3
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If I owned it, would I be writing this?
RoB: I didn't know that Tim had been eaten more than once. I thought it was only one time.
Buchouslvr: Half true. I do some scenes from different perspectives.
You guys are awesome. But now I'm terrified that I'll disappoint you by starting to write the characters OOC. I mentioned before that this would be a slash story but it's not going to have sex in it. Well, I don't plan on it anyway.
--
Love is patient, love is kind. Kanda recited under his breath, trying to control his temper. The girl, whom Kanda belatedly remembered was mentioned in passing as Hermione Granger, glared at the boy and hit him again. The dark haired one was agape in mortification and horror. Allen had burst out laughing by now, unable to control himself. Kanda was infuriated beyond belief. It does not envy, does not boast. He recited furiously under his breath. Why wasn't it working this time?
"Stop laughing brat!" Kanda snarled. Allen clapped one hand over his mouth and doubled over, trying to muffle his giggling. Kanda growled low in his throat. He hated being mistaken as a girl. He hated that he was on this totally unnecessary mission doing unnecessary shopping. He hated that he had to be alert constantly. He hated being suspicious of everything. Most of all, he hated the fact that Allen was laughing at him! Anger surged to the surface, blinding his judgment. He raised his hand high.
"I said stop laughing brat!"
When Kanda came to his senses, Allen was holding his cheek, staring at the ground like a chastised child. Anyone who had heard the loud crack of flesh on flesh had stopped to stare. Already, he could see the outline of a palm forming on Allen's skin. Guilt washed over the swordsman. The white haired boy wasn't at fault. Kanda shouldn't have slapped him. He shouldn't have….
But he swallowed the words in his throat and turned abruptly.
"We're leaving., brat" He snarled, stalking off to the Leaky Cauldron. The soft padding of boots hitting the floor assured him that Allen was following.
--
Kanda didn't look at his colleague as he took a pinch of Floo powder. The swordsman pulled Allen to his side roughly, grimacing as he realized that the imprint was now an angry red and would probably bruise. He brushed Allen's hair aside and gently touched his cheek. Wrath was his greatest flaw. He let it control him instead of him controlling it. After years of training and discipline, he still couldn't quell his rage. Was all that meditation for naught?
"I shouldn't have." He whispered, guilt creeping into his voice. He was turning into the Panda. Never again, he vowed. He wouldn't abuse his 'student'. To his surprise, Allen tugged on his sleeve and smiled.
"Apology accepted."
"…" Kanda was rendered speechless. Just like that? He didn't even say the 'S' word! Honestly, Allen was too forgiving. Still, the two words lifted a burden from his mind and he felt a little lighter. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards of their own accord as he turned and threw the grey powder into the grate. The fire flared green.
"Hogwarts Great Hall!" The two disappeared in a whirl.
--
"That was the Defense Professor?" Harry asked in disbelief. The trio was still a stunned at the rough way the Japanese man handled the white haired child. The name calling, the permanent scowl, the slap, it all seemed extremely violent. Who knew, he might raise his hand against them!
"Ye, that was him." Hagrid replied. The giant was quite confused. Kanda had seemed like a well mannered person though a little stern and tight lipped at first. He didn't expect the new teacher to be so violent towards someone that was supposed to be his apprentice.
Hermione had on a troubled expression. The brown haired witch tapped her lips thoughtfully as they made their way towards the Ice Cream Parlour.
--
Kanda had a dilemma. In a world where almost anything could be explained away as magic, how was one to know that strange happenings happened because of Innocence or magic? Hence, the swordsman was in a library-like room he found, looking up strange isolated incidents in Hogwarts. A History and cross referencing them with other incidents around the world.
Allen was off to the side, attempting to levitate a book and failing. The book wavered unsteadily, dipping and rising several times.
"Kanda, is it supposed to do that?" He whined. He couldn't help himself. Just when he thought he was getting it right, the book would fall. It was getting irritating and making him lose confidence.
The older male looked up distractedly and observed the way Allen was holding his wand. No problem there as far as he could see. Technically, Allen should not be having any problems, and yet he was. Kanda frowned.
