Chapter 3: The one with the emeraldstorm

Disclaimer: I am just a mere visitor in the sublime world constructed by J.K Rowling. Anything that rings a bell is hers.

A/N: If I don't specify, take it for granted that it's Ky's POV

Happy Reading

Chapter 2

I was running so fast the portraits passed by as one colourless blur. I was running so fast my eyes where stinging. Or maybe that was just a lie I was telling myself to feign strength. I knew why my eyes were stinging. I could still hear the reason for my traitor tears calling out behind me. It just made me run faster.

Ten minutes ago, I was surprised to hear my brothers' voices around the corridor I just entered. Nessie probably called them, suppose I can't blame her this time because I did just disappear in front of her, but knowing that control freak she's probably still going on about them dang napkins. Just as I was about to enter through the door, I heard the most obscene thing, "Agnes is right, she just does whatever the hell she wants."

I stopped and pricked my ears, remaining silent, an expert having eavesdropped on too many conversations between my brothers, but never one about me. It was a code among siblings, you don't gossip about each other. That's the cool thing about siblings, whatever gripe you had with them, you tell them straight to their face. Unless it was the cruel commentary that Linus was sprouting, because I honestly thought I would have cried at the bitterness soaked in his voice as he finished his tirade.

Everything was quiet for moments. I was about to turn and run away but I stopped. Some childish part of me wanted Linus to see how his hatred had hurt me. And that must be it; Linus hated his obligation he had to me. Well, that would change soon.

"I never asked you to do all that for me."

His head snapped around at the sound of my voice and it seemed I interrupted something Lenzo was going to say, as he stood against the wall, eyes on me and mouth open.

They both took quick steps towards me, and I raised my hands, motioning them to stop. Linus walked forward but it seemed like he must have hit an invisible wall because he couldn't walk any further.

I didn't want them near me, pretending to care, when they so obviously didn't. I looked into his piercing blue eyes that always seemed to x-ray me when I had done something wrong, like a natural lie detector, and I broke on the inside, I could feel the tears surface, but I held them at bay.

How could someone I loved so much… someone who I looked up to…that I always felt safe around… hate me so? The guilt framing his face made me break the silence, which I realised was only one sided because Lenzo was moving his mouth a lot, I just could not hear what he was saying.

"I'm sorry I've been such a burden to you Li. I'm sorry I haven't fallen down a flight of stairs and broken my neck, or that the fire that came out of that weird Dracula-cloak man's stick didn't burn me. But then again, that wouldn't even please you because how can you punish a corpse. But why the hell would you care anyway, you have your precious Agnes who is perfect and always right apparently. I guess I'm just going to continue, what was it that you said, carry on just doing whatever the hell I want. Don't bother following me, consider this your ticket out of the hell hole I seem to have made your life. I'm sorry."

And it was on the last word that the flood gates broke. Because the truth was, I really was sorry. Guilt like no other racked my brain and set heavily on my heart.

I hated crying, crying was weakness. And that was one thing I was not. It's why I practiced Aikido and worked out. It's why I studied my ass off and now have a high school diploma at the age of fourteen – I needed to be independent. I needed to contribute; not just take like I had been doing all my life.

Strong at heart and strong at mind, just like my brothers. That was what I always wanted. To be just like them. My eyes blurred and I couldn't make out their faces as I turned around and fled, just like the floodgates.

That's how I ended up in this position. Lying atop a bony body, my hair framing his face as it fell forward. Enchanted by emerald green, his eyes were magic that had me hypnotised. They were glittering, an unusual yet somehow familiar kind. I seemed to stop breathing, but the tears didn't seem to have stopped. I continued to swim in his eyes, but his hand that was reaching up towards me seemed to have snapped me out of my trance, and with a self-defence so ingrained in me it must have been reflex, all in one movement I moved my knee into his soft bits and sprang up.

Harry's POV

"Fuck! Oh Fuck!"

