10/24/08

I feel quite pleased right now. This was NOT a filler chapter! WHOOT! Anyway, hope those of you who actually, seriously KNOW Japanese can point out any errors I may have. I'm thinking about finding a beta that can help me with that and grammar, so if anyone happens to be interested, leave a comment about it or send me a message!

I've dropped the summary, sick of it giving me false belief that my chapters are long sniffle

Please REVIEW! Whether you realize it or not, I do read them and they give me a shot of adrenaline. However, please, no 'update' or 'when are you going to update' reviews because it's in my nature to just refuse to do it then. Ima Scorpio, baby!

Rating

PG13 for swears and violence, rating may change in certain chapters, you will be informed when such happens.

Harry Potter and the Inner Demon

Chapter 17

Over the next few weeks, Natsu deviated back to wearing muggle clothing. He claimed to feel a little odd wearing such foreign clothing when everyone, even his brother, were draped with the traditional wizarding robes or slacks and jumpers. Remus had bumped into his several times in the halls, almost on purpose, and given him confused glances. No doubt he recognized the scent of his old friend's son somewhere under the husky dog demon smell.

School was set to begin in a few days time, meaning Natsu rarely got to see Seshomaru aside from meal time and Kagome spent all of her time catching up with the rest of the seventh years so he was left to entertain himself. In a desperate act to keep his younger sibling out of trouble, Seshomaru started training Natsu in the art of Kendo. Not a real sword, the Taiyoukai would never give the boy a weapon unless he was well trained first. Instead he'd managed to get his claws on a shinai.

After teaching Natsu proper etiquette and posture, Seshomaru left him to work on his Suburi. This managed to keep the boy's attention for several hours at a time, especially when Seshomaru hinted that his progress would determine whether or not he would take Natsu to the Feudal Era with him that winter. He was quick to take the bait and practiced every day. Each morning he felt stronger and capable of more than he did the last.

"Kya!"

Natsu's leg muscles strained as he slid forward and brought his shinai down only to stop it and pull back. Having realized after the first few practices that he couldn't keep count, his body unused to such movements devoted all of it's attention to performing the task at hand, Natsu simply set himself to 3 hours of practice every day.

Sweat beaded down his pale forehead, stinging as it dripped in his eyes. Numbly leaving the shinai to lean against the wall Natsu maneuvered himself to sit on the couch, dropping his head backwards as he choked on warm, stale air. Eyes dim with exhaustion, he staggered up again and tripped his way up the staircase and in to the bathroom.

A showered and dressed Natsu dragged his feet into the Great Hall for dinner. The tables had been rearranged to their usual places and the staff table was almost full. Seshomaru sat between McGonagall and Remus, eating his roast with elegance that only he seemed to possess. Two chairs were left and both at the ends of the table. Natsu, deciding he'd take Snape over Trewlany any day, took his seat and piled a healthy amount of roast and potatoes on to his plate before tucking in.

Snape seemed to ignore him for the most part, sipping his pumpkin juice, but once the dinner dishes gave way to dessert he turned to face Natsu. "I've been informed that you will be attending classes; only practicing theory, of course." There was no hint of emotion in his voice, sending a chill down Natsu's spine. "Err, yes. The Headmaster said I could visit the classes to learn more about the wizarding world."

"And which classes do you plan to look in on?"

Natsu fought the urge to squirm under the intense scrutiny the man was giving him and replied quickly, " I was thinking I would stay with my brother for his first class and visit charms, transfiguration, and potions, Sir."

Snape raised a brow at the last class but his mouth didn't so much as twitch. "If you plan to step one pale toe inside my potion's class, I will require you to visit everyday until the arrival of the students."

Natsu felt his jaw slowly drop and gazed at his ex-potions professor in surprise. He had just gotten used to Snape's less evil behavior and now the man had gone and scrambled his mind all over again. "R-right, Sir. When should I come?" Snape thought a moment, eyes distant as though looking at an inner calendar. "You will come with me to the dungeons after lunch; make sure to wear something you won't mind getting stained." With Natsu's agreement to do just that, the black haired man took his leave from the Great Hall.

Nibbling on a warm chocolate chip scone, Natsu stared blankly forward and took his time contemplating when his teacher had completely lost his mind. Not for the first time, he had to remind himself that he was not 'Harry Potter' anymore. He was Natsu, brother to Seshomaru and the second prince to the Western Lands, the Inu youkai territory.

Seshomaru rose from his chair to head back to their room and Natsu did the same, glad to have a moment to talk to his brother. "What have you been doing?" he asked, honestly curious.

