Chapter 5 : The weasel to the rescue
Dumbledore had always valued the respect of rules in order to guarantee the protection of his students during their stay at Hogwarts. But unlike some of the other teachers who were following them strictly, he was more comprehensive and applied punishments only if it was absolutely necessary.
And Akira's case was no exception. Even if she had beaten up countless of students to the point of sending them to the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore thought that she had attenuating circumstances. Indeed, after he managed to make her tell him why she suddenly started to brutally attack her school comrades, namely that she had broken down after having encountered a bloody kunai and a letter on Halloween night that reminded her of Tatsuno and Matsuo death, he forgave her and only made recommendations to never act like that again rather than lecturing her about it. He even assured her that the door of his office would always be open if she needed to talk to him about anything, or if she needed to pour out her anger on someone.
Of course, Dumbledore made it clear that Akira no longer had the right to attack the students and also that she had to return to class to follow her lessons like her classmates but that was it. She wouldn't get detentions and wouldn't be fired. However, this last point didn't suit Akira who was dreaming of being expelled to have the possibility to return to Konoha to avenge the death of the twins. She tried to say to the Headmaster that she really wanted to leave the school but even letting her anger explode didn't change his mind. She was supposed to stay at Hogwarts during the Second Great Ninja War and that was what she would do. And being insolent towards him wouldn't make any difference.
The only thing that Dumbledore didn't accept was when Akira threatened to continue down her bad path, no matter what he said. He then advised her that if she didn't want to make this effort on her own, he knew someone who would be happy to ensure that she returned on the right path.
Akira thought at first that he was talking about Arcturus and she began to smile inwardly when she remembered that she managed to escape the latter without making much effort. But it turned out that Dumbledore was referring to someone who was clingier and who was just as keen to help Akira as Arcturus. However, he didn't tell her who it was as she was finally allowed to leave Dumbledore's office after this discussion.
It wasn't until the next day that Akira realized that Dumbledore had called on Tolfius in his weasel form to check on her. Indeed, as she was leaving the Great Hall after her early breakfast to avoid her comrades, she came face to face with this recognizable weasel which was standing up on its hind legs in the middle of the still deserted Entrance Hall to stare at her insistently.
"Oh no, not you !" Akira exclaimed out loud while speaking directly to the weasel. "I know why you're here and I refuse to let you follow me like two years ago as it was a real nightmare. So go do your things while I do mine !"
But her threats had no effect on the weasel which didn't move an inch. This only angered Akira even more and she didn't hesitate to approach the weasel to kick it away as it was only an other mischief to add to her long list. But the weasel was agile. It jumped out of the way of her kick before taking advantage of having her leg nearby to climb on it. It ran along her pants before doing the same on her sweater and then going back down one sleeve to bite her hand.
"Ouch !" Akira exclaimed while shaking her hand violently to get rid of the weasel.
The latter finally let go and crashed on the stone floor but without the slightest harm since it was a small animal. The weasel got immediately back on its feet – or rather paws - before staring again at Akira with its little black, shiny eyes.
"Leave me alone !" Akira shouted at it with hatred but without daring to hit it this time.
However, the weasel didn't obey. It even began to follow Akira when the latter rushed towards the Marble Staircase in an attempt to get away from it. It was a waste of effort as this animal was faster than she had imagined as she was unable to outrun it. At some point, the weasel even passed her and stopped right in front of her. Akira was tempted to step on it but after her last try resulting in the weasel biting her hand, she preferred to go in the opposite direction.
The situation was frustrating for her but for an external viewer, it must have been funny to see her being chased by this adorable little creature which wasn't letting go of her. At least until the weasel began to act strangely by always placing itself where she was about to put her foot, resulting in Akira being unable to move from her spot.
"Get out of my way !" Akira told it sharply before realizing where she was.
Indeed, she had just arrived in front of the Arithmancy room in which she had a lesson first thing this morning, so in about ten minutes.
