Firefly-chan- Oops, don't know how that happened! Oh, well, I've fixed it now… thanks for telling me. She might or she might not, it's a long time away… and yep, they're all here now!
Silversickle17- Well, DUH! It was because she didn't show her to the library. You just have problems writing summaries… if you let me write you a new one, and then "replace" the story with itself, we can see what'll happen ;-) heheheheeee I WILL, I WILL! Heheheeeeee
Kawaii Tenshi- hehehee I will. I actually am beginning to think of a good plot for the fifth year…
Bunni V- Thanks! Hehehe I have a huge outline due Tuesday and I only have note cards done…
Mei- Thanks, and I hope that this was quick enough!
Es- you'll find out soon! That about sums it up... Usagi knows she's the princess from some of the books she read. That's also how she knows that Harry is her twin.
DevilsDarling- I'm writing, I'm writing! NOT THE DEMOS!
Roninchica- They teleported, and I wanted them to end up in the Gryffindor dorm. (Read the fic. It's right down there...) Thanks for the ideas! Amazingly enough, I've thought of something I can write for it, and Usagi will have a bit more action. I'll try to work in some of your ideas, too ;-) The more the better! Maybe...
Cheska- It would be, but I want to keep her an observer for now... that could change, though. She doesn't really, but let's see what happens!
Jessica Black- I hope this was quick enough!
Silversickle17, I put you on my favorite author's list! Um… that came from nowhere… hehee.
Oh, the ages are going to be really whacked out for the scouts. Usagi is fourteen, the other four inners just turned fifteen, Setsuna/Professor Meioh is… older, and Mamoru will be… eighteen. The Ziklag school accepts students at ten, and they leave at age… nineteen. THERE! That makes enough sense, ne? I know they go to school longer than the Hogwarts students do, but that just makes them smarter… we can say that the last two years are kinda like college. The Kenji that is in the school is not Usagi's father in this, he's a new student. Motoki is the one from Crowns, and Mamoru is good ol' Mamo-chan.
*** *** *** *** ***
Usagi was trying very hard not to laugh. The twins and Lee had been up plotting for a very long time, their ideas for getting to put their names in the Goblet growing more ridiculous by the minute. At last, she burst out, "Why not just use an aging potion?"
The three started and stared at her, then at each other.
Lee closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. (Translation: We just wasted a good hour trying to figure out what we could do, and she's known all along…)
George and Fred crossed their eyes. (Translation: GET HER!)
Suddenly, the three boys had thrown themselves at Usagi, promptly beginning an all-out wrestling match. Laughing silently, Usagi slipped out from under them and sat in Lee's vacated chair. Her's had been tipped over. She doubled up, still laughing silently, for the three hadn't ceased their fighting.
The portrait hole flew open, revealing Professor McGonagall and the Japanese exchange students. Lee, Fred and George ceased their fighting and looked up. Fred had been pulling Lee's dreadlocks, George had been scratching Fred, and Lee held George up by the hair and had been punching him.
Throwing one last punch before standing, Lee said, "Er, good evening, Professor McGonagall."
Professor McGonagall shook her head sadly, then turned back to the students gathered behind her. "You'll grow used to those four… they do that all the time. Now, this will be where you will be sleeping the rest of the year, and you will be able to do any homework in this common room or in the library, which I've shown you."
Professor McGonagall pulled out a list, and began reading off it. "Let's see… Rei, Minako, Ami and Makoto, you will be rooming with the fourth year girls. Mamoru, Motoki, and Kenji, you will be rooming with the sixth year boys. You seven can go now, while I tell the rest where they'll be."
Usagi smiled at the four girls who had stood forward, and said, "You'll be with me! Come on, I can show you to the dorm."
Lee was glaring daggers at the one named Mamoru. If looks could kill, it would be a wonder that he was still standing and breathing.
"Oi, you three! Come on, then, you'll be with us!" Fred called, still trying to ward off George while getting the three boy's attention. He quickly darted up the stairs, leaving George clawing at the air for a moment.
"We're the third door up," George said with a grin, leading the three up the stairs. Lee stared after for a moment, but noticing the weird looks he was drawing from the rest of the Japanese students, he hurried up after them.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Rei, everyone, this is Hermione, Lavender and Parvati," Usagi said, introducing the four Japanese students to her dorm-mates.
"This is Ami," Rei said, indicating the girl with blue hair who had wanted to go to the library, "Minako," the girl with waist length blonde hair waved, "and Makoto," the girl with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail smiled.
"Hello," Hermione said, beaming around at everyone.
"We're going to bed," Parvati and Lavender announced at the same time, yawning. "Night."
"I wonder where their beds are?" Usagi mused aloud. She got down on her hands and knees, and poked her head under her bed. "Aha!" came her muffled shout, "They have trundle beds under our beds!" When she re-emerged a moment later, she was pulling out a very large trundle bed that was piled high with very comfortable looking pillows and sheets.
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, and pulled out an identical cot from under her bed. Usagi and Hermione went over and retrieved the ones hidden beneath Parvati and Lavender's beds, as they were already snoring gently.
"Where are your trunks?" Usagi prodded curiously.
"Right here," Ami said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a very tiny box. She set it on the ground and it began to expand into a decent sized, blue trunk. The other girls had done the same, and then shoved their trunks against the wall, along with their beds.
"There! That looks like these almost belong here," Makoto said, surveying the new arrangement of the room.
The students from Ziklag feigned sleepiness, and climbed into their beds. Waiting for Hermione and Usagi's breathing to slow, they lay quietly. At last, Ami, Makoto and Rei went and sat on the end of Minako's bed.
"Want to go enter now?" she asked the other three. "Then, we'll think about finding the princess."
Nodding, they all got up and slid on their slippers and padded softly out of the room. When they finally managed to find the Entrance Hall, they saw the softly glowing Goblet in the very center, a large, golden circle drawn around it.
"An age line," Ami said, with a hint of satisfaction coloring her voice.
"But wouldn't that let younger students from the other schools in?" Minako asked in obvious confusion.
Holding her hands out over the line, Rei stated simply, "Japanese born are let in at fifteen, and all others at sixteen." {A/N: 16 or 17? Oopsies, I forgot...}
"Oh," Minako said, still rather confused.
"Let's go," Makoto urged, pulling a slip of paper out of her pocket. "The faster we do this, the faster we can get to bed. It's freezing here!"
As their assent, the other three also pulled out their papers and approached the Goblet. One by one, they dropped their names in, and then at last were able to find their way to bed.
"I have an idea," Minako said, startling them all. "I can just trace our footsteps back to the dormitory!"
The other three gave looks as if they pitied Minako, but really, they were surprised. Voicing the confusion they all felt, Rei said, "Why didn't you just do that earlier when we were trying to get down here?"
Minako giggled and replied, "It was funny watching you all get so lost!"
Sighing, the others simply followed her as she found the older traces of their passage to return to bed.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
They had stayed up late, discussing how they would figure out who the Princess was, but came up with no plans. They were awake amazingly early, Ami having found her way to the library on her own, Rei heading off to the owlery to write to her Grandfather, Minako waiting impatiently in the Entrance Hall, watching everyone submit their names to the Goblet, and Makoto tickling a pear in a painting. {A/N: To get into the kitchens, duh.}
Usagi was incredibly tired, and as she stumbled down the stairs, Lee caught her arm. "Drink three drops of this," he whispered, shoving a vial at her, "You need more than we did." Fred and George stood behind him, grinning. As she drank, she felt herself grow a bit taller, felt her face become more elegant than cute, and knew that she had just aged two years.
Judging by the stunned looks on her three friends' faces, she knew that they could definitely tell. "Do you have a reversing potion, too?" she asked, impatient with their stupidity. When they nodded, she said, "Good, I'll take it right after I put my name in. Let's go!"
She dragged them down the stairs and shoved Fred forward. Drawing attention to himself, he stood at the edge of the circle, and then took two steps in. George dashed in, seeing nothing stopping his twin, but then there was a loud POP! and both found themselves on their rumps with identical white beards. Usagi, knowing that the potion hadn't helped any, drank three drops of the reversing potion while everyone cracked up laughing.
Dumbledore swept past and suggested that the two go to the infirmary to have their beards removed. They proceeded to work their way towards the stairs, Lee and Usagi laughing behind them. Suddenly, someone jolted into Lee, and Lee accidentally shoved Usagi into the premises of the Age Line. The hall fell silent as they watched Usagi stand there in the circle, not even three steps away from the Goblet.
Slowly, undecidedly, Usagi smoothed out the crumpled piece of parchment that bore her name and 'Hogwarts', and stared at it. Feeling the eyes of everyone in the Entrance Hall on her, Usagi was frozen, and didn't know what to do.
*** *** *** *** *** ***
Now, was THAT a cliffie, or what? Heheheee next time you'll find out what dear old Usa-chan does. Till then, you'll just have to wait!
Rini
R&R!