"I needed to figure out just what I would have the students write for those essays they have to turn in," was the tired reply. "Nearly finished today…" Fidgeting with the hem of his green short sleeved shirt, Natsu changed topics, " Sna-Professor Snape wants me to come down to his class everyday until the students get here." Seshomaru's golden eyes glanced away from the hall before them and settled on his brother with interest." What ever for?"

"He didn't say but I think he wants to test me, see if I'm really different then the other 'dunderheads' he usually gets saddled with."

The rest of the night seemed like it would be a peaceful one. Natsu did ponder the oddness of his ex-professor for a few moments while climbing into bed; his last thoughts before drifting off were that—just maybe—Snape wasn't all that greasy of a git after all.

Natsu woke up with his brother so they could head to breakfast together and, finding seats between Professor Sprout and the Headmaster, quickly set about filling his stomach. It was a peaceful meal and everyone seemed in good spirits, sharing their plans for the first years and wondering who be the next prodigy. All seemed calm to Natsu.

After completing his three hours of training, an exhausted Natsu headed to the bathroom for a shower. Letting the steaming water refresh him, he noticed his scars had slowly faded. They would never be gone—a reminder of his past; Harry Potter—but they would be but a few meager memories among the new and happier ones.

Flexing his arm made Natsu wince; despite the heat loosening the stiff muscles; they still ached from his exercises. Noticing his fingers growing pruney, he hopped out and headed toward his room to change. Once properly dressed and hair combed he headed downstairs to relax until lunch.

His feet nearly knocked over the books laying precariously on the corner of the table, and a mug of warmed pumpkin juice was cradled in his hands. The sweet taste made his him melt and his eyes drooped. Groggy and light headed, the teen let his head roll backward against the couch cushion and rested his weary body.

THUNK

Natsu shot forward, scorching himself with the hot juice. He yelped in pain, slamming the mug down on the table in frustration. His shirt and a majority of his pants now soggy, Natsu glanced around for the one who caused the noise but found no one. Cursing all the way upstairs, he leapt in surprise as he heard thumping. Frozen in mid step, he toed through the hall, trying to pinpoint the banging. Pausing in front of Seshomaru's room he heard nothing within, and a peek in the lavatory revealed the same results.

As he moved toward his own room the noise became more belligerent, erratic and ear piercing. A particularly loud thump caused Natsu—and his chamber's door—to shutter. What was causing that god-forsaken racket? Gripping the knob on the door-- he hesitated as nerves nearly took over—he ripped it open and saw a blur bash into his shin.

Yowling in distress, Natsu fell to the floor gripping his victimized limb and snarled at his 'attacker'. The emerald and orion orb contained a particularly thunderous storm within its glass sphere as it rolled toward him-thunking obnoxiously as it tumbled over the wooden floorboards.

Natsu glared at it weakly as he felt his heart pounding in his chest. He left that bloody ball by itself for ten minutes and it got all angry with him! "What do you want? To bang against my leg all day?" Grumbling furiously, Natsu limped back into his room without a second glance at his magic. It sped after him and squeezed through the door before he could slam it shut.

The parts of his stomach and thighs that were burned by the drink were blotchy and red—bright red, like a ripe strawberry—and the skin stung when touched. Searching through the clothes in his wardrobe, Natsu finally found another shirt that he didn't mind getting skunked up with whatever Snape had in store for him and slipped it on. Scrounging out a pair of muggle sweats, he pulled them on and hoped that they would serve as sufficient padding if the blasted orb had another hissy fit.

Said object was rolling circles around him, pleased to have it's owner in the proximity again. Natsu snatched it up and felt it hum happily in his palm. He really wished he could just hang it around his neck, keeping it in pocket gave him a bruised thigh and it was clearly reluctant to be left alone.

As soon as he had finished that thought, the orb spit out small silver chain that flapped around his hand. Reflexively, Natsu tossed it up in the air only to realized how stupid a thing to do it was and rushed forward to catch it again. Flinching as it slammed down right into fingers, Natsu scrutinized the Slytherin silver links.

"What is this?" Of course, he knew what it was—he wasn't stupid! —but how? This was just an orb of his magic; surely it couldn't actually interact with him like this. He cautiously put the chain around his neck, allowing the orb to bump against his chest where it seemed to purr with delight. Blushing from the feeling of warmth radiating from his condensed magic, Natsu pat its vibrating surface like a master would his pet dog.

Checking the time, Natsu puffed out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, he rushed to the bathroom to some cool water on his burnt skin before heading to lunch.

TBC...