A/N: Well, here's Chapter Five. It came a little later than the others 'cause I'm busy with x-mas travels and family visits. Silly x-mas! Although the presents make up for the trouble... :P
Oh, well. Onwards! By the way, there's another time skip here. To this story's equivalent of Chapter Eight Hokage Lizy-Sama's story.
Except better. (Just kidding! :P)
GirXzimXfanatic: Probably. They're just polite, so they don't.
Ultima: Of course he did. He's just that awesome. :D
CJWrites: Yay, someone who enjoys his "Don't mess with me" persona. ^-^ Also, if he does know other Pokémon, you'll find out. ;u
JBCoolman: Good! ^-^
Chapter Five
Stand Back! I'm Going to Try Science.
"Professor Nozawa, you look absolutely giddy," Minerva McGonnagal said to her colleague. The man she was talking to was finding it difficult to keep his now trademark grin off his face. Not to mention he just couldn't stop fidgeting in his seat at the staff table during lunch. "Must I give you a Calming Drought?"
"I believe, Minerva," Headmaster Dumbledore began. "That there is no point in that. I honestly doubt it would have any effect at all, considering what he is probably planning for today's lesson."
"Oh how right you are, Headmaster," Nozawa said, his excitement almost getting the better of him. If it had, he would've gone into a tirade of words. The Luxray at his side, since having been revealed to his classes, was now allowed to be with him at all times, like his Espeon when he had dragged Harry and Ron to Dumbledore's two weeks ago...
"Sir, why are we at the Headmaster's office?" Harry asked, dreading the answer – but he got none until they had entered the room.
"Headmaster, we need to talk," Nozawa said, his Espeon quickly racing and going around the room with wonder and curiosity. "And Espeon, don't touch anything unless he says it's alright."
"It's alright," Dumbledore said, chuckling politely. "It would be difficult for her to break anything. Now, my friend, what is it you wish to talk about?"
Yay! Espeon cut in, dashing around to the first that held her curiosity. Thanks!
"Now it'll take forever to calm her down..." Nozawa muttered, holding his face in his hands for a moment, despite the smile on his face. Then he looked up and became serious. "It has to do with Professor Umbridge. Would you be so kind as to call her here?"
"How does this involve her?" Dumbledore asked, becoming serious. His eyes continued to twinkle with amusement, however, as Espeon playfully prodded the Sorting Hat, trying to figure out why she felt a mental presence from it. "And my dear, I think you would have more fun with putting it on your head."
Espeon's face brightened even more, if possible, and she did as suggested. She immediantly squeaked with surprise, then began to purr quietly. Clearly, the Sorting Hat's mind-to-mind talk had captured here interest and was going to hold it for a while.
"That'll keep her busy," Nozawa said gratefully, chuckling inwardly. "This involves Professor Umbridge and her treatment of Mr. Potter in his detention. I have reason to believe she is resorting to more-or-less illegal methods."
"What proof do you have?"
"Mr. Potter, show him your hand, please."
Harry looked to the Headmaster, clearly unwilling to do so.
Go on, Espeon suddenly cut in, as she paused in her talk with the hat. Show him. It'll help.
Harry, ready to remain adamant, gave in after another moment. That little Pokémon was sounding very motherly to him: gentle and kind, simply wishing the best for him. It was almost as if she was a mother from how well she used that voice.
"...This is illegal, isn't it?" Nozawa asked for clarification, as the Headmaster inspected the wound carefully.
"I'm afraid so," He said, then turned to a portrait in his room, and requested them to fetch the other new professor.
"A blood quill, right?"
"Yes, indeed it is. We will have to wait for her to arrive. Until then, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, please, have a seat."
With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore created two new chairs for the two students, to which they sat in gratefully. The growing tension in the air was easier to withstand sitting down. While they waited, however, they were given the right to listen to a strange conversation between the two adults.
"So, Headmaster," Aromi began, looking at Espeon, who was swishing her tail in content as she talked to the live hat atop her head. "Have you conversed with your partner recently?"
"Yes, we have talked," the old man said, chuckling. "He is a very interesting creature to talk with."
"Remind me what kind he is."
"I believe you said that it was a Zatu."
"Ah, yes," Nozawa said, recalling it at last, then looked up to Espeon with a small smile. "So, Espeon, what house have you been sorted into?"
"Gryffindor is the house for this one," the hat replied with an amused tone. "I must say, she has an interesting mind, for such a strange creature."