I didn't swear often, practically not at all in fact. I always found the over-reactions of an actor following a knee to the groin on those rare chances I got to watch a comedy at the Dursleys, absolutely hilarious. The fact that I was now squirming on the floor, holding my bits in my hand, I find it to be both an under-reaction and the opposite of funny. I couldn't even think of a word what with this pain.

My prideful side suddenly showed up, and here I thought it all but left me, and helped the miserable ball of pain that was my current self, regain composure and slowly stand up. All this pain just for trying to wipe a tear off a girl's cheek.

I stared at said girl, giving her my most venomous glare, which must be quite dismal because I was still trying to fight off tears. That reminded me of her tears, and the fact that she was in fact crying when she flew at me, and I softened my glare.

I was still observing her though. I tore my eyes away from hers', feeling that I stared at them so much that I probably had them burned into my retina. I looked elsewhere to her lips which where naked, pink, and plump, only aided by the pout she had on. Her nose was dainty, and straight, unnaturally so. People just don't have that nice noses…do they? Altogether definitely a pretty package, the way she was tilting her chin up and flaring her nostrils reminded me too much of Aunt Petunia, and I couldn't help but smirk at this.

"And what the hell do you think you're smirking at, Scarhead!"

Oh wow, how inventive. "So, what, do you have a sailors' mouth to match that barbarian antics you just pulled back there!"

"Barbarian antics! I was just protecting myself from handsy perverts like you!" I realised she didn't have a British accent, but her accent was very hard to place at the same time. She spoke clearly, like Hermione, but with less of bossiness and more…. sassiness?

"I'm sorry, but here in Britain, we don't think trying to wipe tears off a girl's cheek is akin to sexual harassment." I'm ashamed, I could feel my ears getting hot when I said sexual in front of her, and I usually didn't speak so frankly but she really seemed to bring the worst out of me.

This girl was obviously bad news. Just after I finished my sentence, she almost self-consciously wrapped her arms around her midriff, the little action pulling my eyes down to her chest. A place on a girl that (not going to lie, I am a fourteen-year-old boy, have looked at) but definitely did not openly stare at.

"Oh, my fuck, now you're practically groping me with your eyes. Thanks a lot, I used to think there was not one uncool thing about castles, but now I see aside from greasy haired, Dracula cosplay men that throw fire with sticks, there's also skinny little boys that attack girls in hallways!"

She said all this with quite the ire, and her hair seemed to have a life of its own. It was so dark; I wanted to call it black but rays of sunlight from the nearby window were highlighting a few bronze streaks. The lower tendrils seemed to hug her waist, which was slim, but not so slim so as to be concerned.

Of course, I knew better than to openly stare again and made all these observations using my seeker skills, my eyes darting here and there so fast she wouldn't notice the movements. I seemed to have zoned out for a bit, which is very unlike me, considering I'm always on high alert.

I did catch the last part though and took great offence to that. I had grown a good few inch since last year, and even with that mad diet Aunt Petunia had me on, I was still stuffing my face with food I had stashed away, and even managed to do a little bit of exercise to past the time. Even Hermione pointed out I looked a little broader.

"Oh please, flatter yourself much. Get your head out of your arse, I was not ogling your breasts, or should I say lack thereof. I'm still pretty sure you're a man, what with the way you swear and kick."

This of course was an outright lie, because not only did she have breasts, but I'm also pretty sure they were one of the bigger of our year. Not large but definitely not small, and notable for her age, she didn't look older than fourteen. Merlin this girl is turning me into a pervert. I tried to change the topic from her breasts, "Plus you were the one that harassed me, what the bleeding hell were you running from, a banshee riding a troll holding a cross bow."

Many emotions flitted across her face, from slightly humoured, to confused, to something that looked like anger, then disappointment but the one that settled as she dipped her head down as if to hide it, was definitely sadness.

She turned around to go. I don't know why, but I'm going to lay it down to the guilt I felt that something I said seemed to upset her, but I took the few steps that closed the distance and grabbed her arm saying "Wait".

