Here's the next chapter for you! I hope you enjoy! Also, I'm not too far from catching up with everything I've written, so the updates might have to be every two weeks, rather than every week. Unfortunately, with school, working on my wand business, along with a few other things, I don't have much free time. I'm also not good at prioritizing what free time I do have, so yeah…

But I will do my best, and whenever I do end up finishing a chapter before the week's end, I will upload it.

Enjoy!

~Silverleone

It had been a couple of weeks since I had discovered the key to hiding the Room of Requirement. We had taught all of the students in our little band of rebels how to access it, and soon we had students all across the castle meeting in the same place at the same time. It worked better than I had thought.

Akumu and I were walking down the halls towards our next class when we saw Hermione and Ron walking Harry down the hall. The Boy Who Lived was a ghastly pale color. I shot a startled glance at Akumu and ran forwards. When Harry saw us, he tried to look act normal, but I could tell something was wearing on him.

"Hey, guys." He said.

"Harry! What happened?" He tried to play it off.

"Nothing to worry about. Just going to see the nurse right now." I stepped in front of their path. I pointed at a short brick wall.

"Sit."

"Rai, I really can't."

"Sit. Potter." He blinked at my tone.

"Rai?" I shot him a look that showed my rapidly shortening temper.

"Sit." He pulled back at the determined tone and they moved over to the wall. I crouched in front of him. "What happened?"

"It's not im-." I cut him off.

"Harry, stop dodging my questions. What. Happened?" He hesitated, but I didn't break my gaze.

"I...just had detention with Professor Umbridge."

"She scare you so badly that you can barely walk?" I waved off Akumu's comment absentmindedly and looked Harry in the eye. He got a little nervous and shifted his gaze away. His left sleeve pulled back slightly and I grabbed his arm, yanking back the sleeve. On the back of his hand words were carved into the skin, which was still red and tender, some points bleeding slightly. The words said, 'I must not tell lies.' He was shaking.

"...Harry...What is that...?" My voice had a dangerous tone to it. All three of them flinched and Harry tried to pull back, but I held fast. "...Did you do this Harry?"

"That, Mr. Taiki, is what happens when you do not heed my warnings." I spun to a standing position. Professor Umbridge was standing not far off, her usual smile on her face. I pointed at Harry's hand as I took a step forward.

"...Did you do that to him...?"

"That was his own actions, actually." That comment made me pause. I felt a spark of energy rush through my core.

"You made him cut himself...?" I took another slow step forward.

"You see Mr. Taiki, this is where Hogwarts is going. The students will not listen to the rules, and punishments must be dealt out accordingly." I ducked my head.

"You sick, twisted, disgusting. Freak." She gasped.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You don't have it!" I raised my voice to a shout. "I can't believe you are so low as to make a student cut themselves as punishment! Do you understand how badly that hurts someone who still feels?!" My voice had raised to a shout with the last statement. Akumu placed her hand on my shoulder, worried. Umbridge straightened her coat.

"I will not be spoken to like that, Mr. Taiki." I glared fire at her.

"I will speak to you, however, I want right now. Because I've had it up to here," I held my hand up just above my head, "With your attitude towards children." She huffed and tilted her head back.

"Mr. Taiki, I am warning you."

"What are you going to do Professor? Strike me down where I stand as a model for the other students? Show them, just who, you are? To show them just how far you will go?" I spread my arms out to the side. "Then hit me." Her eyes widened.

"Mr. Taiki, I will do no such th-!"

"Coward!" I shouted. She pulled out her wand and stepped back defensively. Lightning ran down my arms, twisting around them for a second. "You hide behind a mask, but I've seen you without it. You are no hero of the people. You're a charlatan who hides their owns insidious intentions and tries to play everyone else the fool." I flicked my arms down, twin lightning bolts striking the ground harshly at my feet. "You will never have the power you want because you do not have the people on your side. Your greed will be your undoing." I stepped back. "Harry, get on my back."

"If you think that after that outburst you will just leave, you misundersta-!"

