Fourth Year at Hogwarts
Title: Fourth Year at Hogwarts
By: arashiforyou
Genre: Friendship/ Fantasy/ Drama
Rating: PG13
Summary: Matsujun is a fourth year at Hogwarts. Jun and the boys finally received a letter from Sho's father, telling them at everything has calmed down for a while with SIN. But Jun's ring has already begun to drain his life, and he's beginning to worry especially when he's around the Vocal Wizards. Now that the boys are at school, the begun taking DansuMahou, and Ohno already wowed the classmates with his fancy feet. But then, Jun finds out a terrible discovery about Nino and Ohno's past. Why did Nino cursed Ohno? How far will Jun last with his cursed ring? What will Jun do?
A/N: i'm sick *coughcough* darns. is it because i'm not used to the air in the new house?! -___- oh who cares! XD
enjoy!
Chapter 5 - Four-Point Pentagram
"You did WHAT?!" Jun yelled, not caring if others looked. Nino flinched.
"Sshhh!" Nino hissed. "Come on, "
Nino grabbed Jun's wrist and led him away from prying eyes. Jun still had a hard time to wrap his mind around the idea that Nino would curse Ohno with Crucio. Nino peeked inside passing classrooms to see if they were empty.
Finally, they found an unused room, and Nino closed the door behind them.
"Look Jun, I can explain-"
"You really cursed Ohno?!" Jun was still gawking. "H-How could you?! Where did you even learn to do such a curse? And-"
"Jun!" Nino yelled over him. "It was only once and I-"
"Just once is still a lot!" Jun yelled back.
"It was an accident!" Nino shouted.
They remained silent. Jun could hear the students outside the classroom chatting and happily going on with their lives. They sounded so far away from where Jun stood. He continued to leer at Nino, as if hoping Nino will pull off another of his cruel jokes. But there was no lie in Nino's eyes.
"How was it an accident?" Jun asked, slightly calmer. "When did it happened?"
Nino swallowed.
"When we were little...before we even started going to Hogwarts," Nino answered.
Jun fired up again. "How can that be?! You didn't even have your own wand then!"
"I grabbed a spare wand back then!" Nino yelled. They were quiet again except for their heavy breathing from yelling too much. Nino finally spoke again. "When we were kids, I just happen to find a spare wand laying around."
"I doubt any witch or wizard would discard their wand," Jun grunted.
"I didn't know any better...I was only nine," Nino sighed, pulling out a chair to sit down. Jun relaxed a little and walked closer.
"How did it happened?" Jun asked. Nino stared at his thick hands and fiddled with the hem of his robes.
"It's a long story," Nino said.
"Class doesn't start for another ten minutes."
"It's really complicated," Nino challenged.
Jun pulled out a chair and sat down. "You're more complicated."
Nino sucked in his bottom lip.
"Well, Ohno and I were the best of friends when we were little," Nino began. "Since our families were also traditionally sorted into Slytherin, we were on good terms with each other. So we hang out and play with each other a lot.
"I started listening to UtaMahou, and I wanted to write my own music too. Ohno supported me, and he liked singing too. We had this crazy dream that we'll become hot idols or something. But truthfully, I didn't really want to be an idol. I just wanted to run away with Ohno where we could sing and dance to our own music.
"One day, Ohno actually danced to one of my songs with DansuMahou. It was amazing! Just like he was in class today. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. And his dancing movements made me...have these feelings."
"What kind of feelings?" Jun dared to ask.
"You can say it brought up the other side of me I thought I never had," Nino mumbled.
"What do you mean?" Jun frowned, still clueless. Nino sighed.
"My sexuality," Nino said bluntly. Jun mouthed a small 'oh.'
"And then?" Jun said.
"Well, I was young at the time, so I was scared and confused," Nino said. "At first, I thought it was just Ohno's DansuMahou that got me bewitched, but then I realized at night I couldn't stop thinking about him. The way he moved and the way he just...got to me."
Jun remained quiet, watching Nino twiddling with his fingers.
"At such a young age...I already started having fantasies," Nino uttered, covering his eyes as if ashamed.
"Nino," Jun sighed, feeling pity. "So, Ohno really was your first love."
Nino slowly nodded.
"So, I decided to make Ohno dance more," Nino continued with his hands gripping onto his knees tightly. "I started feeding my obessions by just watching him dance. I couldn't get enough.
"I felt so disgusted with myself," Nino frowned. "I didn't know who to talk to, and I didn't confessed to anyone. It was like a beast was growling inside me, and I didn't know when it was going to come out.
"Oh-chan didn't mind at first. But then he started to notice. The way I stared at him...the way my eyes wondered when he dance...the way I asked him to do more aggressive moves," Nino gulped. "So he finally asked me what was wrong with me. And I didn't know how to answer him.
"I was scared," Nino said, his voice began to shake. "I didn't wanted him to hate me. I-I just wanted him for myself. I didn't want him to leave me. So...I stole my dad's wand."
Jun held his breath for a second.
"You have to understand, Jun," Nino said, his eyes closed. "I was really lonely back then. I hardly talked with anyone. Ohno was special, and I didn't want to lose him because of what I've become.
"When I asked Ohno to dance for me again, h-he refused," Nino looked like he was about to cry. Jun didn't know what to do but listen. "We started to argue, and when he said he'll leave, I pulled out the wand.
"It was only for show!" Nino cried, bowing his head and his hands grabbing his hair. "I didn't actually meant to harm him! I just want to scare him a little so he'd stay, but...he didn't believe I'd do it, so he walked away and I...I...I did it."
Jun got up and sat next to Nino, rubbing his back.
"It was the first time I used a wand, and I had to use that spell!" Nino cried between his knees. "And worse, I did it on the one person I loved!"
