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.

Training

"I can't believe that you gave away that advantage," snarled Draco. "You could have been the only Champion who knew what was coming—"

"No," said Harry. He shook his head. "Professors Karkaroff and Maxime knew as well, and I guarantee you they'll tell their Champions. So the only ones who didn't know were Cedric and Ami."

"And you told Cedric," said Draco. "Why didn't you tell Ami? I thought you two were getting along all right?"

"That's before I learned that they're trying to kill Hotaru," snapped Harry.

Draco paused, and glanced over at Hotaru. "They are? Why?"

"I don't really know," admitted Harry. "Supposedly, she defeated them once before, before she was reincarnated."

Hotaru paled even further, but quickly said, "We still might not understand what they're talking about. It might not be me they're looking for."

"True," allowed Harry. "But it seems a bit suspicious that Meiou-sensei landed right on top of us."

"Regardless," drawled Malfoy. "We're here for a strategy meeting. Where's Granger?"

"Probably still in Ancient Runes," said Harry.

"The bell went five minutes ago," grumbled Draco. "I've never seen someone who wants more work so much."

"Well, we can certainly brainstorm ideas while we wait," said Hotaru. "Like, what if Harry used his Parseltongue to try just talking to the dragon?"

"That's a good idea," said Draco. "The only flaw in it is that Parselmouths can only speak to snakes, not dragons."

"Oh." Hotaru deflated.

"It was a good idea," said Harry, trying to bolster his girlfriend's self-esteem.

"That's what I said," commented Draco. "Potter, you've got that invisibility cloak. What if you just tried sneaking past it?"

"Pretty sure that dragons have an excellent sense of smell," said Harry. "My Cloak blocks sight, but no other senses. And while I might be able to move silently enough, the dragon will still be able to smell me."

The door to the classroom opened, and Hermione stuck her head in. "Sorry, was held up. What did I miss?"

"We ruled out Parselmouth and Harry's cloak," said Hotaru.

Hermione pondered for a moment, tapping her finger against her chin. Then her eyes lit up with an idea. "What if we create a diversion by utilizing a large-scale Transfiguration spell? We could turn a portion of the surrounding area into a habitat suitable for a different magical creature that dragons don't particularly get along with."

Draco smirked, clearly intrigued by the suggestion. "You mean like creating a mini-forest of Venomous Tentacula or something equally aggressive that will keep the dragon occupied?"

Hermione nodded, her excitement growing. "Exactly! If we carefully plan the Transfiguration spell and choose the right creature, it will not only distract the mother dragon but also discourage her from coming too close to the nest, ensuring our chances of retrieving the egg."

"There's a problem with that, too," said Harry. "Which is, I'm not great at Transfiguration. In fact, of the four of us here, the only one that is any good at it at all—" He pointed at Hermione. "Is you."

Hermione deflated. "Sorry."

"Ideas are good," rebutted Harry. "Keep 'em coming."

"What dragons did they have?" asked Hotaru suddenly.

"Hungarian Horntail, Peruvian Vipertooth, Common Welsh Green, Chinese Fireball and Norwegian Ridgeback," said Harry. "If you remember, I spent some time first year with a Norwegian Ridgeback."

"I remember," snapped Draco. "I remember you getting me in detention over it."

"I think you mis-remember," pointed out Harry, frowning. "I certainly didn't make you try to dob us in to McGonagall."

"Wait a minute," said Hotaru. "You said that they're sensitive to smell, right, Harry-kun?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Norbert always sniffed the air when Hagrid brought him his brandy. He knew it was coming long before he could see it."

"What about some sort of distracting scent?" asked Hotaru. "Something to draw the dragon out?"

"There are certain potions that are known for their strong odour," mused Draco. "Plus, we can find one to neutralize your own scent. You could use one to eliminate your own scent, and the other to draw off the dragon."

"They told me that the only thing I could bring in was my wand," said Harry.

"Well, there are charms that produce similar results. Use those, plus your Cloak, and you should have no problems."

"Again, no Cloak. Though, I'm good with charms," admitted Harry. "Or at least, with defensive magics."

"Then I've got just the spell for you," said Draco. "The Disillusionment Hex. Doesn't really make you invisible, but makes you really hard to see. Like you blend into things."

"And if there's charms to affect odour," said Hermione excitedly, "they're probably documented in the library. We should pay a visit. We can also look up the dragons."

"Of course," said Harry, grinning. "When in doubt, go to the library."