"That happened to me at first. It goes away after you practice." He said, turning his attention to his books again. There had been several incidents in the previous war where the school had deflected particularly strong attacks despite having dilapidated wards. Was that worth looking into? Kanda made a note of it on the parchment.
Allen had moved on to getting the book to zoom around the room at a moderate pace. It still dipped a little at times but overall was much steadier.
"Is it dinner time yet?" Allen asked as he rubbed his still sore cheek. Kanda frowned. He could swear he smelt rice. Fried rice with onions, tomatoes, lettuce, eggs, mushrooms and a liberal sprinkling of pepper. He dismissed it as his imagination, not noticing the plate that appeared on one of the shelves.
"No it is not. And even if it were, you are forbidden to eat in the Hall. You shall dine in my rooms every day." Kanda replied. Allen's voracious appetite was definitely not fit for the public eye. Not fit for any eye, actually. The white haired teen nodded, not caring where he ate as long as he had a chance to eat. He touched his cheek rubbing at the rapidly darkening bruise.
"When's dinner?"
Kanda noted that the book was zipping around erratically as Allen started to become distracted. He shut his book with a snap, gathering his parchment. Allen would never learn anything if the boy was constantly thinking about his stomach.
"Come, let us head back." Kanda said briskly. It wouldn't do to let Allen get lost in this school. Who knows what he might come across!
--
Kanda left Allen in his room with a house elves, intent on feeding Allen till he burst. The swordsman was a little wary about letting Allen ingest food that seemed to appear out of no where. Everything had to come from something. That was the way he was taught. It was unnerving to watch plates and plates of food just appear like that.
But Allen was happy and well fed. That was enough for now, Kanda supposed as he sat down for his own dinner in the hall. He was too caught up in his own thoughts to realize that he had sat down beside the High Inquisitor.
"Why, Mr. Kanda. I haven't seen you all day!" the woman exclaimed whether in false sweetness or with sincerity, Kanda couldn't tell. The swordsman barely managed to keep his face straight as he gave her tight, cold smile.
"And I you, Miss Umbridge." He pointedly turned to his plate and clasped his hands together, bowing his head in a prayer of thanksgiving. Unfortunately, Umbridge did not get the point.
"I heard you have an apprentice." She continued, under the impression that the conversation was still going. Kanda tried to block her out, repeating 'Lord bless this meal' under his breath several times while he tried to remember what to say after that.
"I haven't seen him either."
Was he doomed to be followed by people who wouldn't shut up? Here, Kanda squeezed his eyes tighter. He repeated 'Though men do not live on bread alone' twice, both times imagining Allen eating bread for the rest of his life.
"You should introduce us sometimes!"
His prayer of thanksgiving took a slight detour and he mouthed 'Dear Lord, please allow me to enjoy my meal, in silence.' He ended with a rather loud "All in the Lord's name. Amen."
Ah… sweet silence. Kanda picked up his spoon and helped himself to some potatoes. The silence was worth the shocked and horrified stares he was getting from the other teachers. Ask, and ye shall receive. Kanda always believed. The swordsman murmured his thanks to the Lord as he bit down on a piece of chicken. Not bad, but nothing could beat soba.
--
Allen was having the time of his life. There was copious amounts of food, no need to wait in line and best of all, no one to remark the way he devoured everything. He couldn't help the fact that he needed to replenish his energy by eating and he hated the fact that a lot of people thought it was weird or strange. It was simple to him, parasitic innocence used more energy, so the exorcists needed to eat more. End story.
The white haired boy was quite satiated by the time Kanda showed up.
"Moyashi."
Allen stood quickly and dusted crumbs off his pants.
"Dfnt, cafft mfft tfftht!" He replied with a mouthful of pie. Kanda smirked and rolled his eyes at Allen's deplorable manners. The white haired boy couldn't help but blush out of embarrassment.
"Done?"
Allen nodded quickly, still scowling at his senior. The swordsman whipped out his wand and waved it at the leftover food, murmuring a spell. To Allen's disappointment, the food disappeared. He was hoping to have some more later.
