"Who are you and how do you know our sister Luna?" The question hung in the air as Harry,struggled to find an answer. Hermione, as well, looked shocked by the sudden interrogation and the wild blonde glaring like a vicious guard dog as she cocked her hip in a challenge. Before either of the two hunters-in-training could answer, however, they were taken pity on as the girl in question stepped between the three, smiling softly and bringing her companion up short.
"Peace, Yang. They're old friends of mine. From before Dad found me." Yang's eyes widened minutely, and she took a short step back, her judging gaze now possessing a new edge to it. Harry fought to keep from shifting under it, the thousands of questions he could see burning in her eyes making him uncomfortable. He had no idea what exactly Luna was talking about, or even what the heck was going on anymore, but he did know that this was edging into territory he would rather not go. All he had wanted to do was come say hi to Ruby as promised… He lamented silently, until finally the golden-haired young woman shifted, and her face settled into a loess hostile stance.
"Are you certain?" She asked Luna, and the younger blonde nodded in acquiescence. As he watched their exchange, Harry marveled at the fact that Luna was even here, on Remnant, let alone far more lucid than he ever remembered her being.
"I'm fine, Yang. Why don't you go take Ruby to socialize some more?" Said girl jumped at the mention of her name, and Harry smirked slightly. Ruby had been trying to shy away from the tension of the conversation, edging further into the background. He had to admit, it had been effective. Even he nearly forgot the girl was there in his confusion, until Luna pulled her back into the spotlight. As it was, the youngest girl quailed under the attention of everyone present, and looked like she was about to bolt until Yang grabbed her, suddenly grinning brightly.
"That sounds like a great idea!" Before Harry could fully process what had just happened, the two girls were gone, a complaining Ruby being dragged into the crowd of teenagers preparing for bed by the older girl. He watched them go in surprise, until a light clearing of a throat brought his attention back to the girls beside him. Hermione looked just as confused as he did, likely overwhelmed by the wildly shifting conversation, while Luna was smiling slightly at them both, an expression of satisfaction across her face.
"Sorry about that. Yang is just… highly protective of me and Ruby." Harry nodded, his eyes straying back to watch the retreating girl's back. Protective was an understatement. He had almost felt like he was under interrogation as her accusing stare bore into him, and the young man shuddered at the memory. Pushing it away, he turned back to Luna, his eyes narrowing behind their black shades.
It had been nearly sixteen years since he last saw the girl, sixteen long years since they had lain bloody and beaten on a cold, hard stone floor, betrayed and broken. Sixteen years since they died and were reborn into this world of Remnant, unaware that either had followed the other through the Veil. Looking at her now, however, he saw a completely different girl from the slightly insane Luna Lovegood he had once known, one far more lucid with a hard edge to her that he didn't recognize. HIs blood froze at the thought, and suddenly he was looking at the younger girl in a new light. She bore his Luna's face, yes, but was it really his friend and ally?
Moving swiftly, Harry took a step closer to Luna, before his hand shot out and caught her chin in a tight grip. Surprisingly, the girl didn't react, and he could feel her unflinching gaze behind the white visor, as hard and determined as the set of her jaw. Even when arcane energy started to dance across his fingertips, tingling just on the edge of charring her smooth skin, she didn't remained still.
"What did we find at the end of Slughorn's christmas party?" He asked, his voice brooking no complaint, even without one forthcoming. It was an ancient method of recognition to the witch and wizard, a question none but they knew the answer to. Luna smiled.
"My shoes, of course. Left there by the Nargles." Relief shot through the wizard, and he released her, a smile pulling at his lips. It was her.
"Good to see you again." Luna nodded in agreement, but before she could answer, both their visions were suddenly overtaken by a bushy head of brown hair, appearing between by the sudden appearance, Harry took a step back. Damn, he had forgotten Hermione was still there.