"What happened after that?" Jun asked, calmly. Nino sniffed, recollecting himself.
"I panicked," Nino groaned. "I've never heard Ohno scream like that. I was so used to hearing him singing. I've never heard him make such a...terrifying noise. The moment he did, I froze and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't stop myself, and he continued to be tortured for the longest time until I just let go of the wand. Ohno was so still, and I thought he was dead. I was about to get help, but then he started to move.
"When he woke up, he just stared at me with these tired eyes," Nino uttered with a very small voice. "Even now, I never knew what those eyes meant. They just pierced right through me. And the first thing he said to me was...'I'm sorry'."
"What?!" Jun gasped.
"It shocked me too," Nino said. "I yelled at him that it was all my fault. I should be the one apologizing. But he said, 'I'll do whatever you say. Anything at all.'
"That's when I thought, 'This is my chance. Ohno can be mine.' But when I immediately thought of that, I knew I couldn't have him. I was afraid I'd hurt him even more, and I didn't want that. So I told him, 'Don't do DansuMahou again.'"
"Ahh," Jun nodded. "So that's why Ohno looked so down today in class. He broke his promise with you."
"I'm such an idiot," Nino sighed, his eyes red and puffy. "I didn't meant him to never do DansuMahou ever again. I meant I didn't want him to do it front of me or I'll start to desire him again."
Nino rested his head on his palms again, looking smaller than Jun could remember.
"But you two seem to be on good terms now," Jun brought up. "I mean, ever since you, me, Ohno, Sho, and Aiba became friends, you became so open and relaxed around him."
"When you guys are around," Nino corrected him. "At times when I'm alone with him, I feel awkward. It's like, I can never bring myself to face him properly."
"But what about the time he was privately teaching you UtaMahou back in our first year?" Jun asked. Nino chuckled.
"That time, Ohno approached me," Nino explained. "In the beginning of our first year, I was really lonely since Ohno was sorted into Gryffindor. I think Ohno felt sorry for that and he wanted to make up by teaching me UtaMahou."
"I see," Jun nodded.
"Still..." Nino said, staring out the tall windows. "He never mentioned about it...not ever. And I'm too scared to ask him."
"Ohno knows about you being bisexual, right?" Jun asked. "He told me that you confessed you were."
"I did," Nino nodded. "The day after I cursed him. I told him without explaining why I am or that he's the one that made me realized I was bi. And he just said 'okay'."
Jun remembered the time what Ohno said back in their second year as if it was yesterday.
'A long time ago, Nino told me what he was,' Ohno nodded. 'It really surprised me that time too. For a moment I thought he loved me, but he explained to me that I'm just his friend.'
"I still have one more question," Jun spoke. "Where did you learn the Cruciatus Curse?"
Nino didn't reply back. He continued to stare out the window with a deep frown on his forehead. Jun thought Nino's eyes looked so pitiful and depressing. Somehow, Jun felt there was more to the story than Nino was telling.
"We better get going or we'll be late for class," Nino sighed, standing up. "I have Arithmancy next. I'll see you later."
"Oh," Jun mumbled. Nino was about to walk out the door, but he quickly turned around and pointed at Jun.
"Don't think I still love Ohno," Nino quickly added. "I have my eyes on you and only you."
And he left.
* * *
Jun's mind was in a daze, walking around like a zombie through the alleys of bookshelves. The library seem to be Jun's relaxing place since he first came to Hogwarts. It was quiet, no one would interrupt him if he was reading a book, and he could recollect his thoughts.
But now, he's mind was like a fog. All he could think of was Nino's unbelievably sad story. Jun had always known Nino was a fishy person, someone who knows a lot and yet won't share his past. So when Jun finally finds out the truth, he doesn't know what to think.
"Still..." Jun mumbled, stopping in the middle of an aisle, "where did he learn that curse?"
Suddenly, his finger burned. He winced and glared down, only to find the curse skull ring glaring back at him. His heartbeat raced, fearing for the worse. But it was only burning him. Jun tried to suppress the pain since he didn't want his voice to echo in the quiet library.
Out of reflex, he backed against the bookshelf, and it dangerously began to wobble. Immediately ignoring the pain, Jun tried to straighten the bookshelf from falling over. He managed to keep the shelf steady but as a result, a few books fell off.
The burning sensation from his ring finally faded away. Sighing with relief, he slowly picked up the books one by one. He didn't paid much attention what the titles said, but as he shelved the last book in its place, a thin black book next to it caught his eye.
He pulled it down and read the title written in slanted red letters: "The Art of Legilimency and Occlumency"
"Legilimency?...Occlumency?" Jun mumbled. "What is this?"
He flipped the book open and schemed through the pages like an expert. Slowly, he realized what the book was about. His eyes widen with a strange excitement.
"A-amazing!" Jun gasped. "I can...read minds?!"
He read a small passage.
"Chapter 3: Defending Your Mind...this...this is perfect!" Jun smiled.
"What's perfect?"
Jun whirled around, hiding the book behind him. He sighed with relief as it was just Inoue Mao.
"Oh, it's just you," Jun relaxed.
"What do you mean 'it's just you'? What are you hiding?" She asked, trying to peek behind him. Jun only half-smiled and showed her the book.
"I found this," he said. "It looks pretty interesting."
Mao took one look at the cover, and her eyes widen.
"You should put that back," she said, looking worried.
"Why?"
"Legilimency isn't taught at Hogwarts," she started to explain. "Plus, the Ministry have very strict laws about the practice of it. That kind of magic is abuse throughout history."
"Look, it's not like I'll master it in a few days. I'll probably never will," Jun shrugged.
"Where did you find that book?" She continued to stare at it like it was evil.
"Up there between those thick books," Jun pointed. "Now that you think about, it could have easily been camouflaged there."
