Of Wizards, Akuma, and Exorcists
Thirteen: The Daily Prophet
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!
Allen woke up, his head throbbing. He sat up and looked around, seeing the other Gryffindors sleeping soundly on their beds, some of them missing pillows. Why, Allen wondered, and what was this lumpy thing he was sitting on..?
"Oh, yeah, the pillow fight," Allen muttered, remembering the battle he and Harry had last night, throwing and hitting each other with pillows. He glanced down and saw the nest of cushions he was sitting on and that Harry was gone, probably outside in the common room. "What time is it?"
Outside, the sky was a pale blue with a streak of yellow just above the horizon; it was probably around six in the morning. Allen stood up, and, trying not to wake up Harry, walked over to his own bed and changed out of his pajamas and into his usual greyish attire. Then, silently, he crept out of the dormitory.
Harry was sitting in the comfortable armchair beside the fireplace, which was not lit yet. He seemed to be reading a piece of parchment over and over, concentrating. The quill in his hand was slowly dripping ink onto his lap. Allen tiptoed to the chair and looked over the boy's shoulder, not really liking to snoop, but having the feeling that this would have something to do with his mission...
What Harry was looking at was a letter, addressed to a person named Snuffle. Whoever this was had a name as silly and stupid as Kanda's name for him, Moyashi. Harry didn't notice Allen's presense, and picking up his quill, went back to writing the rest of the letter, stopping occasionally to reread it.
"Who's it to?" Allen asked the moment Harry signed his name at the bottom of the letter. By then, shuffling noises could be heard from the dormitories as the students were beginning ot wake up.
Harry jumped, and looked up in alarm. He seemed to relax a bit upon seeing that it was Allen, but he stood up and glared angrily. "Were you reading it?" he demanded.
Allen held up his hands in defense. "Relax, I only saw the name," he said. "So, who's it to?" Harry looked around nervously and started to push Allen out of hte common room. Allen yelped. "Hey! What're you doing?"
"We're going to the Owlery," Harry answered quietly, pushing open the trapdoor, "I'll explain along the way."
Walking together down the corridor, Allen waited silently for Harry to begin talking. The two of them traveled in silence for a while, then Harry glanced out the window at the pale morning sky. "Sirius is my godfather," he said, "and he was accused of murdering thirteen Muggles fourteen years ago."
Allen remembered the term. Muggles, non-magical people who generally didn't know about the existence of Hogwarts or the magical world. Allen wondered about the people in his world, Exorcists and Finders, who knew about magic but weren't exactly witches and wizards- were they Muggles as well?
"Is he a part of the," Allen lowered his voice as they passed several early bird Ravenclaws, "Order?"
"The headquarters is his old house," Harry answered, "he tries to help Dumbledore as much as he can, but complains he can't do much because he's being held house arrest by the others. His going outside would cause a lot of chaos, you see, and dementors would come..."
"Dementors," Allen repeated, racking his brain for what they were. Then he remembered, and wished he hadn't it. "Oh yeah, those things at Azkaban prison."
"We, Sirius and I, almost got sucked joyless by them in third year, it was horrible," Harry muttered. Allen grimaced. "He and I get along really well. I'm scared of him coming to see me though, in this dangerous time, you know. He might get caught, or worse, killed."
Allen watched as Harry fell into a gloomy silence. As the two of them walked down the hall, the Gryffindor ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, otherwise known as Sir Nicholas or Nearly Headless Nick (Allen had found out why the ghost had such name once during study hall in the library, and he had nearly lost his appetite).
The ghost sent them a sharp look as he floated past. "I would not go there id I were you," he warned. "Peeves is planning an amusing joke on the next person to pass the bust of Paracelus halfway down the corridor." Peeves was another ghost at Hogwarts, and the most troublesome of all, one who could probably have competed with the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan if he were still alive.
"Does it involve Paracelus falling on the person's head?" Harry asked promptly, coming out of his silence.
"Funnily enough, it does," Nearly Headless Nick said in a bored tone. "Subtlety has never been Peeve's strong point. I'm off to try and find the Bloody Baron...He might be able to put a stop to it...See you, Harry, Allen..."
"Yeah, 'bye," Harry said, and Allen remembered seeing the Bloody Baron wandering the hall several corridors down, but when he turned to tell Nick about it, the ghost had already gone. "Come on Allen, this way's safer. Longer, but safer.."
The two took a left turn and continued on their way to the Owlery. The walked past windows showing brilliant blue sky, and Harry looke out of them in a dreamy state. Allen knew why; Harry had Quidditch later, and-
"Ah!" Allen yelped in alarm, feeling something against his ankles. Harry looked down at something, and Allen saw the caretaker Mr. Filch's gray cat, Mrs. Norris, trot away from them silently. She sent a accusing glare with her yellow eyes at them before disappearing behind a statue of Wilfred the Wistful.
Harry narrowed his eyes at her and called, "I'm not doing anything wrong," before they set off on their way once again. "Honestly. I'm completely entitled to send a letter on a Saturday morning, aren't I?"
"Of course," Allen said, "but knowing our teachers..."
