Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, it's been close to a year since I last updated. Don't really have a good excuse for that; just a lot of things happening that kept me from updating this specific story, among a few others. Thankfully, I managed to get this chapter finished, and hopefully I can continue from there (As well as stop over-thinking while writing these chapters. That's likely the main reason this took so long).
So, about my previous questions, you guys have given me several different ideas to take under consideration. Right now, I'm leaning on the idea of him being an artillery mage, as one of you has suggested. It would be a nice contrast to the magical knight we got in Negi, and it will give me the freedom to give Harry a wide range of spells. Though if I choose to make him an artillery mage, I might still give him some close combat skills. Artillery magic will just be his main specialization.
As for whether he'll learn magic erebea or something different? Well, both sides made good points for both options. On one hand, erebea wouldn't suit Harry and using a different technique would differentiate him from Negi; on the other hand, someone pointed out that the Boy-Who-Lived wouldn't let the 10 year old child go through such a training alone. Not without going through that same training alongside him. So it's something to think about as I write.
So, that's all I want to say right now. With that, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or Harry Potter.
Chapter 04: Third Day: Baka Rangers
"You know, when I went back to the school building, I expected you to just simply apologize to Asuna." Harry stated flatly. The Boy-Who-Lived was carrying the younger mage on his back, with Asuna walking beside him and Konoka trailing behind, still a bit dazed. "Not for five of our students to be chasing you, with hearts practically bursting through their eyes."
Seriously, when he went to the school, he was expecting Asuna to roughly make up with Negi at best. At worst, he was prepared to pull the hot-tempered red-head off of Negi.
He wasn't expecting the chaos that was happening mere moments ago…
(Flashback)
"""Negi-sensei!"""
"Harry-san, help me!"
"What in bloody hell…?"
In his shock, Harry had slipped back into his English tongue. The Boy-Who-Lived could only watch as his fellow teacher ran from five of their students, all of whom held love-struck gazes, two of them being Konoka and Ayaka.
And was Ayaka actually riding a horse in the hallway?
He had to clean his glasses just to make sure.
When he saw Asuna running, not looking love-struck like the others, he grabbed the girl before she could be out of reach. "Asuna, what the hell is going on here?" Harry demanded, switching back to the japanese dialect.
The pig-tail orange-head groaned before explaining. "The brat made a love potion at some point, and wanted me to drink it!"
Harry gaped a little at that. "Seriously? What possessed him too… he must've made it as a way to apologize to you for that little incident." He groaned in realization.
Asuna needed no reminder as to what "incident" Harry was talking about. "That's what the brat was trying to do? I told him that I didn't need the potion!"
"He's a kid; an earnest one at that. He probably felt that this was the only way to apologize." Harry pointed out with a sigh. Thankfully, it seemed the potion Negi made only attracts the opposite sex to the drinker, and doesn't make the drinker in love with somebody. "But wait, if Negi had planned to give the potion to you, then how…?"
"Er…" At that, Asuna blushed and looked away sheepishly. "I… might've, sort of, got irritated and shoved down his threat."
"...We're talking about this later." Harry deadpanned. "For now, let's just catch up to them and hope the girls haven't caught Negi."
"Right. Gotcha." Eager to avoid the subject for the time, the girl followed her black-haired teacher in running and searching for the red-headed teacher.
However, neither could find either the boy or the love-struck girls quickly. Both went through several different hallways, but there was no indication of where anyone could be. "Ugh! Where could that brat have gone?" Asuna growled in frustration.
"Calm down, Asuna." Harry advised, still looking around the area. "Getting angry will only make the search harder."
Before Asuna could snap at him or anything… they suddenly heard a shout of Negi's name; prompting both teens to turn the direction of the shout. "That's Honya-chan!"
"Honya? Are you talking about Nodaka?" Harry quickly deduced, remembering the blue-headed girl being called that.
"Yeah, that's her!" The girl then ran towards the direction of the shout. "C'mon! It sounds like they're in the direction of the school's library."
Nodding, Harry followed Asuna to the direction of this library. It didn't take long for either of them to get to the door; however, when Asuna moved to open it, they discovered that it couldn't be opened. "What the…? It's locked!"
