Hiya!! Here's ch.3, fin! Hope you enjoy. Thanks for the reviews!! Ch. 4 is up and ch. 5 goes up next week.!!
Miaka
Chapter Three: Honeydukes and Hogsmeade
(Duo POV)
"Right then. How about you tell me your name and something special about you?" Dumbledore asked. Everyone nodded.
"Can I go first?" Duo asked exuberantly. The old Professor nodded. "Okay! I'm Duo Maxwell. I run, I hide, I do everything. But I never lie." Suddenly, he smiled proudly. "And I can tie a knot in a cherry stem!" Several students gasped, and many blushed.
"Really..." Draco said, looking interested. He once again missed the death glares he received from Harry and Heero. (A/N: For you slightly less educated people, being able to tie a knot in a cherry stem means you are exceptionally good with your tongue. Lucky Hee-chan! ^_~)
Duo grinned at their responses, then turned to Dumbledore. "You're Albus Dumbledore!" he said.
Dumbledore looked mildly surprised. He obviously hadn't expected the boys to know him. The thought that Dumbledore could be surprised by something really disturbed the Hogwarts students. "You know who I am?" the old man asked.
"'Course I do! You defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald, discovered the twelve uses for dragons blood, and worked with Nicholas Flamel on the Philosopher's Stone. And you are the only known wizard, maybe aside from Harry Potter, that Voldemort is afraid of!" Duo said.
"Duo, that's just a book," Quatre said. But then looked uncertain. "I think."
"Yeah, but can you really blame me? He's standing right there! The famous Headmaster of Hogwarts! I could die happy right now!" Duo answered. "Just look! The white beard, the creepy twinkly eyes, the cool robes! It's definitely him."
"Excuse me, but what book are you talking about?" asked a soft voice. Draco smirked. Who said 'Excuse me?' anymore. How Gryffindorish. Duo turned to see Harry Potter looking at him. He smiled.
"The HP series, of course. You must know Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?" Duo said, unaware that several of the people in the room had gasped, including Dumbledore. "Or Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?" Another gasp. "Or Harry Potter and the Defeat of--"
"Duo, enough. I think they went into shock. Besides, Harry looks no older than sixteen, and it is summer. The sixth book probably hasn't happened yet," said the ever rational Quatre.
"Oh," Duo said. "Well, anyway, I've read every book about you from first year up!" Harry just stared at Duo uneasily, and it finally struck Duo. He knew all of Harry's secrets, with a few of Ron Weasley's and Hermione Granger's on the side. And Draco and the others didn't know about the death of Sirius Black and the Sorcerer's Stone adventure.
"How much do you know?" Dumbledore asked. He watched the braided boy carefully.
"Um, everything? Now that I'm here, I'm not entirely sure if it's true or not, though," Duo said. Then he smirked. "But if it is, let's just say I can make a Polyjuice potion with my eyes closed." Hermione and Harry paled slightly.
"Your ignorance or uncertainty is easily corrected with a few well asked questions," the Headmaster said. "What do you know of Nicholas Flamel?"
"Some alchemist who created the Philosopher's Stone with your help, Mr. Dumbledore. I believe as of now he's pushin' 600 years old?" Duo said questioningly. Dumbledore nodded decisively. Before he could ask another, Hermione leapt in.
"Who's Aragog?" she shot off, looking apprehensively at the braided boy.
"Huge spider living in the Dark Forest that was thought to be the monster residing in the Chamber of Secret. Aragog has gone blind with old age, and was but a little baby spider 50 years ago. His caretaker is--" Duo answered rapidly.
"Thanks, Mr.Maxwell. Not many people are privy to that information. I believe we have proved that you know more than expected," Dumbledore interrupted. Draco and several others watched in interest, wanting to know more about the giant spider in the Dark Forest.
"I know Weasley is afraid of spiders. Wonder what a kick it would be to introduce him to it," Draco murmured rather loudly to himself. Harry and Hermione spun on him, one having a look of exasperation and the other peevishness.
"I'll have you know Malfoy, that Ron has already had the largely dubious pleasure of meeting Aragog. However, they are not good friends and it wouldn't be wise to bring them back together. Now shove off and go get eaten by something!" Hermione snapped. Draco looked about as stunned as he had in third year when Hermione had slapped him. He didn't notice Harry lean toward him until his soft voice filled his ears.
"You shouldn't provoke Hermione like that, Malfoy. You know she used to date Ron, and is fiercely protective of him," Gryffindor's Golden Boy whispered. One could hear the smirk in his voice as he continued. "Honestly, though. Ron's first meeting with Aragog, he tells me, was reminiscent of his first meeting with you. Keep in mind that Aragog said he wanted to eat him." Draco backed up a step in astonishment. Did the Boy Who Lived just reprimand him, then insult him, all with a good amount of subtlety? "Yes, I do believe I did reprimand and insult you, Malfoy. Get used to the new me, because I plan to be around for at least two more years," Harry drawled, in a way almost as good as Draco's and twice as sexy. The blond Slytherin stared, but was dragged from his thoughts by Duo's exclamation.
"Granger? You're Hermione Granger? Wow!" Duo cried, running up to the girl and shaking her hand. "Cool! I've always wanted to meet you. This is so cool! Didja ever read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Edition Three by Newt Scamander?"
"Y-yes," Hermione said, just a tad bit dazed. It wasn't everyday you got treated like Harry Potter.
