Chapter 6
"That was brilliant!" Ron exclaimed as they sat. "The first day at Hogwarts and Malfoy's already been knocked flat on his arse! In front of the whole school as well! Brilliant!"
Duo smiled. "Why thank you, I do try."
"The only thing you hit was the door, Duo," Wufei commented, eyeing his two companions with an amused expression. Duo blew him a raspberry and returned to wolfing down what was left on his plate. After a few minutes, Dumbledore stood and announced that all students were to follow their dorm's prefects to their wings. He glanced at the five pilots briefly before turning to talk to another teacher.
"'Prefect'?" Quatre questioned, glancing at Harry curiously. Harry smiled, nodding his head slightly to a girl that had stood and started telling the Gryffindors to follow her closely.
"It's the person in charge of their particular house. Every house has one. Ours is Maddy Bell, apparently." The redhead Harry had called Maddy was making her way to the doors, glancing back to make sure she was being followed. And she was.
Making their way through the halls, the pilots had to work hard not to get left behind. When pictures on the wall started moving Duo had stopped dead and started talking to the man in the frame. When they'd realized he was gone, Heero had run back and dragged him back to the group. They soon realized that this school was very maze-like in structure and would require lots of time before they knew the layout well enough.
"Pickled Frog!" Maddy announced clearly and loudly, and the portrait before her swung open. She stepped into the opening and the students behind her quickly followed. They gathered in the common room for a quick briefing that Duo didn't pay attention to, and they were sent to their dorms. The five didn't move and soon enough they were alone with the Prefect.
"The Headmaster said that you'd all be sleeping in the second-year dorms because there are none this year. Tomorrow morning you are to be in this room promptly at 8:00 AM. Ms. McGonagall will be here, and I suggest you not keep her waiting. Tomorrow you'll be going to Diagon Alley to get school supplies instead of classes, as per the Headmasters instructions." Her piece said, Maddy made her way into the girl's dormitories and left the boys alone.
Duo frowned and glanced at Trowa with a curious look on his face. "Um… notice how all of a sudden we've been enrolled in school?"
"We don't have any money," Quatre mused, wondering how they'd buy school supplies.
"I can fix that tomorrow," Heero replied, stretching slowly. "Right now I just want to get some sleep."
Duo sighed. "And me without my nightie."
"Hey!" Ron called from the boys' dorm. "You blokes better get in your room before McGonagall gets here! Come on!"
The boys looked at each other silently, nodding slightly before they moved to follow Ron.
~*~*~
It was five to eight when McGonagall decided to grace the boys with her presence. She looked surprised that they were all there and awake, but quickly shook it off. Duo yawned tiredly, although it was mostly for show. He'd been awake since six thirty, as had his comrades. They'd been wandering around the common room for almost an hour.
"You will eat when you return," McGonagall told them, making it sound like a punishment. The boys were unaffected – they'd gone without food for longer than that. "If all goes well you will be back at the school in time for lunch and may eat then, unless Hagrid allowed you to eat while in Diagon Alley. Now, follow me." She walked out through the portrait, and unlike Maddy Bell, she didn't look back to see if they were following.
Following another confusing and complicated trail they found themselves outside of the dining hall again. Duo's jaw dropped at who was standing in the entryway with Dumbledore – he was at least seven feet tall! 'And most likely more,' Duo added grimly. This was one guy he would NOT want to get into a fight with.
Apparently the others agreed, for they were suddenly much more cautious and guarded. They approached the man slowly, each unconsciously assessing him for weak points.
"Ah, there they are!" Dumbledore called, clapping his hands together. "Hagrid, these are the boys."
"G'mornin' to ye!" Hagrid bellowed, smiling brightly at the pilots. They each nodded back politely, Quatre and Duo grinning. "Thought yeh'd take much longer, though. Lads like yerselves usually sleep in a lot."
"We were told to be ready by eight," Quatre replied. "We were actually awake for a while before that."
"Interestin'. Anyways, we'd better get goin' if we wanna be back here by lunch!" Hagrid nodded to Dumbledore before making his way out the door. "C'mon lads!"
The boys followed him silently, Quatre smiling at Dumbledore on their way by. The doors closed behind them and they found themselves looking outside for the first time since they'd woken up.
"Wow." Duo muttered, summing up everything in one little statement. "Just… wow."
The landscaping was beautiful, with lush grass, a sparkling lake and a forest in the distance. Duo couldn't wait to go exploring.
"Alrigh', c'mon. Don't be stragglin' now." Dragging his eyes from the view, Duo ran up to the group and followed the giant across the grounds.
~*~*~
A/n: Not much happened, but next chapter is full of Diagon Alley goodness!