"SILENCE!" The entire area seemed to obey my echoing command, even the wind seemed to still. I glared at Umbridge as she looked on in shocked silence. I had the others get Harry onto my back, then turned to Umbridge one last time. "The truce is off Umbridge!" She looked ready to either run or faint. I turned and marched off, using the buildup of energy to boost my legs, allowing me to cart Harry around without issue. Soon we were out of sight and I slowed my pace. Ron stepped up so we could see each other.

"Blimey Rai, what spell was that?"

"Something I don't use very often." I muttered, still fuming.

"I've never heard of a wandless spell that conjures lightning." Hermione said.

"It's not exactly what you're used to. I'll explain later. Let's get Harry to the nurse."

««{{¤}}»»

"So what was that spell back there, Rai?" Hermione, Ron, Akumu and I were sitting just outside of the hospital wing. We had handed a still pale Harry over to the nurse, who immediately shooed us out. I looked at Hermione.

"It wasn't a spell."

"It wasn't? Well, was it a charm or a curse?" Hermione asked.

"That's not what I mean Hermione," I said. I was gearing myself up for this. "It's...not magic. At least, not the same magic you guys use."

"Not magic? Well, then what is it?"

"You understand electricity, right?" She nodded while Ron looked lost. "It's pure energy from my body. I can call it out in small bolts of lightning or static shocks." I checked to see if the coast was clear, and when it was, I held up my hand. I slowly moved my fingers back and forth, and sparks danced between them. Ron and Hermione both leaned forward to get a good look at it.

"Rai, that's incredible." Ron reached out to touch it, and I slapped his hand with my other one. "Ow! Bloody hell!"

"This could make your hair stand on end for a good while. Not to mention the feeling of a couple dozen amps making your muscles spaz out of control."

"Well, you didn't need to slap me. Blimey." He looked over his hand to make sure it wasn't hurt.

"So, this energy is from your body?" Hermione asked.

"Yup. It has a core, just like our magical cores. It's centered right here." I pointed to just above where my navel sat. I stopped the sparks and lowered my hand.

"How did you figure out how to do that?"

"I didn't really. It just happened."

"Happened? It sounds like you woke up after a freak accident."

"Not...inaccurate..." I thought back to a past time.

««{{Flashback}}»»

"There's one!/I saw one!" Then I saw it, small sparks were hopping from place to place on Tesla's body, gradually growing in amount and size. I pulled myself forwards, gently placing my hands back on his head.

"Yes...come on Tesla, you can do it. You can do it!" Sparks turned into full streams of lightning, connecting different parts of his body consistently. The lightning was getting so bright, it was illuminating the room. I got zapped hard, and instinctually started to pull back from the pain, but I pushed back to wrap my arms around his neck. "Just...a little more bud, please, you cAH-you can do it!" My vision was wavering in and out from the pain, this was way worse than when we jumped in the lightning. Hiccup called out and tried to pull me away, but Fishlegs grabbed his arm.

"You can't! Your leg!" My muscles were spazing from the electric currents running through my body, and I was holding on as tightly as possible. Hiccup had to shout over the noise.

"Rai! Get away from him!"

"I c-ca-n't! I WON'T!"

"RAI!"

"TESLA! PLEASE! DO IIIIIIIIIIT!" Blinding light filled the room, making everyone cover their eyes and turn away.

««{{Flashback}}»»

"So…You're friends with a dragon."

"Two, actually."

"…And they didn't try to eat you?" I smirked.

"Oh, they did. But they learned I'm a little tougher than your average human."

"But…dragons aren't that intelligent. I mean sure, my brother Charlie works with them, but they all seem to be wild." I leaned back against the wall.

"Well…You don't exactly have these dragons in Britain. Or at least, I wouldn't think so."

"What, are they from America?"

"Not, exactly…"

««{{30 Minutes Later}}»»

"Wait, wait wait wait…You're not from this dimension?"

"No, we're not." I sighed. Akumu had given up on trying to stop me and was only adding in a few points here and there. When she felt like it, of course. I had explained where we were from, and our little adventure in Hiccup's dimension. Luckily, everyone seemed to have vacated the halls, leaving us without fear of being overheard. Well, almost unheard.

"Wicked." I turned and saw the Twins standing there.

"Hello, boys."

