Disclaimer: All portions of the HP universe/worlds/characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies. All portions of the Yujincho universe/worlds/characters are the property of Yuki Midorikawa and Hakusensha (publisher). This story is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written for my own enjoyment. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.

AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.


Chapter 42: Restoring Order, Forming Alliances, and a Side Order of Insanity

Hogwarts Castle, Scotland
January 1996 ~ May 1996

Ryuu's left palm looked much like the outsides of his arms now, though the damage was still red and raw from where the killing curse had struck the shield that had formed in front of his palm. There was a small circle in the center of his hand just slightly bigger than the tip of a wand and radiating out from that circle were dozens of angry red lines and cuts. The entire hand was over saturated with magic and the magical burns (which were what had caused the angry red welts and lines) throbbed and burned painfully with each beat of Ryuu's heart. In fact, the heat was slowly traveling up his arm and the pain growing steadily worse the longer it went untreated.

Hatake had signaled to Satoshi to help him hold Ryuu the moment all three adults had taken one look at the red, raw, bleeding hand Ryuu had held out to them. The older wizard had then grasped Ryuu's left elbow and wrist to hold the hand steady as Healer Inoue first cast a couple of diagnostic charms over the injured hand. Once he knew the extent of the injury (including the fact that it was over saturated with magic) Healer Inoue began healing the hand. He started by siphoning off the excess magic from the wound, pulling the magic from Ryuu's hand with his wand. Ryuu whimpered as the magic was drawn off and when the pain only intensified he let out a half strangled scream that soon morphed into a scream of pure agony; the pain was worse than the Cruciatus as the nerves in his hand felt the searing, intense pain of hundreds of knives tearing into his flesh.

He'd had no idea a simple healing could hurt so much; the first time he'd suffered from a similar injury he'd been unconscious through the healing and so hadn't experienced first hand how bad it could be. He tried to jerk his hand away from the pain but Hatake held it firmly while Satoshi had him firmly around the chest preventing him from using his weight to break the older wizard's hold. Ryuu probably would have screamed a second time if not for Shinjin landing on his shoulder and singing a soft soothing song that immediately eased the pain to a slightly more tolerable level (even if it was still sheer agony). All around the room, those watching who'd experienced similar types of injuries winced sympathetically as they were well aware of just how painful the process of pulling excess magic from a magical burn hurt.

"Almost done, Natsume-kun," Healer Inoue murmured gently. "The pain will be gone in a moment."

When the healer finally pulled his wand tip away from Ryuu's hand, the teen had tears streaming down his face from the pain. Ryuu sighed and whined softly under his breath as he sagged back into Satoshi the abrupt absence of pain sapping his strength as he revealed in the feeling of not-pain. Closing his eyes, he sucked in breath after breath as his entire body began shaking from the shock of both the pain and the abrupt cessation of pain.

"Easy, kiddo, don't pass out on us now," Hatake murmured as he relaxed his grip just a touch as Healer Inoue prepared to finish healing the injury.

Before Healer Inoue could cast his next healing spell an ice phoenix landed on the healer's outstretched wand arm and trilled at the wizard. The bird then turned and called to Ryuu who cracked one eye open to stare at the bird who ruffled his feathers and tilted his head sideways before glancing down at Ryuu's lightly restrained hand. Ryuu frowned and opened both eyes all the way as he tried to puzzle out what the phoenix wanted.

"I think he's offering to heal your hand but he wants your permission," Hatake slowly offered as he too watched the bird repeat its questioning gestures and glances.

"I would be honored," Ryuu murmured softly.

"Please allow me to clean the wound first," Healer Inoue interjected before the bird could move. "I'm certain there is nothing harmful in the wound but I'd rather you not have to suffer as you did at the end of your second year."

The phoenix shrugged and shifted until he was sitting on the healer's shoulder to allow the wizard to cast his spell. Two swishes and a jab later the wound had been cleaned and sterilized and the bird slipped back down to cry several ice cold pearly drops onto Ryuu's hand. Soothing coolness spread from those precious drops as the healing power of the phoenix's tears slowly repaired the damage, leaving behind a tracery of scars (a product of the dark magic that lingered in the wound from the killing curse).

"Thank you, friend," Ryuu whispered as he reached up with his newly healed hand and scratched the wild ice phoenix beneath the chin the moment his uncle let go. The phoenix practically purred beneath the attention before it chirruped and flashed away leaving all four wizards covered with a thin layer of ice crystals. "Ahh, that's cold!" A trill of phoenix laughter echoed through the Great Hall and Ryuu just knew the phoenix had iced them on purpose.

"Are you going to be alright now?" Satoshi asked softly as he gently pushed Ryuu up onto his feet without quite letting the younger wizard go.

"I think so," Ryuu replied as he tried taking his own weight so he wasn't relying on Satoshi to support him. "I do wish someone would have at least warned me about the pain before hand though." As he said the last bit he glowered at his uncle and the healer who both had the grace to look sheepish.

"We thought you would have known since you've had the same type of injury before," Healer Inoue stated as he held up Ryuu's right arm to indicate the start burst scars on the outside of his arm.

"I was unconscious when they healed those ones," Ryuu replied with a shrug as he finally managed to stand up completely on his own.

