Early Bird ((Harmony))

[Torinasu Mitsuko S4]

It was dark, and the common room was empty. Rin knew she should still be in bed, but her mind was racing. She knew that the end of the year was growing close, and soon she would be saying goodbye to friends, and the warm comfort of the castle. As she crept down across the common room floor, she wondered if a Slyth would catch her and send her back to her room. She was not going back to bed now, the morning was inching toward her and she would welcome the new day. With Lulu on her heels, she escaped from the darkened room and started up the stairs.

When she finally reached the top, she was out of breath. She took a second to catch it, and then started on her way outside. She could already hear some early rising students, and was glad that she was not the only one patrolling the halls. Surely a Prefect or a Professor could not chastise her for…taking a walk? Right?

She laughed to herself; it was hardly her nature, to be up so early. But worries about her mother kept her from sleeping, and she needed something to get it off her mind. The air outside was muggy, humid. Rin let out an exasperated sigh, when would this heat wave end? She pulled out a white hair band and smoothed it across her forehead. She could already feel her hair becoming frizzy and she would have to do serious damage control in order to make it look presentable for the rest of the day.

She jogged across the lawn to a spot next to the forest. She should have been nervous, being so close to possible danger, but her mind was on getting into some decent shade. She sat on the ground and pulled out her book and her wand. She felt better when she practiced Charms, and today she needed a bit of a pick me up. She opened the Charms book and decided to do some practicing, before breakfast.

[Harmony Chan H6]

((Setting this before Harmony’s mother dies. Permission to god-mode Ariane granted.))

Harmony gave a large yawn before staring with bewilderment around her dormitory. Eyes bleary with sleep, she blankly acknowledged the time. It was very early; no wonder all her dorm mates were still fast asleep. Harmony mentally cursed the dream that had awoken her earlier than usual, then decided she might as well get up. It wasn’t as if she could possibly fall asleep again. With a heavy sigh, she climbed out of bed with reluctance, then headed to the bathroom, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Another new day had risen, making Harmony wonder what was to come.

Half an hour later Harmony was wondering around the Hogwarts corridors alone, admittedly in a frightened manner. It was dreadfully early in the morning, the sky only just brightening with the first rays of the sun, and no footsteps could be heard treading the stone hallways. Harmony tried to ignore her fear, and continued to wander aimlessly. She hadn’t wanted to stay in the stuffy silence of her dormitory, where all the girls were still asleep, nor had she felt like being confined in solitude in the Hufflepuff Common Room. At first Harmony had hoped she would bump into a familiar face if she walked around, but if she had been realistic, she would have realised that barely anyone would be up at this hour yet. And even if they were, they wouldn’t be roaming the corridors.

Sighing to herself, Harmony rounded another corner hurriedly, trying to tiptoe as not to alert any of the snoring portraits to her fearful presence. Her concentration set on being silent, her mind up in the clouds, Harmony smacked right into someone else coming the other way. In surprise, she let out a short cry, bumped backwards by the sudden force. “Sorry!” Harmony quickly uttered, before glancing up to see who she had encountered. Only to meet an equally astonished Ariane. “Ari?” Harmony whispered, blinking furiously as she stared upon her taller, older sister. No wonder she hadn’t heard her approaching. Ari walked like a ghost. Harmony couldn’t recognise her footsteps because she didn’t seem to have any.

“Harmony?” Ari’s eyebrow’s furrowed in a worried and confused frown, curtain of sleek black hair draped across her shoulders. “What are you doing up so early?” She asked, anxiety lacing her tone. It wasn’t like Harmony to be up this early, and her puzzlement showed through her eyes. Harmony, on the other hand, secretly noted the darkening rings under her sister’s eyes with suspicion and concern, but said nothing of it despite her thoughts. Recently Ari hadn’t been sleeping well; connected to dreams… or nightmares, Harmony recalled the Gryffindor saying previously. There was no need to ask why she up and about herself. No doubt Ari couldn’t sleep.

“I woke up earlier than usual.” Harmony explained with a slightly pained expression. “You couldn’t sleep, huh?” She added, though it was more a statement than a question. Ari gave a terse nod, consciously giving her eyes a rub before drawing Harmony away and taking her for a walk down the corridor. Harmony was very grateful for Ari’s presence, now that she wasn’t alone. They made small talk, until, not to Harmony’s surprise, they exited the school and paced through the grounds. Ari had always preferred the outside air, and she was usually automatically drawn there. Though Harmony wondered what she was making of it right now, since the weather was hot and humid, which didn’t suit the Gryffindor one bit. Eyes flickering to Ari’s face, Harmony noted the downward curve of her lips with understanding. Things really did seem to be bothering Ari lately, and although Harmony was very worried about her sister, she knew that she would not confide her troubles in her. It was not a question of trust, but of carrying burdens by oneself. Harmony knew that Ari saw herself as her protector, and protectors were not meant to be weak. Not in front of their… subject, anyway.

Noticing Ari probably needed some alone time, Harmony made an excuse to Ari, feeling the need to have a little space to think for herself. “I’ll see you later.” Harmony smiled, before strolling away down the path calmly. Hands tucked into robe pockets, she found herself heading towards the forest, but wasn’t too worried. She was not about to enter the forbidden area, and the sun was now high above the sky, its rays shimmering down and lighting up the area brightly. The presence of warmth and light comforted Harmony’s fears as she continued onwards with a small smile on her face. Her positiveness helped to overshadow the negative thoughts circling her mind. Suddenly, a distant voice drew Harmony’s concentration out of her inner self; she was alerted to another presence, and with curiosity, walked faster towards the magnifying sounds.

