Pretend that the timeline fits, please! Farther down. I know that it couldn't have actually been 137 years, but just go with it for the story, please!

Chapter 2: Hogwarts

Snape looked around him in shock and turned to Yoru, expecting to see him panting from magical exhaustion. He wasn't. He was looking at the castle in distaste. "Did we seriously just apparate across continents, Nura?!"

Yoru looked at him, "Yes we did. Now, let's go get this over with. The Headmaster can be tiring."

Snape looked at him oddly, but led the way up to the castle. They walked inside and Snape led the way to the Headmaster's office. Yoru looked around, bored and followed at a sedate pace, meandering down the halls. They finally got to the gargoyle and Snape said, "Blood Pops" and it opened up into a spiraling staircase. They climbed on and went up. Once they got to the top, Snape knocked on the door once and then went inside. Yoru followed and saw the Headmaster standing at his desk.

He walked over and sat down in the chair, "Hello Headmaster, I'm glad that you could accept me."

Dumbledore put a twinkle in his eyes, "Yes, I was worried that they were going to have to put a ministry official into the school. That would have been bad."

Yoru nodded, "The English ministry is very corrupted. I would be surprised if it wasn't a horrible teacher, meant to cause chaos. Now, where are my rooms? I need to write out my lesson plans."

"Leaving already, we've barely talked at all?"

Yoru saw him look at Snape out of the corner of his eye and Snape stepped back. He immediately fell on guard. He saw Dumbledore raising his wand slowly from underneath his desk. He looked Dumbledore straight in the eye and smirked, activating kyokasuigetsu. This was done just as a spell passed through him. The two in the room paled as the Fear filled the room.

Yoru stood and walked over to the Headmaster, "It would not do to attack me Dumbledore. I have killed for that. It is quite easy to take a life if it is in self-defense, is it not?"

A spell breezed through him from behind and impacted on the desk in front of him. He turned to Snape and saw the man flinch as his red eyes blazed in anger. This quickly changed to amusement when another spell flew through him from Dumbledore. He intensified the Fear and Dumbledore toppled into his seat. Yoru sat back in the chair without deactivating his Fear, "What ever is wrong, dear Headmaster? Is it too much?"

Dumbledore looked at him with wide eyes, "What is this? What are you?"

Yoru smirked again, "Not all-knowing then? This is pure unadulterated Fear bent to my whims. As for what I am, I am the Supreme Commander of all Yokai. Why do you ask?"

Dumbledore's breathing sped up at what he was and he looked into those red eyes again, wishing he hadn't. They glinted like blood in the light. "Fear?"

"Yes, Fear, yours. It is quite easy to use."

"W…Why can't we hit you?" Snape asked.

Yoru turned the glowing eyes to the potions master, "I am only an illusion, aren't I? I can't possibly hold this type of power. Right? That's what you're saying to yourself. I am not an illusion, in your sense. I am like the reflection of the moon on the water. You can never touch it, because when you do, it ripples and disappears. Call it a specialty of the Nurarihyon. If you're done trying to get me to go look for the missing Potter boy with your compulsion spells, Dumbledore, then I am leaving. I can tell you one thing; you're looking in all the wrong places."

He looked over at Snape and Snape nodded lightly to show that he'd keep the secret. "Might you lead me to my rooms, Severus?"

"Wait, I need to talk to him first. Please wait outside for a moment." Dumbledore said.

Yoru nodded and stepped outside. He turned invisible and stepped back in right before the door closed. Dumbledore watched the door close and looked over at Snape, "I want you to keep an eye on him. If he knows where Potter is, we must find out. Harry needs to die to get rid of Voldemort. That Horcrux in his head has to be destroyed. How is that love potion between him and Ginny coming along?"

"It is almost complete. Are you sure you want to do that though? I doubt Potter would like it if he found out you dosed him with love potion."

"It is the only way, Severus. We must have access to his vaults."

Snape's eyes lit up in anger that he hid quickly, "I promised to protect Lily's child and yet you try and take his money. You want him dead?! Like a pig for slaughter?!"

Dumbledore's hand slammed down on the table, "I MUST be the only light lord. It is my place and a mere boy cannot have it or control it!"

Snape's lips thinned, "I will not find out where Potter is if that is your fate for him. Good day, Headmaster!"

He walked out the door, with an angry Yoru behind him, still invisible. He went down the stairs muttering obscenities to the air. He got to the bottom, expecting to see the Yokai Lord standing there, but he was nowhere to be seen. He cursed his luck and went to find him. Once they were someplace private, Yoru startled Snape by appearing in a form of black smoke, which was actually Fear.

Snape jumped as a form made of smoke appeared directly in front of him. It solidified into Yoru, whose eyes still blazed with anger. Snape immediately flinched at the pure fury and power held in those eyes but quickly put his mask back on, "Hello, Professor Nura. Where have you been?!"

"I've been with you the whole time Severus Snape."

"In Dumbledore's office too?!"

Didn't you feel the bite in the air? That was Fear. I was invisible."

"You can do that?! Neither one of us noticed you there!"

Yoru's anger faded a bit, "If a Nurarihyon does not want to be found, he will not be found. It is as simple as that. We are capable of becoming completely unnoticed."

"That would make you the perfect spy!"

"Why, yes it would. That's why next time you are summoned by Voldyshorts, I am coming with you."

"You can't do that!"

