Deadly Magic
Chapter 11 : The Spider Marks its Place
"First years! This way!" A gruff voice was the first thing Rin heard when she stepped out of the train with Mikomi in her arms and her cage in the other. Mikomi peered around curiously, as Sango stood next to her mistress. Kirara was in her arms and looked content. "First years!"
"We should go there now," Rin said as she looked around as people quickly and most chaotically got to their destination. InuYasha appeared with a scowl on his face. "What's wrong InuYasha?"
"Nothing… just some brother issues," he replied in a stern voice. Sango shrugged and walked towards the continuous calling of first years. "Hey, aren't we supposed to get our stuff?"
"Leave it, the people are going to do that," Sango said as she turned around and looked at Rin to follow. After a few moments of hesitation, she followed Sango through the crowded space, leaving InuYasha to frown and follow reluctantly.
"Wow…" Rin awed in amazement. She looked up to see the enormous man, possibly giant. Her mouth formed an 'O' as she continued her gaze.
"Wha's the matter? Neva' seen a man this big before?" The giant man said gruffly, a slight frown etched on his bushy bearded face. He wore a large brown coat made out of fur, which smelled strangely of dog, but she pushed the ignorant scent aside.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Rin apologized quickly and slightly bowed her head. The man's face turned from frown to a slight smile.
"Dun worry 'bout that!" He said cheerfully. He clasped his hand around Rin's small shoulder as she looked up. She noticed that he was nice and not all that gruff. After all, it is the inside counts. Rin smiled at him as he lifted his hands away from her shoulder. "I'm Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts." With that, he smiled once more before turning to the stunned students around him. "Wha's the matter? Got something in yer eye?
Rin turned around to see Sango and InuYasha bickering about something pointless and stopped after she cleared her throat, alerting them. "Let's go!" Rin said.
Unknown to her, Hagrid turned around to see the girl one more time. 'She's pretty cute, that one,' he thought before smiling slightly and ordered the first years to follow.
"Yeah, yeah, coming," InuYasha said exasperatedly. He then followed the two girls. Rin scratched Mikomi's ears nervously on the way. Where are we going? Rin followed Hagrid along with a lot of first years, all different but with the same kind of look on their face, the look of pure wonder. Hagrid stopped in front of a lake with many boats at the dock.
"Well, what are yer waiting fo'? Hagrid's loud gruff voice made everyone nearly jump. "Get in." The first year students got into groups and lined up behind a boat. InuYasha, Sango and Rin got into the second one along with an orange haired boy and a blond girl.
"Hello," the blond girl said shyly as Rin took the seat next to her and Sango to the other side. In the lamp's dim light that was provided in the boat, no one could have noticed the girl's eyes were dazzling green, but Rin did.
"Hi, I'm Rin," she introduced herself. The girl smiled and nodded politely.
"I'm Danielle." Rin nodded and looked at the lamp, noting that some insects were flying about it. "I'm pretty nervous about this…" Danielle looked down at her twiddled thumbs.
"So am I… Don't worry, you'll be fine," Rin assured, but was wondering why she is assuring someone who is probably older than she is. 'I guess my motherly instincts are still intact' Rin inwardly giggled at the thought but soon stopped. The orphans… she nearly forgot about them and she wanted to kick herself for that. Sophie, Tyler, Marcus, Anika, and little Cassie. She sighed. It wouldn't be easy leaving them behind, even if it is for a few months before she can see them again…
"Yeah…" Danielle sighed out as it snapped Rin out of her thoughts. Danielle looked across the lake and widened her eyes. Rin followed her gaze and knew why Danielle was amazed. An enormous castle like building stood at the shore with a majestic aura. Light shined from every window and with the help of the moonlight, it reflected clearly in the waters of the lake. Towers of the castle were seen clearly as were the clock bell tower. The bricked castle was on top of a hill surrounded by a dark forest full of wonders and bizarre creatures unknown to the muggle world.
The boat shifted slightly to the left and went straight, following Hagrid's boat. The first years were silent as they awed the castle on the shore. "Wow…" Sango whispered in daze. Rin nodded unconsciously as she looked at the castle.
"That's yer home for the year!" Hagrid bellowed over the students and was amused when he saw the students dazed and amazed to the core. The boat soon came to a stop and the students slowly filed behind the giant shaggy man. They followed him inside the huge corridors and were taken to the next level of amazement.