"I bet I can guess the rest of you!" Duo said. He pointed to everyone randomly. "Virginia Weasley, Blaise Zabini, Pugface...uh, I mean Pansy, Susan Bones, Boot Boy...er, Terry, Slu...Lisa Turpin, and Zechs....hold it! No one ever told me that Sexy Zechsy was here?"
"It's not Zechs," said Quatre. "Or at least I think he isn't." He bowed to the group. "Quatre Raberba Winner. I can make anyone do anything I want."
Blaise straightened at this. "Is that so? Well, let's see it," he said.
Quatre took a step forward and smiled, tilting his head cutely to the side. "See what?" he asked, looking adorably confused. Blaise just laughed.
"Please, Blondie. I would never fall for something like--" Blaise stuttered to a stop as Quatre turned up the brightness of his smile. The small blond added a dash more cuteness, until even Heero's eyes glazed over a bit.
"What were you saying?" Quatre asked innocently, his smile brightening so much he looked like an angel come down from heaven.
Blaise's eyes glazed over completely and he stared at Quatre. "N- nothing..." he said.
Quatre nodded decisively and grinned, his angelic aura fading. "Thought so," he said. He turned to the crowd and sent out his calming grin again. "See? No problem." The teens stared and some laughed as Blaise freed himself from his stupor and scowled.
"I don't know what evil magic you worked on me, Winner, but--" Blaise began.
"I believe it is called Veela magic. Honsetly, Blaise, have you learned nothing in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Draco drawled loudly.
Blaise flushed, then looked smug. "You know Umbridge didn't teach us anything of consequence, Draco," he sneered.
"You were just going to the wrong classroom, Zabini," Draco said, smiling conspiratorily. He didn't say what he meant; that he'd trained with Zachary Smith every day after the kid came from Harry Potter's supposed secret DADA class on the 7th floor in the Room of Requirement. The class, Dumbledore's Army he was told, had been very fruitful. The books Harry had his students study were very informative, and Draco now knew a lot more abot Veela's than he originally had. Unlike popular belief, he wasn't a Veela himself. But his mother was part, and it gave him the ability to feel them. Quatre Winner was definitely a Veela.
"Winner...Winner...Winner! Are you, by any chance, related to Quatir Habib Winner, Sultan of North Arabia?" Hermione asked.
Quatre looked faint. That was the name of his great great grandfather. "Eheh...sorta," he said. Duo stared at the slightly flushed blond. He'd never heard Quatre use such loose speech before. Hermione continued to eye the blond thoughtfully.
Finally, Wufei stepped forward. "Chang Wufei, formerly Long Diwu of the Long Clan. Now heir of the Dragon Clan," he said. "I am known as the best swordsman since Kenshin Himura in my time."
"Really?" Ginny squealed. She was secretly a martial arts addict, and she followed Kenshin's history to the 'T'. "How's that possible? No one is better than the Battousai."
"Well I am," Wufei said stiffly, then turned away, signalling the end of the conversation. Ginny pouted. Trowa came forward to try to ease the tension.
"Trowa Barton. I never lose at Twister," he said, nodding once to the room in general.
"He means he's real flexible," said Duo, winking at the girls and a few boys. He grinned as blushes predictably bloomed.
"And you?" Dumbledore asked, encouraging Heero with a look.
Duo grinned and darted across the room to glomp Heero. "This is my Hee- chan!" he cried. Heero peeled him off.
"Heero Yuy desu," Heero said. His voice was slightly less flat, but still relatively monotonous. "I can kill a person in 57 different ways with just my index and middle fingers." The room fell silent, everyone but the five foreign boys and Draco Malfoy were pale. Even Dumbledore.
"Well, since you already know who I am," chirped the shaken Headmaster. "Let us go explore Hogsmeade."
"Uh, sir?" asked Duo. "Is it true that Hengist of Woodcroft founded Hogsmeade?"
"Why yes, Hengie did indeed found Hogsmeade," the old Professor answered. "However did you know that?"
"Famous Witches and Wizards cards," Duo said. "I have quite an impressive collection, though I'm missing Sacharissa Tugwood."
"Really? I have three of her. Here!" said Terry Boot, handing Duo the card. The braided boy grinned.
"Thanks, man!" he said, slipping it into his pocket.
"Well then, shall we go?" asked Dumbledore. The students nodded. "Lead the way, Miss Granger. Come back here at 6pm so we may head up to the castle. Have a good time!"
"Alright Professor. See you soon," Hermione said. She waved the boys and girls over and headed for the door. "Honeydukes, here we come!"
Dumbledore smiled until the door closed behind the fifteen teens, then sank into a contemplative frown. He quickly threw some Floo powder into the fire and said clearly, "Minerval McGonagall." A moment later, the Deputy Headmistress' head was floating in the fire. "Minerva, we have a problem..."
***
(Narrator POV)
The kids left the Three Broomsticks then seperated. Lisa and Terry disappeared down a street. Pansy latched onto Draco and followed him into Darvish and Banges. Susan just drifted off somewhere. Ginny trailed after Harry and Hermione, blushing whenever Harry spoke to her. The five foreign boys crowded together.
"Mission status?" Heero asked.
"Situation unknown," Trowa answered. "Mission analysis?"
