That Crazy Nut of a Teacher Chapter Two- Cans of Worms and Whatnot
July twenty-eighth came far too soon, in Harry's opinion. In the time span between that crazy Suoh's decision and his own dreaded date, Harry had many, many explanations to give.
The first and foremost matter that he had to handle, and the most important one, was of course, business. After he arrived home from his less-than-happy golfing trip, he immediately called Light on his cell phone to explain his dilemma. It had taken five tries for the teen to pick up- apparently he disliked being woken up at six o'clock in the morning. Whoops, Harry thought with an unhealthy amount of glee.
"This had better be important." Light growled sleepily. Harry could almost hear him grinding his teeth and glaring a random wall to death.
"Hello, Light!" He chirped, perhaps with a bit too much happiness.
Light let out a noise that seemed to be somewhere between a growl and a groan. Guess he's not a morning person after all.
"What. Do. You. Want?" Light enunciated each syllable slowly, as if speaking to a child.
"Nothing much. Can't I call to check on my dear protégé?" Harry grinned into his phone.
Light growled again. Harry really hoped that he wasn't holding his Iphone too tightly; getting a new phone is such a hassle.
"Fine fine. I was just calling to let you know that I'm moving to Japan for a year and that I will not be able to attend board meetings during the weekdays. So e-mail me, leave me a voice mail, or something."
"... " Was that a girl's voice he heard in the background? He could have sworn he heard someone- a girl- call out Light's name... Who is most likely sharing Light's bed. Well then, it seems like Light's all grown up now, Harry thought.
"...What?" Light finally said.
"I said, I'm calling to let you know that I'm moving to Japan-" Harry repeated in the same tone that Light used on him earlier.
"I heard what you said earlier. Why?" Light asked somewhat brusquely. Someone's snappish in the mornings, Harry thought. Of course, only means that he needed to call Light in the mornings more often.
"Well, you see..." Harry hesitated in mid statement "I got into a bit of a situation that requires me to go to Japan for a year."
On the other side of the world, Light rolled his eyes and gently got out of bed. He was careful not to disturb his still sleep-talking bed partner, supermodel Misa Amane.
"Yes, I gathered that much. Why?" Light repeated.
"Fine" Harry grumbled from his side of the world. "I got roped into teaching business to a bunch of brats for a year." Harry started mentally counting down. 3... 2... 1...
Right on cue, Light started laughing. And continued laughing. And continued laughing.
"It's not that funny" Harry muttered. Nope, not at all. Apparently, Light found it funny enough to snort. Light snorted. Harry's never going to let him live this down.
"Heh. Fine. Have fun teaching, Sensei." The genius laughed some more before hanging up.
Harry's eye twitched. Cheeky brat.
The next order of business was to secure a place to live. Now with a steaming mug of Darjeeling tea sitting beside his Mac Airbook, Harry scrolled through his contacts list on his cell phone for his international real estate agent. It had taken a long time for him to a good real estate agent who didn't rip him off, but after many "pink slips", he finally found one.
"Hello, is Ms. Tanaka here? I have an urgent problem that I would like her expertise on, if possible..." Harry began eloquently.
Two hours and forty five minutes later, Lord Harry James Potter Black became the proud owner of a four bedroom three bathroom flat in downtown Tokyo.
He pulled out one of his many credit cards and continued "I'll pay on the phone by Visa credit card, number xxx-xxx-xxx, expiration date..., name on the card is Harry James Potter-Black, " He read out the information like normal. It's a good thing he made sure that his phone lines were all secure. Paparazzi are extremely annoying to deal with- like cockroaches, except worse.
Well then, that was easy, he thought after bidding the agent a polite goodbye. Money makes everything in the world easy, he supposed. But still, protocol dictates that he really should have given her a bit more time. He really did hope that Ms. Tanaka would be alright- he almost gave her a heart attack when he said that he needed a flat in a country that he didn't have residency in for a year...now. Since he already had investments in Japan, it wasn't too much of a problem, but the poor agent sounded rather stressed out.
Well, if anything else, it would be a pain to find a new agent who wouldn't rip him off, Harry thought.
Like all Businessmen With Good Planning, Harry moved to Japan with two weeks to spare. In those two weeks, he contacted an interior designer and oversaw the installation of his new furniture- all made by IKEA. IKEA makes good furniture, he thought as he directed the movers with the lamp to a spot in the corner of the living room.
The overall appearance of the flat was quite modern; the living room was a minimalist black and white living room with minor accents in red and gold. The kitchen was a bright and cheery yellow while the bathrooms were a nice pale blue. His bedroom was painted an earthy pale green, while his study was a warm chocolate brown. He had the guest room painted a fairly gender-neutral cream color, since he had no preference there.
With a sigh, the young lord leaned into his new cushy armchair. Moving, he decided, was a lot more stressful than it needed to be. He half napped-half drifted for a while before he sat up with a groan and snapped his fingers. There was just one thing he forgot to do...
"Dobby!" he called out.
With a pop, his trusty chief house elf appeared in front of his desk. Harry stood up, walked around his desk, and gave the short house elf a fond pat on the head.
"How may Dobby help you, Master Harry?" the house elf beamed at him and bowed low.
"Dobby, I've bought this new flat recently, and I need help getting it cleaned and in order. Also, would you please bring me the books that I need? They're in the trunks to the right of the third row of bookshelves. I'm staying in Japan for this year, so if anyone needs me, please tell them that I'm no longer staying in Potter Manor," Harry told the elf.
"Yes Master Harry!" the aging house elf nodded enthusiastically and disappeared with a loud pop. Seconds later, he popped back into the flat with several trunks of books floating behind him.
"Thanks Dobby, I'll take it from here." Harry smiled at his trusty friend again as the eager elf popped back to Potter Manor.
Rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt, Harry bent down and unlocked the leather covered trunk. Gently, he knelt down and piled several books into his arms and walked over the bookshelves in his study.
It was kind of odd how he never took particularly good care of his school books at Hogwarts (he recalled flinging them into his trunk, getting food on them, bending the pages, doodling in the margins...) but had then grown rather fond of his collection of tomes after he graduated. Harry put them on the bookshelf one by one and organized them by subject. Runes, Arithmacy, Potions, Warding, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Quidditch, and even a few books on Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and the Dark Arts. The Black Manor and the Black Vault has many more books on Dark, Black, Soul, and Blood Magic, but he never found himself very interested in the topics that Voldemort was fascinated by.
After all, he was very much like Tom Riddle, and he really didn't need a savior appearing to "vanquish" him. He liked his skin (or rather, soul) intact, thank you very much.
Once he finished arranging his magical books, Harry went on to organizing his non-magical books. He paused briefly when his hand touched his Business 101 course's textbook, Understanding Business. That course, he thought, had the most outrageously horrible teacher that he swore was the reincarnation or ghost of Quirrell back from the dead to haunt him. He shook his head to dislodge bad memories and moved on. The accent was enough to give him a headache.
