I own nothing. All respective characters and settings belong to their respective franchises.
Minerva couldn't be too certain how her day had veered so wildly out of center.
That it started with Peeves up to another one of his early morning pranks on the latest batch of Slytherin first years, and she just so happened to be in the adjacent hallway, must have been a sign. Though they weren't of her House, that mattered little in the way of offering her aid, lest they trek the rest of the way back to their dorm in nothing but their undergarments, courtesy of a nasty concoction that ate away at cloth.
The poltergeist could be cruel that way.
He could claim to be impartial when it came to being a general nuisance to everything within Hogwarts' walls, but it could hardly be contested to those who've had the misfortune of knowing him long enough that he had a particular taste in tormenting those under Salazar's camp. She had no real love for the House, but she wasn't about to turn away children in need of help.
The students respectfully expressed their gratitude, even as she firmly pointed them towards Potions, with the warning of their Head of House inflicting worse if they were to be tardy. Afterwards, it would be minutes before her own period that she would receive Albus' summons. Believing it to be important; and it was, she now found herself in Privet Drive, wishing that her superior greatly reconsidered his choice in sending someone to check on Harry. Or, hell, send in reinforcements!
"I need to get inside!" Minerva shouted to Yuki, who was helping deflect the creature from nabbing either of them with its tentacles, while she was hard at work in maintaining the defensive charm, which did nothing to stop the very same tentacles from reaching them.
"Do it and do it fast!" Yuki snapped back, who was putting the bare minimum of effort in parrying and batting away the tendrils, grateful that the monster at least seemed as primal in its thought process as it was big. That didn't mean it wasn't as dangerous as any Special Grade, and the longer she were to wear this battle out, it might just get a lucky shot in.
Minerva quickly apparated, having no choice but to drop the charm and leave the teenager to fend for herself. Once she was inside, she prepared herself for the worst, ready to comb through their home and lay down the law on the people who dared to lay a hand on James and Lily's boy. That they were his relatives only left that much of a bitter feeling in her stomach.
Turns out, to her ever rising surprise, she didn't need to scour for long.
Vernon's POV…
Vernon's foot was only inches away from the boy's, placing all of his weight in to crush him to a pulp. It would leave a mess, true, but it would be worth the absolute hell, the sheer humiliation and shame, that he and his family have had to endure just to be saddled with this-this…thing.
Everything about this creature was an abomination. Each and every one of his kind an affront to everything sacred, everything normal. He would have been just fine not knowing such a world existed, a world consisting of such unnatural beings. Beings who thought they could assert themselves into civil society with their freakish ways and their freakish magic.
Like that man…
…That man…
Vernon blinked, managing to stop just as the sole of his shoe lightly brushed against his nephew's forehead.
It's the only way…
The man grunted, shaking his head profusely as thoughts were flooding into his mind on their own, a multitude of memories and voices he was finding difficult to place, flowing in like someone had just screwed open a long rusted spigot as he backed away from where the boy was lying.
You're mad if you expect me to abide by this.
What…what was he…?
Put yourself in my place, Vernon. Had circumstances been in our mutual favor, I wouldn't even dream to ask this of you. The boy is…unique, and will need to be raised a certain way.
A certain…
I will have no part of it!
The veins of Vernon's brain throbbed from words he wasn't even certain were his own, his mouth going dry.
Without the proper guidance, I fear that he might lose control of his…gift. So I implore you to cooperate. Believe me. It is just as for his own good as it will be for you and yours.
Breathing heavily, he opened his eyes wide to the world around him spinning, causing him to nearly tip over, his chest rising and falling as his heart was threatening to burst out of his chest.
I may not be keen in your ways, but what you are asking of me is nothing short of monstrous, ludicrous even! I and my family will not be coerced into your ridiculous plot! I'll...I'll call the authorities!
He remembered, with no shortage of anger, that the man's expression remained unmoved, but he could clearly read the twinkle of amusement in his eyes, the kind an adult would reserve for a misbehaving child.
Go ahead, though you might find them to be less than receptive to your liking, Vernon. Rest assured that your family will remain unharmed. You need only consent, and the spell will do the rest.
He was clenching his teeth tight enough to break them as his anger and despair were warring, raging.
He was remembering. Remembering all of it as the veil was slowly being peeled away layer by layer.
Did you not hear me?! There is nothing for me to consent to, and I certainly won't be badgered. Whatever plans you may have for the boy, you can forget it. We will never submit.
He dropped down to his knees, then let go of his head to stare down at his hands, and what he saw beyond them made his heart drop to his stomach, looking on in unbridled horror at what he had done. What…he and his family had done.
Then…Vernon, you leave me with no other choice.
"Dear God…"
Hot tears welling in his eyes and with shaking hands, he gently took the limp form of his nephew into his arms, seeing up close the bruises and lacerations he inflicted on him, his blood going cold.
"Vernon?" He didn't need to look up at his wife, Petunia, having approached them from behind, her empty hands folded together anxiously. She was trembling. "We…We need to leave. Th-Th-Th-The hospital. Bring the boys to the hospital."
Vernon could hardly be consoled with, burying his face into his nephew's chest, and thanking the Lord that he was still breathing, albeit weakly. "It's too late," he muttered, voice fraught with anguish.
Petunia couldn't stop her own tears from flowing. She knew her husband was right. They were ruined.
Because of the same people that took Lily away.
