Kurapika downed his third cup of coffee, endlessly thankful for the efforts of the house elves that allowed him to refill so quickly. He hadn't originally been planning on attending breakfast on his first day, but he had never managed to fall asleep, so it wasn't like he could have stayed in bed.
He was signed up for more than the proper allotment of classes, but Izunavi had assured him it would all work out as long as he stopped by his classroom before the start of his first class, so now, that was what he was doing.
Izunavi's room was not easy to find, even with the directions he'd been given. Kurapika ended up asking multiple ghosts for help before finally finding the small classroom tucked into a third floor corridor. Even then, the first door he'd tried was locked, apparently across the hall from the correct room.
Izunavi's classroom was small but cozy, with a well-loved chalkboard at the front of the room and old bookshelves lining one wall. There was also another door inside, undoubtedly leading to his office, so Kurapika entered to find the man waiting for him.
"Kurapika! Good to see you! How are you adjusting?"
Kurapika shrugged. As well as he could be, he supposed. "I'm sorry, Izunavi, but I have to hurry more than planned. It took me a while to get here." He settled into the seat across the desk.
"Right, right. So, I told the board about your potential, making the case that we could maximize that potential by allowing you to take extra courses this year and this year only, meaning you can figure out what's best for you to continue in your later years."
Kurapika nodded. He'd scored perfectly on his exams his one year at Beauxbatons, so that probably counted for something. "And your class?"
Izunavi sighed. "You're still the only one signed up. At this point, I'd probably only need one other student to convince Netero, with how much he's heard me complain. There is a fourth year who seemed to show some interest, so I'm going to ask Mizaistom to push him in our direction."
"Alright, then. How will I be able to attend all of the courses? I didn't think there was room in the professor's schedules to accommodate that."
Izunavi took a deep breath and pulled a small box from a desk drawer, setting it on the smooth oak between them.
"The Ministry has made some allowances, seeing as you'll be doing an internship with them over the summer. They agreed to loan this to you for one school year, so long as you follow the rules they've outlined, perfectly ."
Kurapika gave a single, sharp nod, his eyes focused intently on the box.
Izunavi lifted the lid. Inside, on a soft pillow of silk, presented like the finest of watches, lay a necklace, multiple golden rings with an hourglass in the center, all connected by an axle, with a fine golden chain trailing from it.
Kurapika gasped. "That's—"
"A time turner. Listen, these are very rare and very powerful. The Ministry must have a lot of hopes for you to allow this at all. Before I give it to you, you have to sign their contract, agreeing to their terms."
Izunavi pushed an opened scroll across the desk, then sat a dipped quill next to it.
"There are a few things I'll point out, but you really should read through it all yourself. See there, you can't tell anyone," he said, pointing to one of the first sentences written in dark, foreboding ink. "Not even your friends can know about this. They were very clear about that. You'll have to keep it tucked inside your shirt each day.
"Also, you can't go back more than five hours. You should only need to go back three for now. When you reach your lunch hour, turn the dial back three times to repeat your morning hours, this time in the other courses. You should probably snack in between. Then go to your afternoon courses as normally scheduled, eat a hefty dinner, and get a solid night's sleep. You're essentially going to be living twenty-seven hour days this year, so get yourself some rest.
"And Kurapika. The most important rule on here." Izunavi slid his finger down to a sentence near the bottom, one that was underlined. "Do not make contact with your past self. Any cases they have of this occurring with wizards in the past, they've gone mad. Sticking to your schedule should prevent it, just… be careful, okay, kid?"
Kurapika nodded, already grabbing the quill to sign. He needed to ace these classes. By building faith with the Ministry, he could be an auror in charge of tracking down the Phantom Troupe as soon as he graduated.
When the scroll was rolled back up, Izunavi pushed the box a little closer to Kurapika, encouraging him to take it.
He grabbed the golden circle carefully, first holding it close to his face to see the sand within the hourglass. This also allowed him to notice the inscription along the outermost ring. I mark the hours, every one, nor have I yet outrun the sun. It continued on the inner ring. My use and value, unto you, are gauged by what you have to do.
What I have to do.
It was almost like the Turner itself understood he was doing this for a greater reason, but Kurapika knew that was a foolish thought.
Kurapika pulled the chain over his head and allowed the hourglass to rest against his heart, a heavy weight. He tucked it inside his shirt and rose to leave Izunavi's office.