"Are you serious ?" She said bitterly to the weasel. "Did you chase me until I reached my classroom ?"
The latter stood up on its hind legs before nodding weakly as it had understood her question.
"It's not up to you to dictate my behaviour. I do what I want when I want and if I don't want to go to class, it's not you who'll make me." Akira advised it.
But the weasel didn't care and simply stood in front of her foot every time she took a step to leave. To get rid of it, Akira took her magic wand to stun it but at the same time, the door of the room flew open to let out a disgruntled Watterston.
"Why are you screaming ? You can be heard from ten kilometers around." He pointed out to her harshly after seeing that she was alone as Tolfius was hiding at the foot of a wall so that the Professor wouldn't notice him. "And I also don't understand why you've pulled out your magic wand when my course doesn't require it."
"I thought that I was being chased by something." Akira awkwardly justified herself which was the truth in a sense.
"Really ? It's hard to believe since you're the only one in this hallway. And you better stop fooling around with me because I teach only people who are sane. Not eccentric ones who talk to themselves while thinking they're followed. Your absenteeism isn't going to work in your favour so I advise you to make yourself very small in a corner of the classroom to be forgotten. Now, get in !" Watterston ordered her while taking a step aside to let her enter the room.
This was how Akira was forced to go to class again for all her lessons. Tolfius was always on the lookout to chase after her and take her where she needed to be. And it was impossible for her to hide from him as he knew the whole school by heart, even the Room of Requirement. She wasn't able also to beat up anyone under the disapproving look of this weasel which was still a wizard from the Ministry of Magic who had the capacity to neutralize her in a second with a spell.
Akira's complaints to Dumbledore on this subject were of no use as the latter was rather satisfied with the effectiveness of Tolfius to make her become a nice Hogwarts student again.
"Tolfius is constantly stalking me ! Also, making me go to class doesn't mean that I'll listen to the lessons or do my homework. So he might as well stop the fees." Akira said to Dumbledore as she had come to his office to put an end to this charade.
"I could make you work in class if I was let. But I was told that you didn't like when I was spending my day crushed in your bag to protect you from this dangerous student who tried to kill you." Tolfius defended himself after resuming for this discussion his human appearance for the first time since Akira spotted him in the Entrance Hall.
"Indeed, Akira told me that this type of surveillance was too invasive." Dumbledore agreed while sitting behind his desk and speaking in a calm tone unlike Akira who was angry and Tolfius who was hurt that his help wasn't appreciated at its true value. "So it was put in place that you would follow her from afar and the results are there. I just regret having to use this trick but if you promise me that you'll go to class by yourself without causing any more trouble to your classmates, I'll put an end to Mr. Tolfius' mission right away."
"I've nothing to promise you." Akira replied while crossing her arms decisively.
"The weasel is still on the run !" Tolfius said playfully since he was still needed. "Then, let me take you back to your common room so that you don't make a detour when it's almost curfew time."
"You see ? It's infuriating." Akira grumbled to Dumbledore before storming out of the office with Tolfius transformed back into a weasel on her heels.
And things didn't get better with time. Only one day, about a week before Christmas, Akira was grateful towards Tolfius for forcing her to go to her Transfiguration class as it was during this lesson that Professor McGonagall – who was constantly staring at Akira with a disapproving look after their last eventful discussion – broke news that lit a light bulb in Akira's head.
"Like for previous years, I ask you to fill out this parchment to indicate if you'll be staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas Holidays." The Professor explained while showing them the parchment before giving it to Frank Longbottom.
"Our names should already be put on it since we never moved from the castle since three years, right ?" Arcturus pointed out to Akira as he was more than delighted that his long-time accomplice was keeping him company in class again.
"Not this year." Akira advised him while staring at the parchment that was being passed from hand to hand after realizing that not filling it was her long-awaited way out of Hogwarts.
"What ?" Arcturus exclaimed louder than intended which earned him a shush from Professor McGonagall. "You're not staying ?"
