Disclaimer: NOT MINE! NOTHING IS MINE EXCEPT FOR LOKI, THOR, VECTOR, LEO,
AKIRA, KAZUKI, AND RIN! AND OTHER OCS IN FUTURE CHAPTERS! THE HOUSE-ELVES
BELONGS TO ME TOO!
First time attempting to write a Harry Potter fic so be kind and R&R. And no one beta-ed this so don't mind my grammar mistakes.
Warning: This will be SLASH! Meaning 2 guys in THAT kind of relationship!
Spoilers: Books 1-4
Pairings: Main - Severus/Sirius Others - Reviewers choice! Voting ends July first!
Languages:
"blah blah blah" - English
'blah blah blah' - Japanese
------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Akira has another idea?
(Posted 05/17/03 - Saturday)
(Revision #3 11/06/03 - Thursday)
------------------------------------------------------------------
The sky turned a pinkish color as the sun sank. Streaks of purple and blue ran across puffs of white, fluffy clouds, casting shadows over the quiet manor. A rare breeze blew fallen leaves onto the marble porch, landing at the foot of the black frame. The space in the frame rippled and shimmered, signs of someone's arrival. A man with brown hair peppered with gray stumbled out, his worn clothes looking out of place.
"Strange," Remus said, regaining his balance. "I can't seem to get used to going through portals and this is the fourth time today."
A large dog came out next. Sirius, in his Animagus form, lied down and rested his head on top of his paws. Then he whimpered, staring at his friend with sorrowful eyes. Remus scratched his chin.
"It looks like I'm not the only one having trouble adjusting to portals," said Remus. "I don't believe I've ever saw a dog vomit before."
"That mangy cur did it on purpose," said Severus, who stepped out the frame as if he was really walking through a door. "He dragged himself two meters from the Ministry portal and emptied his stomach onto my shoes!"
"It wasn't anything a simple cleaning spell couldn't remove Uncle," soothed Thor, exiting after Severus. "He was disoriented and didn't know where he was going."
Sirius lifted his head up painfully and growled.
"I was about to kick him in the ribs for that stunt," said Severus. "You shouldn't have held me back."
"That would have been a very bad impression on my co-workers," said Thor. "They weren't subtle about their curiosity towards English wizards either. Their eyes were on you and Mr. Lupin during the whole time we were there, and I didn't want them seeing my uncle hitting a defenseless pup."
"He's anything BUT a pup," retorted Severus.
"Ah, magnificent manor you have," Remus said before Thor could reply. "You must have a large staff of house-elves to maintain it."
"Not that large," said Severus, going through the main entrance. "We have twenty-five on the maintenance staff, ten on the kitchen staff, three as short-distance delivery boys, and two for long-distance."
"Amazing, having a total of forty house-elves," Remus said, strolling next to Severus. "I'm glad Ms. Granger isn't here or else she'll be protesting on the mistreatment of house-elves."
"Ms. Granger wasn't passionate enough with her Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare," Severus said, the title of Hermione's pressure group rolling off his tongue perfectly. "She barely kept up with the idea for a year, always getting sidetracked by Potter's involvement in the Triwizard Tournament."
"She's still young," said Remus.
"So is Loki," said Thor, walking in with Sirius after casting a spell for ridding nausea on him. "But he's on a different level than Potter and his friends. Once he has a mission in his mind, he'll do almost anything to fulfill it and he does complete them too."
"Harry was raised deprived of the luxury of having people teach him the ways to be an adult," said Remus. "He's more of an average teenager than a magical genius. I'm glad Severus is sending his nephew to Hogwarts to help with the war. The Order is very grateful."
"I bet the boy's godfather has a contradicting opinion," said Severus.
"No more insults Uncle," warned Thor. "Getting Mr. Black cleaned up is top priority on my list. We can't have Loki seeing someone so dirty. Candy! Bubble!"
One instantaneous pop later, two female house-elves appeared. They took the hem of their pink skirts and did a curtsy. Remus was amused at their human- like manners while Sirius titled his head in curiosity.