The next couple of days flew by a lot quicker than Harry had anticipated at first. Between business calls (mostly about his new schedule), meeting his neighbors (an unfailingly polite Mr. and Mrs. Namikaze and their hyperactive sugar high son), and reading (mostly about business- he had to know what to teach the kiddies), he had next to no spare time.
And thus, like clockwork, time ran past and knocked Harry on his arse. July twenty-eighth has arrived.
Today, Harry thought, is the perfect day to face his Next Great Adventure. Well, no one said he couldn't "go" looking good. The young Lord rolled out of bed bright and early at seven in the morning, took a nice long shower, and casually rifled through the clothes in his long walk-in closet. It took him several minutes to pick out his attire for the day- a navy blue custom designed and fitted Ralph Lauren suit along with a blue and silver striped tie. When he finished dressing himself and straightening parts that needed to be straightened, he went into the bathroom to tame his hair- muggle hair products were surprisingly effective when it came to taming the infamous "Potter Hair".
His house elves had kindly cooked for him his routine breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon, an English muffin, and Earl Grey Tea). So far so good.
With a full stomach, Harry got into his shiny new Lamborghini Gallardo LP-560 (irresponsible stunts and quidditch aside, he's still quite the speed junky) and started the engine, which started purring. With a loud wail, the car sped towards Ouran High School.
Thirty minutes later, Harry stood in front of the pink mansion with a grimace on his face. Well, here goes nothing, he thought, and opened the door.
"Welcome to Ouran High School, Harry!" Suoh greeted him with a winsome smile and lots of rose petals. Harry merely blinked. Where did all those roses come from? He thought. He supposed it was a good thing that he wasn't allergic to pollen.
"It's my pleasure to be here, Yuzuru." Harry lied through his teeth and mentally crossed his fingers behind his back. It was most certainly not a pleasure, and his didn't want to be here. Not in the slightest. Still, when offered a hand, he shook it. It never hurts to be polite after all.
The principal's office with a well lit and airy room, which consisted of a large window to the back, mahogany bookshelves lining the sides, and a matching mahogany desk and chair set in the middle.
The custom "how are you doing" greetings were swapped, and soon both men were enjoying a serving of the finest Sakura green tea Japan has to offer.
"So..." Suoh sipped his tea slowly. "Here is your contract," he said rather directly. He opened the top drawer of his desk and withdrew a stack of documents half an in thick. The elder businessman passed the stack to Harry and steepled his fingers.
Being a businessman himself, Harry knew better than to rush through a contact and took his time perusing the contents. He even brought along his miniature magnifying glass for the fine print; being prepared is the key to success. Besides, it's not like Suoh's going anywhere. Even if he did have places to go, it was no concern of his. Harry considered it a mild, polite form of payback for tricking him into the position in the first place.
A long twenty minutes later, Harry was about halfway through the stack when he came across one very peculiar line.
"I thought I was only going to teach the second years" he said in a dangerously flat voice. Harry laid down his miniature magnifying glass.
Suoh took a sip from his tea languidly before answering Harry. "The curriculum got changed; several members of the school board pointed out that while a large number of students here are from business families, not all of them are. Thus, it would be unfair to force every second year to take a business course; we decided to make the class an elective." Without consulting you- the statement was unsaid, but hung in the air nonetheless.
Harry stared blankly at the middle-aged school master. He stared back unflinchingly. Harry knew without a doubt that he could walk out of the office right this moment. This was not in their little "agreement". Furthermore, the "agreement" was only a verbal one, and a shaky one at that. The stakes have been raised without the other party's consent; that alone is reason enough to back out of this deal. By the unwritten laws of business, Suoh would be at fault. This would damage his credit, not Harry's. And both men knew that very well: Suoh was taking a big risk by not informing Harry before the change. He knew that Harry would not have wanted the change at all; the younger man had no experience teaching, so saddling him with several groups of students of varying ages, who will be undoubtedly cross-analyzing him, is not a good idea. Not at all. But that would make the parents of the first and third years happy. And happy parents mean happy coffers.
Harry raised the porcelain tea cup in front of him and sipped gently while tactfully hiding his miniscule frown. Choices choices... he thought. On one hand, he could ditch Suoh right then and there. He wasn't a mere teacher- to be lead around blindly like sheep. He wasn't a pawn, to be used and moved without consent. That was a lesson that Dumbledore never learned, even in his death. A break in the agreement would have no effect on his prized reputation. Undoubtedly, walking out would be the best way to prove his point. He has better things to do than to look after a bunch of brats anyways, not that he wanted to do it in the first place. The young man was very sure that somewhere out there, there was a stock practically with his name on it... not to mention all the new startup companies he could create or bring under his wing...
But yet another part of him, the Gryffindor part that he thought he had buried so very long ago, spoke up. You already made all your arrangements, it said clearly. It would do less harm to your business if just went along with it instead throwing everything into chaos. Besides, you were the one who said you didn't want to chase zeros anymore, right? Isn't that what you're doing? Chasing stocks that will give you more zeros? Besides, this is a new opportunity! Something that you've never done before. Doesn't that sound fun? In a slyer tone, the young voice intoned, you know, Suoh would owe you a big one if you said yes. He would have to find a new, qualified, teacher to teach the course in one week if you decided to turn down the offer. He knows that you're here as a favor to him. This is a big favor that you can call in whenever you need something done... imagine the possibilities! Besides, it's only for one year. One year and then you can go back to your life, if you can even call it that.
While his inner voices were debating the pros and cons of his current choices, Harry reached over to pick up a delicate pastry from the tea platter. He examined the artfully crafted strawberry tartlet before nibbling it. Inwardly, he sighed. Darn his Gryffindor side. Ten years later, it's still here. It's like that pest that never stops bothering him. Or the past, he supposed. Same thing.
I really hope I won't regret this, he thought. Open mouth, insert foot.
"Fine. I'll teach that class as an elective." He said and signed the last piece of paperwork with a flourish. He stared up into Suoh's dark eyes. You owe me one, a BIG one.
"Great. School starts on the fourth of August at eight o'clock sharp. Here's the key to your classroom. You can start moving in whatever belongings you wish to decorate your classroom with starting tomorrow. The security guards will be notified by the end of the day. Please submit an ID picture to the front office secretary, Ms. Inoue, by the first of August for your teacher ID." Yuzuru's eyes flashed with relief for the briefest of seconds before fading back to indifference. I know, was the silent reply.
The older man stood up and held out his hand to Harry. "Welcome to Ouran High School, Mr. Potter-Black." Harry too, stood up, and shook his hand firmly, sealing the pact. He was now officially a teacher. He really hoped that he didn't just sign his life away.
It was honestly a bit of a breeze to type up that syllabus. In comparison to long, long business plans, a two page syllabus is nothing. Nonetheless, he typed everything out and spaced out the curriculum accordingly. While he will be following a suggested curriculum, Ouran is a rich private high school, and thus does not follow standardized exams like other schools do. Fortunately, that means that he will be able to supplement classroom material with anecdotes and personal experiences (names altered, of course).