"You want to know the truth?" Quatre asked. The other four nodded. "Alright. We are stuck in a strange world where magic is used and a Dark Lord is running rampant, with the only authority on anything being one Duo Maxwell."
"Translation?" Wufei asked.
"We are so screwed," Quatre said solemnly.
"Hey!" Duo cried, pouting. Quatre and Wufei grinned, while Trowa and Heero's lips twitched. Duo pouted harder, then decided that was tiring. "Well, our mission plan is simple. Go with the flow, baby!"
Heero sighed rather loudly and looked at Duo. All he had to do was quirk an eyebrow.
Duo watched him for a minute before he wailed and turned away. "Ok! Ok! Mission plan is that we follow the Headmaster's lead, since he obviously knows what he's doing. When our mission analysis is a bit better we can act. Any problems or questions about this world and its history, ask me. Understood?"
"Affirmative," said Trowa, Quatre and Wufei.
"Wakatte," said Heero.
"Good. Now let's go see Honeydukes, the biggest wizarding candy store in history!" Duo cried, punching the air.
"Uh, 'scuse me?" said a feminine voice. Duo looked behind him to see that redhead from earlier standing there, Harry and Hermione behind her. "We just wanted to know if you wanted to come to Honeydukes with us?"
"Sure!" Duo immediately piped up. "Who wouldn't want to do that with Harry Potter?!"
Harry's face changed slightly. "Of course. Everyone always wants to do something with famous Harry Potter," he said bitterly.
"You are famous?" Wufei asked. "What could someone as young as you have done?"
"Oi, Wu-chan! You're one to talk. You're the most accomplished swordsman since Shouta Himura," Duo said. Wufei, surprisingly, blushed. Back in AC 196 Wufei was very well known and revered.
"Really? Better than Battousai the Manslayer?!" exclaimed Ginny, leaning forward till her nose almost touched Wufei. The Chinese boy blushed harder and nodded. "How come I haven't heard of you?" she asked. All five boys shrugged, not entirely sure themselves.
"Well, rest assured, Mr.Potter, we don't know why you're famous at all. Only Maxwell does, and I don't believe he likes you so much for that," Wufei said.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"Duo isn't one to simper," Heero said. Hermione waited for him to continue, but it ended up being Quatre who answered.
"Duo grew up as an orphan. He saw people kissing up to wealthier people all the time and it sickened him. He promised himself he would never simper like those people did," he said. Hermione nodded.
"So you guys really don't know me?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Q-chan knows a bit, and I know a lot, but Trowa, Hee-chan and Wu-babe don't have a clue," said Duo. "I don't mind that you're famous. I know you don't want to be."
Harry nodded, obviously pleased. "Thanks. So, you wanna come?"
"Sure," said Quatre. Trowa and Wufei nodded.
"Ryoukai," Heero said. Duo rolled his eyes and nodded. Hermione waved for them to follow her and they entered the sanctioned halls of Honeydukes.
"Oh my god! Ice mice! I want some! I want some! I want some!" Duo cried, jumping up and down. Then he remembered their circumstances. "Dammit! No money."
Heero looked up from his examination of some suspicious looking jelly beans, a green one halfway to his mouth. "Does this place take credit cards."
"Credit card?" asked Ginny.
"Uh, I don't know," said Harry. "It is a Muggle item."
"Oh, I know! They do! Started last week.They discovered a new spell to remove the money. Neat, huh?" Hermione said.
"Hn," said Heero. "Give me a moment." Reaching behind himself, he unstrapped his laptop and pressed a button on the side. A flip stand fell out and set up on the floor. The laptop now had support. Heero pressed the 'ON' button. Nothing happened. Heero pressed it again. "I don't get it. I charged it last night..." he murmured under his breath. Duo and the others smothered a laugh at the fact that Heero said such a normal thing.
"Don't you know, Hee-chan? Muggle things don't work near large concentrations of magic. You're gonna have to get someone to enchant your laptop for you," Duo said. Heero just "hn,"ed and stared at his laptop. Duo turned to Hermione. "You're smart, do you know how to enchant Muggle items?"
"She does!" Ginny piped up. "She enchanted a Muggle CD player for Harry last year."
"Great!" Duo said. "Can you give Hee-chan's laptop a boost?"
"No problem," Hermione said, taking out her wand. She aimed it at the laptop. "Enchantus Electricius Mugglitum!" A bright light surounded the laptop and in a moment, it blinked on. Strangely, instead of going through Heero's usual security motions, a face with a Cheshire grin came up. It was really only two bright blue eyes, an anime nose, and the big grin set on a white background.
"Wow!" Hermione squealed. "I've heard of this! When you enchant a Muggle item, you give it a personality. But it only works with items that have screens or windows, like watches or computers."
"What's so special about that?" Wufei asked with a snort.
"Well, no other computer can do this," Hermione said, proudly, completely unfazed by Wufei's rudeness. "Hopefully, that personality will manifest itself soon. 'Till then, it should work fine."
"Hn," Heero said. He began typing rapidly on the laptop, and the Cheshire grin dissolved to be replaced by the usual screen. He brought up a couple of folders and bypassed some firewalls, then stopped and turned to Hermione. "Are there any important figures besides Winner that you know of?" he asked.
Hermione looked excited to be of help. "Well, there is Quatir Winner, as you said, that owns Winner Corps. Aryez Barton that controls Barton Enterprises, and some European King named Richard Peace-something III," she rattled off. "That help?"