'Good evening Masters,' said Bubble, her blue eyes sparkling. 'You have a task for Bubble?'
'Yes, and please speak English as our two guests doesn't know Japanese,' said Thor before switching language. "I need you to make Mr. Black presentable. He's the Animagus."
"Oh, Bubble would be honored Master Thor," the bouncy house-elf said in American English, her face filled with ecstasy. "Should Bubble give him the full treatment?"
"Yes, give Mr. Black the full treatment and the specials too," said Severus, a sadist's expression on him. "If there's something you want to experiment, you have permission to do it on him."
"Oh! Thank you Master Severus! Thank you so much!" cried Bubble. "You won't be disappointed. Oh no! There are so many things Bubble wants to try. What to do first Bubble wonder."
"Bubble shouldn't do something drastic," said Candy, who was hiding behind the perky house-elf. "Mr. Black is a guest in the manor."
"Candy," said Thor.
"Yes Master Thor?" Candy asked in a whisper, her green eyes wide. "What have Master Thor called Candy for?"
"Could dinner be served an hour from now?" said Thor. "I'm sure Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin are famished from their portal traveling."
"Of course Master Thor," answered the timid house-elf, bobbing her head. "Candy will see to that in the kitchens."
"Thank you," said Thor. "You may go back to the kitchens now."
"You are most welcome Master Thor," said Candy, and then disappearing quickly.
"Come here Mr. Black," cooed Bubble. "Must get you ready. The baths are preparing themselves at the moment. We will start with a haircut until the baths are ready."
"Go on," Remus encouraged. "She doesn't bite."
Sirius glared at his werewolf friend but allowed Bubble to touch his fur. The house-elf grinned and led him to a hidden stairway on the right side. Her voice faded out of Severus' hearing.
"If Mr. Black doesn't turned back to a person, Bubble can't cut Mr. Black's hair, and that would mean Bubble has to use a buzzer and shave it all - "
"I wish I could have seen his face," said Remus. "The terror of American house-elves is legendary."
"Let's go," said Severus. "We can wait in the parlor until dinnertime."
So they went through the hall of portraits to go to the same place where Loki had decided to transfer. Remus opened his mouth to ask if there was a portrait of Severus but he paused when he saw other people already in the parlor. On the couch was Akira holding a weekly magazine about Go, flipping the pages in search of a particular article. Sitting on the floor with his legs under the coffee table was Leo, his laptop running in front of him. Across was Kazuki's laptop but closed and the owner nowhere to be seen. Loki wasn't there either.
'Akira, Leo, what are you doing here?' asked Thor.
'We were invited for a sleepover by your brother,' answered Akira, closing his magazine. He was dressed casually in a white polo shirt and dark green slacks.
'Loki's in his room with Kazuki if you're wondering,' Leo informed, his eyes glued to the screen and his fingers resting on top of the keyboard. 'They'll be back soon.'
"I only heard the names Leo and Loki," said Remus, and then directing the question to the fifteen-year-olds. "Do you speak English?"
"They're Loki's friends," Severus stated as if that meant they knew everything.
"A little," Akira said modestly, his accent barely detectable.
'Liar,' said Leo, pushing up his glasses. 'You had a private tutor for the last three years.'
'You should practice more often,' said Akira. 'Unless you think your American teacher didn't teach as well as my British tutor.'
"My English is fine thank you," said Leo, his accent was marginally clearer. "I don't enjoy speaking in a foreign language when there's no benefit for me."
Severus sat at his customary armchair behind Leo while Thor sat on the armrest. Remus sat next to Akira in the middle of the couch.
"That makes you a git," said Akira, dropping his magazine to the floor.
"Sorry, don't know the meaning of git," Leo said without hesitation. "That's not an American word you know."
"Introductions before insults," Thor said, glaring at Severus. "Children never learn to be polite."
"I'm Akira," said the Go player, shaking Remus' hand. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Leo's my name," said the hacker, unable to do anything as a ping came from his laptop. He typed a reply and turned to Remus again but an electronic voice called out "You've got mail."
"Take your time," said Remus, curious at the Muggle contraption.
