Yay! Finally, a new chapter for your enjoyment! I know it's been a long time, almost a year (Holy crapola!), but I'm back.
I hope to have the next chapter out by next week as it's already written. I'm still working on this and won't give it up. So, fear not I will not abandon it!
And now, sit back, relax, and enjoy!!!!
A New Year and New Problems
Inuai looked out across the Great Hall, taking in all the new faces she would be teaching this year, as well as the faces she knew that would once again be her students. Her gaze slid over all the house tables before stopping on the Gryffindor table. She smiled at three friends in particular. The Golden Trio were laughing happily at something Seamus had said about his summer hols. Harry looked up toward the Head Table and waved at his adoptive mother. It was his final year at Hogwarts, and Inuai knew that the final battle with Voldemort would come soon.
The past months had been spent training and preparing for any eventuality that might come up during the year. They felt they were prepared for an attack whenever it might come. The Horcruxes had been found and destroyed, except one, Nagini. There was no way they could get close to the snake, no matter what avenue they tried. Moldyshorts kept the damn thing too close to him at all times. Sesshomaru had come the closest to killing the snake, using all his demon abilities in the attempt.
Inuai was brought out of her musings as McGonagal led the first years in to be sorted. She wondered briefly if these children would survive this war. She knew, deep down, that should the war come to Hogwarts, their chance for survival was very slim. Everyone involved hoped that that wouldn't happen, but didn't dare put all their hopes on that.
In the past few weeks, Voldemort had become unpredictable with his attacks, both in the Muggle and Magical worlds. Even the Minister was taking extra precautions concerning the Wizarding populace. A number of Aurors had been stationed along the Express and even more were set to patrol the school and grounds.
Inuai looked down the staff table, noticing for the first time, the effect that Dumbledore's retirement had had on the rest of the staff. It had come as quite a shock to everyone when he had announced his resignation at last year's Leaving Feast. He had given no reasons for this sudden decision and had effectively disappeared from the public eye. No one had heard from him since then and any owls sent, came back with the original letters unopened.
"Welcome, everyone, to a new year at Hogwarts!" McGonagal said to the students. "There are a few announcements that need to be made before you stuff yourselves full of the delicious food. First and foremost, I shall be taking over as Headmistress. I want you all to know that my door is always open to you. Secondly, I'd like to welcome back Remus Lupin, who has graciously agreed filled the post of DADA professor this year. Now, as many of you may have noticed, Professor Snape is no longer with us, and so, Professor Horace Slughorn has agreed to come back and teach for another year. And now, please dig in before Mr. Weasley's stomach tries to eat him from the inside." There was laughter from around the Hall, but most notably from the Gryffindor table as the food made it's grand appearance.
"I do hope you're ready for this year, Merry." McGonagal said to the hanyou.
"Yes, I believe my brothers and I are sufficiently prepared for this year." Merry replied, spooning some food into Siri's mouth.
"I wish you would change your mind about next year." the Headmistress said softly, knowing the young woman would be able to hear her. It had been made very clear that Merry would only be staying until Harry had graduated.
"Only time shall tell, Minerva. It will be stressful enough this year as it is." She looked toward her brother as she said this, knowing how worried he was over his mate. It had come out soon after Naraku's demise that Kagome was pregnant, and only Inuyasha jumping in front of her saved their child. The young woman was currently in the able hands of Madame Pomfrey, who was making sure everything was going smoothly. The stress of the battle and seeing her adopted son 'die' had had a profound effect on the young miko. Inuai sincerely hoped everything was okay with their pup.
The siblings looked as one as the door to the side of the hall opened, and Kagome came in to join her mate at the table. She whispered into her mate's ear, causing him to shudder from the sensations her breath had on the delicate hairs there, before sitting back to fill her plate, a big smile on her face. Inuyasha looked incredulously at his mate before breaking into a smug smile.
"So? Are you going to share the news with the rest of your family?" Sesshomaru asked dryly.
"There's two." Inuyasha said simply and smugly.
"Oh my gosh! Twins? Really?" Inuai said excitedly. The soon-to-be mom nodded, a beaming smile covering her face. "I'm so happy for you!" She ran over to envelope the miko in a hug.
