InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Light in Dark Places ❯ Chapter 4: Impact ( Chapter 5 )

(A/N): I will be back from Japan in less than a week, but I thought I would be nice and post this now that I have found an internet connection. So, I come bearing a new chapter, another on the way soon and a thirty-page outline of the entire story. Updates should come up a bit quicker now, assuming school doesn't get in the way too much. :o) Happy reading and comments are always appreciated!

 

Thanks to my beta, FieryFaerie, because lord knows I wouldn't be able to do this without her! :o)

 

Light in Dark Places

By: Eilan-san

 

ooo

 

Chapter 4: Impact

 

Someday, love will find me in the rough.

Someday, love will finally be enough.

 

--Anna Nalick, “In the Rough”

 

ooo

 

She would have thought that the “Ministry of Magic” would have had, oh, more interesting décor, but she was currently in a very dull, white room, sitting in an incredibly uncomfortable chair while she attempted to keep her anger from boiling over and scalding everyone within reach.

 

To say it had been an interesting night would be the understatement of the year.

 

She'd woken up on a strange couch in a flat she didn't recognize, after being attacked by a dark wizard, not that she'd even known that witches and wizards existed prior to six, wait, make that seven hours ago.

 

Hermione attempted to help her sit up and handed her a glass of water and two aspirin, which she gratefully took. She'd been informed that she was in the home of Hermione and her husband Ron, who were a witch and wizard respectively, and that Harry was also a wizard and they would be taking her to the Ministry of Magic - They have an entire section of the government for these people? - for a proper introduction as soon as she felt well enough to go.

 

And here she was, at bloody four in the morning, her mind still reeling from the video-type thing she'd sat through, which had explained “everything she'd ever need to know about the wizarding world,” and waiting for Harry and Hermione to return with the proper authorities so she could be completely indoctrinated. The splitting headache she had acquired in the last hour certainly wasn't improving her mood.

 

Ron was currently sitting nearby, waiting with her until his friend returned with the Chief of the Auror Division, although what exactly the `Auror Division' was, she hadn't been told. Ron shot her a sheepish smile. “Been a rough night, huh?”

 

She stifled a yawn. “Roughest in a long time,” she answered truthfully. `All the weird stuff has to happen to me,' she thought ruefully. “Is it really cold in here, or is it just me?”

 

She saw his gaze flicker towards the door, and seeing no one there, he leaned towards her as he pulled out his wand and whispered, “Promise not to tell?”

 

She nodded and he whispered a few words and suddenly two warm beer bottles appeared on the table in front of her.

 

He got up and opened both before handing one to her. “We're not supposed to do magic in front of muggles until you've been completely brought up to speed.” He saw her study the bottle, and smiled. “It's called butterbeer. It's really quite good,” he said.

 

She sipped it slowly and smiled as the warmth of the liquid spread through her body. “Thank you.”

 

“You're welcome,” he said, reclining bonelessly in his chair. “It's the least I could do - I feel kind of responsible for bringing you in here at four in the bloody morning just to talk to my boss.”

 

She laughed in spite of herself. “Well, maybe you can make it up to me some time.”

 

The door to the room suddenly swung open revealing a short woman with long dark hair, Harry, Hermione and a few other people Kagome didn't recognize trailing behind her. Ron jumped to attention and saluted.

 

Kagome shrank back as the woman scrutinized her before returning Ron's salute. She was surprised as the woman's stern face melt into a grin.

 

“Wotcher, Ron,” she said.

 

“Hey, Tonks,” he replied, smiling. “I really wish you'd stick to one look for the office.”

 

Tonks laughed. “But it's so much more fun this way,” she said cheerfully.

 

Ron turned to Kagome, “Let me introduce you to Harry's and my boss, Chief Nymphadora Tonks, head of the Auror Division for the Ministry of Magic. And just so you know, if you ever call her anything other than Tonks, such as Nymphadora or Mrs. Lupin, you will probably regret it.” Tonks smiled sheepishly. “Otherwise she's one of the nicest human beings you'll ever meet,” Ron concluded cheerfully.

 

Tonks directed her gaze towards Kagome. “Professor Higurashi, do you know what a muggle is?” she asked gently. Kagome nodded.

 

“Are you a muggle, then?”

 

“Yes, ma'am.”

 

“Right then. I understand that you were attacked by a wizard tonight because he was looking for information that you supposedly had about a powerful magical object. Would you care to tell us about it?” Suddenly everyone in the room turned and looked at her expectantly, save Harry who stood against the wall and refused to meet her eyes.

