Of Wizards, Akuma, and Exorcist
Thirty-Two: Return to 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!
The boys ventured downstairs once they suspected that Mrs. Weasley's tears had ceased. Hermione met up with them on the way. "Thanks for the book, Harry! I've been wanting that New Theory of Numerology for ages! And that perfume is really unusual, Ron," she said.
"No problem," Ron said. "Who's that for anyway?"
Hermione headed up a neatly wrapped present proudly. "Kreacher," she said.
"It had better not be clothes!" Ron warned her. "You know what Sirius said, Kreacher knows too much, we can't set him free!"
"It isn't clothes," Hermione said irritably, "although if I had my way I'd certainly give him something to wear other than that filthy old rag. No, it's a patchwork quilt, I thought it would brighten up his bedroom."
"What bedroom?" Harry asked quietly, passing a curtain. All of the Weasley boys, too, gave it apprehensive books. Allen and Lavi followed their example without knowing or understanding why.
"Well, Sirrius says it's not so much a bedroom, more a kind of- den," Hermione said. "Apparently he sleeps under the boiler in the cupboard off the kitchen."
"I think I'll pass on giving him that present," Lavi said, smiling apologetically. "I know it's Christmas and all, but us Exorcists honestly odn't have holidays. We should go back to see Komui and the others."
"Yes, we should," Allen said somewhat disappointedly. "Hermione, give Kreacher my greetings. Where's Lenalee?"
"She's already outside," Hermione said as she, Harry, Ron, and the twins to head for the basement kitchen. "Merry Christmas."
"Oh," Harry said and turned to Allen. Grinning, he said, "Happy birthday, Allen."
"Er-" Allen said, feeling something in his stomach drop, leaving a whooping and empty feeling there. He smiled, knowing helplessly that it would only come out as a grimace, and said, "Thank you, Harry."
"Why'd you not look so happy back there, Allen?" Lavi asked as the two of them stepped out of Grimmauld Place. Lenalee was standing by the street waiting, wearing a coat. In her left hand, she was holding a small bag.
When the boys walked up to her, she held it out to them and said, "Put your presents in here, Mrs. Weasley enchanted it for me so that everything will fit in here."
"Thanks," Allen and Lavi said, dumping their load of gifts into the bag. "So where are we headed?" Lavi asked.
"St. Mungo's," Lenalee said, giving Allen a strange look. "To give Mr. Weasley our greetings, and then we'll meet up with Komui and the others in a pub and inn called the Leaky Cauldron. It's in London."
"Excuse me," Allen began, returning her look, "but how are we supposed to get to the hospital?"
"That's what I asked Komui," Lenalee said, smiling. Pulling her right hand out of her coat pocket, she held it out over the street.
There was a sudden, loud BANG, and all three Exorcists, including Lenalee, jumped back three feet as a violently purple vehicle (which Allen and his comrades had learned from Harry to be 'cars', a much more convenient and advanced version of the carriages the Exorcists were all used to) screeched to a halt before them. Allen recognized it as a triple-decker, Ron had shown him a moving photograph of one before. Judging from the color and the magical appearance of it, and the golden letters glittering over the windshield, this bus was also the very one that Ron had almost talked nonstop about the other day. The-
"Welcome to the Knight Bus," said a young man a bit older than Lavi who was wearing a purple uniform and had many pimples and large ears. He was looking down at a piece of paper, and Allen had a suspicion that he was reading his speech off of it as he ocntinued, "Emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan SHunpike, and I will be your conductor for this morning."
"Ehm..." Lavi said nervously. "Hi."
"What you all doin' there?" Stan asked curiously, staring at the three feet that stretched between the bus and the three frightened Exorcists. "How d'you reach the street from there?"
"S-sorry," Lenalee said with a slight laugh. "We were a bit...stunned."
"'Choo being stunned for?" Stan asked again. "Ne'er mind, you. Get in, get in. I'll take that for you-"
The interior of the Knight Bus was crammed with mismatched chairs, and there seemed to be not many people on board. The few who were looked slightly green in the face or were ghost white. Stun made an urging noise from behind them, and the Exorcists weaved their way to the very back of the bus and sat down, Lenalee taking her bag from the conductor with a word of thanks.
"Where to?" Stan asked.
"St. Mungo's," Lenalee answered. "How much is it?"
Stan's eyes flicked over them quickly. "Eleven Sickles each," he said, "but for firteen you get 'ot chocolate and for fifteen you get an 'ot water an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice."
"No thanks," Lenalee smiled, handing over thirty-three coins.
