god i'm so sorry! i totally meant to get this chapter posted before the end of last year, but so many things came up! there was a hurricane, and then i rescued a baby kitten that was abandoned, just a day old! and raising him took all my time and attention for a couple months, then another cat of mine got sick, and THEN i had a hard time picking up where i left off. the writer's block definitely didn't help, ugh.
but here we are! the next chapter! i feel so bad leaving off on the cliffhanger for so long, i'm so sorry again haha! hope you guys enjoy! ^^
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim to own, anything pertaining to Inuyasha nor Harry Potter.
—Shifts—
Her chest felt tight and a burn coiled in her legs, but still Kagome pressed on.
It was harder to see without the light from the carriage, the moon in the sky above offering her no help, instead casting shadows across the ground from where it hung behind the forest – even harder to run, going from semi-smooth dirt road onto uneven grass where it became steeper the closer she came to the Forbidden Forest.
Still, Kagome pressed on.
"Ki-rara!" she shouted between harsh pants, mind racing and heart pounding in her ears. "Just – stop for a sec! What's going on!?"
They were nearing the edge of the forest when Kirara, about to dart between the trees, threw a backwards glance at the witch and hissed. At her.
Kagome stumbled from the pure shock of it, nearly tripping over her feet as her eyes blew wide.
What the hell?!
Her distraction cost her the precious distance she had fought hard to close. Cursing, Kagome caught her balance and pumped her legs ever harder, following her friend into the dark depths of the Forbidden Forest.
Blindly, she threw herself forward, ducking under low-hanging branches, leaping over gnarled, protruding roots, chasing the flash of cream and black stripes that was Kirara's tail, dancing just out of sight.
It wasn't much longer until she finally, mercifully, caught up to Kirara – not by any stroke of luck or speed but because, as she soon discovered upon crashing through a line of bushes into a small clearing, Kirara had stopped.
Stumbling over, she shot the feline an incredulous look as she fought to catch her breath, practically hugging a tree for support. "Kirara," she wheezed in between gasping breaths, and because it felt like her lungs were dying a fiery death she kept it short. "What the hell?"
Yet again, Kirara paid no attention to her, nor did she give an answer or any indication that she even heard her. She didn't even twitch. There was a unnatural stillness to her stance as she glared straight ahead further into the depths of the forest with a burning orange gaze, tails standing tall and fur bristling and—
Kagome froze at the crack of a branch being snapped in the distance cutting into the silence. She held her breath, straining to listen to the faint rustle of leaves that followed, along with what sounded like…
She paled, fingers curling, her nails biting painfully into bark.
Growling?
"Ah." Eyes shuttering, the witch finally let out an exhale so soft it was barely even that. Silently she offered Kirara a sincere, somber apology and a promise to make up for it, realizing her mistake.
Never once had Kagome considered Kirara as a pet to her, despite what others might think. Once upon a time in another life, she'd been an ally, and in this one a confidant, but most of all she was a friend. Kagome had followed without thinking when the feline jumped out of the carriage and shot off towards the Forbidden Forest because of just that.
That Kirara was also a demon had inconveniently, stupidly, slipped her mind. Hundreds and even possibly thousands of years old and perfectly capable of taking care of herself, there really was no reason she would have just jumped out of the carriage so suddenly without warning unless something was very, very wrong, such as…
Something's here in the forest.
And that something was now closing in on them, producing unsettling, snarling noises, making it startlingly clear that Kirara must have raced off to draw whatever it was away from the students being carried to the castle.
And now, Kirara was trying to keep it away from her.
Kagome didn't even have the chance to draw her wand upon hearing the faint echo of voices travelling across the distance towards them before Kirara issued a furious hiss, transforming in a whirlwind of orange flames.
Crouching close to the ground and tails lashing in agitation, her enlarged head had swung between Kagome and the direction from which the noises had come once, then twice, lips pulled back to flash two rows of sharp fangs. The voices returned, drawing nearer this time; stepping closer towards Kirara, Kagome made a move once more to draw her wand—
Kirara's tails snapped sharply, catching the witch by the ribs, lifting – the ground beneath Kagome's feet vanished.
Eyes blown wide, Kagome swallowed back her wounded squawk as Kirara promptly swatted her through a row of tall bushes, the demon releasing a feral sounding roar that would have sent chills down even her spine were she not already preoccupied before charging off into the opposite direction.
Kagome dropped into the bushes and hit the ground rolling with a cringe, all the breath whooshing right out of her. She tumbled over what felt like rocks, barely catching the sound that was her sleeve tearing but definitely feeling something sharp cutting into her arm before the ground dropped out from under her once more.
It was just her luck that Kirara had inadvertently sent her rolling towards a sudden drop to protect her.
This time Kagome did squawk as her feet caught – nothing, air, and her world began to tip. The only reason she didn't scream was because just as soon as it happened, she collided with solid ground once more with a grunt, and this time began tumbling down a slope.
She'd only just barely curled into a ball, shielding her head with her arms, before the world abruptly cut to black.
.
.