"Hello, friendo." I smirked gently, having grown used to their antics by this point.

"So, what are you lovely people doing inside on such a nice day?" I jerked a thumb at the doors to the hospital wing, my mood dampening just slightly.

"Getting Harry checked out."

"What? Catch a bit of the sniffles?" A look from me made the Twins pause. "...What happened?"

"Guess who." They didn't need to guess.

"Umbridge."

"Yup." Hermione caught a glint in their eyes and turned to them.

"Don't even think about it." She said sternly.

"Too late." Fred stated.

"Fred! George! You can't!"

"Can and will." Said George, both twins nodding as one, seeming to end their end of the conversation.

"You can't attack a-!"

"Hermione." I cut her off swiftly. We didn't need anyone hearing that. "Calm down, alright?" She turned a glare on me. Man, she had that down. "I'm not saying Fred and George should do anything, but I'm also saying they have full rights to do it."

"What makes you think that?" She folded her arms and I took a second. For her being 15 and my being 20, she didn't act like there was an age gap. Granted I didn't look that old, but still. "If they do what we all know they are going to do, then they'll be expelled." Fred and George glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

"Like we care." She scoffed and turned to them. She couldn't think of anything to say and huffed, grabbing Ron's arm and hauling him off without another word. The Twins watched her leave and turned to me.

"She's gonna paint a target on your back Rai." George said.

"Not going to be a pretty one either." Fred added, and I felt like he had emphasized his accent to make a point. I nodded.

"Believe me, I know all about having a target on my back." Akumu nodded.

"She may be one of the brightest witches in Hogwarts, but Rai has had years of training dodging things." I nodded. Then tilted my head, wondering just how many knives she had used over the years. I snapped out of it when George spoke up.

"Still, keep your eyes and ears peeled. Never know when she could pop around the corner." I noticed both of their eyes flick behind me, only giving me a fraction of a second to even think about turning around when a voice spoke up behind me.

"When who could pop around the corner, Mr.s Weasleys?" I nearly let out a yelp as Professor McGonagall was suddenly behind me. I turned around and took a step back, giving both of us some room.

"Oh, just another student Professor." George said. She gave him a slow nod with a raised eyebrow. She turned to me.

"Mr. Taiki, I do believe you have class with me in a few minutes?"

"Yes Professor." I dipped my head into a respectful nod.

"It would do you good to be on time then." She said, strongly suggesting I follow through.

"Of course, Professor, we'll see you in class." Akumu hooked her arm under mine and we walked down the hall without further word. "How, in the world, did she sneak up on us?"

"I don't know. I didn't hear anything." I shuddered.

"I don't like that. As nice as she is, that's a red flag." Akumu nodded.

"It took the twins seeing her to give us any warning." At that moment, Professor Snape turned the corner ahead of us. Akumu ducked her head, her hair falling in place to cover her eyes. I tilted my chin up by a fraction, making casual eye contact with the brooding man.

"Hello, Professor."

"Students." He replied monotonously. He started to pass, only to pause as he came adjacent to us. We stopped on a dime and Snape looked down at Akumu. She grew tense even just feeling his gaze. His eyes narrowed by a fraction. I cleared my throat.

"Professor? Is something wrong?"

"Might I ask...What you are doing in the halls..." He said slowly. Akumu went into full on-guard mode, locking up in preparation to flee. She was in no position to talk.

"Professor Snape, with all due respect, you know we have classes here." I said, trying to keep the confusion out of my voice. He looked me over and I felt something flash through me. I couldn't tell if it was a chilling fear or the heat of anger. Snape looked me directly in the eyes and I returned the look.

"...If you insist on being difficult...I will remove house points."

"We are not in a specific house, Professor." He seemed to think for a minute.

"Then how about the one you are closest to?" I tensed up this time, I felt offended for Gryffindor. But before I could say anything, Akumu spoke up.

"We must be going now." She grabbed my arm and dragged me away. I could feel Snape's gaze on me until we turned the corner. I stopped in my tracks and pulled my hand from her grasp. I placed it on her shoulder as she stopped. She looked up at me wordlessly.

"Akumu?"

