Harry Potter and the Aliens

Part 9

The next day, Emiko went down to breakfast with Kisshu and Yuki. Sirius was already down there, and she saw him wink at her. She grinned broadly. He was teaching his seventh year Transfiguration class to cast spells without a wand, and since Emiko was so good at wandless magic, he had asked her to come help him out, and gave Remus the day off.

The seventh year Slytherin class was doubled with the seventh year Ravenclaw class, and the Slytherins were not pleased that their guest speaker was a first year. Given what had happened to Malfoy, however, they kept their mouths shut when Emiko gave the lot of them an evil grin. The Ravenclaws, on the other hand, were interested. They knew about the 'pink bat' incident, as they had been watching to some degree, but they were interested in seeing Emiko in action.

That being said, many of them were wondering where Sirius was. All they saw was Emiko and a large black dog who she called 'Snuffles'.

Finally, five minutes after class was supposed to start, Emiko asked, "So, no one's guessed where Professor Black is yet?"

The Slytherins all glared at her, but then one of the Ravenclaw boys slapped his forehead. "Oh, I can't believe I didn't see it earlier," he moaned. "Snuffles is Professor Black, right?"

Sirius shifted back to his human form, and said, "Got it in one. Like Professor McGonagall, I'm an Animagus. Come to think of it, she's a cat and I'm a dog. Maybe that's why we don't get along too well."

This drew giggles from some of the students, and Sirius smiled before saying, "Alright, so as you all know, I've started teaching you wandless Transfiguration. I know it's rare for a witch or wizard to be able to cast wandlessly, but with the possibility of Voldemort making a comeback, it'll be useful if you can learn."

One of the Slytherins raised his hand, and Sirius nodded to him. "You think we can defeat Voldemort himself just by learning wandless magic?" he asked.

"No, I'm saying that this is an alternative," Sirius said a bit too patiently. "What do you think will happen if you get captured, and your wand gets taken away? Would you have any defense at all?"

"Not unless we at least try to learn," one of the Ravenclaws said, nodding.

Sirius nodded and said, "Very good, two points to Ravenclaw. Now, as to the reason I have Emiko here. Personally, I'm not very good at wandless magic. Wordless, yes. Wandless, I can do it, but I can't do most of the spells I know wandlessly, since some spells I learned include wand movements to make them work. I don't know if it'll work the same or differently for any of you, but since Emiko can cast spells wandlessly AND wordlessly, and at the same time, I've asked her to come help me out. The only other class you'll need this in is Charms, but since Transfiguration is more difficult for most of us than Charms, I get the extra help, and Professor Flitwick has to teach alone."

"Actually, I offered to help him when I'm not helping you," Emiko said. "Sorry to burst your bubble."

Sirius sighed and said, "Anyways, for wandless magic, you need far more willpower and concentration than you would if you were using a wand. That's because when you're using a wand, you're using it as an extension of yourself. If you don't have the wand, you don't have that extension, and therefore have to compensate for that. Most people who cast wandlessly snap their fingers, point, or wave a hand. Whatever works, as long as the spell works too. Now, keep in mind that I don't expect you to get this right on your first try, if at all. You're not going to lose points or get extra homework if you fail the first time- or the fifth time. Some people simply aren't capable of wandless casting, but I want to see if any of you are. You know the spells with a wand; now let's see if you can use them without one."

"What are we transfiguring?" one of the Slytherins asked.

"You're transfiguring matches into needles; it's best to start off with simple spells, and then move on to the hard ones," Sirius said. He waved a hand, and matches appeared on everyone's desk. "The finer details and theory of this spell I'm going to leave to Emiko, since I don't want her to get bored," Sirius continued.

"The eleven-year-old?" one of the Slytherins asked snidely.

"Five points off Slytherin, and yes, the eleven-year-old, who turned a fourth year into a pink bat simply by snapping her fingers twice," Sirius said. "And I've been informed that no one could figure out how to get the spells off, so I'd watch your mouth around her."