 

All of the cheerfulness she had felt earlier with Ron completely dissipated. She had half a mind to tell these people to bugger off, all she wanted were answers as to what the hell happened to her in the past twenty four hours and now they expected her to clue them in? Not a chance.

 

She narrowed her eyes at Tonks and was about to tell her she wasn't saying anything until someone explained to her what was going on when she felt a hand on her arm. Hermione smiled at her kindly, “It's alright, Kagome. Just tell her what you know.”

 

Kagome sighed, suppressing her irritation, and relayed the story about the attack. She paused occasionally for Harry to pipe up every so often to help with the details, but he continued to stand against the wall, appearing for all the world like he didn't know her and didn't care. Where was the man she'd gone to dinner with? By the end of her story, she was nearly convinced that these wizards had kidnapped him and replaced him this strange being.

 

“And the next thing I remember was waking up in Ron and Hermione's apartment,” she said, glancing around the room. The residents of the room looked even more bewildered than she felt, and that was saying something.

 

Tonks looked at Harry, “Do you think this has anything to do with the rumors about what the Death Eaters were looking for?”

 

“Yes, I do. I also believe this is connected to the Yamato attack, as he is a professional colleague of Professor Higurashi,” he answered stiffly, still refusing to meet Kagome's questioning stare.

 

Tonks seemed to consider this briefly, “Alright then, as soon as we're finished here, and if Professor Higurashi agrees, I would like to place her under the protection of the Ministry of Magic. She will need an Auror bodyguard to ensure her safety.”

 

“What exactly is an Auror?” Kagome interrupted, annoyed and wanting answers to her questions.

 

“Harry and Ron are both Aurors, they investigate dark wizards and objects. Kind of like police officers or detectives,” Hermione piped up. “Ron is the base operator for the division - he handles all of the information and assigns cases to the Aurors. Harry is a field agent, and both the Yamato case and the Shikon no Tama case were assigned to him last week.”

 

Kagome frowned.

 

“That's why he was in your class that day… Hermione thought that the shikon no tama was the object the dark wizards were after, and asked him to attend your lecture,” Ron added. “And after last night, there is no doubt that they are after the Jewel, and they seem to think you know where it is.”

 

“Kagome has the most knowledge of anyone in the area of the Jewel, aside from our dear Professor Yamato, and since he is currently indisposed due to his attack, we will need her help to locate and eradicate this Jewel before any Death Eaters find it,” Tonks observed.

 

Kagome saw Ron glare at Harry. It seems she wasn't the only one noticing his odd behavior. “Assign Harry to the protective detail, Chief,” Ron said. “He and Kagome can investigate this together. He doesn't have any other open cases, so he's free.”

 

Harry's head snapped up immediately, eyes wide with something that looked like fear. He was scared of her? “But - I, I shouldn't…” he sputtered.

 

“Brilliant idea, Ronald,” said Tonks, completely ignoring Harry. “Harry, you are hereby assigned to be Professor Higurashi's bodyguard until the location of the shikon no tama is discovered and the object destroyed and she is safe. She will assist you in the investigation to further it along as quickly as possible.” Harry withered under her stare and began studying the floor, silently acquiescing to the situation.

 

Tears began to build in her eyes and her mind whirled with the events of the past twenty-four hours. Her first date in forever with what had seemedlike a nice guy, although now he appears to be just as big a prat as everyone else she'd ever dated, and now someone was after her over information about the shikon no tama… `I thought it was over, dammit,' she thought. `I don't want this anymore.'

 

Wiping her tears away angrily, she stood up with her jaw clenched and her fingernails digging into her palms, “When did I ever say I would do any of this?” she asked tightly.

 

Everyone, including Harry, just stared at her blankly.

 

“I have been through hell and back tonight, I will have you know,” her face ablaze. “Twenty four hours ago, I was not even aware that wizards and witches even existed, and now that a few of them have decided that I have information they want - which I don't actually have - you expect me to help you just like that!?”

 

She rounded on Harry, “And you! You tricked me!” she cried. “All of that friendly crap was for your damned case! That's beyond low.” Her eyes narrowed, “And how did he know who you were? Did you set that up or something?”

 

Harry's jaw dropped in shock and for the first time since she'd been brought to this god-forsaken building, he stared her straight in her eyes. For a moment, she thought that he might actually speak to her in his own defense, but to her disappointment Tonks answered for him.

