Chosha's Notes

Welcome back Minna! I really need to thank my reviewers: Quiescent Vengeance, Meiji no Pan (and her RK muses!) asdfaj;, sofie, amaya, Kristy-chan, Shauntell, Draconic Ban-Sidhe and Crazy Hyper Lady! You guys are really supportive. I'm glad I decided to do this fic now!

Amaya: sorry about the slow updates on FF too, but I have had a little trouble with it at the moment. 'Star-crossed Past' chapter is so long! But I'm really starting to drag on it, so I need the boat trip to be shortened to one chapter instead of two.

Anyways, on with the show!

Disclaimer: (bangs head on the table. Nii-chan - little brother - looks at herin confusion)

Nii-chan: …what are you doing?

CK: what's it look like?

Nii-chan: Er… banging you're head?

CK: exactly.

Nii-chan:…

CK: (sighs and puts head in hands) Why do I bother! (turns to solicitors looming behind) Get it into your thick heads! I don't own RK or HP!

Last lime on RKatPS

Harry got in trouble, Sano nearly punched Malfoy out, Harry got Seeker on the team and Kenshin now has a Sakabato. (Wonder how long that'll stay secret…?)

Chapter Eleven

The Hairy Discovery

"Kenshin! Wake up!"

Kenshin jolted awake as someone shook him urgently. His hand automatically went towards his trunk, until he realised he was staring into Kaoru's face in the semi-dark, Sanosuke standing somewhere behind her. Around him, Kenshin could hear snoring still. Blinking sleep from his eyes, Kenshin glanced at the clock on Seamus' bedside table. It was eleven forty.

"Kaoru-dono? What-"

Kaoru ignored the 'dono'. "It's Hermione. She's gone!"

"So's Harry and Ron." Sanosuke added, nodding towards the beds. Both of them were open and the covers were folded back messily. "I heard 'em plannin' it, but I never thought they'd go through with it. Definitely didn't think Ibarichirasu'd go too!"

"Go?" asked Kenshin, immediately awake. "Where'd they go?"

"After you left at dinner," Kaoru said, "That Malfoy guy came and started arguing with Harry and Ron. He told them that he could take them on any time and that they'd have a wizard's duel in the trophy room at midnight!"

Kenshin almost groaned. Kami! And Hiko thought Kenshin was trouble. At least he didn't always rise to the bait. "I think we'd better go after them!" He said, jumping out of bed and snatching up his wand. "I don't think Malfoy was going to go."

Sanosuke swore and they bolted across to the portrait. As they burst through, Kenshin realised that the fat lady wasn't there. No going back now, then. They bolted down the corridor.

"Do you know where the trophy room is?" Kenshin asked as they ran down the hall.

"It's on the third floor," Kaoru panted. "I hope we get there in time – if they get caught, they'll get in trouble"

"Lets just try not to get caught ourselves"

They ran until they reached the stairs leading to the third floor before they caught up to Harry, Ron, Hermione and, surprisingly, Neville. They looked a little surprised when they saw who was running towards them.

'Harry!' Kenshin said as they came to a halt at the top of the third-floor stairs.

'Kenshin?' He gasped, putting a hand to his chest. 'I thought you were Filch! Don't do that!'

Sanosuke smirked at Hermione. 'I never thought you'd be here.' Hermione looked as if she was about to throw a fit.

'I wouldn't be here, but they locked me out of the tower!' she answered stiffly, giving the boys a hard glare.

Ron and Harry face faulted. When they recovered, Ron almost yelled, 'You were the one following us! If you'd just keep your nose out…' Hermione merely huffed at this.

We've been waiting for ages now…' Neville whimpered. Ron frowned as he looked at his watch.

'Well, he's late.' He said, a half smile on his face. 'Maybe he chickened out?'

Suddenly, Kenshin clapped his hand over Ron's mouth, staring towards the end door of the trophy room. Behind it, Kenshin could hear footsteps – but not those belonging to the blonde Slytherin.

'Or maybe… he wasn't going to come at all,' Kenshin whispered darkly.

'Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking behind the corner.'

Everyone froze. Filch! Kaoru mouthed, horrified. Harry waved at everyone franticly to follow him as fast as possible and they scurried round to the door farthest away from Filch's voice. Neville had barely managed to get round the corner when they heard Filch enter the room.

'They must be here somewhere,' they heard him murmur, 'probably hiding.'

Harry jerked his thumb down the gallery type hall filled with suits of armour. They could hear Filch getting closer. Terrified, Neville squawked in fright and started to run, but tripped into Ron, sending them both into one of the suits of armour. Kenshin winced as the armour clanged loud enough to wake the whole school.

No point in staying quiet now! 'Run!' yelled Harry and they bombed it down the corridor, bolting through hallways and doors, not knowing where they were going, or if Filch was following. They finally came to a halt near the Charms classrooms – miles away from the trophy room.

Harry leaned against the wall, trying to get his breath back. 'I think… we lost him,' he panted slowly. Neville wheezed, bent double and too out of breath to reply.