Her memories, her true memories started resurfacing once she grabbed hold of the shovel, and with disgust, tossed it aside and ran back into the house. She was remembering. Remembering the fateful night Harry had first been brought to their doorstep, and she was only too overjoyed for the last remaining memory she had of her beloved sister. She had been excited to raise him alongside her own boy, for Dudley to have a sibling to share precious memories with.
Dudley…
She inwardly despaired. Rather than raise their son properly, they had instead spoiled him, and leading by example, caused him to treat Harry the way they did, culminating in him growing to be an unsavory child whose behavior she would have devoted her time to correct from the opposite end of their abuse. Dudley had been just as thin as his cousin once upon a time, the two of them nearly identical. While they starved Harry, they ended up overfeeding Dudley.
She could do nothing but lament the sorry state she and her family had been reduced to, forced upon them by the machinations of the man that came to their doorstep with a smile that would fool even the most seasoned of confidence men.
Both adults were broken out of their grieving momentarily by a loud bang, the sound of wood breaking, of furniture being overturned from upstairs. Petunia pressed herself against the wall as the house began to shake and rattle violently, nearly losing her balance from what could have easily been mistaken as an earthquake.
They instinctively knew what it was, and that their beloved son, Dudley, was no longer with them. Both knew they would not be far behind.
The only thing left for them to do was…
Vernon heard a sound, and another woman's cry. She didn't even struggle. There was no longer any point. He still grieved like any good husband would, as useless as that sentiment had been for some years now, the only comfort being that he would follow soon.
"Take him."
Minerva, stumbling toward the pair in a panic, didn't even know what to think, what to say. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what she had bore witness to. Vernon just knew that one of them would come. The boy was just too valuable for them to leave for dead.
"Just take him and go!"
Swallowing, Minerva bent down and wrapped her arms around Harry, careful to leave her wand hand free for them to apparate out. She had been deprived of the opportunity to verbally thrash them, much less what to think, having landed into their home to the sight of the pair huddling close to the boy…protectively? Whatever resentment she had reserved for the couple was smashed down the very second she saw, to her horror, a black tentacle grab hold of Petunia with devilish speed. With her own honed reflexes, she fired a stunner in a valiant effort to save her, but like with the other creatures, it hardly slowed the limb down as it pulled the woman upstairs. It would very much seem that these demons were impervious to magic.
That frightened her.
Vernon lifted his nephew up with tears still in his eyes, relinquishing him to a woman he couldn't even trust, recognizing her as having accompanied that man the first night he was here.
He couldn't muster the nerve to look her in the eye, instead boring into his nephew for what would be the very last time. Up close, Minerva could see the pure, unfiltered despair that was painted across his face, the man having aged by several years from the combined trauma of his experiences, which was very contrary to what she knew and had expected.
Vernon could not trust her, not any of them. They were a society that looked down on people like him and his family, and not for any other reason than lacking in power. People like him might as well be animals, pets they could hold their hand out to and expect the same gesture in kind. He had no personal hatred or strong opinions outside of that, and even then, he would have been just fine being apathetic to their society.
Yet, upon glancing up at the woman by chance, and their eyes finally meeting, he grabbed hold of Minerva's arm. Whether it was by instinct or some other force pushing him on, he just had to get this off his chest, pulling her close with his remaining strength. He could see the turmoil in the woman's face, the conflict in her gaze. He wouldn't be surprised if she thought the worst of him. He didn't blame her, and had things been different…no. He could make no such excuses. The man's vile brainwashing had driven his actions, his words, his thoughts; everything.
He could never take those back even if he tried.
With righteous fury and grief powering what were to be his final words, Vernon Dursley hissed out, "Albus Dumbledore…is not the man you think he is!"
Dumbledore's POV…
Dumbledore frowned, displeasure written all over his wizened features at this unfortunate development.
The reception inside the Dursley home was terrible. Must be the high concentration of Cursed Energy, with nothing but static showing on his crystal ball. He tapped the blasted thing with his finger, careful not to break it. Shit was expensive, man.
Minerva's POV…
As soon as those words passed through Vernon's lips at the same time the tips of her fingers brushed against the follicles of the boy's hair, Minerva froze. The effects of the charm placed on her had been weakening since she was bathed in Yuki's healing energies, and being in contact with the boy killed whatever hold it had left on her mind, with one memory in particular cropping up.
I'm sorry, Minerva…
Before she could collect her wits, Minerva was given only a second to react and stagger back before she could be caught. To her horror, she watched as the black tendril wrapped itself around Vernon. Their eyes met for one final time, and the witch wasn't sure what unnerved her more. That a man, a man she has had nothing but disdain for looked so accepting of death, or that she and her charge would be next if they didn't apparate that very second. As Vernon watched her go, he couldn't help but smile. He will be joining his family soon. He wouldn't have to suffer any longer than he wished to. Harry was safe, and that was what mattered.
With Yuki…
Minerva, with Harry in her arms, landed outside just opposite the street facing the Dursley's.
Just in time to witness the young girl, Yuki, dragging one of the cars that had been parked nearby. The mysterious young sorceress stopped in clear view of the creature, planting her feet firmly on the concrete pavement before swinging it around to build up the momentum to toss it straight at the beast.
Had it not been for knowing just who it was she was carrying, she would have dropped everything from witnessing that alone, only her jaw becoming unhinged the moment the vehicle crash landed on an adjacent house after bouncing against the beast's smaller right eye, nearly half of it embedding itself on the roof.
