Of Wizards, Akuma, and Exorcists
Forty-two: Plans
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!
Recap:
"Idiots," Lavi snickered, and grabbing Allen by the wrist, he dragged the white haired boy over to a tapestry. Ducking behind it, he opened a hidden door and walked in to find Fred, George, and Harry. All three boys had the mirthful faces of having just stopped laughing.
"Amazing, my friends, amazing," Lavi congratulated, patting the twins' backs.
"That was phase one," Fred said. "Phase two will be better, not to worry."
"What will you do?" Allen asked.
"Oh, that'll be a surprise," George told him. "The opening ceremony for the rest of our lives."
The next few days passed in peace for the Exorcists. The Weasley twins' fireworks kept Dolores Umbridge busy for the rest of that afternoon, and the next day, Harry had gotten himself into a bit of trouble of Severus Snape and a Pensieve, but otherwise, there was nothing that troubled Allen and his comrades. What Allen found strange was the story Harry told him and Lavi about what he'd seen in the Pensieve.
"It's strange, there was another kid with them," Harry said. "He looked really familiar, but I couldn't place a finger on it. His back was to me the whole time, and even when my dad started to make fun of Snape, the kid did nothing. He's just sitting there, smiling, and his light colored hair – it was really really blond, almost white – was covering his eyes, and I couldn't see his face well. From what I've heard, there were only four people in the group of friends... my dad, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew."
"Maybe Allen traveled time again," Lavi snickered, nudging the white haired boy in the side. "Like we did. Maybe the thing broke again, eh?"
"Please, don't joke around, Lavi," Allen sighed in exasperation. "Although that sounds very interesting, I'd rather travel back in time to where we originally came from."
"He didn't talk at all, either," Harry continued. "So I don't have a clue what he sounds like. But... it's obvious that my dad got along with him, and so did Sirius. The two of them would talk to him a lot, and would shrug when he didn't say anything."
"I'll bet it's bothering you?" Allen asked.
"Yeah," Harry nodded.
"It's obviously bothering Snape, though," Lavi said. "Isn't your traveling in his past the reason why he kicked you out of Occlumency--?"
"Shh!" Harry hissed as Hermione came walking over to them. "Don't let her know. Just.. just say Snape reckons I'm good enough-"
"Hi, Harry," Ron said as he and Hermione sat down. "Wow, Harry, I know it happens all the time, but you just look really terrible."
"Thanks, Ron," Harry muttered. "I'm sure I look very lovely."
"When's your next Occlumency lesson?" Hermione asked, taking out three pieces of parchment. She was currently drawing up study schedules for Harry, Ron, and herself for over the Easter holidays. Ron had been shocked to realize they only had a few weeks before their exams, and that also put into contrast how little time the Exorcists had left until they were to bid good-bye to their friends.
"I don't have them anymore," was Harry's short reply to Hermione's question.
"Really?" Ron asked with a tone of surprise.
"Yeah. Snape says I'm done, so he sent me out without giving me the next date," Harry said.
"But why haven't you got Occlumency anymore?" Hermione asked.
"I've told you. Snape reckons I can carry on by myself now I've got the basics..."
"So you've stopped having funny dreams?" Hermione said dubiously.
"Pretty much."
"Well, I don't think Snape should stopped unless you're absolutely sure you can control them!" Hermione insisted. "Harry, I think you should go back to him and ask-"
"No," Harry said flatly. "Just drop it, Hermione, okay?"
"Anyway, Ron," Lavi said, changing the subject as he watched Hermione tap the squares on Ron's study schedule. "How can that come as a shock? You knew you've had exams coming along all year... Why are you so shocked now?"
"I dunno..." Ron muttered, "there's been a lot going on..."
"Well, there you are, Ron," Hermione said, handing him his schedule.
Allen peered at the paper over the redhead's shoulder and said, "If you follow that you should do fine."
"You've given me an evening off every day!" Ron exclaimed at Hermione.
"That's for Quidditch practice," Hermione said flatly.
The happy look faded from Ron's face, and he said gloomily, "What's the point? We've got about as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister or Magic..."
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked, already moving onto a different subject. Harry was staring off blankly at the opposite wall of the common room while Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, was begging him to scratch his ears.
"What?" Harry blinked, responding more quickly than expected. "Nothing..."
Picking up his copy of Defensive Magical Theory, he opened it up and pretended to read. Crookshanks sunk away, giving up on the vain attempt to get Harry to entertain him, and Hermione watched him for a few seconds before saying tentatively,
"I saw Cho earlier, and she looked really miserable too... Have you two had a row again?"
"Wha – oh yeah, we have," Harry said.
"What about?"
"That sneak friend of hers, Marietta," Harry said bitterly.
"Yeah, well, I don't blame you!" Ron said angrily, and he added, "If it hadn't been for her..." before going on to rant about Marietta Edgecombe. Harry occasionally looked angry, nodded, and said words of agreement, but Allen and Lavi could obviously tell that he wasn't paying any attention at all. They, of course knew what he was really thinking about.
On the last day of the Easter holiday, Lavi disappeared into Hogsmeade and came back several hours later clutching happily onto three large bags of Honeydukes candy. Allen and Lenalee were left to wonder why he came back from a visit to the Ravenclaw table during dinner with a large bump on his head, but when Lavi handed them large Easter egg chocolates and complained about how Kanda could have said thank you, at the least, it was apparent to them who had hit the Bookman-in-training.
"Come on, Lavi," Lenalee told him as he sat back down at the Gryffindor paper, "you know Kanda hates sweets!"
"He could have accepted them, at the least!" was Lavi's desperate reply as he blew his nose on Allen's shoulder.
"Hey! What are you doing, Lavi?" Allen cried out. "...Huh? What's this pamphlet?"
"Career advice," Lavi said, picking up the papers in front me him as well.
"Please elaborate," Allen said.
" 'All fifth years will be required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House during the first week of the Summer term, in which they will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below,'" Lavi said, recalling the notice on the Gryffindor notice board.
He shrugged.
"Well, that's that," he chortled, "just like in any other war. No matter what kind of fight is happening to move their history, the everyday life of common folks go on no matter what. Kids find jobs and get married and have kids and the same thing happens again. It's a cycle. This year, we'll be seeing Harry and Ron and Hermione get advice on what jobs they should take in the future.
"That brings us back to the conversation I had with Fred and George the other day," he continued. "They asked me what each of us would want to be if we weren't Exorcists, and even before I could answer, they suddenly came up with this weird story on what each of us would have been. They mentioned you would be a teacher, Lenalee, and I agree; you're smart enough."
"Why, thank you, Lavi," Lenalee said, a hue of pink staining her cheeks as she smiled.
"What kind of jobs do they have in the magical world, anyway?" Allen said curiously as he read through a bright pink-and-orange pamphlet. "Muggle Relations, huh?"
"Anything sound interesting to you?" Ron finally asked from his spot beside Allen. When the white-haired boy shook his head, he said, "Well, I don't fancy Healing. It says here you need at least an E at N.E.W.T. level in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I mean... blimey... Don't want much, do they?"
"Well, it's a very responsible job, isn't it?" Hermione inquired from her seat across the table. Poring over the same pamphlet as Allen, she said, "You don't seem to need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles... All they want is an O.W.L. in Muggle Studies... 'Much more important is your enthusiasm, patience, and a good sense of fun!'"
"You'd need more than a good sense of fun to liaise with my uncle," Harry told her darkly. "Good sense of when to duck, more like..."
"Same goes for my master," Allen said.
"And Panda," Lavi added.
"Listen to this," Harry cut in. "'Are you seeking a challenging career involving travel, adventure, and substantial, danger-related treasure bonuses? Then consider a position with Gringotts Wizarding Bank, who are currently recruiting Curse Breakers for thrilling opportunities abroad...' They want Arithmancy though... You could do it, Hermione!"
