I added 2 chapters together in this one, in hopes to make up for my lateness in getting this out.
~your authoress
Transfer of Magic
Chapter two
Weeks before the train leaves for Hogwarts...
Inside a nondescript apartment on the third level, an owl was flying at a window. The room the bird was trying to get into was as boring and normal as the rest of the house had appeared from the outside. The walls were painted blue, the floor was a spotless white carpet, and the bed, though it had an occupant, looked clean and neat, with white bedside table on either side. The person was a white haired, feminine boy wearing a blue t-shirt, and silky blue pants. On his chest, around his neck, was a huge golden pendant. It was a large ring of gold, with a flat pyramid in the center, sporting the Eye of Horus. There were seven little pointers dangling off the bottom part of the gold ring that clinked whenever the boy moved.
Tap Tap Tap
The white haired person groaned from their place under the sheets, cracking open one green eye.
/Bakura...make it go away.../
/How do you want me to go about doing that, Ryou? /
/However you like. /
Bakura cheered silently, getting some much needed time outside the ring.
/Shadow Realm for you, bird!/ he cackled.
Ryou sighed, curling back up under the blankets, trying to get back to sleep with Bakura laughing insanely beside him.
/Ryou, the bird was carrying a letter...It dropped it on the floor before I sent it to the Shadows./
Ryou made a loud, exasperated noise, glaring at the clock beside his bed, which read 7:00 am.
/Bakura...read the damn thing if you must, but don't destroy it until after I'm coherent enough to read it before you do./
/Gotcha, Ryou./
Of course, Bakura, being the snoop he was, had to read the letter, and so he did.
Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)
Dear Mr. R. Bakura:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in England. The list of supplies has everything you will be needing for your school year. Supplies can be bought in Diagon Alley, situated behind the Leaky Cauldron. The Hogwarts Express leaves Kings Cross September 1st from platform 9 3/4. We will be expecting your owl no later than August31st.
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Minerva McGonagall
Bakura frowned at the letter, checking the address on the front.
Ryou Bakura
The neat apartment
2nd street
Domino City
Japan
/Hikari.../
~Break~
Ryou stepped out into the blinding sunlight outside the London airport. Blinking to adjust his eyes, he waved for a taxi.
/Ryou, where are we staying? It better not be that hovel Yuugi wrote us about, The Leaky Cauldron! /
/Bakura, that place is probably full of vermin, no-one in their right mind would stay in one of those rooms!/
That night, across the city, a not so sane person attempted just that.
[Hikari-pretty, that man is giving us odd looks!]
[|Marik, Shut up, or you won't be getting any.|]
[But Hikari-pretty-] Marik said, stroking his light's hair.
[|NO! I'm getting a room, and you are staying in your soul room tonight.|]
"Hi, I'd like to rent a room for the night, please?" Malik asked, placing some money (galleons, as he had stolen some from nearby wizards) on the counter.
"There's only one room left, the Weasley's booked all the rest. You're lucky kid." the barman said conversationally.
[|Who the heck are the Weasley's?|]
[Beats me]
"Thank you. If you could show me to my room? I'm very tired." the man nodded, and led the light down the hall, and to a shabby room.
[Hikari-pretty, why are you being so nice?]
[|Catch more flies with honey than vinegar.|]
[What?]
[|Never mind...|]
~Break~
Yuugi stumbled upon the barrier between the platforms by accident, for the boy had managed to trip over thin air, and sprawl face-first through it. Once inside, after a mental glare at Yami, who was laughing at his hikari's misfortune, Yuugi found Ryou and Malik, who were gazing at the train in awe. "Ryou! Malik!" the boy called, waving his arms at the pair.
"Hey chibi." Malik greeted, poking Yuugi's spikes in what could be called an affectionate manner.
Ryou smiled that the shorter boy. "Hello Yuugi-kun." he said in a soft voice.
"YUUGI-CHAN! OVER HERE!" A familiar voice called, catching the chibi's attention. He pulled on Malik's sleeve, and dragged Ryou and Malik onto the train.
"Umi-chan, how have you been?" Ryou asked, sitting beside her.
"I've been great. I had a calm vacation over in Little Winging. Boring though-tons of cookie-cutter houses."
"Well, at least you didnt have to deal with insane blue-haired freaks." Yuugi complained. "They wanted to bring back some god or something. That's why I'm not having as hard a time adjusting as Ryou- I was over in America this whole time- less of a time difference, as far as I know."
There came a knock at the door of their compartment. Malik promptly stood, and pulled open the door. "Hello?" he asked, giving the two outside an appraising look.
"Hello there...um...we were wondering if we could maybe..." A black haired boy began, eyes pasted to the ground
"Could we join you? Everywhere else is full." the red-head beside him interrupted his companion.
