Chapter 16
The day after going to the Lookout, Gohan decided that despite the ease he would have had dwelling on the craziness of his whole world, he would instead spend his day figuring out what he would send back as presents for his friends. Despite not knowing a whole lot about the other world's holiday, Gohan quickly realized it would probably be rude if he didn't reciprocate a gift. Hopefully it wouldn't matter too much to his friends that they got his gifts later.
Gohan decided that since Albus had sent him wizard chocolates, sending a nice treat back to him would probably be a good reciprocal gift. Gohan had told Albus all about his mom's amazing chocolate cake when they were comparing desserts during one of their dinners in the fall. Chi Chi was more than happy to bake the cake for her son to send along, mostly excited that he had made friends with kids that were not only his own age, but also not ex-demon warriors. Gohan was grateful for his mother's help for Al's gift because he knew attempting to make anything himself would result in disaster.
Scorpius' gift was also an easy one to come up with for Gohan once he spent a moment and thought about it. He decided that he would send Scorpius some capsules. Ever since Gohan had first mentioned the Hoi Poi capsules to Scorpius, his inquisitive friend had badgered him with questions about how the small devices worked. The pure blooded wizard was astounded that a piece of muggle technology could work inside of Hogwarts where apparently everything having to do with electricity short circuited around all of the magic. Gohan didn't know enough about how Dr. Brief's capsules worked to attempt an explanation but he figured sending the other boy some to research on his own would be a good gift for his friend.
Gohan decided that he would ask Bulma if he could have some capsules for his gift and went to Capsule Corp. the next day to visit. Bulma, ever the generous genius with her technology, gladly gave Gohan a case with empty capsules before Gohan asked her another question that had plagued his sleep the previous night.
"Uh Bulma, um what kind of thing would a girl my age like as a gift?" Gohan asked. Despite knowing that Rose had sent the joke box as a favor for her father, he still felt that it would be nice to send something back in return. Bulma dropped the wrench she was using to tinker around with inside of the engine and abruptly turned around in surprise towards her young friend.
"Oh wow Gohan, got yourself a little girlfriend?" Bluma asked with a large wink making the boy blush.
"It's not like that Bulma, she's my friend Albus' cousin and she sent me a box of stuff for a holiday they celebrate called Christmas. So I just didn't want to be rude and not send her something back." Gohan explained, still flustered by the blue haired woman. He had hoped asking Bulma instead of his mother would spare him some embarrassment, but obviously he was wrong.
"Okay sure kid, whatever you say. So tell me what does this girl, who is not "your girlfriend" like to do?" Bulma asked complete with air quotes, still grinning at the blushing boy.
"Ugh Bulma, I swear she's just a friend, barely a friend even. All she does is bother me with questions about home all the time." Gohan defended himself before thinking about Rose Granger-Weasley. "Ok, well, she's pretty smart, she's also kinda nosey like I said, I think she knows everything that goes on around school but she doesn't gossip like the other kids." Gohan tapped his chin in thought before he was interrupted by Bulma.
"I actually think I know something perfect for her." Bulma smiled before moving to the large bookshelf located in the back corner of her lab. Coming back with a book, Bulma pressed the slim paperback into Gohan's hands.
"Greatest Inventions of the Past Century: As Told By Their Creators." Gohan read the title aloud.
"Yep, a smart girl who wants to know more about our home should enjoy that." Bulma said, bending down to pick up the wrench she had dropped.
"Great, thanks so much Bulma!" Gohan grinned briefly flipping through the book. It looked like it had a lot of cool stuff inside which Rose would probably like. If she didn't at least Gohan knew he had tried his best, but Bulma was usually right about things so he wasn't worried.
"No problem kid, hope your not a girlfriend likes it." Bulma joked enjoying getting under the pre-teen's skin. Making people uncomfortable had always been a fun hobby for the woman, there was a reason she had managed to intrigue a man like Vegeta. Gohan thanked Bulma for the help with his gifts before departing from the woman's cluttered lab.
"See you Wednesday for the party!" Bulma waved before turning back to her tinkering.