Harry and Allen sighed in unison as they climbed up the stairs to the Owlery tower. As they entered, the bright sun shined down dusty opaque light through the glassless windows. Shielding his eyes, Harry called doen his snow white owl, Hedwig, from her perch up on a high rafter. The beautiful bird soared down to her master's shoulder and hooted, giving Allen an affectionate glance before Harry gently poked her beak with the letter addressed to Sirius.
"Right," the black haired boy said, "I knwo this says 'Snuffles' on the outside, but it's for Sirius, okay?"
Hedwig blinked once and Harry smiled. He walked her over to a window and sent her up into the air, standing there for a while. In the meantime, Allen ventured out of the tower togaze out at the sky and the scenery.
"It's a nice day," he said to himself, wishing more than anything that Mana was watching it through his left eye as well. "Can you see it, Mana? So...pretty.."
"It is, isn't it?" a soft voice said out of the blue, scaring Allen and almost making him topple over the stone wall and to his death. He regainsed his balance at the last moment, and finding stable ground under both his feet, he backed away from the edge and glanced at whoever it was who'd nearly- accidentally- killed him. He found the shocked and guilty face of the pretty Cho Chang.
"Oh, hello," Allen said, feeling the now familiar feeling of deja vu as he looked at the Lenalee look-alike. "I've seen you around, haven't I? Talking to Kanda sometimes."
Cho flushed. "Oh, yes," she said, looking everywhere but at Allen. "I've...asked him about Harry sometimes, but he doesn't enjoy it, does he?"
"I don't talk to him, he doesn't like me," Allen said with a shrug. "But if you're looking for Harry, why don't you just look for him?" He didn't know why, but he didn't tell Cho that Harry was on the other side of the door.
Cho blushed again. "You're right, I wonder why I'm so...indirect?" she muttered. "I have to go and send this letter now. Bye, Allen..."
"Bye," Allen said, jumping as she nearly broke his nose when she opened the Owlery door, and watching with mild curiosity as she foze and stared at something inside for a moment, possibly Harry.
"Oh...hi," Cho said. "I didn't think anyone would be up here this early..." She sent Allen a questioning look and walked in and closed the door behind her, so Allen didn't here if she said anything afterwards.
Several minutes later found Allen sitting dangerously close to the edge of the wall, dozing off as he'd fallen asleep watching the clouds. He dreamt about the aftermath of his war, after the Earl is defeated, when everyone went Home, when he next met his Master Cross (Allen wasn't really looking forward to that though)...until a gruff voice snapped him out of his subconsciousness.
"What ye doing 'ere, boy? Causing trouble like that Potter, me hope not," the voice said.
This time Allen did fall off the wall, although he caught himself with his hand just in time, and whoever the voice belonged to reached out a weak looking, old hand and grabbed the collar of his coat. The two of them managed to pull Allen back onto stable ground, and Allen vowed once and for all that he was never going near the edge of a high place ever again.
"Ah, thank you, sir," Allen said, rubbing his neck where his coat had dug in painfully.
"What're ye doing 'ere this time of the morning?" Argus Filch, the caretaker, demanded, sounding more suspicisous than he should've.
Allen sat cross legged on the floor and answered simply, "I'm waiting for Harry, sir, I'm waiting for Harry Potter. I'm sure he wouldn't leave me here alone, so I think he's still in here."
"He's in 'ere, is he?" Filch sneered, looking at the door of the Owlery like a snake that had found its hiding prey. "Oh, I've got you now, Potter, you and your sneaky Dungbombs..."
When the door shut behind the caretaker, Allen blinked into the air. "Dungbombs?" he repeated, confused as to why Filch would find a connection between Harry and those silly joke products.
A couple minutes later, Filch came out growling at Harry, and then left. Harry and Cho came out a moment after looking confused. Harry, probably mermerized by the fact that his crush was talking to him, forgot about Allen as he and the girl walked away. Allen, holding back a fit of laughter, followed them in silence.
When they reached a corridor that led to the castle's west wing, Cho said to Harry, "I'm going this way. Well, I'll...I'll see you around, Harry."
"Yeah...see you," Harry said in a low voice.
Cho smiled, cast a surprised look in Allen's way- she probably hadn't noticed the Exorcist until now- and left. Harry followed her gaze and blushed madly when he spotted Allen, but the latter didn't say anything and Harry looked happy as the two of them began their trek to the Great Hall. Allen was starving, he realized. He hadn't fed himself enough in a long time now, and the extra energy from using his parastite-type anti-Akuma weapon left him hungry constantly.
"Morning," Harry said brightly as they joined Ron, Hermione, Lenalee, and Lavi at the Gryffindor table. Fred and George and Lee Jordan were a few seats away, their heads together as they discussed, Allen guessed, the information they'd gained from their first year genius pigs.
"What are you looking so pleased about?" Ron asked, and soon he, Hermione, and Harry were in conversation. Allen sat down between Lenalee and Harry, grabbed himself a large portion of the food in front of him, and began to chow down.
"Where were you?" Lavi asked.
"Owwie wi'arry," Allen answered through a stuffed mouth.
"Are you hurt?" Lenalee asked.
