THE BOY WHO LIVED, PART 2

"So, if your sister graduated last year, you should know about this school, right?" Yusuke leaned forward to address Kuwabara.

Beside him, Minamino had abandoned his book for the moment and was turning a small wrapped piece of candy around between his long fingers. His eyes were narrowed in focused speculation.

"Um, yeah, I guess so," Kuwabara said.

"So, what can you tell us about it?" Yusuke asked. "What's it like?"

Kuwabara adopted a thoughtful expression. Minamino raised his eyes from the candy he was contemplating to look at Kuwabara.

"Well… the school sits at the foot of Mt. Zetsubō," Kuwabara began.

"A place of great spiritual power," Minamino interjected.

Kuwabara looked startled by the interruption but he nodded. "Yeah," he said. "The Muggles think it's haunted but that's just because of the school. Some magical creatures live on the mountain so they can take advantage of the school's protections against Muggles."

"What creatures?" Yusuke asked eagerly. He'd seen a few magical creatures in Diagon Alley but most of those had only been babies.

"Centaurs, unicorns… there's a kraken in the lake on the school grounds," Kuwabara said.

"Neat," Yusuke said. He really wanted to see that kraken. His mind conjured up an image of a massive black form rising up out of the lake, long tentacles the width of tree trunks sending water up onto the shore. Maybe it would have a lot of bulging eyes on it's slimy, bulbous head. Truthfully, he had no idea what a kraken really looked like.

Minamino looked concerned. "Is that safe?" he asked. "Around so many young people?"

His words brought back Yusuke's earlier musings about the other boy's age.

"Hey," he said to Minamino. "How old are you, anyway?"

Minamino blinked at him in confusion. "Fourteen," he said.

"Fourteen?" Yusuke asked. "I thought the minimum age was fifteen."

"I turn fifteen next month," Minamino said. He slipped the piece of candy he'd just unwrapped into his mouth.

"The age rule isn't set in stone," Kuwabara said. "Sometimes they'll let younger students in if their grades are good enough."

Minamino made a small choking noise. He swallowed as his face took on a sickly green colour. As he raised one hand to his mouth he began to cough.

"I did try to warn you," Kuwabara said apologetically, referring to his earlier comment that the candy wrappers weren't lying about the flavours.

Minamino wiped at his watering eyes. "That... That should be illegal," he managed to get out.

Yusuke smirked at him. He'd — wisely — decided not to partake in the more imaginative flavours that he'd found in their stash of candy. Minamino, it seemed, was a bit more adventurous.

"Anyway," Kuwabara said. "Once we get to the school, we'll be sorted into one of four houses."

"Houses?" Yusuke asked.

"Yeah. There's Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin," Kuwabara informed them. "My sister was in Gryffindor. That's where I'll be too."

"How do you know?" Minamino asked, a crease appearing between his eyebrows. "There was nothing mentioned about that in the information I received from the school."

"Everyone in my family has been in Gryffindor," Kuwabara said proudly. "It's the best house."

"Sounds a bit stupid to me," Yusuke said. "Why do they have to separate the students into groups? Why not just have us separated by year groups like normal schools?"

"It is curious," Minamino said thoughtfully, his voice slightly raw. "It does seem unnecessary."

Kuwabara shrugged. "That's how it's always been done," he said.

"So we might be separated?" Minamino asked, an anxious note entering his voice.

It occurred to Yusuke then that Minamino, despite how assured he'd acted earlier, might be feeling a little out of his depth. He couldn't blame the redhead. Yusuke was in much the same situation himself.

"Maybe we'll get into the same house," he said. "But even if we don't, I'll still annoy the shit out of you." He nudged Minamino's shoulder with his own. A small smile came onto Minamino's face.

"Finally," Yusuke groaned as they joined the throng of other students making their way along a wide path toward the school. He and his two new friends were dressed in what passed for uniforms at this school. Yusuke was used to wearing a uniform, as his previous school had required them. But the black robe that covered his shirt and trousers was ridiculous. Why couldn't they dress like normal people?

His wand was safely tucked beneath his robe. He'd only ever used it once, while he was testing it at Ollivander's in Diagon Alley. It's core was a phoenix feather. Perhaps that had influenced his decision to purchase Puu.

He could see that ahead of them, there were several black carriages parked on the right edge of the path. Curiously, there were no horses in sight. The carriages weren't hooked to anything.

Minamino suddenly froze, the colour draining from his face.

"Hey, you okay?" Yusuke asked him. The boy looked like he was about to faint.

"That's… that's…" Minamino raised one shaking hand to point at the nearest carriage.

"Yeah…?" Yusuke said, drawing the word out uncertainly. Kuwabara had stopped as well, his own face as confused as Yusuke's. "It's a carriage," Yusuke said, not understanding why Minamino looked so rattled.

"Can't you see it?" Minamino asked, sounding strangled.

"See what?" Kuwabara asked, scanning the area around the carriage.

"The… the…" Minamino swayed on his feet. Kuwabara put a steadying arm around his shoulders.

"First years! First years, over here!" a familiar feminine voice called. Yusuke ignored it in favour of trying to figure out what Minamino was going on about.

"I don't get it," he told the redhead. "It's a carriage."

"Yeah," Kuwabara agreed. "I mean, it's weird that there's nothing pulling it but…"

"But there is," Minamino insisted. "Can't you see it?"

"It's a Thestral."

The new voice was blunt and disgusted. Yusuke turned to see a short boy glaring up at him with blood-red eyes. His hair was black and spiked up. His arms were crossed over his chest.

Kuwabara's jaw tensed at the sight of the newcomer but he didn't say anything.

"A Thestral?" Yusuke asked.

"You can't see it because you haven't seen death," the short boy informed him. His red eyes fixed on Kuwabara. "For someone who belongs to a wizarding family, you don't know much," he commented. "Maybe your family's been living among the Mudbloods for too long."

He started past them, heading in the direction of the voice that had hailed the first years earlier. Yusuke watched him go, a frown on his face.

"Who was that?" he asked.

Kuwabara glowered at the short boy's back. Yusuke was surprised that the boy seemed oblivious to it. Surely he could feel the heat from that glare?

"That's Jaganshi Hiei," Kuwabara said. "His father works for the Ministry of Magic. There's rumours that his dad is a Death Eater, too."

"But the Dark Lord is dead," Yusuke pointed out. "Doesn't that mean the Death Eaters are gone?"

"Some people think they are," Kuwabara said. "But some people say they're not."

"First years!"

"I guess we should get going before they leave us behind," Kuwabara said.

They walked toward the lake, Minamino tucked between Kuwabara and Yusuke. As they left the carriages behind, Minamino began to perk up. As they walked, he began to flip through his book.

Yusuke watched in amazement as Minamino somehow managed to maintain a straight course while seemingly absorbed in the book. From the redhead's other side, Kuwabara looked equally fascinated, his small eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape.

"There's nothing in here about Thestrals…" Minamino muttered.

"Y'know," Kuwabara started. "It's weird that you couldn't see them, Yusuke. You watched the Dark Lord and your aunt die when you were a baby. So why can't you see the Thestrals?"

Minamino raised his head from his book, looking interested. "That is curious," he said.

"Maybe it's because I can't remember any of it," Yusuke suggested. "I was a baby."

"It's possible that you never saw your aunt die," Minamino mused.

"But he should have seen the Dark Lord die," Kuwabara argued.

"Yes. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Yusuke asked impatiently.

Minamino turned his emerald eyes on Yusuke.

"The Dark Lord didn't actually die…" he said.

Kuwabara shivered, his angular face turning pale in the dying light of the day. "Don't say that," he said. "Seriously, don't say that, Minamino."

"YUSUKE!"

Yusuke froze as he felt slim arms encircle him.

"You made it!" Botan squealed as she released him.

Kuwabara's eyes almost bugged out of his head as he stared at them.

"Ah, yeah," Yusuke said awkwardly. "And, ah, you probably shouldn't be hugging students, Botan. That's just a bit inappropriate…"

Botan looked unfazed by his comment as she beamed at him. She wore a traditional pink kimono and her blue hair was pulled up into a ponytail. Her fuchsia eyes were bright beneath her fringe. She looked just as bubbly as she had the first time Yusuke had seen her, when she'd delivered his letter directly to him. By knocking on his window in the middle of the night. The window on the second storey of his house.

