Chapter 66: Hogwarts AU: Year two

Jin laughed with glee as she ran down the cobblestone street, her black robes fluttering behind her like they did when she used to ride her toy broom. Other shoppers either ignored or smiled at the excited young girl passing them by.

Last year Jin had been much slower while going through Diagon Alley, adamant about going into each shop one by one and looking at everything with gasps and eyes full of wonder. But now, after living at The Leaky Cauldron all summer with her family and spending hours roaming Diagon Alley with Haruhi, there was nothing to distract her from her destination today.

"Jin-chan! Jin-chan, over here!"

Except for Honey, apparently.

Changing directions on a dime, Jin beamed and waved wildly as she approached the front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, where Honey and Mori were waving back. A full set of Puddlemere United robes were on showcase this morning, accompanied by a quaffle autographed by the team. Limited supplies. And as much as Jin would've loved to get a new quaffle, they didn't have the money.

Ignoring the display, she launched herself into Mori's arms for a hug. "Hey, guys!"

"Jin-chan!" Honey bounced up onto her back, making his cousin hold them both off the ground. "You're early!"

"I know." Jin waited until she was set on the ground before gesturing back the way she came. "My dad and little sister are still shopping. They're getting Haru's wand right now, so Dad said I could go ahead and wait for you guys."

The three chatted as they walked further down the street, swinging their bags of school supplies. Honey bounced a few paces ahead, already excited about the new books he would be purchasing for his elective courses this year. Especially Care of Magical Creatures, since that was the one he and Mori were sharing.

Walking into Flourish and Blotts, Jin had about four seconds to really take in the shop. It was one of her absolute favorite places in Diagon Alley. The smell of old and new books, the sound of covers sliding against each other and pages being flipped, the literal and figurative magic dancing in the air…

Her savoring was cut off by something solid and heavy crashing into her side and knocked her onto the floor.

"JIN!"

"Ack!"

" Tamaki! "

Tamaki was still beaming even as Mori pried him off of his classmate. Jin sat up with a groan, her hip starting to ache from how hard it had hit the floor. As she stood up, Jin watched as Kyoya stormed down from the second floor, a large collection of bags in hand that he looked dangerously close to throwing at someone. A very specific someone at that.

As soon as he was close enough, Kyoya smacked Tamaki sharply upside the head before shoving a few of the bags into his hands. "Next time you see our friends, don't throw your things into my arms and hope I catch them. I think your container of newt eyes broke."

Tamaki let out a stricken wail and began sifting through his bags, missing Kyoya's evil smile as he turned to greet the others. He accepted the following hugs with minimal complaint.

Jin pulled back last, hooking a finger on the edge of one of Kyoya's bag and peeking inside. "So, have you bought the new books, yet?"

"Yes." Kyoya shook the bag in his other hand, creating the sound of book covers sliding against each other. "I was reading through the new charms book when Tamaki spotted you. Looks like we're in for a tough year."

"Yeah…" Mori nodded solemnly.

Honey looked over Tamaki's shoulder, not bothering to pull away from their hug as he chimed in, "I remember how hard second year was in the beginning. Most of the teachers had us perform some spells to see what we remembered from first year but without practice… it was real hard."

Jin nibbled at her bottom lip. Even though she'd been looking forward to going back to Hogwarts ever since she'd left last spring, there was no denying the anxious pit settling in her stomach. What if she went back and… and everything she'd managed to learn last year was a fluke? Elementary stuff? And now that she was older all of her luck was going to run out?

No… stop that. It wasn't a fluke. I was at the top of the class, and that's how it's going to stay. I just have to keep studying and-

"Nēchan! Nēchan!"

Jin's head jerked up at the sound of Haruhi's voice, drawing the boy's attention as well. Tamaki practically dropped Honey at the sight of the short girl running through the store, a huge smile on her face. She launched herself into Jin's arms for a hug and Tamaki let out a small squeak that was most certainly not intentional.

Haruhi pulled out of Jin's arms just as fast as she'd entered them, bouncing in place as she babbled, "Nēchan, I got my wand! See? See! And Ollivander said it has the same core as yours! Same unicorn, too! Even our wands are siblings! Isn't that cool!?"

"Oh wow… " Jin's eyes were wide as she pulled out her wand to compare the two. In all honesty, they didn't look remotely alike. Haruhi's wand was shorter than Jin's by about an inch, a sort of reddish-brown while Jin's was made of light Beech wood, and if she had to guess, Jin would assume that the wand's flexibilities weren't the same.

But that didn't stop her from smiling back at her sister. "It's so cool! Our wands really do match us, don't they? Oh, Haru, these are my friends from school! Takashi Morinozuka, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, Kyoya Ootori, and Tamaki Suoh!"

Haruhi's eyes followed her sister's arm as she gestured to each of the boys in turn, nodding in response as she repeated their names in her head like a mantra so she could remember them. If she was lucky, she'd have some extra help with navigating the castle in the coming weeks.

"It's nice to meet you all."

"It's nice to meet you, too!" To no one's surprise, Tamaki was the first one to jump forward. "We've been looking forward to meeting you ever since Jin mentioned she had a sister! She talks very highly of you!"

Jin smiled to herself upon seeing Haruhi blush. Tamaki certainly had a way with people, especially girls. And while Haruhi didn't appear to have much interest in boys at the moment, it was clear that she liked hearing praise from her sister, second-hand or not.

