Title: Just Coincidental
Reviewers:
dani: Oh, Happy BeLated Birthday…erk it's been one month since then almost…:fidgets: don't we all wish we have mini Harrys I know you and I do
Shadowkeeper13: I'm glad you love it! Here's another chapter to read!
caliecookie1991: Always straight to the point, aren'cha :smiles: Thanks for thinking so and here's the chapter and you're most welcome
PersonaJXT: Why yes, it was pretty much filler, I just needed a dull chapter to add in an explanation so it would make some sense (and give me an excuse to chuck Harry to Hogwarts with them) Thanks for the review, here's the update!
luckyducky7too: I thought it was cute too :giggles: Four year olds say the cutest things, like when they talk to themselves and pretend to be the dolls :amused by them:
PrincessKC57: Funny? And I wasn't even trying to be :smiles: Thanks for the luck :tucks it in pocket: Here's the chapter.
A/N: Well, I've finally gotten off my lazy bottom and finished this chapter, miraculously. School has been a big bother and my rock painting which is of a fox is odd…:not pleased at it: painting isn't my strong point…at all, We had a crazy week of random teachers coming in to substitute for French, nothing made sense. CrazyX, I'll call her that since she doesn't have a cool nickname or anything, mines is Specs :grins cheekily: CrazyX is going to die for ruining Sadey's book…not that she's shown it to her yet…I think…CrazyX completely blanked out on the oral, curse you CrazyX You better get it right this time! Anyways, now that I've finished blabbering like Donald Duck, I'll throw this on after Yam betas it for you. Enjoy!
Sakura grabbed onto the rickety wooden fence as she climbed out of the fireplace. Her vision steadied as Harry and Eriol clambered out, the younger of the two wheezing and hacking out soot. Tomoyo brought out a clothes brush and swept the soot from their clothing.
A few moments later, Nakuru tumbled out with a sooty smile plastered on her face, dropping a dizzy eyed Kero and an unpleased Suppi onto the dirt road. They moved out of the way so Dumbledore could step out, seemingly unfazed, his white, silver grey beard blackened from the swirling ashes.
"This, my young friends, is the neighbouring wizard village, Hogsmeade," Dumbledore said, sweeping his long arms at the surrounding scenery and buildings.
The land and distance seemed rural, the buildings were rickety but there was definitely a fair amount of life here. Many of the buildings, as far as they could see now, showed signs of abnormality at the least. Through one window they spied cloth that shined and flashed and changed colours. Another held a vast amount of birds they assumed, from the muffled hooting and rustling. Here and there people wearing different coloured robes spoke in excited voices about a news article or the latest gossip.
As they walked down the street, some people turned and greeted them politely. They passed a building that looked much like a tavern with hanging wooden sign that bore the words, The Hogs Head. A pretty young lady was standing outside rustling the pocket of her throw on robe for something or other. She turned when she heard their approaching footsteps and gave them a bright smile.
"Hello, Headmaster," she said, jamming a key into the door of the tavern.
Dumbledore inclined his head and smiled, "Good Morning, Rosmerta."
Sakura turned her head to see her wave goodbye to them as they carried on. The edges of her lips twitched upwards as she raised a hand to wave back.
In moments they had passed an arrangement of buildings. She especially liked the store titled 'Honey Dukes' which even from outside she could smell melted chocolate from within. Soon the street of buildings ended but the dirt road stretched onwards.
The auburn brown haired teen squinted and was able to make out a building surrounded by some sort of wall. When they reached it, she stood baffled by the large stone wall erected around an enormous castle.
"Wow…"
Dumbledore stopped in front of the tall gates, each side stood a tall pillar topped with a boar. They creaked open with a tap of his wand, giving them the view of the lower part of the castle and the magnificent lake stretched out in front of it.
Sakura raised an eyebrow when she saw Tomoyo's puzzled expression.
"Ah I have forgotten, Miss Daidouji is a muggle," Dumbledore said all of a sudden. He carried on walking up the slope as he spoke.
"You see, Hogwarts Castle has many spells that protect it from muggles who have wandered here. The castle is illusioned so it throws off any who come across it. Not to worry, as you have the full awareness of magic and probably have seen some performed, your eyes need to take a moment to adjust and see passed it, you'll see."
True to his word, she did.
They rounded the banks of the crystal blue green water, gasping when a long tentacle broke the seemingly glazed over surface. Eriol calmly explained about the giant squid which inhabits the lake as well as some other sea creatures. The tall doors that stood as the entrance to the castle slid open as they approached, shutting with a soft rattle behind them.
The interior was the complete imitation of a medieval castle, torch lanterns fixed along the walls, regal broad stairways of marble and wooden doors with old fashion locks. The ceiling was not visible, being too high possibly.
