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"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, OHSHC, or KHR.

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A/N: Hello, people of this good earth. I come to you to bring an offering of a new chapter. I apologize for the extreme delay, but it is only due to the fact that I was sucked in another anime fandom, namely Yuri! on Ice. *sighs like an idiot* The hype is real and the addiction is dangerous. Yes, I'm a fujoshi and proud of it. But the anime's character development had me hooked so damn fast that I got lost in Viktuuri la-la-land.

Well, enough about that. I'm here to tell you that interaction with the OHSHC characters will officially begin in Chapter 10. There are a few major stuff that needs to be resolved before we get to Japan, and I'm cranking up the works as we get there. Rest assured, I'm not done with this triple fandom and will continue to update. And thanks guys, for the amazing 900+ follows. You people are the best. Seriously.

This is a Christmas chapter that was meant to be a filler/outtake, but it grew without my permission, haha.

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"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la… la la la la~" The entire manor sang.

"—we've got enough holly as it is—" the head gardener grumped. The others ignored him.

"'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la… la la la la~"

"—you're out of tune, Chouko."

"I've got perfect pitch, Reiji, now hush!"

"Don we now our gay apparel, fa la la, la la la, la la la…"

"The pitch of a tone-deaf bullfrog maybe—"

"What did you say?!"

"Troll the ancient Yule tide carol~"

"—fa la la la la, la la la la," everyone chorused. Reiko reattached a fallen tinsel on their Christmas tree, grinning at the sight of her outraged mother pouring eggnog down her father's sweater.

It was Christmas Eve, one of the greatest holidays in Reiko's opinion.

Christmas Eve meant being together with her parents for the whole day. Of her father making giant snowmen with her, of her mother making toxic cookies while battling the chefs for the right to the oven at the same time. It meant lying on the Giant Dog Squad by the open fire, prying Milou away from the embers and avoiding a drooling Farou. It meant being up until twelve without her mother giving her the eagle-eye, of the staff bringing their family to the manor and enjoying the Christmas meal everyone (except her mother) pitched in to make. Reiko even made her own cookies, and she was gratified when her gingersnaps were the first to be gone from the long table of sweets.

And while Christmas Eve also unfortunately meant that the Kanazuki Annual Christmas Ball was tomorrow evening, Reiko tried to put that out of her mind and trotted to the kitchens, focusing herself on cutting gingerbread men out of her personal mixed dough.

"You really shouldn't be cooking on Christmas Eve, young mistress." One of the cooks said, bringing out a chocolate yule log from the pantry.

"I'm not just cooking, I'm having fun Michel!" Reiko said, playfully flinging flour at him. "And besides, don't think I didn't see you nibbling on my dough. Hands off!"

He grinned and swiped a piece of unbaked cookie dough into his mouth, ignoring the groans of horror coming from the door of the kitchens. Reiko laughed when she spied some of the maids by the entrance glaring at the cooks inside with her.

"No fair!"

"You get to be with miss Reiko and eat her dough!"

"Michel, get away! That batch is for us!"

"I hope you guys aren't just letting a little girl's hopes up about her cooking." Reiko said ruefully, shaking powdered sugar on her edible men. "You're not just saying that to be nice, right?"

The offended stares she got from the staff made her blink. "What?"

"Your baking is divine, miss Reiko. We don't have to pretend." Michel retorted, taking a second casual swipe of her dough and gaining another round of outrage.

"Going to get your recipe after this mark my words, little miss…" One of the cooks muttered good-naturedly as she added cinnamon powder on top of the cookies. "I worked in three patisseries before and believe me when I say you've got raw talent. If you don't go to culinary school, I might cry."

"And besides, you're a mature girl, little miss. I think you know when we're being honest or not."

"Very true." Reiko nodded, squeezing a bag of white icing on top of the gingerbread. She did slightly sense it when someone was lying to her. One of the reasons she hated balls was because the sting of sour lies from businessmen and politicians made her head hurt.

"But seriously little miss, what makes them so good?" Someone asked rhetorically. "It's like you've got Lady Chouko's opposite talent in making food."

"Careful," someone barked out in mirth. "Wouldn't want eggnog down your clothes."

Everyone giggled, Reiko included. But at the back of her mind, she did wonder what made her cooking better in this lifetime. She knew she was good. She had to be, since it was ingrained to be her first chore as Harry and the Dursleys would never get her near the stove if she wasn't on par to their expectations. Expectations that Harry exceeded despite their fake complaints. Half of Petunia's ire at her nephew was because Harry had been a much better cook than she was. And then, she only got better when the Weasley matriarch decided to take her under her wing and damn, that woman could cook. Arthur used to jokingly say that one of the reasons he married Molly was because she could drive five-star chefs to tears. Ron had been always impatient to go home during breaks because while Hogwarts food was decadent, it was miles behind his mother's feasts.

Still, Reiko never got this kind of reaction before. She saw some of their gardeners secretly elbow people out of the way just to get her thin mints. Her parents' flames almost mauled each other for the last pieces of gingersnaps. Reiko was pleased that she was incredibly good at cooking and baking, even more so than she had been in the past life, but she wasn't sure what made it even better than before. She followed the same recipes that were branded into her mind so she wasn't sure why it tastes better now.

Maybe it was because of the high-quality ingredients? She thought, drizzling manuka honey on the white icing. She never got to use these kinds of luxurious ingredients before, so she basked at the chance to experiment with food. She peered at the honey dipper she was twirling, then looked at the hand she was using. Her arm was a bit shaky—

A flare of orange brushed from her hands and descended into the dripping honey. Reiko gaped, releasing the honey dipper with a surprised clatter.

"Miss Reiko?"

"N-Nothing!"

She laughed nervously when the people around her peered in concern. She tried to look busy again, ignoring their glances until she felt their attention dissipate.

Reiko stared at her cookies curiously for a few seconds then slowly placed a finger on one of the gingerbread men. The pad of her pinkie met the soft sugar-sprinkled dough.

Nothing. Not even a tinge of orange.

"Reiko?" Her mother poked her head into the kitchens. The cooks scrambled their utensils away. "Oooh, that's a cute-looking gingerbread batch! And you used jellied candies for the buttons, how adorable!"

Delight bloomed in Reiko's chest at her mother's praise. She turned back to her sweets just in time to see a flare of amber blooming at her fingertips as it floated down into her pan, melting into the dough. She gaped, immediately making the connection. After a moment of staring at her pan with wide eyes, she shook her head and placed them in the oven.

Well. Mystery solved.

If her flames decided to pitch in and help a little in her cooking, then Reiko wouldn't mind.

People did say cooking was its own kind of magic, after all.

Reiko honestly hadn't seen Death after that one fateful night when she summoned the Hallows. She tried to call and reach out but all she got from his side of their mental link was a bevy of boring and dull feelings that reminded Reiko of Draco doing endless amounts of paperwork and was resigned to the repetitive process. So Reiko accepted that Death was probably very busy and didn't have time to talk to his toddler Mistress unless it was something serious.

She'd see him again anyway. Of that Reiko was sure of.

And during Christmas Eve, on their main living room with Reiko surrounded by family and friends, their eyes met. And Reiko could only gape as she went face to face with Death once more.

Because they did meet again.

Just…

Not in the way she would imagine.

"Do you like it?" Emilien asked at her side.

"I love it," Reiko choked out, her lungs wheezing out air if only to prevent the mass hysteria from leaving her voice. She was a second away from howling like a crazed hyena.

Emilien's voice sounded pleased, peering into the box she just opened. "Matteo chose the gift and I picked her out. She's just a baby so she'll be easy to train."

"Her?!" she breathed out, looking back into the box with repressed glee.

Black, guileless eyes gazed back at Reiko.

"Best present ever," she gasped out, ribs cracking from the effort of trying not to laugh.

Emilien and Matteo looked pleased.

Mentally, Reiko let out mad cackles as she lifted her gift from its holed box with gentleness. She couldn't help her snort as it sniffed at her disdainfully and Reiko squeezed it to her chest, ignoring the way it scrabbled for freedom.

Emilien and Matteo's gift was a puppy.

A lovely King Charles spaniel that was only two months old, weaned and bred to perfection, a red bow on her furry neck. She had soft white fur with brown patches, with a pair of floppy ears and four stubbly legs.

She was a lovely puppy.

But she was not just any puppy.

"I'm displeased by this insolence," The voice hissed inside Reiko's head. She cackled and continued to swing back and forth. "I am serious, Mistress. I am not happy at all."

For Reiko's new puppy was Death.

Clumsy puppy legs stumbled around the Christmas hall and Reiko quirked a smile at the disdainful tilt of the furry head. She let her pet go and left the inquisition for later.

"She has character," she commented, watching Death flounce away from a trio of maids cooing at her. "Much like Emilien."

Matteo huffed a laugh at her side. He was wearing a dark crimson sweater, Reiko's gift to him. Emilien was wearing his own sapphire-colored sweater with great primness, as if he was wearing a three-piece suit instead of a mushy holiday jumper. It took some effort for Reiko to knit them properly and she was glad it came out looking decent after weeks of practice. She never knew one could make monster shapes out of cashmere wool until she started knitting. Her first attempts gave her grotesque Godzilla figures out of yarn.

Reiko embedded flames into the sweaters, much like she did to her cookies. The result was something impossibly warm and homey. She had been half-tempted to keep the sweaters to herself because it was like wearing heavenly puffs of cloud. The boys loved it, which was a relief. Emilien and Matteo were quite impossible to shop for because what do you give to people who could easily afford whatever you give them?

So Reiko thought, homemade.

She made every gift she handed out for Christmas. She cheated a bit with her magic and flames to make it easier for her. Reiko couldn't do much with her hands yet, so she mostly made sweets. Rum cookies and tea biscuits in a ribbon jar for her father and mother, fruit-flavored fairy tartlets for her aunts, and peppermint dark chocolate for her uncles.

