Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Higher Learning ❯ Spies, Mints, and Curious Kits ( Chapter 8 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Arigatomina 
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Drama / Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.06.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 7.4K | Visits: 805 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Drama / Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.06.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 7.4K | Visits: 805 | Status: Work In Progress
Author’s Notes: The last chapter was not intended to add more unknowns. It was simply too long to get everything in one dose. This part should clear up the new would-be-mysteries and leave only the ones the story began with.
2. A word on Ron, I admit I like him more than Harry. I’m debating on him or Luna for Hiei’s ‘pet’ student. If anyone feels strongly one way or the other, let me know which you’d like to see more of, and why you think that person would match (or clash) better with Hiei.
3. About Harry’s character - namely to Chrissy Sky, I’m assuming he has matured after the trauma in ‘Order of the Phoenix’. He would either get worse – more whiny, more childish and selfishly annoying – or he’d grow up. James matured by his sixth year (and he was really mean, so he had a long way to go). It’s my hope that Harry could follow suit if he tried. So take him as a mix of how he was in the third book (less of a crybaby) and the end of the fifth book (more prone to deal with his problems instead of taking them out on others) with a dash of patience and maturity that comes with experience. He’s graduating in two years. If he continues to get less mature as he ages, he’ll never pass the psychological tests required to be an auror. It’s my sincere hope that the future HP novels give him more growth and less regression as time goes on. As it is, the only reason I read the fifth book was for the supporting characters. The Harry I liked disappeared halfway through the forth book.
4. A reader, Fuzzy Eared, brought up a very good point that the setting (the visual descriptions of Hogwarts) is almost blank in this story. I don’t know if this has bothered anyone else, but I thought I should explain myself since I’m doing it intentionally. The setting for this story is already established – Hogwarts, whether seen as in the novels or the movies. I’m not creating anything new aside from dialogue and plot (and subtle changes to character appearances, as determined by the plot). By keeping the descriptions minimal, I let the readers decide which version of Hogwarts the story is taking place in – the novel version, the movie version (with extras like the Stonehenge-style runes, and the effect-staircase), or the ‘complete’ Lexicon version (that combines random details from all novels and tries to make them compatible enough to form a ‘true’ picture). I’m not familiar with HP fandom, but I’ve never seen a single YYH fic describe what Keonma’s office looks like – because it’s already established in the original anime. I took Hogwarts to be similarly ‘established’ by the novels and movies. To me, the only thing I’m interested in is the story and the characters. If you guys want more details on how I imagine the rooms to look (warning given that my imagination does not fit canon depiction), you’ll have to tell me. Otherwise, I’ll keep writing to suit myself – with focus on characters and plot, and an ‘established’ stage for the characters to act the story out on.
Category: Harry Potter-YYH crossover
Warnings: dialogue, bits of humor
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com
Website: www . geocities . com / arigatomina
Higher Learning
Part 8: Spies, Mints, and Curious Kits
Kurama sat back from the circular table, his right hand submerged in the bowl on his lap. The burns would take a good day or two to heal since he had refused any magical assistance. But he wasn’t above borrowing a few plants from the infirmary collection. Cirada – which probably went by a completely different name according to the wizards - worked nicely to numb the stinging sensation. He kept his palm covered with the thick, cool liquid as he listened to the argument going on around him.
They’d chosen the room of requirement rather than Dumbledore’s somewhat claustrophobic office. A quick bit of thinking and it was happy to supply them with a wide table, the appropriate number of chairs, and no interruptions. Dumbledore sat at the head, Snape and Lupin facing each other from either side, and Kurama seated across from the headmaster.
Hiei was currently scowling next to Snape, inspecting the wizard’s arm rather than taking part in the discussion. He’d been set against the man using magic to heal the wound, considering it was magic that had created the curse to begin with. But he didn’t sense any adverse side effects to it. What had formerly been a wet crater that dug straight down into the bone was now a concave patch of shiny red skin, not too dissimilar from the burn mark on Kurama’s palm. There was something to be said for those quick little spells, not that Hiei would ever admit it aloud.
