Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter or Blue Exorcist!

There! Now that that's out of the way, let me start by saying, that this is not my best work. The first half is from the original source material (again, I DO NOT OWN!), the second half is filler I made up so I can, again, make it my own.

Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Pixie Problems

Rin and the others made their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom where they saw several portraits of their teacher smiling and winking at them. One of the portraits even showed Lockhart painting a portrait of himself! Rin grimaced.

'Humility is clearly not in this guy's vocabulary.'

Harry sat at his desk and started piling his books around him, hoping Lockhart wouldn't see him when class started.

Rin snorted. "Are you hot or are you that embarrassed by all the attention Lockhart is giving you?" he mockingly asked his friend.

Ron snickered as well. "You could fry an egg on your face. You'd better hope Creevey doesn't meet Ginny. They'll be starting a fan club."

Colin Creevey was a first-year Gryffindor who already earned a reputation of taking pictures of everyone and everything with his camera. He already idolized Harry to the point where the scarred boy had to think of any excuse to get as far away from the kid as possible.

"Shut up!" Harry snapped.

"So, you guys think Lockhart is as great a wizard as he makes himself out to be?" asked Rin as he took a seat behind Harry.

"Doubt it," said Ron. "Anyone who brags about his accomplishments this much can't be that great."

Hermione sat in front of Harry and turned to the boys. "You lot obviously haven't read any of Lockhart's books," she said.

"Why would we?" asked Ron. "I took one look in one of his books and all I read was how great he was."

"Rubbish."

"Hermione, come on," Rin argued. "Harry's ten times more famous than Lockhart is without even trying." Harry turned bright red at this praise. "Don't act all modest, Harry. You know it's the truth."

Lockhart then entered the room and cleared his throat. He then flashed everyone his signature smile as he walked up and down the classroom. He picked up Neville's copy of Travels with Trolls and held it up next to his own face.

"Me," he said with a wink. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, third class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award - but I won't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon banshee by smiling at her!"

He chuckled at his own joke but no one laughed (a few witches gave a few weak smiles at best). Rin groaned. 'No wonder Dad and Harry can't stand this guy!'

Lockhart ignored the lack of response and continued. "I see you've all bought the complete set of my books. Well done!" ('Not that we had much choice.') "I thought we'd start today with a little quiz." The entire class groaned. "Nothing to worry about - just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in." After he finished passing out the test papers, Lockhart returned to the front of the classroom. "You have thirty minutes. Start - now!"

Rin looked at his test paper and struggled to keep his jaw from falling onto his desk as he read it:

What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?

What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

Rin flipped through the entire quiz, three pages total, and saw that the entire quiz didn't have anything relevant to Defense Against the Dark Arts. He looked to Ron and Harry and gestured to his quiz with a 'can-you-believe-this-guy?!' look. They gave him an identical look. All three boys resignedly sighed and wrote answers to their quizzes.

~0~0~0~

It was the longest half-hour of the boys' life. When it was finally up, Lockhart collected the quizzes and started rifling through them in front of the class.

"Tut, tut - hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color was lilac. I said so in Year with a Yeti. And a few of you need to read Weekend with a Werewolf more carefully - I clearly stated in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples - though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey!" Lockhart explained with another wink.

Rin had half a mind to start banging his head against his desk.

'This guy can't be real!'

Ron looked like he wanted to do the same thing. Harry sank lower into his fence of books. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas were trying to silence their laughter. Rin noticed that Hermione and all of the girls in the classroom were staring in awe of Lockhart. Some of them were swooning and giving him goo-goo eyes.

"...but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and to market my own range of hair-care products - good girl! In fact, -" he flipped Hermione's test over. "-Full marks! Where is Miss Granger?"

Hermione shakily raised her hand. Rin, Ron, and Harry all facepalmed. How could the smartest one in their group not see that this guy was full of himself?

"Excellent!" Lockhart beamed. "Quite excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor! And so to business!" He went to his desk and picked up a covered cage and placed it on top of it. "Now - be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know that no harm can befall you whilst I am here." ('I doubt it!') "I must ask you not to scream. It might PROVOKE THEM!"

At that moment, Lockhart whipped off the cover to reveal a cage full of what appeared to be several little blue aliens with wings and big black eyes.