"Of course, please, come in. I'm Umi, by the way." Umi called. Malik moved aside, allowing the two entrance. The red-head turned to Yuugi and Ryou. "Is their hair natural?" Yuugi and Ryou laughed and said that it was. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ron Weasly, and this...is Harry Potter." the red-head, Ron, introduced himself, and Harry. The hikari's said that it was a pleasure to meet them as well, except for Umi, who merely nodded, reaching up and fishing a book out of her trunk. Yuugi frowned at Ron. It looked like he had been expecting a reaction.
"Should we know who you are?" he asked, turning to the other boy, Harry
"I'm supposed to be famous." Harry shrugged. "I'm kind of glad you didnt freak out, you know. I've had that happen a few times already." he blushed at the memory.
Yuugi smiled knowingly. "Ahh fangirls and fanboys, huh? I get a lot of fan-personing too, I don't like it either."
"Yuugi's THE world champion at Duel Monsters. It's really popular in Japan." Malik spoke up.
"Who are you two?" Ron asked rudely, staring at Malik and Ryou, who had yet to introduce themselves.
Malik glared. "I'm Malik-don't cross me, or it might hurt...you."
"To counteract my Egyptian friends threatening statement, I am Ryou. In comparison to Malik, I'm a fluffy bunny." Ryou said with a smile.
"With sharp teeth..." Malik muttered under his breath, earning him a whack from Ryou.
"Only to you, Malik, and possibly to Bakura." Yuugi laughed, glancing at the pair.
"Bakura?" Ron inquired, looking about. "No-one here is called Bakura-You're Yuugi, he's Ryou, and he's Malik."
"He's our friend back home- he didnt get a letter." Yuugi covered quickly. Ron nodded, sitting. As he did so, there came a sharp rapping at the door. "Anything off the trolley, dears?" a plump woman asked, pushing a trolley loaded with sweets into view.
"We'll take the lot." Harry said, interrupting Ron's downtrodden "I'm all set," and, pulling out a handful of galleons, he proceeded to buy a bit of everything on the cart, and passing them out.
Ron's eyes were fixed on the large pile of gold, as it passed out of Harry's hands. The only one who noticed was 'Ryou', who also had been eyeing the gold. His eyes glazed a bit as he argued with his darkness.
"Be careful with those beans," Ron warned. "They say every flavor, and they do mean every flavor" Yuugi gave the beans a suspicious look, before passing them to Malik, who took one gleefully.
He chewed once, and then spat the bean into his palm. "I think...that was...diet soda..." he choked." Ron frowned.
"Honestly, that's not one of the worse ones in there, Malik. My brothers reckon they got a boogie flavored one once."
Malik shivered, and closed the bag. "How the heck do these people make money, if the food is so...repulsive?"
"Magic." Yuugi...or was it Yami? said with a grin. Malik could never really tell these days. The pharaoh had indeed mellowed out a lot since battle city. Yuugi was grateful, he wasn't picking fights with the thief and guardian as much, and thus, there were fewer threats to his life.
"Would you like a sweet, Umi?" Harry asked, moving over to sit beside the brunette. Umi looked up from her book with a scowl. "What the hell do you want! I'm in a good part, too!"
Yuugi turned to Harry, grinning. "I should have told you not to bug her-she's totally out of it when she's reading. And her temper flares when she's interrupted."
"Sorry, I was just offering you a pasty…" he trailed off.
Umi frowned, then gave him a small smile. "Thank you for the...courtesy. If you would allow me..." and with that, she returned to her novel. The compartment was silent for the better part of an hour, before a bushy haired girl opened the door with a clack. "What can we do for you?" Malik asked, turning to face her.
"I'm Hermione Granger, nice to meet you. Have any of you seen a toad?"
Umi glanced up. "Do you know its name?"
"Um...Trevor, I believe." Hermione answered, confused.
Umi stood, pointing her wand into the hallway. "Accio Trevor the Toad" she intoned. A few seconds later, a large, warty toad, flew into the compartment, and onto Umi's waiting hand.
"Here you are, one Trevor the toad." she said, holding the creature out to Hermione, who looked shell-shocked. Everyone else was either doing what they had been doing (this was Malik, Ryou, and Yuugi) or were staring at the girl in much the same way.
"How did you do that? I thought you were muggle-born first years, since you didnt know about Harry Potter, but that's advanced magic for a first year!" Ron asked, covering his ears as Hermione squealed. 'Teach me!'
"I read ahead. If you want to learn, I'd say you should do the same." Umi said, bored already, and returned to her seat, and resumed reading her book, for the second time.
Though Umi insisted she'd like to read her book, Yuugi noticed that she was communicating with Mare, instead of actually reading. From the faint pissed expression on her face, Mare was not helping Umi's annoyed mood.
"Who are you?" Hermione asked, leaning over Umi's book.
Umi glared. "I should kick your ass for interrupting me. I would like to read my book."
"Umm...Umi, ass kicking should be kept at a minimum, unless you want to endanger your book..." Yuugi called.
{What is it with her and taking her anger out on nearby objects?}Yami observed, watching as Umi crushed her book in her hands, before looking down at it in alarm
"Damnit!" Umi shouted, carefully placing the book back into her trunk, marking the page. "I'm Umi, and if you don't want me to harm you, I think you should leave."