"Why would a Legilimency book be in the Magical Animal section?" Mao brought up.
"Maybe someone tried to hide it," Jun guessed. "Well, I'll keep it."
"Wait!" She pleaded. "I think that book is suppose to be from the Restricted Section. M-maybe you should put it back."
"But this is just what I need!" Jun debated. "Look, I'll only keep it for a little while, and then I'll put it right back."
"But-"
"Mao-chan," Jun whispered, his voice irritated. "Do you know what it's like being around with three Vocal Wizards?"
She looked away, frowning.
"They have...unimaginable abilities without a wand. It's like being completely exposed to them," Jun said, holding the book closer. "With this, I might be able to protect myself...and you."
She glanced up at him, her eyes shining.
"Sometimes I wonder if they think about...getting rid of us...or this school...or all of Japan," Jun muttered. "That's why I need this. So please...don't tell anyone."
She bit her lip, and her eyes darted left and right until she finally nodded.
"Just...don't do anything stupid," she said.
He meant to gave her a quick kiss, but he couldn't resist and pulled her closer. Then, the bell rang.
"I'll see you later, okay?" He winked and left the library. He slipped the book inside his bag.
* * *
Bugs. Crushing. Green Goo. Smoking cauldrons. Slytherins. Nino. Flames. Stirring. Powder unicorn hair. What would it be like with silver hair? What would it be like with long hair? Naruse Ryo. Professor Shiori?
"How did you connect those two?" Ohno blurted out, chuckling. Jun jumped.
"I-I don't know," Jun stuttered. "I-I just picture those two together."
"Well, it's not so bad," Ohno said, leaning in to whisper quietly. "You know what Narimiya is thinking over there? His mind is all about Nino. To think that Nino actually has a boy admirer. Haha!"
"Y-yeah," Jun nodded. Going back to his mind training.
The Potions class immediately started working on antidotes. Jun arrived a little late to class, thus the only seat left was next to Ohno. At first, he didn't mind, but then Ohno stared at him with a smile creeping up to his face. The next thing Jun knew, Ohno started teasing with him and his kissing memory with Mao-chan.
Jun immediately tried to distract himself with anything and everything around him. He was about to lose it when the door swung opened. Naruse Ryo came back from his little chat with a professor, and he walked towards his desk. A few Slytherin girls started to giggle, but Naruse was oblivious to their noise.
"Professor," Toda Erika shot her hand up. "I've finished my potion."
Naruse approached her desk, staring down at her cauldron. Jun disgustingly noticed that the girls wore extra make-up. Naruse, as usual, did not noticed or at least never acknowledged it. But even still, he pulled off his charming smiles.
"Well done, Toda. You've receive your credit for today's lesson," he said in his annoyingly sweet voice. And Toda fell for it.
"Thank you, Professor!" She smiled, batting her eyelids. He continued to walk around the class and gazed into other, eagerly waiting, girls' cauldrons.
"Toda is probably the worst in this class," Ohno winced. "Gosh, it's so hard to block out her annoying voice."
"What is she thinking?" Jun didn't really wanted to know, but it'll keep his mind distracted.
"Let's just say, she has some dark fantasies with Uncle Naruse in them," Ohno briefly explained. Jun whispered low.
"Speaking of dark," Jun said, "Naruse looks darker...and kinda thinner."
"Well, with the Elites not trusting him or giving any assignments, he doesn't do much," Ohno shrugged. "He probably spends more time outside doing something...fishing probably."
"Pfft! Him?" Jun couldn't help but chuckle.
"It's not like he's doing anything else," Ohno added. "Ever since the Elites suspected him for leaking information with SIN, he hardly does much expect do field work. Like that time when SIN invaded my home."
"Have you asked him about your family?" Jun suddenly remembered. Ohno just continued to stir his potion slowly.
"Not yet," he admitted. "But I trust the message from Sho's letter."
"You know," Jun said, staring back into his potion as well, "Naruse is the closest person in this castle that's your family. So even though he can be an evil professor, I'm sure you can talk to him about your family."
"My family is Sho and Aiba," Ohno answered, almost angrily. "...Oh! And you and Nino of course, heh."
Jun tried to smirk as well, but his shoulders drooped anyways. Jun continued to maintain his potion, and his mind started wondering again.
'I wonder if Ohno knows how Nino learned the curse,' Jun thought. He jolted when he felt Ohno's eyes side-glance at him, and he immediately racked his brain to other topics once again.
Stir clockwise. Clockwork. Umbrella. Rain. Water. Ohno. Short hair. Long hair. Will I look good with a white highlight? What if I was blond?
* * *
He was running again. This time he could hear the pounding of his feet against the hard rock. He almost tripped on an uneven leveling, but he quickly regained his footing and continued down the stone pavement.
"Jun!" Someone called him. He stared up at the stone staircase where Nino was waving at him. "This way!"
Jun began to climb the steep steps again. He ran down the stone hallway. He could see better, and he saw the place looked ancient and abandoned.
"I found it!" Jun heard Nino down the hall.
He watched Nino push the same large stone tablet to reveal a hidden underground passage. He followed Nino into the darkness. This time he reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Jun!"
He heard screaming...
Jun gasped and sat up from his bed. It only took him a second to realize it was the same damn dream again. He grunted, rubbing his face. He saw his watch on the bedside table and read 3:23AM. He grabbed the glass of water he left a few hours ago and gulped it down.
He couldn't fall back to sleep.
He stared at Ohno's four-poster bed. The curtains were down, but he could hear Ohno's snoring. Jun sighed, glad that Ohno could get some amount of sleep.
Then, Jun reached under his pillow and pulled out the black book he found at the library. Quietly, he tip-toed out of the dorm and down to the common room. The fire was barely lit, but it was still warm enough. He sat close to the fire on the better chairs and opened the book.