Stan grinned. "Enjoy your ride," he said cheerfully, handing them their tickets. "Take 'er away, Ern," he called to the driver at the front.
With another deafening BANG, the Knight Bus lurched forward, and Allen felt his chair tip over. The next moment, his head was throbbing and he was on his back on the floor. Lavi and Lenalee were looking down at him with both worry and amusement, their hands gripping onto candle brackets tightly.
"Are you alright down there, Allen?" Lavi said, pulling the boy up and fixing his chair.
"Yes," Allen muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Ne'er seen faces like yours 'round here," Stun mused, peering at Allen closely. "That dyed hair?"
"What? No!" Allen squeaked, feeling offended. "I've never dyed my hair."
"We're from somewhere else," Lenalee said quickly. "We're just visiting a relative at St. Mungo's- broom accident, see."
"Almost there," Stan said, apparently not listening. "Next stop. Ern, don't forget old lady at twelve o'clock..."
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"That's...it!" Lavi gasped as the Knight Bus sped away at the speed of sound (or light, something impossible to follow with the naked eye.) "I am never, ever going to ride that thing again!"
"We have to though," Allen said, walking up to the ugly dummy in the old store's window, which was also the entrance to the magical hospital, St. Mungo's. "Good morning, we're here to see Arthur Weasley."
The dummy didn't move for a few seconds. Then, for a reason that Allen was getting used to (magic), her fingers moved in a beckoning motion, and the Exorcists stepped into the window, through a cool sensation of walking through a waterfall, and into the lively reception room of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
"He's on the First Floor-"
And so he was, cheerful and chipper, propped up on pillows, eating breakfast. Arthur Weasley greeted the three of them merrily, showing off his newly wrapped bandages, begging them not to tell his wife about the stitches, and wishing that they'd a good Christmas morning.
"Thanks, Mr. Weasley," Lavi said, sitting down, followed by Lenalee and Allen. "How are you?"
"Fine, fine," Mr. Weasley laughed. "Now, since it's only you three here," he said, lowering his voice, "I take it that this is not an ordinary visit to someone's sickbed, is it?"
"We came to give our blessings," Lenalee said, "because we will be heading back after this. My brother- the Supervisor is calling us."
There was something sad and pitying in Mr. Weasley's eyes as he surveyed them silently for a minute. "I see," he nodded.
"We'll be going now," Allen said, holding out a wrapped box. "It's not much, and it's my first time wrapping anything, so it's a bit messy..."
"Thank you," Mr. Weasley smiled, taking the gift. "For everything you guys did. Lavi, I hope I'm paired with you again soon."
The Exorcists left the ward, but Allen, who was the last one out of the room, thought he heard Mr. Weasley talking to himself as he closed the door behind him.
"Honestly, they're still children- the same age as Ron...Apostles of God or not, how could Dumbledore ask them to fight...?"
"Allen? Let's go," Lenalee urged, grabbing the boy's hand and walking down the hall.
"Oh, hi, Neville-" Lavi said.
"Hurry!" Lenalee hissed at the two of them.
Several minutes later, the three stumbled out of the hospital, into the middle of the street, and Lenalee whipped out a piece of paper from her pocket. "That way, she pointed," leading the boys down through the crowd. "Komui said he would meet us there, and then we'll take a Portkey to Hogsmeade village-"
"What's a Portkey?"
"It's an easier way to move between different places," Allen said, "but we don't want Umbridge to see us do that in the middle of grounds, so we're going to Hogsmeade and then trecking back to Hogwarts...er- right?"
"Precisely," Lenalee nodded, pushing open a door to an inn. "Come on."
"Lenalee!" a voice exclaimed, and the girl disappeared behind a curtain of white as the coated figure of Komui Lee embraced her tightly. "I missed you so much! Are you okay? No injuries? No weird guys touching you? No fever? No-?"
"Komui, get off," Lenalee said, a hint of irritation in her voice. "We don't have time until the Portkey leaves."
"Komui, you can hug her all you want once we get back to Hogwarts," Lavi said. "Let's just get going, 'specially since we've not much time."
"Thirty more seconds," Komui said, letting go of his sister, a serious look returning to his face. "Upstairs. Oh, Tom, thanks for the drink."
"Come back any time," the barman said with a small twist of his lips.
Komui led the Exorcists up a flight of stairs, down a hallway, and into a small room. It was like one of the inns Allen had sometimes stayed at during his missions, but this time, he would only be here for a few seconds. Sitting on a table in the middle of the room was what anyone would call nothing more than junk: a battered and tattered moth eaten top hat. Komui and Lenalee both put a hand on the hat, and following their example, Allen and Lavi did so as well.
