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In another life, Megumi might have been a Death Eater.
According to the whispered rumors, his old man had been a believer. Or more so, he believed in whatever side would get him paid quickly. His morals were nonexistent and most of the time, he forgot Megumi’s name. Toji Fushiguro kept his mind clear for more important things like orders from the Dark Lord and the latest Quidditch matches to bet on.
In another life, Megumi might have struggled and suffered and cried and begged for a sliver of his father’s miniscule approval. He would have been sorted into Slytherin like every other Zenin before him. He would wear his green and silver tie proudly and he would have even tried out for the Quidditch team, even if his dad wouldn’t waste an afternoon to sit in the stands to watch him play. He would have been miserable … on a path of darkness and curses.
In this life, he was a sixth year Ravenclaw trying to make his way to his potions class. His scarf had been thrown around his neck quickly since he couldn’t find his tie and his shoes were untied but he was going to make it on time because Professor Iori was scary on a good day, downright terrifying on others. It wasn’t his fault that he had overslept, it was all Gojo’s fault. It was always Gojo’s fault.
One would think it a blessing to be adopted by ‘The Chosen One’. Satoru Gojo, defeater of the Dark Lord and now lowly Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. There were a lot of perks to that, like living in the mostly abandoned Gojo Manor in Kyoto when the school year ended, having endless access to international portkeys, and having his bedroom right next to the biggest private library in all of Japan. The disadvantage …. was actually having Satoru Gojo as a parent. Only Satoru Gojo would think taking his ward out to the Forbidden Forest to practice defense spells during ‘Witching Hour’ would be a good idea.
Megumi couldn’t really tell Professor Iori ‘sorry but my guardian is an idiot, that’s why I’m late’. She seemed to hate Gojo just as much as Megumi did. Didn’t mean they had a common enemy, she just transferred that anger towards him as well.
He stumbled into class, almost tripping on his laces, but made it with a minute left to spare. Most of the students were already milling about their work stations. Newt Level Potions meant that the class was a mix of all different students from all different houses. Only those who had passed their Potion O.W.L.s with an O got to attend. The best of the best.
Megumi’s eyes narrowed for a second at a familiar Gryffindor who was leaning against a cabinet. He was still pretty sure that Yuuji had cheated on the exam, because it didn’t make sense how he could have gotten an O. He had never been the best potion student, he used to confuse gillyweed and dittany. It was honestly a surprise how he hadn’t blown up a cauldron yet.
“Shit.” He hissed under his breath, having not noticed where he had been going and ramming his hip right into the corner of his desk. He rubbed against the tender skin, trying to will the pain away.
“That’s what you get for not looking up, idiot.” Megumi looked up, shooting daggers directly at his potions partner. Not that Nobara had ever been affected by his icy glares. Maybe it was all that Gryffindor braver that flowed through her veins … recklessness was more like it through. “Were you staring at Itadori’s ass again?”
“ … I hate you.”
“That wasn’t a no.” Nobara sang, tossing her head back as she laughed and Megumi was tempted to push her off her chair. Maybe if she hit her head against the old stone floor, he could fake concern and escort her to Madam Pomfrey and get out of this class.
Sadly, he spent too long thinking about his possible revenge and too little time actually carrying it out. Before he knew it, his professor was walking into the room and everyone was rushing to their seats. Professor Iori was the type of professor to start with or without you. If you couldn’t catch up, well that was your own problem.
“I expect if you’re in here, you’re my student. If not, get out, you’re late for your classes! I would love to have a live demonstration of what my Draught of Living Death can do!” Professor Iori called out as she walked to the board. With her back turned, three Gryffindors rushed out of the classroom. One of them was obviously Todo, who apparently couldn’t leave the star Gryffindor seeker alone for one second. He had to personally escort him to and from class because they were ‘as close as brothers’.
Megumi could hurl.
He grabbed his notebook out of his bag as well as his quill and inkpot, before settling into Professor Iori’s lecture. They had been making different potions all this month. Yesterday they finally finished brewing their Wound-Cleaning Potion yesterday and now it was off to the next. Megumi was having a hard time remembering which one it would be. It was probably something simple like the Laughing Potion.
“Alright class! STOP with the Quidditch discussions in the back there! Trust me that I would not feel any remorse for keeping you from practice today, Mr Itadori!” The Professor huffed and Megumi turned his head just to see Yuuji’s cheeks turning a flushed pink. Almost as bright as his hair, nearly as red as his tie. He thought he was just … better than anyone huh? Just because he was good at Quidditch … maybe if Megumi’s dad hadn’t died during the war, they would have gotten along. “Now, turn to page 38 in your book, where we’ll be going over Pearl Dust! Pearl Dust is a common ingredient in this specific type of potion. Can anyone tell me what-”
Megumi didn’t realize how tired he had been until Professor Iori started lecturing. Her voice was lulling him to sleep and he slowly let his head rest against his left hand. It wouldn’t kill him to close his eyes … just for a second.
This was all Gojo’s fault.
He was paranoid underneath all that whimsey and flippant attitude. Megumi knew that he was waiting … for something. For the final shoe to drop. He had defeated he-who-shall-not-be-named but … he acted like it wasn’t over. Like if he let his guard down, someone else would rise from the shadows and try to destroy life as they knew it. So Gojo was constantly training, constantly reading. Always trying to become the Strongest. Which was crazy … he already was the strongest. There couldn’t be someone stronger than him … not that Megumi knew of.
Yesterday, Gojo had him out in the Forbidden Forest practicing the Patronus Charm. Practicing … was probably a generous term to what Megumi was doing out there in the forest. He had been waving his wand for hours and hours but nothing, not even a wisp came out of his wand. It was embarrassing, especially with Gojo watching his shoulder.
“It’s late … can’t we just go back inside?” Megumi murmured as he ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t going to get it. Nothing that he thought about worked. No happy memory was enough to produce a Patronus, incorporeal or otherwise.
“Oh come on, kid.” Gojo hummed, getting up from the ground. He had been leaning against a tree, eating an apple. He looked like an asshole, wearing sunglasses out in the middle of the night. “You were really close that last time.”
Megumi knew he was lying but … to hopefully put this to rest, he tried one last time. He closed his eyes, pulling at one of the happiest memories he knew. He waved his wand, murmuring the chant with as much conviction as he could and … nothing. He opened his eyes and sighed when he was, yet again, greeted with the sight of the looming shadows. He cocked his head in Gojo’s direction, tired of fighting. They’ve been going at this for hours, he just wanted to go to sleep.
Gojo didn’t seem impressed, even with the teasing smile that graced his face. “What did you think about this time?”
“Umm … the first time you took me to Flourish and Blotts.”
“What!?” Gojo huffed, pulling his wand out of his pocket and pointing it at Megumi’s cheek, making him take a step back. “That’s a terrible memory.”
“It’s a happy one!”
“But … Merlin, no wonder it’s not working. Look … it’s not about just any happy memory. It has to be the happiest memory that you could pull at. The happiest you’ve ever been … you’re telling me that your happiest memory was when I took you to a bookshop?” Gojo chuckled, which made Megumi go flush.
He liked books … something that Gojo didn’t seem to understand. He read because he had to, Megumi read because he enjoyed it. “What if my happiest moment hasn’t happened yet?”
“How you figure?”
“Well, you’re still alive aren’t you? My happiest memory will be when I inherit the library and I’m not interrupted by your stupid face every five minutes.”
Gojo stared at him for a moment before he let out a laugh, one that made him double over and grin and nothing about what Megumi said was funny but sure … Gojo would laugh at his own death. He shook his head to try and calm his breathing while Megumi waited impatiently over him, tapping his finger against his thigh. “You’re funny, kid. I knew I liked you for a reason.” Gojo laughed, wiping a stray tear away from his eyes. “Now, do you want to learn how to produce a patronus or not?”
“ …. Yes.” If not for protection, then at least to be ahead of everyone in his Defense class.
“Excellent. Now, as I was saying. The happiest memory you can pull at. Not a happy memory, the happiest. Even if it’s sad now, even if it was a long time ago. A dementor is comprised of all the darkness and sorrow that the world has to offer. A patronus is the opposite of that. A dementor can't steal your soul if you throw pure happiness their way. Now … observe.”
This was the part that always fascinated Megumi the most. Watching Gojo actually perform magic … it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Gojo didn’t even have to whisper the charm to bring it to life. One of the hardest spells to cast and all Gojo had to do was take a deep breath and wave his wand. The blue mist that escaped from his wand circled around Megumi before transforming into a Lynx. It was almost comical, a man of such great power, having a patronus that was essentially a female cat.
Gojo had once told him that Lynx’s were exceptionally loyal but lived solitary lives. With their reflective eyes and thick coats … Megumi wasn’t all that surprised that this was the animal that Gojo’s soul took form in. It wrapped around Megumi’s leg, begging to be pet … and who was he to deny it that pleasure ? It was still an animal … even if it wasn’t technically real.
Megumi raised his head to ask Gojo a question before taking a pause. He could see the tears that were trailing down Gojo’s cheeks. A patronus could only be produced by a happy memory … but Gojo said that it could be ‘sad now’. Megumi didn’t understand how a memory could be both happy and … sad. But the way that Gojo quickly wiped away at the stray tears told him that the memory had been tainted.
He opened his mouth to speak and-
“- KE UP! ” A voice shouted in his ear, causing Megumi to jump back. He slipped out of his chair, crashing onto the ground with a loud thud. The classroom, that had once been a collection of loud whispers, was quickly silenced. Everyone was looking at him now. Megumi wanted to jump into a hole and die. He slowly climbed to his feet, pulling his chair up. Nobara didn’t even look apologetic.
“Mr Fushiguro?” Professor Iori called out from the front. “Are you alright?”
“ … Yes. I’m okay, professor.”
“Great! That’s twenty points from Ravenclaw for sleeping in class! Don’t have it happen again, now get to work!” She hummed and Megumi shrunk back at the boos he received from his fellow housemates. Great … now he was the bad guy.
He rubbed at his sore back, sparing Nobara a glance. She looked proud of herself … why were they even friends? “What are we doing?”
“Making a potion, genius.” She hummed, sticking her tongue out at him. “The ingredients are in the back. Go get them and I’ll do most of the work. Wouldn’t want Sleeping Beauty to break a nail, now would we!”
“I’m guessing … that’s another muggle reference?” Megumi huffed, getting out of his seat. Sure, he was a half-blood but he had been living in the wizarding world for most of his life. Nobara seemed to forget that every time she made a reference to a band that wasn’t the Weird Sisters or stories that didn’t come out of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
He walked to the back of the classroom, not even knowing what the potion they were making today was. If he could remember the beginning of class, it had something to do with Pearl Dust … he was supposed to study that chapter last night, right before Gojo kidnapped them for their little ‘study session’. It had to be a nice potion, if it had something as expensive as Pearl Dust in it.
“Fushiguro!” Megumi turned his head to the right just to be greeted with the smiling face of Yuuji Itadori. He bared his teeth in every single smile, blindingly white and straight. It was a movie star's smile, it made Megumi’s heart race … because it was so unnerving. His robes were unbuttoned and his white dress shirt was wrinkled. His gryffindor tie was crooked and he seemed so eerily earnest for someone who walked around the school like they owned it. “Are you okay?”
“ … Yeah? Why?”
“I thought you hit your head on the floor! That would have stung, huh?” Yuuji winced, almost as if just the thought of hitting his head pained him.
The reminder of his embarrassing tumblr made his cheeks flush. “I’m fine. Really.”
