Alice, Zander, Tobias, James, Lorcan, and Rose all ogled the magnificent aircraft before them, hundreds of Hogwarts students doing much the same all around them.
Arius flashed a whimsical smile at the gasps and murmurs of impressed excitement among the crowd now. Crowley, Longbottom, Hagrid, and Slughorn all approached the headmaster from either side, facing the crowd and preparing for what came next.
"Okay, children!" Arius smirked, clasping his hands with his cane tucked under his arm. "If you think the star-spangled airplane is impressive on its own, just wait until you see the inside! Come along now!"
Hagrid began waving the students forward, he and Crowley moving toward the plane. The two of them started leading students toward Flight 1776, and the crowd broke into several groups as they all began to march forward, Alice exchanging glimpses with her friends before breaking into a stride as well.
"It is pretty cool," James remarked, nodding forward at the aircraft of red white and blue. "Kinda looks like a repainted military jet. I mean, y'know… a magical one…"
"Military jet?" Tobias asked.
"Yeah, like… muggle aircrafts," James tried to explain as they walked. "Did your parents never teach you about muggle stuff? My dad grew up in a muggle family, so…"
"Ah. Vell, my parents taught me about muggle economics, but not military," Tobias admitted. "They had a bakery in the muggle vorld, so zat is what they knew most about…"
"It's a bit obnoxious," Zander commented as they drew nearer, close enough to see the many white stars painted over the back of the plane, the part of the aircraft that was colored a deep blue. "Especially for something that's meant to be inconspicuous…"
"I like it," Alice smiled.
Zander glanced over at her, his expression flattening caustically. "Of course you would. You'd paint a thing like that in the colors of Ireland given the chance."
"Aye… you're damned right," Alice laughed.
As everyone approached the plane—the tail of it hovering high above their heads—Arius whirled around again, facing the large crowd and whistling loudly to gather their attention.
"Listen up! One more thing!" the headmaster yelled, warranting another hushing from the students. "This plane has exceptional travel time compared to anything you may be accustomed to—but it will still take a couple of hours to arrive at Mount Greylock. So, make yourselves comfortable, enjoy a nice snack, or take a quick nap if you so feel the need. Barracks are in the back, lounge area is in the front, and snacks will be ready and waiting when you arrive. Okay?"
The crowd responded with nods and mutters of agreement.
"Theeen off we go!" Arius proclaimed, wheeling around once more and flicking his finger at Crowley, who stood just beside the plane's side door.
Crowley made a nod, reached up with his wand, and gently tapped it against the plane. The side door of the plane began to open, revealing the stairs that led inside—and the stair-fitted door seemed to expand and grow in size as it extended outright, a long, thin railing materializing on either side of the stairs as if from nowhere.
"I suppose this won't be exactly like a muggle aircraft," Rose muttered as they all began to stroll forward again. "Sounds like we won't just be sitting buckled into our seats…"
"Hah. Well, where would the fun be in that?" James sniggered.
Groups of students lined up at the stairs, marching up them in threes and fours. Alice and her friends waited patiently behind most of them for a while, taking a step forward as the crowd slowly moved onward—and just before Alice reached out to the metal railing, she turned her head, gazing across the field and giving a final stare to the Hogwarts Express in the distance. Then, she stepped onto the stairs and lifted her trunk onto them as well, she and her friends thumping up the walkway and entering the plane behind everyone else.
When they entered the doorway—Alice, Zander, and the rest paused there, glancing around and observing everything inside. The interior of the plan was vastly larger than the outside; all around them was a lush, comfortable lounging area, streams of decorative silky cloth hanging from the walls in all four colors of the Hogwarts houses, dark fluffy couches sitting around many different tables, all of which were covered with assorted snack bowls of various candies and goods, the students already spreading across the expansive room and claiming their seating areas for the flight ahead.
"Quite nice, isn't it?" Arius said, standing just behind them.
Alice turned and faced him, smiling and nodding.
