Kindred Spirits
by Tailkinker
This is a work of fan fiction based on the Harry Potter series and the Sailor Moon franchise created respectively by J.K. Rowling and Naoko Takeuchi. The characters and settings belong to their respective owners and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes and should not be considered as part of the official canon of either series.
Converging Worlds
"Fix your tie, Mr Potter." Professor McGonagall did not wait for his reply, but moved on. "Mr Weasley, you've got dirt on your nose."
"Bet she even finds something wrong with Dumbledore," mumbled Ron as he scrubbed at his nose. Harry grinned at that.
"Hello, Harry-kun. Ron." Hotaru stepped up between the two boys, and smiled up at Harry.
"Looking forward to this?" Harry knew that she'd been ambivalent about the arrival of Mahoutokoro's students, but she'd expressed no concerns about the other two schools.
"I've heard that Durmstrang has something of a dodgy reputation," said Hotaru. "Draco said that his father wanted to send him there, but that his mother didn't want him out of country."
"Been talking with Draco?" asked Harry.
"Yes," admitted Hotaru. "We share two classes—Charms and Transfiguration—and his Housemates have been shunning him. Most Ravenclaws don't want anything to do with him, either. So I've been sitting with him."
"The great peacemaker," observed Harry. He carefully squashed the sudden feeling of jealousy; she certainly didn't deserve it.
Hotaru shrugged. "I try to be."
"What's that?" Ron pointed up at the sky. "Are they flying in?"
"That's too big to be a broom, or even a flying carpet," said Harry. "Wait—it's a carriage! Pulled by flying horses."
"That's brilliant," said Ron.
As the flying carriage approached the ground, however, Harry realized that it was far bigger than he'd first assumed. It was nearly the size of a house, and the eight winged horses that drew it were taller and heavier than the largest of Percherons. On the side was a school crest, featuring a crossed pair of golden wands, and the name of the school: Beauxbatons.
The carriage came to a halt, and a door opened on its side. A boy scrambled out, and pulled at something on the side, and a staircase unfolded from the underside of the carriage. A woman stepped out, and descended the staircase, and Harry's first thought was, She's very tall. But when Dumbledore stepped up and spoke to her, Harry realized that her height was greater than he thought. The woman had to be at least as tall as Hagrid!
More people were emerging behind her, dressed in light-weight powder-blue robes.
"Those don't look heavy enough for October in Scotland," observed Hotaru.
"They're already shivering," agreed Ron. "Oi, where's Hermione?"
"Right behind you, Ron," said Hermione. "I got caught up in—Oh, look at those Abraxans!"
"Never took you for a horse girl, Hermione," said Ron with a grin.
"Just because I don't ride them doesn't mean I don't think they're beautiful," argued Hermione.
"Can we get a bit closer?" asked Harry.
"No need," said Hermione. "They're coming this way."
Harry strained his ears, and heard Dumbledore saying, "Your horses are in good hands with our Groundskeeper. He's also the Professor for Care of Magical Creatures."
"They drink only single-malt whiskey," said the woman. "Will you be able to procure such?"
"My dear lady," chuckled Dumbledore. "This is Scotland. You would have a harder time procuring water. For now, perhaps, you and your students would like to step inside, where it is warmer?"
"Oui." The woman nodded. "Filles et garcons, allons-y!"
She led the Beauxbatons students into the castle. As they passed by, Harry noted that their robes were not only thin, but rather shorter than those of the English students. Most of the French students wore trousers, though a few of the girls wore long skirts. All wore broad-brimmed hats, much like the Hogwarts hat, though with a rounded crown rather than pointed.
One girl in particular stood out. Taller than most of the other students, her long blonde hair loose in the wind, and of stunning beauty. However, the look of disdain with which she favoured the Hogwarts students ruined much of the effect in Harry's mind.
Not, apparently, in Ron's.
"Blimey, she's hot!"
Harry glanced at Ron. It was obvious whom he meant, from the way his eyes were glued to the girl's backside, but Harry decided to tweak him over it anyway.
"Who, the Headmistress? Hagrid might think so."
"No, you prat! That blonde bird!" Ron paused, as he realized that both Hermione and Hotaru were looking at him with disapproval. "What?"
"She's not a cut of beef, Ron," said Hermione.
"Beauty is only skin deep," said Hotaru.
"Harry," complained Ron. "Help me out here!"
Harry shook his head. "I'm afraid you're on your own here, Ron." He paused. "Though I don't really care for snooty blondes. Reminds me of Malfoy."
He chuckled as Ron sputtered, and turned back to await the next arrival. "So where exactly is Durmstrang?" he asked.
"The location is secret," said Hermione. "However, I've heard that it's somewhere near Finland."
"I heard it was in Russia," said Ron.
"But surely they won't be flying from somewhere so far north," objected Harry.
"They likely won't fly at all," said Ron. "They'll find some other way of getting here. Like Dad says, we Magicals can't help but show off a bit when we get together."
"The lake," said Hermione. She pointed over Harry's head. "Right there."
The waters in the lake were swirling, as though someone had pulled the plug. A pole of some sort rose out of the water, followed by a wooden structure, then ragged sails—
"It's a ship," said Hotaru, amazement clear in her voice.
