I do not own the Harry Potter series or Pokémon.
Some scenes and dialogue are derived from Prisoner of Azkaban.
Chapter Fifteen: At the Castle
With the primary visit to St Mungo's out of the way and her homework completed, Moon spent the remainder of her weekend training with her pokémon. She refused to have them cooped up every hour of every day of every week. Doing so would mean having them grow stagnant in their ability to battle. Sparring against their teammates (and occasionally their trainer) was better than nothing.
Monday came too quickly for her liking, but it went by just as rapidly. Classes, while relatively interesting, started to blur together. Partly because Moon was anxiously awaiting another letter from Fawley, and partly because they had started to review things learned in previous classes. Transfiguration had lost its challenge, Charms was losing its appeal, Herbology was just an opportunity to chat with Slytherins in peace, and Potions mainly consisted of ignoring the feud between Malfoy and Potter.
The only three classes that hadn't grown boring were Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Hagrid had managed to find a small flock of Golden Snidgets in the forest and had brought the class over to observe them. Trelawney wailed over Harry's imminent demise every class. Lupin had somehow managed make his classes continually interesting, moving between topics within a matter of days and rarely backtracking. Moon hated to admit that she was starting to enjoy those classes.
But even with Golden Snidgets and Red Caps and never-ending omens of death, the days turned into weeks, and Moon soon found Halloween creeping up on her, and with it the first weekend at Hogsmeade.
Moon arrived for Transfiguration with the Gryffindors to see Lavender in tears—apparently her pet rabbit had died, therefore completing Trelawney's prediction—and filed in with the rest of the class when McGonagall opened the classroom door. Hermione and Ron were both rather frosty towards each other for reasons unknown, and Moon winced when they sat on either side of Harry. Being stuck between two arguing friends could not be comfortable.
McGonagall stopped the class from rushing out when the bell rang and reminded everyone of the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. After assuring Neville that his grandmother had sent a form ahead of time, she dismissed the class. Moon overheard the trio whispering about something Harry needed to ask, but she didn't hang back to eavesdrop.
She didn't have to; an infuriated Ron, a smug Hermione, and a completely disappointed Harry filled her in over dinner. He hadn't gotten his form signed, as he had run from his relatives' home after an incident that ensured he would never get permission to head into the village (his words exactly).
"It's all for the best," Hermione said as she piled potatoes onto her plate. "With Sirius Black still on the loose, it's probably safer for you to remain here."
"It'd be safer if everyone remained here," Moon pointed out. "Having every other teacher wandering into the Three Broomsticks and all students third year and above exploring the village to their heart's content isn't the best idea when there is a mass murderer running around and a swarm of Dementors looking for another meal."
She prodded her food with a fork. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure Hogwarts is safe—"
"It's the safest place in Britain!" Hermione objected.
"A place where Black spent seven years of his life," Moon retorted. "A castle as old as this has to have some sort of secret passage out of the grounds. If Black could slip out of Azkaban without being detected, it's not so far-fetched to believe he can sneak onto the school grounds."
"Filch would have those passages guarded."
Moon suppressed an eye-roll before she turned to Harry.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not allowed to go to Hogsmeade either," she admitted. Harry, who had been stubbornly silent throughout the conversation, perked up slightly.
"Really? Why?"
"The trial run. I ended up hospitalizing someone, remember?"
His face flushed. "Right. Sorry."
She waved off the apology and finished her dinner before taking off from the Great Hall. She went to her room immediately, attempting to ignore every instinct to turn around towards the headmaster's office.
The next morning, Moon considered heading down to the library to do some studying. She wanted to get ahead in Transfiguration, as the material had started to progress in difficulty. As she approached the library, she heard a familiar, nagging voice.
"Well, get back to your common room where you belong!"
Filch; the irritating caretaker and archenemy of Peeves (and, by extension, Moon). She had only met the man once, which was far too often in her opinion. He was vile, cranky, and his only use was patrolling the halls with his cat. He was a nuisance, and frankly, Moon enjoyed irritating him whenever possible.
Moon pressed herself against the corner wall when she heard footsteps approaching. It wasn't until the person passed her that she saw who it was.