"Kurapika." He turned to look at the professor. "Just… this isn't something I would recommend to most students. Any student, really. I think taking all of these classes will be a huge strain on you, as capable as I know you are. Promise me, if it's too much, you'll drop some? Your grades will still be impressive, I'm sure. The Ministry wouldn't fault you for that."
Kurapika wouldn't fail at this. He couldn't. If he couldn't even handle a workload, how would he face the infamous Phantom Troupe? They were supposedly the most deadly wizards of their age!
He couldn't tell Izunavi that, though. The man still had the power to take the Time Turner away.
"I will." He hated to break promises. This time, it might be necessary. Surely, the gods would understand being placed in a difficult position.
"Have a good first day, kid. I'll let you know when I have news on my course."
Kurapika nodded a final time before leaving.
He could feel the gold constantly against his chest as he walked. He was headed to Potions, down in the dungeons. With each step down the stairs, metal bounced against his heart, and it was exhilarating. It was the first step in his journey to avenge his clan.
As he approached the door to the Potions classroom, another blue-robed student caught up to him, a boy he vaguely recognized from the dormitory. Being polite, he held the door, and was met with an eerily wide smile.
Inside, there was a mix of blue and green crests. Kurapika found one of the few empty seats at a table with a couple of Slytherins. The other Ravenclaw boy joined him there. At first, Kurapika was worried the boy wanted to befriend him, but thankfully, he immediately immersed himself in conversation with one of the Slytherins, an angry looking boy with black hair who seemed small enough to be a first year.
"Attention, students!" their professor called from the front of the dungeon classroom. "I am Machi, your professor of Potions. Welcome to my class! Since everyone is now seated, I'll let you know, those are now your seats for the year! Look carefully at your table mates, because you'll often have to pick one of them to partner with on assignments. Choose wisely, because I do not grade kindly!
"Potion making is an art. It's often disrespected by the moronic students here, not taken near as seriously as it should! I will correct that, even if it means failing half of you."
Kurapika barely kept himself from gulping, but the other boys at his table seemed almost bored. He supposed they'd probably heard this their previous years as well.
"This week, you'll be taking notes on five potions. Next week, we'll be brewing each of them. Every other Friday will be an identification quiz, your only opportunity for extra credit. Start taking notes on the first three chapters of your textbooks! Halfway through class, I'll start quizzing, so focus!"
Kurapika was definitely trying, but his housemate seemed suddenly interested in conversation.
"You're Rukat, right?"
Kurapika fumbled his quill before nodding. He still wasn't quite used to the fake name.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Shalnark Riu, but you can just call me Shalnark. I prefer going by my first name."
Kurapika did not want to call this boy by his first name. He simply nodded again, then turned back to his notes.
"So how'd you end up getting sorted as a third year?"
"I transferred," he said without looking up.
"Transfer is rare," the small Slytherin said, voice slightly muffled by the green scarf around his face and neck. Kurapika could feel his glare without looking away from his textbook.
"I had peculiar circumstances."
"Oh?" Riu asked, clearly wanting more.
"Yes." Kurapika would not be giving him any more.
Riu didn't seem phased by the sharp response. "This is Feitan Portor," he said, gesturing to the small Slytherin, who did nothing but glare. "We're from the same town."
Portor said nothing. Riu looked to the other Slytherin at the table, a large boy who had yet to speak, or even look, at any of them.
"And you?"
The boy looked up briefly, then back down to what appeared to be an explicit manga hidden poorly within his textbook. "Milluki Zoldyck."
Kurapika looked up. "Zoldyck?" Like Killua?
Riu and Porter seemed to be interested as well. Milluki scoffed. "Yeah. Why? You got a grudge against my family or something? You wouldn't be the first."
Killua had said something about his family being dark wizards. "No, I've just met your brother."
Milluki looked up from his manga and raised an eyebrow. "Which one?" Kurapika opened his mouth to answer, but Milluki cut him off. "Nevermind, it doesn't matter. They all suck." And he was back to his hentai.
Kurapika was fairly certain he'd chosen the wrong table to sit at.
Because they were in the same house and same year, Shalnark Riu was in all of Kurapika's core classes, and decided to sit next to him in History of Magic as well as Charms, both of which were with Gryffindor. Thankfully, they had Defense against the Dark Arts with Slytherin, so he was left in peace while Riu talked to Portor.
When they were released for lunch, Kurapika found a secluded alcove, checked for passersby, and pulled out the time turner. His heart thumped with anticipation.
He grabbed the axle and turned it one, two, three times, then watched the world rewind around him.
Students' steps were reversed, sliding backwards in front of his hidden alcove. Even the occasional ghost floated in the wrong direction, all of them moving faster, faster, faster, until everything came to an abrupt halt.
Kurapika could hear the faint sound of the bell tower in the distance, nine dongs. He'd done it.
There was no time to dwell, though, or he'd be late to Arithmancy.
Professor Hiseke Knov was considered an expert in several fields of magic, not the least of which was the connection of words and numerical values to magic, the basics of Arithmancy.
After that was Study of Ancient Runes with Professor Pyon, which was fascinating. Runes had, for the most part, gone out of style in favor of the far easier wand spell casting. Still, Kurapika had read a lot on theoretical magic, and there were a few curious wizards who had used runes in combination with wand magic, with intriguing results.
The case Kurapika had found the most information on was a librarian witch with many ancient and valuable tomes in her collection. She had used her knowledge of runes to set traps that would be activated by wizard intruders, the runes being activated when they came into contact with the intruders' magic.
Kurapika wanted to know how far the use of runes could go.
To get stronger…
Kurapika hadn't been prepared for the pain brought by Care of Magical Creatures.
Professor Mackernasey started by bringing out a large piko.
The chicken-like bird clucked at the students gathering around it, and Kurapika felt the sudden urge to shove them all away. The piko weren't theirs to gawk at. They were Lukso's.
Not just the Kurta, though they had lived alongside them, but the whole ecosystem, the one Kurapika learned to walk in, the one he and Pairo explored together, the one turned into a horror scene after the Phantom Troupe's attack.
He knew his eyes must be scarlet behind the dark contacts. This wasn't right. This piko had been removed from Lukso for what, education? None of these kids would have encountered them, so surely pictures in a textbook would have sufficed.
Still, there was a broken, longing part of him that wondered… if more people knew about the flora and fauna of Lukso, of the Kurta and their customs, would he feel less alone?
Professor Mackernasey lectured on facts Kurapika was already familiar with, facts he had lived, like the noises they made, the weight they could carry, and their friendliness towards humans. Then, he allowed students to come up and pet it.
When it was Kurapika's turn, he stroked his fingers over painfully familiar feathers, feeling over the neck where the bridle would have been attached and back down to the longer feathers that he'd used for art projects as a child for how many could be found shedded off around the village.
His eyes burned, but he wouldn't allow himself to cry. He was hardly even angry at that moment. His heart ached with the pain of clutching to memories tainted by blood.
It was a relief to head back to the castle for lunch. Kurapika could allow himself to focus on the pain in his stomach rather than his chest. He'd forgone the snack that Izunavi had recommended and only had coffee at breakfast, so his plate of food disappeared quickly, and he was headed to the ladder up to the divination classroom.
"Kurapika!"
The classroom was dark and cramped, with indigo drapes keeping most of the natural light out, and mix-matched pillows rested around the tables as seats. It was not what Kurapika preferred in a classroom, but he could hardly complain with the familiar face smoking at him.
"Leorio. It's good to see you."
He sat next to the Hufflepuff, leaving one open seat on his left. Kurapika had the horrific thought that Riu would sit there if it remained unoccupied, but thankfully, another Hufflepuff fell into the spot, huffing loudly in exasperation.
"Gosh, the ladder up here is so high! The stairs are enough of a pain, really!" The girl wore a puffy pink shirt and long white skirt under her robes, telling Kurapika she must have important parents, to not have to adhere to a dress code.
Her hair was also notable, colored periwinkle, likely through a simple transfiguration spell, and styled eccentrically, with beads hanging off of each cluster and a bandana tied on top. Her Hufflepuff robe didn't match, but with how it haphazardly hung off of a shoulder to show the outfit underneath, Kurapika suspected she didn't care.
"Hi!" she greeted cheerily, having apparently recovered from the climb to the classroom. "I'm Neon Nostrade! Who are you?"
"Kurapika Rukat."
"He's a friend I made on the train, Neon," Leorio explained, and Kurapika realized they must have already known each other, if not from the previous two years then at least the previous classes today.
"How nice! So why did you guys choose to take Divination?"
"I am curious of the veritability of fortune-telling methods that are taught rather than inherited. In my studies, it seems they tend to be much more vague, like a muggle horoscope." It wasn't like Kurapika could just tell them he was taking all elective classes, and it wasn't technically a lie.
Leorio nodded at his response. "Really, to me it just sounded easier than Arithmancy or Runes, and I already grew up in a muggle town, so Muggle Studies just sounded boring."
"Really? A muggle town? I've visited a few!"
"Which ones?"
"London, of course, plus Paris, Milan, New York, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Kyoto!" Neon counted on her fingers as she listed.
"Wow," Leorio said. "I hadn't even left my tiny Italian town until I got my letter." He laughed in a sort of embarrassed manner. "Guess it's funny that you've been to Milan and I haven't."
Kurapika felt strangely small compared to Neon as well. He'd traveled more than Leorio, having wandered from the Pyrenees to Portugal, where Izunavi had found him. Still, he'd hardly "seen the world".
He and Pairo used to talk about seeing the world together, someday. When he'd passed the village elder's exam and been allowed to attend Beauxbatons, they had thought it could really happen.
Then Kurapika had buried Pairo's headless body.
Nausea surged at the memory, but he forced it down in the presence of Leorio and Neon.
The girl was… interesting. She was definitely full of herself, but in an oblivious sort of way. It came across as a little annoying, but not quite conceited.
Neon was about to say something else when their professor appeared.
Appeared definitely seemed to be the most appropriate word. One moment, the front of the room was empty. The next, there was a dark overgrowth of snarled hair with a hardly visible pale woman in the middle.
"Greetings, class," the woman said, her voice with a tight shrillness that indicated she wasn't terribly happy to see them. "I am Professor Palm Siberia, and I will be teaching you the powerful art of divination."
Kurapika doubted "powerful" was the best word to describe it.
"Today, we will be reading tea leaves. Students in the back, pass down the cups from the shelves. I've been brewing some tea, I'll pour it once everyone has their cup."
Leorio received the cups from a student behind them and handed Kurapika and Neon each one. Then, Professor Siberia poured tea into each of their cups.
"Read on tessomancy while you drink, and keep drinking until only the dregs are left."
Kurapika attempted to relax while he drank his tea, enjoying the background noise that Neon's chatter about her travels provided. Leorio actually responded, while Kurapika just occasionally nodded when he felt acknowledgement was necessary.
It didn't take long for the class to drink a single cup of tea, and Kurapika could see that hardly any of them actually bothered to read out of their books. He had the book open to the page on tessomancy interpretation, but that was all. He'd read about tessomancy years ago, so it wasn't really necessary.
"Students," Professor Siberia crowed. "Open your books to the chart of symbols to analyze the leaves left in the bottom of your cups. Raise your hands once you see the meaning the universe is showing you."
Kurapika sighed, definitely feeling like this was probably bullshit. Still, people had believed in it for centuries. That had to count for something, right?
The only shape he could see was a sort of wobbly cross. The other dredges formed meaningless blobs around the edges of the cup.
"Do you think this looks like a dog?" Leorio asked him, leaning over to show his cup.
"I think it looks like a dirty teacup," Kurapika answered honestly.
"Maybe an eagle? That one means…" Leorio looked at the book, "a persistent enemy."
"I think it just looks like a dirty cup."
"Well then what am I supposed to tell—"
"This table!" Professor Siberia called. "Since you seem so keen on discussing your findings, why not share with the class?"
"I see an acorn and… an apple!" Neon said, smiling brightly.
"Hm. And that foretells?"
The girl looked down at her book. "Good luck and… knowledge!"
Professor Siberia nodded and looked at Leorio.
"Ummm. I think I also… have an acorn. So. Good luck for me?"
Professor Siberia sighed deeply. "You will need good luck, that's certain. I'm afraid it seems you lack the ability to see into the beyond."
Leorio flushed and Kurapika repressed a laugh at his disgruntled expression. Then, Professor Siberia's gaze was on him.
"I see a cross, which means," he glimpsed at the book, "I will face trials and suffering."
"Ah, poor boy, but it could be worse. At least you didn't see the grim."
"That was bullshit!" Leorio fumed as the three of them walked away from the ladder. "None of this is even real!"
"I dunno, I think mine made sense. It probably just means Daddy wants me to tell the fortune of one of his friends this weekend!"
"Huh?"
Kurapika lifted an eyebrow at Neon as well.
"Oh, sometimes Daddy has me tell fortunes for his Ministry friends sometimes, and then they pay me! The times it goes best, I usually just pass out and wake up with a check."
