Chapter 21: Eventful School Days
Yawning and stretching her hands above her head as her alarm clock went off, Hotaru grumbled about the lousy pillows before tugging her tank top down. Wandering in the direction of the dorm bathrooms, she heard a loud thunk! resound from her left. Spinning around on her feet, wand immediately in her right hand, her vigilant stance only relaxed as her Prussian blue orbs landed the red haired Ves still sleeping soundly on the wooden floor.
Rolling her eyes, she continued on her way to the bathroom, heading for a warm shower. Accioing towels, shampoo and soap, Hotaru quickly stripped before jumping into the warm, gently drizzling water. Humming to herself, she didn't hear the door creak open.
"Morning Hotaru-chan," came the soft voice of Kioku.
Hotaru's lathered violet locks swung around as she jerked her head around to look up at the lavender haired seventh year Ravenclaw. A smile broke out on her face and she happily replied, "Morning, Kioku-san. Did you sleep well last night?"
Like Hotaru, Kioku was known for being susceptible to having horribly vivid nightmares. Serenity had told Hotaru that the reason was most likely that Kioku could recall the nightmares was because she was Sailor Mnemosyne, senshi of memory. Serenity surmised that the nightmares were actually someone else's memories.
Shaking her head of her train of thought, Hotaru cocked her head to the right side, violet locks tumbling over her shoulder as she heard Kioku's mellifluous reply as she tied her hair into her traditional curled pigtails, "Fine, thank you, Hotaru-chan. The Dreamless Sleep potion did wonders for me last night."
Finishing her shower, Hotaru scrambled out of the shower room to dry and change into her new school uniform, which consisted of a gray skirt, a white dress shirt, a sleeveless v-neck gray cardigan with a blue stripe running along side the v, a blue tie, black tights, and a black set of robes with a blue and bronze Ravenclaw badge on the left side. Throwing it on hastily, she padded her hair dry before grabbing her school supplies and heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. Hotaru was hurrying to see Rini - she hoped that she shared at least one class with her best friend.
Surprisingly enough, Hotaru did not get lost on the way to Great Hall - nor stumbled when riding the staircases that switched. She ran smack-dab into her best friend, Rini Tsukino, who had been tying her now-blonde hair into their traditional rabbit-ear-shaped cones. They talked animatedly in Japanese; ignoring the curious looks they received from other students.
When they reached the Great Hall, they separated, heading towards their respective tables of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
xXx
After breakfast Hotaru began to search for the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, but instead of finding it, she found herself lost among the many levels of Hogwarts. Scratching the back of her head, she began to re-trace her footsteps back to a portrait of a corpulent lady dressed in a pink dress, fanning herself and eating grapes. Underneath the portrait, a plaque read, "Fat Lady," by Scarlet Gülay. [1]
"Oh dear," she heard the portrait woman say, "are you lost, sweetie?"
Hotaru turned somewhat, a smile gracing her face as she scratched the back of her head nervously before nodding. Glancing down at her schedule, she told Fat Lady, "I'm looking for the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom… do you happen to know where that would be?"
Fat Lady chuckled before picking up a feathered fan and began directing air towards herself. "My dear, I have not been moved from this spot in nearly fifty years! Perhaps I could speak to the portraits and see if another student is headed in your direction?"
Before either Hotaru got the chance to reply or Fat Lady could move to talk to other portraits along the hallway, a brunette female came down the hallway with a red-haired boy sprinting next to her. They slowly came to a stop as they neared Fat Lady's portrait. The brunette cleared her throat before saying, "Snugglebottom."
Fat Lady didn't open the portrait immediately, but rather asked her two Gryffindor students, "Are either of you headed towards the Defense Room, m'dears?"
The red-haired nodded as he caught his breath, and Fat Lady opened the door to allow them access after she said, "Would you two be dears and please kindly show our exchange student to the room as well as the rest of her classes?"
"Sure! It's nice to meet you, I'm the Head Girl, Hermione Granger. This is Ron Weasley. We're both seventh year students from Gryffindor." Hermione piped up as she entered the common room, Ron nodded and then allowed Hotaru to go in before he did. She politely whispered her thanks before she entered Gryffindor Common Room, her head caught in memories of the summer when she had originally met the two… she also recalled what Harry had told her about the two. The red-haired Weasley said, "We'll be back shortly. Sorry if we're late to class!"
Hotaru raised her head as she entered, barely registering what Ron said, as she admired the room decorated in shades of crimson and gold. It didn't seem as comfortable as the Ravenclaw Commons, but that was because she could see the bricks that made up the tower. She was still studying the decorations as Hermione came rushing down the stairs as fast as her feet would carry her, a rather large orange cat followed closely at her heals. The hissing it made caught Hotaru's attention. Hermione leaned down to pet the irritable cat, before it inched towards the violet haired Ravenclaw; taking a liking to her black ballet flats.
"You'll have to excuse Crookshanks," Hermione told her, "he's very irritable this morning because I took the book he was sleeping on."
Smiling at Crookshanks, Hotaru didn't say anything. It was then that Ron blundered down the stairs, book bag swinging behind him with every motion he made. "Got it," he panted as he stepped off the last stair and headed towards the two girls.
"Honestly, Ron, how could you forget your wand?!?" the brunette girl demanded. Spinning around on the ball of her foot, she quickly exited the common room, Ron lurched forward to keep up with her, leaving Hotaru to try to keep up with them and a fuming Crookshanks at losing another source of warmth.
As the three students rushed through corridors to get to the Defense room, the two Gryffindors didn't notice Hotaru began to lag behind them.