 

“Professor Higurashi, I have known Harry a long time, and I do not believe Harry would have been out with you this evening for any other reason than that he enjoyed your company. The fact that the attack coincided with the case he was working on was just that: a coincidence,” she said, her voice calm but austere. “And the fact of the matter is that everyone in our world knows who Harry is. So obviously your attacker, who was undoubtedly a wizard, would have known Harry, but I seriously doubt Harry knew him.”

 

“Why does everyone know Harry?” Kagome asked, still seething. She watched Harry close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose as if preparing for a blow.

 

“I'm not altogether surprised he didn't tell you. Your friend Harry is known as the Boy-Who-Lived,” Tonks said quietly. “When Harry was a baby, he was attacked by a Dark Wizard named Voldemort, who was the most powerful dark wizard in a century. Voldemort had murdered Harry's parents before turning on Harry, but when he cast the Killing Curse on baby Harry, but it rebounded destroying him. To this day, Harry is still the only known wizard in the world who has survived that kind of a curse.”

 

Tonks smiled tightly at Harry, “Unfortunately for us, Voldemort returned thirteen years ago and Harry discovered that he was prophesied to defeat him, and during his seventh year of school he vanquished the Dark Lord permanently.”

 

Kagome's eyes burned into Harry, but he still refused to look at her. Slightly nerdy-looking Harry who had taken her out for dinner earlier that night had defeated the most powerful dark wizard in a century? There was no way. Absolutely no way.

 

But the more she looked at him, the more she could tell it was true. Not because of anyone else, but because she saw it - the feeling of death and despair was all over him. `Why didn't I notice it before?' she thought miserably.

 

“He saved us all from a horrible fate, and even though he was and is still remiss with the details of exactly what happened, his history and the fact that he accomplished what no one was thought to be able to do gave him absolutely ridiculous amounts of publicity. Harry is probably the most famous wizard in the world now,” Tonks said emphatically. “When I said everyone knew who he was, I did mean everyone.”

 

Rejecting the feelings of pity that threatened to diminish her frustration with everyone in the room (especially Harry, who was standing in the corner looking like he just wanted to disappear into the floor), Kagome paused briefly and collected the remaining bits of her dignity. Squaring her shoulders, she said forcefully, “Regardless of what Harry is or isn't, it doesn't change the current situation or my feelings on the matter. Chief Tonks, it was nice to talk to you, but until you decide you want my opinion on what happens to me, I will be at home. Good luck finding me,” and stalked off down the hallway without looking behind her.

 

She quickly turned left down a dark hallway, but was shortly met with a dead end and the language that spilled out of her mouth would have made Inuyasha proud. She couldn't remember how she got into this damned building, much less how to get out of it.

 

She sank down against one of the cold walls and cradled her head in her hands. Why couldn't it just be over?

 

`I did what you wanted me to do! What else could you possibly want from me!?' she silently shouted at the ceiling, daring whoever it was in charge of everything to answer her.

 

Because it was supposed to be over. The Jewel had been completed, and she had left the Sengoku Jidai and Inuyasha because she knew she was supposed to. She'd given up everything - her friends, her family, any chance at a remotely normal life for that duty. And now that her duty had been completed, after all her sacrifices, what was left for her? A flat full of books and bare walls, half way around the world from everyone she knew and loved.

 

She'd tried, she'd tried so hard to be normal, and it still wouldn't leave her alone. The shikon no tama seemed to have chased her all her life in one form or another: her grandfather's stories, the Sengoku Jidai, her dissertation and now this. Now, it had even tracked her to London - she couldn't believe that anyone alive in the Modern Era actually knew that she was who she was, but at the same time, she couldn't quell the uneasiness in her stomach.

 

She had heard enough to believe that these wizards who were after it weren't people to underestimate, but she trusted Harry and Ron to protect her, since they dealt with people like that everyday; she wasn't worried about herself.

 

She was worried because, somewhere deep inside her she knew.

 

She knew it wasn't really gone.

 

What on earth did Inuyasha do with it?

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of shoes clicking on the floor tiles. She looked up and saw Harry walking towards her. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them and steeledher gaze at the opposite wall. To her great surprise he sat down beside her. They sat in silence for a long time.

 

Eventually, Harry broke the silence by yawning. She stifled a laugh. `The great Harry Potter, defeater of the most powerful Dark Lord in a century, yawned. At least we know he's normal,' she thought.