Emilien and Matteo's sweaters were her first attempts at something non-edible, and she was glad it came out looking nice. Even if her father sulked terribly that they received the most personal gifts she made.

The boys were incredibly thoughtful too because instead of giving Reiko expensive jewelry or clothes, they had considered her gift carefully and ended up with giving her a companion.

A companion they didn't know was actually Death, but still.

"Why a puppy, though?" Reiko asked them. Death had apparently grown bored with all the adoration from the maids and flopped down near the gigantic Christmas tree, black eyes trailed on her.

Emilien answered. "We considered other pets. But we couldn't get you a cat. Your father's giant dogs would just chase it away. Same with hamsters or gerbils or rabbits. Not to mention that they're unhygienic and couldn't be trained. I remember the way you kept on cuddling Matteo and calling him a puppy, so I reckon you're a dog person."

"A good thing you didn't consider the cat. My father's allergic." Reiko hummed.

"Right. And Great-Auntie Sophie's dog just gave birth to pups so we thought to ask one for you."

"Great-Auntie Sophie…" Reiko blinked. "Queen Sophie of France? My puppy came from Queen Sophie's dog?"

"Well, yes." Emilien said nonchalantly, as if being handed a royal purebred puppy was an everyday occurrence to him. "She was actually quite happy to give one of Estelle's litter to me. The puppy was sickly before but Great-Aunt Sophie said that when she told the pup that it was going to be a gift for you, it grew healthy. My Great-Aunt thinks that the puppy understood." He shrugged. "Whatever."

Reiko bit her tongue. With her puppy being Death, it was what most likely happened. She shook her head and focused on another thought. "The Queen of France knows me?"

Emilien's cheeks turned a dull red. "I talk about you sometimes. She thinks it's sweet."

"What are you going to name her?" Matteo asked, tipping his head at the little dog.

"Huh. Haven't thought of it yet." Reiko said. She stood up and retrieved her puppy from the tree, grinning when it gave her a baleful look. "We're thinking of names." She told it. "What do you think?"

The puppy huffed and Reiko got an 'I-don't-care' vibe from Death.

Well then.

"Something sweet, maybe?" Matteo volunteered. "Girls like naming things after sweet and nice things. I know my mother does. Like sweetie dear, sugar pie, muffin love, flour, eggs, butter, bake in 230 degrees…"

Emilien snorted at the lame joke, flicking his hair.

"Not a bad idea. Something sweet, huh?" Reiko considered, looking at the dessert table. "Let's see... Treacle tart, honey cookies, spice muffins, gingersnaps, chocolate éclair…"

Emilien made an abrupt fidgeting motion. Reiko peered at him curiously.

"What? What did I say?"

He glanced at her with a faint shrug. "Nothing, nothing. It's just reminded me of what mother said a long time ago. That if I'd been a girl, that would've been my name."

Reiko rose a brow. This was interesting. "Which one? Honey?"

Emilien rolled his eyes. "Honey? No, that's just ridiculous. I meant Éclair. My mother said she would've named me Éclair had I been a girl. She had been quite sure that I was a girl during my sonograms. She even had the nursery painted pink and had dresses ordered for me."

"But then you came out a boy," Reiko said in amusement. Emilien shrugged.

"So you were almost named after a pastry?" Matteo smirked.

The Castille scion was given a glare. "No, I was almost named after thunder. Éclair means thunder, you know."

"It's also a pastry and like I said, girls have a habit of naming things after sweets." Matteo said, his smirk not diminishing. "Knowing Aunt Adie, she would've done it too."

To avoid them bickering, Reiko glanced down at the now-snoozing pup on her lap and declared, "Alright then, Éclair it is."

The newly-named Éclair didn't even budge.

Emilien looked torn between being pleased and annoyed that the puppy was now named after female-him.

"Say…" Reiko had a thought. "Emilien, what's your surname?"

Blue eyes stared at her with neutrality before morphing into faux dismay. Reiko would've believed the distress on those blue eyes had she not learned beforehand that Emilien was a consummate actor. "Months, Reiko."

"…what?"

"We've been friends for months. I come to your house almost every other day. I upset my tutors so my father could kick me out of the house and I could visit you. I even put up with the King of Lazy over there—" he jabbed a thumb at Matteo. "—because I enjoy your company. Yet you don't even know my surname." A dramatic pause and Emilien looked away with the back of his hand placed on his forehead like a swooning maiden. "That's it. I say we part ways. Friendship over, Kanazuki."

The other two shared a sardonic look. Ice Prince he may be but Emilien could be such a drama queen.

"I know you're surname's Valois," Reiko reached over to pinch her Malfoy-esque friend. He yelped. "I just want to know Aunt Adie's surname because father told me you use it instead. Other than that, I know everything about you."

"Oh, really? Favorite color."

"Bleu de France." Reiko said promptly. Despite his dislike for his royal status, Emilien was very patriotic.

"Birthdate?"

"November seventh. On Palais la Mer by the sea." She should know; he had his birthday there last month.

"Flavor?"

"Of what?" Reiko said succinctly. "I know you don't like sweet things but favor vanilla, of all the boring choices. And you like cheese. A lot."

"Hmm…"

"Oh, come on Emilien. I even know you have a poodle-shaped birthmark on your —"

"It's Tonnerre," Emilien interrupted her, glaring at Matteo's sudden gleeful look. "My surname is Tonnerre."

Reiko blinked. "Tonnerrre. Like… lightning?"

"So if you were a girl, you would've been named Éclair Tonnerre… Thunder lightning." Matteo said. "Very weather-y."

Reiko snorted, a muggle song immediately popping in her head. Thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening me…

"You wouldn't have some fondness for Galileo now, would you?" she asked with mirth.

The confused expression on Emilien's face was worth it. He's still young so Reiko would give it a few years for him to get it.

"So why a puppy?"

The Christmas Eve party had dissipated and Reiko was finally alone with her new pet. Her parents had agreed to let her keep it in her room on the account that the recently named Éclair was housebroken.

The deity masquerading as a spaniel sat on its haunches conceitedly. "You did not allow me to touch your parents. Or modify their memories. I could not think of any other way to be in your presence constantly."

She rose a brow. "Other than possessing a puppy? You could've just… you know, impersonated a butler or something."

Death rolled his beady eyes. "If I became one of your servants, I would have to explain my constant disappearances. I chose the pup as it is just a newborn, the weakest of the litter. The distraught colorful old female with glittery rocks thought that the pup would die before it could be given to you. So I asked its permission, quite politely mind you, if it would make some space. I would sustain its life in exchange for board and lodging, so to speak. The pup agreed."

There were so many confusing things about what Death said so Reiko listed it down. "Distraught, colorful old female?"

"I believe you mortals called her the queen of France."

"Oh! Queen Sophie. Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" Reiko said, pausing. "And what do you mean by you asked permission for space?"

The puppy stilled and suddenly, Reiko was looking at warm brown eyes instead of pitch black. The puppy bounded up from her sitting position and began to run around in excited circles, barking. Reiko stared at her dog, baffled at the change of attitude. It reminded her of a bi-polar Padfoot. Said dog must have sensed her confusion because Reiko suddenly found herself with a lapful of yapping spaniel wagging its tail joyfully.

"Er…"

The puppy tensed again and brown eyes morphed to black. Much to her surprise, she could now sense the tinge of death, a taste of necromantic magic, enveloping the puppy. The furry being sniffed, jumped out of Reiko's arms, and returned to sit back on its dignified position earlier.

"That was her saying 'hello' by the way."

Reiko blinked. "So you're really possessing a puppy. And the brown eyes—"

"Yes, yes. An indication that she's in control." Death said impatiently. "She's quite accommodating, actually. And very intelligent. This form is conspicuous enough for you to take me to the most mundane activities. I have seen shrill, over-painted versions of your gender totting around malformed creatures such as the one I am inhabiting in small pouches."

Once again, Reiko needed translating for the last phrases. 'Shrill-over painted versions with malformed versions' probably meant 'spoiled rich girls carrying chihuahuas in their purses'. Okay then.

"But why a puppy? A girl puppy even?"

"That haughty maggot you call a friend would not take any other option." Death bowed a furry head down in displeasure. "He was of the belief that male canines were hormone-riddled imbeciles panting in heat. And I am inclined to agree."

"Well…" Reiko said. "Well."

She didn't really know what to think about that.

Death sniffed. "I shall not be with you all the time. As you would know by now, I have many duties to attend to. Still, as official Mistress of Death, you are not to enter my realm without permission. You cannot die so easily anymore. But you are susceptible to harm and as such, if you are in need of me, you may just call me through… what did you call her again? Ah yes. Éclair."

"Official Mistress of Death." Reiko griped. "So it wasn't official before? And does this mean I'm immortal?"

"It was made official when you accepted the Hallows. And no, you're not immortal. Long-lived certainly." Death drawled in her mind. "I can easily make you immortal but I don't think you'd like that."

"No. I won't." Reiko said shortly. The idea of outliving everyone forever was a depressing thought. She was glad she wasn't. "Just… just please make sure my parents are safe. I don't need to be immortal."

"As I thought. Oh, well. Maybe next time then."

And before Reiko could open her mouth, the air of death disappeared from her puppy and she was left with innocent brown eyes.

Christmas morning came bright and early in the Kanazuki household.

"No, you got the wrong draperies! Cream-colored, not ivory!"

"We need two-hundred more salad forks, get to it—"

"Who ordered the bouillabaisse this early?!"

Unfortunately it came with a riot of activity as well.