I flinched a bit, waiting for the slap from this violent girl, which was sure to come. But she just remained still, her arm trembling slightly in my loose grip, her back facing me.

I heard her quietly ask why, and the truth came out before I could stop it. "Whatever you were running from was in that direction. I don't think you should go back there; you might get hurt."

I don't know why I cared, let's chalk it up to that hero complex Hermione seemed to think I have, but that was the truth. I was waiting for one of her snarky comments but got something I never expected. She turned around, and because I was holding her arm at such an angle, she practically turned into me, and laid her head on my chest…

Ky's POV

I don't know how long I stood there, with my head on this black-haired, green-eyed stranger's chest, but it was long enough for the steady rhythm of his heart to become background music to my thoughts. This perverted boy, okay fine... maybe he wasn't so perverted and maybe I was just taking out my anger on him, had done the one thing I needed now. He pretended to care.

After hearing all the stuff Linus said, I had never felt so alone. And there was something about this boy, and I usually had really good instincts (fine, except that whole knee to the groin thing) but he just seemed to understand that that was what I was feeling.

Alone.

It seemed the steady beating of his heart calmed my own down, and I felt the intense fire that was previously burning through my veins disappear. I took a deep breath, and lifted my head up, and took a step back. Our eyes met but he didn't say anything, he just stood there. It was obvious he seemed to think I was some sort of crazy girl that needed to be handled with caution.

"Why would a banshee be riding a troll?" I said it just to break the silence, because I had a feeling this strange boy and myself could stand there for ages in comfortable silence. When I said this the right corner of his lips picked up into a very endearing crooked smile.

"That's not what you should be asking, you should be asking what a troll was doing with a cross brow, seeing as they're so dull, they won't be able to work it."

I laughed at that. It was decent of him to be gentleman enough to recognise the fact that I was saying sorry, without the actual awkwardness of saying sorry, by engaging in playful banter. And he seemed to even be making an effort with this imaginary topic I brought up.

"Met many trolls, have you?" I cocked my brow at him and tilted my head.

"Oh no, just the one, when I was eleven. My two best friends and I knocked it out in the girls' toilets. I shoved a stick up its nose and everything. Was very Prince Charming and all that smack." I laughed out loud at this. He was really committing to the story, and he was quite hilarious and random. I liked that though.

"That must have been one weak ass troll though, considering I had you whimpering on the floor like a little girl."

"You knee-d me in the crown jewels and scurried away. That can hardly be considered fair."

"Hey, I most definitely do not scurry."

"And I most definitely do not whimper."

"I only tell it like I see it! Maybe you need your glasses tested." I reached up and grabbed his glasses off his face on impulse and put them on. Wow, his eyesight was terrible. I took them off and looked at him, kind of enjoying the emerald green when it wasn't hidden behind thick glass.

"Can I have those back now, Ironing Board." He was lucky he laughed at the end otherwise I would have slapped him for the jest. Plus, I knew I was not flat chested. I knew I wasn't big either but at the rate that Linus and Lenzo always made me cover up meant there was something there to expose. Thinking about Linus and Lenzo made the smile fade from my face, and I handed the glasses back to him.

"That was just a joke, they're not flat. Not that I looked either I just mean..." he ended the sentence, obviously not knowing what to say and determinedly interested in setting his frame on his nose.

I turned and I sat on the small nook by the windowsill, with my back against the wall and legs on the nook, adjacent to the big window. It looked like the sun was almost set; I stared out the window entranced by the eerily moving forest's trees.

"My brothers took me camping once, just us three in the Amazon rainforest. I was really into Animal Planet and Discovery Channel at the time, you know the phase."

I spared him a glance as he sat next to me on the nook, but with his back facing the window. I couldn't clearly see his face at this angle, but it was fine. I didn't need to. This castle was doing weird things to me. That weird sensation I got when I walked through the front doors still has not left me, it was like it was lulling me into a false sense of security, pulling all my walls down. I leaned my head against the window and let out a soft chuckle.

