Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard
A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover
Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).
Author's Notes: Please note that this chapter contains excerpts from and is inspired by Chapter 9 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits). If you're keeping score, it also has the same title as that chapter.
Chapter 7: The Midnight Duel
Professor McGonagall had a reputation for being strict but fair, a point which Ranma had not properly contemplated before heading to her office early Saturday morning.
"You're very fortunate that I am running late, Mr. Saotome. I trust this is something that cannot wait until Monday?" she said after opening her office door.
"I think so, Professor" he replied.
"Very well, come in and sit down." She opened the door and ushered him inside. The office was as spartan as a teacher's office could be. There was a full bookcase, a full size fireplace, and several filing cabinets. The desk was impeccably neat, everything laid out in order; the only thing out of place was a biscuit tin. Two straight-backed wooden chairs sat in front of the desk and a similar one was behind it. She gestured for him to take a seat before sitting behind the desk. "Now, what can I do for you, Mr. Saotome?"
"It's about Professor Snape..." he began. McGonagall did not seem overly surprised. "I wanted to tell you about what happened in his class yesterday and see if you could do something about it."
She leaned back in her chair and steepled her hands. "Very well. Proceed."
"Well...he, Professor Snape, singled Harry out. He was being insulting and he took two points from Harry for no reason. He also blamed Harry when Neville had an accident. When I tried to protest, he took a point and gave me detention." said Ranma. "He's being unfair and being a bully."
McGonagall did not answer for a few moments. "That is not the story as I've had it." she said simply. Ranma started to protest but she held her hand up to stop him. "However, you are not the only person who has ever complained about Professor Snape, so I am inclined to take what you've said as mostly true. Now what exactly did you want me to do?"
This stumped Ranma. He had thought that McGonagall would know what to do. "I-I thought you might give us the points back and erase the detention."
"The detention will stand, Mr. Saotome. I do not have the authority to tell Professor Snape otherwise, nor would I if I did. The detention, as I understand it, was for your rudeness to Professor Snape, for which you would receive the same punishment from myself. Likewise, you and Mr. Potter lost points for your cheek, which I will not challenge." she paused. Ranma looked crestfallen. "However, I will talk to Professor Snape about your concerns. Also, the point Potter lost for Longbottom's accident and the point you lost for protesting will be returned to Gryffindor."
"Thanks Professor." Ranma breathed a sigh of relief as he rose to leave. It was not the outcome he had hoped for but he did manage to undo some of the damage Snape had done. His relief was short-lived, however.
"Please remain seated. I would like a word with you." Ranma sank back into the chair, feeling apprehensive. "I had intended to wait until Monday but now is as good a time as any. Can you explain to me why I have had to sign off on five detention forms for you from Mr. Filch?"
"Err..." Ranma said, his mind racing. "That wasn't my fault, Peeves keeps following me around and trying to hit me with water."
"I am well aware of Peeves' actions toward you. However, that does not explain why you chose to chase him about the castle."
"I was just trying to make him stop..."
"And in the process managed to cause quite a bit of trouble for Mr. Filch. Now, I understand your sensitivity about your curse-"
"You know about my curse?" said Ranma, sounding alarmed.
"Of course I do, the entire faculty knows." she replied, sounding impatient. Ranma felt a mixture of surprise and horror. "As I was saying, while I understand your sensitivity about your curse, that is no excuse for receiving six detentions in the first week of classes. I try to impress upon every Gryffindor that your actions reflect upon the house, even those that do not subtract from the house points. I expect nothing but the best out of every Gryffindor and, contrary to what Fred or George Weasley may tell you, attempting to set a record for detentions served in a week does not constitute 'the best' in any way."
She was finally at her point. "Since you are a new student and new to the ways of this school, I will not punish you for these infractions. However," she looked sternly at him, "if I receive any more detention forms with your name on them, I will add one of my own to them."
"But Professor!" Ranma protested, feeling this was very unfair. "What am I supposed to do about Peeves?"
"Surely you've realized that you are only egging Peeves on." She paused momentarily. "As long as you are a source of trouble and amusement, Peeves will continue to harass you. I suggest that you learn to ignore him. If he continues to be a problem, I will have the Bloody Baron talk to him. Now, Mr. Saotome, I have a busy day, as do you. Good day to you." Ranma stood and mumbled a half-hearted 'thanks' before exiting the office.
Between Filch and Snape, Ranma was busy almost the entire day Saturday. Filch was easy enough to stand, thanks to four previous days of learning to ignore the wheezing old man. Snape was another story altogether. It had seemed more like a stand-off than a detention, as they both sized each other up. To his credit, Ranma managed to keep his tongue in check as he disemboweled pickled toads and squeezed bat eyes. He knew well enough that Snape would try to bait him into another detention and the last thing Ranma wanted was to give him what he wanted. Instead, knowing that the best way to annoy the man would be to act as if everything he did was beneath noticing, Ranma would let Snape talk for minutes on end before looking up and asking "Sorry, did you say something?" Eventually, Snape stalked off to do something other than "babysitting an insolent little boy."
