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Disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim to own, anything pertaining to Inuyasha nor Harry Potter. Just the ideas that pop into my mind ;) Also, I stole the Sorting Hat's song straight from the book. Sorry, but I'm nowhere near creative enough to make up a different one of my own lol.
—Settling In—
As Kagome went to sit down at the table, Fred and George catcalled and winked to their heart's content as she passed them by. Ignoring the sensation of her cheeks flushing, Kagome rolled her eyes dryly and childishly stuck her tongue out in response.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron stared at Kagome as she approached, Harry giving Kagome a wide berth as she plopped down to sit next to him. Her wet robes gave a distinct, loud 'squelch'ing sound as she did.
Ron sniggered at she picked a piece of seaweed out from her hair.
He wasn't the only one sniggering either – Harry was, though he tried to hide it by laughing softly under his breath and coughing.
Kagome's eye twitched and she glared at them. "Hah. Hah. Laugh it up," she said blankly. "You're only making it obvious by trying to hide it, Harry."
Harry and Ron shared a grin. "Have a nice swim?" Harry choked out, only laughing more when she turned a hard stare his way.
"I got pulled in after trying to help Dennis back out," she huffed.
They only sniggered more. "How'd you like the giant squid?" Ron quipped, chuckling.
Kagome rolled her eyes but didn't answer at first.
Harry laughed, "C'mon, tell us!" and Ron nodded eagerly, eyes bright like a little boy's on Christmas. And when that didn't work, they pulled out the puppy dog eyes.
Even Fred and George chimed in, playfully mocking Ron but obviously curious. "Yeah Kagome! Tell us!"
Ginny laughed, shaking her head. "What, so you can just tease her?" she asked them, rolling her eyes when they straight out grinned and nodded blatantly.
Kagome and Hermione shared a flat look of exasperation. "See what I have to deal with?" Hermione remarked, lips twisting into a fond, wry smile at their indigent yelps.
But after a few minutes, they didn't back down. At their expectant looks, Kagome caved and pouted. "Scared the crap out of me," she muttered under her breath.
Harry and Ron were reduced to manly giggles and Kagome's eyes glinted evilly as she toyed with the thought of shaking the water out of her clothes and hair.
Hermione must have seen it though, as she waved her wand and muttered a few words, and suddenly she was dry.
Kagome sighed disappointingly. "Must you take the fun out of everything?" she whined in exasperation.
Hermione smiled innocently. "I don't fancy getting wet," she said cheekily, and dug into her food as Dumbledore's voice rang out for them to 'tuck in'.
Harry and Ron though shared a confused look. "What are you two talking about?" Ron demanded as he filled his plate up.
"You're lucky she dried me. You would be wet right now," Kagome answered dryly. "Long, thick hair can hold a lot of water if you catch my drift."
Those sitting around her overheard, and scooted over. Fred, George, and Ginny snickered but a girl with blond curly hair, Lavender, looked over at her in disgust. "That is horrible," she muttered, and when the boys looked over her questionably, she went on, "She means she would have shook herself off - like a dog."
Hermione glared at Lavender for the scorn in her tone, and the boys fidgeted awkwardly. Ginny frowned angrily at her and muttered under her breath. "What a bitch."
Fred, who was chewing a mouthful of potatoes, suddenly choked, as he was the only one to hear her.
As for Kagome, she froze at the word dog, she realizing something. It was exactly something Inuyasha would do...
Correction, something he used to do...
Stricken, Kagome looked down at her plate and silently picked something out and began eating.
The trio shared a worried look.
As the feast went on Kagome picked at her dinner, tuning everyone out as she ate meagerly and beat herself up simultaneously.
It was times like these that were the worst.
She would find herself happy, laughing and surrounded by friends or family. And then reality would knock her on her ass and remind her of what she lost.
She felt horrible. What kind of person, never mind friend, was she? Was she supposed to be this happy? Was it right, when just a couple of months ago she'd lost her family, blood or not?