Mindlessly shaking her head, Minerva called out, "Miss Tsukumo!"
Yuki's back was facing the pair as she evaded some stray tentacles that kept lashing wildly, the blow from the car having disoriented the monster's focus, causing it to thrash and cry out in a rage.
Disappearing from sight, Minerva was suddenly caught off guard by the sensation of being lifted off the ground, with Yuki carrying the two of them to safety behind a tree for cover. She placed the woman down before falling on her rear, huffing out a short breath and saying, "Well?"
It would be a moment before Minerva found her words, falling to her knees and gently placing Harry on the soft grass, inwardly despairing over the state he was in. "H-H-Here…th-the child."
Yuki landed her sights on the boy that was nestled snugly within the old witch's arms, the look on her face slowly shifting in realization and saying, "This kid…"
Reading the young woman's expression, Minerva could not fully dismiss the possibility that she was a Death Eater, or simply a dark witch, but under the pressure they were in, she also couldn't afford a dispute to dampen their chances of survival. "We have to go!"
"Hang on," Yuki said, her eyes solely glued on Harry, unceremoniously stretching her arm out towards the boy, her hand beginning to exude the same white aura from earlier. Minerva stared at it critically, the sound of destruction raging around them as the beast continued to aimlessly crush and destroy anything within its reach. She almost pulled Harry away on instinct, but her eyes happened to meet the girl's at that instant like with Vernon, but unlike the man's, there was a clear conviction behind her gaze.
Trust me.
Her breathing got caught in her throat once the girl's hand stopped right over the child's head. She snapped herself out of her terrified stupor, readying to apparate once more back to Hogwarts, when she glanced down and froze to see the wretched state Harry was already in, his injuries present for all to see. The rest of her thoughts skidded to a halt when the white aura managed to reach the boy's face, and that would have been enough for Minerva to shove the girl away or apparate, but paused upon seeing the worst of Harry's bruises around his eye gradually losing color. Yuki poured a bit more of her energy, having picked up on something unusual.
Before long as more of his injuries were mending, a white mist rose out of the spot where his scar was, wafting up like steam, and Minerva felt a chill go down her spine when she saw up close what looked to be the outline of a face, accompanied by what sounded like a hollow cry of agony. She could swear that it looked…
At the sound of the car that she had previously thrown crashing not far from where they were huddling, the blonde sorceress could hear the woman plead, "Miss Tsukumo, we need to leave!"
"MAAAAAAAAMAAAAAAA! DAAAAAAAADAAAAAAAAA! "
Minerva winced as the mouths on the creature wailed out in sync, the two women barely recognizing the words. "Hey, granny," Yuki started, "was there another kid in that place?"
Minerva swallowed, giving only a curt nod in response. "Listen to me and listen good," Yuki said next. "Take the kid and teleport as far away from here as you can."
Minerva wanted to believe she had heard wrong through all of the noise, opening her mouth to protest when Yuki lifted her gaze up from the boy to look her straight in the eye one more time. The girl might as well be old enough to be her granddaughter, yet her eyes.
They were the eyes of someone who has had close brushes with death.
"Don't even think about slipping back for me," Yuki warned. "The only thing you need to do is to keep yourself and the kid safe." Minerva felt her heart jump to her throat when a piece of wall slammed against the front of the house facing them, yet Yuki remained unflinching as the young woman held her gaze.
"Are you insane?!" Minerva exclaimed emphatically as her mind was barely processing such an outlandish demand.
Yuki shrugged. "Depends on who you ask."
"What on earth could you possibly do?!" Minerva seethed in protest. "It would require a full company of the finest wizards to bring that creature down, and even then, not without casualties."
A grin plastered itself on the young woman's lips. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, granny, but I'm no wizard," she said as she stood up, towering over the kneeling witch, determination roiling off of her as she fixed Minerva a look, the clouds having parted just enough to bathe her form in sunlight, "I'm a Sorcerer." She spun on her heel, her back now facing the woman as she finished with, "The kid should be fine, but you should still get him checked!"
Minerva opened her mouth to try and convince the girl out of such extreme foolishness, but her words were cut short as Yuki got into a run, returning headlong into the fray. Blinking as she stared at the girl's shrinking form for a moment longer, she squeezed her eyes shut before reluctantly preparing to apparate, hugging Harry close to her with one arm as the other was doing the necessary wand movements.
She opened her eyes the instant before her vision was overtaken, her worry overriding her resolve, when she spotted something unexpected flying into view from above and circled around Yuki.
Number 4…
A vicious smile drew itself on Yuki's lips as she flared out her excess Cursed Energy in excitement, continuing to dodge around the incoming obstacles determined to keep her at bay or crush her, the monster's instincts set on killing the sorceress.
"Garuda!" Yuki exclaimed to her ever trusty Shikigami, the creature flying right next to her as the two of them stopped in front of what was left of the Dursley's home, its foundations barely able to support the weight and chaotic motions of Dudley's Curse, its fruitless cries for his parents echoing throughout the ruined neighborhood. "The two of us will be eating well tonight! No holding back!"
The monster roared at the same time Garuda let out a chirp of acknowledgement, flying closer as it quickly coiled and writhed its full length atop the flat of Yuki's palm, morphing itself tightly into a ball. "For what it's worth, kid, you should count yourself lucky," Yuki addressed the Curse, her expression then softening as she finished with, "'cuz big sis is gonna be the one to put you out of your misery."
