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Chosen Ones
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Chapter 6 – Halloween Troll
By the time Halloween came around, Hogwarts would never be the same. Students and teachers alike were starting to realize that getting on the bad side of as certain group of first-years was a really bad idea, and provoking them would only lead to trouble. Most people had learned that the hard way. Tatsumi, especially, was a dangerous enigma; as people didn't seem to understand what set her off. The Gryffindors expected her to understand that Slytherin was a slimy snake-pit full of future Dark Lords, evil purity fanatic traditionalists, and criminals. The Slytherins expected her to be Dumbledore's Little Golden Girl, with the typical Gryffindor mentality that the 'Light seemed to favor. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs expected her to be the typical Quidditch-jock who bullied the smarter students, barely got passing grades, and got away with breaking the rules left and right. Teachers and staff were either expecting a dream-student, like Lily, or a prankster, like James, but all of that had been proven wrong to some extent.
After a terrible first few days in the castle, Tatsumi had decided to handle her fame with bared fangs. She had tried to let the excitement die down amongst the GWL-fans, and give them time to get used to her presence, but, after being swarmed by people looking solely for the benefits of being friends with a famous witch, and being argued over like a prime piece of meat dumped into a piranha-infested river, she had quickly had enough. The Gryffindors had tried blocking the other Houses from getting near her – wanting to keep her all to themselves – and, as a result, she had yelled her lungs out, loudly, and told anyone who tried to get her to see things their way, to 'fuck off'. She had later sent a good portion of her own housemates to the hospital wing, when they started bitching about her hanging out with other Houses, and even tried manhandling her away from her friends; because, apparently, being raised in a foreign country, meant she easily corruptible and clueless about 'how things worked', and was 'obviously in need of proper guidance'. Needless to say, she hadn't taken lightly to those who tried to 'help' her; especially if said 'help' came from a certain redhead named Ronald.
The Gryffindors had learned, under no easy circumstances, that Tatsumi was going to hang out with whomever she wanted; and if she wanted to spent time with Draco in the so-called 'Slimy Dungeons', then she was damn well going to. By now, most of the lions had backed off, but there were a few – namely Percy and Ronald Weasley – who had not quite gotten the message, despite constantly being told off by the rest of the House, who were tired of Percy deducting points for every little thing, and was, as a result, officially ruining their chances at the House Cup. Meanwhile, it was made perfectly clear – to anyone but Percy – that Tatsumi couldn't care less about House Points, in fact, she appeared to take great amusement in riling the prat up.
Seriously; their house-points where in the negative already.
Still, Tatsumi had managed to make some friends; mainly her dorm-mates, and identical twins Fred and George Weasley, brothers to Percy and Ronald, and infamous prankster-duo. Following the twins, was Lee Jordan, who had a giant pet spider he allowed her to play with, and the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, which the twins were a part of. Then, of course, there was Neville, who had stuck around throughout the chaos despite his shy demeanor. The fact that Tatsumi was willing to intercept an 'Incendio' cast at a potted plant that he was caring for, with her bare hand, had instilled a strong sense of loyalty in the Herbology-loving first-year, and he was determined to be a good friend back.
The Slytherins, on their part, had learned relatively fast that the newly named 'Dragoness of Gryffindor' was going to walk right into their common-room as she pleased, but not before nearly half the upper years had gotten at least one trip to the Hospital Wing after the initial confrontation, started when Parkinson and her trolls effectively lost their shit, and started throwing curses at her. The rest had wisely kept their mouths shut after Draco curiously asked how she had gotten in; to which she had casually responded that she simply asked the snake in the portrait nicely. The implication that the Girl-Who-Lived was a Parselmouth was enough to cause many to reconsider their opinions of her, especially after Tatsumi made it perfectly clear that she didn't give a rat's ass about their personal views, but, if they tried to use said views as an excuse to hurt people, there was going to be trouble.