Hermione skittered out of the compartment quickly, and they returned to their silence.
~Break~
When they began closing in on Hogwarts, Umi dragged her trunk to a separate compartment to change into her robes.
"See you at Sorting." she called out, closing the door carefully.
"What house do you think you'll be in?" Yuugi asked, turning to Malik and Ryou.
"Knowing my luck, I'll get Slytherin." Ryou groaned.
Malik's face fell. "What if my...experience...affects my house?" He breathed.
This gained him a pair of odd looks from Ron and Harry.
Yuugi backed him up, saying "Malik's father was abusive; he's done some things he regrets due to his father's influence."
Harry nodded his head, giving Malik an understanding glance. Ron just looked confused, though he dropped the subject.
~Break~
"FIRS' YEARS! OVER HERE!" a tall, bearded man shouted. Yuugi shrugged, going over to stand beside the growing line of wizard kids with Malik and Ryou. Umi was already near the head of the line.
"Climb in, only three ta a boat, yell be getting ya first sight o' Hogwarts jus over tha ridge."
The teens clambered into the wooden boats, which immediately set off in a north-easterly course across the lake. The view of the castle was spectacular. The lights in all the windows cast gold onto the lake surface, and they glowed like gems from their place in the walls, Turrets reached up to brush the clouds, and the gates stood open and inviting. As they disembarked, Yuugi nearly tripped over his robes, and was caught by Ryou...Bakura, oddly enough, who set him on his feet.
The large man led them up the steps to the door, where the first years waited impatiently for someone named 'Professor McGonagall. Several first years were whispering among themselves about the sorting. They quieted when the imposing Prof. McGonagall entered, explaining some rules and what-have you, before leading them into the great hall. Bakura swore she heard Hermione whispering behind him, and frowned. He didn't like the girl any more than Umi seemed to. The Prof began reading out names that Yuugi really didnt pay attention to, until he heard 'Bakura, Ryou'. He watched his sorting, (Slytherin), as well as Malik's, (Slytherin), and Umi's (Ravenclaw) before his name was called. -Ah, two souls, just like that Ravenclaw, and that pair of young Slytherins...Not much ambition, friendship is important to both of you...I'd say "Hufflepuff!"-
The Hufflepuffs cheered, welcoming Yuugi to their table. The last of the first years were sorted, the hat sending Ron and Harry to Gryffindor. Then the headmaster stood. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. I only have four words for you before we eat- Nitwit, oddment, blubber, and tweak."
And with that, food rose into the dishes, much to the amazement of the first-years. The hikari's smiled, and dug in with gusto.
After the last bites of food vanished from the plates, the headmaster once again stood.
"I would like to inform you all that the list of banned items, which can be found outside of Mr. Filch's office, has been extended to include fanged-Frisbees. Also, the Forrest on the grounds is strictly forbidden, as is the third-floor-corridor on the right hand side, to all who do not wish to die a painful death. Will the prefects please lead their first years to the dormitories? I bid you all goodnight."
The prefects, standing, called the first-years to them, taking them along the quickest routes to Dorms, informing them of little things ("These stair-cases like to change") and generally filling them in on need-to know information. Ryou and Malik's group stopped outside of an archway in the dungeons. "Password is King." the prefect said, as the arch slid open to admit them.
"Boys dormitories are up those stairs, and to the left, girls, the same to the right. You will find that your belongings have already been brought up" he said, before turning up the steps himself.
~Break~
Transfer of Magic
Chapter three
"Rise and shine, Umi!" Sinead called, jerking opens the curtains of Umi's four-poster bed. They were a good few weeks into the school year, and Umi had very quickly discovered that Sinead had a liking for waking "Rise and shine, Umi!" Sinead said, pulling back the curtains on Umi's bed. They were a good few weeks into the school year, and Umi had discovered quickly that Sinead had a liking for waking her up early on weekends. "Ughhhh...Sinead...go awayyy..." Umi groaned, rolling away from the light.
"Umiiii don't make me get Alex..." she threatened playfully. "HE'D pour water on you, I just open your curtains."
"Boy's...can't...come up...the...steps..." Umi groaned, pulling the sheets up over her head.
Sinead frowned. This was indeed true-while the girls could safely travel up the steps to the boy's rooms; the boys couldn't go higher than the third step on the girls' stair before it turned into a slide, and booted them back down.
"If you promise to let me sleep for ten more minutes, I'll get up then, and come down stairs with you." Umi mumbled into her pillow. Sinead laughed.
"You've had your ten minutes, Umi, that's how long it took me to get you to speak in complete sentences."
Umi groaned, but slowly extracted herself from the bed-sheets. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend, isn't it? That's why you're so...energetic." She said, pulling on her muggle clothes-a pair of black straight-leg jeans, a tight black under-shirt, and a colorful green, yellow and pink gratified black off-the-shoulder tee, and throwing a black hooded cloak on, clasping it about her throat. When she had finished dressing, Umi pulled out a brush to tame her wild brown hair.