'Thanks for helping me pack,' a voice floated into the parlor. 'You're a lifesaver.'
Loki bounced into the room, his hands on Kazuki's shoulders. He blinked at seeing Remus. The former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor blinked also but at Kazuki wearing a yellow sundress and brown sandals.
"Loki, Kazuki," greeted Thor, not even batting an eyelash. "Meet Remus Lupin. He's staying here for three days with his friend Sirius Black."
"Sirius Black's that guy framed as a traitor to James and Lily Potter when it was really their other friend who betrayed them, right?" said Leo as he continued typing. "Didn't he get out of Azkaban two years ago?"
Remus took his eyes off Kazuki as the girly boy kneeled in front of his laptop and Loki sat next to his friend. The longhaired boy opened his computer and started it up.
"How did you know about that?" Remus asked, looking to Severus.
"Why are you looking at me for," snapped Severus. "I wouldn't break the Headmaster's promise and tell confidential information to a bunch of adolescents. How did you find out?"
"The internet has a vast amount of information," said Kazuki, his British sounded the same as Loki's. "You just have to know here to look for it."
"Internet?" said Remus. "What's that?"
"Uh-oh," said Loki. "Duck for cover."
Severus and Thor looked at Loki for clarification. Loki shook his head and pressed his palms against his ears. Kazuki and Akira sighed.
"WHAT'S THAT?" Leo shouted, his face red as he glared at Remus. "DID YOU JUST SAY WHAT'S THAT? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S THE INTERNET? OH MY GOD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? DID YOU HEAR THAT KAZUKI? HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT'S THE INTERNET!"
"I heard him," said Kazuki. "And I hear you too. No need to be so loud."
"But Kazuki~~~" Leo said, pulling his hair. "He doesn't know what's the Internet. You're a computer whiz like me. Aren't you offended?"
"I expected them not to know anything Muggle," said Kazuki.
"Hey," said Remus. "I've lived in a Muggle town before and in Muggle London after that. The Internet is too technical that's all."
"What are you talking about?" said Sirius, entering.
He was dressed in a white T-shirt and boot cut jeans. His hair was cut short and gelled back, showing his black eyes. Everyone in the parlor stared at him.
Sirius shrugged. "Bubble wanted to do a youthful look."
"Ah, of course," said Loki. "Only Bubble would do something like this."
"Hmm," said Leo. "He seems different from the pictures on the Internet."
"Was that what you were talking about?" said Sirius, taking the other armchair. "What's the Internet?"
"Not again," said Akira, his hand placed over his eyes.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?" Leo exploded. "THE INTERNET MAN! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! NOT KNOWING WHAT THE INTERNET IS! THAT'S CRAZY! YOU GUYS HAVE PROBLEMS!"
He huffed and turned back to his laptop, resuming his typing. Kazuki smiled at his childish expression and Loki laughed, rolling on the floor like a maniac.
"Your face," said Loki, pointing at Sirius. "It was so funny."
Severus cracked a smile. No one saw but the very attentive Thor and Akira. The young Auror caught Akira's eye and titled his head to the hallway. The Go player nodded and stood.
"Have some business to discuss with Akira," said Thor. "I'll bring him back in one piece."
They walked out into hallway, stopping under the portrait of Loki and Thor's late sister.
'You saw what I saw?' Thor asked, his uncle's straightforwardness evident.
'If you're talking about how Mr. Snape was looking at Mr. Black, then yes I did,' answered Akira. 'His smile was aimed at Mr. Black's direction, not at Loki's.'
Thor nodded. 'There is definitely more going on than simple rivalry.'
'There's a thin line between love and hate,' quoted Akira.
'So it wasn't only me,' said Thor. 'I knew there was something else but love between two people who hates each other seems cliché.'
'It was a random thought,' Akira said, shrugging. 'Are we done? I want to see Mr. Snape's reaction when Loki drops the bomb.'
'Bomb?' echoed Thor. 'What bomb?'
'You'll see,' Akira said mysteriously as he walked back. Thor walked with him until his uncle yelled.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Severus cried, losing his cool façade.