He immediately absorbed into its contents. He gradually took in the key points of performing Legilimency-the ability to read minds. For some reason, it all made good sense to him. It almost seemed...easy.
And then there was Occlumency-the ability to block others Legilimens. With this, Jun slowly understood how to block out his mind being openly around the Vocal Wizards.
"Amazing," Jun whispered. "All this time I've been distracting my mind with so many thoughts. But truly, I had to keep an clear mind. It's so..."
"Simple?"
Jun jumped from his chair and looked around, but he only found an empty common room. He could feel his hair standing up, and his heart beated faster.
"Occlumency will do you good."
"Who's there? Show yourself?" Jun demanded.
"Foolish boy. The ring. Look at your ring."
Jun stared down and almost yelped in fright. The skull's mouth cracked open, smirking at him. Jun's mouth hung open. He recognized that voice.
"T-tamaki Hiroshi?!" Jun gasped.
"Took you long enough, witless mudblood," Tamaki's voice echoed from the skull's mouth.
Jun looking around him, making sure no one was watching. He slowly sat down, his mouth still slightly opened. He gulped.
"W-what do you mean Occlumency will do me good?" Jun asked. The skull rolled its eyes.
"I'm pretty sure you don't want the Vocal Wizards to read your mind and find out our little deal," Tamaki said. "The Vocal Wizards are masters of Legilimency. It'll be useful, so you must master Occlumens."
"But...the material is quite difficult-"
"Did I say this was an option? I'm ordering you to master it so no one will find out our partnership," Tamaki barked. "Even this ring is our only ways of communication. Not even the Ministry or the Elites can tap in our conversation."
"Oh."
"Now, the reason I've contacted is because I have a mission for you."
"Eh?!"
"Have you heard of the Four-Point Pentagram?"
"Er..."
"It's the symbol of the Four Original Vocal Wizards," Tamaki explained anyway. Jun then remembered the same symbol he finds in the textbooks: the square inside a circle with unreadable inscriptions on each corner and the center. The four elements that make this world.
"That symbol is a pentagram?"
"The center is the fifth element. Metal," Tamaki said. "They used that diagram to create the fifth member. If my suspicions are correct, the original Four-Point Pentagram is located where the Earth Talisman is."
"Eh?! Why?"
"Use you brain, boy. Earth is an important component for Metal. When the Vocal Wizards created the fifth member, they used the pentagram in an earthy environment to insure a successful creation. So it'll be the perfect place for the Earth Talisman to be."
"But...the pentagram could be anywhere," Jun shrugged.
"That's where you come in," Tamaki said. "Even though there are only three of them, it should be enough for their minds to take over their host body. Your mission is to find where they performed the creation of the Metal Vocal Wizard."
"W-what?!" Jun choked. "W-won't they suspect me?"
"Do you not want your friends to come back?" Tamaki questioned back. "Do you not want the Vocal Wizards to leave your friends alone?"
"Well, yes. But-"
"This is a battle of wits, boy," Tamaki growled. "You must make sacrifices in order to gain something. Isn't that what the Vocal Wizards themselves do?"
Jun sucked in his lip.
"You must find where that pentagram is," Tamaki ordered. "You must find a way to communicate with the actual Vocal Wizards themselves to give you information. And I'm pretty sure they're more than eager to find the Earth Talisman as well."
The skull smirked. Jun felt his temper rise as he stared down at his distasteful ring.
"I know I've asked you before, but what's in it for you?" Jun asked. "Why do you struggle so much for the Vocal Wizards to come back? What are you gaining from it all?"
Suddenly, Jun couldn't breathe. It was like his lungs stopped functioning, and his heartbeat fluttered out of control. He felt weak, and the room was spinning. He couldn't make a sound. He couldn't move.
His life was being drained.
"How dare you question me," Tamaki's voice echoed from his ring. "My sole purpose is to serve the Vocal Wizards. And when they return, they will reward me for my efforts. It is for that reward I yearn for. They are creators. They are destroyers. And they are my all!"
Finally, Jun was able to breathe. He coughed and hacked, but he was still too weak to stand up. He felt his skin turn cold and un-life like. Even without a mirror, Jun imagined his skin paler and his eyes darker.
"Find where the Four-Point Pentagram is located, or your life is mine," Tamaki's last words echoed.
The fire burned out, and Jun cried silently in the dark.
-----------------------------------------------------------
WAAAHHHH!!!!~~ O___O
I am so angry!!! i was typing, joyfully updating the story. but then i must have slipped my finger and the window closed out!! i panicked and realized i had half the page down but didn't save it!!! AHHHHH!! so i had to retype the WHOLE thing, and now it's late T____T
so i hope my readers are happy with this chapter! i stayed up late to update this chapter for you!! >:(
(calms down) ^^
I think it's helpful to recap, don't you?
- we find out how nino became bisexual! (thanks a lot ohno! hahaha!)
- nino's past was partially reveal (i say partially! we still dont know how nino learned the curse)
- ohno was nino's first love
- after nino cursed ohno, ohno promised he wouldn't do dansumahou (but his misunderstood what nino meant)
- this leads to nino never really forgiving himself and seem to be even more lonely then ever
- jun find a legilimency/occlumency book in the library
- a little maotsujun sweetness
- ohno and jun in potions class, talking about naruse's lack of trust within elites.
