James Castle
Chapter 2: Sortings and Punishment
Again I sing to the future souls,
To those whose future holds many roles.
Long has Hogwarts stood as home of the strong,
Past this year, the time of magic will not be long.
Brilliant Ravenclaw, house of the night,
Darkness covers most, but one light.
The light shall stand, knowing my song,
By end of this year, shall right the wrong.
Loyal Hufflepuff, strong against the Mark,
One of your own taken by the Lord of the dark.
The castle will aid you in your retribution,
Should you ask, you shall find a solution.
Brave Gryffindor, stalwarts against the shadows,
Between themselves, this year they shall come to blows.
The power of the dark is strong,
At the end of school, from this world it will be long.
Cunning Slytherin, grabbing the power you always sought,
You have power, but live as slaves to others have fought.
Pray that all your blood money has been spent,
For on the wings of the dark, comes punishment.
The main hall of Hogwarts was silent following the voice of the hat. It had started to sing the moment Fawkes brought it from Dumbledore's office, it's words and actions stunning the collective student body to the core. Hermione had a quill handy and had transcribed the words as a reflex, as if she was in a classroom, staring blankly back at the words on her parchment at the end of the Gryffindor table nearest the teachers.
"What do you suppose the bloody hat means this time?" Ron Weasley nudged her side, breaking her concentration. "Hello, earth to Hermione?" he pestered the girl until she gave in and turned to him. They had been friends for the last six years, she helping him with his schoolwork, he being the shoulder to cry on, especially after her parents were killed last year.
"Sorry Ronald," she apologized as he rolled his eyes at the use of his name. She removed her glasses after tearing her gaze from the parchment where she had transcribed the hat's song. "I don't really know Ronald," she turned the song over and over again in her head. "Bits and pieces, I can understand, I have a good idea what they mean, but as a whole…it sounds bad for the Slytherins," she mused.
"Good for us then, isn't it?" Ron asked as she relaxed and watched the parade of kids to be sorted. Ron Weasley was not a good student, he wasn't a bad student for that matter, but not much got into his head besides Quiddich. He had relied on his friend Hermione for years in regards to help with his schoolwork, toying with the idea of taking their friendship further, but unable to see her as more than an older sister.
"That it may be Ronald, that it may be," she frowned at the parchment, folding it away in her bag for later. "There he is Ron," she pointed towards the end of the line of first years at the larger figure in back robes behind them.
"Never heard of a wizard family called Castle, think it's an American thing?" Ron replied, taking a good look at the new seventh year. "What house do you think he'll be in? He looks like a good size for a chaser…" Ron continued on, lamenting the loss of all three of his chasers from last year. "Honestly Hermione, I'm the Captain, I have a reason to think about it," he hung his head at her indifference towards the sport. "Punching Malfoy like that too, may not have heard of them, but I bet the Castles are some powerful wizards," Ron grinned as he glanced at Malfoy's face, the nose not quit healed and a bit puffy yet.
"I don't think his family are wizards Ron, I think they were muggles killed in the first war with You-know-who," she replied as she slipped her glasses back on.
"What makes you think that?" Ron questioned her.
"Had a bit of a talk with him on the train, he's definitely muggle raised," she nodded at James who was staring back at her.
"Taken a shine to the new kid, have you?" Ron kidded her before he elbowed him sharply.
"Quiet Ronald, he's next," she looked towards the teachers' table as Dumbledore took a moment to speak.
"In addition, this year we have a transfer student, he came here to complete his NEWT year, please welcome James Castle," Dumbledore and the other teachers politely clapped, besides Snape that is. The cheer from the crowd was thunderous from three of the four tables, word having spread of the incident with Malfoy on the Express.
She smirked as James sat uncomfortably on the stool that was made for first years and the sorting hat was placed on his head. He rolled his eyes up at the hat and frowned, wanting to say something but unable to while under the hat. "Gryffindor!" the hat exclaimed after a moment before James grabbed hold of it and tossed it at Dumbledore. He turned his back on the teachers and made his way to the table where Hermione and Ron made room for another seat between the two of them.
"Good to see you again James," Hermione said calmly as she noted him staring back towards where Dumbledore set the hat on the teachers' table.
"No one told me anything about a damn hat that could read my damn mind," he glared back at her before taking the seat she offered.