It was a warning the Slytherins had taken to heart, and the fact that Draco – whose family-name practically made him royalty in the House – hadn't lifted a finger to stop Tatsumi during the initial confrontation, but had rather used his wand to defend her against his own housemates, had made quite a strong impact. Not because he put himself at risk by showing his allegiance, but because he did it when it wasn't even necessary, as if daring them say something. No one had; after all, it hadn't taken the older students very long to notice that the 'Returned'-group was made up of the powerhouse from each House. As far as their classes went, the group was at the top of their year, and, in certain areas, further ahead than most O.W.L.-level students. Draco was practically a potions prodigy, while Tatsumi was absolutely devastating in DADA and equally strong in Transfiguration. Meanwhile, Juvia seemed unmatched in Charms, and Hermione was already fluent in runes and had impressed even Ancient Runes Professor Babbling.
Draco's talent for ice magic had been known for years, earning him the title of 'Ice Prince' from a very young age, but Tatsumi's skill in fire magic was even more astonishing as Fire Spells were notoriously difficult to control even for the most powerful of wizards. Tatsumi's immunity to the flames – something that was completely unheard off, as Fire-proofing Spells didn't work on living beings – is what gave her the nickname 'Dragoness'. Meanwhile, Juvia was nicknamed 'Shadow-badger', due to her stealth-skills… seriously, people were honestly creeped out by how she was practically invisible, even with blue hair, and even Hermione – who was often referred to as 'the Raven', having quickly stood out from the rest of her House – was quite impressed as well, being an infiltration expert herself, so all those years of stalking Gray had actually paid off. Of course, the years spent moving around without 'disturbing' her father had only enhanced Juvia's skills; something that left Tatsumi with a burning desire to take her 'Fire Dragon's Claw' to the man's backside.
Professor Snape had returned during the second week, and had ignored Tatsumi in class ever since. He had also improved his teaching-methods, and has started treating the students fairly, if only because he was ordered to… and because James and Lily were bound to hear about everything he said and did. He was also to report to Ichigo every week, and was to keep an eye on the headmaster, who, despite being aware of the man's situation, seemed to be under the impression that Snape could simply quit his new 'job' whenever he pleased; in fact, he had ordered Snape to stay and spy on the family. However, Snape was not only magically incapable of betraying his Masters, but he was also unable to inform the headmaster of this fact. Draco had no sympathy for the man; Snape only had own stupidity to blame, after all. It was also another reason why the Slytherins backed off so quickly, as not even their own Head of House could help them.
Still, Draco did have a few people he could call friends; unlike Hermione, who had yet to make more than a few friendly acquaintances in her House. The Ravenclaws had made the mistake of showing off their worst traits out of jealousy early on, which had made Hermione vary and on her guard. Two girls in particular – Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe – had even tried to break into her trunk – which had luckily been booby-trapped from the first day, as Hermione had picked up on the hostile competitiveness – and spent the night in the Hospital Wing for their troubles. As revenge, the two had then snuck into her dorm-room at night and tried to hex her, only to end up spending an additional night in the Hospital Wing, and getting detention for a week after Hermione had dragged their assess to their Head of House's living-quarters at 4.30 in the morning.
The Hufflepuffs hadn't been nearly as bad as the other three houses, but even Juvia, Susan, and Hannah had people harassing them about spending time with a Slytherin. Luckily, Susan was deemed somewhat untouchable, being the niece and ward of the Head of the DMLE, and no one would be stupid enough to threaten her. Hannah apparently also had an excuse, being from a prominent family of healers, and, as a future healer, she would have to get used to being around all kinds of patients, including the rotten ones that may stab her in the back at any moment. Juvia, however, was deemed a helpless little lamb, and hence got the brunt of the complaints. The last time someone had confronted her about it, however, she had ended up making a loud speech that put all her housemates to shame. Hufflepuff was the House known to take in anyone; that meant they were the House of Acceptance. They took in those who were cunning, yet unfit for Slytherin because their blood wasn't pure enough. They took in those who were brave, yet unfit for Gryffindor because they were too cautious to rush into things without thinking. They also took in the bookworms who were unfit for Ravenclaw because they weren't competitive enough. Yet certain people can't accept their own Housemate's acceptance of others? It was pathetic! But, though Juvia's words had put an awkward mood in the common-room that night, Professor Sprout, whom had heard everything, had puffed out like a proud momma-bird and had rewarded Juvia for her loyalty to her friends.
