Responses:
Princess Krystal01—Yeah, it was pretty cool… I just wish they had more on the psychics… And Hiei's laugh—that was so COOL!
KaraKurama, samuraiduck27, KuramaIsFine, Shadow Fox777, dizappearingirl, Icy Tears, DarkWarLordofDoomness, Yamashira de'Ryu, slave2anime, Reikson, Cattibrie393, Shessha's Crazy, poltergeist report 101, SilentTruth, Time and Fate—Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!! You guys ROCK!!! But please, people, don't freak out just because the psychics aren't allowed to use their powers—I said I'd think of a way to fix that problem, didn't I? ::evil grin:: Oh, and I was genuinely surprised at how many people guessed right about the Head Boy thing… Am I that predictable? Anyway, thanks again!!!
Karuto-chan—Hermione wasn't allowed to take her test because she wasn't of age. Thanks for reviewing!
Long Live Asato Kido—::gasp:: PEZ DISPENSERS! ::squeal:: Bobby: I worship you… You have given me the Hiei Pez dispenser of myth and legend that Hiei fangirls dream of all their lives!!! ::dramatic pause:: Man, and she calls me a drama queen. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!!!
Disclaimer: HYY ro HP nwo ton seod xineohpecieugor. Read what that says backwards. YOU CAN'T SUE ME, SUCKERS!
Chapter Four: Nominations and Gryffleslytherclaw
Asato dragged his trunk onto the train. Ug. The weight of all the books wasn't HEAVY heavy, but Yuu seemed to be having a little trouble with his; being a bookworm meant more stuff and less muscle. Not a very good combination.
The way in had been… was 'nerve-wracking' the word? Yes, it was. The doorway onto this platform was extremely nerve-wracking. Seriously.
"You've got to run into that wall over there," Ron had said.
"What?"
"You heard me. Run. Into. The. Wall."
Blink.
"Dude, I think he thinks we're stupid or something," Yana whispered. "Who would run into a wall?"
Hiei ran into the wall.
"We have to run into the wall?!"
Getting back to the present, though, Asato was choosing a seat. They'd actually taken up two compartments, what with their incredibly large group.
"SHUT UP URAMESHI!"
And Kuwabara and Yusuke were already fighting. Asato figured that someone else would sit with them.
Hiei looked like he was going to kill something. And soon. Maybe it wasn't exactly the smartest thing in the world to sit next to him…
Ron and Hermione were mysteriously absent, but Harry was there, nervously looking around. Yana and Yuu were in the same compartment as the boy, so it seemed like the safest bet would be to sit with them. Asato turned back to the other compartment.
Yeah. Definitely the safer choice.
Hermione tore through the train, Ron close behind, and Draco Malfoy in front of her. All three of them had the same objective, for once, and it seemed like no one was trying to rip anyone's head off (coughMalfoy'scough) because they all seemed to be panicking too much.
"Where the hell could he be?!"
Ron looked into where he knew Harry must be.
"Hey, you didn't see the Head Boy, did you? We have to find him or," gulp, "face the consequences."
Harry looked astonished. "No. Who is it, anyway?"
"Dunno."
Sweat-drop.
"It's not Malfoy? I thought his dad might slip a couple of Galleons into the right hands…"
"No, and he must've had a fit, too. But apparently Luce's got his hands full with You-Know—"
"Badmouthing my family again, are we, Weasley? Don't even get me started on yours," the platinum haired Malfoy snarled, looking rather vicious. Hmm, so not even Dumbledore's Precious got The Badge…
"Yeah, well at least my fami-"
"Who are you?" Draco sneered, obviously ignoring his fellow prefect to stare at the three psychics—or rather, Yana's hair.
"Your worst nightmare, pretty boy," Asato remarked, copying Malfoy's sneer.
Malfoy simply stared.
A purple thing peeked into the window before vanishing.
"Urameshi! Your ow- pen- what in the bloody h-"
"Puu's here, Yusuke," one of the psychics interjected.
"Yeah, yeah, I see him." Sure enough, on the other side, Yusuke was letting the energetic little Puu into the car. The spirit animal dropped an envelope into the Spirit Detective's lap before perching on his head. Yusuke sighed and ripped open the envelope.
A silver badge slid into his hand.
Jaws dropped to the floor.
"What—?"
Kuwabara snatched it out of his friend's hand and Kurama took the letter.
"What the HELL?! That's MINE!"
"Actually, Yusuke, it isn't." With that, Kurama began to read the letter aloud.
" 'Boys—decide among yourselves who gets this badge. It must be one of the ones who were on the original mission. Genkai. P.S.: Yusuke, act like an idiot while I'm not there and suffer.' "
"HEY!"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco stared.
"Wait. So, let me get this straight. One of THEM is the Head Boy?" It took all of Harry's strength not to yell it.
"Apparently." Hermione didn't know whether to be happy or scared.