Both Sango and Rin were awed but InuYasha was bored out of his mind. "Eh, this is nothing compared to Durmstrung."
"InuYasha!" Both girls yelled at him and punched him for being so inconsiderate.
"Hey!" InuYasha guarded himself and slowly backed away a few steps. "What did I do?"
"Being rude!" Both girls chimed in together. InuYasha scowled and faced the front where the stairs were. They climbed up only to meet a woman with black and green robes. Her witch hat contained a single feather, which sat on her head. Her hair was in a tight bun, which hid inside the pointed hat. Just by looking at her, Rin could tell she was strict and punctual. She would have to watch out for her…
"Welcome to Hogwarts," the woman said in a British accent. It was common in the United Kingdom even though that this was Rin's birth country, she never really quite grasp the accent very well. "Now behind these doors, you'll find four tables, each with your future houses…"
'Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff,' Rin thought.
"… They are Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. You are to be separated into these houses and the triumphs you earn will award you with points while any rule breaking will lose points. In the end of the year, a house cup will be rewarded to the highest points in the house. Good luck."
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes. Please wait here…" she trailed off as she looked at Rin for a mere second before disappearing behind the two front doors in front of them.
"Oh my God, oh my God, what house am I going to be in!?" Sango panicked. "Please not Slytherin!"
"Sango! You're not evil! Stop worrying!" Rin hastily said when a memory clicked into her mind that she would say the phrase every time Sango went into hysterical mode. Sango calmed down a bit and minimized her actions to a mere thumb wrestling with her other hand.
"We're ready for you, please stand in single file and come in quietly," the woman ordered as she closed the doors and stood regally. The students pushed themselves to get into the line. Danielle, Rin, Sango and InuYasha decided to just stay at the back. It saves the trouble.
The nervous students, many from different race, followed the woman into the huge dining hall. Rin looked up at the ceiling and felt a smile. The ceiling was replaced by the night sky, moon, stars, and clouds. Candles were lit and floated in the air.
"It's magic, they bewitched it, also the candles are floated by a spell," a girl with black, wavy hair said aloud beside her. It was apparent, she was already smart or someone who already read books on Hogwarts.
"Neat," Rin offered the one word comment. The girl turned to Rin and smiled widely for a second before turning back.
The dining hall was littered with students in their seats, plates, goblets and utensils filled the tables. The tables had students, each with a distinguish sign and color on their uniforms. From what Rin could see, the farthest table to the left had a green snake emblem, the one next had a red lion, the one to her right had a yellow badger, and the one to the farthest right had a blue eagle. She accidentally bumped into a boy in front of her when the line stopped abruptly.
"Sorry," Rin said hastily. The boy turned around with a slight smile. He had pointed ears and orange hair pulled into a ponytail. His pointed ears clearly indicated that he was a demon as his jade eyes. Even though others couldn't tell this boy was a demon, it was his aura that gave it off even though he was in human form.
"No problem." He turned around just when a male voice started to sing. It sang a very weird song. Something about the houses maybe…
"Alright then, first years you'll be called up by names and you'll be sorted. Jasmine Stewart, please come up here." The woman stood regally beside the oddly moving hat and picked it up. A girl with brown hair and a nervous expression slowly made her way to the woman, which then gestured her to sit at the stool. The woman then put the hat on Jasmine.
"Ah… another Stewart eh? Well I know where to put you… HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hufflepuff roared with cheers as Jasmine's nervous expression turned upwards into a bright smile. She walked quickly to their table and sat, shaking hands with some.
"John O'Connor."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Susan Lavender."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Sango Taijiya."
Sango froze. Rin looked over to her and noticed that her face was strained. "Go Sango," she whispered.
Sango turned her head slightly towards her and shook.
"I don't want to be in Slytherin."
"You won't, now just go!"
She walked slowly and treaded caution. The woman looked a bit irritated. Sango sat down reluctantly at the stool and waited for the cursed hat. Before the hat was even put properly onto her head, it called out "GRYFFINDOR!"
The whole Gryffindor table roared with applauses and cheers making Rin's and InuYasha's yells of excitement drowned in the seas of noises. Sango seemed to be in her own little world and she was soon snapped out of it when the woman gently guided her from the stool. Sango's eyes were wide as dinner plates as she stepped down the steps and walked over to the table, shaking hands almost mechanically. Rin looked over to her and smiled briefly before turning her attention to the elder woman.
