside him. Lockhart gave him a brief glare before turning back to Harry. With a wave of his wand and the uttering of a few words-along with Shouta's half-hearted protests to stop him-a blue light flared up before dying back down, Hitsugaya eyeing the arm suspiciously. Lockhart set his wand down and lifted up Harry's arm, which was now limp and squishy-like. Everyone groaned in disgust.
"Ah… well, yes… That can sometimes happen." Lockhart started as Harry looked horrified at his arm.
"Sometimes? The nurse could've easily fixed a broken arm, heck, even I could fix it. But growing bones back is a whole other process." Shouta grumbled, thinking back on the Unohana's torture when he'd asked if she could teach him healing kido. He shuddered mentally at the thought.
"Well, the point is," Lockhart started, ignoring the brunette. He bent Harry's arm back unnaturally, and the boy's eyes widened. "You can no longer feel any pain, and very clearly, the bones are not broken."
"Broken?!" Hagrid exclaimed. "There's no bones left!"
Madame Pomfrey rushed past a groaning Malfoy towards Harry, where several Gryffindors were gathered around. Hitsugaya and Shouta watched from a little farther away, both smirking when Harry spit out the drink he was given.
Sometime after everyone (but Harry and the nurse) had left, Shouta walked up quietly to the woman, bringing her a little farther from Harry to talk to her. "Did you need something dear?"
"I have these… scars, and no one so far has been able to get rid of them. So I was wondering if you could try." Shouta muttered, Hitsugaya frowning.
"I don't think she'll be able to help." Hitsugaya murmured, but Shouta just shrugged.
"Always worth a try." The brunette replied.
"Well then, could you show me? I can't do anything unless I know where the scar is." Shouta frowned for a moment, before sighing and taking off his shirt. He turned around, showing Madame Pomfrey the inverted pentagram that had been carved into his back. Hitsugaya winced; it hurt to look at every time he saw it.
"Oh Merlin…" The woman muttered.
"Every once in awhile it'll start hurting again, and it brings back a few… bad memories." Shouta explained, putting his shirt back on. He ignored the horrified look Harry had from his bed across the room.
"I'll see what I can do, dear, but I don't think I'll be able to help much." The nurse replied, scuttling off. Shouta trudged towards Harry, Hitsugaya following right behind.
"What happened to making sure no one found out?" The white-haired Captain muttered, smirking. Shouta just shrugged.
"Wha… How did…" Harry asked, at a loss for words.
"Same guy who killed my mom." Shouta replied quietly, giving him a look as if to say, 'don't ask'. Harry nodded mutely.
"So… why can't anyone heal it?" The boy asked hesitantly. Shouta plopped onto a stool, sighing.
"Honestly, I really don't know. I've had it since I was 6, and I've been to almost every doctor within Japan and several countries of Europe. I could easily pay the bills, but no one yet has been able to get rid of them." Shouta replied, his eyes hazing over as he relived the painful memories.
"I've asked Professor Snape to make a potion for you, but it will take a couple weeks." Madame Pomfrey called as she ran back into the room.
"Thanks, Ma'am. Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about it. Some people think of it as a tattoo or something and they make assumptions." Both Harry and the nurse nodded, before the transfer students headed back to their respective houses.
That night, both Shouta and Hitsugaya had snuck into the library and into the restricted section, hoping to find some information about the Chamber of Secrets and the petrified cat. "What do you think caused the petrification?" Hitsugaya asked quietly, flipping through a book.
"I'd say a cockatrice, but that's kind of unlikely. And it definitely isn't Medusa; she's in Greece I think. A basilisk maybe?" Shouta mused, more to himself than to Hitsugaya.
Kill… kill…
"Mind telling me what that was?" Shouta muttered, both boys suddenly alert. The 2 sprang up from their spot in the library, and sprinted towards the voice, though careful not to be seen. Shouta almost tripped when he saw the petrified body of the Gryffindor boy that kept stalking Harry.
"That's Colin Creevey." Hitsugaya muttered, looking at the boy, camera held up in front of his face as if he was going to take a picture. "He's been petrified." The 2 began looking around, Hitsugaya raising an eyebrow curiously as he eyed something nearby.
"You find something?" Shouta asked, both boys standing in front of Colin. Hitsugaya nodded, opening his mouth to say something, when a rush of feet stopped behind them. The transfer students turned around to see McGonagall and Dumbledore staring at them, suspiciousness showing in the deputy headmistress's expression.
"What happened here?" She asked, the professors rushing towards them.
"We were heading back to our houses when we came across Creevey. I think he's been petrified." Shouta explained, leaving out the voice that they had heard.
"You should've been asleep hours ago." McGonagall snapped, Shouta just shrugging.
He turned back to Hitsugaya. "So what did you find?"
"Oh no you don't! You are going to tell us exactly what is going on here. You 2 are acting suspicious enough as it is, and now you're sneaking around the castle and just appearing near the 2nd victim!" The woman freaked, Dumbledore resting a calm hand on her shoulder.
"First, we must take Mr. Creevey to the infirmary. Afterwards, you both are to explain your actions." The Headmaster said, Shouta nodding hesitantly. Hitsugaya started grumbling in Japanese.
They headed to the infirmary, the transfer students lagging behind reluctantly. "Let's just make a run for it." The brunette grumbled, the white-haired boy next to him rolling his eyes.
"If we did that, they'd assume we were the culprits for sure." Hitsugaya snapped back. Shouta just shrugged, as if to say he didn't really care, earning an icy glare from Hitsugaya.
"Ooh… scary. The former midget is angry!" Shouta snickered, Hitsugaya seething quietly.
"I am not a midget." He growled angrily.
"At least I used former."
The 2 waited outside as the professor, nurse, and Headmaster rushed inside with Colin Creevey's petrified body. "So now can you tell me what you found back there?" Shouta asked impatiently, raising his voice slightly.
"Spiders." Hitsugaya replied calmly, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.
"Huh? Spiders?"
"Aren't spiders afraid of basilisks? Because there were several spiders running from the scene." Hitsugaya explained, Shouta's eyes lighting up as soon as he mentioned spiders.
"Great! I snagged a couple books from the library on our beasts in question before we left. Here, this one's about the basilisk." Shouta reached into his cloak and pulled out a dusty old book, handing it to Hitsugaya. The Captain looked at it curiously, flipping through the pages.
The two of them stood out there for a good 10 minutes, before Shouta snatched the book back and put it away just in time as Professor McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore walked out, both looking at the 2 warily. "I think we deserve an explanation." Dumbledore said quietly, both boys nodding sullenly.
"Well… to be honest, we kinda here voices right before each attack. We followed it, and that's how we came upon Mrs. Norris and Creevey." Shouta muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
Dumbledore frowned, and opened his mouth to say more, but the boys rushed off, saying something about getting some sleep for tomorrow.
"That boy, he's really part of the Izukai family, is he not?" McGonagall nodded mutely. "If he's who I think he is, he should be dead."
Dun, dun, dun! Dumbledore is SUSPICIOUS! This is a lot of fun to write, and I'm not even done with the 2nd year! And yes, they will be staying until they graduate, so that'll be fun! :D