Hello again everybody! Did you all enjoy the last chapter? I hope so, I thought it was fun. Especially the parts about Hiei and the tape measure, and Kurama making the chair do a back flip! More insanity to come, so...ON WITH THE FIC!!!
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They stopped for their uniforms next. Luna was much quieter then she had been before. She could hardly believe that these boys knew her secret, knew she was a werewolf, and still here they were shopping with her. It really wasn't a big deal to them, something that was totally unheard of.
They entered Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Kurama and Hiei branching off to find their own robes while Aunt Molly and Shiori accompanied Luna in finding hers. In twenty minutes they were assembled once more outside the shop, Aunt Molly carrying the loads of new robes.
The next stop was a shop called Flourish and Blotts where they sold every kind of magical book you could ever imagine. Once they had gathered all the required books they set off to get cauldrons. Kurama wanted to stay and look at the rest of the books in the shop but Hiei and Luna, who wanted to just get the shopping over all ready, dragged him away. After getting the cauldrons, plus the scales and three collapsible telescopes, they stopped in another shop to buy trunks. They each got a sturdy trunk with each of their names engraved on a brass plate on the lid. They gladly dumped the items they had bought into the trunks and slammed the lids shut.
"Now, what about pets?" Aunt Molly asked.
"Pets?" Hiei asked, as thought the word implied some horrible form of torture.
"Yeah," Luna said, "The supply list says you can have an owl or a cat or a toad."
"I'll pass," Hiei grunted.
"I suppose we'll need an owl to send a letter to the school," Kurama said with a glance at his mother, who nodded in agreement. That said, the group set off for Eeylops Owl Emporium.
"Are you going to get an owl?" Kurama asked Luna as they entered.
"We already have two at home. Both great horned owls. The twins named them, unfortunately," she replied.
"What did they name them?" Kurama asked.
Luna rolled her eyes. "Siegfried and Roy."
Kurama chucked slightly as he looked around at all the cages. There were more types of owls here then he had ever seen. Some species were entirely new to him, taking into account the fact that not many owls reside in Japan. He finally decided on a small, brown owl that blinked sleepily at him when he lifted the cage.
"What are you going to call it?" Luna asked as they left the shop.
Kurama was silent for a moment, before saying "Kuronue."
"Cool name," Luna said with a smile.
-()-()-()
After meeting Uncle Xander, Nick, Jason, and Amy at the archway marking the entrance to Diagon Alley, the group had decided to have dinner together at a nearby restaurant. After dropping their trunks, along with Kurama's new owl, off at the hotel Luna's family was staying at, and getting some bizarre looks from the taxi driver, the group set off to eat.
The eight of them sat at a long table in the middle of the restaurant. Luna, Kurama, and Hiei all sat at the end. Kurama had keep his questions concerning Luna to himself for sometime, but now he felt that he had to ask before they parted company and he lost his chance.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you become a werewolf? I looked at the "Fantastic Beasts and Were to Find Them," book when I bought it, but it didn't mention werewolves," Kurama said, his voice just low enough that no one else at the table would be able to hear over the noise in the rest of the restaurant. Luna was startled by the question for a moment, but then she smiled at him.
"I don't mind," she said, her voice also lowered. "You see, my parents died when I was little and I've been living with my aunt and her family ever since. Before the twins were born, both Aunt Molly and Uncle Xander worked. That was before Uncle Xander worked for the AMA and he didn't make very much money. Anyway, since they both worked, Amy and I spent a lot of time in day cares and stuff. On day I got in a fight with some kid and he bit me." With this, she rolled up her left sleeve to reveal the brown outline of a bit mark on her skin. "It took forever to heal and I'll probably always have a scare," she said, pulling her sleeve down again. "Next thing I know," she continued, "the full moon rolls around and I sprout hair and attack the cat."
There was silence for a moment, then Luna lowered her head and said in almost a whisper, "I can't control myself when I transform. In fact, I don't have any memory of what happens when I transform. I have to go lock myself in a room and pray that I don't get out." Again, there is silence, then she looks up and says "So, what's your story?" Kurama hesitated, glancing at his mother who is sitting at the opposite end of the table, talking with Aunt Molly.
"Come on," Luna persists, "I told you my story."
"Alright, but this will sound slightly...strange," Kurama warned her.
"Try me," she said.
Kurama nodded and began. "I used to be a thief, a spirit fox known as Yoko Kurama. One day, a careless mistake left me mortally wounded and my spirit took refuge in the human world, entering the body of my mother's unborn child before it could acquire a proper soul. My original plan was to stay only until I was ten years old, and thus be able to harness my spirit energy. But..."
"But?" Luna urged him on, not showing any signs that this story was in any way out of the ordinary.
"But one day I fell while trying to reach a coffee can on a high self. My mother saved me, but not before seriously injuring herself. She still has the scares on her arms..." Kurama trailed off and grew silent.
"One question. So, is your name Yoko or Shuichi?" Luna asked.
Kurama smiled. "Kurama. You don't seem surprised by my story."
Luna shrugged. "I read stuff about demons and the demon world. Besides, once you go through what I do every month, it takes a lot to surprise you. What about you, Hiei?"
"Hn," Hiei grunted, turning his attention to his food and ignoring his companions who were now staring at him.
"He's a demon as well. You see, whenever a demon shows signs of magic, they go to Hogwarts. However, those demons require...how did Koenma put it?... "partners." I am Hiei's partner. It's my responsibility to make sure he doesn't cause any trouble or anything," Kurama explained.
"Oh, so you're baby-sitting him?" Luna asked.
"Basically," Kurama said as Hiei looked up at Luna with a murderous glint in his eye.
"What is Hogwarts like?" Kurama asked as he started eating his own meal.
"No idea," Luna answered. "Aunt Molly has been to Diagon Alley once or twice before, but she's never been to Hogwarts herself. Neither has anyone else I know. I did manage to find a book on it though. "Hogwarts, A History." It gives you a vague idea."
"What's it say?" Kurama asked.
"Well," Luna started, trying to remember everything she had read. "There's the houses for starters."
"Houses?" Hiei asked, surprising them both. He had been quiet for so long, they had forgotten he was there.
"There are four," Luna said. "Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. The first thing they do at the feast on the first day of school every year is sort the first years into the houses with something called the 'Sorting Hat.' Hufflepuff is for the hard workers, Ravenclaw is for smart people who like to learn, Gryffindor for the brave, and Slytherin for the cunning. They all have mascots too. Hufflepuff is a badger, Ravenclaw an eagle, Gryffindor a lion, and Slytherin a snake. I don't care what they say about Slytherin though, no one but evil wizards has ever come from that house. You-Know-Who was in that house!"
"Who's You-Know-Who?" Hiei asked. Kurama suddenly remembered he had neglected to tell Hiei about the dark wizard, something Koenma had stressed. Luna on the other hand stared in shock.
"You don't know who You-Know-Who is?" she asked in disbelief.
"I thought you said it took a lot to surprise you," Kurama said with a sly smile, but Luna stared at him seriously.
"This is a lot, Kurama. This is a big deal; a HUGE deal! How could you not know who You-Know-Who is?" Luna cried.
"If you'd tell me, then I'd know," Hiei said hotly.
"You-Know-Who is..." Luna paused, looking around and lowering her voice still more. "The dark lord...Voldemort," she winced as she said the name.
"What's so special about him?" Hiei asked.
"He killed hundreds of people, had people living in fear for years. He was finally stopped eleven years ago, but the time that he was in power was terrible. No one with even a hint of Muggle in their family tree was safe. He wasn't too found of demons either," she said.
"He killed my father," Kurama added quietly after a moment.
"But he's dead, right?" Hiei asked.
Luna shrugged. "Some say he is, but I don't think so. He was too powerful to just up and die like that. No, I don't think he's dead. He's still alive somewhere, too weak to stand and no doubt on the very brink of death, but alive."
There was silence before Hiei spoke again. "This Volde-"
"Don't say his name!" Luna hissed violently, cutting him off.
"Why not?" Hiei said angrily.
"Just don't, okay? People are still scared and we've just always been taught to never say his name. So please don't ," she said.
Hiei sighed in frustration. "Fine, You-Know-Who, who stopped him?"
"A boy," Luna said. "His name was Harry Potter. He wasn't even a year old at the time. For some reason, when You-Know-Who tried to kill him, the spell backfired and hit him instead."
"What happened to the boy?" Kurama asked.
"He died. He was only a baby after all," Luna said, staring down at her food, her appetite gone. They sat in silence for a few moments, neither eating nor looking at each other, just sitting.
"Luna?" Kurama asked eventually.
"What?" Luna asked.
"The supply list said something about first years not being allowed broomsticks, and I saw a shop selling them at Diagon Alley. What's the reason behind that?"
Luna smiled, glade for a change of subject. "That would be Quidditch."
