Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Peace, Love, and Family: The Story of the Vanuli Three ❯ Past's Perfect ( Chapter 17 )

Disclaimer: I do not own any things Harry Potter-the characters, setting, plot, everything belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling and whomever else she decides. I do not own anything Gundam Wing-the characters, setting, plot, everything belongs to (I think) Bandai and Sunrise.

Spoilers: This fic contains spoilers for books 1-5 of Harry Potter and all of the episodes of Gundam Wing. This fic does not include Endless Waltz.

Rating: NC17

Pairings: Neville/Harry, 2x1

Category: crossover, fantasy, general

Author: Selune

Author's site: http://www.gundam-wing-universe.net/fanfiction/menu.php?id=113

Summary: Two years ago, the One Year War ended. At this time, the five heroes-the Gundam pilots-disappeared from the Muggle world. Three of them-pilots 02, 03, and 05-reappeared shortly after in the Wizarding world, as students at Hogwarts School of Witchraft and Wizardry. Now, twenty months after the fact, Heero Yuy and Quatre Winner are coming to Hogwarts, and they're bringing all of their secrets with them. The world-especially one Harry Potter-will never be the same.

Peace, Love, and Family:

The Story of the Vanuli Three

Chapter 17: Past's Perfect

Harry jumped when he heard the door opening and turned to face it in a flash, fully expecting to see Poppy or Quatre. Who Harry actually saw wasn't either of them. Instead, he saw a tall, blonde woman, between twenty and twenty-five years old. Harry had never seen her in his life, and he instantly went on guard at the sight of this stranger so near his sick brother.

She smiled at Harry, and that alarmed him even more. Here was this woman Harry never met in his life, smiling at him in the aftermath of his big brother's episode and in full plain view of his distraught baby brother. Quatre was probably dead, and this woman was here to lord it over him. Oh, looky. Let's dangle a family in Harry's reach and pull it away when he grabs at it. What fun!

Harry sighed in disgust. Just who did this woman think she was? Smiling at a time like this! And how did she even get into the infirmary in the first place? Harry had stood guard forever, and not a single soul had passed into those doors since Madam Pomfrey and Quatre. Clearly, the woman was evil.

"Hello, almost-brother," the woman said, walking away from the door, completely bypassing Harry and going straight for Heero.

Harry looked around at Dorothy-to get her attention and make that woman leave Heero alone-but Dorothy was remarkably calm. She just stood there and let that blonde demon put her paws all over Heero. It wasn't right! Even if it was a bit funny, given their height differences. The woman towered over Heero so much that when they both stood straight up, he only came to her shoulders.

In some situations, Harry might have found it mildly amusing (as long as he could forget the fact that he and Heero were exactly the same height). Now was not the time for amusing. Now was the time for all knowledgeable parties to speak up about any information-pertinent or not-they had on Quatre's condition. This lady obviously knew something about Quatre, but she wasn't telling it, as she was currently suffocating Heero with her breasts.

Heero pulled back from the "hug"-at a very good time, too, because Harry was just about to go break it up-and smiled at the woman. A real, honest smile! At a time like this! The woman must have cursed him, surely.

"Donai Maya, almost-sister," Heero said in a quiet but commanding voice.

Harry openly gaped at him. This woman was family. Or, at least, family of family. Something like family, anyway. Only family members were greeted like that. I wish you and our family a long life and much happiness.

"Madrigal, how is Quatre?" Dorothy said, finally interfering in something, even if it was now evident that there was nothing to worry about. "We haven't been told anything, and we're worried. Especially Harry." Dorothy squeezed Harry's hand, as if to emphasize that it was he who was so terribly worried, and the other two were merely taking a Sunday stroll and happened to end up here.

"We probably shouldn't talk about it out here," the woman now revealed as Madrigal said. "Let's go into the infirmary, and I'll tell you all about it."

The four of them crossed the threshold into the Hospital Wing, and Dorothy shut the door, obscuring their conversation from any persons who happened by and decided to listen in. Harry waited as patiently as possible for this stranger, this interloper, this woman who was not Poppy-even if she was family or something like it-to get on with it and tell them what was wrong with Quatre. Basically, Harry stewed in annoyance and bit his cheeks to keep from screaming at the girl. The only thing that kept him from tackling her in frustration was the fact that she was kin. He would not hurt his brother's family. Not in the presence of said brother, anyway.

