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Chapter Text

A long long time ago, Vision bearers and wizards lived among the common people in peace. They never needed to hide, and they showcased their abilities freely. However, over time, the common people became jealous. Wizards and witches found ways to camouflage their presence in the modern world, and Vision bearers left with their gods and families to disappear off the map. The common people were abandoned. 

That being said, the wizards also lamented the loss of vision holders. They had been especially adept at their elemental art, useful in combat and their magic had been divine, solid, and true, unlike their own ethereal craft. The vision holders felt similarly, and had been extremely upset when the wizards disappeared into hiding without a second glance or warning. But eventually, one forgot about the other, and their interactions were left to history. Wizards thrived in plain sight and the vision holders and their people found Teyvat, a land off the face of the map, where they set up their own civilizations and flourished on their own.

But neither completely forgot the others’ existence. The Dark Ages of the wizards blew around, and He Who Must Not Be Named grew obsessed with finding this ‘Teyvat’ land. The isolated people of Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Natlan, Fontaine, Snezhnaya and the destroyed Khanenri’ah started to realize disturbances. The Knights of Favonius found a cloaked figure trying to enter their headquarters. They were killed a couple days later by a Fatui agent. In Liyue, Lady Ningguang sentenced an equally mysterious being to death after an attempted murder. In Inazuma, well, the Raiden Shogun used her famed martial arts one too many times. Then Yelan decided to take things into her own hands. In Liyue, another hooded figure began wandering the streets. Rumors had spread quickly, and Yelan, called to action, caught the perpetrator after a month of chasing and interrogated him fully. The three nations that were affected thus far came together to do something about this. That was when Master Diluc raised a suggestion.

“Why don’t we send someone over to their land to do some spying for us as well?”

This was met with sudden surprise and animated discussion. Lisa left and joined again after a few moments with Cyno, whom Lisa had invited over, deeming it was important. “My dear colleague from Sumeru and I discussed Master Diluc’s proposal. I remembered reading a book about a land far far away, after all. Yelan, my dear, could you bring us the prisoner?”

Fischl, who had perked up at “land far far away” eyed the perpetrator excitedly.

Cyno approached them with the book, flipped to a certain page, and Lisa chuckled.

“Oh, dearie, he looks white. Now now, I have a question for you, Wizard. Does Hogwarts ring a bell for you?”

The man hissed. He looked murderous. Yelan chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I have your ‘ wand’ right here. Don’t worry, I’ll return it to you when we decide what to do with you.” She grew evidently more serious. “Answer. The question.”

“Yes,” he croaked, “I received my education there.”

“Delightful. That wasn’t so hard was it, dearest?” Lisa looked over at Yelan. “Well? How would you like to take the case, honey?”

Yelan exhaled in a short, sharp laugh. “No. I’m sorry, but it really wouldn’t suit me to leave Liyue unattended to.” She thought for a moment. “Why don’t you ask the Traveler? She would probably be happy to help.”

At this, Diluc immediately shook his head. “I do not enjoy living on— charity. The Traveler has helped us on numerous occasions, and it is not on us to take advantage of their kindness.” 

That ended the conversation sharply and suddenly.

“I can go!” Bennett volunteered, but after a moment of silence, seemed to ponder it. “Actually, on second thought, I don’t think that’s a good idea. My bad luck could get in the way.”

A couple people volunteered after that, but backed out of it just as fast, like Bennett did. Either they had work (Ganyu), they couldn’t bring themselves to leave the comfort of Teyvat (Xingqiu), had their duties to fulfill (Kujou Sara), or simply had other things to take care of (Beidou). They were growing restless when Kujou Sara stood up.

“As I’ve stated before, I cannot go with this stranger to their land. However, I would be willing to volunteer one of my coworkers to go in my stead.” There was an audible groan from one of the listeners.

“Who may this be, General?” Jean inquired.

“My unfortunately best detective, Shikanoin Heizou, Acting Grand Master,” Sara replied easily. “I would hate to part with his skills, but I can take on a bit more work, and this seems like the serious case indeed.”

“Seriously, Madame Kujou?” the volunteered in question sighed, “Am I that disposable to you?”

“Of course not, Shikanoin,” she said, obviously pissed, “But haven’t you been itching for fieldwork, for some time?”

“This was definitely not what I had in mind, seeing as Inazuma is just recovering from its…. predicament,” he said, sighing again, “Is it an order?”

She considered it. The mission could very well be dangerous, perilous even. Was it truly in her right to order someone to a possible suicide mission? After all, none of them knew what lay beyond Teyvat’s borders. 

But then she saw the inquisitive look on the anemo-bearer’s face. 

Do you trust me?

“It is.”

His face broke out into a grin, and he leaped onto his feet. “Alright, then,” he said, rubbing his hands together, “Consider me in.”

No one seemed to have any objections to this.

“Very well,” Jean said, looking at him with concern, as if giving him one last chance to back out of it, “That’s settled. The journey ahead of you is perilous indeed, Shi- Shikan- Detective. I will arrange for your journey out of Teyvat. Is there anything anyone thinks we’re missing?”

Yelan tutted. “Of course. It’s elementary. We are sending this gentleman over Teyvat’s borders on a spying mission. We need someone to act like a messenger, going back and forth between Heizou and us. And the means of navigation is also a mystery. We cannot allow this prisoner to take him. This could very much result in a murder. What are we to do?”

That’s when Kazuha spoke up.

“I will be the messenger.”

“Kazuha!” Beidou was startled at the sudden notion. “Are you sure ‘bout it?”

“Yes. I do not fear the ocean, and I do not fear any peril. After all, I have the wind on my side.” He glanced over at Heizou with worry, who was looking at him curiously. “And as for his transportation….” he coughed with embarrassment at this. “Um, B-Beidou, I know you’re busy…. And I am eternally indebted to you for your kindness, but….”

Beidou let out a hearty laugh. 

“Seriously, Kazuha? Flattery? Aw, it’s nothin’. I can take you two on the Crux. As long as it doesn’t impede business too much, it’s not a hassle. I just need this prisoner to mark the path for me, and we can set sail right away!”

“I’ll interrogate the prisoner more then,” Yelan replied.

“That’s great!” Jean said, visibly relieved, “Thank you so much, all of you.”

“And who will receive the information?” Yelan pressed.

Jean shook her head. “Not to worry, Miss Valley Orchid, I will arrange this. After all, the Knights of Favonius are more than capable. I am sure we can be the receiving party. I will also personally meet with all of you, to discuss any discoveries. I promise.”

Kaeya chuckled at this, perhaps at her naive wording. “In that case, Acting Grand Master, leave that to me.”

She looked surprised. “Kaeya?” Then with suspicion: “Are you sure you’re actually up to the task?”

“Of course.”

“Then it’s settled,” Yelan nodded.

Chapter Text

Heizou and Beidou left within the next week, with Kazuha tailing along with them (he insisted). Sayu had been forced by Heizou’s extremely worried cousin (after he told her his plans) to disguise him as a 14 year old, six years younger than his actual age, for the purpose of the investigation. During the long journey, Heizou read up on the place he planned to investigate. Hogwarts. It seemed to be the place that the prisoner panicked most on hearing, the place that ignited the most hatred, everything. He suspected it was important. No, it was crucial. Hogwarts was the key to this whole case. The case was to discover who was behind these intrusions and how to bring them down. As for the act of bringing them down…. Well…. Beidou had made it clear that she could fit around 200 vision-bearing warriors “nice and snug” inside her ship if needed.

