We're back!
Kaze: Yes, and I'm back as well. Sry for not being here last time, I had some family issues to deal with. But I'm back and ready for more fun.
Kuro: And there's sure to be more of that.
Kaze: Oh the havoc we'll make.
Kuro: Muwahahaha!
Kaze: Yes, please remember we own nothing but ourselves and our pets. And please review.
Kuro: This story has over 30 reviews which I'm very happy about. We need your help to get that number even higher. So listen to Kaze.
Kaze: (smile) Now on with the story!
Truth Lies in the Shadows
Chapter 16
Partially glad to be back at Hogwarts, Harry and Ron walked up the many flights of stairs on their way to the Gryffindor tower. Once they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, the boys were denied access by a faulty password. Ginny, who had also come up with them, didn't know the new password either.
"Harry, wait!"
The three students turned towards the familiar voice behind them. Hermione came running over and stopped next to Ginny. "I got back a few hours ago. The password is abstinence." The Fat Lady swung the door open for the children. Just as they were about to enter, a call of "Won-Won!" halted their progress. When Lavender approached them, Hermione pushed past Harry and into the common room. Ginny and Harry followed her, leaving Ron to deal with his woman.
"I'll see you two later." Ginny said before running off to the girls' dormitory.
Harry looked around the common room and then plopped down into a chair in a relatively secluded area. Hermione sat on the couch across from him. She stayed quiet as she watched her friend survey the room fervently. "Are you looking for someone?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh, um, not really." Harry's observant eyes stopped darting back and forth. It was then that Ron joined them, taking a seat next to Harry.
"So, what are you going to do about Reina?" the redhead questioned.
Harry slouched down in his chair and sighed. "I have no idea. This isn't exactly a situation I am in often."
"Why do you think this all came out now? Dumbledore has had almost six years to tell you but he didn't." Ron said in a thoughtful tone.
"Wha-" Hermione tried to speak but was cut off.
"There's got to be a good reason. It's not like Dumbledore to withhold information like this."
"Dumbledore?"
"I guess I'll find out soon enough since I have a meeting with him."
"What the hell are you talking about!"
The boys ceased their chatter at the sudden outburst. They stared at Hermione in awe, speechless after hearing something like that come out of their friend's mouth. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Now that I have your attention, what is going on?"
"I found out over the break that I actually have family still living on my dad's side." Said Harry. Hermione's eyes widened and her lips parted. "Before you say anything you should know that it's not what you think. Supposedly my dad had a sister who was disowned by their parents when she fell in love."
"James had a sister? What was her name?"
"Marina." Ron answered. He earned himself a dirty look from Hermione for his input. "I'm just trying to help, Hermione." he said irritated.
"Well, don't. This is Harry's story."
Now rather frustrated, Ron stood up abruptly and stormed away. Harry watched him cross the common room and disappear up the stairs to the boy's rooms. Once Ron was out of view, he looked back to Hermione who was staring at her feet. 'This is getting old.' he thought, sinking into his chair a bit more.
"Did Dumbledore know?" the girl asked after a couple moments of silence. Harry nodded. "Then Ron was right, there must be a good reason for the secrecy. But how does Reina tie into all of this?"
Harry was no longer shocked by any of it, so he didn't sound very enthusiastic about anything. "Marina had a child before she died sixteen years ago. Reina just so happens to be that child."
"Reina is your cousin? So that's why she seemed so interested in you before. Why aren't you excited about this, Harry? Reina is a nice person, and I would assume she'd be fun to have as kin."
"She would if she didn't have a massive secret that could scare the whole school." the boy muttered. He sat up and leaned forward closer to Hermione. With a quick glance around them, Harry whispered, "Remember when I said the demons looked familiar?" A nod followed the question. "I wasn't wrong. The one with the blue hair was Reina. And there's no doubt the other two were Kaze and Kiku."
At first Hermione thought this to be Harry's suspicions taking over his ability to think clear. However, Harry wouldn't make up something like this, would he? Hermione recoiled slightly. "That would explain a lot." she said in thought.
Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "So you have actually renounced your claim on he logical explanations you came up with?" His cockiness in that statement earned him a dirty look, similar to the one thrown at Ron.
"Only once I talk to the girls." Hermione said sternly. "Speaking of which, where are they? I haven't seen Kiku or Kaze for a couple hours, and I haven't seen Reina at all since I got back." She looked around the room, which turned out to be useless since Kiku was a Slytherin and neither Gryffindor was in sight.
"Um, I don't know about Kaze, but Rei is probably upset with me." Harry mumbled guiltily.
"Why?"
"I wasn't very happy when she told me over Christmas."
"Damn straight."
Both Harry and Hermione were startled by the new addition to the conversation. Looking up they saw Kaze standing there with an unpleasant face.
"Oh, hello, Kaze." said Hermione.
"Hello, Hermione." the wind demon replied sweetly and then directed a glare back at Harry. "Have you had a change of heart?"
Harry turned away from the girl's intense gaze. "Yes, I know I was wrong to react that way. But you're not the one I should apologize to so I don't have to say anymore." He stated calmly, not intending to sound like a jackass, although he kind of did.
After watching the male stare at his feet for a moment, Kaze dropped down onto the couch next to Hermione. "Fair enough." she mumbled. "Good luck finding her though. She found even more hiding places over the break. I've given up on finding them all, but Kiku is still determined to locate the spots. She'll be a better help than me to track down Reina."
"You and Kiku are the other demons."
The wind demon blinked a few times. "Of course we are. Who did you think it was, lavender and Pavarti?" she said sarcastically. Hermione covered her mouth to hide a small laugh. Just the thought of Lavender and Pavarti trying to act ruthless prompted a chuckle.
"Are you really demons?" Harry asked with a questioning look in his eyes. Kaze didn't answer because his question was confusing. With a sigh at the frustration in this, the boy rephrased his words. "Are you demons or are you like Reina?"
Kaze continued to stare at him with a blank expression. "Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed causing Hermione to flinch. "You mean are we half-demons. No, no, no. Kiku and I are full-blooded demons."
"Okay. Can you tell me what the difference is?"
"Um…well," The girl kicked her shoes off and pulled her feet onto the couch. "Half-demons, while still having powers, usually aren't as strong as full-blooded demons. However, with training and hard work they can reach a level matching that of a demon. It's just a lot harder. Half-breeds' powers are limited, but they can sometimes do things that full fledged members of their species can't."
"It's a bit like cross-breeding two different species of animals. The offspring has characteristics of both parents." Hermione suggested her theory when Kaze paused. It was fairly easy for the young witch's sharp mind to pick up on the concept.
After contemplating the idea for a few seconds, Kaze smirked and nodded. "Yeah, that's a good example." Before she could say anything more, there was a loud crash from somewhere behind the kids. The three of them whipped around to see what was going on.
Students were screaming and shouting as they scurried around the room, dodging falling objects and each other. Among the chaos of angry people, three different blurs could be seen blazing through the common room; one black soaring thought the air, one black with a speck of white on the ground, and one pure white blur also on the ground.
"Mayoke!"
"Fireball!"
"Hashi!"
Reina and Kiku ran in from the portrait hole and Kaze jumped off the couch. The three animals paid no attention to their masters and continued to chase one another. Mayoke flew up to the highest point he could find so the cat could no longer chase him. With the bird gone, Fireball was left on the ground running from Hashi. The cat and fox did circles around some people's feet after doing laps around the furniture, and then made a dash for the still open portrait hole. Before they could make it out, both animals were plucked up off the ground. As they were being held away from each other, Fireball hissed at Hashi who growled back.
"Stop it, both of you." Kiku demanded in a motherly tone. She and Kaze rubbed their pets trying to calm them. Next to the girls, Reina turned around and looked up to the ceiling. She called out for Mayoke and waited until the raven floated down to land on her outstretched hand. When he landed, Reina saw that there was a letter attached to his leg. She quickly removed the paper and pocketed it.
"Um, girls," Harry walked over and stood next to the group. "We might want to get out of here."
Kiku looked at him strangely. "Why?" Harry pointed to the surrounding students. Several dirty looks were directed at the three demons and the animals they held. "Oh, good idea." Hermione joined them and the four Gryffindors and single Slytherin quickly left the scene.
Once outside in the hall, Hermione pulled Harry back to her side as they walked towards the Great Hall. Making sure the others couldn't hear them, she whispered, "When are you going to talk to Reina? You said yourself that you need to apologize to her."
"I don't know."
"The sooner the better."
"Yeah,"
The group came upon the double doors within minutes and continued to proceed into the Great Hall. Hermione nudged the boy in the arm as she passed. After a roll of his eyes, Harry walked forward. "Reina, could you hang back for a minute?" he said stepping to the side of the doors. The half-demon stopped and turned to face him. She glanced back to the others who made pushing gestures telling her to go on. She then looked to Harry again before moving to the side next to him.
"Want to go for a stroll?"
Reina nodded. The two teens went outside the castle and down to the lake. After making a fourth of a lap around the huge body of water, Harry finally spoke. "Thank you for the broomstick plate. It's really nice." he said, his hands buried deep in his pockets.
"I'm glad you like it." replied Reina.
Harry abruptly stopped walking. "Reina, I am really sorry for my behavior on Christmas."
The half-demon also froze and looked up at Harry. "It's okay. I didn't expect you to react any differently than you did."
"But I still should have been more understanding."
"Harry, listen to me." With a gentle touch, Reina covered her cousin's hand with both of hers. "You have a lot of things going on in your life right now. The last thing you need is a burdensome cousin. That's why I didn't tell you sooner. I wanted to give you time to overcome the grief from the events at the Ministry. You have nothing to be sorry for."
Something in the young woman's tone put Harry's mind at ease. No longer did he feel as guilty as he had before. Instead he felt surprisingly relieved, and a bit hungry. They were missing lunch after all.
"You want to get something to eat, cousin?" Harry asked smiling. His smile was matched by that the half-demon expressed.
"Of course."
Both teenagers turned and started back to the castle. "You're not going to suddenly become unbearably annoying, are you?" said Harry when they were a few yards from the door. He waited but there was never an answer. His head turned to where Rein was only moments before and now was empty. From behind him a pair of hands pushed on his back making Harry lose his balance and stumble forward. Quickly standing back up straight, he looked around to see his cousin at the door.
"Maybe!" she hollered before escaping into the castle with Harry chasing after her.
When Harry and Reina entered the Great Hall they saw a group of people gathered around the center next to the Gryffindor table. As they got closer they could see Ron and Hermione holding back a furious Kaze. Opposite them were Malfoy and his gang with Kiku standing in the middle looking pissed.
"Excuse me." Harry said while pushing through the crowd. "What's going on?"
"Looks like Malfoy started something." muttered Reina from next to him. "And Kaze is about to blow." She pushed past the remainder of people in her way, Harry right on her heels.
"Draco, stop acting like an asshole so we can eat." Kiku stated annoyed. This got the Malfoy heir to send her a glare, which had no affect on the hungry water demon. It was obvious that he wasn't going to back down unless someone physically dragged him away, and Kiku wasn't really in the mood to do that. "Whatever." she grumbled and then walked away to sit at the Slytherin table.
Since a small percentage of Hogwarts' students and staff still hadn't arrived back, there weren't any teachers or adult figures in the hall to stop anything destructive that might ensue. This seemed odd considering many kids were coming in for lunch. Apparently Malfoy caught this and decided to use it to his advantage for making trouble.
"What's wrong? Will Weasley and Granger not let the little girl try to fight?" Malfoy taunted as Kaze was being held back.
"Let me go!" The wind demon jerked forward, successfully escaping her captors' grip. Before she could get close to Malfoy, Reina grabbed the shorter girl's upper arm pulling her back. Kaze swore under her breath when she saw who had a hold of her. "Rei, you hate him just as much as I do so let me go. You can even help me beat the shit out of him."
"What did he do that's got you so worked up?" the half-demon asked refusing to loosen her grip. The fury and determination in Kaze's grayish green eyes dimmed for a mere moment and then quickly redirected their gaze. Whatever Malfoy had done must have really affected the wind demon in a way that hit her to the core. Reina wasn't used to seeing her best friend in an emotional state, but she was still able to recognize it when she saw it. She didn't press the matter and instead turned to face the problem.
"Why don't you take your goons and be on your merry way, Malfoy?"
Malfoy glared at the girl with the sharp tongue; this one was really beginning to get on his nerves. He glanced around at the other people who gathered around as spectators, eagerly waiting for a fight to break out. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kiku sitting down with an obvious look of boredom on her face. "Let's go before I lose my appetite from the mere presence of these Gryffindors." he sneered. He then turned to walk to his seat.
As the bleach-blond retreated, Kaze watched him closely. Reina let go of her arm and, wasting no time, Kaze pulled out her wand, pointing it at Malfoy. "Labor lapsus!" A flash of yellow shot out from the tip of the wand and flew straight to Malfoy's feet. Immediately the spell took affect causing the Slytherin boy to slip and fall to the floor. Malfoy tried to stand back up, but fell down yet again. While the slipping jinx continued to get the best of its victim, the onlookers were having a good laugh at the scene.
"Serves you right, Draco." Kiku snickered. She spun around on the bench and helped herself to the food on the table.
"Shut up!" growled Malfoy. "Now cast the counter spell."
"I can't very well cast a spell if I shut up."
"Just do it!"
"Fine, I'll fix it, Mr. Cranky." Kiku pointed her wand at her friend with one hand and took a drink of her juice with the other. Without verbally saying anything, she lifted the jinx. Malfoy stomped over to his seat when he was able to walk again and sat down with a disgruntled glare at the Gryffindor table.
After the group was broken up by the arrival of teachers, things returned to a relatively normal lunch. Harry and his friends settled into their seats to eat. Strangely, no one started up a conversation. The silence soon became unnerving. Harry glanced over to Kaze who was absently picking at the food on her plate with a fork. Next to her sat a worried half-demon.
"Kaze," Reina said softly.
"Huh?" The wind demon's head popped up from its drooping position. Reina's questioning stare was enough to inform Kaze of her concerns. "It was nothing, Rei. Don't worry about it." she said and then stuck a forkful of macaroni and cheese in her mouth.
"If it was nothing then you wouldn't be acting like this."
Kaze stared up at the girl from across the table. She yanked the fork out of her mouth and dropped it on the plate. The utensil made a clattering noise as it hit the plate. "He took a jab at our families." she said frustrated.
"Whose?"
"All of us." Ron answered from next to the wind demon. "He was saying crap about how poor my family is, that Hermione's parents are filthy muggles, and he rudely pointed out that Harry and the two of you didn't even have a family."
Reina now understood why Kaze was upset. Of the few things that bothered her, other than being called by her real name and snobby people, talking about her family was probably the one with the most affect on the wind demon. Kaze had been an orphan for most of her life, ever since her parents died when she was a little girl. When she grew a bit older she moved to the village where Darikk and Reina lived. The Krones soon found out that the young girl put up an illusion to hide her past.
"Kaze, forget about what Malfoy says. He's wrong. You have a family with me and Father and all of the friends you're surrounded by who care about you. Don't let anyone tell you different." Reina watched the wind demon closely as her words sunk in.
A smile found its way to the surface of Kaze's face. It was a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Thanks." She picked up her fork again and began eating. "I still think you should have let me beat him to a bloody pulp."
"Yeah, I should have." replied Reina. She, too, filled up her plate with food and ate with the others.
Harry turned the last corner before reaching the phoenix statue. "Earwax." he stated loud enough to be heard by the stone figure. Luckily no one was around to see Harry almost trip over his own feet as he took up the stairs two at a time. He was granted entrance when he arrived at the top. Inside the office, Dumbledore was sitting at his desk waiting patiently for his visitor.
"You're late." the Headmaster said smiling. He placed the piece of rough parchment that he'd been reading on the desktop.
"Sorry. I lost track of time."
"You're forgiven since this is not one of our usual meetings. For those I want you here on time. But the reason I called you here tonight is to discuss things between you and Miss Krone." Dumbledore leaned back slightly once Harry had taken a seat. "So, how are things between the two of you?"
"Fine, sir." the boy replied. "I apologized for the way I acted and Reina understood. I think I'll be okay with it all."
"Lupin said that things didn't go very well."
The young man swallowed nervously. "You talked to Lupin?" Dumbledore nodded. "I admit I was a jerk."
With a chuckle, Dumbledore raised his hands connecting his fingertips. "You said it, not I." he said gently. "Does this mean that you understand the reasons behind the secrecy?"
"Yes, Reina explained why she never said anything sooner. It would have jeopardized her safety as well as Kaze and Kiku's. She also said that she didn't want me to be overwhelmed by the news with everything that's happened."
When Reina sat down with him and explained everything, Harry had felt much better. He was learning a lot about James's sister and her family. He'd even asked the half-demon to teach him how to fight. Although, after seeing the 'friendly' sparring matches between the three demons he was having second thoughts. He already went through the pain of growing a new bone and he had no desire to go through it again.
"According to McGonagall you are getting along even better than before the holidays." The smile Dumbledore was wearing suddenly fell to a thin line. His voice grew serious. "Harry, I assume that Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger know about the girls' secret." He paused and waited for the slight nod of the boy's head. "It is crucial that no one else discover there are demons in Hogwarts."
"I know, sir. People would fear them and the girls would be in danger." Harry interrupted. He read through the chapter on demons in his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. From that he learned the history in detail between humans and demons. Like Lupin said, it wasn't pretty.
"I'm pleased that you have taken an interest in the subject of demons, Harry. As useful as they are, however, textbooks don't hold everything about everything. Not only would the girls be in danger from the students and other wizards, but also in the world's current situation there are higher authorities that would see them as a threat. The Ministry, for example, would be highly cautious and might possibly take them into custody."
"Custody?" Harry echoed with concern. "Where? They can't put them in Azkaban."
"They could if they see fit to."
The thought of the Ministry taking action never occurred to Harry, but he wasn't surprised. Scrimgeour was the kind of person who would do it just to spite whoever opposed him. Placing innocent people in Azkaban would anger Dumbledore. Scrimgeour could use that to force the Headmaster to do something for him. He might also use it to persuade Harry if he found out the connection between Harry and Reina.
"What can we do to prevent that from happening?" asked Harry, now slightly perturbed.
"All we can do it try our best to keep this information from falling into the wrong hands." Dumbledore said calmly. While Harry recovered from the blow of his cousin facing Azkaban, the Headmaster was deep in thought. The Ministry wasn't their only problem. There was someone out there who would be even more powerful if he could control three young demons.
"Harry,"
The Boy-Who-Lived lifted his head to look at Dumbledore.
"Azkaban isn't as bad as what else could happen if the girls are found out. You know that Voldemort uses any means necessary to get what he wants. And when he's done he'll dispose of whatever it was he used. If Voldemort learns that Hogwarts is housing demons with still developing powers, the world will face even more destruction."
Dumbledore didn't have to finish that thought for Harry to understand. Voldemort was worse compared to the wizard prison. The girls' lives would be at stake if the Dark Lord got a hold of them.
"I don't have to emphasize how important it is to keep this all a well kept secret." Dumbledore's words disrupted Harry's thoughts.
With a powerful determination in his eyes, Harry looked at the old wizard. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen."