Title: When Death Comes A' knocking
Author: Shiozaki
Plot Mistresses: Shiozaki, Shaynie, Literary Eagle, LibraryCat
Scene Master: Shiozaki & LibraryCat
Chapter 14
Crumbs
Unexpectedly, it was Hisoka's delicate fingers that reached for him, and Hisoka's surprisingly strong frame that managed to lever him up off the hard floor. Harry shook his head, wincing as the motion sent shock waves careening through his ringing head. Whatever that thing had been, it had certainly hit hard.
"Harry, are you all right?" Kyo skidded to a stop in front of the English wizard, pale blue eyes going momentarily dark with worry. His hands were patting at the other boy, anxiously reassuring himself that no serious harm had been done. Not physically, anyway. The contact was vaguely annoying, and made the pounding in his head, if anything, even fiercer. Harry shrugged the hands away.
"Lay off, Kyo," he muttered. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not. You just had a kekkai blow up in your face." The darker of the Japanese students rounded on his fair friend. "Hisoka," he demanded accusingly. "What did you do to Harry?"
"Nothing, idiot." Concern robbed the blond's words of some of their customary sharpness. "I thought his kekkai was strong enough so I used a stronger 'fuda. Apparently, I was incorrect." From another person, Harry might have thought that it was criticism of his technique, a derogatory comment on his intelligence. But time spent in Hisoka's company was getting Harry accustomed to the empath's ways. There really was genuine concern on his tone and he had honestly believed that Harry could handle the stronger magic. If anything, it made him feel slightly guilty that he wasn't up to expectations.
Frowning, Kyo turned back to Harry, who was well aware that he didn't look his best as he swayed on his feet. In fact, sitting down was sounding pretty nice right about then. His legs gave way and he dropped abruptly to more sprawl than sit on the stone floor. Kyo sank down to sit on his haunches in front of him, gently reaching out to turn Harry's face into the light from the windows. "I wish Watari was here. . ." the omnyouji murmured. "His eyes are unevenly dilated, Hisoka. And look -" The cool fingers lifted his bangs from his forehead. "There's a spot of blood on his scar again."
Harry had been about to knock the intrusive hand away from his face, but froze, his own hand arrested half way there. "What do you mean, again?" he rasped. "When did you ever—"
Kyo sighed, hands dangling on his knees. "Summer? Nightmare?" he reminded Harry gently. "Or vision I should say."
"Oh," Harry blinked stupidly and was startled when fingers snapped peremptorily an inch from his nose. He blinked, bringing the world back into sharper focus.
"I think he's okay. Just expended a bit too much energy, is all." Hisoka's inflectionless voice none the less seemed relieved as he drew back his own fingers from in front of Harry's face. The slightly built Japanese turned away, taking in the chaos around them. "Of course, he may not be, once Professor Lupin sees the mess we've made of his classroom. None of us may."
Surprised, Harry shifted his gaze from Kyo's anxious features, to the chamber beyond. Oh. . .dear. Hisoka was right; Moony was going to be less than happy. The blast had shattered every diamond-shaped pane of the mullioned windows, in places severing the lead caning between the pieces of glass. Every scrap of paper, every loose bit of detritus, had been driven outward from the spell's epicenter and plastered against the base of the walls, the sides of the desks. In fact, Harry glanced down at the floor between his shaking legs, the center of the room was so clean that a house-elf would be envious.
"Eh," Kyo sighed. "Forget Lupin. Takashi is going to kill me if he thinks we're letting Harry get involved in magic out of his depth. But still. . ." Brow drawn down in concentration, Kyo stared at Harry. "It's almost like his powers acted to defend him without his conscious thought," he said musingly. The light touch brushed at the English boy's unruly black hair again. "You're a very powerful wizard Harry," he said softly.
He stilled under that gentle touch and it might have been a trick of the light, but his green eyes, usually so bright and vibrant, darkened momentarily. "Fat lot of good it did for Sirius," he muttered. Kyo froze.
Behind him, Hisoka sighed.
"Whatever. Let's get this cleaned up before anyone else comes to investigate, okay?" Suiting action to words, Hisoka knelt and began prying a sheet of paper loose from the leg of a chair.
It had been a forlorn hope that they would manage to clean up before anyone else arrived.
***********
The headmaster sighed. Professor McGonagall shifted impatiently on the other side of his desk, steadfastly ignoring the guest chair that had sidled up behind her. "Albus -" she began in exasperation, halting as the older wizard raised a placating hand.
"Yes, yes, Minerva. I am well aware that young Mr. Potter seems to be going from bad to worse. When I assigned the care of our exchange students to your House, I was expecting that Harry and the others would keep them under a watchful eye, not turn around and join them in causing mischief." A twinkle appeared in his mild blue eyes. "I've already sent for Harry and the other boy, Shiozaki Kyo, and I promise that I will speak to them. The destruction of a classroom in some after-hours tomfoolery will not be tolerated. It's just that I would feel a little better if I knew precisely what they had been up to."
Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I suspect that they were doing the homework assigned by that Professor Matsumada. The question is whether or not he intended it as a trap for Harry. We simply don't know enough about this 'omnyoujitsu' of theirs to be sure."
"Hmm. . ." Dumbledore twirled a scarlet quill absently between his fingers and considered asking her to sit down. Having the irate Transfigurations instructor towering over his desk was nothing new, in and of itself, but she was going to wear a hole in the center of his forehead if she kept glaring at him that way. Unexpectedly, he chuckled.
"Well, my dear, if it was intended as a trap, it seems to have been less than effective. Harry is unharmed, despite the wreckage they caused, and we now know a little more about the potential of one of their spells. Prior to this, all we had to go on was Remus's report of the demonstrations performed in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Although, I must say, his description was quite interesting. I rather liked the 'Happy New Year' charm." A soft tap on his office door interrupted McGonagall's outraged protest that 'cute' was hardly sufficient reason to take risks. She bit off any further comments that she might have made as the two boys entered.
The headmaster looked at her pointedly. "Professor, you are of course welcome to stay, but I assure you that I do not intend to take any actions without consulting you first." She choked back a protest, but took the hint.
"Certainly, sir. I do have a great deal of work waiting for me." Her parting scowl at the boys promised that the consequences would be dire if she should hear of any further trouble. Harry wilted a little as she strode angrily past them, while Kyo stared blankly back. Dumbledore waited patiently for the emphatic slam of his office door before turning back to the pair.
Side by side, there were certain similarities - both were of middling height, (though Shiozaki was definitely taller) with slim builds and dark hair – but that was the extent of it. Harry squirmed, shoulders hunching a little in anticipation of a scolding, while the other boy seemed completely oblivious. In fact, Shiozaki was looking around with polite interest, gaze finally resting on Fawkes. The bird preened a little, spreading his fan tail of golden feathers a bit for admiration. Dumbledore cleared his throat in warning before Shiozaki became completely absorbed in the phoenix, and the boy shrugged.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Shiozaki. . ." Dumbledore nodded to each of them in turn, schooling his features to an appropriate level of severity. "Are you aware that the destruction of Hogwart's classrooms is strictly prohibited?" Harry blanched while Shiozaki merely looked amused.
Harry spoke up, if a mumble could be considered as 'up.' "I'm sorry, sir. If we'd realized that it – the kekkai, I mean – was going to blow up like that, we'd have gone somewhere else."
In spite of himself, Dumbledore smiled. He simply couldn't keep up the pretense of anger any longer. "That wouldn't have been necessary. As you know, all the classrooms are warded to keep such 'mishaps' from doing any serious damage. My concern is more that you, and your new friends, could have been injured. A classroom, after all, is expendable. You are not. I intend to ask Professor Lupin to go over any future assignments you may be given by Professor Matsumada before you begin working on them."
Shiozaki's eyes had been wandering all over the room, apparently deeming the conversation below his notice but at the mention of his husband's name, those pale blue eyes snapped back to his own. Shiozaki visibly relaxed further into his chair, fingers idly tapping a tune against the chintz arm. "Are you implying that Takashi was negligent in his duties?" he asked mildly.
"On the contrary," Dumbledore corrected him. "I feel that Professor Matsumada may have overestimated his class's abilities. If there had been any serious injuries—"
"Which there hasn't been any," Shiozaki interrupted him. "And if you had been talking to Professor Lupin, you would have realized that Taka, my husband, took near paranoid precautions in ensuring that no harm would come to the children as he exposed them to omnyoujitsu."
Dumbledore noted with interest that the older boy's reference to 'my husband' didn't seem to faze Harry in the slightest. Presumably, that meant that Shiozaki had been quite open about his involvement with the man? What was more interesting, actually, was that Harry, who normally spoke first and thought later, was trying to get his friend's attention. It was something like watching a garden gnome try to flag down the Hogwart's Express. Perhaps there was some good to this new friendship of Harry's after all, if it made him think more of consequences. It intrigued him further to note that Shiozaki, the more upset he was, actually got icier as he goes. A direct contrast to the Harry of old. The headmaster winced inwardly as he remembered the spectacular display of anger the boy had shown the last time in his office.
Yes, there was a definite positive influence the Japanese had on Harry. He had no doubt that if this had been the old Harry, the boy would be jumping up and down, indignant with the sly accusation he had tossed, precisely in the hopes of provoking his friend.
"You seem to have ignored my advice that your relationship with Matsumada was to be kept discreet," Dumbledore reprimanded gently. He leaned back in his own seat and stoked the fire further. "Surely such a simple matter could be adhered to, Mr. Shiozaki?"
