"Wow!" said Sora. That seemed to be the general consensus when they left the Distortion World. Giratina had even flown by to give them all a good shock. For many it was their first look at the legendary Pokémon.
They were inside a room made of rock, and a short squat creature which Ranger Richard quickly explained was a goblin and not to be crossed, escorted them into a larger room.
Because of the fact that the Rifts were more or less unknown to the world in general, the goblins had been given exclusive rights to the only stable portal that opened each year.
This was mostly because the Pokémon League and the Ranger Union had some issues with the Ministry of Magic on this side, and the goblins were known for their neutrality. Thus, a compromise was born.
Plus it kept the secret of the Rift to a select few...even the Minister didn't know about the other world, only those in the Department of Mysteries.
"Alright kiddies, time to register here. Sora, you'll have to come with me so we can straighten something out before you register," said Richard.
"What? All those from your world must register before they can leave the bank!" barked the irritated goblin.
"Thing is, he's from this world and fell through a Rift into ours. We need to get his situation sorted out before we register him," said Richard.
"Name?"
"Potter, Harry."
"Inheritance office is that way. Confirm the bloodline first then come back here," said the goblin.
Sora was beyond confused as he let three drops of blood hit the potion-soaked quill, only to see it jump and start writing without anyone touching it.
"Confirmed, he's the missing Potter boy. Once you change your name we'll do a standard health and spell check after you register," said the goblin.
Richard had Sora sign the paperwork, before they went back to register his name. By now he was confused and very tired.
The goblin called Ripfang and his human counterpart who worked at the magical hospital went through the potentials with brisk efficiency only years of experience could provide. However that immediately stopped the second they got to Sora.
"Stop! Mr. Hoshino, would you stand here for a second?" said Ripfang, getting a reaction.
"Three tracking spells, one intelligence dampener (broken), one spell to alert if removed from a certain area, one magic binding spell, and ten owl spells designed to limit which mail is given. As well as a residual warding spell, most likely placed by a parent. We can leave the last one, but the rest have got to go," said the medi-wizard calmly.
He went about breaking them one by one, and did a last check on Sora before he frowned.
"Ripfang, I think we have a soul piece on him. Looks like it's restricted around the scar..."
"We can leave it until they come back...gives us time to properly prepare to deal with it," replied to goblin.
Sora was glad to sink into the chair provided. Today had been exhausting for the eleven-year-old.
"Tired eh? Have some berries. After this we'll just get your robes, wand and possibly a pet. The goblins have runners who tally up the names and get the number of books and other items on the list for the school."
"Can we look at the books?" asked Joseph.
"Bit of a bookworm, eh? We usually have enough time that we let the kids browse the alley, but no broomsticks. They don't let the first years have them after the number of accidents at the school."
The tired children perked up at the idea of being allowed to visit one store of their choosing once they had gotten their robes and wand.
They broke the group into three to avoid overwhelming the stores. Sora, Joseph and Cindy were all in the group that went to the wand store first.
"Come in, come in. That time of year again?" said the owner from behind. They all jumped, just a little.
"I am Ollivander. Now, young potentials, what is your occupation?"
"I'm a first level Ranger...passed the test and graduated early at the Academy," explained Sora.
"Trainer, and I have three badges already," said Joseph. He had gotten caught up in the mess to protect Evans before he could try for his fourth.
"Hacker, with plans to become a Ranger, or Technician at the Union," said Cindy.
"Now to put those odd combinations to the test," said Ollivander. He mostly asked them that question to rule out a few choices, and the three soon had a decent pile of wands on the counter. Finally the three had a selection they could live with.
For Sora, he had a 'Sycamore, thirteen inches, with tail fur of a Nine-tailed fox from Japan. Surprisingly Swishy.'
Joseph had a 'Willow, unicorn tail, eleven inches. Swishy.'
Cindy had a 'Sycamore, thirteen inches, with the tail of a rare wind-phoenix. Surprising swishy.'
