Itoshii Sune-ku

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.


Itoshii Sune-ku

Chapter 8: Taimen Sono Kyuuketsuki.

"I'm so sleepy...Why am I so sleepy?" A.J, as Harry had begun to call her, asked, with a yawn. Harry looked at her, concern making his eyes glow. He turned to Rhapsody.

"Rhapsody? A.J. is sleepy. Will she be all right?" Rhapsody glanced sideways at Harry and Aji, rolling her eyes as she turned back to the road ahead of them.

"Talk to her. Keep her awake. Once she find Ryssein, she'll be fine. She's got something that'll take the sleepiness from her." Harry's eyes went wide.

"Isn't that a bad thing? She needs sleep. Wouldn't it be bad to give her something that'll make her stay awake? Isn't that like coffee? That'll really stunt your growth. No wonder you guys are so short." Rhapsody snorted.

"You're no Robert Wadlow, yourself." Harry looked at her strangely.

"WHO?" Rhapsody laughed, and pointed to Aji. Who was bouncing up and down, her hand raised in the air. Rhapsody giggled and rolled her eyes heavenward.

"Robert Wadlow. He was this guy, I think he was...I don't know. But he was like, the tallest guy since, maybe, the 1940's. He was 8 feet and 11.1 inches, tall. See? So, you're not so much a Wadlow, yourself. So--mma.." Aji stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed.

"Who knows! Maybe I'll grow!" They both scoffed at this.

"You? Yeah, sure. Like you'll grow beyond five feet and several inches. I bet you a whole gallon of sweet butter." Aji challenged.

"And who is going to make that sweet butter, hmm?" Aji looked at her sister nervously.

"Uhh...I'll give you a gummy rat, if you make it for our bet." Rhapsody scowled, and Aji changed tactics.

"I'll give you five gummy rats." She still scowled, so Aji tried once more.

"Eight?" Rhapsody finally smiled, and Aji smiled in relief. She jumped up, letting out a happy, high pitched, 'yay!' before hooking her arm around Harry's and kissing his cheek. Harry, for his own part, didn't blush as much as he thought he would. He just stared blankly for a few moments before stumbling and nearly tripping the both of them. Aji just laughed. Harry looked at his newly forming family, sighed, thinking. 'I'm never going to get used to this, am I? Oh well...Better ask now, and get it over with.' And so he did.

"What's gummy rats?" Rhapsody looked over at him, along with Aji. Identical looks of guilt, nervousness, and a tad bit of exasperation on their nearly identical faces. They looked at each other, Rhapsody with a look of pleading, and Aji with a stern look, like she was chastizing her sister. Finally, after walking and staring few short moments, Rhapsody sighed, rolled her eyes and looked to her new brother.

"Gummy rats, the ones you can get at Honeydukes--Special order, that is, are real rats. Real rats, dipped in melted candy. I told you. I'm a snake. Snakes eat rats. And other rodents. But I must say, rats, and mice, of course, are the best. Please, try not to be too disgusted. I promise, I won't EVER eat them in front of you. I swear." Rhapsody looked so scared, and pleading, that Harry didn't have the heart to ask the rude question that sprung to his lips the first he'd heard the words, 'real rats dipped in melted candy.' Instead, he asked.

"Hmm...They any good to non-snake people?" Both girls were shocked to say the least. No one said anything for several long minutes. Afterwards, when the shock had worn off, they both started rambling on about, gummy rats, fudge, chocolate frogs, and blood pops all the while explaining the yummy treats to the candy deprived six year old.

Walking for another half hour had them just a few minutes away from their destination. While Rhapsody and Aji were talking and planning together, Harry was watching the 'Action Bikes' store come more into view. Once they were closer, Harry could tell there was someone there. Looking at his two girls, he noticed they had gone beyond talking, and were now arguing, not paying any attention to the tiny figure walking toward them. Once the figure was close Harry could tell it was one of their sisters. Which one, he wasn't quite sure of yet, but he vowed he'd figure it out before anyone told him.

The girl was tiny, just like her sisters. Her hair was a more sedate black, waist length, and French braided down her back, hot pink ribbons intwined in the complicated knot. She was much paler than either of her other sisters, but still had a fairly healthy glow to her cheeks. The same features as her eldest sister, just a tiny less filled in as of yet, than the eldest's. Her eyes were nothing like either of the sisters' he'd met. The eyes staring curiously at him were not black, blue, or amber, but more of a royal purple. Or violet. The violet eyes sparkled and danced, as if they were alive and not just a pair of eye balls in the head of a very pretty girl. 'Amaryssein.' Harry thought to himself.

