Kuro: Yay! Two reviews in just one day. I feel special.
Kaze: Yeah, you're special alright.
Kuro: Oi! You're lucky I've already had some sugar within the past hour. It means I'm in a good mood.
Kaze: Right, we'll see how long that last.
Kuro: (sticks tongue out at Kaze)
Kaze: Be careful with that, or I'll get you know who to claw it off.
Kuro: (sucks tongue back in) You're no fun.
Kaze: Calm down, you'll have your fun later on. Remember what we're going to do once we get to Hogwarts?
Kuro: Oh yeah. Hehehe.
Kaze: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please remember to review. It'll make us happy and more updates.
Kuro: Yep! And we own nothng but ourselves and other OCs.
Review Responses:
Porsha-r.smith- The whole 'not human' thing is an inside joke with my friends. We call ourselves animals, demons, elves, etc. For example, because my main nickname is Kuronue I'm a bat since Kuronue is a bat demon.
Varley 990- Yes, most of the OCs are based off of my friends. Plus they gave me profiles for their characters so that helps. Reina is my character, Kaze is my friend Kaze's character (ironic, huh?), and a couple more will come in later.
Truth Lies in the Shadows
Chapter 3
It was early in the morning when Reina was shaken awake by her father. She may have been a half-demon, but she was still a teenager. And almost every teenager hated getting up early. It was even worse in Reina's case since she was a shadow demon. In the end, Darikk had to threaten to take away a couple hours from her curfew to get her out of bed.
The half-awake teen trudged downstairs and into the kitchen where she dropped into a chair. Some eggs and a piece of toast were waiting to be eaten on the plate in front of her. She gave the breakfast a disgusted look before pushing it away. Darikk knew good and well that Reina never ate anything for breakfast, but every once in a while he would attempt to get her to eat.
"Not hungry?" Darikk asked despite his knowledge of the answer. He took a seat at the table across from the girl.
"Am I ever?" Reina replied. She got up and went over to the stove. The kettle's lid shook from the steam forcing itself out. She removed the cooking pot from the burner as she turned the stovetop off. After pouring her regular morning tea, she leaned against the nearest wall, enjoying the soothing aroma of the hot liquid.
Growing uneasy with the silence, Darikk said, "You'll like Hogwarts. Your mother loved it. She always said it was her home away from home. And according to Hagrid, Albus Dumbledore is the greatest Headmaster that Hogwarts has ever seen."
Reina made no movement to indicate that she had heard him. She just continued to stare off into space over the rim of her mug. At last she rinsed her cup out and placed it in the sink.
"At least Kaze will be there, not to mention Hagrid." She took her place against the wall once again, then looked over at her father. "Was Mom a powerful witch?"
The question caught Darikk by surprise, but he was grateful that she asked. Reina was full of questions and curiosities about her mother when she was a child. However, with each passing year there were less and less questions. Not too long ago Darikk had asked about her sudden lack of interest. All Reina had to say was, "Why bother? Inquiring about the dead won't make them come back." Darikk never pressed the issue after such an answer.
"Well, if her old teachers' unyielding compliments and praises had anything to do with it then I'd say yes." This seemed to answer Reina's question for she revealed a small smile. She was about to say something, but decided against it. Seeing that she was going to say no more, Darikk wulfed down the discarded toast and stood up.
"So, are you ready to leave?"
The half-demon nodded. She pushed away from the wall and followed the man out of the kitchen. Her cloak was thrown around her, the hood up covering her face. The two shadow demons departed the house empty handed. Darikk was to return later to retrieve his things while a neighbor was to bring Reina and Kaze's belongings to Hogwarts that afternoon.
Soon the pair was joined by the wind demon who's grand entrance was that of dropping from a tree. Lucky for Darikk, his companions were not the typical gossiping teenage girls. Instead of listening to conversations about makeup and who's-dating-who, he enjoyed the discussions of the latest fights and the trash talking of the boys their age. He was required to interject a couple of times when the girls got carried away with the name calling, and when Kaze let it slip that Reina was a participant and winner of half the fights.
An hour into the walk, the Dark Forest around them grew darker and more conjested with trees. Darikk's eyes darted over their surroundings looking for any sign of danger. Demons may have been considered one of the dark creatures in the wizarding world, but it didn't mean demons were friendly with all of their fellow "dark creatures".
"Stay close, girls." said Darikk. "Be aware of what lurks in this part of the forest." Heeding his words, Reina and Kaze ceased their talking. The three demons quickened their pace so the castle drew closer faster. Before they reached the end of the forest, Reina came up to her father's side.