Gohan had sent off his gifts to Albus and Scorpius once he had wrapped them with his mother's help and approval. Albus' was sent first because the cake wouldn't last long waiting for his owl to return, he knew that there was some sort of stasis charm that would prevent spoilage, which he had read about in one of his books, but he wasn't about to experiment with magic on the cake his mother had generously made. Hermes was a fast flyer so it didn't take too long before Scorpius' gift was out the door as well. He wanted to use Rose's joke box and send the feedback back with her gift so he held off in sending it back until after Bulma's party.
The Belated Baby Bash as Bulma had called it was just as fun as all the groups' gatherings in the past. All of the guests who hadn't yet seen Goten crowded around the young baby, who seemed to be surprisingly delighted at all of the attention. All of Goku's old friends' first exclamations were about how much the tiny child looked like their old friend, which subsequently turned into stories about all of their many adventures with Goku over the years. It was still bittersweet for everyone to think about their beloved friend, but the everflowing food and drink kept the party goers lighthearted which made Gohan's 'research' much easier to accomplish.
Gohan managed to use most of the products Rose had sent over the course of the night. He knew he probably shouldn't have used any of the food based products at the buffet, but the face Vegeta had made when he bit into an exploding pastry was worth it even though the chances of the full blooded saiyan not retaliating were miniscule. His only savior besides knowing he was in fact actually stronger than Vegeta, was Bulma, who had calmed the proud prince down with a pile of non-explodable desserts and a quiet table all his own.
A surprise hit from the joke box however was a product called Weasley WizzWigs which Gohan had slipped into one of Krillin's many drinks that night. From the very short description on the package Gohan thought it would be funny to use it on the bald man. However, much to his as well as everyone else's surprise, when Krillin's head grew a thick mane of black hair, he wasn't as excited or surprised by the new hair revelation as they would have thought. Apparently, as explained by the former monk, he wasn't actually hair challenged but instead chose to wax his head for fighting. The biggest winner out of this revelation happened to be Krillin himself because after seeing him with his hair grown out, Eighteen had asked the formerly bald man why he waxed his head when he looked, quote "So much hotter with hair."
Yamcha himself got a surprise from the candy dish upon which Gohan had slipped something called a Ton Tongue Toffee Remix. This treat earned everyone at the party a laugh watching the man's tongue lol out of his mouth and turn different colors for a good five minutes before shrinking back. Even Chi Chi couldn't help but stifle a laugh even though she didn't approve of her son's 'delinquent' behavior. Gohan wasn't too ashamed because he thought it was an appropriate recompense that he got to prank his older group of friends back after all their attempted pranks on him the last summer.
Gohan was surprised when not all of the products from Rose's box contained joke items, in fact the best item in his opinion he had given to the two youngest at the party. Goten and Trunks both tremendously enjoyed the Prancing Pony Plushie which not only pranced around when it was activated with a tap of a wand, hence the name, but glowed in the dark to serve as a soft nightlight. The only downside was that there was only one of them, Gohan would have to ask Rose if he could get another, as well as if there was a way for the toys to work without a wand. No matter what, he was definitely writing about the baby's excitement on the checklist.
Gohan's short break from school quickly flew by and he fsoon ound himself bidding farewell to his family before flying back to Hogwarts. It was bittersweet leaving again, especially when confronted by his mother's tears upon his departure, but there was also a tingle of excitement that he was going back to learn more magic.
Gohan decided that he could chaperone himself back to school since Professor Longbottom wouldn't know any better and quickly found himself landing in the spot of the forest at the exact time they had agreed upon. Gohan fixed his tie which had loosened during his journey to be presentable for his Head of House as he walked out of the edge of the forest. Glancing around there was no sign of his Professor in the immediate surroundings. Unsure what to do, he slowly started walking towards the castle keeping an eye out for his professor.
Gohan realized that the majority of the students were not yet back to Hogwarts yet when he felt out the energies around the castle. Despite the absence of the majority of the students, Professor Longboottom's Ki, like the whole population of the castle, was too low to be individually distinguishable. Upon reaching the front doors, Gohan shrugged at not seeing his Professor, he had already double and triple checked the time on his watch, thinking perhaps his Head of House had simply forgotten about their meeting. Knowing he would have to eventually see his professor, Gohan opened the door to the inside of the entry hall.
