~Pottertalia~ (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 4

---Present Time---

"I hate it here now!"

Yao turned to see a very rare sight of Kiku getting angry. Yao put down his novel immediately and hopped onto Kiku's bed.

"What's wrong?"

Kiku sighed.

"It's just that...Dark Arts?"

Yao nodded in agreement, hugging Kiku tightly.

"I'm certain Harry Potter is working to defeat Voldemort right now!"

Kiku looked up at Yao, an unexpected look of tiredness and aging on his face.

"How long has this battle gone? Peace is the answer, yet bloodshed continue...I fear the magical world will be destroyed at the hands of itself..."

Yao kissed his forehead. "I fear that, too, but we cannot do anything about it. For now, we can only stay back and carefully plot a way to help."

Kiku nodded, curling up against Yao. "It will get better..." Yao whispered, wrapping his arms around Kiku tighter.

---5 years ago---

"The Chamber of Secrets!" was a frequent phrase heard throughout Hogwarts after the incident. The Slytherin got more hate than usual, and inter-house unity was almost impossible.

"Brother, don't fraternize with that Slytherin!" Lovino could be heard constantly chiding Feliciano.

"But why? We are good friends!" Feliciano would reply, gripping Ludwig's arm tightly. They had also befriended Kiku, and the three were inseparable. Kiku also became friends with an overly touchy Yao, too. The time was passing rapidly.

One day, Harry was situated at the Gryffindor table with Ron and Hermione, whispering quietly. "The Chamber of Secrets! McGonagall said that it was Slytherin's, right?" Harry asked his friends.

"Oh, not this again! Sure, Draco is unpleasant, but he couldn't be the one who opened it!" Hermione snapped.

The door slammed open. Everyone looked in the general direction, and Alfred strode in angrily.

"Matt has been Petrified!" He shouted furiously.

"Alfred, stop yelling, it won't fix anything," Arthur Kirkland said, struggling to catch up. He grabbed at his robes, but Alfred jerked free.

"Let me go, Arthur! Who did it? Who opened the Chamber of Secrets and Petrified my brother?!" Alfred hollered.

"What is it?" Harry asked him.

"My brother, Matt, he was attacked! He's Petrified, and he's in the infirmary!"

"Wait, you're Muggle-born, right?" Hermione asked.

Alfred nodded, frustration radiating from him. Arthur hesitantly gripped at Alfred's uniform again, and Alfred loosened up a bit. "Sorry, Arthur."

The trio exchanged glances.

"We hope he'll be cured soon, Alfred, we really do!" Hermione said, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked her.

"To the library, of course!" Hermione said, quickening her pace. As they left, Hermione whispered to them, "We have to find something about this Chamber!"

---

Ivan was avoiding his sisters again. It's not that he hated them; he didn't like how obsessive his younger sister Natalia was, that was all. Once he saw that he lost them, he sighed in relief.

He saw Yao across the hall, confronting another Ravenclaw (if the blue scarf had anything to say). He felt very warm in his chest. He liked Yao in a way he couldn't explain with his limited vocabulary for affection; his family did not use them often.

Ivan decided to go say "hi". They could be friends! That sounded very nice; the warm feeling wouldn't leave. He squeezed by in the crowd, and several people made way automatically, scared out of their minds. He finally reached Yao, and tapped him on the shoulder.

Yao turned around. "Hm?"

"Hello!" He said, trying for a pleasant smile.

"Hello; is there anything you need?"

Ivan nodded. "I was wondering if you and I could be friends?"

Yao shuffled awkwardly in his oversized robes before looking back to the other Ravenclaw. He tore his gaze away and made eye contact with Ivan.

"Sure. Is that all you need?"

"Ah... yes."

"Very well." Yao nodded curtly before grabbing Kiku's wrist. "We have somewhere urgent to go, so..." he trailed off, and then Yao bolted.

Ivan can't get rid of the syrupy warm feeling in his chest.