"Braid it for me, Sinead-nee?" she asked, holding her brush out to the purple haired witch.
"Sit, you." she ordered, motioning to the bed. Umi sat Indian-style on the sheets, allowing Sinead to play around with her hair, plaiting it into a long braid.
|You still haven't made good on your threat to investigate the Slytherins. I'm worried for Ryou.|
-|I will. After Halloween.|-
|Why then? I thought you were worried!|
-|His twin sister, and his mother died before Halloween. He's mopey this time of year. That could be all this is.|-
|I feel so bad for him...is that why he lives alone? Where's his father?|
-|His father's at lots of digs in Egypt, he's almost never home. I'd bet you a galleon he doesn't even know Ryou's here.|-
|What a careless father!|
"You're all set, Umi. Now let's get breakfast!" Sinead chimed. Umi smiled, and followed the purple-eyed girl out of the dorm.
"Morning Alex-nii!" Umi chirped as the trio strolled down to breakfast. "Did you have a nice sleep?"
Alex shrugged. "I didnt sleep, I was too busy talking to Sinead. I really love her..."
Umi frowned. "Sinead-nee, didnt you try to make him sleep?"
"I did, but since he couldn't come tuck me in, he insisted in staying up until I fell asleep in their dorm..."
"Alexxxx-niii! Are you sure you're a sixth year?" Umi teased, plopping onto the bench between the two sixth years.
"Of course, little sis. That's why I'm taller than you." Alex returned playfully.
Umi made a growling noise in the back of her throat. "You mock the height!" she breathed. "You mock it!" and with that, she fell out of place, laughing fit to burst.
Alex, who had gotten used to this sort of thing by now, lifted her back into her seat before to many people could notice.
"Umi, drink some pumpkin juice, and calm down." Sinead said, handing her a goblet, which Umi took, still shaking slightly.
After taking a few sips, she was no longer shaking like a little purse-dog. "Halloween is next week, right?" she asked, looking up at Alex.
"Yeah, there's a huge feast Halloween night. It looks awesome in here when they're done decorating." Sinead said, seeing Alex's mouth was full of bacon.
"I love Halloween, and my friend, Ryou-you've met him- loves it more, he's totally into the occult." she announced, grinning.
"I just hope nothing bad happens..." Sinead said worriedly. "I had divination yesterday, and the Prof. said that something bad would happen this year..."
Alex drew Sinead into a hug, and kissed her full on the lips. "I'm sure we'll be fine, Sinead. I'll protect you if something happens."
Umi grinned. -|They make such a cute couple|-
|That they do, koi|
-|What do you think of the Prof.'s prediction?|-
|Load of bull- I've heard people say that she's a fraud.|
-|I don't know...Every time we think we're in the clear, something happens to us|-
|We're in the safest place in the Wizard-World, what could possibly go wrong?|
-|When someone says that in a manga, something always goes wrong.|-
|This isn't a manga, Umi...|
~Break~
The night of the Halloween feast, Umi was devouring the awesome meal prepared by the Hogwarts house-elves. Sinead and Alex had gotten into a row yesterday, and had yet to make up. Neither had seen her all day, though they had heard she was hiding out in one of the bathrooms on the second floor. Umi didn't know what they'd fought about, but it had been very personal to Sinead, and Alex had been reluctant to talk about it.
"I'm thinking we should go look for her..." Umi said. "I'm worried..."
"I'm concerned too...let's go find her!" Alex said, standing quickly. Suddenly, the defense Professor, Quirrel, ran into the Great Hall, shouting "Trolls! In the dungeons! Thought you ought to know...!" before fainting away. There was an enormous clatter as students, yelling, scrambled to look for hiding places, knocking Umi to the ground. Alex moved quickly, pulling Umi to his side to prevent her from being trampled by the other students. Professor Dumbledore stood.
"SILENCE!"
The students froze where they were.
"Prefects will escort the students back to their dormitories. There will be no detours." he ordered, "Teachers, follow me to the dungeons, if you will."
Umi looked at Alex, a question written all over her face.
"We're going to find Sinead." he said, fire burning in his black eyes. He was afraid for her-would do anything to keep her safe.
"I'm right behind you, Alex-nii." she said firmly.
The pair walked out of the Great Hall with their prefect, before breaking off to search for the purple-haired witch.
"The second floor girl's bathroom is over there." Umi pointed down a dark corridor. The two headed to the bathroom, when an unmistakable scent reached their noses. "What...is...that...?" Umi choked, covering her nose.
"That's the scent of a Mountain Troll...I don't think it's in the dungeons anymore..."