Dudley's Curse wailed, as if daring her to try as it went on the offensive, throwing the full brunt of its tentacles straight at Yuki to overwhelm her, but the blonde was hardly intimidated, timing one tendril's descent before vaulting on top of it and ducking down from another, then another, deftly navigating her way up higher until finding just the right one to springboard off of.
"Bom-ba-ye!" Yuki declared once she was high enough, winding up to launch her charged up Shikigami at the monster.
Elsewhere…
Minerva collapsed on her knees the moment they landed, her breath coming out short as her stamina was down by just enough that she could cast one more. She fell on her rear after placing the still unconscious Harry on soft grass, allowing her free hand to reach where her hat had been. Her portkey in case of emergencies. She took a moment to admonish herself on the shortsightedness of bringing just one on her person, but in hindsight, she could not have possibly foreseen things to veer so wildly out of control to such a degree. Collecting her thoughts, she peered down at Harry and took great care to examine him, gently running a hand over the areas where the worst of his injuries had been, and saw that they were now as unblemished as hers had been after being healed by Yuki.
She turned her head in the direction where Privet Drive was, the two of them in a remote area some miles leading to Kent, and only a few miles away from Little Whinging. She didn't even need to wonder if abandoning the girl was the right choice, her own presumptions of her be damned. No one, perhaps not even the likes of Bellatrix Lestrange, deserved to be trapped in the heart of such butchery.
Yet, the rational part of her mind took hold almost immediately, and she looked down at Harry once more, softly caressing the lad's face. He was missing his glasses, the lack of them reminding her that the poor boy only came to wear them a year prior. It was one of the few essentials the Dursley's were barely willing to afford him, partly as a means to keep up appearances and reasoning that they couldn't have the boy's eyesight impede his 'obligations'. Arabella even mentioned that she had had to goad the Dursleys at first to even entertain the thought of providing him eyewear, the woman having regularly sat for the couple to observe Harry up close.
The thought of Arabella, and of Vernon and his family, caused Minerva to stare off at nothing, warding off the phantom pains of a headache from what she could only deduce was the aftereffect of a Memory Charm, her real memories…of that night, and the rest, resurfacing.
Albus Dumbledore…is not the man you think he is!
She shook her head of that thought, deciding to mull it over at a later time. She had only seen Harry with glasses once some time after he started wearing them. Amusingly enough, they only seemed to complement his-
Minerva's eyes narrowed, noticing something amiss as she gently pressed her palm against the side of the boy's face where-
She was abruptly brought out of her examination by a sharp, and audibly loud, pop, accompanied by an invisible shift in the air that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
Lifting her head up and turning to where the sound could have come from, her eyes widened into saucers before diving her body over Harry's protectively in a panic in lieu of casting a shield charm, her experiences leaving her more than a little rattled and unsure if she even had the reserves left without compromising a return trip to Hogwarts. She could only brace herself as a massive wave was barreling straight towards them. Scrunching her eyes tightly, she could practically feel and hear a heavy deluge of wind pass over them, causing her skirt and robe to billow wildly, the force nearly sending them flying had she not dug her hands into the loamy soil in a desperate bid to hang on for dear life, with her torso poised over Harry's face to help shield him from the debris, parts of her robe supplementing her efforts.
Within the span of a moment, Minerva struggled to hold on, feeling her hair unwinding and flying freely in the air, the sounds all around akin to being trapped in a brutal sandstorm. When she felt the air around them finally settle, Minerva slowly rose from their heap and took a long moment to survey their surroundings, the area steeped in variously displaced debris and clutter. She even caught sight of a small car that was dislodged from where it was originally parked, now nestled in the middle of the road. She was too stunned to speak, wondering to herself critically what even the devil that was. Numerous theories were racing in her head, when one crucial thing managed to stand out.
"The girl…"
Privet Drive…
Minerva didn't rightly know what to expect upon returning to the chaos that had been Number 4, but anything other than a massive crater where the Dursley's home once stood would have been exponentially more preferable, the mere sight of it rendering her catatonic, staring listlessly with her mouth hanging open, all the while miraculously keeping her hold on Harry as she cradled him close to her chest.
There was still a thick cloud of dust as a figure soon emerged from the ruins, managing a glimpse of a familiar mop of blonde hair, registering that someone was slowly approaching them. That someone being Tsukumo Yuki, a disheveled and dirtied mess, but alive and…smiling, to her gobsmacked astonishment.
"Phew!" Yuki exclaimed woozily, walking with a wobbly gait. "That's gotta be one for the record books!" She blinked, focusing on what was ahead of her, totally burnt out on Cursed Energy and her own natural stamina. "Hey, granny…"
Upon waving at the stunned woman, the tip of her foot brushed against a chunk of masonry, causing her to trip and stumble forward. Rather than regain her balance, she landed on her hands and knees, no longer able to muster the strength to stand, yet she let out a giggle, riding out the exhaustion and euphoria.
"That was nuts, hehehe…" Yuki muttered deliriously.
Minerva didn't believe it. She couldn't. Unable to reconcile that…that the swath of destruction before her was perpetrated by just one person, and at such a scale. There had been infamous cases of magic, even wild magic, resulting in disaster, but this…she couldn't even imagine a single wizard or witch being capable of this much without meaning to unless they happened to be on par with the greatest of magic users; both alive and dead. And yet, all evidence seemed to point to no one else but the young girl before her, who now looked like she could fall over at the tiniest nudge.
