Dear readers,
As you may have noticed, I've been working on a series of updates. Time has been limited due to a transition in my current job, but I trust that everything will resolve favorably.
That being said, life is a gamble, and I'm determined to play to win! Here I am once again, proudly sharing my work as KaleidoMirror with all of you.
Since the previous chapter, we've begun to explore more elements of the Nasuverse. I hope you're enjoying this evolution in Shirou's story as we approach the halfway point of the first book. Your opinions are very important to me, so please don't hesitate to share your thoughts and comments on this new direction.
I sincerely appreciate your patience and continued support. Your feedback and suggestions are vital to me as they help me improve and adjust the narrative according to your preferences. I would love to hear in the comments which story you would like me to prioritize for faster updates.
I would like to reiterate that "Harry Potter" and all its literary installments, as well as the film adaptations, are the respective property of their authors, including author J.K. Rowling. Likewise, "Fate/Stay Night" and its various adaptations and visual novels are the property of author Kinoko Nasu and Typemoon.
Are you ready?
Enjoy!
– Great Hall –
Breakfast Time
Shirou was physically and mentally exhausted after practicing late into the previous night in the strange room he had discovered. It was just dawn, and he was already questioning its very existence. Studying magic in an ancient castle hundreds of years old, he knew there must be more secrets hidden within its halls. Even so, he felt tempted to keep practicing there now that he had found the first steps to explore this new magical approach.
Unfortunately, despite his efforts to hide it, he struggled to keep pace as he walked to the Great Hall, resulting in jokes from Ron and a peculiar seriousness from Harry. In the end, he could only excuse himself by saying he had a bad night and was still feeling tired.
Even now, as he tried to focus on his breakfast, he squeezed his right shoulder in pain, attempting to disguise it by stretching his neck as if trying to relax while looking at the sunlight streaming through the Great Hall's windows.
"I need to work on controlling my grip," he thought, gritting his teeth occasionally before exhaling sharply, trying to manage the situation as best as he could and focus on his breakfast.
To anyone outside his circle, it might have been believable, but Shirou was aware of his friends' constant glances, especially Hermione, who wasn't subtle when she whispered to Harry, asking what was wrong with him. In the end, Shirou knew he was only delaying the inevitable conversation.
"Where were you last night, Shirou?" Harry asked, with a tone of concern he couldn't hide. Since noticing his friend's odd behavior that morning, he had been watching him with a mix of worry and curiosity.
Ron frowned, crossing his arms. "Yeah, you disappeared after practicing in the common room with Hermione. Then we didn't see you all night."
Shirou sighed, trying to smile. "Nothing important," he said, though the effort was clear. "I just needed some time to myself, that's all."
"You don't look good. You're pale," Hermione observed, clearly worried. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I just had a nightmare," Shirou replied, trying to sound convincing as he unconsciously tightened his grip on his fork. "It's something childish, so I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Don't you think?"
Hermione didn't seem convinced. "A nightmare? Shirou, you look exhausted. Don't you want to go see Madame Pomfrey?"
Shirou shook his head, avoiding her gaze. "I'm fine, Hermione. I just need to take it easy today. Besides, if things get really bad, I promise I'll ask you to come with me to get checked. Does that sound okay?"
Shirou felt bad for lying to his friends, but it wasn't entirely a lie. He never expected that failing to perform that last spell would lead him into a more complicated situation than he was in the first place. His thoughts were in complete disarray. Everything he had seen in his dreams, so many questions and uncertainties about who he was, and his conflicting feelings made him realize he truly knew nothing about himself. He was debating whether to tell Hermione and his friends about the discovery of the strange room, but now wasn't the best time. He first wanted to sort out everything related to what had happened in the last few hours on his own.
"Shirou?" Harry's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Are you sure it's nothing?"
"Of course, Harry," Shirou said, looking at his friends' genuinely concerned expressions. He smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
"Well, if you need anything, you know we're here," said Ron, gently patting his left shoulder.
"Absolutely!" added Hermione, smiling conspiratorially. "We're your friends! Friends never abandon each other!"
It was brief, but the determination behind the young wizards' actions was all Shirou needed to take the next step.
"Thanks, guys," Shirou responded, feeling a bit better and taking a big bite of a green apple. "You know you're the best, right?" he asked, noticing how they now looked embarrassed.
"Of course we are," said Ron, puffing out his chest and rolling his eyes.
"Guys, I don't want to alarm you, but…"
"What class do we have first?" Shirou interrupted Harry's unexpected question, understanding his friend's intent to tactfully change the subject.
"Flying with Madam Hooch," replied Hermione, pulling out a small notebook and showing it to her friends. "We'll be sharing the class with Slytherin, so we'd better hurry."
Ron snorted. "Great, just what we needed, more time with Malfoy and his gang."
"Come on, Ron," said Harry, standing up from the table. "Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing us bothered. Today will be a good day."
"Yeah, sure," muttered Ron, but he couldn't help but smile, seeing Harry's eager expression about everything related to the flying class.
Shirou stood up with them, feeling renewed. "Let's go, guys. Let's not let anything ruin our day."
– Flying Class –
Open Field South of Hogwarts
Shirou and the group headed straight to the flying field after breakfast. As expected, Professor Hooch was already there, waiting for the rest of the students with a row of perfectly aligned brooms on the ground.
"Good morning, class!" Madam Hooch exclaimed, her clear and authoritative voice accompanied by the sound of her whistle.
"Good morning, Professor Hooch!" responded all the young wizards energetically.
"Today we will learn to fly. First, I want everyone to stand to the left side of their brooms. Quickly, quickly!" she ordered, looking at everyone with some expectation. "Second, extend your right hand over the broom. Finally, everyone say 'Up'."
The students quickly obeyed, excited but nervous. Shirou positioned himself next to his broom, feeling the weight of fatigue on his shoulders. Although he had partial limitations trying to extend his right hand, he followed his classmates' example.
"Up!" they all said in unison.
Shirou glanced amusedly at Draco Malfoy, who had bragged during breakfast about nearly colliding with an airplane. Malfoy tried several times without success, and the more frustrated he got, the more evident his lie became. Eventually, his broom obeyed after several minutes of trying. However, he wasn't quick enough to avoid looking foolish in front of Harry, whose broom was the first to rise immediately to his hand, surprising the whole group.
"Come on!" whistled the professor, "Put more energy into it!"
Shirou glanced at Hermione beside him, trying to succeed but getting no results. In front of him, Ron wore a miserable expression; perhaps because he had shouted too loudly, his broom bounced up and hit him directly on the forehead.
"Come on, don't laugh, Harry," said Ron, with a low-spirited voice despite the rest of the class's laughter.
"Well done, Mr. Potter," said Madam Hooch with an approving smile, not forgetting to praise another student who showed good results. "Excellent control, Mr. Malfoy."
Shirou felt the air crackle unevenly around him, the strange stiffness in his body increasing each time he repeated the command, and his broom remained motionless.
"Up!" he insisted, feeling his frustration grow.
So absorbed in his task, he didn't notice Malfoy's superior look, who watched the situation with a mocking smile. "What's the matter, Smith? Is your broom as defective as you?"
Shirou rolled his eyes, ignoring the comment. But before he could respond, Ron intervened.
"Shut up, Malfoy!" said Ron, frowning as he tried to keep up with the activity. "Not everyone has had as much flying experience as you."
Draco laughed and turned to his gang of Slytherins. "Is that your pathetic excuse? No, Weasley, I was just stating the obvious to everyone here: the glaring lack of talent of the useless Smith. Something some of you clearly share with him."
"That's enough, Malfoy!" said Harry, with evident restrained anger in his voice. "We're here to learn, not to compete."
Hermione, without stopping her attempts with her broom, whispered to Shirou, "Don't let it get to you. Magic has a lot to do with confidence. Try again, but this time believe it will work."
Shirou nodded, but deep down, he felt that nothing he did would make a difference.
Madam Hooch, noticing the tension, quickly approached.
"Alright, everyone, enough chatting among yourselves," she admonished, looking at everyone before sighing. "Now, when you have control of your broom, mount it and hold on tight. Don't slip!" Walking in front of the rest of the wizards, she analyzed each one to ensure her explanation was followed. "Remember to keep your balance. We don't want accidents in our first class!"
"Mr. Smith, you should know that the broom responds better when you're not so tense." The unexpected presence of his professor beside him took him by surprise. The witch looked at him seriously, trying to explain patiently. "Remember the purpose of this class; always keep the intention behind the spell in mind. Also, take a deep breath and try again, but more gently this time."
Shirou nodded, noting the advice. "Thank you, Professor Hooch. I'll try again."
"I need to check on the rest of your classmates to give them more instructions and assess their progress," Hooch said, giving him a final look before smiling slightly. "You might just surprise this old witch like someone did nearly 20 years ago."
At that moment, Shirou didn't understand what his professor meant, but he decided to let it go. Without her unexpected encouragement, he might have considered giving up, but that was no longer an option. He didn't want to disappoint her.
He closed his eyes, entering a deep state of concentration, trying to recall the same sensation he had felt the previous night, unaware that his heartbeat was synchronizing with his breathing.
Briefly, none of the onlookers noticed Shirou's right hand glowing faintly with thin, strange iridescent lines before they vanished.
"Up!" he said slowly, feeling a strange resonance, as if he could 'sense the air calling him' around him.
This time, his broom trembled slightly before slowly rising towards his hand.
"I did it!" he exclaimed, a triumphant smile spreading across his face as he opened his eyes to the unexpected result.
Time passed slowly, and unfortunately, no one else showed significant progress, which prompted Madam Hooch to take the lead personally.
"Listen carefully, because I will only demonstrate this once," she said firmly, capturing everyone's attention.
Standing in front of the class, she demonstrated the correct posture for flying on the broom for safe handling. Her expertise was evident in every movement.
"Wait for my whistle, then kick off the ground hard. Remember to hold onto your broom and try to rise no higher than six feet. For now, that will be enough... then come back down," she explained, looking at each student to ensure they understood.