“Rin?” Harmony blinked in surprise at the sight of the Slytherin girl, her wand out in one hand and a Charms book in the other. It seemed she was in the middle of a spell, and Harmony wondered whether it was magic that had fated her to another sudden encounter today. Walking forwards, Harmony sent a bright smile at the girl in her year. Rin was probably the only Slytherin she talked to and got on with. The other guys and girls scared Harmony, and she did her best to stay away from them. But then again, Rin wasn’t your average Slytherin. Harmony felt she was more like a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, but she wasn’t about to question the Sorting Hat. It didn’t matter which house Rin was in, she was still a good friend of Harmony’s, someone she could rely on and talk to. Only yesterday they had spent lunch time together, giggling over something trivial. “What are you doing here?” Harmony asked curiously.

((I’m sorry it’s so long; I started writing it, and before I knew it, it was this long!))

[Torinasu Mitsuko S4]

Rin was right in the middle of a levitating spell, trying to raise a group of pebbles. She scrunched her nose and realized she had left her reading glasses in the dormitory. She read the spell carefully, though she had preformed it numerous times. Clearing her throat, Rin picked up her wand and aimed delicately at the group of pebbles.

“Wingardium leviosa…” she said, confidently and clearly. The pebbles lifted into the air weightlessly and hovered over Rin’s head in a circular motion. It almost looked as though the Slytherin girl had a rock halo. She smiled at her accomplishment with great pride then turned when she heard a familiar voice call her name. Honey brown eyes glanced up to see Harmony Chan standing above her.

“Harmony!” she grinned, losing her concentration and causing the pebbles to fall, clunking her on the head lightly. Rin jumped up and greeted her friend with a warm embrace. She tilted her head when the Hufflepuff asked her what she was doing there, “Just getting my mind off of some things…home stuff you know.”

She sat back down on the ground and gestured for Harmony to do the same. She was glad to have a friend like Harmony, someone to talk to, get her feelings out with, laugh and goof off with. She felt like she could tell her anything, but she hesitated to tell her friend about her mother’s illness.

“What are you doing up so early, Harmony?” she looked at her friend with concern. She never knew her to be such an early riser. She laughed to herself, she was one to talk. But she had reason…she was feeling restless. She worried about her life at home, though her Auntie told her not to. She would feel better once she was at home and could survey the situation from her own point of view.

She was also planning to visit her brothers over the summer and maybe even invite Harmony over for a week or so, though she had not offered the invitation to her just yet. “You were not having trouble sleeping, I hope? Is everything alright?”

[Harmony Chan H6]

Harmony gave a kind and amused laugh as she made Rin lose her concentration, causing the floating pebbles to hit her head. Moving forward, her laughter subsided to slight concern. “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have sneaked up on you like that.” The spell was one Harmony had done a few times, and it was a rather fun, light piece of magic. Hugging Rin in return, Harmony stepped back and listened to her friend’s explanation. “Family stuff, huh?” She gave a small frown, wanting to show she was worried, but not too nosy at the same time. Rin would tell her if she felt the need to. “Are you going to be okay then? Need to talk to me about it?” Harmony offered with an encouraging smile as she gladly took the seat on the ground beside her friend. As she waited for Rin’s reply, Harmony decided she’d have a bit of fun and practice with her friend; whipping out her wand with grin, she pointed it at the fallen pebbles lying innocently on the floor. ”Wingardium leviosa!” She echoed Rin’s previous words, though her voice was softly clear. Harmony’s brow furrowed in concentration as the objects started to levitate slowly, her wand following their gradual movement.

Meanwhile, Rin was chatting beside her, asking her the same question she’d asked her friend beforehand, “Me? Oh, just… you know… No, I wasn’t having any trouble sleeping at all.” Harmony chuckled at Rin’s thoughtfulness. “I just woke up early. Dreams can do that sometimes… And I didn’t think there was any point in staying in bed. I wouldn’t have gotten back to sleep any time soon.” Harmony gave a bright, toothy smile, “It’s nice to wander around here without that many other people, right?” As she spoke, the pebbles overhead were bobbing lightly in the air just above their heads, and carefully Harmony manoeuvred them in front of their faces, as not to commit the same mistake as Rin had done so previously. She smiled at the recent memory, her lack of concentration and conversation with Rin causing the pebbles to dip dangerously. Quickly, Harmony placed her mind back on the floating objects, spinning her wand and making the pebbles fly around the area under the bright sun. The rays bounced off the pebbles’ shiny surfaces, and Harmony giggled to herself. Charms had always been one of her stronger, favourite subjects. And this was fun, being with Rin so early, in this peaceful area. Harmony felt totally carefree.

[Torinasu Mitsuko S4]

Rin laughed and rubbed her head, “Yeah I’m fine. Not like it was the first time I’ve done that!” She fidgeted a little on her seat in the grass and debated on whether or not she should tell Harmony about the Owl she received from her brother. Apparently, her mother was still ill and perhaps getting sicker. It was strange for her brothers to come home from Japan, unless of course, the matter was much more serious than they all let on. It was infuriating the way they babied her. She was thirteen and in her third year at Hogwarts. Surely they could be honest with her! She watched her friend try the levitating spell with relief. It was truly a moment that she was glad not to be alone. She poked at the ground with her wand and blew a stray strand of hair from her face. “My mother is ill, Harmony. Everyone says she is going to be fine…but I don’t know. My brother, Kuramu, sent me a letter saying that he and my other brother, Iyashii, were coming home for a bit.”

