A/N: Eep!!! Sorry sorry sorry!!! .;;; I really meant to write this sooner but... I am lazy!!! ^_^;;; So very lazy... And I'll try to write a new chapter on Saturday, because it's the last day I'll be able to post for about a week. Gasp! I have to go on a school trip to northern Georgia starting Sunday to go whitewater rafting, "bond" with my fellow classmates, travel on an 8 hour bus ride, and introduce nature to one of the clumsiest girls alive. I'll be surprised if I get back Wednesday without any serious injuries o_O;;; Anyway, the next chapter awaits! On with the show!

Inuyasha/Harry Potter don't belong to me!!! But my sister's friend did burn an anime CD for us so I write with happy Japanese singing in the background and lots of love!!!

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Chapter 7: Whaddya mean 'torture the new kid'???



Kagome groggily opened her eyes, shutting them again as sunlight bathed her face. She was vaguely aware of something warm breathing on her neck, but ignored it and pulled the blankets closer to her chin. She also clutched Shippou tighter to her underneath the sheets, judging by the gentle falling and rising of his chest that he was still asleep. Kagome turned onto her other side, taking the kitsune with her and becoming tangled in the blankets. Her neck was now strangely cold, her face instead filled with a sudden warmth. She peeked one eye open slightly, and it immediately fluttered shut. She was gently dozing off when realization hit her with what seemed like a sledgehammer. Kagome's eyes snapped open, and she screamed.

Harry jerked his head from its comfy niche in his arms, startled by the high pitched cry directed into his ears. He pushed his black rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose, and was able to catch a glimpse of Kagome stumbling away from him to the point where she fell ungracefully from the bed in a tangle of sheets. A loud and dull 'thud' signaled the arrival of the girl's body hitting the wooden floor. Harry clambered onto the bed from his position of sitting on the floor, scrambling over the ends of the blankets to Kagome's feet still resting on the opposite edge of the mattress. He pushed a few stray black bangs from his forehead, peering down at the girl on the floor below him.

"Good morning, Kagome." The edges of Harry's mouth turned upwards into a grin while he settled his head in his hands. He was trying his best not to collapse laughing, and Kagome knew it. Her pajama top was cutting into her neck, her feet dangling above her next to Harry's head, her hair a complete mess and covering her face in a blanket of tangles, and Shippou was still tangled in the sheets next to her and massaging a bump on his head.

"Good morning my..." Kagome grumbled the last of her response, aware that Shippou's tiny feet were dangerously close to her head as he tried to untangle himself in vain. She straightened her pajamas and reached up to pat Shippou's head to stop his flailing limbs. She also noted that the only sounds in the room were Harry's badly suppressed chuckles and Shippou's whimpering. "Where is everybody?"

"Well, I would hope not sleeping like certain people. It is nearly noon after all..." Harry watched with amusement as Kagome's eyes bulged. She pushed her raven hair back from her face, pointing at Harry and trying to hold a fierce scowl. Shippou, however, decided to try to untangle himself again, and a misplaced kick landed against Kagome's head. Her angry scowl immediately became a grimace of pain.

"Iteee... Why did you let me sleep so late? This isn't some weird game you do with new people is it...?" Kagome tenderly massaged her head, giving Shippou's small foot a tiny pinch. Harry reached down and grabbed the girl's accusing hand, pulling her clumsily onto the bed.

"Nah, if we did play any 'weird games' with the new kids, they wouldn't be as wimpy as that." Harry winked behind his glasses, emerald eyes twinkling mischievously behind the glass. "But really," he continued as Kagome tried her best to give a scowl while Shippou whined impatiently from the floor. "Inuyasha actually told us to let you sleep in. Mind you, he told us really early in the morning so I'm surprised anyone remembered."

Kagome stared at Harry suspiciously from under her tangled mane. "So... Inuyasha thought of the wimpy plan for new kids even though he's new, too?"

