Hey everyone! sorry it took so long to update! i got terrible writers block so i kind of just popped this one out real quick, i promise the next chapters will be better! chapter 17 will be their first day at school!
Katara held zuko up against the wall with her ice. She couldn't belive he had found them there, nobody knew their plan or their destination, how was the prince of the fire nation at Hogwarts?
"WHat are you doing here?" she growled at the firebender who just hung there with a look of shock on his face.
"Me? What are YOU doing here?" He pulled a bit at the ice but it wouldn't budge, his feet dangled a couple inches off the ground.
Katara made the ice creep up his neck towards his face. She knew if she could cover his mouth and nose for just a couple minutes they would be safe, could she do it?
"Katara stop!" two voices rang through the hallway, snapping katara away from her victim. The students had stopped and were watching the horifying scene from the stairwell, three red headed boys and a poofy haired girl stood off to her side. The girl glared at katara and reached for her wand. Professor McGonagall and Aang were running towards the scene.
"Stop!" the green robed lady yelled, "I will not have this sort of violence in the hallway!" McGonagall waved her stick and Zuko fell from the wall with a splash of water, The bushy haired girl ran to help him up.
"What was that for?!" she yelled through her bucked teeth, "He did't do anything!"
"He came to attack Aang!" Katara screamed back at the girl. "He is a monster!"
Aang approached Katara and whispered in her ear, "Katara we need to leave," The boy tugged on her sleeve. She turned to see her team standing there, Sokka with an angry scowl, Toph with a look of bitter confusion and Aang was a bit frightened underneath his serious face. She gave her friends a nodd and Zuko one last glare. The fire prince looked confused and frightened by what just happened, he stood soaking wet in his robes just staring at team avatar. She got up and began to leave with her friends.
"Where do you think you four are going?" McGonagall called out, "You all just arrived here and i wont let you hurt other students with out punishment!" She grabbed the collar of Katara and Zuko, and dragged them off towards her office. Soka, Toph, Aang followed behind.
"Wait why am i being dragged off? i was the victim!" Zuko gowled.
"We need to get to the bottom of this argument and we need your side of the story," McGonagall paused and looked down at the small earthbender, "My god, What happened to your shoes?" Toph gave a small shrug.
Mad-Eye- Moody came out of the great hall in front of them, his eye focused on Aang and then again on Zuko. Katara's stomach got queezy, there was something off about that man. Alaster hobbled over on his peg leg and examined the group. "What do we got here? some trouble makers?"
"I was just about to take them to Dumbledore, if you could assist me that would be great." McGonagall huffed as she pulled the children by their colars.
"Come here rocky and bowlwinkle," Alastor growled as he grabbed Tophs and Sokkas collars. Toph tried to kick the man but he pulled away just in time.
"Who you calling Rocky? you one eyed cyclops!" She hissed at him. but he only chuckled in amuzement.
The students stood on the steps watching the kids being dragged off. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" Moody yelled at the group. the students looked at each other then quickly dispersed leaving to go to their dormitories.
The haul to Dumbledores office was a short one, it almost seemed to Katara that the teachers were almost sprinting to get it over with. McGonagall was huffing about her night being wasted while Moody was complaining about class in the morning.
They approached a statue of a golden eagle. McGonagall whispered somesort of pastry word to the statue and a grand staircase appeared. Katara walked up the stairway and headed into the headmaster's office. If she hadn't been scared or furiated out of her wits of being in trouble Katara would have admired the beautiful study. the circular room was decorated with pictures of past headmasters. Small odds and ends of silver instruments lay on tables in the room, each giving off a small noise. a claw footed desk lay ahead of them and behind it the old wizard sat patting his pet pheonix.
Her friends and enemy filed in behind her and the teachers went to discuss their problems to the head master.
"So, Gryffindore huh?" Sokka stood next to Zuko awkwardly just staring around the room.
"Yeah i guess," Zuko mumbled then looked at the boy's blue robes. "Ravenclaw? Neat"
"...Yeah..." Sokka mumbled then looked at the ceiling the try at small talk had failed.
Katara growled at her brother,"Don't talk to him! he is evil!"
"Am not!" Zuko grumbled back.
The teachers reapproached the group with stern looks. Katara heard Aang gif a big gulp, he was nervouse. Everything was on the line, if they left Hogwarts they couldn't search the library for firebending scrolls or anything to help Aang, but if they stayed Zuko might do something unfathimable.
"You all need to sort things out," Gruffed Alastor, he looked back atthe headmaster then left with a nodd. once when the door closed McGonagall proceeded the speach.
"The only ones who know that Aang is the avatar is Myself, Dumbledore, and Poppy the nurse. We would like to keep it that way for his protection. Zuko how did you find out he was here?"
Zuko paused and stuttered, "I-I didn't know he was here at all!" Katara gave a small huff. "I was sent to live with the Malfoy's then they sent me here!"
Katara glared at the firebender, "That's a load of-"
"He is telling the truth i can tell you that," Toph said. "My feet don't lie"
"Hold on,"Aang chimed in,"Then why are you here?"
Zuko's face turned red and Katara could see him fighting his feelings back, "No reason,"
Katara scoffed, "You said you were sent to live with the Malfoys. What? Didn't your father glorify your return?"
Zuko turned his head away from her, she was getting to him she knew what must have happened.
"Yeah you are so untrustworthy that your own father can't even honor you. He sent you away didn't he? hah How does it feel? your just getting what your deserve-" Katara silenced when she saw Albus raise his hand for her to stop.