"Harry?"
He turned around, momentarily startled. "Moon? What are you doing here?"
"I was heading for the library. You?"
"Same, but—"
"Filch?"
"Yeah," he said. "Something like that."
She peeked around the corner. "He's still lurking there."
"Still willing to head to the library?"
"Not really," she sighed. "Might as well just head back to my room to study."
"I was thinking of taking a trip to the Owlery, actually. Studying isn't exactly what I wanted to do today."
"You have an owl?"
"Yeah," he said, a little more cheerful. "Her name's Hedwig. Hagrid got her as a present when he took me to Diagon Alley for the first time."
Several gears clicked in Moon's mind. She stood up straighter and looked Harry in the eye.
"When you're done with that," she said deliberately, "would you mind meeting me in the seventh floor corridor near the painting with trolls in tutus?"
"Er… okay, why?"
"You're bored, I'm bored, might as well let you in on one of this castle's secrets."
"What?"
"There's a secret room there. I'll explain later."
He considered the offer for a moment, and nodded. Moon smiled back, and the two parted ways. Harry headed up the staircase, and Moon went down the hall, deliberately avoiding Filch. As she headed up another staircase, she heard a familiar snickering.
"Morning, Peeves," she said cheerfully, leaning precariously over the railing.
"Loony-Moon!" the poltergeist greeted as he floated out from under the staircase.
"Making use of the empty hallways, I see?"
Peeves nodded enthusiastically.
"Should probably let you know that Filch is patrolling the area outside of the library. Probably one of the few places in the school that's peaceful… quiet…"
Peeves got the message and flew off in the direction of the library. Moon continued on her path to the Come and Go Room. With Filch fully distracted, most teachers spending their time finishing work, and the majority of students filed nicely into the library or the common rooms, she wasn't afraid of being spotted. She leaned against the wall, stared at the painting of Barnabas the Barmy and his dancing trolls with amusement, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
She checked her watch. Unless Harry was having a lengthy conversation with his owl, he should have been there five minutes before. Moon was about to head up to the Owlery herself when she saw the messy-haired Gryffindor running down the hall.
"Sorry," he said as he reached the painting. "Professor Lupin—" the name sent a jolt of irritation through her, "—saw me wandering, and we ended up talking. Sorry I took so long."
"Did you even go up to the Owlery?" she asked, keeping her frustration out of her tone.
"Er, no. I didn't want you waiting here any longer."
"Do you still want to visit Hedwig?"
"I guess," he said apprehensively.
"We could go there now, if you'd like."
"Really?" he said, a little confused. "You said there was something here that you wanted to show me."
"It will be here when we get back," she reassured. "Besides, I've been meaning to send a letter."
That wasn't exactly true—she had been intending to send a letter later in the day to Fawley, but she was far more interested in the possibility of meeting Hedwig.
The Owlery wasn't the best place to have a conversation, as anyone could walk in at any moment, but with most of the students away from the school, Harry and Moon were relatively safe from prying eyes, save the dozens of owls gazing down on them. A snowy owl took notice of them, and glided down towards Harry.
"How've you been," Harry whispered as the owl landed in front of him. The owl hooted in response.
"This is Hedwig, then?" Moon asked softly after a moment. Harry only nodded, not even looking in her direction as he stroked Hedwig's feathers.
"She's gorgeous," Moon said gently. Hedwig preened at the compliment, eliciting laughter from both students. "And smart, too."
Moon removed the sealed envelope from her bag, and made to signal for one of the school owls. Harry, however, stopped her.
"Why don't you let Hedwig take your letter?"
She paused, looking at the dark-haired boy in surprise. "You wouldn't mind? She's your owl, after all."
"I don't send that many letters, to be honest," he said. "I feel bad, having her cooped up in here every day, but everyone I want to talk to is here at Hogwarts."
Moon nodded in understanding before handing the envelope over to Hedwig. The snowy owl took it and flew off.
"So," Harry said, "Barnabas the Barmy?"
The trip back to the portrait wasn't as long—whether that be because returning trips always appear shorter or because the castle was helping them along, Moon didn't know—but they soon found themselves standing in front of the dancing trolls. Moon began her pacing and her usual mantra, asking the room for a place to train. She knew the door had appeared when she heard Harry stumble back in surprise.
Rather than spending time explaining, she dragged her companion into the room by his sleeve. The boy didn't even have the chance to protest until he was in the room, where he was too stunned to say anything.
"Impressive, isn't it," she said. "The Come and Go Room. Has whatever you need, whenever you need it—within reason, of course."
"But…" Harry said, utterly bemused, "why would you need a place like this?"
To train my army of darkness
"Privacy," she said. "I don't have a common room to practice spells in, remember?"
"Where do you sleep, anyway?"
'Bit forward, aren't we?' Moon thought, suppressing a grin.
"There's a guest room that I'm using," she said. Harry stared at her curiously.
"Unless you're practicing spells meant for a duel, you could do the work in your own room."
"Well, I am practicing for a fight," she said. 'Not a battle you'd recognize, of course.'
"But you wouldn't need all this space if you were practicing spells."
She froze. He didn't.
"If this room really gives you whatever you need," he said cautiously, "then, if you really wanted a room to practice spells in, you'd get books for research and some targets lined up for you. Not a big field with training dummies scattered across it."
His eyes met her own, and Moon nearly flinched in surprise. She hadn't noticed before, as she hadn't made an effort to have extended conversation with Harry (or anyone, for that matter), but his eyes—bright and green and intense and full of wonder—were exactly like Lillie's.
"What are you doing here?"
Maybe it was the curiosity in his voice that drove her to do it, maybe she secretly wanted to show off a little, or maybe she wanted to see if this strange boy with the lightning scar was like Lillie at all. She pulled out her six pokéballs, holding them up so that Harry could see them, before resizing them and throwing them in the air.
The usual reactions of her team were stalled when they spotted Harry. The six pokémon stared at the boy warily, which he returned with equal force.
"What… what are they?"
"Pokémon. Monsters that can fit inside your pocket."
Harry was being stared down by Lycanroc. "They are safe, aren't they?"
"Course they are, I trained them."
The rift between the groups was palpable. Harry was not convinced that the creatures were entirely safe, with their sharp teeth and claws. The pokémon were equally cautious of the young wizard. Moon eventually got tired of the silence.
"Come and say hello," she ordered.
Decidueye, as the leader of the group, approached Harry first. His wings were spread out wider than usual, giving him a larger appearance, and his talons scrapped against the ground. If one counted the feather sticking out from the top of his head, he was taller than Harry. It would be reasonable to assume that the young wizard was more than a little intimidated.
But, for some reason, Harry had relaxed since Decidueye approached him. He reached out, almost instinctively, and scratched the orange bow under the owl's beak. Decidueye clucked happily, leaning toward the wizard to nip affectionately at his hand.
"You're a natural," Moon said honestly, "he doesn't warm up that quickly with most people."
"Really?" Harry said, not flinching when Decidueye's beak pressed against his palm. "He seems friendly to me."
"Yeah, well, as I said, you're a natural. Most people don't figure out that Decidueye likes having his bow scratched. Usually they go for the head, and he does not like having anyone getting close to that feather."
Harry removed his hand and took a step back. His eyes flickered between the other pokémon, resting briefly on Kommo-o and Silvally.
"Is this why you're so comfortable in Care of Magical Creatures?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. She nodded in response, heading over to Lycanroc and scratching his chin.
"If you know how to act, you have nothing to fear," she said. Lycanroc lifted his head, whining contently. "Fear does not come from facing danger, but from facing uncertainty."
"Where did you get that from?"
"My mentor, and my friend," she answered. Her smile faded away as she remembered that she had been gone for three months.
'Dear Arceus, Red must be worried. Everyone must be worried.'
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, and Moon realized that she had spaced out.
"Nothing," she answered. Then, after a look of pure disbelief, "I'm a bit homesick, I guess."
"Because you're stuck here?"
The question threw her off. "What?"
"You're not actually from Hawaii, are you," Harry said with a surprising amount of conviction.
"What makes you think that?"
