Unspeakable Number Twenty-Seven glances at the unconscious child, then looks at the sheepish Trainee, then back at the unconscious child.
"Trainee," they say, trying very hard to keep the anger out of their voice. "What did I say about trying weird rituals whose origins you don't know?"
Shuffling their feet, the trainee replies: "…Not to?"
"Yes. And what did you just do?"
"…Tested a weird ritual whose origins I don't know."
Unspeakable Number Twenty-Seven nods. Pulling their wand and casting a quick Patronus, the silver dog vanishes. "Please report to the front desk. They'll be waiting for you."
Sighing, the trainee nods, and turns to leave. Before they can exit the room, a feeling like a thunderstorm on the horizon crawls down Unspeakable Number Twenty-Seven's spine, and they turn around just in time to catch sight of the formerly-unconscious child wreathed in green lightning before they're pinned to the ground. The child speaks in rapid-fire Japanese, a language that neither the Unspeakable nor the trainee have ever been fluent in.
"E-English?" the trainee asks, voice shaking.
A pause, and then, in carefully enunciated English, the child asks:
"Who are you? Where am I? What happened?"
"I'll tell you when you let me up," Unspeakable Number Twenty-Seven replies. "I promise, we don't mean you any harm, but I'd rather not be talking to you from the floor."
The kid's weight shifts on top of them as they consider. The green light fades and the pressure recedes, moments before the kid gets off Twenty-Seven's back and holds a hand out to them. Twenty-Seven accepts it, letting the kid haul them to their feet, and damn, that's some strength.
Now that they're standing up, and the kid's awake, they have the chance to really look the kid over. Short, slight, but obviously muscular, the kid is wearing some weird blue, red, and white patterned ensemble, with the ends of their trousers tucked into a pair of bright red… shoes. Those are definitely some form of… muggle shoe.
Aw, shite, did they pull a muggle through? But, no, there was that green lighting, there's no way this kid can be a muggle.
There's also the dark green hair. Evidently some kind of punk, if Twenty-Seven knows their subcultures right, which they do. The punks are the ones that dye their hair. Although, not many of them go so far as to dye their eyebrows, so the green eyebrows on the kid are a little weird. Green eyebrows, green eyes, white pupils—
White pupils?
"Are you blind?" Twenty-Seven asks, leaning down to try and get a better look. The kid frowns and flinches away.
"No," they reply, shaking their head. "Are you going to answer my questions?"
"Oh, sorry, I just got distracted," Twenty-Seven replies. "I see you have white pupils. That's—odd. That's odd. You're odd. I've never seen someone with white pupils before! Never."
"It's not that strange," the kid protests, pouting.
"Hm. While I would like to disagree, I did agree to answer your questions, so I suppose I should proceed to do so. I am Unspeakable Number Twenty-Seven. We are in the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry of Magic, located in London. As for what happened, my trainee tested out an unknown ritual without verifying its origins or what it would do, and somehow pulled you through the Veil of Death, and here you are! They are no longer my trainee."
The kid blinks, eyes wide as they process the information dump. "I… am in London?"
"Yes, I do believe I just said that. Now, can I get a name from you? I don't want to just keep calling you 'the kid' or 'child' in my head."
A pause. "…Midoriya."
"Midoriya. Ah. Okay. Now, as for—"
One of the heavy doors at the top of the room slams open. "Twenty-Seven!" Oh, their boss is irate. "Did your trainee get—oh. Oh, I see. This is a right snarl." She flicks her wand, also summoning a Patronus, hers taking the form of a hummingbird. "Trainee, you'll be escorted from the Department. Twenty-Seven, explain."
Twenty-Seven explains, Midoriya watching them and their boss with sharp eyes.
"Alright," their boss sighs. "Here's what we're going to do. We're going to summon Dumbledore. Smart as we all are, we don't know the first thing about handling a child. We hand the kid and all the relevant research over to Dumbledore, and then it's all his problem."
"I am standing right here," Midoriya points out, but goes completely ignored as the boss summons her Patronus again.
It's not every day that Albus is interrupted from his work by a summons to the Department of Mysteries.
Whatever he thought he had been expecting, it wasn't this.
Two Unspeakables and a teenager sit cross-legged on the raised dais of the room holding the Veil of Death, drinking butterbeer and snacking on kettle corn.
"Is this the reason you summoned me so urgently?"
"Midoriya, meet Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Professor Dumbledore, this is Midoriya. One of our former trainees accidentally dragged him out of the Veil of Death." Ah, he recognizes that voice! A fine young Slytherin she was, graduated a couple decades ago…
"Dragged him out of the Veil of Death?" he repeats, raising his eyebrows. "However did that happen?"
