-Chapter One, Mission...Magic?-
"I can't believe this mission is a SCHOOL! The –one thing- I really hate, and Koenma sends me there..."
"Yusuke, calm yourself," Kurama lowered his voice so no one could eavesdrop on the conversation, "You'll blow our cover."
Yusuke snorted and glanced out the window. Colors and shapes whirled by, but Yusuke could make out every single tree, shrub and rock out there.
"Easy for you say," he muttered, "You're a teacher."
Kurama shrugged and resumed his reading of Advanced Practical Defense. He occasionally muttered things under his breath that Yusuke couldn't make out.
Suddenly, the two heard muffled voices outside their compartment:
"We'll find one..."
"Can't believe you didn't save us seats."
"It wasn't my fault, Ron..."
The door of their compartment was roughly opened, revealing three teenagers. A girl with bushy brown hair, a boy with untidy black hair and green eyes, and a lanky redheaded boy.
All three looked mildly surprised to see the compartment was partially full.
"Oh...err, you mind if we sit here?" the black-haired boy asked.
"No. There's plenty of room," Kurama said. Yusuke (who'd been sitting by the window across from Kurama) sat beside the fox so the three wizards could sit together.
"You new students?" Ron asked. The redhead's accent was really thick, and really weird...he could tell it was foreign.
Kurama concluded that he wouldn't get to read during this ride, so he shut his book.
"Yeah, I'm a Japanese transfer student, Urameshi Yusuke," Yusuke said, in perfect English (though his thick Japanese accent was obvious).
All three of the wizards now turned their gaze to Kurama. "I am Yusuke's uncle, Minamino Shuichi...your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
It was the cover Koenma had suggested: Yusuke was Kurama's nephew, and both were to use their human names (not like Yusuke had a non-human name, though). Kurama's older sister was Atsuko, and Yusuke was her son.
Hermione double-blinked. "Uh...aren't you a bit...young?"
Kurama shook his head, "Not really. Sixteen."
Yusuke couldn't help but grin in amusement at the looks on Harry, Ron and Hermione's faces. Obviously, sixteen was extremely young in this country, but Koenma had told them that Japanese wizards were fully qualified at fifteen.
"You said your name was Urameshi, right?" Harry asked, with a glance at Yusuke.
Yusuke double-blinked, "No. My first name is Yusuke..."
"But-"
Kurama cut him off, "My apologies. In Japan, you introduce your family name first."
"Oh," Harry said.
"So. You know our names. Who're you guys?" Yusuke asked.
Harry hesitated. He didn't want them goggling at his scar, or asking questions about Voldemort...he didn't want to think about that part of him until he had to...whenever he did, he remembered Sirius...
His friends, however, had no such impediments.
"Ron Weasley."
"Hermione Granger."
Kurama and Yusuke were now looking expectantly at Harry, who finally relented, "Harry Potter."
Kurama and Yusuke simply nodded.
Harry double-blinked, completely dumbfounded. Surely even the Japanese had heard of the Dark Lord? His terrorizing...murdering...the man whose name most wizards dare not speak...
Yusuke paused, gave Harry and odd glance, then spoke, "Hey, you're that kid who that weirdo He-who-cannot-be-spoken of or whatever guy tried to kill?"
Harry nodded. The question didn't make him uncomfortable...Yusuke had delivered it in such a casual way.
"What was his name again?"
Kurama sweatdropped and shook his head. "I believe it was Voldemort..."
"Oh, yeah, right! Voldemort. Feh. Stupid sounding name if you ask me..."
Ron flinched every time the Dark Lord's name was mentioned...but was completely dumbstruck by these two. "You say his name?"
"Of course," Kurama said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Why wouldn't we? There is nothing to be feared in a name."
Ron just shook his head. Not even Sirius went that far to disrespect Voldemort...and he wasn't one to keep his opinion to himself. But these two, they were making fun of him!
"Oh!" Hermione said suddenly, breaking the short silence, "We'll be there in ten minutes...we should get changed!"
Hermione grabbed her black wizard's robes and went to change in a different compartment. Kurama also left. He was already clothed in a long, flowing black robe, with a deep red sash tied around his waist. The sleeves were wrist-length and kimono-style, and he lacked the pointed wizard's hat most wore. He simply tied his crimson hair back in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck.
--
Ten minutes later, everyone was changed.
The train came to a gradual stop at Hogsmeade station and all the students spilled out of the train, looking like black liquid in their black robes and hats.
--
"They've been tamed?" Kurama muttered, gently stroking the glistening black hide of one of the skeletal horses that pulled the Hogwarts carriages (a/n: I forget what they're called...anyone know?).
"Wow...those things are weird," Yusuke raised a black eyebrow at the odd creatures.
"You can see them?" Harry asked, bewildered.
"-You- can see them?" Kurama glanced at Harry.
"Yeah..."
"What's so amazing about being able to see'em, Shuichi?" Yusuke asked.
"You can only see them if you've seen death," Kurama said darkly. He hastily took a seat in the carriage.
Yusuke, Hermione and Ron follow the fox, and immediately the skeletal horses take off at a quick trot.
-End Chapter-
For some reason, this chapter...meh. -- I don't like it. But the chapters to come will get better!
