Of Wizards, Akuma, and Exorcists
Four: First Classes At Hogwarts
Disclaimers: I do not own any D. Gray-Man or Harry Potter characters/settings. They rightfully belong to Mr. Hoshino (D. Gray-Man) and Ms. Rowling (Harry Potter). Also, some conversations between the Harry Potter characters are direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and that also does not belong to me!
"You know, I've been wondering about that," Allen heard Ron say thoughtfully. "They bought me a set of new dress robes this summer, and I couldn't understand where they got the Galleons..."
"D'you reckon it's true this year's going to be really tough?" Harry changed the topic. "Because of the exams?"
The young Exorcist tuned out the three students and turned to Lenalee. "Well, according to what Ron said earlier, we both have the same classes as him. What do you want to do? Wait for them to finish talking so that we could ask them where to go?"
"It does sound like the best idea," answered the Chinese girl. "I mean, I don't want to get lost again."
"A'ight, wait we shall do," Allen said. They didn't have to wait so long, for a couple minutes later, the threesome were beginning to stand up to go to classes.
"Hey, wait- Hermione," Lenalee called. The bushy haired girl stopped midstep and turned around. "Allen and I are, um, I guess new to the castle. Could you show us around...if you don't mind, of course."
"Sure thing," Hermione replied heartily. "What classes do you have for today?"
Lenalee and Allen showed her their schedules. Hermione skimmed it through and said, "Well, apparently you two have matching schedules with Harry and Ron (I don't take Divination). You could follow us around."
Lenalee beamed. "Thanks a lot, Hermione!" Allen nodded his thanks as well.
"D'you know what you want to do after Hogwarts?" Harry asked as the five of them left the dining hall (which, Allen had found out, was actually called the Great Hall).
"Not really," Ron answered, looking quite deep in thought. "Except...well..."
"What?" Harry said, nudging his friend.
"Well, it'd be cool to be an Auror."
"Yeah, it would."
"But," Ron sighed, "they're, like, the elite. You've got to be really good. What about you, Hermione?"
"I don't know. I think I'd really like to do somethign worthwhile," the girl replied.
"An Auror's worthwhile!" Harry said defensively.
"So's Exorcism, but that' forbidden," Allen muttered under his breath so only Lenalee could hear. She, in return, smiled sadly.
"Yes, it is," Hermione said back to Harry, "but it's not the only worthwhile thing. I mean, if I could take S.P.E.W. further..."
"S.P.E.W.?"Allen asked.
Hermione turned to Allen, her eyes bright, and the boy got a naging feeling of getting trapped. She had the same aura Komui sometimes had. "S.P.E.W. stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare," she said proudly. "Those poor house elves are treated so roughly by wizards and witches, and I can't stand it! I want to make this organization grow into a big one so that house elves could have more rights."
"Yea, but don't you know, Hermione?" Ron said. "House elves like labor."
"Not Dobby though," Harry said.
"He's a weird house elf..."
"Ron!"
"I think that's wonderful," Allen said. He imagined Dobby, the house elf from the other night, and how he and his fellow elves worked under cruel masters (Allen felt a sense of similarity between himself and the elves, remembering how he himself had been treated by his master, the Exorcist General Cross Marian). "Hermione, I'd like to help you with S.P.E.W. You're right! Those elves do deserve more freedom!"
"Oh, Allen!" Hermione exclaimed, whipping around and grabbing Allen's hands. He swore he saw tears in her eyes as she stared up at him gratefully. "Thank you so much for understanding!"
"Um, ahem...hahahahaha.."
Duuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh...
That was what went on inside Allen's brain during History of Magic. The teacher was a ghost, and he barely seemed to notice that his students were not even bothering to listen. No one other than Hermione and Lenalee were, at least. Allen didn't pay half as much attention as them, but he took notes for what he thought was important, and out of the corner of his eye he watched as Harry and Ron played game after game of hangman on a scrap of parchment. His pet, or golem, Timcampy, the golden ball, was hidden away safely inside his hood.