Then there was a knock on the door, and the tension thickened again as Dumbledore allowed Umbridge in. The instant she stepped in and up to the desk, it was easy to notice the way she tried to hide her nervousness at noticing the occupants of the room.
"My dear," Dumbledore began, very serious. "I would like to ask why it is you thought it would be acceptable to punish my student with a Blood Quill."
"Well, it seemed to be the only fitting punishment," Umbridge said, trying to be confident. The glare from Nozawa was cutting her attempts in half very quickly. "I had to get through to him."
"Headmaster, may I?" Aromi asked, and continued at the confirming nod, then turned to his colleague, his eyes hard and cold and merciless. His voice only amplified the frightening look. "Professor Umbridge, I may be a foreigner, but from what I have read, Blood Quills are considered illegal. This is because of the fact that, if use is continued, whatever the victim writes becomes permanently scarred on their flesh. Please, explain to me why you felt that you are above the law enough to be allowed the use of this illegal item?"
"W-Well... the b-boy's been spreading l-lies about You-Know-Who being alive again," Umbridge said, stuttering and struggling. "If i-it continues, then t-the Minis-stry will h-have to deal w-with the repurcussions..."
"So? From what I've seen, the Ministry has been using the Daily Prophet to disprove what he says, anyway," Aromi said. "Are you telling me that such a thing isn't enough, being publically humiliated and discounted by the Minister himself?"
"H-He continues to s-state such lies, even so!"
"Then he deserves to be Gryffindor, for standing by what he believes. Professor, I am hearing nothing but the lamest of excuses for why you forced Mr. Potter to suffer through the use of a Blood Quill, an item that the Minister himself considers illegal. If you are an undersecretary of the Minister, you should already know this; yet you forced a student to use one. Do you have any legitimate reason for this?"
"W-Why... h-how dare you, presume you understand our politics and culture!"
Umbridge, enraged, whipped out her short, fat wand that matched her in ugliness. Before she could do anything else, however, she was knocked onto her back. When she next looked up, she found that Espeon's eyes were glowing threateningly, and said Pokémon's trainer had his wand out in return. He now held his colleague's wand in his spare hand.
Do not touch my trainer, Espeon told her coldly. Despite the Sorting Hat having never left the creature's head, and how it should have made her look ridiculous... somehow, the Pokémon only looked more fearsome. Or I will bring you down.
"W-What is this... this... thing?" Umbridge demanded harshly, her hatred for non-humans shining brightly in her voice and countenance.
"My dear," Dumbledore said, his voice calm. The students shivered, noticing the harsh, cold sound hiding behind the sweetness. "I would suggest that you not insult this brilliant creature. I can confirm for you that she is, indeed, very dangerous. Now, considering the fact that you have not only harmed my student willingly, but you have also used an illegal item, I am relieving you of the duty of Harry's detention."
"W-What? You can't!" Umbridge said, standing and looking affronted.
"He's the Headmaster," Nozawa said, Espeon still standing before him protectively. Though she was no longer preparing an attack, she was still ready to pounce. "He can do that if he wishes, and Espeon, stand down."
The Pokémon, after giving the ugly toad a threatening growl, leapt back up to the Sorting Hat's nook. There she sat down, and began to silently converse with it again, and listened carefully. Soon it was found that Harry's detention was moved to be with Professor Nozawa, and Professor Umbridge was stripped of her power to do so. Even though she was soon given the High Inquisitor status, Dumbledore remained adamant and restricted her abilities as a professor, and kept her under close watch.
"Aromi, my friend," Dumbledore said, ending said man's trip down memory lane. Despite the somewhat solemn theme of it, his happy mood never ended. "You may leave early, if you wish."
"Oh, thank you, Headmaster!" Nozawa exclaimed, quickly leaving the hall in the fastest pace he could manage that still counted as walking. Kyashii, smiling to herself about her trainer, followed closely.
I will travel across the land,
Searching far and wide.
"Why do you think Professor Nozawa is so excited?" Hermione asked her friends at their lunch table.
"Dunno," Ron said. "George's friends say that they aren't allowed to say anything, so we'll have to find out when we get there."
"Speaking of me," George – or was that Fred? – said, cutting in. "Harry, you never told us what happened with you and Umbridge."
"Oh, well," The Boy-Who-Lived said. Then after taking a moment to decide, explained what had happened, and Ron confirmed it.
