Notes: I was going to upload this tomorrow (read later today), but I got this done earlier since I have a new laptop that makes getting work done so much faster. Also, I'm in a pretty good mood since I ended up going to the beach today. I had an overall pretty good time despite the small mishaps that happened along the way. I also got the new SSB game that came out, which was sort of the inspiration for this chapter's title.

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(ARC)

To Guest:

How should I say this? Well this review gave me mixed feelings. On one hand I'm really glad to see that people like and follow this fic, but on the other hand I really don't take well to people telling me how my next chapter "better be good" if I'm skipping a week in which I would usually update (heavens forbid any of you must withstand the intolerable anguish that is waiting for a late update that is still more regular than the great majority of fics you'll find on this site). I have no obligation to keep weekly updates or even update at all. The fact that many people seem to think they are somehow entitled to a new chapter each week makes me even more hesitant to keep a steady flow of updates. I do appreciate the fact that you take a moment to write a review because I assume that you must like this fic, but there are better ways of expressing it, even if you meant no harm by it.

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Anyways, thanks to everyone who's been following this fics so far, and special thanks to those who've brightened my inbox with their feedback and also to Crystal for beta-ing. This is the start of the Return to Hogwarts Arc.

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Chapter 35: Challenger Approaching

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When Zidane woke up the next morning he just knew it was going to be one of those days.

For starters, he was tired. He just hadn't gotten much sleep last night even though he knew today he'd have to get ready to take the train back to Hogwarts. Why, you ask? Because to his great misfortune, the couple that rented the room besides his had decided to get it on last night. He had no real idea of what exactly they did, but by the end of the night, he had a very good guess. The inn's thin walls had ensured that.

But besides being kept up by the things that go 'bump' in the night, there was something else that stopped him from getting a good night's sleep, or rather it was the real cause of his unrest. It twisted his insides in a knot at the thought of returning to Hogwarts. He didn't know exactly how, but he just knew that something awful would happen today. Even his tail was twitching irritably, the thin blonde hairs on it unconsciously bristling.

His tail was never wrong.

The journey to King's Cross was pretty straightforward. All he really had to do was find a cab, which wasn't really all that hard, and then ask the driver to take him there. He was very glad that he had decided to keep some 'Muggle' money with him at all times in case something like this happened.

'Not like I can't get my hands on some more if I happen to run out.' Zidane thought, a mischievous grin adorning his face.

He walked inside the station, weaving easily through the crowds like water down a river. He decided to ditch his black cloak this time. In this situation it would only gather more attention to himself if he wore it. Even past the barrier, he would gather less suspicion as a Hogwarts student returning from the Holidays than a creepy cloaked man travelling alone (and sneaking into a platform filled with children). In other words, Marcus wouldn't be making his appearance today, or any time soon for that matter.

Zidane leisurely watched the people as he walked towards the non-conspicuous spot between the platforms 9 and 10. He pretended to check his watch for the time like many other people did, before casually leaning against the wall and then disappearing in the blink of an eye as the brick wall seemingly swallowed him up.

At the other side, the Hogwarts Express was already waiting for its passengers in its full scarlet steam-powered glory. There weren't many people there yet, except a few students and their parents that had made it early. Zidane had already made a small round of the station outside to check for any possible ambush of the magical kind. He was still working for the Order, after all.

He knew that the chances of Voldemort attacking now were extremely low. Yes, he could probably kill Harry right now if he really wanted to. There was a chance of that happening, but in doing so he would reveal himself to the world while his forces were still fairly weak and his plans just barely half-baked. Not to mention that he knew that the Order was going to be over him like a Bandersnatch on a thick, juicy steak. No, Voldemort wasn't stupid enough to risk it. Though the Order was fairly wary of his return (and the whole world would probably enter a panicked frenzy if it ever became publicly known and accepted), Voldemort was still in no condition to fight. He was a powerful wizard, no objections there, but he was still just one overpowered wizard. If all the Order took him on at once, they could probably overpower him, given his rather recent revival. Voldy was probably painfully aware of that fact too, which was the reason why the first thing he did was start building an army and calling back his old followers. Dark lord or not, being in a half dead body-less state for so long probably didn't do him any favors.