Reiko twisted around the servants rushing about, Éclair hot on her heels. The puppy seemed to have imprinted on her overnight, following her everywhere with enthusiastic barks and eager brown eyes. The spaniel was healthily cheerful despite being Death's avatar so to speak, and Reiko still got the same feeling of distant boredom from her link with Death, which means that the deity was probably off doing his duties and could be less than bothered about his mistress and her dog now that he had a permanent way to reach her.

"S'cuse!"

"Make way, make way!"

Reiko sidestepped one of the younger waiters, smiling slightly when Éclair yelped at the slight distance between them, howling in distress. She reached over and carried the snuffling canine, laughing softly. Really. Such a puppy. Reiko never had a pet that was as young and dependent as Éclair. Hedwig had been full-grown after all, and as much as Ron complained about Pigwidgeon's ditziness, his owl still had a smidge of obedience. Crookshanks didn't count; he was a cat and a tomcat at that. Very independent.

"So sorry, miss Reiko!" the young waiter called out before disappearing into the throng of people.

Reiko went to hunt for her mother. It wasn't that hard, she just had to look for the huddled circle of frazzled people. She squeezed in between the throng and before she knew what was going on, she found herself swept into her mother's arms, a puppy squished between Reiko's flat chest and her mother's bosom.

"Urnf!" she couldn't help the wheeze from her lungs as her mother held her unbearably tight.

Her hugs would be the death of Reiko, she just knew it.

"I swear, your father's going to hear it." Chouko said to her, smile disturbing as she ordered another servant to fix the napkins on table five. "Mommy's going to make him sleep in the couch for months."

Reiko popped out of her mother's embrace and snickered, imagining her father's ashen expression. It took no time at all for Reiko's illusion of her father to shatter. His cool, awe-inspiring persona turns into a façade whenever her mother brings him to heel. Most of the time Reiko felt sorry for him.

This time, he deserved it.

He had been visibly absent the whole morning and even her mother couldn't pinpoint where he had gone. They knew he was safe and had guards with him because the garage was missing a car and a few attendants, but it didn't change the fact that he left the responsibility to plan for the ball that his side of the family was supposed to be in charge with.

Her mother was not pleased.

Calming down her squiggling puppy, Reiko watched her mother bark orders at people twice her size, inspecting every little detail of the magnificent ballroom, from the crystal chandeliers to the canape samples.

Her mother's composure was slipping, but it was to be expected. This was one of the society events of the year.

The Kanazuki Christmas gala was an annual celebration for its stakeholders, top employees, and their friends and acquaintances in elite society. It was a tradition dating back to her father's grandfather during the 1900's and has turned into quite the social event. To get invited meant you had to be somebody. The crème de la crème. People fly from overseas to attend, which made Reiko shake her head.

Could they do nothing better on Christmas day? Like spend it with their families, maybe? Reiko knew that she'd prefer that over anything else.

But business was a never-ending game, even on holidays.

She even heard her father mutter over invitations in his study a few days ago, about which family he cared less about offending, the Grants or the Heinrichs?

Technically, her grandfather was supposed to be in charge but he had donned a Hawaiian shirt and hopped into his cruise ship to sail into the tropics a month ago. Leaving his son and daughter-in-law to deal with the headache.

Oh, there were Kanazuki cousins from Japan here and there, some Reiko got to meet during breakfast earlier, but they took orders, not control. Her father really wasn't kidding when he said that he was the head of the family.

Reiko wasn't too bitter about it unlike her parents. The old man had offered to take her with him, sneaking inside her suite the middle of the night to whisk her away, only to trip on security and get caught by her mother. Needless to say, Chouko wasn't leaving her alone with her eccentric grandfather any time soon.

Maybe that was why her father wasn't around? Maybe he cracked and did like grandfather by hopping on a cruise ship…

"Where is that man?" Chouko hissed, looking more and more like a murderous gorgon as the minutes ticked by. People began inching further away from mother and daughter.

Huh. Reiko better distract her or else her dad might not live to see New Year's.

She patted her mother's cheek to get her attention. "My dress, mother?"

Chouko immediately brightened. "Oh of course, ma chou! How can mommy forget your gown? Francois just delivered your personal Christmas line this early morning. You'll try them on and choose one for mommy, oui?"

Reiko grimaced. She had been planning on faking sleep and sneaking out to eat treacle tarts with the cooks, but sacrifices must be made…

The servants gave a collective sigh of relief and shot Reiko looks of gratitude. She nodded at them gravely.

Her dad owed her.

A hundred dresses later (she was exaggerating, but the numerous flashbacks with Narcissa and Draco's trips made it seem like a lifetime) her mother finally blessed her yes to one red velvet gown inlaid with golden threading and white fur trim. It had tiny holly berry decorations made of rubies and green crystal, with a shiny silver bell in the middle. Reiko stared at Éclair distractedly as she was fitted on, watching her puppy get entangled in a bunch of silk ribbons.

"And a poinsettia in your hair, there we go mademoiselle!" Francois, her mother's head designer, twisting her hair up in a flourish.