"Wha? Mmph," Allen swallowed his food and shook his head. "No, I was with Harry at the Owlery."
"Why?" the two other Exorcists asked at once.
"He was sending a letter to his godfather, Sirius."
"Oh, I remember him from the files," Lavi said, his eyes lightening up. "Accused of murdering thirteen Muggles, locked up in Azkaban prison for twelve years, escaped."
"He's part of the Order of the Phoenix now," Allen added, whispering as a couple of giggling third years, passed them, glancing at him happily.
A sudden gasp from Hermione cut them off.
"What's happened?" Harry asked, snatching half of Hermione's copy of The Daily Prophet.
Hermione read her half in a hushed voice. The Exorcists leaned in to read along and hear her say, " 'The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer...blah blah blah...is currently hiding in London!' "
"Lucius Malfoy!, I'll bet anything" Harry hissed, naming Draco Malfoy's father, whose name Allen recognized. Lucius was a Death Eater, a follower of Lord Voldemort. "He did recognize Sirius on the platform..."
"What?" Ron nearly yelled. "You didn't say-"
"Shh!" Hermione and Harry said, and the six continued reading the newspaper.
"...'Ministry warns Wizarding community that Black is very dangerous...killed thirteen people...broke out of Azkaban..' " Lenalee read.
"The usual rubbish," Hermione said, putting down her half of the paper. She looked at her 'comrades' looking frightened. "Well, he won't be able to leave the house again, that's all," she said, sounding strong, but her voice was trembling a little. "Dumbledore did warn him not to."
Harry looked down glumly at his half of the paper, which he'd torn when grabbing it from Hermione's hand. "Hey!" he suddenly exclaimed. Allen leaned over his shoulder and followed his gaze. The others did the same. All of them looked at a short article at the bottom of a column. Allen didn't understand, but it was probably an important piece of information to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The article was headlined:
TRESSPASS AT MINISTRY
Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with tresspass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31st August. Podmore was arrested by Mnistry of Magic watch-wizard Eric Munvh, who found him attemping to force...
Allen stopped reading and straightened, watching as the others continued to study the short article. After a while, Ron muttered, "Sturgis Podmore? But he's that bloke who looks like his head's been thatched, isn't he? He's one of the Ord-"
"Ron, shh!" Hermione snapped, glancing around them in alarm
"Six months in Azkaban!" Harry whispered to Allen. "Just for trying to get through a door!" Allen agreed- it was an exaggerated punishment.
"Don't be silly, it wasn't just for trying to get through a door- what on earth was he doing at the Ministry of Magiv at one o'clock in the morning?" Hermione said, overhearing him.
"D'you reckon he was doing something for the Order?" Ron asked quietly.
"Wait a moment..." Harry said, realization shining in his bright green eyes. "Sturgis was supposed to come and see us off, remember?"
"Yeah, he was supposed to be part of our guard going to King's Cross, remember? And Moody was all annoyed because he didn't turn up, so that he doesn't seem like he was supposed to be on a job for them, does he?" Ron said.
"Well, maybe they didn't expect him to get caught," Hermione suggested. Allen doubted it.
"It could be a frame-up!" Ron exclaimed. Out of the corner of his eye, Allen saw Kanda and Komui look up from their breakfast, as well as Krory and Miranda from theirs. Several other random students did as well, confused. Hermione glared at him, and Ron continued, his voice dropping dramatically. "No-listen! The Ministry suspects he's on of Dumbledore's lot so- I dunno- they lured him to the Ministry, and he wasn't trying to get through a door at all! Maybe they've just made up something to get him!"
Harry and Hermione fell silent, looking as if to consider Ron's theory. Harry caught Allen's eyes, and he seemed disbelieving. Hermione, however, looked at Ron with awe and said, "Do you know, I wouldn't be at all surprised it that were true."
She folded her newspaper and went into silence. In the meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Allen finished up their breakfast. When they put down their forks and knives, she looked up and said, "Right, well, I think we should tackle that essay for Sprout on Self-Fertilizing Shrubs first, and if we're lucky we'll be able start McGonagall's Inamimatus Conjurus before lunch..."
By an hour after breakfast, Hermione was fuming. "I can't believe it," she seethed angrily at Allen, who sat across from her with his textbook open and resting on his lap. Lenalee, sitting next to him, looked up from her essay and looked at the brown haired girl nervously. "I am not going to make up for them anymore. I've warned them enough times, and yet they pick Quidditch over homework! If they fail their O.W.L.s, it's not my fault."
Allen and Lenalee exchanged looks, Timcampy floating over their heads, as if he was studying with them. "Well, I'm sure they understand that," Allen said, hoping to sound encouraging.
Hermione scoffed. "Oh really? They always copy at least half my notes, and this time I'm not lending them anything!" she huffed. "Honestly, how do they expect to survive?"
Allen shrugged. "With Umbridge in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" he asked. "I'm telling you, if anyone passes that class, I hope the Ministry immediately classifies them as geniuses."
Hermione smiled and buried herself in her homework.
Hello-
I kind of thought that the end of this chapter was lame. It probably is, but I had the feeling that if I didn't end it here, then it'll never end...