Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Yu Yu Hakusho.
Authoress's Note: Okay…got a bit off track on the last chapter. Terribly sorry…as Pen Against Sword noted I was under the influence of sugar at the end of the last chapter. Please say you haven't given up hope on me! Enjoy your update!
Pen Against Sword: As previously mentioned, I was a tad sugar high at the end of the chapter. ;; and please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't recall any instance in the series where Botan's, Hiei's, or Yukina's last names are mentioned. Koorime and Jaganshi are just Hiei and Yukina's races. And, I've never really been one to conform, so…yeah. (If you can prove me wrong, then I will use the last names you gave me. That comment sounded so mean! I don't mean it like that…I just don't think their last names are ever mentioned.)
Hisan Kage: This story wasn't meant to be so out of character and humorous…I only meant for mild humor. But, the sugar was talking at the end there, so I'm just going to leave the genre as-is and tone things down a bit. Thanks for the review!
Mystriss Kloee: Here's your update! And thanks for the review! RANDOMNESS EQUALS YAYNESS!
fanfic lover: Hn. (What else can I say?)Eternal Light/Fire Dragon: I wasn't too happy with the last chapter myself. Here's your update!
Crystal Koneko: Glad you liked it. And yes, they're all in Gryffindor. (The sorting hat was proctored, as mentioned in the last chappie.)
Robin Autumn: (This reviewer sent me an email review.) Glad you liked it! Um...enjoy your update! LONG LIVE HB! LONG LIVE HB!
Chapter Three
The banquet was very typical for the normal students of Hogwarts. Friends were reunited, stories exchanged over too much food, and rumors were already flying. Everything was in it's place…except the fact that there was an odd vibe in the air. It was easy for the Reikai Tantei to tell that there was something that was taboo…something that the students feared if they talk about it, they would ruin the happy and content mood that was set. But, the simple fact remains that things unsaid often only make things worse. So, masked by the general cheeriness of the room was uneasiness and fear.
There were, however, three individuals who seemed unafraid to discuss the taboo topic. Luckily, Kurama was closest to the three, so with his good hearing he could easily tell what Harry, Ron, and Hermione were discussing in low tones over the noise of the Great Hall.
"D'you think we're safe here?" asked Ron in a voice just above a whisper. "I know they say we are…but most of the trouble we've been in has been right here, in our own school."
"This is true." agreed Hermione, her expression grave and her voice quivering between a whisper and a normal speaking voice as though it couldn't make up it's mind. "But Dumbledore is here, right? He wouldn't let anything happen to us-"
"You're forgetting the attacks." interrupted Harry quietly. "Remember what we overheard Tonks and Moody talking about in the hallway? 'Hogwarts attacked…demons…wonder how…very odd…' and then we heard Moody say, 'Yes, very…we should….Dumbledore thinks…Reikai…'"
"Come on, Harry, we could barely hear. We missed to much of the conversation to jump to conclusions." sighed Hermione dismissively.
"But what is Reikai?" protested Harry. "Dumbledore wanted Reikai for something."
"Yeah." agreed Ron. "You can't deny that."
"We should eat." sniffed Hermione, obviously aggravated she was outnumbered. "No use bickering about something we know nothing about."
"I don't think they're talking about what everyone seems afraid to talk about." said Kurama softly, turning back to his friends. "But they were discussing how they needed to find out what Reikai was."
Yusuke gasped. "What?! How do they know about Reikai? Are they on to us?!"
Emerald eyes looked around quickly. No one had seemed to notice the outburst.
Botan slapped a hand over Yusuke's mouth. "Shut up Yusuke, do you want them to know we were eavesdropping?"
"They're not on to us. But they heard some people named Moody and Tonks talking about Dumbledore's plans, I think. They don't know anything, but they might soon."
"So, we have to be extra careful?" asked Kuwabara.
"Exactly."
The rest of the meal went by rather quickly…eventually people started sitting back, their stomachs bursting from fullness, eyes drooping from fatigue. Most either talked or gazed up at the starry ceiling, charmed to replicate the sky outside. It always seemed the most beautiful on the first night…reminding them of years past or making them imagine the year to come, under that same ceiling.
Dumbledore stood once more, chatter quickly died away. Once the hall was completely silent, he began his speech.
"Once again, welcome to Hogwarts, especially to the first years and our foreign exchange students." many turned to stare at the 'newcomers.' "I would like to remind all students that the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all students, and that all magic is forbidden in the corridors. Furthermore, Mr. Filch would like to remind all students that there is a list of all banned materials hanging on his office door. Please take the time to stop and read it, as ten new items have been added for the new school year.
"I would also like to introduce our new teacher, Ms. Keiko Yukimora, who graduated from Tokyo Premier School for Magic early and came with the exchange students to teach Muggle Studies for us, as the normal professor has taken the year off. She will also be teaching Hogwart's newest subject, Foreign Languages, as for many knowing a second language may be crucial in their future line of work. All enrollments for this class will be taken tomorrow morning in front of the Great Hall.
"Now, seeing as many of you are already asleep, off to bed with you! Good night!" Dumbledore stepped down and went back to the other teachers, talking briefly with Keiko before becoming involved in a serious-looking conversation with McGonagall.
"Night Yusuke!" came her cry from across the hall as she was led off by Flitwick to her new set of rooms. (This was quite a feat, as the Hall was practically vibrating from all the noise.) Yusuke waved 'bye,' and followed the rest of his friends out of the hall, trying to keep up with the others in their house.
They were led up quite a few flights of stairs to a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress that was…talking. All of the other portraits did the same, and the very freaked out Reikai Tantei could only act like it was normal like all the others, while seriously questioning their sanity.
Whoever was at the front (They couldn't see, they were in the back of the crowd of Gryffindors,) called out, "Niu ho man maolen niichuan!" and the portrait swung open to reveal a little tunnel.
"Niu…ho…man…WHAT?!" cried one of the others. "I'll never remember that…They get harder every year!"
One by one, the Gryffindors crawled through the little hole and out into the Common Room. As Botan entered, she looked around and her eyes widened. "I could get used to this…it looks like a palace!" Hermione suddenly appeared in front of them, a rather forced smile on her face.
"Um, the boys' staircase is over there, the girls' on the other side. Just thought you might like to know." she walked off, and the Reikai Tantei gave their parting words as they went their separate ways, promising to meet in the Common Room early the next morning.
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Walking up the steps, Botan and Yukina chattered happily about one thing or another, the ice apparition a bit more social than usual, although she pretty much hadn't spoken all through dinner.
"This place is so nice…I feel like some sort of princess!" exclaimed Botan happily, mounting the last step.
"Yes, it's really nice…I can't wait to see the rest of it." replied Yukina with a smile, opening the door and stepping aside to let Botan in. Botan walked in and wiated for Yukina, drawing in a breath. "Oh, Yukina!" she breathed. "Look!"
The two girls looked around the room. Two extra beds had been squeezed in for them, making the room just a tad more cozy. The four-poster beds were all perfectly made, and all of their trunks and other luggage was stacked neatly at the foot of their bed. Most of the other girls were already hanging things by their beds and putting things away in their dressers and nightstands. Yukina and Botan hurried over to their beds, which were right next to each other, and followed suit, taking things from their trunks and putting them away neatly.
"Did you hear about the attacks on Hogwarts?" asked a dark haired girl, directing the question at a blond with the bed next to hers. "Mysterious creatures attacked Hogwarts. Rumor has it, they were demons." she pulled a small package from her pocket. "My mom gave me these. Take some. Never know when you'll need them."
The blond walked over to the dark one, who opened the package and pulled out half of the stack of small, rectangular slips of paper that were inside. "These are Japanese Demon Talismans. Supposedly, if you put one to a demon's skin, it burns them."
"Thanks, Parvati." said the blond, pocketing the papers. "I'll keep them close. The Daily Prophet's reports on the attacks seemed kind of scary."
"No problem, Lavender." said Parvati with a smile. She turned around to Botan and Yukina. "Wait, you guys are from Japan. Do you know what these say?" she held up a talisman and waited.
