Harry Potter and The Keeper of Friendship
The Stars Know All
By Starrysapphire
Disclaimer - Well, since they haven't been mine for two parts, it seems unlikely that they're mine now. Let me just check...*looks though all the papers on her floor*...nope, no receipt for 'Digimon' or 'Harry Potter'. :-C Oh well.
Sorry this has taken a while to post but my account froze me out and I couldn't get on. Hope it was worth the wait!
For the second night on a run, Harry was woken up by Matt Ishida shaking him.
"Come on," Matt said.
"Huh? What?" Harry whispered sleepily.
"You wanted to know what was going on," Matt said. He was grinning, Harry noticed which made a change from before "Well, now's your chance. Wake Ron, get your Invisibility Cloak and come on!"
"Why?" Harry asked.
"My friends are here!" Matt said, grinning even more.
* * * *
A few minutes later, they were all sneaking down. The Invisibility Cloak wouldn't cover everyone, so they were using the Marauder's Map to avoid Filch. Malfoy had given them the Slytherin password so Matt could come and get him if there was any news. Matt darted in and woke Malfoy quickly. Then they went outside.
"Where are they?" Abby asked.
Matt looked around.
"Psst! Matt!"
"Hey Matt!"
"Shhh, TK!"
Turning, Matt ran towards the sounds, the others following. Harry looked. Just off the path were seven slightly dishevelled looking children. Matt had one of the smaller ones in his arms and Harry guessed that one was his brother. As he watched, Matt deposited the little boy and hugged a taller one with dark hair. Shrugging, Harry looked at the others who smiled at him nervously.
Only Sora and Malfoy noticed that Matt and Tai's embrace went on slightly longer than would normally be expected, and both smiled knowingly to themselves.
"Well, this is very nice," Malfoy whispered a little sarcastically "But introductions and explanations would be nice?"
Matt nodded, looking slightly guilty as he stepped away from Tai.
"Sorry. Hogwarts-group, these are Tai Yagami, TK Takaishi, Sora Takenouchi, Koushiro 'Izzy' Izumi, Mimi Takihawa, Joe Kido and Kari Yagami. Digi-group, meet Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Abetzi 'Abby' Littlewood, Talitha Lions and Draco Malfoy."
Everyone mumbled 'hellos' at each other. Malfoy frowned.
"If TK's your brother, why does he have a different surname to you?" he asked.
Matt flushed.
"Our parents split up," TK explained cheerfully.
"TK, quieten down!" Matt whispered harshly "You'll wake the school!"
"Sorry," TK whispered back, his voice still shrill.
Hermione looked around.
"We can't talk out here," she whispered "We have to find some place better."
"The Shrieking Shack," Harry said "No one ever goes there, especially not in the middle of the night!"
"That's in Hogsmeade," Malfoy said "We're here."
Harry looked at the others for a moment.
"Malfoy," he said "Follow us and we'll show you how to get the Shrieking Shack and Hogsmeade without the teachers knowing about it."
* * * *
A little while later, everyone was sitting in the Shrieking Shack. Tai was explaining the Digidestined and Myotismon. Hermione kept interrupting with questions which meant it took more time than it might have done.
"What I don't understand," Izzy said "Is how Myotismon came back. We defeated him! What could any potion do to bring him back?"
"I don't know," Hermione said "I've been looking up the recipe that they accidentally used but I don't think it exists. Obviously, no ones ever tried it or it's not supposed to do anything."
"What exactly happened to the potion?" Malfoy asked.
"Well, we tipped the bryony roots it," Matt said "It turned clear then black and then started letting off stream."
"At the end, everything was gone," Abby said "There was just a little residue at the bottom."
Hermione shrugged.
"Well, I don't know what it can have done," she said.
"We don't know why it's happened, but the important thing is that it has," Malfoy pointed out "What can we do about it?"
"You're offering to help?" Harry said, sounding startled.
Malfoy blushed a little.
"Well, I might as well," he said "This Myotismon doesn't exactly sound pleasant and I don't fancy going to an early grave."
Harry glanced at Ron who frowned and shrugged.
"Well, we're glad to have anyone on board," Tai said "Myotismon is tough and we don't have our Digimon."
"There has to be some way to reopen the gate and get to the Digimon," Izzy said "It's highly unlikely that we can defeat Myotismon on our own."
"I could try to find a spell," Hermione said.
"But if it's that easy, why couldn't Gennai have done something like that?" Mimi asked.
Abby opened her mouth, no doubt to ask who Gennai was but Izzy started talking before she could.
"Gennai isn't a witch or wizard, in so far as we know," he said "All right Hermione. You lot try and find a spell."
"Can't Myotismon be destroyed without the Digimon?" Talitha asked.
"Possibly, but now's really not the time to be experimenting!" Tai said "We need to get this over and done with before Myotismon hurts anybody. Besides, we have to get home."
"That's a point," Matt said "What did you tell your parents?"
The group looked at each other sheepishly.
"Well, we didn't exactly tell our parents anything," Tai said "We just left them notes saying that we'd be gone a couple of weeks and left."
"WHAT!" Hermione yelled "That's awful!"
"Well what could we tell them?" Tai asked "Sorry, we have to fight an enemy we already fought 'cause some potion Matt made brought him back?"
Matt made a faint noise at the back of his throat and turned away. Tai winced, knowing he'd upset his friend.
"I'm sorry Matt," he said "I know you didn't mean to do it."
"I am sorry," Matt said softly.
"It was as much our fault as his," Abby said loyally "We weren't paying attention either."
"But you've never met Myotismon," Matt said "It must have been something I did."
"We should get back," Talitha said suddenly "If we're gone too long we'll be missed and that'll lead to awkward questions."
"We can stay here," Tai said "It's not so bad. Why is the place so torn apart though?"
"That's a very long story," Harry said "There's no time to tell you now."
"We'll bring you some blankets and food in the morning," Matt promised "See you guys. See you Tai."
As they set off down the tunnel, Malfoy held Harry back.
"Did Littlewood say that it turned clear, then black?" he said.
Harry nodded.
"Yeah. Why?"
"No reason," Malfoy said quickly "I just wanted my facts straight, that's all."
He walked on, leaving Harry looking after him, wondering.
* * * *
At breakfast the next morning, all the people involved in last nights expedition were trying not to doze off over their porridge. Hermione was reading a book, obviously looking for spells to get into other worlds.
"I'm so tired," Ron grumbled "And we're got Potions this afternoon. Snape's never going to let me catch a nap."
"Good thing too," Hermione said "How would you learn anything?"
Ron glared at her and pushed away his porridge, resting his head on his hand.
"Look on the bright side," Harry said "We got some sleep unlike the night where we did the astral spell thingy and couldn't sleep for pins and needles."
Ron opened his mouth but nothing had time to come out as Hagrid rushed in, his eyes wide. The whole room went silent.
"Professor!" he gasped "Dumbledore, sir....you gotta come...."
"What's happened?" Dumbledore asked, getting to his feet.
"In the forest...." Hagrid said "Centaurs.....a whole bunch of 'em.....they're all dead."
Gasps and whispers filled the hall, followed by a deadly hush as everyone stared at Hagrid.
"They've all got these strange burn marks on 'em," Hagrid continued.
A metallic clang broke the hush; Matt Ishida just dropped his goblet on the floor. He didn't even notice everyone staring at him, just stared after Hagrid as he and Dumbledore left the hall.
"Matt?" Abby asked, poking her friend.
Matt blinked and came out of his trance. He scowled and picked up his goblet, trembling slightly.
"You think it was Myotismon?" Abby asked out of the corner of her mouth.
"Sure of it," Matt muttered back "Burn marks....could have been his Crimson Lightning attack. It'd probably be lethal to any non-Digimon who he tried it on."
"Great," Abby muttered "Just terrific."
"Why would he kill centaurs?" Talitha asked.
Matt shook his head.
"Why not?" he asked.
The school spent the day in a daze, worrying about what had happened in the forest. No one noticed that Matt, Abby, Talitha, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Malfoy all seemed more tired than usual, or that they seemed overly concerned about what had happened. At dinner time, Dumbledore addressed the school gravely.
"You all heard what happened last night," he said "I would have preferred to break the news more gently but Hagrid was not very discreet. However, there is one detail I believe I should add to his story. One of the centaurs was discovered with a vampire wound in his neck."
Gasps filled the room again. Matt exchanged a knowing look with Abby.
"We do not know why vampires would have entered the Forbidden Forest or what the burn marks are," Dumbledore said "However, if anyone knows anything, I want them to come forward immediately. This is extremely serious."
There was a pause. The group glanced at each other. None of them were sure whether to tell Dumbledore or not. Eventually, they turned their eyes to Matt, who shook his head slightly. Then suddenly, there was movement. A Ravenclaw third year had stood up.
"Please sir," she said "Please sir, I saw some people outside last night."
Matt very quietly began cursing the girl in Japanese. Harry crossed all his fingers under the table as the girl continued.
"I couldn't sleep sir and I was looking out of the window," the girl said "When I saw some shadows near the woods. I thought they were some pupils sneaking out because they looked like kids but maybe..."
"Did you hear anything?" Snape asked sharply.
The girl shook her head.
"Not really sir. I thought I heard one of them say something like 'Tee kay' but I'm not sure."
Matt clenched his fists under the table. They were idiots, all of them! They should have been more careful!
"Hey Ishida!" someone yelled "Isn't your little brother called TK?"
Matt's fists clenched tighter as everyone turned to stare at him.
"No," he said "And anyway, what would my brother be doing here?"
Professor Dumbledore nodded.
"Quite right Yamato. Thank you," he said to the girl "Does anyone else know anything?"
No one said anything. Professor Dumbledore dismissed them all. As they walked out, Malfoy 'accidentally' bumped Matt and hissed "Meet you in the Charms classroom later." Matt nodded slightly and carried on his way.
* * * *
Near the edge of the forest, Myotismon stood, watching the school. Inside there, he knew, was the Keeper of Friendship. The one who'd unwittingly brought him back.
Myotismon didn't know exactly what had happened to him. He remembered being destroyed by the Digidestined when he was VenomMyotismon. After that was a sort of blankness. The next thing he remembered was a strange tugging feeling, then realising he was standing over the quaking Keeper of Friendship. Myotismon wanted to know what had happened and he meant to find out. The only people who could possibly know that were the Keeper of Friendship and those other little friends of his. Two girls weren't they? Well, they were the ones who'd tried to calm him down when he'd collapsed in terror.
Myotismon smiled to himself. The Keeper might remain strong for a while but he hardly thought that the girls would be so hardy. And as far as he knew, they were no longer in Japan. So the other Digidestined ought not be around.
But that was enough thinking. Myotismon's strength was now almost returned after feeding off the centaur and several other small creatures he'd found. He wanted to know what was going on and how the Keeper of Friendship had brought him back. And the best way to discover that....
Quietly, Myotismon began heading towards the castle.
* * * *
Anyone passing the Charms classroom would have stopped and stared in amazement at the shouting going on. Luckily, there corridor was deserted.
"I'm telling you, we should tell him!" Ron bellowed.
"And I'm telling you, it wouldn't be any use!" Matt screamed back "Professor Dumbledore can't possibly fight Myotismon! The fewer people who know, the better!"
"But Dumbledore would be able to help!" Harry said "He already suspects something after what whoever-it-was said about your brother! He's bound to ask to see you sooner or later and I think you should tell him the truth!"
"All he'd do would be to stop us getting involved!" Matt shouted "He'd say that we were too young, send the others home and get everyone killed!"
"Well he should send them home!" Hermione snapped "They certainly shouldn't be here without their parents consent!"
"What were they supposed to do?" Matt demanded "We're the only ones who can fight Myotismon! Not you! Us! We're the Digidestined, we have to do this! If you lot want to tell Dumbledore, fine! We shan't stop you but if you do that then you're working against us, rather than with us!"
"Now hold on a moment," Malfoy intervened "Don't you think you're all being idiots?"
"Shut up Malfoy!" Ron snapped. He turned back to Matt "Listen, you dope, Dumbledore wouldn't try to stop us."
Unfortunately, it was too late to even attempt reason. Matt was in a furious temper and he didn't care who knew it.
"Of course he would!" he yelled "That's what grown-ups do, they stop you doing what you have to! Us Digidestined are the only ones who can do this! You hear me? We're the only ones!!!"
"Don't be silly," Abby said "You've got us."
"That's the point!" Matt shouted "There's no point you being here because there's nothing you can do! You aren't the Digidestined and you can't help us at all!"
He stood up.
"We don't need your help," he said "Stay out of it and you'll be fine. If you get involved, you'll get yourselves killed."
Turning, he walked out of the classroom, kicking Mrs Norris who was standing nearby, mewing softly. She yowled and ran away as Matt strode off leaving an absolutely stunned Charms room behind him.
"What do we do now?" Hermione asked eventually.
"He didn't mean it," Talitha said "He was just angry. When he calms down, he'll see sense."
"See sense!" Ron said "I don't think Matt knows the meaning of the word sense."
"Ron," Hermione said "That's not fair."
"I'll go and find Matt," Abby said "Help him calm down. Anyway, someone has to take the others their food and things."
Standing up, she walked out.
"Wait!" Talitha called "You shouldn't go by yourself!"
"I expect I'll meet up with Matt!" Abby called back.
Talitha shrugged, looking uncertain but she didn't move.
"Look," Malfoy said "I think we should all just forget about this and go to bed. We've had broken sleep for two nights on the run and we're all tired. In the morning, things will look better."
"Wow," Harry said "You actually sound like you care Malfoy. I'm impressed."
For a second, Harry though he saw a quick smile flicker across Malfoy's face. Then it was gone.
"Do me a favour Potter," he said "Well, two actually. One, I don't care, but I don't want Myotismon killing me. Two, don't call me Malfoy. My name's Draco."
"I'll never get used to that!" Harry said "Anyway, you still call me Potter."
"Fine, I'll call you Harry," Malfoy said "But please don't call me Malfoy."
"Well, since you said please," Harry joked. Draco grinned slightly.
"Thanks....Harry," he said.
"C'mon Harry," Ron said "Lets go before you and Mal....Draco actually become friends!"
Everyone laughed, a bit weakly, but it was a laugh.
"We have to go!" Harry groaned suddenly "Don't you remember Ron? Professor Trelawney is taking us star gazing tonight. Something about some fascinating constellation in conjunction with some planet or something."
"Ugh," Ron said "I had forgotten. Can't I claim to be seriously ill?"
"You're not leaving me in the lurch!" Harry said grimly "I need someone to laugh with! If she sees my death in the stars, I'm stopping Divination. I mean it! I'm sick to death of being told I'm going to die!"
"Isn't there some contradiction in terms there?" Talitha asked "Sick to death of being told you'll die?"
"That's probably how she means to kill you," Draco said "Drive you insane!"
Snickering, Harry and Ron left to prepare for their 'fun' night of star watching with Professor Trelawney. Talitha trotted off too. Before Draco could leave, Hermione caught his shoulder.
"Draco," she said, sounding careful "I was just wondering....and I apologise if I'm wrong.....you and Harry...."
Draco flushed.
"What about me and Harry?" he asked "So we aren't fighting. It's an emergency situation here, if Ishida and the other can be believed which it seems to be the case after what happened with the centaurs."
"Okay," Hermione said meekly "Forget I said anything."
She went off leaving Malfoy frowning to himself; what had Granger been about to say?
* * * *
Harry and Ron stood shivering at the top of the Astronomy Tower, listening to Professor Trelawney prattle on about whatever they were supposed to be looking at. Ron was nearly asleep on his feet and Harry had to keep poking him awake.
"The stars know all," Professor Trelawney was saying in her misty voice "And they certainly never lie...."
Her voice trailed off and she rocked slightly. Then she went stiff.
"Professor?" Lavender Brown said timidly "Professor?"
Professor Trelawney suddenly whirled round to face them. Her eyes were unfocused and she was still completely rigid, like a board.
"He has come," she said, her voice harsh and unlike her own. Harry froze solid. The last time he had heard Professor Trelawney speak like that had been when she had predicated Peter Pettigrew's escape and Lord Voldemort rising again. The class all stood staring at Professor Trelawney, spell bound, as she continued.
"He has returned to Earth to seek his revenge! He was destroyed by the Digital destined children but now he has returned and will revenge himself upon them and their kind!"
"Who?" "What?" "What's she talking about?"
Everyone was whispering, confused, excited, afraid or a mixture of all three. Harry and Ron were just standing, watching Professor Trelawney with horror as she spoke.
"Lord Myotismon will have his revenge and tonight he will take what he needs to return to the Digital World! There he will summon his brother's multi-great child and together, they will create the Valley of Death. Tonight, he will understand how to use his power and many will suffer for the Keeper's mistake!"
Professor Trelawney blinked and staggered. Then she looked round.
"What happened?" she asked, looking a little confused.
She was answered by a clamour of voices but Harry and Ron were not part of them. They had already taken off running to find the others and tell them what had happened.
* * * *
Abby was carefully making her way back though the forest. The others had been very pleased to get the food and blankets but Matt wasn't there. Tai had assured her that if he came, they'd make him apologise and that they did want their help. Abby smiled to herself. Poor old Matt. He really did have a dreadful attitude problem. Her guess was that she'd find Matt bleeding in the Common Room, having worked out his frustrations on the first person he'd been able to pick a fight with.
"So. You're the Keeper of Friendship's new toy."
Abby froze. Slowly she turned round to face the evil Digimon standing in the trees.
"No," she said, forcing herself to remain calm "I'm not his toy. I'm his friend."
"Same thing," Myotismon said, stepping out of the shadows and walking towards her. He was pleased to see her shrink away in fear, for all she was trying to hide it "He has many friends, none of which really matter to him."
"That shows what you know," Abby said, making her voice stay firm "All of Matt's friends matter to him."
Myotismon snorted.
"Not as much as Matt matters to himself," he said "Of course, you know that. You're no fool."
"You're wrong," Abby said "Matt cares for all of us."
Myotismon stepped closer. Abby hunched down. Myotismon was very over-bearing and Tai hadn't toned down the story in the slightest. She remembered what they'd said about Wizardmon and all the others.
"How did you bring me here?" he demanded "I know it was you and the other girl and the Keeper of Friendship. How did you do it?"
"We don't know," Abby said "It was an accident."
"How can I return to the Digital World?" Myotismon asked.
"How should I know?" Abby snapped "I'd never even heard of the Digital World until last night. How should I know how to get you back there?"
"What is this place?" Myotismon asked, suddenly changing tack. Abby blinked, confused. She wasn't sure how to deal with Myotismon.
"It's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said.
"Witchcraft and Wizardry....," Myotismon repeated "Hmmm. Magic."
Abby backed away from him slightly. There was something very mesmerising about Myotismon's very presence and she didn't want to become very affected by it.
"So the Keeper of Friendship is a wizard," Myotismon said "Lucky him. The other Digidestined must be jealous. Probably excluding him."
"Not as far as I can see," Abby said "They don't seem to treat him any different."
Myotismon gave a soft hiss.
"So the others are here," he whispered "Thank you child."
Abby realised that she had revealed too much. Turning she ran for her life, stumbling over the forest floor, trying to make it to the safety of the school.
She almost made it. Myotismon seized her at the edge of the forest. Abby tried to scream but he covered her mouth effectively.
"Thank you for your assistance child," he said "But I no longer need you."
He sank his teeth into her neck, drinking deeply. Abby gave one last whimper and then lay limp and lifeless in Myotismon's arms. The last thing she saw were the stars that Harry and Ron had been looking at, only minutes before.
Myotismon dropped her to the ground and stared coldly down at her body. Silly, foolish little girl. Believing that she could escape him.
But she'd told him what he needed to know. The other Digidestined were here. But how much did they know? Unlike normal vampires, Myotismon could drain people's knowledge as well as their blood. Carefully, he extracted knowledge from the dead girl's mind. When he'd finished he stood and stared at the sky.
"So," he murmured "You are here too. Well, this will be very interesting. Very interesting indeed. And even the Digidestined don't know your true identity. And they won't. Not before it's too late for both you, and them."
Smiling, he glided off into the shadows, leaving Abby's crumpled body in the leaves.
* * * *
At breakfast, Harry, Ron and Hermione discussed what Professor Trelawney had said.
"If we believe her, Myotismon has what he needs already," Hermione pointed out.
"It may not be as clear cut as that," Harry argued "We have to warn the others. We should have gone last night!" "You know we couldn't," Hermione said "Professor McGonagall caught us trying to leave. She was prowling around for hours after that. And you and Ron were asleep!"
Harry and Ron exchanged sheepish glances. They had meant to stay awake but exhaustion had caught up with them and by the time Hermione came to wake them up, they'd both been fast asleep. Attempts to rouse them had been futile. It had been agreed that while Myotismon was out, no one was to go outside on their own so Hermione had gone back to bed. She smiled at the boys sheepish expressions.
"Don't worry," she said "I don't expect any real harm was done."
"Harry!"
It was Matt and Talitha. They were looking panicked.
"Have you seen Abby?" Talitha asked.
Harry, Ron and Hermione all shook their heads.
"I don't think she came back last night!" Talitha said "Her beds not been slept in."
"Don't worry," Hermione said "Professor McGonagall was prowling around. I expect she went and slept in the Shrieking Shack."
Talitha looked relived and settled down to eat. Matt looked uncertain.
"I hope you're right," he muttered.
"Of course I am," Hermione said "Now sit down and eat something. We've got something to tell you."
Matt sat down, but he still looked uneasy. No one's fears had really gone away and they kept looking around. Hermione told them about what Professor Trelawney had said. Matt and Talitha listened, wide-eyed.
"That is not good," Matt said decidedly. Talitha nodded.
"I wonder what it meant?" she said "Do you think he found someone to help him or...."
"MATT! MATT!"
The entire hall went silent as an ear-splitting scream cut though all noise. Then the door opened and TK rushed in.
"TK!" Matt gasped leaping up "What's wrong?"
Tears were streaming down TK's face as he flung himself into Matt's arms. Matt ignored everyone's stares and hugged his little brother.
"What's happened?" he asked.
"W-We were walking in the forest because w-we were t-tired of the h-house!" TK wailed "We got quite c-close to the e-edge of the f-forest and we thought we'd better go b-back. And t-then we f-found....we f-found...Abby...."
A feeling of icy horror swept over Matt. Without a word, he deposited TK on the floor and ran out of the hall and outside. He could hear the others following him but he was already running towards the small huddled group of children he could see by the edge of the forest as TK had said.
As he reached them, they turned to look at him. They were all looking pale and ill and Sora was trying to comfort a sobbing Mimi. Kari was pressed trembling against Tai's legs, tears trickling down her face. Matt had never seen Kari cry before.
"Matt," Tai said, his voice sounding thick "Matt I'm so sorry...."
Matt shoved through them and dropped to his knees beside Abby's crumpled body.
"Abby!" he shouted "Abby! Abetzi Littlewood! Wake up! Wake up! Don't do this to me Abby, please don't do this!"
He knew it was too late, knew that all the shouting in the world couldn't help Abetzi Littlewood return to her body. He heard the others arriving behind him.
"What's happened?" he heard Hermione gasp "Oh.....no. No."
"Abby?" he heard Talitha say "Abby?"
Matt lifted the cold body in his arms and held her tightly, staring at the ashy face. Behind him, Talitha started to scream. He heard Joe and Izzy try to comfort her but he couldn't look, just kept staring down at Abby's face and the two wounds in the side of her neck where there were tiny traces of blood. Draco was swearing softly, over and over. Ron was trying to soothe Hermione, who was also crying. Harry wasn't making a sound but Matt was certain that his face would be almost as ashy as Abby's was.
"I'm sorry Abetzi," he whispered "I'm so, so sorry. I let you down. I shouldn't have stormed off like that. I'm sorry..."
Then Tai was kneeling down next to him, his arms round Matt's shoulders. Carefully, Matt laid Abby down, then buried his face in Tai's shoulder and started to cry. Tai wrapped his arms round his friend and stared at the sky over the top of Matt's head.
"We'll kill you for this Myotismon," he silently vowed "I'll kill you for hurting my friend like this."
In the shadows of the trees, Myotismon watching the grieving Digidestined and their friends and smiled.
The End of Part 3
The Stars Know All
By Starrysapphire
Disclaimer - Well, since they haven't been mine for two parts, it seems unlikely that they're mine now. Let me just check...*looks though all the papers on her floor*...nope, no receipt for 'Digimon' or 'Harry Potter'. :-C Oh well.
Sorry this has taken a while to post but my account froze me out and I couldn't get on. Hope it was worth the wait!
For the second night on a run, Harry was woken up by Matt Ishida shaking him.
"Come on," Matt said.
"Huh? What?" Harry whispered sleepily.
"You wanted to know what was going on," Matt said. He was grinning, Harry noticed which made a change from before "Well, now's your chance. Wake Ron, get your Invisibility Cloak and come on!"
"Why?" Harry asked.
"My friends are here!" Matt said, grinning even more.
* * * *
A few minutes later, they were all sneaking down. The Invisibility Cloak wouldn't cover everyone, so they were using the Marauder's Map to avoid Filch. Malfoy had given them the Slytherin password so Matt could come and get him if there was any news. Matt darted in and woke Malfoy quickly. Then they went outside.
"Where are they?" Abby asked.
Matt looked around.
"Psst! Matt!"
"Hey Matt!"
"Shhh, TK!"
Turning, Matt ran towards the sounds, the others following. Harry looked. Just off the path were seven slightly dishevelled looking children. Matt had one of the smaller ones in his arms and Harry guessed that one was his brother. As he watched, Matt deposited the little boy and hugged a taller one with dark hair. Shrugging, Harry looked at the others who smiled at him nervously.
Only Sora and Malfoy noticed that Matt and Tai's embrace went on slightly longer than would normally be expected, and both smiled knowingly to themselves.
"Well, this is very nice," Malfoy whispered a little sarcastically "But introductions and explanations would be nice?"
Matt nodded, looking slightly guilty as he stepped away from Tai.
"Sorry. Hogwarts-group, these are Tai Yagami, TK Takaishi, Sora Takenouchi, Koushiro 'Izzy' Izumi, Mimi Takihawa, Joe Kido and Kari Yagami. Digi-group, meet Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Abetzi 'Abby' Littlewood, Talitha Lions and Draco Malfoy."
Everyone mumbled 'hellos' at each other. Malfoy frowned.
"If TK's your brother, why does he have a different surname to you?" he asked.
Matt flushed.
"Our parents split up," TK explained cheerfully.
"TK, quieten down!" Matt whispered harshly "You'll wake the school!"
"Sorry," TK whispered back, his voice still shrill.
Hermione looked around.
"We can't talk out here," she whispered "We have to find some place better."
"The Shrieking Shack," Harry said "No one ever goes there, especially not in the middle of the night!"
"That's in Hogsmeade," Malfoy said "We're here."
Harry looked at the others for a moment.
"Malfoy," he said "Follow us and we'll show you how to get the Shrieking Shack and Hogsmeade without the teachers knowing about it."
* * * *
A little while later, everyone was sitting in the Shrieking Shack. Tai was explaining the Digidestined and Myotismon. Hermione kept interrupting with questions which meant it took more time than it might have done.
"What I don't understand," Izzy said "Is how Myotismon came back. We defeated him! What could any potion do to bring him back?"
"I don't know," Hermione said "I've been looking up the recipe that they accidentally used but I don't think it exists. Obviously, no ones ever tried it or it's not supposed to do anything."
"What exactly happened to the potion?" Malfoy asked.
"Well, we tipped the bryony roots it," Matt said "It turned clear then black and then started letting off stream."
"At the end, everything was gone," Abby said "There was just a little residue at the bottom."
Hermione shrugged.
"Well, I don't know what it can have done," she said.
"We don't know why it's happened, but the important thing is that it has," Malfoy pointed out "What can we do about it?"
"You're offering to help?" Harry said, sounding startled.
Malfoy blushed a little.
"Well, I might as well," he said "This Myotismon doesn't exactly sound pleasant and I don't fancy going to an early grave."
Harry glanced at Ron who frowned and shrugged.
"Well, we're glad to have anyone on board," Tai said "Myotismon is tough and we don't have our Digimon."
"There has to be some way to reopen the gate and get to the Digimon," Izzy said "It's highly unlikely that we can defeat Myotismon on our own."
"I could try to find a spell," Hermione said.
"But if it's that easy, why couldn't Gennai have done something like that?" Mimi asked.
Abby opened her mouth, no doubt to ask who Gennai was but Izzy started talking before she could.
"Gennai isn't a witch or wizard, in so far as we know," he said "All right Hermione. You lot try and find a spell."
"Can't Myotismon be destroyed without the Digimon?" Talitha asked.
"Possibly, but now's really not the time to be experimenting!" Tai said "We need to get this over and done with before Myotismon hurts anybody. Besides, we have to get home."
"That's a point," Matt said "What did you tell your parents?"
The group looked at each other sheepishly.
"Well, we didn't exactly tell our parents anything," Tai said "We just left them notes saying that we'd be gone a couple of weeks and left."
"WHAT!" Hermione yelled "That's awful!"
"Well what could we tell them?" Tai asked "Sorry, we have to fight an enemy we already fought 'cause some potion Matt made brought him back?"
Matt made a faint noise at the back of his throat and turned away. Tai winced, knowing he'd upset his friend.
"I'm sorry Matt," he said "I know you didn't mean to do it."
"I am sorry," Matt said softly.
"It was as much our fault as his," Abby said loyally "We weren't paying attention either."
"But you've never met Myotismon," Matt said "It must have been something I did."
"We should get back," Talitha said suddenly "If we're gone too long we'll be missed and that'll lead to awkward questions."
"We can stay here," Tai said "It's not so bad. Why is the place so torn apart though?"
"That's a very long story," Harry said "There's no time to tell you now."
"We'll bring you some blankets and food in the morning," Matt promised "See you guys. See you Tai."
As they set off down the tunnel, Malfoy held Harry back.
"Did Littlewood say that it turned clear, then black?" he said.
Harry nodded.
"Yeah. Why?"
"No reason," Malfoy said quickly "I just wanted my facts straight, that's all."
He walked on, leaving Harry looking after him, wondering.
