Darkness and Light
Chapter Two, updated as of 10/14/09
Excuse the long delay, there's just some chapters that are hard to re-write :/ Enjoy!
The trio found themselves yet again looking hard for an empty compartment, or at least one with room for them. Ginny had left to sit with some of her friends, and had told them they should try the largest one in the back.
"But those weird people are there." She told them in a hushed tone. "The one in cloaks who aren't showing their faces."
"Well..." Hermione said slowly. "We need to sit somewhere."
"You just want to meet them, don't you?" Ron grumbled.
"They wouldn't be on the train to Hogwarts if they were evil or anything." Hermione said. She took Harry's hand and gently dragged him forward, Ron trailing behind.
There were only nine hooded figures in the back compartment, all talking to one another, save for the girl in black. Their faces could still not be seen clearly, not even the girl in gold they had spoken to in Diagon Alley. Hermione, being unusually brave, slid the door open and asked, "Can we sit here?"
"Of course!" The figure in pink exclaimed happily. It was a female voice, and Harry could now tell from the way that all the figures were holding themselves that they were all female as well (though one could be a man). As he sat down, Harry tried to discreetly scan them with his eyes. The pink one seemed to be as small as the black one, though she did not seem to emit the same feel of the black one. The others seemed to be in two different groups; those wearing lighter colors seemed to be slightly shorter then those wearing darker colors. There was also a basket by the girl in pink where three cats lay sleeping.
There was silence in the compartment now, for all of two minutes before Hermione smiled nervously and asked,
"So what year are you in?"
"Well, me and Hotaru are in second year," The girl in pink said happily, motioning to herself and the girl in black. "They are in seventh year," motioning towards those in darker colors, "and they're in sixth."
Harry sighed internally, of course most of them would be in his year.
"Wasn't there another one with you?" Harry asked, remembering the tallest one.
"That's Setsuna." The girl in light blue said. "She's actually a professor, so she's up front."
"Don't professors usually stay at the school ahead of time?" Ron asked.
"She's not the only one here." The girl in the light blue cloak said softly. "Because of Lord Voldemort, there are a few teachers on the train, just in case."
"How scary." The girl in pink muttered. "And by the way, can I take this off now? It's really too hot."
"We're not even close to Hogwarts yet." The tallest of the girls, the one in dark blue, said coldly. "It's not safe."
"We're on the train!" The pink girl said. "Anyone who's going to be at Hogwarts is already here, no one else has seen-"
The girl in dark blue suddenly muttered something in a different language, "Do not speak of it before these people."
Harry and Ron both glanced at Hermione, hoping she might have understood what they said, but she just shrugged slightly.
"Please forgive us." The girl in the cloak of gold said in a cheery voice. "There are some people who cannot yet see our faces, and we hope that once we get to Hogwarts we won't need to be in hiding anymore. Until we get there safely, we must remain like this." She said, holding up her fully-covered arms.
"Maybe you should start doing that," Ron whispered to Harry.
The group did not talk much, not until the food trolley came and the girls in pink, white and gold rushed towards the door. The girl in pink returned to her friend in black, prodding her to eat something.
"You really need to improve your eating habits." She pouted. "That's way too less!"
The girl in black pulled something shiny out from her robes; Harry realized it was a plastic bag filled with what looked like rice molded into shapes. She passed it around their circle, some of the girls taking some and others declining politely.
"If I may ask..." Hermione asked eagerly. "That's an Eastern snack, isn't it?" Where are you from?"
"From?" The girl in white asked blankly.
"We're from Japan, if that's what you mean." The girl in green said.
"Oh, did you go to Mahora Academy, then?" Hermione chirped. "Or maybe Terasu Gakuen?"
"Um." There was an uncomfortable silence, or so it seemed to the three who didn't quite belong. In a stroke of both luck and unluck, the door slid open loudly to Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. It seemed that over the summer Draco had gotten more thin and sharp, while his cronies looked more like professional thugs then ever.
"The Potty Gang's got more members now?" Draco asked, laughing slightly. He did not seem to really look at any of the other people in the cabin, save for Harry. Crabbe and Goyle, however, looked rather afraid of the other figures once they realized other people were there. "Congratulations, maybe you'll have enough to be an official club now."
"How annoying." The girl in red scoffed. "Either bored or insecure or jealous, bullying's so immature."
"What's that?" Draco growled more fiercely then Harry had ever seen. "A schoolyard bully, am I?"
"You really are." The girl in white said, crossing her arms. "You two should just agree to disagree or whatever the saying is and get over it!"
"I don't seem to recognize your lot, so that's awfully brash for a new kid." Draco said. "In the so-called real world, it's not always as easy as faking a smile and things will go back to normal."
"Ah, what does that mean?" The girl in white asked in a much less serious tone. Harry heard the girl in red let out an exasperated sigh.
"Well-" Draco took only one step forward before the air got thick. The girls in cloaks seem to tense up all at once, drawing closer to the girl in white. The one in red stood up quickly, a sleek black wand in her hand. Even though she was pointing it straight at Malfoy, her entire body still seemed to be gentle, even her wand hand, which seemed to only loosely hold the wand. When she had stood up, the hood of her cloak had fallen back, long black hair and shining purple eyes giving the figure a less intimidating nature. At least, Harry thought almost satirically, he now knew she had a face.