"I hate to interrupt you gentlemen," a voice called, "but I believe you'd asked us to decide if there was a need for a trial still?"

"Moushiwake arimasen deshita," Ryuu automatically blurted out as he bowed low to the visiting dignitaries and nearly ending up falling on his face as he overbalanced and it was Hatake's quick reflexes that saved him as the older man snagged his elbow and jerked him back up. Chuckles rang out through the room and Ryuu blushed bright red as he self-consciously pulled up his kimono and straightened his clothes; not bothering with his armor since he wasn't certain he had the strength to wear the heavy dragon scales at the moment.

"Bless you, child," the Dali Lama murmured with a smile. "Your innocence in light of what you just experienced and how closely you came to perishing is wondrously refreshing and humbling. You showed remarkable restraint when dealing with everything that was thrown at you."

"Guts," one of the Americans called out. "That kid has guts. I've never seen someone stand so calmly in the face of a killin' curse like that before. Ya think ya could teach others how to do that fancy shield thing? It would surly come in handy when fightin'."

"I apologize," Ryuu murmured as he turned to face the American. "It is not possible to teach another how to recreate that shield. As I told Dumbledore-shishou when he asked me the first time I used it when I was eleven, it is not just my magic that forms the shield and it is not something that I can consciously produce; it appears on its own only when I am faced with the Killing Curse; almost like an outburst of accidental magic with a specific purpose." Ryuu then turned to bow respectfully to the Dali Lama. "Arigatou, shishou, your kind words are appreciated if a little unwarranted as I am afraid I lost my innocence many years ago."

"Don't be rude," Hatake chastised as he slapped Ryuu in the stomach with the back of his hand. "Forgive my nephew; he is still a teenager with all the emotional angst of a teenager."

"I'm so going to make you pay for that, old man," Ryuu muttered as he shifted out of reach of Hatake's arms to avoid another belly slap.

"As entertaining as this is, we are on a tight schedule here, gentlemen," the first voice reminded them and Ryuu immediately snapped to attention as he glanced towards the Magical Magistrate of Japan and bowed respectfully in silent apology before giving the man his complete attention. "It was unanimously agreed that there is no need to hold trial for the deceased Delores Umbridge; her crimes were readily apparent as was her guilt through her own actions and as you said magic has seen to her punishment by her own hand. I for one would wish to know what you think is far more important than bringing such a criminal to justice."

Ryuu nodded in response to the request as he ordered, "Ground Squads Three, Four and Six, please escort the rest of the transfigured students and those staff members that followed Umbridge out of the room so they can be dealt with later. I'd like to thank the members of Hogwarts Board of Governors and all of the reporters for coming tonight; if all of you will please follow Flying Squads Two and Six, they will escort you off the grounds."

He waited for his requests to be carried out (studiously ignoring the complaints being given by the members of the board as they were escorted out of the room) before he slipped his cherry wand from his sleeve and used it to right the pensieve and return the spilled memories to the basin. He then tapped the control runes on the side of the pensieve which brought forth the image of a younger image of himself standing with his arm outstretched towards a fancy gold trophy. Those who had witnessed that particular memory before blanched as they shifted uncomfortably.

"I doubt that anyone here actually wishes to view that particular memory, Mr. Natsume," Dumbledore hastily pointed out as he gave the fifteen year old a pointed glance over his glasses.

"I beg to differ, Dumbledore-shishou," Ryuu countered with steel in his voice. "I think everyone in this room needs to see that memory so they know what they will be facing if the problem isn't nipped in the bud. You would prefer it if I faced the Dark Lord alone without any training; a lamb walking to the slaughter. You wanted me to be your loyal chess piece with a desire for acceptance so strong that I'd willingly sacrifice myself for a world that abandoned me to my misery while they celebrated Voldemort's supposed death fourteen years ago."

"You've had over six months to pass along this information to the rest of the world and you've done nothing that I have seen. You've also not yet made good on your oath to pass along the information you have on Voldemort. Tonight, the entire ugly truth will finally be told so that the problem can be acknowledged and plans made to deal with it once and for all." Ryuu paused for a moment as his face softened a bit before he continued, "You are a great wizard, Dumbledore-shishou, and I respect you for what you have done for me through the years but you have to see beyond the big picture. You have to remember that the picture you see is made up of millions upon millions of people."

Ryuu paused a second time as his expression darkened once more before he continued. "People you have been willing to sacrifice in the name of some unnamed Greater Good while you try to spare the few you think need to be redeemed never realizing that it is the innocents that will pay for your choices with their blood and their lives." Ryuu frowned and started a bit as he finally recognized the feel of the diadem's magic threading through his mind feeding him information. Growling slightly, he muttered out a soft, "damn diadem," before he looked back up and met Dumbledore's shocked gaze.

Sighing, Ryuu turned away from the currently former Headmaster in order to address the rest of the room, "As many of you know, I was born during a time of great fear here in Great Britain, when the man known as the Dark Lord Voldemort was terrorizing the British wizarding and non-magical societies; his actions coming close to revealing the wizarding world to the non-magicals due to his vicious attacks and constant open displays of magic. A year and a half later the world rejoiced as the news of Voldemort's supposed death flew around the world faster than an owl's wings."