Kagome placed her fork back on her plate, not even bothering to keep up the facade of eating by now, and decided to tune in to what her friends were saying just when Hermione's goblet of pumpkin juice tipped over.
"There are house-elves here?" Hermione was asking in a stricken voice, eyes wide and horror-struck. Then Kagome noticed Gryffindor's ghost, Sir Nicholas, or rather Nearly Headless Nick, was floating above the table before them. "Here at Hogwarts?"
Nearly Headless Nick was looking at Hermione in surprise. "Certainly. The largest number in any dwelling in Britain, over a hundred," he told her simply, not seeing the problem.
Kagome blinked. 'What in the world are House-elves...?' she thought to herself. She decided to ask it out loud. "House-elves? What are they?"
Ron and Harry groaned loudly, and if they were any older it would be childish. They were giving her exasperated stares that just shouted 'You had to ask?' as Hermione's eyes glinted before she promptly went on a tangent.
"House-elves are creatures who are basically slaves to wizards. They serve wizards for nothing in return - cleaning, cooking, errands, you name it. They are bound to serve their 'master's' orders, and they punish themselves when they don't. The way they are treated is disgusting!" she exclaimed, eyes flashing in indigent anger .
With every word Hermione was saying, Kagome grew more and more appalled and disgusted. "That -that's horrible!" she breathed out in shock. She turned to Harry and Ron. "And this is allowed? Why isn't something done about it? Slavery isn't right!" Kagome said fiercely, eyes flashing hotly.
Her strong reaction sent the boys speechless without a way to answer without her flipping on them. A triumphant look overcame Hermione's face at someone finally agreeing with her.
It was Nearly Headless Nick that rained on Hermione's parade. "What Miss Granger fails to tell you is that," the ghost began dryly. "The house-elves prefer it that way. It's what they want – to serve their masters for nothing in return. A job well done is payment enough. It's really their life's purpose. The problem isn't in the fact that work for nothing, it's in the fact that there are people who take advantage of it and abuse them. Not all owners are like that though," he explained, ignoring Hermione's withering glare. "Take Hogwarts for example – the house-elves here are treated very well for their cooking and cleaning services."
Kagome blinked, settling down, "Oh..." she murmured uncertainly. Well, if it was what they wanted...
But Hermione only harrumphed. "It just isn't right, for them to do all that work for nothing. They should get paid – get holidays and sick leave and – and pensions and everything!" she explained, pointedly shoving away her plate and refusing to eat anymore.
That was when Nearly Headless Nick chortled with laughter so hard his head flopped off, dangling on the inch of ghostly skin and muscle still attached to his neck. Kagome twitched, a hint of green coating her cheeks as she had to look away. She still wasn't used to it after two weeks... "As if they actually want those things!" he said, after pushing his head back on his neck, yanking up his ruff.
For the rest of the meal, Hermione refused to eat, even when Ron tried to persuade her that starving herself wouldn't help the house-elves any and enticing her with a few desserts when the next course came by.
Shaking his head, Harry turned to Kagome who was still looking down. His eyes narrowed for a moment, wondering why Lavender's comment affected her so much but brushed it off for now. Glancing across the table, he nicked something off the plates and offered it to Kagome, hoping to take her mind off of whatever she was thinking about and cheer her up. "Here, try this – it's treacle tart, my favorite," he said, giving a friendly smile.
Kagome looked over at it skeptically, and Harry needled. "You weren't fooling anyone earlier – I know you barely took a bite and you barely ate anything at all today," he told her knowingly, chuckling a bit when Kagome ducked her head and blushed in embarrassment at getting caught.
"I don't know about you, but going to sleep hungry isn't the finest feeling..." he said, this time his voice taking a darker edge. Those nights growing up at the Dursleys weren't his fondest...
Kagome peered at him in concern. "You say that as if you know from experience..." she murmured lowly, so others wouldn't hear.
Harry didn't answer her.