On the eve of September 1st in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, Sirius Black collapsed over the Gryffindor table with a low, long whine, his chin pillowed by his forearms. "I am starving," complained the second year, loud and exaggerated, before twisting so that he could roll his eyes up towards the bespectacled boy sitting beside him, cheek now resting against the length of his arm. "What d'you think the holdup is?"
James Potter merely raised an eyebrow at his best friend's antic. "Beats me," he answered with a shrug, and absently scratched at the surface of the table. "Maybe there's a delay with the new firsties?"
"Well, it does take longer to cross the lake on the boats than riding the carriages," Remus mused from where he sat across from the pair with Peter, "Not to mention, Professor McGonagall has a talk before bringing the first years in for the Sorting."
"The Headmaster isn't here either," Peter added, peering towards the front.
Sirius lifted his head to do the same, tilting it soon after. "Not just him," he murmured, sounding curious.
There were actually quite a few vacancies at the head table where the staff ate. Hagrid and Professor McGonagall's empty seats were expected, but Professor Flitwick was missing along with the Headmaster.
"That's pretty weird…" James muttered as he shuffled in his seat, a peculiar look on his face. He only stopped when he craned his neck towards the front for a look himself.
"Are you alright?" Remus asked out of the blue; Peter and Sirius turned to find him staring at James, brows furrowed, before both turned to the boy in question, confused. "You're… fidgeting. Quite a bit, actually."
James froze. He gave a slow blink, before his gaze dropped to where his hand had stopped short in twisting the hem of his robe sleeve. "Huh," he said, as if just realizing what he'd been doing. Blinking again, he released it, his hand falling flat onto the table. "I'm fine, just…" he trailed off, unable to find the words to exactly describe what he was feeling – uncomfortable? On edge? He gave a brisk shake of his head and let out a sheepish laugh and didn't seem to notice as his fingers tapped a nervous pattern.
"You're probably just hungry," Sirius decided, confident and sage in his tone.
Another laugh, though this time it didn't sound very genuine. "Maybe…" James mumbled, and giving into the urge, he leaned up and over to look down the table for his twin to see what she was up to.
A beat later he froze, fingers stilling in mid-air. In a quiet voice that sounded unnatural he asked, "Where's Kagome?"
At the mention of the witch, Sirius' gaze fell to a blank space on the table where his plate should be. He shrugged. "Said she'd find Evans on the train earlier, yeah?" he replied, "So I reckon she'd be sitting next to her."
"Well, she's not," bit out James, bracing both hands on the table to push himself up and get a better look. About five students down on the opposite side of the Gryffindor table Lily sat by herself; he could only see the back of her head as she stared down at the doors of the Great Hall, fixated and unmoving. "Lily's right there at the end – I don't see Kagome anywhere near her."
Sirius' head snapped up around, leaning over the table to take a look for himself. "What? That's – that's not possible…" he stammered, only to trail off upon finding that James was right – Lily was sitting by herself, no familiar head of dark hair anywhere in sight nearby. He turned to look up the other end of the table only to come up short there as well. "Did she sneak off or something?"
"You guys didn't plan something for the Sorting, did you?" Peter asked, sounding nervous.
"Of course not," James hastily dismissed, "We've been too busy, you know that."
"Too busy for pranks?" Remus sounded skeptical, unaware of the plans they had made to become animagi and how it took the breadth of their free time that he wasn't a part of. "Sure she's not just up to something herself?" he added, now with a touch of exasperation.
James let out a heavy huff. "Kagome definitely would've told me if she wanted to pull a prank." He was beginning to sound exasperated himself. "Besides, the—" he paused, voice lowering, "—the you-know-what is inside my trunk, so it's not like she could use it to hide."
A tense pause of silence followed, the others not knowing what to say after that.
Lily turned then, her eyes unwittingly finding James' in the breath of a second. She froze the instant they locked gazes, her eyes growing wide and teeth biting deeply into her bottom lip, her already pale face becoming even whiter.
James felt his stomach swoop then sink, and suddenly he had an idea of the reason behind the strange feeling that had been assailing him for the last ten minutes.
"Lily kinda looks like she's about to be ill, doesn't she?" Remus commented, now sounding uneasy.
That was it for James. Swinging over the bench, he left his friends to stalk his way down the row towards Lily, who had the look of a deer caught in the spotlight at the sight of him approaching. Without any pause or greeting, he slapped his hands on the table and leaned over it towards her, demanding, "Evan's – where's my sister?"
Lily's throat fluttered in a nervous swallow under the weight of the boy's intense stare. "James," she began, and he felt his lungs squeeze at the sound of her calling him by his first name. She never called him James – it had always been Potter and Evans, and not only that, he'd never heard her voice sound so small, so unlike her. With a sense of dread churning in his chest, he watched as she fidgeted before turning to shoot what was definitely another panicked glance back over at the doos.
When it came to his sister, however, James had no time nor patience to play games. Shortly, in an even tone uncharacteristic of the prankster that brooked no argument, he said only one word.
"Lily."
It was enough for the redhead to crack. Pushing up, she leaned forward over the table, gesturing for him to come closer and when he did, she whispered into his ear, a regretful expression twisting her face when James recoiled just seconds later, stricken horror splashed across his own and his voice now a hoarse, deathly quiet whisper.
"She's what?!"
Aghast, James cast a helpless look at the Great Hall doors, mind spinning. "But why…" he mumbled to himself, briskly shaking his head. Kirara can take care of herself, why would she—?
Before he could even finish the thought, dread struck him once again – if Kagome was chasing after Kirara, that meant his sister was alone in the middle of the bloody Forbidden Forest.
"No, no," he muttered as panic began to grip his heart, staggering back as he was hit by yet another terrifying realization.
Kirara would never abandon Kagome unless…
Alarmed, Lily reached out across the table for the boy. "James, wait—!"
For the second time that night, a Potter ignored her and ran off.
.
.
Crumpled in a pool of dark robes, Kagome's eyes fluttered. A groan escaped past her lips as she came to – it took a moment, before she was able to crack her eyes open, only to find them staring blearily up at thick branches hovering over her in front of a dark, starry sky.
Slowly, carefully, she exhaled and winced as pain began to set in. Her body was aching all over, but a spot in her ribs stung a little sharp and the back of her shoulders throbbed angrily.
Another moment passed before her eyes went wide.
The Forbidden Forest.
Kirara.
She drew up to her knees, staggered as she pushed up from the ground with arms that felt more like wet noodles than anything like actual limbs, and stumbled to her feet, cringing when her vision swam and collapsing against the trunk of the towering tree behind her to keep herself upright – as soon as she could manage it, she swallowed back the nausea threatening to rise up her throat and forced her eyes open to take stock of her surroundings.
But a look around revealed she was alone.
Closing her eyes, she tried to steady her pounding heart and throbbing head, breathing slow and deeply – in and out, in and out. When she opened her eyes once more after a long moment, she found her vision had stilled and became less of a blur. Gingerly, she patted down her robes, sighing in relief to find her wand still in her possession and in once piece, along with herself.
Her hands fell to her side, wand now drawn. She had two choices: Kirara or Hogwarts, except she wasn't quite sure which direction either would be at this point, so really, all that was left to find her way back to the clearing and trying retracing her steps from there.
She took a wobbly step forward, one arm held out to help her balance while the other had wrapped around her aching ribs, testing, before she took another, and another, and had resigned herself to climb uphill when she felt the fine hairs along the back of her neck and around her arms rise, getting the sense that someone was there, was watching—
She heard – hooves, then, a shuffle, twisted and pointed her wand to her left all the while gritting her teeth at the white flare of pain as her ribs protested the move, where leaves were rustling, parting to reveal—
Long, blond hair that seemed to glitter under the moonlight. The ends barely going past dark-skinned shoulders, muscled and bare and smattered with fine, fair hairs that became darker and thicker the lower it traveled the length of arms and a torso where any semblance of a human form ceased with hips that flared wider than normal to shape the shoulder of a horse, then the barrel and the hindquarters to four long, strong legs and hooves for support.
Her wand faltered, just a little, as her jaw went slack and—
"You are the Potter boy." Above, the centaur looked down at her with a careful gaze, his hand keeping a steadying grip on her arm to keep her from crumpling to the ground. His eyes were striking, an astonishing blue with a semblance of pale sapphires.
She blinked, and the found the centaur now lowering himself so she could climb onto his back.
"My name is…"
Another blink—
"—Good luck, Harry Potter… The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times…"
With another blink, Kagome returned from the rapid-fire series of memories to find the same man, the same centaur, staring back at her with the same intense gaze, his face a little smoother, a little younger, marred with less scars. If the centaur in her flashback was an adult, the one standing before her could not be much older than herself.
Silence stretched out between them, Kagome with no idea of what to even say, and the centaur – Firenze – seemingly content to use the moment to study her.
When he finally did speak, Kagome jolted at the soft, rasping whisper of his voice breaking the silence.
"You do not belong here."
"I—" Kagome stuttered, swallowing briefly, "I know—"
She cut herself short as Firenze took a step forward, his long hair trailing to slip over his shoulder like silk with the movement. "No," he insisted, still at a whisper, and stared directly into her eyes. "You do not belong here."
.
.
It took James only five minutes to find the first years gathered in a small antechamber, just off to the side from the castle's main entrance; fear lanced through his veins when he threw the door open to the sight of the group being watched by none other than the Fat Friar and not his Head of House like they were meant to be.
"Where's Professor McGonagall?" he wheezed, skidding to a stop to hang onto the doorframe. He looked between the troubled look the Fat Friar was regarding him with and the wide-eyed ones that the first-years-to-be were shooting him, before turning back to the ghost, sure that he would at least know something. "Fat Friar," he panted, "Please, the Professor – where did she go?"
A look of confliction passed over the spirit's transparent face before he shook his head in the end. "Mister Potter, please. You should be back in the hall with the other students until the Sorting begins, not here."
"Where is she?" James repeated, not wavering. There was a touch of hysteria clouding his words. "Does she know? She's looking, right?"
A boy among the group of first years with grey eyes and dark curls framing his face stepped up. "I don't know who Professor McGonagall is," he said, "But the man that brought us to the castle just left us here a couple minutes ago. Some… kind of phantom cat came by with a message for him to come to the gate and leave us with the Fat Friar – that a student went into the forest."
