A/N: Finally! I have the new chapter! It took longer than I thought... I would say that I was wrong about updates slowing down, but this story contains no evidence of that. XD Well, read on!
Title: Fox Wish
Author: liketolaugh
Beta: The Quaag
Rating: T
Pairings: Ciel/Elizabeth, later Albus/Gellert
Genre: Adventure/Friendship
Warnings: Some spoilers for Black Butler manga and seventh Harry Potter book... eventually.
Summary: Ciel Phantomhive is a wizard. He's known this all his life; after all, his mother and father had both been purebloods, dividing their attention betwen the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. Now, Ciel is eleven, and it's time for him to attend Hogwarts, accompanied by a boy his age called Albus Dumbledore.
Disclaimer: Sadly, Black Butler is not mine.
"My brain surprises even me sometimes." – Albus Dumbledore
Ciel nodded in satisfaction as he finished off his paper with a flick of his quill. He glanced up to Albus, who was still working on his. "I take it you're putting extra effort into making it especially good?" he asked the other boy, only half interested.
Albus nodded, concentrating on it and opening up his (advanced) Charms book for reference again. "Yes," he mumbled. He glanced up for a brief moment. "After all, we're trying to impress Professor Lockhart, aren't we? She may be cheerful, but she doesn't accept nonsense, so showing we're serious is one way to get on her good side. I'm surprised you aren't doing the same."
A distasteful look came over Ciel's face and he nodded to the pile of paperwork he'd set aside. "Normally, I would, but something seems to be going wrong with the company, and there's been an influx of paperwork." He said the word 'paperwork' with no small amount of disdain. "I don't have time at the moment. Perhaps another time."
Albus nodded distractedly, having found the information he'd been looking for, and he focused back on his paper while Ciel set in on his paperwork, and silence fell over their table again.
"Mr. Dumbledore," Professor Lockhart called from the front of the classroom, a parchment – most likely Albus' – clutched in her hand. "Speak to me after class."
Albus stiffened, a worried look suddenly coming over his face. Ciel frowned and glanced up, but it was impossible to read the situation from Lockhart's face. What the devil did the professor want?
It took far too long for the class to end, and Ciel nodded to Albus once, receiving a nervous look in return, before going out the door and waiting outside, leaning against the wall.
Finally, the door opened again and Albus came through. Ciel gave him an expectant look. In return, Albus smiled at him, a hint of relief in the expression. "The paper was excellent, she said." Ciel didn't smile, but his eyes sparkled slightly, pleased for his friend. Albus' smile widened into a grin and he continued, "She's submitted it to Challenges in Charming, beginner's section."
Ciel did smile slightly now. "Well, that's sure to earn you some attention," he commented idly. Albus looked thoughtful and nodded in agreement, still grinning.
They started to walk down the hallway, joined quickly by Elphias, who had gone ahead. Albus told him excitedly of the news, and Elphias was far more enthusiastic in his response than Ciel. No surprise there. Pride and glee shone on the third boy's face, and Ciel nodded along idly, listening as Albus and Elphias talked, subjects ranging from Albus' paper, classes, and, of course, the rapidly nearing Hallowe'en.
It was a week before Albus' paper showed up in Challenges in Charming, but show up it did. The owl soared toward Albus, paper in hand, and he instantly took it from it, flipping through the pages. It didn't take long to locate his paper, but he grinned.
"There it is," he murmured. "My first paper in an official publication."
"It won't be your last," Ciel promised him. He was sitting beside Albus, again at the Gryffindor table. In fact, he hadn't sat at his own table since that first time at this one, a few weeks ago by now. Albus looked up at him and smiled.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," he agreed.
"Let me see, let me see!" protested Elphias, who hadn't yet seen any version of the paper. Albus laughed and passed him the magazine, and he peered intently at the paper, reading over it and attempting to digest the information. His brow furrowed slowly, and he appeared to start over, reading it again. Both Ciel and Albus frowned at him, confused. Finally, he put it down and announced, "I don't understand a word of it."
Albus relaxed and smiled sheepishly. "It may not… actually be first year work," he admitted.
Ciel smirked, amused. "What level is it, then?"
"…Fifth year."
Elphias stared at him with an open mouth, but a chuckle escaped Ciel's mouth. "Of course it is," he muttered, smirking. "Professor Lockhart must have been shocked."
"In fact," Albus hinted, smiling. "She might even be shocked enough to do something she normally wouldn't."
Ciel's eyes sparkled. "That she might."
The next Charms class, Albus returned from having stayed after with a grin on his face and a book in his hand. "Got it," he said triumphantly.
Ciel eyed the book and then looked at Albus, a glint of anticipation in his eyes. "Perfect. With this, we can begin."
Albus nodded fervently. With this on their side, he really couldn't wait to get started, because he really didn't like Professor Vanken. That was one teacher they could certainly do without. But then he frowned. "We can't start right away."
Ciel scowled, the comment triggering his own memory. Oh, right…
The past week had been a flurry of activity, with rumors of decorations and charms about, what would and wouldn't be there, and the many witches going to Professor Forewindon, the Divination professor, for fortune-telling advice. Tonight would be the culmination of that activity.
Ciel sighed. He didn't even like Hallowe'en.
They met with Elphias, who had gone ahead, at one table towards a side of the room. As it was the night of Hallowe'en, there were, of course, decorations about, along with the beginnings of setups for various games, and the usual house tables had been replaced with smaller, more intimate tables set for about six people each. The hall was dimly lit by candles, an eerie feeling in the air, though a small, crackling bonfire burned in the center of the hall. Yellow mums, hollowed-out pumpkins full of chestnuts, bowls of dried fruit and nuts, and bundles of golden straw tied up with black and orange ribbons lay about the hall. Hollow turnips and carrots floated about, bobbing like lanterns and lit from within. At every table sat a small basket full of apples, girls tittering over them already. Also laying about the hall were wooden tubs, full of water and apples, and large mirrors every few feet along the wall. Horseshoes hung on the walls, orange candlelit flickering dimly across the metal surfaces.