"I would like to welcome you to Hogwarts."
Sakura seated nervously with the others around a wooden table in the middle of what Dumbledore called, 'The Great Hall'.
Harry tugged timidly on her sleeve and pointed upwards. She gasped. The ceiling was realistically painted like the sky outside. The fluffy white grey clouds, blue empty skies, the specks of black birds flying…that would moving. The ceiling was moving! The clouds were slowly drifting and the birds disappeared off the edge of the ceiling. She pondered the thought of the ceiling hall. Eriol was kind to offer some of his expertise.
"No worries, Sakura-san, the room is not ceilingless, it's been bewitched to imitate the sky outside through variation extension magical procedures."
"I still don't think that's quite right."
Sakura whipped around to see a witch with black hair tied in a tight bun dressed in flowing green robes, staring at wall where a splotch of darker grey was paved onto it, contrasting slightly with lighter shade of the wall. The witch turned her head so she could see the side of her stern face.
"What do you think?"
Sakura blinked and realised she was talking to a very very short person, or was it a person? The shorter person in black grey robes that pooled a bit on the floor spoke in a squeaky voice.
"It's just a little bit too dark."
The short man with wispy white hair on the back of his head raised his short thin wand and gave a wave and a light flick. The darker grey area lightened almost exactly matching the light grey wall completely. It was hardly noticeable now.
Dumbledore had walked over to stand beside them now.
"Good work, Minerva, Filius."
"Thank you, Albus, such rascals those two were! Who would've thought two six year olds were capable of blasting a hole in the wall? I do hope Arthur took me seriously when I advised him to discipline those too more strictly…" the woman tsked, she spoke with an air that made her seem quite strict and proper.
"I'm sure Molly is considering it even if Arthur isn't…" Albus rattled on; he smiled over at her, catching her eye.
"So these must be the guests?" the woman said, fully turned towards them. Her features were much more sharp now, accenting her strict presence. A pair of thin rectangular glasses was perched precariously on the bridge of her nose. She strode over to them.
"Uh…um…I'm Sakura Kinomoto, it's nice to meet you," Sakura stumbled slightly in her speech and bowed politely.
"My name is Tomoyo Daidouji, it's a pleasure to meet you too." Tomoyo bowed politely as well with a grace that was expected of her.
Eriol stepped forward and took McGonagall's hand bending over and pecking it lightly and briefly. That friendly yet mischievous gentlemen smile of his.
"Eriol Hiiragizawa, It's a pleasure, madam." She coughed a little when Eriol let her hand go, clearing the light blush from her cheeks.
"Those are our other companions, Nakuru, Kero and Suppi, the guardians, and of course we can't forget, Harry." He gestured to the small child trying to hide behind Sakura's long legs.
"I am Minerva McGonagall, the headmistress, you may refer to me as Professor McGonagall. I teach Transfiguration; the witchcraft changing one object into another. If you have any trouble in that field of study, please don't be afraid to ask me for assistance."
The squeaky short man had padded over as well to introduce himself.
"I am the Charms teacher, Filius Flitwick; if you need help in charms, spells, incantations, I would be at your service."
Soft pattering of feet came from the hallway, echoing into the large hall. A plump, short, rosy cheeked woman dressed in light green robes smeared here and there with dirt came in, her witch's hat thrown hastily on and her shoes tracked a bit of mud as she came into the room. She pried the thick heavy duty gloves off her hands and stuffed them into her pocket.
As she came closer, they could smell the distinct scent of earth and manure, her face upturned in a happy grin.
"I see the guests are here! I'm Pomona Sprouts, the Herbology teacher," she said rather quickly. The others introduced themselves again.
"Ah yes, Albus, I believe I'll have to take a trip to Diagon Alley sometime around; we're running out of that fabulous fertilizer you recommended to me. The plants are doing very well lately!"
"Please go when you can, you know you have full permission." The cheerful plump woman then excused herself and padded out of the hall. Before she turned and disappeared she called back to us.
"Tell Argus that I'm sorry about the mess for me if you will." And so she vanished from view.
"Ah, Minerva, do you know who else have made it?"
"Well, that Kettleburn fellow went off on his usual trips to all those strange places every summer to study the wild creatures, don't suppose he'll be able to come back. Sybill, I wouldn't know if she did, I'm not she would propose much help," McGonagall added scoffingly. "I'm not quite sure if Severus is here yet...you know he isn't really into informing people about his arrivals very often, and we have yet to hire someone for Defence Against Dark Arts. Hopefully we'll get a reply from someone soon, we've already gone through a couple."
"Severus can help Miss Kinomoto in Dark Arts then, he knows quite a lot about it."