"The sorting hat is a magical artifact, created by the founders, whatever it sees, it cannot tell unless the person it was about is willing," Hermione went into teacher mode, not noticing as Ron drew James into Quiddich talk as the food was served. "There's no hope…" she muttered as she noticed the two of them inhaling food as fast as they could, grunting one word answers and questions to each other. "Manners!" she slammed her fist down on the table after enduring the two of them for a few minutes. "There are first years to set a good example for here," the pointed her finger at Ron before poking James in the side. "He may be incorrigible, but you know better," she glared at him.
"How so? Think you have me figured out Hermione?" he eyed her coldly.
"You're obviously muggle raised and muggleborn, I know for a fact there are no magical families with the last name Castle, so that means you were taken in after you lost you parents," she said the last part so only he could hear. "I saw how you acted on the train, everything in it's place, you can drop the slob act," she continued in a soft voice.
"Just trying to fit in Hermione, letting loose can feel good every once and a while," he shrugged as he replied to her, but continued to eat at a much more polite pace. "This ought to be interesting," he muttered under his breath to Hermione and Ron as he pointed towards Malfoy and Snape talking as they walked towards the Gryffindor table.
"They can't take points for what he did before he was sorted, can they?" Ron paled as the pair stopped at the end of the table to talk to James and Hermione.
"Miss Granger, I am disappointed to see that you have already failed to discipline a student who struck the Head Boy in front of you," Snape looked down his nose at them. "Apparently your appointment as the Head Girl was unwarranted, as I expressed to the Headmaster at the end of last year," Snape continued.
"She didn't do anything, so you can go ahead and leave her alone right now," James said sharply as he got up from his seat, shocking the great hall. "If you have something to say, you had best be saying it to me," he glared back at Malfoy and Snape, stepping around Hermione so he was between all the Gryffindors and Snape and Malfoy.
"Stand aside boy, you are out of your league here, she has broken school rules, and swear to Salazar, I will have that Head Girl badge," Snape glared back at the boy with hate in his eyes.
"Hogwarts bylaws, chapter 3, paragraph 2," James recited from memory as everyone silenced. "I was not a student and under your jurisdiction until I set foot in this castle, which that train is not part of," he deadpanned as Snape's face grew more pale that before. "Bylaws chapter 1, paragraph 1, chapter 1 for that matter," he closed his eyes for a moment before glaring back at Snape, noticing Dumbledore's smile at the head table. "No student or teacher shall draw a wand on another, save for in the classroom for teaching purposes," he smirked at Malfoy.
"What is the fool talking about Professor Snape?" Malfoy's calm demeanor cracked a bit as he noticed the worried look on Snape's face.
"I took the liberty of having a complete set of the school rules, the original ones, sent to me before I came here," James replied as he stepped past Snape to Malfoy. "And all their amendments for the past thousand years," James stepped face to face with the blonde. "You drew your wand on the Head Girl and a future student without provocation, I think it is your Head Boy badge that is in more danger," he grinned at Draco.
"What…how…" Draco stammered as Snape collected his bearings, glaring at James. "You! You filthy mudblood!" he raised his wand at Hermione. "I will not let you take what is mine!" he shouted as the end of his wand started to glow green.
Hermione didn't duck or hide from Malfoy this time, thinking back to the train. The rest of the Gryffindor table scattered as Ron tried to drag Hermione away from the glowing wand tip. "Hermione, move!" she heard him plead, but brushed him off, standing up against Malfoy.
"Not anymore Draco," she glared back at him, pulling her own wand free in a second, having changed where she kept it due to James' lesson in the carriage. "No more," she glared back at him, her own wand tip glowing bright red against his green.
"How's the nose?" James asked suddenly, causing Malfoy and Hermione to both turn their heads towards him at the same time. Hermione's eyes widened as she saw the fist headed towards Malfoy's face and heard the crunch of broken cartilage for the second time in as many hours.
"Castle!" Snape yelled at him, pulling his own wand on the boy. James saw him pulling the wand and kicked out with his leg, knocking the wand from the Potions Professor's hand. When Snape's face turned from following the path his wand took back towards the student, he joined Malfoy on the ground, following a similar crunch of cartilage.
James seemed to hop about on the balls of his feet, with his hands raised, looking for more challenges, but stopped when Hermione started yelling at him. "James! What are you doing?!" she shouted at him. "You are going to get expelled!" she was almost in tears as she yelled at him.
