Sorry about the (extremely) slow update. Even though I do have ideas, I can't seem to write properly, so it's either updating slowly or uploading a bunch of nonsensical rambling. You choose

Chapter 11

"I just don't get it," Izzy said for what seemed like the millionth time. "Why has the Digiworld completely shut itself off from us?"

"There's only one reasonable explanation for this," Matt said, glancing around at his fellow Digidestinied. "The gate has been shut."

"Or someone's blocking us," Sora suggested. She yawned. "I'm tired." They had been trying and failing to get into the Digiworld for the past few hours. Nothing had worked. The gate remained stubbornly shut.

"It's never been like this before," Izzy said anxiously. "I e-mailed Mimi just yesterday, and she replied saying that it was the same in America. At the moment, not a single Digidestinied has been able to get through."

"This is a waste of time," Tai said grumpily. "My holiday is going to end in two weeks, and I do need to study, or I'm going to fail all my courses."

"Tai? Talking about studying? Will wonders never cease."

"Shut up, Matt."

"So what are we going to do next?" Kabuterimon spoke up from under the table, where most of their partner Digimon were gathered, merely watching the Digidestinied attempts to break through to the Digiworld.

"I'll try hacking into the Digiworld," Izzy said thoughtfully.

"Will that work?"

Izzy shook his head. "I've tried it before quite a number of times, but I don't see the harm in trying it once more."

"That's dumb," Matt said matter-of-factly. "One, we know for sure that someone's messing with the Digiworld. Two, that someone has blocked off all access to the Digiworld. Why don't we try to find that someone instead of wasting our time doing this?"

"That's a good point," Joe agreed vaguely, not looking up from his book. "This is really a waste of time."

"Oh, stop studying for a moment, it won't kill you," Tai said, snatching Joe's book away.

"Sometimes it seems just like the old days," Sora sighed, watching Joe chase Tai around the room for his book. "He never grows up, does he?"

"I wish it were the old days," Izzy said darkly. "Things were far less complicated then."

&

Kouichi couldn't sleep. He felt exhausted, and would have liked to just drift off to sleep, but he couldn't seem to get himself to fall asleep. He didn't know what time it was, but guessed about three hours had passed since he had gotten into bed. Frustrated, he sat up in bed, pulling aside the hangings around the bed and staring out into the dorm.

Everything was quiet. With a sigh, Kouichi got up and wandered over to a side table where a jug of water stood. As he took several sips of water, something in his head told him that it would be a very good idea to take a walk in the Forbidden Forest. When he realised what he had thought of, he gave a small snort. Either he really needed some sleep, or the discoveries of the past few days were extremely disturbing. Probably both reasons, though.

"Hey," a small voice said. Kouichi looked down to see Wormmon looking up at him. The Digimon partners of Davis and Ken's group had been introduced to the other Digidestinied, and everyone trusted each other now.

"Can't sleep?"

Kouichi shook his head. "You?"

"I don't want to."

"Don't you need to sleep?"

"No, not really. Younger Digimon of course need more rest, but as Digimon grow stronger and older, they don't need as much rest."

Kouichi hadn't known that. "Hey, Wormmon?"

"What?"

"Wanna go for a walk?"

"Where?"

"The Forbidden Forest."

"Erm… Is that allowed?"

"No."

"OK, I'll come along then."

The castle was silent, except for the occasional cough or snore from portraits, and ghosts peacefully gliding along the dark corridors. All Kouichi knew that something was telling him to go to the Forbidden Forest. Why, he didn't know. He just followed his instincts. Over the years, he had learnt to trust his instincts – and this was just one of those situations.

Wormmon followed close behind him, moving without a sound. Kouichi glanced down at him.

"What if Ken wakes up and finds you gone?"

"I normally go off on my own at night to meet V-mon and the others, so he'll be used to it."

"Aren't you guys afraid of being caught?"

"Digimon know how to conceal themselves from humans, don't worry."

The gigantic front doors were closed but not locked. Kouichi paused uncertainly before them, unsure if to push them open manually or simply use magic, but then there was a tiny beep and the doors opened of their own accord. He stared, then realised what had made the beep. His D-Tector.

Pulling the black device out of his pocket, he squinted at the screen. The screen was blank except for a single, blinking dot in a far corner.

"Follow the dot?" Wormmon suggested quietly.

"Sounds good."

Kouichi stepped outside, and the doors swung shut behind them. The night air was cool and breezy, and he felt the wind blow about his hair as he held out his D-Tector, moving his arm in a wide arc over the grounds. The blinking dot faded as he pointed it towards the direction of the castle, but grew stronger when it was directed towards the Forest.