"Severus is not quite the type to teach someone outside of school year; take a lot to get something useful like that out of him in the summer! I suspect you may find him in his quarters if he is here anyways."
"I suggest some sleep for you Minerva; those rings under your eyes don't seem healthy."
"I'll be in my office if you need me, I have to look over those course outlines again...I'm so sure I left something out…" Flitwick said leaving with McGonagall steadily paced.
Minutes later, Sakura found herself wondering about the giant castle with Tomoyo and Harry. Eriol went up to Dumbledore's office to discuss some issues whereas Nakuru skittered off hopefully, Eriol says, not to kitchens.
The long corridors varied from wide to narrow, some had doors here and there, some locked and some which possessed an odd aura and sometimes disappeared. Unusual things came out of everywhere.
Sakura had quite a fright when she heard one of the paintings talking to her before she realised all the portrayed people in the paintings can move freely around. Tomoyo was thoroughly surprised when the staircase they were walking about suddenly moved to connect to another landing.
To Harry however, it was simply mystifying. All these unexpected things happening to him in such a short amount of time was quite unbelievable; almost like a dream. He hoped it wasn't a dream, or at least, to never wake up from it even if he found that kind of selfish. He was fascinated by this magic of sorts, the moving paintings which can talk, the staircases which moved, the knight's armours that stood in every hallway. This world that was now open to him, he had a powerful and overwhelming desire to uncover every last bit, until he has explored it to last inch.
"I can't believe I lost him again!" Sakura blabbered hastily, ducking under a clutter of desks looking back and forth for the raven haired child.
"It's not your fault, Sakura-chan, it's my fault too," the purple haired teen closed the door to the closet of the classroom where everything inside was covered in an inch of undisturbed dust. After quickly searching this classroom, they had backtracked to after they discovered they were missing one person down the hall to the charm's classroom.
Sakura slammed the door frustrated as they exited yet another room of fruitless searching. She took a moment to close her eyes and think back.
'Where exactly did I lose him…'
The staircases…
The corridor of armour…
The long, empty, doorless hallway…
The spacious classroom…
Wait…
Sakura jerked her head up. The long, empty, door less hallway! They haven't checked there yet. Sakura turned in an instant and sprinted down the corridor.
"S-Sakura-chan!"
"I think I know where he is, Tomoyo-chan!" she yelled, just as she ran smack into someone and fell to the hard stone floor.
Harry chewed his bottom lip nervously. He can't remember how long ago it was when he got separated from Sakura and Tomoyo. Caught up with planning little expeditions (with himself as the leader, of course), he had completely lost awareness of his surroundings and wandered off.
"I'm sure I went pass this hallway twice now…" Harry murmured quietly to himself. He turned around and stumbled back across the corridor. Rethinking his actions, he remember they were heading that way earlier and may be somewhere in that general direction.
With his short legs, he began to sprint with hope through the long empty hallway, passing a narrow wooden door.
'A door?'
There wasn't a door here when he first walked through here the first time, or the second time. Curiosity got the better of him, and he walked up to the door, tiptoeing to grab hold of the brass chipped doorknob and twisted it open. The door opened with a snap, startling him, disappointed when he met with the sight of an empty but immaculate closet. He was about to shut the door when he saw the wooden ladder that was cleverly painted or perhaps enchanted to blend with the closet's inner wall's surface.
Stepping inside the tall, narrow closet he looked up and saw what looked like an air vent opening when the closet door slammed shut with a loud bang.
"Oh no!" he squealed hammering against the door. The doorknob didn't budge.
"Is anyone there? Help me!" A glistening tear trickled down his face. Wiping it hastily with his hand, he rammed his shoulder onto the door, wincing when he came in contact with it. The door remained passively stable and sturdy.
He knew that the only way out was to trust the air vent that opened above him or face the inevitable doom of starving to death in the dingy enclosure.
The raven haired boy sneezed for the umpteenth time as he crawled onwards. The vent was rather dusty and he felt like he crawled through the vent for hours. It was possible since there was no distinct light anywhere except for the odd greenish glow the walls were emitting every so subtly. The vent never branched off but often twisted and turned making it impossible to pinpoint where he was exactly. All he knew was that it was dark and dusty and he was getting scared.
The vent was large enough for him to crawl comfortably if that was actually possible, and seemed to have some sort of ventilation as he had no difficulty breathing at all.
His knees were scraped a bit and banged reddish from the crawling. His small hands were sore from holding himself up. Sure he was used to pain and suffering but it's not as if he liked or welcomed it. He had expected it somewhat during his life at his relatives' home but he couldn't say it was enjoyable at the least.