"Allow me!" Pushing her aside, Harry pulled up his sleeve and aimed his wrist at the knob. With a mutter of an incantation, and a spark from his wristband, the door unlocked with a click. "There, it's open now."
"Wha…? You can just…? You know what, nevermind." Shaking off the fact that her mage teacher can easily unlock any door, she burst through the library entrance…
To see a flustered Negi on top of a clearly love-struck Nodoka, a whole book-shelf on top of the former.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU BRAT?!"
(Flashback End)
One raging kick later, as well as a knockout charm from Harry, the two teens dropped Nodoka off in the nurse's office before heading out; with Harry admonishing the younger mage on his back.
Negi couldn't help but sag in shame from Harry's admonishment. "I'm sorry, Harry-san…"
"You're lucky that the potion you created is temporary, and is mostly considered a prank item." Harry continued. "What made you think that was a good idea, anyway? If Asuna had drunk that potion, then she would've had trouble with all the male teachers."
"I just… wanted to pay Asuna back somehow…" Negi muttered, looking away from the two teens. "And it was the only thing I could think of…"
That caused Asuna to let out a sigh. "Look brat, I'm not angry about the whole clothing thing anymore." She told him. "It was an accident… and I kinda asked for it by attacking you like that. Just don't do it next time, got it?"
"G-Got it!" Negi nodded his head rapidly at that.
"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Harry remarked dryly. "Next time, just start with a simple apology. And if you need to do more than that, DON'T make it illegal."
"Yes, sir." Once again, the redhead nodded, though calmer this time (With some shame in his tone).
As they walked, Harry couldn't help but let out a sigh. Despite Negi's intelligence, he's still just a kid; and like any kid, he can make rash decisions. 'Gotta make sure to keep an eye on him…'
It didn't take long for the four to get to the dormitory. Once they did, Harry placed Negi on the couch before facing the girls. "Alright, I'll leave Negi in your care."
"Yeah, yeah."
"He'll be safe with us, Harry-kun."
With a nod, the young teacher moved to head out the room. Just as he got to the doorway, he stopped, having one more thing to say. "Oh, and Asuna?"
"Yeah, what?"
"Next time, don't go shoving strange concoctions into little kids' mouths. Even if they were offering it to you."
"Sh-Shut up and get out!" Asuna shouted, an embarrassed blush across her face. With a small smirk sent her way, Harry walked out of the room and closed the door.
Unfortunately for the orangette, Konoka caught wind of that little line. "What was he talking about, Asuna?"
"I-It's nothing!"
(Later, With Harry)
While he could've had a longer talk with Asuna about forcing Negi to drink that love potion, it felt better to leave her with that little warning. Especially since Konoka is going to question her about what she did.
Besides, there was something that was on his mind, after having a bit of time to think about it. Why hasn't the potion affected Asuna?
'That potion affected Konoka, Ayaka, Misa, Sakurako, Madoka, and Nodoka.' Harry mused to himself. He was currently in his shared room, sitting around the coffee table. 'So how come there was no effect on Asuna? Did she avoid looking at him this entire time?'
Not only that, but there was also the time Negi tried to wipe her memories, only for part of her clothes to be wiped. Are those two things connected? Or is it just a coincidence?
A sharp tap on the window broke Harry out of his musing. Turning towards it, he saw his snowy, white owl flying right outside the room.
"Hedwig." Walking over to the window, the Boy-Who-Lived lifted it right up, giving the bird an opening inside. "Guess that means you finished exploring?"
"Everywhere that I can." Hedwig answered, flying inside. When she landed on the coffee table, she continued. "Mahora is such an interesting place. Various magical areas, yet there are regular humans out there, completely unaware of what's in front of them."
"Yeah. Mahora has done well in hiding things in plain view." Harry agreed. While he has yet to explore the place, he already felt the magical energy around the entire campus the moment he placed a foot here. As he went towards his bag, he continued speaking with his bird. "So, would you rather stay here to rest or outside?"
"I think I would prefer to stay here, if possible." Hedwig answered. "While Mahora is a beautiful place, I'm still uncertain if it's safe enough to sleep."
"You think there are dangers around here?"
"It wouldn't hurt to be a bit cautious." The owl replied, as Harry took out a mini owl perch. "After all, safety is one of the reasons why we took this position."