"There's something in the Forest," Wormmon whispered.

Kouichi didn't answer, but started to walk across the grounds, D-Tector held out. He soon reached the Forest. Forcing himself not to think about the many creatures that roamed the Forest when it was dark, he plunged straight into the dense trees, Wormmon following with a slight squeal.

For nearly half an hour he walked through the thick undergrowth with absolutely no sense of direction, ignoring his common sense that was practically screaming at him to turn back. Wormmon was less confident now, and had taken to riding upon his shoulder, staring in every direction.

The dot was blinking more insistently now, with tiny, high-pitched beeps. Kouichi stared at it for a moment, thinking…

Then the dot disappeared. Wormmon let out a squeak.

"Are we lost? And I think that something's following us."

"Nobody's following us, it's just the normal sounds you'll hear at night," Kouichi lied. He hadn't been paying much attention to his surroundings; he had been intently focused upon the blinking dot.

"There's something up ahead…" Wormmon muttered. "Help."

Kouichi transferred his D-Tector to his left hand and pulled out his wand. Suddenly, a ball of light appeared among the trees, its light not even obstructed by all the thick plants.

"Digimon!" Wormmon gasped. Kouichi gave a start.

"Are you sure?" He ran straight ahead, blasting and slashing at the thick bushes with his wand as he went. Then, suddenly he stumbled upon a small clearing, where the light was shining most brightly. Wormmon jumped to the ground.

"Kouichi," a familiar voice said, apparently from the ball of light.

Kouichi hadn't heard that voice in years. "Ophanimon?" he gasped. "Is that you?"

"The Digiworlds are in trouble," Ophanimon continued. "You and your friends are our only hope, for the cause of all this is one of your number, in the human world. If you do not do this, the clash between the worlds will be disastrous…"

"What are you talking about? Ophanimon?"

"I cannot say more, you must find out for yourself. Remember, the clash between the worlds will be disastrous…"

Too soon the light faded, and Kouichi nearly yelled in frustration. "Ophanimon? Ophanimon! Come back!"

"There's something on the ground," Wormmon said in a strange voice. "Look."

Kouichi looked down and gave a gasp. "The D-Tectors!" Sure enough, the five D-Tectors belonging to Takuya, Kouji, Zoe, J.P and Tommy were there, lying innocently on the leafy ground. He gathered them up and examined each one of them. They were real, no doubt about that.

He pulled out his own, and this time he felt the difference. He had his Spirits back!

"Practising magic at this ungodly hour?" a cackling voice came from somewhere behind him.

Kouichi whipped around and stared straight into the wrinkled and smirking face of Filch, who grinned sadistically as he held his lantern up high. "Been following up since you got into the Forest. Not very bright for a Slytherin, eh? And I thought that Slytherins were the ones with brains not to get caught."

Kouichi just stared back at him wordlessly, sensing Wormmon zip into the bushes to hide. Why had he been so careless? Oh, right. The dot.

"What's that in your hands?" Filch asked shrewdly, nodding towards the D-Tectors Kouichi was holding. "Lemme see those things. If it's one of them joke stuff again, boy… Won't I love to expel you?"

Kouichi was just wondering whether to make a run for it or curse Filch right in the face when he heard a shout.

"Stupefy!"

Filch fell backwards, body stiff and immobile. Kouichi stared, then looked up as Draco and Ken came crashing through the trees.

"What," Draco panted, wand held out, "where you thinking to go off without telling us?"

"Wormmon!" Ken scooped Wormmon up from the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Ken heard you two leave the dorm, and woke me up," Draco explained, looking testily at Kouichi. "We thought that we would just let you wander off on your own without alerting you to our presence, just to see what the hell you had in your head."

"Bit twisted, aren't you?" Kouichi said, staring. "Did you Stun Filch?"

"Yeah, and you're welcome. Whatcha doing with all those Digivices?"

"They're my team's. I… sorta found them here. Well, Ophanimon appeared and gave them to me."

"That Angel Digimon?"

"Yeah."

Kouichi stuffed the D-Tectors into his pocket, leaving only his own in his hand. "And I think I've got my Spirits back."

"You mean those things that help you Digivolve?"

"Yeah. I never thought that I would see them again."

"Well, I can guarantee you guys that if we stay here any longer we won't even live to see daylight again," Draco said, glancing around. "I hate the Forest but I seem to always find myself here when I'm wandering around, somehow. And I can give you a huge list of all the Forest creatures that come out at night hungry."