"First off, you should know that Quatre is fine," Madrigal said, speaking quietly so that none of the patients heard her. Curtains were pulled around two beds. Quatre was most likely in one, some unfortunate person in the other.

At hearing that Quatre was okay, Harry let out a deep sigh. "So what happened to him?" Harry asked, speaking directly to Maddy for the first time.

"It's really quite simple, and I suspect that I will shortly be very disappointed with my little brother," Madrigal said. Harry didn't care who she was disappointed in, figured out-in a brilliant case of deduction-that being Quatre's brother was why Heero greeted her like family, and was anxious to hear the diagnosis for Quatre. Either Harry's glare showed Madrigal that it was time to spill her guts, or she decided that five seconds was enough to constitute a dramatic pause, but whichever it was, she continued. "He got stuck in a vision."

Harry had no idea what that was. How could someone possibly get stuck in a vision? Harry's own visions always just ran until they were done, usually like films, and that was that. He figured that everyone else's-or at least, Harry's and Quatre's-visions would be similar to that. Harry-grudgingly-asked exactly how Quatre managed to do that.

"It happens from time to time with Oracles like Quatre and Heero," Madrigal said. She began walking over to the bed area, and the others followed. "It's not serious, if caught quickly enough, and can be completely eliminated if one practices at controlling his visions."

"But what exactly is it?" Harry asked as they neared the first occupied bed. He was becoming agitated with this woman who didn't fully answer questions and knew so much about Quatre and wasn't who he was expecting to see!

"What actually happens when a person gets stuck in a vision," Madrigal said, stopping at the halfway point between the occupied beds. Probably just so that Harry wouldn't know which one Quatre was in. "He is mentally drawn into the vision more so than usual. In a normal vision, the Oracle or Prophet or Seer sees the events either like through a bird's eyes, far above the action, or through a person in the event-called a Host. Sometimes, the visionary can feel the emotions or hear the thoughts of the Host. However, when an Oracle gets stuck in a vision, it goes a step further. The Oracle not only sees through the Host's eyes, feels the emotions of the Host, and hears the Host's thoughts, but he also goes through the actions of the Host. The Oracle's body will say what the Host says and do what the host does. If the Host is injured, the Oracle's body will be as well. They're called phantom wounds and fade entirely within a few hours, albeit leaving behind a black mucusy substance good for use in certain divinations potions."

Ahh, Harry thought, finally understanding. That's why Quatre kept being cut, even when I was holding him down. Harry didn't think he wanted to be there when the wounds faded. Black mucus was not his thing.

"It's very easy to get someone unstuck from a vision," Maddy continued, "if you catch it soon enough and have the correct potion. Thankfully, I am a disciple of the great Claudia DeFaux and always have a bottle of Desino Visus with me at all times. All I had to do was add a bit of his DNA and voila, problem solved."

"So can we see him now?" Harry asked. He needed to see Quatre, to make sure with his own senses that his brother was okay. It wasn't that he didn't trust Madrigal, but-well, actually, it was that he didn't trust her. Irrationally so, considering that she was Quatre's brother and Dorothy and Heero had no problem with her healing Quatre, but there it was.

"He's sleeping," Madrigal said. She shifted her feet, and she made a face that suggested she was quite constipated and not happy about it. "And visiting is for family only, in cases such as these."

"I am family!" Harry shouted before he even had a chance to think about it. After he had a moment to digest his words, he realized how true they were. Harry was family. Harry was family. Harry was family. He was a triplet and a LeFey. "I will go in to see him when everybody else does."

Madrigal looked at Dorothy, and Harry turned around just in time to see his Naiyama nod her head.

"Okay, then," Madrigal said. She sat down on a bed straight across from the one Harry supposed Quatre to be in. "Since we're all family, I guess introductions are in order. I'm Madrigal Winner, twenty-sixth daughter of Raberba and Quaterina Winner and Master Healer to the Vanuli triplets." She extended her hand, and Harry shook it.

"Donai Maya," Harry greeted her. "I'm Harry Potter, first son of James Potter and Morgan Lefey the Seventh, and the second Vanuli triplet."