That shut the Slytherins as a whole up, and Emiko smirked and said, "Most of the wizarding world, I've found, believes that magic comes from your ability to use your wand properly, right?"

There were several nods, mostly from the Slytherins. Emiko smirked and said, "Well, that's where the wizarding world is completely wrong. Magic doesn't come from your ability to wave a wand around; it comes from inside you. If magic came from wands or from the ability to wave one properly, anyone could pick up a wand and use it, including the people this world calls Muggles."

She now had everyone's attention, and she continued, "Think of it this way. Where does the magic in a wand come from? It's not just wood, right?"

"No, every wand has a core," a Ravenclaw girl said.

"Exactly," Emiko said. "The core is what's magic. So essentially, you are all wands, and magic is your core. If you can focus your core, and make it do what you want, you can use wandless magic."

She smiled slightly as realization dawned on everyone in the room. "Concentrate on what you want to happen to the match in front of you, and make whatever hand sign you're comfortable with," she said. "I prefer snapping my fingers, but that's just me."

The class immediately got to work, and found it was much harder than Emiko made it sound. By the end of class, only two Ravenclaws, both girls, had made any difference in their matches; one had become a toothpick, and the other had become a metal match. "We'll keep working on it," Sirius said as the students packed up.

As they left, even the Slytherins seemed a bit excited. Sirius looked at Emiko and said, "You'd make a great teacher. Ready for the next class?"

"Yep," Emiko said happily.

This class went a bit differently; it was the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, who weren't thrilled with each other. "Okay, before we start class, I would appreciate it if someone would clue me in as to why you're all giving each other dirty looks," Sirius said.

"Hufflepuff House finally had a chance to get some recognition, and now the Gryffindors are back on the top of the heap!" one girl from Hufflepuff said angrily.

"And all the Hufflepuffs are in a snit simply because some jerk wants to get Harry killed!" a boy from Gryffindor said, equally angry.

"Okay, first, Hufflepuff still has that chance, because there's no guarantee that just because he's a Gryffindor means that Harry will win," Emiko said. "And as for all the Hufflepuffs, why not ask Cedric how he feels about this, and then go with that? He's the one who's going to be doing the hard stuff. You're all there to cheer him on, and no one ever said that you had to cheer Harry on, though it would be nice if you'd support them both. That is, if the teachers and judges can't find a way to get Harry out of this mess."

The two groups appeared to be thinking this over, and finally they all nodded. Sirius smiled at Emiko and said, "Now that that crisis has been averted, let's start today's lesson."

He and Emiko explained the theory of wandless casting, and this time, one of the Gryffindors and a girl from Hufflepuff managed to turn their matches into needles. Most of the others had no success, but a few of them managed to make the matches look a little different.

Sirius was pleased with the outcome, and was wrapping up class when a boy Emiko recognized from her Sorting came in and said, "Professor McGonagall wants Emiko in the Great Hall, Professor Black."

"Alright, we were finished anyways," Sirius said. "Go ahead, Emiko."

Emiko left with the boy, and asked, "So what's your name?"

"I'm Dennis, Dennis Creevey," the boy said. "I noticed you don't go to classes anymore; what happened?"

"I'm getting specialized training from my aunt, because my abilities are different than the average witch or wizard," Emiko said. "Did Minerva-san say why she wants me?"

"Something about a reporter who needs a good scare," Dennis said, grinning. "She didn't look very happy, and she sent my brother to find your brother."

"This should be fun, I like scaring people," Emiko said with an evil grin.

Dennis snickered as they entered the Great Hall, and said, "Good luck!"

"She'll need it," Kisshu said, coming up to them. "I heard this woman is famous for using the press to get revenge on people."

"Why is she even allowed to work for the Daily Prophet?" Emiko asked.

"Because it's a newspaper, and it'll sell better if there's some kind of scandal on the front page," Dennis said. "Bye, I have to get back to class!"

