Chapter Four- Magic, Hogwarts style…
Sora managed the entire next day without being attacked, which was lovely but made him very, very paranoid. Well, he wasn't attacked by heartless, but several classes ended with interesting results, and his time with Snape had him waiting for the teacher's murder attempt. Sora didn't know what darkness followed the man, or how or why he'd let it bloom within him, but he did know that the bitter Potion's teacher was, without a doubt, the most unpleasant man he'd ever met. And Sora had battled an angry, insulted Hades before, so that was really saying something. Next time they met, maybe Sora would casually drop a comment about being outdone in the snark department.
Sora also had a slightly more embarrassing problem, one that amused Donald and Goofy no end. He was suffering from a terror he'd never before encountered, constantly on the move as he was.
Fangirls.
Between his 'mysterious' arrival, (several of the curious onlookers at the lake had blabbed) his 'quaint' clothing, even under the cloak, not to mention his 'ethereal' looks, Sora had been firmly targeted, and was now, without any subtly whatsoever, being stalked. Sora firmly believed that this counted as 'bothering' the new students, something Dumbledore had warned against in his speech, but no-one else seemed to share his opinion. No, they all seemed far too amused, the bastards. Sora was almost hoping the damn heartless would attack already, so he'd have something to kill, not to mention it would keep the evil horde of girls- and occasional boy- far away. Of course, in defiance of his wishes, a near-miracle occurred and nothing happened in the heartless department. Why did that never happen when he really wanted it, huh? So, followed by a slightly jealous Ron, a highly amused Harry, and a slightly embarrassed Hermione- and the aforementioned amused Donald and Goofy, Sora soldiered on, manfully ignoring the sighs, giggles, and fluttering eyelashes. Other than that, he was really enjoying Hogwarts- the classes were interesting, even though he doubted the spells he was learning would have any affect on the heartless. He did not, in fact, blow any roofs off, but he did send an otherwise harmless snuff-box off on a ricocheting journey around the Charms classroom, whereupon it became a ballistic missile that shattered several delicate and important looking somethings before slamming back onto his desk and playing dead once more. Defense, with someone called Lupin, Sora enjoyed immensely, even after he accidentally set fire to the teacher's desk when a group of pixies surprised him. Aside from a few- explosive results- a.k.a, what would subsequently be known as the Potions Incident by the 6th year Gryffindor's, and never, ever mentioned by the Slytherin's, Sora and co made it through their first real school day without dying, and without killing anyone, and thus deemed it a rousing success. The Gryffindor's agreed, since they were already committing the whole potion's thing to memory, and were considering creating a wall for the occasion. Let's not even mention the Divination classes.
And there wasn't, excuse the pun, a shadow of a heartless.
Yet.
Things were going swimmingly, and Sora and his new friends were having a great time, so of course it makes sense, and follows Murphy's Law, that that was when the whole 'heartless' issue, not to mention the world-saving thing, began to raise their respective, ugly heads. And we haven't yet discovered whatever crazy, deadly plot Voldemort had cooked up. At least Sora got a full day of fun and danger unrelated to anything outside of learning magic in a seriously strange castle. His earlier prediction of two days, however, turned out to be quite accurate, and it was in Care of Magical Creatures that a small group of heartless tried, once more, to rip his heart out.
--
Actually, Sora wasn't all that surprised. He had been expecting something, after all, and with the giant man Hagrid, (who made poor small, slender Sora feel positively miniscule) enthusiastically introducing the class to 'cute', 'little' fire-breathing wyverns, the small group of heartless were kind of pathetic. Although Jiminy was very excited when one of the heartless proved to be an entirely new kind and scolded Sora for killing it too quickly before he could get a proper description, Sora could hardly have cared less what name they would be called. As easy as the attempted invasion of their hearts had been to Sora and his friends, the students in the class- and every teacher at Hogwarts- seemed very disturbed. Sora was just a little irritated, after all he'd clearly warned them about them, so why was everyone acting so surprised and horrified now? Sora was more worried about later on, when the heartless would work their way into the castle, and he'd be back to watching, and feeling, every shadow. Not that he didn't do that now. He was also kind of sad that Hagrid's class had been disrupted, for he'd seemed super nice, and had been absolutely, obsessively, fascinated with Donald and Goofy. Sora could have strangled someone, however, when someone pointed out that Sora had in fact been mer-Sora only two days ago, and Hagrid practically exploded with enthusiasm, asking questions left and right in his thick brogue until Sora was half-convinced the man was about to make a dash for the nearby lake and throw him in so he could get a first-hand view. Not that he didn't like being a mermaid, er, merman, but Hagrid seemed to be taking it rather too far.