"Quite to the contrary Miss Granger," Dumbledore said as he walked down to them, directing McGonagall to take Snape and Malfoy to the hospital wing. "James here is quite versed in the bylaws here at Hogwarts, I sent him a copy before he agreed to come here. I was quite disturbed by what the actual rules stated, rather than what the Board of Governors had been publishing the last several decades," Dumbledore smiled.
"Although I may not approve of how James brought the situation to light, the important fact is that he did," Dumbledore chuckled before placing his wand to his throat. "Attention all students and faculty," his voice boomed over the castle. "Several irregularities have come to my attention over the summer, regarding the bylaws set forth by the Board of Governors here at Hogwarts," he explained. "There will be several informative packets set in each common room when you retire tonight, explaining the situation, to create a duplicate, simply place your wand to the pamphlet and recite 'Repicos'," he explained before he removed the wand. "Have a good night now children, I assume there will be no more problems?" he directed the question at Hermione.
"Yes Headmaster, I'll stop him from doing anything else," Hermione glanced over at James who almost laughed. "Try to at least," she grimaced as Ron pulled James to his seat, asking him all manner of questions, mostly about Quiddich.
--
Later that night, after she had escorted James to the Gryffindor common room, she sat on the opposite end of the couch as him, watching him watching the fireplace. Ron had been grilling him for over an hour about Quiddich before James finally admitted he flew and would go out for one of the open Chaser positions if Ron wanted. Ron had graciously accepted and left them alone, deciding to get some sleep.
"You like watching me or something?" he asked her, not looking up from the fire. The common room was empty, they had chased all the younger students away earlier as it was growing later. Even the other seventh years had gone to sleep already, leaving the two of them alone, well past midnight.
"Sorry," she blushed, looked towards the fire herself. "How did it feel?" she asked after watching the fire crackle for a while.
"How did what feel?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"Hitting them like that, putting them in their place," she met his eyes.
"It hurt a bit, punching someone bare-knuckled like that is not meant to feel good on either end," he rubbed his fist absentmindedly.
"That's now what I meant," she replied as she moved and took the seat touching him, grabbing his sore hand in her own.
"I know," he replied, resisting the urge to pull his hand away, instead letting her massage it gently.
"Thanks James," she sighed as she rested against his shoulder, keeping a hold of the captured hand, looking at the fireplace.
"How long?" he asked her out of the blue after they sat there together for a good quarter hour.
"Hmmm?" she asked, raising her head to look at his face.
"How long has it been since you had a good night's sleep?" he replied, looking at her sadly.
"Not since mom and dad got killed," she replied, gripping his hand tighter, resting her head on him again.
"Shouldn't you get something from the hospital wing here then?" he frowned at her.
"Doesn't work," she replied softly. "I feel safe with you though," she let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his chest, holding on for dear life. "I figured it out you know," she whispered, looking up at him with sleep in her eyes.
"Figured what out?" he glanced down at her, patting her head softly.
"You being raised by your Uncle Frank, like you said on the train," she nuzzled into his chest. "My granddad was in the RAF back in WW2, he kept up on some things over the years, drives my grandma crazy," he felt her laugh into his chest. "I know about Frank Castle," she whispered before she drifted off to sleep, her arms wrapped carefully around his tense torso, avoiding the pistols strapped there.
AN: Anyway, might be no updates til next weekend, writing and workdays do not mix very well for me. In regards to the hat, I felt the obligatory need to do it, so sue me. This is the only warning anyone will get from me from here on out by the way, if you are reading a HP/Punisher X-over that is rated M, don't be offended when I get to the nasty parts.
Anyway, I shall try to have do up another chapter tomorrow afternoon/evening, but I have obligations in FFXI and a Steelers game to watch, so stay tuned and will get more written when I can.
Also in regards to Boo's review: I have tried to write epic huge chaptered stuff before, but I can't really seem to do it, I seem to have to force it, and it comes out like crap. Most of these chapters will be in the 2500-3000 words per chapter area because I really think I can do the scenes I want to do in that area, and it keeps the story fresher IMO if the chapters don't drag on forever. Think of it like movie scenes.
Anyway, might have Ch3 up Sunday, might not. Cross your fingers and hope RL is kind to me if you want it. (Reviews help preempt my TV watching and video game playing too btw, but not very often, this weekend was an exception with the incredible response I got after the Prologue and Chapter 1)
Oh yeah, if anyone really feels like BETAing chapters before I post them, feel free to PM me. I don't want flowery crap either, tear me up, I'm trying to make this something people want to read.