Kagome studied him, her expression solemn – he did look a little skinnier than what was healthy... - before giving an resigned sigh. Reaching over, she tentatively accepted the tart and took a small bite.
Harry had to grin when Kagome's eyes lit up like a little kid who had their first taste of ice cream. "Mhmm, this is good," she mumbled as she chewed, taking another bite which was much larger this time. "Thank you!"
Harry chuckled, shrugging. "I knew you'd like it," was all he said before turning over to grab one for himself.
Kagome rolled her eyes in exasperation, bumping him with her elbow.
It wasn't very long until the feast was finished and the food faded away, leaving the plates sparkling clean. Albus Dumbledore rose once more, and any chattering ceased at once.
He went ahead and gave them some notices and rules, stating an extension of forbidden items banned from the castle, that the forest was out-of-bounds to students, as well as Hogsmeade to any student below third year.
What really caused a commotion was the Headmaster's next announcement.
"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."
It spiked a mix of outrage and shock among the students. Harry couldn't help himself as he gasped "What?" while the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team just mouthed silently, too stunned to speak.
There was a reason, of course. And Professor Dumbledore was just about to get into it when the doors to the Grand Hall swung open with a bang, ensnaring everyone's attention instantly.
Every student turned in their seat to see a stout man limp into the Great Hall, just as every teacher looked up from their spot at their table. Even the Grand Hall's ceiling took to announcing the man's arrival, lighting flashing and its ear-splitting cackling bouncing off the walls. And just about every student goggled at him too.
The man himself was a sight to see. Grizzled and seasoned, the man pushed back the hood of his cloak to reveal a heavily scarred and unforgettable face. The first thing you noticed with the mismatched eyes, one dark and the other blue – the blue one being even more unmistakable as it bulged out from his face, twitching and spinning incessantly. Then, if you looked closely as the light hit it just right, you could spot the chunk of his nose he was missing, not to mention the various scars littering his face.
He limped through the Great Hall, made way to the Headmaster as he limped. One of his legs was missing, replaced by a metal one, and he limped down the hall favoring his staff.
Kagome couldn't help the small shiver that crawled down her spine just at looking at him. He was... intimidating...
Dumbledore introduced the man as Professor Moody, or as Harry and Ron pointed out, Mad-eye Moody who was to be their new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher.
And then the Headmaster went on to tell about a tournament held over a century ago between three certain schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Drumstrang. A tournament filled with tasks that only the most skilled and experienced could hope to pass, where a champion from each school would be chosen to represent their school and compete for the chance to win the prize of a thousand galleons, and ties between between young witches and wizards of different nationalities would hope to be established.
The TwiWizard Tournament.
And Hogwarts was to be the one to host it starting in October.
Students streamed from the Great Hall in a tizzy, the crowed buzzing with excitement for the upcoming event.
The only problem was the age limit, but for a certain pair of twins, it didn't seem to dissuade them much.
Kagome followed with Harry, Hermione, and Ron up the staircases, listening in amusement to Fred and George plot and scheme a way into duping their way into submitting their names for the tournament as they trudged to the Gryffindor tower.
Kagome was shaking her head the the pair, grinning. "You think they could do it? Trick Dumbledore of all people?" she mused wryly. From what she's heard, he was one of the most powerful wizards around, and you don't get a reputation like that for nothing...
Hermione shot Kagome an amused look. "No way. This is Dumbledore we're talking about," she pointed out.
Harry couldn't help but agree, but then again... "All I know is that it's going to be fun watching them try. You can't deny it's bound to be entertaining."
Ron snickered. "Yeah, but imagine if they did it? It'd be cool to enter, d'you reckon?"
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "I dunno, I don't fancy dying," she remarked dryly. "You did hear the part when he said death toll, yeah?"
Hermione nodded primly. "Professor Dumbledore may have said they've made it safer, but he didn't say that it wasn't deadly," she added.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Worrywarts – the both of you," he said airily, waving their comments off. "What about you, Harry?" he asked interestedly. "S'pose you had the chance to enter – would you do it?"