"Bye," Emiko and Kisshu said, and then went into the Hall together.

They saw Minerva up by the Head Table with a woman who looked kind of like a crocodile, and was actually carrying a crocodile-skin handbag. She had two-inch-long fingernails, and noticed them at the same time as Minerva. "I'd like a word with these two in private," Minerva told the woman, and came over to Emiko and Kisshu. "That's Rita Skeeter, and I know this sounds strange, but I arranged an interview for you two, and I want you to try to scare her off," Minerva said softly. "She's going to make a mess of everything if you don't. Oh, and if she pulls out an acid green quill pen, destroy it."

"We can handle that," Emiko said. Kisshu nodded, and Minerva turned to Rita, who came over. "You can talk with these two in here; I will be talking with the champions," Minerva told Rita. "Please stay in here; I will call you when the others are ready."

"Thanks Professor," Rita said cheerily. Minerva nodded curtly and left. Rita sat down and motioned for Emiko and Kisshu to do the same. "So, I've got some questions," Rita said, taking out an acid green quill and a pad of paper. Emiko snapped her fingers, and the quill went up in smoke. Then she pulled a Muggle pen out of her pocket, smiled sweetly, and said, "Use this, Ms. Skeeter. It doesn't tell lies about people."

Rita gave her a smile that would have scared anyone else; Emiko returned the smile and asked, "So, what are you REALLY here for? It's not to ask a first year questions."

"You're good," Rita admitted. "Care to pursue a career with the Daily Prophet?"

"Not interested," Emiko said. "Now, why are you really here?"

"Interviewing Harry Potter is the chance of a lifetime," Rita said. "And I'm sure there are a few other people I can interview."

"In other words, you're going to get the 'story of the century' by telling a bunch of overdone lies about people who are respected," Kisshu said calmly. Rita looked at him, and squeaked a bit; he was twirling one of his Dragon Swords around his fingers. "We're not going to stand by and watch you wreck people's lives, Rita. Instead, WE are going to be your worst nightmare. Emiko, have at it."

Emiko smirked and snapped her fingers. Rita turned into a kitten. Emiko snapped her fingers again, and the crocodile-skin handbag became a cushion. Emiko put Rita on the cushion, and turned her into a hedgehog, then a frog, then a salamander, and finally back into a human. Rita looked thoroughly nervous, and asked a bit timidly, "What else are you going to do to me?"

"Well, first I'm going to tell everyone that you're an unregistered Animagus, with the form of a beetle- which is oddly appropriate, by the way- and then I'm going to send you the Minister of Magic's office, and let him deal with the fact there's an unwanted reporter in his office," Emiko said calmly. "Or I could just permanently transfigure you into a warthog…. Or better yet, let Kisshu attack you with his sais! Or I could-"

"I get the picture!" Rita shrieked. "Is there ANYTHING I can do to get out of this?"

"Tell your boss that a REAL reporter should cover the Triwizard Tournament- one who doesn't have a quill that is so explosive, and one that doesn't tell nasty lies about everyone," Emiko said. "And stay away from Hogwarts staff and students, because I'm going to ensure everyone knows that beetles are to be stepped on and crushed. As I'm sure you don't want to be stepped on, you will agree to this, or you might be finding a new job."

"But what do I get out of this?" Rita wailed.

"The information that Albus Dumbledore is senile," Kisshu said. "Now, I'd recommend leaving for London, or we might just have to-"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Rita screamed, and ran out the doors, accidentally leaving her handbag behind.

Emiko looked at Kisshu. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.

"That we should go through this and keep anything that can be used as blackmail?" Kisshu smirked. "Yup."

The two proceeded to take everything out of Rita's bag, and found two more acid green quills, which they destroyed. They took everything out, but didn't find anything worth keeping. "Oh well, at least we got her stash of Quick-Quotes Quills," Emiko said finally. She unceremoniously dumped the pile of junk back into the handbag, just as Minerva came back. "How'd it go?" she asked.