"You didn't get a form for Hogsmeade," he said with a shrug. "I don't know why you'd have to do a trial-run to go to a village when all you would need is for one of your parents to sign a form. And you wouldn't have had to arrive a week before school started."
"They wanted me to be familiar with the layout of the castle."
"They toss the first years in without any guidance."
'Shit,' Moon thought, 'he's got a point.'
"And these pokémon of yours, they're not like anything you could find in a book. The things you keep them in seem to be factory-made, and, well, wizards don't exactly mass-produce things the way Muggles do."
Green eyes met blue, and the two students found themselves completely silent. The pokémon stared at the pair of humans as though they were a part of a television show.
"Well someone'zzz been nosy."
Moon's eyes widened at the voice emanating from her bag. Harry was no less surprised.
"Who was that?"
Her bag jerked, and out flew Rotom, still attached to the pokédex.
"Greetingzzz," the spirit buzzed, "I am Rotom."
"But you—it—you talk!" Harry stammered, his eyes darting between the floating device and an exasperated Moon.
"Yes, they talk," Moon said. "Usually at inopportune moments."
"The kid'zzz already figured you out, anyway," Rotom whirred. "Not like I was wrecking anything."
Moon made eye contact with Harry again. "Congrats. You've figured it out. Sorry, no prizes."
"I—what?"
"As you correctly assumed, I'm not from Hawaii, or anywhere else you'd recognize for that matter."
She gestured to the seven pokémon in the room. "We all come from a place known as Alola. You wouldn't know about it, of course, because it's not on this planet."
"Not on this planet," he echoed. "So—you're an alien then?"
"I think I'm as human as you are," she said. "My father was a wizard, apparently, and went to school here some time before he ended up in Kanto and met my mother."
"I thought you said you were from… Aloha?"
"Alola, but I was born and raised in Kanto. My mother left Alola when she was twenty and travelled around the world for nearly two decades before she met my dad."
Moon took a deep breath. She rarely divulged information on her family, mostly because the topic was still sensitive five years later. However, there was something about Harry that made talking easier.
"They hadn't known each other for a month when they got married. I don't think they would have stuck together for so long if I wasn't born less than a year later."
Lycanroc nudged her with his chin, whining slightly. She ran her fingers through the tufts of fur around the wolf's throat.
"They divorced when I was eight," she admitted. "I'm not exactly sure why; I never saw or heard them arguing, but they weren't happy together."
Moon sighed. "I haven't seen my dad since then."
"He hasn't visited you?" Harry asked, surprised.
"No. He's sent cards, presents, and calls once or twice a year, but he's never tried to visit me."
"Is he not allowed to see you or something?"
"Nah," she said calmly, still focused on Lycanroc, "I think he just doesn't want to deal with my mother."
"That's not fair to you though!"
His sudden sharp, angry tone shocked Moon. She looked over at him, wondering why the boy was fuming all of a sudden.
"You're still his daughter! He should at least try to see you, not just send you a card at Christmas!
She couldn't think of any response to that, but with the way Harry was talking, she wouldn't have been able to if she had had the words.
"He could visit you anytime he pleased and he doesn't even bother to take a break to go and see his kid? Doesn't he know how lucky he is?"
Decidueye cut him off with a short but gentle peck to his shoulder. In his short rant, his face had hints of red and his eyes held the sheen that signalled oncoming tears. Moon instinctively held her breath.
"It's not fair," he whispered. "It's cruel."
She found herself walking over to Harry, and the next thing she knew, she was hugging him as though he was a childhood friend. She was a few inches taller than he was, bringing his chin up to her shoulder.
"It's definitely not fair," she said gently, "and it is certainly not right. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care."
She heard him scoff, obviously not believing her.
"I believe he did what he thought was right," she continued, not necessarily speaking about her own father. "And he did it out of love. Because parents always love their children, no matter how far apart they are."
The first tears fell onto her shoulder without a sound, and Moon made no comment. Harry's own arms slipped around her shoulders as he returned the hug. Rotom returned to the bag, and the other six pokémon settled around them, lying down on the ground as the two humans embraced each other silently, offering comfort that could never truly be said.
Review and let me know what you guys think!