“That’s good to hear … here! I got you your potions ingredients!” He held up a tray of ingredients over to Megumi and he was standing so close, pressing the tray into his chest, that Megumi had no choice but to take it. He didn’t know what to say … he was trying to cook up some kind of half-baked thank you but the smell of Yuuji’s cologne was making his head spin … it was like he doused himself in it every morning. “Also … your shoes are untied. You should be careful.”
“Worry about yourself, Yuuji.” Megumi huffed out, which … was not what he intended to say. His original line was supposed to be ‘thank you, for the ingredients and the warning’ but somehow the words got jumbled up in his head. Now he looked like a jerk and Yuuji took a step back in confusion and … “Okay. Bye.”
With those last two words, Megumi turned around and rushed back to his work station. Nobara already had their cauldron underneath a flame and she didn’t look happy, the grimace on her face plain as day. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was upset with him. He let out a sigh, placing the tray on their work station before kicking one of his feet up to his feet … Yuuji was right after all, his shoes were still untied. “What?” He found himself asking, not lifting his head up to meet Nobara’s icy gaze.
“You could be nicer to him, you know.”
“Are you asking me to be nice to a Quidditch player?”
“Quidditch players aren't all annoying, that’s a common misconception … just look at Maki!.”
Megumi picked up his head at that, kicking his other foot up onto the chair. “And you’re telling me that Yuuji is not annoying?”
Nobara sighed, picking up her knife and the rose thorns on the tray. “Itadori isn’t as annoying as all the other ones. He’s pretty nice if you get to know him … and your insistent glaring of him is getting pretty homoerotic.”
“You need to stop reading those romance novels, they’re rotting your brain.”
“ … You know, you’re the only one who calls him by his first name. You’re telling me you really find him that annoying?”
“It means nothing. It’s his given name. If I wanted to call him by his last name, I’d coach quidditch.” Megumi murmured before he glanced over her shoulder for the instructions. The potion name wasn’t on that page of the textbook but he didn’t need a name to make a good potion.
They worked quietly after that, neither one daring to open their mouth. Well … Nobara did try a few times to fill the silence with noise but only to talk about superficial garbage like her packages from the London shopping district or her need to secure a boyfriend before Christmas this year. Seeing as they were well into October, it seemed like her time was running out. They didn’t bring up Yuuji again, he was off limits. Megumi couldn’t complain about his obnoxious laugh that he could hear from all the way across the room and Nobara couldn’t rush to his defense.
They were both unhappy. It was a fair compromise.
The longer they worked on the potion, the more it changed and rippled. It had a sheen to it now, as Megumi dropped the shaved ginger root into the mixture. Nobara added the final ingredient, the Pearl Dust, before she started to stir the potion counterclockwise. It looked pretty and the steam that was rising from it was curling into itself. It was a baby pink color and Megumi picked up his notebook to jot down his observations.
He leaned forward to take a whiff, smelling crisp parchment and cinnamon and …. Megumi wrinkled his nose as all he could smell now was the abrasive scent of Yuuji’s cologne. It felt like Yuuji was standing right next to him, wafting the smell into his poor nostrils. He had always liked Yuuji’s cologne, something he was not proud to admit. It smelled of mahogany and vanilla and the faintest trace of peppercorn. It was comforting and now … it was everywhere.
Megumi felt like he needed a shower, like the smell of Yuuji’s cologne would sink into his skin and never escape. Lifting his head up from his notebook, Yuuji was still standing in the back of the room, chatting with his Hufflepuff potions partner Yuuta. They were both smiling, as if the entire room didn’t smell like Yuuji now.
“Hey! Yuuji!” Megumi called out, his jaw tense and his grip tightening on his quill. He had spoken across the room, eyes were on him now. Yuuji picked his head up, his gaze immediately darting towards him. After all, Nobara was right, only Megumi called him by his first name. Yuuji smiled but … it wasn’t as bright as it had been before, more of a polite grin than a teeth-baring smile, which made Megumi hesitate … just for a moment. “Quit spraying your cologne everywhere. It’s giving me a headache!”