"Allen."
Now that got his attention. Kanda rarely used his name. The white haired boy looked up to see a thoroughly irritated sword wielder looking at him seriously.
"Very soon, we're going to be separated." A brief pause as the older male searched for the words to say. "Try to act like one of the students and befriend them if you can. See if you can get anything out of them." The dark coloured gaze turned to rest on Allen.
"Moyashi," The pause suggested that Kanda was searching for the right words to say.
The younger boy held his breath, half-expecting something profound to slip from the swordsman's lips.
"Don't do anything stupid."
Well, Allen wouldn't stop hoping.
--
Allen did his best to avoid being seen without Kanda around the castle. He didn't know what to say when he was with the professors and he especially had nothing to say to Umbridge. She kept giving him funny looks whenever he appeared so he had taken to walking two steps behind Kanda at all times. Like now, he was sitting next to Kanda at the teachers table as he waited for Kanda to finish breakfast. He could feel eyes following his every movement as he fidgeted. Why oh why was he an apprentice? Apprentices couldn't make fun of their masters. Well they weren't supposed to but teasing Kanda would make him feel better. Loads better. How on earth was Kanda holding up without soba and tempura anyway?
"Are you aware that make up isn't allowed in this school?" Professor Snape sneered at the white haired boy. Allen was flabbergasted.
"I'm not wearing make up!" He protested. Kanda turned slightly to watch them.
"Then I suppose that you'll tell me that your star is a birth defect?" The potions master said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Allen's subconsciously touched his face and covered his left eye with his hand, feeling quite uncomfortable. How was he going to explain his scar?
"It's… not." He said defiantly.
"Then what is it? Is it a cursed scar? I've never seen anything like it before!" Professor Flitwick interjected, looking closely at Allen with interest. Kanda slammed down his chopsticks, making several teachers jump.
"Come, brat. We're going outside." With that, the swordsman got up and strode away. Allen scrambled out of his chair quickly to follow, thankful for the distraction. Why on earth was he so tongue tied anyway? Oh right, he was terrified of saying something wrong. He knew that what came out of his mouth didn't necessarily go through his brain first.
Once they were standing outside and in front of the lake, Kanda turned to Allen.
"I forbid you to speak about your mark." He said forcefully. The younger boy stared, wide-eyed and uncomprehending for all of one minute before he realized that Kanda was giving him a way out of all those pesky questions. All he had to do was to say that he had been forbidden to talk about it. No one would challenge a professor anyway.
"Yes, sir." Allen replied dutifully. Kanda made a derisive sound in the back of his throat and glared out at the waters where a long tentacle broke the surface of the water. The parasite exorcist could have sworn he heard Kanda murmur something that sounded suspiciously like 'sushi' before tossing a wooden sword at Allen.
"You've gotten rusty."
It was a statement, not a question. Allen bristled in anger at the unspoken challenge. Kanda liked to speak as if he knew everything. Ha, Allen would show him that collecting Innocence hadn't been the only thing he had been doing on missions.
Allen slid fluidly into a basic stance which allowed him to defend and attack easily. A twinge of satisfaction filled his heart when he saw his opponent smirk. It was a sign of approval. A twisted kind of approval but approval all the same. The swordsman adopted a deep crouch, holding his still sheathed sword close to his face.
Without warning, he lunged and Allen barely managed to block his upward slash and deflect it to the side. Kanda used the direction of deflection to spin around and bring his sword down roughly. The younger boy ducked and rolled away, standing up a few feet away from Kanda.
"Not bad." The sword wielder's tone was mocking. Allen stuck his tongue out at Kanda to say 'Ha! I'm not rusty after all!'. He hastily withdrew his tongue when Kanda's now unsheathed sword stopped right beside it. A bead of sweat trickled down Allen's cheek when he realized that Kanda had not only pulled out his sword but had also gotten close enough to cut his tongue out without the white haired boy noticing.
"But not good either." Kanda continued, his cocky smirk a blatant challenge to the younger male. Allen growled. He was still a General though he was posing as an apprentice. There was no way the parasitic exorcist was letting someone who ranked lower talk down to him. Not even Kanda.
