Of Wizards, Akuma, and Exorcists
Eight: A Peaceful Second Day
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!
The following day was as dark and depressing as the one before. Harry, Ron, and Hermione felt their hopes for Hagrid's return vanish with one glance at the staff tabl; the giant still hadn't returned. They sat down at the Gryffindor table and Ron said in an attempt to cheer himself up, "But on the plus side, no Snape today."
Yawning, Hermione poured herself some coffee. She looked pleased about something, and Ron asked her what she was so happy about. The girl simply said, "The hats have all gone. Seems the house elves do want freedom after all."
Ron shook his head, "I wouldn't bet on it. They might not count as clothes. They didn't look anything like hats to me, more like woolly bladders."
Hermione shot him a look and didn't say another word.
The Exorcists, Allen, Lenalee, and Lavi squeezed into the small space left on the table. They all had different, interesting expressions on their faces: Allen growled and sat down with a sour, irritated look as his pet Timcampy hid in his hood; Lenalee was trying desperately to calm him him down, looking to be on swaying between the line between exasperation and annoyance; Lavi kept glancing at the Ravenclaw table with an amused smirk.
"Come on Allen, don't let Kanda get to you."
"Why does he keep calling me that name?"
"What, 'Moyashi'? Come on, it's cute. What would I be, 'Ninjin'? It matches my hair, anyways."
"My name is Allen! I'm not a vegetable!"
"Allen, calm down, please! And you too, Lavi, stop adding fuel to his flame!"
The boys settled and the white haired Exorcist helped himself to a stack of toast as his red haired friend reached over and grabbed himself a couple of bagels. Lenalee sighed and said, "Hermione, could you pass me that coffee?"
"What were you guys doing?" Harry asked. "And why is Allen so mad?"
"Few called 'im Mufashi 'gain," Lavi answered, his mouth stuffed with breakfast.
"Excuse me?" Ron said.
Lavi swallowed hard. "Yu called Allen 'Moyashi' again," he said. "He's been doing that ever since Allen became one of us."
"That noodle-brain doesn't get it that my name is not Moyashi," Allen grumbled, wolfing down his toast and everything else he could reach until the other Gryffindors snatched away the plates. The boy put down his fork and sighed. "I just don't get how that girl could like him."
Lenalee giggled. "I don't think she likes him. She's just trying to make him feel welcome, seeing as the prefects and the Heads are busy chatting with Komui," she said, "and she must be doing a good job at it too, that Cho Chang. Kanda wasn't ignoring her at all, in fact, he seemed to like talking to her."
"I sometimes don't understand how Kanda's mind works," Allen said. "Actually, I never understand."
"Ah, cut him some slack, Allen boy," Lavi said, patting his friend's back. "Kanda has people problems, sure, but he's a good guy at heart."
"Cho was talking to your friend?" Harry asked, feeling something hot boiling in his stomach. He heard gruffness in his own voice.
Allen looked surprised. "Yes," he answered, "she was. She's pretty, isn't she?" As if in response, Lavi whistled loudly. Ron and Hermione glanced at Harry, who just nodded and fell silent.
"We better get going," Hermione said hastily, glancing at her watch. "Flitwick's class starts in less than ten minutes, come on!"
Lavi stood up from the bench. "And I'd better get going too. Gotta go spy on Yu during class," he winked. "See you later, Allen, Lenalee."
During double Charms, Allen and Lenalee were given wands by the dwarfy teacher, Flitwick. For the first fifteen minutes when Flitwick squeaked about the importance of the O.W.L.s, Timcampy grabbed Allen's wand and started playing with it, accidentally sending bright red sparks at the top of a Hufflepuff boy's head, singing a straight line through his dark buzzcut. Allen panicked and hid both golem and wand in his coat. Lenalee stifled a giggle and waved nervously as the boy spun around in anger and surprise, and the boy blushed madly before turning back around.
The next class, double Transfiguration, was the same, if not worse. The strict looking teacher, McGonagall, from sorting night was their teacher, and Allen couldn't help but be reminded of the disapporoving glare she had given him. She stared at her class through calculating eyes and began her own speech.
"You cannot pass an O.W.L. without serious application, practice, and study. I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an O.W.L. in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work," she said, and Neville Longbottom sniffed disbelievingly. "Yes, you too, Longbottom," McGonagall snapped. "There's nothing wrong with your work except lack of confidence. So...today, we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you do not usually attempt until N.E.W.T. level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your O.W. L."
"This is hard," Lenalee muttered, trying to make her snail vanish and accidentally poking it. Allen, meanwhile managed to vanish everything but the shell. Apparently, Allen hat more magic in him than he had patience and concentration, which was what Lenalee was skilled in doing.
"Really?" Allen said, and made another attempt. This time, to his surprise, the snail disappeared altogether. "Hey, look Lenalee! I did it!"
"How did you do that, Allen?" Ron whined. His snail, as well as Harry's, was sitting innocently on the desk. Hermione's had vanished as well.