The boundary gate.
James sagged in relief. It wasn't too far. It wouldn't take too long to reach it himself.
Turning on his heel with a hastily mumbled thanks, he made for the entrance – and then promptly crashed into it.
"What?" he exhaled with a ragged gasp, palms pressing fruitlessly against the doors. When it wouldn't budge, his hands pushed harder.
It's supposed to open automatically!
But like solid stone against his fingertips, it didn't shift even a single inch.
"The door will not open," explained the Fat Friar from the doorway behind him, having followed. The somber note in his voice rang like an eerie echo. "The Headmaster does not want any other students getting out of the castle."
"What?!" James sucked in a sharp breath and went still, wide eyes boring into the dark wood in horror.
No… no!
His hands began to shove against the doors once again, harder and more insistent, pleading mentally for them to just let him through.
Nothing happened. The doors would not budge.
"Mister Potter, please," implored the ghost, his voice soft and kind. James' struggle waned. "The Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress, among others, are doing everything in their power to locate and retrieve your sister."
James' attempts came to a full stop then. Leaning forward to press his forehead against the thick, heavy wizened oak that barred his way out, he tried to breath and tried not to cry as he clenched his stinging eyes. His hands were shaking, he noticed belatedly, and curled them into fists as well, nails dragging along wooden groves before biting into the skin of his palms.
For a long, heavy moment James did not move, did not say a word. "Exactly… Exactly what kind of things are in the forest?" he finally asked, voice raspy and dull. Cracking open his eyes, he fixed the crack between the doors in front of him with a blank stare. Roughly, he swallowed, and forced himself to continue. "I've heard… all kinds of rumors. Unicorns, gargantuan spiders, vampires… Is that all true?"
The Fat Friar paused, uneasy as he glanced at the younger children that had gathered behind him. Confusion and fear were naked on many of their young faces. "Not everything in the forest is dangerous," he hedged.
"Is it true?"
Hearing the desperation that tinged the boy's plea, the ghost caved. "Some, yes," he admitted somberly, if a little reluctantly. "There are unicorns, and I do believe there is a spider colony as well, but they are not necessarily violent. I cannot say I have heard any trace of vampires, but not even I, nor any soul in this castle I dare say, knows precisely what lurks in the Forbidden Forest."
James let out a shaky exhale. "Of course," he muttered, despondent.
"What I do know," the Fat Friar softly interjected, "Is that there is a colony of centaurs residing in the forest. And while they do not always get along with wizards, honour will not allow them to leave a youngling in danger, human or their own. They are known to move in that area of the forest, and should they run across your sister we can be sure they will escort her back to the castle promptly and safely."
.
.
Lips pursed thin, her jaw clenched tight, Kagome could not breath.
You do not belong here.
Firenze's words rolled in her head on repeat, and she could feel the perspiration building at the back of her neck. Anxiety and fear seized her heart.
"I don't… I don't understand," she finally managed to stammer out, fingers flexing around her wand.
Firenze only continued to stare, eyes boring into her appraisingly as he tilted his head at her, silence stretching between them. It was broken a few beats later when he finally spoke up. "You are the Potter girl, yes?" he asked instead, changing the subject. Numbly, Kagome could only nod. "There are humans gathering by the forest, intent on searching for you. From your school." His eyes flickered down to the arm she was holding around her waist. "Are you wounded?"
"Uh, I'm alright." Kagome grimaced as she shifted, amending, "For the most part."
"Hm." Firenze's hooves hit the dirt with muted thuds as he approached her. Turning to present his left side to her, he then lowered himself closer to the ground. "Are you able to climb on without assistance?"
Kagome found herself stammering once more. "Oh, oh no, I couldn't possibly make you carry me, I can walk—!"
"I insist," Firenze smoothly cut her off. "You are obviously injured, and your short legs can only carry you so swiftly. It would be for the best that you spend as little time in the forest as possible. Please, I would not have offered if I did not mean to."
"I…" Kagome trailed off, before giving in. "Thank you…"
"Firenze," the centaur officially supplied, and held out an arm to hold as she climbed onto his back with only a little difficulty from her bruised ribs. As soon as she was settled, Firenze set out at a brisk pace into the direction she assumed was the school.
Despite how fast Firenze was going, his movements were smooth, barely agitating the throbbing aches all over her body and her side especially. "You said the professors were looking for me?"
Firenze hummed an affirmative. "They were not far from your school's boundary gate last I checked – your leader, I believe, is to head the search.
Kagome made a noise of distress. Wide eyes dropped to where she braced her hands in front of her against Firenze's body for balance, horrified. "Even the Headmaster?" she breathed out, audibly stricken.
She was so dead.
Firenze's voice was more solemn as he replied. "There are souls more dangerous than usual lurking in the forest as of late," he informed her, "It would be especially negligent to allow foals to roam unsupervised."
The people Kirara sensed. Opening her mouth, Kagome was about to ask exactly who or what else was in the forest, but found herself cut off by a series of thudding hooves against earth. Firenze's stride slowed down just as a sharp shout cut through the forest to them.