"Three," Komui said, "two-"
Just like that one night when he and Lenalee left Dumbledore's office, Allen felt a force pull him upward. Or maybe it was something pulling the floor down. Either way, he felt a fleeing, floating, sinking sensation in his stomach, as if he'd missed a step on the stairs going down...There was a sudden jolt, and Allen could only wonder if he was spinning, or if the world was spinning...The only thing he was aware of was a strong gush of wind a colors flitting by, Lavi's shoulder banging into his arm, Lenalee's hair almost whipping his face, his own coat flapping behind him like a flag...
And then, landing hard and painfully on the snow covered street in the middle of Hogsmeade.
"We're here," Lavi said, picking himself off the ground. Komui was already on his feet and helping Lenalee up, and Allen stumbled as he stood up, the snow making his feet slip and catching his ankles, threatening his balance. There weren't that many people around, it being a rather early hour in the morning, but the few passersby all gave them fleeting looks and hurried off. Allen blamed their apprehension on the Portkey, which had disappeared by the time he cared enough to look for it.
"I've assigned Kanda, Krory, and Miranda to assisting the Order of the Phoenix," Komui explained as he led them up the street towards the castle. "You three will be protecting the castle from any enemies, which would most likely be Akuma- I don't think any of the wizards would show themselves before us any time soon...When Kanda and the others come back, they will join you."
"How are we going to explain to Umbridge if she ever finds us? We disappeared for days..."
"We've been disappearing several days before the holidays anyway," Allen said to Lavi. "I'm sure she took notice of it, but even she wouldn't bother with something once she finds a pattern in it. Plus, we aren't under her control, teacher, High Inquisitor, governor, or whatever. If we aren't in her class we aren't students either, and we aren't even citizens here."
"I get your point, Moyashi," Lavi muttered.
"Hey!"
"Guys, I know it's Christmas and all," Komui sighed, "and I know it's Allen's birthday, but..."
"Huh?"
"I think guests have arrived a bit sooner than we thought," Lenalee said, pushing her brother to hide somewhere. "I am so glad school's out."
"You'll be smiling," the Akuma sniggered at her, leering at Allen and Lavi as well. "You'll be smiling when I slice you to bits."
"Sorry, but I'd prefer not to be turned to mince," Lavi said coolly, his hand reaching for his hammer.
Huh...?
"Do you know how exihilarating it is to cut skin?" the Akuma asked excitedly, showing off its sharp pincer like hands.
Where did it come from...?
"There's more," Lenalee pointed out as around ten more Akuma appeared before them, bearing their ugly metal bodies.
I didn't see it...
"Time to have some wild time," Lavi said to Allen and jumped away, followed by Lenalee. Komui stood back, watching after them, looking both awed and terrified, hopeful and helpless.
...Why?
"Allen!" Lenalee called. "What are you doing?"
"You'll get killed!" Lavi yelled, and the boy was snapped out of his trance just in time to activate his Innocence and block the Akuma's bullets.
"I didn't see them," Allen muttered in disbelief, but shook off the thought and joined his comrades in the battle.
Mana...what happened to you?
After destroying three Akuma at once, Allen took a glance around. He could see metal body after metal body. A lump of Dark Matter after lump after lump.
No souls. No purple, eerie light.
"What's with your eye?" Lavi asked, passing by him. "It's not working again? It's gray, you're not using it?"
"I-"
"Must be because of the castle," Lavi growled with a frustrated grin. "If it's not working altogether, then I'll reckon the protection's gotten stronger."
"Sorry," Allen said.
"Keh-!"
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"Is it time, Earl?" the girl asked, leaning back in her armchair and sucking on a lollipop.
"How long are we going to mess around with that human guy?" the youth added, boredly flipping through a book. "I never expected you to work with somebody else."
"He was never on Tom Riddle's side anyway," Road Kamelot said, pointing her lollipop like a wand. "Oooh, Avada Kadavra! Look, I can do magic. Heh, it's just a little joke compared to us."
"Road, watch your mouth, please," the Millennium Earl said sweetly yet warningly. "Althought what you say is true."
"I heard Counterfeit Boy A is losing his eyesight."
"Yes."
"Then it would be an easy kill, wouldn't it?" Tyki said. "I mean, without that eye, the boy is just like any other Exorcist."
"Where will it be?" Road drawled.
The Millennium Earl turned his smiling face to her and said, "They call it the Department of Mysteries. I am not sure if the Heart is there, but even if it isn't, it is an ideal way to try to eliminate the Exorcists."