"Wait...Sinead-nee's on this floor, Alex-nii...and the bathrooms are over by the..." Before Umi could finish her sentence, Alex caught what she was implying, and rushed forward to the bathroom. Umi groaned, and followed close behind. By the time they had reached the bathroom, Sinead was cornered by the Troll, and for some reason, shouting rude things about its mother.
|That's Sinead for you, I guess.|
Umi didn't take the time to reply, for the Troll had lost interest in Sinead, mostly because she was far too loud, and was heading for the door...and Umi. She let out a cry, collapsing to a sitting position as her legs gave out suddenly. The Troll seemed to have had enough of the loud people in the bathroom, for it just took a swing at her with its club, missing most of her, but grazing her cheek, leaving a bleeding scrape. As it swung again, Alex grabbed Sinead and Umi, and carried them out of the bathroom, where the Troll stared stupidly at a bunch of broken sinks.
"What do you say we go back to the common room...?" Umi said weakly, staring back at the bathroom door.
"I'd rather go kill that thing." Alex said, shoulders shaking in anger and glaring daggers at the Troll as it lumbered out of the destroyed bathroom. He put the two girls down, Umi sitting against the wall, legs turned to jelly, and Sinead, looking a bit afraid, for all the yelling and insulting she had done. Then he walked determinedly over to the Troll, and followed it out of sight. A few minutes, and several loud noises later, Alex came back into view, totally unscathed.
"Now we can go back to the dorm-after we see Madam Pomfrey, that is." he announced. Umi stood shakily, but sat down rather fast, not trusting her legs to carry her very far. Sinead stood, and grabbed hold of Umi's hands, pulling her upright, and draping her arm across her shoulders.
"It didn't hit your legs, did it?" she asked, concerned.
Umi shook her head. "No...but I feel like a jelly-candy..." Alex wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her up higher off the ground, and in this fashion, the three made their way to the infirmary.
From behind a door, a blonde head peaked out, smirking.
"The Jelly-legs jinx is so helpful...If only the Troll had been faster, I could have knocked out two rivals at once." her girly voice traveled in the now empty corridor
~Break~
When they reached the infirmary, they discovered that the matron had gone off with the other teachers. The hospital wing was dark and deserted.
Sinead and Alex sat Umi on one of the beds, before Alex went off to look for large bandages, antiseptic, and cotton-balls. Sinead sat on the bed across from Umi, frowning.
"What's wrong Sinead-nee?" Umi asked, looking over at her.
"My little tiff with Alex got you hurt Umi, I'm sorry."
"Hey, worse has happened to me than a scrape on the face, nee-chan."
Sinead smiled at her. "Thank you, Umi."
Umi grinned. "That's what I'm here for."
Alex returned, arms loaded with bandages. "Umi, can you walk yet?" he asked, setting the stuff down beside her. Umi placed her feet on the ground, gingerly putting her weight on them. She took a couple cautious steps, and it became apparent that her legs were fine now, if a bit wobly. Alex looked angry, for some reason.
"What's wrong, Alex?" Sinead asked, coming over to stand beside him.
"Someone cast a Jelly-legs jinx on Umi when we were in that bathroom. It was delibrate-whoever did it wanted the troll to hurt her."
"Why would someone do that? She didn't do anything..." Sinead said.
"Actually...I've seen this girl following Sinead around...I thought she was in one of your classes, and dismissed it...but she came up to me right before Defense today, and told me not to tell you that I'd seen her. It was weird, and I told her I wouldn't keep things from you guys, that you were my friends...She was about to hit me, but then the bell rang, the classes let out. She vanished into the crowd after that." Umi said, opening a bandage.
A flash of recognition crossed Sinead's face. "What did she look like, Umi?"
"She was as tall as you, Sinead, had really blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore muggle clothes."
Alex hissed angrily, and Sinead looked pretty pissed herself.
"Fleur."
"Fleur?" Umi asked, stumbling over to the bed, and sitting to apply her bandage. Alex took it from her, and placed it on her cheek carefully.
"She's one of my old friends, a veela who goes to a different school. After I started here at Hogwarts, I meet Sinead. I brought her home for a visit one year, and Fleur blew up at her, yelling, screaming, and throwing things. I later found out that she'd had a crush on me for years. I told her I didn't feel the same way, but she insisted that she could make me like her. She's always hated Sinead with a passion." Alex explained.
"Actually, she was one of the only people to hang around with him before he came here. After that, he was alone for a while, until I meet him in the library. We've been together ever since." Sinead added. "That was one of the reasons she was so pissed at me-she thought she was being replaced."
Umi scowled. "She's angry at you because you get to see him more than she does. That's what this all boils down to, right?"
"Pretty much."
"Bytch." Umi swore. "Some girl who got rejected attacked me because I said I'd tell you I saw her? The hell!"
"But why didn't she go after Sinead instead? That's the real question here." Alex said. "It's confusing."
"Don't ask me the inner workings of a rejected girl, much less a rejected blonde..." Umi said. "On a good day, I can't explain a blonde to you."
Sinead looked annoyed. "We need to tell Dumbledore."
Alex and Umi nodded their heads. Umi stood, tapping each of her feet on the floor before following her friends out of the room.
~Break~
The three stood outside the gargoyle that marked the headmaster's office. "Let us in!" Umi cried, whacking the thing with her wand, which had been shrunk the entire time she had been at Hogwarts.