He took his seat next to Kurama and let his annoyed gaze shift over the angry men bickering on the other side of the table. The fact that Snape had barely glared at him when he checked his arm spoke of how serious the wizards were about their argument.
As far as Hiei was concerned, the entire matter could have been avoided if the idiots would simply have killed the convicted death eaters instead of locking them in a prison they couldn’t maintain. The way they talked, it was obvious they had no plans to kill their enemies any time soon. They were concerned with surviving the plague and slowing the infection rate, instead of wiping out the disease itself.
“No one wants to put Draco in danger,” Dumbledore was saying to Lupin, his tone placating and just a tad defensive. “The problem is that he can’t simply turn down an official request without making himself a target. As much as I wish it were otherwise, I can’t protect everyone. The entire Malfoy family is aligned with Death Eaters, so we can’t set him up with any sort of blood protection. That means he would have to sever ties with his family entirely. I can’t imagine he would agree to that. It remains his decision to make. If he’s willing to act as a spy for our cause, then it would be very useful, especially now. But I do agree with you, Remus. He’s far too young to even consider such a thing.”
Snape shot a sharp look at Dumbledore, his voice a little soft considering the distaste dripping from his tone. “I was a student when I was recruited.”
“Yes,” said Dumbledore, “but I didn’t know that until after you’d left Hogwarts. I would never ask a student to act as a spy, no matter how it might benefit the Order.”
“But you’ve been setting him up for this,” Lupin accused, disgust marring his angry expression. “You’ve known that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent – half of the Slytherin class have parents who are Death Eaters. You knew they had the highest chance of becoming ones themselves.”
Dumbledore nodded with a tired expression, his eyes downcast. “We can’t protect students from their own families. But we were hoping Draco’s attachment to Severus would draw him to our side after he left Hogwarts. It wasn’t necessarily to use him as a spy. The main hope was that he would choose to sever ties with his family on his own. Barring that…”
“You’d have him set up to act as a spy,” Lupin repeated. “Either way, it benefits the Order. I can’t believe this…”
“That’s because you’re naïve,” said Snape. “Draco has been aware of his options since the day the Dark Lord was resurrected. He chose to confide in me, aware that I had a higher rank among the Death Eaters than his father did. That was his choice. He knew he’d be recruited and wanted to gain the support of someone powerful enough to keep him from following his father’s fall to lapdog status. Now that he knows I was a spy for the Order, and not the other way around, he’ll make a new decision. Whether it’s the Order, or the Death Eaters, he will be used. His choice is to pick the side he goes to.”
Lupin looked away, his hands clenched beneath the table. He couldn’t reconcile himself to the thought of a child being forced into a decision like that. And yet, he was all too aware of the truth in Snape’s words. During his own final years at Hogwarts he’d seen the signs. Slytherin students changing abruptly, some becoming ten times as cruel, others turning into little more than shadows. A few had disappeared altogether, resisters who’d refused recruitment. Adult wizards might have been the ones fighting the war in the years that followed, but Voldemort had always seemed to plan ahead. Followers were far more dedicated if taken at a vulnerable age, more easily molded or cowed. There was no reason to think he’d have changed his methods since then.
“We may be getting ahead of ourselves,” said Dumbledore. “So far Lucius is the only contact Draco has had. This request may not necessarily be a sign of recruitment.”
“A test,” Snape nodded. “If he gets the information Lucius wants him to get, he’ll prove himself a potentially useful Death Eater. If he fails, he may ruin any chance he has of becoming one of the Dark Lord’s personal aides, in which case he’d be useless to the Order, and his life would be in constant risk from both sides. At best, they may consider him too incompetent to become a Death Eater. That would have the same effect as severing ties with his family and peers. I doubt he’d allow that.”