She paused and bit her lower lip, she could feel tears welling up, but tried her hardest to fight them. “They would not be coming home unless it was serious. Everyone keeps telling me that she is fine…but Kuramu said that she was not going to meet me at the train station at the beginning of summer holiday. The way she always has. I wish they would just be honest with me, you know?” She frowned and gripped her wand tightly as if she were expecting an attacker to jump out. “Something is wrong, I know it. And it’s not just my mother…I have a feeling that they are keeping a lot from me.”

She turned to Harmony and gave a rather weak smile; “Unless I’m just being silly…I mean it’s a fantastic thought, right? Perhaps they aren’t telling me something…because there is nothing to tell.” She threw her hands over her face and laughed, “Maybe I’m overreacting…” She looked back at her charming friend. “What sort of dream was it? The one that woke you up?”

[Harmony Chan H6]

Harmony listened intently to Rin as she continued to make the pebbles spin in rapid circles. Her small smile gradually faded into a concerned frown, and she turned to Rin in worry, hoping her friend was okay, but it seemed she wasn’t. Rin was anything but anxious. “Oh, that’s terrible, Rin… I’m so sorry.” Harmony spoke sympathetically, wanting, but knowing she could do nothing to help her friend but be here for her. Rin continued explaining, looking more and more like she was going to cry. “No, you’re not being silly…” Harmony spoke up after Rin seemed to have finished talking, “And maybe you’re not overreacting.” Harmony frowned to herself. And why should she say that? She wasn’t going to make Rin feel any better. “Look,” Harmony began slowly again, trying to pick out the right words without offending or having Rin misunderstand her, “Whatever the case is, whether your mum is ill or not, whether your brothers are hiding anything from you, the most important thing right now is not to worry like you’re doing now. I know it’s hard, but…” Harmony instinctively reached to squeeze Rin’s hand encouragingly, “you’ll just drive yourself insane. Try and keep it at the back of your mind, and mentally prepare for the time when it comes to going home again and seeing your family. Well, that’s what I would do anyway.” Harmony made a funny yet cringey expression. What if her advice was wrong?

“And even if they are keeping a lot from you,” Harmony continued nevertheless, knowing this part of the conversation was something she could definitely understand, “then I suppose you’ll just have to put up with it. I understand how you feel, Rin. You know Ari, my sister. She and Mum keep a lot of stuff from me, I’m sure of it. And I hate it.” Harmony gave a wry, slightly tight smile, knowing in her heart that it upset and annoyed her, because she wanted to feel like she could be trusted, like she was strong enough to take the things Mum entrusted Ari with. But… “But I know they’re doing it for my own good.” Harmony sighed, slight disappointment in her voice, “Perhaps I’m just not ready to know yet. Age does come into it, but they do know me best, and if they don’t feel I’m ready, then I’m not ready, I guess. I trust them.” Harmony tried a large beam at Rin, reassuringly patting her hand in the process, “You love your family a lot, right? And you trust your brothers. Maybe they do have something terrible to tell you, and you’ll be angry and upset that they hid it from you. But after you get angry, you should forgive them, because from their point of view, they were merely trying their best. And in the face of adversity, there is no point breaking the family up over trivial things.”

Harmony suddenly flung her hand to her mouth, eyes wide in surprise, “Dear me, when did I start to sound so much like Ari? She’s really rubbing off on me, this mature, wise talk.” Harmony gave a burst of amused laughter, “Sorry, did I sound too… all-knowing then?” She winced with a smile, but she wiped it off to resort to a serious expression once again, “What I’m trying to say is, Rin… Try not to worry too much. Don’t put it against your family for keeping things from you. And face whatever happens when it gets here. If something bad does happen…” Harmony didn’t want to think of the possible outcomes, didn’t want to say it aloud for both of the girls to hear, “um… Well. You’ll get through it somehow, right? If anything does happen, I’ll be here for you.” Harmony gave a bright grin, comforting and supportive. “But hey, I’m sure it’s nothing, right?” Harmony finally waved away the gravity of the conversation with chuckles.

Suddenly, Harmony was distracted by some objects floating before her face, blurred in her vision by being too close. Withdrawing her head, she realised it was the flying pebbles which somehow she’d neglected whilst talking to Rin in all seriousness. Somehow they hadn’t dropped from the sky like the stones they were, and thankfully had not hit the two girls. Harmony’s wand was still pointed upwards, forgotten and deserted. Giggling to herself, she drew the pebbles to the ground before her, and left them there, having had enough of the spell. Harmony thanked her ability in Charms to maintain a spell like that for such a long time whilst not concentrating, and turned to Rin again when she asked her about her dream. “Oh, it was nothing interesting. It just managed to wake me up.” Harmony explained with a smile. “I was flying on my broomstick, practicing for an upcoming Quidditch match with the rest of the team.” Harmony started, the small part of her mind that was bored deciding to do random spells for entertainment and practice. “Engorgio!” She murmured, pointing her wand at one of the pebbles on the ground. It immediately grew twice the initial size. “And suddenly these birds appeared out of nowhere… Like this! Avis!” Raising her wand to the sky, Harmony’s spell caused birds to appear from the end of her wand with a loud bang. They fluttered away into the distant morning sun, Harmony bearing a sheepish smile, “Whoops, sorry about that. The spell’s louder than I thought.”