They each paid for their wands with the odd coins, and were taken to the menagerie. Sora was very bored with the animals, at least until he spotted the Owl Emporium and almost immediately fell in love with a snow white owl with black flecks. He bought it and named it Yoruichi, 'First Night'.
Joseph doesn't get a pet, but rather saves his allowance for books. Cindy has a rare wyvern, a creature that resembles a dragon, but cannot shoot out flame, thus making it slightly less dangerous than it's more well known cousin. If angered or attacked, however, it could poison in it's fangs.
They could be used as an alternative to owls, and they never let anyone aside from their owner or intended recipient read the letters given. Of course that only happened if the wyvern didn't abandon it's owner from abuse. A loyal partner like them was hard to come by.
Joseph goes a little nuts in the bookstore, and walks out with ten books, three of them so thick that they easily weighed five pounds. Sora spent his extra allowance on a book for Occulmency, which made organizing the mind easier and was used to block mind readers. He also tripped on a book no one else noticed, and swiped a few copies.
When they all made their way back through the Rift, they were informed that all their school things would be on the train for them and that all they had to do was board it on time. They had to sign their names to each trunk, a standard three-room one, so that the school's house elves would know where to put them.
Sora immediately paired up with Joseph and Cindy, the three bonding as friends after meeting. It helped that Sora was the unofficial leader, since he was a full Ranger already, unlike Cindy or Joseph, who were still learning the tricks of their trade.
The three were cheerfully debating certain items from home, when the door opened and they shut up. They were told not to mention Pokémon or their world except in their Tower, which was the only place they were allowed to have their Pokémon out.
One of the conditions of joining the school was that they had a place for them to sleep and be with others from their world. Since they didn't want the whole interhouse war infecting the potentials, they were given their own tower to sleep in, but they had to eat meals with whatever house they were sorted in.
It was a compromise that the Ranger Union had made with the school governors and Headmaster Dumbledore, so that they could keep such information in-house as it were. In exchange the students could carry their Pokéballs around to class, but they couldn't bring out the Pokémon inside them.
Even if it meant losing out on the in-house experience with the other kids, it was better than the panic that would result when the normal wizards learned that there was another world completely devoid of normal magic that had somehow managed to break through to theirs. And that it had creatures that could take down the average Auror-squad with a few well chosen commands.
Dumbledore had only agreed to the use of one of the Towers because the head of the Elite Four at the time had shown him what a Hyperbeam could do...using something as unassuming as a Rattata and a Pidgey.
Seeing something that looked like a small purple rat and a tiny pidgeon creature destroy five acres of forest with a single move had been all the convincing Dumbledore needed to keep this quiet. Seeing a kindergarden class with several small Pokémon (including the same rat and bird) without any fear of them attacking the children, had been all he needed to allow them in the school.
A red-haired boy with a smattering of freckles came in asking for a place to sit.
"Sorry, but we really don't have any room," said Sora.
Well, that and on the way back from the bathroom he had noticed that there were four empty compartments on the next carriage.
The boy shut the door, lamenting loudly that he was never going to befriend the boy-who-lived at this rate. Sora sweatdropped.
"What's got you so worried?"
"I've read some of those books about this boy-who-lived...they're a load of nonsense. And it seems these magicals view him as the next coming of Merlin or Lance for some reason."
"Ouch. That kind of expectation can crush a child if they aren't used to that kind of hype."
"And I think there was a reason why Ranger Richard had me go see that goblin to have my name changed to the one I've been using for years. From what I heard, there was a packed pub waiting to mob this kid the second he came back to the magical world," said Sora.
He remembered vividly that most of those owls that came to him had the name 'Harry Potter', and the what that goblin said at the inheritance office about him being the 'Potter boy'.
He really didn't want to deal with people mobbing him and expecting more than he was willing to give.
They had to deal with the door opening three more time. One again by the redhead, once by a bossy brunette looking for a toad, and the third time by a pale blond with an arrogant attitude that had Sora wanted to break his nose. He reminded him far too much of that creep who got Zeke's mother killed.