"Britain would have the world believe that an eighteen month old baby defeated one of the worst Dark Lord's in the last two hundred years. I don't know if it is because they truly believed him to be dead, desperately wished him to be dead, or feared that if they thought he might still be alive it would come true. The truth is though that the Dark Lord did not die; he was merely banished for ten years. I faced him at the end of my first year, I faced him again at the end of my second year, I faced him yet again at the end of my fourth year, and I faced him a fourth time less than two months ago."

Murmurs broke out at this revelation and Dumbledore went pale as he'd not been present in the castle when Ryuu dealt with the diadem and he'd not been informed of the confrontation with the soul fragment. "I have the memories of each and every one of those encounters inside of this pensive but at this time I'm only going to show what I believe to be the most important one in order to save time. If any of you wish to view the others we can make arrangements for you to do so later. I will warn you now that what you are about to see isn't pretty and is in no way, shape, or form a pleasant memory."

With that Ryuu started the memory and watched just long enough to see Viktor's desperate warning about the trap before he turned his back on the memory and walked away from the pensieve. He was shaking again as he tried to block out the sounds of the memory as it played; his thoughts centering on the absent Shogun. Shinjin trilled softly, a sad song of shared grief, as she rubbed her cheek against Ryuu's.

Ryuu smiled softly at the gentle reminder that he was not alone and lifted his hand so he could brush his fingers over her feathers. Needing to block out the memory that was playing behind him, Ryuu headed towards the staff table where his uncle had set his armor and dug out his ocarina. He then settled on the edge of the dais, with his back still facing the memory, and began softly playing one of his favorite tunes as Tenji sauntered over to him and curled up against his side and Shinjin softly trilled along with the barely audible song.

He was so focused on not hearing or reliving that terrible memory that he never noticed when Hatake stepped forward to stop the playback. He'd not even registered the sounds of several people being sick throughout the room as they'd witnessed the rebirth of Voldemort and the battle that followed. It wasn't until he felt a hand falling on his shoulder that Ryuu came back to the present and he looked up and smiled weakly at his uncle before he tucked away his flute and rose back to his feet. He then wiped his face of all emotion as he turned to face the visiting dignitaries and reporters.

"What was your purpose in showing us such a thing?" the Australian Minister demanded.

"Aside from insuring that you were made aware of what the world is now facing?" Ryuu countered as he arched an eyebrow at the wizard. Ryuu let the silence draw out for a full minute before he answered the question, "To ask for your help in dealing with him and those that follow him by not allowing him to recruit new followers in your respective countries, not selling him or his followers supplies or weapons or purchase anything he has to offer, and to pass along any information you may learn of his movements. I would also be open to accepting advice, training, equipment, supplies or man power you are willing to offer or provide at reasonable prices or in trade for services, ward schemes, or enchanted artifacts. I am fully aware that I can't fight a war on my own and certain individuals in the British magical government have already made it perfectly clear that they are not willing to cooperate. Isn't that right, Minister Ogden?"

All eyes swung to the English Minister of Magic in time to see a completely blank look on his face. Ryuu frowned as he'd expected the man to react to his accusation. Apparently so did a number of those in the Minister's party as Amelia Bones (Head of the Department of Law Enforcement) stood up and stunned the Minister without any hesitation only for the two Aurors that had escorted the Minister to raise their wands to attack Madam Bones and Ryuu shouted a warning as he saw the tips of their wands glow green as both men fired the killing curse at the witch from behind her back.

Screams rang out once more as the green light of the killing curse filled the Great Hall for the second time that evening. The only thing that saved both Amelia Bones and Albus Dumbledore (who was sitting right beside her) from certain death was the timely intervention of Fawkes and another of the wild phoenixes as they intercepted the curses and swallowed them even as Ryuu's soldiers and other Aurors posted in that part of the room quickly took out the two attackers.

"And that is why I can't do this alone," Ryuu stated wearily as he walked across the room, ducked under the table, and gathered the newly reborn wild phoenix in his hands as he softly called for Dobby. The elf quickly appeared and took both the phoenix and its ashes before leaving once again; Dumbledore having already rescued his own familiar. Ryuu then stepped over to the two unconscious Aurors and ripped their left sleeves from their arms, revealing the blackened dark marks on their forearms to those in the immediate area. "The corruption is spreading far faster than I would have believed possible but then again after the end of Voldemort's first rise to power more than two thirds of the Death Eaters were allowed to walk free because they were purebloods with enough money to bribe their way to freedom."

"A grave revelation, indeed," the Japanese Magistrate intoned. "I will repeat what I told you three months ago; Japan will stand behind you and help you in any way that we can. You have shown yourself to be a strong leader and a powerfully talented wizard over the long months that we have watched you. You have also, beyond a shadow of a doubt, proved yourself to be a valuable asset to the Japanese Magical Community."

"Arigatou," Ryuu replied as he bowed towards the Japanese wizard.

"You will also have my support," Madam Bones declared as she shakily sat back in her seat. "I also owe you my life; if not for your warning and the wild phoenixes you summoned I would have been cut down. I will start by doing a department wide audit to weed out any remaining Death Eaters that have managed to infiltrate our forces."