"Figures," Madrigal said. "I should have known. If it had been anybody else, Dot here would have sucker punched them into oblivion before letting them hear about private family matters."

"Probably so," Harry agreed sitting on the bed beside Madrigal. He decided that she couldn't be as bad as he thought before. He was just worried and unjustly took it out on her. After all, she couldn't be too bad. She was Quatre's sister, and the family of my family is my kin. Family-or kin-could never be that bad.

Thinking of his family, Harry looked around the room, only to realize one thing.

"Hey, where's Heero?"

***

When Heero first saw Madrigal, he was relieved that she was the one who healed Quatre. When Madrigal smiled, all of his tension drained away, and he felt like singing. Quatre couldn't be hurt badly. Madrigal wouldn't smile then.

After Heero greeted Madrigal, he pretty much tuned her out, listening only enough to insure that he heard anything important. Heero completely stopped listening when Madrigal said Quatre just got stuck in a vision. It was a little funny, even, after all the times Quatre scolded him for not practicing enough.

Once Heero stopped listening to Madrigal, another sound caught his attention. It was very low, very quiet. Heero couldn't make out exactly what it was, but it sounded like someone singing. Very badly. In fact, it sounded like two cats in heat warbling at each other with musical accompaniment.

It was not pretty, and Heero did not want to get closer to whoever was singing, but he did. Madrigal led them over to the beds, jabbering to Harry all the way (who, Heero could tell, was not at all happy with the situation in the least little bit). When the quartet passed the first occupied bed, Heero knew without a doubt that the horrible, awful excuse for singing was coming from behind the curtains.

The song was a courtship one. Heero wasn't sure of the tradition or native tongue of it, but the singer mentioned several times that the listener should "choose me over all others," the singer could "give you everything you ever wanted," and had "a big package to boot."

The song-as pitiful and goatish as it was-was accompanied by a Pan flute. The most beautiful flute in the world, it made the most angelic sounds. Given as a present to the Vanuli queen by Pan himself when gods still walked the earth, the Pan flute was the only instrument allowed to accompany Life Day and marriage Ameneas. Other instruments-violins, drums, calliopes-could be played during all other Ameneas, but the Life Day and marriage Ameneas were sacred. Only the Pan flute was worthy of being played during them.

And this cretin was playing it while singing a courting song. While badly singing a courting song.

Heero looked at the others to see if they noticed this atrocious act of vandalism-ruining the flute with such imperfect notes-but none of them seemed to hear a thing. Madrigal was still talking about Quatre's condition, Harry was scowling, clearly pissed off, and Dorothy was listening to them with a little smirk on her face. Heero huffed, indignant. He supposed he would have to stop the horrible behavior of the "singer" by himself.

Heero slipped away from the group and went to the opening in the curtains. He steeled himself against what would surely be an onslaught on his ears and pushed back the curtain.

Heero groaned when he saw who it was. There was no bed in sight. Instead, in the middle of the area, a harness hung from the ceiling. Suspended in the harness was a centaur with blonde hair. Zetoth.

Heero groaned again, and this startled the centaur and made him look up.

"Heero, you came!" Zetoth gushed, trying to run to Heero, but he was restrained by the harness. Not deterred by the fact that he was hanging a good foot and a half in the air, Zetoth continued speaking. "Oh, I wasn't sure you would hear my song, I had to sing so low. Earlier, I sang very loud, but after the other patient came in, I was told to be quiet. To not disturb him."

"Why were you singing at all?" Heero demanded, horrified that Zetoth thought he was actually answering the call rather than coming to beat the snot out of someone who dared to use a Pan flute for such a common song. "And why are you here? Don't centaurs hate humans?"

"Oh, Heero," Zetoth said. Heero could practically see the sparkles in his eyes. "You know why I was singing. I sang, so you would come. I sang for you, my beautiful Vanuli flower. It has been so long since I last saw you, and though I know it hasn't been the usual month between statement of intent to court and the actual courting process, I could not help myself. To be so close to you, my beloved, but not be able to see you, it was torture. And to be able to see you but not touch you, it is a worse fate. Please, my blossom, come and touch my lips, that I might imagine it is a kiss."