The three enjoyed the chocolate frogs and ice mice, and avoided the jelly beans after one too many 'misses', one involving blood flavor. They were already in their uniform, as none of them wanted to deal with finding their trunks in the back carraige. Yoruichi was already waiting for Sora in his dorm room (assigned as soon as it was confirmed they were coming to the school), as was Ryu-kun (Cindy's wyvern).
Finally the train stopped, and the three made their way to the boats. They immediately claimed the one that looked something like a Lapras under the water, though only those from their world would recognize it.
It was actually a test so Hagrid would know who knew about Pokémon and who didn't. It had been his secret joy when during the fifteenth year that the Rift had been opened both ways, one of the older trainers had fulfilled his not-so-secret desire for a dragon by giving the man a Dratini egg, which hatched the year after.
Little Norbert was now a Dragonair, and Hagrid was the only adult allowed anywhere near their tower and the only 'wizard' who had been past the Rift to see the Pokémon world.
If it hadn't been for his loyalty to Dumbledore, it was highly likely Hagrid would have moved there with his 'pets' and become a dragon tamer.
The man was the only person to think that a Gyarados was 'cute'! Probably why another trainer had dumped a useless Magikarp on him which now roamed the Black Lake with the squid, fully evolved of course.
McGonagall tried and failed to locate James and Lily's son instead giving a green-eyed boy with goggles a dirty look because she caught a hint of light black and red fur under his robes. It was clearly one of those odd creatures that were discovered thirty years ago, but since it was staying more or less out of sight, there was nothing she could do.
Some were allowed out of the tower by playing the part of a doll, but usually something like a teddy bear (Cubachoo, among others) or by disguising itself as an ordinary pet (Ditto). Others played the part as an unusual pet, such as Persian or Squirtle. One trainer had managed to get his Rattata out of the tower by using a simple color changing charm to hide what it was.
Then again, that boy had been a Ravenclaw.
"I would like to remind those who sleep in the unofficial 'fifth' house that your special...pets...are not allowed outside the Tower. As you will be sorted along with your peers, you will be given the password to the common rooms, but remember you have your own room to sleep in. Try not to embarrass your new classmates, as they may try to find your dorms."
"What fifth house?" demanded the pale blond.
"If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you aren't allowed to go in," said McGonagall.
The pale blond looked offended at the very notion he wasn't allowed to go somewhere.
"The sorting shall begin momentarily."
The pale blond looked around, as if looking for someone. Sora had a feeling he was looking for Potter, and shrunk behind Cindy and Joseph a bit.
McGonagall returned, and lead them into the hall.
Sora paid little mind to the bossy brunette, though he did make a note to investigate the spell that made up that ceiling, as he suspected the Ranger Union would love to add it to theirs.
More than one Ranger enjoyed sleeping outdoors instead of some posh hotel.
One by one, the children walked up to the hat to be sorted.
"Green, Joseph!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Hoshino, Sora!"
Sora gulped, held Zeke a little closer (he snuggled more to his 'big brother') and went under the hat.
A few minutes in, and the hat shouted "RAVENCLAW!"
He sat at the blue and bronze table, ignoring the prefect's hiss to remove his goggles.
No way was he doing that. Not with the scar on his forehead so well known. Maybe when he had that soul shard or whatever removed and it healed up he would start taking his goggles off.
He started sneaking food to Zeke from the table, and luckily he was able to deflect any questions about the fact he kept slipping food below the table by simply mentioning he was apart of the mysterious 'fifth' house of Hogwarts.
Apparently the Ravens were more interested in his 'house' than in the fact he had a few quirks.
Sora was so tired from the day that when the school song ended, he had to be tapped on the shoulder by a trainer (he recognized the Pokéball on the boy's neck...clever way to hide it in plain sight) and followed the fifth group back to the tower.
He wasn't so tired that he missed Percy growling at Joseph because he didn't think to share that he was part of the fifth group. He would have to think of an appropriate response for Percy's attitude problem.
Sora yawned as he found his room, and said "Goodnight Zeke."
Zeke barked, and the two cuddled under the covers.