"What the hell are those?" asked Rin.

"Freshly caught Cornish pixies," Lockhart answered.

Seamus snorted in laughter. "They're not dangerous, are they?" he choked out in-between laughs.

"Don't be so sure, Mr. Finnigan," Lockhart replied confidently. "Devilish tricky little blighters, they are."

"They don't look like the 'foulest creatures known to wizardkind,'" Rin said skeptically.

Lockhart smirked at the blue-haired boy. "In that case, Mr. Okumura, let's see what you make of them," he said in response. He opened the cage and all hell broke loose.

Pixies flew everywhere and destroyed everything they could get their tiny little fingers on. Pages were ripped from books, school supplies were tossed out of students' school bags, and poor Neville was lifted by the ears and was hung from a chandelier!

"You had to open your mouth!" Seamus reprimanded Rin.

"Shut up, Seamus!"

"Calm down, now! They're only pixies," Lockhart assured everyone. He whipped out his wand. "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!" he recited. Nothing happened. Instead, one of the pixies grabbed his wand and threw it out the window. Out of options, Lockhart fled into his office, leaving the students to fend for themselves.

"Are you kidding me?!" Rin asked incredulously as he swatted a pixie away from Lavender Brown's shirt collar with his copy of Break with a Banshee.

"Can you believe him?" Ron roared as he swiped at a pixie that bit his ear.

"He just wants to give us hands-on experience," Hermione defended as she used a Freezing Charm on two pixies and stuffing them into the cage.

"'Hands-on?'" Rin repeated incredulously.

"Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing -" Harry tried.

"Rubbish," Hermione dismissed. "You've read his books - look at all the things he's done -"

"'Rubbish,'" Rin parroted.

~0~0~0~

Later on in the week, Rin broke away from the others to meet up with someone he hadn't had a chance to see since his return to Hogwarts. He found the portrait of fruit near the Hufflepuff entrance and tickled the pear. The fruit giggled and turned into a door handle. He opened the portrait hole and went in.

Rin found himself inside the school kitchens, filled with dozens of house elves. His blue eyes scanned the room until he saw who he was looking for.

"Dolly!" he called out as he shut the portrait door. All of the house elves turned in his direction. One house elf in particular perked up at the mentioning of her name and the sound of his voice.

"Rin Okumura!" Dolly squeaked as she made her way to Rin. "It is an honor to have you back in the kitchens! Does Rin Okumura wish for 'mochi' or 'rice balls?'"

Rin pulled out a piece of parchment with a recipe for dango written on it. "Wanna try making something new?" he asked eagerly.

Dolly's tennis-ball sized eyes widened in awe at the sight of a new recipe. "Rin Okumura has a new recipe for Dolly and the other house elves?" she asked.

Rin nodded. "Yeah. I've taught you guys how to make rice balls and mochi. I thought I'd keep that tradition going if that's alright with you."

Dolly and the other elves nodded. "It would be an honor, Rin Okumura!" Dolly exclaimed.

"Please teach us, sir!"

"We want to make more of these strange snacks, sir!"

Rin couldn't help but grin, happy that he was back in his natural culinary element. Dango was really easy to make, as Rin was able to make the first batch in less than five minutes (he wanted to make enough for the house elves to enjoy too). Just like last year, all of the house elves loved the confection that Rin made for them.

~0~0~0~

Yukio was walking through the aisles of books in the library, searching for books on demons when he noticed a familiar head of long red hair sitting at a table near the window writing in what Yukio assumed to be a diary.

"Ginny?" he softly called out to avoid the librarian, Madam Pince's, wrath.

The red-haired girl looked up from her writing and swiftly shut her diary and put it away. "Hello, Yukio," she said shyly.

Yukio walked up to her and gestured to the chair across her. "May I?" Ginny nodded and Yukio took a seat. "How are you liking Hogwarts so far?" he inquired.

Ginny casually shrugged. "It's alright," she answered.

Yukio raised an eyebrow. "'Alright?' You talked about Hogwarts non-stop over the summer. And if you weren't, you'd talk about Harry -"

"Shhhhh!" Ginny shushed him. "Not so loud! Word travels fast, I don't want anyone to know!"

