I'm on a roll! It's been so long since I've uploaded this many chapters in one month!

After looking at the reviews, I've decided that the Exwires will be included in this story as well as the series (if this becomes a series). They won't be that involved in this story. They'll interact with our heroes from time to time. Think of it as a way of introducing them to the HP universe.

Make sure you read the notes at the bottom of the page. Important!

Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Back to School

The school was still buzzing over Harry and Ron's… late arrival to school the following morning. Rin was both thrilled and a little jealous that they used the flying car to get to Hogwarts. That thrill and jealousy died when they were having breakfast and the morning post arrived. Errol the owl crash landed into the hashbrowns. A red letter was tied to his leg.

Ron immediately paled at the sight of it. "Oh no!" he gasped.

Rin poked the unconscious owl with his finger. "Don't worry, he's not dead," he assured the redhead.

"Not that! It's that!" Ron whimpered, pointing to the red envelope. To Harry, Rin, and Hermione, it was just an ordinary bit of mail. To Ron and Neville, however, it looked like a bomb.

"Hey look, everyone!" fellow Gryffindor second-year Seamus Finnigan suddenly yelled from across the table (and trying not to laugh). "Weasley's got a Howler!"

"What's a Howler?" Rin and Harry asked at the same time.

Neville looked like he was about to answer until the envelope started smoking.

Rin immediately panicked. "What the hell?! It's on fire!" he exclaimed.

Neville shook his head. "That's what it does when you don't open it," he said. "You better open it now, Ron."

Ron and Neville's three friends looked from their petrified faces to the red letter. Ron took the envelope from Errol and shakily started to open it. Neville stuffed his fingers into his ears, preparing for the inevitable to happen.

A split second later, a roar of sound exploded from the letter. It was so loud, the goblets on the tables shook.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Molly's amplified voice rang out from the envelope, which took the shape of a person's mouth and was now screaming at Ron:

"HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR - I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY EXPELLED YOU! YOU WAIT TILL I GET A HOLD OF YOU! I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE -"

Harry and Rin never felt so sorry for one person in their lives as everyone around the Great Hall turned to see who was the unfortunate soul that received the screaming letter, making Ron sink so low in his chair, his red hair was the only thing visible.

" - LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED -"

Harry was wondering when his name would pop up. He tried his best to ignore the shrieking that was making his eardrums throb. Poor Rin was trying - and failing - at blocking his ears with everything that would fit in them, from his fingers to napkins.

" - I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER IS FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME!"

A ringing silence fell throughout the hall. The red envelope then burst into flames and burned and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat stunned at what just happened. Ron's eyes shifted and saw Yukio from Ravenclaw table shaking his head in pity. A few people laughed and eventually the typical babble of talk started again.

Hermione shut her copy of Voyages with Vampires and looked down upon the top of Ron's head.

"Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you -"

"Don't tell me I deserved it!" Ron snapped.

"Fine," Hermione complied, turning her nose up and taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. Rin's head then fell face first onto the table.

"Rin! Are you okay?!" she exclaimed in alarm.

"Is he alright?" asked Seamus.

"My ears…are…ringing…" he whimpered. Hermione turned his head towards her and saw his blue eyes were swirly. "My head hurts…"

Ron's head popped up a little to see what was wrong. "Sorry you had to hear that, Rin," he whimpered.

Yukio walked over to check on his brother. "You okay, Rin?" he asked.

"Why haven't my ears stopped ringing?" Rin asked miserably.

"Should we take him to the Hospital Wing?" asked Harry.

"Nah, he'll live," Yukio dismissed.

"Yukio, you're so cruel," Rin whimpered.

~0~0~0~

As soon as Rin's hearing recovered, he and his fellow Gryffindors left the Great Hall to attend their first Herbology lesson of the year with the Hufflepuffs. They saw their teacher, Professor Sprout, striding into view with Gilderoy Lockhart trailing behind her. The boys all glared at him, while the girls (mainly Hermione) turned pink and started straightening themselves up as the two teachers approached them.

"Hermione, you're going against every girl in school to get Lockhart's attention. What makes you think he'll notice you?" Rin asked her.

"You never know, Rin," she answered irritably. Her three friends rolled their eyes.

"Girls," Ron grumbled irritably.

"Oh, hello there!" Lockhart called, beaming at the assembled students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants in my travels…"

"Greenhouse Three today, chaps!" Sprout interrupted. It was quite clear that she was very annoyed with Lockhart.

Everyone started whispering amongst themselves. They had only been in Greenhouse One. Greenhouse Three was supposed to be more dangerous. Some said that there were plant-like demons living there.

"What happened to Greenhouse Two?" asked Rin.

Ron shrugged. "Search me."

They were about to head in when Lockhart stopped Harry. "Harry, I've been wanting a word - you don't mind if he's a couple minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?" he asked the head of Hufflepuff House.

Sprout let out an irritated huff and a scowl. Lockhart smiled. "That's the ticket!" he cheered. He then slammed the greenhouse door in her face.

"That was rude," Ron muttered. Rin, Neville, Seamus, and Dean Thomas could only nod in agreement. Luckily Harry wasn't gone long, as he soon joined the others before the lecture started.

"Now, gather 'round everyone," said Professor Sprout. "Today, we are going to repot Mandrakes. Who here can tell me the properties of the Mandrake root?"

Hermione and another girl from Hufflepuff raised their hands.

"Yes, Miss Moriyama?"

Rin turned his attention to the girl Sprout called on. She had short blonde hair that framed her round face with big green eyes.

"Um… Man-Mandrake roots are known to restore people who have been Petrified back to normal," the girl said nervously. "They're… also known for their shrieks which can be fatal."

Sprout gave the girl a warm smile. "Very good, Miss Moriyama. Ten points to Hufflepuff." The girl looked down in her lap, giving herself a tiny smile.

Rin's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. 'She's pretty and smart!'

"Now, these Mandrakes are only seedlings. While their cries are not fatal, they will knock you out for several hours," Sprout explained. "I've given each of you a pair of earmuffs for auditory protection. Hurry now, put them on!"

Everyone did as they were told. Rin made sure his earmuffs were covered. He didn't think his ears could handle any more abuse.

~0~0~0~

The Gryffindors soon left the greenhouses to go to their second closs, Demonology. Their professor, Shura Kirigakure, was what older students described as hardcore. She had zero tolerance for tardiness and those who complained about her class. Anyone who was tardy to her class was locked out of the classroom and she wouldn't let them in unless they slipped a tardy slip under the door. Those who complained within earshot of her would have their desk stabbed with her purple sword that was decorated with green gemstones that looked like snake eyes on the blade. Several desks in her classroom had stab marks on them.

"Think Professor Shura's gonna mess with Malfoy again this year?" asked Rin as he and his friends took their seats.

"I hope so," said Ron. "It's one of the reasons why I liked her class last year."

"I still don't understand why she calls him a ferret," Harry muttered.

Hermione got her notes and textbooks out of her bag before joining the conversation. "It was very inappropriate for what she did to Malfoy last year," she said.

Her three friends stared at her incredulously.

"Are you defending him?!" Ron exclaimed.

"Of course not," said Hermione. "I just don't think stabbing his desk with her sword was the right way of putting him in his place."

"Fred and George thinks she's brilliant," said Ron. "They love it when she summons her snake demons."

Harry frowned. "Snake demons?"

"They're called nagas," Hermione explained.

"Can't believe we have to take this class until our third year," a very familiar voice complained. The four turned and saw Draco Malfoy along with his friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, trailed behind him. "Father's furious when he found out what the teacher really is. He can't fathom why Dumbledore would hire someone…"

"Someone who has the most experience with fighting monsters you clearly cannot see yet!" Shura Kirigakure interrupted as she entered her classroom, slamming the door shut. "Seriously, Ferret, you need to learn to keep your complaints to yourself. I could hear you from the other end of the hall."

Several students giggled, leaving Malfoy bright pink.

Shura stopped in front of her desk. "Glad to see you guys again, hope you had a nice summer, blah, blah, blah… You guys are gonna be hearing those words all week. Might as well get that out of the way," she drawled. "This is Beginner's Demonology I. This year I'm gonna be teaching ya about Demon Kings and the demons they control. Who here can tell me the name of one of the Demon Kings?"

Hermione shot her hand up.

"Granger."

"Lucifer, the Demon King of Light."

Shura gave Hermione a half-smile. "Right as always, Granger. Who else?"

Harry raised his hand to Ron and Hermione's surprise. "Potter. Ya know one?" Shura asked.

"Amaimon," Harry answered, remembering his and Rin's encounter with said Demon King in the Forbidden Forest last year.

"The Demon King of Earth, very good. Longbottom?"

Neville hesitated before answering. "Uh… Beelzebub?"

"Demon King of Insects. You had an encounter with his kin, the chuchi, last year if you recall," Shura remembered. She then turned her attention to the Slytherins. "Shima! You've been quiet. Name a Demon King."

An Japanese boy with black hair who was reclining in his seat almost fell out before answering. "Uh… okay… Samael," Shima answered.

Shura's eyebrow twitched at the mentioning of a certain clown-like demon's real name. "The Demon King of Space and Time," she said through gritted teeth. "Ferret! How about you?"

Malfoy was caught off guard. He looked like he was about to fall asleep. "I don't know. Isn't there one for spirits or something?" he answered in a tone that suggested he didn't care.

"Demon King of Spirits, Azazel. Do you want a glass of warm milk with your nap?" Shura retorted. Everyone snickered at the exchange as Malfoy's face turned bright pink again.

Shura then scanned the classroom to see who else she could victimize. "Kamiki! Five down, three more left. Name one!"

The four Gryffindors turned and saw a Slytherin girl with red eyes and purple hair tied in pigtails. Rin noticed that she had the smallest eyebrows he'd ever seen. "Polkabrows" was the first thing that came to mind.

"Astaroth, King of Rot," she answered matter-of-factly. The way she held herself said that she was a proud, no-nonsense kind of girl.

"Very good. Now for the sake of time, I'll just tell ya the other two: Egyn, King of Water and Iblis, King of Fire," Shura continued. She looked around the classroom, surveying the students. "Is this gonna become a first-day-of-term tradition? Write this down!"

Everyone scrambled, gathering parchment and quills. All except Hermione, who was writing everything down the entire time.

~0~0~0~

Transfigurations was as difficult as it was last year. Professor McGonagall had them take a ton of notes before having everyone turn beetles into buttons.

Harry was having a difficult time keeping his beetle to stay still long enough for him to do anything to it. Rin decided that he needed to resume his tutoring with Professor Dumbledore after a single blue flame spurted out of his wand, which caught the beetle on fire and ultimately killing it. Poor Ron had it the worst. His wand was broken upon crash landing into the Whomping Willow and he tried fixing it with Spellotape. Now his wand was crackling and sparking at random. Every time Ron tried to transfigure his beetle, it was engulfed in thick grey smoke that smelled like rotten eggs. Unable to see what he was doing, Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow. McGonagall was anything but pleased.

Everyone was relieved when the lunch bell rang and everyone filed out except for Harry, Ron and Rin.

Ron starting banging his defective wand against his desk. "Stupid… useless… thing," he grumbled.

"Write home for another one," Harry suggested.

"I think your mom will understand," Rin added. Ron's wand started letting out bangs that sounded like gunshots.

"Oh yeah, and get another Howler back," Ron retorted. "It's your own fault your wand got snapped -"

They eventually left the classroom and made their way to the Great Hall. Ron's scowl only deepened when Hermione showed up with a handful of buttons she managed to turn her beetles into.

Rin also had a scowl of his own upon seeing Hermione's beetle-buttons. "Show off," he growled.

"So, what do we have this afternoon?" asked Harry as he helped himself to a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione answered immediately. "Professor Lockhart is teaching."

The boys all groaned. Rin noticed something odd about Hermione's timetable that was sticking out of her bag. He snatched it and saw what it was.

"Are those hearts around the words 'Defense Against the Dark Arts?!'" he asked incredulously. Harry and Ron could only look at Hermione pityingly.

"Seriously, Hermione?" Ron flatly asked.

Hermione snatched her timetable out of Rin's hand, her face red as Ron's hair. "Stay out of other people's things," she scolded.

I know some people will be in an uproar about which houses I've put the Exwires in, but let me explain:

For starters, Shiemi is a natural Hufflepuff. She's a loyal friend and a hard worker. All she wants is to make friends.

Secondly, if you've been reading the manga, you'll understand why I've put Shima in Slytherin. Plus, I've put a little twist to his character that will surprise you, but you'll have to wait to find out what it is (FYI, Shima didn't dye his hair pink until he went to True Cross Academy so until he turns 15, his hair will be its natural black).

Lastly, Izumo may be kind and considerate despite her cold attitude, but she's also manipulative. She also takes pride in her family lineage. Relax, though, she's one of those few likeable Slytherins we hardly hear about (*cough* Snape *cough*).

Okay, that's all we'll be meeting this chapter. I'm trying to figure out when the gang will meet Konekomaru and Bon.

Review or I'll send you a Howler!