Harry couldn't help but grin. "Gotta admit, it does sounding interesting. Dunno bout the fame though – got enough of that," he murmured wryly.
They laughed at that and Harry's eyes widened suddenly as they reached a certain step halfway up the staircase. Quickly, he turned to Kagome and opened his mouth. "Careful there's a trick -"
Kagome screamed suddenly as she sunk and lurched forward. She would have crashed into the stone steps if Harry's seeker reflexes didn't act in time to catch her mid-way.
Harry sighed, lips twitching. "-step there," he finished, grinning sheepishly at Kagome.
Ron and Hermione snickered and Kagome glared at them. "Thanks," she drawled out dryly as the two boy grabbed her by the arms and lifted her up. "A bit earlier would be nicer next time," she muttered crossly as they only snickered.
Only a few minutes later did they approach the portrait of the Fat Lady, Kagome memorizing the password that Fred had spoken – 'Balderdash'.
As they made their ways towards the girls staircase, Hermione looked over at them. "Best we get off to bed now," she remarked, hiding a smile when Kagome suddenly yawned widely.
Kagome nodded. "G'night guys!" they exclaimed as they parted ways to their respective dormitories, Harry and Ron murmuring the same back to them.
As they climbed the steps, Hermione unconsciously leading Kagome, the miko-witch looked over. "You know, I'm really glad I got sorted into here with you guys. It's good to be around people you know."
Hermione smiled brightly from over her shoulder. "You're going to love it here. Really, Gryffindor has yet to have a dull year." While her voice was cheery there was a note of exasperation that Kagome picked up on.
Hermione had no idea how right she was...
"Here we are," Hermione announced as they approached the door.
At first, they were able to hear the chattering noises of girls as soon as the door opened. However, upon stepping in the noise hushed instantly.
Kagome shuffled uncomfortably as the only two other girls who were sitting on the edge of their beds, facing each other, turned to stare at her as she walked in. Kagome recognized one of them to be the same curly blonde haired girl that snapped at her earlier during the feast."Err, hi?"
Her only response a couple of strange looks and nods, before they turned away and started whispering again.
Kagome raised an eyebrow and turned to Hermione, snorting under her breath, "Not exactly the warm welcome I was expecting..." she murmured wryly, and Hermione scoffed quietly in distaste.
At Kagome's questioning look, the dirty blond witch just shook her head. "Just ignore them – they're favorite thing to do is gossip and talk about boys," she whispered. "Parvati, she's the dark haired one, she's not bad. But I cannot stand Lavender. She's completely and utterly foul."
Kagome snorted. "I honestly don't blame you," she commented quietly, remembering earlier that evening.
Hermione bit her lip wryly, but led Kagome over to one of the four-poster beds. "This looks like your trunk here," she murmured at recognizing it, and she looked over to the next bed and smiled.
"And it's right next to mine!" she chirped happily and Kagome grinned. "There's a couple of other girls who sleep here – Fay Dunbar and Morgan Shae. They're probably off downstairs or something," she went on, propping her trunk to dig for clothes.
Kagome started to do the same, pulling out some pj pants and a warm, long sleeve shirt.
"So what's the deal with you?" someone asked, and Kagome looked up to see it was Lavender. Kagome was blinked in surprise at her bluntness.
Hermione glared at the girl, and pointedly said. "Just ignore her – some people sadly lack tack."
Lavender scowled and promptly turned away, huffing. The whispering resumed.
Kagome rolled her eyes and shook her head in pity. "I used to have friends like that – we'd talk about guys and shopping all the time, but it was in a more harmless way. They were really nice and it's always good to have a good girl talk, you know?" she said quietly,
Hermione looked a hint uncomfortable, and shrugged halfheartedly. "I wouldn't really know, to be honest. I've been mainly friends with the boys. The girls in our year, some of them are..." she trailed off.