"What's that?" Kurama asked. Hiei looked up from his plate, interested in the strange-sounding sport.
"It's kind of like basket ball on broomsticks," Luna said. "There are seven players on a team: Three Chasers, two Beaters, a Keeper, and a Seeker. There are three hoops placed on each side of the field. The Chasers try to get the small red ball, called the Quaffle, into these hoops to score points. The Keeper guards the hoops, like a goalie in soccer. Two slightly smaller, black balls called Bludgers rocked around the field and try to hit the players. The Beaters each have short bats and it's their job to hit the Bludgers towards the other team and try to knock them off their brooms. Follow me so far?"
"Chasers put the Quaffle through the hoops for points. Keepers guard the hoops. And Beaters hit the Bludgers at the other players. Right?" Kurama said slowly.
Luna nodded. "Right. Alright, then there's the Seeker. The Seeker has the most important job. There's this tiny ball, about the size of a golf ball, called the Snitch that zooms around the field, out of sight most of the time. When it appears, it's the Seeker's job to catch it. Once the Snitch is caught, the game is over and the player that catches the Snitch gets his team 150 points. Games don't end until the Snitch is caught, meaning there's no time limit on a game. Games can go for as short as a few minutes, or as long as a week, or even longer."
"Sounds like fun," Kurama commented.
"It is. At Hogwarts, there is a Quidditch team for every house and they have a cup to win and everything. But first years aren't allowed to play. That's why the supply list said no brooms," Luna said, her voice loosing most of it's pep as she admitted she couldn't play.
"Kids, I think it's about time to be leaving," Aunt Molly called from the end of the table. Luna and Kurama nodded while Hiei gave Aunt Molly a stare that promised a swift death for calling him "kid."
After taking a taxi to the hotel Luna and her family was staying at and retrieving their trunks, Kurama and Hiei waited on the curb while Shiori hailed a taxi to take them to their own hotel.
"I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts," Luna said awkwardly as a taxi pulled up and the driver got out to help Shiori load the trunks in the car, giving her a bewildered look as he did so.
"I look forward to it," Kurama said with a smile. Luna smiled back. Hiei only grunted his trademark "Hn."
With a few final waves good-bye, Kurama, Hiei, and Shiori climbed into the taxi and sped off down the dark, London street. Luna stood on the curb, watching until the car was out of sight.
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They stopped for their uniforms next. Luna was much quieter then she had been before. She could hardly believe that these boys knew her secret, knew she was a werewolf, and still here they were shopping with her. It really wasn't a big deal to them, something that was totally unheard of.
They entered Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Kurama and Hiei branching off to find their own robes while Aunt Molly and Shiori accompanied Luna in finding hers. In twenty minutes they were assembled once more outside the shop, Aunt Molly carrying the loads of new robes.
The next stop was a shop called Flourish and Blotts where they sold every kind of magical book you could ever imagine. Once they had gathered all the required books they set off to get cauldrons. Kurama wanted to stay and look at the rest of the books in the shop but Hiei and Luna, who wanted to just get the shopping over all ready, dragged him away. After getting the cauldrons, plus the scales and three collapsible telescopes, they stopped in another shop to buy trunks. They each got a sturdy trunk with each of their names engraved on a brass plate on the lid. They gladly dumped the items they had bought into the trunks and slammed the lids shut.
"Now, what about pets?" Aunt Molly asked.
"Pets?" Hiei asked, as thought the word implied some horrible form of torture.
"Yeah," Luna said, "The supply list says you can have an owl or a cat or a toad."
"I'll pass," Hiei grunted.
"I suppose we'll need an owl to send a letter to the school," Kurama said with a glance at his mother, who nodded in agreement. That said, the group set off for Eeylops Owl Emporium.
"Are you going to get an owl?" Kurama asked Luna as they entered.
"We already have two at home. Both great horned owls. The twins named them, unfortunately," she replied.
"What did they name them?" Kurama asked.
Luna rolled her eyes. "Siegfried and Roy."
Kurama chucked slightly as he looked around at all the cages. There were more types of owls here then he had ever seen. Some species were entirely new to him, taking into account the fact that not many owls reside in Japan. He finally decided on a small, brown owl that blinked sleepily at him when he lifted the cage.
"What are you going to call it?" Luna asked as they left the shop.
Kurama was silent for a moment, before saying "Kuronue."
"Cool name," Luna said with a smile.