"Are you ready?" she asked, bringing the whistle to her lips. "One... two... Pip!"
It took a little less than five minutes, but after several unsuccessful attempts, more than half of the students showed significant progress, slowly beginning to lift off. Even Shirou noticed his broom trembling slightly under his weight but managed to stay in the air.
In front of him, Harry showed a remarkable affinity, floating with an ease that made it seem he was born to fly. Hermione, beside him, finally got her broom to rise and sighed in relief.
"I did it!" she exclaimed, a radiant smile on her face.
Ron, massaging his forehead, grumbled, "I hope flying is easier than this."
Madam Hooch continued her instruction, "Remember, if you feel like you're losing control, lean forward and descend gently. Never pull the broom abruptly."
Suddenly, a piercing scream interrupted the lesson. Neville, not far away, lost control of his broom. To everyone's horror, he began to rise rapidly, letting out a loud cry.
"Ahhh~!"
"Mr. Longbottom, come down immediately!" Professor Hooch exclaimed, but it was too late. Neville was several feet off the ground and climbing higher each second. "Mr. Longbottom, where do you think you're going?"
"Look out!" Hermione shouted, covering her mouth with her hands.
"What are you doing?"
"You can't take off yet!"
His classmates began shouting at him, but Neville, pale and trembling, tried to hold onto his broom more tightly, which seemed to have a mind of its own. The broom surged upward, zigzagged, and spun erratically, causing him to sway dangerously.
"Get down, Neville, get down!" Ron shouted, worried.
"Mr. Longbottom, return here this instant!" Professor Hooch's voice was extremely serious as she tried to analyze the situation while everyone else returned to the ground, ending the flying practice.
For his part, Neville couldn't hear the instructions.
His broom took him higher, brushing against the surrounding castle structures dangerously, hitting a tower before descending towards his classmates, who scattered to avoid him. Neville ascended again, and in a desperate attempt to stabilize, lost his grip and was left dangling precariously from a statue's spear.
"Help! Help!" he cried desperately, feeling his robe tearing under his weight. "Oh... oh..." he shouted until he finally fell heavily to the ground. In his hard fall, one of his arms got caught under his body, twisting strangely and painfully on the grass.
Madam Hooch rushed to him quickly.
"Not bad, but it's just dislocated," she confirmed, lifting Neville carefully. He sobbed in pain, clutching his injured arm.
"Professor?" The students approached, trying to help, but ended up surrounding them, creating a small scene.
"Is Neville okay?" Shirou asked, looking worriedly at his friend.
"He will recover, but for now, I will take Mr. Longbottom to the infirmary, and I expect all of you to stay here until I return," Madam Hooch ordered, leading Neville away, who had tears on his face. "If I see a single broom in the air..."
Everyone stepped aside, allowing them to leave, but a shared fear arose from seeing their professor's extremely serious expression.
"The bold one will be expelled from Hogwarts before I say Quidditch!" Madam Hooch warned, giving them one last look before continuing on her way. "Is that understood?"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Shirou looked at each other worriedly, while the rest of the students murmured among themselves.
"Do you think Neville will be okay?" Hermione asked, biting her lower lip.
"I hope so," Harry replied, looking at Ron and Shirou, who nodded silently.
"I can't believe this is happening in our first flying class," Ron commented, still incredulous. "I never thought flying would be so dangerous."
Hermione sighed. "Madam Hooch warned us, but I guess we didn't expect something like this to happen so soon."
Taking advantage of the professor's absence, the Slytherin students started laughing loudly. Draco Malfoy, with his usual arrogance, moved confidently across the field, accompanied by his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.
Obviously, Draco wouldn't miss the perfect opportunity to cause trouble, so he decided to take advantage of the situation to taunt Harry.
"Did you see his face? That idiot was no better than a clumsy slug falling from the sky. I suppose now he won't even dare to ride a broom in the future," Malfoy mocked, his voice full of disdain.
"That's enough, Malfoy!" Harry couldn't take it anymore and stood up to face him. "Neville is one of my friends, and you have no right to call him that!" Harry said angrily to Malfoy.
Far from feeling remorse, Malfoy increased the level of his taunts. "Oh, I can't believe it, our famous Potter is friends with that idiot!"
At that moment, Malfoy pulled out a small silver sphere that Neville had lost during his fall. He waved it in the air, delighting in the attention he was receiving.
"Is this what your friend lost, Potter?" He tossed the sphere in the air and caught it again, his intimidation evident with Crabbe and Goyle by his side. "Looks like Longbottom has a few screws loose to keep his belongings in place. Maybe that would have prevented him from landing on his backside, don't you think?"
"I said stop!" Harry stepped forward, determined not to be intimidated. "Now give it back!"
"Of course not. Let's see if Longbottom can find it!" Malfoy made a defiant gesture, but at that moment, Shirou, who had been watching silently, felt something fall from his pocket.
"Oh, are you going to come get it, Potter?" Malfoy added, his tone mocking.
