Okay, I updated faster than usual to make up for the lame chapter last time! Hope you like!
And I know I seam to be focusing on Harry, Kouichi and Kouji at lot, but that's just the best way to tell the story right now. Why? Because I need to plan out the story, and with the situation I've set up, the only way to move ahead is through those three. Don't worry, I'll try to fit the others in…
Midori: But she can't write Tomoki or Junpei to save her letter-lovin' life!
GS: Don't make get a sock, smart-aleck.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.
Chapter 21: Late On Halloween
By the end of October, the transfers had been mostly settled in to their new location. Most of them fit in well enough, even Kouichi, adjusting slightly to fit in to their environments.
However, the end of the month brought an odd change to their surroundings that they had not been expecting.
"What the heck is this?!"
Takuya's shocked and confused expression was mirrored by Kouji, Tomoki and Izumi, all of whom were standing with him in the doorway to the Great Hall. They were staring, rather blankly, at the large pumpkins hanging in the air, candles glowing inside to create faces, and at the huge cloud of bats covering the magical ceiling, and the rest of the elaborate decorations scattering the gigantic room.
"Did we…miss something?" Izumi asked blankly, blinking.
"Beats me…" Tomoki glanced upwards. "But the ghosts sure seam happy. Maybe it's a holiday or something."
Hermione, over-hearing them, paused a moment. "You mean you don't know?"
"Know what?" Takuya asked.
"Know what?" Ron echoed. "It's Halloween! C'mon, you gotta know Halloween!"
"Hal-low-wig-en?" Tomoki pronounced. "What's that?"
Ron nearly fell over, but Izumi's face lit up. "Oh, I've heard about that!" she exclaimed, tapping her right fist into her left hand, then turning to Takuya. "It's a western holiday, a bit like Obon. I forgot that was today!"
"Obon?" Harry raised an eyebrow, motioning the group towards the Gryffindor table to get out of the way.
"It's a holiday of ours." Izumi perked up. "A festival, really, it lasts a whole week in August. It's the day spirits of the Dead are supposed to come back and spend time with the family."
"Yeah, it's fun." Tomoki's grin widened to its full extent as Izumi sat down at the Ravenclaw table, within ear shot of their conversation as the others took their place a Gryffindor. "You get off school for the week, there're all these games, and after dark it's a huge party."
"For a whole week?" Ron sounded impressed. Harry could imagine why, with all the fun that happened every year at Hogwarts, he could only imagine what a whole week of Halloween could be like.
"Yeah, but it's weird, too." Takuya laughed a little. "I mean, I don't see you guys carving animals in cucumbers and eggplants…Though the pumpkins are a nice touch."
Hermione giggled a little at the idea, while Ron looked a bit confused. There was the familiar noise of a small magic spell being put into place, and the food appeared on their plates.
Takuya turned eagerly to the food…then stopped. "What…is this?"
Kouji glanced at the rice in the barrel, looking a bit disgusted. "It's orange." he said bluntly. "And black. That's just creepy."
"It's just died, right?" Tomoki tried to reassure them, taking a scoop himself.
"Of course it is." Hermione smiled. "They just want to make it look festive. Orange and black are traditional colors at Halloween."
Tradition or not, Harry noticed that the transfers didn't eat as much rice as they usually did, and he thought he over-heard Kouji muttering something about ruining the presentation.
The actually meal itself was very short, as usual. It was the dessert everyone looked forward to one Halloween…large, decorative, molded chocolate bats, white-chocolate ghosts, huge Pumpkin Pastries and Cauldron Cakes, and every other kind of sweet you could possibly imagine. It was enough to stuff yourself full all night long and still take a doggie bag for later. Tie it in with some loud, exciting music that seamed to come from nowhere, and an exceptional show by the ghosts showing the story of Nearly Headless Nick's partial-decapitation, it was something to last at least to midnight, as usual.
Kouji was about half-way through a strawberry-flavored ice treat when he noticed his brother get up from the Slytherin table. Kouichi muttered something to Malfoy, brushing off Theodore Nott with a bit of a nod, then mumbled the familiar 'Gochisousama gozaimasu' phrase and headed for the door.
Kouji frowned and stood, following his brother with a worried expression. "Kouichi." he said gently, catching him by the shoulder just outside the door. "Are you all right?"