The bell rang, relieving them all from the droning, and Hermione said as they walked out of the clasroom, "How would it be if I refused to lend you my notes this year?"
"We'd fail our O.W.L.s. If you want that on your conscience, Hermione..." Ron said.
"Well, you'd deserve it. You don't even try to listen to him, do you?"
"We do try! We just haven't got your brains or your memory or your concentration- you're just cleverer than we are- is it nice to rub it in?" Ron whined.
Hermione looked a bit pleased as she said, "Oh, don't give me that rubbish," and stalked off out into the courtyard. Harry, Ron, Allen, and Lenalee followed.
As the three real mages sat down under a balcony, the two Exorcists sat a few feet away. "What do you think, Lenalee? If Hermione really doesn't give those two her notes, why don't you?" Allen asked lightly.
"Maybe. I mean, we do owe them some kind of thanks," Lenalee smiled. "So what do we have next, Potions? Isn't the teacher, Snape, that we person from last night? I didn't really like him much."
"I'm sure nobody could be worse than that pink cardigan lady, Lenalee. You know, Professor Umbridge. She looks like a nosy person, and to think that she could ruin our mission in the snap of her fingers...it makes me shudder." To emphasize his point, Allen shook his shoulders.
Lenalee laughed. She dug into her schoolbag and took out the files they'd been given by Dumbledore. "Look, here's a list of all the staff members who know about us, it says they're all members of the Order of the Phoenix- whatever that is..."
"It's probably something like the Black Order," Allen said, leaning over and looking at the list as well. "McGonagall, Hagrid (I wonder where he went, by the way? He was gone by the end of dinner last night...), Snape, blah blah blah...Wow. Lots of people."
"That's the bell," Harry's voice said, sounding gloomy. He led the way this time, since Hermione and Ron were arguing about God knows what, and the Exorcists decided to follow silently. The nearer they got to the next classroom though, Harry's posture seemed to get straighter. By the time the classroom door opened, the boy was standing tall and smiling slightly. The five of them filed into the classroom and sat down at their own table, Harry sitting between an irritable Hermione and Ron while Allen and Lenalee sat across from them.
"Settle down," the teacher said icily. He closed the door and the classroom fell silent, but his gaze lingered for a short while on Allen and Harry. "Before we begin today's lesson," he continued. "I think it is appropriate to introduce to you our two new...companions." At that, everyone in the classroom turned their heads to look at Allen and Lenalee. "Mr. Walker, Miss Lee, I hope you enjoy your stay. And also, I shall remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have leanred about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtly are, I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your O.W.L. or suffer my...displeasure.
"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me. I take only the very best into my N.E.W.T. Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying good-bye. But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell, so whether you are intending to attempt N.E.W.T. or not, I advice all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my O.W.L. students."
Snape swept up the front of the class and took out his wand. "Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and sooth agitation. Be warned: If you are too havey-handed with the ingredients you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing. The ingredients and method"- Snape flicked his wand- "are on the blackboard" -they appeared there- "you will find everything you need"- another flick- "in the store cupboard"- it opened- "you have an hour and a half...Start."
Upon grabbing everything they needed, Allen and Lenalee sat down with their cauldrons (which they'd found by their trunks that morning; probably Dumbledore had lent it to them). Allen, not wanting to disappoint the teacher or suffer whatever punishment he'd get from failing, was extremely careful as he measured, cut, poured, and mixed the ingredients. Lenalee also had a look of concentration in her eyes. Allen found that, if he was careful enough, the potion wasn't that hard to make.
"A light silver vapor should now be rising from your potion," Snape called after an hour and twenty minutes.
Allen and Lenalee smiled at each other, seeing that their potions were both silver and shimmering. Hermione, too, looked satisfied as she looked at her potion, but Harry's and Ron's didn't look right. Snape passed by looking silently at Hermione's, and moved on to Harry, where he smirked. "Potter, what is this supposed to be?" he asked, and several Slytherin students up at the front of the room turned around looking expectant.