The Slytherin Unspeakable shrugs and holds out a bag. "Here's all the materials the trainee used to complete the ritual. We leave the kid in your capable hands."
Ah, how swiftly Unspeakables are capable of disappearing when they do not wish to be perceived. Albus turns toward Midoriya, who had risen to his feet at some point in that conversation.
"I do believe they just made you my problem," he says, and Midoriya sighs.
"They said that was their plan earlier."
For someone summoned through the Veil of Death, Midoriya doesn't look like much. Well, he does look quite stand-out, between the wild green hair, bronze skin, and freckles splashed across every square inch of available skin, but Albus would expect something… otherworldly from the Veil of Death, not a teenager who, by all appearances, looks like a standard teenager.
And then, Midoriya raises his head and looks up at Albus.
Green eyes glow with an internal forest fire, white pupils twin pinpricks of light. For all the boy appears human… those eyes belie the truth.
Legilimency is always hit-or-miss on those with creature blood, but the risk is worth it. If that blasted trainee pulled through something that would be the progenitor of a new werewolf curse, or some sort of demon, or even some world-ending god…
Better safe than sorry.
He only needs a split second of eye contact to scan surface thoughts, but he doesn't even get that far. Flashes of ash and darkness and a glimpse of white hair and golden eyes are all he sees before his incursion is expelled, and a whisper brushes his ear.
That's far enough, old-timer…
Multiple voices, layered on top of one another, hiss that warning to him.
Just what is this entity before him?
"Um… sir?"
"Why don't we relocate to my office?" Albus offers. With the school empty of students for summer break, then Hogwarts is quite possibly the best location for them to be. If a fight broke out, they would be on Albus' court, to borrow the muggle expression, and Hogwarts is an ancient school of magic built upon a convergence of major ley lines. The school herself would aid in the fight.
"Okay," Midoriya agrees, nodding. "Do you work… here?"
"No, no," Albus chuckles, keeping his genial mask raised. "I'm the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, located in Scotland."
"…Witchcraft," Midoriya repeats, frowning. "Like…" He mutters something in Japanese, too fast and too quiet for Albus to catch. "Like magic? You teach magic?"
"Indeed."
The clear what the hell expression on Midoriya's face is… sweet, in its own way, although that just adds another large question to Albus's ever-growing list. What sort of being is Midoriya, to not know of magic?
The what the hell expression melts away after a moment, giving way to furrowed brows and more muttered Japanese. He mumbles too fast for Albus to comprehend, although he can catch a phrase here or there, and the term kosei comes up again and again.
Coming to the end of whatever train of thought he had been exploring, Midoriya huffs and raises his head again, fixing those odd burning eyes on Albus. "Magic. Right. Prove it."
Well, showing young muggleborn children the wonders of magic has always been one of Albus's favorite tasks. He waves his wand, producing a stream of cherry blossoms from the tip of it, before transfiguring the marble of the dais into granite and back again.
Midoriya's eyes are wide, the fire behind them banked as he glances from Albus, to the pile of cherry blossoms, to the dais, and back again.
"So…" Midoriya huffs, mutters something in Japanese, and squares his shoulders. "Magic. That makes as much sense as anything. I have a guess… magic brought me through… there?" He points at the Veil of Death, tilting his head.
Points are ticking towards the possibility of Midoriya just being a very odd child in the mental tally. Albus would certainly prefer that option, although it would mean they've pulled a child away from their family because of the hubris of one trainee Unspeakable. He's seen enough families shattered and children orphaned in his lifetime, each one a tragedy, and this newest one, while not accompanied by death, is as good as death if he can never be returned.
"That is our current understanding, yes," Albus replies. "Now, shall we relocate to Hogwarts?"
Midoriya jerks and blinks, startled. Had he forgotten about that in the process of learning about magic's existence? "Uh… right. Yes. How… How do we get there?"
"I will use a process called Side-Along Apparation," Albus replies, holding out his elbow. "All you have to do is hang on. It's unpleasant the first time, so I apologize in advance. Most of our fastest methods of travel are, unfortunately, a bit hard on the body, especially if you're easily motion-sick."
Midoriya nods and accepts Albus's proffered elbow, tucking his arm through. He really is quite short, although he carries himself with the maturity of someone older than he appears to be.
Another point into the 'potential eldritch god' column of the mental tally, then. Albus files that away and focuses on the gates of Hogwarts, turning on his heel.