"They say, 'Aku Ryu Tai San," said Yukina in a small voice. (She was, unfortunately, closer to Parvati.) "It means, 'Retreat evil demon.'"
Botan jumped in, "They're trash, inventions of our superstitious ancestors. They were made even before the Feudal Era by some village priestess. Just crap they sell off to tourists." her voice was surprisingly calm and matter-of-factly for how scared for Yukina she really was.
Parvati's face fell. "Really?" she said, crestfallen. "My mom paid loads for these. They were selling em' in Diagon Alley." she looked down at the talismans. "Oh well. I'll keep them anyway. Maybe they're charmed or something, so they work better than the normal Japanese ones." she stuck the talismans into the top drawer of her dresser and kept on unpacking, talking with Lavender about something or other, while Yukina and Botan fell silent, both thinking about what would happen if Yukina was found out.
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The guys were a bit luckier. It didn't seem as though anyone had any clue as to what a demon talisman was, and if they did, no one had brought any out to show their friends.
Hiei was done unpacking first, considering he didn't even bother to unpack. He left the trunk full of things Dumbledore had gotten him at the foot of his bed untouched and drew the curtains of his bed around himself.
Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama unpacked just like everyone else, talking quietly amongst themselves (Except Kuwabara, I don't think he can talk quietly.) While the others whispered to their friends and occasionally stared at the new students, egging each other on to go and introduce themselves. Eventually, a sandy-haired boy approached.
"My name is Seamus Finnigan." he said, tapping Yusuke on the shoulder. "Welcome to Hogwarts." the boy stepped back and waited for Yusuke to say something, smiling.
"Um…hi." replied Yusuke awkwardly, turning around. "I'm Yusuke…"
"I know. Rather…colorful introduction." Seamus headed back to his bed. "Just wanted to say 'hi,' is all."
"I think we scare them." muttered Kurama thoughtfully, putting a picture of his mother on top of the dresser next to a picture of the Reikai Tantei with Genkai, Koenma, Yukina, Keiko, and Shizuru. It was taken right after Yusuke had returned from Makai.
"They should be scared!" proclaimed Kuwabara. "If any of them mess with me, or my Yukina-"
"When did they ever even send a glance in Yukina's direction?" asked Yusuke pointedly. "And I think Hiei has everything taken care of in the protecting Yukina department."
"What does that little twerp have anything to do with my precious snow bunny?"
"More than you know, moron."
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The next morning, the Reikai Tantei assembled in the Common Room at 5:30 a.m. Although the hour was indecent, it was the latest they could convene without having to worry about interruptions. Some students were up and about the Common Room, but everyone spoke in hushed tones and kept to themselves, so in a quiet corner the Reikai Tantei assembled, the girls still in their pajamas.
"Okay, we have a problem." said Botan, first thing. "The girl in the bed next to yukina has demon talismans. We tried to convince her they were trash, but she didn't believe us. What if…I don't know…what if Parvati drops one and then Yukina steps on it…or they get suspicious and try and test someone…we can't be found out."
The group was silent for a moment, contemplating Yukina's predicament.
"I think that you and Yukina should switch beds." suggested Kurama. "We want as much space between Yukina and that girl as possible." Botan nodded and looked to Yukina expectantly.
"Okay." said the apparition with a slight nod.
"I don't really know what else we can do." muttered Yusuke. Kuwabara looked as though he might cry.
"We have to protect my precious snow bunny!" he exclaimed. The others all anime-fell.
"Do you want everyone to wake up, you baka?!" hissed Yusuke. "There's nothing else we can do…we have to let things run their own course.
"Well…actually, do you know where this girl is keeping the talismans?" asked Kurama thoughtfully, a slight golden gleam in his eye.
"Oh, no Kurama. If Youko came up with this, I don't even want to know what it is."
"In her top drawer, the third bed from the far right window." said Botan, smiling as she realized what he was getting at. "But be careful. Yukina and I heard Hermione and another girl talking about how last year Ron and Harry tried to get into the girls' dormitory. Apparently, the steps turn to a slide. So you might want to jump up there. Not that you'd ever steal from the girls…"
"Thanks for the tip Botan, I'll be sure to use it." said Yusuke, rubbing his hands together.