"Maybe a spell..?" Sinead wondered. "It's probably proofed against Alohamora."
Umi frowned at the hunk of rock. She called the power of the shadows to herself. With a swish, her wand extended to its full length, an intricate curve of polished wood growing out of the end. She pointed this at the statue, and with a groan, the gargoyle shifted. A sighing sound echoed through the hall, and her wand returned to normal. Alex and Sinead were giving her a look.
"What? Never seen a person make a gargoyle move before?" she teased, climbing the cut steps up the tower.
The two ascended behind her, till they reached the oak door at the top. Umi poked the thing, and it swung open.
-|That's usually a bad thing...|- Umi said, cautiously peering into the room.
|Be on your toes, koi. I don't want you hurt again.|
-|I never get hurt on purpose!|-
|Of course not.|
Umi frowned into the darkness. "Lumos" the tip of her wand lit in a bright flash of light. Dumbledore's' office was filled with cabinets, kick-knacks, and odds and ends. A red phoenix was standing on a silver perch with a large shallow basin set beneath it.
"Fawkes." Sinead said, holding her arm out to the magnificent bird. The creature gave her a look, and then fluttered over to perch on her arm.
"That's a pretty bird, is he Dumbledore's pet?" Umi asked, petting Fawkes's feathers.
"Yeah, he's had him for longer than he's been headmaster." Alex said. "We're going to wait here for him- he needs to know Fluer's here."
Sinead and Umi settled into plush armchairs that were before the desk. Within minutes, both were fast asleep. Alex conjured blankets, and tucked the two in snugly.
"Goodnight, my love, little sis." Alex breathed, settling down beside Sinead's chair, watching the door carefully.
~Break~
Light flooded the headmaster's office, every nook and cranny filled with the orange glow of a rising sun. Umi shifted in her large armchair, waking Alex, who had dozed off. His head swiveled over to her, and back when he saw that it had just been Umi. Behind him, Sinead yawned, eyes coming open.
"G'morning 'lex." she said sleepily. Alex smiled at her, taking hold of her hand, stroking it softly.
"Sleep well, love?"
"Yup." Sinead stood, and moved around the chair to settle herself in Alex's lap. She grabbed the blanket from the armchair, and wrapped it around the both of them. "Did you sleep at all last night?"
Alex shook his head, capturing her lips as she opened them to protest. "Tasty and delicious." he complimented, resting his head on her shoulder.
"And that's just me." she laughed, taking a cinnamon candy from the pocket of her robes and popping it in her mouth.
"Yup!" Alex agreed whole-heartedly, fake-biting her purple hair. "Tastes like grapes!"
Sinead squealed. "Not the hair!"
Umi giggled from her place on the other armchair. "I could spend all day watching you two-it's like a funny romance novel."
"Morning Umi!" Sinead cried, waving vigorously at the girl.
"Good Morning Sinead-nee, Alex-nii. Sleep well?"
"Very-Alex was playing guard-dog all night."
"Does that mean he didn't sleep last night either?"
"Yeah."
"You're going to crash in classes tomorrow, Alex-nii."
"That's what HoM is for!"
"May I inquire as to what you are doing in my office this early in the morning?" Dumbledore asked, pushing open the oak door at the top of the stairs.
"Professor!" Sinead cried, leaping off of Alex's lap.
"Professor Dumbledore...there's a problem." Umi said slowly.
"What would this problem be?" Dumbledore asked his eyes a-twinkle.
The three described the goings on after the troll fiasco at the feast, leaving nothing out, except Umi's growing wand, because she'd given them a look from behind the professor. After they had told their story, Dumbledore looked baffled. "We should do something about this...there's a threat to the students here. I'll need to set up an appointment with the Minister to take care of the inter-school issues...You three should return to your house. Fawkes, if you would..." The phoenix flew over to the three, and in a flash of fire, took them to their common room. Sinead stumbled but regained her balance as they landed awkwardly in front of the fire. Umi grabbed Sinead's shoulder to steady herself. "What time is it?" Umi asked, flopping into a chair before the hearth.
"Nine o'clock." came a girly voice. "Time for me to eliminate my rivals."
"Fleur!" Sinead shouted, backing away from the blonde girl. "You let the trolls in?"
"Nope. That was someone else-I just...guided the Troll to where I knew you were. I should've known that Alex would go to you, since you tricked him into liking you!" Fleur announced. "I never figured that girl you hang out with would go too. No matter, I'll get rid of you both today."
Alex growled. "I don't tolerate people insulting my Sinead- not even you, Fleur! Sinead, love, go with Umi someplace else."
"Alex..." Sinead warned, seeing him bristling.
With a roar, Alex burst out of his skin, transforming into a huge white tiger.
Umi froze, eyes going wide. "Animagus..." she breathed. Sinead wrapped her arms around Umi.
"We have to go, Umi, come with me." Sinead said, grabbing Umi's wrist. "We'll go up to our dormitory."