“But anyway, I was talking… yes, talking to the birds, and then I realised I’d gotten lost or something. Not that that’s possibly in Hogwarts, but in my dreams, I was floating into the middle of nowhere, and the birds had disappeared.” Harmony twiddled with her wand at the larger pebble, “Epoximise!” One of the smaller pebbles stuck itself fast to the larger one, whilst Harmony continued on automatically, “I was flying around… lost. I was kind of frightened, but not enough to call my dream a nightmare.” A frown appeared on Harmony’s previously calm face. “And then something flew at me, something big and black. I don’t know what it was…” Harmony’s wand tilted towards the pebbles again, her eyes facing the sky in wonderment and thought, “I was scared, and with a screaming, I fell off my broom!” Harmony’s frown deepened. “And then everything disappeared. Went black. And I was back in my bed. Evanesco!” Harmony gave a sigh before releasing a final spell at the pebbles. Suddenly they disappeared, Harmony staring mournfully at the empty spot. “I shouldn’t have used that spell… Sorry. Ari taught it to me a while ago, and I thought I’d practice it. I didn’t think I could do it so… well.” Harmony’s face suddenly reverted back to a large grin, “So, what do you think my dream was trying to tell me? That I should quit Quidditch?”

[Torinasu Mitsuko S4]

((Oy, sorry this is so late...lack of sleep = lack of inspiration @_@))

Rin watched her friend carefully; she was rather good at Charms. Just as good as Rin, and the Slytherin girl thought she was rather good herself. Rin bit her lower lip as Harmony sympathized with her. She did not mean to sound like a pathetic little girl who needed her hand held all the time. But in this case, she certainly felt like one. She was glad that Harmony agreed with her, but at the same time she kind of wanted her to say that she was overreacting and to just let it go. Sometimes Rin was such a naïve little brat. Maybe India Nightingale was right about her…no, that was not true. She was not nearly that bad. She nodded when Harmony told her not to worry, though deep down, she still felt that nagging pang of worry in the back of her head. She decided she would not think about it until she heard from her brother again or if she saw her family. Well, at least for now.

“And even if they are keeping something from you…” Rin’s eyes looked up curiously, “the I suppose you’ll just have to put up with it…” Rin smiled a little, it was true after all. Her brothers treated her like a child that needed protecting, it was simply infuriating. But like Harmony said, it was for her own good. Maybe if it were really as half as serious as Rin thought it was, they would have pulled her out of school so she could be closer to her mother as well. She was only thirteen, and her brothers had graduated and established themselves. They knew what was best for her, even if she did not want to admit it. She loved them for it, and for now, that was enough. Rin smiled at her Hufflepuff friend, “Thank you, Harmony, I really needed pepping up. I did not mean to sound so…down, you know? I guess it was bound to happen…! But do not worry, I know Kuramu and Iyashii are doing what is best. They are wiser than I, after all! I really do appreciate your kindness….you are such a wonderful friend.”

Rin picked her wand back up and gave it a careless wave, sending smoke through the air in a rose colored wisp. She did that every so often, but could never figure out how to do on command. Her Auntie often spoke of the ancient magic that ran through her blood, perhaps it was once a clever spell that is dying to be rediscovered? Rin hoped so, it would be wonderful to discover a new spell she could show to her brothers, it would surely impress them. She remembered to ask Auntie about it later, but for now it was back to Charms she knew.

“Orchideous,” she said clearly, causing a rush a orchids to erupt from her wand. She watched them for a split second then effortlessly said, “Flurrifikus”, making the blossoms freeze instantly. She had been practicing the two spells together for a year now and finally got it perfect to where she could aim the flowers and the ice at exactly the right moment. With the orchids now frozen, she wanted to so something else with them, but had not decided what yet to make a three shot spell. She frowned a little and waved her wand again, “Evanesco!”

The third year laughed, “I can never make up my mind what I want to do after I freeze them!” She listened to her friend talk about her dream and hid a frown from her face. A black spot was never a good omen. Her mother was big on Divination, her whole family on her mother’s side was. Rin often heard Auntie and Mother talking about a bad omen to be represented by a black spot. It worried Rin, but she did not want to frighten Harmony until she knew the details of the black mark. She made up her mind to write to Auntie right away and ask her about it. “Oh, no, don’t quit Quidditch! I’m sure it was just a silly dream, you know? I had a dream I was riding a pink slug to school instead of the Express! Can you imagine such a thing?”

[Harmony Chan H6]

“No problem!” Harmony smiled warmly, glad to know she had managed to help cheer Rin up even slightly. It was unlike the Slytherin girl to be down like that. “Everyone gets down sometimes.” Harmony nodded reassuringly with a knowing smile. “Even me.” She laughed to herself, shaking her locks around her cherub-like cheeks, which now blushed at Rin’s compliment. “Aw… thanks. I’m not great. I just try my best.” Harmony stated modestly with a coy grin. “You’re just as great a friend as I am, Rin. Honest. Don’t let those other Slytherins get you down because of who you are.” Harmony laughed now at Rin’s demand that she not quit Quidditch. In her mind, she contemplated whether this was possible – her quitting Quidditch. No, Harmony would never quit, because she really loved the sport. Despite her lack of interest in all other games, she really had a passion and flair for Quidditch. Especially now that she was on the Hufflepuff team, her confidence had been boosted more than ever, and she was finally beginning to enjoy her role as Chaser. Harmony recalled the past matches she had played in, and felt a surge of pride rush into her chest. She knew Ari felt the same way towards her position, despite the constant worry.