"Ignored?" Shiozaki repeated in a low voice. Was it his imagination or did the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees? "Ignored, Headmaster? I have been doing anything but. You had said nothing about keeping it a complete secret. As Harry here is my friend, I see no reason to keep it a secret from him. Don't we agree, headmaster, that keeping secrets from friends will only hurt them in the end?" The wry twist of his lips was as much directed to himself, as well as the headmaster.
Dumbledore and Shiozaki stared deep into each other's eyes. Blue against blue, it was a contest of wills and the headmaster found himself reaching for his wand, hidden under the voluminous folds of his sleeves. A simple flick, not even needing the utterance of 'Legilimens', and he could have the boy's entire thoughts to be perused at leisure. He was stopped from doing so however, when Fawkes gave a sudden trill.
Just past his Burning Day, the phoenix was a heavenly creature to behold. Not even the hardest of hearts, save those who have turn themselves completely to darkness, could ever resist the call of a phoenix. Turning in his seat in surprise, Dumbledore was the first to break off the impromptu staring match and he watched in poorly hidden bewilderment as Fawkes flew off his perch, clearly intending to fly to Shiozaki.
Before the phoenix could even alight on the back of his chair, Shiozaki jerked himself away from the bird abruptly. His face was pale, eyes wide. "Don't," he said sharply. With a sad trill, Fawkes went back to his perch. One golden eye was kept on the Japanese though and it seemed to the headmaster, that his phoenix was sad.
It was then that he became aware of a whispering voice, low and urgent.
"Kyo, please."
Harry was pleading gently with his friend, a hand on the older boy's arm. Shiozaki looked down, apparently surprised as if he had just noticed Harry trying to get his attention. With a visible effort, Shiozaki got himself under control and turned blank eyes upon the headmaster. Seeing those eyes, Dumbledore knew that even with Legilimency, he would have been hard-pressed to find anything.
"Forgive my rudeness, Headmaster," Shiozaki bowed low from the waist. "I have not been sleeping well and I'm afraid my temper suffers for it."
Dumbledore waved the apology away casually, even as his mind's wheels turned rapidly as he analyzed the new crumbs this latest insight offered into the Japanese. "I quite understand," he said smoothly. "Have you been to Madam Pomfrey? She could give you some sleeping draught if you're feeling under the weather."
This time, a genuine smile crossed the boy's face and Dumbledore was secretly astonished at how it transformed his face. Gone was the guarded look in his eyes as he smiled freely. His whole face lit up with some amusement that only he was privy to. But Harry appeared relieved by it anyway and for the first time since entering the office, Harry was relaxed.
"Ah, I'm afraid Headmaster," Shiozaki chuckled, "That therein lies a problem. I absolutely hate going to hospitals or anything that reminds me of such. But thank you for your concern. It is nothing to worry about though. Harry here, as well as Hisoka, Hermione and Ron, have been taking good care of me."
"Very well then." Dumbledore nodded and held out a glass jar to them. "Lemon drops? No? Then thank you for coming and do try not to blow up anymore classrooms, hmm?"
He watched the two boys take their leave, Shiozaki once again bowing to him before departing. The Japanese was already making his way down the revolving staircase, Harry close behind when the headmaster called out.
"Harry, if I could have a moment?"
"Sir?" Harry turned, surprise on his face.
"How are you doing Harry? Are you handling everything well?" Dumbledore folded his hands on top of his table, peering concernedly over the rims of his gold spectacles.
Harry shifted nervously from foot to foot, uncomfortable with the concern that he was showing. It was a stark difference to another black haired boy that had stood in his office years ago. That black haired boy had been as confident and cocky as his own son wasn't. And Dumbledore's old heart ached for that. He had made so many mistakes with this young wizard's life. He was loathed to commit another one.
Don't we agree, headmaster, that keeping secrets from friends will only hurt them in the end?
"I'm doing alright, sir," Harry ventured a shy smile. He peered up from beneath untamed bangs. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to know?"
Dumbledore smiled back. "Quidditch is starting soon, isn't it?"
Harry nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, sir. In fact, Gryffindor is having our first session at eleven."
"Very well then, I won't keep you any longer. Off you go."
Harry turned again for the door and again, he was stopped by the headmaster calling out.
"Oh, Harry?"
This time, the reluctance was clear on the young wizard's face and he wondered, the headmaster, just how could he have messed things up this badly, if Harry didn't even want to stay and talk to him properly anymore? How could he help the boy through the hard times he was sure to face?
"Harry. . ." he started. "Have you. . ." Harry was afforded the rare glimpse of him floundering for the right words. "Have you told Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley about the Prophecy?"
Like a deer in headlights, Harry stilled, his hand on the doorknob tightening till the knuckles were white. "No, sir," he answered softly after an eternity of silence. "I haven't told them yet."
"Harry, I—"
"Excuse me sir," he was interrupted. "But I better be going now if I don't want to be late for the first Quidditch practice."
Dumbledore lowered his pleading hand back to the table, his shoulders stooped with defeat. "Yes, of course. Thank you for your time, Harry."