Harry was unaccustomed to not having anything to do. Boredom really isn't a problem in the business world, given how time is sometimes as precious or even more precious, than gold. So to have absolutely nothing to for one week is... unnerving to say the least. Ennui is something alien to him, and he is at lost as to what to do with his time. He already finished his duties-so far- as a teacher. He finished his textbook assignment (he assigned them the same textbook that he used in his Intro to Business course), finished his syllabus and the course materials... typed up all the powerpoints and skeleton notes for the next three weeks. And found a ton of activities. Heck, he even made notes to the side to tell certain anecdotes when. With a sigh, the young genius pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. What to do?
T-5 days, Harry thought while organizing the various papers on his desk. Five days left until the school year starts. It has also been five days since he signed his year away, and during those couple of days, he accomplished quite a bit.
At the suggestion of one of his new coworkers, a Ms. Trepe, he decorated his classroom. In all honesty, even after his "decoration", the room was rather Spartan. A bookshelf against the wall, a photo or two, and a glass apple on his desk. That's all. Nothing else. Ms. Trepe didn't seem too happy with his efforts, but he shrugged off her disapproval. He'll figure something out; plus, he never did like clutter around his workspace anyways. If anything, potions taught him the value of organization. Nothing but ingredients should be on the desk, and even then, they should be organized neatly in chronological order of use...
Oddly enough, Ms. Trepe (who insisted on being called her first name) seemed to have taken upon herself to be his guide for the year. Not that the help was unwelcomed, but as a CEO, he was rather used to figuring out stuff on his own. While walking him to Suoh's office (as if he'd get lost), she told him of a rather interesting suggestion, borderline requirement, of the teachers at Ouran.
"So. You know, a lot of teachers choose to oversee clubs or extracurricular activities." She said. Her fire engine red heels clacked loudly on the polished floors.
"Really?" Harry replied while feigning interest. 'Psh. As if I'd do that. I have board meetings to catch up on.' He thought with disdain.
She had the most peculiar annoyed look on her face. "It's more of a requirement."
Harry wondered if fate hated him. Now that he's away from Hermione, life hands him a pirated copy of her.
"Ah, I see. I shall discuss it with the Headmaster." He thanked her when he reached the Headmaster's office and left her at the door.
He knocked on the door, and having received no reply, barged straight right into the man's office, decorum be damned. Oddly enough, Suoh was staring out the wall-sized window behind his desk, unmoving. Harry cleared his throat rather loudly and shifted the large stack of papers in his hands. Suoh turned around with a rather surprised look.
"Ah, Harry, how are you? How are you liking Ouran so far?" he asked pleasantly.
"I'm fine, thanks, Yuzuru. Ouran is quite big for a school. The rooms are very spacious." He replied. Harry walked up to Yuzuru's desk and promptly dumped the stack of papers onto the desk... in an orderly fashion, of course.
"I did some work over the last couple of days. I typed up the syllabus for the year, and I did some powerpoints. Here are some skeleton notes that I finished. The shortest online course that I could find for a teaching certificate is for half a year, so I went ahead and enrolled. Somewhere near the top of the stack is the proof of that." Harry listed out. He was here, yes, but that didn't mean he couldn't generate lots of paperwork for the annoying Suoh.
In all honesty, the man looked slightly overwhelmed, albeit pleased to see that Harry took teaching seriously. He merely nodded and blinked.
"So... Ms. Trepe mentioned something about clubs?"
That seemed to snap the man out of his daze. "Ah yes. Clubs. Most teachers are advisors to at least one club, and it's highly advised for all teachers here to take on a club or sport."
Translated into unspoken business terms, that meant "I forgot to tell you, but you have to take one."
Harry mentally rolled his eyes. Harry do this, Harry do that. Harry teach some children, Harry go fetch the moon down from the sky. Sheesh.
Harry sighed. Might as well. Learning experience and all that. "Okay. Do you have a list of clubs that need advisors?"
The Headmaster opened the topmost drawer and withdrew a list of clubs easily. He handed it to a rather ticked Harry.
Immediately, he began scanning the list. Hockey Club... Dark Magic Club... Spelling Bee... No, no, and no. Then, he saw the fourth one.
"Host Club? This school has a Host Club?" He asked incredulously. 'And you let them make one?' was left unspoken.
Well, at least the man had the decency to look mildly sheepish. "It's not an actual host club." Harry's look did not lessen. "My son heads it." Again, he said that like it meant something to Harry. "It's really not that bad. They managed three years without an advisor. They really don't need an advisor, but they travel sometimes. It's better for them to have one." Ah, now that meant something.
"I'll take it." Harry said firmly. This club managed on their own for three years? Great. They can do so for one more. They'll take care of themselves, while I'll be advisor in name and travel with them once in a while. Make sure they don't blow up the school. Gotcha.
Suoh looked very surprised at Harry's decision. Somehow, that didn't bode well for the younger man. "Great! I'll tell my son that the club has an advisor. Thank you for your hard work."
And so, Lord Harry Potter-Black became the one and only club advisor in all of Ouran High School Host Club's history.
August Fourth was a very pleasant day- not too hot, not too humid. The cicadas were chirping pleasantly, and the trees swayed their branches in greeting. The birds peeped at each other, excited by the summer heat.
At Ouran High School, there was chaos in the halls.
"Ne, ne, did you hear? THE Lord Harry Potter-Black is here!"
"REALLY? Where is he? Is he teaching here?"
"Yeah! He's in room 210! Rizu said he's teaching business here! She heard from her sister's cousin-in-law's mother!"
"REALLY? How on Earth did the Headmaster get HIM of all people to teach here? Let's go see him!"
Harry sighed for the upteenth time while taking attendance. He had forgotten how annoying it was to deal with giggling teenage girls on a day to day basis. There was only so much giggling and pointing he could take. Unfortunately, the photo snapping was the straw that broke the camel (or rather, Harry's) back. The pencil in his hand snapped with a very loud crack.
"Everyone not enrolled in this class, OUT! NOW! You with the red hair ribbons, put that camera away! You all are late! If I see you distracting my class again, I. WILL. WRITE. YOU. UP!" And then the stupid sheep scrambled out the door and slammed it shut.
Harry leaned on his podium and sighed again. He massaged his temple and took out the pen from his suit pocket.
"Now where was I...? Ah yes. Fujioka Haruhi."
"Present." Apparently, this was the "special scholarship student" that had the teachers in a tizzy a while back. She looked... rather out of place in the "royalty, heirs, and spoiled brats" only Ouran. One might compare the situation to a scruffy grey mouse in a golden cage full of beautifully groomed albino ones.
"Here." Her voice was not giggly and grating like the other girls, but rather deep and androgynous. How interesting.
Moving on... "Hitachiin Hikaru". Ah, this would be terrible twin number one. Harry nearly got a heart attack when he flipped through the class roster and saw the double shocks of ginger hair. He was not religious. Really, he was not. He grew up with magic, not religion. But still, when he saw that, he said his first heartfelt prayer. "Please, please let them not be as bad as Fred and George."
"Here." Harry eyed part one of the disaster warily. He really didn't like the look in their eyes. It meant interest in twin-speak, and that's a definite no-no when it comes to redheaded twins.
"Hitachiin Kaoru." That would be part two. Too bad they both look equally horrible.
"Here." They don't sound exactly the same, and their body languages are different. That's a relief, at least. Fred and George had the identical act down to voices and body languages. Even Molly couldn't tell the two apart. Harry quickly shoved the past aside and continued calling roll.
"Misaki Shiki."
"Here."
This class wasn't too bad- only twenty students so far. He can probably manage twenty brats. He has the third years tomorrow, and the second years the day after that.
Now that he finished the attendance, Harry put the roll away to one part of the podium and looked at the room of students.
"So I should probably do an introduction of myself." He fought the urge to roll his eyes when he saw several girls sit up and start eyelash-batting.
"Right. My name is Harry James Potter-Black. I just turned twenty-nine not long ago. I'm from Surrey, England. I like stocks, golf, and treacle tarts. I dislike the paparazzi, rats, and hospitals. My hobbies are reading and investing. I don't have any dreams or any particular plans for the future right now beyond teaching you lot the basic principles of business. That's about it." Harry finished.
Some brat raised his hand. "Sir, is it true that you handed your entire company to Yagami Light just like that? No strings attached?"
Harry mentally rolled his eyes (he does that a lot, doesn't he?). "Go google it." The brat looked like he got punched in the gut, while the twins looked like Christmas came early. "Yes, I did. He's in charge of it now, and he does a good job of it. I still kept a large portion of the stocks though. If the Headmaster hadn't asked (read: tricked) me into teaching you guys, I would probably be sitting in a board meeting".
"Yes?" Harry pointed over to a girl sitting near the back.
"Sir, how did you meet Yagami Light?"
Now that he couldn't tell her to google. The handover was a pretty sudden thing, and no one really knew why or how. It just sort of happened. No one even knew of a Yagami Light before the handover. Some of Harry's fellow CEOs even said that he plucked the genius out of a backstreet somewhere in Mars. "I suppose I can tell you. There really isn't much to tell. The only reason why no one knows is that neither of us particularly felt like telling, and no one asked. I was over at To-Oh giving a speech one day, and I saw Light in the audience. He was paying attention to my speech like his life depended on it, and he had that certain look in his eyes. I thought he seemed like a pretty interesting person, so I invited him to lunch. It all started from there; he had the potential I was looking for, so I handed him the keys to my office and told him not to screw it up." He finished rather bluntly.
How odd. It seems like the Twins have labeled him as a "cool teacher". Maybe they'll hold off on the pranks? Meanwhile, the girl looked like she was starting to believe in the rumors that the press cooked up. Yaoi fangirl alert...
"Sir, do you have a girlfriend?" A pretty looking girl with ringlets asked with a giggle. Several other girls smothered giggled with their hands. Fujioka, on the other hand, rolled her eyes and looked vaguely annoyed.
He just knew this question would come up. He sighed. "I'm not lying when I say this; I don't have a girlfriend. I'm not planning on having one in the near future. I've said this before, but for some reason, people just won't believe me." And right on cue, the girls' shoulders slumped in disappointment. Go figure.
"Any more questions?" He looked around and saw a wave of hands. Well crap. "Yes?"
"How much do you earn each year?"
"I don't have a constant salary. What I earn each year depends on what I invest in and what I do throughout the year." Which is a fine way of saying I don't feel like telling you, and by the looks of it, Fujioka knew. The idiot brat who asked wasn't quite as sharp.
"Are you gay?"
Harry shot a deadpan look at the rude girl who asked. She squeaked in fright. "No, I am not. Not having a girlfriend does not mean gay." He made a mental note to not round up her grade.
"Are you going to be an advisor for any club?"
The student who asked was a lanky boy, who doesn't seem quite as dull as the good majority of the class. "Ah, now that's a good question. Yes, I am going to be an advisor for a club here, but I won't tell you which one. I'm pretty sure that the whole school will know by the end of the week anyways." The disastrous duo looked interested, but not surprised. According to what Suoh told him, the twins are a part of the Host Club. Suoh's kid must have told them.
"Any more questions? No? Good!" Harry grinned- an action that made half of the female population in the room faint. He was kind of used to this happening. Apparently now that he's neither scrawny nor dressed like a pauper, he's quite a looker. Fujioka sighed, and the twins looked mischievous.
He walked to his desk and collected two stacks of papers, which he passed out.
"Now, the first piece of paper is this class's syllabus. You all can read, so go read that at home. Anything you need to know about the content covered in this class and the grading policy is written there. I need you to sign this slip on the bottom and return it to me by the end of next week. You can get your parents to sign it if you want to, but they don't have to. You're responsible for your own grades." He said in a tone that he labeled at "teacher tone". Maybe he should start doing Snape impressions... but then he'd need a cloak. McGonagall impressions will need pointy hats and buns...
"The other piece of paper is the class notes for today. The Headmaster decided to include this course as an elective since a number of students in the school come from business families. Regardless of your backgrounds, I am going to start from the basics..."
After class, Harry was feeling mildly paranoid. If the twins were anything like Fred and George, they wouldn't leave without a souvenir...
Since the next class begins in ten minutes, Harry discretely took out his Elder wand and began muttering detection spells. After all, it always pays to be careful. Plus, good pranksters don't fall for other pranksters' tricks. It just simply isn't done. While it's true that he has magic on his side, the twins have the advantage in numbers.
"Ah. There it is." At last, the results from the spell came back. With a smirk, Harry walked up to his desk and picked up a bottle of water spiked with a mild laxative. The chalkboard had several pieces of candy on it- also spiked. Lastly, the floor had several pieces of transparent and very very slippery paper on it. He picked them all up easily and put them in a small bag. It seems like the twins went easy on him this time. Maybe it's a new teacher thing.
"I'll return their presents this afternoon." He said to the empty room.
"The new teacher?" Hikaru took a bite out of his gourmet lunch set. "He's pretty cool- not stuck up or super serious. He sent the girls into a tizzy when he smiled". The twins shrugged in unison.
"Mori-kun, Mori-kun, we'll get to meet the new teacher today, right?" Honey and Usa-chan both looked at Mori.
"Ah." He nodded.
"We must throw a party in celebration of the newest addition to the Host Club! It is an honor to have him as an advisor!" Tamaki's dramatic notion was seconded and passed. So a party it is. Just maybe not now. A theme needs to be picked, and even then, everything needs to be flown in.
Ignoring Tamaki's antics, Kyouya's calculating mind was whirring away. So the Host Club's advisor is finally here, huh? 'I wonder what changes this will bring...' He thought. An opportunity like this comes once in a lifetime. Many people would gladly pay to meet a business legend like Harry Potter-Black. His father would surely encourage him- no, command him- to build connections with the business genius. Not that his encouragement would be needed anyways.
But yet, there was an underlying sense of unease amongst the hosts. They all became a part of the host club through different means, each with his own story to tell. As a whole, the club is a family. What will this new addition to the family change? Will there even be a family after this?
The rest of lunch was spent in relative silence.
'The last bell finally rung', Harry thought. With a sigh, he gathered up the leftover papers and filed them away. He was straightening his desk when Ms. Trepe walked in with a series of clacks.