Kazuha interrupted Heizou’s rapid chain of thought by entering his room. Heizou brightened at seeing him and jumped up, only to trip and almost fall. Ugh, he hated this new, smaller body of his.

Kazuha laughed, albeit worriedly. (As he had been ever since Heizou accepted the case.) He would have preferred to have stepped in on his behalf as a friend, but as an anemo bearer himself, he knew that Heizou wouldn’t have appreciated that. And of course, he would hate to be tied down to a certain place himself, but that was besides the point.

The worry was muffled and well hidden, but of course, it couldn’t get past the detective’s keen eyes. That being said, he still decided not to comment on it.

“Well, my wandering ronin, what brings you to my room today?”
Kazuha smiled. “Just checking in on you. According to Beidou, we should be arriving soon. I also smell land on the wind, although it is tainted with some…. More unpleasant scents to be sure.”

“Unpleasant how?” Heizou asked.

Kazuha wrinkled his nose in a way that made the detective laugh. “....As if there is no fresh air to be found.”

Heizou nudged his companion. “Don’t worry too much, you’re not the one staying here for who knows how long.”

Kazuha frowned at this gloomy statement, but Heizou was bright, excited, and bouncing on his heels. Of course, he thought, When has a new case ever failed to excite him?

“Heizou….” he started. Heizou raised an eyebrow, but stopped jumping to listen. Kazuha paused, contemplating how to express his worries. After a while, he decided on this: “May the wind always blow by your side.”

A couple hours later, Heizou was almost, (key world almost) used to his new body again and stepped off of Beidou’s ship. They were wearing modern-ish clothing, tailored to fit the description of the prisoner (who happened to be a half-blood). Heizou actually liked it, especially the huge pockets in his hoodie, although Kazuha definitely had his…. reservations about the attire.

“So, kid, where to?” Beidou asked.

Heizou put a hand on his chin in contemplation. “If my intuition serves me right….” (Of course it did, when hasn’t it?) He pointed in the general direction of a shadier looking neighborhood. “That looks about right.”

He led his “guardian” and “older brother” down the street, his eyes darting to and fro until they landed on a particularly dusty shop. It was labeled the eky Caldrn.

Kazuha, although being disgruntled ever since landing, narrowed his eyes suspiciously and peered into the shop.

“Are you sure this is it, kid?” Beidou asked, “It just looks like a broken down shop to me.”

Heizou laughed. “Of course. When am I ever wrong, Captain?”

Beidou shrugged. “So now what? Just walk in?”

“I suppose so.”

Kazuha seemed hesitant, but nodded in agreement.

Almost immediately, they were greeted by an old man with grayed hair and falling out teeth. He was dressed in a weird, mismatched pattern that didn’t fit “modern” fashion at all.

“Yep, this is definitely it,” Heizou breathed, then plastered a smile on his face. “Hello, sir.”

“How may I help you?”

He silently thanked Yelan for giving him every bit of info she gleaned from the prisoner.

“Oh, nothing,” he said, leaning backwards, “I came to visit Hogwarts.”

The wizard raised his eyebrow.

“Oh?” he asked suspiciously, “I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Heizou laughed easily. “Oh please, you don’t have to be so tense. I am but a spectator, coming early to watch the Triwizard Tournament this year. My family is dropping me off here. It’s coming back for the first time in years, isn’t it?”

Beidou raised her eyebrow in surprise, like How did you know that?

Heizou made a mental note to check out every book he possibly could on wizards, if only to be able to improvise as easily as he had just then.

The man at the counter was not convinced just yet, although he was definitely swayed.

“You’re the only one who’s going to watch?”

“Yep, my brother couldn’t care less for it and my mother is pretty busy, you know.”

“Which Wizarding School do you come from? You seem young.”

Heizou beamed. He’d been hoping for this question.

“I come from overseas, my good sir, and I’m homeschooled.” he nudged Kazuha. “My big brother taught me many things, and my mother didn’t do so bad herself. Although,” he added, “If you were to ask me to do certain things that normal wizards could do, I doubt I’d be able to.”

“What are you implying?”

“My education differs greatly from the curriculum, you see.”

The wizard was convinced.

“Alright, alright. I’ll let you in. I must say, you’re quite early as you say. School isn’t even starting till a week later. Though, spectating will be hard if you’re a minor without even a passport….” he muttered to himself. “No matter. I’ll send in a word for Headmaster Dumbledore, he’ll take care of this for you.”

Heizou blinked. That was- surprisingly easy. He’d expected a bit more. Oh well, he can wait to have his “mental gymnastics”. Beidou stooped down. “That was some quick thinking, pal. All that research in the ship paid off then, huh?” Heizou shot her a quick grin.

Kazuha had been strangely tense the whole time, and now he spoke as the man left to open up a…. Brick wall.

“Watch out, Shikanoin Heizou. I sense a distant storm.”

Diagon Alley was nothing in the books compared to real life. It was practically bursting with energy as the occupants bustled around, crowded into stores, laughed, and gossiped. Kazuha groaned. “Oh please, not the sound….”

The sound was indeed overwhelming. But that had been expected, since Diagon Alley was always the most busy right before school started. But Heizou sympathized with Kazuha. How was he supposed to focus with all this– sound clouding his judgment? So instead of wandering around in the streets, he grabbed Kazuha, grabbed Beidou’s hand, and pulled them into the nearest empty store available. 

The bells tinked as they entered, and the door closed lightly behind them, successfully muffling the roar outside. The smell of dust hit them hard.

Kazuha sighed, then smiled at Heizou. “Thank you.”

Beidou shrugged. “It wasn’t so loud out there, but I suppose I can handle being dragged into a store if Kazuha’s happy about it.”

But that proclamation was immediately followed by a “Good evening, welcome to Ollivanders.”

Heizou turned, unsurprised, towards an aging man with whitish hair. …. An ancient man with whitish hair.

“Good evening,” Kazuha replied, courteously. 

“Did you come for a wand? If that’s the case, I can get right to it.”

Heizou shook his head without hesitation. A wand chooses its owner. It cannot choose a muggle. “No sir, none of us are in need of a wand.”

Ollivanders raised an eyebrow, then his eyes glinted excitedly. “I see, I see. You must have bought a wand crafted by another wandmaker, then. Let me guess, hm, you don’t look like you come from France-”

“Actually,” Kazuha said bluntly, “We– don’t have any wands??”

That surely cut Ollivanders off.

“But you are going to Hogwarts, no?”

“Only as a spectator for the upcoming Triwizard Tournament.”

“Just you, my boy?”

“Yes sir.”

“Then this won’t do. Come, come.”

Heizou bit his lip. Either this man was truly stubborn or he just loved his wands. “I’m sorry sir, I have no money,” he said, hoping that would deter him.

“On the house,” he replied.

Beidou snorted. “What a nice guy, huh?”