Midoriya stumbles as they come out of the Apparation. He catches himself before he falls and snaps up to survey their surroundings with the same kind of look in his eyes that senior Aurors have. The burning green is back, and something electric in the air sets Albus's teeth on edge.
Yet another point for 'potential eldritch god', then.
And if Midoriya is a child, then Albus's heart aches for him. He may be willing to cross many, many lines for the good of the many, but making child soldiers has never been one of them.
After casing their surroundings, Midoriya relaxes, the electrified feeling subsiding as he does. An undercurrent of tension still runs through him, but he lets Albus lead him through the gates and the grounds.
"So… your school is in a castle?" Midoriya asks, staring up at the great stone building with the same wide-eyed awe all the first years greet her with. Albus nods, a fond smile stealing across his face without so much as a by-your-leave.
"Yes. Hogwarts was established one thousand years ago, when four witches and wizards of great skill and even greater renown came together with a dream: to educate the young witches and wizards of tomorrow. Their names were Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. The school's houses are named after them."
"Excuse me. Houses?" Midoriya glances around. Oh, he took that literally.
"Hogwarts students get sorted into four groups based on what they value and traits they exhibit when they first come to our school," Albus replies. "Those groups are referred to as houses. You share dorm rooms and classes with members of your house."
"Oh," Midoriya nods. "That makes sense. So… the four houses are… you put the family name after the personal name in England… The houses are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin?"
Albus nods. "Correct."
They're coming up on the great wooden doors of the school, which Albus opens with a flick of his wand. Midoriya focuses on the motion of his wand and the movement of the doors, hands twitching as he mutters something in Japanese.
"So, I've told you a bit about myself, why don't you tell me some things about you?" Albus suggests.
To his eternal surprise, Midoriya complies.
Although, everything that comes out of his mouth may be lies.
"My name is Midoriya… ah, Izuku Midoriya," he says. "I am a first-year student at UA High School, um…" He pauses, frowning, and they begin ascending stairs to the seventh floor. "Do you know what quirks are?"
Albus raises an eyebrow. "I do believe you're not asking me about quirks of personality, are you?"
Midoriya snorts and shakes his head. "No, sir, nothing like that. I… don't think… Hm. Where I come from, we have abilities known as quirks. Almost every individual has one. They are… special powers. I know your magic can't be one, because quirks are not… Each quirk is only one thing. Like, power over fire, or making explosions from your hands, or being a frog. Your magic does too much to be a quirk."
Albus raises his eyebrows. "No, I've never heard of such a thing. Perhaps, rather than being the Veil of Death, it's merely the Veil of Multiple Dimensions!"
The boy squints at him, then shrugs. "Perhaps," he agrees. "And, if you were confused about my pupils? Quirks can change your appearance. White pupils are not so uncommon where I'm from."
"Noted," Albus replies. "So, if almost everyone has quirks… what can yours do?"
This time, Albus manages to understand Midoriya's Japanese muttering: it's bullshit is what it is. Of course, he has a much more appropriate response in English: "It's… complicated. It's an energy manipulator, of a sort. I can do a few different things with it."
Despite his inability to use Legilimancy against Midoriya, Albus also has decades of teaching experience to fall back on, and that sounds like a lie if he's ever heard one.
He lets it lie, for the moment. It's doubtful he'll gain anything by pushing, and all he may succeed in doing there is further pushing Midoriya away. Instead, he settles on something… non-committal and teacher-y to say.
"It's always good to have more than one spell in the book. More than one tool in the arsenal, I believe is the muggle saying."
"No good hero is a one-trick pony," Midoriya mutters in Japanese, like he's quoting someone, before switching back to English. "Muggle?"
"Ah, that's the term for a person completely non-magical," Albus replies. Reaching the landing on the fourth floor, he turns and leads Midoriya along a walkway and pauses next to a gap in the handrail. At Midoriya's questioning glance, he just smiles, and waits.
They're not kept waiting long. Certain allowances are made for the headmaster, one of them being that the stairs will rearrange themselves to his benefit.
The expression on Midoriya's face as the staircase detaches and rotates around is worth whatever hardships will ultimately come from his presence.
Conversation between them lulls, Midoriya too busy breathing in the sights, staring at the staircases, startling when the paintings move and talk to him. While he may carry himself with maturity, being within Hogwarts with that familiar wide-eyed look on his face hammers home exactly how young the teenager with him must be.
This is, ultimately, the moment he decides that Midoriya, whatever he is, is most likely not a threat, and is exactly what he appears to be (most likely). While there are many things that can disguise themselves as teenagers, few things are capable of so truly acting like them.