"I can't believe this mission is a SCHOOL! The –one thing- I really hate, and Koenma sends me there..."
"Yusuke, calm yourself," Kurama lowered his voice so no one could eavesdrop on the conversation, "You'll blow our cover."
Yusuke snorted and glanced out the window. Colors and shapes whirled by, but Yusuke could make out every single tree, shrub and rock out there.
"Easy for you say," he muttered, "You're a teacher."
Kurama shrugged and resumed his reading of Advanced Practical Defense. He occasionally muttered things under his breath that Yusuke couldn't make out.
Suddenly, the two heard muffled voices outside their compartment:
"We'll find one..."
"Can't believe you didn't save us seats."
"It wasn't my fault, Ron..."
The door of their compartment was roughly opened, revealing three teenagers. A girl with bushy brown hair, a boy with untidy black hair and green eyes, and a lanky redheaded boy.
All three looked mildly surprised to see the compartment was partially full.
"Oh...err, you mind if we sit here?" the black-haired boy asked.
"No. There's plenty of room," Kurama said. Yusuke (who'd been sitting by the window across from Kurama) sat beside the fox so the three wizards could sit together.
"You new students?" Ron asked. The redhead's accent was really thick, and really weird...he could tell it was foreign.
Kurama concluded that he wouldn't get to read during this ride, so he shut his book.
"Yeah, I'm a Japanese transfer student, Urameshi Yusuke," Yusuke said, in perfect English (though his thick Japanese accent was obvious).
All three of the wizards now turned their gaze to Kurama. "I am Yusuke's uncle, Minamino Shuichi...your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
It was the cover Koenma had suggested: Yusuke was Kurama's nephew, and both were to use their human names (not like Yusuke had a non-human name, though). Kurama's older sister was Atsuko, and Yusuke was her son.
Hermione double-blinked. "Uh...aren't you a bit...young?"
Kurama shook his head, "Not really. Sixteen."
Yusuke couldn't help but grin in amusement at the looks on Harry, Ron and Hermione's faces. Obviously, sixteen was extremely young in this country, but Koenma had told them that Japanese wizards were fully qualified at fifteen.
"You said your name was Urameshi, right?" Harry asked, with a glance at Yusuke.
Yusuke double-blinked, "No. My first name is Yusuke..."
"But-"
Kurama cut him off, "My apologies. In Japan, you introduce your family name first."
"Oh," Harry said.
"So. You know our names. Who're you guys?" Yusuke asked.
Harry hesitated. He didn't want them goggling at his scar, or asking questions about Voldemort...he didn't want to think about that part of him until he had to...whenever he did, he remembered Sirius...
His friends, however, had no such impediments.
"Ron Weasley."
"Hermione Granger."
Kurama and Yusuke were now looking expectantly at Harry, who finally relented, "Harry Potter."
Kurama and Yusuke simply nodded.
Harry double-blinked, completely dumbfounded. Surely even the Japanese had heard of the Dark Lord? His terrorizing...murdering...the man whose name most wizards dare not speak...
Yusuke paused, gave Harry and odd glance, then spoke, "Hey, you're that kid who that weirdo He-who-cannot-be-spoken of or whatever guy tried to kill?"
Harry nodded. The question didn't make him uncomfortable...Yusuke had delivered it in such a casual way.
"What was his name again?"
Kurama sweatdropped and shook his head. "I believe it was Voldemort..."
"Oh, yeah, right! Voldemort. Feh. Stupid sounding name if you ask me..."
Ron flinched every time the Dark Lord's name was mentioned...but was completely dumbstruck by these two. "You say his name?"
"Of course," Kurama said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Why wouldn't we? There is nothing to be feared in a name."
Ron just shook his head. Not even Sirius went that far to disrespect Voldemort...and he wasn't one to keep his opinion to himself. But these two, they were making fun of him!
"Oh!" Hermione said suddenly, breaking the short silence, "We'll be there in ten minutes...we should get changed!"
Hermione grabbed her black wizard's robes and went to change in a different compartment. Kurama also left. He was already clothed in a long, flowing black robe, with a deep red sash tied around his waist. The sleeves were wrist-length and kimono-style, and he lacked the pointed wizard's hat most wore. He simply tied his crimson hair back in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck.
--
Ten minutes later, everyone was changed.
The train came to a gradual stop at Hogsmeade station and all the students spilled out of the train, looking like black liquid in their black robes and hats.
--
"They've been tamed?" Kurama muttered, gently stroking the glistening black hide of one of the skeletal horses that pulled the Hogwarts carriages (a/n: I forget what they're called...anyone know?).
"Wow...those things are weird," Yusuke raised a black eyebrow at the odd creatures.
"You can see them?" Harry asked, bewildered.
"-You- can see them?" Kurama glanced at Harry.
"Yeah..."
"What's so amazing about being able to see'em, Shuichi?" Yusuke asked.
"You can only see them if you've seen death," Kurama said darkly. He hastily took a seat in the carriage.
Yusuke, Hermione and Ron follow the fox, and immediately the skeletal horses take off at a quick trot.
-End Chapter-
For some reason, this chapter...meh. -- I don't like it. But the chapters to come will get better!