Darkness and a Fairy
Chapter 2
"Look out miss!"
"Coming through!"
Hikari moved aside as various construction crew levitated beams, goal-rings, and other components into place. Over in the middle-distance was a small trunk, which her passenger directed her to go and open. Inside were four balls. Two were inside securing-restraints, and one was in a carefully-crafted niche. "So let me figure this out in terms I'm familiar with," she said. "This red ball here is just an unmodified ball, used for scoring goals, right?"
"Yes, the Quaffle is used for scoring," replied Snapdragon.
"The two black balls in the restraints have Independent Flight, and are programmed to ram the closest target on a broomstick it can detect."
"Strange words, but that is essentially what the Bludgers do."
"And this techno-organic one, with the wings, also has Independent Flight, but also has had its speed and agility enhanced. It is programmed to evade anyone on a broom."
"Essentially a correct description of the Snitch."
"Also, capturing the ...Snitch... ends the match, and gives the team a whole heap of points. Why is it none of you have made your own version of this game? You all seem to enjoy it a lot."
"We cannot keep permanent structures around, just in case it attracts giants," Snapdragon replied.
()()()()()()()
Later that evening, Hikari was wandering amongst the stalls. Most of the fairies had holed up in a compartment one of the construction workers had secretly set up. "He does it for us every time," Snapdragon mentioned off-handedly. Meanwhile, Daisy had decided to 'act as Hikari's personal guide' and was eyeing off all the shiny controls in the cockpit. Hikari also suspected an ulterior motive, as Daisy's clothes seemed to get skimpier every time she saw her.
"At least they accepted the currency I have," said Hikari, as she held an apple in her armour's hand, and 'ate' it, by cutting off pieces with a knife, and teleporting them from the holographic mouth into the cockpit. What Daisy wasn't eating, Hikari transferred to the subspace storage system she kept onboard.
As they were looking at various souvenir stalls, and side-show games, Daisy was startled by Hikari's next comment. "Thank the Allspark! I've been craving these for weeks." Hikari got the stall vendor's attention. "Three, please."
"Meat?" Daisy commented, as Hikari paid for her three chicken kebabs.
"Different dietary needs to you guys, remember," commented Hikari, having already consumed the contents of the first stick. "Why are you looking at me like that? If you don't want any, its fine by me."
A few minutes (and all three kebabs) later, Hikari dropped Daisy back with the rest of the fairies.
"Found out you weren't compatible after all?" said Snapdragon. "Was it the omnivorous diet?"
"Quiet down guys," said Ivy. "The game starts in about five minutes."
"I'll head towards where the humans are," said Hikari. "I don't want to draw attention to the rest of you."
()()()()()()
Hikari found a comfortable spot to watch the game, when she realised she was being keenly observed by a pale girl with white hair. "You're dressed weird," she said.
"The same could be said about you," replied Hikari. "The only excuse I can give for my attire is because I only have two sets of clothes, and one of them doesn't always fit."
"At least it scared the Nargles away," said the girl. "They keep stealing my shoes. I'm Luna, by the way."
"My mother has a cousin called Luna," replied Hikari. "My name is Hikari."
"I've never heard that name before. Is it a Muggle name?"
"My name comes from Japan. It means light, which is ironic, given my aptitude. Also, what's a Muggle?"
"Maybe they have a different name where you're from. It's someone who can't use magic," said an adult, who looked like a 98% certainty to be the girl's father. "Come, Luna. The game is about to start."
"Join us," invited Luna. Hikari followed. The best way to blend in is to be in a crowd.
The crowd was going wild, but Hikari was able to adjust her audio systems, and filter out most of the noise. It was interesting how they needed their broomsticks to fly. "I'm surprised the umpires don't use some other method of flight," she commented. " If that player hadn't deflected the Bludger, the medics would be dragging his unconscious body onto a stretcher right now."
"You talk like a mudblood," sneered a voice next to her.
"That term sounds like an insult," replied Hikari. "Besides, you shouldn't mention mud, when you obviously haven't heard of soap."
"I ought to teach you some manners, you filthy mudblood," he said, grabbing her shoulder, and drawing his wand.
Nobody really saw what happened next. All they saw was the man, unconscious on the ground, with his wand laid out next to him, completely deconstructed.
"Luna," Hikari whispered. "What's a mudblood?"
"I'll tell you later," she replied, with her eyes still on the game.
()()()()()()()
The game had been over for a while. Some attendees were heading to their tents, some were heading towards the pub, others were just enjoying the night sky.
"You asked what a mudblood was," said Luna. "It's a crude term for a witch or wizard born of Muggle parents."