Crabbe, always alert for opportunities to bully, picked up a pendant that had fallen from Shirou and held it up. "Oh, look at this. Seems like Smith is just as clumsy, because he loses things too!"
Malfoy took the object and examined it with a mocking smile before showing his disgust. "What an ugly and cheap pendant you have," he pointed out bluntly. "Smith, it's not enough for you to be one of Potter's mediocre friends despite being so ordinary, so I wouldn't be surprised if this belongs to a Muggle!"
Holding both objects in his hands, Malfoy turned and mounted his broom, preparing to fly. "Jue, jue, jue," he laughed maliciously as he took off.
"Malfoy, come back here!" Harry shouted, his voice exasperated as Malfoy stayed in the air.
"What's the matter, Potter? Out of your reach?" The blond boy grew bolder, increasing the intensity of his provocations, enjoying every moment.
In response to the taunts, Harry prepared to go after him.
"Harry, don't even think about it!" Hermione stood in his way, trying to make him reconsider. "You heard Madam Hooch. Besides, you can't even fly!"
Obviously, Harry didn't think twice and mounted his broom, taking off at full speed towards Malfoy, leaving her angry and worried.
"What would Mrs. Hooch think when she comes back?" Hermione was hysterical, thinking the worst. "They'll definitely be expelled! For heaven's sake, this won't end well!" The frustration in her voice was evident.
"Well done, Harry!" Ron, on the other hand, clenched his fists, having been angry at the annoying blond for too long. Now, he couldn't help but cheer his friend on. "Go on! You can do it!"
No one had paid attention to the other person involved in this incident, especially when he bowed his head, gritting his teeth.
The rage in Shirou's eyes was evident. Without saying a word, he grabbed his broom.
The feeling of sensing the wind around him crackled more intensely, his hands once again glowing with iridescent lines momentarily. A strange negative feeling engulfed his heart fiercely as he rose into the air towards Malfoy with a single goal in mind:
Get the pendant back!
At that moment, to everyone's surprise, Shirou caused brief gusts of wind as he took off, shaking both Hermione and Ron who were beside him, leaving them stunned when he flew with unexpected speed.
"Shirou, come back here!" Hermione shouted, trying to recover, completely alarmed. "Why are you so stubborn?"
"Get off that broom!" Ron exclaimed from the ground. "Shirou!" But despite their dissuasion, their friend ignored them. Mounted on his broom, determined to chase Malfoy in the air.
In the air, both wizards engaged in a race to catch each other, continuing to struggle after a short while.
"Come on, Potter, show me what you've got!" Draco taunted, zigzagging in the air to avoid Harry getting closer.
Determined, Harry managed to immediately catch up, maintaining a safe distance from him. "Give them back, Malfoy!" he demanded. "Or I'll knock you off your broom!"
"Really? And what will you do if I don't?" the blond responded, giving Harry a challenging look while displaying both the sphere and the pendant in his left hand.
"Malfoy!"
"Look at this. Doesn't it seem like a stupid big crystal ball to you?" Dodging the glasses-wearing boy by spinning on his broom, his smile widened. "Besides how pathetic I find this poor imitation of a pendant. Let me think, where should I hide it? Or should I throw them into a tree?"
At this point, it was obvious to Draco that his plan wasn't going as he had planned. The idiot Potter had demonstrated incredible flying skills, but he would never admit defeat. Especially since he felt both Longbottom and Smith were pathetic. Now, he decided to change tactics.
"If you're as loyal to your friends as you say, Potter, then..." he said severely, looking towards the castle, "come and get them!"
Without warning, the crystal ball flew far away under his throw.
Harry reacted immediately, diving in an attempt to retrieve the object, almost crashing into the hard brick wall of the castle.
"No, Harry, stop!" Hermione was terrified.
Malfoy laughed out loud until he saw Harry make a beautiful dive and grab the crystal ball in his hand. At that moment, his smile froze on his face.
What they hadn't counted on was Professor McGonagall witnessing the entire scene from a distant open window. Meanwhile, Hermione and the others, who had been worried about Harry, sighed in relief.
Momentarily recovering, the young blond was surprised and furious at being challenged. "Nice try, Potter, but you still have a lot to learn," he said, looking at the remaining object in his hand. He decided to throw it with all his might against a nearby wall as revenge for his humiliation.
Without warning, Shirou made a quick maneuver and lunged at the necklace dangerously. Accelerating, he managed to catch the object in mid-air, but the resulting turbulence made him zigzag dangerously close to the wall, causing him to lose control of his broom and crash his right shoulder into a nearby wall.
No one had anticipated the mysterious gentle gust of wind that emerged at the moment of impact. It was enough to cause the wizard a momentary state of dizziness, partially cushioning the impact, but it didn't save him from plummeting to the ground with a pained expression.
"Shirou, watch out!" Harry shouted, as the other young wizards rushed towards where their friend had fallen.
Seeing the entire scene unfold, Ron decided to take the opportunity for revenge. "I'll definitely teach Malfoy a lesson today!" He drew his wand and glared menacingly. "Locomotor Mortis!" he shouted, using the spell he had learned the day before in Professor Flitwick's class.