"What happened?" Thor said, wanting to know what the bomb was.
"Loki told him that he's going to spend the summer living near Harry," Sirius said, grinning. "It's part of his plan to become his friend."
"It's not bad," commented Remus. "It'll do some good for Harry, making friends outside of Hogwarts. Whose idea was it?"
"That would be me Mr. Lupin," said Akira, sitting at his previous seat. "It was my idea."
"It was your idea?" Severus said, his anger vanishing.
"Since Loki wants to be Potter's friend, it would be advantageous to earn his friendship before his sorting in Hogwarts," explained Akira. "It would be difficult to do that if Loki ends up in Slytherin."
"What if Loki gets sorted into Gryffindor?" said Remus.
"Umm," Loki said, reflecting on it. "I don't think so."
"He has Snape's blood," said Sirius, smirking at his enemy. "I doubt he'll get into Gryffindor."
"Genetics doesn't make the decision," said Leo. "The Sorting Hat goes through a person's mind and depending on how a person was raised, picks the House most suitable to him or her. Loki's personality fits more into the Slytherin category than the other Houses."
"You have a lot of information on Hogwarts," Kazuki said, getting a shrug from the hacker.
"And nobody's going to know I'm related to Uncle anyway," said Loki.
"Why are you two going with him?" said Severus. "You're not transferring to Hogwarts."
"Not if I can't use my computer and have Internet access," Leo said, glaring at Remus and Sirius. "It's my lifeline and without either one will be the death of me. Loki wrote to the Headmaster of Hogwarts about it. And anyway, living in England during my summer vacation would be fun."
"I don't know whether it's a good time or not but I have another idea," Akira said, gaining everyone's attention. "Making a new identify for Loki would be a hassle so he should just use his real name."
"But I'll scare Potter off," said Loki. "Note to self, give Potter a nickname."
"Not if you bring someone he wants be see very much," said Akira, looking at Sirius. "If his godfather was with you, you'll be number one in his book."
"What?" Sirius said, puzzled. "I can't be seen in daylight."
"Ah, I understand," said Leo. "If he looks different from being clean and dressed Muggle-like, he'll be unrecognizable if he has a total makeover."
"Makeover?" Sirius said, confused as hell. "Glamour spells won't work."
"Who said anything about spells," said Akira. "We're talking about Muggle techniques."
"It's workable," Kazuki said, typing in something into his laptop. "I can run a program to see how he looks like with what on him. I knew it would be of use someday."
"This is getting out of hand," said Severus. "The Headmaster might not allow this."
"I agree," said Remus. "We should tell the Headmaster."
"We've already asked and he's okay with it," Loki said, looking at the screen. "Kazuki, how about this outfit?"
"Alright," said Kazuki. "Leo, I'm sending you the pictures now."
"Hmm, this might be better," said Leo. "Sending."
"They're at it again," said Thor. "I'm not needed so I'm going to my study for now. Tell me when it's dinnertime."
"Okay Bro," said Loki.
"See you later, little monkey," Thor said, leaving.
"How are you going to pay for all this?" Severus said, finally coming out with a question to stop their outrageous plan. "You don't have enough money for a house in England for two months. One month maybe but not two."
"Leo and Kazuki took care of that," said Akira. "Their skills in computers helped."
"What?" Severus said, remembering what he saw on Muggle television last year. "Isn't that illegal?"
"Yea," Leo replied honestly. "But it's for the greater good and all."
"Oh lord," said Sirius. "This Internet thing is dangerous."
"Can you teach me sometime?" asked Remus. "I find this so interesting."
"No problem," said Leo. "I'll teach you some basic legal things about the Internet when we move onto Privet Drive."
Remus smiled.
"No turning back so when are we leaving?" asked Sirius.
"Three days from now," said Akira.
"Three days~~~" said Severus. "The Headmaster knew from the beginning."
"And you're going with us Uncle," said Loki. "Dad told me if you don't agree to accompany me, he would get Rin to attack you."
"WHAT!!!"