"He...He looks so much like him...It's not possible...he died." I gently gripped her shoulder, giving her something to mentally cling to.

"There are many people in the world Akumu. There is bound to be someone who looks like your brother."

"But why here?" She looked at me through the beginnings of growing grief. I pulled her into a short hug.

"Because fate has a stupid sense of humor. Come on, let's get your mind off of that. Besides, Professor McGonagall has a funny way of cheering people up." Akumu nodded after a moment, taking a slow breath.

"O...Okay."

"That's my girl." I led her down to the classroom of one Professor McGonagall. We took our seats and settled in, pulling out our parchment and quills. I sighed as I watched a few more students trickle into the room. I raised an eyebrow as a tabby cat wandered in just before the door shut behind the last student. I noticed the students who saw the cat didn't really register that it was there. The tabby hopped up onto the desk and sat down, looking over the class. It must have been the Professor's pet.

I perked up when I noticed a magical presence coming from said cat. I shifted in my seat and lifted my head to stare at it, my eyes squinted in thought and concentration. The tabby locked eyes with me and I nudged Akumu without breaking eye contact. She looked at me, then followed my eyes to the desk, her eyes landing on the tabby. She turned back to me.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" She said teasingly. I squinted my eyes and opened my mouth to speak, only to blanch when the cat jumped forward, changing before my eyes into the stern Deputy Headmistress. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as she calmly but pointedly walked over.

"That is a fair question isn't it Miss Tanaka?" Even though my jaw hadn't hit the desk, it snapped shut, and I nearly bit my tongue. I wasn't sure how to respond. "Well," She said, an understanding smile coming to her lips, "I suppose this is not normal in your hometown. Magic, that is?" She asked, a twinkle in her eye. She turned and started to walk towards the front of the class, only to stop when a chair scrapped on the floor harshly. She turned and saw me now standing, a hand on my desk to keep me upright.

"H-how did you do that." The statement was asked with my voice shaking a little. My lilac wand on my back heated up a little, flashing in warning of danger. She grew concerned when my face grew paler than just a second ago. She tilted her head forward after shooting some snickering students a look to silence them.

"Mr. Taiki, I am an Animagus. I have learned of a form other than my own to take." I swallowed hard, my throat dry. For some reason, her change affected me way more than when I had met Harry's Godfather. Maybe it was the difference in situations, or the adrenaline blocking part of my logic at the moment that night. But I was currently freaking out. Everything that had happened since we got to this world hit me at once and I froze.

'She just turned into a human after being a cat! How? How is that possible?!'

"Mr. Taiki, are you alright?" She took a step forward. I took a step back. "Mr. Taiki?" Akumu stood up at this point, placing a hand on my shoulder. I visibly flinched and turned, mumbled an excuse as I marched out the door without further comment. Both women called after me, Akumu following me shortly after. I kept my march as my brain just about fried itself trying to comprehend everything.

'I'm in a world where magic exists! I shouldn't be here, magic isn't real! The only thing that's been real in the past year was Tesla and Sting! I must find them! I need to see they're okay! I have to-!' My wand sent stronger pulses at me before it calmed down a little.

"...Rai...Rai! ...RAI!" I stopped on a dime as she ran to catch up. She gripped my shoulder, wincing herself when I flinched again. "Rai, what's wrong?! What happened?! *Gasp*" Her free hand went to her mouth when she saw my eyes. They were hollow, and the light normally in them was nearly extinguished. The ashen skin made it seem like my eyes had sunken into their sockets. "What's wrong?"

"…" I couldn't find the words to respond, my mind barely registered her speaking, much less hearing what she was saying. She tried to shake me a little, but I didn't respond. She sighed and turned to see the Professor walking up.

"Professor, I think we will stay out here for the remainder of the class." Professor McGonagall's lips thinned to a line and she nodded after a moment of thought.

"Alright, Miss Tanaka. Do see to it that he is well. Take him to Madam Pomfrey should he turn worse." She gave her a pointed look before turning and walking back to her class. Akumu sighed before turning to me.