"Oh—one other thing I forgot to mention," Arius added, holding up a finger and raising his brows at Alice. "Those double-doors just across from us, there—that leads to the Mahoutokoro area, and they're already on board. I don't know if any of them plan to pop in here to visit, but if they do, be sure to be kind. Making friends from across the world is one of the nicer benefits of the Triwizard Tournament, after all."
"This plane is transporting all of Hogwarts and Mahoutokoro?" Zander asked him. "Where are we all meant to stay once we get there…?"
Arius smiled knowingly. "We have plans for that, as I'm sure Haruto Akamine has for his own students. Now… I'll be making my way up to the front with the other teachers, so you all just relax and enjoy the ride. We'll be in America before long."
The others nodded and gave him a wave, and Arius strolled away, thumping his cane lightly across the floor as he walked across the open space, vanishing into the small door at the front of the enormous lounge room.
Seconds later—the door behind them sealed shut. Alice and Zander turned around, seeing that the staircase on the door had suddenly vanished, allowing it to close behind them with ease, sealing the sunlight out of the plane as Flight 1776 prepared to make its leave of Scotland.
They felt the floor make a slight vibration, then glimpsed at each other, wondering what they ought to do next.
Alice peeked past Zander, her eyes darting from seating area to seating area until she spotted a large, rounded couch in the far corner, still uninhabited. So, she waved for her friends to follow and quickly broke into a stride, marching briskly past many other couches and students until she reached it. They plopped down across the huge circular couch, their trunks propped against it or tucked under the coffee table, and before long, they were able to feel the plane mildly humming as it ascended above the ground, taking flight and soaring across the sky.
"Well, this is… different," Rose remarked, glimpsing around the massive room from the edge of the round couch.
Alice sat in the middle of the couch with Zander just beside her, Tobias and James leaning back on the other edge of the couch, seeming to enjoy its comfortable leather. James hunched forward for a second, spotting Albus, Scorpius, and a few of their other friends seated in the round couch adjacent from them, then leaned back again and stretched his arms behind his head.
"Zis is very nice," Tobias smirked, scooting forward and plucking one of the candy beans from the bowl on the coffee table. "Vhat is this? Are they Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans…?"
"Um… dunno," James muttered, hovering over the bowl and surveying the many-colored beans. "I can't really tell. Try one."
Tobias shrugged and popped the yellow bean into his mouth. Everyone stared at him while he chewed it—then he reeled back, grasping at his mouth and making a strange face.
"What?" Zander asked. "Does it taste bad? Spit it out."
Tobias shook his head, though his face began to scrunch up, gazing forward with a bizarre expression strewn across his face. Then, he slowly opened his mouth—revealing a set of alarmingly long fangs that were suddenly protruding from his teeth, extending downward as they grew in size, reaching the bottom of his chin.
"Whoa…!" Alice beamed and laughed, Rose and James trading surprised looks with each other.
Tobias held his mouth open uncomfortably wide. Then, the fangs began to shrink as quickly as they had grown, and his teeth returned to normal.
"Okay—now I have to try one," James snickered, plucking a green bean out of the bowl and eating it.
Everyone observed him, and seconds later, James's face began to turn red. A tiny explosion seemed to erupt from the tip of his nose, then from the tops of his ears and cheeks, the others ogling him in fascination before his visage returned to its usual color.
"Oh… that is so weird," James muttered, grasping his face and making a face. Then, he grabbed another bean and turned to his cousin. "Here, you try one."
"What? No," Rose scoffed and shook her head. "I'd rather not experiment on myself, thanks."
"C'mon… it's candy," James urged, holding it closer to her. "They wouldn't have put it in here if it wasn't safe to eat. Try it."
"I vould like to see more," Tobias smiled.
"Aye… I kinda wanna see what else it does," Alice agreed.
Rose glanced between them all, her expression flattening. She sighed and rolled her eyes, then took the bean and ate it.
There was a pause, everyone staring at her intently, but she showed no reaction, as she evidently felt no different than before.
"Tastes fine," Rose shrugged.
Alice, Zander, Tobias, and James all exchanged fascinated grins and glances with each other.
Rose squinted at them. "What…?"
They all continued to stare—as Rose's face was now completely covered in parchment writing, neat cursive writing that seemed to coat every visible inch of her skin. Moments later, the writing disappeared, and she appeared normal again.
