fic for auburn_witch
For: auburn_witch
From: clipsie
Title: A Tame Life
Pairing/Focus: Nino
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: Not everyone’s tale at Hogwarts was particularly interesting, but the friendships were always worth it.
Notes: I know very little about Harry Potter, so when I presented the tiniest of details to my lovely beta, it was definitely not what she expected. I hope you enjoy these snippets of time.
Four years had passed since Nino began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and with those four years had come some questionable friendships and shenanigans. That’s how he found himself trapped under a goddamn bed in the Gryffindor dorms at two in the morning.
---
It’d all begun in his first year, arriving on the Hogwarts Express, and being herded into the Great Hall for the Start-of-Term Feast. He was just a cute little kid at the time, clutching his game system to his chest where he’d bundled it under his robes. He didn’t even let go of it when the hat sorted him into Slytherin.
It wasn’t until a few days later when he made his first friend at the school. He’d been hiding in the halls playing some Super Mario Bros, minding his own business, thank you. Even going as far as scowling so no one would disturb him. Turns out, it was not very effective, as demonstrated when an overly friendly Gryffindor bounded around the corner and almost tripped over him.
It got even weirder for Nino when the guy sat down beside him and started asking about what he was doing. He’d already noticed the bad blood between Slytherin and Gryffindor at this point, but apparently that didn’t stop this particular student, who had introduced himself as Aiba Masaki.
Aiba was a pure-blood wizard that had very little contact with Muggles, but had always been fascinated with Muggle things, so when he saw Nino, as he explained, he had to stop and ask what the device was in his hands. He’d never seen it before, as he’d always been busy with his parents’ restaurant, Mahou Doufu, in the wizarding world.
To that, Nino had merely smiled and explained that while he was a pure-blood wizard, his parents had chosen to live among Muggles for the sake of his older sister, a Squib. Nino didn’t really mind it either way.
From then on, Aiba and Nino became inseparable, hanging out whenever they had free time. Nino had even worked out a way to sneak into the Gryffindor dorm by the time Christmas had rolled around. It was simple; all he’d done was charm the Fat Lady through chatting with her. Politeness went a long way and he promised to never disturb her. Even during Christmas break, which he had stayed at the school for, he went and chatted with her, despite the fact that Aiba had gone back home, a Game Boy waiting on his pillow in a box wrapped in Santa Claus paper.
The biggest problem in the dorm occurred after New Years, when a third year student caught him sneaking in to hang out with Aiba. The third year, he would later learn to be named Sakurai Sho, was a stickler for the rules (and didn’t appreciate Aiba gaming in the common room, apparently). Nino knew, from then on, to be very careful, and vowed to never be caught again. That lasted about seven days.
Nino, being antisocial, also accidentally ended up creating an “enemy” in his first year. Matsumoto Jun was a Hufflepuff in most of his classes. Jun was extremely studious and, as far as Nino was concerned, far too short and dorky looking to be a first year. He also looked up to Sakurai Sho (he said it enough in class, Nino had counted and once it was said six times), which was not gaining him any points, really. All in all, Nino just found him annoying. So annoying that the first thing he said to him was an absolute lie.
---
It was in their second year that Nino had his first actual conversation with Jun. It was the second day of classes for the year and they had been assigned as partners in Potions class. Their first conversation wasn’t in class, though, but instead in the Great Hall during dinner, when Jun came over to the Slytherin table (amid cautious looks from the people around him) and asked Nino if he’d like to have study sessions. Nino simply responded by being too busy with his little brother, as he pointed to a random first year Ravenclaw.
From there, Nino kept making excuses, even though he found Jun to be a suitable Potions partner. They hadn’t failed yet, and in fact, Jun seemed to have a skill for it, which was good. Nino wasn’t necessarily bad at it either, but why try when you don’t have to is what he thought.
Nino’d also made a new friend in a first year Slytherin named Ikuta Toma. Toma would spend time with him in the dorms when he was bored and enjoyed hearing Nino’s stories, even if they were a little exaggerated. He even hung out with Aiba. To be honest, at that point Nino’s second year was going quite swimmingly, until his nightmare happened. Toma became friends with Jun.
It had happened one chilly November when Nino had been sick and thus bedridden. Jun, being in a good chunk of Nino’s classes and a nice guy, albeit awkward, had tracked down Toma after classes to give him notes for Nino to study from. This had, of course, ended in the two of them talking, with Jun asking Toma how he was enjoying his first year and about life in general. Toma, of course, explained all this to Nino later on and ended up getting a scowl in return.
It was January when Jun finally convinced Nino to hang out and study for their upcoming tests. They met in the library, and while Jun read his notes, Nino decided games would be far more worth his time. This is how Nino found out that Jun came from a Muggle family. He immediately recognized the handheld device and said they should take some time to play some Mario together when they’re done with their tests. Nino agreed.