"What did he make you do?" The other twin asked.
"Just made me help clean his classroom. He never let me near his office, for some reason. Said it would be bad for my health for some reason."
"He is weird," Fred said. "But he's bloody awesome for taking on Umbridge like that!"
"And it is time to go to his class," Ginny cut in as she walked by, heading to that very classroom.
With that, a flurry of motion happened at the golden trio's table, as they all grabbed their stuff. Ron shoved one last bite into his mouth right before he raced off with his friends. Thanks to his sister's warning, they got to the class and sat down in time. The man was nowhere to be seen until a full minute after the bell had rung. When he came out of his office at last, he was carrying one box while his Lucario was carrying another. The man seemed to be having a bit of a tough time, but the Pokémon wasn't even phased when they set the boxes down on the teacher's desk. There, he let the creature stand nearby and watch patiently with Espeon, who was on the desk as well.
"Class, today will be very fun for all of you!" Professor Nozawa said after the initial introduction. "I need a volunteer!"
There were a few moments of silence. Then some more. Rolling his eyes, he turned to his Pokémon.
"Okay, nobody's volunteered; you two get to choose," He said to the Lucario and Espeon. They looked at each other, and an evil grin appeared almost instantly as the silently conversed. Nozawa, to his credit, didn't pale like some of the students. Rather, he rolled his eyes. "No!"
The two stared at him pleadingly, and after a few moments, he sighed. And gave in, making them promise to be gentle. An instant later, Harry was being telepathically lifted from his seat and carefully brought to the front of the room. Once he was hovering only a couple of inches from the floor, he was dropped. Somewhat carefully. The two perpetrators were grinning evilly, with Espeon giggling and Lucario silently chuckling. The boy was left sitting there, with his butt sore from the slightly-harsh landing. The teacher sighed and rolled his eyes, holding out his hand to the boy while the class chuckled and giggled.
"Sorry, but once they have an idea, it's difficult to get them out of it," Aromi said, helping him up, as he glared at the guilty party. They just looked away and seemed to whistle innocently. "They've been like that for quite some time; can't get them out of it. I'm sure they remind you of a couple people."
"Yeah, Fred and George," Harry said before he could stop himself. Then he kind of looked a little surprised at his outburst, but most of the class laughed. Especially the two mentioned, and the two Pokémon perpetrators grinned to their human counterparts, whom only returned the expression.
"Alright, then," Aromi said, letting his grin shrink to a smile, as he held out a Pokéball. "Take it. This isn't an ordinary one; it's enchanted. The one that comes out reflects upon your personality. By the end of this period, we will see everyone's personality in the physical form of a non-legendary Pokémon. You're just the first, that's all. So, go on, let's find out."
Harry carefully took a hold of the item, and as it began to vibrate slowly, his mind started to race. What Pokémon was he most like? He hoped he wasn't a Magikarp... the class had been made to memorize the first one-hundred-fifty-one Pokémon, and so those were the only ones he could think of. He didn't notice that Nozawa had opened the two boxes and pulled one thing from each. As the strange electronic kept shaking and getting more violent in its movement, it threatened to break from his grip, but he had the feeling that it was magically attatched to his hands to keep that from dropping it. At last, it froze, and his mind with it. A couple of tense, anxious moments passed – then it snapped open. And the white light they'd seen from the professor's Pokéballs weeks before appeared and began to take form. Nozawa seemed to recognize immediantly, and smirked to Lucario, who, to his credit, kept a straight face. If he hadn't, a blush most certainly would've appeared, for the Pokémon partner chosen for the famous Harry Potter was none other than Riolu, whom was now looking at the one it was chosen for.
"Harry, this is Riolu," Nozawa said politely, calmly, as he knew how to do this. "Go on, say hello."
"Umm... hi, Riolu," Harry said, trying to swallow his nervousness, as he tried to smile warmly.
"Riolu!" Exclaimed the Pokémon, smiling kindly. This made the fifteen-year-old's smile become a little warmer, as the creature stepped closer.
"Harry, here," Nozawa said, getting the boy's attention and handing over two items. One was another Pokéball, while the other was only talked about in passing. "The other item's the newest Pokédex. Talk to Riolu at his eye level, and tell him what you're about to do; it's important to build their trust immediantly."