The steps towards unifying the students had already been taken, however, and the process had started during the second week of term, during flying lessons. The Gryffindors had the class with the Slytherins, and Neville had broken his wrist by falling off his broom. The Rememberall he had in his pocket had fallen out as well, and was picked up by Parkinson, who had no intention of giving it back. Tatsumi had confronted the girl and both had gotten onto brooms. Parkinson had tossed the Rememberall towards the castle-wall, fully intending for it to shatter, but Tatsumi had been faster and was able to catch it before it struck the wall. Professor McGonagall had seen the entire thing from her office though, but, instead of punishing Tatsumi for flying without permission, the professor had dragged her to meet with Oliver Wood, the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch-team.
Tatsumi had been rather confused up until then, but, as soon as she heard the word 'Seeker', she had flipped out. She had told them both straight to their faces that she was sick of the special treatment, and would not be joining the team until the next year. She had been appalled by how much she had been allowed to get away with, and this was the last drop. Oliver took it quite well, since Tatsumi had already talked to him about joining the team next year, but, unfortunately, the message didn't seem to sink in anywhere else. Headmaster Dumbledore had even proudly announced her as the new Gryffindor Seeker at dinner, to which there had been great applause from her house… until her magic started flaming around her in anger. She stood on the table and had loudly repeated what she had told McGonagall earlier. She had yelled at the Headmaster that unless he would allow all first-years to join their respective teams, then she wouldn't either. She had not agreed to take the position to begin with, and had no intention to join the team until the rules said she could try out for it.
Tatsumi hadn't stopped there though; she had asked the students how many of them thought it was fair that she hadn't been given a single detention despite how many people she had sent to the Hospital Wing, to which most students had expressed shock, as many had just assumed that she had been punished already. Others just hadn't expected her to own up to it, nor had they expected her to actively protested her lack of punishment. Tatsumi, on her part, had taken the opportunity to voice a serious problem, and didn't just point out the Headmaster as part of said problem, but was yelling at the other teachers as well, as they were simply adding to it. Tatsumi wasn't the only one who had a less amount of House-points taken from her than certain other students; the Slytherins were so overly punished for the simplest little things, that Snape was forced to overcompensate to bring them back to an even level with the other Houses, something Tatsumi had fully given him permission to do after finding out about it.
To bring up an example, Tatsumi had pointed out an incident that had happened just the day before, when the Weasley-twins, whom Tatsumi actually liked, had gotten ten points deducted, in total, for a prank she had later beaten them up for being potentially life-threatening. Yet the Slytherin that had been their victim was deducted twice that amount for spending half the next class trying to wash the foul-smelling gunk out off his robes. Said gunk contained an ingredient that a lot of wizards were allergic to, and that fact was even established by Snape, but was ignored by the other teachers! Had this student instead gone to class, the fumes coming off his robes could've triggered an allergic reaction in one or more of his fellow students… actually, forget the students! The professor of this particular class was known to be allergic to this substance, and you'd think that at least she would be thankful that the student didn't show up until he'd been able to wash it off!
What had made the biggest impression on the students, however, was when Tatsumi turned to her Head of House and challenged her to give her the detention she deserved, but was clear to mention that trying to give her anything less than a day's detention for every student sent to the Hospital Wing would only prove her point. McGonagall had, reluctantly, given her what she wanted, and Tatsumi had told her she forgot to add in the events earlier that day, when she had disobeyed Madam Hooch's order to stay on the ground. Madam Hooch had been quick to add that she had wanted to give Tatsumi a week of detention for the potential danger she put herself in, but the headmaster had overruled her. When Tatsumi then asked who she'd spend her detentions with, Headmaster Dumbledore had told her she would be spending it with Professor Snape which, to the students, only proved Tatsumi's point.
