OMG! This took forever to write! I wanted to wrap this up in one chapter, but not to the point where it felt rushed (I really hope it didn't feel that way). So much has happened in my life lately that I haven't been able to write as much as I'd wanted.

Enjoy!

Chapter 22

Extraordinary Friends

Rin groaned as he opened his eyes. His head felt like it was hit by a two-by-four. It also hurt a little to breathe. As his vision cleared, he realized that he was lying in a bed in the Hospital Wing. He looked around and saw Harry laying in another bed across the room fast asleep. A pile of sweets was teetering over him. Rin had an identical pile next to his bed.

He winced as he slowly sat himself up. Madam Pomfrey entered the room and saw him struggling to sit up.

"Mr. Okumura!" she softly exclaimed to avoid waking Harry. "You lay back down right this instant!" Rin flinched and did as he was told. "You're as durable as a rock. It's amazing that you were able to withstand that much damage."

"Wha-What do you mean?" Rin croaked. His throat felt like sandpaper. Madam Pomfrey gave him a sip of water.

"I mean that you were able to come out of that fight with only a bump on the head and three broken ribs," she said.

"Yeah. My head still hurts and it kinda hurts to breathe," said Rin.

"It only emphasizes my point," said Madam Pomfrey. She slowly sat him up and poured a potion into a goblet and gave it to Rin. "This will help mend your ribs."

Rin took a sip and spat it right out. It tasted like coins.

"Were you expecting pumpkin juice?" Madam Pomfrey asked in exasperation.

"To be honest, I was kind of hoping it would taste something like that," Rin replied. "Muggles have medicine that taste like fruit or candy to make it easier for kids to take."

"Well, we're not Muggles now, are we?" Madam Pomfrey snapped. She forced Rin to finish the potion followed by a bite of a chocolate frog to get rid of the taste.

"Is Harry okay?" Rin asked, his mouth full of chocolate.

"He will be. He hasn't woken up yet. You'll both be out of here in a few days," Madam Pomfrey assured him.

"What about Yukio? Ron and Hermione? Did they make it out okay?" Rin asked, getting more anxious after every question.

"They're all fine," Madam Pomfrey answered. "Mr. Weasley's concussion would have been a lot worse had it not been for your brother's quick thinking. He and Miss Granger are the only ones who came out of this whole thing with the least amount of damage."

The door opened and Professor Dumbledore entered the room.

"I apologize for the interruption, Poppy, but I must speak with Mr. Okumura alone," he said.

Madam Pomfrey's nostrils flared and nodded before leaving. She seemed to not like having her work interrupted.

Dumbledore then turned his attention to Rin. "How are you feeling, Rin?" he asked.

Rin swallowed his chocolate before answering. "Like a troll stepped on me."

Dumbledore chuckled before pulling a chair next to Rin's bed and sat down.

"I'm sure you have many questions about what happened between you, Harry, and Professor Quirrel," he said, "however, I cannot promise you that I will give you all of the answers."

Rin looked down in his lap, deep in thought. He had so many questions but he had no idea which one to ask first. What happened to Professor Quirrel? How did Harry wind up in the Hospital Wing with him? Why was Quirrel unable to touch Harry? Why did Voldemort want the blue flames he could (kind of) control?

Suddenly, the reason the children went down to the dungeons came forward in Rin's mind. "The Philosopher's Stone! Where is it? What happened to it? Did Voldemort get it?" Rin asked hastily.

Dumbledore held up a hand to calm Rin down. "Calm down, Rin. If you don't, Madam Pomfrey will not hesitate to throw me out, even if I am the headmaster of this school," he said. "The Stone has been destroyed."

Rin's eyes popped out. "Destroyed?! Why? What about your friend, Nicholas Flamel?" he exclaimed.

"Rin, you need to keep your voice down. I'm surprised that you know about Nicholas. Yes, he and I spoke and he decided that it's for the best. It will be like going to sleep after a very, very long day," Dumbledore explained.

Rin felt conflicted. On the one hand, it felt like everything he and his friends had been through had been for nothing. On the other hand, it made sense that something so powerful would be better off destroyed. Speaking of powerful…

"What about my flames?" Rin inquired. "Voldemort said they were… satanic." He gripped his arms as the thoughts still lingered in the back of his mind. "Am I… a demon or something?"

A full minute of silence passed before Dumbledore answered. "You are a boy with an extraordinary power." He held his hand up to silence Rin before he could say anything. "Alas, I wish I could tell you more, but you are not old enough to understand the entire truth at this time."

Rin folded his arms and pouted. "I hate it when adults tell me that," he grumbled, causing Dumbledore to chuckle. "But I am a human, right?"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles. "You are a boy wizard with amazing magical powers," he repeated.