“And a pain in the butt,” Heizou mouthed back.

Oblivious, Ollivanders scurried back with a wand in hand.

“Give it a wave, son.”

Heizou didn't take it. “Seriously, sir, I can’t-”

“Just give it a wave, don’t be shy.”

Kazuha looked at him apologetically. Heizou sighed, and took the wand. Immediately, it sprang out of his grasp and impaled the wall behind Ollivanders.

“Tut, tut,” Ollivanders said and retrieved the wand before looking for another. Heizou hummed thoughtfully. He’d read about this too, except that had been much more sudden than he’d anticipated. And another thing, why did it react to his touch? He wasn’t a wizard, since a vision holder couldn’t be a wizard at the same time. So how did the wand react? He felt a tingle in his pocket, like an answer to his question. Ah, he thought, The vision itself is reacting to the wand. I’m surprised the wand didn’t combust. From what I know, the magic from a vision varies greatly from a wand, and it is even considered polar opposites. Or…. perhaps that’s why they react at all? Perhaps…. Instead of when a wand lines up directly with the holder, it will react when its intentions lie completely opposite from the vision? He put his hand in his pocket and fingered the carefully concealed orb. Suddenly, he found himself wondering curiously what kind of wand would differ from his vision so greatly that it would react successfully.

He went through quite a few more wands (each of which sprang from his grasp the moment he touched it) before Ollivanders, with an especially confused look on his face, approached Heizou with a stub of a wand. Extremely short, and sizzling with red sparks. Heizou analyzed it, up and down. Ollivanders told him it was unicorn hair, eight inches and made of Blackthorn wood. Heizou picked it up and sure enough, it resonated.

“Peculiar,” Ollivanders muttered under his breath, “Very peculiar….”

But Heizou was beaming. “Just as I had predicted!” he exclaimed. His face fell. “Oh, right. Mr. Ollivanders, I do have a sort of outlandish currency…. Would you be willing to-”

“Ah, no no son, I already told you it was on the house. Now off you go!”

Ollivanders, as it turned out, was the only one willing to give out free stuff, and his wands were the only thing crucial to keeping up a persona as a wizard anyways (or so they thought), so they quickly got out of the still-busting-at-night Diagon Alley, out of stuffy London and into Beidou’s boat for the night. It definitely felt a lot safer inside the gently rocking boat, and it did wonders for Kazuha’s mind. Heizou looked over at the boy on the mast, staring sadly up at the sky, void of stars and full of smoke. Kazuha. He frowned, thinking about how protective he had been back at the meeting. He shook his head. It didn’t matter too much, anyways.

He took out his wand and his vision and stared at them, silently. He had read up on his wands as well. A shorter wand meant a lacking personality, the Blackthorn wood meant that the bearer would be a warrior, and the unicorn hair was the most consistent. Heizou cracked a grin. Consistency. Oh, how much trouble Kujou Sara would have avoided if he had that trait. But still. At least he was consistent in some shapes and forms. As for the wood, he despised using his physical strength in battle, and he could definitely see why Blackthorn would be so attracted to his vision. And the length…. Heizou sighed. Who was he to judge what he was lacking and what he was not? He fingered his vision, thinking about all the things he went through to receive it, then put them both away and closed his eyes.

The next morning, they went back to Diagon Alley and got themselves into the bank. It was a huge castle, filled with bustling…. Small-people? Goblins? Heizou turned to Beidou, who was confidently striding into the building.

“Beidou, is this really a good idea? We have no European currency, and-”

“Mora is minted from Cor Lapis, so it has to be worth something.”

“What if they recognize it, then? We can’t have people looking into Teyvat and vision-holders!”

“So what, then? I’m not gonna just stand around and let you starve!”

Heizou sighed at this, and let himself be dragged around the bank.

Hours of haggling with the goblins later, they managed to procure a rather tiny pouch of what the wizards called Knuts, Sickles and Galleons. They were each made up of very strange looking materials, and Galleons in particular seemed to be extremely flimsy, as a result.  Beidou didn’t exactly appreciate the ‘weak’ currency. 

As they roamed Diagon Alley, occasionally stopping at a bookstore to let Heizou read up on his facts, Kazuha turned to Heizou.

“Tomorrow is our last day together,” he said, “We will take you to a place close to the station that we were informed of, and then we must take our leave.” Kazuha looked at him with a peculiar look in his eyes, which had turned glassy. “I’m sorry,” he said, after a moment.

Heizou laughed. “I’d be an ungrateful hoodlum if I accepted that apology. You have nothing to say sorry for. I should be grateful that you and Beidou offered your assistance to me in the first place.” Heizou sighed, and after a moment, replied, “I will miss you, though.”

“As will I, my friend.”

Chapter Text

Before leaving, Heizou gave Kazuha a list of dates to visit him. Using the tiny amount of money that he had, Heizou was able to spend the rest of the week in a relatively poor but sheltered home, before he had to leave for the train. As the man at the Leaky Cauldron had promised, he had contacted the Headmaster and informed him of Heizou’s arrival, and he had received a ticket to the station. Of course, he had no idea what a station was, but a little bit of research would quickly give him the answer.

And so, with a bit of prodding at the right people, he was able to find platform 9 and three quarters. While he would love to say that he was less than impressed, that wasn’t true. The huge bright-red locomotive was enough to blow his mind. Back in Teyvat, the only land-traveling vehicles available were carts and anemo-slime balloons. The machinery and sheer intricacy of this one immediately gained his respect. Making a note to research “trains” whenever he had the free time, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and boarded the said train. The inside, while being rather plush and comfy, was more restricted. That much was expected, as the train was basically a metal cylinder that people were supposed to sit inside of. Heizou sighed, thinking that maybe an Anemo Balloon was preferable, after all. At least he could jump out of it whenever he felt like it. Finding an empty compartment almost immediately, he slipped inside and started writing. As a detective, he found that whenever free time struck, writing his observations and keeping them for later served his memory very well.

When the train finally arrived, hours later, a significantly grouchy Heizou felt his way out of the train. It was dark. He stumbled out of the train, his body feeling alien to him again, and looked around. Just as he had read, there were boats drifting on the shore of a small canal where the younger students were headed, and a bunch of carriages for the older ones. And yet…. He tilted his head, confused. The carriages were supposedly ones that could pull themselves, and yet skeletal horses wreathed in fuming black smoke were at the reins instead. Just as he was taking out his notebook to make this observation, a bushy haired man lumbered over to him.

“What’re ye doing without yer robes? Dn’t yer get changed in the trein?”

“Ah,” Heizou said, tucking his notebook away, “I apologize, sir, but I’m not a student here. Rest assured, I have my ticket,” he said, pulling out his purple ticket, “But I’m only here to spectate the Triwizard Tournament starting this October.”

The man scratched his beard, then shrugged. “I din’t know that was allowed, but, sure. Follo’ me in mah boat. I’ll take yer to Dumbledore.”

“Thank you.”

