Christmas break ended, and a new complication was thrown into a mass of the ones surrounding Dumbledore’s Army, as the defence club had eventually been named: Harry Potter was being given remedial Potions lessons.

Haru and Zuko both disbelieved this, but neither was able to come up with a good reason for Potter needing to have lessons with Professor Snape, so they abandoned trying to pick over that in favour of other things.

Haru remained unusually quiet, even for him, though luckily Teo seemed to attribute this to his being forced to return to the Slytherin dorms rather than spend his nights with Ty Lee…

And then a new tale hit the school windmill.

Haru had punched Draco Malfoy in the face, then simultaneously fought off Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle without using his wand.  The mysterious earthquake that had rattled the school was generally considered the reason the seventh-year transfer had managed not to take a jinx from Malfoy.

Zuko, hearing the rumours and guessing rather more accurately what the earthquake had been, went looking for Haru. He checked the Room of Requirement first — not because he particularly expected to find the earthbender, who preferred practicing outside, there, but more because it was January and fucking cold outside and he wanted to avoid searching through the snow as long as possible.

Apparently Haru didn’t want to be in the snow either.  He was in the Room of Requirement, beating the stuffing out of a punching bag.  His blows were fierce but controlled, showing the strength the older man’s frame belied.

“Want to talk about it?” the firebender asked, after a long, unsure moment.

“Did you hear that the Weasley patriarch was attacked just before the break?” Haru asked, not stopping his assault on the innocent bag.

“Yes.”

“My House seems to find it hilarious,” Haru snapped.  “And that idiot child decided he would do his part to recount every mistake the man has ever made.”

“…Oh.” Yeah, I probably would’ve slugged him, too.

“It gets better.”  Haru’s punches grew harder.  “Apparently Potter and Weasley missed the train to school three years ago, and in the neverending wisdom apparent to those twelve years of age, they decided to take Weasley Senior’s vehicle, which could fly and become invisible.  Only the invisibility didn’t work and a bunch of mundanes saw.  Malfoy thought it was a pity that the patriarch wasn’t jailed for it!”  He spun and kicked the bag, which gave up and split at the seams, spilling its contents over the floor.  Panting, the earthbender watched the bag empty.

“…But it was the kids who were idiots and broke the law. Why the hell should Mr. Weasley be punished?” Zuko sounded puzzled.

“I have no idea,” Haru snarled.  “I just have this… thing about wrongful imprisonment.”  He punched the remains of his target.

“…You want me to leave you alone?”

“…no,” said Haru.  “I’m going to go jump in the lake.”

Zuko opened his mouth, shut it, thought for a minute, then said, “Mind if I join you? Or would you rather be left alone?” Because now is not the time to fall into a sucking vortex of maybe-misplaced guilt, and I need a new distraction.

“If you want to.”

He nodded. “I won’t bother you.” He turned and led the way out onto the grounds.  Haru only stripped off his shirt — he hadn’t bothered with shoes for this excursion outside — before jumping into the lake; he surfaced with an incoherent cry likely brought on by the ice-cold water.

Zuko followed, and yelped when he hit the water. Gritting his teeth, he started swimming laps.  Haru followed until the cold sapped the last of the boiling hot rage from his bones, which was when he turned towards the shore.

The prince, on the other hand, kept swimming.  Calmed now, Haru waited for his friend.

“Don’t have to wait for me,” Zuko pointed out, at the close end of one of his laps.  The earthbender shrugged in reply.  His hair was freezing rather than drying.

“You should go back inside. It’s cold.” He pushed away from the shoreline again.

“Yes, Zuko.  It is cold.”

“So go back.”

“Later.”

“Your hair’s freezing.” Zuko was starting to slow down.

“You hate cold,” Haru pointed out in turn.

“I hate swimming, too.” This didn’t stop him.

“You’re also slowing down.”

Zuko snarled something that sounded very rude under his breath, and forced himself to go faster.

And that would be why I’m still here, Haru thought indulgently.  “Look, if you go into shock, I’m not going in after you!” he lied.

“Not going into shock,” the prince called back, from the close end of his lap.

“Not yet,” Haru muttered.

Finally, Zuko dragged himself out of the water when even he had to admit he could barely move his arms anymore.

Haru pulled his shirt on, careful not to break off his frozen hair, and dragged the nearly-frozen prince to his House, giving the Fat Lady the password and then dragged Zuko into the common room and dumped him in front of the fire.  Ignoring the students staring at them, he then grabbed two blankets and joined Zuko there.

“What’re you doing here?” Ron Weasley snapped, coming in a few minutes later, just after Zuko fell asleep.

Haru glared up at the redhead.  “Warming up,” he said.  “Obviously.”

“Do it in your own common room, then,” he said, glaring back.

“I would, only I think they’re still sore with me for punching Malfoy in the face,” the earthbender replied.

Ron didn’t have much to say to that, just continued glaring.

“…look, either talk, throw wood on the fire, or clear off,” Haru snapped at him.

Ron chose the third option and stalked off.

Ty Lee came downstairs a couple minutes after that. “…Haru?”

“Hey,” he said, smiling at her.  The hostile glances were wearing on his nerves.

“…Why’s your hair all wet? And why is Zuzu soaked?”

“We went for a swim in the lake,” Haru explained.

“…Why?”

“Your brother is crazy and I needed to cool off.”

She sighed, and snuggled close to him.

Haru kissed her cheek and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.  Lowering his voice, he said quietly, “Malfoy pulled one of my triggers today.  I didn’t even know I still had it.”

She just hugged him tighter.

Haru stared at the fire.  “Remember when we first met?  And I told you about what happened to my dad?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“That would be what he triggered.”

“…Jerk.”

“I believe I called him something to that effect after planting him a facer.”

“Good for you.”

Silence stretched for a moment, then Haru sighed.  “I wish this was still break.  I’d ask if I could stay the night.”

“…Why can’t you?” Ty Lee asked, tilting her head to meet his eyes.

“Half the stupid House hates me because of the fucking colour I wear?”

“…So?”

“That and the adults would probably object,” Haru pointed out.  “Maybe I’ll stay in Ravenclaw with Teo.  Less to object to.”

She sighed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

He nuzzled her anyway.  “Have I mentioned how much I hate these stupid House lines?”

“Yes.” She curled a little closer.

“Good.  ‘Cause I do.”  He held her tight.

She rested her head on his shoulder and watched Zuko sleep.  After awhile, Haru’s head slipped down to rest against her breasts as the earthbender joined Zuko in sleep.  She smiled slightly and stroked his hair.

“…um,” said the uncertain voice of Harry Potter, who had just entered.

“Hmm?” She looked up. “Oh! Hello, Harry.  What’s up?”

“…er.  Nothing,” he said after a few moment.  He certainly couldn’t blame Haru for not wanting to return to his House after punching Malfoy, and he and Ty Lee looked so adorable together.

“…Hey, could you do me a favour?” Ty Lee asked, after another minute.

“Uh… yeah, sure.  What is it?”

“Check and see if Zuko’s warmed up yet? I can’t reach from here.”

Harry blinked as he headed over to check on the scarred teenager.  “What was he doing?”

“Swimming in the lake,” she said, with an aggrieved sigh.

“…he’s crazy.  Isn’t he,” Harry said.  “And he feels cold.”

“Yes, he is.” She sighed, then frowned. “…Could you do me another favour?”

Harry nodded.

“Could you get another blanket?”

“Sure,” said the older student, wandering to another chair and swiping the blanket from it, which he then draped over Zuko.

“Thanks!” She grinned up at him, then turned back to her sleeping boyfriend, playing with his now-mostly-dry hair.

Harry watched this for a moment.  “…you really love him.”

“Yeah!”