Dumbledore silenced her, "I think being kicked from his home is enough pain for him to bare. we dont need to give him any more." He turned to Zuko and looked at him sternly, "Zuko, the Avatar's safety is the utmost importance, we need to be sure that you are not a threat. will you attack them again or tell anyone that they are who they are while you are attending this school?"
the prince looked away with no answer.
"We will need you to either promise this or we might have to lock you in Askaban Prison for treason. You need to promis not to lay a hand on Aang or send word anywhere about his precsence," Dumbledore said sternly.
Zuko Gave a small nodd and continued to stare at the floor. Dumbledore turned to Aang, "Do you wish to stay here with the fire prince also attending school?"
Aang thought about it for a while, "I need to ask my friends if it is okay." Aang turnded to Sokka.
"Hey i am with what ever you think will be the best. though it is risky,"
"Toph? what do you think?" Aang asked the earthbender.
"Well, the prince wasn't lieing when he said he didnt know we were here, so i guess it is okay," she said.
"You can't be serious! He isn't trust worthy! we helped him escape Ba Sing Se and he then attacked you!" Katara growled.
Dumbledore quieted her down again, "We will have utmost precaution when dealing with him, so it will be safe for you to stay. Medicine will be administered to the prince to stop his bending temporarily-"
"WHAT?" Zuko yelled, "You can't do that!"
"Its for the protection of our students-"
He grew red and Katara saw some flames lick from his mouth, "You can't take my bending away! thats like breaking your wand or absorbing your magic! I will be powerless! useless!"
"Hey being a nonbender isn't that bad!" Sokka stated, "Just look how good i turned out!"
McGonagall hushed them down, "Zuko we will not be taking your bending away just blocking it temprarily, unless you want us to send you back to the firenation you will show up to the nurse every morning and lunch to take the potion. We need to know that we can trust you, think of it as some sort of test,"
"Don't worry," Katara scoffed, "He will fail."
Dumbledore pulled a flask from under his robes and handed it to the bender. Katara smiled she wanted to see him powerless, just like he was underneath Ba Sing Se, he should have stayed in the cave. The prince grumbled and looked around at everyone, each gave him blank stares except Katara who smiled contently at thejustice. He glared at her then closed his eyes giving a huff.
"How long will i have to take these potions?" He asked.
"Just untill we can trust you, check back in a month," Dumbledore said.
"A month?" Zuo complained, but the old wizard only nodded. Zuko sighed the quickly tipped the liquid into his mouth and down his throat. Katara releived some stress, aang was safer this way, it was easier to protect him from the enemy when there was no firebending involved. She was glad, firebending was nothing but evil, they were safe.
...
The liquid flowed down his throat tasting like grass but burning like whiskey. he dropped the glass as the energy flowed out of his body, he slumped to the floor feeling weak. "Uhng, that was aweful," he groaned. His muscles which usually were strong and powerful, could barely lift himself up. He stumbled a bit as he tried to stand, his stomach was in a knot and his head pounding, he almost fell on Sokka while trying to gain his balance.
"The side effects will wear off in a bit, Now all of you head back to your dormitories, you need to get some rest, school starts tomorrow and i wont allow any tardyness." Dumblerdore said. "Oh and Zuko," He handed the firebender a small wooden stick, "Here is a new wand for you, it will so small simple tricks, since you cant firebend we need to give you another way to use false magic."
Everyone headed out of the headmasters office. Zuko stumbled after everyone, he felt like his feet were made out of bricks, why did he agree to this? his bedning was the only thing he had of his identity. His Uncle taught him to fire bend, if he wasnt a bender his father would have killed him when he was born, bending wasn't only his power but his own form of security.
Slumping down the hallway a hand grabbed his shoulder, helping him along. "You can't walk all the way there like this," Sokka was holding him up helping him through the castle. the water tribe warrior wore no smile and didn't even look at Zuko.
"Why are you doing this?" Zuko grumbled, the stairs to the gryffindore tower were long and steep, he felt like he was about to faint from exhaustion.
"Hey," the water tribe warrior said, "don't think this is because i like you, i don't forgive you for anything you did in your past, not yet. But you just looked like you were going to pass out, can't have you sleeping on the floor when peeves is running about."
Zuko sighed realizing what he was doing "You are just keeping an eye on me untill i get to my dorm arent you?"
"Yes that is exactly what i am doing,"
The rest of the walk seemed to take forever, the stairs not only seemed infinite but they also moved, making their trip even more confusing. They finally made it to a portrait of a fat lady, Zuko wondered how she could even fit in the frame. Hermione sat in the hallway reading a book, when she noticed Zuko and Sokka she ran over to help.
"What in the world happened?" she asked, trying to help zuko stand better though it proved to be a bit too diffucult cause she was so much shorter. "Did that aweful girl do this to you?"
"Hey!" Soka piped up, "That aweful girl is my sister! And no, Dumbledore did, He gave him a potion that took his-"
"Took my energy away to i could get a better nights sleep,"Zuko cut Sokka off. He felt bad for lieing but he really didnt want anyone to know about the potions, it may lead to more questions and give away that he isn't a wizard.
"oh, well...that's nice i guess," Hermione said, Zuko could tell she didn't really buy it but atleast she stopped asking questions. "Here, the pass word is Bubuckle shorts, we should get you in a bed before you fall over. Big day of school tomorrow,"
"Sure," Zuko turned to Sokka who let go of his arm, letting the cool air hit his skin, "Thanks,"
"Hey i didn't do it for you," He said with a smile then turned to leave.
Zuko had only been at school for about four hours and he knew it was going to be a long year.