With a nod and a quick flare of his robes, Harry disappeared quickly down the stairs. The door drifted gently shut in his wake.
Am I too late?
"Have I erred, Severus, Remus?"
The soft tap of boot heels told him that the Potions master had stepped out of concealment. Another tread, falling even more softly than Snape's followed close. The two professors seated themselves down in chintz armchairs facing the headmaster across his mahogany table.
"Expel them," Snape answered him curtly. He wasted no times with preambles and went straight to the point. "We can't afford the security risk. Expel them and be done with it."
Dumbledore's smiled turned wistful. Snape had misunderstood his question but he did not correct the man. "Direct as aways." he said ruefully. "However, I do not have the luxury of turning them away when the Ministry has been so blunt in their insistence that they stay. I must choose my battles carefully."
"Why? They're strangers. They have no place in any of our battles." Snape's swift reply, rendered in his usual low and unpleasant tone told the headmaster that the man was uneasy. The Japanese delegation were unknown quantities, and he did not like unknowns in their plans any more than he did in a potion's recipe.
"True. Except that I have a. . .feeling, for lack of a better word, whenever I look at them. There is more to this than meets the eye. That is why I would prefer that we keep them here, where we can keep an eye on them. Do you agree with me, Remus?"
The werewolf shifted uneasily in his chair, amber eyes meeting the headmaster's light blue unwillingly. "Severus is right to suggest what he did. There's just too many suspicions concerning them. The obvious power they're hiding, how easily they managed to befriend Harry and the others, the way they seem to hint at something more and. . ." Lupin sighed.
"And yet?" Dumbledore prompted gently.
Lupin sighed again. "And yet, I think they should be given the chance to prove themselves."
"A fool's risk," the Potions master snapped irritably. "Dare we be lenient with them, using up meager resources when it could be applied elsewhere?"
"We're caught between a rock and a hard place, gentlemen," Dumbledore admitted. "We would let them go, if the Ministry is not so insistent upon their continued presence. But do we dare to do so even if we could, risking their unsupervised presence among us?"
"We might be risking everything," Snape cut in. "The Dark Lord continues his interest in them, especially since the last demonstration that Matsumada did."
"The spell completion circle?" the headmaster clarified.
Snape nodded. "Exactly. While the writing and language differs, it is still an example of stored, active magic. For him to be able to craft one with only a piece of chalk is something to be cautious of, especially when he has freely admitted to Lupin here that the other one, Tsuzuki, is a far better omnyouji than him."
Snape leaned forwards, elbows on his knees, fingers steepled together as he propped his chin on them. "Then, there is the matter of their. . . .taint."
"Taint, Severus?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
"Do not play the innocent, Albus," Snape growled. "You can feel it as well as I do. They carry darkness within and who knows when—"
"They are not Dark creatures," he was interrupted gently.
Both the headmaster and Snape turned to Lupin who regarded them with serious eyes. "I know what you're talking about Severus, but rather than calling it a 'taint', I sense that it is something else." He hesitated.
"And what is that, pray tell?" Snape drawled.
Flushing slightly, Remus went on, though his tone was firmer, his back straighter. "As a Dark creature myself," here, he smiled bitterly, "I can sense those who carry such a curse as well. Vampires, hags, other lycans, and they are not part of that."
"But who knows what sort of demons these Eastern wizards have come up with? They themselves admitted that their home is a gateway to other worlds."
"It is not a taint," Lupin repeated. "Rather, a burden."
Seeing that the two of them would continue their taint vs. burden debate, Dumbledore held up a placating hand. "Enough for now. We will discuss further on this when we have more conclusive evidence. For now. . .Remus," Dumbledore fixed worried blue eyes on the professor. "Has Harry been to see you?"
Startled, Lupin nodded. "Yes, professor. We've had a few talks, mostly about. . .Sirius," he swallowed painfully. "He seems to be doing fine."
"Has he mentioned anything about his visions? Any pain in his scar?"
Lupin shook his head. "No, sir. He hasn't. Surely. . ." he eyed the headmaster warily. "Surely he would have mentioned it to us if it did."
"Unless he has another confidante," Dumbledore sighed. "Harry has changed. Have you noticed? He's quieter now, more prone to thinking first, action later."
"A vast improvement," Snape added in surly tones.
The headmaster ignored that to continue, "I had hoped that time spent with his relatives, especially his aunt, could help him overcome his grief, to close the emotional wounds. Unfortunately, I think all that I have managed to do is to force him to find that comfort in strangers."
"Harry has never been wrong in the people he trusted," Lupin interjected softly.
"Except for a certain impostor."
"A mistake I fear we all committed, Severus," Dumbledore sighed. "Still, what's done is done. I would have liked for Harry to continue his Occlumency lessons with you Severus," Snape made an inarticulate sound of protest, "but Voldemort has seemed to abandon that venue of attack for now."