Dumbledore, it turned out, was a lot less intimidating than the books made him out to be. Sure, he was tall, owned the Elder wand and could definitely kick butt when he wanted to, but he just wasn’t the kind of person to actually do those things unless you were a really horrible person. Hiezou, he liked to think, wasn’t a very horrible person. Yes, he was annoying, he didn’t follow social norms, practically avoided his responsibilities, and on second thought was also keeping a society-changing secret in his pocket, but he didn’t like to think of himself on the level that he thought of thugs or…. Or murderers.

Anyways, the first thing that Dumbledore asked him when he arrived with the person that introduced himself as Hagrid was: “How are you feeling, Heizou?”

Well, wasn’t Dumbledore sharp? He’d picked up on his discomfort about his own body immediately.

“Not well, sir,” he replied honestly, “I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“Please refrain from doing so,” he said, his eyes twinkling, “It would be such a hassle.”

“Of course,” he replied, sarcastically.

Dumbledore gestured towards him. “Do you come from the Americas, Heizou?”

“Nope,” Heizou said, popping the ‘p’, “I didn’t go to Ilvermorny, either.”

“Yes, I heard you were homeschooled?”

“Mhm. My older brother taught me nearly everything I know. My father taught me the rest, and I suppose my mother helped a bit.”

“Who are your parents, may I ask? Are they qualified wizards and witches?”

Heizou paused, unsure of why Dumbledore would want such information. He decided to categorize it mostly as calculative small talk. “Well, you can call my brother a wanderer. He practices magic, but he infinitely prefers his sword to a wand. On the other hand, my father would teach me martial arts. He is, unfortunately, not with us anymore.” he paused at that, and feigned sadness. (He was faking it, of course, because he knew there was no way he could ask his visionless father to follow him into Europe.) He was no stranger to grief, and it came easily. Then he continued, “My mother travels with my brother often, she is a lawful pirate. She practices magic day to day. So, all in all, I would say that my education is rather one-sided, but not lacking in its capabilities.”

Dumbledore stared at him for a long moment. Heizou knew that his performance had not been perfect, and so he stared back at him. If he knew one thing, it was that liars who broke eye contact were discovered before those who did not. He was the liar this time around, which was…. unpleasant…. and new…. But he had a plethora of resources to go by, which was also convenient.

Finally, he sighed. “I’m sorry about your loss, Heizou. For now, I’ll let you stay with Hagrid. Is that alright, Hagrid?”

“Yessir.”

“Wonderful. Just follow Hagrid for now, Heizou, he’ll tell you what to do.”

Heizou nodded, and jumped up, following Hagrid out of the room. He turned. “Oh, Professor Dumbledore?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Heizou followed Hagrid around for the rest of the day. From the moment he stepped out of the office, through Dumbledore’s speech about the Triwizard Tournament, and to the moment all the first years were sorted. He noticed how a lot of the older students glanced at him curiously, but he pretended not to pay them any mind, though he did make a note in his head to write that down later. 

“A’right, Heizou,” Hagrid said, as the last student, Daniel Zephyr, got sorted into Hufflepuff, “Ye’re going to have ta take a seat at one of the house tables. Just go to whichever table ye take a fancy to.”

Heizou looked around the dining hall, considering his choices. He knew that the house that the mastermind behind Teyvat’s hooded figures was sorted into was Slytherin. On the other hand, Ravenclaw could probably offer him more information. Hufflepuff would be nicer to him, and Gryffindor…. Oh, wait…. That was the house that ‘the Boy Who Lived’ was sorted into, right….? Eh, what would he know about Voldemort? After a moment of consideration, he turned and headed towards the Slytherin table. He could research Voldemort in his own time, and he thought it would be helpful to get acquainted with the people of Slytherin and their personalities. Hagrid tilted his head at the “strange” choice, and the Gryffindor table took pleasure in glaring daggers into the back of his head. He chuckled inwardly. How petty. As if ten years from now they’ll be asking everyone which house they were sorted into before making friends.

He seated himself randomly towards the middle of the table, and ended up next to a seventh year girl who called herself Amelia. She seemed to giggle a lot. She also tried to play a practical joke on his food, which he pretended not to notice, but didn’t eat any of anyways. All in all, she was a pleasant girl to talk to. She didn’t seem to mind his…. Eccentricities? Either.

After the feast was over, Heizou exchanged last words with Amelia, who pouted when he left, and trotted over to Hagrid for directions, as he was told by Dumbledore.

“So,” Hagrid said, as they walked back together to his hut, “How was the Slytherin table?”

“It was pleasant,” Heizou said honestly, “The girl I was sitting with, Amelia, was good conversation material. I had a lot of fun talking to her.” And collecting data. But who gave a crap if he had fun while doing it? 

“That’s good,” Hagrid sighed in relief. “Not all Slytherins are particularly welcoming.”

Heizou raised an eyebrow. “I don’t see why any other house wouldn’t have their own unpleasant people.”

Hagrid thought about that. “Aw’right, I guess ye’re right. Well anyway, since ye’re staying here for quite some time, would yer like to take classes with the other fourth year Slytherins, or help me with my classes?”

“Hmm,” Heizou thought, “What kinds of classes do you teach, Hagrid?”

“Care of Magical Creatures!”

Heizou weighed his options. He could stay with Hagrid and have a less chance of being discovered, or he could walk around school with the others and become more acquainted with wizarding life, and possibly make friends, also possibly being able to snag more information about the connection of Voldemort to this castle. But that wasn’t anything he couldn’t do while staying with Hagrid and being inconspicuous…. “Alright! I’ve decided! I’m staying with you!” Nothing wrong with playing it safe for now.

And so that was how Heizou got roped up helping Hagrid groom thestrals( those were the horses dragging the carriages, he learned), feed pixies, and take care of cerberus’s.

Chapter Text

Heizou, after a while, shed his “modern” clothes in favor of his normal ones, finding that wearing modern clothes didn’t exactly help him “fit in”, and in fact being more “exotic” gave him an excuse for not wearing robes. It was one day when he was walking down the beaten path, taking a break from calming an angry cerberus, that he first laid eyes on the Boy Who Lived.

Yes, a slytherin boy was harassing him.

(About that, he’d read up on the history and found out that Slytherins had a pretty good reason for disliking Gryffindors, as their founder left Hogwarts and became villainized because of Gryffindor.)

Heizou was about to intercept between the two feuding students when the new professor, ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody, suddenly appeared and turned the Slytherin boy into a ferret. After that, he proceeded to shove him rather violently up another Slytherin boy’s pants. Heizou grimaced in sympathy. Bullies were bullies and they deserved what they got, but that was gruesome in a whole ‘nother way. Then Professor McGonagall walked up, shooed away the professor and the ferret-boy, turned on her heel, and left. Heizou glimpsed Mad-eye drinking something from his flask. He had assumed it was some sort of Firewater, or alcohol, (why else would he keep it so well hidden in his belt), but the color of the liquid that dribbled down the professor’s chin, a dirty bluish brown, made him narrow his eyes in suspicion. Yet another thing to note down.

