Disclaimer: Neither of us own anything related to Harry Potter other than what we've bought, and the ideas we come up with. Original characters and most of the situations present, however, we do own, so hands off!
Author's Note: Sorry this is a bit late, but I got my deadline mixed up with my other story's one and thought it was today. I know, I'm such an idiot; I had it written down and everything. Anyways, here's the next chapter; I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter One: Terribly Bold
"When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort, it is ready to climb." – Patanjali
"MUM!" a frazzled looking girl shouted as she tore down the hallway. "Mum, are you driving me or not? They're going to be here in," she looked at her wrist and cursed to herself when she realized she didn't have a watch, in fact she never wore a watch, "at 3:30!"
"It's 3:45, Bridget," her mother replied calmly, not looking up from the long essay she was grading.
"Mum! Why didn't you tell me?" Bridget let her head fall against the nearest wall. "I can't bloody believe this." She eyed the stairs with frustration and decided to completely ignore them, instead sliding down the banister with relative ease. She reached the bottom and shouted, "I have to go now! Who in heaven and hell is driving me to the airport?"
"Your cousin's waiting in the car! And stop yelling in the HOUSE!"
"I'll be back!" Bridget ran out of the front door and into the front seat of the car.
"Are we going yet?" someone whined from the back seat. Bridget spun around to see two boys sitting there. The one who had spoken, a tall, heavyset boy with brown hair, and hazel eyes, said, "C'mon, Bridget, are you ready yet?"
"What the heck are you doing in here? I'm late!"
"Kawika said he'd drop us off first," the other boy, this one paler and skinnier than the first, muttered. He pushed his jet-black hair out of his face.
"We don't have time for that! Get out!" The two boys hesitated. "Didn't you hear me? OUT!"
They scrambled out of the car. Bridget sighed and glanced down. "Oh, for the love of God." She threw the door open and shouted. "Someone throw me your slippers, I forgot my shoes!" She ducked as two slippers flew at her head. "Jerk!"
Monstrous engines rumbled loudly, stinging the ears of a dark-haired teenager at the airport gate, as they always did this time of year. She trembled nervously as her sharp eyes scanned the faces of the crowd for the third time.
"Damn, still no welcoming party," she breathed.
The girl turned around to collect her bags when a hairy visage was thrust into her field of vision, causing her to stumble and trip miraculously over the luggage rack of a complete stranger; she wasn't always clumsy but from the pure irritation on the tourist's face, he wouldn't listen to her explanation at any rate.
"Matt, dammit, grow up!"
She pushed the mask off of her brother's face, only to see him grinning wickedly at her. One quick scowl and, after a furtive glance at their father, she lightly tapped Matt's nose with two fingers, a common signal in their family that they would be in serious trouble if they didn't stop.
Kagumi narrowed her eyes when she realized that she was looking up at her little brother and saw that Matt was sitting on a pair of slim shoulders. Looking down, she discovered a pair of blue-green eyes smiling into her own. He had a mop of the blonde-brown hair shared by both boys and sun-tanned skin, with an overall look of innocence to cap it all off; there stood her other brother. Sighing, she grabbed Matt under his arms and pulled him off. Somehow, the two boys always managed to find something to get into, each and every year. It was only sheer dumb luck that she'd been able to get them out of the majority of their scrapes.
"Oh, Gumi, have some fun for once in your dweeby life!" wheedled a voice.
"Alex, shut it. Stay right here, and don't you move or I'll glue both of your jumpers to your bare skin tonight."
With squared shoulders, the girl walked towards her father, who was standing next to the baggage conveyor belt, looking hopelessly lost. Smiling tenderly, she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed softly. He looked down and ruffled her long hair affectionately.
"Hey, Kitten. Where're the twins?"
"Over by the gate entrance… I told them not to make trouble, or I'd glue their jumpers to them." Her father laughed merrily, his face lighting up to show the man he'd once been, if only for a moment. Kagumi was sad to see the light leave his eyes, leaving them dark pools of blue that rarely smiled anymore.
He pointed to the bags that had been neatly deposited on the ground next to them, and she groaned; playing bellhop wasn't her favorite thing to do. With one in each hand, both father and daughter made their way back to where the nearly identical boys stood underneath the sign that said "Gate 23." And there, approaching quickly was a face Kagumi hadn't seen since last summer; she sighed in relief.