“I could never quit Quidditch, Rin.” Harmony waved away her friend’s anxieties with a movement of her wand. “I love it too much. And I could never disappoint my fellow team mates and house. It’s my responsibility, and I shoulder it happily.” Harmony sent a cheerful beam at Rin, to try to dismiss any problems that may arise. “Yes, I’m sure it was just a silly dream after all.” Harmony murmured more to herself, thinking back on the dream turned nightmare she had had. Did it mean anything? Harmony had never liked Divination. It seemed pointless, and Professor Trelawney was such a terrible teacher, though her nature wasn’t too bad. At times, Harmony found her rather amusing, though it was annoying how they never learnt anything. Hopefully, Harmony would be able to drop the subject soon. She wondered if Rin was going to take it for her OWL. “Rin, you like Divination, right? I don’t really believe in it, so don’t worry; I’m not like you, I don’t believe in that stuff at all, haha. Are you taking Divination for OWL?”

Harmony burst into laughter at Rin’s mention of the pink slug filled dream. “A pink slug?! Are you kidding me? That’s so weird! What do you think that means, Rin-sama?” Harmony’s eyes twinkled as she used the Japanese term. Recently, Rin had been teaching her a little of the Japanese culture Harmony was so fascinated about. Harmony adored manga and anime, and other such things, and one of her first priorities when she had become friends unexpectantly with Rin was to question her on the culture and the language of the Japanese. It was so different yet contained several similarities to Harmony’s Chinese lifestyle, and she enjoyed comparing them. It was interesting to learn about somebody else. “God, I’m going to drop Divination as soon as possible.” Harmony admitted. “I can’t wait to never have to go into Professor Trelawney’s tower again! I think I might take something else, like Arithmancy. I like all the other subjects, apart from Defence and Divination anyway, so it will be fine… What are you planning on taking, Rin?” Absentmindedly, Harmony turned her wand onto a plant nearby, and using a spell she had recently used, shot a stream of pink at it, causing it to turn into a fantastic shade of bubblegum. Harmony giggled to herself in mirth, remembering a recent event that had occured. "Hey, you know, the other day, I accidentally turned Sita's hair pink with this spell!"

((No problem! I’m sorry mine’s so late; I got so busy and lack of inspiration really pulled me down…)

[Torinasu Mitsuko S4]

Rin was finally feeling like her old self. Enjoying the outdoors with a friend as wonderful as Harmony was something to cherish, not to waste spending time talking about the things that worried her. She smiled broadly when Harmony said that she was a good friend as well, it gave her a warm feeling. She was also glad to have her friend be so supportive of her. It was true—she did let some of her other Slytherin housemates kill her spirit, and evidently Harmony knew that. She liked the person she was, but sometimes wondered why she was categorized as weak, because she was not like the others. Sometimes, she just wanted to be like them, flippant and rude, not caring who got in their way…but it was not her nature to be so cruel.

“I’m glad you won’t quit Quidditch, it is your passion…and our passions drive us,” she replied kindly. She held her friend with the utmost respect; Harmony was so kind and caring, that even if she grew to hate Quidditch, she would continue to play so not to disappoint her House. It was a remarkable trait, and Rin respected it. When asked did she have a passion for Divination, she shrugged. “I really don’t know if I like it…it’s sort of a family thing. My mother and aunt were rather good at it you know? Even Iyashii is good at making predictions, well prophecies, I suppose. It’s a bit frightening though. Sometimes he would sit in his room for days, and then when he finally came out, he claimed to…See. I don’t know if it’s true or not, my father won’t let him talk about it. However, my mother and Auntie say that he’s gifted. I’m afraid I didn’t get his um…talents. I mean sure, I do okay with Divination…but it’s a bit scary to see into the future, don’t you think?”

Iyashii was definitely the most talented in magic of the family. Sure, Kuramu had the better focus, and the drive to keep his magic under control, but Iyashii was gifted. When he saw things…it scared Rin. The way he looked, it was as if he were driven only by his lust for more power. Iyashii did not get an OWL in Divination, however…it was rather strange now that it came to Rin’s mind. He was certainly talented in it…but then she knew the answer, if Iyashii pursued his gifts in Divination, her father would certainly shun him for it.

“Oh I think my pink slug means…I shouldn’t eat Chocolate Frogs before bed!” Rin roared with laughter. She grinned at Harmony’s use of a Japanese term. The girl was so anxious to learn about Rin’s culture, it was rather flattering. She giggled at Harmony’s distaste for Divination and her looking forward to never stepping in Professor Trelawney’s tower again. The strange woman always loved Iyashii, though her brother said she was a phony and a fake (rather rudely and with a bitter hatred, she might add). “I think I’m going to go for OWLS in Charms, personally. And maybe Potions, I know what you’re thinking…! But I think I may be good at it, you know? I think I’ll stick to Charms…Potions…Care of the Magical Creatures…Herbology…I’ll stay away from Ancient Runes though…I never can get into all those letters…” She watched Harmony shoot a pink beam at a plant turning it the same color. “Did you really almost turn poor Sita’s hair pink? What did she say??”


((Oh no worries, I'm having a bit of the whirlies with Rin, jumping from her plot to pre-plot Kinda funny really!))

[Harmony Chan H6]

“It is.” Harmony agreed with a nod about Rin’s comment on passion driving us. “I think that’s what drives me to dance, and play Quidditch. Oh, and sometimes write songs, you know? I think passion definitely drives Aurora to do her music. And I have no doubt passion is what drives Ari. Ari is all about passion when it comes to her art, and being herself… And protecting me.” Harmony smile turned wry, before laughing. “I just can’t find Divination likeable. At all. I don’t understand it, or how it works. And Professor Trelawney has never been the best teacher…” Harmony’s expression turned thoughtful at Rin’s mention of her older brother, and listened intently, “Yeah, it is quite scary. It’s although as if our future is already decided…” Harmony turned to Rin questioningly, a slight frown over her brow, “What do you think, Rin? I’ve always wondered, what with growing up in a muggle world and stuff… about if we could see into the future, and if we could predict what would happen… doesn’t that cancel out how we humans can make our own decision? The thought confuses me, overwhelms me, really. I think I believe that we make our own future; every decision and every move we make. I don’t think the future is ever set in stone. But can we really predict what happens, like your brother?”