* * * *
At breakfast the next morning, all the people involved in last nights expedition were trying not to doze off over their porridge. Hermione was reading a book, obviously looking for spells to get into other worlds.
"I'm so tired," Ron grumbled "And we're got Potions this afternoon. Snape's never going to let me catch a nap."
"Good thing too," Hermione said "How would you learn anything?"
Ron glared at her and pushed away his porridge, resting his head on his hand.
"Look on the bright side," Harry said "We got some sleep unlike the night where we did the astral spell thingy and couldn't sleep for pins and needles."
Ron opened his mouth but nothing had time to come out as Hagrid rushed in, his eyes wide. The whole room went silent.
"Professor!" he gasped "Dumbledore, sir....you gotta come...."
"What's happened?" Dumbledore asked, getting to his feet.
"In the forest...." Hagrid said "Centaurs.....a whole bunch of 'em.....they're all dead."
Gasps and whispers filled the hall, followed by a deadly hush as everyone stared at Hagrid.
"They've all got these strange burn marks on 'em," Hagrid continued.
A metallic clang broke the hush; Matt Ishida just dropped his goblet on the floor. He didn't even notice everyone staring at him, just stared after Hagrid as he and Dumbledore left the hall.
"Matt?" Abby asked, poking her friend.
Matt blinked and came out of his trance. He scowled and picked up his goblet, trembling slightly.
"You think it was Myotismon?" Abby asked out of the corner of her mouth.
"Sure of it," Matt muttered back "Burn marks....could have been his Crimson Lightning attack. It'd probably be lethal to any non-Digimon who he tried it on."
"Great," Abby muttered "Just terrific."
"Why would he kill centaurs?" Talitha asked.
Matt shook his head.
"Why not?" he asked.
The school spent the day in a daze, worrying about what had happened in the forest. No one noticed that Matt, Abby, Talitha, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Malfoy all seemed more tired than usual, or that they seemed overly concerned about what had happened. At dinner time, Dumbledore addressed the school gravely.
"You all heard what happened last night," he said "I would have preferred to break the news more gently but Hagrid was not very discreet. However, there is one detail I believe I should add to his story. One of the centaurs was discovered with a vampire wound in his neck."
Gasps filled the room again. Matt exchanged a knowing look with Abby.
"We do not know why vampires would have entered the Forbidden Forest or what the burn marks are," Dumbledore said "However, if anyone knows anything, I want them to come forward immediately. This is extremely serious."
There was a pause. The group glanced at each other. None of them were sure whether to tell Dumbledore or not. Eventually, they turned their eyes to Matt, who shook his head slightly. Then suddenly, there was movement. A Ravenclaw third year had stood up.
"Please sir," she said "Please sir, I saw some people outside last night."
Matt very quietly began cursing the girl in Japanese. Harry crossed all his fingers under the table as the girl continued.
"I couldn't sleep sir and I was looking out of the window," the girl said "When I saw some shadows near the woods. I thought they were some pupils sneaking out because they looked like kids but maybe..."
"Did you hear anything?" Snape asked sharply.
The girl shook her head.
"Not really sir. I thought I heard one of them say something like 'Tee kay' but I'm not sure."
Matt clenched his fists under the table. They were idiots, all of them! They should have been more careful!
"Hey Ishida!" someone yelled "Isn't your little brother called TK?"
Matt's fists clenched tighter as everyone turned to stare at him.
"No," he said "And anyway, what would my brother be doing here?"
Professor Dumbledore nodded.
"Quite right Yamato. Thank you," he said to the girl "Does anyone else know anything?"
No one said anything. Professor Dumbledore dismissed them all. As they walked out, Malfoy 'accidentally' bumped Matt and hissed "Meet you in the Charms classroom later." Matt nodded slightly and carried on his way.
* * * *
Near the edge of the forest, Myotismon stood, watching the school. Inside there, he knew, was the Keeper of Friendship. The one who'd unwittingly brought him back.
Myotismon didn't know exactly what had happened to him. He remembered being destroyed by the Digidestined when he was VenomMyotismon. After that was a sort of blankness. The next thing he remembered was a strange tugging feeling, then realising he was standing over the quaking Keeper of Friendship. Myotismon wanted to know what had happened and he meant to find out. The only people who could possibly know that were the Keeper of Friendship and those other little friends of his. Two girls weren't they? Well, they were the ones who'd tried to calm him down when he'd collapsed in terror.
Myotismon smiled to himself. The Keeper might remain strong for a while but he hardly thought that the girls would be so hardy. And as far as he knew, they were no longer in Japan. So the other Digidestined ought not be around.
But that was enough thinking. Myotismon's strength was now almost returned after feeding off the centaur and several other small creatures he'd found. He wanted to know what was going on and how the Keeper of Friendship had brought him back. And the best way to discover that....
Quietly, Myotismon began heading towards the castle.
* * * *
Anyone passing the Charms classroom would have stopped and stared in amazement at the shouting going on. Luckily, there corridor was deserted.
"I'm telling you, we should tell him!" Ron bellowed.
"And I'm telling you, it wouldn't be any use!" Matt screamed back "Professor Dumbledore can't possibly fight Myotismon! The fewer people who know, the better!"
"But Dumbledore would be able to help!" Harry said "He already suspects something after what whoever-it-was said about your brother! He's bound to ask to see you sooner or later and I think you should tell him the truth!"
"All he'd do would be to stop us getting involved!" Matt shouted "He'd say that we were too young, send the others home and get everyone killed!"
"Well he should send them home!" Hermione snapped "They certainly shouldn't be here without their parents consent!"
"What were they supposed to do?" Matt demanded "We're the only ones who can fight Myotismon! Not you! Us! We're the Digidestined, we have to do this! If you lot want to tell Dumbledore, fine! We shan't stop you but if you do that then you're working against us, rather than with us!"
"Now hold on a moment," Malfoy intervened "Don't you think you're all being idiots?"
"Shut up Malfoy!" Ron snapped. He turned back to Matt "Listen, you dope, Dumbledore wouldn't try to stop us."
Unfortunately, it was too late to even attempt reason. Matt was in a furious temper and he didn't care who knew it.