He turned and cocked an eyebrow at me, as if to say: share the joke. I don't think I should though; Linus will flip if I let this stranger in on our secret. But then again, he's just a stranger… I felt like unloading. It was that weird sensation. It was warm and comforting, willing me to share my secrets with Green Eyes over here. Plus, Linus isn't my boss, at least not from now on. I'll tell who I want and when I want.

"You're not with the CIA or MI5 or Secret Intelligence Service, are you? OK, ignore that question, it was silly."

I laughed at myself, Li was right, I speak without thinking. How could this boy possibly be part of some defence agency. We'd all be royally screwed if the defence of the world, let alone a country, rested on Green Eyes shoulders. I mean, he can't even defend a kick to the nads. Anyway, something about this guy, must be his eyes, they seemed like he could keep a secret. I got the feeling he was used to it. He still sat there not facing me, in silence. I wonder whether he's thinking what's the best way to politely extricate himself from the weird girl.

"I hear the trees in the rain forest are really big. Like massive."

I laughed at that. Ironic that he would mention that. I guess I should tell him. If nothing else, judging from his jokes about the troll and stuff, it'll humour him. His shoulders were stiff, looks like he could do with a laugh.

"Well, the tallest tree over there is the Kapok tree; it's like two hundred metres long. And its stellar wide, I can't even explain how wide, definitely not something you can wrap your legs and climb up. I was walking past a few with Lenzo and Linus, my brothers, and of course the rest of the expedition members; they were a group of scientist friends that Linus made at uni, and they were kind enough to let us crash their expedition for a few days. Of course, it took a lot of convincing to let an eight-year-old join, but I guess they came up with the conclusion, 'what's the worse that an eight-year-old can do'. Let's just say the view from the top of that tree was amazing."

"I thought you said you couldn't climb up them?"

"I didn't…. I just saw this really cute monkey, and I caught it looking at me as it ran up the tree. Suffice to say I took that as an invitation, and whilst Len and Li were looking for something in their backpacks, I went to the tree and started trying to climb it. Of course, I couldn't but I really wanted to follow that monkey, I always wanted one. They are such interesting creatures. Anyway, one second, I was standing on the floor, the next I was leaning on the trunk on a branch. Kappie, I named him after the tree, in like the same second that I had seen him, jumped up and I caught him. I guess he found me just as interesting as I did him and started tinkering with my hair. And that's when Len and Li realised that I was missing and shouted for me. I called down to them and waved. I don't think I've seen Li's face ever that white again!"

"So, what, you took the monkey and ran for it?"

I looked at him, I guess I was right, he was humouring me, he didn't ask about the whole getting up on the tree thing. He probably thinks I belong in a loony bin.

"No! Turns out it wasn't a monkey. It was a baby chimp, and his mother was livid when she saw me practically kidnap her Kappie, I like to think that was her real name. So, she starts charging at me. At this point all I could think was I needed to get down and fast. It was a choice between getting mauled by an angry chimp or jump and trust that Li or Len would catch me."

"So, you jumped! From two hundred meters in the air! I'm pretty sure you could get whiplash that would break your neck, even if you were caught."

"I know, I thought the same thing, so I just closed my eyes and jumped off, and the next second I was on this warm cushy thing, only thing there was nothing there, but I could feel it. I think my hovering in mid-air freaked even the mama chimp out and it high tailed it out of there. When I looked down, I saw Li and Len looking straight at me, deep concentration on their face. They can make weird things happen too, must be a wonky family gene."

"Must be nice knowing someone always has your back…"

"I guess. Well, that's what I thought…."

He harrumphed at that, and I looked at the back of his head. Like being able to sense me staring at him he said, "There's no guessing about it. There's only one reason you jumped, and one only, you knew one of your brothers would catch you, or break your fall."

After saying this he turned around and looked me in the eye. An emotion I just couldn't place. It was like his eyes were forcing me to see how lucky I am to just have one person to have my back like that…Like he didn't have any…

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Kalina