Harmony’s frown faded into laughter alongside her friend as they giggled about the pink slug. Then Harmony’s expression grew more serious again as Rin ticked off her probably subjects for OWLs. Harmony was still contemplating, but Divination would not be an OWL she would be doing. She was sure she wanted to do Muggle Studies, but Ancient Runes she was still thinking about. “I’ll probably do Potions as well…” Harmony admitted with a grimace to Rin, wringing her hands together in the thought of seeing Professor Snape so often. “Hey, we can work together in lesson time, right? And you can help me!” Harmony chuckled to herself. “I know I’m not bad at Potions. I’ve never been very good at it, but it’s Snape that gets me down all the time. I’m just too timid and scared…” Harmony gave a long sigh of frustration and sadness. “Oh well… Not all the teachers can like me. I’ll be taking the usual subjects as well as Potions, like Transfiguration and Charms, like you. I like Charms a lot. I’ll probably do Care for Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies…” Harmony laughed to herself. “I might be crazy, but I’ve always found Magical Creatures an easy subject, you know?”

“I’m still pondering about the others. I’d rather not to Defence Against The Dark Arts. You know how bad at duelling and fighting I am…” Harmony rolled her eyes to the heavens. “But like I said, Arithmancy most probably, and I’m still contemplating about Ancient Runes. I like Ancient Runes. I might take Astronomy too. Hah, it sounds like I want to take too much!” Harmony laughed again, shrugging, “The only ones I don’t want to take are Divination and Defence. I still want to do the others, like Herbology and History. Even though it’s really boring…. Actually, I might drop History. I just sleep in the lessons.” Harmony joked, then asked her friend more seriously, “Hey, what do you want to do when you’re older anyway? I still am not so sure…” Harmony sighed to herself. Her and Ari hadn’t really decided on where their paths lay in the future. What if they were somehow separated? “It’s things like these I think we decide for ourselves, not prophecies and predictions.” Harmony admitted earnestly.

Harmony trailed off in her thoughts, before Rin questioned her about Sita’s hair-raising incident. “Ahaha…” Harmony’s laugh was nervous, yet amused, “I was just practicing this spell…” She flicked her wand and turned a few blades of grass a sunny yellow, “… because it’s so fun and harmless… Well, I thought it was harmless, but I wasn’t looking where I was pointing my wand, and before I knew it, I’d accidentally hit Sita, sitting behind me. Luckily I missed her face, but it got her hair.” Harmony smiled dryly. “She wasn’t best pleased, to say the least. Actually, at first she thought I was pranking her. But I guess Sita doesn’t know me that well. We’ve never been the best of friends, despite sharing a dormitory. You know she and Ingrid are like... inseparable. But after I managed to convince Sita it was an accident, she was fine with it… I hope. To apologise, I purposefully changed my hair yellow. As in, bright highlighter yellow!” Harmony burst out in giggles, remembering the memory from not so long ago. “You should’ve seen me, Rin! I looked like a highlighted banana! Yellow hair does not suit us oriental people, huh?”

[Torinasu Mitsuko S4]

Rin grinned at Harmony’s mention of her dancing and song writing skills. Rin was never talented at the Arts, like her friend was. Rin had a gift with Charms though she knew that. She was never good at Quidditch either; flying was terrifying really. She bit her lower lip, “Kuramu’s passion is protecting me, too. He loves his work, but his family comes first. He’s just like Mother. But…Iyashii’s passion is power…that’s what drives him. I suppose it would be considered ‘ambition’…which my father says is a good thing!” She turned to look at Harmony, the Hufflepuff had never met either of her brothers, though she was sure Iyashii would frighten her. “Iyashii’s abilities are very frightening, but it’s not the power itself…it’s his reaction to it. I mean, once he said to me, ‘Rin, don’t go into the garden today…’ and I didn’t, even if he didn’t say why, you know? And you wouldn’t believe me if I told you one of our cherry blossom trees fell over on my favorite sitting spot! It was amazing! But Iyashii was very quiet for the days that followed…I really don’t know how his visions work…like if he gets a flash that says ‘don’t let Rin in the garden’ or if he sees me getting squashed by a cherry blossom tree?” She paused and considered Harmony’s question of making our own choices. “Well, if people like Iyashii kept their mouths shut about what they saw, then it would mean we still make our own choices. I mean unless he interfered, I would have gone into the garden upon my own choice. If he, and people like him, did not alter my choice, then I would have made my own…if that makes any sense at all!!”

Rin took a breath and let it out slowly. Perhaps, she would talk to Iyashii about his powers, whether her father liked it or not. It was a curious thing, really, and Rin wanted to know everything about it. In a way, she envied her brother’s gifts, but on the other hand she thanked the heavens that she did not have such responcibility. She snapped back to reality as the subject of OWLs was brought up once again. “I’m definitely taking Potions for sure. I think Professor Snape is much more tolerant of me, because of Iyashii. He was a star when it came to Potions. Still is, actually. There isn’t a day that goes by that Professor Snape mentions my brother’s skills,” she laughed, “Thankfully, I’m rather good at it, or I would feel the pressure of keeping up with Iyashii’s legend! And of course we’ll work together. If you want, I can owl Iyashii if we ever need help with our homework, which will probably be very often…Don’t worry about Professor Snape, just stick to my arm, and he’ll leave you alone.”