McGonagall walked swifly up to Hermione and said, "Good job, Miss Granger, as usual. You are a very intelligent student. Oh! My, you too Mr. Walker?" She looked wide-eyed surprised at the empty space on Allen's desk. She cleared her throat, "I'll grant Gryffindor ten points bonus," she clapped her hands once. "Class in over in five minutes! Homework: practice the spell overnight, and come back afresh tomorrow afternoon. We will be practicing Vanishing Charms again! Miss Granger and Mr. Walker are excused from the assignment."
"I'll never get all this homework done," Ron whined the moment they were out of the classroom for lunch.
"We'll study in the library," Harry suggested, looking hopefully at Hermione, but she ignored him.
"Only us? Come on, Harry, you know that's hopeless."
Allen and Lenalee grinned at each other. "We'll come with you," Allen said. "Surprisingly enough, I'm not that hungry right now, and I could help you all with that spell from Transfiguration and Charms."
"We do owe you for being such good guides, anyway," Lenalee shrugged. "I finished my report on moonstone already; you could use it if you need to. And for Binns too. As for Divination, I made some things up because I never remember my dreams."
By the end of lunch, Harry and Ron had finished their report for Snape and were halfway through Binns'. Harry kept rubbing his forehead, and he looked especially tired as they went to Care of Magical Creatures. The class took place outside, right by the area where Allen had fought the two Akumas. Luckily enough, somebody had restored the damaged grass, so none of the students noticed. The teacher, Grubby-Plank stood waiting, and as the group made their way towards her, a loud shout of laughter erupted.
Allen turned and saw Draco Malfoy, surrounded by a gang of Slytherins, striding towrds them. They were all sneaking glances at Harry, who glared right back, and Allen realized that whatever the Slytherin's had been laughing about, it had something to do with Harry, and whatever they said wasn't anything nice or pleasant.
"Mr. Malfoy," Allen called, putting his hand in his pocket and pulling out a deck of cards. "You do remember what happened the last time you made fun of a friend of mine?"
The boy's pale face turned chalk white, and he promptly led his cronies away from Allen. Harry smiled at Allen gratefully.
"Everyone here?" the teacher barked. "Let's crack on then- who can tell me what these things are called?"
Hermione's hand shot into the air, while most other students were staring at the twigs in confusion. Behind her, Malfoy did a buck-toothed imitation of her jumping up and down in eagerness to answer a question. A Slytherin girl shrieked in laughter, and the laughter turned into a scream as the twigs on the table leaped into the air. They looked like tiny pixies made of wood, with knobby arms and lefs, two twiglike fingers at the end of each hand, and a funny, flat, barklike face with a pair of beetle brown eyes. A couple girls Allen recognized as Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown squealed with delight, and Harry looked grim.
"Kindly keep your voices down, girls!" Grubby-Plank said sharply. She threw what looked like brown rice on the table, and the twig like creatures immediately attacked and started eating them. "So- anyone know the names of these creatures? Miss Granger?"
"Bowtruckles," Hermione answered. "They're tree guardian, usually live in wand trees."
"Five points for Gryffindor," said Grubby-Planl. "Yes, these are bowtruckles, and as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?"
"Wood lice," Lenalee said. "But fairly eggs if they can get them."
"Good girl, take another five points. So whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree in which a bowtruckle lodges, it is wise to have a gift of wood lice ready to distract or placate it," Grubby-Plank told the class. "They may not look dangerous, but if angered they will gouge out human eyes with their fingers, which, are you can see, are very sharp and not at all desirable near the eyeballs. So if you'd like to to gather closer, take a few wood lice and a bowtruckle- I have enough here for one between three- you can study them more closely. I want a sketch form each of you with all body parts labeled by the end of the lesson."
Allen and Lenalee walked up to Ron and Hermione, who said, "We can make a group of five. We don't mind."
"Where's Harry?" Lenalee asked.
"Don't know," Ron answered. "Come on, let's go get a bowtruckle."
It was after they had chosen a shady area and put their bowtruckle on the ground when Harry reappeared. He sat down and pulled out a parchment and his quill and crouched down. "Malfoy might know something about Hagrid," he stated. "He said that Hagrid might be involved with something that's big...gigantic."
Ron looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What's bigger than Hagrid?" he asked.
Hermione shot him a look. "Dumbledore would know if something happened to Hagrid," she said. "It's just playing into Malfoy's hands to look worried, it tells him we don't know exactly what's going on. We've got to ignore him, Harry. Here, hold the bowtruckle for a moment, just do I can draw its face..."
Harry picked up the creature and held it out for his friends to see, but at the same time, Malfoy's drawl seeped into his ears like oil.
"Yes," the voice said loudly, "Father was talking to Minister just a couple of days ago, you know, and it sounds as thought the Ministry's really determined to crack down on substandard teaching in this place. So even if that overgrown moron does show up again, he'll probably be sent packing straight away."
"OUCH!" Harry yelled.
