Part Two – Mismatched Eyes, Misplaced Past
Hermione was the first to regain her wits. "An Auror's license? But you're only our age! Becoming an Auror requires years and years of special training, not to mention really good grades all throughout school and special permission from the government and registration and tests and—"
"Now, now, Hermione. I know you're excited about the new guest, but don't pester her with question the moment she gets in! Lead her up to your room. She'll be sleeping with you and Ginny." Mrs. Weasely seemed eager to get the four to talk to each other. And with that, the three of them were shooed upstairs with the mysterious newcomer trailing behind.
With much difficulty, the four of them managed to squash into Hermione's room next to the three beds, the three Hogwarts student seemingly eager to know the Asian girl. Meanwhile, Ayumi seemed absolutely calm as she placed her suitcase on the bed and began rummaging through it.
Ron was the first to speak up. "So.... You're an Auror?"
"Yes."
'Doesn't speak too much, does she?' Harry though to himself as he watched the girl unpack several strange-looking garments. "Wait. But when I asked Proffessor Mc- I mean, one of my professors, she said that becoming an Auror really does require special training and really good grades and all of that..."
Pulling out a hairbrush, the girl began to run it through her hair as she replied. "I finished the required seven years of school education last year and completed the Auror training this year. I took the test last week and just received my Auror's license today."
"So, you're, what... some sort of super-genius?" Ron blurted out, looking rather surprised. "Hermione, you've got competition, it seems!"
Ayumi gave Ron a look before she replied. "I am nothing of that sort; I am just another person trying to use magic for the good of everyone." She turned to Harry. "And, for your information, yes, becoming an Auror does require what your professor mentioned... um...."
"Harry. Harry Potter. Just call me Harry." Harry immediately regretted having introduced himself as Ayumi arched an eyebrow at him. However, the next moment, she turned away and went back to unpacking as if nothing had happened. "Oh, and... by the way..." He pointed in Ron's general direction. "That's Ron Weasely... And that's Hermione Granger."
Ayumi looked up at Hermione and blinked. "It's nice to know that there is another female my age around here." Taking her soaked black robe off, she threw it into the air, whence it promptly flew over to the coat rack and hung itself there quite neatly.
Hermione looked quite interested at the Asian girl's casual display of magic. "So.... Did you get any special training for becoming an Auror? Any special education or anything?" When Ayumi nodded in response, she went on, looking excited. "Then you must know loads and loads of special spells! Like the famous Yami Curse and the—"
The girl suddenly got up, a loose garment held in her arms. "I am sorry, but if you would excuse me for a moment.... I would like to change out of my water-heavy clothes..." She left the room quickly, shutting the door behind her, heading down the hallway.
"So... what do you think of her?" Hermione looked rather interested as she spoke up. "She looks really smart doesn't she? I bet she could give us loads of tips on spells and stuff."
Harry nodded. "Yeah.... If you can make her talk. She doesn't really seem like the type of person to talk a lot..."
"She looks rather strange, doesn't she?" Ron blurted out. Both Harry and Hermione looked at him with arched eyebrows. "I mean... have you seen her eyes? The left one's all.... Yellow.... Like a cat's.... It creeps me out..." Hermione sniffed in apparent disapproval, and Ron went on. "And... she's too cold... it's like... she doesn't want to talk... I think she's kind of... strange..."
He shut up the next moment as the door quietly opened, and the young Auror walked in, wearing some sort of robe-like garment. Harry gave it a strange look. "Just... what are you wearing?"
Ayumi replied without looking at Harry. "It's called a yukata. A casual type of traditional Japanese wear." Carefully, she hung her other clothes on the coat rack, then shut the suitcase on her bed, sliding it under the bed frame before turning to Hermione. "And... you were saying...?"
"That girl knows a lot..." Harry mumbled as he stepped wearily into his room and started changing into his pajamas. "I never would've thought that she was only our age. You'd think that she was some sort of teacher, with all that stuff she knows..."
It was late at night, and the last couple hours had been spent talking to the young Auror. She had continued to speak in her short, concise, army-like way, but had at least smiled once when Ron had tripped in the doorway coming back from the restroom.
Ron scratched his nose. "Well... I still don't like her.... She's still too cold... like a... soldier, or whatever Muggles call'em."
Harry smiled wanly, then realized that Hermione's voice could still be heard through the wall, along with Ayumi's short replies. Getting ready to go to sleep, he mused out loud, "I wonder what they're talking about..."
"So... why did you decide to join the Order anyways? I'm sure that you have a lot to do working as an Auror already..." Hermione asked as ran a brush through her hair, getting ready for bed.
"I have nowhere else to go." Ayumi was seated cross-legged on her bed, flipping through a small, worn paper book inscribed with complex writing. "I was kindly offered to stay here by Albus Dumbledore when he saw me taking the Auror's test." Shutting the book, she slid it into her suitcase, her long hair nearly covering her face as she leaned down. "He said that I would be welcome here..."
"Oh... but don't you have a place to stay in Japan?"
There was a rather long silence before the girl replied, her voice still cold, but reflecting obvious sadness. "My parents were both Aurors... they were killed by Death Eaters... I was raised by my relatives... but they recently disowned me because they could no longer afford to care for me." Turning off the candle next to her bed, she lay down, her face hidden under the covers. "I am sorry, but I am extremely tired from the international trip and I do not truly feel like talking about such... things... Good night."
It was quite a while before Hermione managed to shake the girl's sad statement out of her head.
