Magic Storm: Might and Main
Jun. 8th, 2017 09:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matsu1ninoTitle: Might and Main
Pairing: Gen
Genre: AU
Disclaimer: Plot is mine, Arashi is not. Unfortunately.
Summary: Excited in his first year attending Hogwarts, Jun learns there is more to the school and those around him than meets the eye. Prequel to Magic Storm.
Author's Note: Happy Birthday![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jheili
Chapter 11
Jun sat motionless in the chair by the hospital bed, staring blankly ahead at his sister’s petrified figure. He wanted to reach out, to feel her, but he could not move. He felt like his whole body was being weighed down with lead and that even something as simple as lifting his arm would be far too much of a struggle. His eyes were red and glazed over. He wished he could cry so that he might feel the sensation of the hot tears running down his cheeks to reassure him that he was alive, but he could not. He had no tears left to cry and no way to feel anything more than the hollowness burning away at his insides.
His mind was full of the earlier conversations the professors had had with him—at him more like, with how utterly one-sided they had been. Jun could not remember saying a word, not that he would have wanted to anyway. He was fairly certain he had forgotten how to speak at this point. It was as though his body had entered a permanent state of shock. He couldn’t move, speak or even feel, and Jun was certain it would never end.
“The heir has started attacking non muggle-born students,” Matsushima had startled from beneath the palm that covered her mouth.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Utsui interjected. “The legend clearly states only those deemed unworthy of magic in the eye of Salazar Slytherin shall be pursued by the horror residing in the chamber.”
Higashiyama nodded in agreement. “If Matsumoto-san really was of magical background, there must be a reasonable explanation as to why she was targeted by the heir.” It was at this point everyone turned to Jun, who had been sitting there silently the whole time as their conversation dragged on.
“Let’s ask him then.”
Jun did not even turn to look at them. Fukuyama clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.
“We know you’re upset but we need you to tell us what you know,” he said with a near growl. Ogura gave him a hard shove and pushed him away from Jun.
“Don’t be so insensitive. Can you not see how affected he is by this?” he snapped at the Transfigurations professor. He crouched down in front of Jun, his voice dropping to an almost whisper. “Do you think you could answer a few questions for us?”
Jun slowly lifted his head to meet his gaze, staring at him for a moment before turning away again to stare at his sister.
“Are both your parents muggles?”
For a moment, Jun did not react. Then he slowly shook his head.
“So at least one of them knows magic?”
This time he nodded, though the motion was small.
“Is Megumi-chan your half-sister or step-sister?”
Jun shook his head again.
Ogura stood back up straight and faced the other professors. “Clear enough for you?” His tone had taken on a sharp edge. There were a couple of grumbles but none of them dared to say anything. Eventually Otsuka, the Muggles Studies professor, stepped forward and crouched by Jun with her hands on both his shoulders.
“Matsumoto-kun,” her voice was soft. “If you wish, we can send you home now. We can contact your parents and arrange for you to return a couple of days early.”
None of the other professors said a word. Jun considered her offer for a moment, his mind filled with the thoughts of his parents. He could see their faces contorting in agony when they found out what had happened to their little girl, the reluctance they would have to send their son back to Hogwarts at all lest he share her fate. Jun would not leave. He had wanted to see his parents but more than that he had wanted to spend the holiday as a family again. Without Megumi, it would not be right.
Slowly, he shook his head. “I’m staying here.” He shocked himself at how steady his voice was.
Otsuka looked completely stunned. “Matsumoto-kun, I do not think that is the wisest—”
“I won’t leave her,” Jun said firmly, glaring ahead of him. He didn’t care what they said or whether they thought it was not a good idea for him to remain at Hogwarts. He meant what he said; he would not leave Megumi.
All of his earlier doubts and hesitations about the heir and these attacks had vanished from his mind, replaced by a lone insatiable thirst for vengeance. Megumi was his security, his excuse to cling to his spoiledness, and now she was gone. Still alive, but only just. Her presence in his life was faded almost beyond restoration and Jun would no longer allow himself to obtain this veil of ignorance that shrouded the reality standing before him.
Soon after declaring his intentions to remain at Hogwarts, the professors had left him alone by his sister’s bedside. It was there Jun stayed, crying and leaving his open wounds on display until the time when his tears had dried and his heart sealed over. It was not voluntary so much as it was a natural reaction that had occurred within him.
Staring unblinkingly at his sister’s still form, Jun was at a loss of what to do next. He knew not what to believe, who he could trust or what he should do. The world was crumbling down around him and all he could do was watch helplessly from where he stood in the middle of it all.
Nino flashed in his mind. That Slytherin, Megumi had called him. She had warned Jun he could not be trusted and now only when he was much too late was he was starting to open his eyes, just as she had told him he needed to, to see the facts presented before him. Nino had been found at three of the attack scenes—something else Megumi tried to warn him of. No, Jun thought. He had been there at all four attacks. Jun couldn’t remove the image of Nino standing over his sister’s body, his eyes wide with what looked remarkably like guilt for someone claiming not to have done anything. Jun never thought he would side with Himura but perhaps the caretaker was right in his accusations about Nino and in saying he could not talk his way out of this. Jun certainly saw no way for Nino to explain himself.
For all three other instances Jun was prepared to brush them off as unfortunate coincidences or Nino simply being found in the wrong place at the wrong time again, but this time was different. This was his sister; someone Nino had no connection to, found in a place Nino had no purpose being near whatsoever. What was Nino even doing outside that bathroom again? What had he supposedly heard the first time they were there? Had he been trying to lead Jun into a trap then, only to be foiled by Toma’s presence there as well? Jun didn’t know what to think.
He couldn’t understand why Megumi had even been the one to have been attacked. There were far more muggle-born students left in the school. It wasn’t that Jun wanted to see anyone else attacked but he really didn’t think it was fair that his sister, a half-blood, was petrified when the heir could have chosen any of the remaining students of muggle heritage. Jun was certain there was more meaning behind Megumi being chosen as the target; he just couldn’t figure out what it was.
Jun remained in the hospital wing for what felt like hours. It could have been hours; he wasn’t actually sure exactly how long he had been sitting there by his sister’s bedside, staring at her frozen expression, too lost in his thoughts to be aware of anything else.
It wasn’t until two thin arms wrapped loosely around his shoulder and a body pressed ever so lightly against his back that Jun finally snapped out of his trance long enough to take in his surroundings. It seemed darker than he last remembered it and a few of the candles placed around the infirmary were lit to give a faint glow throughout the room.
“We were worried about you,” the person hugging him from behind murmured close to his ear. Toma. Jun recognized the voice. He should have known it would be him. “You weren’t at the feast.”
So it was already dinner time. Not that he was hungry at all, Jun thought. His appetite was lacking, his stomach tight with apprehension, and the thought of eating made him feel like throwing up.
“We heard about what happened,” Toma went on. He kept his voice soft, almost as though he were scared of frightening Jun off by making any loud noises. “Jun…I’m so sorry.”
Jun sighed and leant back into the embrace, resting his head against Toma’s shoulder. His gaze never left his sister though and even while he couldn’t see where his friend was looking, Jun knew he too was staring at her petrified body.
Toma said nothing else but continued to hold him. It was surely an uncomfortable position he was forced to remain in by not breaking the embrace, and Jun felt incomparable gratitude for his friend’s enduring patience. His hand was moving in a slow, up and down movement over Jun’s arm, a gesture which Jun could only assume he was supposed to find comforting. He appreciated Toma’s efforts but he still could not feel a thing.
“Shouldn’t you be packing?” Jun asked eventually when the silence became too much to bear. His voice was raspy, resultant from the lack of use and excessive crying he had done, not that he cared at all how he sounded. It seemed Toma didn’t either as Jun felt him shake his head against his.
“I’m not going home.”
Jun stiffened slightly and turned in the embrace to stare at his friend. Toma’s words confused him immensely. He had been raving for days about how excited he was to go home, about how much he was looking forward to seeing his parents and dog—and his brother as well, he supposed—and that he really could not wait for the Christmas break to come. For him to suddenly turn around and declare he was not going with as much ease as he just did baffled Jun.