“There’s no reason to leave it entirely up to him,” Lupin said sharply. “If we know what this test is, it’s up to us whether or not Draco accomplishes it. What was in that letter?”
Snape didn’t so much as glance over. Dumbledore sighed, rubbing his fingers over his temple and avoiding Lupin’s pointed stare.
“They want a picture,” Kurama offered.
Snape snapped around with a venomous glare, but Kurama ignored it. Even if Dumbledore chose to allow Snape to keep the contents a secret from Lupin, that didn’t mean Kurama was sworn to secrecy.
“The letter,” Kurama continued, “warned Draco that Snape is a spy. He’s been told to keep an eye on him, and to take note of his movements inside the school. Obviously they can’t track him now that the dark mark has been removed. The test is to obtain a picture of the demons. I’m sure Dumbledore can explain why they would ask for something like that…?”
Dumbledore glanced over, a wry smile pulling at his lips. “I did agree to keep the two of you informed about everything. I didn’t realize you would pick things up on your own so easily.”
“Little gets past me,” Hiei stated, his eyes cold. “It’s best not to even try.”
“So I see,” Dumbledore smiled. “Well, then, I should explain what Harry told me about his dream. Now that they’ve lost ties with Severus, their intention is to identify the strangers responsible. The letter makes it obvious they suspect the two of you are demons. There is only one way to track demons without getting within a detectable range of them.”
“The picture,” Hiei sneered.
Kurama winced a little at Hiei’s tone. He couldn’t help but remember that the only picture of Hiei in existence was one he and Yusuke had forced their friend to ‘stand’ for. They’d literally had to carry him over and hold him in place long enough for the camera to snap the shot. The only reason Hiei hadn’t flash-fried them both was because Yukina had been watching the scene. And that had been a normal, human, picture. He couldn’t even imagine how furious Hiei would be if someone took a wizard photo of him.
“They intend to get an original?” asked Lupin. “Even if they did, no living demon can be forced to remain in a wizard photo.”
“Unless he’s only part demon,” said Kurama. He sent a pointed look at Dumbledore, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Do you expect Lupin and I to submit to being photographed? Or do you honestly believe they were including Hiei when they used the word demons?”
Lupin blinked in surprise, and Snape snorted, a smirk breaking out over his face. Though he didn’t appreciate the source, it was satisfying to hear someone else say what he’d held for years. Werewolves were demons during the full moon. Whether they were tame enough to be considered magical creatures the rest of the month, they carried considerable demon blood. Compared to halfbreeds like Hagrid, werewolves were of darker ilk. Giants had never had the dark energy to be considered demons, however evil they sometimes behaved.
“I’m afraid he’s right,” Dumbledore said to Lupin. “Harry’s dream involved a photograph of you. Harry didn’t understand the significance, but it was rather clear that the purpose was to track you through it. Had it been an original, that would have been successful.”
“With an original,” Kurama glared, “a wizard can force even a half-demon to remain in the frame long enough to memorize his youki and reiki mix. If they thought they had an original, that means the original still exists. Why hasn’t it been destroyed?”
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair with a pronounced frown, the closest he’d come to an outright scowl. “I cannot destroy photos of former students. Original photographs are perfectly safe at Hogwarts.”
“And if Draco manages to take a photograph without turning the original over to you?” Kurama prodded.
“That won’t happen,” said Hiei.
He turned a bored look over the wizards, not minding the frowns sent his way. “If they want a photo of the demons, they can have one. Original, not original, it doesn’t matter.”
He lifted his arm and pointed at Lupin. “As a wolf, he won’t be consigned to stay in a photograph. The fox won’t either. They didn’t specify what sort of picture they wanted of the…demons.”
“Getting ahead of ourselves again,” Dumbledore protested. “We haven’t decided if we want Draco to pass this ‘test’ or not. At the moment, it’s enough that we are aware of their intentions.”
“Assuming Draco doesn’t decide on his own,” said Kurama. “What makes you think he’ll wait for your permission to decide his future? Rather presumptuous of you, isn’t it?”