"Point taken." Ken looked down at Filch. "But what about him?"

"Leave him here to be eaten? Believe me, I'm tempted."

"Very funny, Draco," Kouichi said, rolling his eyes. Then he glanced at the other two. "Do you guys know the way out of here?"

"You totally went off the track for half an hour, Kimura, and you don't even bother to remember where you walked?"

"It's going to be five soon," Ken noted. "I don't think we're going to get any more sleep tonight, but I want to at least rest. Can we get moving now? At this rate we're going to be back only by breakfast. And we have to drag Filch along too…"

"You guys fancy the idea of a shortcut?" Kouichi suddenly asked, a mischevious grin spreading over his face, his hand automatically positioning his D-Tector, a sort of a natural reflex he hadn't performed in years.

"Digi-Beast Spirit, EVOLUTION!"

&

Kouichi hadn't felt happier in years. It took only a moment for him to get accustomed to Jagerlowemon's form, but as soon as the feeling came back to him he was easily leaping over the trees, landing in the higher branches, then taking off again. Forcing back an urge to give a growl, he leapt down into the clearer area right at the edge of the Forest, and just only remembered to let Draco and Ken slide off gently, with Draco dragging Filch, who was still Stunned.

He reverted back to human form, still grinning widely. "Enjoyed the ride?" he asked brightly.

"Can you try not jumping so much next time?" Ken said, still breathing hard. "It's perfectly fine for you, but not for the riders."

"Sorry. So what are we going to do about Filch?"

"We modify his memories, I can do that." Draco pointed his wand at Filch. "Obliviate. Then I'm going to awaken him, and right after that, we run. He's going to be a bit woozy, so we'll have a head's start."

"Sounds like a plan," Ken said, nodding.

"Ready? Three… Two… One… Enervate. RUN!!"

&

Luck was on their side, and Kouichi easily managed to slip the D-Tectors back to each of his teammates, all of whom listened to the tale of his previous night's adventures in awe. Kouji was the only one who didn't laugh when he heard about Filch, and Kouichi Digivolving to get them out of the Forest. He hadn't managed to get to them in the morning, as the Slytherins didn't have any combined classes with the Gryffindors at that time, but he did manage to meet up with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs early. When it was time for lunch, he skipped his meal and straight away went to the Gryffindor table.

"You could have been caught," Kouji said, surly. He wasn't looking straight at Kouichi but he wasn't paying any attention to his lunch either. "Don't go off like that again."

Davis opened his mouth to say something but T.K kicked him under the table.

"I'm sorry if I made you worry," Kouichi said sincerely, lowering his voice. "But I'm perfectly fine."

"I know that Malfoy's just a jerk, but I just can't get over what he said about Voldemort!"

Harry Potter and his two close friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, had arrived at the table, with all three of them bickering up to the point they were oblivious to the stares they were getting.

"He could have just said that to flare you up, Harry…"

"He sounded serious! And why should I not bother about what he's doing? I swore to myself that I'm going to be the one to finish him off…"

"Because you're not a Digidestinied," both Takuya and Davis muttered at the same time. Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't catch what they said, fortunately, but T.K and Kouji kicked them under the table, and the yelps they gave snapped Harry, Ron and Hermione out of their discussion.

"Guys, what did you say Voldemort's up to?" Kari asked, sounding completely innocent.

"Er… Nothing," Harry answered, looking uncomfortable.

"We don't know anything," Hermione said firmly. "We just heard a rumor-" Ron gave an extremely fake cough "-that Voldemort might be up to something again."

"What if he's really up to something?" Kari asked, still sounding like an innocent, curious child. She was good at wheedling information out of people even when they least wanted to talk about it. "Are you guys going to fight him or something?"

"Most probably," Harry said firmly. "I won't just let him carry out his twisted plans so easily. I've stopped him a few times before, and I'm not going to hesitate to do it again." With that he walked off to the other end of the table, farther away from the Japanese students. Hermione and Ron followed with slight exasperated looks.

"This is bad," T.K said, once they were out of hearing range. "Unlike them, we know for sure that someone is meddling with the Digiworld, that Voldemort is up to something fishy, and that Death Eaters have something to do with all the Digimon sightings. Anyone with common sense will put two and two together and figure out that Voldemort is messing with the Digiworld. If they find out about it, the Digiworld may be in even greater danger."