Yoru looked at him in slight amusement now, "I have defeated a God before. I think I can handle a Human that isn't anywhere near me in strength. You can't kill what you can't hit."

"Fine, I'll get you next time I go. Why do you say the word human with something akin to scorn?"

"I am not a human. Humans are weak and helpless. We are the shadows while humans are the light. The shadows do not like the light for fear it will make them disappear. Yokai do not normally like humans. My clan is the only yokai clan that helps humans and only those who have never done anything wrong."

Snape looked at him, "I knew something had changed in you. I just didn't see just how big it was. You really are a completely different person. I can no longer look at you and loathe you. I'll just have to torment Weasley more."

Yoru smiled viciously, "I will be doing the same. He accepted money to spy on Potter and he tried to rape my Princess!"

Snape looked startled at the absolute bloodlust in that sentence, "Who is your princess?"

Yoru smirked, "Who disappeared from the Order headquarters besides Padfoot?"

Snape's eyes widened, "Hermione Granger?!"

Yoru nodded, "I am quite handsome after all. You just can't see it because I've covered everything but my face and hands, but I can assure you that I am very…fetching."

Snape rolled his eyes, "Oh yes, I can see it now."

Yoru smirked again, "Oh, I didn't know you went that way Snape! If you want to see something, you should see what I normally wear. I will, naturally, be wearing it on the first day of classes. Tomorrow I will intimidate!"

Snape choked a bit on the beginning words, but his face grew pale at the sentence about normal wear. "Please do not tell me you wear those yukatas the Japanese wear?!"

Yoru grinned then disappeared in a swirl of black. He reappeared a moment later wearing his normal yukata and with his hair down. Snape looked at him in horror, "Oh God, you're going to have a fan-club if you wear that around! You're a complete pretty boy!"

Yoru laughed and continued to walk down the hall, "I already have one of those. Do you know I had stalkers when I was younger? The creepy part is that some of them were guys."

"Younger?! You just started looking like this, didn't you?!"

"Oh lord no! I'll explain later."

"Wait?! Did you say guys?!"

"Yeah, they wanted to meet the great Lord of the Night because I saved their asses so many times. They were helpless. They were also really dumb or I was a really good actor. They formed a group to 'hunt yokai' and I was on it in my human form. They didn't even notice that their idol was with them the whole time until I was forced to reveal my true identity to save their asses again. I was forced to transform right in front of them, but oh well."

Snape looked at him in stunned silence at their stupidity, "You were with them and they never noticed?!"

"Nope, it was pretty sad. They actually thought that I knew absolutely nothing about yokai when I was the Supreme Commander of Yokai. I kept up the act for quite a while though."

By now they had reached an empty portrait. Snape looked at him, "Touch the corner and the picture will form. Then give the password."

Yoru touched the frame and the portrait bloomed into color. It showed a sakura tree in full bloom, petals blowing everywhere, with a small boy sitting in the tree with a cup of something in his hand. Yoru recognized his past-human counterpart, Rikuo, and waved. The little boy waved back and pointed to his mouth. Yoru nodded, "Nenekirimaru."

The boy nodded and the portrait swung open, admitting entrance to the two in front. Yoru stepped inside and the room immediately changed to his preferences. The sitting room turned to a room with wooden floors and a small table in the middle, cushions around the outside of the table. The kitchen had all the normal appliances, somehow running on magic, and the floors were hardwood as well. He walked through his little living space, while Snape looked around interested. His room had a futon in the middle with a closet to the side. Out of his window it showed the scene of a sakura tree in bloom. The floors were hardwood here also. The last room was the bathroom, which had a large bath in it including a shower. It also had a sink and toilet to the side. The floors were made of hardwood. All the doors except the bathroom's were paper sliding doors. The bathroom had a thick door with a lock.

He walked back to the sitting room and saw that Snape had left. He sighed in disappointment at the loss of company and set to unpacking. Once he was done personalizing the living space with his things, he set to lesson plans.

OoOoOo

He was walking down the halls pretending to explore when he heard a noise behind him. He turned and saw Ms. Norris, Filch's cat. He bent down and coaxed it closer, pulling some tuna from thin air (he actually had some stored in his cupboard that he just summoned). He opened the can and set it on the ground. She came up tentatively and started eating it. He reached down and scratched behind her ears. She purred at him and butted her head into his hand, still eating. Seconds later, a man came from around the corner. He stopped upon seeing the young lady petting his cat, "Hey! Get away from her!"

The girl looked up at him and smiled, "She is a wonderful creature, don't you think?" her voice was too deep for a girl's and Filch saw bare flat chest peeking through the loose front of the male-like dress. "Are you a guy?!"

The man chuckled, long and deep, "Yes, I am the new DADA professor. My name is Yoru Nura. Might I ask what yours is? And this beautiful thing's of course?" He gestured to the cat that was still eating the tuna.

Filch smiled, "My name is Argus Filch and that's Ms. Norris. I'm surprised she likes you. She doesn't like many people."

The man nodded and waved his hand. A bag appeared in his it, filled with something obviously heavy, "Tuna works wonders on cats. Take these as a gift. I won't eat them. Simply tap the top with your finger and they'll open, even if you're not magical."

Filch took the bag like treasure, "Thank you Yoru. She'll love them."

Yoru nodded and stood, "I should probably explore this maze some more, before the students get here. I'll see you later Argus." He turned and walked away, leaving a very happy man behind.

He was wearing his normal clothes around until right before the feast, when he would change into his British-style outfit. He chuckled again at the man's face when he'd asked if he was a guy. He wandered for a bit more until he met another person. He was walking down the hallway when a female voice had spoken from behind him, "Hello Miss, how did you get here? Do you need help?"

He recognized McGonagall's voice and he turned, with a grin on his face. "Hello Professor. I do not need help except to navigate this maze before the students get here tonight. It would not do for the defense teacher to not know their way around."

She gasped at his obviously male voice, and her face turned red when she saw the flat chest peeking out of his yukata. "You're the new DADA teacher?! You look so young!"

He chuckled, "I get that a lot. I am actually older than I look. It is a side effect of my kind."

She looked at his red eyes, which were glinting in amusement and she paled, "Are you a vampire?!"

He snorted in laughter at this and fell to the ground laughing, "I think that's the first time someone's asked me that outright! No, I am no vampire."

"Then what are you?" her face showed confusion, but also slight apprehension.

His laughter slowed to snickers and then stopped completely, "I am a yokai."

Her face grew pale once more, "A demon?! What was Dumbledore thinking?!"

Yoru shrugged, "Protection for the school, I'd assume. I would like to inform you, before you try to hex me, that I do not harm humans. I actually do not allow any of my clan members to hurt humans, only help them. Humans are fragile, you know."

Her face regained some color, but still showed suspicion. He held out his hand, "I, Yoru Nura, Supreme Commander of the Yokai, do swear on my magic that I will do no permanent harm to any student in this school unless they prove a danger to the welfare of the other students. So mote it be."

She seemed surprised by his oath, but nodded in approval, before her face creased, "What do you mean 'no permanent damage'?"

"I am the DADA teacher. Someone might end up injured in my class. It cannot be avoided and I'd rather not lose my magic over a scraped knee."

She nodded, then the whole oath sunk and her face turned sheet-white, "Wait, Supreme Commander of the Yokai?!"

He nodded, "I am the Supreme Commander of all Yokai. I am also the Lord of Pandemonium and the Lord of the Night. Like I said, protection."

She stood in stunned silence at his titles for a moment, before she shook herself and held out her hand, "Minerva McGonagall, Transfigurations Professor."

He shook her hand, "Yoru Nura, Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, nice to meet you."

She looked at him and blushed at his bare chest once more, before she asked, "How old are you really?"

He thought a moment. Rikuo had been 137 when he'd died and Harry had been 15. He quickly did the math, "152, I believe. I don't really keep track anymore."

She gasped in astonishment, "152?! You're older than Dumbledore! Yet, you look so young! That's amazing!"

He chuckled again, "I should probably get to finding my way through this place again. Good-bye Minerva."

She waved and he walked away, in the direction of the Charms classroom. He finally got there and poked his head into Flitwick's classroom. The tiny teacher was sitting at his desk with some papers. He looked up when he heard Yoru. He smiled, "Hello, I'm Filius Flitwick. What might your name be?"

He had only seen Yoru's face so far and he didn't see the yukata, until Yoru stepped all the way into the doorway, "My name is Yoru Nura. I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Flitwick grinned, "Ooooh…. Mind a duel? You'll have to forgive me, but some of the other teachers weren't very good fighters that were in your position and I want to see what you're made of."

Yoru laughed, "Yeah sure, where?"

The desks all moved to the side and the middle cleared out, "We can do it here."

Yoru stepped all the way into the classroom and walked down the empty middle. He stood at one side of the room and the Charms Professor stood at the other. They bowed to each other and immediately got into fighting stances. Yoru did not draw Nenekirimaru, because it didn't harm humans anyway and because he planned on using magic. As soon as Flitwick's little buzzer went off, they went at each other. Yoru just laughed as the spells flew through him and into the back wall. He had activated kyokasuigetsu as soon as the bell buzzed.

He smirked at the gaping Professor and turned invisible. Flitwick's eyes widened in Fear, as it filled the room. Yoru immediately started firing off spells, always moving so as not to give away his position. After a few minutes, Flitwick stopped, panting, "You win!"

Yoru stopped in front of him and turned visible once more, "Have I passed?"

"Yes, you're quite good. What were those moves? You just vanished and I couldn't hit you before."

"I am a Nurarihyon. It is a specialty."

Flitwick, unlike the others, knew what a Nurarihyon was, having been to Japan. His face paled, "You are a Nurarihyon?!"

Rikuo smirked, "I assume you know what that is? I can assure you that I do not harm humans. I already made a magic vow to Minerva, you may ask her."

"Are you the Supreme Commander of the Yokai?"

"How did you guess?"

"The Supreme Commander of the Yokai has been a Nurarihyon for the past 540 years. It was a logical guess."

Yoru nodded, "That makes sense, I suppose. Well, that was a nice duel, but I have the rest of the castle to explore before the students get here in two hours."

Flitwick nodded, "See you later Yoru."

Yoru walked out of the room. He didn't actively search anyone else out for the rest of the time he was 'exploring' and he headed back to his room to change for the students. He changed into the outfit he had been wearing when Snape picked him up the day before and put his hair into a low ponytail, so you could see his glinting red eyes. He headed down to the Great Hall and walked up to the head table. He sat in the seat next to Snape and started playing with his nails in boredom. Students started arriving about 15 minutes later and he sat up straight. About a half-an-hour later, they were done with the Sorting and it was time to eat.

He poked the food with a fork and sighed, he'd much rather prefer rice and chicken over this greasy stuff, but oh well, nothing to be done about it. Suddenly, his food changed to the exact meal he'd just thought of. He grinned and dug in heartily.

Once everyone was fed and watered, Dumbledore stood and spread his arms, "To the new students, welcome, and to the old, welcome back! As you can see, we have a new professor. He is the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor! Please give a warm welcome to Professor Nura!"

Yoru stood and the room started clapping, the women clapping the hardest. He sat back down and his enhanced hearing picked up Ron's voice, "Probably just a pretty boy like Lockhart. I'd beat him in a second."

Yoru looked down and looked the redhead right in the eyes, smirking. Ron paled, "I think he heard me!" He said to Seamus, who was sitting next to him. Seamus looked up and saw the new professor looking around the room in interest. "Nah, you're just imagining it."

His eyes widened when they met with glowing red ones that sparkled with mischief. The new Professor winked at him and turned away, "Never mind! He heard us!"

Ron glared at the imposing Professor and then turned to look at Dumbledore once more, just as the elderly man finished the welcome speech. Hermione was looking around, "Where's Harry?! He's not here!"

Neville put his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure he's fine. It's Harry after all."

She nodded and calmed a small amount. She looked up and saw the new Professor chuckling at her. She glared and turned away from the laughing man. Just as they were leaving, a bunch of Aurors rushed in, "We are here to arrest Severus Tobias Snape on the accusations that he is a Death Eater planning the rise of a new Dark Lord."

Yoru gasped and then grabbed Snape's arm. He dumped a potion on it and it sizzled before it disappeared, leaving behind unblemished skin and no sign of dark magic. He stood, "On what evidence?!"

Fudge stepped forwards, "The Dark Mark on his left arm! Who are you?!"

Yoru disappeared in a wisp of black smoke. Immediately the entire room froze in fear, even the Professors and Aurors. Laughter was heard, echoing from everywhere, and the Aurors spun as they tried to find the source. Suddenly, Yoru appeared in front of Fudge, in his original outfit. Fudge's eyes widened as he recognized the yokai in front of him, "You!"

Yoru chuckled, "I see you still haven't forgot that incident we had about ten years ago. That's nice to know. Leave this building. Severus does not have the Dark Mark and he is under my protection."

Fudge paled, yes, he remembered that incident. He had been in Japan and he had tried to eradicate a group of yokai living in a small town while he was there. He had met the group and killed a few of them, but all of his men had been hospitalized by the singular man in front of him once he'd arrived. He had sworn to never mess with the man again if he left him be and let him live. The man had agreed and disappeared.

He licked his lips, "Can we at least prove that he does not have the Dark Mark, Supreme Commander?"

Yoru nodded, "Severus, please come down here."

Snape stood as the feeling of suffocation in Fear disappeared from him, only him it seemed, everyone else was still frozen. He walked down and over to the red-eyed yokai. He held his arm out and one of the Aurors was set free from the Fear. The Auror lifted the sleeve and did a scan with his wand, "No Dark Mark and no sign of Dark Magic residue, Minister."

Snape dropped his arm and Yoru looked at the minister once more, "Are we done here, Fudge?" This was said in a low and threatening voice and Fudge's eyes grew to pinpricks as the Fear was increased, "Yes, that was all Supreme Commander."

Yoru nodded and whispered in his ear, "Good, wouldn't want to break that deal. I would get to carry out the punishment I was originally going to give to you, Murderer."

Fudge started hyperventilating. Yoru backed up and the Minister all but ran out of the room, the Aurors following close behind. Immediately, the Fear coating the room disappeared and the students sighed in relief. He had purposefully only allowed enough Fear to reach them to keep them from moving; he hadn't wanted anyone hurt if a fight broke out.

He walked back up to the Head table and went behind Dumbledore. He whispered into his ear as well, "You are playing a dangerous game Headmaster. What would you have done if you'd lost your spy? Oh wait, you already did. I got rid of that accursed mark. Watch your back, Old Man."

Dumbledore's face grew pale as he realized he'd been caught in the act. He turned to see hellish red eyes staring at him. The yokai turned away and back to the students, "Alright, Prefects, lead the students to their dorms. It's lights out. Classes start tomorrow. Schedules will be handed out at breakfast."

The Prefects stood and led the kids out of the room. Yoru turned to see Minerva pale, in her seat. He leaned closer, "Sorry about that Minerva. It was necessary to stop Severus from going to Azkaban."

She nodded in stunned silence at the immense amount of power she'd felt from him. He seemed to realize this and chuckled, "That was only about 1/100th of my power. Humans are so easy to scare."

She looked up at him in awe, then shook out of it and stood, "I should probably get to bed. Good night all." She walked out of the room. The other professors stared at him a moment before they did the same. Snape walked up to him as he was walking out of the hall, "How did you do that?! The mark! I've been trying to find a way to get rid of it for years!"

Yoru shrugged, "A mixture of a homemade potion and a little bit of parseltongue magic. I was going to give it to you tomorrow and see if you wanted it, but tonight called for drastic measures. It was Dumbledore that told them about you and I needed to prove without a doubt that you were not a Death Eater."

Snape looked at him with worry and thanks conflicting in his onyx eyes. He looked the man in the eye, "Don't worry about Voldyshorts. I can find the meetings by myself. You've done your part of protecting me. I can do it myself now. You can live your life rid of that cursed mark, so live it!" Now there was only thanks and Yoru grinned, "Live your life the way you want to. If you need somewhere to lay low, ever, just contact me. You'll be quite protected and welcomed at my manor in Japan."

Snape nodded, "I might visit just to visit at the end of the school year. I still have to teach or they'll know nothing of potions. Every one of the students are dunderheads!"

Yoru chuckled, "Good night Severus." He walked in the direction of his own living quarters. He got to the painting, "Nenekirimaru." The little Rikuo nodded and the portrait swung open. He stepped inside and immediately went to his room. He changed into his sleeping yukata and set Nenekirimaru next to him on the futon. He layed down and fell asleep quickly.

OoOoOos

The next morning, he woke up early and hopped into the shower. He washed his hair and the rest of his body, before he got out and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked into his room and pulled out a yukata from his closet. It was emerald green, with light green leaves swirling around, starting at the bottom where they were thickest to near the top where they thinned considerably.

He put on his tabi and then his sandals, before he brushed through his hair and grabbed Nenekirimaru. He tucked the blade into his obi and used his Fear to make it invisible. With this done, he walked out of his room and down to the Great Hall for breakfast. He was one of the first professors there and he sat up in his seat. He looked at the food for a minute, before he decided to eat the less greasy stuff, such as waffles and pancakes.

He was eating his waffles when the Headmaster came in. He watched the old man closely as he walked up to the front. He didn't trust the man. The rest of breakfast was spent watching the Headmaster from the corner of his eye. Once he was done, he pushed his plate aside and left the room. Not many people were there yet, so there wasn't too much staring at his bishie looks.

He went straight to his classroom and started getting it ready. He had a class of third years first, made of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. He sighed, they wouldn't be hard, but if those two houses were here, then that meant that the next group of third years would be Gryffindors and Slytherins. That would be a pain in the neck. He cleared all the seats to the sides. For every class, no matter the year, he planned on a small duel between him and every student singularly to find out how much they knew. The only year that would be exempt from this was the first years since they had no prior experience.

The students started arriving about twenty minutes later. They looked around the room and he gestured to the mats on the floor. They sat down and waited for their other classmates. After another ten minutes, everyone was there. He stood from his desk and looked down at the students, "We will be testing your knowledge and skills in defensive spells today, with a duel between you and me. Each student will get a turn. Treat it like a quiz and show me your full repertoire. You may use Charms and Transfiguration as well. Any questions?"

A small Hufflepuff raised her hand. "Yes?"

"Will it be timed?"

He nodded, "Yes, it will be timed. Anything else?"

A Ravenclaw male raised his hand this time. "Yes?"

"What was that last night at dinner?"

Yoru smiled, "A small example of a secret power of mine. You cannot learn it."

The Ravenclaw sighed in disappointment. Yoru chuckled, "If that is all, we will be starting. Who wants to volunteer first?"

No one came up for a minute, and then a Hufflepuff boy stepped forward bravely, "I will!"

Yoru nodded and with a wave of his hand, all the students flew to line up on the walls, leaving the middle open. Yoru stepped forward, "Whenever you are ready, the clock will begin. You have two minutes to show me what you can do."

The boy nodded and stepped forward. He looked at Yoru for a minute before he waved his arm sloppily, "Flagrante!"

Yoru chuckled and waved his body to the side, avoiding the fire hex easily. The boy started snapping out more spells at a quicker pace. Yoru dodged every single one by moving to the side or batting them away with the blade of Nenekirimaru. The bell buzzed and the kid dropped to the floor, panting. Yoru waved a hand and he flew back to his mat, "Who's next?"

The rest of the class went in a similar way and soon, he was done with every student. He looked over the observations he'd noted with a self-write quill and grimaced at their lack of knowledge and lack of speed. "Tomorrow we will take a quiz on dangerous magical creatures you know and work on a freezing hex. Off you trot."

The bell rang and the students left. One of the small Hufflepuff girls walked up to him shyly. He looked down at her in surprise, "What do you need, Ms. Greenough?"

She bit her lip. "Can I touch your hair? It looks soft."

He blinked in surprise at the request, but gave assent, "I guess so, go ahead."

She smiled brightly and touched the hair near his knees. "It really is soft."

He chuckled at her enthusiasm and shooed her away, "To your next class, little one." She left the room giggling and he smiled softly in her direction.

He looked back at the room and set to work making it presentable again. The third years had all known the flagrante hex and there were scorch marks on the wall, "Well, at least I won't have to teach them that hex."

He heard chuckling behind him and turned to see McGonagall looking at the mess around the room in amusement. He sighed and waved his hand. The mats flew back to their starting positions. "Hello Professor, what can I do for you?"

She looked a little surprised at his wandless magic and the title, but said nothing about it. "I was just seeing how you are faring, but it seems you are doing rather well. When is your next class?"

"After lunch with the Gryffindor and Slytherin fifth years. That'll be absolutely stressful. Those houses seem to hate each other."

She nodded, "There is an old rivalry between the two houses. I wish you luck, Nura."

He nodded in thanks and she left the room. Once his room was back in order, he pulled out his mirror, "Nura manor"

A scene appeared on the mirror and he laughed as he saw Sirius being chased by the Natokozo in his dog form, "Oy, Natokozo!"

The little broom-man stopped and turned to the mirror, "Yoru-sama?!"

Yoru smiled, "Yes, will you get Kurotabou for me?"

Natokozo nodded and ran off, leaving the dog lying on the ground. Yoru looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Why, hello Padfoot. What did you do?"

The dog shifted into a man that was grinning from ear to ear, "I hid their sake stores with a disillusionment charm. They weren't too happy."

Yoru chuckled again, "Just make sure you only hide them for less than two days, or you'll wish you hadn't."

Sirius nodded and moved to the side as a black-haired monk appeared. Kurotabou looked at the mirror, "You asked for me, Master?"

Yoru nodded, "You're the only one I trust at this point to give me an accurate report about what's happened since I left. Sorry I didn't call sooner, I've been busy."

Kurotabou nodded, "It is quite all right Master. Nothing big has happened since you left. The dog hid the sake stores, so the littler yokai aren't too pleased. We went on a small raid with him last night. He is quite good."

Yoru smiled, "Good. The stores are in the same place, they're just invisible. You can still touch them, just not see them, in case he doesn't reveal them within two days."

Kurotabou nodded, "Thank you Master."

Just then Yoru heard the bell. He looked back at the mirror, "I have to go Kuro. I'll contact you next time I get a chance. Remember, nothing is too small for me. Good-bye."

Kurotabou bowed his head, "Good-bye Master." The mirror went dark and Yoru tucked it back into his obi, before he headed out to lunch. The whole school stared at his odd outfit as he walked down the aisle. He simply smirked at them and sat in his place at the table. They all looked away and he started to eat his chicken.

Snape came up and sat next to him, "Hello Nura."

Yoru tipped his head in greeting, "Hello Severus. How are you?"

"As good as I can be with a bunch of dunderheads to teach. Do you know that Longbottom blew up another cauldron? I don't even know how. None of the ingredients were explosive!"

Yoru chuckled, "That's Neville for you. I do believe he is sabotaged by Ron though, watch him."

Snape nodded and pulled a plate forward. "I will. He already lost 35 house points today."

"Hmmm…For what?"

Snape gave a malicious smirk, "Breathing too loud and insulting Granger with the word Mudblood."

Yoru snarled, "I'll rip him in half if he touches her!"

Snape flinched back at the hellish red eyes, glad he was not Weasley at that moment. "Calm down, before you rip him in half now."

Yoru took a deep breath and sighed, "Thank you Severus." He saw McGonagall listening out of the corner of his eye, "Any luck finding Harry Potter yet, Severus?"

Snape shook his head, "Nope, not hide nor hair of him yet. Has Dumbledore tried to hit you with another compulsion charm yet?"

He heard Minerva gasp from his side and he smirked, "No, after the first time, he hasn't tried since. I can't believe he would do that to a new teacher! I almost quit right there!"

"Excuse me?!" This was McGonagall. He turned to look at her, "Yes, Professor?"

"Did you say Dumbledore tried to hit you with a compulsion spell?!"

He nodded, "Yeah, when I first got here. Let me think of what it was. Oh yeah! To find Harry Potter at all costs and bring him in for questioning. That's what it was!"

She looked horrified, "At all costs?!"

He nodded again, "I think to allowance to kill was in there, but reading spells is tricky business, so I'm not sure. Though, I can say that the Old Man's looking in all the wrong places for his Golden Boy."

Her eyes widened, "Do you know where Mr. Potter is?!"

He smiled secretively, "Safe, with Sirius Black."

"You know where Padfoot is?!"

"Yup, and I know where Hermione Granger disappeared to for half the summer. She was with Padfoot as well."

McGonagall's mouth was open in shock, "Could you take me to see Harry and Padfoot?!"

Yoru looked to make sure no one was looking or listening to their conversation, but Snape, and then answered, "Only if you will give a magical oath not to reveal their location. It is a well-kept secret."

She nodded immediately, "Anything to see Mr. Potter safe and well."

He nodded, "Tonight, come to my portrait and knock on the side. I will be awake whenever you come."

She nodded, "I'll be there after curfew."

He bowed his head in acceptance and left for his next class. She looked at Snape, "Do you know where they're at, Severus?"

The potions master nodded, "Yes, you'll be quite surprised. I must go prepare for my next class. Good day, Minerva." He stood and left as well.

OoOoOo

Yoru looked at Ron in distaste as he sat next to Hermione, who looked like she didn't want him there. Once the mats were filled, he stood up and walked to the front of the group. "We will be testing your combat skills today. I will fight against each one of you separately until a bell goes off and it will be the next person's turn. Any type of spell is available, even those few questionable ones. The goal will be to hit me. Treat this like a quiz and try to use a large amount of your repertoire against me. I would like to know what level you're all at. Since Ronald Weasley was so kind as to say he could beat me himself yesterday, he will go first."

Ron's mouth gaped, "How did you hear that?! I was across the room from you!"

Yoru smiled mischievously, "I have good hearing, Mr. Weasley. Now draw your wand and get up here, unless your Gryffindor courage has deserted you?"

Ron stood and walked over, red in the face from the insult, "I'll show you Pretty Boy!"

Yoru just laughed darkly, "You may try, but I haven't had a hit land on me in years. Especially not some snot-nosed brat."

Ron's face was turning puce and he snapped a spell at Yoru in anger. Yoru just turned his head and it flew by his face, "The timer is started."