Chouko happily gave her approval, chatting with the other assistants on other dress ideas.

"—yes, I saw Lady Hitachiin's newest line. Very bold, that one—"

"—wasn't it? Oh, and she uses her twins as models! Very adorable! Her clothes would be a dear for Miss Reiko to wear—"

"—the pink and blue line you say? Yes, a little frilly for my tastes but—"

Relieved that her father's lifespan was no longer threatened, Reiko removed the fluffy dress, handing it over neatly to Francois.

The flamboyantly handsome designer looked surprised at first, then he smirked at winked at the little girl.

"Very shrewd, little lady. Distracting your mother so very well." His voice was smooth and low, so different from the dramatic tone earlier.

Reiko shot him a look of pure innocence, blinking. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Francois laughed gaily, catching her dainty fingers and kissing them twice. "Charmant! Ah, if you were only my age…"

"You still won't consider it. I don't think you want mother as an in-law." she said, deadpan.

She considered it a win when he burst into hearty guffaws.

"There you are! Where on earth have you been, darling?"

Reiko stared when her father came into view, looking slick and debonair in his charcoal black suit. The party had already been ongoing for three hours and her mother had tamped down her fury at her father's lateness and kept Reiko close to reign in her temper. The former savior had been relegated to the task of being a human stress ball but she didn't mind.

Her father bent down to kiss both of them, then winced. To an outsider, it would look like her mother was embracing her father tenderly, but Reiko could see her mother's manicured hand curling to form claw-like talons in her father's shoulder, her radiant smile containing the barest amount of teeth.

Uh-oh.

"Chouko…" Reiji laughed nervously, which was not a good move. Her mother could smell fear.

"Never mind that, darling. We do need to greet our guests." she said gaily. "Carry Reiko for me, will you? I had to bring her with me all day since there was no one left to arrange and supervise the ball. Poor Reiko had to follow mommy everywhere, didn't you?"

'Poor Reiko' wasn't even allowed to wander out of mommy's arms the whole time she was supervising, but the savior-turned-girl nodded just to appease the beast.

She wasn't taking this one, nope. It was her father's time to grovel.

Reiko dutifully let herself be passed between husband and wife, settling into her father's arms easily. Despite being five years old already, she was still small, much to her frustration. Emilien and Matteo were already showing signs of growth while she was still a tiny pea that her parents had no problem carrying.

Reiji sighed. Throughout the rest of the ball, he was relegated to the role of pack mule, his darling daughter as his only precious cargo, and his wife the handler, her death-like grip threatening the circulation of blood in his right arm. They greeted their guests, shook hands, made small talk, indulged in people cooing at their child, and appeared as the model society couple for all to see.

Reiko hummed. No one suspected that there was trouble in paradise but she could feel her father fidget and her mother's eye twitch minutely.

"I think it's bedtime for the little one." one matronly old woman chuckled when Reiko yawned two hours later.

Her father's despair was almost visible. Clearly, he had hoped that Reiko would remain as his 'shield' from his still livid wife. But upon seeing that she was rubbing her eyes tiredly, he knew it was a lost cause.

It's all good and well to use adorableness as bait, but not at the expense of his daughter's health.

Excusing themselves, Reiji and Chouko proceeded to prepare their daughter for bedtime, still in their finery. They tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. When she feigned sleep, they closed the door as gently as possible, brass knob clicking inaudibly.

Then…

"—now where in the seven blazes have you been the whole day! Tell me before I fry your ass—"

Reiko snorted tiredly.

She barely dozed when a loud bang startled her awake. She felt Éclair stiffen in her arms, and she knew that the puppy was awake, keeping silent yet alert.

There was someone in her room.

And they were coming near her…

Tense, Reiko gripped the tiny platinum square hidden under her pillow. It was a taser, customized by her mother to deliver shocks of green lightning almost capable of electrifying people to death. She thought of summoning the Elder Wand too, but it was a little overkill and decided not to use it unless her situation grew uglier and she had to truly defend herself. The less people who knew about it for now, the better.

Reiko continued to feign sleep as she heard footsteps tap near her bedchambers. She frowned. Her mind wasn't going into overdrive, not like when she was around while her mother leaked killing intent at her subordinates, but she didn't let her guard down either. Her brain might not think that the person inside her room was a threat, but Reiko didn't recognize the cool, mist-like presence she could feel from them and for that alone, she was ready to defend herself.

The tapping footsteps grew closer—

One…

Éclair blinked at her in the darkness, the puppy's brown eyes turning pitch black.

Two…

Reiko gripped her taser and readied her flames.

Three.

Her bed curtains were pulled apart and she let out a war cry, activating her taser just as Éclair let out a truly ferocious growl. The person yelped and went down as sparks of green hit them, falling on the carpet with a thud. Reiko swiftly flicked her nightlight open and the room was bathed in a yellow glow just as she leaned down and saw—

A teenager?

"Who are you?" she said out loud, still holding her taser aloft. She didn't sense any ill intent from the person, but better safe than sorry.