"Firenze! What are you thinking, just running off when—" The voice, owned by another centaur that appeared larger than Firenze, shoulders more broad, with darker hair and an older face that went slack with shock as the sight before him finally registered, stopped short. "Firenze, what are you doing?"
Firenze sniffed at the accusing tone that was directed at him, hooves shuffling with impatience. "Bringing the foal back to her colony," he replied, as if it were obvious. "The humans were making a ruckus near the forest for a single, tiny human child, Ronan. I was… curious."
Ronan's eyes flickered back to Kagome, still perched on Firenze's back, before swiftly returning back to Firenze the moment she met his gaze. His voice lowered, becoming hushed as he hissed, "Your curiosity will get you in trouble."
Scoffing, Firenze shook his head, the tips of his long, blond locks flipping in the air. "What? For bringing back a lost foal to her colony, so that they will leave the forest in peace?" He stood tall, head held high to face Ronan straight on. "I see nothing wrong in what I am doing."
"You are being purposefully obstinate," Ronan muttered, stepping closer. A tinge of exasperation coloured his dark tone. "You carry the human on your back, like a common horse."
Firenze merely shrugged. "Were she not injured, I would not have offered. I thought this would be more comfortable than the alternative. I prefer having my hands free, you see, just in case."
Ronan shook his head. "You are young and foolish and therefore can be forgiven for this slight, but if Bane catches you—"
"Bane is only two summers older with a tongue looser than the maidens of the lake and jealous that I've completed my hunt before him."
Kagome sputtered out a laugh before clapping a hand over her mouth, eyes wide as the two centaurs turned to stare at her surprise, as if they'd almost forgotten she was actually there, so engrossed in their bickering. "Sorry," she mumbled from behind her hand, and Firenze smirked, tossing his blond hair away from his eyes once more.
"What honour would there be in ranking the welfare of an injured, young foal, centaur or not, below the opinion of one that is not even considered an adult in our colony?" Firenze challenged. "He cannot question us."
"Maybe not," Ronan grudgingly conceded, "But his words can spread to others of similar minds." His amber eyes flickered to Kagome. "I know you mean well, Firenze, but this human…"
"You know as well as I what lurks in the forest," Firenze interrupted, cutting him off sharply, his blue eyes darkening to a flinty grey, "Should I leave her at their mercy?"
"You play with fire, Firenze," Ronan whispered, but it was a signal of submission as much as it was a warning as he stepped back, gaze dropping to the ground.
Firenze sniffed. "Let Bane or any of the colony catch us, there is no shame in what I do," he stated before he began to trot away, gently in his quick steps. "What's a tiny burn to consumption by inferno."
"Are you so sure that she is one and not the other?"
Firenze had spared only another huffy sniff before taking his leave, carrying Kagome away.
For a long while after, Firenze remained quiet during their trek. Kagome as well, not sure how to break the silence, or if she even should. There was a tension clouding the air that she felt too uncomfortable to test, lingering, a product from the standoff with Ronan that trailed after them like a little black cloud. She still had so many questions burning on the tip of her tongue to ask – such as, what else was in the forest with them, that Kirara was likely fighting at that very moment? What did Firenze mean by her not belonging here? And Ronan too, about her and playing with fire?
As if he could sense her burning desire for answers, Firenze beat her to the punch.
"They say over a decade ago, there was a shift in the planets and the stars so sudden, so cosmic, that the colony had mourned the loss of a sky they could make sense of. Time passed to prove such a notion wrong, of course. But the reason behind the transformation was never discovered, and as tinier shifts would come to pass, as well as glimpses of the sky of old return only to fade in a blink of an eye, the colony has since lived in a state of tension."
As he spoke, Firenze carried her into a small clearing where he slowed to a stop to take a moment and regard the sky above.
"Yet tonight, when I look at you, I see a human at home under a sky so foreign. A constant, I'd almost say – but is anything truly impervious to change? A first, and a curiosity." His torso twisted around so that he could study her next, blue eyes blazing with an intensity that made her feel like he was staring into her very soul. "Perhaps a north star, then? For even Polaris moves."
Kagome bit her lip, eyes wide. Her mind felt like it was spinning a bit, taking all this in, a feeling in her gut warning her that what she was hearing was incredibly important and her heart also having felt like it had climbed up into her throat because Firenze was basically saying he knew she didn't belong in this time.
"Uhm, about what… what Ronan said…"
"You make him nervous," Firenze quietly informed her, moving once more. "And why not? It is clear that you are somehow connected to the shift in the skies, however that may be. Uncertainty breeds fear. But change does not necessarily beget calamity." Firenze began to pick up the pace he was taking. "However. Despite what I said, it would be best if I return you to your colony before anyone else comes. Not all welcome change with open minds and arms, and you are so…"
"Young?"
A snort, brimming with unbridled wryness. "One with eyes such as yours cannot be young, I believe," Firenze dryly replied, looking over his shoulder at her with a raised eyebrow. "Rather. Your path has only begun, and there is so long a way to go. You are small and weak with power too great for a single creature to have in your tiny hands. One would be foolish to trust you."