"Rai, come on, let's sit down." I nodded after a second. She led me around the corner to a small nook. We sat down and I stared at the floor. "Rai, what happened?" I broke my staring contest with the floor and looked at her. I blinked once, and my mind seemed to clear a little. I shook my head and snapped out of it, looking back to Akumu, startled.

"A…kumu? What happened?"

"That's what I want to know." I rubbed the ball of my hand against my temple, trying to think.

"…I think I had a panic attack."

"Didn't know you could lose your cool like that." She said, only half meaning it.

"Most people don't expect a panic attack Akumu." I pulled my glasses off and ran my hand over my face, taking a moment to breathe deeply. Replacing my glasses I let out a tight hiss through my teeth.

"Are you going to be okay?" I thought about it for a minute, then grunted and reached over my shoulder to pull out my wand. I felt its magic pulse gently, in an almost comforting way.

"…I think I will be. Just, give me a minute." Akumu kept her eyes on me as I gathered my thoughts. After a minute I replaced my wand before heaving another sigh. I took a second before making eye contact with her.

"Better now?" I couldn't help but smirk.

"Yeah."

««{{3 Weeks Later}}»»

We were in the Room of Requirement practicing the Patronus Charm. Even for as quickly as Akumu and I were catching up with the others, we were still leaps a bounds behind any witch or wizard when it came to this spell. I had been able to produce a mist, but I paused to help Akumu out.

"Come on Akumu, you can do it." She dropped her arm by her side.

"I can't."

"Shush, you'll speak it into existence." She shot me a halfhearted look.

"Look, Rai. What is the point of this? We need to find a way home. Not learn how to-!" We both ducked as an ethereal otter flew through the air, nearly smacking into us. "How to make imaginary puppets." I sighed.

"Akumu…I don't know if there is a way home."

"You of, all people, are not allowed to give up." She glowered at me through her eyebrows. I snorted before pulling her to the side, waving Neville off gently after a concerned look from him.

"Akumu…" I tried to think of how to put it lightly, but the words wouldn't come. "I…can't find a way home." She searched my face for a minute, trying to find any hint of sarcasm or folly, but she didn't see it. "You can't access the magic you used, and I didn't have it to begin with. I have searched and searched for a way back…But there's nothing." We both stared at the ground as reality set in.

'We've both denied it. We both clung to the hope, the tiniest of threads. Now that those words are spoken, put into existence, we have nowhere to turn.'

"Come on Akumu…Let's take a break." She nodded numbly and we walked to the door.

"Rai! Akumu? Where are you going?" Harry's voice turned us around.

"Sorry Harry, but we're done for today." He nodded after a moment, and we exited the Room.

««{{¤}}»»

Akumu and I had ducked into a classroom so we could mull things over. We hadn't been in there but 20 minutes, when we heard a flash of fire. We spun around to see Dumbledore standing there.

"Headmaster?"

"I am afraid the time has come, children."

"Um…what kind of "time has come" are we talking about here?" I asked warily.

"My time at Hogwarts had come to an end. For now."

"Wait. What about Harry and th-."

"Mr. Potter and the others will need your help. They are about to face something far more powerful than they, if only because of their inexperience." I nodded after a moment, knowing he wouldn't give me more information at the moment. He stepped back, and that's when I noticed Fawkes, his Phoenix, sitting on a desk preening its feathers.

"It's beautiful."

"Yes, Fawkes is quite remarkable, isn't he."

"Is this a real Phoenix?" I asked as I walked over. Fawkes tilted his head and chirped at me. I extended my hand in a friendly manner, and Fawkes looked into my eyes before pushing into my palm. His feathers were smooth as silk.

"Yes, in fact, Fawkes has not too recently undergone his latest rebirth a few years ago. He is fresh and full of energy. Thankfully none too soon." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I will be departing for a season. But I will return the moment I am needed." Fawkes flapped his wings and started to circle the room. "I am afraid you and "Dumbledore's Army" are the Wizarding World's only hope. Be patient and alert children." Fawkes cut in towards Dumbledore, who reached up with both arms and grabbed his feathers. The two of them disappeared in a bright flash of fire, leaving massive sunspots in my vision. I rubbed my eyes before looking around.

"They're gone."

"Yeah…And I assume the next few months aren't going to be pretty."