'Malfoy tricked you,' Hermione said in an I-told-you-so voice. 'You realise that don't you? He was never going to meet you – he must have tipped off Filch.'

'Do me a favour,' growled Sanosuke, too tied to deal with Hermione's bossy attitude, 'And shut up.'

'We've gotta go back to the Tower,' said Ron, ignoring Hermione, 'and fast!'

'Lets go,' Kaoru said.

Easier said than done. They hadn't gone more than two paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out at them from one of the classrooms.

'Peeves!' Ron gasped.

The poltergeist squealed delightedly at the sight of them. 'Wandering around at night, ickle firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, Naughty, you'll get caughty,' he sang.

'Not if you don't give us away we wont! Please, Peeves,' begged Hermione.

'Should tell Filch, I should,' Said Peeves in an innocent voice, the effect completely ruined by the devilish grin on his face. 'It's for your own good, you know.'

'Get out of the way,' snapped Ron and took a swipe at him.

…Big mistake.

Peeves opened his mouth and bellowed 'STUDENTS OUT OF BED! Students out of bed down the charms corridor!'

Kaoru grabbed Peeves and yelled, 'You are so dead, you jerk!'

Sanosuke grabbed Kaoru and they bolted under Peeves and slammed into the door at the end of the hall.

'Locked!' Kenshin gasped. Filch was running fast towards Peeves' shout

'That's it!' Ron moaned. 'We're done for!'

'Oh, move over,' Hermione shoved him out the way. Raising Harry's wand, she said 'Alohamora!'

The unlocking spell! Kenshin remembered this from when he had practice at the leaky cauldron, but he didn't have time to reflect on the past. They piled into the room and shut the door just as Filch rounded the corner.

Harry and Ron pressed their ears against the door, trying to hear if Peeves would give them away. From the time it was taking, Filch seemed to be having problems getting information from the poltergeist. Perhaps Kaoru's threat had worked. Kenshin sighed as he lent against the door, but froze moments later.

'He thinks the door is locked,' Ron mumbled.

'It was locked,' Hermione said shortly.

'And for good reason…' Kenshin gasped. Everyone spun round to see what Kenshin meant. Kaoru bit back a scream.

They weren't in a room. Far from it. They were in the forbidden corridor!

And now they knew why it was forbidden…

They were staring into the gleaming eyes of a monstrous dog with three, snarling heads, each the size of a mini. The whole corridor was filled with furred torso. All six eyes were staring at them with feral intensity. Kenshin didn't need ki sense – he could see the wild hungry look gleaming in its eyes and flashing on dagger-sharp teeth. The only reason they weren't dead was because they had caught it by surprise. But the effect was fast running out. A rumbling growl broke from the trio of throats. Kenshin was seriously regretting the decision not to bring his sakabato.

Harry groped for the doorknob and flung the door open. They darted through just in time as the heads shot towards them, slamming the door behind them just as they struck. They bolted.

Kenshin didn't know how they got back to the tower. Neither did he care. All he could think about was that monstrous dog. People with guns, swords - even wands - that he could deal with. But a three headed dog!

The fat lady's eyes nearly bulged out of her head as they dashed up the corridor. 'Where on earth have you been?' She spluttered.

'Never mind that – pig snout, pig snout!' panted Harry. The portrait gave them an odd look before it swung forward and they fell into the room in a pile on the floor. For a moment, no one said anything. Poor Neville looked on the verge of a heart attack.

'What the hell was that!' Sanosuke moaned from his position on the floor.

'What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school!' fumed Kaoru, vain throbbing. Hermione glared at them as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'You don't use your eyes, do you?' she snapped. 'Didn't you see what it was standing on?'

'I wasn't staring at the floor!' Ron snarled 'I was too preoccupied with its heads!'

'It was standing on a trap door, so it's obviously here for a reason,' She continued. 'Its guarding something.'

Kenshin blinked. 'Guarding something…?' he repeated.

Hermione stood up in a huff. 'Well, I'm going to bed, before one of you comes up with another clever idea to get us killed – or worse, expelled.' And with that, she stormed up the stairs and slammed the door behind her, leaving the others to stare at the space she left incredulously.

After a moment, Ron breathed, 'She really needs to sort her priorities out…'

'Ororo…'

To be continued…

Chosha's notes

So, the plot thickens. I wanted Kaoru to have an argument with Peeves, but there wasn't enough time to get them all away from Filch. Perhaps another time…

By the way, Sano called Hermione 'Ibarichirasu', which means 'bossy'. Perfect nickname for her. Of course, she does get better! (Winces at the stormy Hermione glaring over Chosha's shoulder).

Not much more to comment on, but if you have Questions or something, review and tell me. I'll always do my best to answer!

Next time on RKatPS

Troooooooll! In the dungeon! Troll in the dungeon! Kenshin is in a tight spot as Halloween rolls round, and Hermione is missing…

Ja ne! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx