Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Isagi saw that man in the streets of Tokyo, he never thought it would lead to that kind of scenario.  

Since he came into his life, everything changed. Of course, it was for the best, anything would be better than what he had before, living in the street after suddenly losing his job that had been sustaining him for the past seven years was definitely in his top ten most traumatic experiences.  

And he had a lot in only seventeen years of his poor life.  

Then he appeared, standing in the alley of the grocery store Isagi was stealing some apples in. The boy had approached to pet the kitty he found, looking fondly. Isagi loved cats. But as soon as his hand touched the smooth fur, something changed. Before even understanding what was happening, he fell on the floor, a grown-up man – lowkey threatening – in front of him.  

Uh... Where did the cat go?  

“Isagi? I presume.” He said in a calm voice, not quite mocking the boy, but almost.  

“Yes? What do you want from me? I don’t have money… And how do you even know my name?”  

His legs were giving up, and he had no way to get out of this place. He was trapped. Saying goodbye to earth, he saw the man lean forward, toward him, in a slow motion, his bones cracking under the awkward angle of his body.   

“I want you to follow me.”  

He didn’t add anything, assuming Isagi would drink his words and at once agree.  

At least, that’s what the previous boy did.  

“I’m sorry but I don’t think I will.” Isagi nervously chuckled. “Are you trying to kidnap me or anything? I’m not worth a single yen you know.”  

“No, I don’t mean like that. I wish to give you a place to live in.” He had sighed, distraught. “However, I still want to give you the choice: you can stay here if you don’t trust me. Or you can follow me, it’s up to you.”  

Isagi was tempted to agree and go where the man wanted him to. But what would tell him he wasn’t lying? It could be a big prank on him, promising to lead him to a better world, before leaving him in the middle of nowhere, and laughing as he would struggle to stay alive.  

“What is that place?” He had arched a brow, warry. “Are you promising to give me a real home? It surely sounds a bit fishy to me, to be honest.” 

“Everyone there will be like you, and you will be under our protection. Mine and the rest of the teachers’.” He had nodded, sure of his own words. 

“I will be able to eat as much as I want?”  

“Yes. Everything will be supplied for you. You won’t have to pay anything, the only service we want from you, is to be interested in learning more.”  
 

The man stood up. His eyes were so empty of emotions that Isagi should have felt threatened, worried, scared- But instead, a rush of adrenaline ran in his veins.  

This was exhilarating.  

“Learn? Are you sending me to school? Am I not a bit too old to learn? And even though whatever you want to teach me is in my age range, I'm pretty sure no one would want to be my teacher. Every single one I had gave up on me after a week.” He challenged.  
 

Isagi felt a hand on his shoulder, and at once, a strong heat crawled inside his heart. It was like the man’s burning passion took over his body, just to share a moment. A silent sentence. A silent ‘I’m going to raise your ego just right.’  

“It’s not just a school, Isagi Yoichi, it’s where you belong. There is no other place in the world for someone like you. Like them.” 
 

The words hit him at once, a meteorite entering his orbit and shaking his grounds hard enough to make everything else disappear. At this moment, he was feeling like God itself came to earth, to rescue him from his disastrous life.  

Maybe this terrifying cat-man was God after all.  

“Are you in?”  
 

Looking left and right, he sighed. Maybe it was for the best. Leaving everything behind, starting a new life from here. It was still his choice in the end, but it would only be fair to finally have his own occasion shine. Somewhere where he could finally be the main character of his own life.  

“Yes. I don’t know if I should say that, but I trust you.”  

“You’re right, you shouldn’t say that, but after all, if you can’t trust those you see in the streets anymore, then who can you?” 

After that meeting, everything felt blurry in Isagi’s mind. He remembered very briefly going shopping in a strange alley, lots of people dressed like they were right out of a movie TV shops would display to show the quality of their products.  

When they finished finding every single small item on the list, Ego - it was the man’s name, weirdly - led him to a train station deep in London. Isagi didn’t even know how he got to the United Kingdom, his memory was kind of a gigantic mess.  

A lot of families were there, but the boy couldn’t find the right platform he needed to reach. Ego gave him only a small hint about running into the wall if he was still hesitant. It was only after seeing a duo going into the concrete blocks that he decided to give it a try.  

The siblings he spotted crossing the mysterious passage were still right there, and when he stopped contemplating them - they were pretty - he realised the train was waiting. It was huge and at first, he took a few steps back, swallowing his saliva, impressed by the machine.  