This was also the reason that, when he stepped forth and felt a small tip press against his back, he only let a smile tug at his face.

"Wow, is that your wand or are you just that happy to see me?" Zidane said as he looked at the spot where he felt the magic in the air congregate. "I was wondering when you guys were going to show up. You got back that Invisibility Cloak of yours, I see."

"Shut yer trap and walk." The thief heard Moody's gruff voice call, before another poke of the wand, likely pressed against his back, made him sigh and allow himself to be led to an empty waiting room in the platform.

'Oh joy, it's Moody.' Zidane thought sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. 'My life is now complete.'

He knew he would have to confront the Order sooner or later, he was just hoping it would be much later. He was still trying to deal with all that had happened (he hadn't even told Dagger yet), and maybe he was also sort of hoping that they would somehow forget about the whole Kuja thing, as well. That was partially the reason why he took Lupin and the others to that amusement park. His wishful thinking told him that if they were distracted enough and having fun, then they would forget about it. The cartoon mouse had failed him, though in its defense, he really should have known better.

As soon as he was inside the room, he saw two others, Lupin and Kingsley, get up from where they sat, before taking out their wands, casting several spells on the room, and locking the door. Once they were done, they all walked over and held him at wand point.

"What was the name of the shop where we first encountered you?" Lupin asked, eyes narrowed as he waited for his response.

"It was at Ollivander's wand shop, though the first time I encountered Kingsley was on that rooftop." Zidane said and everyone instantly seemed to relax. Well, everyone but Moody. The old paranoid Auror just limped over and then, with his wand pointed at the blonde's face, muttered a quick 'lumos'.

The genome recoiled from the bright light, hissing slightly as his vision was temporarily blinded. "Jeez, what the hell is wrong with you, you bastard!?"

"He's clear." Moody said gruffly.

"Did you have a specific reason to do that, or do you get some sort of sick pleasure by blinding others?" Zidane said angrily as he blinked the spots out of his eyes.

"Both." Moody said with a twisted smile on his heavily scarred face. "Quick reaction to light shows that you aren't under the Imperious curse. Then there's the fact that an impostor wouldn't be able to imitate those eyes of yours. Makes my job much easier."

Zidane raised a brow in question at which Lupin quickly replied with a small nervous cough. "Well, I'm not sure if you've realized this, but they kind of reflect light sometimes."

"Yeah, so?" Zidane asked.

"Well, you see, wizards use Polyjuice Potion to take the shape of another wizard or witch and impersonate them. There are several specific guidelines that must be followed, however. One of the most important ones is that, well…" Lupin began but seemed to stumble over his own words. Kingsley began to shuffle uncomfortably from where he stood.

Finally it was an impatient Moody that broke the silence.

"You can't use the potion to turn into anything other than human, not even someone with mixed heritage." Moody said gruffly. "The potion does its job but in some cases, the body simply can't withstand the changes from a creature that isn't human. You add a cat hair and you might end up as a furry meowing mess for the rest of your life. Add something more dangerous like a dragon scale and you could literally burst into flames from the inside. Not a pretty sight."

Zidane winced as he thought about somebody actually trying to use the potion to turn into him. Growing a tail would be painful enough, more than enough to leave lasting damage. Then there was no telling what other horrible repercussions it would have on a person. Would they permanently be stuck that way? And what if the damage went beyond physical? What about their souls? They wouldn't be actually expelled by their bodies in the process, would they? Genomes were supposed to be empty vessels, after all.

"As it appears, not even metamorphmaguses can do it. At most they can only imitate your outward human-like appearance." Kingsley said and Zidane narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"And how exactly would you know that?" The blonde asked. "Unless, you already tried it before… where is Tonks anyways?"

"Someone has to take your place while we have our chat. We can't have the other students being suspicious right?" Kingsley said.