With a battle cry, he lunged at his opponent, intent on making the other eat his words.
--
"Are you alright?" Professor Sprout asked in concern as she watched the white haired child limp through the hallways to the Great Hall. The new professor starting sparring with his apprentice everyday since he arrived and it seemed to be taking a toll on the teenager. Mr. Kanda had not gone easy on the younger boy even though it was the day of the Sorting Feast and the day Allen was supposed to be sorted. Her initial impression of the Defense Professor had been revised several times since she saw his apprentice. Masters were definitely not supposed to treat their apprentices like trash.
Allen turned to look at her with an expression of surprise.
"Why wouldn't I be alright?" He asked her, looking totally bewildered. Professor Sprout was taken aback. Surely he hadn't gotten so used to being in pain that he thought it was alright?
"You're limping, child." She said gently, taking him by the elbow. "Why don't you go to see Madam Pomfrey? She'll fix you right up." The kindly professor suggested. Allen gently removed her hand and patted it softly.
"Oh, don't worry about me, Professor Sprout. Besides, I'm not going to get stronger if I fix everything with magic."
His reply was gentle, happy and carefree. So why did it make the professor worry so much? Professor Kanda seemed to be extremely violent with the child. Yet Allen had no complaints about it. Surely Kanda could not be abusing the poor child?
"Brat. I thought I told you to be in the Hall five minutes ago! What took you so long?" Speak of the devil! Kanda stood at the doors to the Great Hall, foot tapping impatiently. His dark expression seemed to have no effect on the teenaged apprentice. Allen even gave him an amused look.
"Sorry for making you wait sensei. Professor Sprout just asked me if I was alright." Was the soft reply. Allen seemed to be happy that his master was scolding him. Somehow, Kanda's expression seemed to soften.
"Don't just stand there! Answer her!" Kanda snapped, folding his arms across his chest. The movement made his robes swirl around him, exposing the sword he wore at all times for a brief second. The Herbologist had the distinct feeling that the man had killed with it more than one time and wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
"I'm alright Professor Sprout, nothing to worry about." The head of Hufflepuff was brought out of her musings when Allen clapped her on the shoulder in a friendly and reassuring manner.
"Now come! I'll have to take you to Professor McGonagall to be sorted." Kanda spun on his heel. His apprentice limped after him at an impressive pace.
--
"Wait here." The tone of voice was rude. The sentence was directed at the teen standing in front of the first years standing outside the Great Hall waiting to be sorted. The Irish witch made a disapproving sound at the way Kanda addressed Allen.
"Behave. Or else."
Most of the eleven year olds winced at the underlying threat issued by the dark haired Asian looking man. But the teen only smiled and nodded. He knew that Kanda was worried that something might happen and that there would be no one to help.
"Yes, sir." He replied.
"And don't do anything stupid." Kanda snarled before turning on his heel and heading back to the teacher's table. Allen was careful not to grin widely. With Kanda, that was as close to 'Be careful' as he could get. The swordsman was such a worrywart, what was the worst thing that could happen? With that thought in mind, Allen started to shuffle to the back of the line. His muscles in his right leg were still protesting from the spar that morning where he had done an impromptu split to avoid Kanda's sword. He was getting rusty in his flexibility. Allen briefly wondered how this Sorting would be carried out. How on earth did you determine someone's courage, ambition, loyalty and intelligence anyway? As far as Allen knew, the only way to do that was to read their minds. Here he stumbled as he realized something. What if they had a way to look into his mind? This was a magic school after all! If they could make food appear, things disappear and rear a squid so big it could feed Africa for a week, who knows what they might have! The young General had a hard time keeping his face straight as he took his place at the last of the line. Who knew what they would see when they did! What if they found out? It hadn't even been a week since he got here. Allen numbly followed the line of first years into the Hall. It would be terrible if he blew their cover. Kanda would never forgive him not to mention all chances of recovering Innocence would be gone.