He awoke on Monday morning feeling that the weekend had been far too short. His entire Sunday had been spent catching up on homework and writing to his mother about the first week. He could definitely see the benefit of not having detentions tying up his evenings and weekends, even if it meant letting Peeves douse him with water after every class. Fortunately that would not be a problem, as Peeves had taken to avoiding him, thanks to the intervention of the Bloody Baron. With this wonderful thought in mind, he headed out of the castle for his morning practice.
Two hours later, he dropped onto the bench next to Ron in the Great Hall. "Hey Ron, Harry. What's everyone so excited about?" he asked absently as he filled his plate.
"Didn't you see the sign?" asked Harry. Ranma shook his head.
"We've got flying lessons on Thursday." said Ron.
Ranma's eyes lit up. "Cool! I've been wanting to try that."
"Only problem is it's with the Slytherins." Harry said, sounding slightly apprehensive. "Last thing I want is to make a fool of myself in front of them."
"Who cares?" said Ranma. "It'll be fun. I bet we'll be the best fliers in the class."
"Yeah, that'll show Malfoy. He's always going on about how great he is on a broom, I bet he's first to fall off." Ron said, snickering.
The rest of the week was dominated by talk of flying and, by extension, Quidditch. Those who had grown up in the wizarding world were keen to tout their flying experience. To hear Seamus tell it, he had spent his childhood zooming about the Irish countryside. Even Ron would tell anyone who asked about the time he almost hit a Muggle hand-glider. But no one could top Draco Malfoy, who constantly told a thrilling tale that ended with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. Ranma was not sure if this was true, but it seemed that Malfoy did not speak one word that week that did not involve his story.
Neville and Hermione were the most nervous about their lesson, and for entirely different reasons. Despite growing up in the wizarding world like Ron and Seamus, Neville had never so much as handled a broom. His grandmother had never let him near one, a policy that Ranma and the other Gryffindors silently agreed with. Neville managed to have plenty of accidents with his feet firmly on the ground and Ranma could not envision the boy flying without having one as well. Hermione, on the other hand, was suddenly faced with something that could not be learned just from reading a book. Of course, that did not stop her from checking out every book that had the slightest mention of flying on a broom. She had taken to reciting tips from the books to anyone who would listen, though the only ones who would stick around were usually Neville, who seemed to desperate for anything that would help him hang onto his broom, and Ranma, who figured he would humor her through her nerves. He was, however, relieved to see the post owls on Thursday morning as they interrupted another round of Hermione's nervous recitation.
A barn owl dropped a package in front of Neville, who opened it excitedly. Inside was a glass ball, about the size of a marble, that seemed to be full of white smoke. "What's that, Neville?" Ranma asked.
"It's a Rememberall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if you've forgotten to do something. Look, you hold it tight like this, and if it turns red – oh..." The glass ball suddenly glowed bright red as he gripped it. "...you've forgotten something..."
Ranma was not totally surprised. Besides being very accident prone, Neville also had terrible memory. He tried not to laugh as he watched Neville try hard to remember what he had forgotten. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, sauntering by, who wore a cunning look with which Ranma was all too familiar. He pretended not to notice until –
"Let go of me!" Malfoy said with a mixture of surprise and pain. Ranma held the boy's wrist in a vice-like grip that would not budge despite his struggles. Malfoy's hand hovered inches from the Rememberall. "Let go of me, Saotome, or you'll be sorr-augh!"
Ranma applied a little pressure. Harry and Ron looked on with a mixture of satisfaction and amusement. "Keep your hands to yourself, Malfoy." Ranma said with contempt, though he was looking behind Malfoy at Crabbe and Goyle, who seemed ready to make a move.
McGonagall showed her uncanny ability to spot trouble, however, and was there in a flash. "What's going on here?" she asked. Ranma quickly released Malfoy's wrist, again disconcerted that someone could walk up on him without him detecting their presence.
Malfoy opened his mouth to complain but was quickly cut off by the Harry. "Malfoy tried to take Neville's Rememberall, but Ranma stopped him."
McGonagall turned her stern gaze on Malfoy, who seemed to wilt a bit. "I only wanted to look at it." he said, scowling and rubbing his wrist.
"I suggest you ask next time, Mr. Malfoy. Now move along." said McGonagall. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle sloped off, throwing ugly looks back at the Gryffindors and Ranma in particular.
At three-thirty that afternoon, the Gryffindor first years hurried out into the grounds towards a flat lawn opposite to the Forbidden Forest. The Slytherins were already there, along with twenty-one brooms lined up in two rows on the ground. The brooms looked worn and a bit battered; they had obviously seen better days.
Their teacher, Madame Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk. "Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked at them. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."
There was a scramble to get the "best" broom, though Ranma thought there was not much difference between them. His had a warped handle and the brush end was strangely scorched. "Stick out your right hand over the your broom and say 'Up!'" she instructed.
Everyone did as she said, but the results were wildly varying. Ranma's hesitated slightly before jumping into his hand with a solid -slap-. Looking around, he saw that Harry, Seamus, Ron, and Malfoy had also been successful. The everyone else had to repeat themselves several times before it worked. Neville and, oddly, Hermione were the last to have their brooms in hand. Ranma thought that the brooms might have been able to detect confidence, and those two were the least confident about flying.