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A.N. - Took me longer to get Chapter 4 out. Hectic week. Period. Chapter 5 will have Harry in it. Thanks for reading! Please review. Oh yea, Akira comes up with all the ideas because you won't be seeing him for a while.
First time attempting to write a Harry Potter fic so be kind and R&R. And no one beta-ed this so don't mind my grammar mistakes.
Warning: This will be SLASH! Meaning 2 guys in THAT kind of relationship!
Spoilers: Books 1-4
Pairings: Main - Severus/Sirius Others - Reviewers choice! Voting ends July first!
Languages:
"blah blah blah" - English
'blah blah blah' - Japanese
------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Akira has another idea?
(Posted 05/17/03 - Saturday)
(Revision #3 11/06/03 - Thursday)
------------------------------------------------------------------
The sky turned a pinkish color as the sun sank. Streaks of purple and blue ran across puffs of white, fluffy clouds, casting shadows over the quiet manor. A rare breeze blew fallen leaves onto the marble porch, landing at the foot of the black frame. The space in the frame rippled and shimmered, signs of someone's arrival. A man with brown hair peppered with gray stumbled out, his worn clothes looking out of place.
"Strange," Remus said, regaining his balance. "I can't seem to get used to going through portals and this is the fourth time today."
A large dog came out next. Sirius, in his Animagus form, lied down and rested his head on top of his paws. Then he whimpered, staring at his friend with sorrowful eyes. Remus scratched his chin.
"It looks like I'm not the only one having trouble adjusting to portals," said Remus. "I don't believe I've ever saw a dog vomit before."
"That mangy cur did it on purpose," said Severus, who stepped out the frame as if he was really walking through a door. "He dragged himself two meters from the Ministry portal and emptied his stomach onto my shoes!"
"It wasn't anything a simple cleaning spell couldn't remove Uncle," soothed Thor, exiting after Severus. "He was disoriented and didn't know where he was going."
Sirius lifted his head up painfully and growled.
"I was about to kick him in the ribs for that stunt," said Severus. "You shouldn't have held me back."
"That would have been a very bad impression on my co-workers," said Thor. "They weren't subtle about their curiosity towards English wizards either. Their eyes were on you and Mr. Lupin during the whole time we were there, and I didn't want them seeing my uncle hitting a defenseless pup."
"He's anything BUT a pup," retorted Severus.
"Ah, magnificent manor you have," Remus said before Thor could reply. "You must have a large staff of house-elves to maintain it."
"Not that large," said Severus, going through the main entrance. "We have twenty-five on the maintenance staff, ten on the kitchen staff, three as short-distance delivery boys, and two for long-distance."
"Amazing, having a total of forty house-elves," Remus said, strolling next to Severus. "I'm glad Ms. Granger isn't here or else she'll be protesting on the mistreatment of house-elves."
"Ms. Granger wasn't passionate enough with her Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare," Severus said, the title of Hermione's pressure group rolling off his tongue perfectly. "She barely kept up with the idea for a year, always getting sidetracked by Potter's involvement in the Triwizard Tournament."
"She's still young," said Remus.
"So is Loki," said Thor, walking in with Sirius after casting a spell for ridding nausea on him. "But he's on a different level than Potter and his friends. Once he has a mission in his mind, he'll do almost anything to fulfill it and he does complete them too."
"Harry was raised deprived of the luxury of having people teach him the ways to be an adult," said Remus. "He's more of an average teenager than a magical genius. I'm glad Severus is sending his nephew to Hogwarts to help with the war. The Order is very grateful."
"I bet the boy's godfather has a contradicting opinion," said Severus.
"No more insults Uncle," warned Thor. "Getting Mr. Black cleaned up is top priority on my list. We can't have Loki seeing someone so dirty. Candy! Bubble!"
One instantaneous pop later, two female house-elves appeared. They took the hem of their pink skirts and did a curtsy. Remus was amused at their human- like manners while Sirius titled his head in curiosity.
'Good evening Masters,' said Bubble, her blue eyes sparkling. 'You have a task for Bubble?'
'Yes, and please speak English as our two guests doesn't know Japanese,' said Thor before switching language. "I need you to make Mr. Black presentable. He's the Animagus."
"Oh, Bubble would be honored Master Thor," the bouncy house-elf said in American English, her face filled with ecstasy. "Should Bubble give him the full treatment?"
"Yes, give Mr. Black the full treatment and the specials too," said Severus, a sadist's expression on him. "If there's something you want to experiment, you have permission to do it on him."
"Oh! Thank you Master Severus! Thank you so much!" cried Bubble. "You won't be disappointed. Oh no! There are so many things Bubble wants to try. What to do first Bubble wonder."
"Bubble shouldn't do something drastic," said Candy, who was hiding behind the perky house-elf. "Mr. Black is a guest in the manor."
"Candy," said Thor.
"Yes Master Thor?" Candy asked in a whisper, her green eyes wide. "What have Master Thor called Candy for?"
"Could dinner be served an hour from now?" said Thor. "I'm sure Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin are famished from their portal traveling."
"Of course Master Thor," answered the timid house-elf, bobbing her head. "Candy will see to that in the kitchens."
"Thank you," said Thor. "You may go back to the kitchens now."
"You are most welcome Master Thor," said Candy, and then disappearing quickly.
"Come here Mr. Black," cooed Bubble. "Must get you ready. The baths are preparing themselves at the moment. We will start with a haircut until the baths are ready."
"Go on," Remus encouraged. "She doesn't bite."
Sirius glared at his werewolf friend but allowed Bubble to touch his fur. The house-elf grinned and led him to a hidden stairway on the right side. Her voice faded out of Severus' hearing.
"If Mr. Black doesn't turned back to a person, Bubble can't cut Mr. Black's hair, and that would mean Bubble has to use a buzzer and shave it all - "
"I wish I could have seen his face," said Remus. "The terror of American house-elves is legendary."
"Let's go," said Severus. "We can wait in the parlor until dinnertime."
So they went through the hall of portraits to go to the same place where Loki had decided to transfer. Remus opened his mouth to ask if there was a portrait of Severus but he paused when he saw other people already in the parlor. On the couch was Akira holding a weekly magazine about Go, flipping the pages in search of a particular article. Sitting on the floor with his legs under the coffee table was Leo, his laptop running in front of him. Across was Kazuki's laptop but closed and the owner nowhere to be seen. Loki wasn't there either.
'Akira, Leo, what are you doing here?' asked Thor.
'We were invited for a sleepover by your brother,' answered Akira, closing his magazine. He was dressed casually in a white polo shirt and dark green slacks.
'Loki's in his room with Kazuki if you're wondering,' Leo informed, his eyes glued to the screen and his fingers resting on top of the keyboard. 'They'll be back soon.'
"I only heard the names Leo and Loki," said Remus, and then directing the question to the fifteen-year-olds. "Do you speak English?"
"They're Loki's friends," Severus stated as if that meant they knew everything.
"A little," Akira said modestly, his accent barely detectable.
'Liar,' said Leo, pushing up his glasses. 'You had a private tutor for the last three years.'
'You should practice more often,' said Akira. 'Unless you think your American teacher didn't teach as well as my British tutor.'
"My English is fine thank you," said Leo, his accent was marginally clearer. "I don't enjoy speaking in a foreign language when there's no benefit for me."
Severus sat at his customary armchair behind Leo while Thor sat on the armrest. Remus sat next to Akira in the middle of the couch.
"That makes you a git," said Akira, dropping his magazine to the floor.
"Sorry, don't know the meaning of git," Leo said without hesitation. "That's not an American word you know."
"Introductions before insults," Thor said, glaring at Severus. "Children never learn to be polite."
"I'm Akira," said the Go player, shaking Remus' hand. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Leo's my name," said the hacker, unable to do anything as a ping came from his laptop. He typed a reply and turned to Remus again but an electronic voice called out "You've got mail."
"Take your time," said Remus, curious at the Muggle contraption.
'Thanks for helping me pack,' a voice floated into the parlor. 'You're a lifesaver.'