"So, how was it?" She asked teasingly.
"Fine." He replied in a tone that implied that it was most certainly not fine.
She raised an eyebrow.
"The girls were annoying, there were fans everywhere, I've had to confiscate three cameras, and the twins left me pranks."
Trepe's lips twitched before she burst into giggles.
"Very funny." He grumbled and ran a hand through his messy hair. She giggled some more before admitting that the twins played a prank on her too. Apparently they're famous for pulling pranks at the beginning of the year.
"Anyways, I have to head down to the third music room in a bit," he said, looking at his limited edition Rolex watch.
"The third music room, huh?" She said with a raised eyebrow. "So that was the club you picked. Well then, have fun!" She smirked at him and walked back out, hopefully back to her own room.
In the privacy of his own classroom, Harry rolled his eyes and muttered about nosy blond coworkers. It's like she's been there or something.
'This is it- the third music room.' Harry thought. Club activities don't actually begin until half an hour after the final bell- this gives the club members plenty of time to set up activities, by what Yuzuru told him.
And so, he pushed open the door...
Only to be slapped in the face with a tidal wave of rose petals.
"Irrashai!" the club members greeted in unison. 'Where do all these roses keep coming from?' Harry thought with a tad bit of annoyance. He promptly removed all rose petals from his clothing.
"You must be our new advisor!" A tall blonde, whom Harry assumed to be Suoh's kid, said. He loped over from his seat and laid a casual hand on Harry's shoulder. "I am the president of the Host Club, Suoh Tamaki. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. The vice president is Kyouya Ootori," a quiet dark haired boy dipped his head in greeting, "and these are the members of the club: Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, and Takashi Morinozuka". Tamaki introduced with a flourish. He finished with some more rose pedals, and what seemed like a metric ton of sparkles.
'Where do all those sparkles come from?' Harry observed with skeptical eyes as little sparkles orbited around Tamaki's head.
"It's nice to meet you all," Harry smiled at them, which to his eternal horror, made sparkles appear around his own head. Tamaki looked a bit like he wanted to coo over Harry's appearance. Just a tad bit disturbing... "My name if Harry James Potter-Black. I'm the new business course's teacher. I think all of you are in my class." He contemplated. "The Headmaster told me that I had to be an advisor for a club, so I picked this one." He ran a hand through his already messy hair. Such a bad habit."As Hitachiin-kun- either one of them- can probably tell you, I'm a pretty laid back guy. You guys know what to do to run the club; I'm just here to keep things from getting too crazy. Part of my job as club advisor is to ensure the safety of the students in the club. Also, I'm supposed to chaperone you kids whenever you travel, I suppose." He added as an afterthought. "By the way, where do you guys get all these roses?" He gestured to the scarlet rose petals on the ground and the roses of different hues stuffed in vases.
"That's a good question." The twins looked at each other and shrugged once. "Tono?" They deflected the question to Tamaki, who then decided that "Mother" should answer the question. Harry looked at the lot of them like they were dumped here from an asylum. A Japanese asylum.
"They're imported directly from Holland every week." Kyouya admitted.
Harry raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "That's expensive." Inwardly, the thought that the expenditures for this club must be sky high.
"The costs are but a fraction of the earnings of the host club." Kyouya said in a matter of fact tone while adjusting his glasses. "The calendars, art books, and person items belonging to the hosts all extremely profitable".
"I see." Harry muttered. 'Oh, so it's a business now. Of course.' He thought sarcastically. 'The Ootori must be the mastermind behind this. Clearly this kid doesn't need lessons in business.'
"Kuro-sensei! Kuro-sensei!" Honey crowed in excitement and threw himself at the surprised teacher, who caught him with ease. Much to Harry's surprise, the petite senior managed to spin him around several times. "Welcome to the club, Kuro-sensei! You can call me Honey! This is Usa-chan!" He looked at Harry with large child-like eyes and held up a large pink bunny. A rather adorable one at that. Did that bunny just wink at him? Okay then...
"Nice to meet you, Honey-kun, Usa-chan." Harry said with large swirls in his eyes. Well that the ice has officially been broken... he guessed.
"Oh, by the way," Harry took out the small bag that he had filled earlier. "This is yours." He handed them to the twins with a smirk.
The twins opened the bag, then looked at each other, and then looked at the smirking teacher. Harry got the distinct feeling that their respect for him just got bumped up a notch.
So far the club seems pretty normal- The girls walk into the music room, get greeted and directed to a table depending on who they designate. Then they get served tea and have to wait- at least until the club officially begins. Any latecomers will still be greeted, just maybe not by the whole group of hosts.
According to what Kyouya said, Suoh's kid is the "King" of the host club- the host that most people designate. Not surprising, really. The kid has the typical blonde hair and blue eyes. Apparently, he "oozes handsome". The kid's not lacking in self-esteem department, that's for sure.
Since he is an advisor, and a staff, he cannot be an official host, much to Tamaki's disappointment (he insisted that the handsome devil teacher spot is unfilled). However, since he is part of the host club, and he can sit down and get to know his students, it is very likely that his picture may appear in host club merchandise at some point.
Kyouya and he promptly reached an accord- Harry gets fifteen percent of the profit on everything that has him on it. He gets thirty percent on things that specifically belong to him. It's not that he needs the money, really. He just wanted the fun of the negotiation. For a kid, Kyouya's good. The whole process was less of a negotiation and more of a number shouting match anyways. The two said numbers back and forth in a rally while the other club members looked on in a healthy amount of confusion. When they reached an agreement, they shook hands.
From his spot next to Kyouya, he can observe everyone in the club- all their body language, their quirks, and their words. 'It's an opportunity to get to know his students', Harry thought. That way, he could tell if they're lying, sick, or otherwise disturbed. Suddenly, he was interrupted from his not-creepy-at-all observation.
'Looks like someone's running late. She'll make it on time though, but just barely.' He thought while checking the time. To his surprise, in came the one girl that he never expected in the Host Club: Fujioka Haruhi.
'Suoh's brat has quite the ego' Harry thought with a smidge of amusement asTamaki explained the club to a rather freaked out Haruhi. By the looks of it, no one realized that Haruhi was indeed a girl- besides Kyouya and him anyways. While the rest of the club was busy watching Tamaki strut, he exchanged a knowing look with the Ootori child. It's going to be a long- albeit amusing- day. The clever brat probably pulled up Haruhi's file from the school database. Since his family runs the school's security, it would be a breeze to get access to the student records.
'Haruhi is very entertaining' Harry smothered a smirk from his spot in the corner- unseen. He supposed he should feel guilty from deriving amusement from another's discomfort, but he couldn't help it. Watching Haruhi squirm is very, very amusing. And then again with the roses. He felt a slight bit of annoyance. What if someone was allergic to roses? Then what?
'Ah, she's heading for the vase. She should be-' CLACK 'careful.' Whoopsies. Harry sighed lightly. What were those kids thinking? Putting an expensive vase in the middle of the room. Someone was bound to bump into it. Nothing a good reparo can't take care of, of course.