That evening at dinner, Dumbledore, after a quick discussion with Sora, once more called for the attention of his students.
"It seems the heartless have started to appear. I once more urge you all to be careful, as these attacks will only increase until the Keyhole has been sealed." Sora was pretty sure this world's Keyhole was somewhere at Hogwarts, and he was rarely wrong.
"Since none of us here are skilled in fighting these dangerous creatures, I am going to have your House heads divide you into groups, that you will remain in at all times outside of your common rooms for your own safety. If heartless are seen, warning must be given immediately to a teacher." Dumbledore glanced across the room at Sora, staring at his youthful features and bright eyes, and sighed softly.
"Or any of our three newcomers, who have faced them before." Dumbledore's countenance became stern as he swept his eyes over the hall, commanding each student to notice.
"Anyone caught breaking these new rules will loose points and be given an immediate detention. Otherwise, I hope you all have a happy, fruitful year here at Hogwarts."
As Dumbledore sat down, the Hall exploded into excited chatter, the current topic being, predictably, the three new 'other-world' students and the dark beasts that had shown up.
Sora sunk low into his seat, trying to ignore the weight of countless curious stares. His new friends supported him with fierce looks, and the whole Gryffindor table rallied in defense of it's newest members. Not that they weren't curious, however.
"Hey, it's Sora, isn't it, do you really come from another world?" Frankly surprised that no-one had yet asked him about this, Sora nodded, then realizing a verbal agreement was needed, voiced a quiet yes. This seemed to impress them, and emboldened by his answer, dozens of questions were flung at him, until, laughing, he lifted his hands and managed to quiet them.
"I'm not allowed to talk about it, sorry, it's not allowed. But yes, we come from a different world, yes, we fight the heartless- and what do you mean do I have a girlfriend?!" When he refused to answer anymore they left him alone, but he heard them whispering to each other, speculating, and throwing dark looks at the Gryffindor trio, guessing correctly that they knew more than they were saying.
And so passed another relatively peaceful day at Hogwarts.
The night was to be far less quiet.
--
Sora had noticed early on differing levels of intelligence in the heartless. The little heartless, the ones he'd first met and what he'd turned into when he'd briefly died, were pretty mindless. They hungered blindly after hearts, attracted by their light, and were easy to outmaneuver. Other kinds of heartless, however, were not so mindless. While not up to doing mathematics or discussing philosophy, they were none the less up to levels of animal cunning Sora would never have expected. And unlike the sad little attack outside the castle, Sora never saw this one coming.
He'd been sleeping, although not deeply, and he could distantly hear Goofy snoring and Donald's sleep-muttering. They tended not to keep watch when sleeping in actual buildings, for various reasons, although the idea of heartless etiquette (what-not-to-do-when- trying- to- kill- people- at- home) was not one of them. It just happened so rarely. Sure, they'd attack the instance you set foot out the door, but not in a 'safe' room, a room that for whatever reason heartless didn't enter. Sora, Keyblade Master, and possessor of an extremely bright heart, was evidently cause for the breaking of this unwritten rule, however.
He rolled over in his sleep, trying to block out the sound of his friends. Unnoticed, the dark shadows in the room suddenly got a lot darker, and something shifted near the window-sill, flickering underneath the light cast by the moon outside. The window was open, an oversight in hindsight, perhaps.
Perhaps not, as well, for the heartless didn't need windows.
A thin strip of moonlight lay across the floor, and cut across the three beds. There was a dark whisper that had nothing to do with the wind, and the shadows surged, a dark pulse of energy, as heartless suddenly erupted from every shadow in the room. Sora woke, feeling it, catapulting himself with a cry, covers and all, to the floor. He rolled, the Keyblade biting into his white-knuckled grip as he deflected a flying heartless's slash at his throat. Donald and Goofy had awoken at his cry, and were desperately trying to free themselves from their beds, as well as defend themselves from the sudden horde invading what had seconds before been a calm, sleepy scene.
Seeing their trouble, Sora was a desperate whirl of fury, spinning Oathkeeper so fast it was merely a silver blur, cutting into the heartless he could hardly see, they camouflaged so well. A burst of flame from Donald set his bed alight as the little Mage fought his way to Sora's side, joined by Goofy who had grabbed his covers and flung them over the attacking heartless, momentary blinding them as he gained his feet.