As the sound of the controller came in his mind, he entered the train after he secured his bags. The rest was only dreams, as Isagi had fallen asleep at the beginning of the journey. When he woke up, everyone was already putting on the weird coats he also had bought. Following the movement, he did the same thing and without even realising it, he was at the bottom of the majestic stairs leading to the castle, high upon the hill.  

At this exact moment, Isagi was still asking himself if he made the right choice by trusting the strange man in the grocery shop. Probably not, but it was too late to go back. When he started going up the stairs, he spotted the duo right in front of him, a couple steps away. They were both handsome, both in their own way.  

The first boy seemed taller than anyone else and had a small tint of green in his dark hair. Although he appeared cold and disturbing, he couldn’t stop throwing looks at his sibling, waiting for an answer. Next to him, the smaller, probably his brother, was way more composed, observing his surroundings calmly, and enjoying the view of the castle.  

There were a lot of students everywhere, and Isagi was stressing over anything. Was his coat adjusted? Maybe he needed to straighten his tie? Or style his hair better. His hair had been a problem for a long time, really, but he never really took care of it. Why would he? It wasn’t like people in his previous environment would mind his poor appearance anyway. 

Soon they were all welcomed inside the castle and led to a big room. If it wasn’t for the overall excitement everywhere, Isagi would have missed the fact that the ceiling of the Great Hall was the perfect image of the night sky. Such a strange decoration. All of them sat down, and after a silence, the grocery shop man appeared. Which leads us to where we left before summing up the story.  

.⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆. 

Isagi is breathing heavily, his palms sweating from the anxiety this room brings him. All around him are people he never knew he could ever meet, a few days ago. On the big bench, he hears someone sitting, and immediately, he turns around.  

It’s a boy, towering over him, blond hair coloured in blue at the bottom, and a mean girl expression on his face. Isagi asks himself how everyone could be this tall. And even though he isn’t small himself, he feels like all the other students are watching him from above. The blond boy turns towards him, raising a brow dramatically. And to be fair, Isagi doesn’t know if he should take it personally.  
 

“This is boring, isn’t it?” He asks before sighing.  

“It hasn’t even started, everyone’s not inside yet.” Isagi answers honestly. 

“I don’t know why I am here, I agreed because they told me they would free me from my life but as I see it, this place is kind of a jail itself. It’s not better than what I faced before.” 
 

Isagi tries to not let the panic show on his face. Something worse than jail? When Ego told him he would get to know people like him, he surely didn’t think about criminals. 

Because Isagi isn’t some kind of thief or murderer or drug dealer.  
 

“At least it’s pretty, here. They told me we would be taken care of here.”  

“Yes, they told me the same thing. The guy who got me out was rather boring though, very posh. He seems like the type to be nonchalant all the time. You see him?” 
 

Crunching his eyes, Isagi tries to find the said man in the crowd. All around him are only students, maybe even some who will be in his class. His gaze goes to the big table perpendicular to his own, where lots of adults are sitting. On the right edge, he sees an older man, a glass in his hands and a completely uninterested expression on his face.  
 

“He’s with the professors, right there.” He points at the table, and the blond boy turns around, to look. “Not a lot compared to the number of students. Are we all going to be, ok?” 
“It’s not a simple school either.” 
 

Isagi sees Ego approaching a sort of small table in front of everyone, and the man smiles widely.  
 

“What do you mean by that?” 
“It’s a sorcery school? Didn’t you realize? Everyone could understand that. We got into the train station by running into a wall after all. Wait, they didn’t tell you about that information?”  
 

Isagi narrows his eyes, rubbing his temples. This can’t be real. This is too much to be real.  
 

“No? They told me I wouldn’t have to worry about anything and that, if I cared to learn, they would gladly teach me. He never said I would become a magician of some kind.” 
 

Next to him, the boy snorts a bit, amused by Isagi’s reaction.  
 

“Well, better late than never as we say.” 
 

Isagi doesn’t even have time to answer as Ego coughs a bit in his hand, waiting for everyone to quiet down so he can start his speech. Letting his gaze wander on the crowd of students, he spots Isagi and gives him a look, chin raised.  

It does not reassure him.  
 

“Hello, students of Hogwarts. I am happy to see you have all survived another year of exams and terrible teaching. I hope this year will bring success to everyone in this room.”  
 

There is a series of claps in between the students, Isagi follows without really understanding what is currently happening in the room.  
 

“I would like to start by wishing all of you a good luck, especially for our fifth and seventh years, who, surely, won’t be as much as they are next year.” He stops, before looking back at the adult's table. They all nod, he continues. “We will start today’s feast by the sorting ceremony, as always, it’s Mr Prince who will introduce it to the first years.”  
 