"Okay, will somebody tell me what in the name of Merlin is going on?" Harry winced at the older witch's demanding tone,and he turned pleading eyes to Luna. He honestly had no clue how to explain anything about what was happening, but the pale blonde had been the one to recognize them both, and remained calm throughout the entirety of the last ten minutes. If anyone could sooth Hermione it was her. From the spark in her eyes, Luna seemed to agree, and without hesitation she stepped forward, wrapping an arm about Hermione's shoulders.
"Shhh, 'Mione. Calm down."The older girl, a mixture of panic, anger, and confusion swirling inside her, looked at Luna. She was so lost at the moment. For the last sixteen years, Hermione had done all she could to forget about her life before Remnant, forget her home and the pain those memories bore. And now, like a storm come to wreck everything about her new life, Harry and Luna, faces so familiar they hurt, had appeared, throwing everything she had ever known out the window. Why were they here, at Beacon?
"What is happening?" She whispered as Luna held her. All around them, Hermione could see various students preparing for a good night's rest before their initiation tomorrow, but in that moment, she felt as if she were cut off from the rest of them, a tiny island of calm in the vast ocean.
"It was the Veil, Hermione." Came Luna's voice, a soft wave of comfort as her hand stroked the older woman's wild mane of hair, ironically similar to her own sister's. "It was a passage to a new world, and a new life. After we were sent through, our souls were reborn here, on Remnant."Slowly, Hermione started to nod. Okay, that… that made sense, if only a bit. The Veil of death had always been a mystery to those in the Wizarding World, as no one had ever returned from the other side. If they were reborn here, with memories intact, then it wouldn't be all that surprising. It certainly explained Harry's new stature, and possibly even Luna's new lucidity. New bodies met a new start.
With an almost audible click, everything settled in her mind, and Hermione's nods gave one final nod. So Hermione and Luna had returned from the dead as well, but honestly, was that a bad thing? No, she didn't really think it was. WIth that thought in mind, she turned to her fellow witch and wizard, a wide smile stretching her face.
"Well then. We have a lot of catching up to do, haven't we?"
XXX
Draco Malfoy was tired; very, very tired, and just a touch annoyed. Then again, spending the night next to a blonde guy in bunny pajamas with ear-shattering snores could do that to a man, even one accustomed to sleeping in a desert full of Grimm who could attack at any anyone honestly blame him for wanting to strangle the kid in his sleep? There had to be at least a few others who felt the same way. Perhaps he should have done so, actually. At least it would have spared the blonde from his current embarrassment.
"So, Snow angel. I overheard you talking about me last night, and I couldn't help but wonder…" Draco sighed as he listened to the fool prattle on and flirt atrociously with the white-haired girl, if it could even be called that.. Maybe he should help him… nah, this was far too amusing to interrupt. Draco hadn't had a good laugh in a long time, and entertainment was something he cherished deeply wherever he could find it.
As the seconds wore on, however, and the blonde boy dug himself deeper and deeper into the pit of being a social pariah he had dug, Draco started to grow frustrated. As much as he enjoyed watching the kid make a fool of himself, he, the Schnee, and the red-haired warrior who had been caught up in their conversation had somehow managed to plant themselves directly in front of his locker, and he did need to get his weapons so as not to be late for the initiation. With a deep breath he finally just decided to get it over with, stepping forward and laying a tight hand on the blonde's shoulder.
"Alright, that's enough. The lady obviously isn't interested, so lay off." The boy turned to him, shock covering his face, and Draco was forced to hold in another sigh. Merlin, why did these things always have to happen to him?
"Wha? what do you mean?" The blonde gaped at him. Draco's grip tightened, and he took a step closer, until their faces were mere inches away. He could see the kid's blue eyes widen as they met his, and Draco very nearly smirked. He knew very well that the slit pupils set on a flint grey background could be very disturbing to the uninitiated, even if they hadn't marked him as a faunus.