 

“Do you want to talk about what happened tonight?” she asked.

 

“No,” he answered bluntly. “I'm only out here because they made me come after you. We knew you'd get lost on your way out.”

 

Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “You are aware that if you want my help on this case, you're eventually going to have to actually talk to me,” she said.

 

He looked up at her, completely surprised, like it was the last thing he expected her to want to do. Surprise quickly turned into suspicion, “What do you want me to say?”

 

“Anything! You've barely said two words to me since I woke up at Ron and Hermione's. What happened to that guy I went to dinner with tonight? Bring him back, I liked him,” she said, annoyed.

 

“Yeah, well, that was before you knew who I was. As soon as you figured it out you wouldn't speak to me, either,” he said darkly. “Maybe I should just go.”

 

“Oh no, you're not mister,” Kagome grabbed him by the arm and poked his chest. “I am mad because you've been completely silent for the last six hours! You don't get to leave until we talk about what the hell happened tonight.”

 

Harry wrenched his arm away from her and made to stand up, but Kagome pulled him back down to the floor. “You're not going to win this one, Harry. I'm probably more stubborn than you are,” her eyes narrowing. “What happened tonight?”

 

“You know what happened, Kagome. We were attacked by a dark wizard,” he contemptuously.

 

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant, Harry.”

 

He leveled his gaze at her, “It is because of the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing that I don't have any other friends besides Ron and Hermione. People are either afraid of me, or they are just being nice to me because they're hoping that the fame rubs off on them,” he spat.

 

His eyes shifted slightly and became incredibly dark and intense. “When I met you I was happy because you didn't know who I was, I could just be myself instead of being who everyone else, Ron and Hermione aside, seem to think I am. And tonight ruined that.”

 

This was what he was upset about? He obviously had no idea who he was dealing with.

 

“No one but me knows how I actually defeated Voldemort, and yet everyone thinks they can have a piece of me because of it,” he continuing furiously. She tightened her grip on his arm and met his eyes again and suddenly she felt him; a rush of images assaulted her brain and she felt all of his anger at the world; anger at his parents for getting themselves blown up, Sirius for falling through the damned veil, at Dumbledore for letting himself be killed, anger at Ron and Hermione for actually being happy after everything they've seen and done, and finally at Voldemort for positively ruining everything. She gasped, horrified at the all of this pain, and feeling like she might explode with the force of it. She pulled away quickly and backed up against the wall, feeling very small and afraid of this man in front of her.

 

I had no idea…

 

He smiled at her mockingly, “So, what's it going to be? Revulsion at the thought that I had to murder somebody? Or a lust for fame? Either way, you'll probably just bememory-charmed at the end of this anyway and you won't remember a thing.”

 

She felt her palm connect with the side of his face. It didn't even register that she'd slapped him until she saw his eyes grow wide and his hand move to his now bright red cheek. But, rather than feeling guilty, she felt strangely empowered.

 

She narrowed her eyes at him, refusing to back down, “I'm sorry, Harry, but if you wanted a pity party, you're not getting one from me. We've all had to do things we're not proud of, and everyone has their own emotional baggage. I liked you, the Harry I went to dinner with tonight, not whoever this brooding and angry boy sitting in front of me is.”

 

“You don't know anything about me, or what I've been through, no one does,” he said icily, his hand still hovering over the darkening handprint on his face.

 

“Oh really?” she replied, glaring daggers and not feeling very sorry at all. “I recognize a man who has refused to accept what life has given him, even if it wasn't always what he wanted. I see a man who is angry at the world because of how he was forced to grow up to fast, which I admit is horrible, but refuses to see all the good things he was given. You have Ron and Hermione; the entire Wizarding world knows who you are and respects you. You are a hero, Harry, and with that comes both burdens and rewards, and you have to accept the whole package,” she said, her chest constricting so tightly she could scarcely breathe.

 

She inhaled deeply, trying to regain her bearings before looking at him again, eyes narrowed. “Do us all a favor and cut the angsty `No one understands me' melodrama, Harry. You're better than that, and I'm not buying it,” she said coldly as she stood and walked out of the hallway without looking back.

 

She wasn't sure how she found the exit, or how she found her flat that night. Everything was a blur as she ran down the street, her heart feeling as if it was about to explode.

 

No! I'm not doing this and you can't make me!

 

She barely made it inside her flat before the sobs came, wracking her body with their force, and for the first time, Kagome felt exactly how very old and very tired her soul really was.