'That poor girl', he thought with a twinge of sympathy. Eight hundred million yen is nothing for a person like him, but for Haruhi, that is very, very much. Would charity like this count as a tax return or deduction? Probably not...
He watched from his corner as Suoh declared that the club ran out of coffee, and that Fujioka's first task as the "dog of the host club" is to buy more coffee. Harry got up from his spot in the wall and quietly slipped out of the room a while after Haruhi left. On the way to the door, he passed Kyouya.
"Watch the club for me. I'm going to run an errand." He whispered as he walked by, his shoes making no noise.
Kyouya adjusted his glasses, smirked at him, and nodded slightly. He would do it. The other host club members noticed Harry exiting the room, but said nothing.
"Fujioka! Fujioka!" Harry called. With long, loping steps, he caught up to Haruhi easily.
"Ah, Potter-Black-sensei." She said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Harry gave her a smile. "I'm the club advisor for the host club- at least for the year. You're a part of the club now, and it's my job to make sure that you're safe." He said straightforwardly and patted her on the head.
"I'll be fine by myself. This isn't a dangerous district." She rebutted and shook off his hand.
"Well, it's still on my head if anything happens to you. Plus, it's a nice to get away from all the ruckus in the club. Kyouya can take care of things for now." He put his hands up in a stretch.
"Yeah." She agreed with honesty. The duo walked in silence for a while until they reached Ouran's gates.
A momentary bout of curiosity seized Harry, prompting him to ask: "Hey Fujioka, what do you think of Ouran so far?"
She looked at him and took a moment to think. "It's a very nice school", she said while looking at the meticulously pruned bushes next to the gates. "Everyone is very rich here. It's very different from my old school. A lot of the students seem to come to the school to play and chatter, not to learn. It's kind of annoying, but I have no right to comment on what other people do with their lives. What about you, sensei?" she asked in return.
"Indeed. I feel the same way." He said. Haruhi looked like she was about to comment on the irony in the statement, but she just looked pointedly at his Rolex watch instead. He caught her look and gave a slight laugh. He twisted his watch, saying "I'm rich now, but I didn't always used to be rich. I grew up in a normal three bedroom house in Surrey, England (he neglected to tell her that he stayed in none of those rooms for the large majority of his childhood). In some way, I miss the old days (read: when no one knew who he was) when things were simpler. There's a certain beauty in simplicity in ordinary life that rich people- people who were born and raised in wealth- don't understand. Some see it as a fascination, but they don't actually understand it. Sometimes the priciest stuff's not the best. A plain bowl of rice and a plate of fish can be even more wonderful than caviar." He reminisced.
When he turned back to Haruhi, she was looking at him with an odd look on her face, like she was seeing him for the first time.
"What?" He asked in confusion.
"Nothing." She said with a slight smile. "I just didn't Sensei to understand."
Harry ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. "Everyone has to start off somewhere. You won't understand the value of money if you've never experienced poverty."
He heard a giggle beside him, and to his surprise, Haruhi was slightly giggling- at his hair. He looked away and continued walking.
When they reached the grocery store, the two made b-line towards the coffee isle. Haruhi quickly selected a couple cartons of instant coffee while Harry waited. As expected, people stopped and stared at Harry, but he ignored them as usual. When they reached the cashier, Haruhi reached towards her wallet, but Harry stopped her and insisted on paying for the coffee.
"I'll just bill Kyouya instead." Harry shrugged and took out his Platinum Master Card credit card. "It's a club expense, and they probably make enough each year to buy out this entire store several times anyways. It's not fair for them to make you pay for coffee that they drink."
Again, Haruhi looked at him oddly. "Thank you, sensei." Harry merely rubbed his head sheepishly. Once done, they waded through gawkers and made their way back to Ouran. He paid for the coffee, but she insisted on carrying it. Harry soon learned the hard way that Haruhi is a very stubborn girl.
Before they reached Ouran's gates, Harry stopped Haruhi. He tapped her on the shoulder and said rather seriously. "Haruhi, if you don't want to work for the Host Club, just tell me. Eight Hundred Million Yen is a lot less for me than it is for you. People like me buy expensive works of art all the time, so it's not odd for me to buy a rare vase, broken or not. I don't want you to be forced into doing this if you don't want to. It's not right, and I'll resolve the problem myself if I need to."
She looked at him in silence.
"Just take a day or two to think about it, okay? I know that academics are very important to you. If the Host Club is affecting your grades, let me know. It's my job as a teacher to make sure that my students are happy and healthy." Harry continued.
Haruhi nodded in silence, maybe in shock that someone would be willing to foot an eight hundred million yen bill for her- a measly commoner who made it into the richest school on the block by sheer merit. Silly Haruhi. 'Rich people like me don't look at money the same way that you do.' Harry thought sadly. He would donate every penny he had if it made a difference. Poverty is like an insatiable monster- it keeps needing more, more, and more.
"Alright." Harry smiled. "Let's go give the Brat King his coffee." Haruhi giggled at Tamaki's pet name. Brat King indeed.
And in they walked- back to the school of richness and brats.
The walk back to the third music room was oddly quiet. Both Haruhi and Harry were contemplative. In Haruhi's case, she thought about whether or not to accept her teacher's help.
In Harry's case, he was thinking why he would offer help to begin with. One part of him is screaming at him for pouring eighty million down the metaphorical drain. Another part of him is applauding him for his decision to help another human being. The last part of him- the logical one- reasonably told him that he could just buy the pieces and shoot a reparo at it. It would be a nice vase for his vacation house in France. But really, the question should not be whether or not to buy the vase. The question should be why. Why is he helping her? She broke the vase. She'll pay it off herself.
Maybe it's because no one at Hogwarts ever offered the same to him. Even when he was at his wits end- when he was shunned and ignore- none of his teachers offered him support. Not even McGonagall, who should be the one to take care of him. Maybe that's why he's so bent on taking care of his students even though he didn't want to teach at all. Whatever the reason, he won't go back on his word. That's just plain bad credit.
Soon, they arrived before the third music room.
"Ladies first" Harry said and opened the door for Haruhi. Quietly, she thanked him, and Harry retook his place by the wall. He caught Kyouya's glance and nodded in thanks. Nothing particularly urgent happened.
He chuckled at the scene Tamaki made. Clearly, this was Yuzuru's son. No one would have quite the same dramatic flair. It's hard to decide who is worse- the idiot, or the person who believes in the idiot. Either way, the gaggle of girls and hosts shuffled away to a table for "instant coffee" tasting.
"Tamaki-sama is dallying too much. There is no way such a personal favorite coffee bought by a lowly commoner would suit his taste." A rather pretty girl said. Ayanokoji, was it?
Haruhi looked down in surprise. "Ah, I'm sorry. I was speaking to myself." The arrogant girl said.