"Hey, don't you think that was a bit uncalled for?" The teen asked angrily.

"It was necessary. Depending on your answers as of right now, we'll be deciding on whether you're going back to Hogwarts or not." Moody said. "Now let's get this over with."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zidane said, glaring at the Auror.

"Zidane, you've been acting rather peculiar after that mission. You even left without even telling us where you were going or why and had us all quite worried, you know." Lupin said with a rather gentle tone. "There are several things we feel that you've been keeping from us, and quite frankly, we would all feel safer if you would go ahead and explain yourself."

"I left a note. It's not like I went running to join Voldy or something like that." Zidane said scowling. "I just needed some time to myself, alright? Before going back and being stuck in that castle for months with no contact with the outside world and with the damn toad looking over my shoulder at all times!"

"You still can't just leave without a trace whenever you please!" Kingsley admonished.

"And why not? Harry was perfectly safe in Grimmauld Place, so I wasn't even needed anyways!" The blonde said, his anger steadily rising. "I'm supposed to be a member of the Order, not a damn prisoner! I wouldn't have joined if I had known I was gonna get my own set of jailers watching my every move."

"Zidane, this is also for your safety." Lupin said, his role as the 'good cop' now very apparent.

The thief gave an unbelieving scoff. "Safety? SAFETY? I can protect myself just fine, thank you very much, so don't give me any of that bull crap. If I recall correctly, I had to save your hides back in the last mission. So why don't you just save that excuse for someone who does give a crap, and tell me that you just don't trust me!"

The werewolf seemed taken aback by his outburst, amber eyes wide in surprise, but judging by the reactions coming from the other males, he had hit the nail on the head. Lupin looked like he was about to say something, but was interrupted by Moody, who just took on his role as 'bad cop'.

"You're right, there's just too bloody much we don't know about you or that brother of yours. A 'Dark Wizard' if I ever saw one. How can we be sure that he is not going to join Voldemort? According to the reports, he is powerful enough and he has far too much influence. How can we know that you will not turn out like him, for that matter?" Moody said gruffly.

"He is right. Your brother's arrival into the equation gives us a new set of frightening possibilities. We cannot simply ignore them!" Kingsley said.

"First of all, don't you dare imply that I would betray you, don't even think of putting me in the same group as him either." Zidane said, using all his willpower to avoid trancing right there. He was tired, and he was already in a bad mood, not to mention that this conversation was hitting too close to home for his comfort. His eyes were narrowed dangerously and his tail was thrashing angrily. He could already feel the atmosphere become heavier. He was not about to just happily sit down and comply. "I am not Kuja, and even Kuja wouldn't be stupid enough to join Voldemort so you can just forget about that. My relationship with him, for that matter, is also private and has nothing to do with the war, so kindly mind your own damn business."

"What if it does become our business? What then?" Moody retorted angrily, his electric blue eye fixated on him.

"Then I will deal with it myself." Zidane nearly growled. "I have done nothing to deserve this intervention, and I don't appreciate being treated like a damn animal that has to stay in its cage. And don't give me that crap about being too dangerous or suspicious, because I'm not the one that can kill a person with two words and a stick, and as far I've seen, you guys don't never gave Mundungus a one-over, even though the guy probably robs graves and steals candy from babies as a hobby."

"This is different. There is a reason those curses are forbidden." Kingsley said, voice grave. "And Mundungus Fletcher has Dumbledore's trust. Last time I checked, he didn't kill several Death Eaters and Dementors, or blow up half a street either. He is not nearly as much of a threat."

"Well that doesn't seem to stop Death Eaters from using them, does it?" Zidane shot back, the atmosphere growing noticeably heavier, making the three wizards look around in confusion. Lupin turned to look on at the argument wearily and readying himself to intervene at a moment's notice. "And I only did that in self-defense. If I hadn't, Ollivander would be currently giving Voldy information on Eidolons-know-what! But if you want to insist with calling me some dangerous creature, then go ahead, but you'll have to put Hagrid in a cage, and give Lupin a damn muzzle first."