"When are we to expect these little ones?" Kagura asked, giving the young woman a hug of her own.
"Poppy said they'd be here around Christmas." The young mother was positively glowing as she rubbed her hand over her rounded stomach. There was a slight sadness about Kagome that only the family of demons were able to sense.
"You haven't told her yet, have you?" Inuai hissed to her twin.
"No," he said sadly, wincing slightly at the continued pain he was causing his mate. "It wouldn't do to tell her without him here. She won't believe me otherwise." They all nodded in acceptance, knowing how stubborn the miko was. "I just wish I knew if he was getting better."
"I'll talk to Mistoffelees tonight. He should be able to get in touch with Ville and Gregori." Inuai said softly, squeezing his arm to reassure him that things would be alright. Inuyasha smiled his thanks before going back to his meal and mate.
"I can't wait for Defense this year!" Ron exclaimed, all the while stuffing more food into his already full mouth.
"Am I hearing correctly? Ronald Weasley, excited about learning?" Hermione asked incredulously, her face a mixture of shock and disgust.
"What?" he spoke up, food flying across the table. "I'm allowed to be excited about school. Just because it doesn't happen often." Ron grumbled out the last bit, his ears turning red as he laughed along with his friends.
"I'm just glad to be back instead of camping in some remote forest looking for Horcruxes." Harry said quietly so only his friends could hear.
"Do you really think we would've had to do that?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"If Merry wasn't around, who knows? It might have been our only choice." he replied soberly.
"As I'm sure you are all ready to head to you nice, comfy beds, but there are a couple items that need to be addressed. Firstly, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to everyone. Also, Mr. Filch has updated his list of banned items, which is posted on his door should anyone care to look. And now, off to bed with you. Good Night."
The trio took an out of the way route to Gryffindor Tower, hoping to escape the stares and questions of the first years. They weren't nearly as bad as the Creevey brothers, but it still grated on Harry's nerves. As they rounded the corner by the Muggle Defense room, they noticed a familiar figure pacing about the hall.
"Mist, is everything ok?" Harry asked timidly, worried that something had happened with his family.
"Ah, Harry," the Carpathian's baritone voice washed over the three teens. "Everything is fine. But perchance you can help me?"
"Of course! What do you need?"
"I need to speak with your mother and uncles without alerting Kagome. Unfortunately, she is sitting with them in the common room, and if I go in there to talk to them, she will know what's going on." Mistoffelees truly looked nervous about the prospect of going in to the room that Harry felt sorry for him and agreed, telling his friends he would meet them in the Gryffindor common room.
A knock roused the siblings from their somewhat secretive conversation. "Who on Earth could that be?" Kagome slowly got up from her chair to answer the door. "Harry! What a nice surprise!"
"Hey, Aunt Kagome. Um... Can I talk to my mum and her brothers a moment?" he asked innocently. A summer with the elves had taught the young wizard to keep his emotions in check and to never betray what he was thinking by his facial expressions.
"Certainly." Inuai, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru quickly walked into the hallway with Harry, clearly wondering what could be so important that it couldn't wait until the next day.
"Okay, Mist, they're all yours." Harry said clearly once the door had shut. The Carpathian stepped away from the shadows, giving a rare smile to Harry as he headed back to his common room.
"What's going on, Mistoffelees? Why not just come in to talk to us?" Inuai asked worriedly.
"I have news that I did not wish to distress the miko with." Mist sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "Shippou's condition hasn't improved, but neither has it declined. Gregori is unsure what he can do to help the kitsune."
"So, what are we to do?" Sesshomaru asked stoically. "Anything this Gregori needs of us, we will be more than happy to provide." It was not often that the tai-youkai would go to such lengths for the kitsune, but when something compromised Rin's happiness, he would go to the ends of the world.
"I'm not sure what could possibly be done to help." Mistoffelees said regretfully. He had asked Gregori the same question. Both men knew that should anything happen to the kitsune, Rin would come after them before joining her mate. They had, in fact, not told Rin what had happened to her mate, hoping to stave of her temper.
"Then we shall go see Gregori and find out what can be done." Sesshomaru said with finality.