Ego is given a round of uncertain applause before going back to his seat, leaving the place to his colleague, Mr Prince. The man seems to be the exact opposite of the director. Already laughing to himself, his outfit and hair perfectly arranged and a wicked smile on the lips.  

Isagi already feels embarrassed to be in the room. He wants to leave.  
 

“Hello everyone, for the new one, the little heads, my name is Chris Prince, try to remember. I am the transfiguration professor, and you’ll spend your best moments in my class. I'm also the head teacher of the Gryffindor house, maybe some of you will see me all year. We are proud, loyal and brave, joining the lions is joining the heroes!” 
 

From one of the tables, to the left of the professor, Isagi hears a lot of shouting, probably the students from this “house”. The boy hopes it’s not what Ego meant when he talked about him finding a new home in this place. Because he is not sure how to handle the professor as the head of his “house”.  

“Well, seems like the Gryffindor's are wide awake tonight. As every year, I will start the sorting ceremony, bring the sorting hat.” 
 

From behind him, a woman comes to the front and brings with him a stool, accompanied by a strange hat. Even if he sits far enough to not actually see, Isagi notices a strange face appearing on the hat. He sits back, thinks about it once again, and lets out the biggest sigh ever. How did he end up here? Why did he end up here? Is it too late to go back to Tokyo?  

“Did they really leave you with no explanations of how this world works?” His neighbour asks again, clearly amused at the distressed expression on Isagi’s face.  

“It seems like it. But it’s not a problem, I'll learn on the job, I think. It can’t be that hard, right?” He tries to reassure himself. 

“Everyone around us already has or had knowledge about magic, we don’t. It’ll be difficult for us to blend in. Even more since we are different.” 
 

The word different surprises Isagi. How could street people be really different? Ok, they were poor, or murderers, but they couldn’t be that much of some outcast. Right?  
 

“How so?”  

“They are going to explain.” 
 

Isagi turns his head back to mister Prince, he takes the hat in one of his hands, and on the other, he holds a long list seemingly in a thin paper.  
 

“So now, I'll call for the first years and ask them to come to the front. You will sit and I'll put the hat on your head. The sorting hat will tell you which house you belong to. When it’s done, you go and sit with your new house.”  
 

The ceremony continues, Isagi doesn’t see the end of it, as for a distraction he starts talking with his neighbour, calmly clapping when he hears other people do the same thing. If he had big hopes in the beginning, he is starting to lose it.  
 

After what seems to be an eternity, the hat is put back into the closet by the unknown man. Ego eventually comes back to the front and looks at every student.  
 

“Well, I'm happy for everyone and each of you. I will ask the newly sorted students to go with their prefects to the dorm, and the other students to follow. However, I wish for the new scholars who aren’t sorted yet to stay with me a bit.” 
 

Isagi feels like he finally matters as he watches everyone going out. After ten minutes of utter chaos in the room, everything goes calm again. Around him, only a few people are still dispatched in between the four big tables. He didn’t even realize it, but a few meters away from him, the siblings from earlier are seated at the same bench.  
 

“The sorting ceremony is sacred in this school, and I couldn’t skip it.” He says while scanning the room. “I hope you all had a great trip on the Hogwarts express, and you like the castle. It must be strange for you to discover everything at once, but I'll explain it once, so be sure to follow what I say, come closer.” 
 

As asked, they all, some more reluctantly than others, get up and inch closer to the principal and sit again. Isagi is now sandwiched between the blond guy and the siblings he never even talked to but saw at least three or four times. 
 

“You’re all here for the same reason, because I see potential in each of you. I sent some of my colleagues to fetch you in your poor little environments. My name is Ego, and I'm the principal of this school. You are today new students at Hogwarts sorcery school to study magic and wizardry.”  
 

Everyone clearly hears a yelp from another table as a short boy reacts loudly, before apologizing, feeling the attention on him.  
 

“You are not like everyone else. You are all different. And to be honest, I can’t even compare you to my other students, those unpolished sorcerers who can’t dream of highs as much as you can.” 
 

A snort is heard from the professor’s table, as a man who was drinking his beer before seems to calm down a bit and apologize for interrupting.  
 

“You may not know, but each of you is a wizard. Not of the normal kind. You are all more than that, because I believe you all have a beautiful ability. Which were almost never seen anywhere else. That’s why I asked each of you if you wanted to come here. And as I see it now, it seems like you all agreed. If my colleagues acted weirdly when taking you here, then you will have to deal with them directly, I do not take responsibility for it.” 
 

Isagi hears his neighbour mumble something like ‘I never felt more embarrassed in my life than when that man came to see me.’  
 