"Okay… I don't get it," Zander uttered. "Fangs, explosions, and writing? What the hell are these things meant to do…?"
"Ahm… excuse me," a meek, timid voice spoke from beside them, gathering their attention.
Everyone turned—seeing a petite, beautiful Japanese girl standing beside their couch now, her hands gently cupped in front of her, her school robes a deep green color, and styled similarly to a kimono. The girl had a pale, flawless face, eyes that sparkled a translucent hazel, her long silky hair tied up in a stylish folded ponytail.
Alice, Zander, and the others all stared at her, unsure of what to say. Tobias straightened up, leaning slightly back and marveling at her, gulping and adjusting his glasses.
"Those are… Patty's Personality Poppers," the girl told them. "They are an American treat… and they are meant to reveal aspects of one's personality for a moment after you eat one."
"Oooh," James breathed, nodding with understanding. "Okay… so the fangs makes sense. Tobias likes magical creatures."
"And you're an impulsive git, which makes disasters happen," Rose chided. "I can see why the explosions happened now."
"Well—you're a nerdy little book worm," James snarked back at her. "Hence the bloody parchment scribbles all over your face."
"Hey, um… what's your name?" Alice asked the Japanese girl politely.
The girl made a slight bow of the head. "My name is Sakura. Hajimemashite."
"Sakura what?" Alice uttered.
"Nice to meet you too," Zander said, giving the girl a nod.
"What—oh," Alice stammered, turning and squinting at Zander. "You know Japanese?"
"A little," Zander muttered with a shrug.
"Huh. Okay, well—you wanna sit with us?" Alice asked Sakura. "We have room."
"That would be very nice… thank you," Sakura replied.
Tobias instantly tensed up, swallowing and hurriedly scooting over. Sakura seated herself snugly beside him, placing her hands atop her legs and smiling politely at them all.
"Hello," Rose said kindly. "I'm Rose Weasley, and this is my cousin, James Potter."
"I'm Lorcan Scamander," Lorcan spoke up, raising a hand.
"Aye… and I'm Alice," Alice said, waving over at Zander. "And this is Zander."
Sakura nodded at them, then turned and gave Tobias a curious look. "What is your name…?"
Tobias stared down at his lap, fidgeting with his sleeves and barely sparing her a glance. He attempted a smile, releasing a breathless laugh and clearing his throat before he spoke.
"To… Tobias," he mumbled, pushing up his glasses with his knuckles and giving her a brief little wave. "Very nice to meet you…"
"And you," Sakura said sweetly.
Tobias stared firmly into his lap now, his face fading a deep scarlet.
Alice glimpsed over at Tobias, smirking and biting her lip, resisting the urge to giggle.
"So… what year are you?" Rose wondered.
"I am a seventh year," Sakura informed. "Same as my brother."
"Ohhh… you gonna put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" James asked.
Sakura shook her head. "No, but my brother plans to. He is the successor of our family."
"I can't imagine you're far behind him," Zander remarked, eyeing her deep green robes. "You've got excellent academics."
"What…?" Alice exhaled, turning and giving him another odd look. "How do you know…?"
"Mahoutokoro students have special school robes, Alice," Zander stated, nodding once at Sakura. "The robes change color based on how well they're doing in school, and green is the final color before they turn gold. Gold being the best color you can get."
"Oh," Alice smirked. "That's brilliant."
"They also turn white if the student has betrayed the school or the magical laws somehow," Zander added. "Turning white is considered a huge dishonor in Mahoutokoro."
"You certainly know a lot about this," Rose commented.
"I've been planning to enter this tournament for a while," Zander replied. "I did my research."
"So… you like magical creatures?" Sakura asked Tobias. "I do, too."
Tobias nodded down at his lap, trying to glance at her again and only halfway succeeding.
"Do you know of the thunderbird?" Sakura inquired.
"Oh… yes," Tobias nodded, straightening up and finally facing her properly. "I love ze thunderbird. Zey are native to America… and they are like… an eagle…"
"I always found them fascinating," Sakura grinned, swiping a loose strand of hair from her eye. "They can create massive storms on instinct alone."
"They're hypersensitive to danger, too," Lorcan chimed in.
"What else do you like?" Sakura questioned, tilting her head curiously at Tobias.
"Uhm…" Tobias blushed, smirking and combing his wavy bangs aside. "Vell… I like a lot of things. I always found Leprechauns funny…"
"Leprechauns are not funny," Alice grumbled. "They are mean…"
Everyone chuckled at hearing this.
The conversation carried on for a while thereafter.
Flight 1776 flew across the Atlantic as Hogwarts students spoke with a few of the Mahoutokoro students who had arrived to visit their lounging area, and Alice, Zander, and everyone else on the rounded couch found themselves discussing the various creatures of the magical world for a long while, James eventually derailing the conversation into a series of what-if scenarios, asking which magical creature everyone would prefer to fight if given the choice between a dragon or a hidebehind, and things of that nature.
After a couple of hours, Tobias seemed to relax more, and he was fully immersed in conversation with Sakura now, seeming to beam at everything she said.
Alice stole a glimpse of Tobias, leaning over to Zander and whispering into his ear.
"He fancies her," she murmured.
Zander blinked, squinting at Tobias and seeming to realize the same thing. He turned and traded a subtle half-smile with Alice, both of them smirking and watching their friend gush over Sakura from a short distance away.
Then, after a moment more of talking, everyone in the rounded couch slowly fell silent—all of them only just realizing that someone else was among them now, a new arrival standing over the edge of the couch and surveying them all somewhat pensively.
Sakura glanced up, staring past Tobias and meeting eyes with the man standing over him—a slender Japanese student with robes of silky gold. He had smooth black hair, just long enough to tent over his eyes, his arms folded and his eyes locked firmly onto her, as if awaiting an explanation from her.
"Onii-chan," Sakura muttered, slowly rearing back. "Doshdano…?"
Everyone fell silent, glancing between the two of them and sensing tension in the air.
Alice leaned over to Zander again, muttering quietly to him. "Whaddid he say…?"
Zander studied the student in gold robes, scooting slightly closer to her and whispering. "Onii-chan means brother."
The student in gold—Sakura's brother—grimaced deeply down at her. He muttered something in Japanese, and once more, Alice turned to Zander for a translation.
Zander ran a hand down his face, making a loose little shrug. "I'm not fluent, but… I heard the word gaijin in there…"
"What's that mean?" Alice uttered quietly.
Zander sighed, crossing his arms and turning to her. "It's kind of a slur for white people. I'm guessing… he doesn't want his sister hanging out with… 'the wrong crowd.'"
Alice blinked and reeled back, turning and shooting a troubled look at the student in gold.
James, Lorcan, and Rose were all giving him similarly disturbed stares now.
Sakura let out a breath, looking disappointed. "Demo…"
"Iiee," the student in gold grumbled, shaking his head and motioning for her to stand. "Eiko. Haioku, Onee-chan."
Sakura glumly shook her head at him.
Tobias glimpsed between the two, frowning and adjusting his glasses.
"Ehm… excuse me," he said sheepishly, slowly raising his hand and giving Sakura's brother a look. "Is somezing wrong here…?"
All of Tobias's friends stared at him in slight surprise—as it was rather unusual for him to be the first to speak up during any moments of tension or confrontation.
Sakura's brother gave Tobias a penetrating glare, making the tension amplify over them all. Then, he huffed out a breath, nodding and folding his arms again.
"Hai… now that you mention it, there is something wrong here," Sakura's brother stated. "But it's nothing you need to concern yourself with, you little kraut."
Tobias took back, looking both hurt and offended.
Zander's jaw twitched, he and Alice glaring at Sakura's brother with apprehension. Rose's mouth fell open, and James and Lorcan gave the man a double-take, looking as if they'd misheard him.
"Damare, Kenji," Sakura hissed at her brother.
"Userai," her brother—Kenji—growled back at her.
The two argued in Japanese for a moment, and Kenji snarled something angrily at her, swatting at everyone else on the rounded couch as he did.
