DISCLAIMER: I do not own Negima or Harry Potter. Negima is the property of Ken Akamatsu, and Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling.
Italics text = character thinking to themselves.
Underline+Italics = character communicating with telepathy
Bold text = shouting
Bold+Italcs = Casting Spell/Ability
Chapter Twenty-Four
Birthdays and Titles
When Negi woke up the day after the Quidittch match and the massac... attack, he was expecting a lot of things: fear and worry from the students, worry that could logically be shared by the Hogwarts staff, as well as annoyance and disappointment from his own group, the Ala Alba, for not allowing them to fight as well.
What he didn't expect was to wake up in a rather compromising and embarrassing position. Odd, that was usually Asuna' job. And speaking of Asuna...
As he began waking up, the orange haired girl watching him with a soft smile began to blush as his hand wandered - unintentionally of course - to her scarcely dressed chest and began to feel around. Normally, she would have slapped the boy, but her negative thoughts vanished when he sleepily said one word:
"Asuna-chan..." the redhead teacher mumbled.
As he opened his eyes, he saw Asuna smiling softly, her cheeks slightly pink.
"Good morning, Asuna-san." Negi greeted with a yawn.
"Aw, and to think you were calling me 'Asuna-chan' a few moments ago." the princess pouted.
"Well... I... Um... You..." Negi began mumbling, his face red from embarrassment.
Asuna, who was counting on this reaction, started giggling, which brought a slightly offended look on the young mage's face.
"You were making fun of me, weren't you?" he asked.
"Calm down, Negi, I didn't want to upset you." Asuna smiled.
"Then what are you up to, so early in the morning?" Negi asked suspicious.
"Well" Asuna began as she got up and threw the sheets away, revealing that she had been sleeping in some rather risqué undergarments "I wanted to be the first person to wish you Happy Birthday." she smiled seductively as she leaned over and gave the stunned red head a kiss on the lips.
She was slightly disappointed that he didn't even seem to acknowledge what was happening. She mentally sighed and began to pull away when Negi did something. He brought one hand behind her neck to prevent her from breaking the kiss, while the other hand pulled her body close to his as he deepened the kiss.
When they were reaching the two minutes mark, they were forced to pull away for air.
"Well, Happy Birthday!" Asuna grinned as she regained her normal breathing.
"I love birthdays" Negi said, still kinda out of it.
"Oh, sensei's gone echi!" a voice said and, as they turned towards the source, they saw Haruna with a perverted grin on his face, while everyone else in the room were pretty much shocked by Asuna' actions.
"Well" Nodoka said with a determined look on her face as she approached the duo "I can't afford to be left behind now, can I?"
Before anyone could comment, she leaned towards the young teacher and gave him a deep kiss, under the surprised stares of the others. By the time they broke the kiss, the others had surrounded the bed and didn't hesitate to follow the mind reader's example. The exceptions had been Kotarou, Chao and Eva. Kotarou patted the young mage on the back so hard he nearly hit the floor, Chao gave her 'great ancestor' a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Eva... well, she started by taking her adult form and drinking his blood for half a minute before she gave him a deep kiss twice as long. To top it all, he whispered something to him after breaking the kiss; whatever it was, it made Negi even more then he already was, before fainting.
"What did you tell him?" Haruna asked amused.
"None of your business, Saotome." Eva said dismissively.
"Oh, is that so?" the manga artist asked with a gleam in her eyes. "Nodoka, let's see if it really isn't my business." she turned towards the mind reader.
"Miazaki, if you so much as take out your pactio card, I'll strip you naked and seal you in a block of very transparent ice. And I'll put that block in the Great Hall." Eva threatened.
"H-Hai." Nodoka replied trembling.
"Now seriously, what did you tell him?" Asuna asked curiously. "The only time I saw him pass out like that was during the Kyoto trip, when Honya..." at this point she stopped, her eyes widening in shock.
"Eva-san, did you just confess to him?" Yue asked, remembering the event as well.
"Don't be ridiculous. After all you've put him through, do you actually believe that he'll faint from a mere confession?" Evangeline said with a huff of annoyance.
