Summary; sequel to AVLP, very much AU as it's a crossover. Hakkai, Sanzo, Goku and Gojyo, or Harry, Indigo, Neville and Ron are on their way to Hogwarts! Poor Hogwarts, you really weren't prepared for these boys, or their friends…
Dragons, Unicorns and Drawings
"Hello Hagrid," said Harry, smiling up at his huge and hairy friend. "How are you?"
"Yo, dude," added Dean, blinking slowly, Neville just beamed, swaying slightly from the heat coming out of the cabin.
"'Ello boys." said Hagrid, not removing his oven gloves and looking slightly worried. "Not the best time…" There was an odd gurgle klunk noise from the pot on the fire. Hagrid jumped and rushed over. "Come in an' shut tha' door. Oh gods if it's 'urt…"
An egg was taken from the pot. A very big egg in a mottled greeny brown. Hagrid set it on the table and they all watched as cracks spread and chunks of shell began to flack off.
"Uh-oh…" Neville backed away, edging back towards the door.
The egg exploded, to show a winged lizard, about the size of a cat that was sorely bedraggled. It looked around balefully as Hagrid cooed, and then burped a little spout of gold flames.
"Hagrid, your house is made of wood," said Harry, staring blankly at the creature.
"Mm." went Hagrid as the lizard waddled towards him. "Aw bless, 'e knows 'is mummy…"
The trio shared a look, and very politely fled.
"Dean, find the Weasleys and Jackie. Neville, get Hermione, Susan Tracy and Hannah. I'll find Hazel and our snaky friends; we meet at the library in an hour."
"Deciding what to do about the dragon?" suggested Dean.
"Precisely. Shoo."
xxxxxxx
Saturday mornings in the Slytherin dorms are some of the strangest things in the world.
The stereotypes would have you believe that the snake house spent its Friday nights studying, doing something nefarious, plotting something nefarious or escaping from Hogwarts to do… something the teachers wouldn't like.
And sometimes, just sometimes, the stereotypes are right.
This morning there was some evidence of nefarious happenings, as Pansy Parkinson was stuck to the ceiling with mysterious blue goo and Hazel, who was a Ravenclaw and shouldn't have been there anyway, was tied to a chair with scarves while Yuki put his hair into many tiny braids.
Judging by the total lack of reaction to it all, this wasn't unusual, or maybe it was just too early, at 9:45 to care about it.
Morning people didn't last long in Slytherin. They either adapted to the hours kept by the majority, the night owls, or were hunted done and hung upside-down in the entrance hall by the people they work up to early.
"Good morning," said Harry, releasing the 3rd year he'd high jacked to get in. He was stared at for a few moments, recognized as 'One of Malfoys pets' and ignored once more. Harry smiled at the sheer oddity of Slytherins, and headed over to his friends. "Yuki, we have a bit of a problem. Are Flare and Indigo up yet?"
"Flare went to hang out with Bones." said Yuki, not looking up from the braid she was working on. "Indigo won't be up for a few hours yet. What is the nature of this little problem?"
The trick was to not whisper. That was very important.
"Hagrid has a dragon."
The people who had been dozing, which included Hazel, opened their eyes and stared. A few seconds later the Slytherins went back to sleep. Hazel just sighed and said; "His house is made of wood."
"Precisely."
"We'll go and find Flare and Susan," said Hazel, wiggling out of the scarves with surprising ease. "Try not to die."
"Thanks," replied Harry dryly as the pair stood to leave. "Library in 40 minutes."
"See you there," said Yuki.
"I live in hope," stated Harry, and went to face a dragon of quite a different kind.
xxxxxxxx
The curtains around Indigo's bed were closed, just a pale hand sticking out to indicate that there was anyone inside.
Harry crossed to the curtain that wouldn't let light onto the bed when opened, eased it back and grabbed the foot that shoot towards him. He had not expected it to be pulled back so suddenly, and ended up sprawled across the bed. A short, silent scuffle ensued.
When it finished Indigo had Harry pinned to the bed in a way that could have been quite indecent had they been a few years older.
Their legs were tangled together, Harry's arms were pinned either side of his head, faces maybe 3 inches apart with Indigo's hair forming a curtain around their faces. You could be forgiven for thinking they were kissing.
Indigo blinked slowly. "Ari?"
"Who else would wake you at this hour?"
"Too many," muttered Indigo, collapsing sideways, leaving him half laying across Harry, their legs still tangled together and his head on Harry's shoulder. "All die, later. Sup?"
"Hagrid has a dragon."
"Kno'thin'bou'ragons."