Gathering her composure, she sashayed up to the girl, hoping to attend to her, but before she could even get within arm's reach, two figures materialized on opposite sides of her. The one on her right fired ropes at Yuki, who had finally succumbed to unconsciousness from the sudden jerk alone. The one to her left was sizing the area, her facial expression crinkling slightly at the sheer magnitude of the damage. Minerva knew her well, a sidelong glance catching the curls of her brown hair that fell down to her back.
"Emmeline…" Minerva murmured her name, only now feeling the slack of her arms after recovering from the initial shock of…well, everything.
The woman she identified as Emmeline wore a simple dress shirt and emerald green skirt over a deep brown long coat. She turned to Minerva with a worried frown, silently pleading for an explanation, but Minerva could give her none. At least, not for now, the younger woman pocketing her wand and quickly helping her with Harry. The other was pointing her wand at the peculiar young woman, with Yuki letting out a snore as soon as she was lying sprawled on the ruined asphalt, her surroundings littered with the shards and remains of what could only be the Dursley residence and others, a sizable area of Little Whinging having been reduced to rubble.
"Hestia, hurry!" Emmeline called out to her partner, who was wearing an overcoat over a navy blue dress, her black hair coming down to her shoulders, her normally rosy complexion scrunched in confusion as she kept her wand trained on the girl, willing her magic to try and levitate her. To her astonishment, the girl remained perfectly still with only the slightest of stirs, having well and truly fallen asleep.
"I am, but…" Hestia started with uncertainty.
"I suggest you save your energy, Hestia," Minerva said, finally able to relax somewhat now that the worst was over. Or, at least she hoped. "That girl…" The witch shook her head, warding off a headache as her right hand found her forehead, the tips of her fingers massaging the skin.
Seeing the ragged and battered state Minerva was in, Emmeline was more than gracious enough to fix the woman up with a few flicks of her wand, straightening her robes, hair and what else needed to be sorted for her former teacher to look presentable once more.
"Just…who is that girl, Minerva?" Emmeline asked tersely. "And…what exactly in Merlin's name happened here?!
Minerva let out a long, exhausted sigh, wondering if it wasn't too late for her to start on a retirement plan. "That would be a very… very long and…" her thoughts went back to Arabella, and oddly enough, the Dursley's as she lowered her head, "tragic story, Emmeline."
Some time later…
Yuki stirred, her eyelids fluttering open and shut to the soft rays of sunlight. The young sorceress kept blinking as she let out a soft groan, turning her head over on a soft pillow, inwardly reveling at how comforting it felt once she noticed. Letting out a yawn, her vision kept adjusting as her chest rose and fell, her tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth. Blinking a few more times before opening her eyes fully, she attempted to move her arms and legs, and with some mild surprise, discovered that she was lying eagle spread, her limbs bound with chains after a quick glance above her head.
Soon enough, she sensed that she wasn't alone, picking not one, but two presences nearby, two sets of eyes watching her like a hawk. They didn't feel particularly hostile, only on their guard, yet she could also sense some trepidation coming from them.
She flared out her Cursed Energy, and without much difficulty, pulled herself free of her binds, the metallic chains snapping easily with the clinking of metal, drawing what clearly sounded like a small gasp from her left, revealing one of her observers to be a woman. She sat up without looking at her small audience, causing one of them to move their arm in a sharp motion, yet Yuki remained calm, scratching the top of her head like she had just awoken from a good night's sleep.
Her mind catching up as she rubbed at her eyes, she gathered enough of what she could of her most recent experiences.
Aw man, her bike had to be totaled after that little stunt. She'll be lucky enough to scrap the engine. She turned her head to see two figures standing several feet from her bed, flanked on either side by a queue of similar beds. An infirmary? Quickly piecing together her situation, she threw the two women a small smile, then swept her gaze throughout the rest of the room, or chamber, the venue much larger than what she was used to back at Tokyo Tech, the walls composed of brickwork rather than wood.
"What do you think?" One of the women whispered to the other, readying a stunner. "Could she really be a witch?"
"Not according to Minerva," the other responded. "But if we take her word for it, she's capable of more than what her appearance may suggest."
"You old bags better take a picture," Yuki started, causing the two witches to freeze up, "it'll last longer."
"Old bags?!" Both women thought in dismay, the words cutting into them like a flash of lightning.
Watching their reactions, the woman with dark hair stiffened while the other with brown hair grimaced, brandishing what resembled a wooden stick in similarity to what the old lady; Minerva if she was remembering right, wielded. She scanned the rest of the room left and right, seeing nothing too remarkable until her eyes landed on the opposite end of where she lay, just two beds away from hers. A young boy, sitting up and dressed in blue bedclothes, looking at her in curiosity, both his small hands placed on his lap, a small glass bauble held between them.
Yuki stared at the boy, a smile slowly drawing itself on her lips. "Hey," she greeted.
Harry, wearing a new pair of spectacles, stared back at the blonde teenager blankly for a moment before shyly returning her greeting with the tiniest of waves without pulling his hand off his lap. The duo's eyes were locked in a silent conversation, her red to his green, the boy feeling an odd sense of…unease the longer they did. Yet, it wasn't an unwanted kind of feeling, finding himself smiling a bit when Yuki placed both hands on and pulled at the sides of her face in a comical squint, baring her front teeth out for good measure.