On that occasion, Ron had used it successfully once, making a test frog jump with its back legs stuck together. However, luck wasn't on his side this time. His wand only emitted a strange puff of white smoke and no other reaction.
With his cheeks flushed red, he could only curse his lack of practice. Even Malfoy, who was flying on his broom, was startled at first, prepared to dodge and with his wand ready.
"How dare you try to hex me, Weasley? Consider yourself finished!"
But before he could do anything, Professor Hooch had returned to the field, unnoticed, and was now watching the whole situation unfold.
"Who can tell me what's going on here?" the instructor immediately demanded, her eyes flashing with anger as she looked at all the young wizards involved, focusing on those still flying on their brooms.
Both Harry and Malfoy turned pale with fear.
"Professor Hooch, it's Malfoy!" Ron exclaimed, pointing at the blond still floating in the air. "He started all this!"
"Me?" Malfoy said with feigned innocence, slowly descending on his broom. "I was just... trying to reason with Potter, Professor. As you can see, not only did he decide to break the rules, but even Smith was clumsy enough to stop him, overestimating his poor flying skills. So it's definitely his fault, you know, one is responsible for their own actions!"
"That's not true!" Hermione interjected furiously. "Malfoy was causing trouble, and Shirou was only trying to retrieve the pendant he stole!"
Professor Hooch raised a hand, asking for silence. "Now, Mr. Potter," she looked sternly at the named boy, "Mr. Malfoy," now she glared angrily at the blond, "get off your brooms, now!" she ordered coldly. "We'll settle this on the ground."
Harry, holding the crystal ball, descended from the sky with a blank expression, which made the instructor stare at him for a moment, trying to analyze the situation.
"But Professor, he..." Malfoy began, but Hooch raised a hand to silence him, "I don't want excuses, Mr. Malfoy."
"I remind you that I warned you before I left that no one was to fly on brooms until I returned!" Madame Hooch exclaimed, her voice echoing across the flight field.
The situation in front of her definitely put her in a complicated position. She had just taken Mr. Longbottom to the infirmary, and now... another injured student? How could she justify that in her first class she already had two injured students? Her anger would definitely burn indefinitely for a while.
As the students landed, Professor McGonagall approached, her expression a mix of concern and anger.
"Rolanda," she asked firmly, looking at the commotion where the rest of the students were gathered, trying to help lift an obviously injured Shirou Smith, "what's going on here?"
"As you can imagine," Madame Hooch responded, sighing as she clutched her head in an attempt to soothe her recent migraine, "these kids were having an aerial dispute, Minerva," she sighed before walking towards the commotion. "But apparently there's more to this story."
"Professor McGonagall, it was all Malfoy's doing!" Harry exclaimed, trying to explain what had happened. "It all started because he stole Neville's crystal ball and Shirou's pendant. He tried to break them by throwing them in the air. I didn't mean to, but I couldn't let him get away with it. Fortunately, I managed to retrieve Neville's object before it was too late, but..." Harry looked at his red-haired friend being held by the shoulders by Hermione and Ron, feeling a knot in his stomach, "Shirou wasn't so lucky when he caught his pendant."
McGonagall glared sternly at the implicated. "Mr. Malfoy, is this true?"
Draco swallowed, trying to maintain his composure. "It was just an innocent prank, Professor."
"A dangerous and completely inappropriate prank," McGonagall retorted, dismissing his excuses and walking towards him sternly. "For now, the most pressing matter is that you go to the infirmary immediately. After that, we will discuss the consequences of your actions."
Draco tried to protest again, but the Gryffindor head stopped him by raising her hand.
"Still, you must pay for breaking school rules..." Beside her, Madame Hooch's expression softened. Initially, she had been thinking of how to punish these troublemakers, but Minerva's intervention and determination to handle the matter was enough for her.
"As for you, Mr. Smith," McGonagall continued with a concerned expression, "Miss Granger will accompany you to the infirmary immediately. We need to ensure you are properly evaluated by Madame Pomfrey, to receive the necessary treatment in case you have other injuries that could compromise your physical integrity."
Shirou nodded, still clutching the pendant tightly. He accepted his friend's gesture and, letting go of Ron's support, looked at him for a moment before saying goodbye. The pair slowly began to walk out of the flight field, taking their time under the concerned gaze of the rest of the Gryffindors.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, despite holding him by the neck, trying not to touch his arm imprudently, intending not to cause him more pain.
"Yes, I'm fine," Shirou responded, nodding, looking at the necklace for a moment before putting it in his pocket. "Thanks."
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron stayed behind, looking at Malfoy with a mixture of frustration and satisfaction.
"It's so typical of him," Ron murmured, clenching his fists. "He's been causing us trouble since day one."
"I know," Harry responded, his jaw tight. "But this definitely won't stay like this."
On the other side of the field, the group of Slytherin students, led by Pansy Parkinson, approached Malfoy with concerned expressions.
"Are you okay, Draco? I can't believe those Gryffindors put you in this situation and now they're blaming you for all this," Pansy said, casting a disdainful glance at Harry and Ron.