The intruder groaned, clutching his head and blinking pale green eyes at her. For a moment, Reiko stared.

He looked like a washed-out watercolor painting, everything about him was pale. Pale skin, pale blonde hair, pale green eyes. Even his lips were a pale pink. Reiko would think that he was albino or something, if not for the splashes of genuine color here and there.

He was pretty too, androgynously so. Delicate cheekbones and a soft jaw. If it weren't for the slight Adam's apple, flat chest, and obviously male build, Reiko's might've suspected that he was a very pretty girl. He looked sixteen or so, and looked slightly taller than her mother.

"Where am I, kid?" he said in French, and Reiko blinked.

"I asked first." she replied.

A flash of anger lit his eyes before disappearing quickly. He sighed. "Look kid, I just wanna get out of here. Some shi—crazy guy kidnapped my as—butt and dumped me in a room somewhere. I just wanna fu—freakin' leave."

Reiko was slightly amused at how he tried not to swear in her presence. For a delicate-looking man, he sure was brusque. She also wondered who the heck kidnapped him. "But why were you in my room?"

"I was just looking around! I really wanna leave." he defended, flicking pale blonde bangs out of his eyes. "This huge-ass house is a fu—darn maze! You can fit a whole town here!"

Reiko chortled, finding truth in the statement. He sounded really indignant at the fact that the place was really big too, like it was a personal offense to him. She turned her taser off and Éclair dutifully sat down on her haunches, eyes back to brown.

"I'll help you leave then," Reiko decided, unfazed. Again, this wasn't high on her weird list. How random was this, though? Someone just popping in her room without so much as a say-so. Usually, weird things happened to her because she triggered something else. Like unknowingly collecting all three artifacts of Death. Go figure.

He gave her a look of genuine surprise, before his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you want it return?"

The question stumped Reiko. Why would he ask that? And to a kid of all people? Hadn't anyone gave him help for free?

"Nothing." she said honestly. When he didn't look like he believed her, she added, "I just want to get out of bed."

Reiko knew from experience that he wouldn't believe that she just wanted to help him. He had that look on him, extremely wary, body tense, as if the tiniest hint of a wrong move would trigger him. She recognized it.

She'd been in the same position as he'd been, too distrustful of the world, believing that a favor given is a favor owed back. It took Harry a long time before realizing it, to realize that to be the Wizarding World's darling one had to barter their life away.

It was easier to believe that a person would do something for someone so as long as they'd get something in return. Hence why she mentioned that she wanted to get out of bed, making him believe that leading him out was something that would benefit her too.

Sure enough, his shoulders eased slightly and he gave her a once-over. He probably deemed her to be a non-threat, and Reiko was once again glad that she was a little girl, easily overlooked. He did flicker his eyes at the taser on her hands but otherwise he calmed down.

"Alright, kid." he finally said. "You know this place well, then?"

"You could say that." Reiko sair wryly, putting on her slippers. She glanced at Éclair, surprised to find the puppy asleep on her comforters. She snorted. "Well that's that."

"What?"

"Nothing!"

The fact that Éclair just went back to sleep instead of accompanying her said that Death didn't see the teenager inside her bedroom as a threat.

Well that, or Éclair was just sleepy. She was just a baby after all, so…

Reiko just got her yesterday so she wasn't really sure how this works.

"Oh, well." she shrugged, stuffing her taser inside her pocket. She looked at the pale-blonde young man and motioned him. "Beside me, please?"

The teenager rose a brow but fell into step beside her. Reiko wasn't stupid enough to lead, not with an unknown behind her back. And since the guy didn't know the place, he had to follow her somewhat. Beside her was the safest bet.

They got out of her room and into the corridors.

"So," she began after a few minutes of awkward silence. "Er… Merry Christmas?"

Her companion halted a bit, the look in his eyes unreadable. There was a beat of silence. "…you're the first person who said that to me."

Reiko was surprised. "Today?"

He smiled at her bitterly. "Ever."

Reiko's heart twisted at that. Even back as Harry, someone gave her greetings. Especially now as Reiko, well-wishes to her were plentiful, blessings even more so.

She couldn't imagine that no one gave the person beside her something just as simple as a greeting.

"I'll make sure to greet you every year then." She said determinedly. He looked startled.

"Kid, you don't even know me." He said in a low voice. "For all you know, I could be a bloody murderer."

He meant to scare her, but he was shocked when she just shrugged, eyes earnest. "You don't look like it."

"Oh?" he sounded darkly amused. "And you know what a murderer looks like?"

Reiko's mind flashed to her mother's 'daycare' job and inwardly snorted. She settled for giving him a look of frightened confusion and shook her head no.

"Good." He grimaced, eyes gaining a faraway look. "That's good."

Somber, Reiko wondered what he went through to have such pained eyes. His cool, misty aura (that Reiko now realized were flames), was also subdued.

"I have a question?" Reiko said tentatively. He looked at her curiously. "How were you kidnapped?"