««{{¤}}»»

"I still can't believe she is allowed to do this!" Akumu seethed as I closed the door to our room. I shook my head, my tone solemn.

"She's the new Headmaster. She has full control over Hogwarts right now."

"Aren't we students here?" I turned around.

"Not officially, no. We were never sorted into a House. We never stayed in the dorms, and we never had to follow the more House specific rules."

"Where will we go?" I didn't want to say.

"I don't know." We had received a notice from Umbridge that we had an hour to gather our belongings and leave. She was the only one happy about it. Even the stoic Snape, usually indifferent, seemed slightly concerned.

"Well, surely we can hide somewhere!"

"Akumu…"

"I mean, it's not like she can keep up with us, I-."

"Akumu."

"…just don't understand why we even listen to he-!"

"Akumu!" We both paused, seeming to let the echo leave the hall. "I don't know. Okay? For not the first time in my life, I don't have answers." I placed my hand on her shoulder. "We'll find a place to stay in Hogsmeade."

"…Fine."

"Don't act like I'm happy about it, you know full well I feel just as badly about this as you do."

We stepped out onto the front walk of the school, our bags on our shoulders. Thankfully, Hermione had been gracious enough to add undetectable extension charms to them, allowing us to pack anything that would fit through the opening without them growing full. I looked over my shoulder when I heard footsteps. Not only was Umbridge there, but so was the Trio. Harry and the others stepped forward and hugged us.

"We only knew you for a short time. Sorry it had to end like this, guys." I said, nodding to Harry. He nodded back.

"Don't worry, we understand." A bittersweet smirk played on my lips.

"Keep up your training, will you? All of you?" I glanced at Ron and Hermione after Harry. All three of them nodded. Hermione approached Akumu and held out a hand, which she shook.

"I'm…glad I got to know you. It's nice to know there's another girl out there with smarts." Akumu smirked cockily at that, and I noticed Hermione slip something to her.

"Oh, don't worry about that. There have to be brains somewhere in our little duo, doesn't there?"

"Hey, I resent that." I cut in. They both just smirked at me and I huffed before rolling my eyes. We stepped back and I sighed, ready to say the final goodbye, only to be cut off.

"Hem hem."

'Yup. Will always hate that.' I turned to Umbridge, doing everything in my power to keep most of my scowl off my face.

"Yes? Umbridge?"

"That is Headmistress to you."

"No, it's not." She outright glared at me. "Not only are we no longer students here, you only hold that title temporarily. Dumbledore will be back. And while he won't take over the Ministry, he will take back his school." She huffed and straightened her coat before holding out her hand, palm up. I raised my eyebrow.

"We will see. Your wands." I stiffened.

"No chance in hell." My head snapped over to Akumu.

"I demand that you hand over your wands! As Headmistress you must obey me or face-!" Free from the tiny bit of power she had only just received, I snap.

"Shut. UP!" I bark at her, a spark dancing in my pupils. "You just spent the last three hours kicking us out of the only place we could stay! Akumu is right, there is no way you are taking away our source of protection now."

"Then I will us-!"

"You so much as to make a move to cast any spell at us, no magician dead or alive will fix what I do to you…Dolores." Her eyes widened and she took a step back, just about gasping for breath. "We are keeping our wands, as they were gifts from the real Headmaster here." I straightened up and turned to the Trio. "We will see you all later, I suppose." We all said our goodbyes and Akumu hooked her arm around mine before we started off.

"Right. What did Hermione give you?" Akumu opened her hand, showing a single gold coin, with a small piece of parchment. She unfolded it and read aloud.

"This will allow either of us to know the other group is in danger. Just speak the word 'danger' into the coin, and I will know where." Akumu looked at the coin carefully. "Huh. That's…kind of interesting."

"Oh come on, she just created a single word telegram. That's actually really cool."

"Hm, whatever." She slipped it into her pocket and wrapped her arm around mine again. "Let's just find a place to sleep."

"Agreed dear sister."

So, Rai and Akumu have been kicked out of Hogwarts. How will they find any chance of getting home? What will they do now that they're no longer in the castle? Let me know your thoughts!

~Silverleone