From his spot behind a column, Harry looked at the girl in disdain. A mixed, judging by her looks. Typical pretty girl character- pretty face, but ugly personality. 'Newsflash, little girl. Those zeros in your daddy's bank accounts come from commoners slaving away in his factories. Without commoners, you wouldn't be here with your high and mighty attitude. Talking to yourself? Not only is that a classic sign of insanity, but it's also a horrible save. Seems like her parents raised her to be the perfect trophy wife. All looks and no personality.' He thought. There are plenty of such women in the business world, but definitely not the female CEOs. They climbed up to their posts by merit, hard work, and brains. Maybe looks, but companies don't make airheads CEOs. Or at least successful companies don't.
Brat Queen wannabe or not, watching the hosts at work is rather fun, Harry realized. Tamaki has a silver tongue, the twins are very talented actors, and for all his cuteness, Honey has a sharp brain and even sharper eyes. Kyouya is cold in his own way, but his intimidation skills could use some work. A businessman made of sterner stuff would not be fazed. 'He needs to work on being a bit smoother in his intimidations', Harry thought. It might work on Haruhi today, but that's because she doesn't have enough connections. Yet. Well, Kyouya's skills are good enough for a kid his age, but there's always room for improvement.
"It doesn't really matter, does it? Men, women, or looks... It's what's inside that matters for a person." Haruhi said, momentarily putting Tamaki off balance. 'Atta girl, Haruhi.' Harry thought. 'Sadly, it took me way too long to learn that lesson.' He thought with a sad smile. Harry wondered briefly about how Ginny was doing- was she happy? Has she found her true soul mate?
"Obnoxious!" Haruhi reached an epiphany, turning Tamaki to stone.
'Heh. I knew there was something unique about Haruhi', Harry thought with a mental grin.
It seems like the club is slowly growing to like Haruhi very much. That's good. Harry smiled. 'These kids... aren't half bad, actually'. He thought as he watched the twins slide over to Haruhi.
'It seems like the club members have never seen Haruhi's photo...' Harry thought with amusement as Devil Twin number one took off her glasses and promptly started a revolution. The first thing they did? Frog march her to get the designer. Really, it was more of a frog run than a frog march... semantics. He supposed he could do the kiddies a favor and cover for them while they're off running errands.
Gracefully, he made his way to the twins' customers and sat down, much to the girls' surprise.
"So, how are your classes so far?" He asked with a photogenic grin. He did his best to ignore the sparkles fluttering around his hair and the rose petals that gravitated towards him. Oh yes, he had these girls hooked, judging by the hearts spinning on top of their heads. 'The twins owe him for this', he thought with a grimace.
'Haruhi's at work, it seems.' Harry thought with a slight grin. 'Let's see how she does... And Tamaki's practicing his stalker skills. Still, no child should ever go through the pain of losing a mother,' Harry thought sadly as he listened in on Haruhi's monologue.
" 'He' is a complete natural indeed." Harry said from beside Kyouya. It seems like the twins have realized that Haruhi's a girl as well, judging by their mischievous smile.
'And now Brat Queen Wannable opens her big mouth again', Harry mentally scoffed.
"You seem to have an eye on that person a lot." She said to Tamaki with a sharp, jealous tone. 'Learn to hide your ugliness better, Your Royal Highness,' Harry thought with a sneer worthy of Snape's approval.
"Of course. I am raising him like my child." Tamaki replied smoothly. 'Now that's much more like it. Suoh has finesse when he puts his mind up to it. It seems like Yuzuru trained him well. In business terms, that means back off, she's under my protection.' Harry translated with approval.
'Ah, I take that back.' Harry thought with a wince as Tamaki spun Haruhi around like a madman.
Still, Harry didn't miss the sharp look that Ayanokoji sent Haruhi. He knew that Kyouya didn't either. Now to see what he actually does.
The next day, Haruhi's bag mysteriously found itself floating in the pond. Without a word, Harry slipped into the security office and requested all the security footage for today's camera. His reason: an investigation on a stealing and bullying case. The office manager gave him the footage without question. Silent as the shadow, he slipped past Ayanokoji on her way back to her classroom.
"Ayanokoji, was it?" His voice was quiet, but it carried.
She jumped. She didn't see him. With his dark hair and dark suit, she missed him in her haste.
"You better hurry if you don't want to be late." He turned around and smiled thinly, a hand in his pocket.
She scurried away like the vermin she is.
Back in the privacy of his own office, he found the footage he was looking for and made two copies. Still, he was touched that Tamaki had helped Haruhi out. It seems like Suoh's kid has a kind heart under his continent-sized ego.
That day, Ayanokoji never knew, but Harry was leaning on the column behind her, recording every word coming out of her dirty mouth. The other host club members saw him, but they also saw the thunderous look on his face. They knew that whoever incurred Harry James Potter-Black's wrath would not have a kind ending. However, they too, sharpened their ears. They knew what was coming too.
The moment Ayanokoji pulled Haruhi, the twins acted. They reached over to grab two pitchers of water and unceremoniously dumped them on the jealous airhead. Unfortunately, they also got poor Haruhi wet.
While Harry was mentally applauding the twins, he reached over to help Haruhi up. Tamaki, as the president of the club, got to do the honors. He helped the soaked redhead up and verbally dressed her down publically.
"How graceless. You threw Haruhi's bag in the pond." Tamaki said in a serious tone.
"How... Do you have any proof?" She stuttered.
"He doesn't, but I do." Harry let go of Haruhi's hand withdrew two CD-s from his suit pocket. Written on the CDS in black sharpie were the words "Security Footage, Ouran High School Host Club". The sharp, ruthless look on his face made the redhead recoil. Only Tamaki's tight grip on her hand kept her from stepping back. "Didn't you know? There are cameras everywhere in the school. It only takes a click of a button for me to copy the footage. For shame, you should have thought this out better, right, hime?" His words were practically acid, and the sharp sneer on his face looked out of place.
"You are quite beautiful, but you are not fit to be our customer. I know Haruhi is not that type of a guy." Tamaki's eyes too, were quite sharp. Pretty good for a high school kid.
Without further ado, the embarrassed girl fled the scene in tears. 'Oh no you don't. It's not over yet.' Harry thought vindictively. He slipped out after her to the security office.
"Hey, would you mind if I get the security footage for the third music room from the last bell until now? It's for the same case I was working on earlier." He was serious this time, and the guard knew it. He left with another CD in hand.
He returned to find Haruhi in the dressing room, changing into a replacement uniform courtesy of Kyouya.
And it seems like Tamaki finally realized that Haruhi was a girl. 'That face' Harry thought 'is to die for'. He couldn't help it. He laughed out loud. That gaping mouth and utterly surprised face was just too much.
"It was an interesting turn of events." Kyouya admitted. The two shared a look, which made Harry laugh harder.
"Ah, but you were a bit cool back there, senpai" Haruhi thought with a tilted head.
Tamaki turned redder than a ripe tomato, much to everyone's amusement. Harry surreptitiously took a picture with his I-phone. 'That's going to go in my yearbook folder.' Harry mentally grinned. No way was he passing up that chance.
"So it's Haruhi-kun now, huh?" Harry grinned. "Good luck in the Host Club, Haruhi-kun."
She smiled back at him, as if saying that she's going to stay. He grinned back. That's fine. Welcome to Ouran, Haruhi.