Spells flew everywhere, none of them Yoru's. He simply dodged and batted the spells aside with Nenekirimaru, laughing as Ron's face got red in frustration. He smirked and activated his Fear – and vanished into smoke. Laughter echoed around the room and Ron spun, trying to find the voice. All of a sudden, the red-eyed man reappeared in front of him. He yelled in triumph and shot a blasting hex at their professor, only to freeze his celebrations as the spell went through him and collided with the back wall.

The bell rung and Ron found himself flying back to his mat. Yoru stood there, with trails of black power coming off of him. "Who wants to go next?"

Draco stepped forward, "I'll go next Professor." Yoru saw a grudging respect in the grey eyes at his skills and a hint of amusement at the way Ron was treated. Yoru nodded and the black power disappeared, leaving him looking like normal. Draco looked at him for a moment, "Before we start, might I ask a question?"

Yoru chuckled, "You just did, but I can take another."

"What are you?"

Yoru raised an eyebrow, "Have you heard of yokai before, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco nodded and his eyes grew wide in realization, "You're a yokai?!"

Yoru wagged a finger, "Not just any yokai, I am the Supreme Commander of Yokai. I am also the Lord of Pandemonium and the Lord of the Night. Why do you ask?"

"You're the Supreme Commander?! You look so girly though."

Yoru broke into laughter, "Great way to make your enemy underestimate you, isn't it?"

Draco's eyes lit up, "That's right, but if you look so weak, how are you so strong?"

"What makes you say that I'm strong?"

Draco looked at him like he thought he was stupid. "The Lord of Pandemonium has to fight his way to the top, plus the fact that your power was so great at the feast that we couldn't even move."

"That was actually only 1/100th of my power, but the rest is accurate. Ten points to Slytherin for critical thinking."

A confused voice from the crowd spoke and Yoru recognized Seamus Finnigan, "Professor Nura sir?"

"Yes, Mr. Finnigan?"

"What's a yokai?"

Yoru chuckled, "I am what you British call a demon, though the correct technical term is mischievous spirit."

The whole room gasped, and Ron shouted, "A demon?! Your kind is not allowed here! You're inferior! Get out of our school!"

Draco looked at him in astonishment, "Do you realize who you just insulted or are you too stupid?"

Ron looked confused, but angry, "He's not important!"

Yoru gave a long suffering sigh, "Do you know how the Ministry of Magic has the Minister?"

Ron nodded. Yoru continued, "England has the Queen?"

Another nod. "What does an army have, Mr. Weasley?"

"A commander, do you think I'm stupid?!"

"You are correct; an army's leader is called their commander. I am the Supreme Commander of all Yokai. I am quite important. Now that we've wasted time with Mr. Weasley's stupidity, five points from Gryffindor and let's start this duel, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco got in a dueling position and Yoru stood waiting. All of a sudden, Draco started firing borderline dark curses at him. He jumped above them and laughed in exhilaration, "Try harder! More speed!"

The spells per minute picked up and Yoru started batting them away with Nenekirimaru. After three minutes, the bell rang and Draco went back to his seat disgruntled and panting. Yoru stood at the front, not even out of breath, "Who's next?!"

The rest of class went the same way Draco's battle had gone and pretty soon, class was over. Yoru stood at the front of the room, "Next class is a quiz on what magical creatures you need to know about to defend yourself. No homework except to study. Have a nice day."

The bell rung and everyone but Hermione left. Ron stayed outside the door, waiting for her in the shadows. Yoru closed the door and locked it, before he gave Hermione a light kiss, "Hello Princess. I hope Ron isn't bugging you still."

She hugged him, "He is. He's probably waiting outside the door right now to try and ambush me again."

He growled and grabbed her up in a possessive manner, "He will not touch you! Not while I'm around! I'll walk you to the next class to explain why you were late, I think."

He opened the door and stepped out first. A spell whizzed by his face and he whipped towards the boy in the corner, "Detention with Snape for attacking a teacher, Mr. Weasley and twenty points from Gryffindor!"

Ron glared at him, and then left. Yoru let Hermione out and they walked towards the Transfiguration classroom. They got there and he stepped inside, "I apologize for Ms. Granger's tardiness. It was my fault. I wished to speak to her about her good performance in my class."

Professor McGonagall nodded and Hermione found a seat next to Neville. Yoru stepped outside and saw Ron stepping inside. "Mr. Weasley, why are you late?!" McGonagall shouted.

"I was with Hermione." Ron said.

Yoru heard McGonagall scoff, "Professor Nura only pardoned Ms. Granger, you are not included."

Ron grumbled and sat Yoru heard him sit down. He left with a grin on his face.

OoOoOo

Yoru was sitting at his small table, sipping sake when he heard knocking. "Let her in Rikuo!"

The painting swung open and McGonagall stepped inside. She looked around the room in approval, "Your rooms are very nice, Yoru."

"Thank you Professor. Can you be out all night? Where we are going, I might need to spend the night there. We would be back in time in the morning."

She nodded, "Yes, when are we going?"

"Come here." She did so and he grabbed her arm. With a twist and a 'pop' they disappeared from his chambers.

They reappeared at the front gates of a mansion. She looked around and noticed the sakura tree, "Are we in Japan?"

"Yes, we are Professor."

She spun around, "Wait a minute! You just apparated through the Hogwarts wards and across continents?!"

He shrugged, "Yeah, it is possible. You just have to have enough magic in your body to do so. Let's go inside. Just a small warning, almost everyone here is a yokai, so they look a little odd. This is Nura Manor."

She nodded and followed him through the gates. As soon as they stepped inside, Kurotabou came up to them, "Master! What are you doing here?!"

"Hello Kurotabou. The good Professor McGonagall here wanted to see Harry Potter and Sirius Black. Where's that old dog?"

"He's inside. Once you talk to him, would you like to join the raid we were about to embark on?"

"Yeah, a little action will do me good. That castle is so cramped."

Kurotabou nodded, "We will wait for you, Master. Sirius is in the kitchen, bugging the ladies."

"Thank you. Follow me Professor."

"Why do you call me Professor? You're a Professor too."

He grinned, "You'll find out in a moment. Sirius can't keep a secret worth his life."

They walked through the halls and Yoru heard women yelling in anger and Sirius laughing. He rolled his eyes and swept open the door to the kitchen. He grabbed the Marauder by the back of his shirt and dragged him out of the kitchen. Tsurara nodded in thanks and went back to her cooking. Her head snapped up as she realized just who had pulled the dog out, but Yoru was already gone.

He dragged the whining man into the backyard and dropped him in the pond. Kappa floated by him with only his eyes above the water, but Yoru could see the bubbles that meant he was laughing. McGonagall stared at the strange sight until Sirius spluttered and climbed out, shaking like a dog, and drew her attention, "What was that for, Pup?!"

"What did I tell you about bothering the women, Sirius?!"

Sirius looked down, scolded, "To leave them be."

Yoru nodded, "If Yuki-Onna freezes you, I'm leaving you that way until you thaw!"

Sirius looked properly horrified, until he saw McGonagall laughing at him and his eyes widened, "Professor! What are you doing here?"

Yoru chuckled, "She wanted to come visit you and Harry, and find out where you've been this whole time. She promised and oath when we were done here."

"Oh yeah, where's Harry?!" McGonagall said, as if she had just remembered what they were there for.

Sirius started laughing and fell to the ground rolling around and holding his stomach, "You didn't tell her yet, Yoru?!"

Yoru shrugged, "That Old Man's got spies everywhere in that damn castle."

McGonagall looked at them both in confusion, "What does this have to do with Harry?"

Yoru did a half-bow, with one arm out to the side, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Yoru Nura, formerly known as Harry Potter, Professor."

Her eyes widened and she stumbled backwards, "You're Harry?!"

Yoru rose from his bow, "I am Yoru, I used to be known as Harry Potter however."

"H…How?! What happened to you?!"

"My soul combined with another's over the summer. We blended completely, as you can tell by the fact that no one has guessed on their own except Snape. I did not lie about my age either. I am actually 152 years old, due to the fact that the soul I combined with was 137 when it died."

Her eyes were popping out of her head at this information and her mouth was gaping. Yoru watched in slight amusement as she fainted. He turned away, "She took that rather well. Would you bring her back inside Paddy? You can put her on the futon in my room. I told Kuro I'd go on a small raid tonight."

Sirius nodded and waved his wand. The Transfiguration Professor floated up into the air and he walked inside. Yoru went around the house and found Kurotabou waiting with a few others, "I am here, Kuro. Let's go have some fun!"

OoOoOo

By the time they got back to the manor, it was about five in the morning. Yoru sighed in disappointment that he would have to go back, but he went to look for Minerva. He found her still sleeping in his room. He stepped inside lightly and shook her gently, "Wake up Professor. We need to head back to the castle."

Her eyes opened blearily and she looked around in confusion at the unfamiliar surroundings. Yoru gave a light cough to draw her attention and she looked over to him, "You fainted, so Sirius brought you to my room to sleep while I went on a raid with my men."

She sat up slowly and rubbed her head, "I had the weirdest dream."

He grinned, "Oh really, what of?"

"You were Harry Potter, it was strange."

He chuckled, "That wasn't a dream Professor. That was true. We need to get back to the castle. It's five in the morning."

She looked at him in astonishment and then pinched the bridge of her nose, "Why are you always the weird one, Nura?"

He smirked, "When would a yokai lord ever be counted as normal?"

She just sighed and stood up, "Well, let's go then."

He turned to Kubinashi, who had just walked into the room, "Will you let Gramps and Kuro know I've left, Kubinashi?"

Kubinashi smiled, "Of course, Master Yoru. Have a nice day with the little children."

Yoru mock scowled and then laughed, "I can try."

McGonagall was staring at the lack of neck on the man in fascination and Kubinashi chuckled, "Good day to you as well, Professor." He walked out of the room and Yoru turned to McGonagall, "Time for that oath, Professor."

She nodded and held out her wand, "I, Minerva McGonagall, transfigurations professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, do swear on my magic to not reveal any of what I've seen in the last twelve hours to anyone. So mote it be."

Yoru nodded, satisfied, and grabbed her arm with a twist. They disappeared from Nura Manor.

OoOoOo

They reappeared in Yoru's living quarters and McGonagall left, saying she had some stuff to take care of before classes. He let her leave and hopped in the shower.

Once he was done in the showers, he put on a black yukata with flames running up the side. He put on his tabi and sandals and tucked Nenekirimaru into his waist. With this done, he started another day teaching at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

OoOoOo