Snape turned bodily to stare at Kurama, his gaze suspicious. He was almost relieved to see the faint flash of gold over those narrow green eyes. Kurama’s voice had gone frigid in the last few minutes, very different from the casual tone he’d started out with.
“Draco doesn’t want to decide,” Snape said slowly, deliberately keeping his tone sober. “He plans to hold off on making any decision until he’s had more time to consider the results. We don’t plan to make that decision for him. At best, we’re…considering whether to aid him or hinder him, depending on his choice.”
“Precisely,” said Dumbledore.
Kurama opened his mouth and Hiei silenced him with a mint candy. The redhead choked in surprise, almost swallowing the confection.
“We don’t need to hear you plan how you’ll manipulate this boy,” Hiei said to Dumbledore. “You babysit for the day. We’ll be back by nightfall.”
Hiei stood and tugged off his scarf, dropping it in the bowl Kurama was holding. He didn’t have to explain.
Kurama scowled a little, but wrapped the damp cloth over his hand so he could leave the bowl on the table. He really wanted to dress down the pompous man who claimed to have the power to kill the supposed ‘dark lord’, but who chose to spend his time using children to fight his wars instead. Unfortunately for him, Hiei wasn’t quite bored enough to watch him say things he’d likely regret later. Kurama snapped his teeth down on the little mint and crunched it irritably as he followed Hiei out of the room.
Left in the room, Dumbledore gave a regretful sigh. “It appears I’ve not made the best impression with our guests…”
“It’s not you,” Snape said, a dark smirk twisting his face. “He fancies the wolf. Canine types get along surprisingly well. One would expect such territorial animals to be snapping at each other’s throats.”
Lupin gave a tight smile. “Rather like you and Hiei…? I didn’t realize you were territorial, Severus. But you do snap at throats very well for a human. Should I model my behavior after yours?”
“It would be an improvement,” Snape stated, seemingly unfazed by the taunts. “Despite their appearances, they are demons. Only a fool would forget that.”
Dumbledore let out another quiet sigh, his gaze shifting sadly from one glaring professor over to the other.
“Perhaps having the two of you watched separately wasn’t the best plan,” he said, his tone thoughtful. “I had hoped working together might let you overcome your past animosity. It would be a shame to have professors who are unable to carry on a rational conversation without coming to verbal blows.”
Snape bristled and dropped his gaze to glare at the table. If anything, Dumbledore’s reasonable tone made him want to lash out even more. He knew very well that the headmaster held him responsible. Which was just ridiculous since Lupin gave as good as he got. Why did it fall on him to avoid conflict? As far as he was concerned, the only way to deal with a problem was to attack it head on. With everyone – even Kurama – jumping in to play pacifist, there wasn’t a chance of resolving anything.
“I apologize, Headmaster,” Lupin said quietly, his gaze downcast and sober.
It took all of Snape’s control not to snort aloud. A prim and proper werewolf. As much respect as he had for Dumbledore, he’d never understand how the man could fall for such a ridiculous act.
“Yes,” said Dumbledore, “well, you’ve made progress, anyway. As to the recent developments – we won’t act until Draco has reached a decision. Severus, I expect you to be on guard until then. It would be best if he didn’t leave the school without supervision. Lucius is certain to make actual contact at the first opportunity. So long as we can postpone that, Draco will have more time to consider his options.”
“You’re absolutely set on not interfering in his decision?” asked Lupin.
“He couldn’t if he wanted to,” Snape stated. “Nothing short of imperiatus will sway Draco Malfoy once he’s set his mind on something. Be glad he isn’t as rash and impulsive as some people his age.”
Lupin carefully ignored that pointed comment, reminding himself that he’d already behaved immaturely once in the last ten minutes. If he couldn’t even keep his tongue in check in front of Dumbledore – the one who’d gone out of his way to acquire him a position at Hogwarts despite the opposition – then he was no better than the students Hiei had complained about, attacking each other when they should have been united against the common enemy.