He was so lost in his thoughts that when he looked up, the tattered hat upon the stool had finished singing. Allen was starting to panic. The first student was called. All the eleven year old did was to sit down and put the hat on his head. After a few moments, a split opened in the brim of a hat and the hat let out a loud cry.
"Hufflepuff!"
The child ran to join one of the tables. Dread bubbled up in Allen's chest as he surveyed the tables. One table was decked in green and silver- Slytherin, judging from the snake on the banner- and had many snobby looking faces. The yellow and black table- Hufflepuff if Allen wasn't mistaken- seemed to have a friendly bunch of people. The bunch at the blue and bronze table - Ravenclaw perhaps?- looked to be really bored and the ones at the red and gold table- most probably Gryffindor- seemed to be a boisterous lot. Did Allen even have a say in where he was placed? If he really had to choose, he didn't want to be in any of them. If he remembered his extremely brief history lesson correctly, Slytherins were commonly misconceived to be evil, the Hufflepuffs to be pushovers, the Ravenclaws to be extreme bookworms and the Gryffindors to be courageous idiots. Allen didn't fancy being any of them.
Allen looked up, feeling shaken when his name was called and all eyes swiveled to look at him. He noted that Kanda was glaring at him. A glare that said that there was going to be hell to pay if Allen did something stupid.
With great trepidation, Allen took a step forward as he stared at the hat. He prayed hard that he wouldn't mess up this time. A sense of peace washed over him as he looked up and locked gazes with the other exorcist again. Why was he so afraid anyway? Allen was a general, he wouldn't let some silly old hat intimidate him. He smiled darkly as he limped towards the stool with a little more confidence. If the hat said anything, anything at all about him and his past or his future, Allen would make sure that there would be a 'tragedy'. A tragedy so tragic, even the Earl would not be able to bear it.
Maybe it was his imagination but the hat was shaking before he even got to the stool.
"Slytherin!" it cried when Allen made to pick it up. Allen's head snapped up, looking at the teachers table in surprise. Kanda had covered his face with his palm, looking thoroughly annoyed and disgusted. Allen turned, not sure where he was supposed to sit. The silence was unnerving.
Slowly, the snobbish looking teenagers started to clap and the other houses soon followed suit. Allen shuffled towards the table quickly, wanting to get out of the spotlight quickly. As soon as he sat down opposite a pale young man, the Headmaster stood and spread his arms in a welcoming gesture.
"As you can see, we have a new Professor!" He indicated Kanda who stood and nodded. "His name is Yuu Kanda and he will be teaching Defence Against The Dark Arts!" Kanda sat down in an unconcerned manner, black expression in place.
"Professor Kanda's apprentice is Mr. Allen Walker." Albus Dumbledore gestured to the white haired child. Allen wanted to sink down and die. Was it really necessary to announce it? He glared at the empty plate in front of him.
"Now!" the headmaster was about to say something but was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing her throat. To Allen's disgust, it was the pink loving woman who stood up to say a few words. He tuned her out and turned his attention to his housemates.
They were all regarding him with the air of someone looking at dung stuck to their shoe. But Allen was impervious. He had been on the receiving end of that look many times before. From Kanda no less. The exorcist merely pasted on his most charming smile and nodded at them politely. He turned to glance at Kanda who was massaging his temples.
"You're his apprentice?" A pug-faced girl asked in a condescending manner. She stole a look at the professor in question. "Hmph, he doesn't look like much." She laughed softly, completely ignoring what Madam Umbridge was saying. Allen shrugged and folded his hands in his lap.
"Appearances can be deceiving." He replied and nodded sagely. Clapping signaled the end of Umbridge's speech and the beginning of the feast. Allen didn't blink when the food appeared. It did that in the kitchen and in his rooms anyway. But he was torn between staying here and heading off to the kitchen. Kanda had told him to dine alone hadn't he? But this was the sorting feast, surely one meal couldn't matter?
Allen looked up, catching his 'master's gaze. The teenagers pushed away from the table just a little, hoping that Kanda would get the idea. Apparently, he did because the swordsman shook his head slightly.
The white haired boy shifted to look as if he was just stretching.