The small room worked against them as they fought for maneuvering room, wildly ducking blows and furniture. Sora preferred aerial combat, which let him come at his enemy from a variety of angles, but was forced into hack'n'slash combat. He flung up another desperate aeroga.
There were so many of them in the small room that they were blocking the moonlight out, but in the end the small room worked against the heartless as well, as their overwhelming numbers crowded them in so they couldn't properly strike.
Finally, overwhelmed by the close quarters fight and terrified for his friends, Sora reached, stretching out and pulling Donald and Goofy inside as he transformed into Master Form for the first time. Armed with two Keyblades, mind swirling with knowledge not his own, Sora became an army of one as he destroyed every last heartless with incredible speed. Then suddenly the room was empty, the heartless gone, leaving only a dark miasma in the air and the memory of sharp claws, heavy wings and overwhelming hatred.
Sora slumped to his knees, his glowing form suddenly reverting back to normal, Goofy and Donald sitting beside him, slightly dazed.
The sound turned back on, and he could hear someone yelling something from outside of the portrait.
--
'Someone' turned out to be several frantic Gryffindor's including Harry and his friends, who asked a barrage of desperate questions, babbling about hearing odd noises, all the while telling them it was okay, they'd sent for a teacher.
Apparently, Sora's little room lived right across the hall from the Gryffindor common-room.
Funny how he hadn't noticed that.
Before Sora could really process what had just happened, with Donald cautiously poking his way around the thoroughly-and we do mean thoroughly- destroyed room, Professor McGonagall arrived at a run.
Sora blinked at her, still leaning against the portrait frame, pulling himself out of unexpected-battle mode and into something that resembled coherence.
"What on earth happened here? Mr.Weasley said something about a fight."
A bloody miniature war, Sora thought darkly.
"You could say that."
Sadly, Sora wasn't allowed to go back to sleep, as Professor McGonagall, having taken a cursory glance into their bedroom, shrieked in horror, her wand gripped tightly in one hand. To be fair to the normally un-flusterable teacher, the room was completely trashed, fire spells had left impressive scorch marks on the wall, and claws had left gouges over almost every available surface. Shooing her gryffindor's back to bed, Professor McGonagall all but dragged the confused trio to the hospital wing, muttering about dangerous creatures and young boys that shouldn't be fighting. As Sora was quite firmly deposited onto a bed in the white healing wing by a flustered McGonagall, and joined by an equally flustered Madame Pomfrey, he finally managed to get a question in.
"What the hell is wrong?!" Donald and Goofy seemed equally lost.
"What is wrong? What is wrong? Child, you're covered in blood!" Sora blinked, looking down. It had been a brutal, close-quarters battle, and his magical clothes were looking a little worse for the wear.
"Oh, this? Don't worry, not much of it's mine." And before either teacher could say anything to that statement, Sora waved a hand over himself, concentrating and performing a quick curaga. Green light with golden overtones instantly surrounded the boy, wrapping him in waves of soothing healing magic. He was mostly bruised, but a few nasty cuts and one wicked slice over his chest healed over instantly. His fairy made clothing, bless it, also finished 'healing' and even managed to vanish the blood stains. (And these people had wanted him to change clothes! Honestly.)
"See?" Sora beamed up at the two gaping teachers, absently trying to wipe a splatter of blood off one pale cheek. His clothes were now blood-free, but they only cleaned themselves, not him.
Hmm. He wondered if these wizards had any spells for that. But speaking of blood and wounds, Sora looked over at Donald and Goofy, just to make sure they were alright. They were, although Donald was just performing a quick healing spell over himself, and seemed to be trying to smooth his feathers back into place.
Madame Pomfrey found her voice.
"You, you just…all at once! All of it!" And before Sora could decipher enthusiastic healer-babble, she lunged forward and grabbed him, titling his head to the side, running a professional hand over his chest where he'd been wounded only seconds before.
"Hey! I'm fine!" Sora was freaking just a little. His sleep had been interrupted again, he'd just been in a vicious fight, and he didn't want to have to answer an overexcited healer's questions, no matter how nice she was.
"I'm sorry about the room, Professor McGonagall, but I didn't expect- that is, heartless generally don't-oh hell, it was probably someone from the Organization that did it. And you wouldn't believe how much it sucks trying to fight that many heartless when you barely have room to spin a Keyblade."
She seemed to be trying to process this. Meanwhile, Madame Pomfrey was waving her wand over his head, muttering to herself, as if determined to find something wrong with him. Sora titled his head a little uneasily, watching the odd light flash from her wand and settle over him. Finally, she stopped, lips pursed.
"Mr.- uh, Sora, that is, what on earth kind of spell was that?"
Sora thought it had been pretty obvious.
"A cure spell, Professor, that's all." He wanted to find a nice warm bed, somewhere safe, like Hollow Bastion- Radiant Garden now, and sleep uninterrupted for a good eight hours. He wanted Leon and Aerith and Yuffie, who could watch their back for them, and knew all about cure spells and everything else. Not going to happen, he knew.
"That's all? But child, it healed you! All at once! Muscles, skin…It was a single spell performing multiple functions…"
Professor McGonagall may not have met anyone else from other worlds, but she knew children, and she recognized that tight, miserable expression hovering around Sora's eyes.
"Enough, Poppy, let's put Sora and his friends somewhere safe and back into bed. It's very late- sorry, very early now. He can answer questions later."
And she led a grateful Sora and his friends away from the white wing, and towards what he recognized as the way to the headmaster's office. He sighed a little.
"Don't worry about your old room, Sora. We'll have a quick chat with the headmaster and then we'll find a room better, ah, defendable."
Sora supposed he could understand that.
--
Sora wasn't sure if Professor Dumbledore had already been awake, or if he just had odd taste in sleepwear. Considering his 'normal' clothes, this is all too possible. He met them in his office, sucking somberly on one of his beloved lemon-drops.
"Well, Sora, trouble does indeed seem to follow you."
He saw him wince, and continued before Donald or Goofy could leap to his defense.
"Now, now, it's not your fault, child. Not at all. But we will have to see to different sleeping arrangements."
He tugged thoughtfully at his beard. For a long moment there was silence in the office. Sora, miserably looking around for anything to distract him, saw a flash of red and gold behind the headmaster. His breathe caught. It was a bird, a big one, the size of a swan and colored brilliantly, long tail feathers swishing, and bright eyes fixed unblinkingly on him. He knew instantly what it was- light and fire. (No, he didn't magically realize it was a phoenix.) It was lovely, a bright flare of light to his senses, and completely forgetting about everyone around him, Sora lifted his arms to the bird, calling silently. Imperiously, and with silent grace, the flame-bird spread it's wings and glided from it's perch on the window-frame to rest lightly on his lap. Awed, Sora ran his fingers lightly over soft, warm feathers, murmuring praise. Equally impressed, the phoenix stretched out it's neck to run it's long beak through his wild hair, humming and crooning with lovely tones, as if about to burst into song. Completely wrapped up in each other, the phoenix and the Keyblade Master were unaware of anything occurring around them.
Dumbledore watched them with a slight, whimsical smile, while McGonagall blinked back tears. Turning to Donald and Goofy, Dumbledore smiled.
"I think I've got it. I'm afraid, that despite the extra security on the dorms, I cannot risk the younger students. However, since the heartless are drawn to the Keyblade, I have the perfect solution. The Room of Requirement, you may remember, is the room we used in our demonstration the other day. Once you are inside, the magic makes you unreachable to anyone outside. While you are inside, you will be safe from the heartless. That will be your room for the duration of your stay." And beaming, he stole another lemon-drop.
"Minerva, if you would escort them?"
McGonagall murmured an assent, and began to lead them out of the room. However, Sora and Fawkes were still wrapped up in each other, and didn't even notice.
"Sora?"
Reluctantly, Sora tore his attention away from the phoenix in his lap, his whole body radiating peace and contentment.
"You've met Fawkes, I see. He is a phoenix, and I'm sure the two of you will see a lot of each other during your stay. For now, however, it would be best if you got some sleep. Professor McGonagall will lead you to your new room." Sora sighed, but gently picked the phoenix up and placed him on Dumbledore's desk.
"Bye," he whispered to him, running a finger down Fawkes' soft chest. "I'll see you soon, okay?" He turned and walked to where McGonagall waited for him, Donald slightly impatient and Goofy understanding. The phoenix watched him go, half-spreading his wings and emitting a low, sad sound as he lost sight of him. Dumbledore soothed him, running a hand down his back. He'd never seen the bird so happy or so sad.
"He must have a very special heart, Fawkes, for you to react so." But, Dumbledore observed to himself as he strode over to the fireplace and threw a handful of floo-powder in, it was if Fawkes had recognized a kindred spirit. But what kind of boy could compare to the immortal phoenix?
Sora, Donald and Goofy settled quickly into their new rooms, and safe from any heartless ambushes, slept well and deeply.
--
The staff meeting the next morning, sorry, later that morning, was a hushed affair, teachers swapping tidbits of information like gossiping kids as they waited for Dumbledore to arrive. As it had been for the last few days, it was all about Sora and his odd companions. Well, the heartless got mentioned too.
"Keyblade?" Mused Professor Flitwick. "You would think that such a thing would have been heard of before."
"Well, it probably is well known, back on their world."
"Come now," and this was Snape, "You don't honestly believe all that twaddle about other worlds, do you? I would have expected better from you, Minerva." Professor McGonagall pinned him with an imperious stare.
"Well frankly, Severus, you've managed to live up to my expectations of you unfailingly. And that isn't a compliment."
"Note," Professor Flitwick interjected before a famous Slytherin/Gryffindor dispute could erupt, "That Donald and Goofy are clearly unlike anything on our world. And that sweet young boy, Sora, was some version of a merman when we saw him at the lake. Obviously other worlds are different."
"That sweet, young boy got into a fight last night, completely trashed a room, and frightened several students when he appeared covered head to foot in blood!"
The other teachers burst into animated discussion, but Professor McGonagall leaped to her newest lion's defense with great indignation.
"Severus! I wouldn't have expected such a thing, even from you. The poor dear and his friends were sleeping when they were horribly attacked, they hardly went looking for a fight. The Gryffindor's were merely trying to help when they heard the fight, and for shame, Severus, blaming a boy for being covered in blood, as if he wished to be!" Hagrid grunted agreement, and Filius nodded. Completely untouched, Severus curled his lip in his trademark sneer and said silkily,
"Not his fault, eh? From what I've heard, it's that Keyblade of his that's causing all this trouble. Attracting heartless…" He trailed off with a mock sigh. Minerva swelled with indignation, hands clenching into fists.
"We're in fine form today, aren't we Sevvie." She watched him stiffen with satisfaction.
"But haven't you paid even the slightest attention? The Keyblade chooses the wielder, not the other way round, and the heartless attack everywhere, not just where Sora is!"
"He's a danger to this school! To it's students! Or have you forgotten that? For all we know, this 'Keyblade' could be some trick of the Dark Lord, and you're all falling for it!"
"Are you completely blind? Or are you just making a special effort today? Can't you feel it? You, a Potion's Master, going on about the subtle complexities of your art- and you can't feel the sheer power in that boy? The sheer light?" Minerva broke off, cheeks flushed.
"The only thing I've noticed is the darkness that follows him!" The Transfiguration teacher slumped a little, and her eyes, fixed on Snape behind her glasses, were sad.
"So you'll blame an innocent child who's been through hell for your own shortcomings. Congratulations, you've sunk to an all new low- and I thought your treatment of Harry was bad." She leaned forward.
"You disgust me." And she stalked from the room like an angry cat, leaving an almost awed silence behind.
Looked like Flitwick didn't manage to avoid the Gryffindor/Slytherin dispute, after all…
Snape sat stiffly at his place at the end of the table, avoiding all eyes. The fireplace suddenly flared, and Dumbledore chose that moment to join them, unfolding out of the green fire and smiling benignly around the still hushed room.
"Well, now. What's on the agenda today?"
--
Happily unaware of the sensation he was causing, Sora was at that moment stretching out sleepily, having slept solidly through to morning. While still spooked by the heartless attack the previous night, the safety of his new room, and the prospect of a new day kick-started his enthusiasm, and he bounded to his feet, calling to Donald and Goofy joyfully.
"Come on, get up, we've got secret passages to find, magic classes to attend- and food to eat!"
Not to mention heartless to kill.
School had never been this fun when he'd attended at home.
--
Sora also had another idea. As much fun as he was having here, he knew it would be better to find and lock the Keyhole so he could get back to looking for Riku and King Mickey. He wasn't sure what part he was supposed to play in the coming days in concern to Voldemort, but he was confident that with the help of his friends, he could do anything.
A good night's sleep and a conversation with a phoenix had evidently done wonders for his disposition.
And so began another day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And unofficially, also of Trouble, Secrets, and Challenges. (See Harry's time there for further proof. Pick any year.)