Loki bounced into the room, his hands on Kazuki's shoulders. He blinked at seeing Remus. The former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor blinked also but at Kazuki wearing a yellow sundress and brown sandals.
"Loki, Kazuki," greeted Thor, not even batting an eyelash. "Meet Remus Lupin. He's staying here for three days with his friend Sirius Black."
"Sirius Black's that guy framed as a traitor to James and Lily Potter when it was really their other friend who betrayed them, right?" said Leo as he continued typing. "Didn't he get out of Azkaban two years ago?"
Remus took his eyes off Kazuki as the girly boy kneeled in front of his laptop and Loki sat next to his friend. The longhaired boy opened his computer and started it up.
"How did you know about that?" Remus asked, looking to Severus.
"Why are you looking at me for," snapped Severus. "I wouldn't break the Headmaster's promise and tell confidential information to a bunch of adolescents. How did you find out?"
"The internet has a vast amount of information," said Kazuki, his British sounded the same as Loki's. "You just have to know here to look for it."
"Internet?" said Remus. "What's that?"
"Uh-oh," said Loki. "Duck for cover."
Severus and Thor looked at Loki for clarification. Loki shook his head and pressed his palms against his ears. Kazuki and Akira sighed.
"WHAT'S THAT?" Leo shouted, his face red as he glared at Remus. "DID YOU JUST SAY WHAT'S THAT? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S THE INTERNET? OH MY GOD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? DID YOU HEAR THAT KAZUKI? HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT'S THE INTERNET!"
"I heard him," said Kazuki. "And I hear you too. No need to be so loud."
"But Kazuki~~~" Leo said, pulling his hair. "He doesn't know what's the Internet. You're a computer whiz like me. Aren't you offended?"
"I expected them not to know anything Muggle," said Kazuki.
"Hey," said Remus. "I've lived in a Muggle town before and in Muggle London after that. The Internet is too technical that's all."
"What are you talking about?" said Sirius, entering.
He was dressed in a white T-shirt and boot cut jeans. His hair was cut short and gelled back, showing his black eyes. Everyone in the parlor stared at him.
Sirius shrugged. "Bubble wanted to do a youthful look."
"Ah, of course," said Loki. "Only Bubble would do something like this."
"Hmm," said Leo. "He seems different from the pictures on the Internet."
"Was that what you were talking about?" said Sirius, taking the other armchair. "What's the Internet?"
"Not again," said Akira, his hand placed over his eyes.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?" Leo exploded. "THE INTERNET MAN! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! NOT KNOWING WHAT THE INTERNET IS! THAT'S CRAZY! YOU GUYS HAVE PROBLEMS!"
He huffed and turned back to his laptop, resuming his typing. Kazuki smiled at his childish expression and Loki laughed, rolling on the floor like a maniac.
"Your face," said Loki, pointing at Sirius. "It was so funny."
Severus cracked a smile. No one saw but the very attentive Thor and Akira. The young Auror caught Akira's eye and titled his head to the hallway. The Go player nodded and stood.
"Have some business to discuss with Akira," said Thor. "I'll bring him back in one piece."
They walked out into hallway, stopping under the portrait of Loki and Thor's late sister.
'You saw what I saw?' Thor asked, his uncle's straightforwardness evident.
'If you're talking about how Mr. Snape was looking at Mr. Black, then yes I did,' answered Akira. 'His smile was aimed at Mr. Black's direction, not at Loki's.'
Thor nodded. 'There is definitely more going on than simple rivalry.'
'There's a thin line between love and hate,' quoted Akira.
'So it wasn't only me,' said Thor. 'I knew there was something else but love between two people who hates each other seems cliché.'
'It was a random thought,' Akira said, shrugging. 'Are we done? I want to see Mr. Snape's reaction when Loki drops the bomb.'
'Bomb?' echoed Thor. 'What bomb?'
'You'll see,' Akira said mysteriously as he walked back. Thor walked with him until his uncle yelled.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Severus cried, losing his cool façade.
"What happened?" Thor said, wanting to know what the bomb was.
"Loki told him that he's going to spend the summer living near Harry," Sirius said, grinning. "It's part of his plan to become his friend."