"I've never heard of the Walkers." One pale faced boy said rudely, pointing at Allen with a fork. "You wouldn't happen to be a mudblood would you?" he asked, eyes narrowing. Allen helped himself to some salad and hummed softly.
"Well, I'm not that sure because my parents were brutally murdered." Here, the white haired teen paused to take a bite. "Master won't tell me about it cause he says that they might come after me next."
His housemates looked suitably impressed at his partially true story. There was a soft hum of acknowledgement from several of the older looking teens.
"Do you play Quidditch?" A dark haired teen asked, leaning forward to look at Allen. Allen hummed again. He had read about Quidditch and Kanda had explained it to him. It was a game played on brooms midair. Judging from the calculative expression on his fellow Slytherin's faces, playing Quidditch was something that was revered and respected.
"I moved around too much to play properly, though I would love to try." He replied with a polite and charming smile. Maybe it was his imagination but he could have sworn he saw several girls from the other end of the table sigh and look at him dreamily.
"Your face, is that a cursed scar?" The pug faced girl asked inquisitively, she reached out to touch his hair. It took every fibre of Allen's self control not to pull away as he remembered the way Rhode had stabbed his eye. Instead he closed his eyes and smiled darkly, it would be better if he tried to fit in with the Slytherin stereotype first: dark and mysterious.
"Now that would be telling." He whispered conspiratorially. His housemates shared a look amongst themselves, seeming to debate whether he was worthy of their attention.
"My name is Montague." The dark haired boy said, extending his hand towards Allen. "Seventh Year. This is Draco Malfoy, that's Pansy Parkinson and he's Blaise Zabini. All fifth years." The boy said, gesturing to his housemates. Allen shook their hands politely, stealing a glance at Kanda while he did so.
The swordsman gave him the tiniest of smirks and nodded ever so slightly.
The Slytherins were gathered in their common rooms after dinner. The fourth years and above were either seated on the couches or armchairs. The second and third years stood or sat near their seniors while the first years sat on the lush throw rug in the middle of the common room. The room was mostly silent except for the soft chattering of the first years. The Slytherins, Draco reflected, were really like a nest of snakes, lounging around digesting their food contently after a huge meal.
Everyone turned to gaze at the portrait hole when it swung open and Professor Snape stepped in. Silence fell over the common room as Severus's dark gaze swept over the students gathered there. The only light came from the fireplace. The absence of windows in the Dungeons only served to make the place darker. The shadows danced as Professor Snape walked around the room slowly, circling the first years twice. Draco had been awed the first time he had seen his godfather do this. The dour man never said a word but somehow, Draco had felt safe because he knew that the potions professor was taking note of the young serpents.
After inspecting the new arrivals, Severus walked over to the portrait hole and paused. He turned to face Allen, scrutinizing the teenager.
"Your master says," Snape sneered. "Don't do anything stupid, brat."
Allen laughed. Draco raised an eyebrow at his actions. It was as if Allen did not take his master's threats seriously. The teen must either know something they didn't or have a serious death wish.
"Thank you, sir." Allen said with a smile. Severus made a derisive sound as if he did not believe that Allen was sincere then swept out of the room.
The first years started talking again, most of them subdued by Professor Snape's dark aura. Draco watched as some of the sixth and seventh years ushered the youngsters up the stairs to bed. Next year, he would be one of them, responsible for taking care of the kids.
The mood was quiet and contemplative. Most of the remaining snakes seemed only mildly interested in Allen. He had been easily accepted into their fold as a fellow serpent because of the way the hat had sorted him. Oh for someone to be sorted before they even touched the hat, Allen must either be extremely ambitious or really dark. Draco looked over at the white haired teenager who was busy massaging his arm.
"You're in Seventh Year, aren't you?" he leaned over to ask. Allen looked at him with something akin to amusement in his eyes.
"I will be." Was the short reply. Draco shifted the position of his chair so that he was partially facing the older boy. They wouldn't be in the same class, but Draco had the feeling that he would be seeing a lot of Allen anyway. Pansy nudged Draco in the side. The million dollar question. Did Allen wish for the light? Draco saw no point in beating around the bush.