'It has to be. Rhapsody said that the youngest was the most childish, and innocent. And this girl is certianly not a boy. Well, unless there's a boy that needs a serious hair cut. Her eyes sparkle. She's curious, about me. She's not hyper. She's not bouncing around the place, like Aji. And she looks to be sucking on a blood pop. If the discription Rhapsody and A.J. gave of those things is truly accurate. Eww...' He decided to ask.

"Am-Amaryssein?" He stammered a bit. The girl smiled.

"So, you're finally here." Huh? What did she mean by that?

"I'm here. But what do you mean, finally?" Amaryssein laughed, a light, lyrical sound. Pleasant to the senses.

"Did my sisters not tell you? I knew you were coming before anyone else did. Seems I am a Seer. Speaking of being a Seer..." She trailed off, and, turning toward her sisters--who were still arguing, shouted. Well, nearly shouted at them.

"Be quiet, the both of you." They both went silent. For a few seconds. Then Rhapsody groaned.

"Ugh...I need an aspirin. I have such a headache..." She rubbed her temples. Amaryssein looked at her, raising a brow in concern.

"You need to see Tremaine. When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?" Rhapsody didn't answer her sister's question. She sighed, and continued.

"I need to go to Diagon Alley. I need to send an letter, to one Albus Dumbledore." She said this name with a light sneer. As if the name was something a mother would have to be either insane, or on meds to name her child. Both her sisters looked at her, brows raised in surprise. Aji spoke.

"Vision?" Ryssein nodded, calmly. Rhapsody continued.

"What was it?" She stared at them, then jerked her head toward Harry.

"The young one has a falsely imprisoned guardian angel. The rat needs to be fixed. I only got a few names, and some faces. It was all very vague. I'll have to pen a letter to this Dumbledore character. Maybe the boy has started at this...school of his." Amaryssein dragged her braid over her shoulder with one hand, the other fiddling with fringe at the bottom. Harry was curious about what they were talking of, but decided to leave it be. It wasn't his place to ask about private 'visions' or whatall.

Aji was just about to jump into her sister's arms, when Amaryssein snapped at her. Telling her she had better not. Aji just plunked down to the ground and pouted, sniffling occasionally. Amaryssein turned to her eldest sister.

"We are keeping him, then?" She asked, with more than a little bit of hope in her voice. Rhapsody smiled.

"You like him, then? I figured you'd be the first to say he's too young." Amaryssein smiled, her sparkling violet eyes a little dreamy as she answered.

"He's perfect. He's so small, and cute. He looks so much like an angel. A baby angel. Not that you're a baby, mind." She hastily added the last part. Harry smiled, saying he understood.

"Don't worry about it. It's not my fault I look like a girl." He added cheekily. They all laughed. Rhapsody and Aji, deciding they weren't done with their argument, started it up again. Amaryssein rolled her eyes.

"What are they arguing about?" Harry watched as the two girls walked ahead of Ryssein and himself. Walking along beside her, he raised a brow at her.

"They're arguing the pros and cons of real live animal candy, versus the real thing. Minus the candy part." Amaryssein raised a brow as she licked her sucker.

"Who's winning, so far?" She asked, an amused smile tugging the corners of her lips. Harry smiled wider.

"Neither as of yet. They've only gotten so far as the pros and cons for real live candy animals. They're still working on the others." He rolled his eyes. There was silence except for the arguing going on a few feet ahead if them.

"Soo...Which do you like better?" Harry looked at her strangely for moment, before smiling deviously.

"I like the real live animals. No candy." Amaryssein looked mildly surprised.

"Why's that?" She asked. Harry cocked his head to the side.

"I just know I'm gonna sound like a girl, they're cute. And soft. And cuddly. And I have a fox in my back pack covered with all sorts of cloths and blankets and junk. So, yeah. I think they're much better." There was a small silence before giggles burst out beside him. He pouted.

"See? Told you I'd sound like a girl." Harry said that as if was the most horrid thing in the world. Which only caused more giggles, and laughter, from the girl beside him. He sulked for a few seconds before she hooked her arm with his and kissed his cheek.

"I'm not making fun of you. You realize that you're the first person to make me out-right laugh in a long while, right?" She asked.

"I think you're the cutest boy I've ever met." She kissed his cheek once more, then dragged him up to the other two, determined to join in on the argument.