Indeed, it was a large four-master, easily bigger than the Beauxbatons carriage. Harry watched as it sailed up to the boathouse, and saw people tossing lines from the deck. He was surprised that they didn't drop the anchor, but assumed there was a good reason.
I'm not a sailor, he mused. They must know what they're doing.
A gangplank extended from the ship to the dock, and a small group of individuals—he guessed that they were likely students, led by their Headmaster—departed from the vessel. Though they were quite distant, he could make out their distinctive red clothing and fur-trimmed attire, which suggested that they might be the Durmstrang delegation.
Approaching from the group, the Headmaster of the Durmstrang party shook hands with Dumbledore. Harry observed that Dumbledore's demeanor appeared somewhat cooler compared to his interactions with the Beauxbatons Headmistress.
Ron, on the other hand, was once again focused on a single student in the procession.
"Blimey, Harry. That's Viktor Krum!"
"The Seeker?" Hotaru stood on her tiptoes to try to see over the crowd. Harry was tempted to pick her up, so she could see better, but felt she might take it poorly.
"I didn't realize he'd still be in school," he said. "But he played for Bulgaria, and that's really far south from here."
"Durmstrang would still be closer than either Beauxbatons or Hogwarts," pointed out Hermione. "So it makes sense that he'd attend there."
Again, the party passed by their location. Harry heard the Durmstrang Headmaster saying, "We'll get you inside, Viktor, and get you some mulled wine."
"I would like some mulled wine as well, Headmaster," said another Durmstrang student, but the Headmaster simply ignored him.
"Looks like their Headmaster is just as captivated with their star seeker as Ron is," said Harry quietly. Personally, he felt for the boy. His own fame had never been anything but a nuisance for him.
"One left," said Hermione. "I wonder how they'll arrive?"
"Japan is really, really far off," said Hotaru quietly. "It typically takes Papa and me fifteen hours, with a stopover, to fly to Japan."
"Is that in a Muggle aeroplane?" asked Ron. "How fast do they go?"
"Twice, maybe three times faster than my Firebolt," said Harry. It was a guess; he was no more a pilot than he was a sailor.
"So a portkey might be the best way," said Ron. "Of course, it would have been best for Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, too, and they didn't do that."
There was a sudden, blinding flash of light, practically in front of them. Harry squinted, and saw what looked like...doors. Five figures stepped through the doors, which closed behind them, cutting off the light and leaving him dazzled.
When the spots cleared from his sight, he could see the five arrivals. All were girls—no, one of them was older. Probably their Headmistress. She wore a sea-foam green robe, ornately embroidered in gold and teal, of considerably more complex cut than his own. It was also longer than his own, reaching nearly to the floor. Rather than the simple ties favoured by British robes, this woman's robe was held shut by a broad belt, tied in a bow in the back—an obi, Harry's Japanese reminded him. Her hair was a dark green, and her skin tanned.
The other four girls were clearly her students. Their robes were uniform only in cut—similar to their Headmistress' robes, though of slightly simpler cut, and not embroidered. However, each of the girls had a different colour of robe.
The tallest of the four girls, who wore her brown hair in a ponytail, wore robes of a light coral colour. Her eyes were as startlingly green as Harry's own. The blonde in the lead, with the impish smile, had light golden robes. She had a white cat perched on her shoulder. The short girl, whose pixie-bob haircut had been dyed blue, wore eyeglasses and had robes of a deeper gold. And the final girl, a long-haired girl with a crow sitting on each shoulder, wore robes of champagne gold. Her belt was a bright red, whereas the other girls wore black belts.
They had appeared quite close to Harry, and so he had no difficulty hearing Dumbledore as he greeted them.
"Welcome, my friends. Ah...I had expected that Headmaster Konoe would be attending us here?"
"Unfortunately, he was unable to come," said the woman in the sea-foam robes. Her voice was pleasant, her accent clear and easy to follow, though that accent made it obvious that she'd learned English from an American. "He is tied up in legal matters concerning one of our students. I don't believe we've been introduced. Setsuna Meiou, Professor of Divination and Deputy Headmistress at Mahoukotoro." She bowed to him. "I hope I find you well?"
"Indeed," said Dumbledore with a chuckle. "As I hold the position of Chief Warlock of our Wizengamot—analagous to your Mahou Gikai—I can certainly understand how your Headmaster might be detained. And so, I bid you welcome." He glanced at the students. "You only brought four? The other two schools brought a dozen or more. And I see that not all wear the gold robes?"
Meiou-sensei didn't appear offended by Dumbledore's words; in fact, she seemed almost amused.
"These four are short-listed as the best and brightest our school has to offer," she explained. "Unfortunately, gates have a limit on how many people can use them, so four were all I could bring. And though not all wear gold robes, each has their own strengths outside of magic. Kino, for example, is very physically fit, and has talent for potions—something not measured by our robes."
"I see," said Dumbledore. "Your insights into your students are invaluable. We would be honored if you could join us for dinner inside."
Meiou-sensei smiled. "Yes, that would be lovely."
The five of them followed Dumbledore inside. Ron snorted.
"Professor of Divination. She seems a lot more competent than ours."
"Crookshanks is more competent that Trelawney," said Hermione sourly.
Hotaru frowned. "That woman seems familiar." She shook her head. "I can't put my finger on it, though."