"Are you a follower of the Dark Lord?"
Allen raised his head to look at the silver eyed boy and raised an eyebrow. He raised one gloved hand to brush his hair out of his face as he seemed to think.
"I'm not. And I won't be." Allen said bluntly. Their gazes locked and Draco could see an unspoken challenge in there. Allen was daring Draco to change his mind. The young Malfoy subconsciously knew that it would be a wasted effort anyway so he inclined his head.
"What about Albus Dumbledore or the Ministry?"
Here, Allen snorted and covered his mouth with one glove, trying to suppress his laughter. Draco watched Montague and the other seventh years come back down the stairs out of the corner of his eye. Irving Shard, a Seventh Year gave him a disapproving look as if to reprimand Draco about being so blunt. After all, Slytherin preferred subtlety.
"My master distrusts the Headmaster and the Ministry." Allen sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I don't disagree." He spread his palms upward and shrugged.
There was a murmur of agreement amongst the sixth and fifth years who were listening. Those who were not followers of the Dark Lord few as they may be, also did not trust the Ministry or the headmaster.
"I, am going to bed." Allen said decidedly. He pushed himself up with a little bit of difficulty and steadied himself with the arm of the chair. Draco frowned as he realized that Allen was standing in a way that suggested that he was hurt in many places. Canes, a seventh year stood up.
"Come, I'll take you there."
The two teenagers descended the stairs deeper into the dungeons.
--
It was very early but Kanda was already in his classroom. With a little bit of research and practice, he had managed to rearrange the room to suit his liking. All the posters had been taken down, leaving no room for distraction. The walls were a pastel blue colour and the tables were arranged neatly two by two.
He had only seen Allen briefly that morning when he let the boy in for breakfast. Allen had scarfed down everything set in front of him and then some as if he had been starving.
"So?" The single syllable that had issued from the swordsman's mouth hung in the air uncomfortably. Allen looked up.
"Nothing yet. But they like me so far." He said flatly. Kanda had nodded then stepped out of the room to get his own breakfast. He had decided to leave off sparring with Allen until they had properly settled into school life. He couldn't risk Allen not being at full capacity if there was an attack or something during school hours.
The sword wielder shook his head slightly, clearing thoughts of white haired boys and their morbidly fascinating arms from his mind. He picked up the lesson plans and went through them one last time before classes started.
He only got halfway when his first class entered. The first year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. As they filtered in one by one, Kanda felt a pang of nostalgia. They looked so small, vulnerable and scared. Was he ever like that at their age? He could never remember a time when he had been defenseless and that was exactly what his students were right now.
"Sit." He said in a tone that was soft but stern. They obeyed quickly.
"Books out, wands away. Theory first, magic later." He stated as he picked up the chalk to write on the blackboard. He wrote down the first spell that Lavi had him memorize, the pronunciation, the effects and the wand movement. When he turned around, he realized that his students were just staring at him.
"What are you waiting for? Take that down!" Kanda snapped a little too harshly for his own liking. The students scrambled for quills, ink and parchment, all of them copying down the words quickly. As Kanda walked around the classroom, looking at what they wrote, he came to a horrible conclusion.
They had terrible penmanship.
--
"So, Allen." Montague had taken it upon himself to walk beside Allen and tell him about Hogwarts. "How do you find Hogwarts?"
Allen was more than a little distracted since Timcampy kept wanting to get free and fly around that morning. In the end, Allen had resorted to using a Disillusionment spell on the golem and letting it fly around his rooms. Now, the parasite exorcist wasn't so sure that was a good idea because he kept feeling Timcampy's wings around his head. Ha, don't do anything stupid, Kanda would be furious.
"Oh hm? I don't find it that well, that's why I use Point Me." Was the distracted reply. The white haired boy ran a hand through his hair and adjusted the strap of his bag. He didn't notice the befuddled look that Montague shared with Irving and Canes.
Thank God he was only taking the basic subjects like Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, History and Defence Against the Dark Arts. He hadn't a clue about Ancient Runes, Herbology or Divination.
Allen took a deep breath as he stepped into the Transfiguration classroom. He could do this. He would learn and masquerade as a student and pull it off god-willing. The urge to make the sign of the cross was overwhelming despite the fact that he wasn't that religious and he didn't follow that particular doctrine.
"Take a seat." Professor McGonagall said sternly. Allen complied hastily, sliding into the seat between a pair of red headed twins.
"Look, if it isn't a little serpent!" One exclaimed.
"Why, it's mighty wee!" the other added. Then they grinned at each other as Allen flushed. It wasn't his fault he was still considered a little short for his age. Taking a deep breath, Allen sat up straighter and ignored the two boys. He could let it slide. It was the truth anyway, right? He was shorter and so smaller in size. There was no point in getting riled up. Yep, no point at all. Allen was a General now, Generals kept their cool and didn't do stupid things. Thankfully, he was saved by the sound of Professor McGonagall tapping her wand on the blackboard.
"Today, we will be practicing advanced Transfiguration." She waved her wand and the chalk started to write. Allen watched, quite fascinated with the neat writing it produced.
"The incantation is on page 16 of your text books. Instead of transfiguring items of similar size, today you shall be attempting to transfigure these tiny cupcakes into cauldrons. Points will be taken off for edible cauldrons but points will be given for those who manage to transfigure completely solid cauldrons. You may begin."
Allen flipped open his book and skimmed the first chapter quickly. The wand movement was a simple flick of the wand with more emphasis on the fingers instead of the wrist. Allen tried it out several times, swishing his rather bendy wand to get the feel of it.
"Grand… is… mag… nus…" He moved on to repeating the incantation under his breath until he could say it properly without hitching on the syllables. He could feel eyes on him because he was the only one not attempting to cast just yet. At your own pace, at your own pace, he reminded himself cautiously, trying to put together the wand movement and incantation together.
"Grandismagnus."
The cupcake swelled a little then turned into a dark bronze colour. Little by little, it hollowed out to become a cauldron.
"Well." Professor McGonagall tapped it with her wand. There was a small thudding sound. "A good first try. Try making it a little larger and less chocolatey, Mr Walker." She commented with a small smile as what looked to be chocolate chips fell off the tiny cauldron. "A point to Slytherin."
Allen smiled happily then blushed as his hard chocolate cauldron reverted into a cupcake with a pop. He flicked his wand a little harder, willing it to stay in cauldron form, not noticing the way the twins were whispering behind him.
--
"I dread this." Ron whispered to Harry as they stopped outside the Defense Classroom. Every single student that had taken this class had emerged subdued and quiet. It was a little scary the way the first years kept their heads down and the second years refused to talk about it. They would usually start talking when hailed by a senior.
"If I recall correctly, classes take place in the classroom, not outside the door." Kanda's acerbic tone floated through the door. The Golden Trio entered hastily and took the remaining empty seats as the Slytherins snickered. Harry glared at Draco Malfoy who was smirking rather nastily.
"Sit. Take out your quills and parchment and copy this down." Kanda snapped. Instead of the usual wand wave and chalk write, he chose to pick up the chalk and write the words by himself. The chalk tapped and clicked against the blackboard in quick and fast strokes.
"After seeing the general performance of the younger years, I'm inclined to believe that you lot will be no better. So I'm going to give you my first year material and see how well you deal with that before moving you on up."
The young Defense Teacher spun around and slammed his hands on the table, crushing the chalk underneath as whispers broke out. Hermione looked quite put out at what Professor Kanda had said and opened her mouth to say something but the swordsman glared at her.
"My father will hear about this!" Draco sputtered indignantly. Professor Kanda turned his near murderous gaze upon the blonde boy. The entire class watched with baited breath as the swordsman's hand drifted to his sword and caressed it in a way that left no doubt that he wanted to cut something very badly.
"Well, excuse you." Was the sarcastic reply as Kanda removed his hand from his sword. "Why aren't you lot writing?" He snapped. There was a flurry of activity as the students scrambled for their parchment and quills.
--
You get this chapter because:
1. I passed Math T
2. Highest in MUET
3. I keep itching to write.