"Come on," she said. "You're the last ones to arrive."

Yusuke followed her down to the bank of the lake. A line of canoes waited, almost all of them already packed with students.

"Get in," Botan said, still smiling at them. Kuwabara got in first, with Minamino next, then Yusuke bringing up the rear. Botan fluttered off to get in another boat.

"Here we go!" she shouted to the students. Just as Yusuke was wondering if they were supposed to take up the oars and start rowing or something, the boats shot forward onto the glassy surface of the lake. Minamino gripped the side of the boat tightly as Kuwabara leaned forward to stare ahead of them. Yusuke found himself staring down into the dark water of the lake as he wondered if the kraken was down there, waiting to grab a nice meal.

"I can see the school!" Kuwabara called back to them.

Yusuke raised his eyes from the lake to see that, now visible in the mists, was a large castle. Beyond it rose the tall form of a mountain.

"A castle?" he asked in puzzlement. He hadn't been expecting that.

"The school was founded by wizards from England," Minamino said, "Hence the unusual architecture." His book now rested on his lap. "Some of the outer buildings are more traditional, however."

They passed smoothly over the lake as the sky darkened and the stars revealed themselves. They reached the steep side of a cliff and the boats slipped through an ivy curtain, continuing on down a dark, damp tunnel. Fireflies flitted around, providing light as well as a magical atmosphere.

"I think we're beneath the castle," Minamino murmured. He had his book open to what appeared to be a map of the school.

The boats stopped at a rocky shore and the students scrambled out. Botan led them up a flight of stone stairs to the upper level of the castle. As Minamino had surmised, the passage had taken them into the bowels of the school.

"Where are the older students?" Yusuke asked curiously as they were shown into the warmly lit building.

"They're probably already in the Great Hall," Kuwabara said. "I guess they're going to sort us into houses before we eat."

"Shit," Yusuke muttered. "I'm hungry." He hoped that the sorting wouldn't take long.

He eyed the artwork hanging on the walls with interest as they walked by them, following Botan in a ragged line. He was no expert on art but these paintings looked old.

He blinked in startled shock as a monk in one of the paintings bowed to him. Had he really just seen that? Maybe he was tired. He rubbed at his eyes.

"This is the Great Hall, where we eat our meals," Botan informed the students as they stopped outside a door. "If you'll just wait quietly one moment…"

Botan vanished through the door. Just a few scant seconds later, she was back, bright smile in place.

"Before you sit down for dinner, you'll be sorted into your houses," she told the students. "We sort students by personality traits, so you'll be sure to find new friends in your house."

Yusuke raised his hand. "Hey, Botan!" he called.

Botan fixed him with a severe look. "Professor Botan," she corrected him.

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Right," he said. "Can we change houses if we want to?"

"No. A student will only be moved from a house under the most extreme of circumstances," Botan said. "The sorting is final. Any more questions?"

Another student raised her hand. "How will we be sorted?" she asked.

"You will be assessed by an impartial judge," Botan answered. "Any other questions?"

After a moment of nervous silence, she clapped her hands.

"All right, everyone!" she said. "Follow me."

Yusuke's eyes widened as they entered the Great Hall. There were five tables in the room. One stretched out along the back wall of the room, while the other four were positioned perpendicular to it. There were people seated at all five tables, though Yusuke noticed empty chairs situated here and there.

"Look up there."

Minamino nudged his shoulder. Yusuke looked up to see that the ceiling of the Great Hall appeared to be transparent. He could see the clear sky above them, stars winking beyond the candles that lit the room.

"Students, please stand in a line and wait for your name to be called!" Botan instructed.

As the first name was called, Yusuke's eye was drawn to a stool. Sitting on it was an old, tattered looking black hat. He frowned.

"What's that?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he was asking Minamino or Kuwabara but it was Kuwabara that answered.

"It's the Sorting Hat," he said. "It decides which house we belong in."

"Ah, how?" Yusuke asked, baffled.

The girl whose name had been called approached Botan. The blue-haired professor spoke to her briefly before gesturing at the stool.