Kagome swallowed, hands curling to grip tightly at her robes against her thighs. The way he said it, it sounded so easily a fact. "And yet… you're bringing me back…"
Firenze laughed. "Who says I am not a fool? A fool, full of enough hope, enough honour, and a bit of trust to wait and see and give a helping hand. You alone can fail, or so the planets say. But then, what if we all can win?"
You alone can fail.
Kagome let out a slow breath, looked up to the sky where he claimed had laid it all out as a rock sat heavy in the pit of her stomach. To her, she only saw the sky full of stars and a moon just a sliver from being full. "Perhaps you're not such a fool, then," she heard herself murmuring.
"If only my colony would agree," Firenze remarked, sounding distinctly droll.
They fell into a comfortable silence from there, one that had almost lulled Kagome to sleep for before she knew it, Firenze was announcing their arrival. "We are here," he rumbled softly, so as not to startle her.
Kagome brought a bleary gaze up to see they were in fact about to reach the edge of the forest. Further up ahead, she could see the outlines of shapes in the dark, illuminated by the lanterns they held out in front of them. "Thank you, Firenze," she quietly said as he slowed to a stop at the forest's edge. Firenze lowered his body to allow her to slide off and dismount.
"Take care, child," he told her in the barest of whispers, stepping back as the Professors caught sight of them and were hurriedly making their way over. "And luck to you. The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times…"
For some reason, Kagome did not think it coincidence that Firenze spoke the very same words he had – or would – to Harry in the future.
.
.
James returned to the Great Hall, feet dragging. He ignored the looks and whispers he got as he slipped through the doors, met Lily's hopeful gaze with his red-rimmed own only briefly, and watched as she dropped her eyes to the ground, shoulders slumping.
Nothing yet.
When he got back to his seat, his friends were literally on the edge of their own waiting for him, worry open on their faces,
"Mate, you look…" Sirius trailed off, swallowing thickly. "Like you need to sit down this second before you pass out."
Truthfully, James felt like he was going to hurl.
Remus leaned over the table, peering closely up at him. "James," he quietly, gently, said, "What's wrong?"
"Kagome's missing." The vacant words were ash on his tongue and he listened to his three friends suck in sharp breaths with a sort of hollowness gnawing at him in his chest. "Kirara ran off into the forest during the trip over, and Kagome chased after her. Dumbledore, Hagrid, and the Professors are all out there looking for her, that's why they're not here. That's why the Sorting hasn't started yet." Bringing his hands up, James removed his glasses, tossing them roughly onto the table to rub the heels of his palms against his eyes, uncaring as they skittered against the wood only to stop when Peter hastily held out a hand to prevent them from going over the edge. "Lily said she jumped out of the carriage just before they got to the gate."
"She's been in there for about… Twenty minutes, then," Remus murmured.
James groaned into his hands.
"Not helping," hissed Sirius, and Remus gave a guilty wince. "But why would she even go after Kirara? That makes no sense." His voice dropped to a whisper when he added, "She can obviously take care of herself."
"Why would Kirara run off so suddenly, that's what I'd like to know," Remus said, eyebrows furrowing. "There must be a reason, it's not exactly like her."
The two boys paused, sharing an uneasy look as they came to the same conclusion James himself had before.
"You don't think…" Remus trailed off, not even wanting to say it.
Sirius kept his lips sealed, recalling his conversation with James just last month, about the only reason his mother allowed them back into the forest that surrounded their home was the fact they had Kirara as a guardian to protect them.
Remus was right; Kirara would never run off on Kagome like that, unless she had a very good reason for doing so.
"James," Peter started as he slid the other boy's glasses over, and though James could pick out the worry and fear in his voice, the blond's words were steady and firm, "This… this is Kagome we're talking about. She's the cleverest of all of us. She'll be fine until someone finds her! There's no way she won't be!"
Hands slipping down his face, James gave him a grateful half-smile. "Yeah," he murmured, nodding shakily, "Thanks, Pete."
.
.
Firenze did not stay long after the Professors came to collect Kagome, remaining long enough only to accept the Headmaster's thanks and to give Kagome one last lingering look that felt heavy to bear before stepping back and disappearing into the forest.
As she was led and then ushered into a carriage that set off back to the castle, the Headmaster making an offhand comment about how they needn't all worry and gather together after all, Kagome was taken aback by the assault of questions about her well-being as soon as the carriage moved: was she alright, was she hurt anywhere, did she need to see Madam Pomfrey, did she come across anyone or anything else in the forest.
She expected strong words reprimanding her for jumping off the carriage and running into the Forbidden Forest at night, not that.
Guilt began to eat at her as she answered their questions honestly, that she just had a few bumps and bruises from a fall but was otherwise fine, and that other than Firenze and Ronan she didn't see anyone. From there, Kagome sat in silence between Hagrid and Professor McGonagall, the Headmaster and Professor Flitwick sitting on the bench opposite, in what was the most awkward ride she had ever experienced. She kept herself small, eyes fastened on her clasped palms laid in her lap and praying for every second that the carriage rolled on to just got a little bit faster.
Even the time she spent riding in the same compartment with Sirius earlier in the day while they both ignored the other didn't come anywhere near close as awkward.