“I want to restart anything from zero with you. In this world, some people are born to be wizards, some aren’t. Well, you are. A lot of you don’t know your parents, and you may ask: ‘what if they aren’t wizards themselves?’, And I'll answer, ‘it doesn’t matter’.” 
 

Ego takes a pause, every professor is still behind him, some looking more bored than others. One of them, on the edge of the table, doesn’t want to be in this room so late in the night. If he could be home right now, Isagi is ready to bet he would ditch and leave.  
 

“You were born to do wizardry. But because you never knew it, you couldn’t come here. A lot of you were orphans or lived in the street when we finally found you again. We are willing to give you a new home and a new life if you invest yourself into these studies.” 

Isagi feels his heart speed up at the words. It’s almost the exact same one he was told when they first met, but this time, he is not alone. They are all in this room for the same goal, the same purpose. In a way, it’s almost like they are linked by a thread, by some ribbon tying them all together. 
 

“Our school ensures seven years of studying, from first to seventh year, all students come across many subjects, options and knowledge, I'm sure you’ll find the right subject for you.” He speaks.  “I’m going to sort all of you with the sorting hat, however, I do not wish to mix you with the other students, so, I hope you’ll all behave around each other since you’ll mingle a lot.” 
 

Everyone eyes the other persons in the room. Some look delighted to meet new people, some bored, and others absolutely disgusted. Isagi will surely do his best to please everyone, even though he knows it will be a hard task.  
 

“There are four houses in this school. Mister Prince already did the presentation for Gryffindor. Ravenclaw are the wise, the academic, the creative and curious people. Their head teacher is Mr Snuffy. He is also the charms professor.” 

Behind him, Isagi sees an older man stand up. He isn’t dressed like the rest of the teachers, in a way. Where they all wear dark tones, somewhere along the black and grey, he proudly shows a white shirt and some light blue pants. A true act of rebellion. When he’s done waving at them, he sits back down, exchanging short words with his colleagues.  

If he can be with this teacher instead of the others, Isagi is sure he will spend an amazing year. He just has to plead to the sorting hat. Not Gryffindor, and everything will be alright.  
 

“Then, Hufflepuff, they value dedication and patience, they are the most loyal humans you’ll ever find and are hard workers. The head teacher is Mr Lavinho, who teaches the botanic classes.”  

This time, it’s a middle-aged man who stands up. He's smiling deeply. So much that his eyes almost disappear, and dimples form on his cheeks. Ok… maybe this man is a good person too. Isagi can end up in Hufflepuff too, he wouldn’t mind.  
 

“I’m sure some of you are still wondering if going into this school was a good thing, but I assure you, you’ll never find a better place than here for you. I’m certain we will all spend quality time with each other.” 

“Lavinho is right. It’s a must to always question what our place in the world is.” 

The botanic professor smiles and sits down.  
 

“And finally, Slytherin, the house of the ruse, the ones who are sent there are usually very wise, ambitious and have a natural leadership. The head teacher is Noa? the potion teacher.”  

There’s something in his gaze. In the way he watches over the whole room, looking at everyone dearly and sincerely, eyes dark and mysterious. He spends more time staring at one of the tables, before nodding and waving one last time at them.  
 

“I will now ask for all of you to come one at a time when I call for your name. Anri, our teacher for the study of muggles subject will bring the sorting hat.”  
 

A rather small and delicate woman appears from the back door, and gives him the hat, before quickly going back to her seat, just next to mister Prince who at once resumes their conversation.  
 

“So, let’s start. Charles Chevalier, come to the front please.”  
 

Isagi loses track of everyone walking before his eyes. He only wakes up a bit when he hears his name pronounced by the principal. He stumbles on his legs - taunted by nervousness and a sudden headache - and approaches the stool. He sits down and, anxiously, waits for the sorting hat to fall on his head.  
 

“Hmmm.” The object starts, surprising him. “Yes, a lot of qualities… loyal, kind, smart and with an excellent school report. You also have a very strong desire to please every single person you find. You know something so impressive doesn’t exist.” 

“I want to do everything I can.” 

“It is that? Or do you wish to feel a spark inside you, confirming the fact you’re actually worth living, that people can put their hopes onto you? That they can trust you.” 

“What-?” 
 

The hat ignores him.  

“You would have a powerful impact on others, you can change people with the way you act. But don’t abuse that power, it could become problematic… I see a lot of ambition as well, a desire to do well, and an amazing use of your capacities… Slytherin!” 
 

Isagi opens his eyes wide and locks his gaze with Mr Noa, who gives him a nod back, before showing to him the way to his new table. There, he sees a few people already seated. Five of them, actually.  

