A/N: James Curtains logging in for the Captain's Report. Things have been hectic lately. I've just made the biggest move of my life over the past couple of weeks by accepting an internship down in Florida! That was 18 hours of straight driving and I have to say, Georgia is one entertaining place to drive through. I stopped in one of their convenience stores while my driving buddy filled the tank and I saw a fried chicken counter, cases of alcohol, wooden beat sticks, and fireworks all in the same aisle. Greatest. State. Ever.

As I'm sure you've noticed, this chapter is rather lacking in word count. This can be attributed to several factors, two of those being the internet connection and little time for much else besides packing, traveling, unpacking and getting to know Orlando. I can't promise when the next chapter will be out because after tonight (or today depending on when I post this) my schedule will become rather erratic. I ask for you not to get too excited over updates. I'd really rather not disappoint any of you by promising quick chapters, but I will try my best. Jeez, I'm making this sound like I have some big following of people hanging onto my every word XD My egotism likes to rear it's beautiful head every now and again ;)

If you'll all excuse my absence, I'll happily continue on with the story : ) To everybody who reviewed, favorited, and added me or my story to an alerts list, I must thank you : ) You're all wonderful people and those notifications make my days. Thank you~

Disclaimer: Okay, this is the last time I'm putting this whole thing up. I still don't own Kingdom Hearts (even though I wish I did) or Harry Potter ( the last movie comes out on my birthday :D) and all rights and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Have a fabulous day.

Chapter 3

Something In The Water

Roxas couldn't see two feet in front of him without tripping and hitting his head against a tree. The forest was just as difficult to navigate through the second time around as it was on his first visit to the new world, which he had dubbed World of Spite. Strange creatures lurked deeper in, ones that poked and prodded and threatened him with weapons he wasn't familiar with. The Heartless seemed to have left this world alone. Roxas didn't blame them. This whole world is more to handle than it's worth, he thought to himself. Now, which way is out?

Stopping to grasp at a twig that had stuck to his leather cloak, he felt something cold stick into the back of his leg.

"Ah!" He yelped and stumbled forward onto the hard dirt. A figure nearby whined. Hardly wanting to look up, Roxas watched the cold nose of a giant dog digging beneath the hem of his cloak, sniffing as thoroughly as it possibly could.

"A dog? What's that doing out here?" He wondered. Propping himself up on his elbows, he peered through the thickness of the woods for any sign of an owner. It seemed there was no one around for the time being. Looking back at the dog, Roxas wondered if maybe it had wandered into the forest from the castle. An idea suddenly struck him.

"Do you know where we are?" He asked. The dog looked up at him balefully. For a minute he didn't move or seem to understand what had been asked, but finally the great, lumbering animal climbed off Roxas and headed deep through the trees.

"Hey! Hold up!" Roxas called, scrabbling to get up and chasing after the dog, who by now had made quite some headway through the wood.

x.x.x.x

The windows of the hut were all brightly lit. If Roxas stood up on the front of his toes, he could see the remains of fire smoldering in a hearth, near which a group of what looked like the robed students sat happily around a wooden table. Shadows passed over the window as they moved about, talking amiably with one another as the largest man Roxas had ever seen passed around a kettle.

Roxas gasped. "The giant!" He whispered. The dog at his side let out a howl loud enough to wake the whole world, he was sure. "I've gotta get out of here." Roxas muttered, hands clasped tightly over his ears. The people inside the hut had stopped talking and the tallest of the students, a lanky redhead, pulled out a stick to point at the door. The other two followed suit while pulling a strange looking cloak over their heads. Roxas had to blink a few times to realize that they were no longer huddled around the table. The giant was moving toward the door where the dog was already waiting and wagging its tail in lethargic delight. It barked in Roxas's direction when the door swung open and immediately the crossbow was aimed toward him. Roxas jumped back.