"THEM?!" Draco had none of Harry's qualms about yelling. Well, actually, he did, since it was completely out of character for a Malfoy to yell, but this was a—a special occasion!
"You say it like it's a bad thing, Malfoy."
The platinum haired one stormed out of there, fury shaking every fiber of his being.
"This. Is. Not. Happening," they heard him mutter fiercely.
"I vote Hiei as Head Boy," Yusuke immediately suggested when Malfoy was out of sight.
The fire demon's face went from 'smug smirk' to 'blank horror' to 'Yusuke… must kill Yusuke…'
"Naw, I deserve it more than the shrimp!" Kuwabara said, and seemingly cradled the silver badge.
"How modest of you. But think of the responsibility. Who would be the best equipped to handle any of the stuff that's bound to happen?" Thia asked.
"Do you want the badge, Thia?"
"Say that again, Yusuke. Tell me in my ear. That way I don't have to reach in order to rip out your throat."
"Nomination for Suichi." Hiei was smirking once more.
"Seconded!"
"Suichi, do you want it?" Yusuke snapped.
The red-head made the gesture for 'whatever'.
"I want it!"
"Shut up, Urameshi. I vote mys—"
Everything dissolved into arguments.
(a.n.: coughTheOneRingargumentatImladriscough)
"QUIET!"
Silence.
"Hn."
Silence.
"What do you want, Granger?" Yusuke asked.
"Being Head Boy will affect everyone at Hogwarts. Thia's right, the person who gets the Badge has to be responsible and who won't—won't screw things up!"
Silence.
Yusuke looked impatient as he said, "Well? Who are you nominating?"
"Minamino."
"Seconded."
"Three votes!"
"Four."
"Catch," Kuwabara said as he tossed the silver badge to his friend.
"Firs' years! Firs' years!"
"Hullo, Hagrid," Harry greeted the half-giant, who waved a hammy hand at his three favorite students.
"'Lo there, Harry, Ron, Hermione!" He gave a polite nod to the other students, telling them, "Dumbledore said that he'll tell yeh what ter do when yeh git up to the castle." The eight of them nodded and Hagrid continued calling, "Firs' years! Firs' years!"
So they continued on to the thestral-pulled carriages and from there on to Hogwarts castle.
Yuu Kaitou gaped in open astonishment as he caught his first glimpse of what was to be his home/school for the next few months.
It was a… castle… A full-fledged castle, the likes of which he'd only seen in books of fantasy and folklore… It was amazing. The history of it would probably be even more amazing, considering all of the years that it had quite obviously seen. There was probably an immense library, too…
Yana stopped in the middle of blowing a particularly large bubble (thanks to Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, purchased in Diagon Alley) to stare. This was even more awesome than the house that he, Asato, and Yuu had taken Yusuke to when they'd kidnapped him.
Imagine the secret passages. Imagine the insanely cool things to see. Imagine…
Asato's jaw just… dropped. The amount of places to hide when he inevitably skipped a class or two, the amount of weird stuff, the adventure that lurked in Hogwarts…
"When's vacation again?"
"Shut up. Just shut up," Hiei growled at Yusuke.
As they entered the appropriately named Great Hall, the three psychics looked up at the ceiling and beheld one of the coolest special effects in existence: a ceiling that reflected the conditions of the sky above.
"Oh, cool, I didn't know it did that," Thia muttered as she looked up to see what they were looking at.
"You lived here for the last year… and you didn't notice the ceiling?" Kurama asked incredulously.
"Tell me, how many times in your life do you go, 'Oh, let me look at the ceiling,' immediately after you enter the room?"
"All last year, actually," was the red-head's response. "Though I paraphrased quite a bit."
"Yeah, well, that's just weird."
"It's a very accurate weather forecast."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Head Boy."
As the students who had been there the year before strayed from their group and to their house tables: Yusuke and Kuwabara to Gryffindor's table, Hiei to the Slytherin's, and Kurama and Thia to Ravenclaw's. The others just stood in the middle of the hall looking lost until they saw an elderly man with a LONG beard who sat at the Staff table beckoning to them. After a moment's hesitation, the three psychics stepped forward and up to the man.
"Ah, I've been waiting for you. I am Professor Dumbledore," he said, looking over half-moon glasses at them. "You will be Sorted before the first years, so just stand there," the headmaster pointed, "until Professor McGonagall arrives with the Hat."
The three of them nodded slowly.
What sorting? Kurama never mentioned a sorting…
Ah, the Sorting. The placing of a spelled Hat over a subject's head in order to psychoanalyze the subject and fit them into a group according to the traits they possess…
He's delusional. Hey, where'd my bubblegum go?!
"Hey, Kurama… Where's Genkai? Is she arriving late or do I need a new prescription for my glasses?" Thia asked, confusion obvious in her features.
"No and no. She decided not to come this year."
"What?! I thought—But why? And who's taking her place?!"