"Margaret Teslow."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Michael Logan."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"InuYasha Tensai."
Sesshomaru's exterior stiffened as well as InuYasha's. It was clear to both of them, they didn't want to be in the same house with each other. InuYasha crossed his arms and proceeded up there with Rin watching him every step of the way. He sat on the stool and waited.
"Heh… another Tensai? Yet you're so different from your brother, boy," the hat sneered one it was put on his head.
"Yeah well, he's an idiot and I'm not," InuYasha grumbled. "Hurry it up will ya?"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Sesshomaru let out a sigh of relief as well as InuYasha. The Gryffindor cheered loudly once again and quieted down after he came and sat beside Sango.
"Rin Hanna."
Aw crud. The whole dinning room was put into silence. Some teachers shifted in their seats and peered over to the brown haired girl who's head is down in an agitated manner. A few of the students whispered curiously to each other and Rin was able to catch some. "She's here?!" or "I thought she was dead!"
'You can stop talking about me now!' She let out a frustrated sigh and walked over. The woman scrutinized her and an elder man who sat at the center of the long table with elegant purple robes and with a beard as long as walking cane shifted in his seat to get a better view of the girl. 'Great… my life is like showcase now…' She sat down and peered over the students.
The hat was placed onto her head. "Hmm… you're an interesting one Miss Hanna. Perhaps I should put you into Slytherin… you do have the cunning ability to manipulate others…"
'WHAT!? Since when do I manipulate others?! Don't you dare-'
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Before she could register the shock, the whole Gryffindor table roared as loud as millions of lions. A timid smile broke her through her face. Some teachers applauded and the woman who was scrutinizing her was smiling slightly.
"I'll see you in my house tomorrow morning Miss Hanna." Rin nodded slightly and walked quickly to her table. Rin. Gryffindor. This is the life! She shook hands with many and took her seat between Sango and InuYasha. Unknown to her, four particular wizards were looking at her intently. Whether from curiosity or happiness, a mind's malevolent work was put into play.
Names were called out and one by one, the crowd in the front dispersed into their belonging houses.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" A male voice bellowed over the excited chattering. Everyone quieted down and looked up towards the front. The old man with royal robes was in front of a stand. "I would like to tell you some things before we dine on our fabulous feast. First off, the forbidden forest is off limits to first years at Hogwarts. If you do not want to die a horrible death, I suggest you take those words into mind."
"What is that old geezer talking about?" InuYasha grumbled.
"Shush!" Sango whispered harshly back at him.
"I've also received word from the Ministry of Magic-" Dumbledore continued.
"The what?" Rin asked quietly.
"Some industry that controls magic or something like that," InuYasha huffed out.
"- they requested that no one should go into the forbidden forest." Dumbledore peered over the students as most of them gave a frustrated remark. "It is of great importance that no one, not even seventh years, are to go inside that forest. Now, let's forget all about that and let's feast!" He triumphed loudly and waved both his hands.
On the tables of each houses and the teacher's table, goblets, plates, cakes, bowls of fruits and pudding, loaves of bread, platters of chicken wings, a few bowls of pudding and five gigantic turkeys sprang out. Every first year in the Hogwarts gaped widely at the marvelous food. 'So… much…. FOOD!'
"Hey Rin, you in there?' Sango waved her hand in front of her face. Rin snapped from her own little fantasy and nodded quickly while grinning at the plates of food.
"Well dig in then, 'cause it ain't gonna be there for long!" InuYasha smirked, readied the utensils into his hands, and picked up a chicken wing. Both Rin and Sango dug into the food. Everything was going merrily, students chatted amongst their table.
A piercing scream penetrated everyone's ears as each student and teacher looked to find the source.
"IT'S HERE!!!!!!! THE SPIDER MARK IS HERE!!"
Rin's heart thumped loudly, fire like pain pierced through her heart. Before anyone else uttered a word, she laid unconscious on the floor.
Sorry! I know it is short but my computer is so slow it's going to be down for maintenance so I had to update this fast. --' Yes it is infected by a virus so it'll be some time before I can update. You can expect at least 5000 words next time.
Ja ne!