"Hn," Heero said.
"He said yes, and thank you," Duo translated. Hermione grinned and turned to watch as Heero brought up more folders, some labeled 'Classified', then stuck a small card in the side of the laptop and hit enter. A downloading sequence began.
"What's he doing?" Ginny asked. Harry indicated that he wanted to know also.
"He is borrowing some money from our esteemed providers," Quatre replied. "He's now transferring our loan to a credit card."
"How much are we taking, Hee-chan?" Duo asked, his hand buried ina box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans no one noticed he had.
"About 44,000 credits," Heero promptly replied.
"What?! That's like 250,000 dollars! That's 50,000 galleons in the wizarding world!!" Duo exclaimed. Ginny, Harry and the other magical folk gasped.
"That's a lot of money for one boy," Hermione commented as she watched Heero pull the credit card out and shut down the laptop, then put it away.
"You mean, that's a lot of money for five boys," Duo quipped, grinning. "Now quit with the interrogation and let's shop!"
Caught up in Duo's enthusiasm, the other pilots and the three magical folk let loose and began to enjoy themselves. (A/N: for this fic I've decided that one galleon will equal about 5 bucks, k?)
***
"Oi, Hee-chan, look at this!" Duo cried, excitedly pointing at a glass box where multicolored Gummy Bears pranced around energetically. "I've never heard of these before!"
"That's 'cuz they're new," Harry piped up, a handful of Beans in his hand. "Read the signs, Duo."
Duo nodded and turned to the description under the box. LIVE GUMMI BEARS -they try to run when about to be eaten! "Sugoi!" Duo cried. "I want some! I want some! I want some!"
Heero reached out, grabbed Duo's braid and yanked. Hard.
"Itaiiii!" Duo shrieked. "Heero! How could you?!" Harry, Hermione and Quatre watched in amusement as Duo continued to wail. Ginny was paying for some Truth Chews - whoever eats them tells the truth for 5 minutes! And Trowa was eyeing the Ice Mice- teeth chatter and squeak. Wufei was opening a pack of Exploding Bon Bons and shoving one into hismouth without reading the label.
"Wufei, no!" Hermione cried. But it was too late. The bon bons exploded and Wufie began cursing fluently in Chinese. Trowa silently approached him and offered some Ice Mice. The Chinese teen ate them gratefully. Meanwhile, Duo was on the floor laughing.
"Oh God (laugh) did you (gasp) see his (chuckle) face! (Maniacal laughter)," Duo said, face turning red with mirth.
"MAXWELL!" Wufei barked. Duo 'eep'ed and took off out of the store. Quatre shrugged and approached the register. The man behind the counter turned and smiled.
"Hello," Quatre said politely. "Can I have three orders each of Fizzing Whizbees, Pepper Imps, Ice Mice, Sugar Spun Quills, Exploding Bon Bons, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Acid Pops, Licorice Wands, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pastries, and Drobble's Best Blowing Gum?" The man stared but his assistant in the back diligently copied down the order. "Oh, and could I have a bit of the Live Gummi Bears, a case of Mountain Mist, the Cursed Dice and the Truth Chews? Thank you."
(A/N: Mountain Mist- drink it and you will be followed around by an insistent mist. Comes in cans.
Cursed Sugar Dice- when you eat them you win? Chancy.
The other boys stared at Quatre. "What? I only got what Duo likes," he said. They all stared somore, then turned away. Heero led them all out of Honey Dukes, after paying a whole 48 galleons.
"It's already 5pm, so we better hurry. We only have enough time to get you to Gladrags for some decent robes," Hermione said.
"Ryoukai," Heero said. "Winner?"
"Affirmative," Quatre said, mentally tacking on the new information to the Mission Analysis. "Barton?"
"Seems we will be attending this summer program thing soon. We will arrive at the castle at 1900 hours," Trowa said. "Maxwell?" No answer. "Duo?"
"I'm here!" Duo cried, gasping for breath. "Mission plan as of now is to infiltrate the castle and blend until further information becomes available to us. After this meeting is adjourned we will go to Gladrags and acquire robes. " Duo turned to Wufei, a serious look in his eyes. "Aside from my information, what do we know?"
"I have gathered that we were brought here, possibly through time, specifically to attend this program. I believe that old man is behind all this. We either take him or corner him. Either way he is our target now," Wufei said.
"Can't eliminate. He's too well known and loved. We'll have to corner him. Tonight, after the banquet they're sure to have," Duo said. The other pilots nodded.
"Weapons?" Heero said.
"Quarterstaff in good condition, 01," Quatre said automatically. "Revolver primed and ready."
"Katanas in good condition, 01," Wufei said. "Browning Model III primed and ready."
"Knives and dagger in good condition, 01," Duo answered. ".38 Magnum primed and ready."
"44. primed and ready, 01," Trowa said.
"Primed and ready," Heero said, accounting for his multiple guns in one sentence. "02, I understand your excitement with this world, but try to blend in our you will become a detriment to the mission and a liability to us. You know what fate awaits a liability, ne?"
"Death, 01," Duo said softly.
"Hn. 04, inform us if your space heart tells you anything," Heero continued.
"Affirmative," Quatre answered. Nodding once to each other, the boys proceeded to Gladrags, unaware that Harry, Hermione and Ginny had seen the whole thing.
