Harry Potter and the Lance of Longinus

Harry Potter and the Lance of Longinus

Chapter 4

Ron looked at himself in the mirror - he wore the same maroon and lace dress robes he'd wore the previous year. "I look stupid. Asuka's gonna laugh her head off."

Harry felt almost guilty that his dark green robes looked new and better than Ron's. But then why should he feel guilty - it wasn't his fault that he had more money or Ron's fault that he had a better family than Harry's.

Harry looked over at Kaworu who was dressed in navy blue robes with gold patterned boarders. Ron again looked down at his robes. "I should just not go."

"I have a robe you could borrow," Kaworu offered. "You're a little taller than me and I'm a bit thinner, but it might fit."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked.

"It's not a problem." Kaworu smiled and rummaged in his trunk finally pulling out a red robe with silver boarders. It looked much nicer than Ron's maroon one. "You can try it on and wear it if it fits."

Ron took it carefully. "This is wonderful. Thank you." He quickly stripped off his old, ratty robes and donned the new ones Kaworu had given him. "Hmmm...it's just a bit tight and short, but not uncomfortable."

Kaworu grinned. "Go ahead and wear it."

"Thank you." Ron looked in the mirror. "I hope Asuka is impressed."

Kaworu fingered the fabric on his body. "Do you think Hermione will find me attractive?"

Ron and Harry exchanged glances. "Uh...yeah." Harry said.

"Good, I want to impress her."

Harry again felt jealous. He wanted to be the one with Hermione. "Do you mind if I dance with her once?"

Kaworu shook his head. "Of course not, you are her friend too."

Friends? They aren't an item yet? Harry thought and was thankful.

Kaworu parted his hair trying to get it to stay down, but it was always wild.

"What is the tattoo for?" Ron asked.

Harry had wondered the same thing. Now that he looked carefully, the clasp on Kaworu's over-robe was the same symbol.

Kaworu reached up touching the tattooed skin. "It's the mark of my heritage...that's all I can say."

Harry found himself curious. "Mother's or father's side?"

"Mother's. My father's family is of wizards, but he's non-magical, my mother is...in Heaven." Kaworu told them.

They heard the tolling of the bell announcing the dance. "We should go," Ron said.

The trio left the Gryffindor dormitories and started towards the Great Hall where the Yule Ball was to be held. Hermione and Asuka were waiting with Rei at the entrance. Hermione wore dark purple robes and had straightened her hair putting some of it up. She also wore makeup and Harry thought she could be a model.

Kaworu offered her his arm. "Are you ready?"

Hermione nodded. "You look nice tonight." She accepted his arm.

He smiled. "You're absolutely lovely."

Hermione blushed as they walked into the Great Hall. Ron looked at Asuka who wore red robes as well. "We match."

Asuka nodded. "Yeah. Let's go shake it on the dance floor." She grabbed his hand and lead him into the hall.

Harry looked at Rei who wore dark green robes. "We almost look like we're together too."

"I have an engagement with Malfoy-san but he is late," Rei explained.

"Yes...have fun." Harry said.

Rei blushed slightly and looked cute as she did so. "Th-thank you."

Draco ran up in velvet black robes. "Have you waited long, Rei?"

Rei nodded. "About twenty minutes."

"Too bad. I was doing my hair. Come on." He snapped his fingers.

Rei followed him into the hall. Harry went in seeing Shinji standing by the wall and stood next to him. "We look like the only ones without dates."

Shinji looked at the floor. "I'm so pathetic no one would date me anyway."

Harry put a hand on his shoulder. "No you aren't, you're a perfectly nice guy. I care about you."

Shinji looked into his eyes. "Harry-kun...boku o shiiteru janai..."

"What did you say?"

"Oh I didn't know..."

"Know what?"

"How you felt about me. Not many people are open about it...not even me...and while physically you aren't really my type..."

Harry's eyes widened. "Wait! Wait! I said I cared for you...like a friend...like all my friends...I'm not gay."

Shinji swallowed looking confused for a second. "I...I'm sorry." He ran out of the hall.