Later that same day, Parkinson had strutted up to Tatsumi as the Returned, along with Susan, Hannah, and Neville, were studying in the library, promptly challenged her to a duel at midnight, and then strutted off without waiting for a reply.
"She can't be serious." Hermione said unamused. "If you're caught, she'll be punished too."
"I don't think she's planning on going." Draco said. "She not only ignored the rules of Dueling, but her smirk made it obvious that she was trying to set Tatsu up."
"I don't know." Tatsumi said unconvinced. "Parkinson doesn't strike me as the type of girl who doesn't follow up on her threats; she's too vindictive for that."
"What are you going to do?" Juvia asked slightly worried.
"Whatever it is, just don't get caught." Susan said.
"Shouldn't we tell a professor?" Neville asked nervously.
Tatsumi smiled at him, showing her fangs. "Now where's the fun in that?" She laughed.
o000o
"Are you sure she'll show up, boss?" Goyle asked.
The trio was currently waiting in the hallway outside the trophy-room where the duel was to take place. They weren't too badly hidden, but they weren't being quiet, which made them easy to find.
"Of course she will, you idiot!" Parkinson scolded harshly. "And, when she does, you two will slam the doors and trap her in the room while I go for Filch. She'll be busted outside curfew, and humiliated when the rest of the Gryffindorks discover how many points she's lost."
Meanwhile, Tatsumi was sitting on a nearby windowsill in her spirit-form. She was leaning against one side of the indented window, while her legs were propped up against the other side. She was also wearing Yoruichi's old keisen uniform, and had Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, in her lap. The dust-colored cat was very much her owner's cat; one foot out of line and she was speeding off to find Filch, who seconds later would appear seemingly out of nowhere. The cat had taken a strange liking to the 'Returned', however, much to Draco's dismay, as she seemed to like him the best.
"But, aren't the Gryffindors already losing?" Crabbe asked confused. "I heard they had minus points."
"Which just mean the loss will sting even more." Parkinson said confidently. "Now be quiet! She'll be here any minute." She leaned around the corner to peek towards the trophy-room doors.
"But, won't she leave when she sees you're not in there?" Goyle asked.
Parkinson swore, realizing he was right. "Ok, listen up you two." She said turning towards her trolls. "Change of plans; we all go into the room and wait for her, then, when she's inside you two grab her while I leave, close the doors, and go for Filch like we planned. You two keep her there until I get back, understood?"
"Sure, boss." The trolls chorused.
Tatsumi smirked at the opportunity and got off the windowsill. She put Mrs. Norris on the floor before walking over to the doors of the trophy-room and saw Parkinson clearly, but not the trolls. She assumed the two were hiding behind the open doors. Tatsumi grinned evilly, grabbed the door-handles, and slammed the doors shut. She then put her hand flat on the wooden surface and erected a Kyomon-barrier just behind the doors before the trio could grab onto the handles in an attempt to get out. The barrier would prevent them from getting out, but would shatter easily when the doors were opened from the outside. Mrs. Norris had already sped off to find Filch, and Tatsumi knew Parkinson would use every excuse in the book when they were found, but with Kit – her personal mod-soul – in her body, and asleep in bed, Tatsumi had nothing to worry about. So, she decided to go exploring for a bit.
She had refrained from going to the third floor after the Headmaster's warning during the Welcoming Feast, but she had heard rumors from other students who had snuck in before her; about a monster. Actually, she had heard Ronald plotting to himself about how he was going to trick her in there with the monster, and he would then come in like a hero to 'rescue' her, so that she'd fall madly in love with him. She could smell a dog, or some sort of canine, as soon as she phased through the door to the third floor, which wasn't even locked, so she followed the scent. The door she was led to was locked, but not magically as she couldn't feel any magic from it; a simple 'Alohamora', a first year unlocking spell, would've opened it easily. Inside, she could hear something big moving around, and though she only smelled one dog, she could hear three sets of breaths.