“In the meantime,” Dumbledore continued, “we should consider our own position. Koenma has guaranteed us Reikai assistance for two more months. After that, it will be up to Kurama and Hiei, as to whether or not they wish to maintain their presence here. They’ve no obligation to us, so we should be prepared for what will happen after they leave. If we can’t shift attention away from the two of you before then, this will be little more than a stay of execution.”
“Which is still something,” said Lupin. “With so much focus on us, they’re unlikely to move forward on their plans to unite our enemies against us.”
Snape nodded, his dark eyes flicking to Dumbledore. “That Abadon most certainly recognized Hiei’s strength. The Dark Lord will take that to mean we’ve aligned ourselves with demons. His plans will have been thrown completely. Gathering magical creatures in his forces is useless if he believes the Order has demon allies to call upon.”
“I dislike bluffing,” Dumbledore sighed. “There’s always the chance the opposition will reinforce his strength to match the bluff. In which case, we’ll be at an even more pronounced disadvantage when the bluff is revealed.”
“But that’s assuming they can gather demons,” Lupin protested. “Kurama assures me none but the weakest demons would ever consider taking orders from wizards. Even if there were stronger demons willing to join, they have a class system that prevents all but the very strongest, and the very weakest, from crossing from one realm to the other. The Reikai would know if any of the strong ones tried to come into the human realm.”
Snape raised an eyebrow at that. “What guarantee do we have the Reikai would inform us? Their involvement is necessarily limited.”
“Officially,” said Dumbledore. “Koenma cannot officially give support to a human, wizard or no, when it conflicts with another human factor. By recommending we use demon support, he risks showing favoritism that goes beyond their involvement in the human realm. If he hadn’t owed me a personal favor, he couldn’t have lifted a finger for or against our cause.”
“That’s what I don’t understand,” Snape scowled. “If the Reikai is forbidden from involving itself in human affairs, how is it they’ve sent two of their…Tantei…to us?”
Lupin looked up in surprise. “You never asked Hiei about that?”
Snape glared in silence, and Lupin gave a resigned sigh. He really should have known better. Unlike him, Snape didn’t instigate actual conversation with their guests.
“They’re no longer working for the Reikai,” Lupin explained. “Their service to the Reikai was a condition of parole, though I’m not sure what the crime was. They served with a human pair for a few years, but it wasn’t a lifetime commitment. As I understand it, they’re considered criminals with amnesty. They’ve served their time and placed the Reikai in their debt, so even if they technically enter the human realm illegally, they’re beyond Reikai control.”
“Not only that,” said Dumbledore. “Kurama is human according to the newest Reikai edict. They’ve always deported demons and magical creatures on an individual basis, but the most recent decision was that those who can fully suppress their demon influence cannot be judged as anything but human.”
“And the other one?” Snape scowled.
Dumbledore gave a slow smile. “I have no idea. Koenma had very little to say about Hiei. He seemed quite uncomfortable, so I wasn’t inclined to press the subject.”
-.-.-
Kurama stalked after Hiei, his eyes narrow and darting as he glared at the floor and ceiling of the castle halls. He could almost feel them closing in on him, creeping forward when he wasn’t looking. The nerve. As if anything so mundane as human magic could catch him unaware.
“You’re broadcasting,” Hiei commented.
He slowed so Kurama fell into step beside him, his gaze flicking up to take note of how narrow the redhead’s eyes were. “What is it?”
Kurama scowled irritably and looked away. “I haven’t slept in two nights, I’m hungry, my hand hurts, and I can’t stand listening to some wizard tout on while he sits back and waits for children to defeat his enemies. It’s disgusting. Humans like that wouldn’t last five minutes in Makai.”
Hiei’s eyes widened, a slow grin spreading over his face. “The full moon isn’t till next weekend, Kurama. If the concentrated reiki here is affecting you this much already, you’ll be troublesome by then. It’s good I said we’d be gone till nightfall.”