At this point most people would apologize for jumping to conclusions. The Mahora girls however had already gotten used to reading between the lines.
"So, what exactly did you tell him, if it wasn't a 'mere confession', as you put it?" Asuna narrowed her eyes.
"Master offered 'to make him a man' end quote." Chachamaru said, making all eyes go to Eva' flushed face.
"Obviously, I was teasing him." the vampire said.
"Is that so?" Chisame asked, her eyebrow twitching.
"Yes." Eva declared before adding under her breath "this year, anyway". Luckily, the only one that heard her was Asuna, and she didn't comment as the same thoughts were on her mind.
Half hour later, Negi was finally waking up from his little nap and found everyone dressed and ready to go to breakfast.
"Hey Negi, think you can wait till tonight to open your presents?" Asuna asked as the young teacher was getting dressed.
"Well, okay…" Negi agreed reluctantly.
"Great!" Asuna smiled and gave a 'thumbs up' to Chao, who left in a hurry.
As the group entered the Great Hall, everyone stopped talking and looked at them in fear.
"So…" Negi began as he took a seat at the Gryffindor table in front of Harry, Ron and Hermione "Why exactly is everyone staring at us like that?"
"You mean you don't remember?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Remember what? The Quidittch match?" Asuna asked as she took some toast.
"No! The attack! That horde of magical creatures that attacked yesterday!" Hermione said.
"Oh, them. Well, what about 'em?" Kotarou asked.
"Yeah, is everyone scared that they'll attack again? I'm pretty sure me and Negi wiped that out." Eva said.
"That's the issue, just the two of you killed each and every one of them, and there were hundreds! I doubt even Dumbledore could have defeated all of them. And I'm pretty sure he would have avoided killing them." Harry explained.
"Hold on, let me get this straight!" Eva said, raising her voice angrily. "You're telling me that you're actually expecting us to go easy on a bunch of murderous beasts?"
"We, no, but you didn't need to kill them all, especially the giants!" Hermione insisted.
"Listen little girl and listen well" Eva began as her annoyance increased "If we didn't kill them and merely scared them off, where do you think they would have gone to?"
"Well, probably the forest." Harry said.
"Exactly. In case you don't remember, there are other beings in the forest as well. Among them are the centaurs who, if they survived the attack they would blame humans for it and become even more hostile. Or are you forgetting the acromantula nest deep within the forest? Imagine thousands of giant spiders coming from the forest like a wave, covering the grounds of Hogwarts! Would you have liked that?" Eva asked.
"N-No." Hermione squeaked in horror and realization.
"Exactly. As for the giants, they would have been the worst part of the problem." Eva said, calming down.
"That's not true, you're just having preconceptions like everyone else!" Harry insisted.
"Kid, let me explain this slowly so that your feeble mind may understand." Eva began in a dangerous voice. "While it's true that giants may live in peace that only apply when they are in their homes and away from battle. When a giant enters battle, their brains shut down and enter what one may call a berserker state. In that state, they will kill man, woman and child, no matter who they are. I've seen giants who attacked their own, just because the battle ended too quickly and they didn't get to kill enough. I honestly have nothing against giants as a community, but they simply can't function that well in times of war. They're savage and dangerous most of the time, and should stay away from human civilization."
"I... I see." Harry gulped.
"Well, enough depressive stories today, okay Eva?" Asuna said a bit forcefully.
"Oh, sorry to spoil your mood, boya." Eva said, looking at Negi.
"Oh, that's alright. Still, what did you mean by 'Dumbledore would have avoided killing them'?" Negi asked Harry.
"Well, Dumbledore always said that it's better if noone gets hurt. I mean, even if he's famous for defeating Grindewald, that doesn't mean he killed him. He just beat him in a duel and locked him up in Nuremgard." Hermione explained.
"Let me get this straight." Asuna began as she rubbed her temples in frustration "You're telling me that Dumbledore just wants to catch Voldemort so he can throw him in Azkaban?"