"They're not stupid enough to put a Cerberus in there, are they?" Tatsumi thought, but curiosity got the better of her and she phased her head through the door to see.
It was a Cerberus all right; a puppy at that. These creatures were hard to control, even as fully trained adults, and having a puppy around children, behind a door that might as well be open, was just unbelievably stupid. Even Shinigami weren't stupid enough to mess with these creatures, as they were highly spiritually aware and, at one point in time, they were guardians of the Gates of Hell, preventing souls from escaping. Tatsumi wondered briefly if she should go inside to see what the beast was guarding, but this one wasn't trained by Shinigami, and probably wouldn't recognize her as one, given that humans raised it.
When the Cerberus finally picked up on her presence, and turned its heads towards her, she braced herself, ready to pull herself back through the door quickly, but the beast never showed any signs of aggression towards her, just tilting its heads and sniffing at her before letting out a low, curious bark. Blinking, Tatsumi tilted her head in response, causing the Cerberus to bark at her excitedly with its tail in the air, wagging like a propeller. She looked at the Cerberus for a minute, then shrugged and phased fully through the door; a few hours of play wouldn't hurt, even if her mother would kill her if she found out.
0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0
Parkinson and her trolls lost all respect from their House after their little trip to the trophy-room. Not only were they caught by Filch, but they were also outconned by a Gryffindor to boot. The trio had also lost a significant amount of points, much to the disgrace of their House who, until then, had been in the lead, but was now second to Ravenclaw by over 20 points. Hermione's birthday had come and gone as well. Susan had given her a wrist-holster for her wand, and Hannah and Neville had pooled their money to buy her a rune carving kit. Hermione had also received brand new Gale-Force reading glasses from Tatsumi, as she had been very vocal about how she missed her old pair; and she had received a new Quill from Draco, made from a tail-feather of a Hyacinth Macaw, as she had complained about the poor quality of the set she had bought in Diagon Alley. Finally, she had received a silver replica of her wedding ring from Juvia, who had noticed the girl missing it dearly, and had a habit of rubbing the spot where her ring should've been. Hermione had cried when she saw the ring, and had not taken it off since.
Hermione's birthday had also been somewhat of an ice-breaker for the Ravenclaw House, allowing those few of her housemates that had wanted to be friends, but were afraid of becoming targets themselves, to approach her and talk to her. These Ravenclaws became the latest addition to what seemed to be a growing group that gathered for study-sessions in the library. From there, fiends the Returned had made in their respective Houses mingled with the other Houses; something that was seen by many, and, by the time Halloween came around, many other students had built up the courage to cross the House-lines and talk to old friends they had lost after being separated by the Sorting Hat. As a result, the Houses were quickly reaching the point where the Returned could start working on towards a more unified Hogwarts, and the Halloween Feast was louder than ever as even the inter-house relationship had improved greatly under the Returned's influence.
During the Feast, the usual deserts were joined by a ton of different candies that the students could stuff their pockets with, and, in addition, some of the Gryffindor Prefects had held a pumpkin carving class before the feast, and those who had participated had made their own jack-o-lanterns that they were filling with candy during the feast. Tatsumi, who was sitting with a Weasley-twin on either side of her, and was otherwise surrounded by the Gryffindor Quidditch-team, was only half listening to the conversation as she had noticed Juvia was missing. Tatsumi had participated in the carving class earlier, and had made a jack-o-lantern for her closest, non-Gryffindor friends. She had handed over the lanterns as they had all entered the Great Hall for dinner, but Juvia wasn't at the feast, so Tatsumi was collecting sweets for her. She had a good idea of what Juvia liked, like the hard raspberry-flavored candies, and what she didn't like, like marzipan. Juvia also liked treacle-tart, so Tatsumi had a couple of slices wrapped up for her. At the same time, she was also keeping an ear on Ronald, whom the twins had warned her about earlier. They had told her he was up to something, and she figured today was when he was going to try and trick her up to the third-floor at some point. Right now though, the prat was busy stuffing his face, and pockets, with as much candy as he could.