Yuuji looked confused, as did most of the class. Maybe they were all just trying to save the Gryffindor seeker’s feelings …. which was outrageous since they hadn’t provided him the same courtesy when he had fallen out of his chair.
“ … What?”
“Your. Cologne.” Megumi said it slowly now, as if he was speaking to a child. “I can smell it from here. If you’re going to spray it, do it in your common room!”
Yuuji looked around the room, almost as if he was looking for help when all he had to say was ‘I’m sorry. I won’t do it again’. That’s all Megumi was looking for. “Umm … I’m sorry? But I … I didn’t spray my cologne? I don’t even have it on me, dude.”
“Fushiguro … sit down.” Nobara hissed from beside him but really, at this point, Megumi was getting really tired of everyone being so nice to Yuuji and just ignoring the elephant in the room that was his woodsy apple cologne!
“You’re telling me that none of you can smell it?! None of-”
“Mr Fushiguro.” Professor Iori’s voice echoed through the classroom, calling everyone’s attention to her. At least she would provide him with some validation, she didn’t give special treatment to anyone, not even the quidditch players. And while she hated him as much as she hated Gojo, at least Megumi could trust her to be honest about this. “Why are you yelling in my classroom? Have you finished your potion?”
Or … maybe not. Megumi slowly sat back down in his seat, placing his hands on the table. “Sorry ma’am. We did finish, it’s just that …. Yuuji’s cologne is everywhere. I can’t really concentrate when it’s all I can smell.”
Professor Iori did something odd at that moment. Her gaze flickered between Megumi and then Yuuji before settling on the cauldron still sitting at Megumi and Nobara’s work station. She slowly approached the table, looking down at the potion in the pot. It had developed a mother-of-pearl sheen, iridescent and shiny. She stirred the mixture once, twice, before straightening back up. “Good work, you two. You are the first group to successfully make Amortentia today.”
Megumi felt his blood turn cold. They had … been making amortentia. He hadn’t noticed, he hadn’t pieced the clues together. While he hadn’t reviewed all the potions yesterday that contained Pearl Dust, he didn’t need a refresher to know what amortentia was. The most powerful love potion in the wizarding world, rumored to smell differently to every person.
Rumored to smell like what attracted them the most.
He supposed that it wasn’t rumored anymore. Amortentia smelled like books and his favorite candle he lights at home and …. Yuuji Itadori’s cologne.
“It looks like that’s time! If you aren’t finished, you’re free to come during lunch to finish up! These will be graded! You are not allowed to be in the classroom alone with these potions, they’re extremely dangerous. And … “ Professor Iori looked right at him when she said her final piece. “Please only write what you smell. Do not declare it across the classroom.”
He was a dead man walking. He was sure of it. He was basically like one of the ghosts that roamed the Hogwarts halls.
Actually, no. Scratch that. At least the ghosts had the choice to disappear.
“I told you to be-hey! Fushiguro!” He could hear Nobara calling out for him but Megumi just grabbed his stuff in his hands and booked it out of the classroom. He had lost all his dignity today, who cared if the rest of the Hogwarts student body saw him fleeing the scene of the crime.
Here lies Megumi’s dignity. Killed by his own stupidity. Maybe Gojo would speak at the funeral.
No … he really hoped Gojo didn’t speak at the funeral.
Maki could do it, she’d keep it brief. His cousin would send him off with a one finger salute and they would be out by lunch time. Or maybe Inumaki could send his dignity off and it could be over in five minutes. Or maybe-
“-Guro! Fushiguro! Hey, Megumi!” A strong grip latched onto his wrist. It pulled him to an abrupt halt and he stumbled back. Megumi didn’t need to turn his head to know who was holding onto him. He would know Yuuji’s voice anywhere. He looked even more ruffled than before, the steam of the potion having curled his hair and flattened it against forehead. He had pulled his Gryffindor tie even looser, at this point he might as well lose it. “Wow, you run fast!”