***TBC***
And here it is. Your Welcome. ^_~ Review!!!
Miaka
Chapter Three: Honeydukes and Hogsmeade
(Duo POV)
"Right then. How about you tell me your name and something special about you?" Dumbledore asked. Everyone nodded.
"Can I go first?" Duo asked exuberantly. The old Professor nodded. "Okay! I'm Duo Maxwell. I run, I hide, I do everything. But I never lie." Suddenly, he smiled proudly. "And I can tie a knot in a cherry stem!" Several students gasped, and many blushed.
"Really..." Draco said, looking interested. He once again missed the death glares he received from Harry and Heero. (A/N: For you slightly less educated people, being able to tie a knot in a cherry stem means you are exceptionally good with your tongue. Lucky Hee-chan! ^_~)
Duo grinned at their responses, then turned to Dumbledore. "You're Albus Dumbledore!" he said.
Dumbledore looked mildly surprised. He obviously hadn't expected the boys to know him. The thought that Dumbledore could be surprised by something really disturbed the Hogwarts students. "You know who I am?" the old man asked.
"'Course I do! You defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald, discovered the twelve uses for dragons blood, and worked with Nicholas Flamel on the Philosopher's Stone. And you are the only known wizard, maybe aside from Harry Potter, that Voldemort is afraid of!" Duo said.
"Duo, that's just a book," Quatre said. But then looked uncertain. "I think."
"Yeah, but can you really blame me? He's standing right there! The famous Headmaster of Hogwarts! I could die happy right now!" Duo answered. "Just look! The white beard, the creepy twinkly eyes, the cool robes! It's definitely him."
"Excuse me, but what book are you talking about?" asked a soft voice. Draco smirked. Who said 'Excuse me?' anymore. How Gryffindorish. Duo turned to see Harry Potter looking at him. He smiled.
"The HP series, of course. You must know Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?" Duo said, unaware that several of the people in the room had gasped, including Dumbledore. "Or Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?" Another gasp. "Or Harry Potter and the Defeat of--"
"Duo, enough. I think they went into shock. Besides, Harry looks no older than sixteen, and it is summer. The sixth book probably hasn't happened yet," said the ever rational Quatre.
"Oh," Duo said. "Well, anyway, I've read every book about you from first year up!" Harry just stared at Duo uneasily, and it finally struck Duo. He knew all of Harry's secrets, with a few of Ron Weasley's and Hermione Granger's on the side. And Draco and the others didn't know about the death of Sirius Black and the Sorcerer's Stone adventure.
"How much do you know?" Dumbledore asked. He watched the braided boy carefully.
"Um, everything? Now that I'm here, I'm not entirely sure if it's true or not, though," Duo said. Then he smirked. "But if it is, let's just say I can make a Polyjuice potion with my eyes closed." Hermione and Harry paled slightly.
"Your ignorance or uncertainty is easily corrected with a few well asked questions," the Headmaster said. "What do you know of Nicholas Flamel?"
"Some alchemist who created the Philosopher's Stone with your help, Mr. Dumbledore. I believe as of now he's pushin' 600 years old?" Duo said questioningly. Dumbledore nodded decisively. Before he could ask another, Hermione leapt in.
"Who's Aragog?" she shot off, looking apprehensively at the braided boy.
"Huge spider living in the Dark Forest that was thought to be the monster residing in the Chamber of Secret. Aragog has gone blind with old age, and was but a little baby spider 50 years ago. His caretaker is--" Duo answered rapidly.
"Thanks, Mr.Maxwell. Not many people are privy to that information. I believe we have proved that you know more than expected," Dumbledore interrupted. Draco and several others watched in interest, wanting to know more about the giant spider in the Dark Forest.
"I know Weasley is afraid of spiders. Wonder what a kick it would be to introduce him to it," Draco murmured rather loudly to himself. Harry and Hermione spun on him, one having a look of exasperation and the other peevishness.
"I'll have you know Malfoy, that Ron has already had the largely dubious pleasure of meeting Aragog. However, they are not good friends and it wouldn't be wise to bring them back together. Now shove off and go get eaten by something!" Hermione snapped. Draco looked about as stunned as he had in third year when Hermione had slapped him. He didn't notice Harry lean toward him until his soft voice filled his ears.
"You shouldn't provoke Hermione like that, Malfoy. You know she used to date Ron, and is fiercely protective of him," Gryffindor's Golden Boy whispered. One could hear the smirk in his voice as he continued. "Honestly, though. Ron's first meeting with Aragog, he tells me, was reminiscent of his first meeting with you. Keep in mind that Aragog said he wanted to eat him." Draco backed up a step in astonishment. Did the Boy Who Lived just reprimand him, then insult him, all with a good amount of subtlety? "Yes, I do believe I did reprimand and insult you, Malfoy. Get used to the new me, because I plan to be around for at least two more years," Harry drawled, in a way almost as good as Draco's and twice as sexy. The blond Slytherin stared, but was dragged from his thoughts by Duo's exclamation.
"Granger? You're Hermione Granger? Wow!" Duo cried, running up to the girl and shaking her hand. "Cool! I've always wanted to meet you. This is so cool! Didja ever read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Edition Three by Newt Scamander?"
"Y-yes," Hermione said, just a tad bit dazed. It wasn't everyday you got treated like Harry Potter.