The two women saw this display with varying degrees of amusement, which was none for Emmeline as she raised a strong eyebrow at the display, as opposed to Hestia's soft giggle. Shortly after, the doors behind them rang open and in walked four people. The one in the lead, to Yuki's curiosity and disbelief, seemed to fit virtually every stereotype of the wizened old wizard she could think of and then some, if his robes and tall hat didn't thoroughly convey that image, then his long beard did. Their eyes met briefly, and Yuki could swear that there was some weird shine to them, inducing a friendly and approachable air about him.
She could tell it was on purpose.
The one behind him was a much younger man, early forties at least, and if there was one word she could reach for to describe him, it had to be… dark .
From his hair to his own robes, the man was like if goths had made an aggressive comeback out of nowhere. All that was missing was the nails and lipstick. And maybe some eyeshadow.
The third was the woman who she knew to be Minerva McGonagall, looking much better than last seen, now sporting fine, olive green robes and a wide brimmed pointed hat, a pair of golden framed spectacles nestled comfortably over the bridge of her nose. The fourth was a woman with a soft, but stern demeanor, wearing what could only be a red and white nurse's outfit, and from how she marched ahead of the other three to reach her, there wasn't much additional guesswork needed.
"Stay in bed, you," the woman ordered, pushing her to lie back down on the cot, "you haven't recovered quite yet, Miss Tsukumo. You've only now woken up, but still need rest. You are to not even blink without my saying so."
Yuki blinked anyway out of befuddlement, barely raising a fuss from how direct the woman was, looking down at herself and realizing that she was wearing a simple white gown instead of her usual clothes. She darted her sights to the other three as the nurse next went to the boy, her presence replaced by these new arrivals.
The old wizard was in the lead, the other two content to simply stand back, with the two women from earlier having vacated the room, to which Yuki guessed was to guard the door. Sitting back up, Yuki raised her arms high and arched her upper body back for a stretch, the plainly rude and inconsiderate action causing Minerva to arch a critical brow, adjusting her spectacles, but choosing to remain silent. The man in black didn't react much on his end, only averting his eyes in the direction of where the boy was being attended to by the nurse.
Yuki casted a subtle eye at the old wizard for his reaction, and half expecting it, he didn't betray anything, expertly maintaining a facade of serenity as he sat down on a stool that appeared out of thin air.
The sly fox.
A tender silence ran its course for another number of minutes, with Yuki proceeding to do everything she could to be as rude and as impertinent as possible, pursing her lips and scratching at her waist with both hands like a monkey. Minerva's hand found her temple, her right eye betraying a twitch or two at the girl's audacity, her patience being tested.
Albus decided to relent in this silent tug-of-war of theirs, no real pressure hanging over them other than the looming intervention from the Association. "Are you well, Miss Tsukumo?"
Yuki scratched the side of her head, her blonde hair rowdy and unkempt. "Not sure, old man. Define 'well'."
Minerva was nearly beside herself, though more on how unruly the girl was being than any disrespect directed towards her superior. Albus Dumbledore's smile was practically sculpted on, only breaking once his lips parted to speak. "Any lingering pain? Dizziness? Magic sickness?"
Yuki opened her eyes, glancing oddly at him. "... Magic sickness?"
Those two words that passed through her lips, and in the tone that they were uttered, should have been all the confirmation one needed. Even those of primary age, albeit children raised in prominently Wizarding backgrounds, knew what being spent on magical energy was called. For this girl to not know such a basic tenet only further cemented her identity to him.
Yuki now had her full attention on the man, when a rumbling in her stomach alerted her to a most dire need. "Hey, uh, you got anything to eat around here?"
Minerva withheld a huff, instead waving her wand and conjuring a wide tray that stood above Yuki's lap for ease. Next came a white bowl that was subsequently filled with dry oats, crushed blueberries and peaches, milk and cinnamon. Performing another swish, the mixture began to mix and heat up to a small boil as Minerva kept her wand in a slow stirring motion. Yuki watched all of this with a blank, but fascinated stare.
When she caught the cold stainless steel of the spoon in her right hand, did she spare a moment to examine it closely in equal parts interest.
Dumbledore was inwardly pleased with this, watching as Yuki proceeded to start with half a spoonful to sample the dish once Minerva stopped, signaling that it was cooked. Carefully, she took the morsel into her mouth, savoring it, only to perk up at the taste, which spurned her on to take fuller and fuller bites to satisfy her hunger, until she threw etiquette to the wayside and picked up the bowl to shovel the rest into her mouth.
Placing the bowl down once she was done and wiping a forearm against her mouth, she looked up and found all eyes drawn to her, including Harry, who couldn't suppress a giggle. Conversely, the nurse looked absolutely appalled, as evident by the hand on her mouth, her brows crinkling, with Minerva appearing similarly chagrined. Yuki grinned proudly at this, when she glanced down and caught a mug that wasn't there earlier, resting on the right side of the tray, filled to the brim with what she whiffed as steaming hot tea. She would have preferred coffee, but decided to accept what hospitality they were willing to offer her, taking a small sip. At least it was good.
Even if they didn't kill her while she was out of it, she could guess that they needed her alive. Whether functioning or not was a different matter.
"Now then," Dumbledore began again, when the girl abruptly cut him off.
"No," Yuki said, eyes trained on her tea.
Dumbledore blinked, raising a brow at the unprompted refusal.
"Pardon?"