“Why?” he asked.  It was true that Haru had his moments of kindness, mostly seen with Teo or the other young students, but he also had his moments of… well, Harry couldn’t call it cruelty, but he was far too clever and prying.  And… well, he was in Slytherin.  The Hat had to have had a reason to put him in it.

“I…I don’t know,” Ty Lee said, after thinking a minute.

“How can you not know?” Harry asked, frowning.

“I don’t know that, either,” she admitted. “I just…love him.”

“…wow,” the Boy Who Lived said softly.

She grinned up at him. “Yeah!”

He smiled back, totally not at all envious about the non-awkward relationship she had with the older student.  Really.

Ty Lee turned back to her boyfriend and resumed playing with his hair.  After another moment, Harry slipped upstairs.  That kind of thing was something you just didn’t hang around for.

Ty Lee spent that night in the common room — even after Professor McGonagall had turned up to boot Haru out (less because he was a Slytherin than because he wasn’t a Gryffindor, and, as such, shouldn’t even be in the House before curfew, let alone after) — keeping an eye on Zuko. Finally, a couple hours before dawn, she fell asleep.

Teo, missing both of them at breakfast, braved another detention and skipped his first class of the day to take some up to Gryffindor tower, knocking on the wall until someone let him in.

Ty Lee woke up, and opened the portrait hole for him. “Morning,” she said, sleepily, rubbing at her eyes.

“Morning!” he said brightly.  “I brought you and Zu breakfast.”

“Thanks.” She stood aside to let him in. “What time’s it?”

“Ten.”

Her eyes widened. Then Lady Ty Lee said a word that wasn’t very ladylike at all.

“So, yeah.  Food.”

“Thanks,” she said, sheepishly, then frowned in Zuko’s general direction. “…Y’know, I think this is the first time he’s slept all night since his mom died.”

“…really?” asked Teo, wide-eyed.

She nodded. “Yeah…wish he’d wake up, though. He’ll be pissed he missed class.”

“He should prolly sleep, though.  If he’s been missing sleep that much, he needs to catch up.”

“Yeah… yeah, you’re probably right.  I mean, that’s like almost seven years of sleep deprivation there. If you don’t count being unconscious, I mean.”

“Unconsciousness doesn’t count,” Teo said.  He frowned at the sleeping Zuko.

“Right then. ‘Cause, I mean, he was out for three days after his dad melted his face, and—”

Grey eyes stared at Ty Lee.  “His dad did what?”

Suddenly the acrobat looked embarrassed. “You didn’t know? I-I thought Haru had told you… dammit, I shouldn’t have said anything…”

“Told me that — Ty Lee, what—?”

She sighed. Well, the catrabbit’s head’s out of the bag already. No point trying to stuff it back in, no point in holding in the rest of it. “His scar. His dad did that to him when he was thirteen.”

The boy looked horrified.  “How could he possibly—?”

“Well, I mean, to be fair, Zuko had done wrong. But… his dad crossed a line.” She filled him in on a loose outline of that story.

By the end of it, Teo was holding onto Zuko’s hand, obviously not wanting to believe the story.  “But… but if his dad did that… why did he spend so much time trying to get back to…?”

“I think he thought… if he could just do this right, win the right to go home again, all that rage between them would go away. I think maybe he was trying to prove himself worthy of his dad’s love.”

“…I can understand that,” Teo said after a moment.

She hugged her knees to her chest. “He shouldn’t have to.”

“No, he shouldn’t,” Teo said firmly.

She sighed. “Well, anyway. At least he dried off overnight. That’s good.”

“Yeah,” the boy agreed, watching the former prince.

“…Maybe we should wake him up,” she broke the silence a couple minutes later.

Nodding, Teo reached out and shook Zuko’s shoulder.  He twitched a little, but didn’t wake.  Frowning, Teo shook harder.  Still, the prince didn’t wake.

“…Madam Pomfrey?” Teo asked then.

