Sorry it took so long to update, but I'm kinda new to the whole writing thing. Thanks to everyone that reviewed (all two of you, whoohoo!). And to silverwolf310, I'm not thinking of putting those two together, but if enough people ask for it it might just happen. You and my sister have both asked for it.
Disclaimer: If I owned either of these, not to mention both, I would be rich lazy, and relazing in a giant ass pool in the middle of my estate. As it is I'm currently living in the living room of a one bedroom apartment with two other people. Please send money! Other than that, on with the show!
Chapter 2
Yusukes group knew something was wrong immediately. Not because they knew it was too early for the train to stop, but because of the cold feeling that had started to permeate throughout the train. Kuwabara, the sensitive one of the group of course felt it first. His huge frame shuddered just as the others started to feel it. First was Hiei, who at first connected the feeling to Yukina but immediately threw away the thought. This was not Yukina. There was no happiness in this. Just despair and anguish. Next was Kurama. It reminded him of a Makai winter. A time of sadness and desolation as all but the hardiest plants died. Unbidden memories of his mother lying in a hospital bed, frail and dying, surged to the front of his mind. Kuwabara felt the cold down into his very being. It was as if his heart had been wrenched from his very chest and was being crushed between two icebergs. Slowly and steadily taking away all warmth leaving nothing but a shivering mass.
For Yusuke it was slightly different. Not being as sensitive as Kuwabara or having the same past as the other two, he didn't feel that irrehensible cold. He had the sudden feeling that Keiko, one of the few people he had come to care for and maybe even love, he felt as if she had died. That she had left him to this world alone. Where this would usually make someone incredibly sad and mournful, Yusuke isn't exacrly what someone would call normal. No, instead it ticked him right the hell off. In his anger he rushed to the door, not noticing or caring about the frost that had started to creep along the doorfraim and into the glass windows. Flinging the door open he was distantly aware of two thumps as Harry and Kuwabara crashed into the floor out to the world around to them. However that was not where the majority of his attention was focused. No that was focused on the thing less than a foot in front of him. Being who he was he responded in the only way he knew that usually worked.
Now usually a fist plowing into a dementors head wouldn't do much but piss it off. But since we already discussed in how normal Yusuke wasn't it's easy to tell that didn't happen. Instead of the usual meaty human fist making impact, a solid fist that could tear through metal like tissue paper and absolutely covered in spiritual energy made its way inside the Dementors hood. Now take a step back and think. One of the wizards worst nightmare come to life whos only purpose is to suck the very life out of a person, or short little Japanese boy with slicked back hair that would make Grease proud? Yeah, no question.
The dementor dropped like a sack of potatoes. After a second a plume of purplish smoke that reeked of decay spewed out from the dementors robe leaving nothing but a pile of cloth. It was at this point that Hiei remembered just why he was considered a badass in all three realms. Seeming to flicker out of the compartment, the only sound to be heard for the next minute was the bone chilling screech of nightmarish creatures fleeing for their lives. Some of which had their robes caught on fire. Hiei then reentered the compartment with a frown. "Tch, not even a challenge."
As Hiei sat back down everyone else in the compartment just stared for a second. Kurama in exasperbation, Yusuke in anger for taking all the fun, Ron and Hermione in awe and bewilderment, and the newly awakened yet dissheveled Professor Lupin in confusion. Ron summed it up pretty well. "What the bloody hell just happened?" Hermione almost instinctively slapped him on the shoulder and admonished him for his language. Guess she was still in shock. Lupin however was trying to answer just that yet was coming up completely short. Why did that kids hand glow blue? What happened to the dementor? Ok, obviosly it died, but how did that happen? How did that short kid move so fast he almost seemed to apparate? Hell, if this hadn't been a warded train and he had heard a pop he would have said he did. Even then it was hard to believe he hadn't.
Deciding that these questions were better left for another time, the oldest of the group (or so he thought) went to check on the two in the compartment that seemed like they needed it the most. While Kuwabara was quickly getting up and seemed to be extremely embarrassed (even more so with Yusuke pointing and laughing so loudly) Harry had yet to get up. His eyes were just starting to flutter open when Remus Lupin knelt down beside him. Quickly searching through his pockets he soon found what he was looking for. Taking out a large chunk of seemingly plain chocolate, Remus quickly handed it to Harry. "This should help you feel better. I'm going to take a look through the train. By the time I get back I want that to be gone. Understood? Good." And with that he quickly left the compartment to check on the train, hoping that the damage was at a minimum.