"Well, he never said anything about killing him, now that I think about it." Harry said, his eyebrows furrowed. "Whenever I heard him talking about him, he always said 'defeat', not 'kill'."
"So he'll just lock him away in a prison, along with all the Death Eaters he manages to capture?" Negi asked in disbelief.
"Well, I seriously doubt that he'll put Voldemort in Azkaban, but as for Death Eaters..." Harry glanced towards Snape "Let's just say that Dumbledore often gives people second chances, or more."
"I see." Negi said through gritted teeth. "Tell me Harry, what do you think about Dumbledore' stand in this war?"
"Well, he's the leader of the light so..." Harry began with a frown.
"Bullshit. I don't care who he's considered to be, he can call himself Santa Claus for all I care, I'm asking you what do you think about Dumbledore' approach." Negi said forcefully, surprising a lot of people.
"Well, if I have to be honest about it, I have to admit that he's too soft." Harry said.
"Harry, how could you say that? He's the greatest wizard in the world!" Hermione said.
"Pfft!" all of the Ala Alba began laughing.
"What's going on here?" McGonagall asked as she and Snape approached the group, though everyone in the Great Hall had heard the conversation clearly.
"Nothing to be concerned about, professor." Asuna said, trying to hold her giggles.
"What do you find so funny?" Snape glared at the group.
"Oh, miss Granger said a good joke. And she said it as if she actually thought it was true." Negi smiled.
"What joke?" Hermione said offended "All I said was that Dumbledore is the greatest wizard in the world!"
"Exactly! Like that could ever happen!" Kotarou laughed.
"I honestly don't see what you find so funny." McGonagall said annoyed. "Professor Dumbledore' achievements..."
"Mean nothing in terms of power." Asuna finished dismissively.
"What do you mean?" Snape inquired.
"Tell me, how do you measure power?" Negi asked.
"Well, there are several ways. The amount of knowledge one has, the experience, the magical power..." Hermione said.
"Regarding knowledge, few people have more then me, and I assure you that Dumbledore isn't among them, same goes for experience. As for magical power, Dumbledore doesn't even place in the top 100 in this world, not to mention Mundus Magicus." Eva waved them off.
"But..." Hermione spluttered "He's over one hundred years old and must have amassed a lot of power!"
"Little girl" Eva began slowly, as if speaking to a particular slow child "Myself, Negi and Konoka have nearly equal amounts of magical power, and any one of us has more power then all the students and staff of Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic, Diagon Alley and Hogsmade combined. Is that clear enough or do I need to spell it out for you?"
"Crystal." Hermione squeaked.
"What about the Dark Lord? How does he rank?" Snape asked with interest, not at all concerned about being considered weak. He remembered that demonstration and was surprised everyone had forgotten.
"Yeah, how does the Dark Tosser rank?" Harry asked.
"Hm, I don't know for sure, but I think he's around Dumbledore' level." Eva shrugged.
"I see. So the only one that stands a chance against Voldemort is Dumbledore, after all..." McGonagall said.
"Professor, I think you should consider retirement." Yue said emotionlessly.
"And what exactly do you mean by that?" McGonagall asked with and edge in her voice.
"You're obviously having problems hearing. Had you not heard anything I said about the difference in power between Voldemort and myself?" Eva asked annoyed.
"Oh." McGonagall said surprised. "Well, you were saying that you disagree with Dumbledore' way of doing things so I thought your group wishes to remain neutral."
"You seem to be under the wrong impression that there are only three sides in this war: Voldemort, Dumbledore and the neutrals. Well, let me tell you this: not every supporter of the light will ally with Dumbledore, because our dear Headmaster obviously doesn't have what it takes to lead a war. He either doesn't want to dirty his own hands, or he considers his hands already to full of blood. This is a war, McGonagall, not a Quidittch game. There will be deaths." Eva said and the transfiguration professor couldn't reply as the owls arrived with the mail and quite a large group headed for Negi.