- ohno's mind reading seems almost naturally. (jun tries so hard to keep his mind busy)
- the same nightmare with nino
- jun reads more of the book he found
- the skull ring acts as a communication with tamaki
- tamaki orders jun to find the four-point pentagram
geez! i know i'm updating slow but...dont you think that's a lot to take it!!! XDD
To Chapter 6>> arashiforyou.livejournal.com/17933.html
By: arashiforyou
Genre: Friendship/ Fantasy/ Drama
Rating: PG13
Summary: Matsujun is a fourth year at Hogwarts. Jun and the boys finally received a letter from Sho's father, telling them at everything has calmed down for a while with SIN. But Jun's ring has already begun to drain his life, and he's beginning to worry especially when he's around the Vocal Wizards. Now that the boys are at school, the begun taking DansuMahou, and Ohno already wowed the classmates with his fancy feet. But then, Jun finds out a terrible discovery about Nino and Ohno's past. Why did Nino cursed Ohno? How far will Jun last with his cursed ring? What will Jun do?
A/N: i'm sick *coughcough* darns. is it because i'm not used to the air in the new house?! -___- oh who cares! XD
enjoy!
Chapter 5 - Four-Point Pentagram
"You did WHAT?!" Jun yelled, not caring if others looked. Nino flinched.
"Sshhh!" Nino hissed. "Come on, "
Nino grabbed Jun's wrist and led him away from prying eyes. Jun still had a hard time to wrap his mind around the idea that Nino would curse Ohno with Crucio. Nino peeked inside passing classrooms to see if they were empty.
Finally, they found an unused room, and Nino closed the door behind them.
"Look Jun, I can explain-"
"You really cursed Ohno?!" Jun was still gawking. "H-How could you?! Where did you even learn to do such a curse? And-"
"Jun!" Nino yelled over him. "It was only once and I-"
"Just once is still a lot!" Jun yelled back.
"It was an accident!" Nino shouted.
They remained silent. Jun could hear the students outside the classroom chatting and happily going on with their lives. They sounded so far away from where Jun stood. He continued to leer at Nino, as if hoping Nino will pull off another of his cruel jokes. But there was no lie in Nino's eyes.
"How was it an accident?" Jun asked, slightly calmer. "When did it happened?"
Nino swallowed.
"When we were little...before we even started going to Hogwarts," Nino answered.
Jun fired up again. "How can that be?! You didn't even have your own wand then!"
"I grabbed a spare wand back then!" Nino yelled. They were quiet again except for their heavy breathing from yelling too much. Nino finally spoke again. "When we were kids, I just happen to find a spare wand laying around."
"I doubt any witch or wizard would discard their wand," Jun grunted.
"I didn't know any better...I was only nine," Nino sighed, pulling out a chair to sit down. Jun relaxed a little and walked closer.
"How did it happened?" Jun asked. Nino stared at his thick hands and fiddled with the hem of his robes.
"It's a long story," Nino said.
"Class doesn't start for another ten minutes."
"It's really complicated," Nino challenged.
Jun pulled out a chair and sat down. "You're more complicated."
Nino sucked in his bottom lip.
"Well, Ohno and I were the best of friends when we were little," Nino began. "Since our families were also traditionally sorted into Slytherin, we were on good terms with each other. So we hang out and play with each other a lot.
"I started listening to UtaMahou, and I wanted to write my own music too. Ohno supported me, and he liked singing too. We had this crazy dream that we'll become hot idols or something. But truthfully, I didn't really want to be an idol. I just wanted to run away with Ohno where we could sing and dance to our own music.
"One day, Ohno actually danced to one of my songs with DansuMahou. It was amazing! Just like he was in class today. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. And his dancing movements made me...have these feelings."
"What kind of feelings?" Jun dared to ask.
"You can say it brought up the other side of me I thought I never had," Nino mumbled.
"What do you mean?" Jun frowned, still clueless. Nino sighed.
"My sexuality," Nino said bluntly. Jun mouthed a small 'oh.'
"And then?" Jun said.
"Well, I was young at the time, so I was scared and confused," Nino said. "At first, I thought it was just Ohno's DansuMahou that got me bewitched, but then I realized at night I couldn't stop thinking about him. The way he moved and the way he just...got to me."
Jun remained quiet, watching Nino twiddling with his fingers.
"At such a young age...I already started having fantasies," Nino uttered, covering his eyes as if ashamed.
"Nino," Jun sighed, feeling pity. "So, Ohno really was your first love."
Nino slowly nodded.
"So, I decided to make Ohno dance more," Nino continued with his hands gripping onto his knees tightly. "I started feeding my obessions by just watching him dance. I couldn't get enough.
"I felt so disgusted with myself," Nino frowned. "I didn't know who to talk to, and I didn't confessed to anyone. It was like a beast was growling inside me, and I didn't know when it was going to come out.
"Oh-chan didn't mind at first. But then he started to notice. The way I stared at him...the way my eyes wondered when he dance...the way I asked him to do more aggressive moves," Nino gulped. "So he finally asked me what was wrong with me. And I didn't know how to answer him.
"I was scared," Nino said, his voice began to shake. "I didn't wanted him to hate me. I-I just wanted him for myself. I didn't want him to leave me. So...I stole my dad's wand."
Jun held his breath for a second.
"You have to understand, Jun," Nino said, his eyes closed. "I was really lonely back then. I hardly talked with anyone. Ohno was special, and I didn't want to lose him because of what I've become.
"When I asked Ohno to dance for me again, h-he refused," Nino looked like he was about to cry. Jun didn't know what to do but listen. "We started to argue, and when he said he'll leave, I pulled out the wand.
"It was only for show!" Nino cried, bowing his head and his hands grabbing his hair. "I didn't actually meant to harm him! I just want to scare him a little so he'd stay, but...he didn't believe I'd do it, so he walked away and I...I...I did it."
Jun got up and sat next to Nino, rubbing his back.
"It was the first time I used a wand, and I had to use that spell!" Nino cried between his knees. "And worse, I did it on the one person I loved!"