"But how come your hair is cut so short? And what's with the pants? I thought you were a boy when you came in at first."

"There you are! Haruhi, don't run off like that! Oh, good, Jin you found your friends." A tall red-headed witch suddenly came breezing into the store. The boys exchanged glances with each other as Jin and Haruhi turned to look at the woman. Didn't they say they were shopping with their father?

"Sorry, Dad. I just got excited!"

"Hmph, I suppose that's not the worst thing to be. I'm just glad you're okay. Now, let's hurry and buy your books before they go out of stock. Can they go out of stock? Did you ask? How many did you need again? You still have your lists, right?"

"Dad, they're in your robes."

"Oh yes, right, right. Now, come along! Let's go grab them! You boys can come with us. Do any of you know where the second year books are located?"

Kyoya was the first one to compose himself, offering a charming smile as he spoke, "Of course, Sir! Right this way."

Honey, Mori, and Tamaki were quick to follow Kyoya as he lead Ranka up the stairs to the second floor. Jin and Haruhi hung back just a hair, letting some distance bloom between them and the boys before Jin turned towards her sister with a smile.

"So, what do you think of them so far?"

"Hmmm…" Haruhi's mouth twisted to the side, eyes narrowing. "I dunno. I don't think I've talked to them enough to make a judgement call. But, I mean, even if I don't exactly like your friends, I'll still see you around the castle, right?"

"Yeah… but I'm usually around these guys. So you might have to interact with them quite a bit."

"Eh… from what you've told me I'll probably at least get along with them…" Haruhi scrunched up her nose. "Even though Tamaki is really obnoxious."

Jin could only laugh.

"I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow, Haru!"

"Okay! Bye-bye, Nēchan!"

Jin waved after Haruhi, watching her little sister merge into the crowd of children following after Hagrid's booming voice. She wished she could follow along and say hello to the large man, but knew she'd have to wait until after her classes tomorrow.

Tamaki was waving as well, having already grown almost overly fond of Haruhi. "Can you still see her?"

"Not exactly. I'm just following the twin's hair at this point. I assume she's next to them."

The twins Jin was referring to were Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, two first year boys they had met on the train. Oddly enough, they all met the same way Tamaki and Jin had met Kyoya exactly one year ago. The twins were sitting in one of the larger cabins, which Tamaki had been leading their little "pack" through to find a place for them all to sit. He spotted the twins through the window, smiled, and said he had a "good feeling" about the cabin before opening the doors and walking in. Jin, who was at the back of the group, smiled at her friend's choice of words and gently prodded the others forwards.

It was a rocky start. The twins had asked Tamaki to play a game, and if he won they could all sit together. It was simple. He just had to say which one was Hikaru, and which one was Kaoru.

Tamaki almost immediately shouted out his answer, his legs stretched out in a rather proud stance and a finger pointed in the boy's direction.

He got it wrong.

"But… how are we supposed to tell you apart if we don't know you?" Haruhi poked her head between Mori and Jin, her head tilting as she stared at her new classmates. "You guys look identical, so no one's going to get it on the first try."

Apparently, she said something right.

Or wrong.

Because even though they were "allowed" to sit with the twins for the train ride, they proved to not be especially nice towards other people. They gave scathing comments whenever Tamaki tried to pull them into a conversation, laughed at others misfortune with Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and outwardly admitted that Haruhi was going to be an interesting "toy" for the upcoming school year. And yet, despite how some of their words rubbed Jin the wrong way, Tamaki still continued trying to get the boys to join their conversations. As big of an idiot as her friend was… Jin had learned to trust his judgement when it came to other people. Just so long as they didn't try to humiliate her little sister, Jin could probably get along with anyone, besides.

"C'mon, Jin-chan! Tama-chan! Let's get a carriage together!"

Giving the two redheads another glance, Jin and Tamaki turned away from the swarm of 1st years and followed after their friends. Jin wasn't sure how to feel about the carriages. Would they get a grand reveal of the castle like last year? Which way would they be approaching Hogwarts? It was probably faster than the boats, at least, which was a bonus. She just couldn't wait to be back at-

She stopped walking upon seeing the carriages.

The other boys continued walking for a few paces before realizing they'd lost someone. Kyoya turned around, eyes narrowing a bit. "Jin? Are you alright?"

Upon hearing her name, she shook her head and rushed forward. "Nothing. It's nothing. I just thought I'd forgotten something on the train. But it's fine. We're fine. Can someone help me lift Sora into the carriage?"

Their other friends bought it.

Kyoya did not.

However, he knew better than to grill her while Tamaki, Honey, and Mori were around to defend her unwillingness to answer his questions, so Kyoya placed the topic on a backburner and quietly listened to the other's laughter all the way to the castle.

Stepping foot inside was just as heartwarming as Jin had expected. It felt like the warm golden-colored walls, the suits of armor, and even the Great Hall were softly calling out ' Welcome home ' as the students filed inside. The only negative part was when everyone had to split up to sit at their own houses. Honey and Mori went off to sit underneath the Gryffindor flag while Kyoya followed the mass of green and silver crests, all three of them waving goodbye to Jin and Tamaki as they did so.

Okay, scratch that. That wasn't the only negative.

The waiting was a definite negative.

Had they waited this long last year? Jin doubted it, because she didn't remember being this hungry. And she'd eaten on the train, too! But then again, last year she'd been overwhelmed with anxiety and excitement over her sorting ceremony to really think about her stomach before the feast popped up in front of them all. How was Haruhi fairing, she had to wonder. Her little sister was always super level-headed, but even she got nervous on occasion.