Heero couldn't help it-he burst out laughing. Zetoth sounded so much like Duo had when he'd first kissed him. Except for the rules and traditions of courting, of course. The situation was even sort of the same. When Duo first confessed his feelings for Heero, it was right after Heero rescued him from an Oz base. Duo had been recovering from his capture and wearing a hospital gown when he'd asked for the kiss, and now Zetoth was doing the same.

As with Duo, Heero couldn't bring himself to say no. He walked over to Zetoth and took the centaur's face in his hands. Because of their natural height differences and Zetoth's suspension, Heero couldn't reach Zetoth's lips even while standing completely on his tiptoes. Zetoth bent down until his head was semi-level with Heero's, bending himself almost in half. Heero put a hand on Zetoth's shoulder to steady himself and pressed his lips to Zetoth's.

The kiss was light, mere lips on lips. There were no tongues, no bites, no fireworks, no explosions. It was completely innocent. Like his first kiss with Duo but wholly different. With Duo, the first kiss was innocent. There were no tongues, no bites, no fireworks, no explosions. Just a permeating sense of perfection and the overwhelming thought of this is right. With Zetoth, Heero didn't feel that. He felt wrong-like he was betraying Duo.

Heero stepped back, horrified at what he did. "I-I'm sorry," he choked out, wincing when he saw the dreamy expression on Zetoth's face.

"For what?" Zetoth asked, opening his eyes. His pupils were dilated, and Heero knew that if he took a peek, Mr. Happy would most likely be at full attention. Not something Heero wanted to know conclusively, so he didn't look.

"For leading you on," Heero said. He took his hand off Zetoth's shoulder, snatching it back like he would be burned if he left it there for one more second. Zetoth tried to catch Heero's hand and hold it, but Heero wouldn't let him. Heero stepped far enough away that Zetoth couldn't touch him. "I'm not interested in you. The entire time we kissed, I was thinking of someone else."

Heero blinked back tears. What had he done? He betrayed the love of his life once again and hurt this nice boy who should stop wanting Heero and focus his attention on a deserving centaur.

"I have to go," Heero said, ignoring Zetoth's pleas for him to stay just a little bit longer.

Heero struggled with the curtain-Why do they make these things so difficult?-before finally finding the opening and storming out of the area. Heero got no further than twelve steps from the curtain when Harry caught him by the arm.

***

"We were just about to come look for you," Harry said when he caught up with Heero. "We didn't know where you went. Come on-we can go see Quatre now."

The truth was, Harry knew where Heero was since he laughed. It was so much a part of Heero that it didn't matter if it was a loud guffaw, a quiet snicker, a manly chuckle, or a girlish giggle. It was always perfectly Heero. Harry just didn't want to take Heero away from the source of his mirth until absolutely necessary. Quatre being awake qualified as absolutely necessary, though Harry didn't think he would have had to wait much longer anyway, with the way Heero stormed out of the curtains.

Harry took Heero's hand and led him over to Quatre's bed. He tried to send calming waves to his brother, like they did for him, but it didn't seem to work. Emotions were not Harry's forte. They were Quatre's. Maybe he could do something about it. After Harry gave him a thorough beating for scaring the crap out of him.

***

Quatre groaned as the light hit his eyes. It was way too bright in here. "Hey, somebody turn off the lights!" He yelled as he closed his eyes. The lights dimmed, and he opened them. That was much better. "Thanks, Dot," he said to the girl in the corner of the room.

"You're quite welcome," someone who who was not Dorothy answered. "You're also welcome for the saving of your ass."

Quatre looked around the...whatever it was-on second look, he decided that it couldn't be a room; walls didn't move that much-only to find his very favorite sister arranging medical instruments on a table. "Hey, Maddy," Quatre said, sitting up in his bed. "How did you get here? And where are we?"

"Well," she said, throwing a towel over the arrangement, "you're in the infirmary, most likely through every fault of your own. As to how I got here, Madam Pomfrey contacted me through the Floo after she couldn't figure out what was wrong with you and saw that I was listed as your personal Healer in your file. So of course, I Floo'd right over-there's a fireplace in Madam Pomfrey's office, you know, but it only connects to medical facilities-when I heard that my dear baby brother was sick.