Alex walked between the girls and Fleur as they made their way to the steps. He remained at the foot of the stairs, growling a warning.
"As if you could hurt me, Alex. You're not capable of it." Fleur taunted. "Just help me remove my rivals, and we can be together..." She cooed, turning her veela charm up full blast. Alex winced visibly as her power hit him.
He growled, then changed back into his human form. "Fleur...How dumb are you? You threatened Sinead, and you think you can sway me with your power?"
Fluer's face fell. "If I can't sway you, I'll just keep you out of the picture for a while!" She shrieked, pulling out her wand. Fleur had always been a capable spell-caster, so it was no surprise she got in the first blow. Unfortunately, that first blow was a stunner. Alex dropped like a rock, and was stepped over by a smirking Fleur.
"Now to my prey." She lips turned up in a feral smile as she burst into the dorm room. Sinead looked up as the door opened, and froze.
"Where's Alex." she said, voice low.
"He's taking a cat-nap, sweetness. No-one can interrupt us now." Fleur mocked.
Umi hissed, holding up her wand, calling the shadows to her. The room darkened slightly. With a swish, her wand extended to its full length, an intricate curve of polished wood growing out of the end. This time, a black shadow-crystal floated inside the curl of wood. "Shall we battle?" Umi asked in a calm voice. Nothing could harm her when she was wrapped in the comfort of the shadows. She extended the reach of the shadows to Sinead, eyes glowing with a ring of gold. Fleur took an unconscious step backwards.
Umi smirked. "Show no fear. That will be your downfall when you challenge the shadows, silly girl. And challenge them you have."
The purple power of the Shadow Realm engulfed the room, swallowing the soul of Fleur.
"Penalty game!" Umi intoned, pointing her finger at the girl with all the conviction of kami himself. For here, she was a goddess. Fluer screamed, and collapsed to the ground in a dead faint. Umi's eyes clouded, and she dropped to the ground a moment later, banishing Fluer and the shadows back to their realm. Sinead stood in shock for a moment, before dropping beside Umi.
Alex awoke twenty minutes later. He ran up the stairs, barely registering the fact that they allowed him up, and burst into the dorm room.
"Sinead-!"
He froze. Umi and Sinead were unconscious on the floor, and Fluer was nowhere to be seen. He picked up Sinead, and felt for a pulse, relief flooding through him when he found one. He moved to Umi, and found a pulse there too. With a sigh of relief, he lifted them both up, and carried them back to the infirmary.
~Break~
Umi frowned at the bright light, but made no sound.
-|Who's dumb idea was it to put bright lights in a hospital ward!|-
|The matron's, I assume.|
-|Idiotic woman.|-
She sat up, glancing around her. In the bed beside hers lay Sinead. Alex's head was resting on his love's stomach, rising and falling with the witch's breathing. She lay back down carefully, her head pounding.
|She should wake up soon, koi. I hope you don't plan on using the shadows anymore-they're hard to summon into this castle- its warded.|
-|I'm more concerned with what happened to Alex-he wouldn't go down without a fight.|-
|Better yet, how did he get into the dormitory? It's warded against boys|
-|Good question...|-
"Alex-nii...?" She breathed. Alex looked up.
"Umi!" he whisper-exclaimed, going over to her bed. "Umi, what happened?"
"I used a spell I found in a book in Flourish and Blotts- I don't know what it was supposed to do...but it took so much power..." she felt bad for lying, but she didnt want them to fear her for her shadow magic. "After she came in, and threatened Sinead and me, I got so scared. I used it without thinking."
Alex hugged her tight. "You're safe, Umi. She disappeared, right out of Hogwarts. She won't be coming back."
Umi nodded, hugging him back. "You got up into the dorm-how?"
"The stairs didn't throw me back. I don't know why."
Umi sighed, relaxing. "I don't know why Sinead fainted...maybe it was an effect of the spell...?" she half asked, half said.
Alex nodded. "Sleep some more, Umi, looks like you need it." He moved back to assume his vigil over Sinead. Umi smiled.
She mumbled something so softly he couldn't hear, as she was drifting off into sleep.
Alex looked up at her, but she had already fallen deeply asleep.
~Break~
Sinead moaned as the light of the infirmary pierced through her eyelids. Alex immediately reacted, sitting up, his eyes on her face.
"Sinead?"
She sat upright, frowning at her surroundings. "What happened? I remember all this darkness..."
He pulled her close, hugging her to him. "Umi used a spell she found in the book store-she doesn't know what it was supposed to do. You both fainted."
Sinead frowned. "That doesn't sound right...I remember Fluer screaming, and Umi's eyes were glowing..."
"That was most likely the spell she cast, Sinead." he reassured her.
"Where is Umi?" Sinead asked, trying to see around Alex.
"She's over there-sleeping as far as I know." Alex said, motioning to her right with his head, reluctant to release her.
Sinead, however, stood, and walked over to the other girl's bedside.
"That's the second time she's done something advanced and scary...what are you, Umi?"
A voice echoed through her mind, causing her to recoil instinctively, throwing up weak mental barriers.
|Are you Sinead?|
Alex came up to her, looking concerned.
|Think your answers and I shall hear them. Are you Sinead?|
-Yes-
|Sinead, I am Mare.|
-Isn't that...-
|The second part of Umi's name? Yes.|
-What are you?-
"I'm fine, Alex...but I need to go back to sleep." Sinead said, returning to the bed.
Closing her eyes, she resumed her conversation with 'Mare'.
|I am She-Who-Beat-the-King-of-Games, Ruler of the Realm of Shadows, and the darkness of Umi Kagamine.|
-The what of Umi Kagamine?-
|Darkness. Her other half.|
-What?-
|I reside within her mind, but I am a soul born a millennia ago, preserved in such a fashion that I might return to the world.|
-Creepy...-
|Your reaction is less entertaining than my hikari's was. She was positively amusing.|
-Hikari?-
|The word means light in Japanese|
-Ah...-
|You are wondering why I chose to reveal myself to you?|
-Yeah, kind of.-
|My hikari would have told you this if she didn't fear your reaction and the reactions of her friends when she blows their cover in telling you...|
-Telling me what?-
|That she, and those who arrived with her, are Shadow Mages.|
-What!-
~Break~
|Umi, koi...I told Sinead everything...| Mare said, knocking on Umi's Soul Room Door.
-|Go away Mare. I'm never coming out. They hate me now...|-
|No, she doesn't feel that way. In fact, she's here to visit you.|
-|WHAT!|-
-Hey Umi.-
-|Sinead!|- Umi ran to her door, pulling it wide open, revealing the interior. Once you closed the door, it seemed to vanish. The floor was sand, and they felt as though they were underwater in a large ocean, stretching far away into all the corners of her soul room. There was a tiny cottage on the sand that looked like it was made from a huge Snail shell, with a carved door handle made of gold. Fish swam in the air, and corals and sea-plants dotted the landscape of the Soul Room. There were huge mushrooms growing around the shell, like a forest.
-|My true soul room is inside that house.|-
So saying, Umi led them into the shell. There they found a clean room, blue walls, and a pale cream carpet. There was a large bed, and a state-of-the-art computer on a desk. 'Perfect World International' art posters clung to the walls, and there were bookshelves stuffed with manga, novels, art drawing books, textbooks, and cookbooks.
-|What do you think? Mare always tells me my room is so plain.|-
-I like it in here.-
-|Thanks Sinead. You're the first person other than Mare to come in here, you know.|-
-Really?-
-|The Soul Room is a very personal, private place in one's mind. Not many can visit their own, much less someone else's.|-
|No-one but Umi is allowed in my Room. I wouldn't trust anyone else with the secrets kept within.|
-Secrets? Oh, the Ruler-of-the-Shadow-Realm stuff?-
|You betcha|
-Right...-
-|The life of the people on this planet is hinged on whether or not Mare can keep her secrets secret.|-
-Huh?-
-|Right. The Shadow Realm exists alongside our own-like the Yin and Yang, Earth and Shadows work together to keep balance.|-
|Without one, neither can exist-and I know how to remove, or destroy, the Shadow Realm. It's part of why I rule it.|
-Scary...You know how to bring about Armageddon, then?-
-|Pretty much|- Umi laughed.
|It's nothing so catastrophic! Everything would blink out of existence, rebuild itself, and start over exactly the same as before.|
-|The world would still end, love.|-
|Ah, shuddap.|
-Love?-
|We're together. Got a problem with that?|
Sinead shook her head softly.
-|Sinead, what did you and Alex row about?|-
-It's...nothing.-
-|You don't have to tell me, Sinead, but if you ever do, let me know-This link should remain stable if Mare lends a hand helping me root it into our minds.|-
-?-
-|By rooting the mental connection, we can communicate telepathically whenever you like, and we can visit each others Soul Rooms too.|-
-Ah...-
-|This mental stuff takes time to get used to, doesn't it?|-
-Yeah-
-|I took a pretty short amount of time, but then, I had been using Shadow Magic my whole life, so...|-
|She was used to crazy shyt happening.|
-|What Mare said!|-
-How do we get back...? Should I tell Alex, or do you want to?-
-|You can let Mare do it, if you'd like.|-
Sinead shook her head. -I want to tell him before Mare talks, please.-
-|If you like, nee-chan.|-
|Here, we'll take you out, Sinead.|
Sinead flew back into her body, waking with a jolt.
"What am I supposed to tell him?'Hey, Alex, when a voice talks in your head, you're not crazy it's just a person renting space in Umi's brain'? Ha. Yeah right."
Speaking of certain cat animagi...
Alex had fallen asleep on the bed beside her, clutching her hand in his. She smiled at him. "Alex, wake up. Umi wants to talk to you." she said, jiggling his hand.
-All clear, Umi, he's waking up.-
-|Lets do this again, shall we?|-