Suddenly, the doors slammed open and Professor Quirrell came running in screaming frantically. "TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" He stopped about halfway to the staff-table. "Thought you ought to know." Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted.
While the students panicked and started screaming and trying to run, Tatsumi locked eyes with Draco, who had also noticed Juvia wasn't in the Great Hall.
"SILENCE!" The headmaster yelled, silencing the terrified students and stopping them in their tracks. "Prefects, please bring your students back to your dormitories. The Professors and I will take care of the troll."
"ARE YOU CAZY?!" Tatsumi yelled. "The Slytherin dorms are in the dungeons, not to mention the thing has probably moved by now, if this isn't just some stupid Halloween prank! Sending any student out of the Great Hall will only put them in danger! And what about the students that are already out there?! Did it not cross your mind to send someone to go look for them? I know of at least one Hufflepuff who is out there with no warning of the danger!"
Before Dumbledore could say anything, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall beat him to it. "She's right, Albus." She said. "Prefects! Please gather your students and DO NOT leave the Great Hall until we've given the 'all clear'. There will be a message sent over the speakers shortly to warn any students not present! Please stay as calm as possible until we return!"
o0o
Juvia wasn't feeling well. The cramps weren't that bad, but she had lost her appetite and hidden in the girls' bathroom on the first floor, hoping for some peace and quiet. Tatsumi had showed her how to get into the kitchens, but she really didn't want anyone to make a fuss over her. She was avoiding her dorm for the same reason. She just needed some private time to deal with a few things. For one, she really missed her mother. The first time she went through this, she at least had the female staff at the orphanage to lean on, and going through it a second time wasn't any less emotional. She didn't want to talk to the other girls about it either. Secondly, she had received no response from the letters she had sent her father; making her wonder if he was even bothering to read them. Juvia smiled as she entertained the thought of letting Tatsumi know; the girl would surely send him a Howler or something.
Although Juvia and Natsu had never been that close in their past lives, Juvia had come to lean on Tatsumi since that day on the platform. She had also come to realize that she had, at least subconsciously, held a great respect for Natsu, and how he always lifted everyone's spirits, and how he always protected everyone. However, she had always looked at him from the sidelines, and, often, what she saw was an immature idiot. A part of her couldn't understand why people seemed to flock towards him; she couldn't understand why Gray could stand him, little along call him a friend and teammate. Now she did. Tatsumi was such a bright light; Juvia saw that now, and she could understand why people were so attracted to her. Tatsumi still retained an aura of a protector, and for people living in the dark, it was irresistible.
Juvia had noticed she wasn't the only one who had realized this either. A lot of kids from Dark Pureblood families were having a hard time here; being children of known Death Eaters or blood-purists, and some of those children came from bad home environments. Tatsumi had made it clear that she didn't care who you were, or who your parents were. She didn't care about how much money you had, how much money your parents made, or what jobs they had. She didn't care about the type of blood in your veins, or what your family looked like. She stood up for anyone, against anyone, regardless of who insisted they were in the right, or what reasons they had for picking on others. That alone helped unifying the students, starting with young students of all houses coming to her hoping that the bullies would leave them alone. As a result, they were meeting other kids from other houses, and making friends they otherwise wouldn't have made.
Older students were seeing their group as a breath of fresh air. Prefects had students coming up to them and telling them about things the other Houses were doing, that maybe their House could do as well. Like how the Ravenclaws had the opportunity to buy notes and books from older students who had graduated, or just didn't need them anymore. The Hufflepuffs had a reward-system for little things, like making your bed in the mornings, where they earned points depending on how well the beds were made, and for doing other small chores as well. They also got points for how well they did on their school-assignments, and the students could then exchange the points they've earned for small rewards; a piece of candy, a brand new quill, or other neat things. Students could even donate items, like spare Chocolate Frog Cards, to be sold as rewards.