"It's a good thing you decided against trying Parseltongue," observed Hermione. "According to this, dragons really, really hate snakes."

"Dragons must be Gryffindors," said Draco with a smirk.

"Apparently, many larger snakes will raid their nests and eat their eggs," said Hermione reprovingly.

Draco turned his own book around. "Found the Disillusionment Hex. It's wordless, so it's a good thing you're decent with hexes."

"And here's the odour-blocking charm," said Harry. "Hotaru-chan? Find anything of note?"

"No." Hotaru looked a bit discouraged. "Looks like potions are the only way to go for a strong odour."

"You could always use a summoning charm to call in a potion," suggested Hermione.

"Let's sign these books out," said Harry. "We'll take them back to the practice room, and go over them there."

"There's Weasley," growled Draco.

They'd crossed the main stairwell, and were in the corridor leading to the disused classroom they'd appropriated as their "headquarters." Harry saw Ron emerging from another classroom, farther down the hallway.

"What's he doing?" Harry wondered. "It's Sunday. No classes today. Do you know which classroom that is?"

"Nothing in this corridor is used," said Hermione. Her voice was wary, and Harry knew that she was worried that this encounter might turn ugly.

Hotaru scowled and quickened her pace, meeting with Ron halfway up the corridor. Ron flinched, no doubt remembering the slap he'd already received at her hands.

"Hagrid told you to deliver a message to Harry," she said sharply.

"I'm not an owl!" Ron waved a hand weakly. "Besides, he's got you lot. Why should I be concerned?"

"Because you're supposed to be his friend," snapped Hotaru, her voice filled with disappointment.

"Well, it's his fault I'm not," said Ron. "He turned on me, not the other way around." He pushed past Hotaru and stalked down the corridor, glaring at the other three as he did so.

"Ron—"

Ron cut Hermione off with another wave of the hand, more forcefully this time. "Don't, Hermione. You chose your side."

Harry watched sadly as his first human friend stalked off, until he turned out of the corridor.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You know, Potter, I'll take back what I said first year about the rest of his family. But not him." He paused. "Or Percy."

"He does have his good points," Harry said.

"Can't imagine what," drawled Draco. "Well, let's go see what he was up to." He turned and walked down the corridor, towards the room that Ron had exited.

"Should we be doing that?" asked Hermione plaintively. "I mean, him turning against us isn't really a reason to invade his privacy, is it?"

"I'm not real chuffed about his need for privacy," said Harry shortly. He quickened his steps to catch up with Draco. Though as torn as he was over Ron's behaviour lately, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of remorse at his own behaviour.

Draco pushed open the door, and paused. "What the hell?"

Harry stepped past him, and looked around. The room exuded an air of mystique, its walls adorned with tapestries depicting celestial patterns and astrological symbols. The smell of old parchment filled the room. Soft, ethereal light radiated from floating candles, casting flickering shadows that danced across the room's surfaces.

In the center of the room, a round table covered in a deep purple cloth supported a crystal ball, a tarot deck and a leather pouch. Bookshelves lined the far wall, displaying musty tomes covered in dust, though a few showed signs of recent use.

"This must be the old Divination classroom," said Hermione softly. Quiet voices seemed called for within this space. "From before Trelawney. I wonder how long it's been abandoned?"

"Dumbledore told me that he hired Trelawney the year before I was born," said Harry. "If she's always been in her tower, then it's been at least fifteen years."

Hotaru had wandered over to the table, and examined the tarot deck, her brow furrowing in concentration. "These have been used today. Probably what he was doing just before he left." She turned the first few cards. "Knight of Staves...Page of Swords...the Tower?" She shrugged. "I don't know what layout he was using, or where in the layout these cards would go."

"But I thought you didn't believe in Divination," objected Hermione.

"I do believe in Divination," countered Hotaru. "It's Trelawney I don't believe in."

"Divination requires dedication and talent," confirmed Draco. "It's not for everybody, but if someone's really determined to master it, it can be very helpful."

Harry's eyes were drawn to one of the tapestries. It was quite old and faded, but he could see the silver thread picking out the various astrological symbols. He tapped one in particular, one that looked like a lower-case letter 'h'. "Hey, guys? What's this one mean?"

Hotaru blanched at the sight of the symbol. Hermione glanced at it, and said, "That's the symbol for the planet Saturn."

Harry glanced at Hotaru, and saw the fear in her eyes. He knew exactly where that fear came from: The symbol in question appeared in her nightmares, on the forehead of the Handmaiden of Death.