"No." Akira stated as she made up her mind to leave Hogwarts on Christmas to get back to Konoha.
"But you've already missed a good part of the school year. I had hoped that at least, we would have spent the holidays together." Arcturus told her sadly.
"Well, that's not possible. I've things to do at home." Akira advised him without the slightest compassion as getting her revenge on the twins' killer was stronger than anything else.
"In that case, can I come to your place too ?" Arcturus asked her out of the blue while starting to display a big smile at the idea.
"Absolutely not !" Akira replied immediately as she found the idea crazy.
"Please. My family doesn't want me for the holidays and I don't want to stay alone at Hogwarts while waiting for you to return." Arcturus begged while staring at her with puppy eyes.
"No. Tolfius is already following me everywhere in the school, I don't want you to do the same during the holidays." Akira told him before regretting to have mentioned the latter's name.
"Tolfius is back ? How is he doing ?" Arcturus asked her in a conversational tone.
"Who cares. You won't come to my house anyway. It's far away from England, nothing is planned to celebrate Christmas and my father won't be very happy if I'm bringing a stranger to our village."
"I'm not a stranger. I've already met him briefly..." Arcturus replied before interrupting himself when the parchment finally arrived at their level.
Akira took it and immediately gave it to Arcturus without writing anything on it. But before the latter could put his quill on the parchment, Professor McGonagall snatched it from him to give it back to Akira.
"You'll have to write your name on the list, Miss Chitsute. Professor Dumbledore warned me that you have to spend the Christmas Holidays at Hogwarts."
"Why ? I've tasks waiting for me at home and besides, my father wants me to come back for the holidays." Akira openly lied as her father wanted the opposite with the war raging in Konoha.
"If Professor Dumbledore brought this request up to me, it's because he had a good reason to do so." McGonagall told her in a firm tone but nevertheless not a happy one as she wasn't enjoying to deprive her from vacations in her family despite the lack of respect that Akira had shown towards her.
Unable to disobey as McGonagall was waiting next to her until she put her name on the parchment, Akira reluctantly did as she was requested. Once she was done, McGonagall took the parchment and was about to give it to the next table when Arcturus intervened.
"Excuse me, Professor ? I still didn't put my name on the list. After three years spent in your class, I had hoped that you would have remembered that my family doesn't want to see me for the holidays. They only make an effort for the ones of summer." Arcturus reminded her as he also couldn't help but smile at the good news that Akira was forced to stay in Hogwarts.
"It couldn't be worst." Akira thought bitterly while sliding miserably onto her desk as McGonagall was walking away with the parchment - once Arcturus' name was on it - to give it to Sandra who was talking non-stop with her friends about how she was going to spend her holidays, namely meeting with her extended family in a cosy house they were renting. "I was so close to get back to Konoha but Dumbledore once again had to interfere."
"Isn't that great ? We're going to spend a snowy Christmas here and enjoy the end-of-year Feasts as well as the New Year's fireworks. This couldn't be better." Arcturus told her while taking her by the shoulders.
"Yeah, great." Akira grumbled while freeing herself from his embrace unceremoniously.
However, even though her name was on this cursed parchment, she wasn't ready to give up her freedom yet. Because permission or not, there was still a train leaving Hogsmeade to bring the students back to London. She just had to come up with a plan to get inside.
Hello dear readers,
So, Dumbledore let Akira stay in Hogwarts with nothing more than a weasel on her heels. A cute, but clingy one. Whether he was right or not to let her go away with her mischief doesn't really matter since she can't act as she wants anymore. She's once again a nice student who follows the rules, even though it's not of her own free will, she's clearly forced to stay on the right track.
However, Christmas is coming with its decorations, its songs, its snow, its ice and its Hogwarts Express which would face the blizzard to take the students safely at home. But this year, there might be an additional person in its wagons, one who has never left the school during winter. We'll see how it will go some days before Christmas, which is when I intend to publish the next chapter.