-()-()-()
After meeting Uncle Xander, Nick, Jason, and Amy at the archway marking the entrance to Diagon Alley, the group had decided to have dinner together at a nearby restaurant. After dropping their trunks, along with Kurama's new owl, off at the hotel Luna's family was staying at, and getting some bizarre looks from the taxi driver, the group set off to eat.
The eight of them sat at a long table in the middle of the restaurant. Luna, Kurama, and Hiei all sat at the end. Kurama had keep his questions concerning Luna to himself for sometime, but now he felt that he had to ask before they parted company and he lost his chance.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you become a werewolf? I looked at the "Fantastic Beasts and Were to Find Them," book when I bought it, but it didn't mention werewolves," Kurama said, his voice just low enough that no one else at the table would be able to hear over the noise in the rest of the restaurant. Luna was startled by the question for a moment, but then she smiled at him.
"I don't mind," she said, her voice also lowered. "You see, my parents died when I was little and I've been living with my aunt and her family ever since. Before the twins were born, both Aunt Molly and Uncle Xander worked. That was before Uncle Xander worked for the AMA and he didn't make very much money. Anyway, since they both worked, Amy and I spent a lot of time in day cares and stuff. On day I got in a fight with some kid and he bit me." With this, she rolled up her left sleeve to reveal the brown outline of a bit mark on her skin. "It took forever to heal and I'll probably always have a scare," she said, pulling her sleeve down again. "Next thing I know," she continued, "the full moon rolls around and I sprout hair and attack the cat."
There was silence for a moment, then Luna lowered her head and said in almost a whisper, "I can't control myself when I transform. In fact, I don't have any memory of what happens when I transform. I have to go lock myself in a room and pray that I don't get out." Again, there is silence, then she looks up and says "So, what's your story?" Kurama hesitated, glancing at his mother who is sitting at the opposite end of the table, talking with Aunt Molly.
"Come on," Luna persists, "I told you my story."
"Alright, but this will sound slightly...strange," Kurama warned her.
"Try me," she said.
Kurama nodded and began. "I used to be a thief, a spirit fox known as Yoko Kurama. One day, a careless mistake left me mortally wounded and my spirit took refuge in the human world, entering the body of my mother's unborn child before it could acquire a proper soul. My original plan was to stay only until I was ten years old, and thus be able to harness my spirit energy. But..."
"But?" Luna urged him on, not showing any signs that this story was in any way out of the ordinary.
"But one day I fell while trying to reach a coffee can on a high self. My mother saved me, but not before seriously injuring herself. She still has the scares on her arms..." Kurama trailed off and grew silent.
"One question. So, is your name Yoko or Shuichi?" Luna asked.
Kurama smiled. "Kurama. You don't seem surprised by my story."
Luna shrugged. "I read stuff about demons and the demon world. Besides, once you go through what I do every month, it takes a lot to surprise you. What about you, Hiei?"
"Hn," Hiei grunted, turning his attention to his food and ignoring his companions who were now staring at him.
"He's a demon as well. You see, whenever a demon shows signs of magic, they go to Hogwarts. However, those demons require...how did Koenma put it?... "partners." I am Hiei's partner. It's my responsibility to make sure he doesn't cause any trouble or anything," Kurama explained.
"Oh, so you're baby-sitting him?" Luna asked.
"Basically," Kurama said as Hiei looked up at Luna with a murderous glint in his eye.
"What is Hogwarts like?" Kurama asked as he started eating his own meal.
"No idea," Luna answered. "Aunt Molly has been to Diagon Alley once or twice before, but she's never been to Hogwarts herself. Neither has anyone else I know. I did manage to find a book on it though. "Hogwarts, A History." It gives you a vague idea."
"What's it say?" Kurama asked.
"Well," Luna started, trying to remember everything she had read. "There's the houses for starters."
"Houses?" Hiei asked, surprising them both. He had been quiet for so long, they had forgotten he was there.
"There are four," Luna said. "Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. The first thing they do at the feast on the first day of school every year is sort the first years into the houses with something called the 'Sorting Hat.' Hufflepuff is for the hard workers, Ravenclaw is for smart people who like to learn, Gryffindor for the brave, and Slytherin for the cunning. They all have mascots too. Hufflepuff is a badger, Ravenclaw an eagle, Gryffindor a lion, and Slytherin a snake. I don't care what they say about Slytherin though, no one but evil wizards has ever come from that house. You-Know-Who was in that house!"
