A Long Day Ends/Pleased to Meet You.
Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I'm I doing wrong (to correct it).
Hogwarts;
Great Hall
Gryffindor Table
Shinji Ikari had never been too partial to sweets, but tonight, at the Welcoming Feast in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he allowed himself a little treat, a treacle tart. He enjoyed the taste. While he wiped his mouth with a napkin, he noticed Professor Lupin excusing himself from the table just as the desserts were being served.
He exchanged an interrogating look with Rei, at the Ravenclaw table, and realized she had been chatting with none other than Luna Lovegood. The small blonde followed Rei´s eyes, and waved shyly at him. Just as shy, he answered with a wave of his own.
Hogwarts;
Great Hall
Ravenclaw Table
Rei saw Lupin leaving the staff table, and shrugged at Shinji´s silent question.
"Who is he?" Luna asked.
"Shinji Ikari, my brother." She answered.
Cho Chang, still a bit out of it after their small debate, turned around to look at Shinji for a moment. "Ikari? Shouldn't you two have the same surname?"
"Half-siblings actually. Father was… complicated." Her unblinking eyes fixed themselves into Chang´s own brown eyes for a couple of seconds, then Rei added, "And the Ikari Clan needed a male heir."
"I… see…" Chang dropped the subject. It would be a breach of protocol to dig more at the moment, but that wouldn´t stop her from asking her family. For the time being, it was time to eat.
That night, Rei´s arguments would repeat themselves in her dreams.
Hogsmeade Village
The Three Broomsticks
"Thanks, Hagrid." Misato Katsuragi patted the half-giant´s hairy sleeve. "I can take it from here. Please keep an eye on my kids, will you?" she smiled at him.
"Sure Ah will, Miss Ka´surai. They seem to be good kids."
"The best!" she laughed. "I know they can take care of themselves; but still, one worries."
"As it shoudd be, Miss. Ah´ll be seeing ya later." Hagrid shook her hand, and activated the portkey back to Hogwarts. Misato looked around, finding the dreadful silhouette of a Dementor, floating high above the street, and hurried to enter the inn.
Once inside, she took a table at the almost desert main room. Madame Rosmerta came to her table a few seconds later. "What will it be, luv? New around here?"
"Yeah. Just arrived today. What do you recommend?"
"Well, welcome to England then!" She smiled widely. "We just have some roasted veggies, and steak. Today is not exactly a busy day."
"That´s okay, I´ll take it. Add a muggle beer if you have it and I´ll be set for the night. There are rooms available, I hope."
"Sorry, hun. Not enough people asks for it. Personally, I do like the taste, but don´t really indulge much. Once or twice a year, at most. But I have butterbeer if you want it." Then she added, proudly, "House-made, my own brand. And there´s a room ready."
"That would be great, I haven´t tried it yet." Misato said while Rosmerta gave her a key. "Third floor, second room to the left. I´ll bring your dinner in a snap."
Misato went up the stairs and entered her room. From one of her pockets, she brought out the book Death had given her and looked at the cover. "It will be better to use this tomorrow." She yawned like a tiger. "I´m about to drop…"
She put the well-thumbed book back in her pocket, and made sure the window was closed. The fresh night air brought up a chill that had nothing to do with mere temperature. The door opened, and Rosmerta entered the room, levitating a platter behind her. "Be better to keep that window well closed, there are Dementors on the prowl." Once she had set the platter on the table, she used her wand to lock the window. "They say Sirius Black is trying to kill Harry Potter, poor thing…"
Misato nodded, "Bad business. Hopefully, they will put him in his place very soon." She said, meaning the opposite of what Rosmerta thought.
She put a Galleon on Rosmerta´s hand. "For the room, the dinner, and the breakfast tomorrow." Seeing Rosmerta fumble in her pocket, Misato added, "Keep the change."
Rosmerta´s smile widened, "Thank you, mylady. Anything you´d like for breakfast?"