"What happened after that?" Jun asked, calmly. Nino sniffed, recollecting himself.
"I panicked," Nino groaned. "I've never heard Ohno scream like that. I was so used to hearing him singing. I've never heard him make such a...terrifying noise. The moment he did, I froze and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't stop myself, and he continued to be tortured for the longest time until I just let go of the wand. Ohno was so still, and I thought he was dead. I was about to get help, but then he started to move.
"When he woke up, he just stared at me with these tired eyes," Nino uttered with a very small voice. "Even now, I never knew what those eyes meant. They just pierced right through me. And the first thing he said to me was...'I'm sorry'."
"What?!" Jun gasped.
"It shocked me too," Nino said. "I yelled at him that it was all my fault. I should be the one apologizing. But he said, 'I'll do whatever you say. Anything at all.'
"That's when I thought, 'This is my chance. Ohno can be mine.' But when I immediately thought of that, I knew I couldn't have him. I was afraid I'd hurt him even more, and I didn't want that. So I told him, 'Don't do DansuMahou again.'"
"Ahh," Jun nodded. "So that's why Ohno looked so down today in class. He broke his promise with you."
"I'm such an idiot," Nino sighed, his eyes red and puffy. "I didn't meant him to never do DansuMahou ever again. I meant I didn't want him to do it front of me or I'll start to desire him again."
Nino rested his head on his palms again, looking smaller than Jun could remember.
"But you two seem to be on good terms now," Jun brought up. "I mean, ever since you, me, Ohno, Sho, and Aiba became friends, you became so open and relaxed around him."
"When you guys are around," Nino corrected him. "At times when I'm alone with him, I feel awkward. It's like, I can never bring myself to face him properly."
"But what about the time he was privately teaching you UtaMahou back in our first year?" Jun asked. Nino chuckled.
"That time, Ohno approached me," Nino explained. "In the beginning of our first year, I was really lonely since Ohno was sorted into Gryffindor. I think Ohno felt sorry for that and he wanted to make up by teaching me UtaMahou."
"I see," Jun nodded.
"Still..." Nino said, staring out the tall windows. "He never mentioned about it...not ever. And I'm too scared to ask him."
"Ohno knows about you being bisexual, right?" Jun asked. "He told me that you confessed you were."
"I did," Nino nodded. "The day after I cursed him. I told him without explaining why I am or that he's the one that made me realized I was bi. And he just said 'okay'."
Jun remembered the time what Ohno said back in their second year as if it was yesterday.
'A long time ago, Nino told me what he was,' Ohno nodded. 'It really surprised me that time too. For a moment I thought he loved me, but he explained to me that I'm just his friend.'
"I still have one more question," Jun spoke. "Where did you learn the Cruciatus Curse?"
Nino didn't reply back. He continued to stare out the window with a deep frown on his forehead. Jun thought Nino's eyes looked so pitiful and depressing. Somehow, Jun felt there was more to the story than Nino was telling.
"We better get going or we'll be late for class," Nino sighed, standing up. "I have Arithmancy next. I'll see you later."
"Oh," Jun mumbled. Nino was about to walk out the door, but he quickly turned around and pointed at Jun.
"Don't think I still love Ohno," Nino quickly added. "I have my eyes on you and only you."
And he left.
* * *
Jun's mind was in a daze, walking around like a zombie through the alleys of bookshelves. The library seem to be Jun's relaxing place since he first came to Hogwarts. It was quiet, no one would interrupt him if he was reading a book, and he could recollect his thoughts.
But now, he's mind was like a fog. All he could think of was Nino's unbelievably sad story. Jun had always known Nino was a fishy person, someone who knows a lot and yet won't share his past. So when Jun finally finds out the truth, he doesn't know what to think.
"Still..." Jun mumbled, stopping in the middle of an aisle, "where did he learn that curse?"
Suddenly, his finger burned. He winced and glared down, only to find the curse skull ring glaring back at him. His heartbeat raced, fearing for the worse. But it was only burning him. Jun tried to suppress the pain since he didn't want his voice to echo in the quiet library.
Out of reflex, he backed against the bookshelf, and it dangerously began to wobble. Immediately ignoring the pain, Jun tried to straighten the bookshelf from falling over. He managed to keep the shelf steady but as a result, a few books fell off.
The burning sensation from his ring finally faded away. Sighing with relief, he slowly picked up the books one by one. He didn't paid much attention what the titles said, but as he shelved the last book in its place, a thin black book next to it caught his eye.
He pulled it down and read the title written in slanted red letters: "The Art of Legilimency and Occlumency"
"Legilimency?...Occlumency?" Jun mumbled. "What is this?"
He flipped the book open and schemed through the pages like an expert. Slowly, he realized what the book was about. His eyes widen with a strange excitement.
"A-amazing!" Jun gasped. "I can...read minds?!"
He read a small passage.
"Chapter 3: Defending Your Mind...this...this is perfect!" Jun smiled.
"What's perfect?"
Jun whirled around, hiding the book behind him. He sighed with relief as it was just Inoue Mao.
"Oh, it's just you," Jun relaxed.
"What do you mean 'it's just you'? What are you hiding?" She asked, trying to peek behind him. Jun only half-smiled and showed her the book.
"I found this," he said. "It looks pretty interesting."
Mao took one look at the cover, and her eyes widen.
"You should put that back," she said, looking worried.
"Why?"
"Legilimency isn't taught at Hogwarts," she started to explain. "Plus, the Ministry have very strict laws about the practice of it. That kind of magic is abuse throughout history."
"Look, it's not like I'll master it in a few days. I'll probably never will," Jun shrugged.
"Where did you find that book?" She continued to stare at it like it was evil.
"Up there between those thick books," Jun pointed. "Now that you think about, it could have easily been camouflaged there."