"Who's there?" The giant boomed. The hairs on the back of his neck were prickling and his whole body was standing on edge. The warrior instinct that buried itself deep inside of him pulsed through his veins as he gripped the Keyblade tightly in his hand. His limbs quivered with anticipation. Roxas had been itching to hit something since the argument with Axel. As it turned out, that chance never came. A blast of red light hit him in the back and Roxas instantly fell forward, knocked out cold. The Keyblade vanished in a trail of bubbly light.

Hermione removed the invisibility cloak from herself and walked to the unconscious body that lay on the ground. She crouched down beside it, inspecting from all angles, her eyebrows furrowed and mouth set in a thin line.

"What d'you reckon, Hermione?" Ron asked coming up behind her.

"He seems like a student, maybe a fourth year. I'm not entirely sure though." She said, pulling back the hood of the leather cloak. Blond spikes poked out in every which direction. "I thought he might have been a Death Eater or Snape."

Harry, who was now visible like the rest of them, raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You would've stunned Snape?" He asked.

Hermione's cheeks colored. "Well of course not, but I was just being careful!" She said indignantly as Ron grinned with pride.

"That would've been great. Imagine it; Hermione stunning a professor. It would've made headlines in the Prophet." He laughed, ducking as Hermione pointed her wand at him.

"Honestly." She huffed, standing up and brushing the dirt off of her robes. "This isn't a time for jokes. We should tell Dumbledore in case there are others around here as well."

Hagrid stepped forward, lowering his crossbow even as Fang nuzzled into the passed out figures leg. "Don' worry bout that. I'll take him up ter Dumbledore meself. You three just worry bout' gettin' back in ter the castle without Filch cathchin' yeh." He winked. Harry, Ron, and Hermione smiled gratefully, slipping back underneath the cloak and disappearing from view.

By the time they reached Gryffindor Tower, the trio had shed the cloak and was pacing back and forth in the common room pensively. Hermione's brain seemed to working in full gear as she spoke out loud to the room.

"I just don't see how a Death Eater could have gotten past the protective charms and wards Dumbledore's placed around the castle." She repeated for the hundredth time.

"Maybe it's got something to do with Umbridge?" Ron suggested hopefully. Harry nodded his head in agreement. Perhaps they could find evidence against the crazed woman to have her removed from Hogwarts and out of their hair.

"I don't think Umbridge would allow a Death Eater onto school grounds, Ron." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Even if she did want to stir up trouble, I highly doubt she'd risk that type of scandal. If she were to be found out, not only would it counter act everything the Ministry's been spewing about Harry and Dumbledore, but she'd be sent to Azkaban along with Fudge for allowing it to happen."

Ron opened his mouth to say something just as tiny footsteps neared the seating area by the fireplace. All at once the trio stopped speaking, turning their heads to see a small first year hovering near by, face serious.

"What did it look like?" She asked. Hermione was taken aback, not knowing what to say. Harry spoke up first.

"What did what look like?" He asked. The girl turned her piercing gaze on him and he felt his insides twist in the nervous way Snape used to bring about.

"The creature you found by the giant's hut. What did it look like?" She repeated.

Harry gave a quick glance towards Ron and Hermione, both of whom seemed at a loss for words. "Er, we didn't really get a good look." He said quickly. The girl narrowed her eyes at him. "Listen, we'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone-"

"Drat." The girl muttered. She seemed to lose all interest in the three, ignoring Harry completely, and retreated back towards the girl dormitories. They heard her whispering heatedly, as if in an argument with herself. They caught bits and pieces of what she was saying, but none of it made much sense. 'Need more evidence.' was the last of what they heard before the door the girls' dormitories slammed shut.

The trio all looked at each other. Ron cleared his throat. "Bloody hell. They keep getting weirder and weirder with each new year."

"Must be something in the water." Harry agreed before turning the discussion back onto the previous subject.

x.x.x.x

A/N: Well, that wasn't too bad I hope. There might be some confusion in this chapter, like why Roxas came back to Hogwarts but the next chapter will clear things up. Also, I'm hoping to start introducing the plot with the next chapter. There will be more Wizarding appearances starting next chapter and appearances made by the Organization, along with a few faces sure to make Roxas's head spin. Hope you all enjoyed~ see you around~

-James Curtains.