"Master Genkai told us that she had other things to take care of and that the time she spent with us during last year was merely a preparation for this term. That woman, I suppose, is her replacement," Kurama replied, and motioned to the Staff Table.
Sure enough, sitting in what was once Genkai's seat was a woman on the small side (though not nearly as small as Genkai) who looked more like a free-spirited drama student than a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Heck, she seemed like she'd only just graduated from school herself!
Piggy buns dyed pink and purple were at the side of her head (she didn't wear a black hat, and was the only other teacher besides Snape to do so) and she wore thick-rimmed black glasses. Though she wore black robes like the rest of the staff, she also wore a purple scarf around her throat.
"So the curse of the Defense Teacher strikes again," a Ravenclaw next to Thia muttered.
"Huh?"
"No Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher stays for more than more than one year. None of them."
Once everything was set up and the first years and Professor McGonagall had come in, the headmaster of Hogwarts began his speech.
"Welcome back and welcome for the first time. I am pleased to open Hogwarts up for a new school year, and I hope that you all enjoy it. I am pleased to welcome Professor Sorra Lee to the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts," The woman stood up and bowed theatrically, her forehead nearly touching the table. It was hard not to laugh and it was hard not to notice Snape's glare—a glare that would have surely scared anyone, but that Lee, when she sat back down and noticed it, only copied, to the great delight of those students who were watching her.
"There will also be more additions to the Hogwarts student body this year. I trust that you will treat them the same as you treat any other student." Then he gave a nod to Professor McGonagall.
"Kaitou, Yuu."
The said boy stepped up to the stool, sat down confidently, and waited impassively for the inevitable to come. The hat descended upon his head…
Aha! So, you're a psychic! I haven't Sorted one of your kind for a long, long time…
That's quite interesting. However, shouldn't you be getting on with the Sorting?
All too true, young one. Hmm, no question about it…
"RAVENCLAW!"
Shouts from the table where Suichi and Thia were sitting and Yuu went to join them.
"Kido, Asato."
Another psychic.
This is just… freaking nuts…
As you say, young man. Now, let's see… Ah, quite a tough one, are we?
Uh, yeah.
Loyalty, yes, and an abundance of courage! I believe you belong in…
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Yanagisawa, Mitsunari." It took some maneuvering to get the Hat onto Yana's head, and half of the Hall was in snickering fits of laughter (the other half was asleep), but at long last, the Sorting Hat was safely on his head.
…How many of you are there?
One. Just one.
But there are… a lot…
Yup.
Oh… But which one is the real one?
Good question.
…
…
Well, where do you want to be?
Good question. Uh… Gryffleslytherclaw.
…
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"We were hoping you'd get into Hufflepuff," Yusuke told him right off the bat when Yana had sauntered down to his new table.
"Why? Aren't they, like, losers?"
"We don't have any spies there."
"Oh."
"Urameshi… doesn't everyone already know you guys aren't students?"
Yusuke stared at Asato for a moment.
"Oh yeah…"
Author's Rants: Is it just me or does it seem like the train compartments in the HP movies are REALLY small? Anyway. The argument? That was to help me choose which person gets the Head Boy Badge. I was thinking about the "secret" meeting at Imladris (Rivendell) in LotR and it just kind of made writing the scene a little easier.
Hey, does anyone know if the Head Boy and Girl have separate rooms from the rest of the house? It would be reeeeally helpful if someone could tell me, 'cause it's essential for the next chapter…
Why did I screw up the whole 'entrance into Hogwarts' thing? I dunno… Noxious car fumes made me do it, I guess…
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention: Secrets and Rain. It's a little one-shot I wrote depicting a day during the summer between the end of YSUtS and the beginning of Trick Questions. I dunno why I had the impulse to write it, but I did. It's not going up on FF. net because I don't feel like it. Call it laziness. Whatever. It's mostly for anyone who's been nagging me (not that I don't enjoy it!) for Kurama-Thia fluff. Though, it's not really fluff, it's… ah, whatever. Anyway, if you want it, then include a request for it in a review. You HAVE to include your e-mail address (I'm too lazy to look on everyone's profiles), otherwise it will not reach you (duh!?). Just remember that sometimes FF. net cuts off the addresses sometimes, so put a space between the dot and the 'net' or 'com', etc..
Jeez, she's being so bossy today…
::gags bobby::
So, now for my mandatory plea for reviews: Review. Flame. Critique. I like the mail.
Oh, yeah, and I forgot! My cousin, greeniceangel, is posting up her fics soon (she told me it's because I wouldn't shut up), once her 3-day decontamination period is over. Which brings up a question: Why on earth do they make new members wait 3 days before they're allowed to post stuff? G.I.A got reeeeally pissed off 'cause she's already written up 3 or 4 one-shots (all for YYH, of course!). Please read them once they go up? (Just… don't tell her I told you to…)