"True enough." Enlarging the perch, Harry planted it beside the window. "Thankfully, the principal should already know about this and had the dormitory informed, so we should be good. Just remember, our roommates are non-magicals, so be careful about speaking."
Hedwig nodded her head. "I'll be sure to keep quiet whenever they're around." The bird then looked around the room. "Where are your roommates, by the way?"
"They went to some sort of bathhouse here in the dormitory, if I'm not mistaken. They should be back soon."
As if summoned by his words, the door was burst open by none other than Makie. "Harry-sensei! Did you know that Negi-kun was-?"
The pinkette stopped mid-sentence when she took note of the white owl in the room. She blinked at it.
Hedwig blinked back.
Behind Makie stood Ako, who came to the room moments after the pinkette did. She also looked at the bird with visible surprise. "Is that… an owl?"
Harry had a small, amused smile. "My owl, be specific. This is Hedwig, a companion of mine since I was a kid." He introduced. "I asked the principal if I could bring her to Mahora with me, and he approved. She's well behaved, and the papers are already signed for her to live here, so don't worry."
Makie took the time to process the news. And once she did…
"She's so pretty!"
She took no time dashing over to Hedwig, and petting the snowy owl. "I've never seen a pure white owl before!" Makie said in wonder. "So pretty…!"
That earned a happy chirp from Hedwig, as well as an affectionate nip. Makie giggled at that, before turning to her roommate and friend. "Come pet Hedwig too, Ako!"
The shorter haired girl went over to the table, and slowly started petting Hedwig. The owl gave more happy chirps in response, butting her head against Ako's hand; that prompted a small giggle from Ako.
Harry's amused smile grew wider as he watched. He can definitely see Hedwig enjoying her time here at Mahora, that's for sure.
(Next Day)
"You used wind magic in her swimsuit?" Was Harry's baffled and exasperated question. He and Negi were both in the teacher's facility, their desks side by side one another. The younger one of the two had been filling in for the eldest about yesterday, after the teen mage noticed Asuna looking even frostier with Negi.
Thus, he was informed of the bath incident, along with Negi's failed attempts at making her feel better.
"I've been nothing but trouble for Asuna-san…" Negi moaned pitifully. "I wonder… is it even possible for me to become a teacher?"
The ten year old's response was a chop to the head. "Ah!" He yelped, holding his head painfully. He looked up at Harry with tears in his eyes. "Harry-san, why?!"
"Negi, you're a kid. You will make mistakes from time to time." Harry stated bluntly. "That's part of the process of growing up, and learning. Don't let these little mistakes bring you down like that, alright? Just aim to do better."
Negi took in the words of his idol, his eyes drifting towards his staff; then gained a look of determination. "You're right. I've got to do my best!"
"That's the spirit, Negi-sensei!" The two boys turned around to see Shizuna-sensei behind them, a sheet of paper in her hands. "Glad that you're supporting your fellow teacher, Harry-sensei."
"Ah, Shizuna-sensei!" Negi gasped in surprise. "Hello!"
"Hello Shizuna-sensei." Harry greeted more calmly. "Is there something you need?"
"Oh, I'm just here to give you the '2-A After Class List' for you two." Shizuna explained, holding out said list. "Takahata-sensei used to give our minor tests, to see how well the students are doing. Afterwards, he would give after-class lessons for those who scored the lowest."
"So, who are the lowest scoring students?" Harry inquired, grabbing the list from the older teacher. He scanned through the list of students, with Negi leaning beside him to get a look.
"Pfft!" Negi had to hold back a chuckle when he saw that Asuna was on the list. "Asuna-san really is poor at English!"
Harry snorted, not disagreeing with the assessment. He also noted that Makie was also on here as well…
"Indeed, though it seems like she's actually enjoying these lessons…" Shizuna mused.
Once again, the Boy-Who-Lived snorted. "Geez, I wonder why that is…" He remarked dryly. It most certainly wasn't because of a certain middle-age teacher that she's crushing on. Surely not.
That aside, considering that this is the 3rd semester for them, exams are not looking good for them. Hopefully, the girls are willing to learn and improve…
(After-Class Lessons)
"2-A Baka Rangers have assembled!"