"Please leave." She said simply. "We're almost at school and it would be terrible to get in trouble before we're even sorted."
Something very odd seemed to happen then. Draco did not shout out a retort, nor did he scowl, not even whip out his own wand. He seemed to stare at this girl as if she was putting him in a trance of some sort. Then suddenly he seemed to convulse and he gripped his head.
"Are you okay?" The black-haired girl asked, lowering her wand immediately. She reached out to touch him, but he pulled back quickly and ran from the cabin, his lackeys following behind.
"Rei?" The girl in white called softly to her black-haired friend. "What was that?"
"Something that wasn't taken care of." The woman in aqua said quietly. "Don't talk to him again."
It was nearly dark when Harry saw movement come from the basket of cats in the corner of his eye; they stretched and mewed and turned around. He looked up from his Quidditch playbook at the girls, most of whom were sleeping (or so they appeared to be, for their faces were still covered). Hermione and the girl in light blue were reading quickly, occasionally chatting to one another, while Ron was furiously scribbling the last of his Herbology homework. The only others who seemed to be awake were the oldest of the girls, the ones in navy and aqua. They were talking softly in another language, and every now and then they seemed to be glancing at Harry.
"So, do you know about Sailor Moon, Ami?" Harry heard Hermione ask the girl in light blue. "She's in Japan, isn't she?"
"That's what the rumor is." Ami nodded. "How did you know about her?"
"Well, she's technically a mage, too, right?" Hermione asked. "But her powers are descended from the ancient Moon Kingdom? I think it's fascinating! I've always been interested in the Silver Millennium."
"Why's that?" Ami asked, looking up from her thick tome.
"Well, she's everything, isn't she?" Hermione mumbled. "A former princess and future queen, a mage, and she's essentially a muggle's idea of a superhero. She truly used her powers for good. I secretly wished I was a sailor warrior when I first heard about her."
"Yes. It does sound glamorous." Ami said. "But...I imagine it's lonely."
"Hn?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, yes." The woman in aqua said. She pulled back the hood of her cloak, revealing thick curls in the same color of her cloak and a mature face that seemed to be made of ivory. The figure next to her started to protest, but the former shrugged it off, laughing very slightly, like water babbling over pebbles. "Sailor Moon is a very noble figure indeed, but she not only had to always live up to others' expectations, but often had to sacrifice her own happiness for the safety of others. Those who were close to her often got hurt, and she slowly had to separate herself from them if they could not defend themselves. "
Harry shifted in his seat; He and Sailor Moon seemed to have a lot in common.
"Every senshi has his or her problems which made their duty that much more terrible." The woman in navy said. She resigned to her partners wishes and removed her hood, her boyish face showing signs of sweat from the thick cloak. "The guardian of Pluto was always needed to guard the gates of time, the guardian of Saturn was always feared and alone, the guardian of Earth always made to be naive and gullible."
"Is this Sailor Moon still, you know, alive?" Harry asked. The two stared at him for a moment.
"Sailor Moon essentially gave her life to destroy an evil much different from the evil that needs to be faced here." The girl in aqua said. "Her soul, however, will always carry on and will eventually be reborn for good in the 30th century."
"Really?!" Hermione exclaimed. "I didn't know!"
Harry had to sigh internally. If he related himself to this Sailor Moon, would he, to, have to give his life in the end just to see the demise of Voldemort? This girl apparently had magic he did not, and he knew that even if he did end his life, even if Voldemort's was ended as well, he would not be "reborn."
"Did you ever get to meet her?" Hermione asked, still very excited for knowledge.
"Once or twice." The girl in navy said, smiling. "She's very cute."
Even Ron had to look up from his homework, not sure if she was serious or not.
"By the way, I don't think we ever got your names, except for you, Hermione." The girl in aqua said politely. "I'm Michiru Kaioh, and this," she gestured to the smirking woman in navy, "Is Haruka Tenou."
"And I'm Ami Mizuno," The girl with blue hair introduced herself to Harry and Ron.
"Ron Weasely."
"Harry Potter." Just as he expected, there was a reaction, Haruka and Michiru quickly glanced at one another, as if they were speaking telepathically.
"It's nice to meet you." Ami said, smiling brightly, dispelling any foul mood.
"So..." Ron said, shutting his ratty Herbology book, "Those cloaks...are supposed to hide you from...whoever? Are there Death Eaters after you?"
"Ron..." Hermione muttered, hitting him lightly on the shoulder.
"Maybe." Ami said. "There are all sorts of people out there who would cause harm onto us, and onto you as well."
"But these cloaks are not simply for hiding our faces." Haruka said. "They do come in handy when we're in a tight spot."
"What's that?" Harry asked. It looked just like a normal, albeit garishly colored cloak.
"I think we're almost there, are we?" Michiru asked rhetorically. "Usagi, everyone, wake up now." In a very motherly fashion, she lightly shook each of the sleeping girls until they began to stir and sit upright.