He sighs, passes a hand through his hair and inhales deeply. If that’s so, then, may the force be with him. This year is going to be long… really long. 

Chapter Text

Not too long after the end of the sorting ceremony, and after Ego was sure every other student was already back in the dorms, which meant they wouldn’t see the newbies tonight, silence fell on them. The principal clapped his hands, getting back the attention of the four or five slackers in the back, already wishing to get a bit of sleep before their first day of school.   

He coughed in his fist, smiling menacingly and slamming his left hand on the desk. He still had a last surprise for the evening.   

‘As I said before, you won’t interact much with my other students for the simple fact that I believe humans are rotten inside sometimes, and I don’t want your abilities to be toned down by their undeniable uselessness at being a wizard. So, you will still have to share dorms with them, but I want to pick a prefect between you all in each house. Just to be sure someone inside the groups will be able to calm you down when there is an issue.’  

Everyone looked at each other in disbelief. They wouldn’t even know each other if it wasn’t for some hazard which got them all to come to this stupid school.   

Different?    

Kunigami doesn’t believe it at all. His friends betrayed him and forced him to live in the streets in the worst district of the city. If he ever wanted to step out of it, police officers would fall on him and hunt him down. God knows it was the last thing he wished for at that time.   

So, he lived like that, stealing from people, taking part in street fights to win a small notoriety just in case he needed to defend himself. Actually, it worked pretty well, he never really got in trouble for fighting and all, but he couldn’t say he had the luxury he wanted before. It would be hard to say something about his past, when he doesn’t even remember half of it.   

Anyways.   

How can they - a bunch of teenagers from all around the world - be so different, they had to be in a whole other section of that wizardry school?  
To be fair, if Kunigami hadn't seen the hat speaking right when it was on his hair, he would have never believed all this story about magic. He was a rational guy, with a rational way of thinking. That’s why he eventually ended up in the house of the most delusional man he has ever seen.  

That Chris Prince was now Kunigami’s worst nightmare. Ever.   

‘I still want things to stay organised between all of you, I will call the one I think would be acceptable for the prefects in each house.’  

At that moment, Kunigami wasn’t even interested in listening, he was tired because he hadn’t slept for at least two days and only wanted to go back to the « dorm » and slam himself on the mattress.   

It wasn’t Ego’s plan.   

‘Gryffindor, Rensuke Kunigami.’ Of fucking course. ‘Ravenclaw, Sae Itoshi. Hufflepuff, Shuuto Sendou. And finally, Slytherin, Oliver Aiku if you ever feel the need to talk about that status before I let your professors guide you back into the dorms, it’s now.’  

Kunigami had one really important question at the moment, a simple one, really: why ?   

Last time he was appointed as the boss of some kind of group, he got betrayed and everything failed because of him. How could he be the prefect above all? If the principal found him in the lost secrets' documents of Japan, he would be able to know what happened to him in the past. So why was he put in such a high position already?  
However, he did not intervene, he didn’t feel the need to. After all, even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t have been listened to anyway, so why would he waste time?  

‘No one? Well, it seems like you all take that position seriously. Tomorrow you will be exempt from lessons, instead, you will get to visit the castle and the park. If you wake up too late you can say goodbye to your promised food.’  

Giving them a last glance, he flicked his wrist and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, impressing everyone in the room.   

Ok, maybe it was kind of cool. That didn’t mean Kunigami would want to stay there forever.   

“Who even is Rensuke Kunigami?” asked a loud voice at the Gryffindor's table.   

The guy who just talked had short hair, shorter than Kunigami’s in fact, but was way less distinguished, and that due to a simple fact: he had unbuttoned the upper part of his shirt, and his hair was a terrible mess. It’s not like it was greasy or dirty but… messy and chaotic...   

“I am. I’m sorry for y’all, you got the worst person to be the prefect. I guess I'll try my best to do some things, after all, but don’t expect much from me.” He sighed, getting up, everyone after him doing the same.   

Mister Prince accompanied them to the wooden door of the great hall and smiled. They were six in front of him, six new students he had to take extreme care of.   

‘As you know, I am your head teacher and as the best out of the four, it is indeed my responsibility to help each of you. If you look at your tie, you can see it took the colour of your house, like the pin on your wizard dress. Isn’t it magical?’  

Everyone was way too occupied examining their clothes to even make a reference at the joke their professor just told. If they had to make one, it would be ‘pathetic’. Like his behaviour.   

‘I have a question,’ started a boy.   

‘Yes, tell me, I'm all ears for you!’   

‘The director told us we were different from the other students because we have an ability or something like that, I don’t really remember. What does it mean?’  