"Why would a Legilimency book be in the Magical Animal section?" Mao brought up.
"Maybe someone tried to hide it," Jun guessed. "Well, I'll keep it."
"Wait!" She pleaded. "I think that book is suppose to be from the Restricted Section. M-maybe you should put it back."
"But this is just what I need!" Jun debated. "Look, I'll only keep it for a little while, and then I'll put it right back."
"But-"
"Mao-chan," Jun whispered, his voice irritated. "Do you know what it's like being around with three Vocal Wizards?"
She looked away, frowning.
"They have...unimaginable abilities without a wand. It's like being completely exposed to them," Jun said, holding the book closer. "With this, I might be able to protect myself...and you."
She glanced up at him, her eyes shining.
"Sometimes I wonder if they think about...getting rid of us...or this school...or all of Japan," Jun muttered. "That's why I need this. So please...don't tell anyone."
She bit her lip, and her eyes darted left and right until she finally nodded.
"Just...don't do anything stupid," she said.
He meant to gave her a quick kiss, but he couldn't resist and pulled her closer. Then, the bell rang.
"I'll see you later, okay?" He winked and left the library. He slipped the book inside his bag.
* * *
Bugs. Crushing. Green Goo. Smoking cauldrons. Slytherins. Nino. Flames. Stirring. Powder unicorn hair. What would it be like with silver hair? What would it be like with long hair? Naruse Ryo. Professor Shiori?
"How did you connect those two?" Ohno blurted out, chuckling. Jun jumped.
"I-I don't know," Jun stuttered. "I-I just picture those two together."
"Well, it's not so bad," Ohno said, leaning in to whisper quietly. "You know what Narimiya is thinking over there? His mind is all about Nino. To think that Nino actually has a boy admirer. Haha!"
"Y-yeah," Jun nodded. Going back to his mind training.
The Potions class immediately started working on antidotes. Jun arrived a little late to class, thus the only seat left was next to Ohno. At first, he didn't mind, but then Ohno stared at him with a smile creeping up to his face. The next thing Jun knew, Ohno started teasing with him and his kissing memory with Mao-chan.
Jun immediately tried to distract himself with anything and everything around him. He was about to lose it when the door swung opened. Naruse Ryo came back from his little chat with a professor, and he walked towards his desk. A few Slytherin girls started to giggle, but Naruse was oblivious to their noise.
"Professor," Toda Erika shot her hand up. "I've finished my potion."
Naruse approached her desk, staring down at her cauldron. Jun disgustingly noticed that the girls wore extra make-up. Naruse, as usual, did not noticed or at least never acknowledged it. But even still, he pulled off his charming smiles.
"Well done, Toda. You've receive your credit for today's lesson," he said in his annoyingly sweet voice. And Toda fell for it.
"Thank you, Professor!" She smiled, batting her eyelids. He continued to walk around the class and gazed into other, eagerly waiting, girls' cauldrons.
"Toda is probably the worst in this class," Ohno winced. "Gosh, it's so hard to block out her annoying voice."
"What is she thinking?" Jun didn't really wanted to know, but it'll keep his mind distracted.
"Let's just say, she has some dark fantasies with Uncle Naruse in them," Ohno briefly explained. Jun whispered low.
"Speaking of dark," Jun said, "Naruse looks darker...and kinda thinner."
"Well, with the Elites not trusting him or giving any assignments, he doesn't do much," Ohno shrugged. "He probably spends more time outside doing something...fishing probably."
"Pfft! Him?" Jun couldn't help but chuckle.
"It's not like he's doing anything else," Ohno added. "Ever since the Elites suspected him for leaking information with SIN, he hardly does much expect do field work. Like that time when SIN invaded my home."
"Have you asked him about your family?" Jun suddenly remembered. Ohno just continued to stir his potion slowly.
"Not yet," he admitted. "But I trust the message from Sho's letter."
"You know," Jun said, staring back into his potion as well, "Naruse is the closest person in this castle that's your family. So even though he can be an evil professor, I'm sure you can talk to him about your family."
"My family is Sho and Aiba," Ohno answered, almost angrily. "...Oh! And you and Nino of course, heh."
Jun tried to smirk as well, but his shoulders drooped anyways. Jun continued to maintain his potion, and his mind started wondering again.
'I wonder if Ohno knows how Nino learned the curse,' Jun thought. He jolted when he felt Ohno's eyes side-glance at him, and he immediately racked his brain to other topics once again.
Stir clockwise. Clockwork. Umbrella. Rain. Water. Ohno. Short hair. Long hair. Will I look good with a white highlight? What if I was blond?
* * *
He was running again. This time he could hear the pounding of his feet against the hard rock. He almost tripped on an uneven leveling, but he quickly regained his footing and continued down the stone pavement.
"Jun!" Someone called him. He stared up at the stone staircase where Nino was waving at him. "This way!"
Jun began to climb the steep steps again. He ran down the stone hallway. He could see better, and he saw the place looked ancient and abandoned.
"I found it!" Jun heard Nino down the hall.
He watched Nino push the same large stone tablet to reveal a hidden underground passage. He followed Nino into the darkness. This time he reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Jun!"
He heard screaming...
Jun gasped and sat up from his bed. It only took him a second to realize it was the same damn dream again. He grunted, rubbing his face. He saw his watch on the bedside table and read 3:23AM. He grabbed the glass of water he left a few hours ago and gulped it down.
He couldn't fall back to sleep.
He stared at Ohno's four-poster bed. The curtains were down, but he could hear Ohno's snoring. Jun sighed, glad that Ohno could get some amount of sleep.
Then, Jun reached under his pillow and pulled out the black book he found at the library. Quietly, he tip-toed out of the dorm and down to the common room. The fire was barely lit, but it was still warm enough. He sat close to the fire on the better chairs and opened the book.
