Disclaimer: It shall be my end if I dare to claim foolishly that I own
such wonderful fictional works.
A/N: Oh so many wonderful, beautiful, encouraging reviews! Thank you so much! I really love you people. And now to answer a few questions.
To all of you who asked how Ray would know so much about technology. The answer is I am not telling! LOL! I can promise you that it's not random or out of the blue. It will be an important plot point!
For those who asked to see more Kai, don't worry, he is coming! He gets to do quite a lot in chapter 13, along with Tyson. I think this answers another question as well. Yes you will get to see more bit-beasts in action! Also bit-beasts related special powers (Is it just me, or does that sound positively corny? Oh well.).
Nothing further than chapter 13 is written, and only a few more chapters roughly planned. So if you have any great ideas, feel free to email! I love new ideas, and I need them too.
That's about it. Now on with the story! Have fun and enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What happened here?" Ron shouted as he burst into the Room of Requirement, followed closely by Hermione and Professor Dumbledore. He eyed the heap of wires and boards lying on the ground and the many tools scattered about, and then turned his suspicious gaze towards to Blade Breakers.
Shea smiled shakily, "It's a rather long story.Surely it can wait."
Ron is about to say more, and he was stopped by the gentle sound of coughing from the old man behind him. He shut his mouth and pressed his lips tightly together, a displeased frown upon his face.
"Come on, let's not stay in this cramped corridor." Dumbledore said gently, his blue eyes swept across the group of children before him.
He turned and walked out of the now rather tight room, and the children followed him silently. Once everyone is outside the room, he gave a small twirl to his wand and the Room of Requirement shut its polished doors and melted back into the wall. He led the children past the stone gargoyle and into his own office. There he arranged chairs for all of them and sat down before his large desk himself. He didn't speak at first, but only looked at them each in turn from behind his half-moon spectacles. Finally he spoke, and his voice was very gentle.
"Tell us what happened now, Harry." He said.
Harry looked at the Blade Breakers uncertainly, but they avoided his eyes. He cleared his throat and began the story slowly. After he finished, Ron and Hermione were staring at him with wide eyes, seemingly buzzing with questions.
"But how did you." Ron asked, but his question was cut short when Dumbledore raised a hand.
"Mr. Weasley." He said, his voice slightly heavier, "I don't think questions are fit now. You all had a troublesome night, it's time you get some rest."
Ron looked as if he was about to say more, but something in Dumbledore's look declared with a finality that the conversation is ended. Harry stood up and pulled Ron up with him.
"Good night then, Professor, Dumbledore." Harry mumbled. He turned and made to leave. Reluctantly Ron and Hermione followed him. The Blade Breakers followed them too, in a brooding silence.
Harry and Ron sneaked quietly into their dorm so they wouldn't wake the others, and sank down into their beds. Ron had his fists balled up in frustration.
"I can't believe this!" He hissed, "That's it? Isn't Dumbledore going to do something? I mean, the whole business is so fishy."
Harry looked at him disbelievingly and questioned, "What do you mean by 'fishy'?"
Ron sat up abruptly, causing his sheets to make a shuffling sound.
"Don't you find this suspicious?" Ron asked, "I mean, how could they know there is this device inside the school? None of the teachers, not even Dumbledore noticed. How could that girl just change the Room of Requirement and produce those things from mid-air? And how would that Chinese guy know how to disarm that bomb thing? According to you, it shouldn't be some common knowledge. I mean, they could be play acting for all I care!"
Harry opened his mouth as if he was to speak, but then he shut it again. Ron's questions are not so easy to answer, and sometimes he has to admit that the Blade Breakers are very suspicious. They seem to know too much, and capable of even more.
Finally he answered, "I don't know, maybe they have special powers or something. Remember what we saw at Hermione's house? They couldn't possibly mean any harm to us, and Dumbledore seems to trust them without reserve."