Yukio adjusted his glasses. "I won't say anything, since it's none of my business, but you can at least talk to him. He won't bite."

Ginny looked down into her lap. "I know, but he's always with my brother, your brother, or Hermione Granger. It'd feel kind of awkward to just suddenly join in their conversations," she lamented. "How did you two become such good friends with Harry and Ron?"

Yukio looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought, before answering. "We met them on the Hogwarts Express last year. We couldn't find an empty compartment so we asked them if there were any empty seats in theirs and the rest is history."

"I see," Ginny said, her gaze returning to her lap.

Yukio then saw what might be wrong with Ginny. "Have you made any new friends yet?" he asked. Ginny shook her head no. Yukio gave her a sympathetic smile. "Give it time. It's only the first week. You'll be making friends in no time. Besides, you already made a friend in Kuro."

Ginny giggled at the memory of the demonic cat's antics on the train. "He is very cute," she remarked.

"I'm sure he won't mind if you give him a pet every now and then, especially if you scratch him behind the ears. He loves that," Yukio advised.

Ginny nodded in agreement before returning to her melancholy mood. Yukio released a sigh. He didn't know if this was considered a good deed or just a way to get rid of a problem, but frankly he was running out of ideas for cheering Ginny up. "There's a girl in Ravenclaw who's a first-year like you. She could use a friend…"

~0~0~0~

Rin headed back towards Gryffindor Tower after his visit with the house elves when he saw two Slytherin girls, the pug-faced Pansy Parkinson and the square-built Millicent Bulstrode, picking on the Hufflepuff girl from Herbology. Unfortunately, Rin couldn't recall her name.

"She's covered in dirt every time we see her," Pansy teased. "Do you Hufflepuffs ever bathe?"

The Hufflepuff girl started hyperventilating and slowly sank to the floor as the two girls closed in on her.

"Having a panic attack now? You scare so easily! Boo!" Millicent taunted.

The girl's breathing was becoming more erratic as she suddenly broke out into a cold sweat. Rin decided that enough was enough.

"Hey!" he barked out as he ran towards the girls. "Leave her alone! Can't you see she's freaking out?" Millicent and Pansy turned in Rin's direction.

Pansy smirked. "Looks like the earthworm has a boyfriend," she taunted. Millicent snorted in a way that reminded Rin of a pig.

"An earthworm is better looking than both of you combined," Rin retorted. He then whipped out his wand. "Get lost! I'm not afraid to use magic on a couple of girls."

Pansy and Millicent then left Rin and the Hufflepuff girl alone, not wanting to take their chances against him. As soon as they were gone, Rin put his wand away, smirking that those girls fell for his bluff. He then turned his attention to the Hufflepuff girl. Her pretty green eyes that reminded Rin of emeralds stared at nothing but the floor. Her pale face was still beaded with cold sweat.

"You okay?" Rin asked as he crouched down to her level. The girl's eyes shifted in Rin's direction, wide like a terrified animal. "Stay here. The boys' bathroom is just around the corner. I'll get a wet towel."

Rin dashed off and entered the boys' bathroom. He grabbed a towel that was near the sink and ran it under cold water. He then ran back out and returned to the girl.

"Here, put this on the back of your neck," said Rin. "My dad did this whenever my brother and I felt nauseous."

The girl shakily took the wet towel from Rin with a small "thank you" and put it on the back of her neck. Her breathing was becoming less labored but it was still shaky.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"A… little…" she breathed.

Rin frowned. She didn't sound better. He didn't know how to treat panic attacks. These kinds of things were Yukio's specialty. Wait a minute…

Rin gently helped the Hufflepuff back to her feet. "Can you stand? I'll take you to the Hospital Wing."

She nodded and the two slowly walked towards the Hospital Wing. Rin hoped that Madam Pomfrey would be able to treat something like this.

"Mr. Okumura! Not even a week into the term and you're already… Oh! What's happened here?" Madam Pomfrey said as soon as they entered.

"I don't know," said Rin. "Two girls from Slytherin were ganging up on her and she started freaking out. She's not breathing right and she's sweating like crazy. I tried putting a wet towel on her neck to calm her down but I don't think it's enough."

The school matron got a good look at the blond girl. "Poor thing. First one of the term. Get her to a bed, Okumura. I'll get her something to calm her down," she said and disappeared into the back room.