It was October before he knew it, and he stood by Hagrid as all the students of Hogwarts crowded around to watch the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students arrive. It was rather chilly, and he considered donning his Tenryou uniform jacket, but he decided against it for the sake of rebellion and bore the cold instead. As he stood there, all huddled up next to Hagrid, he glimpsed Harry Potter again. Harry saw him looking and turned. Apple green met emerald for a split second before Harry turned his attention elsewhere. A beautiful blue carriage was landing in front of them, after all. Heizou only looked towards the main attraction when the door opened and huge lady, no, not fat-shaming, but a huge lady as in most likely 10 feet tall, stepped out. Dumbledore kissed her hand, and she let out her students. A quick glance at Hagrid and he could tell he was in love. Harry noticed, too, and Heizou, out of the corner of his eyes, saw his smirk. Soon after, a boat rose from the great lake and the students filed out. One in particular seemed to attract lots of attention. 

All Heizou could think was, “How dramatic.”

At the dining hall, he sat with Amelia again. She was giddily introducing her brother to him.

“Heizou, this is Isaac, and Isaac, this is Heizou! Heizou came a long, long way to see the Triwizard Tournament! Oh! Yeah, and Isaac’s currently attending Durmstrang because of our parents’ divorce. Mom moved to Germany, you know. To be honest, good for them! They fought all the time anyway. Isaac may be younger than me, but I promise you he’s the better wizard out of the two of us. So, if you ever need tips, go to him, not to me.”

Heizou laughed. “Noted.” He also noted how while all the other Durmstrang students shed their furs, accustomed to the cold, Isaac clutched his shawls tighter around himself. So their parents’ divorce must have been recent, then….

Isaac smiled at him shyly. “Nice to meet you. And don’t listen to Amelia, I don’t know sh*t.”

Amelia rolled her eyes.

“Well, Isaac, are you going to put your name in the goblet?”

“I guess I’ll try it out,” he said, shrugging, “For the experience, I guess. I mean, I kind of have to, since I came along on the trip. That’s the only way I could visit you. Besides, I don’t think I’ll be picked anyways. And do I even need to ask you?”

“Nope!” Amelia made a face. “On the off chance that I am chosen, I will not put my name in. I have things to live for! I am NOT going to die in a stupid tournament! And before you ask, yes, I am the worlds’ greatest coward.” 

Heizou laughed again. “Well, I’m cheering for you guys, then. Or more specifically, Isaac.”

The next week passed in a blur. Hagrid made him attend classes with the other students for that whole week, to “take some time off” and “have some fun”, even though Heizou had insisted that he didn’t want to. Isaac entered his name in the goblet on the second day, and Amelia stepped into the age limit ring just to tease Heizou about not being able to enter yet. Heizou rolled his eyes, knowing full well that he could if he really wanted to, but refrained from making such a comment as it would undoubtedly blow his whole cover. Mad-Eye Moody turned out to still be drilling everyone on the Imperius Curse, so Heizou skipped every DADA class that he possibly could. He would have liked to give his hand on trying to resist it, but he wasn’t sure how his vision would react against magic being cast onto their owner. He decided it was better to be safe than sorry, in that sense. Heizou also observed that among the students who put their names into the goblet, Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff, Viktor Krum (also the popular one from before) and Fleur Delacour were the most popular. Cedric seemed to be a kind-hearted, nice tempered person, and he was a Prefect, as well, to top it off. He seemed to attract a lot of girls, although Heizou personally didn’t see the romantic appeal. He seemed like a nice friend, though. Viktor Krum was a Quidditch player. He hadn’t even needed to research that one. Just a few glimpses of him and he could tell: the build, the attitude, the attention. And most importantly, the way he handled the attention. Like he was used to it. Fleur was, undoubtedly, beautiful, and boys were attracted to her like magnets, or moths to a lamp. This time, Heizou’s romantic orientation kept him from seeing the real appeal.

Sooner rather than later, it was time to see who was chosen out of the goblet. After making a bunch of dramatic gestures, Dumbledore reached into the goblet and pulled a name out.

“Viktor Krum!”

Isaac clapped just as hard as everybody else. He didn’t seem the least bothered by not being chosen.

“Fleur Delacour!”

Heizou was seeing a pattern here. Mentally, he made that note, then gave Cedric Diggory a dead stare. He was next, wasn’t he?”

“Cedric Diggory!”

Yup.

“Now that the goblet has chosen the three competitors for our tournament, I would like to give a toast to-”

The goblet spat out another piece of paper. The whole crowd went silent. Heizou tilted his head in confusion, then started searching the crowd for any guilty faces.

“Harry Potter?”

Immediately, people began hissing in anger.

Amelia included.

“ Potter ?! He put his name in the goblet?! Arggghh, of course he would, that attention seeking brat….”

“Calm down, Amelia,” Heizou said gently, “I’m sure Harry didn’t put his name in the goblet.” 

She looked at him doubtfully. “I don’t know, Heizou, that kid’s been throwing himself into every single major event happening around here ever since he was enrolled. The first year he was here, nothing was going on, and yet he still wound up in the hospital wing with Dumbledore cooing over him as if he was a child. Then Dumbledore gave him and his friend like a hundred house points last second, and stole our trophy.” she made a face. “Then during the second year, this whole basilisk incident thing happened and he decided to throw himself into the tumult again and everyone started praising him. That probably got to his head, although his friend Hermione actually did pretty much all the work, cause the third year this serial killer Sirius Black appeared and once again he was at the center of that issue. I guess that time couldn’t be helped, though, since he had a personal connection with that criminal… BUT STILL!!”

“Huh.” Heizou rubbed his chin in thought. “Interesting.”

Isaac watched Amelia rant with a little bit of amusement on his face. “Amelia,” he said after a moment, “Didn’t he like, almost die every single time? Would you want to almost die every single year?”

“No!” Amelia scoffed, “But I’m not him and he’s not me!”

As his companions playfully bantered with each other, Heizou’s eyes traced Harry as he sullenly crawled into the next room. Yep, no matter what Amelia said, he did not enter his own name into the goblet. Immediately, his eyes flickered to Moody, who was taking another sip from his flask. There were other obvious suspects such as the Harry-fanatic officer from the Ministry of Magic, or his colleague, but no matter how he looked at it, they seemed equally as surprised or displeased as anyone else. It was only Moody who looked indifferent to all of it. And yes, okay, his Intuition was practically screaming Moody’s name.

Then Heizou’s attention was brought to the Hufflepuff table. His eyes softened in sympathy. He knew that they were looked down upon for being “weak” or “soft”, which in no way was true. Cedric, a Hufflepuff, had been chosen as their champion, and another stupid Gryffindor was stealing their only spotlight.

That day, as they were walking back, Hagrid brought something up to Heizou.

“Ah, Heizou,” he said, “Could ‘ya do a favor fo’ me?”

“Of course, Hagrid, what do you need? Ask me anything.”

“Well, I know I’m not supposed to tell anyone, but….” he shuffled, looking to Heizou for confirmation…. About something. Heizou nodded gently. “Could you help me prepare for the first challenge in the Triwizard Tournament?”

He hadn’t been expecting that. “Yes, of course. What do I have to do?” He smirked. “Do I need to fight the champions, or something?”

“No, no!” Hagrid looked a bit embarrassed. “The first challenge is for them to get past a dragon, and steal a fake golden egg. I, as Care of Magical Creatures teacher, was- ahem, Assigned… . To help take care of the dragons!”

“Uh-huh.” Heizou eyed him knowingly. You just like dragons, don’t you? ”So, what am I supposed to do?”

“Well, since I have to take care of them, I was wondering if you would help me out….  I promise they’re not dang’rous!”

“Yes, sure, Hagrid, I’ll help you,” Heizou sighed, smiling. 

“Aw’right!” Hagrid gave Heizou a bone crushing hug that he needed some time to heal from, afterwards.

Chapter Text

Heizou agreed to help him take care of the dragons, and he was extremely underwhelmed.

After hearing so many tales about the mighty beast Stormterror who plagued Mondstadt, Drake, etc., these dragons seemed quite…. Lame. Although, if measured by ferocity, Dvalin was the tame one. These dragons spat fire at their metal cages, unwisely blocked up by wood. Heizou felt a twinge of remorse at seeing this. True, they were dangerous, but this was just cruel. They were born to stretch their wings, not be confined to tiny cages. Meanwhile, Hagrid was just being Hagrid and was starstruck.

“I’ve got to show her this.”

Heizou excused himself after around ten minutes, seeing as Charlie and the other dragon tamers were the only ones actually doing anything and Hagrid was just watching. As he left, he mulled over Hagrid’s words. It was quite obvious to him that he was talking about Beauxbaton’s half giant lady friend he had. Then she would most likely tell Fleur, and that would give them an unfair advantage. He would have to dissuade Hagrid from inviting her…. He stopped in his tracks, and his eyes flickered over to Karkaroff, who was sneaking his way over. Heizou sighed, and walked over to him.

“Hello sir.”

Karkaroff jumped a foot into the air.

“Who- what-” his eyes narrowed. “You.”

“Me.” Heizou stared at him. “May I ask you what you are doing? Or do I need to guess?”

“Get out of my way, foreigner. I’m only taking a walk.”

Heizou’s eyes flashed with anger. Foreigner. What a disgusting thing to say with that kind of undertone.

“Foreigner or not, I advise you leave this area. As you already know, for sure, some confidential things are being held here.” Heizou smirked. “You surely aren’t sneaking this way to spy on them, are you?”

“It was only a coincidence that I ended up here!”

Coincidence. Another disgusting word, used by disgusting criminals.

“No, Headmaster Karkaroff,” Heizou said, sighing and shaking his head, “I don’t believe in coincidences, and I certainly don’t believe that you accidentally stepped this way. I would advise you to leave this area now.”

“And why should I?!”

“Well,” Heizou said, tapping his chin, thoroughly enjoying how trapped Karkaroff looked by a puny little fourteen-year-old, “Now that you know that this place is strictly confidential, the decent thing to do would be to apologize, turn around, and leave . Unless you have ulterior motives, that is. And unless you would like to appear that way in front of your colleagues.”

“Well, who are they going to believe? You or me?”

“Are you admitting your guilt, sir?”

For a long moment, Crouch gave Heizou his most menacing glare, to which Heizou only smirked back, and then Crouch turned and left. What a silly man. But Heizou was glowing. He had prevented a crime (sort of), for the first time. Of course, he knew that Crouch would come back the next day and then his efforts would have been for naught, but it was still a good first step to take.

Heizou sighed. Now to get Hagrid to not bring his ‘girlfriend’ over on a date.

It didn’t work.

As expected, he was adamant that this was a crucial step in building their love and trust, and brought her over anyways. So, who was he to keep Karkaroff away? Hagrid, he realized, was also planning on bringing Harry, but since he was so preoccupied with her , that duty fell to him. Hagrid…. Really had trust issues, he decided, and not the type where he had trouble trusting anyone. That day, he was let off with a wink, to go and find Harry and get ‘im back that night. Heizou had rolled his eyes.

“Harry!” he yelled, as Harry came out of Professor Sprout’s class, looking rather down.

He turned on him furiously, “WHAT?!” then realized that he wasn’t trying to berate him for putting his name in the Goblet of Fiyah. 

“I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself, Harry,” Heizou said, seemingly undisturbed by his outburst, “My name is Shikanoin Heizou. Pleasure to meet you.”

Harry sighed, rather rudely, considering the professional introduction that Heizou had just given him. “You already know me, I’m Harry. And before you ask, No, I did not put my name in the Goblet of Fire.” 

At that, Heizou let out a laugh. “Ha! Put your name in? I doubt that. I can tell you’ve had enough sh*t in your life.”

Harry looked at him curiously. “Yeah, pretty much. Did you want something?” His face dropped. “And no, I don’t hand out autographs.” Heizou cracked a grin.

“An autograph, you say? My friend, the kind of people who hand out autographs are people like Victor Krum, not someone like you where the only thing you are known for is surviving a curse.” 

Harry grimaced, undoubtedly thinking about what that curse had cost him. It was a relief that Heizou had no interest in him that way, but it was also mildly discomforting to know that the thought that lowly of him.

Heizou read his mind.

“Now now Harry, I do believe that you must have some commendable achievements, I just dislike how that one incident seems to define your whole public persona. But that’s just my opinion. Anyways, let’s stop with the pleasantries, shall we?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure. So what do you want?”

“Ah,” Heizou said, rubbing his chin, “I’m just an errand boy this time, for a particular love stricken giant who may or may not want you to visit him tonight.”

Harry’s mouth opened in surprise. “Hagrid? But- why-!”

Heizou put a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. “We don’t want him getting in trouble, do we?”

Harry nodded slowly. Heizou was about to leave when he paused, and turned.

“And um, Harry, do me a favor and bring Cedric too, ‘kay? Secretly. ”

Harry was about to protest about how he owed him anything, but Heizou was already gone.

Dragons.

Heizou was waiting for him near Hagrid’s hut, as he and his date had already gone ahead. Cedric trailed behind, under the invisibility cloak, confused.

“You brought Cedric?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah.”

“Well, brace yourselves.”

He led them silently through the forbidden forest, and a couple paces away from the site, a bone-chilling roar was sounded. Harry shivered, and Cedric jumped. Heizou was surprisingly calm and simply gestured for them to get along with it and meet Hagrid, and then left.

“They’re gonna be in some deep sh*t.”

The tournament day happened. It came, just like that. And the first thing that happened to Harry was being bitten by a tiny dragon and dragged into a semi-interview. Again. With Rita Skeeter. He glimpsed Heizou staring daggers into her head, but that hadn’t been enough to deter her, and Dumbledore had to come in eventually to drag her out.

Eventually, the tournament started, and Heizou leaned back in the rafters to watch. A deadly contest, to see which school was the best. Awfully rigged, to be honest. Some of the dragons had different abilities and strengths than the others, which some schools may or may not have had the resources to teach about. There was no one “best dragon”, but it still seemed that some students had an easier time than others. He winced especially as Cedric Diggory got raked in the thigh by an angry, frantic dragon. He decided that this competition was also quite barbaric. Poor students, poor dragons.

Nevertheless, they all flew with flying colors. Harry also used a particular spell called Accio, which Heizou decided that he needed to look into. He decided it would be worth the trouble learning it, if he even could.

After Harry and the others were dismissed, Heizou immediately chased after him, and tapped him on the shoulder. Harry turned, startled, and Heizou grinned at him.

“I see you’ve made up with your friend.”