The cyan-eyed teen angrily turned around and walked over to the door, seeing this, Moody quickly held up his wand and pointed it at him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Here I thought that after that truth serum-induced interrogation, we'd be done with the questions." Zidane said bitterly with an angry shake of his head. "I'm taking the bloody train to go to that bloody school to finish my bloody mission so I can get off this bloody prejudiced planet."

"We're not done yet!" Moody said limping towards him. Zidane gave no indication of hearing him, other than raising his arm and flipping him off. This only served to anger Moody further. "Bloody little-"

"That's enough!" Lupin said as he put himself between the two who were now glaring at each other. Just then, there was shy knock at the door.

There was an awkward silence that followed. Zidane just continued to glare at Moody, while Moody reciprocated. The only thing that stopped them from having a go at each other was Lupin who just looked at the door without moving and inch from his spot. Finally, it was Kingsley who, after a silent request from Lupin, just walked over to the door and began taking out the spells they had put on it before opening it slightly, and then letting whoever was on the other side come in.

When Zidane saw it, he almost couldn't believe it.

'Tonks?' The blonde thought. That was the only way he could explain why there was an almost exact replica of him right before him. Almost exact, because the Zidane before him lacked a tail and wasn't wearing the same clothes that he wore now. Even then, he just couldn't help but gape. This was probably one of the most bizarre situations he had gotten himself in.

"What's taking you guys so long? The train is about to leave and I think they are starting to get suspicious." A familiar voice said, familiar because it was his own.

'Though that accent is completely wrong.' Zidane said, stepping back a bit unconsciously as Tonks approached after closing the door behind her… well currently him.

Cyan met cyan, and the other Zidane grinned. "Wotcher, Zidane."

Zidane didn't say anything, being still rather creeped out. This was actually a lot like going to the Black Mage village and going face to face with the other genomes, only Tonks's eyes were cheery and full of emotion while most genomes had blank stares. Then there was the fact that, although most genomes looked very similar to one another, there were still some subtle differences.

Still, if the others were able to see his invisible tail, they would be quick to point out that it was stretched high in the air and bristled. A part of him couldn't help but feel angry that Tonks had taken up his appearance like that without his permission. It made him feel rather violated. The other part of him felt a mix of bitterness and betrayal that came from the Order's obvious lack of trust.

"Did I interrupt something?" Tonks asked, looking at the other wizards for an answer.

Shaking his head, Zidane remembered what his real objective was, and then walked past the metamorphmagus towards the door, scowl still present in his face. Moody made an attempt to advance, but was stopped by Lupin.

"That's alright, I was just leaving anyways." Zidane said, his voice unreadable as he headed out the door and into the busy platform without looking back. The moment he left the room, the atmosphere eased greatly.

Nobody stopped him.

He knew that his behavior recently had been pretty suspicious, but he also knew that his actions never warranted this sort of reaction. Finding out that your long lost brother was alive after so long was more than enough of an excuse to explain his behavior. He had even taken those blows to protect the others, and yet they still thought he would turn on them at any given moment, all because they were butting their heads into something that was not any of their business. Just by refusing to give them those answers, they were immediately labeling him as some kind of traitor or dark wizard in the making. Clearly meeting Kuja had only made things worse, since the older genome really could be considered a dark wizard. Moody was very sure of that, and though that normally wouldn't matter much since Moody practically thought of everyone as a Death Eater in disguise, this time the others seemed to believe him.

This in his opinion was a rather weak argument, since Sirius is part of a renowned family of Dark Wizards, and yet, he doesn't exactly greet people with a killing curse to the face. The whole dark creature thing is also complete bull. Lupin is a werewolf, which by every definition of the book is a dark creature, but he doesn't exactly go on a biting rampage every full moon, or go trotting back to Voldemort whenever it's his time of the month.

He always believed that the conditions you were born with weren't important and that it was what you did with yourself afterwards, what truly mattered. Obviously the great majority of the wizards in this world thought differently.

He had honestly considered just coming clean right there and then, but judging by their reactions, he thought it was better to keep it to himself. After all, if they got that upset from hearing that his brother may possibly be a dark wizard and that there was a chance he would join Voldemort, then he couldn't even begin to imagine their reactions when they actually found out the truth.

'IF they manage to figure it out.' Zidane corrected himself. Deep down, he just couldn't help but laugh as he imagined their shocked reactions as he told them everything. 'Kuja is not a Death Eater, he is an egotistical Angel of Death created by an ageless old man that was trying to take over the world by slowly replacing its souls through a giant evil tree. But you don't have to worry about him, Kuja isn't evil anymore, just ridiculously powerful and possibly insane. Which is good, since he actually makes Voldemort look like a whiny toddler. I mean, he did nearly DESTROY TWO WORLDS, nearly level its major cities and practically wipe out an entire civilization. Oh and remember what I said about the whole Angel of Death thing? Guess what? I'm one too!"

Zidane snorted. Yeah, that would end well.

To be quite honest, he was highly tempted to just forget about his deal with Dumbledore and leave. The more rational part of his brain urged him to just save himself the trouble and go find Kuja to get home. Let wizards deal with wizard problems. But the other side of his brain just wouldn't allow that. Zidane Tribal never went back on his word, and he wouldn't just start now when it was most convenient. But there was more to it too. If he just sat there twiddling his thumbs like an idiot, a nasty war would break out. Well, a war was going to break out sooner or later the way things were going, but if his efforts could help the cause then he'd gladly do it. Even the slightest help could become the difference between life and death in the future.

'Especially since the ones that will suffer the most won't be the adults, but the younger generation. Neville and Luna will have to deal with some very hard times in the years to come. Harry, Ron and Hermione will be caught right in the middle of the war.' Zidane thought with a sigh. 'I can't leave them now. I mean, sure the Golden trio is a bit suspicious of me, but I really do consider them my friends. All the things we experienced together at the DA, they were all very real. Neville and Luna too, I really consider them to be my friends. I simply won't abandon them.'

"Zidane!"A voice called, bringing him out of his thoughts. Suddenly he realized that he had mindlessly wandered into the train, and that he was already somewhere in its middle. Turning towards the voice, he saw Neville calling him from inside a compartment. Luna was with him too.

"Oh hey!" The thief said, putting on a smile on his face as he walked in and plopped down next to Luna.

"Are you alright? You were sleeping earlier and when we came in to say hi, but you were talking a bit funny. We thought you were tired, so we took another compartment. Since many students stayed in Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays, the train isn't all that full." Neville said and then his expression turned into one of puzzlement. "Did you change your clothes?"

"Yeah I had a little incident earlier, so I had to change. Oh, and sorry about earlier, I guess I wasn't really… myself." Zidane said sheepishly, his anger now pushed to the back of his mind.

"It's alright, but you really do look very tired." Luna said, gaze as far-off and dreamy as always. Neville seemed to agree. "You can rest your head on my lap if you'd like. These seats aren't very comfortable for sleeping."

Zidane suppressed a yawn, only realizing now just how tired he was.

"I think I will take you up on that offer." The cyan-eyed teen said, with a genuine smile on his face. He couldn't help but feel rather touched by the small friendly gesture.

…..

Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table after the rather long and boring train ride, Ron and Hermione by his side as usual. He was a bit upset that Sirius wasn't allowed to see them off at the station this time, but he supposed that it was understandable after what happened last time. If Malfoy was able to recognize Sirius's Animagus form, then who else could? Everyone still believed that Sirius was an escaped convict, so it would do no good if he was discovered.

Lupin and the others had also been preoccupied with something else, but like with most things that took place in the Order, Harry, Hermione and the Weasley siblings were kept in the dark about it.

"Hello Harry, Ron, Hermione." A dreamy voice called. Harry quickly found himself looking at Luna.

"Hello, Luna. What are you doing here?" Harry asked in confusion as the girl sat down at the table.

"Yeah, shouldn't you be at the Ravenclaw table?" Ron asked.

"Yeah well, we thought it would be best if she sat down with us. And there really isn't a rule that says that students have to sit at their own tables at all times, is there?" Another voice called, this time it was a rather sleepy looking Zidane, who was just barely stifling a yawn. Neville followed right next to him, sitting down at the table.

"Hello guys. Had a good Christmas?" Neville asked. The three exchanged knowing glances before Hermione replied.

"Yes, it was fine. Not much happened really." Hermione then looked at Zidane. "Oh right, you went to France didn't you? How did it go?"

The expression that Zidane had on his face that moment reminded him of the saying about a picture being worth more than a hundred words. Clearly the blonde hadn't enjoyed it all that much.

"I-I'm sorry for asking." Hermione said. Zidane just shook his head.

"I just had a bit of an unpleasant encounter that's all. I did enjoy the sights, though." The blonde said with a small smile.

The feast was delicious as always, though it didn't hold a candle against the annual Christmas feast. Even so, it was much better than anything he ate back at the Dursley's, so he wasn't going to start complaining about it. Once the feast was over and the food had vanished, Harry was surprised to see Dumbledore get up and walk to the front instead of just bidding them goodnight.

"Oh, it looks like Dumbledore wants to announce something." Hermione said.

"Please say that Umbridge is leaving. Please say that Umbridge is leaving…" Ron chanted with a hopeful look on his face.

"I don't think so. She is still sitting at the staff table. It's practically impossible not to see her with that pink cardigan she wears." Harry noticed.

"Then what is he going to announce?" Ron asked.

"Perhaps it's some new professor." Hermione replied, face drawn into a thoughtful frown. "But at this point of the year that's very unlikely. Maybe it's just some new Ministry enforced regulation."

"But if it was this important, wouldn't we have heard about it earlier?" Harry asked.

"Shhh, Dumbledore's going to speak." Hermione said.

"Welcome back to another exciting semester at Hogwarts. I'm sure you all want to head back to your warm beds so you can get some rest, and wake up early and full of energy tomorrow morning, but before you all leave, I have an important announcement to make." Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling as the entire hall fell into curious silence. "As many of you know, Hogwarts's fifth years students will be subjected to the Ordinary Wizarding Levels, also known as OWLs at the end of this year. In light of the new reestablished bonds between other Wizarding governments around the world, Hogwarts will be the host of a professor that will take up a new unique teaching position within our staff. It is with great enthusiasm that I would like each of you to give a warm welcome to the first ever Career Counselor and OWL Preparation Professional, Professor L'Rouge!"

Harry turned around as he heard someone make a choking sound before it was replaced by coughing. He was surprised to see a rather wide-eyed and pale Zidane being gently patted in the back by Neville in an attempt to stop his fit. The blonde had all the looks of someone who had just seen a ghost. Harry looked in confusion, but then turned back towards the staff table, realizing that he just couldn't see the new professor. He wasn't sitting at the staff table, and he hadn't stepped into the Great Hall. The other students seemed to notice that too, since there was a series of shuffles and whispers coming from the four tables as the students looked around. Even some of the teachers were looking for the elusive new professor.

That is, until a rather light hearted and silky sounding laughter filled the hall.

Everyone's eyes moved as one towards the sound and landed directly at the staff table, specifically towards the person leaning casually to the right of the Headmaster's chair, a person that clearly wasn't there moments ago.

Harry couldn't tell if it was really a man or a woman at first. The person had long silvery hair, clearly not from old age, but still rather natural-looking as opposed to having dyed it. There were lavender-tipped feathers of the same silver color that decorated the person's hair, which he really couldn´t help but think of as odd. The new professor was rather pale, and even from here, he could see the make-up on the person's rather 'beautiful' face, for surely 'handsome' didn't quite fit the description. Despite this, Harry had the gut feeling the person before him was actually a man.