They reach the seventh floor and his guardian gargoyle in good time, and Midoriya is properly awed at the moving statue. The spiral staircase carries them up and into his office, and as he steps into the room, Albus sighs.
It's a relief to be back in his seat of power. His trinkets spin and whirl, only half of them for show, and the paintings of past heads titter down at him and gossip about his guest. Midoriya, for his part, cases the room like he has everywhere else before he moves on to staring at everything wide-eyed, drinking in the sights. He walks, almost absent-mindedly, over to the books lining the walls, and Albus lets him, content to let him peruse the titles he has chosen to display.
He has a few matters of his own to attend to, of course, all of them behind his desk. Chief among those is Fawkes, who naps on his perch, head tucked under one wing.
"Wake up, old friend," Albus whispers as he sets the bag from the Department of Mysteries next to his desk and sits down. "We have company."
Fawkes lifts his head and squawks at Albus, who frowns back at the bird. For a moment, they're locked in a staring contest, until Fawkes huffs and shifts on his perch, leaving Albus free to open the second drawer down on the right side of his desk and shuffle around in his papers until he pulls out a smooth stone tablet.
Crafting the enchantments on this piece of stone and trying them to the instruments in his office had been the work of decades, helped along by the knowledge of the portraits filling the walls. He, Fawkes, and the Sorting Hat are ignored by the enchantments, leaving the only results there to be from Midoriya.
The readings confirm his gut feeling: Midoriya is human. He does have a magical core, which strikes Albus as… odd. If he had a magical core, then surely the witches and wizards in his own world would have picked him up? Unless magic is so tangled up within these so-called quirks as to be inseparable from them… Or, another option, magic just isn't able to be harnessed in the world Midoriya comes from. But then, where do the powers of quirks come from?
Regardless, Midoriya has magic, and that means that he is even more of Albus's problem than he already was.
He has magic… and something more, too. Perhaps that is the quirk he spoke of, a well-spring of energy distinct from the pulse of his magic. The readings on that power are… odd. Corrupted, perhaps, reading out numbers that he's not sure how to interpret.
"…Sir?"
Albus's startle reflex, long since suppressed, comes back in full-force as he looks up to see Midoriya standing on the other side of the desk, shifting his weight back and forth from foot to foot and biting his lip.
"Ah, Mr. Midoriya, I apologize," he says. "I let myself get a little bit distracted. Back to business, shall we? Please, have a seat."
Midoriya sits down on the very edge of one of Albus's very comfortable armchairs, one leg beginning to bounce up and down the moment he does.
"For full disclosure, I have a handful of instruments which are constantly taking measurements of people in my office," Albus says, gesturing to the spinning silver doo-dads on one of his tables. "They don't measure much, just species breakdown and magic status."
Midoriya nods, a crease appearing between his eyebrows as he watches Albus. "…Okay?"
"The readings point to a strange energy within you, which I believe is what you were referring to as your quirk. They also point to you having magic."
"I would think I would know if I had magic, sir," Midoriya points out, to which Albus nods.
"Maybe. Maybe not. I do believe there are many differences between our worlds, magic being just one of them. Now, that leads us to a bit of a conundrum. I do need to look over the notes the Unspeakables sent me, but… the likelihood of this information being able to send you back to your own world is slim to none."
"I figured that would be the case." Midoriya's tone is careful, measured, and his hands clench in his lap.
"Now, we have a few options. I don't know how long it will take me to get through the materials here, considering I have a very busy schedule. It may be the summer holidays, but there's always work to be done. I do believe that we can arrange for you to stay a few days here, at least long enough to figure out for sure whether our current knowledge will be able to send you back."
Midoriya frowns, leaning forward and glaring at the bag next to Albus's desk. "Could you look at it now? Just… a little bit? Quick? Ah," his frown morphs from one of deep thought to one of mild annoyance. "I don't know what word I'm looking for. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it. I can take a quick look at it," Albus replies, picking up the bag and opening it.
There are… two pieces of paper and a rock in it.
Color him underwhelmed.
He clicks his tongue and pulls out the two pieces of parchment. One is a list of instructions, handwritten recently, and the other is a diagram of some kind of… it looks like a summoning circle or a transmutation circle.
"Well." He hums. "It appears they sent us away with less information than I thought we had."
"Is that a rock?" Midoriya asks, craning his head to peer into the bag. "Did they put a rock in there?"
Albus sighs.
"Yes, I believe they did."