“It’s not the reiki,” Kurama glowered, still keeping an eye on the ceiling. “It’s the magic. Reiki is a ningen attribute, simple energy. This is wizardry.”
“And as a quest class plant manipulator,” Hiei smirked, “it’s offensive to be surrounded by so much inferior manipulation, whether it’s energy being manipulated, or humans. You’re finally coming to your senses.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Hiei snorted, almost breaking into full laughter. “You’re restless, Kurama. It’s about time. I expected you to snap two weeks ago.”
“I have not snapped, and I’m not about to,” Kurama sniffed. He stared up at the ceiling for another minute before heaving a long sigh. “I do want out, though…”
“I thought as much,” said Hiei, his tone no longer teasing. “There’s a weakening in the barrier off the edge of that forest. I suspect that’s where the Abadon entered from, though it isn’t the way he left by. If there isn’t anything on the other side that’s eager to be killed, we can fight each other. You aren’t the only one who hates sitting around like this.”
Kurama stared, the irritable tension in his shoulders easing away. A light anticipatory tingle set up in its place. As much as he prided himself in being calm, patient, sober and collected, he was rarely so inactive. A run through the forbidden forest wasn’t anything compared to stalking through the Makai. Here, he couldn’t even tap his true power without causing riot among the creatures on Hogwarts grounds. Just watching him run through in fox form was enough to scare them.
“So,” Kurama drawled, a light teasing glint striking his eyes. “I get to work off my restlessness, either by killing potential wizard-helping demons, or a simple sparring match. And you…you get to sleep without dreams. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had this planned.”
Hiei snorted softly, a dark smirk twisting his lips. “I won’t be sleeping unless you prove challenging enough to make me use the kokoryuuha. I doubt a restless fox is that dangerous.”
“Saa,” Kurama drawled mysteriously. “Only one way to know for sure…”
Hiei stopped next to a window, his gaze darting down to judge the distance to the part of the forest he’d sensed the weak spot from. He shot a quick look back at Kurama and nodded down at the damp scarf wrapped around the redhead’s hand.
“Tie it around your arm and shift to fox form,” said Hiei. “I can get us there quicker and bypass the animals and children. Those curiosity driven kits of yours are down there. If they see us, we’ll never hear the end of it.”
Kurama smirked as he tied the scarf so it would remain on his arm – leg – once he shifted. His expression was playfully doubtful. “After watching you dismember an Abadon – without a single word of it from their headmaster – I doubt anything we did would spark more gossip. Besides that, sneaking into a library is one thing. I can’t imagine they’d follow us into the forest.”
“Besides that,” said Hiei, “it’s better none of them realize we’re gone. I don’t trust the babysitter.”
With a light laugh – mostly because he remembered how long it had taken to explain the non-literal meaning of the term ‘babysitting’ to Hiei – Kurama leaned on the windowsill and shifted forms.
His tails swiped for a second before he caught himself up so he could stand in the open window. The breeze immediately struck his face, bringing unwanted scents of humans and food products along with the more pleasing smells of the forest beyond. That restless tingle lit up between his shoulder blades, and he whipped around to catch Hiei’s eye.
‘How long have you known about this weak spot?’ Kurama asked, suspicion riding his thought.
Hiei smirked and crooked his left arm so he could carry the fox without actually holding it. His jagan pulsed faintly green when he answered in turn. ‘Days. I thought it would be necessary if you kept repressing yourself until the full moon. It’s good that you didn’t wait.’
Kurama sniffed, his neck arched so he could stare down at the drop as Hiei crouched in the open window. ‘You could have told me when you found it. It’s not like I would sneak off alone when I’m supposed to be patrolling.’
“Right,” Hiei drawled, rolling his eyes. “Like I’d take a youko at his word.”