If Harry had to compare him to something, it would probably be one of those androgynous angels he had seen in Muggle illustrations or paintings inside churches. The way his hair seemed to glow eerily with the candlelight and the pale clothing only seemed to add to that picture.

The new professor also wore some rather aristocratic looking robes of a pale purple, and had a rather regal air to 'him'. As he walked towards the front of the table, Harry couldn't help but notice his smooth gait, the high-heeled boots he wore, and the rather smug yet completely calm expression on his face as he regarded the students in from of him. For some reason, there was something strangely familiar about this man.

"Actually, 'Professor Kuja' is just fine." The person said, his silky yet too-deep-to-be-feminine voice serving as confirmation that this was indeed a man. Still, what kind of name was Kuja?

"Bloody hell." Ron said and Harry nodded in agreement. "Do you think she is part Veela?"

Harry stopped, turning around in shock so fast that he got whiplash. "Ron, listen-"

"I mean look at her." Ron said with a hint of awe.

"Ronald, I hate to be the one to crush your vision of our new professor, but I am almost positive that Professor Kuja is a man." Hermione said.

"WHAT?!" Ron said in shock, the whole Great Hall going quiet until Dumbledore gave a small cough to bring everyone's attention back to him.

"Ah, right. Professor Kuja will be here to help those taking their OWL examinations this year. He is a highly capable wizard and is willing to help any of you that come to him. I believe he can also provide great support for those that will be taking their NEWTs and thinking about their future once graduating. Furthermore, he has graciously agreed to provide fifth year students with optional course every Saturday to prepare you for the examinations, this of course, in exchange for the liberty to monitor classes. Anyone wishing to sign up for those lessons must fill their names on the parchment that should be now found on the boards inside each of your Common Rooms."

Excited murmurs broke out inside the Great Hall, before Dumbledore had to silence everyone.

"Now, I believe I have held you all long enough. Come now, to your rooms everyone! A long day waits for you all tomorrow." Dumbledore said, dismissing everyone with a small clap as the sound of murmurs overtook the hall once more.

"Hey, Zidane are you really alright? You look kind of pale." Neville commented as the trio got up from where they sat.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, it's nothing." Zidane said with a small smile. Harry quickly recognized this smile as fake. He had spent long enough with the blonde to be able to tell.

"I can't believe that was actually a man." Ron said, looking a bit pale himself, but for a completely different reason.

"Couldn't you tell?" Hermione asked with a shake of her head. "But that certainly wasn't the most interesting part. Did you see the way Umbridge looked at him?"

Harry turned towards the staff table and saw that the pink toad was indeed looking at their new professor with some very poorly concealed displeasure, and maybe a hint of disgust. The strange man didn't seem to pay her any attention though, which only served to irritate her further.

"So we can assume he is not with the Ministry then." Harry said with a small laugh. "Maybe he's with the Order?"

"Well we can't assume that for now. As far as we know, the French government hasn't taken up a stance, though we do know that Dumbledore has contacts there. Madam Maxime did accompany Hagrid on his mission, but we can't know for sure that Professor Kuja is on our side." Hermione said thoughtfully before seemingly muttering to herself. "Though… this certainly does make things interesting. I mean, don't you think the timing is strange? Why didn't he come at the beginning of this year? Why now that Umbridge has gathered so much power?"

"So will you guys sign up for his classes?" Harry asked as they reached the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Dunno, I'll have to think on that one." Ron said before flinching at one of Hermione's glares.

"Ron, this is a unique opportunity to learn magic!" Hermione admonished.

"It's Saturday." Ron defended himself.

"Maybe you will regret it when you get your scores back and realize you got a 'P', or even worse, a 'T'!" Hermione said, before giving the password and walking through the Common Room entrance. Harry and Ron followed behind her. "I, on the other hand, will be happy to sign up. How about you Harry?"

"Yeah, I think I will sign up as well." Harry said with a nod, and the trio walked over to the group that had formed around the board. "It looks like it will be a large class. Already half the Gryffindors in our year put their names."