"Exactly what I said. She," Darco inclined his head to the heiress, who was looking at them with confusion, "doesn't seem very interested by your pathetic offers. As such, I would suggest you leave now, Before I decide I want rabbit for breakfast." As he spoke the last few words, Draco grinned, showing the curved fangs his heritage brought him, and the blue eyes widened even more, panic flaring within them. Their owner stumbled back, Draco releasing his grip on the kid's shoulder to allow him escape, and a few seconds later, he was gone, without even a glance backwards. Draco smirked at the sight of his retreating back. It was good to know he could still scare annoying idiots shitless, and all without falling back on his father's name as well.
"My thanks, whoever you are. He was really starting to get on my nerves." The slightly familiar voice broke Draco out of his thoughts, drawn to the past he would rather forget, and he turned to face the Schnee girl curtsying politely. Beside her, the red-head was nodding her thanks as well, but he could see a hint of mistrust in her eyes, and Draco had to suppress a small smirk. A smart one, that. She probably saw a lot more than her companion.
"I didn't do it for you, Schnee." He replied, shrugging away the hand the white-haired girl offered him. Ignoring her shocked expression, he stepped forward into the space left by the now-absent blonde, swiftly inputting his code into the locker and opening it as he continued. "I just don't suffer fools lightly, that's all." With a sneer, Draco turned away completely from the two girls, dismissing them from his mind as he set about gathering his gear. Beside him, however, the Schnee wouldn't be so eaily shrugged off, and after a few moments of gaping like a fish at his audacity, her face hardened, rage burning brightly in her eyes.
"Excuse me? Do you even know who you're talking to!?" Draco glanced towards her for a moment, before his gaze once again flicked away, and when he answered his voice was flat and uninterested, as if she were unworthy of his attention.
"Weiss Schnee, correct?I don't see how your name has anything to do with it." His words, innocuous enough in any other situation, were enough to send Weiss's rage boiling over. She had had enough. First, there was that idiot little girl the day before, nearly blowing her off the campus, then that utterly disrespectful boy who made a mockery of her, and now this? Weiss took great pride in her family name, despite her… issues with most of the others who bore it, and she was tired of it being stomped all over. A scream tore out of her mouth, raw and filled with all her aggravation from the last twenty four hours, and she stormed away, not caring that she was leaving Pyrrha Nikos behind. She could sort that problem out later. For now, she just wanted to get out of here and find something to kill.
Draco watched her go out of the corner of his eye, one brow raised in amusement. It would seem his skills worked on spoiled little brats as well. A chuckle escaped him at the thought. Oh, he had recognized the signs almost instantly, when he first saw the Schnee. She was far too much like he used to be not to, and it was almost sad, really, to admit that. Even after the war against Voldemort had ended, he hadn't changed much, although his demeanor had become a bit more peaceful towards the muggles and muggleborns. It was his experiences here in Remnant that had really shifted his world-view, as he struggled to fight and survive in a world where he was the pariah, the hated and abused. It took being on the other end of the hatred and bias for Draco to really see how wrong he had been. Once that happened, more and more of his actions from his original youth had slowly been brought to the harsh light of day, and Draco had been forced to admit just how spoiled of a brat he really had been. It hurt, but as he looked back now, Draco accepted that those revelations were fully necessary, and was glad for them. Never again would he be the hated Slytherin. He refused to allow that fate to befall him once again.
Pushing the thoughts away, Draco slammed the door to his locker shut, turning to make his way towards the gathering point for initiation. He was stopped, however, when he saw the odd look on Nikos's face. She was looking at him with an uncomfortable intensity, as if trying to dissect his thoughts. Draco blanched inwardly at the concept, forcing the resurgent image of a man with no nose down, but outwardly he merely frowned.
"What?" Draco asked bluntly, and with a start, the girl's face changed to a look of surprise, shocked that he had noticed her watching him. Rather than explain herself, however, she just shook her head, turning away as her expression blanked.
"Nothing," She replied quietly, and walked away, disappearing into the bowels of the locker room. Draco watched her go for a few moments, but then shook his head and pushed the odd behavior out of his head. It wasn't any of his bus and right now he had an initiation to get to.