"And there's something that has been bothering me," Kouji said suddenly. "Why is the Digiworld called the Digital World when we've found out that all the Digidestinieds we know of are actually wizards? Why not Muggles?"

"Wrong name, maybe?" Takuya suggested, half-laughing.

"There might be more to this than what we think," Kari said, seriously now, dropping her innocent, child-like curiousity. "And until we figure out what it is, it's best that we watch our backs, because if the Digiworld and the Digimon are the first targets, we Digidestinied might very well be the second."

"Hey guys." The Gryffindors turned to see the other Digidestinied from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw coming towards them – Yolei, Zoe, J.P and Tommy. Evidently they had just finished their lunch in a hurry.

"This must mean something," Zoe said the moment they reached the table and squeezed into any empty spaces on the bench that they could find. "We get our Digivices back, there are so many Digimon sightings, Japan is going chaotic with all the Digimon and Death Eaters… And we're all stuck here in Hogwarts and unable to do anything."

"You sound like Takuya," Tommy said with a grin, making Zoe blush.

"I do not!"

"Tai and the others should be able to handle all the Digimon sightings," Kari said quietly. "But all of them have their studies to attend to, and apparently they can't open the gate to the Digiworld. They don't understand it either."

"I wish I were back in Japan," Takuya said, frustrated. "Do you think there's any way for us to… You know, get back to Japan to investigate?"

"Great. That'll be easy. All we need to do is find a way to sneak out of Hogwarts, find transport back to Japan, fight the Digimon, fight Voldemort, survive the fight, get back to Hogwarts, pretending that we never did anything of the sort, all the while without letting anyone find out what we're up to. Sounds really easy," Kouji said sarcastically, his voice unusually edgy and spiteful.

"Hey, guys." Two more students arrived at the Gryffindor table – Draco Malfoy and Ken Ichijouji. "So this is why you rushed off without even eating anything," Draco said to Kouichi, rolling his eyes. "You sure are dedicated, aren't you?"

"Kouji's worse. Appreciate it," Takuya put in, as if he was trying to get back at Kouji for his earlier sarcasm.

"There's something I need to tell you guys," Draco said, looking around. "I was going to gather everyone in the evening, but since everyone's here, I guess I might as well go ahead and do it now."

"Good, something new," Kari said, sounding relieved. "Go on."

"I – Well…" Draco looked uncertain, but went on anyway, speaking as though he couldn't really control his words. "My family has always been in Voldemort's inner circle, and I know a lot about Voldemort, and that he's going to use the Digiworld to expand his influence. Dumbledore knows about this as well, he's pretty much guessed what's going on, and I know that he doesn't know much about the Digiworld, but he does know that it exists. And then he did what he always does - bring the younger people involved out of the way so he can take care of everything himself, and in this case it's you guys, that's why all Digidestinied around the world are being watched over. Don't ask me, I don't know how he managed to locate the Digidestinied – but apparently Japan's Digidestinied are the only ones he moved, because your schools don't have hostels and high enough security. Basically, he just wants you guys here so he can watch over you, and prevent you from fighting Voldemort when he attacks – and right enough, apparently Voldemort's focusing all his attention on Japan."

A very blank silence greeted this long explanation. Kouichi was the first to speak.

"Since when have you known all this?"

Draco turned red and looked fixedly at the floor. "Er…"

"He's known everything for a long time, but he didn't trust you guys," came another voice. Cho Chang arrived at the table and patted Draco on the shoulder. "He doesn't trust anyone much, come to think of it. I made him tell you guys everything he knows." She shot them all a humourless grin. "So I take it that he just did?"

"Well, I didn't think that all the transfer students would be Digidestinied," Draco defended himself. "I thought that only some of them would be, to prevent any suspicions."

Their section of the table was getting very crowded now, and none of the Gryffindors were getting on much with their lunches, but nobody cared. "So what do we do?" Tommy asked. "Go back to Japan, because that's where we need to be? We're Digidestinieds, and it's our responsibility to protect the Digiworld, not Dumbledore's."

"Good point." Yolei gave everyone a crooked grin. "Let's go back to Japan."

"What? Now?"

"What else? The Digiworld's in trouble now!"

"But…"

"Look, what's more important – the Digiworld, or getting into trouble at school?"

There was a murmur of agreement, which was broken up seconds later by yet another visitor – this time an unwelcomed one. Professor McGonagall arrived, looking rather annoyed and furious. "What are all of you doing here at the Gryffindor table? Don't you have your own House tables? Go back!"

&

I hate this chapter