After writing their names on the parchment, the trio split up to head to their respective dormitories. Everything was exactly the same as it was before they left for the Holidays, except for the two new dirt-filled pots by Neville's bedside. Ron was already pulling up the covers from his bed, while Dean and Seamus were getting their things ready for tomorrow. Neville had his hangings drawn as he changed, but now that he really took notice, he realized that Zidane was nowhere to be seen.

'Neville did say that he wasn't feeling well. Maybe he went to the Hospital Wing.' Harry thought curiously.

Once he was in his night gown, he bid everyone that was in the dorm goodnight and then headed off to bed. Tomorrow would be a long day.

…

Zidane arrived at the dorms much later that night. Silently he weaved through the room, his eyes not hindered by the darkness at all. There was a scowl present on his face, though it would be impossible for anyone else to see.

'I just couldn't return quietly could I? Fate just had to find a way to screw me over!' Zidane growled to himself. 'So that's what the bastard meant by being in contact with me.'

Kuja was just about the last person he had expected to see when he came back, well asides from Voldemort. He almost died a little inside when he saw Kuja make his grand appearance in the Great Hall. He was never very subtle, though he supposed that he had to be grateful that he at least hadn't traumatized the kids by forever burning their retinas with the picture of him in his usual get up. No matter how many times he insisted that it was a codpiece, to him it would forever be a thong. The wizards may have been quite shocked to see a man with makeup, but in reality they had seen nothing of what Kuja was truly capable of.

'What the hell was Dumbledore thinking? Kuja? A COUNSELOR?' Zidane thought with a snort. 'He's clearly gone senile. What kind of crazy old man would put Kuja as a COUNSELOR in freaking school filled with CHILDREN.'

Just after the feast, he had slipped away and headed to the old man's office. It took some not-so-thinly-veiled threats at the gargoyle that guarded the entrance for it to finally let him pass. In his defense, he was tired, angry, and he wasn't about to waste his time thinking up possible candy-related passwords. He was going to talk to the old man and he was going to do it NOW.

When he finally did talk to the old man, he came to three very important conclusions. First, Kuja had been the one behind it all. In exchange for helping the Order with information and support, Kuja was allowed to come here as a teacher. He had even convinced Dumbledore to not tell him so it would be a 'surprise from his big brother'. Second, Dumbledore was likely trying to use this opportunity to milk as much information about him as he possibly could. Though they were on the same side, Dumbledore was still a man that craved knowledge. Apparently, he had never heard of the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'. He just hoped that Kuja's judgment was good enough to know when he had to keep that aristocratic trap of his shut. Third and last, Dumbledore was also apparently an idiot. That was the only word he could find for someone willing to blindly make a deal with Kuja.

Dumbledore should have had no knowledge of the things Kuja had done in the past, but even he should be capable of sizing a person up by the amount of power they possessed. Couldn't he see how dangerous Kuja was? Even if Kuja may not be as powerful as he once was, he was still a force to be reckoned with. Had Dumbledore underestimated him? Was he purposely keeping him close by? There was the saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer', but keeping your supposed enemy under the same roof as you, and with a large group of children that you are responsible for wasn't what he would call a good strategy. But then again, he heard that Dumbledore had let incredibly dangerous criminals inside the school before, most of the time in the form of the new DADA teacher.

'Crazy old man.' Zidane said, shaking his head as he silently slipped inside his bed, drew his hangings, and undressed. He debated whether he should put Une's mirror under his pillow to tell Dagger what happened, but after much consideration he shook his head. This could wait for another day, and quite frankly, he didn't want to tell Dagger that Kuja was alive. At least not now, maybe when he found a better way to deliver the news, but definitely not now.

He was tired, angry, he had class tomorrow, and he certainly had enough of this crap for today.

…

To be continued…

….

A/N: As always, if you guys have any questions feel free to ask. Also we're back to our regular update schedule as well unless stated otherwise. See you guys next week!