THWACK!
A nerve twitched in Botan's temple as she made her oar disappear again. Yusuke rubbed his head and yelled, "What was that for?!"
"Oh gee, I dunno…" she said angrily, turning away from him. "C'mon Yukina, we should go and get dressed." she grabbed Yukina's hand and pulled her to the stairs to their dormitory, a steady stream of curses directed at Yusuke streaming from her mouth. Kuwabara and Yusuke headed back for the boys' dormitory, leaving Hiei and Kurama alone.
"Why so eager to help my sister, fox?" asked Hiei pointedly.
"I don't know. We're all in this together, aren't we?" replied Kurama simply, looking the little fire demon in the eye.
"Fox?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
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Harry Potter was crouched at the top of the steps, watching the new students. They were all meeting in a corner of the Common Room, some of them not even dressed, talking in inaudible tones. What he wouldn't give for an Extendable Ear! But his last one had broken so all you heard when you used it was gibberish, leaving him to just imagine what they were talking about.
'What do I care what some Japanese exchange students talk about? I don't know them. I shouldn't care.' but for some reason, he did. Why were they meeting at so indecent an hour? Why were they speaking in hushed tones, in a deserted corner? 'They don't know anyone here, so they stick together, of course. Maybe they get up early in Japan. And they're talking quietly because they don't want to wake anyone.'
but for some reason, he did. Why were they meeting at so indecent an hour? Why were they speaking in hushed tones, in a deserted cornerAll of a sudden, the orange-haired one became distraught and cried out, "We have to protect my precious snow bunny!"
''Snow bunny?' Who's his precious snow bunny?' Harry thought for a moment. It had to be the quieter girl…the one with the greenish hair and the weird ribbon. What was her name? 'Yukina. The snow bunny is Yukina. Protect her from what? Hogwarts is safe, there's nothing that can hurt her, unless she met Malfoy, but he didn't bother us at all yesterday.' These students were quite odd indeed. Odd and perplexing. They seemed so…normal. But at the same time, mysterious. Harry decided he would discuss everything with Hermione and Ron when they got up, and, seeing Yusuke and Kuwabara mounting the steps, he hurried back into bed.
Harry thought for a moment. It had to be the quieter girl…the one with the greenish hair and the weird ribbon. What was her name? These students were quite odd indeed. Odd and perplexing. They seemed so…normal. But at the same time, mysterious. Harry decided he would discuss everything with Hermione and Ron when they got up, and, seeing Yusuke and Kuwabara mounting the steps, he hurried back into bed.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emerald eyes gazed over the top of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six, to Yukina, who had taken the seat in front of him. For some reason, lately he had found himself staring at her like this all the time, and it had become a nuisance. Yukina was a nice girl, but he didn't think about her in that way.
"Or do you?" asked a rather interested Youko, who yawned inside Kurama's head as though just waking up.
"I don't, Youko, mind your own business."
"Your business is my business, Shuichi." replied the fox pointedly
"And I know what you're thinking. You're more like me than you know."
"I'm like you, minus the perversion and your overwhelming joy in scaring and killing small children."
"See? You took the words out of my mouth. Go for her."
"No."
"Why-"
"Mr. Minamino, what effect does the Confundus Charm have on it's victim?" asked Professor Flitwick from atopthe stack of books he was sitting on.
"Erm, the Confundus Charm is used to confuse the opponent." said Kurama, a little too quickly.
"Correct, but are you alright Mr. Minamino?"
Kurama looked down at his book, which he had laid down on his desk. "Just a slight headache."
"Would you like to go to the Hospital Wing?"
"No-"
"Hold on a second." Flitwick looked over to the door and gestured for the student who was standing in the doorway to enter.
"Ms. Yukina Koorime is needed in the Hospital Wing, if it's convenient." said the student. (A/N Okay, whatever Pen Against Sword. Can't come up with a better last name, so you win. Bit I still don't think they ever say that that's her last name.)