“What do you mean by you’re not going home?” he had to ask. It was all he could ask really, as in that brief moment he could think of nothing else but Toma’s most recent statement.
Toma shrugged but Jun could see something deeper shifting behind his eyes. “You need a friend right now.”
“But you really wanted to go home,” Jun stammered, watching as Toma nodded sadly.
“I did,” he agreed. “But I’m needed here more.”
Jun was speechless. The sincerity in his voice was more than enough to convince Jun that Toma was completely serious, and was almost enough to bring about tears of a different sort. He felt bad though. Toma did still wish to see his family and a part of Jun was tempted to tell Toma to just forget about him and go home for the holidays like he was planning to. But he knew his friend would not listen. He had settled on staying and Jun knew there was no way of talking him around it, and in the back of his mind—the greedy self-centred part he tried not to listen to all that often—Jun was glad of this. Toma was right in saying he needed a friend. No matter how much he felt like he should be, he didn’t want to be alone. In all honesty Jun didn’t think he could trust himself to be on his own. With the vengeful drive he was experiencing on top of the unfeeling core that was burning away inside of him, Jun really did not know what he was capable of doing if left alone.
Jun shuffled over in his seat to make room for Toma, who gladly sat down and wrapped his arm around him. Jun leant his head on the Hufflepuff’s shoulder. With a soft and muttered “thank you”, he felt all the tension he’d been feeling lift and his body sag limply against his friend’s loving hold.
Pairing: Gen
Genre: AU
Disclaimer: Plot is mine, Arashi is not. Unfortunately.
Summary: Excited in his first year attending Hogwarts, Jun learns there is more to the school and those around him than meets the eye. Prequel to Magic Storm.
Author's Note: Happy Birthday
jheiliChapter 11
Jun sat motionless in the chair by the hospital bed, staring blankly ahead at his sister’s petrified figure. He wanted to reach out, to feel her, but he could not move. He felt like his whole body was being weighed down with lead and that even something as simple as lifting his arm would be far too much of a struggle. His eyes were red and glazed over. He wished he could cry so that he might feel the sensation of the hot tears running down his cheeks to reassure him that he was alive, but he could not. He had no tears left to cry and no way to feel anything more than the hollowness burning away at his insides.
His mind was full of the earlier conversations the professors had had with him—at him more like, with how utterly one-sided they had been. Jun could not remember saying a word, not that he would have wanted to anyway. He was fairly certain he had forgotten how to speak at this point. It was as though his body had entered a permanent state of shock. He couldn’t move, speak or even feel, and Jun was certain it would never end.
“The heir has started attacking non muggle-born students,” Matsushima had startled from beneath the palm that covered her mouth.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Utsui interjected. “The legend clearly states only those deemed unworthy of magic in the eye of Salazar Slytherin shall be pursued by the horror residing in the chamber.”
Higashiyama nodded in agreement. “If Matsumoto-san really was of magical background, there must be a reasonable explanation as to why she was targeted by the heir.” It was at this point everyone turned to Jun, who had been sitting there silently the whole time as their conversation dragged on.
“Let’s ask him then.”
Jun did not even turn to look at them. Fukuyama clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.
“We know you’re upset but we need you to tell us what you know,” he said with a near growl. Ogura gave him a hard shove and pushed him away from Jun.
“Don’t be so insensitive. Can you not see how affected he is by this?” he snapped at the Transfigurations professor. He crouched down in front of Jun, his voice dropping to an almost whisper. “Do you think you could answer a few questions for us?”
Jun slowly lifted his head to meet his gaze, staring at him for a moment before turning away again to stare at his sister.
“Are both your parents muggles?”
For a moment, Jun did not react. Then he slowly shook his head.
“So at least one of them knows magic?”
This time he nodded, though the motion was small.
“Is Megumi-chan your half-sister or step-sister?”
Jun shook his head again.
Ogura stood back up straight and faced the other professors. “Clear enough for you?” His tone had taken on a sharp edge. There were a couple of grumbles but none of them dared to say anything. Eventually Otsuka, the Muggles Studies professor, stepped forward and crouched by Jun with her hands on both his shoulders.