"I'm fine," Draco replied, trying to appear indifferent. "But they will pay for this."
"How can you be so calm?" Blaise Zabini interrupted. "This could get us in trouble with McGonagall and the rest of the professors!"
Before Draco could respond, McGonagall, hearing the conversation, turned sharply towards the Slytherin students. "Miss Parkinson, Mr. Malfoy, I advise you to keep your comments to yourselves. This incident will be treated with the utmost seriousness."
The Slytherin students stepped back, clearly intimidated by McGonagall's severe gaze.
Pansy opened her mouth to retort, but a look from Draco made her shut it. She knew that challenging McGonagall would only make things worse.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Gryffindor students talked among themselves about how this incident would negatively impact them. The flight class could have ended abruptly at this point, moving briefly away from both professors who were now conversing with each other.
"By the way, Rolanda, may I have a moment with one of your students?" McGonagall asked, glancing briefly at one of the involved. "I'm afraid I'll have to borrow Mr. Potter."
"Of course..." Hooch was a bit surprised at first, but then nodded quickly.
Harry, who was trying to make sense of everything that had happened, felt even more confused. He looked at Ron, who seemed just as bewildered as he was.
"What do you think McGonagall wants?" Harry whispered.
"I don't know, but I hope it's not to punish you," Ron replied, worry evident in his voice.
"Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, approaching with the other instructor. "Come with me as well. Meanwhile, Rolanda will finish corroborating some more detailed questions about what happened with Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy."
Harry's head was full of complicated scenarios, and even now he still didn't know what had happened. But he could only follow Professor McGonagall with fear.
Before the bespectacled boy left, Ron murmured loud enough for the blond to hear, "My brothers told me that Filch is in charge of enforcing severe punishments. It was a torment for everyone during their first year, where many of the punished students were taken to his office to be hung by their thumbs from the ceiling, and... then he did some weird things to them with whips and sticks..."
Unexpectedly, Malfoy had maintained a sardonic smile on his face until now, but it immediately disappeared upon hearing Ron's words and seeing Madame Hooch beside him.
Madame Hooch watched them leave and then looked back at the only student still remaining. "Mr. Malfoy, your actions will deduct five points from your house!" Looking at the rest of the class, she snorted for a moment before continuing. "But you won't be the only one. Both Mr. Smith and Potter will suffer similar disciplinary actions. For now, the rest of you will continue the class strictly following my instructions."
Walking to the front of everyone, she looked at them seriously. "Is that clear?"
Everyone nodded in fear and took their respective positions with their brooms, too terrified to challenge her or cause more trouble than there already was at this point.
Even Malfoy, despite the punishment, had a dark and annoyed expression. Ultimately, he wasn't the only one who broke school rules, but he would definitely endure a severe disciplinary punishment. That, not to mention that after what he heard from Weasley, things wouldn't end well for him. He was scared of suffering such punishment.
As the students tried to focus on the class, Pansy approached again. "Don't worry, Draco. We'll talk to Snape, he'll surely find a way to fix this."
"Yes," Blaise added. "Snape won't let us be punished unjustly."
Draco nodded, though he couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry. It wasn't just the punishment that concerned him, but the way Harry always seemed to get away unscathed from these problems.
Meanwhile, Harry followed McGonagall through the castle corridors. "Professor, I didn't mean to..."
McGonagall interrupted him with a gesture. "I know, Potter. But we need to talk about what happened out there."
Harry swallowed, nodding. He had no idea what awaited him, but he knew he had to face it.
– First Floor of the Castle –
Hallways to the Medical Wing
As they walked towards the castle's infirmary, Hermione kept talking to Shirou.
"You really worried me," she said, her voice still shaky with lingering emotion. "Why did you have to throw yourself in like that? You could have been hurt much worse!"
Shirou sighed, putting some space between them as they continued at a slow pace. "I couldn't let Malfoy get away with it…"
"I know, Shirou. It's just that you also need to think about your own safety," Hermione looked confused at his unexpected action but stared at him intently for a moment before sighing wearily, beginning to recognize his stubborn streak. "But that's not all… something else is bothering you, isn't it?"
Shirou looked at her mysteriously, stopping for a moment. "What makes you think that?" His voice wavered with a hesitation he couldn't hide.
"You really need to stop doing that…" Hermione rolled her eyes, calling out his evasiveness. "You always look to the right when you lie. Besides, somehow, I don't know…" She avoided his gaze, embarrassed. "It's hard to explain, but I just know."
Shirou looked at her briefly, wanting to object but unable to find a response. In the end, a brief silence fell between the two friends. But his golden eyes eventually gave in to the fierce brown ones of his friend, making him decide to surrender.
"It's nothing, Hermione," he finally said, though his voice was unconvincing. "I don't want to worry you more."
"Shirou, you know you can trust me, right?" she said, her concern clear as she moved a bit closer. "I'm your friend. Don't you consider me one?"
"Of course, I do," he replied quickly, feeling a lump in his throat. "It's just that… some things are hard to explain."