Madame Hooch next showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, then walked among them, correcting their grips. The Gryffindor boys laughed mockingly (but not too loudly) when she told Malfoy that he had been doing it wrong for years. Madame Hooch did not seem to hear them, though, from the dirty looks coming their way, the Slytherins had.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard." said Madame Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three – two –"
Before the whistle could touch the her lips, Neville pushed off with a hard jerk of his legs. He shot into the air like a very out of control rocket, ascending twenty feet before the boy had realized his mistake. Everyone gasped. "Come back, boy!" Madame Hooch shouted helplessly.
"Don't look down." Ranma muttered to himself, willing Neville to heed him. From the scared, pale expression on the boy's face, Ranma knew that Neville would do just that. He dropped his broom and pushed people out of the way, looking up just in time to see Neville look down, gasp, and slip sideways off the broom.
He seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, but Ranma was no stranger to the feeling; it happened every time he used his real speed. His robes flapped violently in his wake as he covered the distance in a few strides. Two-thirds of the way there, with Neville halfway down, he took a great leap, meeting his target and hooking the boy underneath the arms with his right arm. They landed with a slight thud. Neville tumbled backward out of his grasp, but they were otherwise none the worse for wear.
The Gryffindors exploded with cheering and clapping as the class ran over to them. "All right, Neville?" Ranma asked, holding his hand out to help the boy up. Neville took the hand and returned to his feet, still looking a bit pale and stricken but seeming to recover.
"Thanks Ranma." he said, his voice shaking. "Thought I was done for."
"Don't mention it. It was just nerves, could've happened to anyone." Privately, Ranma thought this was not true, but it seemed to make Neville feel better.
"Are you all right, dear?" Madame Hooch asked, looking as pale as Neville. Neville nodded, shrinking under the gaze of the class. "Good. I think you should sit out until you calm down. I'm afraid you'll have to share a broom with someone. And I think that'll be two points to Gryffindor. Now, back to the brooms!"
They began again while Neville looked on. On Madame Hooch's count, they all kicked off from the ground. The differences in skill with the brooms was apparent immediately, though it was not exactly as Ranma would have predicted. All of the people who had flown before became airborne with complete control, as expected. Others were understandably shaky but managed to stay in control, while Hermione was probably the worst of the lot. Harry was most astonishing, lifting and leveling as well, if not better, than anyone else. As for Ranma, he was as shaky with controlling the broom as most of the class, perhaps more so. Sitting on the broom was uncomfortable and his muscles were nearly spasming trying to keep his body balanced on it. The broom seemed to read the slightest of these motions and amplify them ten-fold, giving the impression that he was being buffeted by high wind.
They repeated this several times until, for the most part, they (including Neville, who alternated with Hermione) could lift off and land without too much trouble. Then, she had them practice flying in a straight line and turning while maintaining their level. Next she instructed them to fly forward while going up and down, as if they were going over a series of hills. After that, they flew in a figure eight while continuing their up and down flying. Ranma found this all very frustrating, especially since he understood the basic principles of flying brooms. It was all fairly simple: leaning forward and back controlled the level of the broom, leaning left and right controlled the roll, pulling up and down controlled the forward movement, and pulling left and right controlled the direction. Understanding this all did not translate into good flying, though. In addition to the shaking, he was having trouble maintaining level flight and pulled too hard when going forward, left, or right. He was not the worst in the class, but he certainly could not zip around as well as Ron, Harry, or even Malfoy, who turned out to be nearly as good as Harry.
Perhaps it was because she was busy supervising the class, but Madame Hooch was strangely deaf to the jeering and mockery that some of the Slytherins, the ones for whom flying was not difficult, were throwing at the less adept among the Gryffindors. Malfoy and Goyle (Crabbe was, like Ranma, having difficulty flying) took distinct pleasure in jeering Ranma. Normally Ranma easily ignored taunting, but the combination of taunts and his own frustration made him very angry.
"Ignore them." Hermione intoned near him, her voice sounding very preoccupied due to her intense concentration. "Just ignore – eek!" She shrieked as she lost control for a moment, causing her broom to dip sharply, and Ranma could not help but laugh. "Th-that's not funny. These things are hard to control." she said shakily.
A short whistle burst caught everyone's attention. "All right, come down everyone." said Madame Hooch. "That's all for the basic lesson. Now some of you need a bit of extra help, so stay here and I'll give you some pointers. The rest of you may fly freely, but you are not to leave this lawn. And there will be no rough housing, understood, or your heads of house will hear of it."
Neville, Hermione, and several others stayed on the ground while the rest of the class returned to the air. Ranma was still debating whether to stay for Madame Hooch's help when a burst of unpleasant laughter caught his attention. Looking up, he saw everyone was hovering near each other, separated by their houses and facing each other confrontationaly. Malfoy was clearly the leader here, and he was tossing a small, shiny object in the air while saying something to Harry. Ranma had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what that object was. "Neville, have you still got that Rememberall?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the brewing confrontation above.