Snape's thin lips curled into a sneer. "The dog has been burnt once and is wary of the fire now."
"Truly. Still, I worry. But I refuse to force Harry into something he does not wish. But Severus, I beg you, should he come to you, asking for help, do not turn him away," Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard alive, save for the Dark Lord, pleaded with the professor.
Uncomfortable under the pleading gaze of a man he had somewhat regarded fondly as a father figure, Snape nodded curtly; a sharp, decisive motion. "I'm hardly an ogre, to refuse those who need my help."
"Excellent, Severus!" Dumbledore smiled happily, ignoring the added comment, muttered darkly, "Even if he is Potter's son."
"Now, on to other matters. Remus, have you heard from the other werewolves?"
************
It was with more than a little relief that the unnatural cold had snapped just a day before Gryffindor's first tryouts and practice session for the season. The snow had melted fully the day before, revealing the grass and hard ground beneath. But even if the cold front had broken, it did not mean that autumn had left as well. The wind was still bitingly cold; typical Scottish weather and everyone who had turned up for the tryouts were wearing thick gloves and scarves.
Harry looked around, noting with interest that a lot of the younger years had turned out this time. He recognized a few, mostly classmates of Ginny or Colin. He was already mentally reviewing their physical traits; who had the better build for Chasers for instance, and one second year who looked like she would be a good Seeker even. He had just moved on to the Beaters when his shoulder was tapped.
He turned and smiled when he saw that it was Ginny. "Hey, you're here." And immediately kicked his mental behind for that obviously intelligent opening gambit.
Ginny didn't seem to mind though. Her own smile was wide as well as she casually slung her Cleansweep seven over her shoulder. "Wouldn't miss it for the world," she answered cheerfully.
"Ginny, you mentioned last season that you wanted to try out for the position of Chaser."
"Yup." The smaller Weasley girl nodded emphatically. "Now that you're back as Seeker, I think I'd like to switch to a new position." She grinned up at her brother's best friend. "Of course, I could try for your slot on the team. Especially since it looks like you're going to have a lot of new duties."
"You'd try what? Not a chance, Ginny. The Seeker spot's mine. Hey, what do you mean, new duties?"
"Didn't you hear? You got voted team Captain." She gave him a sly look, silently counting one, two, three. . .before her words sank in, and he goggled in surprise.
"I what?!" Startled, Harry dropped his broom in favor of grabbing her shoulders. His green eyes lit with excitement. "Tell me you're leading me on and I'll throttle you!" he exclaimed.
"Oops. I guess I wasn't supposed to tell you, but yes, Professor McGonagall is going to make it official in a bit when she gets here." If anything, Ginny's grin grew broader.
Unable to contain himself, Harry let out a whoop, and punched the air with a fist. "Oh, super! I can't wait to tell Ron! Oh, wait, he probably already knows, doesn't he?"
Ginny laughed delightedly. "Yes, the big git knows. He's the one who seconded it when Angelina recommended you back at graduation. She intends to come back and clean your clock if you mess up her team, you know."
Harry felt as if his own smile couldn't become any broader. To think, the previous Captain, Angelina Johnson, had put his name in for the Captaincy. It boggled the mind. It was a huge honor, and an even bigger responsibility. His grin faded. "I'll try to make everyone proud, Ginny." he said earnestly.
She patted his arm reassuringly. "I know you will, Harry. We have every confidence in you. You're a superb player, and you have a fine head for game strategy. With you leading us, I know we'll take the Cup this year."
"All right, everyone, To your brooms, please!" Professor McGonagall's shout interrupted their excited speculations. The tall, spare figure of their House Mistress came striding toward them, her winter-weight wool cloak billowing in a black cloud behind her. "We have a great deal to cover today, what with tryouts for several vacant positions. I want everyone to give me twenty figure eights as a warm up." A good natured groan greeted her words from the assembled Gryffindors. After a moment of milling around, everyone lined up, straddling a broom, and prepared to kick off. Ginny ended up in line just ahead of Harry, and stuck her tongue out at him good-naturedly when he complained.
"Eat my dust, Potter."
"In your dreams, Weasley!"
************
"Er. . .Hermione? What are you doing here?"
Hermione flipped her hair back, giving her best friend the evil eye. "Why?" she demanded. "Can't I attend this class?"
Harry floundered, waving around vaguely. "Well, sure. But I thought you dropped Care of Magical Creatures?" he asked, bewildered. Beside him, Ron was making confused faces as well.
Hermione sniffed delicately. "That was before I realized what I was missing out on. To think you've already been learning for a month about eastern magical creatures! It took me that long to convince Professor MacGonagall to let me transfer! I have so much to catch up on!"
"Er, is that the reason for your bag?"
Her bag, resembled nothing so much as a bag, rather, a veritable walking library. Stuffed to the brim and then some with heavy books, Hermione had resorted to plain magic to make sure everything stayed inside and even then, she had to resort to a Featherlight charm. Otherwise, she'd be walking backwards with the load.