XXX
Ozpin is Dumbledore's evil twin. The insane thought crashed through Harry's mind as he flew through the air, the Emerald forest of Vale stretched out wide beneath him. Seriously, throwing students off a cliff into a forest full of deadly Grimm that wanted to eat them? That was definitely a plan worthy of Hogwarts' ancient Headmaster, and once again Harry was amazed at the similarities between the two men. For a moment, the black-haired boy wondered if perhaps Ozpin actually was Dumbledore, reincarnated just as they had been, but then he shook the thought away. No, Dumbledore hadn't gone through the Veil of Death as they had, so it was impossible. No, Ozpin really was just very similar, as low as the chances of that were.
As the air flowing past him suddenly changed directions, Harry pushed the morbid curiosity to the side, in favor of focusing on the forest below him starting to draw closer. He was falling now, and as he summoned his sword into his hand, Harry let out a feral grin. This was going to be fun.
Flipping his weapon open into its bow form, Harry grasped the string in his free hand, gathering energy as he did so. Magic was a curious thing in Remnant, Harry had found. While it wasn't necessarily as diverse in its use as he remembered, the strange arcane energy drifting through the air felt was far more tangible and powerful. It was child's play for him to summon three bolts of light, shaped vaguely like arrows, and fire them into the treeline, thin energy wires trailing behind. There was a small tug on his hand, which held the end of the trails, and suddenly Harry wasn't so much falling as he was swinging, the arrows and their trails acting like a grappling hook to catch and redirect his momentum. His form cut gracefully through the air and into the trees, branches flitting within inches of his large body. He twisted and turned in the air to avoid them, until finally he was gliding just a few feet off the ground. With a thought, he snapped the bonds holding his weight up, and his large frame dropped to the forest floor, Harry's well-honed reflexes allowing him to land silently. The boy took a moment to catch his breath, blood pounding from the exhilaration of flight, before he straightened from the crouch he had fallen into, glancing around to get his bearings.
It appeared that he was deep in the forest, and as he pricked his ears to listen to the myriad of sounds saturating the air around him, alone. He could hear no other students nearby, and with a shrug to himself, started walking, keeping an ear out for danger. Time to get going, then.
XXX
Hello, my pretties!
… Okay, that was horrible. I-I think I'm scarred for life now. Please don't hurt me!
Anyways… I'm back, I guess. Yes, I know, this chapter has taken forever, and I just want to say… that is entirely my fault. Yeah, I realized pretty quickly that I kinda screwed myself over with ending the last chapter how I did, for several reasons. One, I hate picking up in the middle of a scene, since it's always a pain and I feel like there's something not quite right about it. Also, I honestly had no idea how the whole (How do we know Luna) conversation was going to go, and it took me weeks just to decide that this would be the best way. Yes, I know, it's kind of a copout, but honestly, that's the best I could do under the circumstances. And really, Yang would probably trust Luna's judgement on something like that anyways, so it's not too bad.
So, something I wanted to ask, since I'm not sure if I have yet or not, was if anyone had any suggestions for pairings or not. I've gotten a few already, sure, and I already have Harry's pairing set in stone, but I realized something while trying to figure this chapter out. Because I started this story on a whim, I literally have no idea where the hell I'm actually going with it. I wasn't even sure whether I would be trying to do a bunch of subplots referring back to the Wizarding World and trying to make it this big, complex story, or just keep primarily to the Ruby plot with a few twists and turns (Up to the end of Volume Three, at least). I've sorted out how I want to do that now, for the most part at least, but I'm still lost on the subject of Pairings. So, anything all you lovely readers could contribute would be much appreciated, and hey, if you guys want to guess on Harry's pairing at the same time, go right ahead. I may even tell you if you get it right ;P!
Alright, that should be it, I suppose. I think I'll let you all go now. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don't forget to Review or PM me, and I'll see you all later!