When the mass of 1st years were lead into the Great Hall by Professor Longbottom, Jin immediately sought out her baby sister. It was harder than she thought it would be, considering how short Haruhi was, but eventually she spotted her. And right next to her were the twins. Jin wondered in the back of her mind where those two would end up. They both said Slytherin when asked on the train… but something about that didn't sit right with Jin. She didn't know why, either.

Jin was so wrapped up in her own thoughts and her empty stomach that she missed a good portion of the Sorting Hat's song. Shaking her head, like that might reconnect her ears to her brain, Jin strained to focus her mind on the actual ceremony. Much like last year, a number of nationalities and ethnicities were mixed into the new group of 1st years. Jin spotted a pair of Korean's and one Chinese student, but no other Japanese students besides her sister and the Hitachiin's. She can't help but feel proud of her sister for getting into such a prestigious school.

And right after Fane, Cole was sorted into Slytherin…

"Fujioka, Haruhi!"

Jin watched with bated breath as Haruhi made her way up the steps towards the Sorting Hat. Tamaki faintly whispered that she looked so calm, but Jin knew otherwise. Haruhi might not have wide eyes or shaky knees like her other classmates, but her shoulders were set and her palms had to be sweating as she turned and sat down on the stool. She locked eyes with Jin right before the hat covered her face.

Jin fought to keep herself from bouncing her leg under the table, having been told off numerous times last year for shaking the bench. How long would Haruhi take? Both girls had a pretty good idea which house Haruhi would be placed in, but would the Sorting Hat agree? And if it didn't, how would Haruhi take it?

"RAVENCLAW!"

Well, now they'd never know.

Jin cheered the loudest as Haruhi's face reappeared from inside the hat. She blinked a few times before smiling and hurrying towards her new house. This time it wasn't only Jin who knew how excited she was. Tamaki wrapped his arms around Jin and shook her.

"We've got all four houses! All four! We're the whole crest now!"

"Shhh! The next kid's gone up!"

Tamaki quieted down once more, and they returned their attention to the front. Now that Haruhi's sorting was over and most of the suspence had leaked out of Jin's person, it seemed like in no time at all Hikaru was being called up.

He definitely looked calm. Suave, almost. He shot an impish grin in what Jin assumed was his brother's direction before he vanished inside the hat.

How long-

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The moment the Sorting Hat was pulled back off of Hikaru's head Jin had a bad feeling develop in the pit of her stomach. For all the boy's snark and clipped comments on the train, he looked rather off-balance as he wandered off stage. Jin spotted Mori's head over the crowd and can assume that Honey is waving at Hikaru, but with the 2nd year Gryffindors in between their classes there was little they could do for him right now.

Jin bit her bottom lip as Kaoru was called up. She noticed how all the teachers perked up in their chairs and watch with interest as Kaoru sat down, his eyes glued to the Gryffindor table right until the hat was put on his head. She couldn't help but wonder… was Kaoru going to follow his brother? She knew that sometimes the hat listened to the student's input, but not always. Sometimes, the hat was right and chose regardless of what it was being told.

Jin's leg began to bounce the longer they stared at Kaoru, his sorting gradually becoming the longest of the evening. She noticed how his fists were clenched above his knees, his lower lip occasionally being bitten until it was bright red. His face, what little they could see of it at least, even went pale around the three minute mark.

What was he being told?

Just as four minutes was beginning to creep towards five, Kaoru's fists abruptly unclenched. His shoulders relaxed and his lower lip was freed as he let out a long sigh, nodding his head slightly so the hat's pointed tip wiggled around.

Everyone leaned forward in anticipation as the hat's brim opened.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"What?!"

Hikaru's shout was nearly drowned out by the applause. Jin and Tamaki exchanged a glance before clapping as well, giving Kaoru matching smiles as he moved to sit at their table. Kaoru's body language remained stiff as he stumbled down the steps towards the Hufflepuff table, but when he took the empty seat next to Jin he did give her and Tamaki a small smile before looking down at his plate.

Jin did not envy the talk he was bound to have with his brother tomorrow morning.

"Excellent work, Ms. Fujioka! 10 points to Hufflepuff! Now, Ms. Jounouchi, you were very close. I'd say that you likely forgot the final tap in the movement." Professor Zwick gave Amaye a kind smile as he poked at her button with his wand, the antenna shivering as the rest of the beetle's body reappeared on the girl's desk. "Try again, if you would."

Amaye took a deep breath before performing the spell with the extra tap at the end, holding her breath until a shiny green button clattered onto the desk, antenna free. Jin gave a delighted laugh and hugged Amaye's arm in congratulations as she was praised by Professor Zwick. At the desk to their left, Tamaki and Kyoya also offered smiles and approving nods.

Hogwarts had been in session for a few weeks now, but the 2nd years were only just getting back into the swing of things. It was as if all the magical learning they'd had their first year had drained from their ears over the summer, and it took quite a few lessons for them to remember them again. The classes were harder, just as Jin had feared, but they weren't impossible.

Which, of course, meant it was time for the next dip on the rollercoaster.

As Professor Zwick was instructing Tamaki on how to get rid of the wings on his button, a low rumbling started up on the other side of the classroom doors. Jin turned around in her seat, watching and listening as the roar grew louder, now obviously the sound of a hundred shoes pounding on tiles mixed with loud, excited voices.