Harry shook his head, scratching a place behind his left ear and flopped down onto Kagome's pillow. "Nope, I think even Inuyasha would have thought of something better than letting you sleep late. He said you had a rough night and to let you get some extra rest, though I cleaned it up a little from what I could get out of his rambling. What happened, anyway?"

"Huh? Oh, I just fell asleep doing an essay and then thought I saw something. Probably just a dream, though..." Kagome sat up at the end of her bed, swinging her legs over the edge of the mattress. How had Inuyasha known about that? She hadn't seen anyone else in the room except that...thing. Oh well, she'd ask him at breakfast. Well, lunch really.

"Oh, and Harry?" Harry lifted his head up from her downy pillow. "What are you doing in the girls' room anyway?!" Kagome dived across the bed, grabbing the pillow from beneath his head. Harry jumped off the bed and ran towards the door, barely missing the pillow as it hit the closed door after him. Kagome retrieved the pillow and finally released Shippou from his blanket prison, opening her trunk at the end of her bed to get changed.

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Kagome walked into the Gryffindor common room wearing a navy blue sweater, a pale blue short skirt, and a dark set of tights clung to her long legs. She had Shippou clutched to her chest, the kitsune playing with a strand of her now smooth and tangle free hair. Kagome let him fiddle with the lock of hair as a way of apology for nearly suffocating and killing him just moments before. Harry sat in one of the overly stuffed armchairs by the fire, jumping up when Kagome shut the door behind her with her wand.

"Where is everybody?" Kagome asked again, seeing that the Gryffindor common room, much less the entire Gryffindor tower, was empty except for herself, Harry, and Shippou.

"At lunch, I suppose. Ron and Hermione wanted to wait until you got up, but I told them to go ahead. I don't know where Inuyasha went, though... Eh?" Harry stopped when Kagome ran back into the girls' dormitory, the door slamming shut behind her. He got one last look at Shippou's frightened face as the door came to a close when it immediately opened again with a 'bang'. Kagome stood in the doorway, wand held in her right hand, a large red sweater draped over the other, along with a rather ruffled kitsune.

"I almost forgot! To think, I spent most of yesterday looking for the idiot and I almost forgot!" Kagome proudly brandished the crumpled sweater to Harry after shoving her wand quickly into her sleeve.

"Almost forgot? What? Who?" Harry trotted after Kagome as she stomped towards the portrait hole, still carrying the sweater in her right hand in triumph. The painting of the fat lady swung outwards, and the two jumped down onto the stone floor, Kagome walking quickly and importantly in the direction of the Great Hall.

"I almost forgot this!" She continued her brisk pace after shoving the sweater in Harry's face, completely unaware of the blank look she was receiving from the boy.

"Almost forgot what???" Harry jogged behind her and pushed the red fabric from in front of his nose. Kagome suddenly stopped walking, causing Harry to stumble to avoid hitting her. She spun around and pointed at the sweater again, Shippou being violently moved along with her arm.

"This! Inuyasha's sweater! He let me borrow it and he never took it back!" She spun around again on the balls of her feet, resuming her course. "Now where is that idiot... He better be in the Great Hall..."

Harry stood motionless for a few moments, as if the words were like cement gluing him to the floor, but ran to catch up with the girl when he saw her hair bouncing down towards the end of the corridor. He could hear Shippou's moans of displeasure at Kagome's fast and endless pace echoing through the hall.

"Gaaaaaah, Kaaaagoooomeeeee--"

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Kagome slammed the doors of the Great Hall open, nearly smashing a couple as they were trying to leave after finishing their lunch. She apologized hurriedly to the two, both sitting on the stone floor and panting for breath at the sudden shock. A wave of laughter passed through the Great Hall, Kagome blushing and hiding her face as she walked as quickly and calmly as possible to the Gryffindor table. Harry walked after her, waving nervously to the heads turned in their direction.

"Nice to see you so lively after that long sleep, Kagome!" Ron greeted her with a fancy twirl of his fork as she sat down, face still flushed a deep red.

"Oh, shut up..." Kagome irritably grabbed a golden plate, annoyed at how pink her face looked in the reflection of her dish. She piled mounds of food on top of the reflection, burying the embarrassed image of herself as Harry sat down heavily next to her. She placed Shippou on the tablecloth, Hermione giving him a small and empty plate of his own. The kitsune happily took it, imitating Kagome and putting piles of food on the dish. All of them emptied their plates, mindlessly chattering as they filled up their stomachs, Shippou even adding to the conversation with happy chirps and purrs. The girls would then squeal with delight, and the boys would quickly change the topic. Kagome had completely forgotten about Inuyasha's sweater until Shippou 'accidentally' tried to pour a pitcher of milk on it.

"Kyaa!!! Shippou! Don't give him a reason to kill you or me!!!" Kagome snatched the sweater away from the pitcher's torrent of milk, the liquid spilling onto the tablecloth instead. Hermione casually drew out her wand, tapped the tablecloth, and the spreading stain magically vanished.

"Kagome, isn't that Inuyasha's sweater?" Hermione looked at the sweater in question, inspecting one of the red sleeves, and giving the other girl a piercing stare. Kagome gently tugged the sweater back, giving a nervous smile under her friend's gaze.

"I know, I know! I have to give it back to him... Now where is he...?" Kagome leaned back from her seat on the long bench, craning her neck to the side trying to catch a glimpse of the black-haired boy. The end of the table was empty. No annoyed Inuyasha to be found, there or in the rest of Great Hall. Kagome sighed, leaning back in towards the Gryffindor table, muttering about how she would have to spend her Sunday looking for the idiot again.

A few Ravenclaws had finished lunch and were on their way out of the Great Hall, pushing the doors out as they left. Kagome thought she caught a glimpse of long black hair on the other side of the doors, but they closed too quickly for her to be sure as to whom the tresses belonged to. She grabbed the sweater, promised her three friends she'd meet up with them later, asked Hermione to watch Shippou, and hurried out of the Great Hall.

Kagome nudged the doors open slowly, not wanting to hit anyone again without warning. She stepped into the hall, the twin oaken doors shutting dully behind her. The corridor was empty.

"Gaah, that idiot!" Kagome wandered down a few empty corridors before coming back to where she started with no luck of spotting the boy. She watched a few rays of sunlight drift into the castle lazily through the high windows, feeling a longing for just walking through the lush grass and being under the sun's gaze. Kagome pushed open the doors, welcoming the sunlight as it flooded the dimly lit halls. She skipped down the steps, the quest for Inuyasha being nestled further and further back in her mind.

Kagome walked through the grounds aimlessly, liking the feeling of just having her own company once in awhile. She clutched the sweater closer to her as she passed through some scattered trees, a strange sense of foreboding and dread settling over her. Kagome looked behind her, expecting to be ambushed any second by some unknown force and unconsciously fiddled with the jewel around her neck. She turned her attention to the scenery before her, immediately forgetting the anxiety and nervousness she had felt moments before.

Standing, towering, in front of Kagome was a large and ancient tree, the sunlight filtering through the thick branches in odd yet strangely comforting patterns on the grass floor. It stuck out among the other trees in the area, looking out of place compared to the now dwarf like trees around it. Kagome hadn't noticed anything special about the tree from afar, it seeming to blend in to its surroundings perfectly in the distance. This thought struck the girl as odd, the tree before her clearly superior and more elegant than the others. Kagome walked slowly up to the tree, savoring the sound of its leaves rustling in the light breeze, the rough feel of its bark against her delicate hand, the wave of nostalgia as she rested her forehead against the immense trunk.

She closed her eyes in utter contentment, in a complete sense of relaxation. This had to be a magical tree, having this feeling over her. Her thoughts were jostled when she felt strong hands grip her arms and roughly push her back against the tree's trunk. Kagome's eyes snapped open, and she tried desperately to struggle free from her captor's grasp, but to no avail.

"What's wrong, Kagome? I said that I would win you."

That cold, drawling voice called out from behind the tree, coming closer as the speaker circled the trunk until he was facing Kagome with an arrogant smirk across his face. It was Draco Malfoy.

"What the hell do you think you're--" Kagome kept her face directed at Malfoy, seeing out of the corner of her eyes that Crabbe and Goyle, his two cronies, were keeping her pinned to the tree. Malfoy casually walked closer to the trunk and his prize, leaning forward and lifting Kagome's chin up with his forefinger.

"You didn't believe me did you? I said I would win and I--" Malfoy had made a dreadful mistake. Expecting Kagome to cower and cry pitifully like any other girl, he had come too close. Kagome lashed out with her legs, kicking him in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him. Malfoy stumbled back, clutching his torso, and his two cronies pushed the girl harder into the tree. She bit her lip to keep from yelling out in pain, not wanting Malfoy to derive any bit of pleasure from his 'victory'.

Malfoy was stumbling back onto his feet, both of his arms wrapped around his stomach. He grimaced but had a lopsided smile painted on his face. Suddenly, a small dark object came hurtling from the dense branches of the tree, bouncing off of Malfoy's forehead sharply. The boy took a few steps back, rubbing his head tenderly while searching the thick foliage above for any signs of the attacker. Kagome was still pinned to the trunk, but felt Crabbe and Goyle's grips loosen considerably as another object flew towards Malfoy, striking him in the eye this time. Malfoy winced, clamping his hand over his injured eye, now looking frantically at the treetop.

The next set of attacks was aimed at Kagome's captors, both only dimly aware that small acorns were bouncing off their thick skulls. Only when one particularly pointed acorn struck Crabbe's knuckle, the boy whining from the stinging that ensued, did Malfoy and his gang retreat, looking back desperately and screaming curses at the tree. Kagome slid slowly down the length of the trunk, settling on a large root heavily as a makeshift seat. She watched as the three boys ran as quickly as possible back to the castle, dodging trees and plowing down anything in their path.

A series of rustling from the leaves above caused Kagome to look at the branches towering over her. What if this person had just saved her so they could attack her themselves? Or what if even, they weren't human at all? Her mind was filled with thoughts about what an idiot she was and that she hoped they would put her in her favorite blue dress for her funeral. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's sweater from the ground beneath her feet, having dropped it in the struggle, pressing the red fabric firmly against her frightened face.

The leaves stopped rustling except for the light breeze passing through, the only other sound of someone (or something) dropping to their feet from the height of the branches. Kagome slightly pulled the sweater away, nearly dropping it at the sight before her. Inuyasha was standing in the midst of the tree's patterns of shadows, arms crossed in annoyance, hair floating down to drape over his broad shoulders.

"Wh-wh-wh--" Kagome was unable to stop her stuttering, sliding further down the trunk of the great tree and deeper into the maze of outstretched roots.

Inuyasha sighed. He had thought she was above being some babbling git. The boy picked up an acorn from the lush grass, tossing the weapon lightly in his right hand. He threw it at the trunk of the tree, barely a foot away from contacting Kagome's head. The seemingly harmless acorn bounced off the trunk, rolling and then stopping against the girl's foot. Kagome blinked a few times and seemed to regain her ability to talk, and her temper.

"Where the heck have you been????" She grabbed the offensive acorn at her feet, mustering up all of her strength to throw it against Inuyasha's head, pleased at the sound it made as it struck his skull.

"What are you doing, bitch??? What do you MEAN 'Where the hell have you been'???" Inuyasha massaged at his sore head, black hair standing on end from the harsh rubbing. Ok, maybe she wasn't some babbling git after all.

Kagome pushed herself off of the tree, jumping over the raised roots, to come standing directly in front of the irate boy, anger ebbing away. "Really, is that anyway to talk to a girl?"

"Is that anyway to act to a man who just saved your ass???" Inuyasha continued rubbing his head, fire dancing in his eyes. Kagome took no note of it and instead shoved the red sweater into Inuyasha's chest. He caught it and looked at her suspiciously. "What is this?"