Thankfully it took less than five minutes for the carriage to make it up to the castle entrance – the Headmaster, Professor Flitwick, and Hagrid went on ahead to no doubt return to the Great Hall as soon as they got off, the last giving Kagome a quick, if a little jarring pat on the shoulder for comfort before he clambered off. Professor McGonagall was the second to last to get off, waiting for Kagome and placing a hand on her shoulder to guide her inside as soon as her feet met solid ground.
"We will discuss your punishment later, once the Sorting and welcoming feast are over," Professor McGonagall decided swiftly led the younger witch up to the castle entrance.
Kagome balked.
The year had yet to even officially begin and already she had detention, she thought, a touch hysterical. The boys would probably be jealous, wanting to top that.
"Jumping out of the carriage not only while it had yet to arrive at the castle but while it was also moving, running around the Forbidden Forest, delaying the Sorting and the feast," the Professor listed, tone bone-dry, "Did you truly think you wouldn't get in trouble for that?"
"I… I didn't really think about it, to be honest," Kagome confessed, eyes falling to the floor as she climbed up the stone steps to the castle doors and followed the Professor inside. "I just – saw Kirara jump out and chased after her." She let out a tired sigh. "But I understand. I caused a lot of trouble and worry – I'm sorry, Professor."
A beat passed, before Professor McGonagall came to an abrupt stop, to which Kagome skidded to follow be she crashed into the older witch and looked up. She felt the professor's stare weighing on her before she looked up, her stern gaze unwavering until the very last second, where she sighed wearily. "Are you sure you aren't hurt anywhere?" she asked, a little more gently. "You seem a little stiff."
There wasn't a part of her that didn't hurt, but nothing felt terribly injured so she shook her head. "I, uh, slipped and had a bit of a tumble but I'm fine, really."
"I'm relieved to hear it," Professor McGonagall said, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "Now, I'd like you to wait out here for a moment while I speak to the first years. Then, while we head on into the Great Hall, you can take a seat at your table."
.
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In front of the double doors that led into the Great Hall, Kagome lined up behind the long row of first years ready to be Sorted. She swallowed thickly as a burst of nerves suddenly washed over her and quickly she ran her fingers through her bangs in a hasty attempt to straighten her appearance, only to grimace when she hit a stubborn tangle almost immediately. She tried to wiggle through – her grimace worsened when she brushed against a small twig in the mess and wrestled it out, only to come across another tangle even more stubborn than before when she tried to continue. She gave her hair a few quick pats to smooth it out at the very least before she lowered her hands, giving up.
She didn't have nearly enough time to tackle the mess that was no doubt her hair.
She was straightening her robes, shaking them out a bit, when she looked up and met a pair of grey eyes watching her. Freezing, there was a beat of awkward silence where she stared back until she finally lifted a hand, giving a feeble wave and an even weaker smile, and tried not to flush when Regulus only snorted before turning away from her.
The doors to the Great Hall finally gave way for their entrance with a loud, creaking groan, Dumbledore's voice now reaching them over the noise, unimpeded.
"Ah, my sincerest apologies for the delay," Dumbledore was saying, his words echoing under the Sonorous he'd cast. "Someone had the misfortune of… losing their way to the castle, and we had to rectify such a serious dilemma before we could begin," she heard as they filed into the hall, walking down between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables.
The moment they passed the empty space at the end where the newly-Sorted first years usually sat, Kagome broke off from the line to drop onto the bench and instantly found herself pulled into a bruising hug that had her wheezing.
"You are never allowed to scare me like that ever again." Lily's voice was a furious hiss next to her ear over Dumbledore's baritone rumbling as he continued to speak. Her words shook, sounding like the girl was near tears, and Kagome found her eyes closing, heart clenching and regret churning in the pit of her stomach. "I don't know what ever possessed you to jump out of the carriage like that!'
Kagome's arms lifted automatically to return her embrace, squeezing firmly. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Lily." She couldn't imagine what she had felt, in that moment, her and Severus both. How they would react to seeing their friend leap off and rush into the Forbidden Forest in the dead of night with not even a backwards glance. She was so set on following Kirara she didn't even think of the consequences.
"Did you find Kirara?"
The two girls parted, turning – in their distraction they hadn't even noticed when James and the others had switched seats with some of the others nearby so they could sit around them. While Remus and Peter sat on the same side the girls did, both staring around Lily at her in open relief, James and Sirius sat on the other across from them.
Sirius' expression was mostly wary, but even she could see that she had worried him as well if the way his eyes subtly looked her over was any indication. James on the other hand wore a mix of emotions as he did much the same, scouring every inch he could see of her, and she wasn't certain if it was to check that she was unhurt, or to make sure was really there. He looked like he wanted to jump over the table and pull her into a hug of his own, manners be damned, so both was a good possibility.
He also looked like he had half a mind to shout her ear off and shake her as well.
"I did," Kagome murmured, eyes dropping to the table in front of her. "But… I couldn't catch her." She played with the sleeves of her wrinkled, dusty robes. "She's… still in there, somewhere."
From next to her, Lily made a sound of sympathy. But when she looked up, however, James was studying her, lips pressed thin together, no doubt to hold back the question so obviously on the tip of his tongue.
What happened?