“Matsumoto-kun,” her voice was soft. “If you wish, we can send you home now. We can contact your parents and arrange for you to return a couple of days early.”
None of the other professors said a word. Jun considered her offer for a moment, his mind filled with the thoughts of his parents. He could see their faces contorting in agony when they found out what had happened to their little girl, the reluctance they would have to send their son back to Hogwarts at all lest he share her fate. Jun would not leave. He had wanted to see his parents but more than that he had wanted to spend the holiday as a family again. Without Megumi, it would not be right.
Slowly, he shook his head. “I’m staying here.” He shocked himself at how steady his voice was.
Otsuka looked completely stunned. “Matsumoto-kun, I do not think that is the wisest—”
“I won’t leave her,” Jun said firmly, glaring ahead of him. He didn’t care what they said or whether they thought it was not a good idea for him to remain at Hogwarts. He meant what he said; he would not leave Megumi.
All of his earlier doubts and hesitations about the heir and these attacks had vanished from his mind, replaced by a lone insatiable thirst for vengeance. Megumi was his security, his excuse to cling to his spoiledness, and now she was gone. Still alive, but only just. Her presence in his life was faded almost beyond restoration and Jun would no longer allow himself to obtain this veil of ignorance that shrouded the reality standing before him.
Soon after declaring his intentions to remain at Hogwarts, the professors had left him alone by his sister’s bedside. It was there Jun stayed, crying and leaving his open wounds on display until the time when his tears had dried and his heart sealed over. It was not voluntary so much as it was a natural reaction that had occurred within him.
Staring unblinkingly at his sister’s still form, Jun was at a loss of what to do next. He knew not what to believe, who he could trust or what he should do. The world was crumbling down around him and all he could do was watch helplessly from where he stood in the middle of it all.
Nino flashed in his mind. That Slytherin, Megumi had called him. She had warned Jun he could not be trusted and now only when he was much too late was he was starting to open his eyes, just as she had told him he needed to, to see the facts presented before him. Nino had been found at three of the attack scenes—something else Megumi tried to warn him of. No, Jun thought. He had been there at all four attacks. Jun couldn’t remove the image of Nino standing over his sister’s body, his eyes wide with what looked remarkably like guilt for someone claiming not to have done anything. Jun never thought he would side with Himura but perhaps the caretaker was right in his accusations about Nino and in saying he could not talk his way out of this. Jun certainly saw no way for Nino to explain himself.
For all three other instances Jun was prepared to brush them off as unfortunate coincidences or Nino simply being found in the wrong place at the wrong time again, but this time was different. This was his sister; someone Nino had no connection to, found in a place Nino had no purpose being near whatsoever. What was Nino even doing outside that bathroom again? What had he supposedly heard the first time they were there? Had he been trying to lead Jun into a trap then, only to be foiled by Toma’s presence there as well? Jun didn’t know what to think.
He couldn’t understand why Megumi had even been the one to have been attacked. There were far more muggle-born students left in the school. It wasn’t that Jun wanted to see anyone else attacked but he really didn’t think it was fair that his sister, a half-blood, was petrified when the heir could have chosen any of the remaining students of muggle heritage. Jun was certain there was more meaning behind Megumi being chosen as the target; he just couldn’t figure out what it was.
Jun remained in the hospital wing for what felt like hours. It could have been hours; he wasn’t actually sure exactly how long he had been sitting there by his sister’s bedside, staring at her frozen expression, too lost in his thoughts to be aware of anything else.
It wasn’t until two thin arms wrapped loosely around his shoulder and a body pressed ever so lightly against his back that Jun finally snapped out of his trance long enough to take in his surroundings. It seemed darker than he last remembered it and a few of the candles placed around the infirmary were lit to give a faint glow throughout the room.
“We were worried about you,” the person hugging him from behind murmured close to his ear. Toma. Jun recognized the voice. He should have known it would be him. “You weren’t at the feast.”