"Hey, you took your hoods off when you said I couldn't!" The girl in pink moaned sleepily.
"We're close enough to Hogwarts." Ami told her. "And we can trust these people. This is Hermione, Ron, and Harry."
"Well then, I'm Chibiusa Tsukino!" She pulled off her cloak to reveal hair that looked to be made of cotton candy. "And this is my very best friend, Hotaru Tomoe." She grabbed the very pale hand of the girl in black, who shrugged off her hood. Her hair was very straight and very black, framing her pale face and blank expression.
"And you know me, Minako Aino!" The girl in gold said. "This is Rei Hino," She gestured towards the girl in red, "Makoto Kino," the tall girl in green smiled happily at her name, "And Usagi Tsukino." The girl in white dramatically pulled off her cloak with a sigh of relief. Her hair was blond and in a very peculiar style. As soon as he saw her, a pang of Deja Vu hit Harry, though he couldn't place why.
Something must have also hit Haruka, for she seemed to look up at the door as if something were there.
"What do you feel?" Michiru asked quietly.
"Stars." Haruka said. Harry did not understand. "Familiar stars."
"Familiar?" Ami asked.
"Oh." Michiru smiled. "Oh, no."
"Them?" Haruka groaned.
"Who do you mean?" Usagi asked.
"How did they get here?" Rei asked. "They weren't with us before, were they?"
"Ah, does it matter?!" Minako chirped, a blush creeping across her face.
"Even after all we've been through, you still have a crush on them?" Ami asked quietly.
"Who?!" Usagi nearly shouted. Just then the door opened and in walked three males, all tall and thin, each with a long ponytail down their backs. Hermione actually gasped out loud and both Ron and Haruka seemed to groan. Harry took a shot in the dark and assumed that these were the Three Lights.
"Hey, Odango!" The one in the front of the group said. "Fancy meeting you here!"
"Seiya!" Usagi smiled, leaping up to embrace the three. "Yaten! Taiki!"
"What are you doing here?" Hotaru asked. Harry noticed that when she spoke, a chill seemed to run through the room.
"The same thing you're doing here." The tallest of the three, Taiki, said.
"We've never been to a school like this." Yaten said in a playful voice. "We wanted to see what it was like with you."
"Being in the same school with Usagi will be lots of fun, yes?" Seiya laughed.
"You've already been in the same school with Usagi!" Haruka said.
"Are you sure you're not doing anything else?" Hotaru asked quietly.
"Nothing that you need to trouble yourself with, no." Seiya waved his hand back and forth.
A voice, a high, whining voice suddenly called from the corridor, "Sei-ya!" Harry glanced at Hermione who glanced at Ron; they all knew it was Pansy Parkinson.
"Already found some fans, good for you." Haruka said satirically.
"Um, um..." Harry heard Hermione mutter very quietly. She looked like a child trying to unsuccessfully get a teacher's attention.
"You know that there's danger here, as well." Ami told Taiki. "Is it really alright for you to be here?"
"Danger?" Taiki raised an eyebrow. "You mean Lord Voldemort?"
Ron winced and Hermione's eyes got a bit wider. Harry was more confused then before; these people were strange enough, but to be okay with saying "Voldemort?"
"We have to get back." Seiya said, gesturing down the hall with his thumb. "But stay safe, Odango!"
"Don't call me that!" Usagi said, pouting like a child. The three gave a dazzling smile to the cabin and left, Hermione still "um, um" -ing
"So that was them." Ron said. "I still don't see what's so special about them."
"I didn't get to..." Hermione started. It seemed she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do.
"It must be nice, eh?" Ron whispered to Harry. "Not once have they looked at your scar."
Harry nodded honestly, though it was a bit strange. Last year was so quiet compared to all of his other years at Hogwarts, would this year follow in suite? Or was this just a fluke, and was there something behind the appearance of all these strange people?
It was dark outside, and the large group clumsily put on their school robes, trying to avoid one another's arms and legs.
"Where do we go when we go when we get off?" Chibiusa asked. "Are we going to the school or somewhere else?"
"Why would we go anywhere else?" Usagi said, as if she was talking to a younger sister.
"You should ask Hagrid," Hermione said. "You should probably go on the boats, since you need to be sorted."
"I hope we're all in the same house together." Usagi mused.
"I just hope I'm in a good house." Chibiusa said.
"They're all good." Ami said, making sure that her book was securely in her bag. "It just depends on what you make of it."
As the train came to a stop, bouncing back only slightly, Harry decided not to tell the younger girl that Slytherin was not exactly a "good" house. He figured that she wouldn't be in that house anyways, though Hotaru, on the other hand...
Harry and Hermione made their way through the corridor hand in hand, following the very tall Ron who cleared a path for them. The strange girls followed them until they disembarked, they then bid the trio farewell and went to stand by the half-giant caretaker, Hagrid.
"Strange girls." Ron said when they were closer to the forest, waiting for a carriage.
"Not that strange." Hermione said. "Interesting. I haven't learned much about Eastern magic."
"Ten to one they'll all be in Gryffindor." Harry predicted, half seriously.