Yuuji had a point. Megumi had basically been speeding walking down the halls of Hogwarts trying to get away. It looked like he had rushed into a dark hallway with no windows, only candle light to keep them company. No paintings or students around either, which meant there was probably no escaping this conversation.
“ … Thanks.” Megumi murmured, pulling his wrist out of Yuuji’s grasp. He held his notebook to his chest, trying to will himself to stay still and … not run. Gojo would laugh if he heard that Megumi ran and was caught … again. And Megumi hated accidentally doing things that brought Gojo pleasure. “ …What do you want?”
Yuuji looked sheepish, taking a step back and rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Was just … going to ask … did you really smell my cologne in the amortentia.”
Megumi felt his cheeks go pink. “Please don’t make me admit to it outright. I basically … screamed at you in class over it, was that not enough?”
“Or maybe you just have like … super sensitive smell like a dog or … or a werewolf and you didn’t actually smell me? Or maybe I was standing in a very specific part of the classroom with very specific vents and the vents were blowing at that blew the cologne in your general area. That could also be a possibility!” Yuuji was giving him a lot of excuses to say he didn’t actually smell his cologne. Which … made sense. People were probably going to tease him now that the Ravenclaw with a professor for a guardian/father figure had a little crush on him.
Well, Megumi wasn’t going to make it that easy for him. So he let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders. “No … I did smell your cologne in the amortentia.”
“ … Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
Yuuji seemed to be thinking something over, transferring his weight from one foot to another until he finally spoke up. “Do you wanna spend our next Hogsmeade weekend together?”
That … was the last thing Megumi expected him to say. “I … What? Why?”
Even though it felt like Megumi had been flushed all day, it was a nice change of pace to see Yuuji’s cheeks glow red under the candlelight of the dark hallway they were in. Still almost as pink as his hair. “Because in my cauldron I smelled broom wax, apple pie, and … the almond shampoo you use. You always … smell like it.” And he looked so sheepish as he admitted it, as if he had been the one who had shouted out in class.
Megumi didn’t know what to do. This was a situation that was straight out of those romance novels that Nobara loved so much. Popular jock is crushing on the lowly school nerd … well Megumi wouldn’t call himself lowly but that’s what the book would refer to him as.
“ …. So it would be like a date or?”
“Only if you want to! I wouldn’t … I mean it could just be us hanging out! O-Or … it could be a date ! I’d like it to be a date … if that’s what you want.”
Megumi took one look at Yuuji’s nervous smile and flattened hair and his crooked tie and the muggle sneakers that he paired with his wizarding robe and … he had spent so long pretending that everything about Yuuji Itadori annoyed him, thinking that a star quidditch player was only as loyal and as charming as his father was, which is to say lacking in both of those qualities. But Yuuji looked so earnest, willingly to throw a Saturday away just to date him, if that’s what Megumi wanted.
“Sure … Let’s make it a date then. But we’re splitting the check at the Three Broomsticks.”
Yuuji’s eyes grew wide, almost as if he was surprised by Megumi’s answer. But soon, his nervous smile melted away into something real and authentic and as eager as a puppy dog’s. “What? Not Madam Puddifoot's?”
“You take me there and I’ll bat bogey hex you.” Megumi drawled, trying hard not to smile as Yuuji tilted his head back and laughed.
Maybe this was what Gojo meant by his happiest memory. A memory where he is the happiest he has ever been, even if he knows it might not last, even if he knows Yuuji might be feeding him false hope. It was a happy memory, just the two of them chuckling in a dark abandoned hallway with candlelight surrounding them and a promise of … something more to come in the future. That was happiness … that was hope.
Even if it wasn’t enough to produce a patronus, Megumi was happy to live in the moment for a while.