So it was already dinner time. Not that he was hungry at all, Jun thought. His appetite was lacking, his stomach tight with apprehension, and the thought of eating made him feel like throwing up.
“We heard about what happened,” Toma went on. He kept his voice soft, almost as though he were scared of frightening Jun off by making any loud noises. “Jun…I’m so sorry.”
Jun sighed and leant back into the embrace, resting his head against Toma’s shoulder. His gaze never left his sister though and even while he couldn’t see where his friend was looking, Jun knew he too was staring at her petrified body.
Toma said nothing else but continued to hold him. It was surely an uncomfortable position he was forced to remain in by not breaking the embrace, and Jun felt incomparable gratitude for his friend’s enduring patience. His hand was moving in a slow, up and down movement over Jun’s arm, a gesture which Jun could only assume he was supposed to find comforting. He appreciated Toma’s efforts but he still could not feel a thing.
“Shouldn’t you be packing?” Jun asked eventually when the silence became too much to bear. His voice was raspy, resultant from the lack of use and excessive crying he had done, not that he cared at all how he sounded. It seemed Toma didn’t either as Jun felt him shake his head against his.
“I’m not going home.”
Jun stiffened slightly and turned in the embrace to stare at his friend. Toma’s words confused him immensely. He had been raving for days about how excited he was to go home, about how much he was looking forward to seeing his parents and dog—and his brother as well, he supposed—and that he really could not wait for the Christmas break to come. For him to suddenly turn around and declare he was not going with as much ease as he just did baffled Jun.
“What do you mean by you’re not going home?” he had to ask. It was all he could ask really, as in that brief moment he could think of nothing else but Toma’s most recent statement.
Toma shrugged but Jun could see something deeper shifting behind his eyes. “You need a friend right now.”
“But you really wanted to go home,” Jun stammered, watching as Toma nodded sadly.
“I did,” he agreed. “But I’m needed here more.”
Jun was speechless. The sincerity in his voice was more than enough to convince Jun that Toma was completely serious, and was almost enough to bring about tears of a different sort. He felt bad though. Toma did still wish to see his family and a part of Jun was tempted to tell Toma to just forget about him and go home for the holidays like he was planning to. But he knew his friend would not listen. He had settled on staying and Jun knew there was no way of talking him around it, and in the back of his mind—the greedy self-centred part he tried not to listen to all that often—Jun was glad of this. Toma was right in saying he needed a friend. No matter how much he felt like he should be, he didn’t want to be alone. In all honesty Jun didn’t think he could trust himself to be on his own. With the vengeful drive he was experiencing on top of the unfeeling core that was burning away inside of him, Jun really did not know what he was capable of doing if left alone.
Jun shuffled over in his seat to make room for Toma, who gladly sat down and wrapped his arm around him. Jun leant his head on the Hufflepuff’s shoulder. With a soft and muttered “thank you”, he felt all the tension he’d been feeling lift and his body sag limply against his friend’s loving hold.
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no subject
Date: 2017-06-08 01:22 pm (UTC)The teachers were so insensitive asking him all those questions like cant they see how shaken he was... i guess it really was necessary but seriously =_= megumi is adopted isn't she? She's actually muggle-born right?
Jun starting to suspect nino now.. well he was found in all 4 cases of petrification, it's natural he would start to suspect.. it's sweet enough of him that he kept defending nino all these time
JunMa cute friendship aww <3 toma was worried cause Jun didnt show up during the feast :(( poor junjun should eat but ye i can imagine he wouldn't feel like he want to eat after what happened... and toma not wanting to go home and be with jun is super cute~ he really do need a friend at the moment and so glad that toma decides to be there for him ^^
Thank you for updating! Looking forward to the next one~
no subject
Date: 2019-05-09 02:26 pm (UTC)I love this story, you make it really interesting 👍👍
But do this chapter has continuation?
Thank you 😊
no subject
Date: 2019-05-10 12:06 am (UTC)Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you like the story, I didn't think many people were reading it. I've taken a short hiatus from writing in order to deal with the problems of real life, but should be back to it very soon. This story will probably be the first one I update.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-14 02:40 am (UTC)and I'm looking forward for your comeback :)