"And I'll go talk to Poppy. There might be something she can do to help." Inuai said, hoping to help in any way possible and that Harry's theory would be right.
"What could Poppy possibly be able to do?" Inuyasha asked snidely. The plight of his adopted son was getting to him, and his attitude was definitely starting to show.
"If it's his kitsune magic that's doing this, then who better to have there then someone who knows practically everything about magic!" Inuai yelled at her twin. She knew it was childish, but she didn't care. They needed to get help for Shippou, and they needed it yesterday. The three men knew she was telling the truth. No one they knew, knew more about magic than the Mediwitch.
"Fine, but be quick about it. We shall be leaving in the morning." Sesshomaru remarked coldly. All those present knew he did not mean the iciness that crept into his voice. He was worried about Shippou and what would happen to Rin should the kitsune pass on. Inuai ran as fast as her legs would carry her, knowing that time was of the essence when it came to the kitsune.
"I don't know what I could possibly do in this situation, deary." Poppy said pleasantly as she bustled about the Infirmary. Inuai quickly flowed the mediwitch as she checked the potions supply.
"But Poppy, you are the foremost expert that I know of when it comes to magic and it's effects on the body! Who better to go with them then you." Inuai argued. Poppy stopped what she was doing and thought quietly about what the young hanyou had said.
"And I wouldn't be gone more than a few days?"
"A week at the most." At the mediwitch's stern look, she hurried on to explain the arrangements that had been made. "One of the Carpathian healers will be here during that time to help out, and I will be here as well. Nothing will go wrong, I promise, Poppy. And if we need anything, we can get a hold of you in just a thought."
Madame Pomfrey looked at the pleading look on Inuai's face before nodding her acceptance. If anyone could take care of her patients, then Inuai and her Carpathian friends could handle whatever may come up. "Just who is this Carpathian that will be taking care of my patients? I won't let anyone off the street take care of them."
"I assure you, Poppy, that I wouldn't let in anyone who wasn't fully qualified." Inuai smiled warmly. "They should be here in the morning before you leave so, you can approve of them yourself."
"Very well."
It had been a relatively quiet couple of days since Poppy had departed on her mission. No major catastrophes, thanks in large part to there not being a Quidditch game scheduled for that weekend. The students had even responded well to Mikhail and Raven. Inuai still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that the Carpathian Prince and his mate had come all the way to Hogwarts. Mikhail rarely left the mountain range they called home, except in the most dire of circumstances. And even then, Gregori was always with him. Inuai was convinced that babysitting a school full of children did not count, and she had a good idea about the reasoning behind this but chose not to pursue the matter.
"Professor Greenleaf?" The tiny voice brought the hanyou quickly back to the present. She left the mediwitch's office to see who had entered.
"What can I help you with?" The young Ravenclaw looked perfectly fine besides being extremely nervous.
"Professor Snape needs your assistance in the dungeons." she said quickly and quietly. "Something about a fight and spilled potions."
Inuai ran to get Poppy's healer bag, hoping it wouldn't be too serious, and quickly made her way towards the potions classroom. As she got closer, she could see the group of seventh years standing in the corridors, trying to stay away from the violently green, gelatinous potion. "What happened?" she asked quickly.
"Malfoy threw something into Harry's cauldron." Hermione supplied in a pained voice as Inuai noticed her cradling her arm. "Harry got pissed and punched him. Snape tried to stop them until the potion exploded all over them. The rest of us were far enough away to only receive minor injuries."
"What potion were you working on?" Inuai inquired, looking at the goo covering the floor. Did it just move?
"Well, I was working on Draught of Living Death, but we were all assigned different potions."
"Thank you, Miss Granger, I'll take it from here. Please help anyone with injuries up to the Hospital Wing, and I should be there shortly." She quickly cast a tempus spell and grimaced. It would be hours before Mikhail and Raven would be able to help. "Rus! Draco! Harry!" she called out. Receiving no reply, she tried every cleaning charm she knew to no avail. The gelatinous goo would just not go away. "Dobby!"
"Yes, Padsy?" the excitable house elf asked as he popped next to Inuai. "What can Dobby do for you?"
"Do you think you could get rid of this goo for me?" Inuai asked simply. Dobby looked thoughtful for a moment before snapping his fingers. The goo instantly vanished, leaving the hallway and classroom spotless. "Thank you."