"That, Inuyasha, is the sweater you let me borrow yesterday. I spent all day looking for you and then planned to today just to find you sitting by yourself in a tree of all things. Really..." Kagome ticked off all her troubles on her fingers, brushing away a wisp of hair from her face. She jerked her head up, a smile etched across her features, beaming at Inuyasha. "But thank goodness you were in that tree. Thank you."

Inuyasha blushed in return, suddenly aware at how close the girl was. He turned his face aside, hoping he could escape her gaze and hide his embarrassment, not expecting her to scream at his actions.

"Kyaaaaaaa!!!!" Kagome held one hand over her mouth, the other pointing right in front of her, quivering and shaking. Inuyasha turned completely around, prepared to face off against Malfoy again or...anything for that matter. The area in front of him was empty, and Inuyasha relaxed, confused yet slightly relieved. Kagome however did not share his feelings and gave small squeals of fright, still pointing ahead.

"What??? What the he--"

"I didn't hit you that hard, did I??? Eeep! I'm sorry!!!" Kagome buried her face in her hands, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. Inuyasha turned back around, surprised to see the girl before him crying into her hands.

"Wha--what??? Don't cry!!! I said stop it!!!" Inuyasha frantically began pacing around her, but Kagome cried even louder at his ever so polite request. He roughly grabbed her shoulders, Kagome's head snapping up, a path of tears evident on her cheeks. She sniffed, wiping a few droplets from the ends of her long eyelashes, pointing again in Inuyasha's direction.

"(Sniff) But...but... I didn't...(sniff)...think I h-hit (sniff)... you that hard..." Inuyasha was still baffled, his confusion evident on his face. He let go of her shoulders, the girl hiccuping slightly and rubbing at her glistening cheeks. The wheels in Inuyasha's head slowly began to turn, finally understanding (well, kinda) what the girl was so upset about.

"What? The acorn you threw? That damn thing didn't even--" He ran his hand back over the place where Kagome's acorn had struck beneath his bangs, the area stinging under his touch. He pulled back his hand to find a thick red liquid dribbling down his forefinger, pooling in the palm of his hand.

"I'm sorry...! Really--" Kagome inched closer to Inuyasha, eyes shining from her tears, hand hovering in front of his face while trying to decide whether to wipe the blood away or not. Inuyasha grabbed her hand with his own (A/N: Not the bloody one ^_^;;;), pulling it away.

"Eh? Forget it. You just reopened a cut, that's all..." Kagome looked closely at his bangs, seeing a faint red line beneath the hair. Her gaze wandered down to his hand holding her own, taking a sharp intake of breath.

"Inuyasha!!! You have cuts all over your hand!!!" Red scratches and lines of scabs decorated both of Inuyasha's hands, Kagome's fair hand clashing against his own. The rest of Inuyasha's skin was buried beneath a large sweatshirt and a pair of baggy jeans, but by how the cuts seemed to creep under his sleeves, it appeared that he might have injuries all over his body. "What happened to you???"

"Keh. It was nothing." Inuyasha released Kagome, stuffing his hands inside his denim pockets. He looked away and slumped down against the trunk of the giant tree moodily. Kagome hesitantly joined him, dropping the subject and resting on an upraised root. She broke the tense silence after a few moments, voicing her thoughts to the back of Inuyasha's turned head.

"...Maybe you should go see the Nurse about all those--"

"No."

"But if you're going to be--"

"NO."

"...Fine. Just bleed by yourself then." Kagome pushed off against the trunk of the tree, steadying herself before walking away. She waved half- heartedly without looking back at the boy sitting alone amidst the roots of the tree. "Thanks anyway..."

And her form retreated back towards the entrance to the castle, leaving Inuyasha completely and utterly by himself, his only company the sweater she had returned to him just moments ago. He clutched the red fabric to his chest, Kagome disappearing behind the stone walls.

"Kagome..."