“DADA is really…um…something I think I’ll have to take. I can’t imagine what my father would say if I dropped it. Kuramu and Iyashii both got NEWTs and Father was soooo proud,” Rin rolled her eyes and laughed, “I’d rather just stick to what I know. I’m not aggressive like the two of them! I love plants and furry things…not scary things you have to kill to survive!” She bit her lip again, what did she want to do when she was older? “I…really don’t know. I suppose I could work for the Ministry…that seems to be the trend of my family. Mother and Auntie will want to leave the bakery in my care…but I’ll leave it for Ikiru or Ai or Warau…they love helping in the shop much more than I do. Perhaps a Healer…or an Oblivator. I wonder if I would feel bad erasing memories?”

She shrugged, “I haven’t really sat down and thought about it. I mean…I want to help people…protect people. I know I don’t want to be an Auror. Kuramu’s studying to be one. Father really isn’t exactly thrilled…Iyashii is working with the Department of Mysteries…I still haven’t made up my mind…but I suppose I still have some time to think it over!”

Rin nearly fell over with laughter when Harmony explained that she turned her hair yellow, “Oh wow…I should change my hair color to fire orange! Oh I’ll master that spell before I get home, scare the pants off of my family! Promise you’ll teach me to do it, okay? It’ll be a riot!”

[Harmony Chan H6]

Harmony smiled ruefully at the mention of Rin’s second oldest brother. “I can’t say I’m that ambitious. I just want to live a happy life, but maybe that’s being too wishful and naïve. Ari is one hundred percent sure life is never easy, and it’s never nice. She’s adamant it’s filled with hardship and strife, but I really don’t want to believe that…” She shrugged more to herself than anything, fiddling with her wand as an outlet of her nerves concerning this matter. “I’m probably more like Kuramu; I think family is really important too, more so than work.” Harmony listened intently at Rin’s description of Iyashii’s powers, before blinking in surprise, alarm and awe. “Wow… that’s quite something… And yeah, that makes sense.” Harmony gave a small smile in agreement, whilst pondering Rin’s older brother, whom she had never met. In fact, Harmony had never met any of Rin’s large family. She knew there was her father and mother, along with her aunt. Then there were Rin’s two elder brothers, and finally, her three younger sisters. Unlike Harmony herself, Rin had a very extended family, whilst she only had Ari and her mother. Actually, there was Aurora too, and possibly Aurora’s parents and brother, Leo. But they weren’t her immediate family. Kuramu sounded nice, Harmony felt when Rin talked about him, but Iyashii, who she knew was once a Slytherin (and not a Slytherin like Rin either) appeared to be darker and more dangerous. People like that frightened Harmony, she had to admit. A part of her hoped to not meet Iyashii any time soon.

Harmony giggled. “Ari was never popular with Snape… He didn’t like her at all, and it was a mutual thing. But even though she wasn’t a favourite of his, Ari has always been good at Potions. She can learn without liking a teacher, but a lot of the time, I feel my love of the subject stems from my preferences of teachers… Which is annoying. I want to enjoy Potions, but I can’t…” Harmony gave a loud disappointed sigh, and inwardly cursed Professor Snape for ever taking up a job of teaching. The guy didn’t even seem to like children or teaching, so why did he become a professor in the first place?! Shaking her head in disbelief, Harmony looked back at Rin with a slightly amused smile, “Thank you. I’ll do my best to keep up and not freak out when Snape heads my way!”

“I’m not aggressive either!” Harmony laughed along with Rin in agreement, glad she wasn’t alone in this matter. She had always been very non violent and gentle. “Ari on the other hand is more so. I guess it’s me being so timid that gets me into stupid situations, and she has to save me out of them… Sometimes I wonder if I’m strong enough to stand on my own two feet…” A slight frown creased on Harmony’s forehead at the thought. “But never mind… I’m me, right?” She flashed a bright, optimistic grin at her friend, trying not to worry about the matter. “I’d hate to kill anything. I just think it’s wrong to hurt anything at all…” Harmony chuckled softly to herself. “The bakery sounds fun.” She commented, tilting her head to one side in thought. “I’d like to do that… Seems like an idyllic, peaceful life with friendly smiling customers and days filled with baking fresh bread. The smell would be lovely, don’t you think? I don’t think I’ll be a Healer though. My uncle, Aurora’s dad, is one. I don’t really like sciencey stuff anyway. And an Auror job sounds too intense and dangerous. I’ve never liked the Dark Arts.” Harmony grimaced. Her future was also something else to consider thoroughly… Why did she have to grow up so fast? “I’d hate to erase other’s memories!” Harmony exclaimed in horror. “It’s like… breach of human rights, right? It’s just… not fair.” She hung her head sadly. “But we don’t really have a say nowadays, right? It’s something we have to do to protect our wizards’ safety…”

“Same, I want to help and protect people!” Harmony nodded enthusiastically. “I mean… I’m not really good at anything else. I like helping others. I need to time to think it over too… The subject actually gives me an headache…” Sighing again, Harmony whacked her head with her hand lightly, before throwing a couple of strands of black hair past her eyes. However, the topic of the colour changing spell cheered Harmony’s spirits up, and she grinned mischievously at Rin, eyes twinkling. “I’d love to show you it! But it does wear off soon, ya know… So you’d have to do it fairly soon before you even see them. Here goes… Wand at the ready?” Harmony glanced over to check her friend had her wand in her hand. “Right, so wave it just a little – not too much – and repeat after me.” Harmony spoke the correct words needed for the simple spell, and made Rin speak the same words too. Then quickly, Harmony performed the spell once for her friend to see, as a demonstration. “Now I’m going to turn my hair… sky blue!” Uttering the spell, Harmony pointed the wand at her hair, and in a flash, her once jet black locks were an azure blue. Laughing, Harmony threw her arms into the air in triumph. “Voila!”