Then—Zander rolled his neck and sighed, standing from the couch.
"Oy," he yelled—instantly making both of them fall silent.
Sakura and Kenji both stared at Zander, as did everyone else.
Zander cocked his head, gently grinding his teeth. "If you're gonna stand there calling all of us names—don't assume none of us know what you're saying. You don't want her 'hanging out with people like us,' or 'mixing with the wrong people,' or 'making friends out of the enemy,' or whatever—well, I've got news for you. She can do whatever she wants. And if you insult my friend again, it might be the last thing you ever do."
A long, terrible silence fell over all of them—and now, many students from the nearby couches had fallen silent as well, turning their heads and observing the confrontation that was unraveling.
Kenji tilted his head at Zander, flashing a sneering half-smile. "Do you know who I am?"
"Couldn't care less," Zander griped.
"I'm the greatest chaser to ever grace the Nihon Quidditch team… and I'm a master duelist, too," Kenji bragged, softly flicking the rim of his robe. "Kenji Takahashi. Pleasure to meet you, whoever you are."
"Zander McAllister," Zander replied, grasping along the rim of his robe as well. "And I really don't give a damn."
Everyone watched with rapt anticipation, as both of them were glaring daggers into each other now, their hands hovering at their robes, looking as if either of them might draw their wands at any given second.
"McAllister," Kenji murmured interestingly, giving him a curious squint. "Oh… I know who you are. You were in the paper all summer long. Even the papers back home had to cover what you did last year."
Zander made a sideways nod, wearing the faintest hint of a proud little smirk now.
"I hope you don't think you're special because of that," Kenji sneered. "Some of us have worked hard all our lives to be exceptional… not relying on once-in-a-lifetime miracles to make our reputations for us."
"Preaching to the choir," Zander chided. "Now why don't you just go away? None of us were doing anything to bother you—so, kindly, stop bothering us."
"Gladly… as soon as my sister joins me," Kenji said, turning and giving Sakura a sharp glare. "Eiko, Onee-chan."
Sakura gulped, hesitating, then softly shaking her head at him.
"Eiko," Kenji demanded again, jabbing his thumb back. "Now."
Sakura shook her head once more, her hand coiling tightly around Tobias's wrist.
Tobias glimpsed at her, then at Kenji, his expression darkening.
"She doesn't wanna go," Zander said. "Just let her stay and talk to us. It's not a big deal."
"Not to you," Kenji snapped. "I wouldn't expect a classless ingrate to understand—but the Takahashi family don't mix with lesser families, and that's just the way it is. Sakura. Eiko!"
He reached down—grabbing Sakura by the arm and yanking her harshly off the couch. Sakura winced and gasped as Kenji jerked her away from the others.
"Oy…!" Tobias shouted—rocketing up from the couch and rounding on him.
He suddenly stopped on a dime—Kenji's free hand shooting forward and jutting a wand out, aiming it squarely at Tobias's chest.
"Expelliarmus!"
Zander whipped out his wand and shot the spell off—making Kenji's wand fly from his hand and soar across the room.
Alice leaped from the couch with her wand drawn, she and Zander both aiming at Kenji and glaring angrily at him. James, Lorcan, and Rose stood as well—and everyone else in the entirety of the Hogwarts lounging area fell completely silent, all of their attention transfixed on the altercation in the corner now.
Kenji maintained his grasp on Sakura, whose eyes were filling with tears. He leered into Zander, and then, his eyes shifted over to Tobias, smirking and chuckling coldly at the disturbed expression strewn across his rounded face.
"Look at you," Kenji laughed. "Can't even defend yourself against some wand-pointing. All your little friends have to fight your battles for you. You're pathetic. Precisely why my sister shouldn't waste her time and attention on you."
Tobias glared at him in furious dismay, trying his best to keep his own eyes from watering now.
"All right—break it up!" Crowley shouted from across the room, striding briskly toward them and shooting all of them a look. "What's going on here?!"
He looked to Alice and Zander for an explanation, then to Kenji and Sakura. When nobody spoke up, he asked again.
"What is going on here?" Crowley demanded.