Her hip-length brunette hair framed a surprisingly fair (considering her location) face with intelligent brown eyes and thick lashes. A long, slim nose accented the girl's features, giving her a slightly exotic look. She had an hourglass figure, with a high, thin waist that gently widened to rounded hips. The already tall girl had long legs that made her look even taller, and underneath the flapping of the long jeans, Kagumi could just make out some slippers -- what she was used to calling "flip-flops."
The girl stopped somewhat breathlessly in front of Kagumi and her father. Two sets of eyes scanned each other as if for the first time, and Kagumi cringed as she wondered what the girl was seeing: long black hair, blue streaks in it…weird grey-green eyes; very fair skin. Baggy clothes that hid anything she might possess and worn-out sneakers completed her look. She knew that she looked much different from the previous year and the slightly confused look on her friend's face confirmed it.
"Oh, dude, I'm so sorry I'm late," she said as she gasped for air. "I fell asleep doing home..." she trailed off at the wide-eyed look she was receiving. "Wait, you are Gumi, right? I didn't just start apologizing to a stranger, did I?" She scratched the back of her head. "That would really suck. I mean, stranger things have happened --"
"It's me, Jet."
Surprisingly, Kagumi wasn't upset by being forgotten and unrecognized; while they were friends, and made a great writing team, they weren't terribly close. Also, Bridget was exceedingly... unfocused. It wasn't a surprise that she'd forget, and Gumi had long ago learned to overlook her faults; it wasn't as if she were the only one that had flaws.
Bridget nodded, making her long ponytail bounce in the process. She put her hands in her pockets and tilted her head slightly, smiling. "Thank God it's you. If you got your stuff, we can go now; my cousin's outside waiting. You remember Kawika, right?"
Kagumi followed somewhat awkwardly after shoving the bags at her brothers and telling them to stay close. Bridget kept on chattering merrily, as though no time had been spent apart.
"Are you sure that they won't mind us staying there this year, Kitten?" her dad asked quietly, shooting an anxious look at the other girl's back. "I don't want to be a burden."
"All I know is what they said, Papa. Jet said that they wouldn't mind, and that they had too much room for just one family anyway. So I would hope so, 'cause I didn't bring any money for a hotel or anything…"
The family followed Jet outside, where several people sporting leis were waiting for their rides, or a cab. She looked up and down the row of cars.
"Dammit, he got busted for parking," she smiled apologetically at the family. "We're not really supposed to wait on the curb, but I figured it would be easier if I came and got you than having you guys wander around aimlessly. I didn't know if you remembered much of Honolulu layout." She shrugged. "We'll just have to wait."
Jet smiled at Kagumi and her father (the two boys were currently racing on luggage trolleys behind them). "I'm glad you decided to stay with us instead of some hotel this year; we have much better food. Um, your dad's room is next to your brothers, who're next to my brother. They're about the same age. You can either sleep in the room next to mine or in mine; I have a spare bed. It doesn't matter, really, um—" Bridget stopped and gave them a sheepish smile. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"
Bridget's face suddenly broke into a bright smile as she jogged up to the blue van that had just pulled up and the tall, imposing man sitting in the driver's seat. But the image was broken as he turned to smile at Jet, and Kagumi could see the family resemblance.
She grinned back at him and leaned into the passenger's window. "Hey, 'Wika. What? You get busted?"
"Yeah, it was Uncle Noa, too. He said he'd go tell Auntie if I never move." He picked up the bags like they had nothing in them and threw them in the trunk before giving Kagumi and her father a smile that was eerily similar to Bridget's. "I'm Kawika Griffins, Bridget's cousin, in case you don't remember. Welcome to Hawai'i." He paused at Bridget's exasperated look and shrugged. "Again."
Everyone piled into the car (after Bridget gave Kawika a peck on the cheek, further destroying his somewhat unapproachable look) and they were on their way.
"Gumi!" Bridget shouted as she slid into the bedroom she and the other girl were sharing. Kagumi looked up briefly, her eyes a dark shade of green today, before turning back to the sewing machine. "Dude, get up."
"I'm almost done," she muttered.
Bridget sat on the desk currently covered in scraps of fabric and other sewing paraphernalia, and said in an oh-so-sympathetic voice (as if she was talking with a crazy person), "Gumi, sweetheart, you've been here for three days and you haven't even gone to the beach. As you're in Hawai'i and it's been a year since you've been here, that's utterly pathetic." She straightened up and clapped a hand to the currently shocked girl's shoulder.
"Today you are going to be a tourist and I am going to be your kind and generous local Miss Aloha (1), the hostess with the mostess. Your dad and brothers are already ready, we leave in five." She hopped off the desk and strode out of the room, grabbing her backpack on the way. "Make sure you wear a bathingsuit and shorts with a t-shirt. No baggy pants. Got me?"
She smiled brightly at her friend, and Kagumi nodded back meekly, looking slightly scared. "If you're not down there in ten minutes, I'll come back up and drag you into the car."
Forty-five minutes, seven cousin and sibling arguments, two ditched families, and an angry mongoose later Kagumi, and Bridget were on the beach, trying to decide what to do next.
"I shouldn't have left them with your parents," Kagumi muttered in a worried voice. "Do you think I should call them?"
"For the last time, Kagumi, no," Bridget responded with a sigh and roll of the eyes. "My parents will not kill your father-- from what I hear they can be quite nice-- and your brothers will have a lot more fun with a bunch of equally mischievous boys their own age then a few teenagers."
"Do you want to learn how to surf?" Kawika asked as he made his way over to them with a couple of surfboards. "I know you've been here before, but I've never seen you on a board."
Gumi's eyes lit up and she let out a decidedly girlish squeal, which was odd for the normally fiery tomboy; actually, most of her behavior this year was far different from what it had been in previous years. "Oh, yes! I've always wanted to learn how to surf!"
Bridget, on the other hand, went pale and tried to inconspicuously back away. Unfortunately, her attempt at an inconspicuous departure didn't quite go as planned and she fell into a hole, emerging covered in a light dusting of sand. Kagumi turned her excited gaze on the other girl, who was attempting to brush herself off inconspicuously.
"Are you going to come, too, Jet?" she asked.
Bridget overbalanced on one foot and fell back into the hole, coming out with a bright red face. "Er… no, you guys go on ahead. I'll just, um, sit here, and, uh, wait. Right."
"Why don't you want to come? I'm not going to be that bad."
"Yeah, 'Lohe, why don't you want to come?" Bridget glared at her cousin.
"Gumi, I don't really like to, um, surf a lot."
"A lot? You never surf."
"Shut up, 'Wika," Bridget snapped at the boy before smiling at Kagumi sheepishly. "You go ahead and have fun. I brought a book to read, just in case."
"Okay," Kagumi's voice was hesitant, unsure if she'd done something wrong.
"Why don't you go in the water for a sec, and get used to it?" Kawika said to Gumi with a worried glance at his cousin. "I want to have a little chat with Kolohe, I mean Biddy, no, Bridget—whatever the hell you call her."
Kagumi looked between Kawika's worried face and Bridget's stubborn, slightly red one, and nodded. "Okay, I'll be over there."
She walked away, while Bridget continued to ignore Kawika. "'Lohe, you know that you're being ridiculous."
Bridget glared at him, forgoing her previous attempt to ignore him. "Yes, fine, I'm an idiot, but I really don't care."
"They won't hurt you."
"I know, but that doesn't make me feel any better, and you know it."
"They're supposed to protect you. Don't you remember—"
"That wasn't the shark, idiot. That was na 'ilio (2), my primary aumakua (3). Na mano (4) is your primary aumakua, and for all we know that might've been completely coincidental." She glared at him as he gave her a skeptical look. "Go teach Kagumi how to surf. Now."
"Fine. I'm going. But you're still being ridiculous." Bridget stuck her tongue out at Kawika's retreating back, watching as he explained the proper stances.
Bridget had only finished the first three chapters (a half-hour at most) when a shadow crossed over her. The laughing and splashing sounds had long ago faded out, and the last time she looked, Kagumi and Kawika seemed to be having fun; of course, not many people would find falling off a surfboard fun, but hey, to each her own. But when the shadow hadn't moved after another few seconds, she looked up.
"Could you please mo—?" She paled dramatically before her eyes narrowed angrily and she stood up. "What the hell are you doing here?"
The tall, handsome Hawaiian-looking boy smirked down at her. "Aw, Bridget, you don't wanna see us?" His three companions (a stereotypical blond, surfer-boy, and two tanned, bikini-clad girls) laughed stupidly. "And here I am, your cousin, and two of your very own classmates."