He immediately absorbed into its contents. He gradually took in the key points of performing Legilimency-the ability to read minds. For some reason, it all made good sense to him. It almost seemed...easy.
And then there was Occlumency-the ability to block others Legilimens. With this, Jun slowly understood how to block out his mind being openly around the Vocal Wizards.
"Amazing," Jun whispered. "All this time I've been distracting my mind with so many thoughts. But truly, I had to keep an clear mind. It's so..."
"Simple?"
Jun jumped from his chair and looked around, but he only found an empty common room. He could feel his hair standing up, and his heart beated faster.
"Occlumency will do you good."
"Who's there? Show yourself?" Jun demanded.
"Foolish boy. The ring. Look at your ring."
Jun stared down and almost yelped in fright. The skull's mouth cracked open, smirking at him. Jun's mouth hung open. He recognized that voice.
"T-tamaki Hiroshi?!" Jun gasped.
"Took you long enough, witless mudblood," Tamaki's voice echoed from the skull's mouth.
Jun looking around him, making sure no one was watching. He slowly sat down, his mouth still slightly opened. He gulped.
"W-what do you mean Occlumency will do me good?" Jun asked. The skull rolled its eyes.
"I'm pretty sure you don't want the Vocal Wizards to read your mind and find out our little deal," Tamaki said. "The Vocal Wizards are masters of Legilimency. It'll be useful, so you must master Occlumens."
"But...the material is quite difficult-"
"Did I say this was an option? I'm ordering you to master it so no one will find out our partnership," Tamaki barked. "Even this ring is our only ways of communication. Not even the Ministry or the Elites can tap in our conversation."
"Oh."
"Now, the reason I've contacted is because I have a mission for you."
"Eh?!"
"Have you heard of the Four-Point Pentagram?"
"Er..."
"It's the symbol of the Four Original Vocal Wizards," Tamaki explained anyway. Jun then remembered the same symbol he finds in the textbooks: the square inside a circle with unreadable inscriptions on each corner and the center. The four elements that make this world.
"That symbol is a pentagram?"
"The center is the fifth element. Metal," Tamaki said. "They used that diagram to create the fifth member. If my suspicions are correct, the original Four-Point Pentagram is located where the Earth Talisman is."
"Eh?! Why?"
"Use you brain, boy. Earth is an important component for Metal. When the Vocal Wizards created the fifth member, they used the pentagram in an earthy environment to insure a successful creation. So it'll be the perfect place for the Earth Talisman to be."
"But...the pentagram could be anywhere," Jun shrugged.
"That's where you come in," Tamaki said. "Even though there are only three of them, it should be enough for their minds to take over their host body. Your mission is to find where they performed the creation of the Metal Vocal Wizard."
"W-what?!" Jun choked. "W-won't they suspect me?"
"Do you not want your friends to come back?" Tamaki questioned back. "Do you not want the Vocal Wizards to leave your friends alone?"
"Well, yes. But-"
"This is a battle of wits, boy," Tamaki growled. "You must make sacrifices in order to gain something. Isn't that what the Vocal Wizards themselves do?"
Jun sucked in his lip.
"You must find where that pentagram is," Tamaki ordered. "You must find a way to communicate with the actual Vocal Wizards themselves to give you information. And I'm pretty sure they're more than eager to find the Earth Talisman as well."
The skull smirked. Jun felt his temper rise as he stared down at his distasteful ring.
"I know I've asked you before, but what's in it for you?" Jun asked. "Why do you struggle so much for the Vocal Wizards to come back? What are you gaining from it all?"
Suddenly, Jun couldn't breathe. It was like his lungs stopped functioning, and his heartbeat fluttered out of control. He felt weak, and the room was spinning. He couldn't make a sound. He couldn't move.
His life was being drained.
"How dare you question me," Tamaki's voice echoed from his ring. "My sole purpose is to serve the Vocal Wizards. And when they return, they will reward me for my efforts. It is for that reward I yearn for. They are creators. They are destroyers. And they are my all!"
Finally, Jun was able to breathe. He coughed and hacked, but he was still too weak to stand up. He felt his skin turn cold and un-life like. Even without a mirror, Jun imagined his skin paler and his eyes darker.
"Find where the Four-Point Pentagram is located, or your life is mine," Tamaki's last words echoed.
The fire burned out, and Jun cried silently in the dark.
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WAAAHHHH!!!!~~ O___O
I am so angry!!! i was typing, joyfully updating the story. but then i must have slipped my finger and the window closed out!! i panicked and realized i had half the page down but didn't save it!!! AHHHHH!! so i had to retype the WHOLE thing, and now it's late T____T
so i hope my readers are happy with this chapter! i stayed up late to update this chapter for you!! >:(
(calms down) ^^
I think it's helpful to recap, don't you?
- we find out how nino became bisexual! (thanks a lot ohno! hahaha!)
- nino's past was partially reveal (i say partially! we still dont know how nino learned the curse)
- ohno was nino's first love
- after nino cursed ohno, ohno promised he wouldn't do dansumahou (but his misunderstood what nino meant)
- this leads to nino never really forgiving himself and seem to be even more lonely then ever
- jun find a legilimency/occlumency book in the library
- a little maotsujun sweetness
- ohno and jun in potions class, talking about naruse's lack of trust within elites.
- ohno's mind reading seems almost naturally. (jun tries so hard to keep his mind busy)
- the same nightmare with nino
- jun reads more of the book he found
- the skull ring acts as a communication with tamaki
- tamaki orders jun to find the four-point pentagram
geez! i know i'm updating slow but...dont you think that's a lot to take it!!! XDD
To Chapter 6>> arashiforyou.livejournal.com/17933.html