Kagome blinked, and instantly understood. "Airless twits?" Kagome whispered conspiratorially, and snickered while Hermione bit her lip in amusement. She didn't say no after all... Kagome shrugged. "You're really smart Hermione, I can tell. That probably intimidates a lot of girls," she commented.
Hermione looked away, staring out of the window. "I love it here in Gryffindor... but... there were times I wondered whether I would be better off in Ravenclaw..." she confessed sullenly.
But Kagome shook her head firmly. "There's a reason the sorting hat put you in here instead. You're smart, yeah, but that's not all. You're outspoken – brave." Kagome grinned. " You're not afraid to speak your mind and fight for what's right. That's a Gryffindor right there."
Hermione flashed her a wide, grateful smile at her words before they went off to the showers before going off to sleep.
"Kagome! Kagome, wake up!"
Kagome groaned, rolling over and burying deeper into her pillow.
She flinched when the sounds of the curtains being whipped open rang out, and Kagome felt someone shake her.
"Kagome, you overslept!" Hermione hissed in her ears. "Breakfast's about to start!"
It took a matter of five seconds for the words to sink in. Raising a hand to her face, Kagome sleepily rubbed at her eyes and cracked an eye open. "Guess I was pretty tired last night..." she mumbled as she dragged herself up. "Thanks for... waking me up... 'Mione," Kagome managed to get out through her yawns and Hermione mumbled "You're welcome," as she finished brushing her hair.
She stumbled off her bed and picked up her uniform and new Gryffindor robes, quickly getting dressed. She dropped by the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face and etc.. She piled her hair into a messy bun and rushed out before making her way down.
The trio were waiting for her in the Common Room, and Harry and Ron were having some trouble trying not to laugh while Hermione looked on disapprovingly.
Kagome blinked. "What?" she said defensively.
Hermione let out a long-suffering sigh. "You look a mess," she tutted, eyeing the way Kagome's clothes were skewed, her robe hanging haphazardly, and her tie crooked and loose.
Kagome snorted, "Well,it's not like I had much time to get ready you know," she shot back, but grinned.
Hermione shot her a look and Kagome sighed, willing to humor her. "Fine, fine..." she muttered straightening her robe and fixing her tie. It was still a bit loose, and her shirt wasn't tucked in, but it looked pretty good nonetheless. Messy but cute, as much as the uniform could be. "Happy, Mum?" Kagome teased, a dry eyebrow cocked.
Harry and Ron lost the battle and exploded into soft snickers. Hermione sure didn't waste time to start mothering Kagome. At least now Kagome would take some of the heat off from them.
Hermione sniffed at the jab, but smirked. "At least you don't look like a complete slob," she simpered wryly and they walked out through the portrait entrance and made their way to the Great Hall.
As they ate breakfast, or in Ron's case, vacuuming it in, they looked over their timetables, discovering they had most of their classes together, save for Hermione who took more classes and withdrew from taking Divination.
Their first one up was Herbology.
Weelllll, what do you think? ^^
Oh, by the way! For those that don't know, I posted up two oneshots in my little collection earlier Tuesday, 'Snapshots of a Priestess'. One of them was a HP/Inu oneshot! XD It's not a Harry/Kagome pairing, so sorry if that's a disappointment, but it's actually a Sirius/Kagome! XDD (Yayyy!) I adore that pairing, and if you do too then go check it out! XD
Anyways, tell me your thoughts!
Till laters!
RainLily
A big huge honking thanks to these awesome reviewers!
ladyyuuki16, MoonPrincess1989, cherry-888, fierynightangel, sesshome love, The-Dark-Love-Writer, Mers Bug, dragonfly1339, Valleygoat, Bishonen'sFoxyMiko, ArmyWife22079, Stebba stud28, InfiniteWhiplash, Fanficlover16000, Gigglieo222, Maxeyn, ShiTsukisama, Venas, Hitsugaya1997, Bunny.W.K, Abby303, Crazykenz,