"I bet I can guess the rest of you!" Duo said. He pointed to everyone randomly. "Virginia Weasley, Blaise Zabini, Pugface...uh, I mean Pansy, Susan Bones, Boot Boy...er, Terry, Slu...Lisa Turpin, and Zechs....hold it! No one ever told me that Sexy Zechsy was here?"
"It's not Zechs," said Quatre. "Or at least I think he isn't." He bowed to the group. "Quatre Raberba Winner. I can make anyone do anything I want."
Blaise straightened at this. "Is that so? Well, let's see it," he said.
Quatre took a step forward and smiled, tilting his head cutely to the side. "See what?" he asked, looking adorably confused. Blaise just laughed.
"Please, Blondie. I would never fall for something like--" Blaise stuttered to a stop as Quatre turned up the brightness of his smile. The small blond added a dash more cuteness, until even Heero's eyes glazed over a bit.
"What were you saying?" Quatre asked innocently, his smile brightening so much he looked like an angel come down from heaven.
Blaise's eyes glazed over completely and he stared at Quatre. "N- nothing..." he said.
Quatre nodded decisively and grinned, his angelic aura fading. "Thought so," he said. He turned to the crowd and sent out his calming grin again. "See? No problem." The teens stared and some laughed as Blaise freed himself from his stupor and scowled.
"I don't know what evil magic you worked on me, Winner, but--" Blaise began.
"I believe it is called Veela magic. Honsetly, Blaise, have you learned nothing in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Draco drawled loudly.
Blaise flushed, then looked smug. "You know Umbridge didn't teach us anything of consequence, Draco," he sneered.
"You were just going to the wrong classroom, Zabini," Draco said, smiling conspiratorily. He didn't say what he meant; that he'd trained with Zachary Smith every day after the kid came from Harry Potter's supposed secret DADA class on the 7th floor in the Room of Requirement. The class, Dumbledore's Army he was told, had been very fruitful. The books Harry had his students study were very informative, and Draco now knew a lot more abot Veela's than he originally had. Unlike popular belief, he wasn't a Veela himself. But his mother was part, and it gave him the ability to feel them. Quatre Winner was definitely a Veela.
"Winner...Winner...Winner! Are you, by any chance, related to Quatir Habib Winner, Sultan of North Arabia?" Hermione asked.
Quatre looked faint. That was the name of his great great grandfather. "Eheh...sorta," he said. Duo stared at the slightly flushed blond. He'd never heard Quatre use such loose speech before. Hermione continued to eye the blond thoughtfully.
Finally, Wufei stepped forward. "Chang Wufei, formerly Long Diwu of the Long Clan. Now heir of the Dragon Clan," he said. "I am known as the best swordsman since Kenshin Himura in my time."
"Really?" Ginny squealed. She was secretly a martial arts addict, and she followed Kenshin's history to the 'T'. "How's that possible? No one is better than the Battousai."
"Well I am," Wufei said stiffly, then turned away, signalling the end of the conversation. Ginny pouted. Trowa came forward to try to ease the tension.
"Trowa Barton. I never lose at Twister," he said, nodding once to the room in general.
"He means he's real flexible," said Duo, winking at the girls and a few boys. He grinned as blushes predictably bloomed.
"And you?" Dumbledore asked, encouraging Heero with a look.
Duo grinned and darted across the room to glomp Heero. "This is my Hee- chan!" he cried. Heero peeled him off.
"Heero Yuy desu," Heero said. His voice was slightly less flat, but still relatively monotonous. "I can kill a person in 57 different ways with just my index and middle fingers." The room fell silent, everyone but the five foreign boys and Draco Malfoy were pale. Even Dumbledore.
"Well, since you already know who I am," chirped the shaken Headmaster. "Let us go explore Hogsmeade."
"Uh, sir?" asked Duo. "Is it true that Hengist of Woodcroft founded Hogsmeade?"
"Why yes, Hengie did indeed found Hogsmeade," the old Professor answered. "However did you know that?"
"Famous Witches and Wizards cards," Duo said. "I have quite an impressive collection, though I'm missing Sacharissa Tugwood."
"Really? I have three of her. Here!" said Terry Boot, handing Duo the card. The braided boy grinned.
"Thanks, man!" he said, slipping it into his pocket.
"Well then, shall we go?" asked Dumbledore. The students nodded. "Lead the way, Miss Granger. Come back here at 6pm so we may head up to the castle. Have a good time!"
"Alright Professor. See you soon," Hermione said. She waved the boys and girls over and headed for the door. "Honeydukes, here we come!"
Dumbledore smiled until the door closed behind the fifteen teens, then sank into a contemplative frown. He quickly threw some Floo powder into the fire and said clearly, "Minerval McGonagall." A moment later, the Deputy Headmistress' head was floating in the fire. "Minerva, we have a problem..."
***
(Narrator POV)
The kids left the Three Broomsticks then seperated. Lisa and Terry disappeared down a street. Pansy latched onto Draco and followed him into Darvish and Banges. Susan just drifted off somewhere. Ginny trailed after Harry and Hermione, blushing whenever Harry spoke to her. The five foreign boys crowded together.
"Mission status?" Heero asked.
"Situation unknown," Trowa answered. "Mission analysis?"
"You want to know the truth?" Quatre asked. The other four nodded. "Alright. We are stuck in a strange world where magic is used and a Dark Lord is running rampant, with the only authority on anything being one Duo Maxwell."