A soft growl set up in Kurama’s throat, and he glared back at Hiei. ‘Jump already. If we aren’t there in five minutes, I’m going to bite you.’
Hiei raised an eyebrow, his expression more than a little doubtful. ‘Is that a threat? You couldn’t hurt me with your teeth alone.’
‘It’s not a threat,’ Kurama huffed, shifting a little so his claws dug into Hiei’s arm. ‘It’s a warning. I’m hungry and I want to hurt something. So if we’re not there in…four and half minutes, I’ll have to settle for the closet thing around. That’s you.’
“We’ll be there in three minutes,” said Hiei.
-.-.-
Ron stumbled to a halt just outside the main doors to the castle. For a second he was sure he’d seen a black shadow flash in front of his eyes. But when he looked, there was nothing but grass, two Ravenclaw girls sitting a yard away playing wizard chess, and a lonely Hufflepuff pacing in little circles and mumbling over the open textbook in his hands. Ron rubbed his eyes, shook his head, and broke back into a quick jog.
He’d looked for nearly an hour before he’d found Harry’s wand. Somehow it had wound up under the far bed, tangled in the edge of the drapes as if it really didn’t want to be spotted. He imagined Neville had rolled and knocked it down there when he got up that morning. That, or it had landed on the floor and been kicked over there. Either way, Ron was just relieved to see that it was still in one piece. He’d been terrified he’d find it broken in half. Even a crack would have been enough to make Harry go ballistic on him.
Nevermind that he’d knocked it away in self-defense. No one wanted a malfunctioning wand. Having had his own wand broken, Ron knew how horrible it was. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone but his most hated enemies.
Harry and Hermione were waiting for him in the light shade of a tree, the superstitions book and an unstarted game of wizard chess set up to hide the open parchment that lay before them. Ron grinned when they glanced up at him.
“Told you I’d find it,” he said quickly. “I got a little sidetracked, sorry it took so long. But here it is, perfectly fine, just like I said it would be.”
“Thanks,” said Harry, a relieved smile breaking over his face. “Sorry I doubted you.”
“That’s all right,” Ron waved, “you can just buy me a new broom to make up for it.”
Harry blinked, his expression turning blank. Ron laughed at the look as he sat down across from him and Hermione.
“I’m kidding,” said Ron. “Jeeze, like I’ve ever asked you for anything. Really. So! What did I miss while I was away rescuing Harry’s wand from Neville’s evil bed?”
Hermione shook her head with a puzzled little frown. “I’m not sure. They stayed in the room of requirment for a few minutes, then Shuuichi left. We still haven’t seen Hiei.”
Ron smirked at the simple way she said those two names. It had taken quite a bit of convincing before Hermione believed what they’d found out about the two strangers. Learning that Kurama really did show up as Shuuichi on the map was difficult enough for Hermione. Telling her the other one’s name really was Hiei…that had about proved to be her breaking point. She’d almost walked away from them right there and then, certain they were making fun of her over the Luna incident. Luckily Ron had it on good authority that Hiei wasn’t an alien. That had soothed Hermione’s temper a little.
“So where are they now?” asked Ron.
Hermione glanced down at the map and choked, her eyes widening. “Oh, no…”
Harry added his own groan once he realized what she was staring at. “He’s gone. It must have happened when Ron came out.”
“What must have happened?” Ron frowned.
“He was in the hall,” Hermione explained, her eyes searching over the map. “Just standing there for minutes, like he was talking to someone – probably the other one. But I don’t see him on here at all now. Where could he have gone that quickly?”
“Maybe he’s really fast like Hiei,” offered Ron. “Did you check the forest?”
“He isn’t on the map at all,” Hermione groaned. She whipped her head back and looked around the yard, as if she’d see someone who didn’t register on the map. “He couldn’t have gone off the map that quickly! No one could go that far in under two minutes.”
Harry stared at Hermione’s frustrated face for a moment before glancing over to share a conspiratorial look with Ron. They both smirked, and Harry turned back to Hermione.