Professor Zwick clapped his hands together, bringing everyone's attention back to him with a smile on his face. "Ah! I see that our guests have finally arrived! If you would all drop your buttons and/or beetles into the box at the back of the room, you are all dismissed."

Everyone practically leaped out of their seats, jamming quills and wands into school bags as they raced for the door. Jin snatched up more than one forgotten bug on her way out, dumping her handful into the box right as Tamaki grabbed her hand and dragged her and Kyoya into the hallway.

The three followed the crowd all the way to the northern side of the castle, where students were gathering en'mas around the huge bay windows. They were unable to see above the older student's heads, but with the window's huge arches it hardly mattered.

Jin's jaw dropped upon spotting what looked like a mansion drifting across the sky, being carried by… was that a-

"It's a dragon! Durmstrang brought a dragon to our school," a Ravenclaw shrieked.

"Don't be stupid, Arielle," another responded, "It's a hot air balloon!"

And indeed it was. Everyone watched in awe as the huge building floated along, the balloon carrying it twisting around in the air very much like a living dragon. The corridor was quiet save for a few whispers, and the sudden booming shout echoing from the other end of the hallway startled them so bad a few students fell over.

"The Beauxbatons are here! They're at the lake in a cruise ship made out of crystal!"

Another roar of interest exploded from the crowd as they began running again. Jin felt a sharp tug on her hand, but she held Tamaki back from following.

He looked at her over his shoulder, aghast. "Jin? Kyoya? C'mon, we're gonna-"

"Honey and Mori are both in Defense against the Dark Arts right now," Kyoya interrupted, "and they'll tell us all about it later. Besides, the ship's not going anywhere for awhile. We'll see it tomorrow."

Tamaki made another soft whine, turning to face down the hallway once again before relenting. Dropping his friend's hands, he allowed Jin to gently steer him in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room, Kyoya following along.

By the time the feast began, Tamaki was back in good spirits. Jin and Kyoya, who were now experts at pulling the blond out of his emotional slumps, had filled their conversation with talk about the upcoming Triwizard Tournaments. Ever since Hogwarts had been rebuilt after the Second Wizarding War, Europe's magical community had decided that the historical school would host the Triwizard Tournament until further notice. Partially because of its geographic location, but mostly because the other students wanted to say they'd set foot in Hogwarts. Tamaki and Jin gobbled up everything Kyoya told them about the letters his older brothers and sister had sent him about the tournaments they had watched.

A few hours later and it was clear that the hype was not an exaggeration. The Great Hall was filled to the brim with grand celebration as the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students walked through the front doors. There had to be at least 50 students from each school! Jin beamed as the tables and even the hall itself expanded to better fit the new influx of students. Multiple 5th, 6th, and 7th year students jumped out of their seats, running up to greet or occasionally tackle their foreign friends as they arrived. Jin could see the headmasters and professors shaking their heads, trying to hide their smiles at their students, but no one made a move to stop them.

Of course, before long they were asked to be seated so the evening could carry on. Most of the younger foreign students followed behind the older ones, who were being pulled down by their friends. A few, however, lingered on their feet, looking around nervously for any open seats.

A pair of young Japanese boys in the Durmstrang uniform were standing between the Hufflepuff and Slytherin table, the smaller boy holding onto the other's arm, hiding half of his face into the other's bicep. Jin's heart went out to the pair and she scooted closer to Tamaki, opening up the bench before she waved the pair over. Both of the boy's faces relaxed and they hurried over.

"Thank you!"

Jin smiled in response to the taller boy, whom she realized now was quite handsome close up. He had dirty blond hair that matched his golden brown eyes which were hiding behind his glasses. Jin took in a sharp breath when the boy smiled back, shining gold in the candlelight. She hoped her face wasn't red.

Tamaki saved her. He leaned over the table and smiled as well. "You're welcome! My name's Tamaki Suoh and this is Jin Fujioka. We're both second years. What are you names?"

"I'm Beni Arai, and this is my younger brother Hiroshi. I'm a third year and he's a first year."

Jin looked away, her heart thundering in her chest as Beni squeezed his brother into a one-armed hug. It was really… cute. She could feel a giggle bubbling up in her chest-

"Excuse me, could I sit here? Thanks."

All the students within the general vicinity looked up as a boy dressed in bright blue clothes sat down across from Jin, barely squeezing into the space available on the bench. The boy's feet knocked against Jin's underneath the table and she pulled back, looking away. As she stared at her plate, the Beauxbaton's boy looked up at the girl he'd accidentally kicked.

His apology died in his throat, eyes widening at just how pretty she was. Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, but she had missed a small lock of it from behind her ear, and it was resting cutely over her right shoulder. Her face was flushed across her cheeks and the tip of her nose. She looked like she was… glowing in the fire light.

She looked up and the boy regained command of himself. Offering the beautiful girl a smile, he reached across the table to shake her hand.

"Sorry about stepping on your toes. My name's Thomas. What's yours?"

Jin couldn't understand what she had done wrong.

Glancing over the lip of her book, she looked around the Hufflepuff common room. Her friends were scattered around nearby: Hikaru and Kaoru were playing a game of wizard chess, Honey and Mori were writing their potions essay, Tamaki was pouring over his charms textbook, Beni and Hiroshi were sitting on the other side of Jin's couch writing letters to their parents, and Kyoya… sitting as far away from Jin as he could. Jin felt her lower lip wobble and she pushed her nose further into her book.

When she first realized Kyoya was in a bad mood, she hadn't thought much of it. He was a grouchy boy, especially when Tamaki was in one of his Moods TM , and the twins were being far more obvious about his displeasure, so it had taken Jin awhile to realize that Kyoya was upset at all. Let alone that he was upset with her.

Everything had gone down in the first week following the arrival of the foreign schools. Jin and Tamaki introduced the Arai's to the rest of their friends and almost immediately there was conflict. Hikaru and Kaoru's anger was the most noticable, since they outright refused to associate with the Arai brothers at first. It only got worse when Haruhi and Hiroshi started talking. A few hours later and they realized that the Arai's and the Fujioka's had lived near each other when they were younger. The pressure within the group built up over the course of the week and spiraled out of control the day the champions were chosen.

Jin couldn't even remember exactly what had been said. All she remembered was that, in the middle of the Gryffindor common room, Haruhi hit Hikaru across the face, tears in her eyes and stamping her feet as she ran off, saying if he wasn't going to be nice to her then she didn't want to be his friend anymore.

The next day, Jin and Kyoya were in the library working on their Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. They couldn't use the dormitories because the Slytherin common room was overrun with the celebration of one of their students being chosen as the Hogwarts Champion, and Jin didn't really feel like running into Kaoru or Hikaru in the Hufflepuff common room if she could manage it.

Haruhi had shut herself into the Ravenclaw tower since the fight, even skipping breakfast that day. Not even Jin had been able to convince her to come out. She scowled at her book, not even making an attempt to do her homework, just sitting in silence with Kyoya. Of course she would've preferred to talk about it, maybe come up with an idea to fix the problem, but by that point it was obvious that Kyoya was not in his best mood. Actually, if Jin thought about it, Kyoya hadn't been in a good mood in a long while. Not since…

Jin looked up from her book and stared at the boy across from her, suddenly realizing that Hikaru, Kaoru, and Kyoya had all grown sullen and unfriendly at the same time. Ever since she and Tamaki had introduced the Arai brothers.

It wasn't long before Kyoya realized he was being watched.

"What?" His voice was sharp and Jin dropped her gaze instantly, though she wasn't sure why.

Turning the page of her book, she muttered, "Nothing. Just thinking." She could feel Kyoya's eyes burning into the top of her head, but after a moment the boy merely grunted in annoyance and looked down at his own textbook.

Letting out a breath, Jin cautiously whispered, "Actually, I was hoping to ask for your help."

She didn't look up, but she knew that Kyoya did. From the way her head was bent, she could see his right hand on the table next to his textbook. He'd been using his left to prop his head up as he read. His right fingers had been tapping against the table up until Jin spoke.

"The mechanics of the new spell are on page 93-"

"No, not about the homework." Jin drew both of her hands into her lap, still not looking at Kyoya. She felt… nervous. Like she was walking on a tightrope over a shark tank. "I meant… with Hikaru. And Kaoru."

The air went tense.

"What about them?"

Jin swallowed and looked up, not at all relieved when she and Kyoya made eye contact. Her friend's face was hard as stone, and just as unreadable. She nibbled on her bottom lip briefly before continuing, "I just… I want to find a way to get everyone to apologize to each other."

"Everyone? Haruhi was the one who hit Hikaru."

Jin clenched her hands in her lap, stunned momentarily by what had just come out of her friends mouth. "Yes…" she said slowly, not liking the turn the conversation had just taken, "Which is why she needs to apologize. But Hikaru said-"

"Hikaru was being dismissed for a new, more interesting "friend", so it was only natural for him to feel betrayed."

"He wasn't being dismissed! He wasn't talking to her! And there's nothing wrong with wanting to make new friends! It doesn't mean that for every new friend you lose and old one! That's not how it works!"

"There's only so much time in a day. You can't possibly expect Haruhi to have enough energy to spread her attention around to everyone. She had to choose who was most important to her, whoever she wanted to spend her limited time with, and she chose the Arai boy. Such a choice sends a clear message, don't you think?"

Kyoya's voice had grown clipped and he was no longer looking at Jin, staring down at his textbook. Jin gaped at him, rage bubbling up in her stomach the more she thought about his words.

"First of all, no, it doesn't. She wanted to spend time with everyone, but Hikaru removed himself first. She wasn't going to waste her time running after someone who wasn't in the mood to talk to her. Second, it's not healthy to use all your energy over one person only. That's more like an obsession rather than friendship. And third, his name is Hiroshi. "

All of the sudden, Kyoya pushed his chair back and stood up, his eyes alight with anger. He hastily grabbed his things and stuffed them into his bag. "I'm done studying. I'm going to go find Tamaki."

"Fine! Go by yourself, then."

By the time Mr. Kouri wandered over, wondering what all the loud noise in the library was all about, he found Jin sitting alone, crying over her textbook.

Two days after Jin and Kyoya's argument, Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, and the Arai brothers all made up. Hikaru and Kaoru apologized for their rude words, and after Haruhi apologized for hitting Hikaru, the four 1st years got along just fine. But that was it. A full month later, and Kyoya was still refusing to talk to or even about Jin. With his being so tight-lipped about it, no one had a clue as to why. All they knew was that Jin was suffering because of it.

With all the time she had once given to Kyoya and, by extension, Tamaki, up for grabs, Jin found herself in Thomas of Beauxbaton's crosshairs. Like Jin had warned Kyoya during their fight, Thomas's interest in her became an obsession. He learned her routes to class and where she liked to frequent during her free time. Jin was growing more and more dependant on the relative safety of the Hufflepuff common room. So long as no one was dumb enough to let Thomas in or show him how to enter, she was safe there.