Allen looked up from his finished drawing and saw Harry gripping his hand, blood flowing from two deep gaashes in his finger. The two large boys who were with Malfoy rolled on the ground in laughter as the angry bowtruckle dashed of towards the forest. "Are you okay, Harry?" Allen asked.
The bell rang loudly over the grounds, and Harry rolled up his bloodstained bowstruckle picture. Hermione handed him her handkerchief, and they all followed Harry to Herbology.
"If he calls Hagrid a moron one more time..." Harry said angrily.
"Harry, don't go picking a row with Malfoy, don't forget, he's a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you..."
"Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life?" Harry replied sarcastically.
Herbology class took place in a greenhous on the other side of the vegetable patch. As they reached the building, Harry said in a more calm, soft voice, "I just wish Hagrid would hurry up and get back, that's all. And don't say that Grubby-Plan woan's a better teacher!"
"I wasn't going to," Hermione said.
"Because she'll never be," Harry said stubbornly.
The door of the greenhouse opened, and a class of fourth years filed out. Ginny, being one of them.
"Hi," she greeted. "Hello Allen," she said quietly. A few seconds after her, a Ravenclaw girl with blond hair tied in a knot walked up to them. "Oh, hi Luna. Allen, Lenalee, meet Luna Lovegood."
"Hello," Allen said. "I've seen you sitting near Kanda sometimes."
The girl ignored him and walked up to Harry, cornering him. "I believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, and I believe you fought him and escaped from him," she said firmly.
"Er-right," Harry said.
"You can laugh!" Luna said at a giggling Parvati and Lavendar, who were pointing at her earrings that looked like radishes, but Allen didn't hear the rest as he entered the greenhouse, hurt from being ignored.
"Allen!" a familiar voice exclaimed, and a tall man immediately latched onto Allen, his arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
"Krory?" Lenalee gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"Well," the man said, getting off Allen and looking embarrassed, "I was exploring the grounds this morning when Professor Sprout was carrying some potted man-eaters out of the greenhouses. She looked to be struggling, so I helped her out with that, and then she asked me to help her all day...Professor Dumbledore said Miranda and I could help teachers if we wished, so..."
"Friends, Arystar?" a woman, the teacher, asked. A rather squat lady with a shock of curly hair, she was dirty with mud yet cheerful. She turned to Allen and Lenalee. "Arystar's a natural with plants, a great help he is."
"I'm sure," Lenalee smiled.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Harry, you can do better than her," Hermione said as she walked in with Harry and Ron. "Ginny's told me all about her, apparently she'll only believe in things as long as there's no proof at all. Well, I wouldn't expect anything else from someone whose father runs The Quibbler."
Allen and Lenalee looked over at the group as a Hufflepuff prefect approached Harry and annouced clearly, "I want you to know, Potter, that it's only only weirdos who support you. I personally believe you one hundred percent. My family have always stood frim behind Dumbledore, and so do I."
Harry thanked the boy, Ernie Macmillian, awkwardly and walked over looking pleased. He looked at Ron and Hermione and seemed as if wanting to speak, but was interrupted as Professor Sprout began the now familiar O.W.L. lecture. Allen kept poking at his plant during the day, pretending to ask Krory questions while they, and Lenalee, were discussing their mission.
"Two Akuma," Lenalee stated, "it seems so strange. I'd have thought the Earl and Voldemort would send in a whole army."
"It does seem suspicious," Allen agreed, "but if they did, and that soon, we wouldn't have lasted. We're still unfamiliar in this world; who knows if it's different from ours in a way that it gives us a lethal disadvantage?"
Krory looked disappointed. "You could've told me, then I would've called Miranda, have her freeze the Akumas' time, and I'd have had a wonderful supper," he said. At his last comment, Allen and Lenalee couldn't hide their disgust.
"Speaking of supper," Allen coughed his throat, "it's almost dinner time. I'm getting hungry..."
Lenalee laughed, then her face dawned an upset look. "And then, for Harry, it's off to detention with Umbridge," she said, glancing at the boy gloomily. "Yesterday when he was arguing with that teacher...poor him. All week."
"I'd switch, but I have an important mission and I don't think using that as an excuse would save my life," Allen sighed.
Hello readers,
I apologize for this chapter taking longer than usual to post, but I think it's best if I say that it might take a while to post for the next couple of weeks. I've got a volunteering job to do, and I'll be out all day for those weeks. But I won't take forever on them, so that's nothing to worry about!
And I also got a couple questions for the last chapter:
Q: where does this take place on the dgm timeline? is it after the ark?
A: This story takes place about a century after the DGM timeline, to be completely honest, but it is no mistake. Well, at first I didn't realize it, but I somehow managed to plan the sotyr so the two timelines would work out.
Q: I've always though of poker as a "muggle" game... I can't really imagine Malfoy, with all his blood purity, even knowning the game to be honest... lol
A: I am guessing it is, but they have a wizards' chess in the Harry Potter series, and I'm sure that there are many pubs out in the magical world, so I could say that, being in that rich family, Malfoy could've come across some kind of gambling in his life.