"Well, now, Kawena, that would imply that they actually go to class with me. I don't think I have any remedial courses."
The first girl's eyes narrowed and she stepped forward angrily. "You little bi—"
Bridget faked an apologetic look, "Oh, so sorry, did I touch a nerve there? You know there's help for those who have trouble understanding things like normal people."
"Not everyone's as smart as you, Biddy," Kawena hissed. "But if you were really as smart as they say you are, you wouldn't have turned down Kamehameha or your people."
"I am perfectly fine with my people, 'Wena. You're the one acting all psychotic."
"You got a problem with 'Lohe, Kawena?" a new voice said.
"No, course not, 'Wika," the boy said to his cousin. He glanced at Gumi, who was hovering behind Kawika, before giving both Bridget and Kawika a piercing look. "You should learn to hang out with your own kind. At least this one's not fob."
"You bast—" Bridget lunged at her cousin but Kawika (from years of experience) grabbed her around her middle and physically pulled her back.
"Aloha," he said cordially to the four other teenagers. He glanced at Kagumi. "Do you think you could grab the bag? I don't think 'Lohe'll be cooperating anytime soon."
"Let go of me Kawika Daniel Griffins! I want to teach that racist idiot some fricken' manners! Think he can talk about my friends like that," she shouted as he carried her away. "What do you think you're doing? I don't want to leave!"
Kagumi sat next to Bridget on the spare bed in their shared room; the cloaks, cosplay uniforms and half-completed robes were scattered across the room. Bridget sat on the bed, sniffling. Angry tears refused to spill, and Kagumi wasn't sure what to do; she settled for patting Bridget's hand occasionally.
"Jet? You okay?"
"I'm fine." The girl replied in a thick voice, wiping furiously at her eyes. "That idiot just makes me so damn mad! And 'Wika still won't let me do anything!"
"Mind explaining what exactly happened? I mean… I still feel new to this whole Hawaii business, and I know he insulted someone somehow. But, I don't really understand it." Jet took a deep sigh, and kicked gloomily at the covers.
"He basically said that… no, wait, that'd just confuse you." She rubbed her eyes with a tired sigh. "Okay, let's start from the beginning. There's this really prominent, extremely selective school called Kamehameha that, although accepted to, I didn't attend, which, essentially, makes me a… disappointment to some members of my family. I mean, it's racist. How can anyone even think of pretending that it's not racist. They only accept Hawaiians!" Kagumi nodded to show her understanding, looking quite relieved that Jet didn't look like she was about to burst into tears.
"Anyways, it's rather popular with Hawaiians (for obvious reasons) and it really isn't that bad of an institution, but I just—I just don't really agree with any of it, and that makes it… difficult sometimes."
Kagumi cracked a wry smile, feeling the anger surge beneath her own carefully calm façade; now was not the time to unleash her admittedly formidable temper. "Sorta like the Slytherins of Hawaii." Jet laughed mildly, and nodded.
"You could say that. And, I have a lot of Asian and Filipino friends; that's what Kawena meant when he said 'fob'. It means fresh off the boat. He was referring to them as stupid immigrants just here for cheap labor. Which, technically a lot of them started off as, but it's not so true now. It can also refer to people who look like they're from Asia. Although it usually isn't an insult, it can be used as one."
"But wouldn't that be good? I mean, he was saying I wasn't fob. I don't really understand the insult here."
Jet sighed and looked at her hands. "Actually I was just really pissed that he had insulted the friends I normally hang out with, but, Kagumi, you're haole. I'm hapa (that means part, well, technically half, I'm a little more than—nevermind), I'm hapa haole. Er… white, whatever, anyways, some Hawaiians are angry at haole people in general because they 'stole' the Hawaiian throne from our queen, and they still hold a lot of power here. He's really just a stupid, racist idiot. And my family is fine with you, well…immediate family, anyway. Hopefully, you won't have to see him again, so don't worry about it."
Comprehension dawn on Kagumi's face, and her eyes darkened for a brief moment, before smiling at Jet. Usually, when Kagumi's eyes changed colors rapidly, it indicated a serious mood-shift, but the flash was too dark for Bridget to interpret it; nor did she really feel like it at the moment.