Hermione stopped and looked into his eyes, "Shirou, nothing you tell me will make me judge you. I'm here to help you, no matter how complicated it is."
He looked at her before lowering his gaze in surrender, "Alright, I'll tell you," he said, clearly hesitating about where to start. "It's about the pendant," he murmured. "It's very important to me."
At this point, she hesitated to ask about it, fearing it might be a family memory Shirou didn't want to discuss. But seeing the expression on her friend's face, she gathered the courage to face it. "What's so special about it?"
"Last night, I don't know how, but I had a kind of vision," his voice trembling. "I don't remember much, but it was related to a sword."
"A sword?" Hermione couldn't help but frown again. "Could it be related to the Sword of Gryffindor?"
"Maybe," Shirou said, feeling the weight of his own words. "It's just that… I keep regretting what happened during the class last week."
"Come on, Shirou," she tried to encourage him. "That's already in the past. You don't have to keep punishing yourself for it!"
"But…"
"Stop!" she raised her hands, interrupting him. "Look… we all make mistakes," she smiled, trying to reassure him. "The important thing is to learn from them."
Shirou sighed, "I know," he took a few moments to reflect, trying to change his lost gaze. "You're right."
Silence fell between them again, but this time it was more pleasant. Hermione, trying to ease the tension, took a chocolate frog from her bag and split it in half, offering a piece to Shirou. Even now, she joked about how moments like these were enough to change perspectives.
"Remember when I taught you to do a proper Wingardium Leviosa?" she said, eating slowly. "I thought you'd never get it, but you did."
Shirou accepted the chocolate frog. "Yeah, well, I practiced… though Scabbers didn't seem to like being part of the process," he joked, recalling that occasion. "Not to mention Ron was really mad."
"Well…" she couldn't help but laugh, recalling how she too got caught up in it. "The positive side is, that's what friends are for, and you'll trust me," she avoided his gaze, "That means a lot to me."
"Thanks, Hermione," Shirou felt a comforting warmth at those words, feeling embarrassed now. It was a confusing but significant feeling, to the point of realizing he could really trust someone here, even after the big change since he arrived in this world. "I really don't know what I'd do without you."
"And I always will be," she responded, her eyes now focusing on his gaze, but feeling the need to play with her hair with her right hand. "Because we're friends, and I'm here to help you," she said firmly.
"By the way, I think there's something else," Shirou added, trying to show more calm in an obvious attempt to change the ambiguous atmosphere. "I've been practicing a new spell. It's a bit different, and I think…"
"Yes?" Hermione looked at him curiously, as the topic of magic and study surfaced.
"Could you help me later?" Shirou rolled his eyes, seeing his friend's genuine smile.
"Of course, Shirou. I'm your best friend, and I'm clearly here to help you." She blushed but was satisfied with this conversation. "For now, we'd better hurry. You don't want to keep Madame Pomfrey waiting, do you?" she joked, resuming their path while helping Shirou along.
"Absolutely not!" The redhead shivered, remembering the nurse's last warnings. "Just please, don't mention that I'll need to stay in the infirmary for a while," he lowered his head again, defeated. "I really don't want to stay too long."
Hermione chuckled softly, her voice full of affection. "I promise not to say anything. But you know she'll find out if it's necessary for you to stay."
"I know." Shirou sighed. "I just hope it's not for too long this time."
Upon arriving at the infirmary, Madame Pomfrey greeted them with a concerned look.
"What happened now?" she asked with a mix of concern.
"A small dispute on the flying field," Hermione explained. "Shirou needs to be checked over," she looked accusingly at the boy and sighed resignedly, "He ended up hitting himself pretty hard for not following the rules."
"It's incredible to see you here again, young Smith!" exclaimed the nurse, guiding Shirou to a bed. "At this rate, you'll become a regular patient." Her disapproving expression, with her hands on her hips, was evident.
"I'm really sorry, Madame Pomfrey," Shirou responded, trying to avoid her gaze, accepting part of the blame but looking accusingly at his friend.
"Don't thank me too quickly, young man," she sighed, a bit frustrated. "For now, let me see those wounds."
Hermione stepped closer, watching attentively.
"By Merlin! You've been getting into a lot of trouble lately," the nurse muttered while examining him thoroughly.
"I'm sorry, Madame Pomfrey," the girl said, flashing a weak smile. "I promise I'll do my best to keep an eye on him to keep him out of danger."
"Hey!" Shirou protested, indignantly, as he removed part of his upper clothing to facilitate the examination, especially on his right shoulder.
"And what did you expect?" she scolded him in a joking tone. "I'll do my best to keep you out of trouble, though we've had enough with Harry. But that's something I'll figure out how to handle later."
Shirou looked at her, appreciating her attempt to lighten the situation.
"Hermione, please… I know you care about me. But I really don't want Madame Pomfrey to think I'm still a child."
"Maybe you should consider listening to Miss Granger more often," joked the nurse, winking at the young girl. "As far as I'm concerned, young Smith seems to have a 'prematurely sarcastic' sense of humor for his own good. You should consider following your friend's advice since she's thinking about what's best for you."