"Well, I am glad you think that way." Ron replied gloomily, "But you know having special powers make them suspicious, one way or another, even if they mean good. Looked at what happened to you in our second year, and all you did was to speak Parseltongue. It's not even in the same league from those people."
"I was trustworthy, wasn't I?" Harry rebuked, now getting a little angry, "I am sure they will turn out just the same."
Ron seemed to be in an equally bad mood. He sank back into this bed with a dull 'thud' noise and replied, "Forget it, it won't do us any good to argue over it here. We will just have to wait and see."
Harry sank back into his own bed as well, stressed and frustrated. He thrust about fitfully, unable to sleep. The tension was thick, seeping into every part of him through the air he breath. Things are just too confusing.
In the dorm above him, things weren't any better. The Blade Breakers sat in their room, all looking tense and wary. There was silence, and the air was thick.
Finally Kai said in a cold but smooth voice, "You should explain a few things to us, Ray."
"Which ones are you speaking of?" Ray asked wryly, though his voice was still calm.
Kai's eyes narrowed and he stared at his teammate darkly, "Don't even start pretending. I want to know how and why you know how to disarm an explosive like you have played with it since you were five."
Silence. Yet again. Ray's face slowly turned stone hard and his golden eyes now bore a steely taint.
Finally he asked, "Must you know of it? Sometimes there are things that you do not need to know."
"You think we do not need to know it." Kai rebuked sharply, "In times of trouble, people tend to be more wary and suspicious."
A strange light came to Ray's eyes, and his voice suddenly had a sharp edge to it.
"Do you doubt me then? Do you suspect me of something horrid and treacherous?" He asked, slightly loosing his calm.
"Oh come on Ray!" Tyson shouted impatiently, "Of course we won't think that of you. But you should not keep anything from us. We are your friends!"
Kai added in a softer voice, "You don't have to hide anything from us, Ray."
The Chinese teen was silent again. Finally he said with a marble carved face, "I can't."
"What?" Tyson leaped, looking troubled and disbelieving at the same time.
Max looked at between them with worried glances, while Kenny pleaded, "But Ray! Why can't you tell us?"
Ray stood abruptly. He took out a piece of parchment and a quill. He began to write on the parchment furiously. Kenny moved closer and peered at the parchment. It was slowly filling up with Chinese characters that he did not recognize. Ray finished the last sentence and folded up parchment. Then he produced a small matchbox from his pocket and light up a match. He moved the parchment on top of the match carefully. There was a flash of green fire, and the parchment vanished from his hand. His teammates gasped and looked at him quizzically.
"The secret I keep is not wholly my own. I cannot tell you anything unless I am permitted to do so. I have written a letter to my superior to ask for permission." Ray explained slowly in a strained voice, "If she grants my request I will tell you everything in detail then. But for now, please don't ask me anything more. I can not answer them."
Kai stared at him long and hard, but Ray returned his gaze unflinchingly. There was nothing deceptive in his golden eyes, only weariness and plead for understanding. Kai sighed.
"Keep it then, if it is truly as you say." He said, registering defeat, "I guess there is no need trying to change your mind."
With that said he withdrew from the circle and retreated to his own bed. The others followed suit. But Ray did not move for a long while. He sat on the floor and stared into the dark shadows. Finally he stood up quietly and went to bed. Things did not look good.
The next morning was a bright, cheery Saturday morning, despite everyone's bad mood. Harry, Hermione and Ron sat along the long table and silently ate their breakfasts. Suddenly there was a flurry of wings as a brown owl appeared above them and dropped a roll of newspaper into Hermione's lap.
"Daily Prophet again?" Ron asked absentmindedly.
Hermione answered as she clumsily unrolled the paper with one hand, the other hand still holding her fork, "It is good to be well informed, you know."
She laid the newspaper flat on the table and peered into the first page over a bowl of porridge. She gasped loudly after only scanning the paper; a serious expression suddenly came to her face. Harry moved near to her and glanced at the paper. On the front page, there was a large, bold title that reads:
MINISTRY ATTACKED BY MUGGLES
Dumbledore's actions again put the magic community at risk
"What the bloody hell is this?" Harry stared at the paper and shouted incredulously.
Hermione read the article to them quietly.
"The Ministry of Magic was attacked yesterday evening, strangely not by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but some muggle that is wholly unknown to the magic community before.
Yesterday evening at six o'clock, when everyone was ready to pack up their business and head for home, a sudden explosion shook the building. The explosion originated from the fourth floor, caused by a strange device that muggles use, according to our experts. The explosion demolished the fourth level completely, and the fire that followed also caused considerable damage. Eric Selmer, who was working in his office located on the fourth level at the time, was killed instantly. Three others were hurt also.
The aurors investigated the building thoroughly after the incident, and they found a strange note glued to the entrance of the Ministry. The note is signed Voltaire, a suspected head of a crime organization in Russia according to the information supplied by our Muggle experts. The whole content of the note shall not be made public here. It basically accuses of the magic community of shielding Voltaire's rivals and enemies, a group of children named the Blade Breakers.
The Blade Breakers is a famous sport team in the muggle world, and they are involved with Voltaire through some strange ways. They are Voltaire's mortal enemies, and they are hunted down by him ever since the summer. Right now this group of children are students of Hogwarts, under the protection of the wizard world just as the muggle accuses.
According to reliable sources, it was Albus Dumbledore, the current headmaster of Hogwarts who offered those children schooling in Hogwarts, even though none of them have attended a magic school before. Now due to his actions, the wizard world is dragged into a struggle among muggles. We have heard from many that Dumbledore's actions are highly disputable, since the magic community is already in jeopardy and does not need to be drawn into another conflict."
Harry snorted and eyed the article with distaste.
"I though Fudge had given up on destroying Dumbledore's image." He said angrily, "After what happened last year, he still doubts Dumbledore!"
"I don't know, Harry." Hermione said doubtfully, "I mean, you have to admit, this article is pretty convincing. I am not even sure what to believe anymore, never mind other people."
Harry looked at her with disbelieve, "What do you mean you don't know what to believe anymore? How can you have any doubts? Voltaire is already allied with Voldemort, this is just an excuse to throw us off track. And don't you remember what happened last night?"
"The whole thing last night looked suspicious to me!" Hermione said with frustration, "I don't feel that I can trust them."
Her sentence was cut short when the Blade Breakers came to the table also and sat down near them. They all looked weary and gloomy. Hermione and Ron both looked them with an awkward expression.
"What is wrong?" Ray asked with a frown, his golden eyes sweeping across the threesome sitting across the table.
Silently Hermione handed him the newspaper. Seeing her solemn expression they all tensed and gathered around to read the article in question. Even Tyson dropped his fork and peered at the paper. After they finished there was a strained silence.
"What a low blow!" Tyson finally said, in an angry voice.
Kai took the paper in his hand and crumbled it up with a violent rage. A bright red flame suddenly sprang from his hand and devoured the ball of paper, turning it to ashes. Kai had a furious expression on his face, and his mahogany eyes were stormy like pools of flame.
"So typical of him isn't it?" Kai snarled like a wolf, "To make us leap at each other's throat. He did it once, and obviously he will do it again."
Harry cringed and backed up a little in his chair subconsciously. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw an expression akin to fear on Hermione and Ron's faces. The others were silent. Max buried his face in his hands and Ray simply looked away.
"We can't fall for that." Shea said quietly, her voice strangely calm, "We must not let that piece of lies and deceits estrange us. That's what they want to happen. They want to divide and conquer. Broken apart, we will never stand up to them. We must stay united."
Ron and Hermione nodded slowly, if somewhat reluctantly. Harry watched them, and a sudden horrible feeling came to him that it would be much harder to achieve it in reality. Things had just turned from bad to worse.