Ciel frowned. Once, Hallowe'en, or All Hallows Eve, or Samhain, had been about spirits. Séances, hiding from spirits and demons, setting out food to soothe angry apparitions. Not anymore. Oh, no, now it was about fortune telling, romance. Girls would cut apples before mirrors or bob for them, hoping to catch a glimpse of their future love. They would peel them for good luck or offer them to the spirit world in exchange for a foretelling of the future.
He grimaced. No, Ciel did not like Hallowe'en.
Of course, it was still centered on magic and the supernatural. Tarot cards sat on the tables as well as the apple baskets, and already, several of these decks were being used, students up and down the tables concentrating hard on the cards laid out before them.
Eventually, all the students were settled in groups of friends at their tables – though Ciel's only contained him, Elphias, and Albus – and the food appeared, filling them so that food was nearly tipping over the edges of the tables.
Albus looked distracted, clearly as uninterested in the proceedings as Ciel was, but Elphias was grinning excitedly, looking around with obvious delight. Ciel listened as a boy at one of the tables nearby told the story of Jack, a foolish, sinful man, who trapped the Devil in a tree, and refused to let him go until promised he would not go to Hell when he died. When Heaven didn't want him, the Devil took pity on the man, giving him a burning ember from Hell, with which he could see the dark places of the world as he wandered forever.
Once that story was finished, he noted a muttering close by, and frowned. Then he looked over at Albus. Ah. The other boy was muttering to himself, and then looked up, catching Ciel's eye. Ciel gave him a questioning look. Albus scooted close to him.
"I was thinking about when we've finally got the evidence against Professor Vanken," he muttered in explanation. "Normally, I would say we should bring it to the headmaster, but…" He shot Nigellus, deep in discussion with Professor Britton, a skeptical look.
Ciel considered. "If the headmaster ignores it," he started slowly. "We could, perhaps, bring it to the Board." Though he didn't like authority much. He didn't have much choice here, he supposed. None of the authority afforded to him as the Watchdog applied here.
Albus frowned, considering. "We would have to build a stronger case if we're to appeal to the Board," he commented.
"Well, then that's what we're going to do," Ciel said decisively.
Albus chuckled, nodded, and then delved into a new matter of discussion – more specifically, some of the more interesting old Hallowe'en traditions, pausing only to watch the Hogwarts ghosts reenact first the punishment of Guy Fawkes, and then the Gryffindor ghost, Nearly-Headless Nick's, botched execution by beheading.
Before they knew it, the previously endless-seeming feast was over, but almost no one left. In fact, if anything, activity increased. Almost every mirror had a girl before it, cutting their apples and offering one piece over their shoulder, peering into the candlelit surfaces with interest. Apple peels littered the floor and the bonfire was surrounded, effigies and carved rocks being tossed into the flames alongside hazelnuts and chestnuts.
Ciel watched them boredly, and then sighed and shook his head. Yes, Hallowe'en was no longer a day of the dead. While he'd never experienced such traditions himself, he was certain that he would have enjoyed them more than he did this.
Albus didn't mind it so much, Ciel noted, but didn't seem especially interested. Ciel figured that, as Albus was far less… morbid… than himself, he wouldn't have actually preferred the old traditions, but that didn't stop him from disliking these.
Elphias was enjoying himself, at least.
Finally, the bonfire in the middle of the hall extinguished, and any students who had thrown a stone into the flames rushed toward it to sift through the ashes and find it. Ciel rolled his eyes; he wondered what idiot actually believed that one's continued life depended on whether or not you could find a stone in the ashes of a bonfire.
Aside from the idiots doing so right now, that was.
Albus locked eyes with Ciel, and then gestured with his head to the door. Ciel nodded in agreement and stood, following the taller boy out the door of the Great Hall. Behind them, a shriek echoed through the air. Ciel figured that they had failed to find their stone.
They walked up the stairs, toward where Ciel assumed Albus' common room was, and finally stopped before a portrait of a woman. "The Fat Lady," Albus explained, before addressing the portrait. "Flamboyance."
The Fat Lady smiled at him warmly and swung open, allowing him through. Ciel followed after, looking around the Gryffindor common room curiously. As he observed the warm atmosphere and more comfort-oriented arrangements, he said conversationally, "You do realize that I now know the password."
"Who cares?" Albus replied dismissively. "I'll be right back."
He popped up a staircase, most likely to the dormitory, and returned shortly afterward, the Teacher's Rulebook clutched in his hand. He sat down at the table Ciel had taken a seat at, lit by a single, flickering candle, and opened it. "I marked a few sections that looked promising," he told Ciel distractedly, flicking through the book to the first marked page. "But I didn't have time to do more than skim a few chapters, so there's still a lot to go through."
"Never mind that," Ciel grumbled, well used to scanning for information. "It's of no consequence." He reached up and stopped Albus from turning the page, looking closely at one section. Then he put his finger on it. "Look there."
Albus leaned over and read the sentence that Ciel was pointing at.
A teacher may not ask students questions above their year, unless they have reason to suspect that the student will know the answer.
Albus grinned. This would be easier than they had thought.
Yay! I had fun with Halloween. But AGH. Research. There is a surprisingly small amount of information on Victorian Halloweens... Christmas was a lot easier. Oh, well. And Albus has started being a genius. I hope you liked it! Please review!