"Of course he would!" he yelled "That's what grown-ups do, they stop you doing what you have to! Us Digidestined are the only ones who can do this! You hear me? We're the only ones!!!"
"Don't be silly," Abby said "You've got us."
"That's the point!" Matt shouted "There's no point you being here because there's nothing you can do! You aren't the Digidestined and you can't help us at all!"
He stood up.
"We don't need your help," he said "Stay out of it and you'll be fine. If you get involved, you'll get yourselves killed."
Turning, he walked out of the classroom, kicking Mrs Norris who was standing nearby, mewing softly. She yowled and ran away as Matt strode off leaving an absolutely stunned Charms room behind him.
"What do we do now?" Hermione asked eventually.
"He didn't mean it," Talitha said "He was just angry. When he calms down, he'll see sense."
"See sense!" Ron said "I don't think Matt knows the meaning of the word sense."
"Ron," Hermione said "That's not fair."
"I'll go and find Matt," Abby said "Help him calm down. Anyway, someone has to take the others their food and things."
Standing up, she walked out.
"Wait!" Talitha called "You shouldn't go by yourself!"
"I expect I'll meet up with Matt!" Abby called back.
Talitha shrugged, looking uncertain but she didn't move.
"Look," Malfoy said "I think we should all just forget about this and go to bed. We've had broken sleep for two nights on the run and we're all tired. In the morning, things will look better."
"Wow," Harry said "You actually sound like you care Malfoy. I'm impressed."
For a second, Harry though he saw a quick smile flicker across Malfoy's face. Then it was gone.
"Do me a favour Potter," he said "Well, two actually. One, I don't care, but I don't want Myotismon killing me. Two, don't call me Malfoy. My name's Draco."
"I'll never get used to that!" Harry said "Anyway, you still call me Potter."
"Fine, I'll call you Harry," Malfoy said "But please don't call me Malfoy."
"Well, since you said please," Harry joked. Draco grinned slightly.
"Thanks....Harry," he said.
"C'mon Harry," Ron said "Lets go before you and Mal....Draco actually become friends!"
Everyone laughed, a bit weakly, but it was a laugh.
"We have to go!" Harry groaned suddenly "Don't you remember Ron? Professor Trelawney is taking us star gazing tonight. Something about some fascinating constellation in conjunction with some planet or something."
"Ugh," Ron said "I had forgotten. Can't I claim to be seriously ill?"
"You're not leaving me in the lurch!" Harry said grimly "I need someone to laugh with! If she sees my death in the stars, I'm stopping Divination. I mean it! I'm sick to death of being told I'm going to die!"
"Isn't there some contradiction in terms there?" Talitha asked "Sick to death of being told you'll die?"
"That's probably how she means to kill you," Draco said "Drive you insane!"
Snickering, Harry and Ron left to prepare for their 'fun' night of star watching with Professor Trelawney. Talitha trotted off too. Before Draco could leave, Hermione caught his shoulder.
"Draco," she said, sounding careful "I was just wondering....and I apologise if I'm wrong.....you and Harry...."
Draco flushed.
"What about me and Harry?" he asked "So we aren't fighting. It's an emergency situation here, if Ishida and the other can be believed which it seems to be the case after what happened with the centaurs."
"Okay," Hermione said meekly "Forget I said anything."
She went off leaving Malfoy frowning to himself; what had Granger been about to say?
* * * *
Harry and Ron stood shivering at the top of the Astronomy Tower, listening to Professor Trelawney prattle on about whatever they were supposed to be looking at. Ron was nearly asleep on his feet and Harry had to keep poking him awake.
"The stars know all," Professor Trelawney was saying in her misty voice "And they certainly never lie...."
Her voice trailed off and she rocked slightly. Then she went stiff.
"Professor?" Lavender Brown said timidly "Professor?"
Professor Trelawney suddenly whirled round to face them. Her eyes were unfocused and she was still completely rigid, like a board.
"He has come," she said, her voice harsh and unlike her own. Harry froze solid. The last time he had heard Professor Trelawney speak like that had been when she had predicated Peter Pettigrew's escape and Lord Voldemort rising again. The class all stood staring at Professor Trelawney, spell bound, as she continued.
"He has returned to Earth to seek his revenge! He was destroyed by the Digital destined children but now he has returned and will revenge himself upon them and their kind!"
"Who?" "What?" "What's she talking about?"
Everyone was whispering, confused, excited, afraid or a mixture of all three. Harry and Ron were just standing, watching Professor Trelawney with horror as she spoke.
"Lord Myotismon will have his revenge and tonight he will take what he needs to return to the Digital World! There he will summon his brother's multi-great child and together, they will create the Valley of Death. Tonight, he will understand how to use his power and many will suffer for the Keeper's mistake!"
Professor Trelawney blinked and staggered. Then she looked round.
"What happened?" she asked, looking a little confused.
She was answered by a clamour of voices but Harry and Ron were not part of them. They had already taken off running to find the others and tell them what had happened.
* * * *
Abby was carefully making her way back though the forest. The others had been very pleased to get the food and blankets but Matt wasn't there. Tai had assured her that if he came, they'd make him apologise and that they did want their help. Abby smiled to herself. Poor old Matt. He really did have a dreadful attitude problem. Her guess was that she'd find Matt bleeding in the Common Room, having worked out his frustrations on the first person he'd been able to pick a fight with.
"So. You're the Keeper of Friendship's new toy."
Abby froze. Slowly she turned round to face the evil Digimon standing in the trees.
"No," she said, forcing herself to remain calm "I'm not his toy. I'm his friend."
"Same thing," Myotismon said, stepping out of the shadows and walking towards her. He was pleased to see her shrink away in fear, for all she was trying to hide it "He has many friends, none of which really matter to him."
"That shows what you know," Abby said, making her voice stay firm "All of Matt's friends matter to him."
Myotismon snorted.
"Not as much as Matt matters to himself," he said "Of course, you know that. You're no fool."
"You're wrong," Abby said "Matt cares for all of us."
Myotismon stepped closer. Abby hunched down. Myotismon was very over-bearing and Tai hadn't toned down the story in the slightest. She remembered what they'd said about Wizardmon and all the others.
"How did you bring me here?" he demanded "I know it was you and the other girl and the Keeper of Friendship. How did you do it?"