Over the course of the next hour more than half of those representatives from the various magical communities attending had also pledged their support while all but a small handful of those remaining swore to not join or support Voldemort while offering purchasing contracts for various crops (magical and non-magical) or other supplies and equipment. The final small group only promised to remaining neutral and Ryuu nodded in understanding even as he politely asked them to leave.

Standing just outside the entrance to the Great Hall, Alastor Moody discreetly Obliviated each of those individuals that were asked to leave so that none of them could betray anything that had been shown or discussed over the course of the evening; leaving them only with the knowledge that Umbridge had been guilty of crimes against humanity and that she'd been executed on site after a short feast. Those that remained spent another two hours hashing out the terms of their newly created alliance as well as several treaties and contracts between each other and with Ryuu. Each of Ryuu's new allies also made arrangements to discuss the future fate of any dementors under their control.

Once the meeting was wrapped up around three-thirty in the morning, each country's representatives promised to elect or select various experts, instructors, or military officers to be part of Ryuu newly expanded council of advisors before they were escorted out of the castle until all that remained were those from the British Ministry and Japanese Magistrate's office. At that point Ryuu dismissed the rest of the students that had participated in the night's events.

Once the room was mostly empty, Ryuu sat down in the middle of the room, wrapped his arms around his legs, and pressed his face against his knees while wondering what the hell he thought he was playing at; his thoughts rapidly spiraling downwards, I'm only fifteen years old… What the hell was I thinking!? Oh kuso… otousan and okaasan are going to be so upset with me. I shouldn't have to be the one to lead this fight. Why…? Why does it have to be me?

"Natsume?"

I don't know if I can do this, Ryuu signed without looking up; the stress of everything that had gone wrong that evening, the knowledge that he'd just put himself on the front lines, and the strain of taking and deflecting yet another killing curse making him doubt himself and retreat into familiar silence. I can't believe I was stupid enough to free her without thinking to search for an extra wand. Any one of those I invited here tonight could have died and I could have started a war.

"You are not required to do this on you own, child," Ashikaga gently chided as he sat down on the floor next to his protégé. "I thought I had taught you at least that much. We all make mistakes and while you learned a valuable lesson tonight no one was seriously injured aside from yourself. For one so untrained in the political arena, I thought you handled yourself very well considering exactly who was present during the proceedings. You even managed to unveil two Death Eaters that would have carried word of all that we'd done here back to their lord and master if they hadn't been discovered. I am also certain that the English Minister will be pleased to learn that it was your actions that freed him from the Imperius Curse he'd been placed under at some point."

"And you could not have known that Umbridge was carrying a second wand," Hatake added as he dropped down on Ryuu's other side. "She should have been searched when she was first captured."

"She was," Cedric replied as he stood nervously in front of Ryuu (the older teen one of the few that had remained behind). "I searched her myself and all I found was her original wand and a couple of blood quills."

"Sounds like the work of a concealed holster, Notice-Me-Not-Charm, or some other ward, spell, charm, or device," Moody's gruff voice pointed out as he clapped Cedric on the back before moving up beside Hatake. "If it makes the both of you feel better I scanned her with my magical eye and saw nothing until the moment she pulled the wand."

"How is your hand?" Ashikaga asked when Ryuu finally lifted his head to glance at them.

"A little stiff, a little sore, and a little… I don't know… numb and tingly?" Ryuu half stated and half asked with a trace of uncertainty as he glanced down at his left hand and flexed his fingers as he stared at his newest scar. "Why did it hurt so much when Inoue-sama was healing it?"

"You had a magical burn from the amount of friction created when the Killing Curse struck the shield that formed in front of your hand and the resulting injury was over saturated with magic," Hatake explained, having seen enough witches and wizards injured with magical burns throughout his career as part of Japan's magical police force to answer Ryuu's question. "In order to treat the injury, the excess magic needed to be siphoned off. The nerves in your hand were burned in addition to the skin of your palm and when the magic was pulled out it was being pulled over and through those nerves which only multiplied the pain you were feeling at the time. You could compare it to getting a severe sunburn and then jumping into a bathtub filled with hot water; only about a hundred times worse I'd imagine."

"It hurt worse than Voldemort's Cruciatus," Ryuu whispered hollowly. "Though no where near as much as it hurt to lose Shogun."

"Why didn't you just move out of the way? Or allow one of the phoenixes to take the curse?" Professor Flitwick demanded as he strode up to the group sitting on the floor with a scowl on his face.

"I was standing far too close to her and there wasn't enough time," Ryuu stated simply as he closed his eyes. "It felt as if time had slowed down and at the same time like there was no time to think. I'm certain Shinjin would have taken the curse for me if I'd let her but I did not wish to risk loosing her to the stress of a forced burning day so soon after her premature first burning."

"You do realize your parents aren't going to be happy with you that you pretty much just stood there to take that curse, ne?" Hatake drawled questioningly as he leaned to the side a bit to stare at Ryuu from his right eye.

"Hai, oji, I am fully aware of just how deep I stepped in it this time," Ryuu replied dryly as he dropped his head back on his arms where they were curled around his knees. "Not that the toad gave me much of a choice."