Hermione blushed slightly but was satisfied with the comment. "I'll do my best," she said with a smile.
After a few minutes, Madame Pomfrey finished partially examining Shirou.
"So… am I okay?" the patient asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "Personally, I think I just have a couple of bumps and bruises, right?"
"You need to have a little more patience, Shirou," Hermione intervened, crossing her arms. "Remember that Madame Pomfrey is making sure you're alright. Besides, you need to understand that from now on, you shouldn't get into so much trouble."
"I'm afraid this will take a bit more time," sighed the nurse. "So, Miss Granger, thank you for bringing him. But now, out, out, I have work to do."
She was puzzled by the nurse's serious behavior but decided not to comment on it. After all, her friend was in good hands.
"Understood, Madame Pomfrey," Hermione nodded. "See you later, Shirou," giving him a supportive look as she took hold of the doorknob, feeling a bit nervous. "Get well soon," she said with a warm smile. "We'll all be waiting for you!"
Shirou nodded, feeling a comforting warmth in his chest. "Thanks, Hermione. See you soon," he murmured, feeling somewhat relieved but confused as he watched her rush out.
Madame Pomfrey remained silent as she watched the two young ones bid farewell. But once the girl left the room, her expression turned more serious.
"Tell me, young Smith," she said, taking his right hand to examine it once more. "Lately, have you undergone any kind of stress, or alternatively, have you suffered from any nervous or muscular injury and not sought immediate attention?"
The question unconsciously led Shirou to recall the strange vision he had had the previous night. He was just beginning to realize he might have underestimated the importance of that dream.
"No... of course not..." he tried to lie, but his voice unexpectedly faltered at the end. "Why do you ask?" he asked hesitantly.
Madame Pomfrey stared at him, but decided to respect the student's privacy. "You're lucky you haven't pushed your body to its limit," she sighed, scolding him with her gaze, trying to make him understand that things were more serious than he could imagine.
"I really don't understand what you mean."
"I can sense some sort of negative fluctuation throughout much of your body, which could impact your vitality if you don't rest properly," she explained, rising and walking to a shelf to prepare a medicinal tonic, adding other remedies of strange appearance.
"But..."
"To be precise, I'm sure there are at least three areas of injury on your right arm that have been exacerbated by your fall," she continued, approaching with the medicine and looking at him perplexed.
"So... does that mean?" Shirou asked, still processing what she had said, refusing the offered medicine with a shake of his head.
"That you'll stay at least three days for a more thorough evaluation before ruling out other possible stress areas that could affect your future magic ability," she explained. "Now, drink it!"
Shirou sighed before resignedly nodding, lying back on the cot and trying not to vomit from how awful the tonic tasted.
"Now I'll apply an ointment to your shoulder until the medicine takes effect, and you can rest comfortably," said Madame Pomfrey, starting the treatment and bandaging his shoulder. "Additionally, I'll make sure to inform Professor McGonagall to excuse you from the rest of your classes. For now, the most important thing is for you to recover."
"Madame Pomfrey," he tried to sit up but felt his body heavy. "I think you're exaggerating; nothing really happened to me..."
"Don't misunderstand me, young man," she shook her head, finishing applying the medication. "This isn't a suggestion but a medical order. For now, your duty is to rest here, and you'll be fine in no time," finishing with him for now, walking towards the exit to fill out the corresponding forms. "Just by looking at the slight tuft of white hair you have is more than enough to worry me," she turned around to look at him one last time. "But you can be assured that this is definitely fixable, young Smith."
Shirou sighed, resigned to his fate.
When Madame Pomfrey left the room, he closed his eyes and tried to relax. However, his mind couldn't stop spinning with the vision from the previous night. Especially now that he looked at his hand, he could perfectly see some iridescent lines that caused a slight tingling, unable to understand what they meant.
On another note:
As expected, we've reached the end of the chapter, laying the groundwork for a more complete view of the plot. As I mentioned before, the story's structure is already formed; it just requires a little more patience to understand all the details I've presented in both this latest chapter and the previous ones.
I hope you enjoyed "Disastrous Flight Classes". What do you think about the secrets behind Shirou?
Additionally, it's gratifying to see that we've received a total of 54 reviews, along with the support of 235 favorites and 340 followers. Your support has been crucial, and I am truly grateful.
Before I bid farewell, I would like to address some comments received about the previous chapter:
Fanfiction:
Darth Kyuubi Kurama: Thank you very much for your support, my friend. You're awesome.
Mocheese: Your input might be seen sooner rather than later. I hadn't thought about it before, but it's definitely secured. I've already made a prototype of that scene.
-581: We're taking another step in that direction, learning more about the background story of this 'Shirou' and how he's assimilating his origin as 'Emiya'.
Coronadomontes: Thank you for the comment, my friend. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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I wish to express my sincerest gratitude for your words and reviews. Your support has been essential to me, and I am truly thankful.
For now, I bid farewell as KaleidoMirror, but I eagerly await our next encounter in the upcoming update. See you soon!