"This girl, Sakura—she came and talked to us for a while, and her brother tried to forcibly drag her away," Zander told him. "Then he pointed his wand at Tobias, so I disarmed him. That's all."
Alice, James, Lorcan, Rose, and Sakura all nodded in agreement with this.
Crowley sighed heavily, turning to Kenji. "All right… you two, just go back to your side of the plane. You all just need to stay away from each other for now."
"Hai," Kenji gladly agreed, nudging Sakura along and escorting her away. He walked across the room, plucked his fallen wand from the floor, and marched off with his sister, both of them vanishing from sight.
Tobias watched them go, frowning and looking utterly humiliated. Alice and Zander traded glances before stuffing their wands away, and their friends sank back down to the couch.
Crowley let out another deep breath, turning to Alice and Zander.
"You're always the ones at the heart of the trouble, aren't you…?" he mumbled softly.
"Not intentionally," Zander replied.
"Aye… we really didn't go looking for it this time," Alice agreed.
Crowley nodded mildly, glimpsing around at the hundreds of eyes staring at them, then facing Alice and Zander again.
"We'll be landing soon," he told them. "So try not to fight anyone else before we even get there… all right?"
"Aye," Alice said with a smirk, Zander nodding in agreement.
Crowley nodded as well, then turned and shooed everyone away, announcing that the show was over and instructing the students to go about their business.
As Crowley strolled away, and as everyone else slowly turned their attention away from the round couch in the corner, Alice, Zander, and Tobias reclaimed their seats, and they all exchanged grave looks with one another.
"Well that was cheerful," James grumped.
"Where does he get off?" Lorcan said, tossing up a hand and giving James a look. "My father's annoyed about nearly everything you do, but he's never once tried to stop us from being friends because of it."
"Yeah… and Kenji's not even her father," James agreed, scoffing and making a face. "He's just a prejudiced controlling git, far as I can tell."
"And we weren't even doing anything, either," Rose mumbled, frowning and shaking her head. "It's not like we were trying to drag Sakura into trouble or something. We were literally just talking to her."
"Doesn't matter," Zander grumbled, folding his arms and sighing. "People like that just don't want their family to have any kind of friends outside their own circles. Just like my father. They think nobody else is good enough to even talk to."
There was a pause, and everyone's gaze slowly ventured over to Tobias, who was staring glumly down at his lap, grimacing heavily and saying nothing.
Alice frowned sadly at him, scooting closer to him and gingerly stroking along his back.
"You know he's wrong, Tobi," she told him genuinely. "Don't take anything he said seriously."
Tobias let out a long, shaky breath, sniffing and fixing his glasses.
"I have never been treated like zat before," he mumbled.
"Well… I have," Alice told him, patting him on the back. "Some people are always just gonna stare down their noses at everybody else. They're just rotten people. It doesn't reflect us at all."
"You have too been treated like that before," James recalled, waving a finger at Tobias. "What about the time Mary-Lynn started making fun of you because of your German spells or whatever—?"
"Shut up, James!" Rose hissed at him, smacking him hard on the arm.
"Tobias," Zander said, giving him a serious look. "If any of that nonsense was true, then I wouldn't even be here. I'd probably be on a private jet with my father, listening to everything he says and hanging around with stuck-up high-class wannabes just like him. All of that class garbage is just that—garbage. And it's all in a person's head. Okay?"
Tobias glanced at him, nodding and facing his lap again.
"And y'know what," Alice said, grasping his shoulder and giving him a smirk. "I think we're gonna make a friend out of Sakura no matter what."
Tobias blinked, wiping his eye with his thumb and giving her a doubtful stare.
"Really…?" he breathed.
"Aye. Definitely," Alice assured with confidence, giving his shoulder a shake. "She likes us… and she especially likes you. It's gonna happen. Wait and see."
Just then—an overhead intercom system sparked to life, grabbing the attention of every student of Hogwarts.
"Commencing for landing in T-minus five minutes time. Begin preparing for departure from Flight 1776."
Alice and Zander looked up at the ceiling, then at each other, exchanging thoughtful and anxious faces with the rest of their friends as well.
The year-long adventure in America was just about to begin.