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The rest of that Sunday was uneventful, Kagome finding Harry, Ron, and Hermione (holding Shippou in her lap) lounging about in the Gryffindor common room. She didn't tell them about her little adventure with Malfoy or Inuyasha, but sat silently in one of the armchairs by the fire. She listened to them ramble about their day, their voices buzzing in her ears. Kagome had other things to think about that kept surfacing in the back of her mind as she tried to listen intently to her friends, finally giving in and blocking them out altogether.

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The next morning Kagome was welcomed to the conscious world by Hermione shaking her awake, yanking the pillow out from underneath her head. Oh, boy, did Kagome have some glaring to attend to after she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Hermione, like always, ignored the icy stares of death she was receiving from the other girls, happily announcing that the Gryffindors had Defense Against the Dark Arts after breakfast and wondering who the new teacher was, for she hadn't seen him (or her she quickly added) on campus. She pulled Kagome out of the dormitory, the other girl still pulling her robes over her head, and marched Ron and Harry out of their bedroom, both in similar states of disarray.

They entered the Great Hall yawning and stretching, Hermione being the only one with high spirits and who seemed fully awake. They ate discussing possibilities for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, ranging from ancient yetis to teachers who might even resemble toads (A/N: Heehee, don't worry! Jaken isn't going to be the teacher ^_^). Finally the bell rang issuing the end of breakfast, the Gryffindors tiredly stumbling out of the Great Hall and walking down a deserted corridor.

The class climbed a few sets of stairs, then down a couple, passed a dozen portraits, then onto another spiral staircase, and so on, until they reached an isolated classroom. The handle was ancient and dusty, creaking when one of the more courageous Gryffindor boys pushed the door open.

The classroom itself was dark and poorly lit, no candles present in the deserted room. The class nervously marched in, navigating in the dark and sitting down behind a row of desks near the back of the room. Anxious chattering began, the teacher still not present, only to be quieted down when a man stepped from the shadows of the front of the room into the faint light from the hall. He was tall, and slightly effeminate. His long black and tangled hair was halfway pulled into a tight ponytail near the top of his head, the dark tresses shadowing his face and flowing down his back. His gaunt and pale face wore an arrogant smirk, gray eyes hidden behind his bangs. He wore an elegant and old-fashioned looking robe, intricate patterns embroidered into the black cloth.

"I am your teacher. You are here to learn the complexities and dangers of-- "

A girl with hair pulled back into a tight braid raised her hand reluctantly into the air, the professor's sharp gaze aimed at her quivering hand.

"Umm...ummm... sir? What should we call you? Ermm..." She pulled her hand back down sharply as the man's mouth curved even more at the edges. Kagome felt like a bucket full of ice water had been dumped into he stomach as his eyes lingered on her. Her mouth felt dry and she nervously fiddled with the jewel beneath her robes.

"What shall you refer to me as? Not 'sir'...Professor. Professor Naraku."

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A/N: Ooooo, evil aren't I? Actually, that's not really a cliffhanger because the next chapter doesn't start out on Tuesday but somewhere around October 2nd! A little random, yes, but I have my reasons... Ummm... and there's a New Moon every 28 days, right? (hint hint) But you STILL won't actually see IY in during his 'time of the month' in the next chapter... I really am evil ^_^;;; But the one after that! I think. And I have 54 reviews as of 4/17 at 9:59 pm! Yaaay!!! I feel loved.

Next Chapter!!! Erm. New Moon time again! But don't fret! There will be some mushiness and we learn some more about IY's past! (No blasted Kikyou either =P) And I might add Miroku and Sango in there somewhere ^_^;;;

Oh! And yes! To answer a couple of questions:

1) Shippou said 'Dog boy' or something like that because he ummm... ummm... knew what Inuyasha's name meant! Even though this story supposedly takes place in England and all... but... Shippou and his family liked to travel maybe o_o;;; (I don't think that helped...)

2) Yes!!! It was Kouga!!! Ahahahahaha!!! He will be in here in a few chapters... Around Christmas time, I think... But he will sweep Kagome off her feet! (It's a pun! Get it? Sweep off her feet... yeah.)