Rin guided her to the closest bed and then he sat down on a nearby footstool.

"O… Oku… mura?" she breathed.

Rin perked up. "Yeah, that's me. Rin Okumura."

The girl smiled a little. "Do you… know… Yuki?" she breathed.

Rin stiffened. "Yuki? You mean Yukio?"

She nodded. "I… call him Yuki. He's… my Transfigurations tutor…"

Rin remained sitting stiff as a board as Madam Pomfrey returned and administered a Calming Draught to her patient.

"There we go, dear. Slowly now. I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you, Moriyama," said Madam Pomfrey.

This snapped Rin out of his state of shock. Now he had a name for this girl. As soon as Pomfrey left the room again, Rin continued talking to her.

"So your name is Moriyama?" he asked.

Moriyama, now calmer and had a bit more color in her cheeks, nodded. "My name is Shiemi Moriyama. It's nice to meet you, Rin. Thank you so much for helping me."

Rin blushed and looked away. "It… It was nothing," he stammered. "Are those girls always bugging you?"

Shiemi nodded. "They've been bullying me since last year. It got to the point where I'd start having panic attacks or I'd get so sick I couldn't leave the dorms," she explained.

Rin frowned at this revelation. "Well next time those hags give you a hard time, just come find me or my friends."

Shiemi blinked before widening her eyes. "Oh! You and Yuki are friends with Harry Potter, aren't you?" she inquired.

Rin stiffened again. 'Again with the Yuki thing?'

"Yeah, we are. Harry's not afraid of sticking up to the Slytherins. And we always have his back," he said.

"He sounds like a good person. You guys must be really close."

Rin smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. We've been through a lot last year, as I'm sure you probably know."

Shiemi nodded as Madam Pomfrey returned.

"Are you feeling better, Miss Moriyama?"

"Yes, I am. Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."

The school matron nodded. "As soon as you are able, you may leave."

"I'll take her back to the Hufflepuff basement," Rin offered.

Shiemi gave Rin a thankful smile as she slowly sat up in bed. As soon as she was ready, Shiemi and Rin left the Hospital Wing.

"There you are, Rin!" said Hermione as they were halfway to the Hufflepuff basement. "Oh! You're Moriyama, aren't you?"

Shiemi straightened up at being addressed so suddenly. "Y-Yes!"

"Shiemi had a run-in with some Slytherin girls and I helped her out," Rin explained. "Oh, right! Shiemi, this is my friend, Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is Shiemi Moriyama."

Shiemi bowed down in front of Hermione. "N-Nice to meet you, Miss Granger!" she stuttered.

Hermione flushed a little at being addressed so formally. "Nice to… meet you too, Shiemi," she stuttered back. "Is it alright to address you that way? Or do you prefer your last name?"

Shiemi flinched. "Oh! You… You can call me Shiemi if you want."

Hermione let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. You're Japanese and Rin and Yukio told me that addressing people by their first names depends on how well you know them. I didn't want to offend you or anything like that. Very fascinating, other cultures…"

"Hermione, you're ranting," Rin interrupted.

Hermione caught herself. "I'm so sorry, I tend to do that. I'll see you in the common room, Rin."

"See ya, Hermione."

Hermione left and Rin continued escorting Sheimi.

"Miss Granger seems pretty nice," she noted.

Rin chuckled. "Yeah. We didn't always get along. Me, Harry, and Ron didn't like her one bit at first. It took the mountain troll on Halloween for us to become good friends."

"I remember that!" Shiemi exclaimed. "You were the ones who took down that troll?"

"Yeah, it was pretty intense! I protected Hermione, Harry shoved his wand up the troll's nose, and Ron knocked it out with it's own club," Rin explained.

"That's amazing!"

The two of them continued to talk about the events of last year as Rin continued escorting Shiemi to the Hufflepuff basement.

Like I said, not my best work. I wanted Rin to meet up with Dolly again since you guys seem to like them interacting with each other. I also wanted Rin to meet up with Shiemi (I'm a RinXShiemi shipper) again. She won't be a major character in this story, but she'll be seen from time to time.

Keep reviewing, folks! You guys did great last chapter! Keep it up!