"Translation?" Wufei asked.
"We are so screwed," Quatre said solemnly.
"Hey!" Duo cried, pouting. Quatre and Wufei grinned, while Trowa and Heero's lips twitched. Duo pouted harder, then decided that was tiring. "Well, our mission plan is simple. Go with the flow, baby!"
Heero sighed rather loudly and looked at Duo. All he had to do was quirk an eyebrow.
Duo watched him for a minute before he wailed and turned away. "Ok! Ok! Mission plan is that we follow the Headmaster's lead, since he obviously knows what he's doing. When our mission analysis is a bit better we can act. Any problems or questions about this world and its history, ask me. Understood?"
"Affirmative," said Trowa, Quatre and Wufei.
"Wakatte," said Heero.
"Good. Now let's go see Honeydukes, the biggest wizarding candy store in history!" Duo cried, punching the air.
"Uh, 'scuse me?" said a feminine voice. Duo looked behind him to see that redhead from earlier standing there, Harry and Hermione behind her. "We just wanted to know if you wanted to come to Honeydukes with us?"
"Sure!" Duo immediately piped up. "Who wouldn't want to do that with Harry Potter?!"
Harry's face changed slightly. "Of course. Everyone always wants to do something with famous Harry Potter," he said bitterly.
"You are famous?" Wufei asked. "What could someone as young as you have done?"
"Oi, Wu-chan! You're one to talk. You're the most accomplished swordsman since Shouta Himura," Duo said. Wufei, surprisingly, blushed. Back in AC 196 Wufei was very well known and revered.
"Really? Better than Battousai the Manslayer?!" exclaimed Ginny, leaning forward till her nose almost touched Wufei. The Chinese boy blushed harder and nodded. "How come I haven't heard of you?" she asked. All five boys shrugged, not entirely sure themselves.
"Well, rest assured, Mr.Potter, we don't know why you're famous at all. Only Maxwell does, and I don't believe he likes you so much for that," Wufei said.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"Duo isn't one to simper," Heero said. Hermione waited for him to continue, but it ended up being Quatre who answered.
"Duo grew up as an orphan. He saw people kissing up to wealthier people all the time and it sickened him. He promised himself he would never simper like those people did," he said. Hermione nodded.
"So you guys really don't know me?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Q-chan knows a bit, and I know a lot, but Trowa, Hee-chan and Wu-babe don't have a clue," said Duo. "I don't mind that you're famous. I know you don't want to be."
Harry nodded, obviously pleased. "Thanks. So, you wanna come?"
"Sure," said Quatre. Trowa and Wufei nodded.
"Ryoukai," Heero said. Duo rolled his eyes and nodded. Hermione waved for them to follow her and they entered the sanctioned halls of Honeydukes.
"Oh my god! Ice mice! I want some! I want some! I want some!" Duo cried, jumping up and down. Then he remembered their circumstances. "Dammit! No money."
Heero looked up from his examination of some suspicious looking jelly beans, a green one halfway to his mouth. "Does this place take credit cards."
"Credit card?" asked Ginny.
"Uh, I don't know," said Harry. "It is a Muggle item."
"Oh, I know! They do! Started last week.They discovered a new spell to remove the money. Neat, huh?" Hermione said.
"Hn," said Heero. "Give me a moment." Reaching behind himself, he unstrapped his laptop and pressed a button on the side. A flip stand fell out and set up on the floor. The laptop now had support. Heero pressed the 'ON' button. Nothing happened. Heero pressed it again. "I don't get it. I charged it last night..." he murmured under his breath. Duo and the others smothered a laugh at the fact that Heero said such a normal thing.
"Don't you know, Hee-chan? Muggle things don't work near large concentrations of magic. You're gonna have to get someone to enchant your laptop for you," Duo said. Heero just "hn,"ed and stared at his laptop. Duo turned to Hermione. "You're smart, do you know how to enchant Muggle items?"
"She does!" Ginny piped up. "She enchanted a Muggle CD player for Harry last year."
"Great!" Duo said. "Can you give Hee-chan's laptop a boost?"
"No problem," Hermione said, taking out her wand. She aimed it at the laptop. "Enchantus Electricius Mugglitum!" A bright light surounded the laptop and in a moment, it blinked on. Strangely, instead of going through Heero's usual security motions, a face with a Cheshire grin came up. It was really only two bright blue eyes, an anime nose, and the big grin set on a white background.
"Wow!" Hermione squealed. "I've heard of this! When you enchant a Muggle item, you give it a personality. But it only works with items that have screens or windows, like watches or computers."
"What's so special about that?" Wufei asked with a snort.
"Well, no other computer can do this," Hermione said, proudly, completely unfazed by Wufei's rudeness. "Hopefully, that personality will manifest itself soon. 'Till then, it should work fine."
"Hn," Heero said. He began typing rapidly on the laptop, and the Cheshire grin dissolved to be replaced by the usual screen. He brought up a couple of folders and bypassed some firewalls, then stopped and turned to Hermione. "Are there any important figures besides Winner that you know of?" he asked.
Hermione looked excited to be of help. "Well, there is Quatir Winner, as you said, that owns Winner Corps. Aryez Barton that controls Barton Enterprises, and some European King named Richard Peace-something III," she rattled off. "That help?"
"Hn," Heero said.