"Father, why is it that we walked instead of using the shadows? It would have been less time consuming and possibly safer." she said to him. It had struck her as odd at the start of their travel that their mode of transportation was walking, not falling through shadows like Darikk and Reina normally did. Darikk answered without looking at her, his eyes still searching for danger.
"In these times it would be safer to appear less suspicious. Popping out of nowhere in the middle of the castle grounds screams suspicion."
Reina smirked. "That would give us away, now wouldn't it?" She was satisfied with the explanation and fell back in line with Kaze. A few short minutes later, an enormous stone castle emerged on top of the hill. The sun beat down on the magnificent architexture. Reina and Kaze were in awe. The half-demon had seen the school before, but it had been many years ago. All she had remembered was that it was huge. Darikk beckoned the girls along until they were completely outof the Dark Forest. Then he led them around to the front of the small hut standing on the outskirts of the forest.
Darikk walked up to the door and knocked gently on the wooden door. There was a loud crash followed by barking and shuffling. "Stop tha', Fang!" The dog's narking ceased as the door opened. At the sight of his visitors, Hagrid's face, the little part of it that could be seen, lit up. "Darikk! You're 'ere early."
"My business is urgent." the demon replied with a smile. Darikk stepped back to allow Hagrid to exit the hut.
"Blimey! Is that you, Reina?" Hagrid exclaimed when he caught sight of the dark blue haired girl. Reina couldn't help but smile at the giant. She ran up to him and hugged him.
"It is good to see you again after all these years, Hagrid." she said. Hagrid squeezed the teenager tightly.
"You've grown so much." he said when Reina pulled back. Hagrid lifted the girl's chin with his oversized hand. "And ya look exactly like your mum."
The half-demon continued to smile. Darikk told her that all too often, but for some reason unknown to her she liked hearing it. "Hagrid, this is my friend Kaze." She introduced them. Kaze shot the giant a grin and bowed slightly.
"Kaze, eh? Welcome to Hogwarts." Hagrid swept his arm in the air towards the castle. The wind demon thanked him.
"Hagrid, my dear friend." Darikk addressed him. "Could you please take the girls up to Headmaster Dumbledore's office? I'm afraid I cannot stay any longer."
Hagrid looked confused, but nodded anyway. "Sure thing. Where are your things?" After Darikk explained to him that the girls' luggage would be arriving later that day, the shadow demon pulled his daughter aside. He didn't say anything at first, only stared over the castle. Reina waited patiently for him to speak, listening to Kaze informing Hagrid of her origin.
"I will write whenever I get the chance." Darikk said at last. The half-demon nodded although she didn't know whether or not Darikk was looking. "And while you are here you must keep your heritage to yourself until Dumbledore says otherwise, understood?" This time the elder demon did look down at Reina.
"I understand." she said firmly under her father's gaze.
"I know you will not disappoint me." Darikk kissed his daughter's head and smiled. "Good luck." He strided over to Hagrid, spoke a few words, and then stepped towards the Dark Forest. Before entering the woods, he turned to look back at Reina one last time. Silently telling her his love belongs to her, he departed from the grounds.
"Goodbye, Father."
Reina continued to gaze at the spot where Darikk had been until Kaze came up behind her. "He'll be back before you know it." the wind demon said trying to comfort her friend. With a heavy sigh, Reina thanked her. Both girls joined Hagrid as he trudged up the hill towards the castle that served as a school.
As they grew closer to the building, the demons grew slightly nervous. Kaze was used to being around humans. She was always dragged secretly to mortal cities by her half-demon friend accomplice. But this would be her first encounter with members of a magical world. However, Reina had been around both types of mortal, and yet her breathing became short and quick. The half-demon belonged to the world of neither human nor demon. She was accepted by no one, so what would make witches and wizards understand her situation.
When they had reached the main gate, the heavy doors slowly opened to allow them entrance. Hagrid smiled at the stunned expressions on the teenagers' faces.
"This place is huge! You could fit a full-sized tornado in here!" the wind demon exclaimed in astonishment.
"No kidding. There's no telling what parts of the Shadow Realm you could end up in from here." the shadow demon stated as she observed every corner of the Entrance Hall.
Hagrid chuckled at their reactions, although he was a bit confused by what the girls were talking about. He ushered them out of the hall and towards the phoenix statue. Once there, Hagrid said the password. The girls watched patiently as the staricase spiraled up the height of the tower. They went up, knocked on the door, and entered the Headmaster's office.