She nodded. “Probably a good idea. Here, can you help me carry him?”

Instead, Teo drew his wand.  “Mobilicorpus!”

“…that works, too.” She led the way to the infirmary.

Madam Pomfrey looked him over, tutted, and cast a quick spell.  “Bad cold,” she told Teo and Ty Lee, then muttered about foolish children who go swimming in January and don’t sleep at night.

“Is he going to be okay?” Ty Lee asked, bouncing anxiously on the balls of her feet.

“He’ll be fine,” she assured them.  “Let him wake up on his own.  Now, shouldn’t you two be in class?”

“…Oh, right, class. Um. Okay, then.” Ty Lee took Teo’s hand and slipped out of the infirmary.

Teo was reluctant to go.  “Just tell my teachers I’m sick,” he said, looking back over his shoulder.

“…Okay,” she said, but kept going for her own classes.

Digging his sketchbook out of his bag, Teo waited outside the infirmary.

A couple hours later, Zuko finally woke up — rather disoriented and alarmed to not immediately realize where he was. He reached for his swords on instinct, and tensed further when he couldn’t find them (they’d been left behind in the common room when Ty Lee and Teo brought him to the infirmary).

“Awake, are you?” asked Madam Pomfrey.

“Yes,” he said, relaxing a hair when he finally managed to reorient himself.

She lectured him for a few moments on taking care of himself before booting him from the infirmary.

He mostly tuned out the lecture — why do people seem to think I don’t know how to take care of myself? — and left as quickly as he could.

“Zuko!” cried a voice he knew well.

The next thing he knew, Teo had attached himself to his waist.

“Ack,” he said, or something close to it, startled by the sudden Teo.

“I was worried,” the boy mumbled.  At least, that’s what it sounded like, his face was kind of pressed into Zuko’s stomach.

“…I’m fine,” he assured the younger boy.

“But you weren’t,” Teo said, his sketchbook lying forgotten on the ground.

“‘Course I was,” he insisted. “You dropped your sketchbook.”

The boy just smiled at him.  And let go.  Finally.

“…What time is it?” Zuko asked, after an awkward pause.

“…almost lunch,” Teo said after a moment’s hesitation.

Zuko swore under his breath.

“You were sick,” Teo said.  “You have an excuse.  Even Umbridge can’t give you detention for that.”

“That’s not why I’m mad,” Zuko muttered.

“Then why are you mad?”

“I overslept. I don’t care about getting detentions.”

“You were sick!”

And that pisses me off, too. I hate being sick. “Still.”

The boy sighed.  “At least go get lunch before you lock yourself in the Room of Requirement?”

“…Fine. What were you drawing, anyway?”

“Nothing useful.  At least not for us.”  He shifted.  “I was trying to make that Floo Network thing more efficient.”

“Any luck?” Zuko asked.

“….not yet.  I’m still trying to figure out the Floo Network itself.”

“Oh. Right, then.” He stretched.

“I thought I had it, but I showed it to my head of House and he told me that what I’d come up with was nothing like what it is now.”  Teo frowned. “Then he said something about tearing down and rebuilding and asked if he could keep it.”

“…Well, that’s impressive.” He smiled a little.

“It is?”

“Yeah.”

Teo stared at him, not getting it.

“…He was saying that your design was better than the one they’ve got now.”

“…oh!”  The boy flushed.  “You really think so?”

“Yes.”

Teo flushed some more.  “Oh.  Um.  What are you going to do now?”

“Drill for a while, then do homework. No point in going to the rest of my classes.”

“Food first,” Teo insisted.

He started to disagree, then realized that arguing would probably waste more time than just going and getting food would, and nodded.

Plus, he was hungry.

Teo beamed at him and dragged him off to the Great Hall.

Zuko sighed inwardly and put up with being dragged. Once there, he ate as quickly as he could, then disappeared off into the Room of Requirement to drill until he fell over.  Teo in turn headed off to his afternoon classes, lost in thought.