"Yeah, its right..." Neville began, rifling through his pockets, but trailed off. "Oh no, I've lost it!"
"It probably fell out of your pocket earlier. I think I know where it is though." he said, his mind made up. He could get extra lessons later.
Ranma kicked off from the ground, rising more steadily than previously, though he was still a bit shaky. Closing in on the Gryffindor side, he could feel the tension between the sides and knew that his arrival would not make things any better. Ahead, Harry was focused on Malfoy, who continued to toss the Rememberall around and smirk haughtily. The other Gryffindors seemed to gain confidence that, with Ranma's arrival, the sides were even.
"Give that here, Malfoy, or I'll knock you off that broom!" Harry was saying angrily as Ranma pulled up behind him.
Malfoy looked supremely unconcerned, perhaps because the other Slytherins were closing ranks. Crabbe and Goyle edged closer to him, like bodyguards. "I don't think I want to part with my new toy. But since you're so keen on having me embarrass you, come and get it if you can, Potter." he spat malevolently.
Everyone tensed themselves with anticipation now that the gauntlet had been thrown down. Ranma glanced around at his house mates, feeling, for the first time, fully confident that he had been sorted into the right house. Fierce determination and courage burned brightly in each set of eyes that looked back at him and, in his heart, he felt stirrings of loyalty and pride for them. He and Ron exchanged understanding looks for a split second, and Ranma knew that, whenever Harry decided to take off after Malfoy, Ron would head off Goyle while he dealt with Crabbe. Harry, however, was completely oblivious to everyone but Malfoy.
As if triggered by some unseen and unheard signal, the two sides were joined. Malfoy shot up and retreated quickly away from the front, his house mates forming a solid wall. Harry seemed not to notice, diving beneath the Slytherins effortlessly. Before they could recover, the Gryffindors were bearing down on them. The Slytherins scattered and each of the Gryffindors peeled off after their mark. Crabbe and Goyle, predictably, took off after Harry and Malfoy, but Ron and Ranma were hot on their tails. Ranma tried to ignore the jittering, erratic behavior he inspired in his broom as he raced after Crabbe, thankful that the boy seemed to be a bit worse than he was at flying.
They approached the edge of the lawn, where Malfoy and Harry had stopped. Ranma wondered why until Malfoy drew back his arm and flung the Rememberall as hard as he could over Harry's head. Harry immediately chased after it, but the aim was true and it found it's target, Goyle. Ron and Harry were now pouring on speed to him while the rest of the Gryffindors and Slytherins converged on the area. Ranma glanced around and noticed that Dean was not with them.
Goyle threw the ball just as Ron and Harry reached him. Harry expertly turned and rocketed after the ball while Ron sideswiped Goyle. Ranma pushed down on the broom to accelerate but, instead of going faster, he was slowing down. The reason for this odd behavior quickly became apparent: Crabbe was pulling on the end of his broom. The boy was out of his reach and he did not trust taking both hands off the broom, so Ranma did the best thing he could think of; he kicked hard at the tip of Crabbe's broom. Crabbe went spinning away wildly, leaving Ranma to resume the chase.
The flying became more heated as those still in the air jockeyed for position. On the Gryffindor side, only Ranma, Ron, and Harry remained, while Malfoy, Goyle, Blaise Zabini, and Milicent Bulstrode represented Slytherin. The four had put space between themselves and were playing "keep away" with the Rememberall. Harry came very close to catching it several times. "It's just barely out of my reach." Harry said while they huddled together in the middle of the four Slytherins. He looked angry and frustrated.
"Harry, I've got an idea that might give you room to get it." Ron said quickly. "You mark whoever's got the ball, then be ready to chase it. We'll distract the other two."
Harry nodded and flew off. "Ranma, we're going to force them to make a long throw. We'll stay on the closest two people. As soon as they throw, we'll rush the catcher. Harry should get it easy." Ranma nodded and flew off to mark Bulstrode while Ron hovered near Zabini.
Ranma heard a whistle blow, but he also saw the glint of sunlight off the spinning Rememberall, and, remembering the plan, he hurtled after Goyle. A glance in his periphery showed Ron and Harry converging on the same point, only going much faster. Because he was closer, however, Ranma would reach Goyle first. To his credit, Goyle stood his ground, possibly because he was too slow to realize three people were on a collision course with him. When he did realize this, it was far too late. Ranma sideswiped him, kicking the broom handle and sending him spinning. As Ranma pulled around to admire his handiwork, the Rememberall sailed over Goyle's head and plummeted towards the ground.
The next few moments were a blur in Ranma's mind. Harry dove after the glass ball fearlessly. Ron, Zabini, and Malfoy followed, but they could not match Harry's speed. He was closing the gap with the ball as the ground loomed ever closer. Twenty feet, ten feet, five feet – Harry grasped the Rememberall tightly with his outstretched hand and pulled up on the broom handle with only a foot to spare. Ranma let out a gasp, as did nearly everyone else, but Harry toppled forward gently onto the grass, the Rememberall clutched safely in his fist.