In addition, Tatsumi's little 'Lost-and-Found'-business was blossoming as well. Not only were the other first-years loving Kaito, but students would give him things they'd found around the castle when they encounter him. They would also give him treats and feed him under the table during dinner. In return, Kaito has, surprisingly, learned to recognize individual students, and is now able to return lost items on his own. In fact, he had come into the bathroom a little while ago to return an earring Juvia didn't know she'd lost, and was now curled up in her lap offering comfort.
*Sound of the speakers turning on.*
"ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS! THERE HAS BEEN REPORTS OF A TROLL INSIDE THE CASTLE; DO NOT LEAVE WHERE YOU ARE! PROFESSORS WILL BE SEARCHING FOR STUDENTS OUTSIDE THE GREAT HALL, AND WILL ESCORT THOSE STUDENTS TO SAFETY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENGAGE THE TROLL, SHOULD YOU ENCOUNTER IT; IF THE TROLL FINDS YOU BEFORE A PROFESSOR CAN GET TO YOU, YOU ARE ADVICED TO RUN AND HIDE. DO NOT ENGAGE THE TROLL. REPEAT; DO NOT ENGAGE!"
*Sound of the speakers turning off.*
Juvia didn't know what to make of the announcement. "Surely, it's just a Halloween-joke?" She thought, knowing the ancient wards wouldn't – shouldn't – allow it.
Still, she had to follow orders and stay put, but, then, the shaking started. Being a Water Mage, she was extremely sensitive to vibrations in the ground, especially due to her water-body, and she could tell something big was walking towards her. She realized there actually was a large, dangerous beast inside the castle, and hurried into the nearest stall to hide. She kept her hand on the floor, tracking the footsteps, and prayed that the troll would just walk by the bathroom she was in. It didn't; it stopped right outside the door, and Juvia knew the thing had smelled something that had caught its attention, then the door was suddenly smashed open, and the beast walked inside. Juvia gaged at the smell, and covered her mouth as to not make a sound. She knew it was very much a real troll at that moment, more specifically, a Mountain Troll; the only species native to the area. The troll was dragging a huge club, which it used to smash the first two stalls.
Juvia forced herself to stay silent, but Kaito panicked and struggled out of her arms and fled. The troll smashed a sink trying to hit him, but the Niffler was too fast and was out the door before the troll could raise its club again. Juvia wondered for a moment if the troll would follow Kaito, but, though clearly disappointed at the loss of a potential meal, the troll stayed and continued smashing things in anger. Juvia narrowly escaped when the stall she was in was smashed. She still had problems converting her body into water, despite having regained her invulnerability, but she struggled at changing shapes in her water-form. She figured it was because her physical body was still immature, and she was relieved when she was able to change into a puddle of water, which she could then use to escape the bathroom unnoticed. She rounded a corner before she changed back into human-form, and she wondered if she should try to keep the troll in the bathroom somehow, but a group of professors came running before she could do anything.
"Miss Moon, are you alright." McGonagall asked seeing how pale she looked.
"Yes, Juvia is fine." Juvia said. She was still shaking. "It's in the girls' bathroom."
"Head straight to the Great Hall, Miss Moon." Sprout said. "We'll take care of the troll."
"Yes, Ma'am." Juvia said and ran.
She found another two first-years on her way and brought them with her to the Great Hall. Juvia then sat with her friends and waited for the teachers to return. She smiled as Tatsumi handed over the candy filled pumpkin she had saved for her, but was too upset to eat anything.
"How did a troll get side the castle?" Susan whispered incredulously, having joined the Returned at the Gryffindor table while Hannah comforted Neville. "Aren't there wards to prevent such things?"
"Quirrell probably let it in." Draco said trying to ignore the cat on his head. Filch had locked Mrs. Norris in the Great Hall with the students, so she wouldn't be eaten by the troll, and she had chosen Draco's hair as her current napping-spot, and would dig her claws into his scalp if he tried to remove her. "He 'woke up' as the first group of students was escorted back to the Great Hall, and I doubt he joined up with the other professors."