"Doesn't Draco mean dragon?"
"Sil'nam'an'wa'."
"Point taken. What do you suggest we do?"
"'sk Weasy. Sleeping."
"Okay, I'll do that. If you'll just let me up…"
"Nuh-uh. Sleeping. C'mfy."
xxxxxxxx
"You are late," stated Yuki. "And Indigo is not with you."
"Yeah," muttered Harry, blushing slightly, "I did try, but I ended up being used as a pillow."
"Seriously?" asked Ron. "That's…"
"Actually really comfortable," inserted Jackie, who was sitting by Tracy, who had already been in the library when they started gathering. "Taking coffee along seems to stop it happening." He paused for a few moments, and then added, "Why are you all staring at me?"
"We just are," said Susan gravely. "What's going on with this dragon?"
"Hagrid has hatched one in his cabin," stated Harry, "Which is illegal and not at all sensible. What do we do?"
"Tell the ministry?" suggested Flare, and then blushed as everyone stared at him. "What?
"Dumbledore would get him off!"
"Not necessarily," replied Tracy, "And Hagrid is a source of useful information."
"Not that useful, and he's one of Bumbles minions," snapped Yuki.
"He's not smart enough to be a minion," argued Hazel. "He's a tool, and not irreplaceable."
"There aren't many people that loyal and that silly," commented Ron mildly. "Even Neville isn't that silly."
"Hey!"
"Why not just get the dragon out of here?" asked Fred.
"Our brother Charlie is a dragon handler," added George.
"We could write to him."
"Work something out."
Xxxxxxxx
They did. Alas, Theodore Nott had been spying on them and Filch grabbed the delivery trio before they left the tower. As such, Jackie, Yuki, Harry and Nott ended up having midnight detention with Hagrid.
Indigo's reaction to the news was a worried frown.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"Ah." Hazel looked thoughtful. "Why do I get the feeling that your bad feelings tend to be warranted?"
"You pay attention?" suggested Percy, "I seem to recall mention of a bad feeling before the troll incident."
"Mm." Indigo sighed, "We haven't even worked out what to do with that damn rat yet. Sorry Percy, but I really don't like your mother."
"She is being extremely difficult about this."
There was a moment of rather huffy silence. Then Dean hurried over, looking rather disturbed and clutching his sketch book as though it were a talisman to ward off evil.
"Hide me! I'm being chased by a creepy Irish boy!"
"Hide you where?" asked Percy in arch tones.
An Irish accent came from behind a bookshelf. Dean squeaked.
"Sit there and pretend to be Gollum." commanded Indigo lazily.
Dean obediently sat on the floor by Indigos chair, hugged his sketch book tighter and started muttering under his breath. A stocky blond boy rounded the corner, saw Dean and stalked over.
"Dean, what are yer doin'? Are yer' alright?"
Dean wrapped an arm around Indigos right leg and whimpered.
"What'd you do to him?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know? And why does everyone assume I did something?"
"'Cause you did?" suggested Percy, smirking.
"What, did you do, to Dean?!"
"That's for us to know and you to go crazy trying to figure out." said Hazel pleasantly.
"WHAT YOU SAY YOU-!"
"Silence in the library!" shrieked Madame Price, seeming to materialise from the book shelves.
"But-!"
"I said silence!" shrieked the librarian, looking slightly deranged, "If you cannot be silent you must leave!"
"But-!"
"OUT!"
The boy fled. Madame Price glared at the group, and then swept off.
"That woman scares me." stated Dean blankly. "He's going to think you're a dark lord of some sort now."
"Wouldn't be the first. Any new pictures for us to coo over?"
"Some, many of which have turned out rather odd." Said Dean, getting off the floor and opening his sketch book. "This was meant to be Dumbledore, but…"
"Saruman in bad robes." said Hazel gravely
"But still unmistakably Dumbledore."
"This was meant to be you Percy…"
"Ninja librarian." said Percy, staring at the picture. Himself in waistcoat, shirt and cravat, a book in one hand, the other balancing a kunai on one figure, staring at the viewer over his horn rimmed spectacles. "Victorian ninja librarian."
"But it's a good look on you." said Indigo in encouraging tones.
"I like that one." said Hazel, pointing towards at a little sketch of Neville gobbling a peach and looking guilty. "Why is he wearing a crown?"
"No idea. This was meant to be Harry."
There was Harry as they knew him, sitting in a big arm chair. There was also a small, scruffy boy with broken glasses perched on one arm of the chair, and a thin, neat boy with aphetic eyes perched on the other. Behind them was Cho Hakkai, with and without limiters, the versions had their backs to each other, and standing between them, directly behind Harry, was a scruffy man with shoulder length hair and a lab coat that had seen better days.