“Yeah, thankfully. I’m grateful,” he said earnestly.

“I had a question for you. Ah, don’t worry, it’s not ridiculous like Rita Skeeter’s questions, just a little curiosity of mine,” he quickly explained, seeing Harry’s exasperated look.

“Yeah?” he asked, still looking quite upset.

“I wanted to know how you thought up of using the Accio spell to get past the dragon. And also, how it knew which Firebolt to go for, but that’s besides the point.”

Harry looked quite relieved.

“Well, after a bit of research, I came up with the idea. I’m pretty good with the broom, you know, although I’m not too good with anything else.” his eyes subconsciously darted towards Moody, which Heizou noticed immediately. “It didn’t seem as hard of a spell as the one Cedric used, which was the one that I had originally wanted to learn. So, I asked Hermione, and she taught it to me in no time! And, er, now that you mention it, I don’t really know how it knew which Firebolt to go for.” 

“It was quite remarkable,” Heizou nodded, “And extremely useful in emergencies.”

Harry nodded, slowly. “I suppose.”

“Well, I am glad that you were able to learn it in this…. Learning process,” Heizou flashed him a grin, then pointed his thumb behind him at Hermione and Ron, who were just now emerging from the tent, and were now staring at him. “Well, I’ll give you some time to spend with your friends. I’ll be off, then!”

Harry waved, and Heizou was gone in a blink.

Chapter Text

“Hagrid?! But- why-??”

“Becuz I need you there!” Hagrid pleaded, “I can’t go alone!”

“You’ll be with Headmistress Maxime! And Harry will be there too!”

Hagrid looked about ready to cry. “But I need ‘yer there too! Oh come on, please, you’re like family to me now!”

That startled Heizou, and swayed him quite a bit. “O-oh, I suppose that’s a different story, then….”

“So ye’ll go?!?!”

“....” Heizou sighed. “Fine.”

Hagrid hugged him tightly, which must’ve bruised one of his ribs in the process. He wheezed as Hagrid let him go. “Well, ye’ll have to take classes, then! I’ll let yer off when Slytherin has dance lessons.”

Heizou groaned.

“And ye’ll need a par’ner too! Amelia, perhaps? I don’ think she’ll mind.”

Heizou shook his head, forcing a smile. “I’ll figure it out, Hagrid. Eventually.”

That lunch, he told Amelia and her brother his problem.

“I feel you,” Isaac sighed, “I have no interest in any of the girls around here, and it’s gonna be a nightmare, since this is literally mandatory for us Durmstrang students.”

“I’m so so sorry you guys,” Amelia apologized, blushing profusely, “I- I already asked someone out!”

Heizou raise dhis eyebrows. “Who?”

Amelia flushed an even deeper crimson. “Him!” she whispered, pointing at a small sixth year in Ravenclaw. Heizou looked at him. He was good-looking, he’d admit that. Short black hair with kind hazel eyes. No wonder she’d fall for him. And, he was short. That was a plus.

“Good choice,” Heizou said.

“I know, right?!” Amelia hissed. Isaac sighed deeply.

“Great. My sister has a date and I don’t.”

“Aha!” Heizou put his hand down on the table. “Isaac! You should go with me!”

“What?!”

Amelia snorted at Isaac’s reaction. She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Awww, is my brother embarrassed????” Then she gave Heizou a look that clearly meant Well, that was pretty straightforward.

“Sorry, Heizou,” he said, incredibly red, “I don’t have feelings for you! It was nice of you to ask me, I’ve never been asked out before, but–”

Heizou laughed. “Isaac, I don’t have feelings for you either! But we’re friends, right? Come on, we can go together. Then we won’t have to worry about who going with who and all that.”

“But- it’s against the rules, isn’t it?” Isaac asked, frowning, the blush slowly creeping off of his face, “A girl and a boy.”

Heizou rolled his eyes. “Who gives a sh*t?” he asked, “I’ll talk to Professor McGonagall about it. Plus, it’s about time that someone broke tradition. You are very clearly gay and you should be able to talk about it freely.”

Isaac’s blush came back in a hurry. “Sht-Shush! You don’t know that for sure! I don’t even know that! And plus, I’m still not so sure I want to go with you….”

Heizou sighed. “If it makes you feel better, I can dress up as a girl and pretend to go as one.”

He smirked as Isaac buried his face in his hands. His ears were bright red.

Amelia choked on her water. “Oh my g*d, Heizou. How desperate are you to go with my brother?”

He laughed. “I’m kidding, Isaac. I’m not about to embarrass you that badly.” then he turned to Amelia. “And I think I have a right to be desperate. You have a very fine brother.” And I literally know no one else who would even be remotely willing to go with me.  

Isaac groaned. “Heizou, please stop it.”

Heizou smiled at him. “So what will it be?”

Isaac looked about ready to crawl into a hole. Still….

“Alright,” he sighed, “I’ll go with you, only if we’re not gonna get in trouble for it. And if I don’t find a girl by then.”

“Do you really hate me that much? You wound me!”

“If I hated you I would’ve declined the moment you proposed you go with me.”

You did, Heizou thought, but didn’t say that.

That day’s dance class was more torture than it was class. Shikanoin Heizou was active, but he did not dance. He ran, he climbed, he stooped, he jumped, he dove, he flew, he wandered. He did not bow to another person, he did not restrict himself to restraining steps and rules. The whole class Isaac grumbled about how dancing was useless and no one did it anyways, but Heizou spotted a small pleasure that he got from the movement, and he really was an elegant dancer. Meanwhile, Heizou stepped on peoples’ toes. It really didn’t help that he was in a fourteen year old child’s body. He really wanted his old one back. 

On the plus side, he was able to convince Professor McGonagall to allow Isaac to go with him to the dance.

After the first class Amelia pulled him over, and she hurried Isaac away.

“Guess what?” Amelia whispered, excitedly. Heizou grinned. He loved guessing games. He also loved seeing that startled look on peoples’ faces when he either hit or just barely missed the mark.

“Well, something that makes you rather proud of Isaac, and something that you definitely don’t want him to hear. Let me guess. He finally admits he’s gay?”

“Something like that,” she giggled, “This Beauxbatons girl asked him out right before class and he turned her down! He said that he was already going with someone. Teehee, he’s so obvious, how did I not notice! And I can’t wait to see the look on that girl’s face when she sees you with him! I can’t believe my bro’s actually gay!! Oh, I’m so proud of him!!”

Heizou cracked a grin at that. That was always a pleasant thing to hear. 

The next dance class was more bearable. Some people danced more than others and they switched out, so with careful maneuvring, Heizou was able to avoid dancing for most of the class. It was on this occasion that Harry decided to sit next to him.

“Hey Heizou.”

Heizou raised an eyebrow. “Harry. What brings you to this side of the room? Are you planning on being a lady for one of your friends as well?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Who cares where I sit? Anyway, I just wanted to thank you. You know, about the first challenge?”

Heizou’s face softened by a smidge. “Oh, come on, Harry, I already told you I was just being a bellboy that time. I really didn’t do anything.”

“Well, still, you went out of your way for me,” he said, “And I also saw you glaring at Rita Skeeter. That was funny.”