"I don't much fancy banking," Hermione responded vaguely, flipping through another pamphlet, this time about training security trolls.
"Hey," a voice said, and Fred and George Weasley sat down on the table. Peering at Harry, Fred (Allen was always somehow able to distinguish the two twins from one another) said, "Ginny's had a word with us about you. She says you need to talk to Sirius?"
Allen remembered seeing Harry talking to Ron's sister in the library the other day. They were just getting chased out by the librarian, Madam Pince, but Allen had overheard something about Sirius, anyway...
"What?" Hermione snapped, freezing in the middle of picking up MAKING A BANG AT THE DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL ACCIDENTS AND CATASTROPHES.
"Yeah..." Harry said with an air of attempting to sound casual, "yeah, I thought I'd like-"
"Don't be so ridiculous," Hermione said sharply, straightening her back and staring at Harry as if he'd grown ten extra heads. "With Umbridge groping around in fires and frisking all the owls?"
"Well, we think we can find a way around that," George winked. "It's a simple matter of causing a diversion. Now, you might have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem front during the Easter holidays?"
That was true, Allen thought.
"What was the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting leisure time?" Fred took over. "No point at all, we answered ourselves. And, of course, we'd have messed up people's studying time, too, which would be the last thing we'd want to do."
Hermione looked slightly taken aback.
"But it's business as usual from tomorrow," Fred continued. "And if we're going to be causing a bit of uproar, why not do it so that Harry can have his chat with Sirius?"
"Yes, but still," Hermione said, "even if you docause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?"
"Umbridge's office."
"Are – you – insane?"
"And how are you going to get in there in the first place?" Hermione demanded.
"Sirius's knife."
"Excuse me?"
"Christmas before last he gave he gave me a knife that'll open any lock," Harry explained. "So even if she's bewitched the door soAlohomora wouldn't work, which I bet she has-"
"What do you think about this?" Hermione asked Ron forcefully.
"I dunno," Ron said, almost defensively, sounding surprised to be asked his opinion. "If Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it?"
"Spoken like a true friend and Weasley," Fred said proudly, patting his brother on the back. "Right, then. We're thinking of doing it tomorrow just after lessons, because it should cause maximum impact if everybody's in the corridors – Harry, we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her office – I reckon we should be able to guarantee you, what, twenty minutes?"
"Easy," George nodded.
"What sort of diversion is it?" Ron asked.
"You'll see, little bro." Fred and George stood up. "At last, you will if trot Gregory Smarmy's corridor around five o'clock tomorrow."
"Wait," Allen said, dropping the pamphlet in his hand and following after the twins. "What exactly are you planning to do?"
"Something Umbridge won't forget," Fred answered, glancing at the others to make sure none of them were listening, "because we're thinking of leaving after this one."
"That so-called pursuing of your dream that lies in an abyss outside of what education can give you?"Allen asked with a sigh, remembering what the twins had said at the beginning of the school year.
"You've remembered, did you?" George laughed. "Yep, that's what we're after. We wish we could've stayed with you a little longer, but we've decided already. We're going. So, you and the others will take care of each other, won't you? We'll leave Lavi to a bit of our joke products, so if we don't see you before you leave, you'll have some stuff to take home to your friends in the nineteenth century... that's where you came from, right?"
"Yes," Allen nodded.
"Well, we'd be going now, prepare for tomorrow," Fred and George said. "Take care, okay, Allen?"
"Good night," Allen waved as the boys' dormitory door closed shut behind the two tall, redheaded twins. "Good-bye."
I finally updated, sorry for the delay, everyone--... Hope you enjoy it. It may be getting a bit boring, but I'm trying to speed up the story a bit so I can get to the more interesting part where I can add a bit more of the Exorcists in there... The fighting parts aren't always my favorite, but anyway... I'd better not talk too much about what's coming.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for staying with this story for so long! It still continues... (I have no clue when it will end, but currently, I have written this story for up to chapter twenty-nine in the Harry Potter book, up to page six hundred fifty-nine.)