Harry felt terrible and sorry for Shinji. It had to be hard for the boy to be in a foreign country with a disapproving father and have such a secret. He decided to talk to Shinji later. Now he watched the couples dancing - most intently Hermione and Kaworu. She had to teach him some of the dances but he caught on quickly and was good at it.

After about an hour or so, Kaworu led Hermione to Harry. "You wanted a dance with her?"

"Yes." Harry took Hermione's hand and led her onto the dance floor. He noticed Shinji come back wiping his eyes and decided he'd talk to him afterwards. He stood next to Kaworu who looked at him.

"Daijoubu ka?" Kaworu asked.

"Boku wa deto ga arimasen...odoritai..."

"Boku to issho ni odorimasu ka?"

"Watashi tachi wa otoko de..."

Kaworu shrugged and held out his hand. "Odori? Tomodachi no odori?"

Shinji nodded. "Odorimashyo."

Kaworu led Shinji onto the dance floor as the slow music started. "What's going on?" Harry asked. "Is Kaworu gay?"

"I hope not!" Hermione said. "They're just friends...that's what he said. Kaworu's a very sweet guy."

"I'm sorry." Harry told her. He held her close as they danced. He could smell her light floral perfume and her body felt soft and light in his arms. He wanted to stay like this forever. He could picture himself with her...there would be next year. After all, Kaworu would be going back to Japan in June and long distance relationships hardly ever worked out.

A loud slap echoed throughout the room. Everyone turned to see Rei storm out while Draco stood there shocked as a red handprint formed on his face. Snickers turned into outright laughter. Harry thought though as he watched Rei leave that it was the first time she'd showed any kind of emotion.

The dance seemed to end all too soon as the students piled out of the great hall and back to their houses. Harry and Ron lagged behind talking.

Ron was beaming. "Asuka was wonderful. She's so hot...I hope we end up as a couple."

"Yeah...she seems nice when she's not being a total b..." A loud laugh from a nearby professor drowned out the rest of the word.

Ron laughed. "So what was up with Shinji?"

"He had some personal problems."

"I think Kaworu's gay."

"I don't...Hermione says he and Shinji are just friends and Kaworu danced with him because no one else was."

They entered the common room to see Hermione massaging Kaworu's shoulders again. "I had a wonderful time."

Kaworu looked happy. "So did I. You're really are good at this."

"Thank you."

Harry and Ron went up to their room. Harry flopped on his bed. "I can't believe this."

Ron took off the robes, lying them on Kaworu's bed. "I know...you and Hermione would make a good couple."

"At least he's going back to Japan in June. Do you think there's something...weird...about him?"

"I think there's something weird about all of them...if you want weird, try looking at Rei though. Have you noticed that she never smiles?"

Harry shrugged. "I've heard she's just really shy. Though I love how Draco got it good from her."

They laughed. The door opened and Kaworu stepped into the room. "That was exhausting."

"Yeah and I think Asuka stepped on my feet about a hundred times," Ron said.

Kaworu smiled, taking off his robes and putting on his nightclothes. It seemed they all fell into bed, going to sleep immediately.

Harry awoke what seemed only like minutes later to the sound of the door opening and looked over to see Kaworu slipping out of the room again. Harry got up quickly, throwing on his invisibility cloak and following the boy.

Down the stairs from the room, through the halls, then up another flight of seemingly endless stairs. They came to a long corridor. Harry kept a safe distance behind, careful that his breathing didn't get too heavy. Kaworu flung open a set of double doors walking out into the night. They were on the top of a tower. Snow blanketed the ground and more fell from the sky.

Harry walked out after him, luckily the cloak kept him very warm. It had to be only around twenty degrees out. And to his surprise, Kaworu threw off his shirt as though it were on fire. He brought his shoulders forward, the skin between his shoulder blades forming small bumps that got larger until the skin split. From his back, two wings grew, unfolding themselves getting larger - so large he could probably fly with them if he wanted to. The look on his face was one of relieved joy. The mighty wings flapped against the cold night air, a few feathers falling from them, mixing with the snow being blown about.