Flitwick smiled. "Perfect. Ms. Koorime, you may go, and Mr. Minamino, please go with her. If you don't feel well, then you don't have to be here today, It's just review."
Kurama sighed, but could tell he wasn't going to be able to convince Flitwick to let him stay. He reluctantly packed up his things and followed Yukina out. The messenger had disappeared somewhere down the hall, so they were alone once the door was closed.
"Here, let me see." Yukina stepped in front of Kurama and stood on her toes to laid a hand on his forehead. "A little headache? You're burning up."
He blushed. He was warm, but it wasn't because he was sick. Her large red eyes filled with concern. "Are you sure you're feeling all right?"
"Yeah, I feel fine." he crouched down a bit so she wouldn't have to stay on her toes. "Do you even know where the Hospital Wing is?"
She smiled. "No, but that's okay. We'll find it." Moving a little closer, she pushed back his bangs and held them with her right hand, placing the fingertips of her free hand on his head, a soft blue glow coming off of them. Coolness spread from her hand. "Better?" she asked.
"Yeah." he replied, pushing her hand away. His bangs flopped back down at an odd angle. "Don't waste that on me. I bet they want you down there to heal. Koenma must've told Dumbledore."
She looked slightly taken aback, but nodded and they set off down the hallway, hoping a teacher would cross their path and tell them where to go.
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The morning classes flew by, and the bell rang for break. Kurama had been released from the hospital by the second class of the morning, and everyone else had a pretty uneventful day. Yusuke had managed to behave himself in all of his classes by dreaming of his first afternoon class, Foreign Languages. The teachers soon found that Hiei didn't like to talk much, and so they just kind of ignored him. (He hadn't had Snape or McGonagall yet.) Kurama was a good little Shuichi, and Yukina spent the rest of the morning in the hospital, helping Madame Pomfrey.
As soon as the break bell rang, the students rushed out of the school, eager to run off their energy and soak up the sun of what could be the last nice day of the year. The Reikai Tantei all found each other and decided to sit in the shade of a huge oak tree off to the side of where the other students were running around.
"This place isn't too bad." commented Kurama, laying back in the grass.
"I don't know about that," retorted Yusuke, flopping down next to him. "It's just like normal school."
Kurama sighed and looked up at the leaves of the tree, dotted with the points of sunlight that streamed down.
Then someone screamed. And then more came, screams of fear mixed with desperate cries for help from anyone.
The Reikai Tantei looked around, alert. Yusuke and Kurama were standing in less than a second, and then they saw the cause of the commotion.
Four huge demons were emerging from the forest, snarling at the students and even attacking some. (A/N: think those perverted dudes that showed up after Hiei and Yusuke fought for the second time.)
"Botan! Go into the air and see if there are any more in the trees, everybody else, let's go." yelled Yusuke, taking off for the demons, the others following, and Botan flying up above. In a matter of seconds, the four boys were attacking the demons.
The battle was over in less than a minute, and all the other students saw was three blurred figures taking out the enormous creatures, and Kuwabara, slashing one up with an odd-looking sword while Botan flew around on some sort of broom.
Slowed down, they would have seen this:
Hiei jumped up, unsheathing his katana and decapitating the first demon before it even saw him coming. Kurama produced the rose whip a second after the sword came unsheathed, wrapping it around the demon's waist and pulling back, severing it from the middle. Yusuke sent a Spirit gun straight through the third demon's head at the same time Kurama finished off his. Being the slowest, Kuwabara managed to kill the last demon with the spirit sword, jumping up and slashing a diagonal line through it. All the while, the four boys had to dodge the spells cast by the frantic students that seemed to simply
The four landed in different places among the carnage. Botan landed next to Yusuke, the oar disappearing. "Clear!" she declared brightly.
The spells stopped. A shocked hush fell over the crowd as all of them slowly lowered their wands and looked at the Reikai Tantei, unsure what to do. The Tantei themselves just sat there and stared back at them, waiting for anything to happen. Then, all of a sudden
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No, I didn't forget to finish the sentence! Read the next chappie to see what happened all of a sudden! R&R people! I hope that was better than the last chapter……Wow, two updates in a week…I'm on a roll here…