"If you can pull yourself together for a moment, Natsume, there is one last thing that must be done today," Ashikaga declared solemnly as he put his hand on Ryuu's shoulder and climbed to his feet.

Ryuu sighed and spent a moment trying to get hold of his emotions before he reluctantly climbed back to his feet. When he looked up he was a bit surprised to find several of those students that had helped him lead the student protestors lined up on his left and a handful of his advisory council and command staff lined up on his right while Ashikaga had moved to join Yamamoto and the Japanese Magistrate where they stood between the two groups. He jumped a bit when Hatake straightened his uniform with a quick flick of his wand before Satoshi brought over his armor and began helping Hatake buckle it back into place while Ryuu glanced about in bewilderment as he had no idea what was going on.

Once he was completely kitted out once again, Ryuu was pushed along so he was standing just in front of the trio of elderly wizards while everyone else withdrew to either side to watch. Swallowing thickly, Ryuu took a shaky breath as he realized he was acting like a nervous first year out to buy his first wand. Centering himself, he erased all signs of discomfort and confusion from his face as he snapped to attention before bowing low to the three most powerful wizards in Japan.

He missed seeing the proud smiles that his various teacher and instructors sent his way while his eyes were on the floor in front of him and they'd schooled their faces by the time he'd straightened back up. What followed was a short ceremony and speech given by the Magistrate as Ryuu was officially promoted from special major to special lieutenant colonel. A single spell later, and the insignia on his uniform and armor shifted as the single gold star moved to one side while a second star joined the first so that they sat side by side above the two bars.

Ryuu wasn't exactly sure what to think of his promotion as he walked through the castle in a daze that was partly mental and emotional and partly from the exhaustion that was settling around him due to the events that had happened over the course of the evening. He also wasn't quite certain what to think about the way things had turned out and despite what the others had told him he couldn't help but blame himself for everything that had gone wrong over the course of the evening. That wasn't to say he didn't acknowledge the things that went right, because he did, it was just hard not to dwell on that which went wrong; Ryuu was human after all.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Ryuu finally noticed he'd reached the third floor and he sighed as he realized he'd walked right passed the dojo without even realizing it. He glanced back down the stairs behind him and decided that it might just be best to sleep before he had to face the music; he wasn't quite ready for the scolding he was certain he'd be getting from both of his parents. Sighing, Ryuu continued on to his quarters, intent on crawling into his bed for a long nap.

Unfortunately for Ryuu, his family had anticipated his attempt at avoidance and they were currently occupying his sitting room. The moment he stepped into the room he was ambushed by two blurs and between one second and the next he found himself on the floor on his back with Luna clinging to his chest and Kenji firmly attached to his left leg. Two seconds after his brain finally caught up with what had happened he felt the renewed pain his in back as his girlfriend and brother had just added to the large bruise he'd received when he'd smashed into the pensieve.

"Itai," Ryuu groaned as he closed his eyes and let his head fall back on the floor which caused his helmet to fall off and roll across the floor.

"Don't you ever do that to me again, my Dragon," Luna growled without any of her usual dreaminess. "The only reason I'm not not speaking to you is because you suspected she'd try something tonight which is why I'd allowed you to forbid me from attending as I'd originally wanted to."

"I didn't know she would resort to unforgivables but I knew she wouldn't just give up without a fight once she realized there was no way for her to wriggle out of her own trap," Ryuu replied softly. "I just didn't want to give her a target other than myself and she already knew you and my family mean the world to me."

"So why didn't you just let a phoenix take the hit like the ones that took the two curses from the Death Eaters? Or at least dodge the curse?" Takashi demanded as he walked over to peel Kenji off of Ryuu's legs so the teen could get up off the floor.

"There wasn't any time and I was standing too close."

"Nii! Nii!" Kenji cried in his childish voice as he squirmed in Takashi's arms and reached out towards Ryuu.

Luna reluctantly climbed off Ryuu in order to let him up and Ryuu rolled over onto his stomach so he could push himself to his feet only to feel himself being picked up by the back of his armor. Turning to glance over his shoulder, Ryuu found a glaring Madara firmly holding him in his jaws and Ryuu sighed and crossed his arms as he was carried across the room and dumped unceremoniously on the couch. The wolf spirit then pinned him in place with his nose as he continued to glare at Ryuu and the teen huffed and arched an eyebrow at the youkai. A second later he had a lap full of lucky cat as said cat began yelling and cussing at him calling him ten kinds of fools.

"Urusai, sensei," Ryuu finally huffed after listening to the youkai for several minutes before he scratched the fat cat behind the ears.

"Neko! Wuff, wuff, neko! Nii!" Kenji squealed as Takashi settled him on his hip, his little arms still stretching out towards Ryuu and Nyanko.

To the shock of those watching, Nyanko-sensei suddenly floated up out of Ryuu's lap and drifted across the room with his pudgy little legs churning like mad and his eyes wide with fright. "Put me down! Put me down right now, baka! Natsume-kun put me down!" Nyanko wailed as he rolled over onto his back in midair and glared at Ryuu who was gaping at him.

"That's not me, sensei!" Ryuu protested as he held up his hands to prove he didn't have his wand.