"I don't know, kid." he sighed. Reiko noticed that the longer they walked, the closer he came to her. She didn't sense anything bad though, but wondered at his proximity. "I don't look like someone who'd get kidnapped. I don't look the part. Unlike you, I suppose." He gestured to his clothes, thread-bare and worn. The muddy shoes he was wearing looked like they were about to fall apart any minute. "I really don't know why."

"I… I could find out, if you want to." Reiko said, before adding hastily. "Not because I want to help! I'm just as curious as you. Really."

She winced at her unconvincing tone. Damn it. Emilien was right. She was such a shitty liar sometimes.

To her surprise, he gave her a slow hesitant smile before reaching out to pat her head. She could feel his misty flames push at hers like a shy cat and she couldn't help but smile back at him in encouragement.

He coughed lightly. "That would be nice, kid. Thanks."

Reiko beamed. "No problem at all! So what did your kidnapper look like? Where did he take you?"

His eyes sharpened. "He was tall. Dark brown-red hair. Gray eyes. A tiny mole under his mouth. Too much of a pretty boy, kinda looked like a rich model. Smiled a lot."

Oh.

Ohhh…

Reiko had an awfully good idea on just who had kidnapped him.

"Took me too a room with too much red." He added thoughtfully. "A lot of books."

"Ah…" Reiko said slowly. Now she was sure. Only three people had access to the Red Room and that was her, her mother, and… "I think I know—"

She was cut off just then because numerous burly men in dark clothing appeared out of nowhere and charged at them with blinding speed. Reiko yelped and fumbled for her taser, mind screaming as to why why her instincts failed to warn her of enemies again. But then she felt herself being shoved backwards, between a cold wall and a warm back.

Pure, potent violet flames poured out of the pale-eyed teenager, who was now snarling at the men with rage. Reiko gasped when her own vibrant orange flames reached out and began singing in triumph, twining with furious violet perfectly, melding and feeding them like an enchanted battery.

The rush of exhilarating energy made Reiko's cheeks flush and her heart to beat faster. She could feel the pale-eyed teenager's emotions, could feel their rage and their instinctive desire to protect, to defend, to conceal. It was wonderful, it was nerve-wracking and it was almost too much…

She was astonished when one by one, the men dropped like flies, their eyes glazed. Reiko noticed that the violet flames now looked like a shrouded haze of fog around the hall, like a spread-out, wide-scale attack.

Oh.

Wow.

She knew that flames had different types and all, but she didn't know that they could be used…

Like this.

She took a deep breath and squinted at the downed men, getting a good look at them, and stared.

Weren't those her mother's students? Why the heck did they attack?

"Are you alright?" Her companion kneeled down and stared at her with intense pale green eyes, breathing harshly. His expression looked panicked, wild, and his pupils darted all over Reiko's body, looking for injuries.

She nodded and reached out to give him a hug. He looked like he needed one.

He stiffened, but Reiko could feel the rightness flowing through her veins. Her magical flames sang once more, a soothing hum that calmed both of them. She felt his violet haze settle down softly, and Reiko smiled in relief.

That had been really some potent magic. Flames or not.

But it was obvious that he had been struggling greatly to control it. Thankfully, she seemed to have a calming effect on him and was gripping her quite firmly. Not tight enough to be uncomfortable, but somehow Reiko felt that he needed the physical contact by keeping her close.

A faint clapping was heard and both of them looked up.

"Mother? Father?" Reiko uttered in surprise.

Her mother smiled daintily and sidestepped one of the downed men. "Hello, darling. Don't mind my minions. They definitely need more training if one young man could beat them all."

"You!"

Reiko was surprised at the vehemence at the pale-eyed teenager's tone as he bore holes at her father's skull, but if her hunch was correct, then he really did have a right to be angry.

To his credit, her father looked quite sheepish. "Hello."

"You kidnapped me!"

Right on one.

"You could've handled this with more finesse," Chouko clucked at Reiji.

He held his hands up in surrender. "My mind was screaming at me. What was I supposed to do?"

"Not leave your wife and child high and dry?"

"Ah…"

"Father," Reiko called. She felt dizzy exhaustion seep into her bones. The adrenaline of her magic had been too sudden and her body was shutting down. "You suck."

The world went black.

.

Author's Note: And so I end it here. A little below my usual word count, but eh. We have a little time skip next chapter and will formally introduce two characters before we go to Japan. Reiko's pretty fleshed-out in my mind already so we get to see the action so and so.

So I think you have a clear idea just who Emilien is, hm? Kudos to everyone who managed to guess who he was. And now Death has a constant way to contact her. And yes, I noticed that KHR dominates a lot, but that's just because she's still growing up. By the time we reach OHSHC, the KHR themes will lessen. There are some complaints out there but my policy is 'don't like, don't read'. To all those who continue to follow, many thanks. :)

Any questions? Comments? Any Yuri! on Ice fans?

Read and Review.

Memory out!