"Of course!" Hermione answered in scandalized tones. "Whatever else for? Ooh! Look! There's Professor Tsuzuki! Excuse me, I have to let him know about my transfer and whether I can do any extra credit work to catch up!"
She left behind in her wake, two, rather gob smacked best friends.
"That's Hermione for you alright," Ron said vaguely. "Never lets anything get in the way of her education."
"Yeah. Right." Harry turned to Kyo and Hisoka, both who had wisely stayed out of the conversation. Kyo was leaning against a tree, arms folded and looking sleepy. The class today had been moved to the fringes of the Forbidden Forest and the shadows, combined with the brief sun that was making a guest appearance had effectively lulled the blue eyed boy into a light slumber. Hisoka was by his side, eyeing Hermione who was talking avidly with Tsuzuki with a wary eye. Tsuzuki was looking confused by the second as he tried to keep up with the girl's excited chatter.
"Kyo, Hisoka?" Harry called. Hisoka grunted, not tearing his eyes away from Tsuzuki and Hermione so Kyo roused himself, stretching his arms high up and yawning widely.
"Sorry," he yawned again. "What's up?"
"Do you know what creature we're learning about today?" Harry asked curiously. He took up a spot beside Kyo and the older boy swung an arm over his shoulder, leaning his weight against him. Harry settled into the warm hug contentedly. Kyo was a very touchy-feely sort of person, Harry had noticed a long time ago, but his physical affection seemed limited to a few; namely Takashi, Hisoka, Tsuzuki and himself. He had noticed as well that Kyo refrained from anything but a polite touch even when it came to Hermione or Ron. Much less with their other classmates. He wondered about that.
"I think we're covering demons today," Kyo mumbled. He had rested his chin on top of Harry's messy black hair, from what Harry could feel, and was waving in Tsuzuki's general direction. "Kitsune."
"Demon?" Ron piped up nervously. He too had been keeping watch on Hermione and Tsuzuki but for different reasons, Harry was willing to bet. "Isn't that kinda. . .dangerous?"
"It's not Helldemons," Kyo said, amused. "You remember what Tsuzuki said about the different demons right?"
Ron screwed up his face, searching back for that particular lesson. "Er. . .yeah!" he exclaimed, face brightening. "There's helldemons; spirits that are entirely malovelent and then there's demons, or known as spirits, from worlds that exist alongside ours. These spirits or demons were worshipped as demigods in the old days and have been known to grant favours to humans."
"Ten points to Gryffindor," Kyo grinned lazily. "Stop wiggling around Harry," he complained.
"Your chin's too pointy," Harry grumbled. Kyo obligingly removed his chin, though not before whining that Harry was being mean.
"What's Professor Matsumada doing here?" Harry asked, surprised. He was the first to note the black robes favoured by Takashi, and the familiar long-legged stride. That, as well as the russet hair that gleamed in the weak sun was a dead giveaway.
"Eh?" Kyo squinted, peering into the distance. "You're right."
They waited for Takashi to come closer and sure enough, he approached their group, giving everyone a bright smile and even ruffled up Harry's already messy hair affectionately. "Why does everyone do that?" Harry complained good-naturedly. His effort to pat down his hair was laughingly pushed aside by Kyo.
"Now that, is a wasted effort. Professor?" Kyo turned to Takashi. "What are you doing here?"
Takashi grinned back, hands stuffed in the pockets of his trousers. "Tsuzuki told me that he's getting a kitsune today. I didn't have a class so I thought I'd drop by and join the fun."
There was that weird Japanese-sounding word again. Pricking up his ears, Harry tugged Kyo's sleeve curiously. "What's a kitsune?" he asked, fumbling a little over the unfamiliar word.
"Fox," Takashi explained.
"We're learning about foxes?" Ron asked, looking mildly disgusted. "What's so demonlike about them?"
"Ah, but we're not studying normal foxes, Mr. Weasley," Tsuzuki announced cheerfully. He waved his arms, indicating for everyone to come close. Hagrid was by his side, beaming around at everyone and Harry noted with an inward sigh that the half-giant had a fresh bruise on his face, courtesy, no doubt, of Gawrp. Hermione had finally satisfied her curiosity and had joined Harry and the others near the front.
"What we have today is what commonly known in Japan as fox-spirit. Unlike normal foxes, these have some special powers." He gestured to a large rock beside him, warm now from the sun and everyone looked at it expectantly. One thing the Hogwarts' students had learned was that Professor Tsuzuki's class was never boring.
Sure enough, an animal jumped nimbly on top of the rock and everyone gasped in awe and amazement.
The fox was large, huge, golden eyes blinking slowly as the animal sat itself regally on its haunches. Its fur was a deep, rich reddish brown, lightening to a brilliant white tip at its tail. The animal was delicately proportioned despite its size, a graceful creature. But what really caught everyone's attention was that there was nine of its white tipped tail. Brilliantly white, sharp canine teeth were revealed as the fox grinned.