"Now, about that "sickness,"" Madrigal said.

Quatre cringed at her tone. This meant a lecture, and a big one at that. It wasn't like he meant to neglect his practicing. It was just that he'd been so busy lately. What with making his potions, bonding with and keeping track of both Harry and Heero, Quatre hadn't had much time to practice.

"So I've decided to make it a mandatory part of your medical schedule," Maddy was saying. Quatre hadn't been listening and was completely lost as to what she meant. But he wasn't about to tell her that. Maddy got mean when she got angry, and she got angry when she wasn't listened to. "I'm going to go ahead and put it down for Harry and Heero, too. They need the practice just as much as you, I'm sure. And you should probably exercise your Gifts then, too." Maddy took a pad of paper out of her robe and scribbled on it. She copied it three times and handed one of them to Quatre.

"There," she said. "Three times a week, you are to practice controlling your Sight and your Gift with the professor of your choice."

Ugh, Quatre thought. When am I going to have time to do this? And who are we going to get to do it with us?

"Professor Lupin!" someone shouted at the open end of the curtain.

Quatre, startled, looked over there, a faint, "Where?" on his lips. But it was just Heero and Harry. They came into the little closed off area, and Maddy gave them their instructions.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked Heero. "Do you really want him to supervise us during that?"

"Why not?" Heero asked. They both walked over to Quatre's bed after they talked. "You already go to him for tutoring three nights a week. We'll just go with you. Plus, apparently, he's one of my wolves now."

Quatre scooted over as his brother sat down to either side of him. "When did this happen?" he asked.

"You know, I'm not sure," Heero said, scratching his head. He shrugged his shoulders and lay down beside Quatre. "But I remember keeping him away from Zetoth last night-who, by the way, is in the other bed. I'll ask Professor Lupin after class on Monday."

Quatre started to reply, but Heero's breath evened out, and he didn't respond to Quatre. He figured that Heero was asleep. About time, he thought. Quatre didn't know exactly what time it was, but he knew that it was much later than Heero usually went to bed on the days after the full moon.

"So what do you think?" Quatre asked Harry, who was currently spooning up against his back.

"I think Remus is a good choice," Harry murmured into Quatre's neck. "And I think we can forget about that whole "one week" thing. When I thought you were really hurt, I couldn't... You're stuck with me forever, now." Harry kissed Quatre's neck. "And I think we ought to think about what to tell everybody-before they figure it out for themselves. Some of the people in this school aren't as stupid as rocks, you know."

Quatre laughed at that, quietly, so as not to wake Heero-though Quatre doubted an air horn blasted in his ear could do that now. "That's Dorothy's job," Quatre said, fighting back a yawn. "She's good at spinning workable lies out of truth webs."

Harry laughed, and the vibrations he gave off were enough to put Quatre to sleep.

***

Maddy looked at the three sleeping boys and couldn't help but smile. They were peaceful, and she couldn't help but be happy for them. The triplets, back together again.

"I'm going to take off," she whispered to Dorothy. She had been away from her practice too long-patients would be backing up and she wouldn't get out of there until midnight at the earliest. Dorothy nodded, she was so transfixed with the sight of her babies. "Make sure they do what I said." Dorothy nodded again, and Maddy knew it was as good as done. Dorothy was made to protect her Niamos, and protect them she would. Even if it was from themselves.

"Maya Donai," Dorothy whispered when Maddy walked out of the curtain. Maddy smiled-even though she was human, she was still a part of their family. The most loving family in the world.

Maddy walked passed the beds-and this particularly bad bit of singing-towards Madam Pomfrey's office. Halfway there, she decided she didn't want to go back to her office yet. She was already backed up, she might as well go out for a long lunch and stay until two in the morning. Maddy reversed her course and walked out the doors of the Hospital Wing. She would have to go to the Headmaster's office if she wanted to go to Diagon Alley. She hoped she could remember where it was.

When Maddy walked out the door, a lime-green poster assaulted her eyes. Amazed at it's brightness, she went to read it.

Masquerade ball

October 31

9 PM to Midnight

6th and 7th years only

Come in costume or don't come at all

Sponsored and decorated by S.P.E.W.

"Huh," Maddy said before she continued on her way. That would be interesting.

Selune