"He said yes, and thank you," Duo translated. Hermione grinned and turned to watch as Heero brought up more folders, some labeled 'Classified', then stuck a small card in the side of the laptop and hit enter. A downloading sequence began.
"What's he doing?" Ginny asked. Harry indicated that he wanted to know also.
"He is borrowing some money from our esteemed providers," Quatre replied. "He's now transferring our loan to a credit card."
"How much are we taking, Hee-chan?" Duo asked, his hand buried ina box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans no one noticed he had.
"About 44,000 credits," Heero promptly replied.
"What?! That's like 250,000 dollars! That's 50,000 galleons in the wizarding world!!" Duo exclaimed. Ginny, Harry and the other magical folk gasped.
"That's a lot of money for one boy," Hermione commented as she watched Heero pull the credit card out and shut down the laptop, then put it away.
"You mean, that's a lot of money for five boys," Duo quipped, grinning. "Now quit with the interrogation and let's shop!"
Caught up in Duo's enthusiasm, the other pilots and the three magical folk let loose and began to enjoy themselves. (A/N: for this fic I've decided that one galleon will equal about 5 bucks, k?)
***
"Oi, Hee-chan, look at this!" Duo cried, excitedly pointing at a glass box where multicolored Gummy Bears pranced around energetically. "I've never heard of these before!"
"That's 'cuz they're new," Harry piped up, a handful of Beans in his hand. "Read the signs, Duo."
Duo nodded and turned to the description under the box. LIVE GUMMI BEARS -they try to run when about to be eaten! "Sugoi!" Duo cried. "I want some! I want some! I want some!"
Heero reached out, grabbed Duo's braid and yanked. Hard.
"Itaiiii!" Duo shrieked. "Heero! How could you?!" Harry, Hermione and Quatre watched in amusement as Duo continued to wail. Ginny was paying for some Truth Chews - whoever eats them tells the truth for 5 minutes! And Trowa was eyeing the Ice Mice- teeth chatter and squeak. Wufei was opening a pack of Exploding Bon Bons and shoving one into hismouth without reading the label.
"Wufei, no!" Hermione cried. But it was too late. The bon bons exploded and Wufie began cursing fluently in Chinese. Trowa silently approached him and offered some Ice Mice. The Chinese teen ate them gratefully. Meanwhile, Duo was on the floor laughing.
"Oh God (laugh) did you (gasp) see his (chuckle) face! (Maniacal laughter)," Duo said, face turning red with mirth.
"MAXWELL!" Wufei barked. Duo 'eep'ed and took off out of the store. Quatre shrugged and approached the register. The man behind the counter turned and smiled.
"Hello," Quatre said politely. "Can I have three orders each of Fizzing Whizbees, Pepper Imps, Ice Mice, Sugar Spun Quills, Exploding Bon Bons, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Acid Pops, Licorice Wands, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pastries, and Drobble's Best Blowing Gum?" The man stared but his assistant in the back diligently copied down the order. "Oh, and could I have a bit of the Live Gummi Bears, a case of Mountain Mist, the Cursed Dice and the Truth Chews? Thank you."
(A/N: Mountain Mist- drink it and you will be followed around by an insistent mist. Comes in cans.
Cursed Sugar Dice- when you eat them you win? Chancy.
The other boys stared at Quatre. "What? I only got what Duo likes," he said. They all stared somore, then turned away. Heero led them all out of Honey Dukes, after paying a whole 48 galleons.
"It's already 5pm, so we better hurry. We only have enough time to get you to Gladrags for some decent robes," Hermione said.
"Ryoukai," Heero said. "Winner?"
"Affirmative," Quatre said, mentally tacking on the new information to the Mission Analysis. "Barton?"
"Seems we will be attending this summer program thing soon. We will arrive at the castle at 1900 hours," Trowa said. "Maxwell?" No answer. "Duo?"
"I'm here!" Duo cried, gasping for breath. "Mission plan as of now is to infiltrate the castle and blend until further information becomes available to us. After this meeting is adjourned we will go to Gladrags and acquire robes. " Duo turned to Wufei, a serious look in his eyes. "Aside from my information, what do we know?"
"I have gathered that we were brought here, possibly through time, specifically to attend this program. I believe that old man is behind all this. We either take him or corner him. Either way he is our target now," Wufei said.
"Can't eliminate. He's too well known and loved. We'll have to corner him. Tonight, after the banquet they're sure to have," Duo said. The other pilots nodded.
"Weapons?" Heero said.
"Quarterstaff in good condition, 01," Quatre said automatically. "Revolver primed and ready."
"Katanas in good condition, 01," Wufei said. "Browning Model III primed and ready."
"Knives and dagger in good condition, 01," Duo answered. ".38 Magnum primed and ready."
"44. primed and ready, 01," Trowa said.
"Primed and ready," Heero said, accounting for his multiple guns in one sentence. "02, I understand your excitement with this world, but try to blend in our you will become a detriment to the mission and a liability to us. You know what fate awaits a liability, ne?"
"Death, 01," Duo said softly.
"Hn. 04, inform us if your space heart tells you anything," Heero continued.
"Affirmative," Quatre answered. Nodding once to each other, the boys proceeded to Gladrags, unaware that Harry, Hermione and Ginny had seen the whole thing.
***TBC***
And here it is. Your Welcome. ^_~ Review!!!