"Cat got your tongue?"
The whole class gaped dumbly in astonishment.
"It—it talked!" A Ravenclaw squeaked.
"Congratulations, you do have a tongue in there somewhere."
"Really, Iku-san" Tsuzuki chided the fox gently, "Be nice."
Iku, the she-fox, smiled wider. "But I am nice," she protested mildly. "Do you see me scaring the pants of these kits?"
Tsuzuki sighed, smiling fondly and conceding her point. "Class, may I present to you a good friend of mine, Iku-san? She is what normally known as a fox-spirit, the strongest of her kind as she is a nine-tailed fox. The lesser the number of tails they have, the less power they possess."
Class was going splendidly, by Tsuzuki's standards, as there have yet to be any fires, buildings exploding or other uncountable property damage. Confident enough that the rest of the class was occupied, Hisoka drifted to the back of the crowd, joining Kyo who was back to leaning against the same tree trunk. Takashi was surrounded by the other students, patiently answering their questions and Kyo watched him with a fond smile.
"How are you doing?" Hisoka murmured.
Kyo shrugged, keeping his eyes on Takashi. "Not bad."
He was obviously not in a talkative mood so Hisoka subsided into silence as well. The two of them watched silently as the class crowded around Iku, the fox-spirit enduring their inquisitive touches and questions as patiently as she could. She was showing off her powers, transforming herself into the many illusions she mastered. Students laughed or gasped in surprise when they found themselves staring into the faces of identical twins. For Parvati and Padma, the two of them entertained a few minutes of being triplets.
"Wow, that was so cool!" Harry, who had parted from the crowd to join Kyo and Hisoka enthused. Iku had amused herself by changing into Harry's doppelganger and mimicking everything Harry said or did. He was still flushed from some smart comments Iku had made and the twinkle in his eyes made the green all the more vibrant. It was with a sinking heart that Hisoka noticed Luna Lovegood, the weird Ravenclaw trailing dreamily behind.
"Yes," she echoed, her wide, protuberant eyes fixed on Hisoka. "What a marvelous class, isn't it, Hisoka? Wasn't it lucky of me to be able to transfer as Hermione did? Think of the articles that my dad can put in the Quibbler. . . ."
Hisoka twitched.
Kyo smiled crookedly. "You should check out her other illusions. She c—what was that?"
In a fast move that had Harry blinking stupidly in astonishment, Kyo had roughly spun around, facing the forest and shielding him behind his back. Hisoka had moved as well and the two of them stood protectively over both Harry and Luna. Apparently, even put off by the girl did not stop Hisoka from being the gentleman, Harry noted rather idly.
"What's wrong?" Harry demanded. "We're just at the fringes, there shouldn't be anything attacking us." He peered over Kyo's shoulder, standing on tip toes to do so and was startled when he immediately spotted a pair of glowing eyes deep in the darkness of the shadows. "What the—"
"Takashi! Tsuzuki!" Kyo shouted.
The class fell silent. With a soft hiss, Iku leapt off the rock and disappeared. Tsuzuki and Takashi quickly made their way over, Hagrid ordering the class to gather together just in case.
"What is it, Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked worriedly. Hisoka merely pointed into the Forest.
The first pair of glowing eyes had been joined by another, and another until it seemed that the entire shadows were alive with those eyes. And they came closer, into the sunlight. Harry found himself being herded back gently, Luna stumbling as well and they were joined by Hermione and Ron, both who had their wands out, their faces grim. Hagrid stood by them as well, his crossbow ready.
They heard soft footfalls on the Forest floor, joined by a multitude of others as the beings neared the edge of the Forest. When the first rays of sunlight first fell on the creatures, the Japanese eyes widen, mouth falling open in surprise. Hagrid immediately lowered his crossbow, sighing in relief.
"Eh! It's them thestrals!" he boomed heartily. "No need to worry lads," he clapped a heavy hand on Hisoka's shoulder and Hisoka squeaked as his knees buckled. "They're a friendly lot. Hogwarts's own herd."
The thestrals moved slowly towards them but even with Hagrid's assurances, the Japanese found themselves falling back, giving way for the strange creatures. The thestrals looked like horses and that's where the similarities end. They were strangely bony, coats a dark grayish black that blended well with the shadows. The eyes were especially unnerving; a deep black with no pupils and as they walked, huge dragonlike wings were flapped open occasionally, sweeping a brief breeze over them.
"What, in Enma's name, is that?" Kyo spluttered.
Harry, now at last able to get away from Kyo's protective shelter, answered him quietly. "They're called thestrals. Carnivore horses. Only people who have seen death can see thestrals."
Kyo shot him a startled look.
Harry found his sleeve tugged impatiently and he turned quizzically to Ron. "Hey, Harry," Ron hissed. "It really is the thestrals?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Can't you see them?"