Leorio and Kurapika shared an uncomfortable look.
"What— what happens while you're unconscious?" Leorio asked.
Neon shrugged. "Apparently, I tell them a prophecy!"
"A real one?" Kurapika asked.
Neon tapped her chin. "Well, they must come true, or they wouldn't pay so much for them."
Interesting. Maybe certain people could access the "beyond" as Professor Siberia called it.
"Where are you guys headed next?" Leorio asked. "I've got Care of Magical Creatures."
"Muggle Studies," Kurapika said.
"I'm going to Care of Magical Creatures, too!"
"I'll see you two later, then." Kurapika gave a small wave as he turned down a separate hallway.
Muggle Studies was a fine class. Professor Satotz seemed like a polite, professional man. Kurapika was sure they would get along fine.
He made it through Herbology, Transfiguration, and Astronomy without challenge, though it was nice in Transfiguration to have Leorio with him again, and he had enough time getting back from the Astronomy tower to drop his things off before dinner.
As soon as he stepped into the Great Hall, he heard his name being yelled.
"Kurapika! Kurapikaaa! Over here!" The commotion was coming from the Hufflepuff table, where Gon was standing on the bench, Killua next to him, and Leorio was sitting across from them, his face in his hands.
Kurapika went to sit in the empty space next to him, and saw Neon was sitting a bit farther down.
"Hey Kurapika!" Gon smiled. "How was your first day? Killua and I had a lot of fun! Well, in some classes."
Killua snorted. "This idiot blew up a feather."
"How?!" Leorio gasped.
"I don't know!" Gon complained, throwing a green bean at Killua in retribution.
Kurapika ignored their burgeoning food fight and turned to Leorio. "We're sitting at the Hufflepuff table?"
Leorio shrugged. "Sitting at your designated table isn't really a rule, but the Hufflepuffs are least likely to get mad about it."
Kurapika nodded in acknowledgement.
"Are you alright, man? You're looking pretty tired."
Since Leorio mentioned it, Kurapika was feeling pretty worn out. Sleep sounded incredibly appealing, but he had first day homework to get done.
He ended up leaving before the rest of his friends, though Gon and Leorio seemed sad to see him go. Leorio had made him realize he needed to get a head start on homework if he wanted to get any sleep.
It was unfortunate that the Ravenclaw tower was so high, making a long walk up several irksome staircases for an already exhausted student.
Kurapika pulled open the door to the third year boys' dormitory, ready to grab his books for studying, when he stopped in his tracks.
He hadn't expected anyone else to be back at the room, but there was Shalnark Riu, pulling a sweater over his head.
The thing Kurapika's eyes had zeroed in on, though, was the spider tattoo on his shoulder.
Twelve legs.
A number "6" in the center of its back.
The symbol of the Phantom Troupe.
"Oh, Rukat! Sorry, I didn't know any—"
Kurapika didn't let him finish before pulling the door closed and stalking back to the common room on numb legs. How many nightmares had plagued him where he'd seen that same twelve-legged spider hovering over his screaming parents?
When he came back to reality, he was kneeling in front of the fireplace, his eyes burning from staring at the flames, or perhaps from flaring scarlet behind his dark contacts.
There was a girl standing near him, looking at him with deep concern etched into her face. With mousy hair, bucked teeth, and a short, stocky stature, she almost looked as though she was hit by some sort of jinx.
He blinked up at her.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm—" exhausted, traumatized, furious— "fine."
She knelt on the rug next to him. "Your heartbeat… it is filled with anger."
Kurapika had the sudden urge to scoot away. He felt uncomfortably revealed in front of her.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to overstep. It's just, you seem like you could use a bit of piece. Would you like to hear a song on my flute? It's certainly calming, and with most students still at dinner, I likely wouldn't bother anyone."
Kurapika automatically felt like denying, like running and finding someplace to hide so that he wouldn't go storming back into the dormitory throwing curses at his roommate, but a part of him felt like the only way to avoid a murder in Ravenclaw tower was to accept help in calming down.
"Alright. But— what's your name, miss?"
The girl smiled at him. "I'm Melody Senritsu."
"Kurapika." He tried to smile back, but it was probably more of a wince.
She lifted the flute he had hardly noticed in her hands, and soft notes began to fill the space. Kurapika rested his head against an armchair behind him and closed his eyes, not noticing when he went from sorting his thoughts to falling asleep.