So, Harry knelt and met the Pokémon's eye. He could tell how much trust that immediantly built. Not much, but it was a good start. Then he quietly explained, and paused every now and then to make sure the little guy was keeping up, and he was. Once that was done, the boy used the 'dex to find out about him. It was confirmed that the Riolu was, indeed, male; and, Harry learned, was able to evolve into a Lucario like the one by Nozawa's desk. Then, the little Pokémon allowed his new trainer to use the Pokéball on him, and was soon confirmed captured.
"Thank you for that enlightening experience, Mr. Potter," Professor Nozawa said with a gentle smile, coming over and helping the boy to stand. "I suggest you go back to your desk and let Riolu sit on it by you; let him watch the rest of the class with you."
Harry nodded, a little dazed at the sudden new turn in his life. Once he was at his desk, he did as was suggested, and told his new partner what to do. The creature nodded, and sat down, watching with great interest, making the school's newest trainer smile to himself as he did the same. Then, when the class was asked for a volunteer once more, many hands shot up. The professor waved his wand at his desk, and his Pokémon told him something in private.
"Ron Weasley, you're up!" Aromi said with a smile. The groans from the rest of the class made him roll his eyes. "I had known this would happen, people; so I set up a board on my desk that checks off people that have gone, and sees when more than one person raises their hand. When I wave my wand at it, it randomly selects someone, so don't get made it me; the selection was completely random. Mr. Weasley was simply lucky."
At this point, the redhead was at the front of the class, and went through the same process as his friend. Soon enough, the ball opened and revealed a Caterpie. Some students chuckled under their breath, and Nozawa did nothing to stop it – but he did make them keep it quiet. He had Ron do the same as Harry did, and the redhead was soon back at his desk, Pokémon by his side. As time went by, several people learned of their partners. Fred and George found themselves having a Minun and Plusle, respectively. It fit, considering how they were twins and the two Pokémon practically were as well. Ginny received a Feebas. She had been embarrassed at first, but when Aromi showed her the evolved form, and she realized that she could have her Pokémon evolve – and that said creature wanted to – she was pleased. Hermione had gotten a Cyndaquil, actually. Nozawa had told her that he would show her the evolved form in person when he got the chance. Malfoy had, almost completely by the professor's prediction, received a Seviper. Which had easily been tamed by the boy, since the Pokémon instantly recognized their similar personalities and grew a liking to the Slytherin student right away. At the end of class, everyone had their Pokémon partners. Once he let them all take a moment to get used to the idea of having one, Professor Nozawa took center stage again and got their attention.
"Alright," He began with a smile. "Now it is your duty to take care of your partners. I have already had instructions delivered to your beds depending on what Pokémon you received; they will detail what you need to do. From this moment on, when you enter the classroom, you are to put away your wand and release your partner from their Pokéball; no exceptions! As of now, magic is not to be used unless I say so, and that rule is not up for debate.
"If you wish to have a partner that trusts you," He continued. "I would suggest keeping them out at all times. However, Mr. Malfoy, there is another student in this school with a Zangoose. I must require of you to return your Seviper the very instant you see that Pokémon. If you do not understand why, I would suggest that you do your research; I am not going to give you the answer. Other than that, for the next couple of days, we will be covering a completely new subject. At the end of the week, I have a special treat planned for all of you, if all goes well. It is a special event planned for this Saturday afternoon at the Quidditch field."
"But, sir!" Harry exclaimed. "Quidditch tryouts are at that time!"
"Then they're going to be moved to a different time," Nozawa replied, although he was gentle. "That field is reserved for me at that time, and I refuse to cut any slack. It is vital that the event occur there; this school has no better place for it. After all, where else can I ensure that all of the students are safe and still enjoy what will happen?"
There was silence to that.
"Alright, then, you're all dismissed," Aromi said. Then he continued as they stood to leave. "And nobody should be using any magic whatsoever on their Pokémon! No excuses! If you want to be a proper trainer, you must do it the way I did: no magic! Other than that, I will see you all tomorrow."
With that, the students shuffled out of the room, heading to their next class, all of them keeping their new partners out as they talked to them and introduced them to their human friends. The Pokémon were all taking it in stride happily, clearly excited about being with the trainer that they matched with so well. Professor Nozawa, having talked to the Headmaster already, was currently looking forward for what he had planned this Saturday. If only the next four days would pass a little more quickly...
Credits: Song lyrics from the Pokémon Theme, and yes, I have that song in my iTunes library.
A/N: Alright, reviews tell me what you think! And take guesses as to what the surprise event is! =D