Ranma expected to hear cheering, but only a whistle and the alarmed voice of Madame Hooch was audible. "HARRY POTTER!" she said as she rushed over to him. "What on earth – you could have been killed!"
She was distracted from her scolding by the sounds of the others returning to the ground. "And the rest of you – I said no rough-housing! Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape will hear about this, you can be sure of that, and twenty-five points – "
"But professor, we were just playing quadpot." Ranma blurted out. Thinking quickly, he continued. "You know, the American version of quidditch."
She looked at him sharply. "Were you now? And that is supposed to explain why you were all trying to tackle one another in mid-air?"
Ranma's mind scrambled again. He had guessed correctly that she did not know much about quadpot, but neither did he. "We weren't tackling, we were trying to tag each other, but being this is the first time we've played, we're not very good at it."
Madame Hooch looked at him suspiciously before surveying the class. "I see. Is this true?" she asked them. While she did so, Ranma mouthed at them "Just say yes." As no one wanted to lose twenty-five points, they all nodded vigorously. "Very well then, I'll overlook it this time. But none of you are to play this 'quadpot' again, or I will take points."
Ranma sighed with relief and silently thanked his father, who had trained him to lie convincingly from an early age. Ranma was about to join the other Gryffindors in congratulating Harry on his amazing catch, but Madame Hooch gave them pause when she returned to Harry. "As for you, Mr. Potter, you will follow me."
"But – ". he said, but she cut him off.
"But nothing. Professor McGonagall will hear about this." She turned on her heel and swept back up to the castle while he followed close behind, looking stricken.
The Gryffindors went from triumphant to worried. "Potter's finished!" Malfoy said with great satisfaction. The other Slytherins laughed appreciatively and overly loud, trying to bait Ranma and the others, but they were so worried that they ignored the taunting laughter.
"You reckon he's in trouble?" asked Dean quietly as the class walked back to the castle.
"I wouldn't be surprised, that was really reckless." Hermione said, sounding irritated.
"Yeah, but it was bloody brilliant!" Ron said excitedly. "Never seen a dive like that except in quidditch."
"I just can't believe it's his first time flying." Ranma said appreciatively.
"Some people are naturals. Then again," Ron said, jerking his thumb unobtrusively at Hermione. "some aren't."
They did not see Harry again until halfway through dinner, when he quietly fell into the seat next to Ron. "Harry! You're not expelled, are you?" Ron asked, concern in his voice. Everyone sitting nearby went very quiet.
"No, they're letting me stay." Harry replied as he reached for potatoes. "I didn't even get detention."
"But Madame Hooch took you away – " Ranma said.
"Yeah, I know." Harry replied. He looked around before leaning in close and lowering his voice. "She took me to see McGonagall."
There was a pause before both Ranma and Ron said "AND?"
Harry looked left and right again before continuing in a conspiratorial tone. "And we talked about quidditch."
"Quidditch...why?" said Ranma.
"Madame Hooch told McGonagall what happened. Actually, it sounded more like play-by-play, now I think about it." said Harry. "Anyway, McGonagall seemed like she might get angry, but when Madame Hooch finished, she seemed really happy. She thanked Madame Hooch, then dragged me off to Flitwick's class to get a fifth year named Oliver Wood."
"Wood? Isn't he the Gryffindor quidditch captain?" said Ron.
"Yeah. So she tells him about me catching Neville's Rememberall and..." Harry's face cracked into a grin. "they decided to make me the Gryffindor seeker!"
"You're joking." said Ron, his fork halfway to his mouth, a piece of his steak and kidney pie forgotten. "Seeker? But first years never – you must be the youngest house player in about – "
" – a century. Wood told me." said Harry, who began digging into his own pie.
Ron was so amazed that he could only gape. Ranma was equally floored, more so because Harry escaped without so much as a detention. It seemed a bit unfair to him, but he thought he may have been biased due to all the detention he had already served. "I start training next week." said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it secret."
"So, what, you don't have to go to the quidditch trials?" asked Ranma. Harry did not have time to answer because, at that moment, Fred and George Weasley stopped behind them.
"Well done, Harry." George said in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too – Beaters."
"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year." said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."
"It sounds like the team is already set. Isn't Wood going to have trials?" asked Ranma.
George shrugged. "We only have trials if anyone signs up with McGonagall. I don't think anyone has so far though."
"Yeah, but people are always turning in their names late, so we might. I hope not though, I'd fancy a couple more free weekends before Wood has us out training." said Fred.
"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."
"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."
Ranma was only half-listening because a half-formed notion was in his head. The talk of quidditch and Harry winning a spot on the team had him thinking more seriously about quidditch. He was, after all, the most athletic person at the school, in his estimation, so surely he ought to have some chance at being on a sporting team. Then again, his first flying experience was not all that great, nor was he particularly knowledgeable of the game. Not that lack of knowledge ever stopped Ranma from taking on a challenge.
Further musing on the subject was interrupted by a drawling voice that was beginning to grate on Ranma. "Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" said Malfoy. Ranma did not have to look up to know that Crabbe and Goyle were at his side.
"You're very brave when you've got your little friends with you." Harry replied coolly. Crabbe and Goyle growled and cracked their knuckles but could do nothing in front of the teachers. Instead of looking intimidating, they looked very comical, and Ranma laughed mockingly at them.
"And what are you laughing at, chinaboy?" Malfoy threw at him.
Ranma bristled. "From the looks of you three, three sacks of rubbish." he said scornfully.
"Did you want something, Malfoy? Or did you want to show us how well you can hide behind others?" Ron said disdainfully.
"You shouldn't bother, we saw that well enough earlier." said Harry. Ron and Ranma laughed appreciatively.
"I'd take you on anytime on my own, Potter." said Malfoy, his pale face flushing slightly. "Tonight, wizard's duel, me and you. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before?"
"Of course he has," said Ron. "I'm his second, who's yours?"
Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up. "Crabbe, and Saotome can be your reserve, Goyle will be mine." he said. "Midnight, in the trophy room, it's always unlocked."
When Malfoy and his cronies had moved on, Harry looked at Ranma and Ron. "What is a wizard's duel?" he asked. "And what's a second?"
"Well, a second is there to take over if you die." said Ron, getting back to his dinner. Harry had a look of horror on his face and Ranma could not help but laugh. "People only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards." Ron added quickly. "The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage."
"I wouldn't underestimate what Malfoy might know." Ranma said sagely. "We didn't think he would be much of a flier either."
This did not seem to make Harry feel any better. "So what do I do if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" he asked.
"Throw it away and punch him in the nose." Ron suggested.
"Duck and hide until you can find something to throw at him." Ranma volunteered.
"Excuse me."
They all looked up to see Hermione, who had a disapproving look on her face. "What's up, Hermione?" asked Ranma, though he had a shrewd idea what she wanted.
"I couldn't help overhearing what you all were saying." she said.
"Bet you could." Ron muttered. Ranma stifled a chortle.
" – and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."
"And it's really none of your business." said Harry.
"Good-bye." said Ron.
Harry and Ron were not friends with Hermione, so they were spared the non-stop nagging that Ranma was forced to endure. She sat next to him in the common room while they were doing homework, imploring him to talk Harry and Ron out of the duel. Ranma was a patient person, but Hermione was uncommonly skilled at henpecking. Finally, he could not take any more. "Look Hermione, it's a matter of honor. I can't back out now." he said.
"Why not? Is your honor worth getting expelled?"
"Yeah. Yeah it is. Saotomes don't turn down challenges." Ranma said, closing his potions book and getting up from the table. "I'm going to bed."
After telling Harry and Ron to wake him when they were ready to go, Ranma meditated briefly before dropping into a dreamless, restful nap. Hardly five minutes seemed to have passed before he felt Harry shake his shoulder. "It's time." he whispered. Ranma nodded and got up quickly. He could feel the tingle of adrenaline, but it was not because he was anticipating the duel. Freya, whom he had told about the duel, had assured him that the duel would probably be hardly more than wand sparks and smoke, though that did not stop him from asking for advice. No, he was excited because there was a good chance that Filch, who seemed to never sleep, would catch one of them. That Harry would have a chance to shut Malfoy up was just icing on the cake.
Harry and Ron pulled on their bathrobes (Ranma had slept in his most comfortable fighting attire), then Ranma followed them down the spiral staircase and into the Gryffindor common room. The fire was nothing but glowing coals whose faint light barely illuminated the room's furniture. They had not taken more than a few steps from the staircase when Ranma threw out his arm to stop Ron and Harry. "What is it?" Ron whispered.
"Someone's down here." he whispered back. He did not bother straining his eyes; he could hear the person quite clearly and sense their magical aura. Ranma had a good idea of who was waiting for them. "Hermione, I know it's you."
There was a sharp intake of breath and then a lamp flickered on, revealing Hermione, who was wearing a pink bathrobe. She looked momentarily astonished, then, as if suddenly remembering her purpose, frowned disapprovingly at them.
"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"
"I almost told your brother." she snapped. "He's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."
"Come on." Ron said, pushing open the portrait and climbing out.
"Hermione, go back to bed." Ranma said wearily. Her interfering nature was wearing on him like sandpaper. "You're not going to change our minds."
If he thought this would deter Hermione, Ranma was sadly mistaken. She followed them out, whispering quickly. "You three are so selfish! Don't you care about Gryffindor? If you go out you're bound to get caught and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about switching spells."
"Oh, is that what you were worried about, your points?" Ron said crossly.
"Yes – no! I just don't want Slytherin to win the house cup!" she hissed indignantly.
"Neither do we, nor do we want people to think we run away from challenges." said Harry. "I may not know all the stuff you know, but I know Gryffindors don't do that."
"Yeah, what Harry said. Now go away." Ron said dismissively.
"Fine, but remember I that warned you when you're on the train back, you're so – oh no."
Ranma turned quickly to see what was the problem. The Fat Lady's painting was empty, which meant that Hermione could not get back in until she returned. "Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.
"That's your problem." said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."
"You're not leaving me here to get caught by Filch." she said bossily. "I'm coming with you. If he finds us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."
"You've got some nerve – " Ron said, his voice rising.
"Will you two be quiet! You'll wake the whole castle." Harry hissed.
"Ron, we can't stand here arguing all night. Just let her come along." Ranma said impatiently.
"Fine." Ron grumbled, stalking off down the corridor. The other three followed close behind. Ranma hung back with Hermione
"Was all that necessary?" he said quietly.
"What? I'm right and you know it." she said.
"Yeah, maybe, but that doesn't give you the right to interfere." Hermione opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Harry, who shushed them and beckoned them forward.
They stole quickly through the moonlit corridors. The other three were on edge, likely expecting Filch, but Ranma neither felt the man's ki nor heard any movement besides their own. They stopped outside the trophy room and peered inside before entering. Ranma led them along the wall, not wanting to be caught in the open if Malfoy decided to attack without warning. They waited, Harry's wand drawn and Ranma alert for any magical energy, as the minutes ticked by.
"He's late, may – " Ron began.
"Shh!" Ranma cut him off abruptly. He had heard movement for the last minute but, the closer it came to the trophy room, the more certain he was that it was not Malfoy. There was only one person in the castle who could make noise like three eleven year olds and had no magical aura. He silently cursed his the weakness of his magic sensing. "Filch!" he whispered as quietly as possible.
"Blasted cat getting sick when I need her most." they heard Filch say as they crept along the wall towards the door and away from him. Ranma had barely turned the corner as Filch entered the room. "I know they're hiding in here somewhere."
Harry led them as they crept down a long gallery of suits of armor, a hall that Ranma was somewhat familiar with thanks to Peeves. They moved along in petrified silence, staying in the shadows, but Filch was definitely getting nearer and was bound to catch them at the rate they were going. They quickened their pace to a half-run but, instead of helping them get away, this had an unexpected and disastrous consequence. Hermione accidentally kicked Ron's leg out from under him, sending him stumbling headlong into a suit of armor. The sound was like a thousand cymbals clashing.
"RUN!" yelled Harry, not bothering to keep quiet anymore. Ranma needed no encouragement; he grabbed Hermione about the waist with one arm and sped ahead, hoping he was going slowly enough for Ron and Harry to keep up. He let his feet guide him, thinking only of somewhere far from the trophy room. Several corridors, a staircase, and a secret passageway hidden behind a tapestry eventually led them to their Charms classroom and, they hoped, away from Filch.
Ron and Harry leaned against the wall, wheezing and clutching stitches in their sides. Hermione was breathing almost as hard, though she had not run at all. "Don't do that again, Ranma!" she finally said. "I nearly had a heart attack."
"Sorry, but we had to get away." he said, listening hard for anyone approaching. "Anyway, we have to get back to Gryffindor tower as quickly as possible. I think I know a shortcut."
As they started down the corridor, Hermione started in on them. "I told you this would happen. Malfoy tricked you. Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room. Malfoy must've tipped him off." said Hermione in a tone that said "I told you so."
The boys ignored her, though Ranma did not doubt that she was right. He kicked himself for not anticipating treachery from Malfoy. He, of course, knew that trickery was an accepted option in duels, but to use it to not only avoid a fight of honor but also incapacitate the opponent before the duel started was repugnant. "Malfoy's going to pay for this." he said darkly.
Ranma was so preoccupied with this thought that he did not hear a doorknob rattle behind him. He did, however, feel a surge of magical energy that was very familiar and he instinctively rolled out of the way and flattened himself against the wall. Peeves the poltergeist shot out of a classroom and came face to face with Ron, Hermione, and Harry. He gave a squeal of delight at the sight of them.
"Peeves, please be quiet!" Hermione pleaded. "You'll get us thrown out!"
Peeves cackled. "Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Naughty naughty, you'll get caughty!" he said, laughing.
"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves." Harry said, glancing at Ranma.
"Should tell Filch, I should." Peeves said in a saintly voice, but Ranma knew that he was only contemplating mischief. "It's for your own good, you know."
"Get out of the way!" Ron snapped, taking a swipe at Peeves in his irritation. Ranma groaned just as Peeves took a great breath and hoped he could grab the poltergeist before it was too late. He leaped at the poltergeist but Peeves zipped to the side at the last moment. Ranma's hand closed on nothing but air. He looked down at Ranma, grinned maliciously, and began yelling at the top of his lungs.
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" He took another great breath, but Ranma had had enough. He crouched low and exploded upwards with all his power, and this time Peeves was not fast enough. With a move that would have made Dean Thomas cheer, he flipped backwards once on the way up and once again just underneath Peeves, his left leg swinging forward like a great bat that hit the poltergeist with a loud smack. Peeves went flying down the corridor, cursing with pain. Knowing he had only seconds to spare, Ranma took off after the others, who had sprinted to the end of the corridor.
The corridor ended with a door – a very locked door. Ranma could hear Filch bearing down on them. "We're done for!" moaned Ron, sounding defeated.