Harry slumped to the 'floor' of the vent, tired from his journey. He was totally up for just laying there and sleeping to relieve himself of the pent up terror growing steadily in his abdomen. That was when he heard, the slight murmuring of a voice, a deep, cold voice but a human's voice indeed. It sounded to old to be a child's and an adult most certainly wouldn't fit in here like he did, and came to a conclusion.
There must be an opening where this voice was coming from.
His strength renewed, he rubbed his emerald green eyes, stumbling onwards and crawled around the corner to find a large rectangular obstruction in his way.
The tall man in a black billowing robe swept his greasy hair away from his eyes irritatingly.
'Where did I put that box of lacewings…'
He paced down the shelves and looked up and down, scanning for the box. The bubbling of the cauldron in the other room reminded him of the sparse 10 minute he had to locate and add the specified ingredient. Cursing under his breath, he strode over and pulled out the box that was labelled in barely distinguishable calligraphy, 'Lorktrine Wings'.
With resound crankiness, he thrust the box back onto its spot on the shelves and looked again. Dragged away from his peaceful and student free home to the school where everything reminded him of those nasty little buggers from heck was not what he wanted on his schedule this summer. He heard shuffling from above him on the top shelf which could only be reached by step ladder.
A little dark snout stuck out from between the boxes and emerging was a creature that looked like the cross between a bat and a rat. It screeched and proceeded to drop from its perch, spreading out its wings and soared swiftly into the next room. The man mumbled incoherently as the large bat/rat (which I will cleverly name as Pitchdurves) flapped out the window without disturbing his potion in brewing.
Turning back, he scanned the labels, written by the same hand, again and again when a bundle, small and squealing, and somewhat heavy, dropped quite literally from the ceiling.
"Oof!"
He opened his eyes to glare maliciously at whatever it was that dare attack him only to look into curious emerald green eyes.
"Itai…"
"Where do you think you running to, brat?" the man snared. He stepped out from around the corner holding his unlit oil lantern in hand. Slightly wrinkly and clammy looking, his hair was receding from the hairline. The patched and dusty, faded clothing he wore make him seem slouched over. His expression was menacing and filled with hatred.
"S-sorry, I mean, I'm sorry for running into you!" Sakura stammered as she got up and dusted her skirt free of dust and bowed politely in apology.
"Git!" he grunted and walked off without a care. Sakura and Tomoyo frowned slightly but shook it off. The clow mistress sprinted off down the corridor without a moment to lose.
"Ah, Matte, Sakura-chan!"
The purple haired teen ran on after her. Meanwhile, just behind her, the cranky man appeared again to look at their backs that slowly shrank as they went farther and farther.
"Brats…"
"That must be Argus Filch-san," Tomoyo commented as Sakura slowed down so Tomoyo could jog lightly behind her.
"The custodian Dumbledore-san mentioned?"
"I believe so."
"He seems really grumpy to me, I think he needs to be more cheerful if he works in a school."
"But…where exactly are we heading to Sakura-chan?"
"To the long empty corridor we walked through, there were three ways to go remember? Harry-chan could've been lost there."
"Oh! I see."
"Do you mind if I go on ahead, Tomoyo-chan?"
"Not at all."
"Then I'll see you there!" she yelled, her pace sped up drastically and zipped around the bend.
"Sakura-chan is really attached to Harry-chan, ne…?" Tomoyo said softly to herself. She barely heard the light padding of feet next to her, but when she did, she looked down to the left and smiled warmly.
"Hello, Neko-chan, what are you doing here?"
To Be Continued
A/N: Nyaaaaah that's the end of the chapter! Yesterday's was a little filler, everyone can guess who the man is by now, if you still don't know, I pity you. Spring Break is coming up so I'll have time to write but I also have a project to do with Yam so I can't do much for you lovely readers. We're attempting a klaymation, attempting. Waaaah, I have to wait til my milk expires til Black Cat volume 1 and 2 are released in US…but I don't live in US….TT So I have to wait even looooonger :cries: Well at least I can look forward to March 28th! That's when Kingdom Hearts II is coming out:cheers: And I'm having a teaparty to celebrate and play it, well I'm not the hostess but who cares XP Yes I know bats do look like mice with long armed wings, but it's different looking, that was just the first image I got in my head when I thought about it. Come back and check out the next installment when it lives. Til then, People :smiles:
Editor's Note (Yam) : Yay, I know spoilers...somewhat Anyway, Snape has appeared at last! Mooohahaha! Or at least I think so...not as many edits to make today, yay :P And your Kyuubi looks good now! XD Oui, oui mon amie, c'est...printemps! Or at least soon...Yyyyyyes, crazy CrazyX, did she die yet? Byes
Thanks for reading Just Coincidental! Drop a review in my bucket :holds out bucket: and hope I get motivated to keep on writing! See you Next time, Ta