He put the packages away, deciding to open them in the evening like the others, but he read the letters that came attached to them. There were magical holographic letters from Nekane, Anya, Dean Konoe, Takamichi, Eishun, Rakan, Princess Theodora and Kurt Godel.
What brought his attention were the letters from Konoe, Anya and Nekane.
"I hope this letter finds you well, Negi-kun" the Dean' letter began.
"First of all I want to congratulate you with the occasion of your eleventh birthday, a very important age for a young mage, hohoho. I have heard how successful your assignment has been, keep up the good work! However, in light of yesterday's events, I decided to send you some mere help. I'm sure Chao-kun will appreciate some help in building that barrier, so I'm sending Satomi Hakase in that group. I assure you that you're acquainted with all of them, having collaborated in the past, in fact your childhood friend Anna Cocolova has insisted to come. I've already arranged with Albus for them to arrive in the Christmas break
Remember, Negi-kun, keep a look-out for anything suspicious. If there are disagreements with Albus' approach of things, do not hesitate to do what you consider to be right. I have great faith in you, Negi-kun, you have saved both worlds from disaster, I expect you to do your best.
So, no pressure! Hohohoho" the letter ended.
"Well, things are gonna get even more interesting around here." Asuna shrugged.
"Yep, Anya-dono is quite spirited, de gozaru." Kaede agreed.
"Hm, let's see her letter next." Negi suggested.
Negi, you dimwitted idiot, can't you get any jobs that don't involve getting attacked?" Anya began. "I'm gonna be seeing you in the break, so don't get killed 'till then! Anyway, Happy Birthday! I would say more, but that's Nekane-onechan' job. See ya then!"
"Yep, same old Anya." Negi said with a tick mark.
"What did she mean by 'Nekane-onechan' job'?" Konoka asked.
"Hm, if I'm right it has to do with Negi being eleven." Asuna said.
"Oh, I see where this is going." Eva said, eyeing Negi' staff.
"Well, let's see Nekane-onechan' letter say." Negi said.
"Happy Birthday Negi!" Nekane began with a wide smile. "I've heard your job is going fine at Hogwarts, I'm proud of you. You've grown up to be a fine young man. And, as the heir of the Springfield family, it's time to take your place as head of house. I know we haven't talked too much about this, but I never really looked into these boring things myself." she said sheepishly. "All I can say for sure is that you're to become the Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Springfield, thus granting you complete access to all of the Springfield vaults, claiming the title of Lord Springfield. Maybe you can ask Lord Potter or Lord Longbottom for some tips, they also are in the position to claim their titles as a young age, probably already have, since they're already fifteen and they could have done so since they were eleven. Also, I know you and Asuna-chan don't intend to take over Vesperatia anytime soon, but you know that at least one of you will have to ascend to the throne at some point. Normaly there would have been political problems, but after the fiasco this summer you two could become king or queen at a moment' notice. Or both, actually!" the blonde giggled. "Anyway, you two should visit the Vesperatia vaults at Gringotts as well, there has been quite a long time since anyone has accessed those, at least ten years." Nekane said, a sad look on her face. "Well, I'll see you then, I'll have to accompany you at Gringotts. Before then, make sure you claim your title as head of house. Just hold your staff and make your claim, it's a form of magical contract. I hope I'll see you soon, the group sent by Dean Konoe Konoemon will be with me and Anya. I'll write to you to give you the exact date." the letter ended.
"Oh, bugger. I hope I won't have to go through any complicated procedures. Harry, can you give me any advice?" Negi asked the green eyed wizard.
"I didn't know I even have a lordship until I heard this letter." Harry said confused.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Eva asked surprised. "The Potters are one of the oldest and respected families in Great Britain, maybe even Europe. Even if you were raised by muggles, every wizard has a magical guardian until they are seventeen or become emancipated. One way to become emancipated is to claim your lordship, by the way. Your magical guardian is obligated to tell you these things about you family."
"My magical guardian?" Harry asked.
"Yes, who did your parents entrust to in their will?" Negi asked.
"Their will? I don't know, I've never read it. All I know is that they would have wanted my godfather to take care of me, but he was thrown in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit, without a trial no less" Harry said even more surprised.