"Aw, come on, Jet. He's stupid. Probably half an inch away from being more woman than we are. Let's just let it go, and not let him ruin our day. If he does, then he's won. And guys like him don't deserve to win…" The black haired girl tugged on Jet's hand and smiled mischievously.
"Godric, have you ever considered that young Cordan is right?" the regal woman in blue robes asked politely as she scanned a large leather-bound book; her white hair glistened warmly in the flickering firelight.
"Right in what, exactly, Rowena?" Godric responded. He continued to scratch at the parchment with his quill. His voice held the tone of someone who had discussed the subject many times and was, quite frankly, rather tired of it. "The boy just wants something to do; he's not ready for the responsibility."
"Rowena has a point, Rick," a second woman said. She was wearing light yellow robes and carefully monitored one of the many mirrors used to keep track of the universes they were in charge of. "Besides, a little hard work never killed anyone. It would be good for him, as well as for Raminus."
Godric stopped writing, the sudden lack of the familiar scratching sound louder than anything he could have said. "What does Sal—Slytherin's boy have to do with this?"
"Cordan's no longer a child, my dear," she continued, giving him a sympathetic look, "you cannot protect him any longer. He isn't you and Raminus isn't Salazar. You must allow him to grow up." The woman paused for a moment, and then cracked a smile; the light lines in her deeply tanned face indicated that she smiled a lot. "Even if he is still dead. But still; Cordan won't make your mistakes; he'll make his own, love."
"We're straying off topic, Helga," Rowena interrupted before Godric could say anything; by the dark look on his face, it was a smart move, "I was merely inquiring as to whether these young women could be the ones we have been waiting for. They certainly fit the profile."
"Even if they are the Ones, I don't want Cordan to take it on. If he is to start a new world, it mustn't be one as important as this."
"It may be too late for that, Godric." Rowena coughed behind her book, and if one didn't look too closely, they'd never notice her shoulders shaking from mirth.
"Explain," he said sharply, raising his eyes from the parchment at last.
Helga sniffed once, trying to regain her composure. "Well, the boys have disappeared on their own and the Objects are missing." Helga pointed out a now obviously empty shelf, as she tried not to smile. As soon as she caught sight of his shocked, then outraged face, however, she broke out into a wide grin. "You Gryffindors always were terribly bold."
Author's Notes: Hope you had fun reading the first full-chapter installment of DIN (don't look at me like that, I'm lazy and I don't want to type out the whole title). Let's see... translations for Hawaiian, and Hawaiian Pidgin terms are found below. If you want more information about the story, and updates on the updates, check out the Author's Profile. Is there anything else? Oh, yes, and please review. It makes us very happy... even if it's just a couple of words. Fire will be used to do something horrific to Kawena (well, not too horrific)
(Kagumi: Afterall, he is her cousin. Of course, probably half the island is her cousin, too...-dodges incoming smack-)
Author's Notes 08/10/09: Hey guys, Kagumi here. We're revamping certain parts of DIN (namely every chapter to date) to account for our new writing style. Nothing plot-centric is being changed, but there are new details. Might want to look at them. -whistles innocently-
Thanks to Yemi Hikari, and FoxLuvr for reviewing and to FoxLuvr for putting us on alert.
(1) Miss Aloha: A term commonly used in Hawaii to describe a girl who shows the "Aloha Spirit," which means that she's nice, helpful, and usually shows tourists around. Older women are called "Aunty Aloha."
(2) na 'ilio: literally "dogs," or "canines."
(3) aumakua: Hawaiian tradition, a protector (usually an animal) commonly associated with a particular family.
(4) na mano: sharks.
Next chapter:
Bridget was bored. She was very, very bored. She idly fiddled with her wand, wondering why in the world she had chosen to pre-order her book at this store. Usually, she would go to a smaller shop where they would have a release party and food, but she had decided on this one because it was an hour closer to her house. She was beginning to regret that decision.
It wasn't that the wait was horrible—it was just really, really bad. The crazy girl from earlier had provided some entertainment, but that had been short lived and Kagumi wasn't in the mood for conversation. She sighed to herself again. What was she supposed to do for the next two hours?
A slow grin crept over her face as she caught sight of a familiar person fast asleep a bit farther back. Apparently not everyone had made it to their normal hangout. Maybe she could have some fun with this…