Allen watched through his bangs as Harry tensed his shoulders. "The Draught of Peace," the boy answered.
Snape raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, Potter, can you read?"
A Slytherin boy with sleek blond hair laughed loudly, and Harry looked ready to loose it. "Yes, I can," he said through gritted teeth.
"Read me the third line of the nistructions for me, Potter."
Harry looked up and squinted past Allen's shoulder at the blackboard. " ' Add powdered moonstone, stir three times counterclockwise, allowe to simmer for seven minutes, then hadd two drops of syrup of hellebore.' "
"Did you do everything on the third line, Potter?"
Harry mumbled something barely audible.
"I beg your pardon?" said Snape, pretending to sound pleasant.
"No," Harry said. "I forgot the hellebore..."
"I know you did, Potter, which means that this mess it utterly worthless. Evanesco." Allen and Lenalee didn't know what the teacher did, but they immediately could tell that Harry's potion was now gone. They couldn't understand though, why had Snape picked on Harry only? As far as they could tell, Ron's potion wasn't any better than his, and neither was the one of the nervous looking boy's across the room. Snape, although, probably couldn't care less. "Those of you who have managed to read the instruction, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion for testing. Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making, to be handed in Tuesday."
Allen and Lenalee poured their potions into a flagon, and at the same time they watched as Harry rougly cleared away his belongings, seething. By the time the bell rang and the two returned to their table, he was gone.
"Poor Harry," Lenalee sighed as they, followed by Hermione and Ron, left Snape's classroom.
Harry was already angrily shoving food into his mouth by the time the four of them reached the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for lunch. Allen and Lenalee dragged Lavi away from the twins (who waved in mock horror and sadness), and they sat down across the table from Harry and his friends, who were trying to ocnsole his anger.
"That was really unfair," Hermione was saying, and explained what had happened to one of the Slytherin's robes.
"Yeah, well," Harry grumbled, "since when has Snape ever been fair to me?"
"What happened?" Lavi asked Allen, and he explained Snape's unfairness during class. The Bookman's apprentice smirked. "Well, next time I'll set his butt on fire, how about that?"
"No you don't, Lavi!" Lenalee hissed.
"...Now that he's in the Order and everything," Hermione was saying.
"Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots," said Ron. "Anyway, I've always thought Dumbledore was cracked trusting Snape, where's the evidence he ever really stopped working for You-Know-Who?"
"I think Dumblefore's probably got plenty of evidence, even if he doesn't share it with you, Ron," Hermione snapped.
Ron opened in mouth to retort, but Harry interrupted, "Oh, shut up, the pair of you." He continued depsite Hermione and Ron's looks of appalment. "Can't you give it a rest? You're always having a go at each other, it's driving me mad." He put down his fork and grabbing his schoolbag, left the Great Hall.
"What is his problem?" Hermione seethed the moment she recovered.
Allen looked pitifully at the slightly open doors. "I guess I know how you and Lavi feel now, Lenalee, every time Kanda and I start arguing," he said, "but I'll remind you that I didn't start our fight."
Lavi laughed. "Not to worry, Allen, Yu's always in a foul mood. Now where did he go? I'm going to go see if he's gathered anything important about...well, yeah." With that, Lavi stood swiftly and skipped over to the Ravenclaw table where Komui was apparently bugging Kanda into oblivion. Allen looked at the Hufflepuff table, but Krory and mIranda were nowhere to be seen.
"So," Lenalee said, eying Ron and Hermione curiously. "What this thing called the Order that Snape is a part of?"
The two fifth years exchanged panicked looks, and they started talking all at once. "Well, um- you see, it's kind of complicated..."
"It's alright," Allen assured. "We're not your enemies," he lowered his voice, "and we won't tell anyone about your Order of the Phoenix. Not to worry, you guys. We're on your side."
"Just try not to talk about it in this crowded place," Lenalee warned as she and Allen stood up from the table. "You don't know, the next time someone overhears, if it's one of us, or one of them."