"She ran off screaming," Emiko said casually. "We told her that if she didn't tell her boss he needed to find a reliable reporter who won't tell lies about people, that we'd make her life hell, and described that hell. Oh, and she can turn into a beetle, so if she gets any stupid ideas, we should be on the lookout for beetles. I'd say just crush any beetle you see, and hope it's not her. We can tell anyone who asks that Hogwarts was having a bug problem, and it was an accident if someone accidentally crushes her."

"You two are something else," Minerva said. "Come with me, you might find this interesting."

Emiko and Kisshu curiously followed her to the chamber behind the Head Table, and found the champions, Madame Maxime, Karkaroff, a man who appeared to be a photographer, and an older wizard, who was examining a wand. Emiko and Kisshu looked on as the man, who Minerva introduced as Mr. Ollivander, examined each champion's wand, commenting on them as he did so. Finally he finished, and Minerva was about to tell the champions something, but got cut off by the photographer, who seemed eager to do photos of the champions. "Minerva-san, want us to scare him off too?" Emiko asked. "We don't mind; Rita running off screaming was FUN!"

The photographer looked nervous, and Minerva said, "Depends on whether the champions want to be photographed."

"I'll pass," Harry said immediately.

"Yeah, me too," Cedric said.

"'E is shaking too 'ard to 'old ze camera anyways," Fleur said.

"I don't see any need," Karkaroff said.

"Very well, no photographs are needed," Minerva told the photographer, who sighed with relief and beat a hasty retreat. Emiko and Kisshu started snickering as the others left. Finally it was just them, Minerva, and Mr. Ollivander. "So, Minerva, is this the girl you told me about?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

"Yes, this is Emiko Ikisatashi," Minerva said. "And this is her older brother, Kisshu."

"Nice to meet you," Emiko said. "What did Minerva-san say about me?"

"She was just telling me that you seem to be able to cast both wandlessly and wordlessly," Mr. Ollivander said. "That's quite unusual, how did you manage that?"

"I was taught from the age of four to do so, since I was too young to have a wand then, and my magic was too powerful to be left alone for some reason," Emiko said. "I can do most spells without a wand or incantation, but some of them I do need a wand for- mainly the more dangerous spells and a few charms."

"I see," Mr. Ollivander said thoughtfully. "Minerva tells me your Transfiguration skills are quite advanced."

"I guess," Emiko said. "I find wandless magic easier for me, because I just tell my magic what I want it to do, without needing to memorize wand movements. But since I now have both Cyniclon powers like Oniichan here, and human magic, I have better control, and I can combine spells. That's how I turned Malfoy into a pink bat; I combined the transfiguration with a Color-Changing spell. And since they were combined, I don't think anyone besides me could have gotten the spells off. Mr. Malfoy sure was mad!"

Mr. Ollivander chuckled, and asked, "Would you like to own a wand?"

Emiko considered, and then said, "I need to think about it. Can I get back to you?"

"Of course, but if you do decide you want one, I want Minerva to be the one to take you," Mr. Ollivander said.

"Is there a reason?" Minerva asked. "I don't mind, but I'm just curious."

"Walls have ears," Mr. Ollivander said. "Emiko, even if you do decide not to choose a wand, I'd at least like you and Minerva to come visit."

"Okay!" Emiko said cheerfully. "Can Oniichan come?"

"Of course," Mr. Ollivander said. "I should get back to my shop; please let me know when you've made your decision."

"I will," Emiko said. Mr. Ollivander nodded, threw some powder into the fireplace, and Flooed out.

"It's nearly dinnertime, so let's go eat," Minerva told Emiko and Kisshu.

"Okay!" the two siblings said, and ran off. Minerva followed, puzzling over what Mr. Ollivander could want with her.

What does Mr. Ollivander want? You might find out next chapter, so enjoy this and keep reading! I know Rita Skeeter probably should be in this, and she might make a comeback, but for now she's in London, hiding from Kisshu and Emiko. :D Review please!