That made everyone else in the room freeze except for Nyanko who was still drifting steadily towards where Takashi was standing with Kenji in his arms and the excited Kenji who was alternately cooing about the 'kitty' and calling for his brother. When the toddlers little arms wrapped as far around Nyanko's belly as he could reach, Ryuu suddenly started laughing. Everyone else glanced between the happily squealing Kenji and the now hysterically laughing Ryuu in confusion.

"Kenji, you clever little boy you," Ryuu finally crowed between a giggle and a snicker several minutes later.

"Um… what am I missing?" Taki asked as she fought the urge to gather her youngest son and Nyanko in her arms and squish them both in a bear hug over how adorable they both looked or scold her oldest for the heart attack he'd nearly given her earlier.

"Kenji… (gasp… snicker) magic… (snicker… snort)… sensei… (giggle… gasp) never escape!" Ryuu managed to get out as he started laughing even harder at the look of pure agony and fear on Nyanko's face.

"You think your little brother just did his first bout of accidental magic," Luna stated serenely as she settled down on the couch next to Ryuu and poked at his dragon scale armor. "You need to take your armor off, my Dragon; I can't cuddle you properly while you wear it."

"Unless you floated Nyanko-sensei over to Kenji, Luna; who else in here could have done it?" Ryuu asked with a maniacal grin as Nyanko whimpered and went limp in Kenji's embrace. "I certainly didn't do it; I know sensei doesn't like having magic used on him."

"Kenji's a wizard?" Takashi asked weakly as he dropped down into the nearest chair, shifted Kenji onto his lap, and stared at his youngest son (who was still cuddling Nyanko) in shock. "How? Neither Taki nor I are magical at all!"

"What did I miss?" Hatake asked as he stepped into the room followed by Satoshi (who was carrying Tenji) just a few minutes later to find everyone staring silently at the happily gurgling one year old while Ryuu continued to laugh.

"My clever little otouto just did his first bout of accidental magic," Ryuu proudly proclaimed as said little brother squealed again as he hugged the cat in his arms tightly.

"You think Kenji's a wizard?" Hatake asked unknowingly repeating Takashi's earlier question. Instead of waiting for an answer, the gray haired wizard whipped out his wand and cast the spell to measure Kenji's magical index and everyone but Ryuu gaped as the number seventy-three shimmered into existence above the baby's head. "Well I'll be… Kenji-kun is a wizard. Why didn't anyone check when he was born?"

"We thought there was no reason to check," Taki replied as she shook off her shock and smiled gently at her husband and son. "There has never been any magic in my family or Takashi's. We never thought there was a possibility that Kenji could be a wizard."

"Magic has been known to appear randomly in families that have no history of magical blood," Hatake reminded them. "Muggleborns, newbloods, first generation magicals, balance keepers… just a small handful of names given to the children born with magic in families with no magical blood. There has been some speculation over the past couple of centuries that the appearance of a magical child in a non-magical family is due to a squib ancestor somewhere in the past but there has been no proof. Magic is not just in a child's blood it is in their very soul and blood alone doesn't guarantee that you will have magic."

"How though? I mean… what were the chances that Kenji-kun would be born magical?" Takashi asked as he furrowed his brow.

"He was conceived in Hogwarts, okaasan spent most of her pregnancy here in Hogwarts, I spent a considerable amount of time around okaasan while she was pregnant, and he was born in Hogwarts," Ryuu replied before he frowned and sent a glare towards his bedroom. "Damn diadem…"

"Ryuu-kun?" Hatake queried as he gave the teen a confused look.

"Kenji was exposed to the ambient magic in and around Hogwarts while he was developing," Ryuu replied as he pulled his eyes away from the door leading into his room. "On top of that I spent a considerable amount of time sleeping in my room in otousan's quarters after Halloween while under the constant stress from the tournament and I was probably radiating magic on a near constant basis. The night Kenji was born I was with okaasan playing my flute; it was probably my magic that sent okaasan into early labor that night because I'd been so upset as I tried to figure out that stupid riddle from the second task."

"Why do you think that?" Takashi asked as he slowly adjusted to the idea that he had two magical sons, not just one as he'd believed for the past year.

"I didn't think it," Ryuu growled as he tossed another glare at his bedroom door. "The magic from Ravenclaw's diadem supplied the knowledge. I don't like it when it does that. It's why I rarely ever touch the circlet; I don't like not figuring things out for myself. It's cheating."

"That happened earlier tonight when you were chastising Dumbledore-shishou," Hatake realized as he canceled the indexing spell and dropped down onto the couch. "Does it do that often? Provide answers when you aren't any where near it?"

Ryuu shrugged to indicate he didn't have an answer before he turned pensive as he glanced between his parents. After a moment he tentatively asked, "You aren't… you aren't angry that he's a wizard… are you?"

"No!" Taki and Takashi both vehemently denied without any hesitation.

"Absolutely not," Takashi continued. "Just a little shocked and surprised is all."

"Why would we be angry?" Taki asked softly.

Ryuu shrugged again and turned away from his mother, a light flush spreading over the back of his neck and face. The years he'd lived with his parents had done much to put to rest the demons of his past but that didn't mean he had no memory of the years he'd spent in the less than perfect care of his other relatives. It wasn't often that he thought about them or those dark years but there were times, like now, when he couldn't help but recall how the Dursleys had felt about his strangeness. How they hated everything he represented because he'd never been normal.