~0~0~0~

Harry looked at Rin, who was sleeping soundly in his hospital bed (thanks to a sleeping potion Madam Pomfrey gave him). Professor Dumbledore just finished explaining to Harry what had happened down in the dungeons.

"Professor, what about Rin?" Harry asked out of the blue.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Voldemort said something about Rin's blue flames. He said that they were 'satanic.' That they were more evil than Rin could imagine," said Harry. "But I've seen Rin use those flames several times all year and they haven't harmed me or anyone. Heck, he and Seamus Finnigan have caused loads of explosions in Charms and neither of them were harmed. The worst thing that's ever happened to them was getting covered in soot."

"Ah, I was hoping you'd ask about Rin," said Dumbledore. "Let me start by saying that Rin had no idea he was capable of wielding such incredible power. He only found out when he saved Miss Granger from the troll on Halloween. Before that, he had always assumed that the blue flames was magic."

"Are they?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore shook his head. "I cannot say. The answer is too much for either of you to comprehend at this time. I strongly advise you to not pursue the answer to the mystery of the blue flames. What you would find would devastate you, Rin, and your friends."

Harry held back a shiver at the thought that his friend was capable of such power. Whatever those blue flames were, they must be very dangerous if even Dumbledore refused to speak about them. Harry looked over at the sleeping Rin with a small spark of fear.

Dumbledore must have seen it. "Harry, you have no reason to fear your friend. Like you said, his flames have not harmed you or your friends at all. I have been tutoring him on how to control his flames all year. It would devastate him if you started to distance yourself from him," he explained.

Harry tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Rin has always been alone back in Tokyo," Dumbledore explained. "With only his brother Yukio, his father, and the priests of the monastery where he lives, he's never had real friends until he came to Hogwarts."

"Why is that?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Surely, you've witnessed his violent outbursts from time to time," he assumed.

Harry thought back at all of the times Rin had acted violent. Most of the time, it was whenever Malfoy was giving the group a hard time. Harry recalled both times Rin broke Malfoy's nose. It was always in someone's defense.

Harry thought about what Dumbledore said. He then compared Rin's situation to his own. Before Harry came to Hogwarts, he never had a single friend in his life. Dudley made sure of that. To know that there was someone out there who had a similar background was the smallest of comforts.

~0~0~0~

The Great Hall was decorated with green and silver streamers and banners. It was no secret that Slytherin House won the House Cup. The golden plates and cups were empty on all of the tables since dinner had yet to be served. All of the teachers were sitting at the head table, but one was missing. Dumbledore hadn't arrived yet.

As soon as Harry and Rin entered the Great Hall, everyone in the room became silent and turned their heads in the boys' direction.

'I suddenly understand why Harry doesn't like being in the spotlight.'

Rin followed Harry to the Gryffindor table, both of them ducking their heads to avoid the stares (Rin snuck a tiny wave in Yukio's direction). Everyone there looked like someone died, which was understandable since Gryffindor House finished in last place. As soon as the two sat down, Dumbledore entered the Great Hall.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore announced cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully our heads are heads are a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts… Now, as I understand it, the House Cup needs awarding and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor, with two hundred and sixty-two points; in third place, Hufflepuff, with three-hundred and seventy-eight; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six points and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two points."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Rin never realized how much it pissed him off until he looked in his hand and saw that he had accidentally bent his fork in half.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," Dumbledore said. "However, recent events must be taken into account." The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little. Rin was just as confused as everyone else in the Great Hall. What was Dumbledore up to? "Ahem, I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes… First - to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Everyone at the Gryffindor table cheered. Percy Weasley could be heard telling the other prefects, "That's my brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

Dumbledore signaled everyone to be silent. "Second - to Miss Hermione Granger, for the cool use of logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor fifty points." More cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table. They were up a hundred points. If this kept up, perhaps they wouldn't wind up in last place after all. Hermione buried her face in her hands, crying tears of joy.

"Third - to Mr. Rin Okumura..." Dumbledore continued. Rin immediately turned his attention towards the headmaster. "... for the fiery determination to overcome great obstacles, I award Gryffindor fifty points."

Cheers and rounds of applause rang throughout the Great Hall. Rin's face turned bright red as everyone gave Rin pats on the back. He had never been awarded more than a point or two (aside from the troll incident on Halloween). This had to be his proudest achievement of the year.

"Fourth - to Mr. Yukio Okumura, for quick-thinking and the foresight that saved a life, I give Ravenclaw house fifty points," Dumbledore continued. Yukio's face was as red as the Gryffindor colors as his entire house cheered for him. Ravenclaw was now in the lead. Everyone was giving Yukio pats on the back. Rin clapped in support of his brother. He supposed that as long as Slytherin lost, it would be considered a victory for the rest of the school.