Omake 1:
The elder Suoh collapsed into his office chair with a sigh. It's always busy around the start of school, with transferees and whatnot. He swirled in his office chair and looked at the sky outside.
'It's this late again... Tamaki should be home by now.' He thought with a sigh. He spun back around, expecting to see a tower of paperwork.
In the middle of his desk was a cream envelope with the words "You need to see this.- H.J.P.B."
Curious, he opened it, and two CDs fell out. Once he read the CD titles, he knew it was serious. The security staff would not have released the security footage if it was not.
He walked over to the flatscreen TV in his office and inserted the first CD. What he saw sent him into a fury. Bullying is not tolerated, and will never be tolerated at Ouran. Period. Taking a deep breath, he watched the second CD while filling out a Parent-Headmaster conference form. He will make it very clear to her parents that this will not be tolerated.
If she is lucky, she will be allowed to stay at Ouran. If not, she will not be allowed to attend Ouran anymore. Hopefully, this will make it exceedingly clear that such behavior is not to be repeated by her or anyone else.
Or else there will be Hell to pay.
Omake 2:
"There you are. I was looking for you." Harry opened the door to the third music room to find Kyouya sitting alone, typing on his laptop.
"Black-sensei." Kyouya said in greeting, but did not take his eye off of the screen. Harry grimaced. It seems like the school's population has taken to calling him "Black-sensei" instead of "Potter-Black-sensei". He supposed it was quite the mouthful.
"I have the grocery bill." He took out a copy of the grocery store receipt and gave it to Kyouya. The typing stopped. The younger male picked up the receipt and skimmed over it. He raised an eyebrow in question.
"Surely you didn't expect me to let Haruhi foot the bill, would you?" Harry answered indignantly and crossed his arms. "She had about two drops of that coffee, so the costs go under club fees. I didn't have any of that either, so I'm not footing the bill for it."
"Very well, Black-sensei." Kyouya readjusted his glasses with a pause. "You would foot a eight hundred million yen bill, but not a one thousand five hundred yen one?"
Harry shrugged. "You would foot a hundred thousand yen bill every week (for flowers) and not a one thousand five hundred yen one? It's the principle of the matter. Either one's pocket change for me."He rebutted. Then he turned serious. "Don't do that again. There's a line that you shouldn't cross when it comes to maximizing profits."
Kyouya gave the equivalent of a sigh. "Very well, sensei." He took out a cheque book, wrote out a check, and handed it to Harry, who slipped it into his pocket.
"Have a good day, Kyouya. Don't stay up too late." He was almost out the door when he turned back.
"Oh, by the way, Kyouya, why didn't you do anything?" He asked.
"About what, Sensei?" Kyouya readjusted his glasses.
"Don't try to play that game. You aren't nearly experienced enough. You knew about Ayanokoji as well as I did. Why didn't you do anything?" he asked.
"It wasn't my place, Black-sensei." Kyouya said while typing on his laptop. Translation: it would have neither affected me nor brought me any benefits. Thus, I need not interfere with it.
"I see. Good bye then, Kyouya. I will see you in the morning for class." Harry walked out and closed the door behind him. On the way back to his room, he digested what Kyouya said. In truth, he was disappointed. In business practice, yes, he should not have interfered, but a smart child like Ootori Kyouya should have seen beyond the cold business aspect. He should have seen that there are things out there more important than business. Justice, happiness, the betterment of others, just to name a few. For a person with such potential, he has yet to see the big picture. In that aspect, Tamaki is better. He is just as bright as Kyouya, with just as much potential. In fact, all of the Host Club had potential. He would be lying if he said that he wouldn't pick up an intern or two during his stay at Ouran. What kind of a talent hunter would he be if he didn't pick out at least one talent after teaching in a school for a year?
Still, Kyouya would have to show quite a change in attitude if he wanted to be the next Yagami Light. At least Light had a strong sense of justice.
Omake 3:
"Ne, ne, Black-sensei" Hikaru said while appearing on one side of Harry one day after class.
"We're sorry for spiking your stuff." Kaoru said while appearing on the other side of Harry. 'No you're not' Harry thought amusedly. 'You're sorry for getting caught.'
"Now will you tell us how you found out?" The both pleaded as one.
Harry calmly ordered the papers on his desk. "No".
"Why?" They whined and pleaded.
"Because you're about ten years too young." He said calmly. Having put up with two Marauders and the original set of redheaded twins, he's seen just about everything. There was that time when he fell through the closet... and into a sewer. He replaced Sirius' face with a replica of Severus' for a month.
"Please?" They whined and pleaded again.
"No."
"Plllleaaaase?"
"No."
"Pppplllllleeeeeaaaaseee?"
Now he was getting slightly ticked. He was tired, Trepe wouldn't leave him alone, and he's had to put up with giggling girls all day. In his haste to dismiss the twins, he said "Fine. I'll tell you if you manage to successfully manage to prank me." And then he really felt like taking it back.
The twins grinned from ear to ear, thanked him, and bolted out of the room.
Ah crap. He just opened a can of worms. His head promptly got introduced to the desk.
Mandy: Okay. As promised, I had the next chapter up by the end of June. This chapter is three times the length of the last one because a.) the last one was an intro b.) this one combined a half chapter with a real chapter. I was going to separate everything before the first episode, but then that would be a really boring background info chapter, so I just rolled it into this one. I've gone back and fixed up some stuff since I didn't feel like this chapter was interesting enough. If you guys have any suggestions, please feel free to tell me. They may make their way into the main plot or end up as an omake. Pairing suggestions will not be followed, of course. The next couple of chapters will follow the anime for the most part. There will be alterations, but they will follow the anime for most part.
As for why Harry got attached to Haruhi so quickly, IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE A PAIR. HARUHI/HARRY WILL NOT BE A PAIR! He feels bad for her since she is the odd one out of the whole school. She gets looked down upon because of her commoner status, and then she got roped into doing a time-intensive after school activity. Since he has endured isolation and sneering himself, he naturally tries to take care of Haruhi while she's at school. No teacher did the same for him when he was at Hogwarts.
I always welcome betas. If anyone feels like beta-ing for me, please edit the chapters that I post (I dislike having to wait for the chapters to come back) and tell me what I need to fix/should add.
THE NEXT CHAPTER'S EXPECTED UPDATE DATE: The End of July at the latest. I will be extremely busy until July 16th, so until then, I might not get to do much work on the story. It might get pushed into early August, but I'll try to have it up by the end of July. The next chapter won't be as long as this one though.
Editing notes:
1.) Lamborghini Gallardo LP-560's are sexy as heck. I will shamelessly droll all over them.
2.) Did anyone else realize that there should be cameras all over Ouran? And that if Kyoyya's family does security, he could have easily gotten the footage?
3.) Anyone care to take a guess as to who Ms. Trepe is? There are three references thrown into this chapter (with a fourth one not a direct reference, but an inspired one). I love throwing in refrences.
Thank you!
Last edited: 6/18/12
Notes: Changed a mistake and fixed Kyouya's name.
Chapter Word Count: 12,597