'And there goes that hopeful thought.' Harry thought blankly, as he and Negi stared at the posing "Baka Rangers"; the Rangers consisting of Yue, Makie, Kaede, Fei Ku, and Asuna. 'This is going to be tough…'
"Who's a Baka Ranger?!" Asuna exclaimed indigintly, being the only one who wasn't posing. She then huffed and turned away from everyone. "So I can't study, so what? This is an escalator school, anyway, so it's not like I won't go to high school!"
'For my life, I'll never understand escalator schools.' The teen teacher thought with an eye-roll. Wouldn't that just give students less of a reason to study?
However, Negi wasn't ready to give up. "But Asuna-san, wouldn't Takamachi be sad at how bad your grades are?" The red-head brought up, causing the girl to freeze. "And after spending his time to help improve your grade."
Harry raised an eyebrow at that. 'Is Negi guilt-tripping her?' He thought to himself. 'I didn't think he would have it in him.'
"F-Fine… all I've got to do is take the class, right?" Asuna said in resignation.
As the girls went to their desks, Harry leaned over to Negi. "Impressive, Negi. Never thought you would do something that mischievous…" The younger teacher laughed sheepishly at that.
And thus, the two young teachers began teaching the Baka Rangers. After agreeing to teach the after-class lessons, both Harry and Negi discussed what they should do. In the end, they decided on a little test for the five and see what they all need to work on.
What they got wasn't very promising.
"A nine out of ten! You passed, Ayase-san!" Negi announced happily, prompting a peace from the girl, along with cheers from Haruna and Nodoka behind her. "See? You can do it after all!"
"...It's because I hate studying."
'So the lazy-type then.' Harry mused, withholding a sigh while Negi waved goodbye to the leaving library trio. 'Yet someone capable of making good grades easily if she puts in the effort. That'll be tricky to work with.'
"Done-Aru!"
"I'm finished too, Negi-kun! Harry-sensei!"
Kaede, Fei Ku, and Makie were next to give out their tests. However, unlike Yue, they ended up with poor scores, earning sheepish smiles from the three of them.
Asuna silently gave out her test after them… to receive the lowest grades of them all.
'So the rest are just book dumb.' Harry continued analyzing while Negi gave his lecture. 'That's somewhat easier to work with. Still, they'll need to have the desire to improve, otherwise we'll be hitting a wall.'
Soon enough, Fei Ku and Kaede both got out with passing eights, while Makie barely made it with a six; which left Asuna as the remaining one.
'...How in bloody hell is she doing this bad?!' Harry thought in disbelief and frustration, looking at the varying grades of 1s to 4s. 'Is she even trying at this point?'
"...That's it. I give up." Asuna moaned, burying her face in her arms. "I'm just an idiot anyway. Always am, always will be."
That caused Negi to panic. "No, no, no, don't give up Asuna-san!" He said frantically, waving his arms. "We just need to find a different approach, that's all! I'm sure we can-"
"Oh, so I see Asuna-kun is here, as usual…" A much older voice cut in. All three heads turned to see Takahata at the door, smiling at everyone. "Don't give Negi-sensei and Harry-sensei too much trouble, okay?"
"Takahata-sensei!" Asuna exclaimed, looking even more embarrassed than before. "That's not… I mean, this…"
Paying no mind to her embarrassment, the teacher left with a wave. "Well then, the three of you do your best now!"
Both Negi and Harry stared at the retreating figure, before slowly turning their eyes towards the shaking girl. "Asuna-san…" The red-head called out weakly. "Don't take any notice…"
'And she's gonna explode in three, two…'
"WAAAAAAAAAH!"
'...one.' The Boy-Who-Lived could only which with both exasperation and amazement as the orangette ran out of the classroom. 'She's fast.'
"Asuna, wait!"
Harry's eyes widened in shock when he saw Negi get on his staff. "Wait, Negi, don't-" Before he could finish, the child mage took off after Asuna, leaving the teenage mage by himself. Said teen growled in frustration. "Dammit, Negi; for a prodigy, you can be a real idiot sometimes."
Letting out an annoyed breath, he pondered on what to do. He could chase after both of them, but at this point, it would be difficult to find them without exposing himself. Plus, it looks as if they need to work out their issues on their own; butting in would likely make it worse.
'Well, might as well use this as the chance to talk to the ghost.' Harry thought to himself, his eyes drifting to the white figure still at her desk. Said figure was staring at his direction, most likely having watched the entire thing.