“What about my glare is funny?” Heizou joked, pretending to be affronted.

Harry rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

An awkward silence ensued.

“Well,” Harry said after a moment of fidgeting, “Tell me about your life.”

“What?”

“You came here to spectate the tournament from a far away place, right?”

Heizou stared at him. “Seriously, who spread the word?! No, wait. Ugh, it has GOT to be Hagrid.” he shook his head, sighing. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“How different is life where you come from?” Harry asked. Heizou spotted a bit of wistfulness in his voice.

“Oh, very different,” Heizou remarked. “Let me see…. Well up until very recently, our monarch had been issuing a rather tyrannical decree. Not that I have a place to judge, since I’m sure she had a reason, but it doesn’t change the fact that it has done damage to our nation. Anyway, she repealed the act recently due to some resistance from her people, and she’s been becoming a better ruler recently.” he sighed. “So, things were looking pretty good.”

Harry tilted his head. “Were?”

Heizou shrugged, but mentally curse himself for the small slipup. “You know, my life. And then this tournament thing happened and I decided I just had to see it, you know? I guess my life looking up will have to be put on hold for the moment.” He laughed, and Harry smiled a bit.

“That’s nice.” he paused. “But you haven’t really answered my question.”

Heizou raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“You just explained to me how your nation was doing. What about your personal life?”

“Oh.” this time Heizou’s ‘ oh ’ was a bit more deflated. “Well, my family is pretty busy, and so they weren’t able to tag along. I’m pretty much alone in England.” He paused. “If you wanted to know about my family though, my mom is a super cool pirate and I have the best older brother. (Yes, he is ignoring his real brother for the time being.) He can get all poetic sometimes, but he’s super cool. My mom’s also dating this other lady who I’ve heard is amazing too.”

Harry undoubtedly noticed the lack of a father in his rant, but didn’t bring it up.

“How much do you know about magic, then?” he asked, changing the topic in a way that he thought was tactful, “You were homeschooled, right? Wasn’t your family super busy?”

“Yeah, well,” Heizou said, his eyes glassing over, “I know enough. They make enough time.”

“Thinking about it, I’ve never actually seen you do magic. Maybe you know some cool spells. Can you show me?”

Heizou huffed, and didn’t bother hiding his discomfort. “Look at me, Harry, do I look like a good teacher to you? And sure, I guess I could show you something some other time. But anyway, don’t expect me to teach you anything. I can’t teach for the life of me.”

Harry scoffed. “I don’t believe that, but sure, suit yourself.”

“Harry!” Ron whined, “Get up here and stop talking to that doofus! My feet are literally numb!”

“Coming!” Harry sighed apologetically at Heizou, and left. He watched him go with a twinge of amusement.

The Yule Ball came around faster than ever. Heizou had learned a bit of dancing, and was eager to forget it. He had no dress robes, but he had made up an excuse with Professor McGonagall, and he got away with it. Something about him being poor. To be completely fair, he wasn’t exactly the wealthiest, and compared to other vision holders, he had an extremely simple outfit. A white shirt that allowed him to practice martial arts with ease, comfortable brown pants with a jitte attached to it. A Tenryou Commision uniform tied around his waist along with simple Inazuman sandals, some full-arm and knee guards for whenever he may need to defend himself, a rope tied around his shoulder just in case he needed to apprehend something and a ribbon in his hair. And of course, he used to have his vision hanging on his waist, the only super fancy thing that he really had on his outfit. Now, it was just shoved into the pockets of his uniform, carefully concealed in cloth, more cloth and more cloth. But breathable cloth, since his anemo vision, like himself, hated being restrained. 

Isaac had been, surprisingly, looking forwards to the ball, and was also surprisingly not upset at all that Heizou had not dressed up a single bit. Heizou had been planning not to dance, but the glint in Isaac’s eye and his consideration to his outfit made him reconsider. He’d dance, if only to keep that happiness in his friend’s eyes alive. He pretty much voiced that out loud to Isaac, who only blushed in response, and told him he didn’t want to dance, cause it was cringey. Heizou danced with him anyways, and observed triumphantly that Isaac seemed to be enjoying himself.

Harry and Ron, on the other hand, he observed to be having an especially horrible time. Harry obviously hated the ball and was having a bad, even horrible time, and Ron obviously had a crush on Hermione, who had ditched him for Victor Krum. Their dates, the Patil siblings, were absolutely pissed at them, as well, for inviting them and not actually dancing with them. Heizou was partially glad that he had manners enough to not disappoint his best friend. (Thinking about it, best friend was rather foreign on his tongue, and thinking about how Isaac and Amelia were his best friends made him feel rather strangely warm inside.) Hagrid, he saw, was dancing to his hearts’ content, and he saw him sneaking off with Headmistress Maxime. Harry and Ron disappeared a bit later. Moody was in the corner, taking a swig of his…. Juice. Well, whatever he called his pumpkin juice spiked with alcohol. And surprisingly, Professor McGonagall was having a particularly marvelous time, dancing. Heizou could now see why she was chosen as the dance instructor. She was elegant, he admitted, and she loved her art. 

It was a couple minutes to midnight, and Heizou excused himself. Isaac was tired but happy, and he replied that he was going to retire for the night. But not before he leaned in and whispered worriedly, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I think Amelia’s gonna faint.” To which Heizou replied, rather teasingly, “Of course I’ve noticed. She just had her first kiss.” Isaac did not know that, because his face went slack for a moment, before he started laughing, and waved before leaving.

Heizou took the chance and left the stuffy atmosphere. Sighing, he glanced out the nearest window, wishing he could just open them and jump out, gliding. Unfortunately, that was too risky, even in the dead of night. So, he took the winding stairs and ran outside into the courtyard, instead. The breath of freezing air immediately relieved him of his stress and he plopped down. Even in this faraway place, the wind around him cradled him protectively. It was all thanks to his anemo vision, he supposed. He reached into his pocket and fingered those smooth curves that he had gotten to know so well. He could almost feel the vision vibrating with his touch, a thousand harsh cyclones being summoned into the small gem. Are you finally going to let me have that stretch I deserve? It seemed to ask. He sighed and stood up. That was a risk he was not eligible to take. 

Anyways, Hagrid was professing something to Madame Maxime, probably that they had so much in common, or something of the sort, and Harry was getting something from Cedric. He took this all in seemingly indifferently. 

He tactfully kept his distance as the two lovebirds (sort of) spoke, although he was within hearing distance if he strained his ears. He managed to catch something about being a giant.

After Madame Maxime left, Heizou approached the happily sighing Hagid.

“So, Hagrid, how was the Ball?”

“It was great! I finally told M. Maxime!”

Not about your love though, did you? “That’s great! I hope me being dragged there was worth it.”

“Oh yes,” Hagrid said earnestly, although Heizou could blatantly see that he was lying, “Of course.”

Heizou sighed. “Well, I admit that I had fun.” He winced. “Not dancing, of course, but it was nice hanging out with Isaac.”

“Isaac?” Hagrid turned his head. “Weren’t you going with Amelia?”

Hagrid, you didn’t need me, you are doing perfectly on your own, my friend.  

Heizou threw his head back and laughed.