Harry expected him to take off at any point, but he didn't. Kaworu shivered and wrapped the soft, feathered appendages around his naked torso. He cleared a spot on the ledge and sat down, sighing, his gentle breath visible in the cold.

The moonlight made the feathers seem shimmering, glowing and Harry about gasped. They matched the feather he had found. Moving to the ledge he looked down and realized that he and Ron had found the feather on the pathway below. Kaworu must have been coming up here for quite some time. He understood now why at the end of the day, the pale boy would require his shoulders and back to be massaged...keeping wings eight feet long inside of his body would make him very sore.

Harry leaned over further, steadying himself with his hands, the freezing snow surrounding them as the warmth of the cloak kept a good balance of hot and cold.

Kaworu jumped back, his wings flapping, keeping him a few inches off the ground for a second before he touched down. "Dare...dare da?!"

Harry didn't understand the words, but the tone meant he knew someone was there. Of course, the cloak made him invisible, but his handprints had been pushed into the snow. He removed the cloak from his body.

"Harry-kun! I didn't think anyone followed me." Kaworu wrapped his large wings around himself once more. They made his thin frame look small and child-like.

"What...what are you?" Harry asked. "Are you...an angel?"

Kaworu gulped. "I'm half-angel."

"Oh...so when you said your mother was in Heaven...you didn't mean..."

He shook his head. "She's not dead. I don't see her very often. Time is different up there. Years pass like months."

Harry nodded. "And your father..."

"Is a squib...and a drunk...but luckily I'm at school most of the year and don't see him. It's better that way."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

His wings twitched a bit. "I...who would have believed me?"

Harry gestured to the wings. "But you have proof right there. Can you fly?"

"I...could...but I'm afraid of heights." Kaworu looked at the ground.

"Oh, that's right...you never have...ever?"

"Just few inches from the ground and once my mother took me when I was little, but I didn't get wings until I was about twelve."

"Did it hurt?"

Kaworu shrugged. "A little...mostly it itched, but once they came through, it was okay."

"Can I...touch them?"

Kaworu smiled. "Sure."

Harry stepped forward, stretching out his hand. The feathers close to the upper bone were downy and soft, the long feathers also had a soft feel and glistened as the moon shone on them. He could feel the delicate bone structure and strong muscles underneath. Strong...soft...delicate...and very beautiful. "Do they keep you very warm?"

"Yes...it's nice on cold nights like this." The wings wrapped around his body a bit more.

"So, is there really a God?" Harry asked.

"Of course."

"What does He think of magic then...do all wizards and witches go to hell?"

"No...magic is no more or less of a gift than being able to paint, or play music or act and sing...some people have the ability and some don't. It is a gift and when God gives you a gift like that, He expects you to use it to the best of your ability. Do something good with it."

Harry nodded. "I see. So then...there is a devil too?"

"Yes...there is and he has followers, unfortunately and some of those followers are magical people...dark wizards and witches. But most wizards and witches are good, honest people."

"Do angels ever go bad?"

"The devil was once an angel...so were some of his followers. But he doesn't promise anything...most angels know better than to leave eternal life with God to go to that place of death."

"Have you ever seen Heaven?"

"Once when my mother took me. But the only way to get there is fly...and I can't do that."

"Haven't you tried?"

Kaworu sighed. "Sure I have, but every time I do I lose my nerve. What if I fall?"

"What if you don't?"

He looked at Harry. "You won't tell anyone will you?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Your secret is safe with me."

Kaworu smiled and his wings shrank being pulled back into his body. "Thank you."

Harry couldn't help smiling back at him. It really was hard to be his enemy, even with them both going after Hermione, an angel certainly couldn't be evil. But...if Kaworu wasn't the evil child...who was? His next thoughts turned to Asuka. Asuka...fiery red hair and a temper to match. She could be rude and thoughtless and uncaring and often was. But...was she really evil or just a bitch? Harry leaned on the ledge worried about Ron's safety. He'd have to watch Asuka very carefully.

End of Chapter 4