"Maybe I should have shoved that wand where the sun doesn't shine, instead of disassembling it," replied Hikari. "My mother knew some pretty good spells."
"Is she coming to get you soon? My father will probably be looking for me really soon."
"She won't be around any time soon. We were separated when I was ten, by a massive fireball."
"Oh, I'm sorry. What about your father?"
"Don't have one. Nearly had a step-father when I was three, but he bailed when he found out mother was pregnant. Good thing she never let on that we had money."
"There you are," said Luna's father. "Say good night to your friend."
"Good night, Hikari," said Luna. "Where are you staying?"
"In the woods," she replied. "Maybe I'll camp with some fairies."
Luna's father laughed. "That could be eventful. Fairies are dangerous, you know."
"So are humans," replied Hikari. She suddenly looked towards he left, and Flash-stepped, deflecting a red energy burst with the cape she was wearing. She removed the burning cloth and looked around. There were masked wizards, wearing black cloaks, firing off spells indiscriminately. One group had a family of four suspended in the air, and were tormenting them.
"Oi, smegheads!," yelled Hikari. "No spellcasting after 10pm!" She then used her Tractor spell to drag some nearby tent pegs from the ground, and then used Railgun to launch the electrified pegs into the group tormenting the family, again using Tractor to catch them before they hit the ground. "Run for the woods as fast as you can," she commanded, as she raised a deflector grid with her holoprojectors, shielding everyone nearby.
Wizards were still firing spells at fleeing campers, but there was uncertainty in the movements of the group that just found the corpses of there comrades, sparks still coming from the tent pegs lodged in their skulls.
()()()()()()
"You, there! Girl!" called a voice that immediately grated on Hikari's soul. "Just what do you think you are doing?"
Standing in front of her was an oldish woman, who was wearing enough pink to turn a four year old girl off the colour for life. "Well! Explain yourself, girl!" the harridan squawked. "What were you doing over there?!"
"Checking for survivors," replied Hikari. "Your event security sucks."
"You're wearing black! You're one of them!" the harridan's face screwed up in disgust, as she drew her wand.
"You what?" countered Hikari, as she shifted into a fighting-stance, and used her Tractor spell to draw some stray pebbles into the air, and towards her. "If I was one of them, you'd be dead already."
"Why are you pointing your wand at that young lady, Mrs Umbridge?" asked a concerned Auror. "She's been helping us patch up the wounded for the last two hours. She even healed up a couple of people Moody thought were gone"
The harridan half-lowered her wand, and Hikari released her rock collection. "Where are your parents, and where is your wand?" she demanded.
"I don't own a wand," replied Hikari. "As for the other part of your question, I've been on my own since a massive fireball happened when I was ten." Technically true, without having to go full-disclosure, she thought.
"Who taught you your magic," asked a male voice from behind them.
Damn, thought Hikari. The rear sensors in the exo-armour needs further calibration. "My mother taught me what she could," she replied. "But her knowledge was limited, due to not knowing about magic until she was thirteen. She was very surprised when she levelled the Irish-Catholic orphanage she was raised in."
()()()()()()
"You could have just given me directions," said Hikari, as they stopped in front of a grubby-looking pub. "The 'Leaky Cauldron'. You should add a couple of health department suspension notices to the door to stop anyone from accidentally walking in."
"It hasn't happened before," replied her escort. "We'll take it under advisement."
"No need to get upset, professor Snape," said Hikari. "It was just a suggestion. Before we head in, there's a detour we're going to have to make."
"No detours," stated Snape. "We're under strict instructions."
"I need funds before we go in there," said Hikari. "As a bonus, you're about to find a source for exotic potion ingredients. The place is literally across the street from here." Hikari dashed across the road.
"Get back here!" Snape called, when Hikari vanished, then reappeared
"Are you coming, or not?"
"Welcome to Trap Street," said Hikari. The only source of off-world items in Britain, short of invading Torchwood, or UNIT. Almost every version of Earth has one. Do not tell the Ministry."
Around twenty minutes later, Hikari was down one particle pistol and two spare antimatter batteries, from her weapons stash, but up several thousand Pounds, some of which went towards samples for Snape's experiments.
"Now I have some money, I can purchase what's on that school list," said Hikari, heading back to the Cauldron.
"Who's the girl?" asked the bartender.
"Just a new student," replied Snape. "Mr Dumbledore asked me to babysit."
Upon exiting the pub's rear door, Snape drew his wand.
"This needs better security," commented Hikari, as she touched the wall. It unfolded without Snape even having shown the sequence of wand-taps required.
"What did you do?"
"I used Decryption. You lot probably have some other name for it."
"You didn't chant it."
++I don't need to.++ Snape felt her voice though his mind
"Never do that again," he warned.