Kunigami got interested at the sound of it. He, too, was wondering in which aspect they could be qualified as different from other students they didn’t even meet properly. Wasn’t it weird? They just came into the school and were at once put on a pedestal, while some of the scholars here had been studying for seven years already.   

Wasn’t it unfair for them?   

‘Well,’ mister Prince put his hand under his chin and raised his gaze. ‘Being a wizard and having an ability is not the same thing. A wizard, anyone who’s lucky enough to be part of the magical world can become one. You need to train a lot to become one and master charms. An ability like you all have, even with intense training every day, anyone won’t be able to gain it.’  

‘And what’s so special about it?’ The boy continued, genuinely interested by what the – oh so weird – professor would say.   

‘We believe it’s unique and proper to each one of you. You won’t have the same as your neighbour, who won’t have the same as their neighbour either, and so on. It’s the unique trait which makes it interesting.’   

‘You… believe?’   

His voice at the moment seemed perfectly calm, but anyone could feel a bit of tension and perturbation coming with it. However, Mister Prince didn’t seem embarrassed in the slightest. He swept the question away while laughing.   

‘You’re the first generation we can observe it in. Of course we don’t know everything, and even less the starting point of it.’ He snorted. ‘I won’t go as far as saying you all are tests, but you’ll definitely help us understand the concept better.’  

Satisfied – or at least looking like it – the boy didn’t say anything else. They all started walking again, in a deep silence, maybe except for that one guy who couldn’t stop making noises when he walked.   

Maybe his shoes weren’t the good ones.   

Stress crawled under his skin. How could they just throw something like ‘oh yeah we have no clue what or who you are but hey, you are our testers!’ In the middle of a conversation?   

But Kunigami was too tired to even think about it.  

After explaining in brief details what the way to the Gryffindor common room was, Mister Prince gave them the passwords, and went to bed himself, deciding Kunigami would handle the rest since he was the new prefect.   

— 
 

Returning to present time, the six new members of the red house pass the big door and enter the dorm. The soothing perfume of wine and flowers mixed with the sound of fire crackling in the chimney gives the place a very smooth atmosphere. It almost feels like entering it can at once calm anyone.   

No sound is audible, everyone is already sleeping, or at least pretending to do so, as the common room is empty of any form of life except for them six.   

“Well.” Kunigami starts. “I guess we are all in, we didn’t forget anyone right? One, two, three, four, five, six including myself. Ok. This job is more stressful than I would have thought.”   

He takes a look at everyone. It’s clear that they want to go to sleep, but before that he wishes to do one more thing.   

“I know we only met each other tonight and all, I'm tired too, I just want everyone to know the other's name, since we are doomed to be with each other for a while after all, better to start now.”  

The five other people next to him glance at each other and nod their head. Even the guy who seemed so full of energy during the sorting ceremony kind of looks blank now. Probably because neither of them really had a good sleep in the few days before their arrival at the castle. How did they even travel from their respective countries?  
 

“So, I'm Rensuke Kunigami.”   

They nod and turn to the next one.   

“Ah- my name’s Nanase Nijiro, and I guess we’re all from Japan right... I actually made a friend before, but he’s in another house, he was called after me, a bit older, with light blue hair... If you see.” A small boy with black hair says, his cheeks dusted pink.  

“Hufflepuff, right?”   

“Yes, I think it’s that. Argh, all those names are so hard to remember, I'm never going to get used to this school. Or whatever this place is.”   

The absurd reaction of the boy relaxes everyone a bit.   

“Kiyora Jin, from Japan as well.”   

Kunigami shivers at the tone of the boy’s voice. He thought the guy with the blond-pink hair next to him would be the hardest to handle because of his overwhelming energy but having an emotionally closed-off person might disturb him more.  

“Chigiri Hyoma, I'm from Northern Japan. You know, where it’s always cold and people talk with a smile in their words. Yeah, there.”   

“I heard it’s pretty cool to visit. Is it true?” Nanase asks, interested.   

“Depends on the region you decide to visit. But it’s fun to snow in the mountains when it’s winter.”  

“Oh! I went there once!” Another guy, more energetic than the rest, says with a smirk. “Oh right, I didn’t introduce me properly. I’m Raichi, Jingo Raichi. I’m glad to be in this house with you, because to be honest, the people in Slytherin are scaring me a lot.”   

Tired, sleepy, and dead inside, they all nod, impressed by the fact he can still babble about such things. Kunigami doesn’t have his watch, but it’s probably close to one or two in the morning right now. Definitely too late to be awake. He looks at the last of the group.   

The boy nods, a long smile on his lips.   