"Sayo Aisaka, right?" His words caused the ghost girl to jump in her seat with an "Eek!", not at all expecting her teacher to call out to her. "Pleasure to speak to you. I'm Harry Potter."
Sayo blinked at that, before turning her head rapidly to see if there was anyone else in the class. When she saw that there wasn't, she hesitantly pointed a finger at herself. "Are… are you talking to me?"
The Boy-Who-Lived smiled. "You don't see any other students around here, do you?"
"Y-You can… see me?"
"I've been in a place with enough ghosts around to be able to sense one's presence."
Immediately, Sayo launched herself from her seat and attempted to grab Harry in a hug. Unfortunately, she merely phased through him, causing the mage to flinch and shiver from the cold chills. "Darn…" The ghost said sadly.
"Guess you're starved for human contact, huh?" Harry remarked with a small chuckle, suppressing his shivers. Maybe there's some sort of spell that can give ghosts the ability to have physical contact with others… "For now though, how about we start with introductions?"
"R-Right!" Shaking off her sadness, Sayo bowed her head to her teacher. "I'm Sayo Aisaki. Glad to finally speak to you, sensei…"
"And I'm Harry Potter." The teen maged formally introduced himself. "I hope we can get along well, Sayo…"
The ghost girl teared up, happy that she's finally able to talk to someone after sixty years…
(Dormitory)
After chatting with Sayo for a bit, Harry started his search for Negi and Asuna. He took out his trusty Firebolt broom, once he was sure no one was looking, before taking off and scouting around the school.
While that would've been a daunting task for anyone, his broom was fast; the fastest broom in the market. So it wouldn't take long to find the two, even if he had to look through the entirety of Mahora. Thankfully, he didn't have to.
'There they are.' Harry thought to himself, floating above the sitting figures of Negi and Asuna. As he was floating downward, he saw Negi happily glomping on the pig-tailed girl, much to her protest. 'Look like they'd worked things out with each other.'
"Glad to see that the two of you have made up." At the sound of his voice, both teacher and student looked up in surprise. Harry waved at them from his broom. "Ready to continue studying?"
"You can fly?!"
"Is that a Firebolt?!"
Harry couldn't help smirking down at them. "Yes and yes to both questions." He flew downward yet again, until he landed his feet on the sandy ground. "As Negi has stated, this here is the Firebolt; a christmas gift from when I was thirteen."
There were clear stars in Negi's eyes. "That's the fastest broom in the market!" The red-head exclaimed, looking very much like the excited ten-year old he is. "I heard that you possessed the Firebolt, but to see it with my own eyes…!"
Harry let out a small chuckle. "If you like, I can let you take it for a small spin when we get the chance."
"Really?!"
"I don't see why not." The teen mage shrugged. "Though first, let's get to the dorm so we can get back to Asuna's studies."
"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture." Asuna sighed in aggravation.
With that, the three head off back to the dorms. As they were walking, Asuna got up to Harry's side. "So, the brat talked to me about why he's doing this whole teaching thing." She said quietly to him. "Something about finding someone he admires."
Harry turned his head slightly towards her. "The Thousand Master, right?"
"Wha- Did he tell you too?"
"No. I just connected the dots myself." Was all Harry said.
Shaking off her surprise, Asuna continued. "Well, what about you?" She asked. "I remember you saying that you have your own reasons for helping Negi. So what is it?"
The Boy-Who-Lived hummed, as he thought about his answer. "Let's just say there's someone I owe, and that helping Negi pays part of that debt."
Asuna frowned. "A debt? To whom?"
"Just to an associate I met as a kid."
The orangette sighed in frustration. "Are you going to keep up that mystery guy act the whole semester?"
"I have no idea what you mean." Harry replied innocently, prompting a growl from the girl beside him.
"You're irritating, you know that Potter?!"
"You wouldn't be the first to think so, Asuna."
And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Apologies for not including Harry in the bath chapter, if you were looking forward to it, but I felt it was best not to place him in that scene. Would kinda feel contrived if he was involved in every single event of the series.
Next up will likely be the Dodge-ball tournament. This time, I won't be skipping the event like I did with the previous fic, though I have to yet to decide on what I want to do in that little arc. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.