Four weeks later, both passing their tests, they played Super Mario Bros. Jun won.
---
It was their third year when they all got in trouble for the first time. Nino, Aiba, Jun & Toma had become mostly inseparable. Of course, this also meant sneaking Toma to Hogsmeade. The first few times they didn’t get caught at all. The fifth time, unfortunately they did. It was on their way back to the school when they ran into Sho and his friend Ohno.
Had it just been Ohno, there wouldn’t have been much of a problem. Nino’d been introduced to him the previous year after Jun and he finally became friends. He was a simple student, surprisingly Quidditch Chaser, even though he wasn’t the most enthusiastic player on the pitch, seeming to prefer to paint around the school. Unfortunately for them, Sho was the one that informed the school they’d been out with Toma. Nino knew it was for safety, but could he be any more boring?
Due to that, the lot of them were all required to return to their dorms after classes, only going to and fro the Great Hall for meals otherwise. It was fine for Nino, as it gave him time to work on his newest hobby from over the summer, some “Muggle magic” as Toma would call it, even though it was simply sleight of hand with cards. He was even working on an Arithmancy paper involving cards.
When his exile was over, he showed his tricks to the Fat Lady, figuring it would entertain her. It did and he continued to sneak into the Gryffindor dorm. He’d been caught a few times by other students, who at this point merely turned a blind eye. Particularly another fifth year, like Sho and Ohno, Yokoyama Yuu, who had joined them on their gaming nights when he wasn’t busy hanging out with his Ravenclaw friend, Murakami Shingo.
He’d even started studying for his O.W.L.S. early by merely helping Aiba with his studying, despite not being in some of the same classes as Aiba, such as Care of Magical Creatures. Aiba was great with the actual creatures, but the theory occasionally escaped him.
---
And that is how he got trapped in this closet. He’d been helping Aiba study in his dorm and didn’t quite realise the time. It hadn’t been the first time and likely would not be the last time, but this time they may have been a little too loud. Next thing Nino knew, he was diving under a bed as Sho knocked on the door to yell at them, dragging his books with him. It would have worked, too, had he not missed his Arithmancy book.
Cursing, he sent a quick text to Jun and Toma explaining his predicament (they’d made the phones work at Hogwarts with some help from Toma’s parents, who worked in Muggle-Wizard relations and were “wizards” with technology). From there, he waited for his fate.
Listening to Sho, he heard a few warnings of “You’ll never be up in time for your classes if you keep this up” along with “why could I hear two voices in here?” Despite this, Nino never worried as much through the reprimand as he did when Sho suddenly paused and picked up his book. He heard and audible sigh.
“I know you’re under the bed, Nino,” Sho said, sounding rather tired.
Grimacing, Nino slid from under the bed and rolled on his back, looking at him in the eyes. “I guess I should probably go now?” he asked before glancing at a guilty looking Aiba.
“I don’t know,” Sho said.
Aiba spoke up then. “He’s been helping me study. I don’t see the point in kicking him out this late.”
“You could have asked me, you know,” Sho said, looking at Aiba.
Aiba merely shrugged to that. “Nino’s a good enough tutor. I’ve been doing well.”
“I can see that,” Sho replied before turning to Nino. “How do you get in here, anyway?”
“I’m just that damn charming,” Nino said with a smirk, earning and eye roll from Sho and a giggle from Aiba.
“You may as well stay, but please, sleep or something. Aiba’s laughter is fucking loud, I’m getting complaints.” Sho conceded, turning towards the door.
Aiba and Nino nodded. Before he could reach for the doorknob, Nino quickly asked while waving his phone. “Hey, Sho, before you go, can you come here and take a photo with us?”
Sho stared at him for a moment before trudging over and getting into the view of the camera with them. After the photo was snapped, he turned and left with a parting “Goodnight.”
Aiba and Nino replied back with the greeting before Nino added, “Hey, Sho, come hang out with us sometime.”
“Okay,” Sho said resignedly, opening the door and leaving.
Turning to Aiba, Nino smiled and began to pack up his books, piling them beside the door along with his bag. Silently, he walked over to the bed and shoved Aiba over, settling in and flicking his phone on.
“Did you see that bedhead?” Aiba asked with a giggle.
Nino smirked at him and hit the send button on his most recent message to Jun, which contained the photo of the three of them. “I did,” Nino mused, “and I hope Jun gets a kick out of it in the morning.”
Yes, in his four years, Nino had gotten up to some questionable things, though super tame compared to the rest of the student body, but he enjoyed his time and the fact he was slowly gaining a circle of friends that he knew he’d keep for life, and for that he was happy.
From: clipsie
Title: A Tame Life
Pairing/Focus: Nino
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: Not everyone’s tale at Hogwarts was particularly interesting, but the friendships were always worth it.
Notes: I know very little about Harry Potter, so when I presented the tiniest of details to my lovely beta, it was definitely not what she expected. I hope you enjoy these snippets of time.
Four years had passed since Nino began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and with those four years had come some questionable friendships and shenanigans. That’s how he found himself trapped under a goddamn bed in the Gryffindor dorms at two in the morning.
---
It’d all begun in his first year, arriving on the Hogwarts Express, and being herded into the Great Hall for the Start-of-Term Feast. He was just a cute little kid at the time, clutching his game system to his chest where he’d bundled it under his robes. He didn’t even let go of it when the hat sorted him into Slytherin.
It wasn’t until a few days later when he made his first friend at the school. He’d been hiding in the halls playing some Super Mario Bros, minding his own business, thank you. Even going as far as scowling so no one would disturb him. Turns out, it was not very effective, as demonstrated when an overly friendly Gryffindor bounded around the corner and almost tripped over him.
It got even weirder for Nino when the guy sat down beside him and started asking about what he was doing. He’d already noticed the bad blood between Slytherin and Gryffindor at this point, but apparently that didn’t stop this particular student, who had introduced himself as Aiba Masaki.
Aiba was a pure-blood wizard that had very little contact with Muggles, but had always been fascinated with Muggle things, so when he saw Nino, as he explained, he had to stop and ask what the device was in his hands. He’d never seen it before, as he’d always been busy with his parents’ restaurant, Mahou Doufu, in the wizarding world.
To that, Nino had merely smiled and explained that while he was a pure-blood wizard, his parents had chosen to live among Muggles for the sake of his older sister, a Squib. Nino didn’t really mind it either way.
From then on, Aiba and Nino became inseparable, hanging out whenever they had free time. Nino had even worked out a way to sneak into the Gryffindor dorm by the time Christmas had rolled around. It was simple; all he’d done was charm the Fat Lady through chatting with her. Politeness went a long way and he promised to never disturb her. Even during Christmas break, which he had stayed at the school for, he went and chatted with her, despite the fact that Aiba had gone back home, a Game Boy waiting on his pillow in a box wrapped in Santa Claus paper.
The biggest problem in the dorm occurred after New Years, when a third year student caught him sneaking in to hang out with Aiba. The third year, he would later learn to be named Sakurai Sho, was a stickler for the rules (and didn’t appreciate Aiba gaming in the common room, apparently). Nino knew, from then on, to be very careful, and vowed to never be caught again. That lasted about seven days.
Nino, being antisocial, also accidentally ended up creating an “enemy” in his first year. Matsumoto Jun was a Hufflepuff in most of his classes. Jun was extremely studious and, as far as Nino was concerned, far too short and dorky looking to be a first year. He also looked up to Sakurai Sho (he said it enough in class, Nino had counted and once it was said six times), which was not gaining him any points, really. All in all, Nino just found him annoying. So annoying that the first thing he said to him was an absolute lie.
---
It was in their second year that Nino had his first actual conversation with Jun. It was the second day of classes for the year and they had been assigned as partners in Potions class. Their first conversation wasn’t in class, though, but instead in the Great Hall during dinner, when Jun came over to the Slytherin table (amid cautious looks from the people around him) and asked Nino if he’d like to have study sessions. Nino simply responded by being too busy with his little brother, as he pointed to a random first year Ravenclaw.
From there, Nino kept making excuses, even though he found Jun to be a suitable Potions partner. They hadn’t failed yet, and in fact, Jun seemed to have a skill for it, which was good. Nino wasn’t necessarily bad at it either, but why try when you don’t have to is what he thought.
Nino’d also made a new friend in a first year Slytherin named Ikuta Toma. Toma would spend time with him in the dorms when he was bored and enjoyed hearing Nino’s stories, even if they were a little exaggerated. He even hung out with Aiba. To be honest, at that point Nino’s second year was going quite swimmingly, until his nightmare happened. Toma became friends with Jun.
It had happened one chilly November when Nino had been sick and thus bedridden. Jun, being in a good chunk of Nino’s classes and a nice guy, albeit awkward, had tracked down Toma after classes to give him notes for Nino to study from. This had, of course, ended in the two of them talking, with Jun asking Toma how he was enjoying his first year and about life in general. Toma, of course, explained all this to Nino later on and ended up getting a scowl in return.
It was January when Jun finally convinced Nino to hang out and study for their upcoming tests. They met in the library, and while Jun read his notes, Nino decided games would be far more worth his time. This is how Nino found out that Jun came from a Muggle family. He immediately recognized the handheld device and said they should take some time to play some Mario together when they’re done with their tests. Nino agreed.
Four weeks later, both passing their tests, they played Super Mario Bros. Jun won.
---
It was their third year when they all got in trouble for the first time. Nino, Aiba, Jun & Toma had become mostly inseparable. Of course, this also meant sneaking Toma to Hogsmeade. The first few times they didn’t get caught at all. The fifth time, unfortunately they did. It was on their way back to the school when they ran into Sho and his friend Ohno.
Had it just been Ohno, there wouldn’t have been much of a problem. Nino’d been introduced to him the previous year after Jun and he finally became friends. He was a simple student, surprisingly Quidditch Chaser, even though he wasn’t the most enthusiastic player on the pitch, seeming to prefer to paint around the school. Unfortunately for them, Sho was the one that informed the school they’d been out with Toma. Nino knew it was for safety, but could he be any more boring?
Due to that, the lot of them were all required to return to their dorms after classes, only going to and fro the Great Hall for meals otherwise. It was fine for Nino, as it gave him time to work on his newest hobby from over the summer, some “Muggle magic” as Toma would call it, even though it was simply sleight of hand with cards. He was even working on an Arithmancy paper involving cards.
When his exile was over, he showed his tricks to the Fat Lady, figuring it would entertain her. It did and he continued to sneak into the Gryffindor dorm. He’d been caught a few times by other students, who at this point merely turned a blind eye. Particularly another fifth year, like Sho and Ohno, Yokoyama Yuu, who had joined them on their gaming nights when he wasn’t busy hanging out with his Ravenclaw friend, Murakami Shingo.
He’d even started studying for his O.W.L.S. early by merely helping Aiba with his studying, despite not being in some of the same classes as Aiba, such as Care of Magical Creatures. Aiba was great with the actual creatures, but the theory occasionally escaped him.
---
And that is how he got trapped in this closet. He’d been helping Aiba study in his dorm and didn’t quite realise the time. It hadn’t been the first time and likely would not be the last time, but this time they may have been a little too loud. Next thing Nino knew, he was diving under a bed as Sho knocked on the door to yell at them, dragging his books with him. It would have worked, too, had he not missed his Arithmancy book.
Cursing, he sent a quick text to Jun and Toma explaining his predicament (they’d made the phones work at Hogwarts with some help from Toma’s parents, who worked in Muggle-Wizard relations and were “wizards” with technology). From there, he waited for his fate.
Listening to Sho, he heard a few warnings of “You’ll never be up in time for your classes if you keep this up” along with “why could I hear two voices in here?” Despite this, Nino never worried as much through the reprimand as he did when Sho suddenly paused and picked up his book. He heard and audible sigh.
“I know you’re under the bed, Nino,” Sho said, sounding rather tired.
Grimacing, Nino slid from under the bed and rolled on his back, looking at him in the eyes. “I guess I should probably go now?” he asked before glancing at a guilty looking Aiba.
“I don’t know,” Sho said.
Aiba spoke up then. “He’s been helping me study. I don’t see the point in kicking him out this late.”
“You could have asked me, you know,” Sho said, looking at Aiba.
Aiba merely shrugged to that. “Nino’s a good enough tutor. I’ve been doing well.”
“I can see that,” Sho replied before turning to Nino. “How do you get in here, anyway?”
“I’m just that damn charming,” Nino said with a smirk, earning and eye roll from Sho and a giggle from Aiba.
“You may as well stay, but please, sleep or something. Aiba’s laughter is fucking loud, I’m getting complaints.” Sho conceded, turning towards the door.
Aiba and Nino nodded. Before he could reach for the doorknob, Nino quickly asked while waving his phone. “Hey, Sho, before you go, can you come here and take a photo with us?”
Sho stared at him for a moment before trudging over and getting into the view of the camera with them. After the photo was snapped, he turned and left with a parting “Goodnight.”
Aiba and Nino replied back with the greeting before Nino added, “Hey, Sho, come hang out with us sometime.”
“Okay,” Sho said resignedly, opening the door and leaving.
Turning to Aiba, Nino smiled and began to pack up his books, piling them beside the door along with his bag. Silently, he walked over to the bed and shoved Aiba over, settling in and flicking his phone on.
“Did you see that bedhead?” Aiba asked with a giggle.
Nino smirked at him and hit the send button on his most recent message to Jun, which contained the photo of the three of them. “I did,” Nino mused, “and I hope Jun gets a kick out of it in the morning.”
Yes, in his four years, Nino had gotten up to some questionable things, though super tame compared to the rest of the student body, but he enjoyed his time and the fact he was slowly gaining a circle of friends that he knew he’d keep for life, and for that he was happy.