“So... My name is Shidou Ryuusei! The one and only! I am very happy to be with you all today, and to grace you with my presence!”   

Kunigami claps his hands to reorganise his thoughts. This is no time to pay attention to this guy’s excess of energy.   

“Well, it’s getting late, we should go and sleep. Tomorrow is a long day.”  

“Do you even know where the dorm is? Which room we can sleep in?” Raichi looks around, enjoying the way the fire burns inside the chimney. If he could, he would spend his whole days seated in front of the flames, the warmness hitting his face.   

“Oh right, mister Prince told me. So, we have a room for the six of us, if everyone is ok with it. Perfect, perfect. Follow me, it’s right up the stairs. He said the named was… apricot? I think.”  

“What’s up with the weird names? Couldn’t they name the rooms after I don’t know, magic things?” Nanase explains his disappointment, which Kunigami doesn’t uplift, clearly tired.   

In a - almost perfect - silent, they reach their room and magically, Kunigami opens the door, entering the space big enough for six people in it.   

“There’s a bathroom right next to it, and the toilets are next door. If you ever need something…” Kunigami yawns, needing more sleep “...Just ask me, I'll try to help-”  

“Yeah actually, how do we know who sleeps where?” Raichi asks, looking at the beds. “It’s two by two, who wants to sleep up?”   

Kunigami observes all around him, and realises Raichi is right, they still need to figure out where each of them will spend the rest of the school year. Even if he doesn’t care, he can’t say the others feel the same way. Some might be too competitive about the beds.   

After five minutes of intense bargaining and some comments thrown here and there, they manage to sort it out. It ends up with Nanase, Chigiri and Kiyora taking the upper beds, while Shidou, Kunigami and Raichi are happy with the bottom ones. The reason behind it is easy too. The taller you are, the better it is to be close to the floor.   

They can’t risk bumping their head into the ceiling every single day. And the closer Shidou is to the floor, the safer it is for everyone else.   

After everyone went to the toilets, took a shower and brushed their teeth, they all lay on their bed. Kunigami is situated under Chigiri, while Shidou is under Nanase. The last one is a duo made of Kiyora over Raichi.  

Kunigami closes his eyes, now that the lights are turned off, and snuggles closer to the pillow. It’s warm and fluffy, and it feels like he hasn’t properly slept in such a comfortable place for years.   

“Y’all ain’t sleeping right?”   

“Nanase it’s been two minutes since we shut down the lights, no we aren’t asleep yet.” Kunigami sighs, hearing the man under him breathing heavily.   

“Great because I want to ask y’all a question before you know, we fall asleep.”   

“Wait, I have a question too.” Raichi adds, turning himself to face Kunigami as he sits up on the bed, almost hitting his head against the low ceiling.   

“Go on then. However, I don’t think any of us can answer if it’s about that strange school and all the wizardry stuff.”   

“Well, it’s more of an assumption than an answer I'm searching for.” Nanase calms down and looks up, searching for Kunigami in the dark. The only thing he can recognize is his silhouette, blurry and shaking in the shadow.   

As he talks, everyone in the room seems more focused in the conversation than before. Of course, they’re all way too sleepy to function properly, but five minutes of talking won’t kill them anyway.   

“What do you think this whole ability thing is? They told us numerous times about it and even mister Prince said it was a unique thing but, I don’t know, it’s kinda messed up for me.”   

“I agree. How could we, I think we are all some kind of… outcasts in a way, it seems fair, but ability users? Isn’t it a bit far-fetched?” Chigiri huffs, crossing his arms on his chest.   

“We don’t know that. They said we would start at zero like everyone else here, but it’s way too strange to be normal. Maybe we all have a special power unique to each of us, but we don’t know how to activate it yet.” Kunigami answers, yawning.   
 

Every head turns to Nanase, who’s still thinking, his hand under his chin.   

“That’s where my question goes. Why only us? And how did this school find out we have these kinds of powers? Since no one among us knows if they have one. Unless you have experimented with something similar to what they said.”  

Nobody clearly wants to answer, since they are all too busy searching in their memories, trying to remember if they - once in their life - have felt a magical power in them.   

But they don’t.   

“Maybe they have like a detector. They said everyone could be a wizard even if their parents aren’t. They definitely know how and where to find them.” Shidou assumes, genuinely interested.   

“I’m sure about that, but mister Prince really said we are the first ones on which they are able to see it. How did they find it? And how do they know it’s not just classical magic which exploded?”   

“Kunigami’s right. It could be any kind of magic, but didn’t he say charms could only be casted with practice and knowledge? If any of us here had an experience with magic, we didn’t know it. We wouldn’t probably remember even. So, it can’t be because of charms.” Nanase’s argues, feeling like they are leading towards the right answer.   

“So, you’re implying we got scooted because they found out we all have a special capacity, an ability which appeared out of nowhere, we are not aware of it, yet, and they decided to send us here? That’s nonsense.” Chigiri says, zoning out, eyes focused on the other bed. Each second that passes makes him more tired, and soon, he knows it, he will drop dead on the mattress.   

“It may be, but that’s the most proper answer I could find. Perhaps they just know we are different after all; we can’t reject this hypothesis.”  

A silent sigh passes by Kunigami’s lips. He would like to know the answer too. He wants to understand why he is currently laying on an unknown bed, in the middle of the United Kingdom, with five strangers, and in an ancient castle.   

It’s still better than being in the streets and fighting to survive, escaping the police and running away every time someone tries to get closer to him. It will always be better than his earlier life. But something about this school makes him uneasy.   

Maybe it’s the principal, maybe that head teacher who seems to be quite the phenomenon himself. Kunigami doesn’t know.   

“Hey Nanase, I have a question.” Raichi says, preventing his roommates from sleeping.   

“Hm?”   

“Were you a detective or something before, you know you analyse quite well. You can’t just be a street kid like some of us were.”   

Nanase shakes his head from right to left, expressing his disapproval.   

“I wasn’t, but I worked on some cases because my parents... They used to be part of an investigation unit and needed me. I don’t really remember to be honest...” 

“How do you forget your own childhood?” Kiyora asks, turning his head.   

“At least I remember my name and could hear when they said it.” He chortles. “Have you seen who’s in the other houses? They seem kinda… weird if you think about it. Their whole vibe is off.”  

“Yeah, they scare me. But we can’t deny they’re attractive. Especially the Slytherin guys. Have you seen closely? One of them could be a model and I would believe it. I don’t remember his name, but he was tall, brown hair, and had sharp eyes.” 
 

Everyone takes some time to think about Chigiri’s words. Kunigami doesn’t really remember who was there during the sorting ceremony. Once again, he was too busy making sure he wasn’t dreaming to pay attention to the other people in the room. But if he says so, then maybe, the boy he mentioned must be really, really handsome.   

Because Chigiri is already a pretty good-looking guy.  

“I think we should sleep guys. I don’t want to cut the fun and all but it’s starting to get late, and I don’t want to look like a vampire tomorrow.”   

“Say that to the guy who looks like he just came out of a coffin. I don’t remember which house he was sorted in but boy he scared me a lot.”  

They all chuckle one last time, exchanging their thoughts about the ceremony before finally deciding to shush, allowing the others to fall asleep.   

Raichi is the first to pass out, and everyone curses that fact, since the boy is already snorting, ten short minutes after he fell asleep. Not really affected by it, Nanase follows, not making any sound in his sleep, which relieves the others still awake. At least the only one they need to worry about is Raichi and his loud sleep noises. Chigiri and Kiyora are relatively quick to fall asleep as well.  

Once Shidou finally drifts away, the night becomes calmer. Or at least, that’s what Kunigami thought at first. Oh boy how wrong was he.   

If snorting is a bit noisy, it’s not worse than Shidou telling life stories in his sleep. Kunigami would have never believed it was possible to make that much hubbub and be that precise in his words. It’s like anyone could follow the story easily. And it does not ease the last boy still awake. Shidou ’s dreams sure are oddly specific, and the small words « jail », « murder » and « body » are enough to frighten him.   

Then, finally, an hour later, he falls asleep. Able to relax after a long day.   

Darkness surrounds him once again, and Kunigami can’t even understand where he is standing. It’s warm, but not too warm. It’s a dream anyway. He doesn’t think he will remember what happened once he wakes up, in the morning.   

So, he lets himself be guided by his dreams, falling into traps and viewing different locations which don’t make any sense. Dreams are like that; he doesn’t need to be cautions in it. That is, until he becomes conscious of his state. Kunigami is fully aware of his surroundings, but he’s not awake. He can choose what to do in that lucid dream.   

Taking the lead, he starts walking around, finding a weird looking house in the middle of a field. And then, he pushes the door open. Except for a mirror right in the middle of the room, it’s completely empty. When Kunigami looks through it, he doesn’t see himself. He sees someone else. Someone he never even met in the first place, but who feels oddly familiar.   

Then, someone shouts, and Kunigami wakes up.   

Oh, it’s Raichi. He blinks slowly, and then, the memory of the mirror disappears from his mind. Kunigami knows it won’t come back. Things like that happen sometimes. He goes back to sleep, and this time, he doesn’t wake up until the morning.