Scratching the side of his head, Yusuke asked what he thought was a very serious question. "Does anybody know why he was walking around with all that chocolate in his pocket?" The rest in the compartment decided to ignore him and focus on Harry, who seemed to be doing better but was obviously still shaken. After getting him set back up on his seat and comfortable Hermione decided that her curiosity could wait no longer (Honestly why wasn't this chick put into Ravenclaw?).
"How did you do that? I've never even heard of magic like that before! First you do a wandless and silent spell on your hand against a dementor, which everyone knows can only be held back by a Patronus, and then you disappear, only for all the dementors to run away. And whats more, some of them were on FIRE!" Finished with her rant, she started to huff and puff, but her eyes never left the new group of four, her chocolate brown orbs seeming to bore into their very souls looking for answers.
Kuwabara and Yusuke looked to eachother like the other had the answers, Hiei just ignored the situation completley while looking out the window. Kurama seeing this decides it would be best if he just answered all the questions. Like usual. Sigh. "I believe our teacher described it as Eastern Magic, where we first learn to use our magic internally, whereas you all learn to channel it through your focus which is your wand." Luckily for him, and the rest of the Japanese transfer students, Binns was a horrible history teacher. If he had been a better teacher they would have a much better understanding of eastern magic, and how instead of wands they used focusi like wands but were known as staves. Staves were like wands in shape however their size was much larger, and they were covered in runes. The size and runes allowed for staves to have much more power than your average wand, and they were better in that they were intent based rather than wands that you had to use incantations and certain precise movements. The incantations and movements could be used by a stave user however they weren't exactly needed.
But they didn't know this because their history teacher, who should have told them these kind of things, because not even Remus who had graduated as head boy knew these things, he instead taught them more useless facts. These facts had little to do with modern magical culture and only ever focused on goblin rebellions. This would have been all well in good during Binns time while he was alive, because the rebellions were still fresh and needed to be discussed, but that time had long since passed, yet he still taught it. Now, you may ask yourself, 'If Binns is such a horrible teacher, why doesn't Dumbledore fire him?' There are actually a couple of reasons. First, have you ever tried to fire a ghost that's been doing the same thing for centuries? They're more stubborn than a mule stuck in mud. Secondly, he doesn't really know better since he had the same education as everyone else, sadly through Binns. And thirdly, and most importantly, Binns was cheap. You don't have to pay for food, lodgins, or even a yearly salary for a ghost. They can't even take a sick day since ghost don't get sick. Strangely enouch they can still get petrified, but that's through an amazingly strong magical and usually deadly stare. Unfortunately for our little Hogwarts students, and one professor, they didn't know this so they were forced to take Kuramas words as fact.
Her curiosity sated for now, Hermione decided it was best to see how Harry was doing. This just so happened to remind Yusuke why he was laughing so hard earlier. Turning to face Kuwabara and wearing a grin that would have put the cheshire cat to shame, he continued where he left off earlier. Namely pointing and laughing his ass off. "Dude you totally passed out! That was freaking hilarious man." Kuwabara was turning some very interesting shades of red at this point. Deciding that kuwabara had gotten enough ridicule (even if he was laughing on the inside, a much more refined hidden behind your hand kind of laugh but still a laugh) Kurama put a quick stop to it.
"Yusuke, we all know that Kuwabara is the most spiritually aware out of all of us, and is somewhat, sensitive, when it comes to certain feelings. Even before he was aware of magic he could sense ghostly presences and the like." This got Hermiones, and oddly Rons attention.
"Wait, are you guys muggle-borns? You know, first generation magicals?" Ron wasn't exactly known for his tact, except of course when it came to chess.
Being the spokesperson of the group was starting to get tiring, but since he couldn't really trust anyone else to answer it without problems rising up, Kurama answered. "While Kuwabara and myself are both the first generations in our family to have magic, Hiei has a long family line of… magic, and Yusuke, though new to it, his family once had very powerful magics running through it. After all it's hard to be the son of a demon without having some kind of magic in you." He added that last part as an inside joke between him and Hiei, and by the slight turning up on the sides of his mouth it seemed like he caught it. It also just so happened to be a good way for him to use Yusukes revealed heritage without too much trouble. Oh yes, he could get this to work for him.
Hermione looked at Kurama in surprise. It was almost as if she couldn't believe that someone so knowledgable wasn't born in the wizarding world(Normally I would agree, seeing as how she's right, but come on, this is Hermione. Ms. Bossy Know It All. The person that knows more spells and incantations than Ron, who has a huge family that is completely mad up of wizards.) "You're really both muggle-born?" she asked.
"Oh yes. I've known about magic for much longer than Kuwabara though, and even longer than Yusuke. Yusuke learned about it through some circumstances that are very personal, which soon led to Kuwabara knowing because he was dragged into it. Being both very strong magically they were very lucky to find someone able to train them. In fact, I would say that out of everyone on this train, Yusuke is probably the most powerful." Kurama said that last part with a slight almost foxy grin at both Yusuke and Hiei. Yusuke because he probably didn't want everyone to know that, and Hiei because he knew Hiei hated being reminded of it. Unfortunately for him his smirk was noticed by more than just those two.
Hermione didn't know why her heart sped up when she saw his mouth do that, or why her cheecks suddenly felt like she could cook marshmellows on them, but she found herself really hoping that Kurama would go into Gryffindor House. She also hoped that he went into their year so that she could see that beautiful grin more often.
Hiei pretty much able to hear the thoughts that she was broadcasting thanks to his extra eye, couldn't help but smirk right back at Kurama who had no idea how big of a mistake he had just made. Sure he was able to avoid the fan-girls back home, but now he was something new and exotic here, and they had something else they could use to capture him. Magic. Oh yes, he would enjoy the coming show.
Before they could continue the conversation any further the train started to finally move again, noticably faster than before, and the door slid open to allow the old professor back in. "We should be reaching Hogwarts soon. All of you will be taking the carriages up to the castle, as will all the first years. The dementors were not meant to come aboard, and we would rather not risk anyone coming across one. This is for any of you that are still feeling some of the effects of the dementors." Here he passed out some bars of chocolate to everyone. "The chocolate should help counter act the negative feelings that dementors put off. If you'll excuse me I have to get back to patrolling the train." With that he quickly left to do just that. The rest of the trip was spent with them nibbling on the chocolate. No one noticed when Kurama gave Hiei the majority of his chocolate, or how fast Hiei's chocolate seemed to disappear.
It wasn't long before they were standing before the carriages staring at the strange creatures in front of them. They seemed like pegusi that had long since died and started to go through decomposition, yet refused to stay dead. In other words evil as fuck. Strangely enough almost no one else seemed able to see them. Hiei and Kurama quickly go into the carriages whith nary a backwards glance, both with the excuse of, "I've seen wierder." Silently agreeing and with a shrug of his shoulders Yusuke followed them up. With a shudder and trying to keep as far away from thim as possible Kuwabara quickly followed. Not knowing what they were talking about and seeing that their carriage was full, the Golden Trio got their own carriage, which they ended up sharing with a blonde haired girl that was a year younger than them, and also seemed to be staring at what had the four foreigners attention.
Soon they were upon the castle, which had a startling likeness of Maze Castle, the place where they had to fight the Four beasts. The group, in retrospect, was surprisingly weak to try to blackmail Koenma into letting them into the human realm. But that was where the likeness stopped. The very feel of the place was completely different. Whereas in Maze Castle it wasn't all that surprising to find zombies running around it, they weren't exactly something you would expect to see in this castle. That and there was the ward line. Each of them felt that loud and clear. For Kuwabara it was a slight tingling and a feeling of safety. It was somewhat different for the other three. For them it came as a shock, literally. There was a slight jolt, but then it seemed as if the Wards around the castle had accepted them, and from the feeling of warmth after, seemed to be welcoming them as well. Making a mental note to ask Koenma about it later, Yusuke took out his trusty comb and gelled his hair back in place. Kuramas hair miraculously seemed to stay in place. Hiei cared about as much as usual, though somehow his hair seemed to actually flatten out a litte. Weird.
After disembarking from the carriages and walking around the dead horse like things, they were quickly ushered up with the rest of the newcomers to a room that was right outside the great hall. After a quick intro to the house system, which Kurama was pretty sure was ignored by Hiei and quickly forgotten by Yusuke, the doors were opened and they were led inside. The four could tell just about every eye in the room was on them. They couldn't really expect much else. After all they were the four tallest 'first years.' Kuwabara stood out the most, Kurama was ogled by a lot of the girls (surprise surprise) and even some of the boys (SURPRISE!), and Hiei only really stood out because of his hair. Other than that he fit in pretty good.
That was when the hat in front of the room opened up along a rip and did the unexpected.
TBC
AN: These chapters take forever to write! Sorry if anyone was actually waiting on this thing but jeezum crow. I've only typed out at most 80,000 words, not including authors note and disclaimers of course, and there are stories on this website with over a million words on it?! Mad respect to those authors and the sheer brilliance that comes out of their keyboards. As always reviews are much appreciated. Thanks and have a great day!