"He's our son and your little brother," Takashi gently reaffirmed as he rose to his feet and plopped Kenji down on Ryuu's lap before placing a hand on Ryuu's head. "We'd love him regardless of whether or not he had magic and whether or not he could see the youkai. That he can do both just means that he has more in common with his big brother than we thought. The only thing his being a wizard changes is the fact that we're going to have to register him for either Hogwarts or the academy when he gets older and that we'll have to be mindful when we go out to avoid displays of accidental magic in public. Does it bother you that your brother is magical?"

"It bothers me," Nyanko huffed with a small growl as he wriggled in the toddler's arms.

"Be silent," Ryuu ordered absently as he thumped the disguised wolf-spirit lightly between the eyes with his knuckles as he seriously considered the question his father asked him and his feelings for his brother. "Otousan wasn't asking for your opinion, sensei; we already know you don't like magic." Ryuu chewed his lip for a moment as he glanced down at the one year old in his lap and he smiled fondly when his brother flashed him a grin as he snuggled into Ryuu's arms. "And no… it's doesn't bother me; I think it's neat that he's a wizard."

Ryuu then looked up and met his father's eyes with worried green eyes, "It also frightens me because it makes him even more of a target. Although, he would be a target no matter what because he's my little brother."

"He will be alright," Luna declared in her dreamy voice as she unbuckled Ryuu's armor since he'd made no move to remove it even though she'd ordered him to earlier. "His big brother won't let anything happen to him."

"Nii! Nii! Neko!" Kenji cried happily as if he'd just agreed with the dainty blonde.


Settling back into school wasn't as easy as Ryuu had hoped as he constantly found himself looking over his shoulder expecting to be attacked as he walked freely through the castle for the first time in three months. Those professors and staff members that had helped her had been extensively questioned by the Department of Law Enforcement and most of them allowed to return to work when it was discovered that Umbridge had bullied and blackmailed them into doing her bidding. The exception was Snape but his reasons had more to do with his position as a spy in Voldemort's inner circle than it did with Umbridge holding any sway over him. That and the fact that the caustic man hadn't been able to stomach even the thought of working with James Potter's son.

The students that had followed Umbridge's orders were also interrogated and the younger ones were eventually allowed to return to classes while those that were sixteen and seventeen years of age were held accountable for their actions. A few of them were expelled from Hogwarts and arrested while others were merely suspended for the remainder of the year and would be allowed to return the following year to retake the year they pretty much lost because of Umbridge. A small handful were allowed to continue classes without repercussions when it turned out that they, like some of the staff, had been bullied and blackmailed into helping the toad. In a few cases, the students had been fearful that younger siblings would be harmed if they didn't do as they were told.

Those students that had spent a month and a half hidden down in the Chamber of Secrets often sought out Ryuu once they moved back up into the main part of the castle. Many of them just wanted to thank him for protecting them from Umbridge while a number of them wanted to thank him for healing the cuts from the blood quill or other dark curses that had been used on them.

A group of the younger students had even formed a fan club strictly for Ryuu and a number of the older students that had led the protest movement (completely different from the Harry Potter flan club that was still in denial that Ryuu had changed his name). These weren't the rabid fan girls and boys that sought to be Mrs. or Mr. Potter (or Natsume if they acknowledged his adoption)… no they were the ones who wanted to grow up to be just as cool, just as powerful, and just as smart as Ryuu and the other student leaders. It was a fan club that Ryuu readily supported because the members ultimately just wanted to improve themselves and so he willingly helped them and encouraged the rest of the student protestors to do the same.

Dumbledore had been reinstated as Headmaster the night after the coup against Umbridge and he spent the first month trying to bring the school back under control (the ghosts, house elves, portraits, and poltergeist often still seeking out Ryuu for commands) and speaking to the students in small groups. Ryuu didn't exactly help matters since he didn't tell the denizens of the castle to return to their normal duties but he didn't exactly hinder Dumbledore's efforts either; he simply left it up to the castle to decide if Dumbledore was fit enough to control it.

And the castle was far more alive and sentient than it had been in years since so much of the dark magic that had been slowly taking over the castle (for the past two or three centuries) had been removed and purified. What little dark magic remained was slowly breaking down because there was nothing for it to cling to; something the Gray Lady had predicted would happen. In fact, the castle had taken to hunting and purging the dark magic itself and would occasionally guide Ryuu to those areas that it couldn't cleanse itself (the castle regaining a degree of sentience thanks to the reduction of dark magic within its walls).

After two months of fighting the castle, Dumbledore finally approached Ryuu and asked him to relinquish control of the castle's magic. Ryuu simply stared at him and burst out laughing before he walked away. Ryuu didn't control the castle's magic; the castle controlled the castle's magic and because Dumbledore didn't realize that or refused to acknowledge that; the castle refused to listen to him. When Dumbledore had tried to give Ryuu detention until he turned over control Ryuu flat out refused and told him that he would never again serve a detention he didn't rightfully earn.