"Whatever you make will be fine, I´m sure."
"Full English breakfast, then. Seven o´clock is fine?"
"Better make it eight, I am very tired."
Once Rosmerta closed the door, Misato sat on the bed, pulled the small table, and began to eat. Her mind wandered to that old promise she had made to her pilots. "I owe you a steak dinner, kids." She said.
Ravenclaw Dormitories
3rd Years Rooms, Room 8
Most of the Ravenclaw students eyed Rei with a combination of awe, curiosity, and speculation. The bluenette simply ignored them, still talking with Luna. The two separated to go to their respective dormitories. Unlike Gryffindor, each Eagle had their own room, with a bookcase and a small desk designated for their use while they stayed at the school. Rei took a few minutes to arrange her set of schoolbooks and her set of quills and inkpots in their places. Once she was satisfied, she entered her own private bathroom. At first sight, it was similar to the one she had used most of her life, but free of dampness stains and stubborn mould growths. It was perfectly clean. Each and every surface gleamed. It reminded of the way Shinji kept Major Katsuragi´s apartment.
She decided a shower would be in order. To her mild surprise, the water temperature adjusted itself, until it was comfortably warm. She stood under the stream of water for longer than strictly necessary. Back in Tokyo-3, she was used to cold showers in her dilapidated apartment. The only time she could enjoy a hot shower was in NERV, after one of the unending synch tests, a memory back-up, or a sortie in Unit-00. And even then, she had to hurry up, before the automated systems would cut the hot water flow. She had long suspected that was on Commander Ikari´s orders, as neither Shinji nor Soryu had ever complained about that.
She wrapped herself in a big fluffy blue towel, and dried her short hair. Taking the hairbrush, she tried to settle it back into shape, but a couple of strands stood up stubbornly. She surrendered after a couple of minutes, looked at her reflection on the mirror, and blinked twice.
She leaned towards the mirror, studying her reflection. Her eyes!
They were blue!
Gone was that hated red colour that mocked her every time she looked at her own face in a reflecting surface!
She looked closely. And remembered where had she seen that particular shade of blue.
Her eyes were now the same exact colour of Shinji´s own eyes!
"I´m I a metamorphmagus?" she whispered, examining her eyes first, and then the rest of her face. After a few seconds of concentration, the colour of her eyes changed to perfectly mimic Misato Katsuragi´s warm brown. A moment later, their shape changed too, a perfect copy of the ex-Chief of Operations eyes in colour, shape, and even the eyelashes and eyebrows. "It seems to be the case."
She continued experimenting, and eventually, Rei Ayanami had been replaced by Misato Katsuragi, barely covered by a towel wrapped around her body.
"Interesting. Shinji must be informed of this development. It might be useful." A moment later, Rei Ayanami had returned to her original shape, except for her now blue eyes.
Rei didn´t know Misato Katsuragi had a ragged scar on her torso. So her changed body was free of that particular blemish.
Curious, Rei decided to experiment a bit with her own form. She willed her hair to grow longer, but strangely, it refused to do so. The strand at the top of her head sprung straight up instead. Had she had a normal childhood, she would have expected to hear a "Boing!" noise.
A bell brought her out of her experiments. It signalled curfew time. Unhurried, Rei discarded her towel into the hamper, and walked naked to her bed.
Once covered with several blankets, she drifted into sleep.
For the first time in her life, she dreamt.
She dreamt of flying on a broom, chasing a small golden ball.
She dreamt of a giant made of light, screaming over a white, cold desolation.
She dreamt of a silent, lonely world.
Hogwarts, Hospital Wing
Harry Potter dreamt too.
He dreamt of being inside a metal cylinder, shaken by the hand of a giant. He heard and felt his bones breaking with each impact.
He dreamt of a dark blue giant, exploding close by, and being buried alive.
He dreamt of a lance piercing his eye while standing high over a strange city; his left arm hanging broken by his side.
Hogsmeade Village
The Three Broomsticks
Misato Katsuragi dreamt.
Of hiding from a gigantic snake in a dark, cold, and humid room.
Of anger and despair in equal measure, raging at a callous man.
Of waiting inside a glass cylinder, feeling her mind becoming two identical minds and leaving one behind.
Hogwarts, Gryffindor Dormitories
Shinji Ikari dreamt
He was two who were one, and held the world in his hands.
He looked into the eyes of a small, miserable penguin, and decided that he would live.
He was locked inside a cupboard, crying in silence.
Hogwarts
Chamber of Secrets
Under the school, a group of goblins began their turn to harvest the basilisk parts, while another lay down in their field beds to rest. Many barrels and boxes had been filled to the very brim, some with flesh, some with clotted blood, still potent despite the time elapsed since the creature´s death at the hands of Harry Potter; others contained the organs of the monster, and yet others held the carefully labeled bones, ready to be cleaned and reassembled.
The sale of the basilisk parts would net a beautoful amount of Galleonsfor Gringotts and for each goblin in the rendering teams.
The resting goblins dreamt of riches, and more than one decided it would be time to begin their own families, now that their monetary situation had improved nicely.
Next day
After a somewhat strange night, Harry Potter arrived to the Great Hall, ready to sit at his usual place at the Gryffindor table.
He was very early, there were only two other persons in the Great Hall. A gangly teenager, with brown hair, talking calmly with a blue haired girl Harry didn´t recognize.
"Shinji? Is that you? I mean… I… I…" Harry looked down awkwardly aware of the third person in the Great Hall.
"Hello, Harry." Shinji bowed to his friend. "Yes, It´s me. You won´t believe what happened after Fawkes brought you back to life. And I look forward to telling you. But first, I´d like to introduce you two. This is my sister, Rei Ayanami." The blue-haired girl bowed too, her hands held at her sides. He whispered, low enough for only Rei and Harry to listen, even though the Great Hall was empty, except for them, "She knows, Rei will help us."
She spoke softly, but there was a… Harry wouldn´t have known how to describe the quality in her voice. It was as weighty as it was delicate; warm and indifferent at the same time. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Potter," she said. It took Harry a moment to register her words.
Imitating her, he bowed clumsily, deeper than it would have been right. "It´s an honour to meet you, Miss… Aya… Ayanami? Did I say it right?" Shinji smiled while Harry straightened up and looked at him with an inquisitive wrinkle on his brow.
Shinji shook his head, "Long story, Harry. For now, let´s leave it at that our father wasn't the most upstanding citizen." The Japanese teenager grimaced, and Harry decided not to ask. He sighed. "We have a bit of time to talk, but we really need to talk to you. Did you manage to …" He looked around, and whispered, raising an eyebrow, "Padfoot?"
Harry grinned, proudly. "It went without a hitch. He´s safe and sound, and auditing like a fiend! With the help of a mutual friend."
Shinji nodded. "Great!" Rei looked at the two, one after the other. She had no previous knowledge of this boy, except for what Shinji had told her and Misato back in the train, but felt a curious affinity for the boy who had been raised to be an unknowing weapon in a power game. With a gasp, she realized that was something they had in common.
She noticed that Harry kept glancing at her from time to time. Rei tilted her head to the right, studying the young wizard while he talked with her brother.
Before long, the first few students began to trickle into the Great Hall. Shinji looked at them, and Harry followed suit a moment later. "We better get seated." Rei turned around, and walked to the Ravenclaw table. Harry looked at Shinji.
"Excuse her, please. She means no disrespect, she was raised that way." He waved a hand, "I´ll explain later, after classes, I got something for you that you´ll want to see immediately, but we need to get to the Room of Requirement first. I hope it has what we will need."
"O… okay." He was curious to see what Shinji meant, but he would wait.
They sat at the end of the Gryffindor table, and talked about inconsecuential things while the benched were filled with hungry students.