"He didn't." Juvia confirmed.
Draco wanted to shake his head. "What was he thinking?" He asked. "If he wanted a distraction, it would've been much more beneficial to pretend that he was fooled by a joke. Once the troll is taken out, the distraction is over; the professors would've wasted far more time looking for a non-existing threat."
"Not to mention he wouldn't have to explain how the troll got in afterwards." Tatsumi said. "And speaking of the wards; isn't the headmaster supposed to be in tuned with them? Shouldn't he have been alerted to the troll long before Quirrell 'discovered' it and ran for the Great Hall?"
"I believe some of the wards may have been deactivated." Hermione said seriously. "Those same wards should've alerted him of any possessed individuals inside the castle, yet he's doing nothing about Quirrell."
"I don't think they're deactivated." Draco said equally serious. "Dumbledore must simply be ignoring them, and since they're active he can keep an eye on what's going on inside the castle, and play along."
"What about McGonagall?" Susan asked. "She's the Deputy, isn't she?"
"And Head of Gryffindor House." Draco reasoned. "It wouldn't surprise me if the headmaster had convinced her to leave her share of duties to him alone, to lessen her work-load."
"With the Terror Twins around, that's certainly possible." Tatsumi admitted.
The teachers returned only 15 minute later, and the students were encouraged to continue the feast. To help calm them down, the teachers let the students sit where they wanted, since a lot of students had siblings in other houses and could use the reassurance after the day's events.
"You think the incident will even reach the outside?" Hermione asked quietly.
It was one of the twins who answered. "Doubt it." Fred said.
"We heard they installed mail-wards after an incident ten years ago." George continued.
"Something about Dumbledore trying to steal from Gringotts." Fred said.
"The case was erased from the media though, so we're sketchy on the details." George continued.
"He was trying to act as my Magical Guardian and manage my assets." Tatsumi explained.
"Aunt Amelia was so furious when she got that letter from Rootclaw." Susan added. "She was supposed to be Tatsu's Guardian according to the Potter's Will, but she didn't know that beforehand, so she wouldn't have known, at all, if the Will had been sealed like Dumbledore wanted. That, more than anything else, really pissed her off, since he was a witness to the Will, and was going to ignore the whole thing for his own gain."
"Are you going to write your aunt?" Hannah asked. She didn't speak Japanese, so she was glad the conversation had switched back to English.
"My letter would never reach her with the mail-ward in place." Susan said, shaking her head.
"I'd let you borrow my phone, but…" Tatsumi said.
Susan blinked, but could tell her friend was planning something. "But…?" She asked.
"You now Auntie Amy as well as I do." Tatsumi said. "She's highly overprotective and near desperate for evidence against the old goat."
"You're right." Susan realized. "As careful as she is, she'd be gunning for the guy, full speed, if she learned about the things he's doing."
"Which means he'd change his gameplay." Tatsumi said. "We need him to stay predicable."
"As you sure we can't bring her in on the secret?" Susan asked hopefully. "I think it would help."
Tatsumi shook her head. Amelia had forbidden them both to ever join the Auror Department, or do anything else that could put them on a battlefield for that matter. At this point, she was more likely to be a problem, then a help. "Later in the game, maybe." She said. "But, Dumbledore has eyes and ears in the Ministry; we can't afford him to hear that she's snooping around. He might try to get rid of her."
Susan sighed, but nodded. "You're right." She said. "I'll gather evidence for us, in the meantime."
"You can use my 'Vanishing Box' (AN 1), if you want." Tatsumi offered. "That way we can store everything at my house instead of the castle."
Susan nodded. "I'll do that." She said.
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Author's Notes
1) 'Vanishing Boxes' are basically 'Vanishing Closets', only shaped differently. They're not canon, but I've seen similar boxes in other fanfics.