Kouichi looked at his brother and smiled, but Kouji couldn't help noticing how pale he was, and how his eyes couldn't have looked more tired if he'd propped them up with toothpicks.
"Fine…I'm fine, Kouji, really." he whispered. Kouji almost winced, even his voice was tired and raspy. "I'm just…sleepy, that's all…and not hungry…I'm just going to go back to the dorms and…lay down for a while…"
Kouji's face took on a familiar concerned-mother appearance as he put a hand on his brother's forehead. "No fever…" he muttered. "You sure you're feeling okay?"
"Kou-jee." the younger twin raised an eyebrow. Was he hearing things, or was Kouichi whining at him? "Yes, I'm feeling fine. I just need some sleep."
"All right, all right." Kouji released his brother's shoulder. "…I was just worried."
"I know…" Kouichi mumbled, starting away. He paused a moment and turned back with a slight smile. "Goodnight, Kouji."
"Yeah…'Night."
( - ) ( - ) ( - )
Late that evening, Kouichi woke to an inferno.
He found that, in his sleep, he had pushed the covers off himself, down to the bare sheets. After a moment, he kicked those off as well, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his pajama top. The stuffy air locked in by his heavy green curtains was almost unbearable, stifling him with ragged breaths.
Water…he needed water…
He bushed open the curtains, swinging his bare feet to brush against the cool, smooth stone. Trembling hands clutched the porcelain pitcher, pouring the cool, clear liquid into his glass and gulping it down.
Three glasses later, the room had halted its spinning but the temperature was no less. With a barely audible groan, he pulled himself out of the bed and stumbled up to the common room, desperately trying to find someplace cool.
Somehow, he found himself stumbling out the dormitory door, the blank wall closing wordlessly behind him. The dungeons were cool and moist, the walls lined with a relaxing chill. He sighed, leaning against the stone gratefully, moving along to keep the feeling fresh, stumbling up towards the surface level, where the cool breeze created a sort of air conditioning…
Halfway to the exit of the dungeons, a sudden pain racked his chest.
Kouichi grabbed the shirt over his heart, trying desperately not to retch against the pain as something horribly familiar about this registered in his mind.
"N-Not again…Not again…"
Hospital Wing. He needed to get to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey, she was good, she'd get him what he needed…A double dose of the Saisei…A Cooling Crest for the fever…Hell, a sleeping drought would do, anything to get away from…
Sleeping…Drought…
Professor Snape.
He'd never make it to the Hospital like this…But Professor Snape, his office was right on this level…He'd do something, just like he had that night after the rumors…He just had to…find the door.
His hand grasped a heavy, iron knob, as his fingers brushed against the rough wood of a door. This was it…This had to be it…Please let this be it…
"P-Professor…" he gasped, trying to push down the knob, but his shaking hands weren't agreeing with him. "Professor…Professor Snape…Professor, please…H-Help…"
He managed to push the door open, stumbling through it as a wave of crisp, cool air hit his face…
He found himself in the rear of the grounds, looking down a steep slope that ended at the Forbidden Forest. To the left he saw the lake, to the right, Hagrid's hut. Done the slope in front of him was a pumpkin patch, fenced in, with a rickety-looking scarecrow sitting at its base. The wind caressed his shaking form as the cool moonlight licked his face, blinking blankly up at the endless field of stars.
He took a hesitant, confused step forward, and his leg slipped out from under him.
He went down, rolling down the hill like a log, bouncing off the rocks and the lumps messily. His hands, on instinct, covered his head, mere inches before he crashed into the fence around the pumpkin patch and came to a stop.
He lay there in the cool, dewy grass, gasping up at the inky night sky.
The last thing Kouichi saw before the world was inked out were three bright, glowing moons, smiling down at him with a welcoming gaze…
TBC…
Midori: Well, that's certainly a good end to a chap, eh, author-lady? (notices that GS isn't there) Author-lady? (notices that she is standing on a hastily-written note)
Note: Sorry folks, but I've got a…show to get to. Yeah, that's it. I'll just let Midori handle your messages until I get back, alrighty then? Ciao. -GS
Midori: (looks up a crowd of reviewers, once again pissed at the story's be-mean-to-Kouichi-ness) AUTHOR-LADY, WAIT FOR ME!!!! (runs for her life)