"Who's You-Know-Who?" Hiei asked. Kurama suddenly remembered he had neglected to tell Hiei about the dark wizard, something Koenma had stressed. Luna on the other hand stared in shock.
"You don't know who You-Know-Who is?" she asked in disbelief.
"I thought you said it took a lot to surprise you," Kurama said with a sly smile, but Luna stared at him seriously.
"This is a lot, Kurama. This is a big deal; a HUGE deal! How could you not know who You-Know-Who is?" Luna cried.
"If you'd tell me, then I'd know," Hiei said hotly.
"You-Know-Who is..." Luna paused, looking around and lowering her voice still more. "The dark lord...Voldemort," she winced as she said the name.
"What's so special about him?" Hiei asked.
"He killed hundreds of people, had people living in fear for years. He was finally stopped eleven years ago, but the time that he was in power was terrible. No one with even a hint of Muggle in their family tree was safe. He wasn't too found of demons either," she said.
"He killed my father," Kurama added quietly after a moment.
"But he's dead, right?" Hiei asked.
Luna shrugged. "Some say he is, but I don't think so. He was too powerful to just up and die like that. No, I don't think he's dead. He's still alive somewhere, too weak to stand and no doubt on the very brink of death, but alive."
There was silence before Hiei spoke again. "This Volde-"
"Don't say his name!" Luna hissed violently, cutting him off.
"Why not?" Hiei said angrily.
"Just don't, okay? People are still scared and we've just always been taught to never say his name. So please don't ," she said.
Hiei sighed in frustration. "Fine, You-Know-Who, who stopped him?"
"A boy," Luna said. "His name was Harry Potter. He wasn't even a year old at the time. For some reason, when You-Know-Who tried to kill him, the spell backfired and hit him instead."
"What happened to the boy?" Kurama asked.
"He died. He was only a baby after all," Luna said, staring down at her food, her appetite gone. They sat in silence for a few moments, neither eating nor looking at each other, just sitting.
"Luna?" Kurama asked eventually.
"What?" Luna asked.
"The supply list said something about first years not being allowed broomsticks, and I saw a shop selling them at Diagon Alley. What's the reason behind that?"
Luna smiled, glade for a change of subject. "That would be Quidditch."
"What's that?" Kurama asked. Hiei looked up from his plate, interested in the strange-sounding sport.
"It's kind of like basket ball on broomsticks," Luna said. "There are seven players on a team: Three Chasers, two Beaters, a Keeper, and a Seeker. There are three hoops placed on each side of the field. The Chasers try to get the small red ball, called the Quaffle, into these hoops to score points. The Keeper guards the hoops, like a goalie in soccer. Two slightly smaller, black balls called Bludgers rocked around the field and try to hit the players. The Beaters each have short bats and it's their job to hit the Bludgers towards the other team and try to knock them off their brooms. Follow me so far?"
"Chasers put the Quaffle through the hoops for points. Keepers guard the hoops. And Beaters hit the Bludgers at the other players. Right?" Kurama said slowly.
Luna nodded. "Right. Alright, then there's the Seeker. The Seeker has the most important job. There's this tiny ball, about the size of a golf ball, called the Snitch that zooms around the field, out of sight most of the time. When it appears, it's the Seeker's job to catch it. Once the Snitch is caught, the game is over and the player that catches the Snitch gets his team 150 points. Games don't end until the Snitch is caught, meaning there's no time limit on a game. Games can go for as short as a few minutes, or as long as a week, or even longer."
"Sounds like fun," Kurama commented.
"It is. At Hogwarts, there is a Quidditch team for every house and they have a cup to win and everything. But first years aren't allowed to play. That's why the supply list said no brooms," Luna said, her voice loosing most of it's pep as she admitted she couldn't play.
"Kids, I think it's about time to be leaving," Aunt Molly called from the end of the table. Luna and Kurama nodded while Hiei gave Aunt Molly a stare that promised a swift death for calling him "kid."
After taking a taxi to the hotel Luna and her family was staying at and retrieving their trunks, Kurama and Hiei waited on the curb while Shiori hailed a taxi to take them to their own hotel.
"I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts," Luna said awkwardly as a taxi pulled up and the driver got out to help Shiori load the trunks in the car, giving her a bewildered look as he did so.
"I look forward to it," Kurama said with a smile. Luna smiled back. Hiei only grunted his trademark "Hn."
With a few final waves good-bye, Kurama, Hiei, and Shiori climbed into the taxi and sped off down the dark, London street. Luna stood on the curb, watching until the car was out of sight.