'The potion…' Hotaru though, 'it isn't working… oh dear, I can't keep up with them… I have to write to Sere-mama about this…'
She leaned against the wall, catching her breath; her muscles had been straining to get her this far. It was only when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway did her body grow taut, afraid that a teacher would reprimand her and take points away from Ravenclaw on her first day. When she looked up, she saw the red-haired teen from earlier. 'What was his name? …Don? Sean? … he's a Weasley, if I remember correctly."
"Sorry about that,… um… are you alright?" he asked. "You look really pale… say, do you want me to help you go to the Hospital Wing to see Madame Pomfrey?"
Hotaru shook her head, violet locks gently hitting her in the face. She felt him grab her book bag before he slung her arm over his shoulder. "Let me help you at least get to the classroom… uh, I hope you don't mind… Say, I never got your name… I'm sure Herm - she's my girlfriend - told you, I'm Ron Weasley. What's your name?"
A weak chuckle emitted from Hotaru's lips, "I'm Hotaru Dumbledore. It's nice to meet you, Ron."
The red-haired stopped in his tracks at her name. She peeked up at his suddenly ashen face: "Is something wrong?"
He quickly shook his head, then remained silent for the rest of the trip to the Defense classroom.
When they reached the classroom, Ron allowed her to pick out a seat, next to Kikou, who politely offered to help her, before Ron handed Kikou Hotaru's school bag. Then he informed the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Professor Lupin, that Hotaru was late because she was a foreign exchange student and had gotten lost in the corridors. He then crossed the room to sit next to the brunette female, Hermione if her memory served her correctly, whom he had been with earlier.
xXx
Hotaru went to her Potions class, where she was affectionately greeted by Professor Slughorn, who immediately asked her if Serenity was her mother. She froze at the question, but nodded at the walrus-looking man, then quickly took a seat beside Mai Valentine, who was a seventh year Hufflepuff that she recalled talking to on the Hogwarts Express.
At the end of Potions class, Hotaru was approached by Professor Slughorn, who immediately initiated her into the 'Slugclub', claiming that the daughter of his goddaughter would fit in perfectly. She smiled shyly before slowly sliding out of the dungeons and bolting up to the stairs to the Great Hall for lunch.
xXx
As Hotaru walked out of the Great Hall early, eager to get to Transfiguration with her Auntie Mai was teaching it. Pondering about her aunt, she wondered why the blue-haired woman had reverted her last name to her mother's maiden last name. She didn't have much time to think about it because just then, her adoptive mother's phoenix, Fawkes, swooped into the Great Hall, directly towards her.
She let out an 'EEP!' because she was so caught up in her thoughts she hadn't heard the sweet call of the fire phoenix as it dove beside her and landed on her head. The golden eyed bird waved the note attached to his foot in front of her face. She gingerly untied it, and read Hotaruscrawled across the envelope in her mother's handwriting, then thanked the phoenix and petted it while ripping the envelope open.
All the students eyes and professors eyes stared in awe at the phoenix happily perched on Hotaru's shoulder.
Continuing out of the Great Hall as nothing had happened, Hotaru began to skim the letter.
Hotaru-chan,
I understand that you are probably confused as to why a total stranger was in the manor last night - he, Draco Lucius Malfoy , is my newest student. I am training him in much the same manner I am teaching your beloved Ry.
Hotaru vividly recalled the handsome young man from the previous night. At the last couple of words, Hotaru's face flushed bright red. 'Ry's not my beloved… I wish he was though,' she thought longingly.
I am hoping that Draco will a be a fast learner (we both know Ry was); he seems to grasp the theory of how to fight, but not so much the practice of it. Oh well. Much like Ry, he is also a dominate sacrifice; it is quite odd for there to be more than one in a certain at any given point in time. I imagine they butt heads quite often.
Hotaru giggled at the thought of Ry, also known as Harry, and the blonde haired man from the previous night fighting. She could imagine it though.
It is quite saddening that no one else will teach this extraordinary young man the rest of his seventh year classes. Severus, an old friend of mine, is teaching him what he can in Potions and Charms, but he can only do so much. I am wondering how I will be able to teach him when I transfer to Hogwarts the second trimester.
I thought I would inform you that Ry and I will not be at the manor the weekend you planned on seeing us - instead, we have a mission, and one I am unable to explain in a letter. Ry is eager to see you soon; I told him he couldn't see you until your next free weekend - I believe it is the trip to Hogsmeade, is it not? Hopefully we will be able to see you then.
Both of us send our love,
Your mother
Beneath that was a different kind of handwriting which she assumed to be Ry's; after all, it was his name.
Ry (the more important one!)
P.s. I hope you get along well with Ron and Mione; please tell them I said 'hi'.
She chuckled at what he had written and admitted, she too was eager to see Harry again.
Hotaru was so caught up in the note that she did not see a young Yugi Motou coming at her with his stack of books for his next class gathered in his arms. When she bumped into him, the books scattered like pieces of hay on a winding day. As she helped him gathered them up, repeatedly apologizing, Hotaru noticed that he had red-rimmed eyes.
"Are you alright?" she whispered.
When his violet-black spiked locks shook violently with his head, she reached out and hugged him to her, stuffing her note into the pocket of her outer robe. As her arms wrapped around the petit frame, she felt an aura similar to hers, only less dark. Pulling away slightly, she murmured, "You're a former Host as well, aren't you?" [2]
Yugi gasped, his violet eyes widened as he stared up at her, before quickly throwing glances over his shoulders. Staring at his books clutched to his chest, he nodded.
Hotaru patted him on the head, noted that his hair was extremely soft, despite the sharp appearance of it: "Don't worry, I am one too. I know how it feels."
1 ~ Scarlet Gülay
She is my own character from another novel.
2 ~ Host
This is the easiest way for me to understand how Yami (or whatever his official name is) is attached to Yugi.