"Oh hi Gohan, you're back early!" Gohan immediately heard upon turning around from closing the large door. He looked up to see a now familiar redhead standing a few feet away.
"Oh, hi Ava, uh yeah, I just got here. I was supposed to meet with Professor Longbottom but I'm not sure where he is" Gohan explained.
"Wow, so you didn't take the train here? Do you live in the Scottish District or something?" Evan popped up from behind his sister seemingly out of nowhere.
"No, I'm uh out of district so that's why I was supposed to meet with Professor Longbottom when I arrived." Gohan explained knowing he was being very vague, but he himself was confused by the professor's absence. After learning about The Split from Dende and Mr. Popo he now realized how strange it really was for him to be at this school.
"East District right." Ava stated earning her a head rub from the awkward boy. Gohan didn't have time to respond before her brother cut it.
"That's right! Mutatío said that." Ava proceeded to smack her younger brother on the back of his head.
"Evan, it's rude to tell people we were talking about them." The older girl chided. "Sorry Gohan, Professor Mutatío asked us why we were late meeting up with him to go to the cottage that day before break and I mentioned bumping into you."
Great, just one more reason for him to hate me. Gohan thought to himself with a small frown.
"Don't worry, Mutatío loves East District, basically his whole library is books about it. I tried to spend all of break in there!" Evan exclaimed.
"What?!" Gohan didn't withhold his surprise. Ava rolled her eyes.
"Ugh Evan we really need to teach you some manners about people's personal stuff. So rude." For the first time since he had met the strange siblings Gohan noticed that they were both wearing their full uniforms. Ava's silver and green tie was neatly tucked beneath her robes while Evan's blue and bronze was haphazardly knotted and bunched up inside his sweater. Knowing one of his best friends was sorted differently than his family, Gohan wasn't surprised to see siblings in different Houses.
"Sorry Gohan, but we promised our friends we'd meet them at the gates when they got back and they're supposed to be here soon. Mutatío said we could go but I was worried when we saw you that we were already late." Ava explained as she tied the cloak she had previously been carrying around her neck.
"Uh sure," Gohan said, still processing what he had inadvertently learned about his Professor.
"Bye Gohan!" Evan waved as the two siblings exited the front doors, Gohan gave a small wave back before turning around and making his way inside the Great Hall. It was too early for dinner but Gohan hadn't felt like going all the way up to his dorm room if what Ava said was true and his friends would be here soon anyway. Gohan pulled out a book from his bag to read in the meantime before he was suddenly disturbed by a slight pop to his left.
"Can Yosey get the young scholar Gohan a snack?" Gohan smiled at the familiar face of the house elf. Since Scorpius had discovered the kitchens, Gohan had insisted on going with his friend to check them out. To Gohan's surprise and Scorpius' amused delight the kitchen house elves treated the half-saiyan as their own celebrity diner. Each of their visits consisted of the elves asking Gohan to try new recipes and then subsequently bogging him down with food when the boys left. Gohan greatly enjoyed the odd atmosphere of the kitchens, but the boys hadn't gone to the kitchens too much. Gohan felt embarrassed by the special attention they paid to him and not his friends, all of the elves seemed to admire what they called his 'Old Country Glow' which neither of his friends possessed.
"Hi Yosey, did you have a nice vacation?" Gohan smiled at the wide eyed elf who squeaked in delight. The last time the boys visited the kitchens they learned that the house elves got a week vacation as well when the students weren't at school, they called it Dobby Days. According to his friends this was a huge change to the system for the elves and had taken many years to fully implement before the majority of house elves accepted, however some of the older elves still refused the break preferring to continue their work.
"Oh yes Yosey had a wonderful vacation! She went to visit her sister Jingley." Her large brown eyes lit up with the memory.
"I got to visit my baby brother too!" Gohan couldn't help but exclaim.
"Oh does Gohan's brother eat as much as him?" Yoseys eyes filled with delight and Gohan couldn't help but laugh back.
"Not yet, but probably soon, my mom's gonna wish she had a huge kitchen like yours soon." Gohan joked to the elf who still looked excited.