At this point the Ala Alba group had begun releasing killer intent, Eva, Negi, and Asuna the most.
"Professor McGonagall" Negi began in a dangerously calm voice "As Deputy Headmistress you have access to this kind of information. Please tell us, who is the… wizard or witch that is Mister Potter' magical guardian."
"I… I believe that professor Dumbledore is his magical guardian." McGonagall hesitated and was soon trembling under killer intent from more then just the Ala Alba, but part of the Gryffindor, Huflepuff .and Ravenclaw tables as well
"Is there anything else the old man has been hiding for me?" Harry asked in a VERY angry voice.
"I'm afraid you'll have to ask him, Mister Potter." McGonagall said weakly.
"Or you can accompany me at Gringotts during the Christmas break and ask the goblins. They will surely have all the information you need, or will retrieve it for you if they don't. They may have actually tried to inform you earlier, but a magical guardian has the ability to legally intercept your mail." Negi suggested.
"Thank you, professor Springfield; I'll take you on that offer. And if Dumbledore tries to interfere again…" at this point a small black electrical current was visible around his right hand, in particular around a ring with a now black stone "well, how unfortunate for him."
"Potter, you can't just kill him." Evangeline said and everyone looked at her as if she had grown another head.
"I can't?" Harry asked.
"Of course not." Eva grinned sadistically "First you uncover as much dirt on him you can find; socially, financially, politically - everything you can find. Then you sue him for it. And if he doesn't commit suicide to get away, then you can kill him." Eva finished.
Everyone was silent for a few moments.
"I like that plan. Can you recommend me a good lawyer?" Harry asked, shocking a lot of people.
"Talk to the goblins, if there's a way to financially destroy someone, they'll find it." Negi suggested.
"Even Fudge?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Hm, that's a tough one." Negi mussed. "Any suggestions, Chao?"
"Well…" Chao began with a smirk "I heard that people who own shares to the Daily Prophet could get any story they want printed, ne."
"You don't say." Harry returned the smirk. "Actually, now that I think about it, I do remember a certain reporter…" Harry looked at Hermione whose eyes flashed in comprehension and grinned evilly.
"Yes, something tells me things will work out just fine." she said.
"Anyway boya, why don't you claim your title to show him how it's done?" Eva suggested.
"Good idea." Negi said and took his staff in his hands. "I, Negi Nagi Springfield, being the heir of the Noble and Ancient House of Springfield claim my rightful inheritance and head of my house."
As soon as he finished speaking, a light passed through him and the staff, before a ring with the Springfield family crest appeared on his left ring finger.
"I think I'll follow your example, professor." Harry said as he took out his wand before anyone could interfere "I, Harry James Potter, being the heir of the Noble and Ancient House of Potter claim my rightful inheritance and head of my house"
Just like with the young mage, light passed through Harry and a ring bearing the Potter family crest appeared.
"Now that I'm emancipated, I'd like to see Dumbledore try something." Harry smiled.
"You two should ask at Gringotts if you have any other vaults, both your families have many blood relations and a lot of wizarding families disappeared in the last war." Eva suggested. "Actually, now that I think about it, I should visit the McDowell vaults as well, it's been hundreds of years since I was last in Great Britain." she added thoughtfully.
"And you remembered just now?" Asuna deadpanned, annoying the chibi vampire and causing the others to laugh.
A.N.: YES! I'M ALIVE! AND I'M BACK!
Seriously though, it really has been a long time. I've waited and waited and waited for Asuna to be rescued and, just when it finally happens, Zazie and her sister pops out and delay it!
At any rate, I decided to take a new direction with this story, but I'm sure you already noticed that. Yes dear readers, I've begun to dwell in the fine art of bashing. And one of my targets here will be a certain manipulative old man who works for his own greater good.
Still, it will be only a mild bashing since it would ruin the story if I focused too much on it, but it must be done!
I can't give a precise schedule for my updates, but they will be more often, like once every two weeks or so.
Also, there is a new pool on my page, make sure to vote!