At her feet, Beni started putting away his letter and writing utensils. Jin watched him for a moment, but the butterflies she'd felt at the Great Feast had long since been digested. It had only taken her a few days to learn that Beni was gay. He'd been staring a little too heavily at another Durmstrang boy during mealtimes for it to mean anything else. It had stung at first, but like crushes do, it died quickly and evolved to Jin silently supporting her friend and wishing him luck.

Now if only someone could wish the same onto her.

The doors opened and Haruhi ran inside, slamming them shut behind her. Everyone in the common room perked up at the sound, Tamaki scrambling to his feet as Haruhi made her way over to their group.

"Haruhi? What happened? Were you attacked? Did a suit of armor-"

"No! Tamaki-senpai, quit it. I just had a run in with Thomas."

As one, the group let out a groan. Being Jin's friends, they had all become either subjects or suspects in Thomas's pursuit of her. No matter how often or how many people told the American boy that Jin wasn't interested in him the way he was in her, he just could not take the hint. He had already accused most of Jin's friends of liking her or telling Jin lies so she'd avoid him. Suddenly, the way the other Beauxbaton's students didn't make an effort to be around him made sense.

Jin put her book to the side, beckoning her sister over to sit next to her. "How'd you get away?"

"I hid in the girl's bathroom until he gave up."

Jin sighed, resting her head on top of her sister's. "I'm sorry. I wish he'd just leave you all alone. He's been trying to invite me to the Yule Ball, even though neither of us could go even if I was dumb enough to say yes."

"Want us to hex him?"

"Please?"

The twins looked far too eager at the idea of hexing someone, almost like they were asking for candy instead. Jin remembered when she had taken them and Haruhi down to visit Hagrid for the first time. When the big man gave the twins his "sturdiest mugs" for their tea, they asked why nearly all the professors made the two of them sit in the front row. The answer had led to a monsoon of tears, much like the one involving Jin, Tamaki, and Kyoya, and the four students left the hut quite emotionally drained.

Back in the present, Jin shook her head to the twin's displeasure. "No. Don't get in trouble for some jerk who can't take no for an answer. I care more about you than some dumb boy."

There was a huff of annoyance followed by the slam of a book closing. Kyoya stood up, still not looking at Jin, and he said, "If you're all just going to talk about pointless crushes and people who will be out of our lives by the end of the school year, then I'm going to go find some real peace and quiet."

The boy stalked out alone, Jin unable to do anything but stare after him. She wasn't even mad at him any more. She was just confused and sad. She wanted her best friend back.

"Why do you hang out with him? He's such a jerk!" Beni crossed his arms, pushing himself further into the couch with a pout on his face.

Jin curled up herself, winding her arms around her legs and pressing her cheek to her knees. "He's not usually like this. We didn't like each other when we first started at Hogwarts, but then we got really close. I dunno what I did to make him so mad, so I can't even apologize." She sighed, closing her eyes. "I hope it passes over soon. I miss him."

A roar filled the stadium as the Chimera was stupefied, the creature falling gently onto the cushions summoned for it's drop. The audience applauded the wizards as they removed the beast. Jin was bouncing a bit in her seat, adrenaline pumping as she waited for the last beast to be brought out for the Hogwart's Champion. She couldn't believe she would be lucky enough to watch the tournament twice, once now and again when she was a sixth year.

Even though it was incredibly dangerous, she couldn't not admit that it was exciting and fun, too. The first task had been rather bittersweet, since Kyoya had been ignoring her during it. But now…

Jin smiled and turned to her right, where Kyoya was seated, bundled up in a scarf and earmuffs and staring off at the Beauxbaton's ship in the distance. Jin stared at it too, wondering which of the various magical creatures that drifted around the outside of the crystal ship was at the masthead now. How ironic if it was a Chimera…

Once she was done admiring, she poked her friend's arm and motioned for him to lift his earmuff. He did so, nose scrunched up against the cold, but he didn't complain.

"What beast do you think Gamgee will be facing?"

"Can't say for sure." Kyoya turned to look at the stadium, his eyes alight with curiosity. "The terrain doesn't give away anything in particular, but I assume it won't be a dragon. There aren't many things one can collect from dragons without injuring or killing the creature."

Jin hummed in agreement and let Kyoya go off for a while, just listening to him theorize. Behind the two of them were the rest of their friends, also chattering among themselves but leaving Jin and Kyoya to their own devices. They had only just made up recently, over a pair of exchanged Christmas presents the house elves had delivered even though they weren't meant to.

Jin smiled to herself and pulled her brand new hat further down over her ears, faintly feeling the cat ears on top of it lie back in happiness. If she could, she'd be purring.

A loud gasp circled around the audience, pulling Jin out of her reminiscing. She looked down and gasped. Immediately she understood why Hagrid had opted out of watching the second task. She knew all about his odd attachment to Acromantula's, and seeing one being set out for Gamgee to harvest from might've been too much for the big man.

Still, Jin watched with bated breath as the final champion was announced. Gamgee walked out on the other side of the stadium, decked out in green and silver, his wand in his left hand. He looked unaffected for all of two seconds, then the Acromantula went for him.