"Yosey wishes more students came from the Old Country, like Gohan." The elf smiled before disappearing, soon reappearing with a snack tray for the perpetually hungry half-saiyan.
"Thank you Yosey!" Gohan grinned down at the food before suddenly rifling through his bag. "I almost forgot, I got this recipe from my mom." Gohan said handing the paper to the small creature. During their visits to the kitchen Gohan talked to the chefs when they asked him to taste test. They had never heard of a few dishes which were his mother's specialty and he promised he would try to get a recipe for them over his break. Yosey gently took the paper from Gohan treating it like a Million Zeni bill.
"Oh! Chef Haney is going to be so excited for a recipe from the Old Country!" The elf clutched the paper protectively against her chest. "Yosey is so excited too, thank you young Gohan! Gohan chuckled, it was one of his mother's basic rice dishes, but he couldn't help but be excited too if the elves decided to make it. "Yosey must give this to Chef Haney now!"
"Bye Yosey, thank you for the snack!" Gohan exclaimed to his funny elf friend who with shimmering eyes bid him farewell with a pop. Gohan laughed to himself before digging into his snack. A short while later, he felt the sensation of a mass of small energies making their way towards the castle.
Dinner was a fun affair, Albus and Scorpius had joined Gohan at his table when they arrived back at the castle. The boys caught up on their breaks, telling stories about their respective families holiday adventures. They both thanked Gohan for their gifts, Scorpius gushed about all the notes he had already made about how the capsules worked which earned him some teasing from Al. Albus admitted that Gohan's mom's cake was the best dessert he had ever eaten, settling their argument from the previous term. A comment from Scorpius about their next term classes caused Gohan to look up towards the Head Table where all of the staff looked to be sitting to welcome everyone back from break. However there was a noticeable absence next to Headmistress McGonagall.
"Hey, have you guys seen Professor Longbottom yet?" Gohan asked which earned him shakes of the head from both his friends. "Huh, he was supposed to meet me when I got back but I couldn't find him." Gohan tapped his chin in thought. The boys sat in silence for a moment before Albus spoke up.
"I wonder if he's still on his trip?" Both the other boys lifted their eyes questioningly towards Albus. "So Uncle Nev...err Professor Longbottom, came to our house for dinner on Boxing Day and I may have overheard my parents talking with him about a last minute trip to Central NorthWest District." Gohan's head jolted up when he heard that, thoughts about his Professors' letter at the forefront of his mind.
"Any reason why he was going there?" Gohan blurted out, too curious about his Professors' intentions to care about the odd looks his friends' were giving him.
"Er no, my mom sent me to my room when she noticed I was listening in." Albus answered, his face flushing in embarrassment.
"Maybe he was doing some research, I know there are some interesting magical plants that are only found there during the winter months." Scorpius added in as an explanation. Gohan couldn't help but disregard his friend's idea, he knew it had to have something to do with that prison he had written about in his letter.
"I'm sure he'll be back by tomorrow for class." Albus stated shrugging. Gohan didn't want to break Dende's confidence in showing him his Professors' private letter by telling his friends what he learned at the Lookout so he didn't pursue the topic further.
Gohan instead settled down into his own thoughts while his friends chatted on about the gifts they got for Christmas. Glancing back up to the empty spot at the head table, he couldn't help but wonder what could have happened in the couple weeks since Professor Longbottom had given Piccolo his letter to prompt him to visit the district where the wizard was held in prison. He also wondered if Dende's letter had reached his professor before he left telling him that Doctor Gero was now dead as well. There were so many questions with loose ends that Gohan couldn't make any sense of it until he saw his Professor again.
Gohan hoped that he was just overthinking his Professors' travels and that perhaps the man was just doing further research into what he told Dende in his letter. But the unsettled anxious feeling that had settled in Gohan's stomach was the same feeling that plagued him before every big fight he had been in during his short life so far.
Thank you so much for reading, let me know what you think! :) Sorry this last chapter took awhile, hope to have the next one up sooner! And on an unrelated note, I just have to say this last week has been surreal, hope everyone and their families are staying safe!