She cautiously made her way into the classroom, not knowing what to expect. As she peeked around the door frame, she saw a sight that she knew she would never forget. Severus, Draco, and Harry were stuck to each other. It looked like they had been frozen in mid-fight, but were too close to do any real damage. Inuai quickly cleared her throat, trying to keep from laughing. "What happened here?" she asked, making her way over to the stuck trio. At hearing no response, she looked up from the healer's bag. "Uh, guys?"
Upon closer inspection, she noticed that even though their lips were moving, no sound was coming out.
"Finite Incantatem." The trio's mouths clicked shut as soon as the spell left the hanyou's mouth. "Hmm. That wasn't supposed to happen." Inuai ran a diagnostic spell over the three men, but found nothing physically wrong except for ta couple of bumps and bruises from the fight.
"Professor?"
Inuai looked toward the doorway to see Hermione and Ron. She motioned them in, hoping to get some kind of solution to the three men's predicament. After half an hour, she decided that ther was nothing to be done without Pomfrey's expertise.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley. Perhaps you would be willing to help me get these three up to the Infirmary. We'll have to do it without magic." she said quickly as the two teens reached for their wands.
"But that'll take forever!" Ron whined loudly.
"That may be, Mr. Weasley, however magic doesn't seem to work on this... stuff."
"Poor Harry. Imagine having to be stuck to those two until Madam Pomfrey gets back." Hermione said despondently, some light reading open on her lap.
"Yeah. Glad it's him and not me."
"Ronald!"
"What? I'm just speaking the truth." Ron placated, his hands up, hoping to fend off the impending lecture.
"I know, Ron. I just wish Madam Pomfrey was here. She'd be able to fix this in no time."
"When is she supposed to be back anyways?" Ton asked from his spot by Harry's bed. It had been two days since the accident and the two friends had rarely left their friend's side. Inuai had managed to place the three into a magically induced sleep, thanks to one of Poppy's potions, to keep the three stuck men from trying to hurt each other.
"What in Merlin's name happened here, and why didn't you call me?" the Mediwitch's voice broke the quiet of the Infirmary as she bustled over to her patients.
"Poppy. I'm glad you're back." Inuai said calmly, making her way toward the healer. "How was your trip?"
"How was my trip?" Poppy screeched, running every diagnostic spell she knew to get to the root of the problem. "Would you care to tell me what happened to these three?"
"Potions accident. Everyone was making a different potion so, it's hard to say what the goo was supposed to be. And magic doesn't exactly work on it."
"Very well. Now, all of you out!"
"Shippou!"
"Hey, Aunt Inuai!" the hyperactive kitsune bounded over to the doorway as Inuai race to meet him.
"I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Come and sit down. I'm sure you had a long trip. And you so need to tell me what happened!" she said excitedly, pulling him over to where the rest of the family sat.
"You were right. My fox fire was out of whack for Dad's Wind Scar." he explained as Kagome pulled him close. "All I remember is being in the dark until someone turned on the light."
"I'm just so glad you're alright! Oh, my poor baby!" Kagome cried, pulling the kitsune as close as her pregnant belly would allow. Unfortunately, the twins didn't like the invasion of their space, and Shippou became the recipient of their discomfort.
"Don't worry, guys, you'll get to meet me and everyone else soon." he laughed, running his hand over Kagome's swollen stomach. "And thank you for sending Poppy to help, Aunt Inuai."
"Actually, you should be thanking Harry. He's the one that thought of sending her."
"Well, where is he? I'd like to thank him personally." he said, looking around the room.
"He's being tended to by Poppy." she explained. "There was a small potions accident a couple of days ago."
"Is he going to be alright?" Kagura asked worriedly, bringing Kagome a cup of warm milk.
"Yeah. Now that Poppy's back. He should be back tomorrow for sure."
"Do we have any more pickles?" Kagome perked up, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. Everyone looked at the very pregnant miko in horror and disgust.
"Eww! That is so wrong!" Shippou cried, scrunching up his nose in distaste.
Blanket Disclaimer for A Hanyou's Life:
I don't own anything you recognize.