Of Wizards and Keyblades: chapter 7
pairings: just read to find out. Nothing slash, though.
author's note: Thanks to my reviewers and my beta-reader Katrina! *squeals and hugs* FlikFreak: you think I'm amazing? You're so sweet! Thanks so much!
Okay, now the fic!
Sora sat, again, in front of Dumbledore's desk, running his fingers lovingly over the mithril blade of his weapon, listening to all the old man said.
"Well, my boy, I am afraid that this can no longer stay a secret now. I'm not blaming you, though. There was no other way out of that situation, and look what you caught! This little creature may hand over some interesting information. Ennervate!"
The Dark figure groggily sat up, its hands and feet bound by magically enforced straps.
"Heartless, who do you serve?" Sora questioned, swinging his blade around to prick the creature's neck threateningly .
"I fight under Captain Zanik, who is 4th under Kogs, General of all Light Killers." the evil fiend answered in a caustic, inhuman voice.
"What about Voldemort? Do you serve him?" Dumbledore said, rising from his seat.
"Kogs is a slave to the Darkest One, and thus all Light Killers are servants to the Darkest One's orders."
"Does Voldemort hold a talking duck and dog hostage?"
"Yes."
"Are they injured, tortured?"
"No. They were ordered not to be harmed, though they killed many of us before first being subdued."
"Is the Dark Lord planning a battle involving your kind?"
"Yes."
The symbol on the Heartless's cloak blazed, and another crude speech reverberated in the room," Coward! Traitor! You dare to leak information about your Brethren! Death to you!" The cross heart flared, and the Light Killer shrieked as it burned alive, and in thirty seconds was nothing but a pile of ashes.
"Well, this is...different, Headmaster. The Heartless I know are mindless beings, incapable of planned action or organization. This one talks, that is a great feat alone, but of ranks, captains, even a general. These must be hybrids of Heartless and something much more intelligent."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sora, are you alright? I really would like to talk...." Harry asked when the Keyblade Master trudged into the common room, his sword disguised again as a wand.
"I'm fine....I'll try to answer some of your questions, just not here. Too many ears." The brunette answered quietly.
"Would you mind if Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid joined in? They wouldn't tell a soul."
"Sure."
"Good, then we'll go down to Hagrid's hut. It'll only be us."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"....so yer from another werld, eh? Tha's sumthin' ya don' hear everyday." Hagrid muttered, stroking his shaggy beard. Harry and Hermione already knew, of course, and they had kept it from Ron, but even they didn't know that Sora was a warrior of Light.
"Can I see that sword, Sora?" Ron asked eagerly, glancing at the transformed wand.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt...reversus." The Keyblade was passed around the room, and Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid examined it so closely that it was an inch from their noses. Ron pricked his finger on the end when he tested the sharpness of the tip. Yep, it was pretty sharp.
"So, wha' was that thing in the Forest?" Hagrid asked, pouring more tea.
"A form of Heartless. They are minions of Darkness, who seem to be at least partially controlled by Voldemort." Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid flinched. "What? What did I say?"
"You-Know-Who's name....geez, you and Harry will be the death of me!" Ron muttered, color drained from his face.
"Sorry, I didn't know it was bad to say it. Anyway, the Heartless I know couldn't think for themselves, but these seem to be more intelligent. Dumbledore guesses that they are bred from the traditional Heartless, the ones that I know, and something from this world, like goblins. Come to think of it, I didn't know that they COULD breed...." Ron made a face, but Hermione was fascinated, riveted even. She would not stop asking detailed questions about the Heartless he had encountered, the worlds he saw, Goofy and Donald. That particular part of the conversation made him feel guilty for not coming up with a decent plan yet, although now he had a few extra heads thinking with him. Maybe they could formulate something soon.
He was thoroughly sick of the questionnaire by the time night fell, and Hagrid escorted them into the castle.
"Aw, man! I have detention with Snape tonight!" Sora slapped himself on the forehead, and tore down to the dungeons, already ten minutes late.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ah, so you finally decided to grace me with your presence. Five points for being late. Scrub the cauldrons over there in the corner, then come back to me."
Sigh. "Yes, sir." Sora got started on the grime-caked pots, scrubbing with all his strength until his joints ached. There were five altogether, and each was the size of coffee table.
After he was finished, the brunette dragged himself over to Snape's desk, where the tall man was grading papers. "I'm done."
"Very well, now you can start on harvesting those frog livers from the carcasses over in that tub. There is a scalpel and forceps in the desk drawer. Don't mess it up."
Sora gaped at the impossibly endless number of dead amphibians in the basin, and then thought of cutting open every single one and pulling out a slimy little liver. He retched reflexively.
"No way in Hell am I going to touch those frogs. Can't I do something less disgusting?" Sora wrinkled his nose at the acrid smell of dead water creatures.
Snape rose from his seat slowly, eyes burning with anger. "Are you defying me? How dare you!" He rounded his desk so that he was standing a foot away from his new student. "Typical Gryffindor, even if you ARE from another planet. I will not tolerate dissention and disobedience. I thought it wouldn't come to this. Assume the position."1 the Potions Master muttered, reaching into the classroom closet and pulling out.....a cane.
"What position is that?"
"Drop your trousers and bend over the desk, you stupid boy."
"Why?"
"So I can cane you!"
"Cane me? What for? I don't need a cane."
Snape rubbed his temples in frustration. "I am going to flog you with this cane on your posterior. Kindly assume the position so that we can get this over with."
"You're kidding me."
"I most definitely am not. Now; assume the Goddamn position!"
"No! You are not going to spank me with a stick, it's cruel and unusual punishment."
"It is nothing unusual, nor cruel. I can think of nastier disciplines, though." He sneered, brandishing the cane.
'This is a twisted nightmare.' Sora thought, shaking his head in dissent. "I'll tell the Headmaster."
Suddenly, Snape picked him up by the scruff of the collar, and held him high, shoving him against the stone wall.
"Listen, you cretin. I will NOT put up with this disrespecting disobedience. I don't care if you are new here, you must still obey the rules, and they stand thus: students serving detention must comply with his teacher's directions, or face suspension for willfulness."
Sora couldn't stop a smart-ass retort, even thought he well knew that it would just get him into more trouble. "Does the teacher have a right to manhandle innocent students as well? Like smashing their heads into bloody walls?!"
A sneer. "Teachers are also allowed to cane willful stu- ah!" Snape dropped Sora onto his butt, clutching his forearm with a painful grimace, and backed into his chair.
"Leave, your detention is over. You're incredibly lucky."
Sora had to agree. Picking himself up, he raced out of the door and straight up to Gryffindor tower non-stop.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"He clutched his arm? That must mean the Dark Mark is burning..." Harry muttered. Seeing the confused look on the Keyblade Wielder's face, he quickly gave an explanation, then moved on with his train of thought.
"Voldemort must be holding a meeting. Why would Snape be going? I thought he had been a sp.....Shit!" Harry yelled, jumping from the couch in the deserted common room. Everyone else (that being Hermione, Sora, and Ron) jumped with him.
"What is it?" Hermione exclaimed.
"I just remembered something! Last year, after the Triwizard Tournament, Dumbledore asked Snape to do something dangerous for him....I think he has taken up spying again! But that won't work....I heard Voldemort talking to his followers, and he was speaking of a missing member he said, 'One, who I believe has left me forever...' which must be Snape! But there was something else he said....oh no." Harry's eyes widened with fear and understanding.
"What else do you remember, Harry?
"'He will be killed, of course.'"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 1. "Assume the position." Quoted from "Dead Poets Society.
author's note: Wohoo! Another chapter finished. Donald and Goofy are gonna be in the next chapter! It's getting darker.....please review!