[Torinasu Mitsuko S4]

Rin laughed nervously upon the recalling of her brother and his ambitious ways. She, like her mother, worried constantly about him and the people he surrounded himself with. He often said he had made friends in Sendai, but no one has seen them, not even Kuramu who lives in the same house. She was sent a jolt back to reality, when Harmony mentioned her sister’s view of life, “Oh yeah, that’s Iyashii. Life is cruel and you have to fight to survive. Live life with your wand facing forward and never looking back.” Rin sighed and gave Harmony a slightly embarrassed smile. Her family had it’s black sheep, of this she was certain. It just made her sad to know that Iyashii had nominated himself to be one. It was almost heartbreaking. She felt another pang of worry and wondered what her brother was really up to these days.

Rin giggled lightly, “Snape loved Iyashii for sure, but hated Kuramu. When I finally came to Hogwarts, he showed a bit of mixed feelings for me. Decided I was mentally like Kuramu, but with Iyashii’s skill. I think it pleased him that I was Sorted into Slytherin, I guess he believes that because of that, I’m worthy.” She rolled her eyes, “To be perfectly honest, I could not care less about Houses and all that. Once you get out of Hogwarts, the barriers fade anyway…well for the most part.”

When the conversation returned to their careers, Rin smiled. “I know it’s a long way away, but I want to do something I absolutely love, you know? I mean I don’t want to be stuck in a job that makes me want to die every time I punch the time clock! I want it to be worthwhile, exciting, challenging, but overall fun! As for being an Obliviator, I don’t know…I mean if modifying memories and erasing some protects people from harm…I guess it’s not all so bad?” She shrugged, “But if all else fails, there is the bakery and that’s easy enough for me. You know like a crutch, should anything go wrong.”

She sat quietly for a second then beamed when Harmony agreed to teach her the hair color changing spell. She mirrored her friend’s movements and waved her wand, and uttered the proper incantation. Her hair immediately switched a bright yellow-orange and made Rin roll with laughter. She could only imagine what she looked like! “Well, how did it come out??”

[Harmony Chan H6]

“Well, it’s not a surprise Snape hated Kuramu. After all, he was a Gryffindor, like Ari, right?” Harmony asked, pondering the matter. She was sure Rin’s eldest brother was in the same house as her sister. It was annoying and sad that Snape could only favour his house, and didn’t pay much attention or affection to anyone else save Slytherins, but one had to live with that fact. “Sometimes people judge us based on appearance. On what house we’re in. But it doesn’t… or it’s not meant to mean anything. Like you said, barriers are meant to fade away, but I find in Hogwarts, the moment you are sorted into a specific house, you are sectioned off and labelled as something. It’s quite sad, how humans work sometimes.” Harmony smiled wryly. “Like how everyone thinks you’re a typical Slytherin, Rin. To be honest, I’m quite surprised you were even sorted into that house. Perhaps you possess some qualities of Slytherins, some of the less evil ways. That’s probably why Snape decided he’d have to like you. Anyone in Slytherin works well for him, right? There must be some trait or something…”

“Of course everyone would want a job they loved doing!” Harmony chuckled, nodding in agreement. “I would too… I suppose life doesn’t go the way you want it to go.” She smiled sadly, thinking of her own mother. Lorraine had wanted a nice marriage, a fun, but good paying sustainable job, and children to love and care for. Lorraine wanted happiness, and although at the beginning it had seemed as though that was what she had, everything came tumbling down. That was probably why she had found it so hard to let go, and why it took her so long to leave Henry. Because she wanted to cling on that perfect life with the perfect husband and perfect job and perfect children. People’s fear, people’s desires, weakened resolve. Harmony nodded as she turned back to Rin, an happier smile adorning her lips. “Of course, it’s nice to fall back on something, like a back up plan. That way you can’t possibly fail. I wish I had one of those. My Mum’s a primary school teacher, so… well. I might follow in her footsteps, but it’s a muggle job. I wonder if OWLs and NEWTs count in the muggle world? Maybe they bewitch muggles to think they’re normal GCSE and A Level grades.” Harmony gave a shrug with a confused expression.

Harmony watched as Rin attempted the simple spell, and laughed with her friend’s hair turned a bright yellow-orange shade. Laughing at the sight, Harmony tried to stifle her giggles as she answered Rin’s question. “Oh, it’s lovely! Totally you, Rin!” Harmony nodded furiously, taking a lock of her own shiny blue hair and watching the colour fading already. “Aw, there it goes. It is such a quick spell, which is a shame, but it’s good at the same time because you can’t permanently jinx something or someone.” Harmony was about to repeat the spell again on a nearby plant, until her stomach grumbled loudly. Chuckling to herself, Harmony looked up at Rin’s gradually darkening hair with a smile, “Hey, how about breakfast now? My stomach’s not happy with me. Are you hungry?” Picking herself up carefully, Harmony dusted herself down and checked her watch. “Whoa, we’ve been out here for a while now. Probably time to head back before we miss the food and then lessons.” She sighed wistfully, and extended a hand to help Rin up. “Coming?” Harmony grinned.

((Hope you’re okay with me ending it there. I thought it’d be nice to round it off. Yay, we’re done! We did good. *nod*))