A/N: Oh so many wonderful, beautiful, encouraging reviews! Thank you so much! I really love you people. And now to answer a few questions.
To all of you who asked how Ray would know so much about technology. The answer is I am not telling! LOL! I can promise you that it's not random or out of the blue. It will be an important plot point!
For those who asked to see more Kai, don't worry, he is coming! He gets to do quite a lot in chapter 13, along with Tyson. I think this answers another question as well. Yes you will get to see more bit-beasts in action! Also bit-beasts related special powers (Is it just me, or does that sound positively corny? Oh well.).
Nothing further than chapter 13 is written, and only a few more chapters roughly planned. So if you have any great ideas, feel free to email! I love new ideas, and I need them too.
That's about it. Now on with the story! Have fun and enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What happened here?" Ron shouted as he burst into the Room of Requirement, followed closely by Hermione and Professor Dumbledore. He eyed the heap of wires and boards lying on the ground and the many tools scattered about, and then turned his suspicious gaze towards to Blade Breakers.
Shea smiled shakily, "It's a rather long story.Surely it can wait."
Ron is about to say more, and he was stopped by the gentle sound of coughing from the old man behind him. He shut his mouth and pressed his lips tightly together, a displeased frown upon his face.
"Come on, let's not stay in this cramped corridor." Dumbledore said gently, his blue eyes swept across the group of children before him.
He turned and walked out of the now rather tight room, and the children followed him silently. Once everyone is outside the room, he gave a small twirl to his wand and the Room of Requirement shut its polished doors and melted back into the wall. He led the children past the stone gargoyle and into his own office. There he arranged chairs for all of them and sat down before his large desk himself. He didn't speak at first, but only looked at them each in turn from behind his half-moon spectacles. Finally he spoke, and his voice was very gentle.
"Tell us what happened now, Harry." He said.
Harry looked at the Blade Breakers uncertainly, but they avoided his eyes. He cleared his throat and began the story slowly. After he finished, Ron and Hermione were staring at him with wide eyes, seemingly buzzing with questions.
"But how did you." Ron asked, but his question was cut short when Dumbledore raised a hand.
"Mr. Weasley." He said, his voice slightly heavier, "I don't think questions are fit now. You all had a troublesome night, it's time you get some rest."
Ron looked as if he was about to say more, but something in Dumbledore's look declared with a finality that the conversation is ended. Harry stood up and pulled Ron up with him.
"Good night then, Professor, Dumbledore." Harry mumbled. He turned and made to leave. Reluctantly Ron and Hermione followed him. The Blade Breakers followed them too, in a brooding silence.
Harry and Ron sneaked quietly into their dorm so they wouldn't wake the others, and sank down into their beds. Ron had his fists balled up in frustration.
"I can't believe this!" He hissed, "That's it? Isn't Dumbledore going to do something? I mean, the whole business is so fishy."
Harry looked at him disbelievingly and questioned, "What do you mean by 'fishy'?"
Ron sat up abruptly, causing his sheets to make a shuffling sound.
"Don't you find this suspicious?" Ron asked, "I mean, how could they know there is this device inside the school? None of the teachers, not even Dumbledore noticed. How could that girl just change the Room of Requirement and produce those things from mid-air? And how would that Chinese guy know how to disarm that bomb thing? According to you, it shouldn't be some common knowledge. I mean, they could be play acting for all I care!"
Harry opened his mouth as if he was to speak, but then he shut it again. Ron's questions are not so easy to answer, and sometimes he has to admit that the Blade Breakers are very suspicious. They seem to know too much, and capable of even more.
Finally he answered, "I don't know, maybe they have special powers or something. Remember what we saw at Hermione's house? They couldn't possibly mean any harm to us, and Dumbledore seems to trust them without reserve."
"Well, I am glad you think that way." Ron replied gloomily, "But you know having special powers make them suspicious, one way or another, even if they mean good. Looked at what happened to you in our second year, and all you did was to speak Parseltongue. It's not even in the same league from those people."
"I was trustworthy, wasn't I?" Harry rebuked, now getting a little angry, "I am sure they will turn out just the same."
Ron seemed to be in an equally bad mood. He sank back into this bed with a dull 'thud' noise and replied, "Forget it, it won't do us any good to argue over it here. We will just have to wait and see."
Harry sank back into his own bed as well, stressed and frustrated. He thrust about fitfully, unable to sleep. The tension was thick, seeping into every part of him through the air he breath. Things are just too confusing.
In the dorm above him, things weren't any better. The Blade Breakers sat in their room, all looking tense and wary. There was silence, and the air was thick.
Finally Kai said in a cold but smooth voice, "You should explain a few things to us, Ray."
"Which ones are you speaking of?" Ray asked wryly, though his voice was still calm.
Kai's eyes narrowed and he stared at his teammate darkly, "Don't even start pretending. I want to know how and why you know how to disarm an explosive like you have played with it since you were five."
Silence. Yet again. Ray's face slowly turned stone hard and his golden eyes now bore a steely taint.
Finally he asked, "Must you know of it? Sometimes there are things that you do not need to know."
"You think we do not need to know it." Kai rebuked sharply, "In times of trouble, people tend to be more wary and suspicious."
A strange light came to Ray's eyes, and his voice suddenly had a sharp edge to it.
"Do you doubt me then? Do you suspect me of something horrid and treacherous?" He asked, slightly loosing his calm.
"Oh come on Ray!" Tyson shouted impatiently, "Of course we won't think that of you. But you should not keep anything from us. We are your friends!"
Kai added in a softer voice, "You don't have to hide anything from us, Ray."
The Chinese teen was silent again. Finally he said with a marble carved face, "I can't."
"What?" Tyson leaped, looking troubled and disbelieving at the same time.
Max looked at between them with worried glances, while Kenny pleaded, "But Ray! Why can't you tell us?"
Ray stood abruptly. He took out a piece of parchment and a quill. He began to write on the parchment furiously. Kenny moved closer and peered at the parchment. It was slowly filling up with Chinese characters that he did not recognize. Ray finished the last sentence and folded up parchment. Then he produced a small matchbox from his pocket and light up a match. He moved the parchment on top of the match carefully. There was a flash of green fire, and the parchment vanished from his hand. His teammates gasped and looked at him quizzically.
"The secret I keep is not wholly my own. I cannot tell you anything unless I am permitted to do so. I have written a letter to my superior to ask for permission." Ray explained slowly in a strained voice, "If she grants my request I will tell you everything in detail then. But for now, please don't ask me anything more. I can not answer them."
Kai stared at him long and hard, but Ray returned his gaze unflinchingly. There was nothing deceptive in his golden eyes, only weariness and plead for understanding. Kai sighed.
"Keep it then, if it is truly as you say." He said, registering defeat, "I guess there is no need trying to change your mind."
With that said he withdrew from the circle and retreated to his own bed. The others followed suit. But Ray did not move for a long while. He sat on the floor and stared into the dark shadows. Finally he stood up quietly and went to bed. Things did not look good.
The next morning was a bright, cheery Saturday morning, despite everyone's bad mood. Harry, Hermione and Ron sat along the long table and silently ate their breakfasts. Suddenly there was a flurry of wings as a brown owl appeared above them and dropped a roll of newspaper into Hermione's lap.
"Daily Prophet again?" Ron asked absentmindedly.
Hermione answered as she clumsily unrolled the paper with one hand, the other hand still holding her fork, "It is good to be well informed, you know."
She laid the newspaper flat on the table and peered into the first page over a bowl of porridge. She gasped loudly after only scanning the paper; a serious expression suddenly came to her face. Harry moved near to her and glanced at the paper. On the front page, there was a large, bold title that reads:
MINISTRY ATTACKED BY MUGGLES
Dumbledore's actions again put the magic community at risk
"What the bloody hell is this?" Harry stared at the paper and shouted incredulously.
Hermione read the article to them quietly.
"The Ministry of Magic was attacked yesterday evening, strangely not by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but some muggle that is wholly unknown to the magic community before.
Yesterday evening at six o'clock, when everyone was ready to pack up their business and head for home, a sudden explosion shook the building. The explosion originated from the fourth floor, caused by a strange device that muggles use, according to our experts. The explosion demolished the fourth level completely, and the fire that followed also caused considerable damage. Eric Selmer, who was working in his office located on the fourth level at the time, was killed instantly. Three others were hurt also.
The aurors investigated the building thoroughly after the incident, and they found a strange note glued to the entrance of the Ministry. The note is signed Voltaire, a suspected head of a crime organization in Russia according to the information supplied by our Muggle experts. The whole content of the note shall not be made public here. It basically accuses of the magic community of shielding Voltaire's rivals and enemies, a group of children named the Blade Breakers.
The Blade Breakers is a famous sport team in the muggle world, and they are involved with Voltaire through some strange ways. They are Voltaire's mortal enemies, and they are hunted down by him ever since the summer. Right now this group of children are students of Hogwarts, under the protection of the wizard world just as the muggle accuses.
According to reliable sources, it was Albus Dumbledore, the current headmaster of Hogwarts who offered those children schooling in Hogwarts, even though none of them have attended a magic school before. Now due to his actions, the wizard world is dragged into a struggle among muggles. We have heard from many that Dumbledore's actions are highly disputable, since the magic community is already in jeopardy and does not need to be drawn into another conflict."
Harry snorted and eyed the article with distaste.
"I though Fudge had given up on destroying Dumbledore's image." He said angrily, "After what happened last year, he still doubts Dumbledore!"
"I don't know, Harry." Hermione said doubtfully, "I mean, you have to admit, this article is pretty convincing. I am not even sure what to believe anymore, never mind other people."
Harry looked at her with disbelieve, "What do you mean you don't know what to believe anymore? How can you have any doubts? Voltaire is already allied with Voldemort, this is just an excuse to throw us off track. And don't you remember what happened last night?"
"The whole thing last night looked suspicious to me!" Hermione said with frustration, "I don't feel that I can trust them."
Her sentence was cut short when the Blade Breakers came to the table also and sat down near them. They all looked weary and gloomy. Hermione and Ron both looked them with an awkward expression.
"What is wrong?" Ray asked with a frown, his golden eyes sweeping across the threesome sitting across the table.
Silently Hermione handed him the newspaper. Seeing her solemn expression they all tensed and gathered around to read the article in question. Even Tyson dropped his fork and peered at the paper. After they finished there was a strained silence.
"What a low blow!" Tyson finally said, in an angry voice.
Kai took the paper in his hand and crumbled it up with a violent rage. A bright red flame suddenly sprang from his hand and devoured the ball of paper, turning it to ashes. Kai had a furious expression on his face, and his mahogany eyes were stormy like pools of flame.
"So typical of him isn't it?" Kai snarled like a wolf, "To make us leap at each other's throat. He did it once, and obviously he will do it again."
Harry cringed and backed up a little in his chair subconsciously. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw an expression akin to fear on Hermione and Ron's faces. The others were silent. Max buried his face in his hands and Ray simply looked away.
"We can't fall for that." Shea said quietly, her voice strangely calm, "We must not let that piece of lies and deceits estrange us. That's what they want to happen. They want to divide and conquer. Broken apart, we will never stand up to them. We must stay united."
Ron and Hermione nodded slowly, if somewhat reluctantly. Harry watched them, and a sudden horrible feeling came to him that it would be much harder to achieve it in reality. Things had just turned from bad to worse.