Kagome broke her eyes away, turning away from his questioning gaze. Up in the front the stool had already been set out with the Sorting Hat sat atop, Professor McGonagall standing next to it with a piece of parchment in her hand and speaking now. "The Sorting's about to begin," she murmured instead, evading.
Lily didn't exactly know about Kirara's full capabilities, after all – she couldn't exactly say that the nekomata had batted her to the side to roll down a small hill like she was a fly. Nor could she say why Kirara ran off, that there was something in the forest that had posed a danger to them all.
James looked like he wanted to argue, but at the mention of the Sorting Sirius had immediately turned to comb through the group of first years for his brother.
Kagome finally met James' eyes head on, mentally willing him to understand – not here.
Her brother understood immediately. Setting an elbow on the table, he propped his chin on his palm and leaned over, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "So, did'ya at least see anything cool in the forest?"
Kagome ducked her head to hide her smile when Lily began to sputter, exclaiming that his sister spent a near half hour in the forest and that was what he asked about, and was he ever taught manners, get that elbow off the table!
"The centaur who found me was very polite," she finally said, interrupting Lily's tirade. Even the redhead turned to her, mouth slack. "If a little… confusing." That was an understatement. "Spoke in circles. But he was kind enough to escort me to the Professors, though. His name was Firenze."
James, whose elbows were noticeably nowhere to be seen near the surface of the table, grinned as he gushed. "Lucky!"
.
.
It wasn't long after Professor McGonagall began calling out the names for the new first years to be Sorted that Regulus' turn soon came.
In the corner of her eyes, Kagome saw Sirius perk up across the table from her at sound of his brother's name, sitting straighter and scooting up to see over the heads of the older students further up ahead as they all watched Regulus step up and climb onto the stool. A quick glance saw that Sirius' fists had curled where they laid on top of the table. They were trembling, she realized after a short moment, before swiftly she turned her attention back to the front.
Her lips twitched despite her own nerves, seeing the look on Regulus' face once Professor McGonagall sat the Sorting Hat over his head – nose scrunching up and an owlish blink as the Hat began to communicate silently to him.
James made a noise in the back of his throat, the sound soft and bemused. "That's your brother?"
Sirius barely spared James a flicker of his eyes, so intent on hearing the Sorting Hat's decision. Ten seconds had passed already and a crease lined Sirius' forehead, his eyebrows having furrowed. "Yeah, why?"
Another noise, this one sounding a little intrigued, but at seeing Sirius' intense concentration James decided to leave it be for now. "Nothing, really."
Twenty seconds now.
"Taking a while now," Peter murmured after another moment. The hat had been on Regulus' head for the past thirty seconds now, if her count was right. "Where d'you think he's going to be Sorted into?"
Kagome held herself absolutely still, wondering the very same herself. Up front, unless it was her imagination, Regulus seemed to have gone stiff. The frown beginning to appear on his face, however, certainly wasn't.
Like a haunting reminder, her words from earlier returned to her then.
You don't have to be in the House your parents want, nor the one your brother is in.
She licked her lips, finding them suddenly a little dry. Had it taken this long, the first time around?
"I would've thought Slytherin, without a doubt," she heard Sirius' soft reply. There was an odd quality to his voice, and it took Kagome a long moment to place it.
A touch of hope, it sounded, mixed with hesitation.
Like he almost was afraid to hope.
Murmurs softly began to stir throughout the hall, concentrated in the side where the House Sirius had previously mentioned were sat. Clearly, he was not the only one to have apparently expected the same outcome now that a minute had just passed.
It almost felt like the entire Great Hall was waiting with baited breath to see if yet another Black would defy expectations and be Sorted elsewhere.
Finally, the Sorting Hat moved. Decision made, it opened the gap that was its mouth to make its declaration.
The Great Hall went still.
"It'll be—!"
Regulus' eyes shot open, wide with panic.
"—HUFFLEPUFF!"
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and it'll be - hufflepuff! haha, i've been waiting for that since i first introduced regulus. the idea came so randomly, so out of left field. i actually had these plans in the future about him being in slytherin too for the longest time, but, when i had the idea it wouldn't leave me alone.
so what do you guys think? writing firenze was sooo difficult, omg, that's the part i was blocked on for the longest. but i like how it came out! and the scenes with james just about broke my heart writing :(
now, announcements! this fic has had A LOT of extras since the last update, so pls check out both the fic and de headcanons tags on my blog!
miniroonie on tumblr made some super adorable art to celebrate domino effect's five year anniversary in september! and sweetlesslyy, also on tumblr drew an incredible amount of gorgeous art for the fic, and has even written some fanfic as well! she's made a new blog specifically for her kagome crossover art where you can find it all ( sweetlesslyy. tumblr. com ) – no spaces! what's more is that it also got me writing, definitely helping with my writer's block and getting back into it, so you can find a lot of future type of scenes attached to the art posts.
she also made a new cover for the fic, if you haven't noticed! it's so badass i'm still freaking out about it lmao. you can see a bigger version on either of our blogs!
i think that's all? I hope I didn't forget anything… but yeah, thank you for all the reviews and favs! let me know how you liked the chapter! and remember to check out the fic and de hc tags!