"It's not bad," commented Remus. "It'll do some good for Harry, making friends outside of Hogwarts. Whose idea was it?"
"That would be me Mr. Lupin," said Akira, sitting at his previous seat. "It was my idea."
"It was your idea?" Severus said, his anger vanishing.
"Since Loki wants to be Potter's friend, it would be advantageous to earn his friendship before his sorting in Hogwarts," explained Akira. "It would be difficult to do that if Loki ends up in Slytherin."
"What if Loki gets sorted into Gryffindor?" said Remus.
"Umm," Loki said, reflecting on it. "I don't think so."
"He has Snape's blood," said Sirius, smirking at his enemy. "I doubt he'll get into Gryffindor."
"Genetics doesn't make the decision," said Leo. "The Sorting Hat goes through a person's mind and depending on how a person was raised, picks the House most suitable to him or her. Loki's personality fits more into the Slytherin category than the other Houses."
"You have a lot of information on Hogwarts," Kazuki said, getting a shrug from the hacker.
"And nobody's going to know I'm related to Uncle anyway," said Loki.
"Why are you two going with him?" said Severus. "You're not transferring to Hogwarts."
"Not if I can't use my computer and have Internet access," Leo said, glaring at Remus and Sirius. "It's my lifeline and without either one will be the death of me. Loki wrote to the Headmaster of Hogwarts about it. And anyway, living in England during my summer vacation would be fun."
"I don't know whether it's a good time or not but I have another idea," Akira said, gaining everyone's attention. "Making a new identify for Loki would be a hassle so he should just use his real name."
"But I'll scare Potter off," said Loki. "Note to self, give Potter a nickname."
"Not if you bring someone he wants be see very much," said Akira, looking at Sirius. "If his godfather was with you, you'll be number one in his book."
"What?" Sirius said, puzzled. "I can't be seen in daylight."
"Ah, I understand," said Leo. "If he looks different from being clean and dressed Muggle-like, he'll be unrecognizable if he has a total makeover."
"Makeover?" Sirius said, confused as hell. "Glamour spells won't work."
"Who said anything about spells," said Akira. "We're talking about Muggle techniques."
"It's workable," Kazuki said, typing in something into his laptop. "I can run a program to see how he looks like with what on him. I knew it would be of use someday."
"This is getting out of hand," said Severus. "The Headmaster might not allow this."
"I agree," said Remus. "We should tell the Headmaster."
"We've already asked and he's okay with it," Loki said, looking at the screen. "Kazuki, how about this outfit?"
"Alright," said Kazuki. "Leo, I'm sending you the pictures now."
"Hmm, this might be better," said Leo. "Sending."
"They're at it again," said Thor. "I'm not needed so I'm going to my study for now. Tell me when it's dinnertime."
"Okay Bro," said Loki.
"See you later, little monkey," Thor said, leaving.
"How are you going to pay for all this?" Severus said, finally coming out with a question to stop their outrageous plan. "You don't have enough money for a house in England for two months. One month maybe but not two."
"Leo and Kazuki took care of that," said Akira. "Their skills in computers helped."
"What?" Severus said, remembering what he saw on Muggle television last year. "Isn't that illegal?"
"Yea," Leo replied honestly. "But it's for the greater good and all."
"Oh lord," said Sirius. "This Internet thing is dangerous."
"Can you teach me sometime?" asked Remus. "I find this so interesting."
"No problem," said Leo. "I'll teach you some basic legal things about the Internet when we move onto Privet Drive."
Remus smiled.
"No turning back so when are we leaving?" asked Sirius.
"Three days from now," said Akira.
"Three days~~~" said Severus. "The Headmaster knew from the beginning."
"And you're going with us Uncle," said Loki. "Dad told me if you don't agree to accompany me, he would get Rin to attack you."
"WHAT!!!"
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A.N. - Took me longer to get Chapter 4 out. Hectic week. Period. Chapter 5 will have Harry in it. Thanks for reading! Please review. Oh yea, Akira comes up with all the ideas because you won't be seeing him for a while.