Jin gasped, grabbing onto Kyoya's left arm like she had done with the past two champions. Gamgee was running around, trying to find a good angle to stupify the giant spider, but it was all he could do to not be grabbed himself. The crowd cried out and gasped at the many near misses. Jin shrieked more than a few times, along with a few others.

As if on cue, a few rows ahead of them came a loud groan.

"Boooring! I can't wait for the next tournament. If the challenges are anything like these, I'll will the money with no problem."

Jin scowled and her hat ears twitched in annoyance, but didn't dare breathe a word. It was a miracle that Thomas hadn't realized she and the others were there, yet, and it was too risky for them all to move away without him noticing. So the best option was waiting until the end and hoping Thomas left without realizing the object of his affection was seated just a few feet away.

As it was, Thomas continued to run his mouth, completely ignoring Gamgee's struggle in front of him. He'd done the same with the other two champions, going on about how he would've beaten their challenge in half the time. It was growing clear that the people around him were quite annoyed by his interruptions.

Finally, someone had it.

"How come you never showed up to the ball? I thought you said you had a plan involving an aging potion so you could bring your date ?"

Jin gave a snort and wished she could give the person a high-five. If that had been Thomas's plan, she should've said yes and watched as he drank whatever bum potion he managed to concoct, just to laugh at whatever unpleasant side-effects it gave the boy. But at the same time, she'd never spoil her dignity with saying yes to that moron, either.

Because a really, really annoying thing Thomas liked to do was spin words meant to knock some sense into him around to make him look better.

He leaned back in his seat, puffing out his chest as he said, "Oh, I had a date alright. But that dance was too stuffy. We had a much more… enjoyable time on our own."

Jin suppressed the urge to throw up or hex him into oblivion. Was he wiggling his eyebrows-?

A blink-and-you'll-miss-it ball of yellow light shot between the heads of students and struck Thomas at the back of his neck right before the stadium erupted into cheers and roars of approval. Jin stood up with the rest of the crowd, pulling Kyoya up with her, and they craned their necks to see Gamgee standing over the stupefied Acromantula and filling his bottle with it's venom.

Jin smiled and looked over at Kyoya, still not releasing his arm. He noticed her attention immediately, but he pretended to still be watching Gamgee.

"What?"

"You could've gotten into big trouble if someone else saw you do that."

"Do what?"

Jin shook her head, her smile stretching into a grin as she let go of his arm to hug him for real. She buried her face into Kyoya's chest, giggling as he hugged her back.

"We bring candy!"

Jin raised her bowl of ramen up and off the table just as Honey dumped out his bag of sweets on the table. Her mouth watered at the waterfall of sugary goodness and were it not for the pork ramen in her hands she might've just dug in there and then.

Instead, she carefully set down her dinner before grabbing handfuls of candy and shoving them into the pockets of her robes. As the others did the same, Honey and Mori (mostly Honey) began recounting their adventures in Hogsmeade that day. They couldn't wait to show the others around the village as soon as they were old enough.

Jin nodded along, excited by the idea of visiting Hogsmeade the following year, before she began to shove Chocolate frogs in Kyoya's direction. The boy looked at her in surprise, his hands falling on top of the offered sweets like he didn't know what to do with them.

"Uh… thanks, but you know I'm not a big fan of sweets-"

"Hush! And yes, I know, these are for me but my pockets are all full. I just figured the others might not notice because you collect the cards now put them in your pocket! I'll get them from you later!"

"Oh no you don't!"

Jin shrieked as Tamaki pushed her backwards and began snatching the chocolate from Kyoya's hands.

"Don't think I don't see what you're doing!" The boy shouted. "How dare you use Kyoya as your personal packing mule!"

"Defending my honor, Tamaki?" Kyoya pulled the chocolates further away from his friend, eyes narrowing in challenge. "Or are you using me to get more sweets as well? How hypocritical. At least Jin had the courage to not hide her true intentions."

As the group continued to playfully bicker and laugh among themselves, they were almost completely unaware of the attention they were getting. Most of the young girls around them were practically swooning, enamored by the handsome boys having fun together, their cheeks red and their laughter melodious.

"Wow! I didn't realize Hogwarts had a Host Club!"

Another group laughed at the comment, and the Japanese group stopped, turning around to look at the Gryffindor table. Sure enough, Cortez was laughing himself silly, pounding on the table so hard the silverware shook.

With the excitement of the Tri-wizard Tournament and the foreign schools coming, they had almost forgotten about the 5th year and his lackeys. But he obviously hadn't forgotten about them, or how Jin and Kyoya hadn't been punished for hexing him rather impressively for two 1st years. It appeared that over the summer, Cortez had done some research about Japan, and he was starting to hit at their heritage. Some of it was just dumb things like pulling at the corners of his eyes and bowing at the sound of the bell towers, but other times he would bring up the less-favorable moments in history. He had started on the wizards not being able to stop the atom bombs and it ended in a straight up magical and physical brawl that cost three of the four houses quite a few points.

Since then, they'd done their best to ignore the razzing. But that didn't make it any less annoying or embarrassing.

Suddenly, Tamaki stood up, a strange fire in his eyes as he stared Cortez down from across the room. The Great Hall was only halfway filled, since it was the early rush for dinner, but it still quieted down quickly when Tamaki stood up on the bench, making him taller than everyone else in the room.

Spreading his arms wide and grinning wider, Tamaki loudly announced, "What a fabulous idea! Ladies and Gentlemen of Hogwarts, the Host Club is proud to make your acquaintance!"

The scribbling of quills against parchment and textbook pages turning had gone uninterrupted for three whole hours. Which, of course, meant it was time for a change in pace. Thankfully, instead of another mental breakdown from a 5th or higher year student, it was just Tamaki throwing his Charms textbook down to the ground and tying his arms and legs into figurative knots.

"I hate this! I wish I was the Hogwarts champion! Then I wouldn't have to study!"

At the loud noise, Jin jerked her head back upright, a few smudges of ink smeared on her nose and forehead from where she'd face-planted into her notes half an hour ago. Blinking against the change in light, she rubbed at her cheeks blearily before mumbling, "Don't forget, we have to pick our classes for next year, too."

"Oh! Let's do that! Let's take a break and do that!" Tamaki rolled over onto his hands and knees, frantically crawling across the floor until he was seated by Jin's side, at Kyoya's feet. With matching sighs, the other two put away their studying materials and pulled out their schedules for the following year. There were quite a few choices…

"Care of Magical Creatures is a must." Jin quickly made a mark next to said class. "We've already promised Hagrid that we would, and Honey and Mori love it. But we all need at least one other…"

"I already know what I want to take!" Tamaki plucked Jin's quill from her fingertips before marking up his own paper. "Muggle Studies! How about it, you two? Care to join me?"

Jin pursed her lips, looking down at the words 'Muggle Studies' on her own paper. She didn't really want to take that class… she had grown up around muggles and knew plenty about their lives and lifestyles. She also now lived at the Leaky Cauldron, and she was sure that when she was older she'd start spending her time both in London as well as Diagon Alley. But how to break it to Tamaki…

"I'm afraid that I was planning on taking Study of Ancient Runes, Tamaki, and when I was discussing the class with Jin earlier this week she seemed interested in joining me. Though I'm not sure if she feels the same now…"

"No, I do!" Jin finally looked over at the two boys, glad to see that Tamaki didn't look like he would start crying. "Ancient Runes does sound really interesting, and I wasn't planning on taking more than two additional courses."

"Oh, that's alright! Have fun!"

Jin let out a sigh. They had missed the bullet this time around. Smiling, she began to mark up her schedule. She'd give it to Professor Longbottom tomorrow, well ahead of the deadline.

Of course, thinking of the Head of Hufflepuff house only got Jin back into thinking about her upcoming Herbology exam and her good mood went down the tubes once again. She already knew from her first year that Hogwarts exams were brutal , and this year wasn't looking to be any easier. Their History of Magic exam was going to be awful, obvious from how pretentious and insufferable Professor Gagliardi had been all year round, a terrible mixture of Ravenclaw winning the House Cup the previous year and multiple Ravenclaw submissions being passed over to be the Hogwarts Champion this year.

Jin wondered how Haruhi felt about her own Head of House…

"I can't believe the school year is almost over. I felt like it just started a few months ago."

"Technically speaking, you're correct." Kyoya ducked, dodging the quill thrown in his direction with a shout of laughter. Jin rolled her eyes at the tomfoolery, but smiled nonetheless. Sighing, she leaned forward, placing her chin in her right palm.

"I'm just happy that Thomas will finally be leaving soon. I'm so sick of needing a Delusion Charm cast over me just to walk to class." She carefully nudged her ink pot further onto the table, away from the edge. "I just wish Beni and Hiroshi could stay. They were fun."

Tamaki agreed with gradiure while Kyoya just hummed his approval. As Tamaki drew Jin into a conversation about staying in touch with the Arai's after they left, neither of them noticed the way Kyoya's eyebrows drew closer, a crese developing between them.

He was very happy that Thomas would be out of their hair, that much was evident. He was so awful to Jin and Kyoya was coming to realize that he was very protective of his friends. That was why he'd been so upset about Beni when they'd first been introduced. He thought one of his best friends was about to be taken from him.

But even now, knowing that wasn't the case at all, Kyoya felt an uncomfortable tightness in his chest whenever he saw Jin and Beni laughing together and in a deep, clearly passionate conversation.

He only wished he understood why.

"I can see the station! We're almost home, guys!"

At Honey's happy cheer, Jin looked up from the newspaper she was reading and began to fold it up. The front of the paper showed the girl from Durmstrang, Emmaliece Colette, smiling at the camera and holding the triwizard cup, struggling trying to hold the trophy as well as cheerfully wave at the camera. Jin waved back before standing up to stuff the paper into her suitcase.

The train's brakes turned on and Jin stumbled, nearly falling back into her seat were it not for Hikaru and Kaoru grabbing hold of her sweater and waist. Regaining her footing, she looked down between her arms and thanked the boys, both of whom looked away with blushes, waving off her thanks. Jin smiled anyways, glad that they had all graduated from "toy" to "friend" rank within a year. A nice change.

Getting off the train was just as chaotic as it was to get on. The group of eight struggled down the thin hallway, pet cages held high above heads as they shouted around to each other, continuing their latest conversation: Quidditch tryouts. Everyone (except for Haruhi) had plans for auditioning the following year. Even Hikaru and Kaoru were gunning for it, fired up by Hagrid's tale of the human version of bludgers and more than ready to continue on the tradition.

Jin smiled and laughed along as someone made a comment that caused Tamaki to shout unhappily above the clamor, ignoring the stares they got from nearby students as they went.

Yes, she thought, I'm so ready for next year, surrounded by these crazy people.

One look at Haruhi told Jin that her sister felt the exact same way.