Ryuu then told the Headmaster that if he truly wanted the magic of the castle to listen to him again he should try listening to the magic instead. Before he walked away a second time, Ryuu also asked him when he'd finally honor his oath to tell him what he knew about Voldemort and how Voldemort survived what should have killed him. Dumbledore appeared to grow old before Ryuu's eyes and told him once the end of the year exams were over he'd turn over all of his research notes and an assortment of memories to Ryuu.

After that things pretty much settled down and the most exciting thing to happen to Ryuu was the time he spent with Luna and his family between his classes. He didn't get to see much of his father though as Takashi was busier than ever helping the students deal with the aftermath of everything Umbridge and the others had put them through. More than half the students were now seeing Takashi two and three times a week which meant that the now forty-year old man was busy from sunrise to curfew listening to the students and helping them work through everything that had happened and the nightmares that were a direct result.

Taki often helped with the younger children as she resumed her tutoring duties; listening to the first, second, and third year students pour out their hearts before encouraging them to seek out Takashi if they continued to have trouble. Ryuu in turn would help them both out by keeping an eye on Kenji throughout the day with Dobby watching over the tyke during those classes where the toddler could be accidentally harmed either by spells, creatures, or plants (Transfiguration, Defense – taught once again by Hatake since Umbridge was gone, Care of Magical Creatures, and Herbology respectfully).

All too soon the end of year exams were just a few days away (the Ministry scheduling them one month earlier than usual due to the turmoil stirred up by Ryuu's presentation at the end of the January) and Ryuu prepared to take eleven O.W.L.s (one of which he'd never officially taken as a class) and five N.E.W.T.s. (All of the staff having worked hard to make certain the fifth and seventh years were ready for the grueling exams.) Once again all of his extra curricular classes were placed on hold as he spent every available second studying or helping his friends study. His actual testing schedule was just shy of insane as he seemingly had twice as many tests to take as everyone else and in a way he did.

Each morning he'd be taking two theoretical tests and one practical test and his afternoons were two for two in order to fit in both his O.W.L.s and his N.E.W.T.s. The examiners had been a bit skeptical about allowing a fifteen year old take even a limited number of N.E.W.T.s but they stopped making complaints after he finished taking his Defense N.E.W.T. (as recommended by Hatake) and not only succeeded in casting the standard required spells but several bonus spells that would give him the highest recorded Defense N.E.W.T. in over two hundred years.

While Ryuu was testing, his uncle and other private tutors were meeting and working out his summer schedule since he was only going to be taking a handful of regular summer classes at the Academy this year. Since he'd taken (and without a doubt passed) his N.E.W.T. in Defense they'd have him working towards his Defense Mastery for two hours each morning before he turned back two hours to attend his ju jitsu lessons with Hatake where he'd be working towards his third degree black belt. After breakfast he'd have an hour in Masters Level Enchantment followed by an hour spent with Headmaster Yamamoto continuing their strategy and political sessions and an hour's study period.

He'd then turn back another two hours in order to take his Masters Level French class with Luna before spending the second hour working on the mornings class assignments. After lunch he'd be working on Masters Level Warding (having skipped two levels due to his solid grasp of the basics and the ability he'd displayed over the course of the last two years when creating new wards) after which he'd head to the Samurai Training Grounds where he'd train with Ashikaga and the other Samurai on his sword work and Intermediate Level Battle Magic for three hours.

Once he returned to the campus he'd head to Masters Level Music where he was working towards his status as Master Bard (teaching or tutoring an hour a day in the Beginning Level Magic Class or working with those who were struggling with one of the Masters Level Music courses (summoning, elemental manipulation, illusions, or healing). When he finished with his last class, he'd turn back another two hours so he could have time to work on all of his assignments for the day or do research in the library. It would be yet another busy summer for Ryuu but with the war against the Dark Lord looming right around the corner they wanted to push him so he wouldn't be caught unprepared.

They had no doubt that Ryuu would rise to the challenge as he had in the past years when pushed to the edge of his limits. Takashi had expressed some concerns about them pushing him so much but in the end it had been Ryuu himself that talked his father into backing down; though the older wizards had no clue what he'd said to him. Luna never verbally opposed their plans for Ryuu but they could easily see how much it bothered her as her eyes clouded over whenever she heard them discussing his schedule. There were also times when she'd watch Ryuu with sadness in her eyes as if she could see the pain he tried to hide from everyone.


Translations: Japanese to English

Arigatou – thank you
Hai – yes
Itai – ouch
Moushiwake arimasen deshita – A very formal apology, usually used when one has seriously messed up and is apologizing to a stranger or a superior. I believe the literal translation is 'I have no excuse' and the deshita turns the phrase into the past tense. At least that is how I understood it.
Neko – cat
Nii – short for oniisan/niisan (older brother) and is what Kenji calls Ryuu
Oji – uncle
Okaasan/kaasan – mother
Otousan/tousan – father
Otouto – brother
Urusai – shut up (rude)


AN: Ryuu drums up support to deal with Voldemort, corruption in the Ministry of Magic is unearthed, Dumbledore attempts to regain control, and Ravenclaw's Diadem seems to have a mind of its own… next chapter will be up in a couple of days as I've prepped six chapters for posting so I can get this story wrapped up to let me focus on my pokemon/hp crossover series. ~ Jenn

02/22/13: Corrected a grammatical mistake in the chapter.