"That is indeed most odd." Stated Percy.
"Yeah, they all look a bit Harry-ish, don't they Indigo?"
Indigo failed to answer Dean.
"Indigo? Earth to Indigo?" Hazel snapped his fingers before the blonde's eyes. "Please respond Indigo. What is it?"
"I may be going nuts. Any others like this?"
"Yeah." said Dean, watching Indigo carefully. "Neville as well. Here."
Neville was sitting up a tree, by him was a plump boy with a worried expression and above them sat a very young Goku with chains on his wrists and ankles. At the base of the tree was Goku as Sanzo had known him, standing with staff in hands and a determined expression. Just behind him was his alter ego, one clawed hand stretched towards the viewer, but looking slightly less psychotic them usual.
"Any other possible signs of crazy?" asked Percy.
"No more then normal." said Indigo, giving the redhead a faintly mocking smile. "See you later, yeah? I left my History essay in my dorm."
"He's worried." stated Dean, the second Indigo was out of earshot.
"He was already worried." muttered Hazel, chewing a thumb nail."
"He's more worried now, and don't chew your nails." snapped Percy.
"What are our chance of finding out why?" asked Dean.
"Very small. Only visible under microscopes."
"Yeah. Damn."
There was a long pause.
"What's a microscope?" asked Percy, blushing slightly.
xxxxxxxx
Filch was walking them down to their detention with Hagrid. Near the forbidden forest. Jackie looked alarmingly happy.
"'Ello boys. Miss Yuki," muttered Hagrid, sniffling pitifully.
"Are you alright?" asked Harry.
"I'm- I'm worried about Norbert! What if 'e misses me? What if the other dragons are mean to 'im?"
"Oh, pull yourself together man," snapped Filch, curling a lip.
Hagrid blew his nose on a huge handkerchief and did as he was told. "Alright, we're goin' into the forest tonight."
The reason for Filch hanging around was now clear. He was to be disappointed.
"Yay!"
"Oh, okay."
Yuki just raised an eyebrow.
Nott, however, was panicking. "But there are things in there! Like- like werewolves!"
"The moon is not full," stated Yuki in despairing tones.
"Som'thin's hunting the unicorns," said Hagrid firmly, hefting what looked like a small siege weapon. "Come on."
Jackie stormed in after the huge man looking murderous. Yuki drifted after them, and Harry dragged Nott in by his hair.
Filch wandered back to the castle to sulk.
xxxxxxxxxx
They walked along the path, fallowing the trail of silver blood. Jackie's expression became steadily darker with every moonlit splatter.
The trees seemed to loom closer, shadows deepened and there taste of ozone on the air. Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
"Control, Jackie."
"It hunted a unicorn," snarled the half fey.
"So you must conserve your power to kill it."
There was a moment of shadow filled menace. Then the trees were just trees again and the sent vanished.
They continued for a time in silence. Then they reached a fork in the path, and there was no splash of silver to guide them.
"We'll 'ave to split up," stated Hagrid. The words were hardly out of his mouth before Jackie stalked off, Harry wandering after him. "Um, boys..?"
Yuki, watching Hagrid and the panicking Nott through scornful eyes, laughed.
xxxxxxxxx
They walked in silence, even their footsteps were silent.
Then a clearing came into view, in which there was a thrashing unicorn and a shadow bending over it. Jackie shot towards it, a scream of furious denial on his lips.
The shadow jerked upright, cast a shield to deflect the bevy of curses Jackie had cast, was hit by a shadowy orb that had gone straight through the field as though it wasn't there, stumbled back and then turned and fled.
Jackie would have gone after it, but Harry tripped him.
"What?!"
Jackie was more then a little surprised when Harry slapped him. "Calm down! I need you to keep watch!"
"Why?!" snarled the irate fey. Harry gave him a 'look', knelt by the unicorn, put his hand over the creature's wounds and focused.
Heal. Live. Be well.
When Harry next opened his eyes it was to find a very surprised Jackie, a pair of startled centaurs and a concerned unicorn standing over him.
The unicorn nuzzled him politely, then turned and cantered away, moonlight flashing on the blood that still stained its coat. The dark haired centaur goggled.
"Mars is bright tonight." commented the other in tones of dreamy calm.
Harry smiled at him pleasantly. "I'm happy for it, really I am."
This said, he surrendered to the inevitable and passed out.
Next time: The Mirror of Erised