The cheers died down as Dumbledore signaled them to be silent. "Fifth - to Mr. Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor sixty points," he announced.

The cheers were deafening in the Great Hall now. They were in second place now. If only they had a few more points, then Gryffindor would had won the House Cup.

Once again, Dumbledore signaled everyone to be silent. "There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Rin was pretty sure Shiro could hear everyone at the Gryffindor table cheer as the entire Great Hall erupted in screams and cheers. Gryffindor house had finally won the House Cup! Neville was buried in hugs and pats on the back.

'Neville Longbottom, the underdog of Gryffindor house!'

"Which means," Dumbledore called out over the applause, "we need a change in decoration." He clapped his hands, and the green and silver tapestries became red and gold. The Slytherin serpent that was hanging behind the staff table was replaced by a towering lion. Ravenclaw house was a little disappointed that they didn't win first, but they finished in second place, the closest they'd been to first in a long time.

Professor Snape was seen shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, looking like he'd sucked on a lemon. Everyone at the Slytherin table were grumbling and looking defeated. Malfoy looked in the Gryffindors' direction and Rin lowered his eyelid and stuck out his tongue in the Slytherin's direction. Malfoy scowled, giving Rin a look that promised retribution.

~0~0~0~

Shiro waited outside Platform 9 ¾ with the other Muggle parents with Muggleborn children. He looked around for any familiar faces. He saw the Grangers as well as someone he hadn't spoken to in awhile.

"Molly?" The red haired woman and her daughter turned in Shiro's direction. "I didn't recognize you back in September. I was kicking myself after I remembered who you were."

The woman squinted her eyes before widening. "Shiro? Shiro Fujimoto, is that you?" she asked. Shiro smiled and gave the woman Molly a hug. "I can't believe I didn't recognize you! How have you been? Were those boys really yours?"

"Yeah, they're mine, though technically I adopted them," Shiro answered. He then noticed the girl looking shyly at him. "And what's your name, sweetheart?"

"...Ginny," the girl answered.

"Ginny's going to Hogwarts this coming fall," Molly explained. "We're expecting her letter sometime this summer."

Shiro smiled at the girl. "Well, congratulations! I'm sure my sons will keep an eye on you," he said.

Children began coming out of the platform barrier in twos and threes. Among them were three very familiar children.

"There he is, Mum, there he is, look!" Ginny cried excitedly as she pointed at the boy with the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "Harry Potter! Look, Mum! I can see -"

"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point," Molly scolded. Rin and Yukio soon appeared from the barrier and approached Shiro.

"Busy year?" Molly asked Harry and the Okumura twins.

"Very," Harry answered. "Thanks for the fudge and jumper, Mrs. Weasley."

"Yeah, thank you," the twins added as they bowed to Molly.

Molly blushed. "Oh, it was nothing, dears."

Rin turned to Shiro. "Ron invited us over sometime this summer. Can we?" he asked with sparkles in his eyes.

Shiro smiled. "Only if his mother says so," he answered before turning in Molly's direction.

Molly smiled. "Of course, they can come over, Shiro. Just let us know when's the best time."

Shiro nodded then looked in Harry's direction. "You must be Harry Potter. Rin and Yukio have told me all about you. I'm Father Shiro Fujimoto."

Harry's face turned bright red as he shook Shiro's hand. "Nice to meet you, sir," he said shyly.

Shiro laughed. "No need to be shy, kid. Any friend of my boys' is a friend of mine!" He then looked to the twins, who were saying their goodbyes to Hermione. "You two ready to head home?"

Rin and Yukio faced Shiro. "Ready, Dad!" they called.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Why are your last names different?" he asked.

"I'm technically their guardian, so naturally our last names are different," Shiro explained, "but they've always called me 'Dad.'"

The Okumura brothers walked over to Harry and Shiro.

"Looking forward to next year already," Rin said cheerfully. "Thought I'd never say something like that."

"Must be a full moon," Yukio muttered. Rin glared at him with a tick mark on his forehead.

Shiro then waved to Harry. "Well, until we meet again," he said as he herded the twins away.

"Bye, Harry!" Rin and Yukio called out simultaneously.

"I'll see you in the fall!" Harry called back.

The priest and his two charges then walked out of King's Cross Station.

"So, how was your first year with magic?" he asked.

It is with great honor that I will be writing Year 2!

HOWEVER! A lot of things have been happening in my life lately, so I do not know when I will start. I have just recently bought a new condo, and closing day is in a few weeks. After that, I'm gonna be steadily moving into my new place.

Take my word for it. I will be writing Year 2 in the future. I've got so many ideas for the Chamber of Secrets, I'd be crazy not to write them down.

I'd like to thank you all for your reviews and your support. It's because of you that this turned out to be a success! You guys have NO idea how much this means to me and my self-esteem!