The man in black was similarly intrigued, but kept his expression neutral. Minerva didn't react, other than cutting the Headmaster a curious glance.
"Whatever it is you're selling, I ain't buying," Yuki continued, taking more measured sips of her tea. She ran her tongue across her lips at how delectable the taste was. This was some fine tea. Yet, every time she drank, she felt something that granted her more than a little pep. It could have only been magical in nature. A drug or spell of some sort. She smirked playfully at this. An attempt or maybe even a test to see if she'd succumb. It could only be the old man, as she caught the subtlest of shifts from Minerva.
Dumbledore's smile was equally playful, impressed at how perceptive the girl was for her age. "But I haven't even said anything, much less put forward any presumed offer."
Yuki returned his smile. "Well, one tends to not be that receptive after finding themselves chained to a bed after waking up."
"Quite," Dumbledore conceded. "A mere precaution, really. For that, I apologize."
Yuki allowed a sigh to escape through her nostrils, pursing her lips as her gaze started to wander away from the old wizard, draining her cup and placing it on the tray. "So, where exactly am I, if you don't mind me asking?" And she was genuinely wondering if they did.
"You're in Hogwarts," Dumbledore answered, proving otherwise, deciding he needed to be direct in addressing the girl. "A school where students come to learn and study magic. I assume you're already quite acquainted with Madam McGonagall, our Deputy Headmistress and Professor of Transfiguration. Oh, and," his eyes shifted in the direction of the man in black, as if remembering at the last minute that he was even there, "the gentleman to my left is our Potions Master, Professor Severus Snape. I am Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster."
Yuki decided to introduce herself in kind. "Tsukumo Yuki, though you might already be aware of that," she said, stealing a glance from Minerva. "So, what now? You guys gonna throw me into a cell or cut me open to see how I tick?"
Albus would have chuckled. "Hardly, Miss Tsukumo. I would prefer that we not get off on the wrong start courtesy of our initial reception of you. What with you having valiantly placed your life on the line for one of our own. Most especially towards…young Harry Potter here." The man gestured to the boy trailing off.
Yuki pitched a quick glance at said boy, now known as Harry, whose focus was taken by the nurse conjuring him a much smaller bowl of porridge and a mug of hot chocolate. "Uh, you're welcome?"
"I take it you're curious?"
The blonde shook her head after a moment. "If I was, I would have already asked. That being said, I can make a few educated guesses." She locked eyes with the old wizard. "Though for entirely different reasons, I'm afraid.
"Which is?" Dumbledore prodded.
Yuki shrugged, deciding to be blunt to spare herself the headache. "Hey, Harry," she called out to him, earning the boy's attention, "you doing okay?"
Harry blinked, just about beginning to partake in his meal when the girl asked, inching his head away shyly at first, then giving a soft shake left and right after a quiet moment. Yuki smiled amiably at him as she read his body language. She had recognized the bruises she had found on him when Minerva brought him out of the house. She knew for a fact that Cursed Spirits would kill a kid his age without question, especially with how swarmed that place had been with such High Grades. There were circumstances that the buggers were smart enough to use them as shields or hostages, but she had caught several signs that managed to clue her in to what the boy might actually have gone through prior. From how loose-fitting his clothes were, to how his bruises were placed. Again, Cursed Spirits were far from the kind of creatures to show a child mercy. There were some pretty sick sons of bitches who liked toying with their victims, and cases where they would do other things that fit their unique MO.
Those were outliers.
What happened to the kid was different, but no less atypical.
As evident from the dirty imprint of a shoe's tip on the shirt that was under the unbuttoned polo.
Sensing this, Dumbledore deemed it timely to interject when Minerva spoke up from behind him, "It is as you may be assuming it to be, Miss Tsukumo. Young Harry here has…indeed been through much."
Yuki chose to not follow with a response, just continuing to smile at Harry, her features both gentle and bright so as not to set him off. The boy seemed to respond well.
Just something about the girl that struck him as being different.
Harry had interacted with teenagers before, though those were passing and fleeting, often dragged away by his aunt and/or uncle, or fleeing from his cousin and his friends whenever they found a chance to pick on him.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Perhaps we've come at a bad time. What with you having only awoken. As our dear Madam Pomfrey has stated, you still need bed rest. Plenty of it, I might add. I'm sure by then, we will be able to discuss more. Be assured, we wish you no harm, nor will you come to it. Hogwarts is perfectly safe and secure"
Yuki pushed down the urge to roll her eyes, already having picked up plenty of bad vibes from outside, in what she could guess was an enormous castle. "Fine. I'll play along. Besides," she dug herself more comfortably into her cot, crossing her arms behind her head and closing her eyes, "not like any of us are in any real hurry, and it's not really everyday that I get the VIP treatment, so I might as well take my sweet time."
Poppy scoffed at the girl's attitude, traipsing up to the opposite side from where the Headmaster and the others were situated, crossing her arms and glaring down at her. "This is hardly the lap of luxury, Miss Tsukumo. Especially with how battered you were when you first came here, and while not nearly as severe as the worst I've treated, you couldn't be left well enough alone without suffering an infection. I'm normally not one to question how students end up here, but this is where I tend to draw an exception. Why, I nearly ran myself ragged in doing what I could to heal you, yet for some ungodly reason that even I can't seem to wrap my head around, barely anything I did worked."
Yuki cracked an eye and cocked a brow at this information. "Excuse me?"