The girl stepped up to the stool and lifted the hat from it. She sat down on the stool and placed the hat on her head.

A minute of silence passed. Yusuke grew restless. "This is going to take forever," he grumbled to Kuwabara. "And how is a goddamn hat supposed to tell us what house we belong in anyway?"

Kuwabara shrugged in response. "It's magic," he said, as if that explained everything.

"Ravenclaw!" The shout seemed to come from the hat on the girl's head, startling Yusuke.

"It talks?" he demanded as the girl took the hat off and set it back on the stool before jogging over to join the table that had erupted into cheers as soon as the hat had shouted out the house's name.

Yusuke watched with growing uncertainty as the other students were sorted. He noticed that there seemed to be some hostility between the Gryffindors and Slytherins. Both tables booed when students were sorted into the opposite house. That didn't sit right with Yusuke at all. They were all students here, no matter what house they belonged to. Right?

Maybe it was just good-natured rivalry, but Yusuke didn't get that impression at all.

Jaganshi Hiei, the boy who had spoken to them about the Thestrals, was sorted into Slytherin.

"I knew it," Kuwabara muttered.

"Kuwabara Kazuma!"

Kuwabara jogged forward to take his own turn with the Sorting Hat. It took just a few seconds for the hat to announce it's decision.

"Gryffindor!" it called.

Kuwabara gave them a big, goofy smile before heading over to the cheering Gryffindors. He was greeted with enthusiasm by his new housemates, who congratulated him and clapped him on the back.

Minamino edged closer to Yusuke, looking as nervous as Yusuke felt.

"You okay?" Yusuke asked him as the next student was called.

"I feel somewhat unwell," Minamino stated.

He did look pale and his eyes were slightly unfocused.

"It's been a pretty big day," Yusuke told him. "Just hang in there a bit longer."

Minamino nodded. "I haven't slept much over the past week," he confessed.

"Me, neither," Yusuke admitted.

"Minamino Shuichi!"

"Good luck, buddy," Yusuke said to him.

"Thank you. Good luck to you too," Minamino told Yusuke before he left him to walk to the Sorting Hat. Unlike most of the other students, he didn't look particularly excited or eager. He picked up the Hat and seated himself, placing the hat on his head.

A minute passed. Then another. Yusuke began to grow concerned. Had something gone wrong?

Minamino's face remained impassive, though Yusuke noticed that his jaw tensed.

Unable to take the suspense any longer, Yusuke shouted out, "Hey! Get on with it!"

"Yusuke!" Botan admonished from her position near the stool.

"Slytherin!"

"Fuck," Yusuke muttered as Minamino lifted the hat from his head. He stood and set it down on the stool. His eyes met Yusuke's briefly before he turned and walked to the Slytherin table. The Slytherins greeted him as enthusiastically as the Gryffindors had greeted Kuwabara, but Minamino barely reacted. He took a seat next to the Jaganshi boy, his eyes lowered to the empty plate before him.

Yusuke waited impatiently for his turn. He was, unsurprisingly, last on the list, since they were being sorted in alphabetical order.

"Urameshi Yusuke!"

A murmur rumbled around the room as if the name were a pebble dropped into a still pool. Yusuke ignored it and strode toward the hat. He grabbed it off the stool and sat before yanking it down onto his head.

I've been expecting you.

Yusuke's eyes widened at the sound of the voice in his head.

"Hey!" he said. "Who're you?"

You don't need to speak out loud. I can hear your thoughts just fine. I'm the Sorting Hat.

You can talk? In my head? Yusuke asked.

Of course I can.

Yeah. Because all hats are telepathic and can talk. Silly me, Yusuke retorted.

Antagonistic, aren't you? Your father was the same.

Wait, you knew my father?

That revelation startled Yusuke. He'd never known his father. His mother rarely even spoke about him. It was as though the subject were a fresh bruise, too sore to touch.

I sorted him into Slytherin, the hat informed him. That may have been a mistake.

A mistake? Yusuke asked.

Then again, maybe it wouldn't have made any real difference in the end, the hat said. In any case, you aren't your father. For you, I think…

"Gryffindor!"