"No we're not Ron, move." Ranma pushed him out of the way and prepared to shove the door in with his shoulder.
"No, Ranma!" Hermione hissed as she quickly drew her wand. She tapped the lock and whispered, "Alohamora."
Amazingly, the lock clicked as if the key had been inserted and the door swung open, They scrambled on the other side, slammed the door shut, and pressed against it to listen. "Which way did they go, Peeves?" they heard Filch say between deep breaths. "Quick, tell me."
"Say 'please'."
Ranma lost focus on the conversation because he suddenly noticed a deep, rhythmic rumbling and a warm breeze coming from behind. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and his ki sense flared. Someone or something very magical and very big was right behind them. He whirled around to confront whatever it was and gaped with horror.
A dog lay on the floor of the corridor they were in. This was no dog like Ranma had ever seen, though. It was easily the size of small bus. On it's muscled shoulders sat three necks that supported three massive heads. Its three noses sniffed the air, then its six red eyes flew open and fell on them. In a horrifically powerful move, it jumped to its feet, bearing its fangs, which dripped long, thick ropes of yellow drool.
Ranma stood dumbstruck for a second, then prodded the others blindly, not taking his eyes off the beast. "What, Ranma?" Harry said, sounding annoyed. "Wha – "
Thunderous growls echoed through the corridor and the dog began to sink into a crouch. "The door, Harry." Ranma quietly said more calmly than he felt. "Open the door." There was the sound of Harry fumbling with the latch, then a creak as the door swung wide. The four of them rushed out and Ranma slammed the door shut again, feeling relieved and, oddly enough, slightly disappointed at the sound of the lock clicking. They did not say a word as they ran like mad for Gryffindor tower, heedless of Filch or anyone else that might have been roaming the corridors. They did not stop until they were in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Where have you all been?" she asked, noting their sweaty faces and heavy breath.
"Never mind that, pig snout, pig snout." Harry panted. They scrambled into the common room and everyone but Ranma collapsed into chairs to catch their breath. Ranma, however, was pacing and realizing that this dog was the reason that Dumbledore had warned them about the third floor corridor. Why would they keep such a monster in the castle, though? Something about that encounter was nagging him, something he had overlooked.
"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that up in a school?" Ron said finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."
"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" Hermione snapped angrily. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"
And suddenly, Ranma knew what he had missed. "A trapdoor..." he said, seeing the scene in his mind again. As suddenly as he remembered that fact, he came to another realization. "That dog, it's guarding something."
"Exactly." Hermione said with grudging approval.
"But what though?" said Ron.
"I don't know and I don't care." Hermione said, glaring at them as she stood. "I hope you're all pleased with yourselves. We could've been killed – or worse, expelled. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."
"No, we don't mind." Ron said. She threw a withering glare at him before stomping off to the girls' dormitory. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"
Harry was quiet as they ascended the stairs. "Not exactly a stellar end to the day." he said before they entered their dorm.
Ranma and Ron nodded in agreement. "At least it was exciting. I had fun tonight." Ranma said.
"Fun? You call falling for Malfoy's trick and running a marathon through the castle fun?" Harry said, incredulously.
"Not to mention that bloody dog. I won't be able to sleep properly for a week." Ron added.
"Actually, I wouldn't have minded a crack at it. It looked pretty tough." Ranma said thoughtfully.
Harry and Ron gaped at him for a moment. "Ranma," Ron said, sounding half-amused, "did I ever tell you that you're completely off your nut?"
To Be Continued...in Chapter 8: Halloween
There are only 8 chapters remaining in Book 1...
Author's Notes:
A bit later than originally planned, but I think that can be forgiven, especially since I was traveling during Christmas. At any rate, you may also notice that there were no Quidditch trials in this chapter and that the title was changed. Funny thing about that; I was reading ahead in the book and realized that I had jammed a lot of content into the seventh chapter and gutted the eighth chapter of canon content (I understandably cut out the bit with Harry and Oliver). Seeing as I had a lot of content without the Quidditch trials, had not totally planned that bit anyway, and had a big space to fill in chapter eight, I decided to remove it from this chapter. It's for the best; you get the chapter in a reasonable time and the storyline stays consistent and coherent. We are now on the cusp of exciting things. The next chapter is our first high point, where the promise of action and plot development is fulfilled. It is probably the chapter you've been waiting for, where things "start to get good". If I stay on task, you can expect it around January 14, give or take a few days
I'd like to call everyone's attention to a new feature of user created forums. I took the liberty of creating one for discussion of this story. I also have a Q&A thread there for your posting enjoyment and I will try to respond to what I can. To that end, I can pare the AN section quite a bit and stop padding my word count. Please check it out, you can find it, among other ways, by viewing my profile or checking under the anime section in the forums listings.
As always, a special thanks to Kim and Ed. Thanks to those who submit comments; you are awesome. And thanks to everyone who reads the story and have it on your C2s and alerts; you've helped push the total hits up to 17287 (yeah, I know, not all unique. Remember, faithful readers, story alert is your friend ;-D ). I will see you all back here in around two weeks!
Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section -.-;