"We don't know," Abby said "It was an accident."
"How can I return to the Digital World?" Myotismon asked.
"How should I know?" Abby snapped "I'd never even heard of the Digital World until last night. How should I know how to get you back there?"
"What is this place?" Myotismon asked, suddenly changing tack. Abby blinked, confused. She wasn't sure how to deal with Myotismon.
"It's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said.
"Witchcraft and Wizardry....," Myotismon repeated "Hmmm. Magic."
Abby backed away from him slightly. There was something very mesmerising about Myotismon's very presence and she didn't want to become very affected by it.
"So the Keeper of Friendship is a wizard," Myotismon said "Lucky him. The other Digidestined must be jealous. Probably excluding him."
"Not as far as I can see," Abby said "They don't seem to treat him any different."
Myotismon gave a soft hiss.
"So the others are here," he whispered "Thank you child."
Abby realised that she had revealed too much. Turning she ran for her life, stumbling over the forest floor, trying to make it to the safety of the school.
She almost made it. Myotismon seized her at the edge of the forest. Abby tried to scream but he covered her mouth effectively.
"Thank you for your assistance child," he said "But I no longer need you."
He sank his teeth into her neck, drinking deeply. Abby gave one last whimper and then lay limp and lifeless in Myotismon's arms. The last thing she saw were the stars that Harry and Ron had been looking at, only minutes before.
Myotismon dropped her to the ground and stared coldly down at her body. Silly, foolish little girl. Believing that she could escape him.
But she'd told him what he needed to know. The other Digidestined were here. But how much did they know? Unlike normal vampires, Myotismon could drain people's knowledge as well as their blood. Carefully, he extracted knowledge from the dead girl's mind. When he'd finished he stood and stared at the sky.
"So," he murmured "You are here too. Well, this will be very interesting. Very interesting indeed. And even the Digidestined don't know your true identity. And they won't. Not before it's too late for both you, and them."
Smiling, he glided off into the shadows, leaving Abby's crumpled body in the leaves.
* * * *
At breakfast, Harry, Ron and Hermione discussed what Professor Trelawney had said.
"If we believe her, Myotismon has what he needs already," Hermione pointed out.
"It may not be as clear cut as that," Harry argued "We have to warn the others. We should have gone last night!" "You know we couldn't," Hermione said "Professor McGonagall caught us trying to leave. She was prowling around for hours after that. And you and Ron were asleep!"
Harry and Ron exchanged sheepish glances. They had meant to stay awake but exhaustion had caught up with them and by the time Hermione came to wake them up, they'd both been fast asleep. Attempts to rouse them had been futile. It had been agreed that while Myotismon was out, no one was to go outside on their own so Hermione had gone back to bed. She smiled at the boys sheepish expressions.
"Don't worry," she said "I don't expect any real harm was done."
"Harry!"
It was Matt and Talitha. They were looking panicked.
"Have you seen Abby?" Talitha asked.
Harry, Ron and Hermione all shook their heads.
"I don't think she came back last night!" Talitha said "Her beds not been slept in."
"Don't worry," Hermione said "Professor McGonagall was prowling around. I expect she went and slept in the Shrieking Shack."
Talitha looked relived and settled down to eat. Matt looked uncertain.
"I hope you're right," he muttered.
"Of course I am," Hermione said "Now sit down and eat something. We've got something to tell you."
Matt sat down, but he still looked uneasy. No one's fears had really gone away and they kept looking around. Hermione told them about what Professor Trelawney had said. Matt and Talitha listened, wide-eyed.
"That is not good," Matt said decidedly. Talitha nodded.
"I wonder what it meant?" she said "Do you think he found someone to help him or...."
"MATT! MATT!"
The entire hall went silent as an ear-splitting scream cut though all noise. Then the door opened and TK rushed in.
"TK!" Matt gasped leaping up "What's wrong?"
Tears were streaming down TK's face as he flung himself into Matt's arms. Matt ignored everyone's stares and hugged his little brother.
"What's happened?" he asked.
"W-We were walking in the forest because w-we were t-tired of the h-house!" TK wailed "We got quite c-close to the e-edge of the f-forest and we thought we'd better go b-back. And t-then we f-found....we f-found...Abby...."
A feeling of icy horror swept over Matt. Without a word, he deposited TK on the floor and ran out of the hall and outside. He could hear the others following him but he was already running towards the small huddled group of children he could see by the edge of the forest as TK had said.
As he reached them, they turned to look at him. They were all looking pale and ill and Sora was trying to comfort a sobbing Mimi. Kari was pressed trembling against Tai's legs, tears trickling down her face. Matt had never seen Kari cry before.
"Matt," Tai said, his voice sounding thick "Matt I'm so sorry...."
Matt shoved through them and dropped to his knees beside Abby's crumpled body.
"Abby!" he shouted "Abby! Abetzi Littlewood! Wake up! Wake up! Don't do this to me Abby, please don't do this!"
He knew it was too late, knew that all the shouting in the world couldn't help Abetzi Littlewood return to her body. He heard the others arriving behind him.
"What's happened?" he heard Hermione gasp "Oh.....no. No."
"Abby?" he heard Talitha say "Abby?"
Matt lifted the cold body in his arms and held her tightly, staring at the ashy face. Behind him, Talitha started to scream. He heard Joe and Izzy try to comfort her but he couldn't look, just kept staring down at Abby's face and the two wounds in the side of her neck where there were tiny traces of blood. Draco was swearing softly, over and over. Ron was trying to soothe Hermione, who was also crying. Harry wasn't making a sound but Matt was certain that his face would be almost as ashy as Abby's was.
"I'm sorry Abetzi," he whispered "I'm so, so sorry. I let you down. I shouldn't have stormed off like that. I'm sorry..."
Then Tai was kneeling down next to him, his arms round Matt's shoulders. Carefully, Matt laid Abby down, then buried his face in Tai's shoulder and started to cry. Tai wrapped his arms round his friend and stared at the sky over the top of Matt's head.
"We'll kill you for this Myotismon," he silently vowed "I'll kill you for hurting my friend like this."
In the shadows of the trees, Myotismon watching the grieving Digidestined and their friends and smiled.
The End of Part 3