Hermione was the first to regain her wits. "An Auror's license? But you're only our age! Becoming an Auror requires years and years of special training, not to mention really good grades all throughout school and special permission from the government and registration and tests and—"
"Now, now, Hermione. I know you're excited about the new guest, but don't pester her with question the moment she gets in! Lead her up to your room. She'll be sleeping with you and Ginny." Mrs. Weasely seemed eager to get the four to talk to each other. And with that, the three of them were shooed upstairs with the mysterious newcomer trailing behind.
With much difficulty, the four of them managed to squash into Hermione's room next to the three beds, the three Hogwarts student seemingly eager to know the Asian girl. Meanwhile, Ayumi seemed absolutely calm as she placed her suitcase on the bed and began rummaging through it.
Ron was the first to speak up. "So.... You're an Auror?"
"Yes."
'Doesn't speak too much, does she?' Harry though to himself as he watched the girl unpack several strange-looking garments. "Wait. But when I asked Proffessor Mc- I mean, one of my professors, she said that becoming an Auror really does require special training and really good grades and all of that..."
Pulling out a hairbrush, the girl began to run it through her hair as she replied. "I finished the required seven years of school education last year and completed the Auror training this year. I took the test last week and just received my Auror's license today."
"So, you're, what... some sort of super-genius?" Ron blurted out, looking rather surprised. "Hermione, you've got competition, it seems!"
Ayumi gave Ron a look before she replied. "I am nothing of that sort; I am just another person trying to use magic for the good of everyone." She turned to Harry. "And, for your information, yes, becoming an Auror does require what your professor mentioned... um...."
"Harry. Harry Potter. Just call me Harry." Harry immediately regretted having introduced himself as Ayumi arched an eyebrow at him. However, the next moment, she turned away and went back to unpacking as if nothing had happened. "Oh, and... by the way..." He pointed in Ron's general direction. "That's Ron Weasely... And that's Hermione Granger."
Ayumi looked up at Hermione and blinked. "It's nice to know that there is another female my age around here." Taking her soaked black robe off, she threw it into the air, whence it promptly flew over to the coat rack and hung itself there quite neatly.
Hermione looked quite interested at the Asian girl's casual display of magic. "So.... Did you get any special training for becoming an Auror? Any special education or anything?" When Ayumi nodded in response, she went on, looking excited. "Then you must know loads and loads of special spells! Like the famous Yami Curse and the—"
The girl suddenly got up, a loose garment held in her arms. "I am sorry, but if you would excuse me for a moment.... I would like to change out of my water-heavy clothes..." She left the room quickly, shutting the door behind her, heading down the hallway.
"So... what do you think of her?" Hermione looked rather interested as she spoke up. "She looks really smart doesn't she? I bet she could give us loads of tips on spells and stuff."
Harry nodded. "Yeah.... If you can make her talk. She doesn't really seem like the type of person to talk a lot..."
"She looks rather strange, doesn't she?" Ron blurted out. Both Harry and Hermione looked at him with arched eyebrows. "I mean... have you seen her eyes? The left one's all.... Yellow.... Like a cat's.... It creeps me out..." Hermione sniffed in apparent disapproval, and Ron went on. "And... she's too cold... it's like... she doesn't want to talk... I think she's kind of... strange..."
He shut up the next moment as the door quietly opened, and the young Auror walked in, wearing some sort of robe-like garment. Harry gave it a strange look. "Just... what are you wearing?"
Ayumi replied without looking at Harry. "It's called a yukata. A casual type of traditional Japanese wear." Carefully, she hung her other clothes on the coat rack, then shut the suitcase on her bed, sliding it under the bed frame before turning to Hermione. "And... you were saying...?"
"That girl knows a lot..." Harry mumbled as he stepped wearily into his room and started changing into his pajamas. "I never would've thought that she was only our age. You'd think that she was some sort of teacher, with all that stuff she knows..."
It was late at night, and the last couple hours had been spent talking to the young Auror. She had continued to speak in her short, concise, army-like way, but had at least smiled once when Ron had tripped in the doorway coming back from the restroom.
Ron scratched his nose. "Well... I still don't like her.... She's still too cold... like a... soldier, or whatever Muggles call'em."
Harry smiled wanly, then realized that Hermione's voice could still be heard through the wall, along with Ayumi's short replies. Getting ready to go to sleep, he mused out loud, "I wonder what they're talking about..."
"So... why did you decide to join the Order anyways? I'm sure that you have a lot to do working as an Auror already..." Hermione asked as ran a brush through her hair, getting ready for bed.
"I have nowhere else to go." Ayumi was seated cross-legged on her bed, flipping through a small, worn paper book inscribed with complex writing. "I was kindly offered to stay here by Albus Dumbledore when he saw me taking the Auror's test." Shutting the book, she slid it into her suitcase, her long hair nearly covering her face as she leaned down. "He said that I would be welcome here..."
"Oh... but don't you have a place to stay in Japan?"
There was a rather long silence before the girl replied, her voice still cold, but reflecting obvious sadness. "My parents were both Aurors... they were killed by Death Eaters... I was raised by my relatives... but they recently disowned me because they could no longer afford to care for me." Turning off the candle next to her bed, she lay down, her face hidden under the covers. "I am sorry, but I am extremely tired from the international trip and I do not truly feel like talking about such... things... Good night."
It was quite a while before Hermione managed to shake the girl's sad statement out of her head.