The old nurse released a livid breath. "Unless you happen to have a charm on you that dispels magic, even my most potent healing spells failed to so much as mend a single scratch on you," Pomfrey revealed, irritation lacing her stern features, her chest rising and falling with every word and breath. "A charm or some such item that I failed to find even after a thorough search. In the end, I had to settle with just treating you the old fashioned way."
Yuki bent her head forward to glance at the bandages on her arms and reached a hand for the one above her right eye.
"So tell me, Miss Tsukumo," Poppy continued, "how is it that you seem to be impervious to my healing magic?" Was it some kind of malady? A magical condition?
"Because hardly any magic tends to work on their kind, Poppy," Dumbledore explained, rising up from the conjured stool, which disappeared as soon as he did.
Bemused by this, Poppy said inquisitively, "Pardon?"
Dumbledore linked his hands behind him. "Barely any direct application of magic can affect them, for their bodies will simply absorb the magical energy used and make it their own," he said. "For Miss Tsukumo here is not a witch per se, but a Sorcerer. A Cursed Sorcerer, to be precise. Someone who dabbles exclusively in curses. Very dark and dangerous curses."
The air within the room shifted in temperature as soon as that was explained, with Pomfrey gathering her wits after looking between the young woman and her superior, retreating quickly to stand protectively before Harry, her wand swiftly drawn. Upon hearing the part about curses, her instincts rose as her concern over her older patient was replaced by caution and alarm.
Unlike Minerva, who remained taciturn, as did Snape. Dumbledore let out a disarming chuckle, keeping an even tone as he spoke, "You can relax, Poppy. Miss Tsukumo does not practice such dark arts to do harm. On the contrary, she and others in their community, in their…profession have made it their sworn duty to protect Muggles from Curses." A frown came to Yuki's brows; that word again. At least they still tended to refer to Non-Curse Users as normal humans. "So, she poses no such danger to us."
The healer was anything but convinced. "But…but she's dark," Poppy maintained warily, her wand trained on the blonde, who to her further alarm was proceeding to remove her own bandages. "What are you doing?!"
Yuki ignored her, peeling off the gauze above her eyebrow after she was done with the ones on her arms, revealing cuts leftover from her assault against Dudley's Curse. Poppy seemed conflicted, torn between simply casting a stunner and saving them all the trouble or strongly reprimanding the young woman from undoing all her work.
Instead of answering, Yuki spread her arms out and concentrated. Everyone present; ready to take action if need be, watched as a thin layer of white energy soon emerged to envelope her. Poppy nearly suffered a panic had Minerva not motioned for her to stay her hand, the witch recognizing the odd spell that had healed Harry, yet the old healer kept sure to shield the boy from whatever the sorceress could have been planning. Soon enough, however, she watched with bated breath as the same cuts, the injuries that had been a daunting task to heal after Yuki and Harry were first brought to her, were beginning to mend on their own. The cuts she sustained from the shards and shrapnel sent flying by the explosion she caused were disappearing for every passing second, her reserves replenished by what she could presume was the magical energy Poppy inadvertently fed to her and the tea she drank.
Dumbledore rubbed his chin in interest at witnessing this, taking extra note of the steam that billowed from the healing injuries. "Ah, Reverse Cursed Energy. Quite a remarkable spell. Or, should that be technique, Miss Tsukumo?"
"R-Reverse…?" Poppy repeated in bemusement.
Minerva was equally fascinated and curious, leaning forward while adjusting her spectacles to closely examine the effect. This was indeed the spell that the girl had used on Harry and likely on her as well. "I've never seen such a spell."
Dumbledore closed his eyes. "It's nothing that we aren't already capable of, but quite rare in Sorcerers."
"You seem to know a lot about us, old man," Yuki stated after dissipating her energy.
The old wizard chuckled, which rubbed Yuki the wrong way for some reason. She could feel no malice coming off of him. In fact, the way he carried himself felt rather magnanimous, if not charismatic.
And that was what she was wary of.
She already had her fill of old men wanting to run her life to last a lifetime, but there was just something about him that made her feel uneasy. Call it paranoia, but it was an intuition that had served her well when she was still a student. She would have long received a first class ticket to the Sanzu River, otherwise.
Dumbledore's smile widened, running a hand down his beard thoughtfully. "I've had…run-ins with Sorcerers before. I managed to gather enough to know that there is a balance between our two societies. A balance neither side would wish to tip. Therefore, you are more of a guest than a prisoner and will be free to depart once you've come to a full recovery." The old wizard cleared his throat. "Poppy?"
"Y-Yes?" Pomfrey blurted, still brandishing her wand.
"Do continue to care for Miss Tsukumo as you would any other patient," the aged Headmaster ordered kindly. "For her actions, Hogwarts owes her a debt of gratitude. She will be free to go about as she pleases, under escort of course, alongside full access to the needed facilities."
Pomfrey relented after a pause. "Yes, sir," she agreed with a nod.
"Excellent," Dumbledore declared. "We will take our leave for now, Miss Tsukumo. It is still the middle of the school year after all, and we have classes to teach." The crafty old Headmaster stroked his chin. "You would be very welcome to observe, though, if you so wish."
"That…would be nice," Yuki nodded, watching them leave when a thought came to her. Sitting up, she cried, "Wait!"
Dumbledore looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"
Yuki, scratching her head with a flustered grin, asked, "Um, so, I had this bike…"