Ron shrugged uncomfortably, exchanging looks with Hermione. "No," he answered stiffly. "Guess we didn't really see much of the fight then eh?"
Harry managed to smile then; a stiff sort of smile. "Lucky you."
The class had backed away even more when they heard the word thestral, Hagrid explaining to the Japanese that wizards thought them a bad omen.
"Dunno why though," Hagrid chuckled. "They're nice enough to yeh, tho' I can't really say why they came out today. Don't like ter come unless I call usually."
"I think I know why," Takashi answered him rather warily.
The thestrals, it seemed, had taken a liking to the Japanese. There were five of the spectral horses and each, with Tsuzuki getting two, had crowded close around each of the Japanese, totally ignoring Hagrid and the rest of the class. With a low whicker, the thestral nuzzled the Japanese, almost like dogs looking for some petting.
Hisoka was patting his rather amorous thestral nervously, eyeing it as though he expected his hand to be bitten off at once. That didn't happen. Rather, the thestral seemed to enjoy it, butting his hand playfully when he faltered. "Nice horsie."
Kyo was enduring his with a pained smile. "Well. This is. . .interesting."
Harry wasn't sure what to make of it, neither did everyone else who could see the thestrals. Neville looked as though he was going to faint but Hermione, who apparently could not see one, was frowning heavily.
"So all of you can see them?" she asked.
Hisoka and the others exchanged looks. Tsuzuki answered her. "Yes. . ."
"Fascinating," was all she murmured as she dropped her bag on the ground and began rummaging through it frantically. "Excuse me."
Harry noticed that Kyo was frowning as well, though it was directed to the thestral he was petting. The blue eyed boy gestured to Tsuzuki, trying to catch his attention. "Hey, Tsuzuki. Do they remind you of something?"
The guest professor nodded reluctantly. Still patting his thestral somewhat uncomfortably, he answered, "Yeah. They remind me of the Kuroi Uma."
Kuroi Uma? Harry frowned and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hermione taking out a quill and quickly writing the strange name down. He decided that there was another faster way of getting information.
"What's that?" Harry asked curiously.
Kyo coughed, looking at anywhere but him and rubbing the thestral's ears far more vigorously than before. "Ah! Knowledge!" he said brightly. "What a wonderful thing it is. . ."
"You're stalling," Harry informed him bluntly.
"Quite right."
He gave Kyo a dirty look but his friend appeared quite unrepentant. Sensing he wasn't going to get anymore, Harry shrugged, deciding that Tsuzuki would be far easier to pry. Before he could though, Kyo's thestral, in fact, all of the thestrals suddenly gave a shrill neigh. Eyes rolling wildly, they jerked out of the Japanese grasp. Expecting maddened creatures, Kyo was quickly pushing at Harry, trying to get him away but Harry stubbornly dug his feet in and instead, pointed back in to the Forest.
"Something's scaring the thestrals," he said urgently and sure enough, there was something. They could distinctly hear the sounds of something large and heavy crashing through the underbrush. Birds were panicking, flying out from the tops of the trees in raucous flocks. Everyone stood still, unsure what to do. The thestrals had ceased their screaming and instead, were facing the Forest head on as though, Harry realized with a start, as though they were trying to protect their herd.
Or rather, he thought to himself, trying to protect the Japanese.
Kyo's grip on his hand was painfully tight. His friend was eyeing the dark Forest warily as whatever it was that was disturbing the denizens of the Forest approached closer and closer. Hisoka was peering intently into the trees, his brow furrowed in concentration. Looking closely, Harry could make out the vacant look on his face; Hisoka using his empathy?
With a sudden jerk, Hisoka spun around, already digging his heels into the grass and shouting at everyone; "Run!"
They didn't need to be told twice. Whatever it is that was coming through, it was huge. And huge plus the Forest does not make a good combination. Hagrid was dropping back, shouting for someone to get the Headmaster and the other professors. The other students were already in a headlong flight back to the castle, Harry and his friends bringing up the end. But they had barely gotten past Hagrid' hut when Harry and Ron, who was running side by side, were immediately tackled to ground by Kyo, his body protectively covering them and he shouted, "Shields! Now!"
"On abokya beiroshanam!"
"Protego!"
There were more than a few voices shouting out incantations but the result was more than satisfying. A silvery blue dome instantly covered them, Kyo scrambling to his feet quickly. Harry and Ron followed suit, head still woozy from the sudden fall. Looking around, they could see Hermione, Neville and Luna were with them, along with Hisoka, Tsuzuki and Takashi. Judging by the wands and ofudas out, the shield casters had been all of the Japanese, except for Kyo, as well as Hermione and Luna.
"What the hell happened?" Ron asked, getting his wand out as well and looking around nervously. He didn't even need anyone to answer him apparently as looking back the way they came, he could pretty much see why they were in such a panic.
Grinning just a foot away from the shield, was a manticore.
***to be continued***