“Maybe he turned into a giant youko,” said Harry. “I bet that wouldn’t show on the map.”
Hermione’s face flushed red all the way to the tips of her ears. “Stop that! I’ve already told you. Even if he were part magical creature, a youko doesn’t have two human forms. The book would have mentioned that.”
“I don’t know, Hermione,” Ron said slowly, his expression fearful. “The book did say a youko could possess a human baby if it wasn’t…sealed in. Maybe that Shuuichi is the body the youko uses to sneak into schools like Hogwarts. Then, when he has everyone fooled, he comes out as a giant youko and gobbles them all up!”
Harry gave an overly solemn nod, his eyes wide and worried. “That would explain why he was never seen, even though he ruled one ninth of the world.”
“He must have eaten the witnesses,” Ron shivered.
“I hope he’s not hungry,” Harry whispered.
“That’s it,” Ron gasped dramatically. “That’s why he’s not on the map! He’s come out as a youko – he’s probably eating students right now…!”
Hermione exploded with a hoarse cry of furious frustration. “You two…! I – I hate you two! You’re so immature, I don’t know why I talk to either of you!”
She jumped to her feet and whirled away, stalking off across the lawn with her robes snapping about her heels. Ron curled over his knees, shaking with laughter, and Harry gave a guilty grin.
“That was pretty mean,” Harry admitted.
“Yeah,” Ron grinned, “but did you see the way she shook before she blew? That was bloody genius! She’s so worked up over this, it’s almost too easy to get to her.”
“How long you think we have before she talks to us again?” asked Harry, raising an eyebrow at Ron.
“The weekend at most,” Ron scoffed. “You’ve got the map. She won’t be able to stand not solving the mystery. She’d sooner give up on House Elf Rights than she’d ignore an unsolved question. We might as well enjoy the quiet while it lasts. Come Monday, we’ll be right back in the library, just you watch.”
Ron was setting up the chess board. Harry shifted his legs beneath him for a more comfortable seat as he waited.
“You know,” said Harry, “I don’t really mind going to the library for something like this.”
Ron shot him a startled, suspicious look.
Harry grinned, waving a hand at him. “I’m not saying I want to spend the entire year in there, or that I’d admit it to Hermione if she asked me. I just like being in the middle of things. I guess I’m not used to being at Hogwarts without something strange happening around us. There’s always a mystery or a menace. This time, it doesn’t seem dangerous. So…it’s like a chance to actually enjoy solving the problem.”
“I get what you’re saying,” Ron admitted, shooting a quick look to make sure he wasn’t overheard. “Research isn’t too bad when you’re not doing it because you have to. I still don’t see why she likes reading all the time. But stuff like this…I can almost see where she’d want to sneak out over nothing but a book.”
“The only problem is that we don’t seem to be solving anything,” said Harry. “I mean, the books we’ve found so far just bring up more questions. I don’t know how much more of that Hermione can take without really snapping. I’m half afraid she’s going to actually go through with that Diagon Alley plan of hers.”
Ron grimaced and shook his head, half of his attention on waving his knight into position for the first move of their game.
“Hermione isn’t the sort to do that,” scoffed Ron. “She might talk about ordering illegal books, but it’s just a bluff to get us to sneak into the library with her again. Can you see her actually getting a forbidden book delivered to her at Hogwarts? I mean, they can probably expel you for something like that.”
“Yeah,” said Harry. “I could see her using the internet to try and look up demons, sooner than I could see her buying a forbidden book on them.”
“Internet,” Ron laughed, shaking his head. “You guys make up the funniest things.”
Harry gave a weak smile, watching as Ron’s bishop made mincemeat of his poor rook.
He didn’t even bother trying to explain about computers and internet service providers again. Knowing they existed and were easy to use was one thing. Trying to explain about an invisible world - that had no physical presence aside from phoneline connections and hard drives - to someone who didn’t really believe in electricity…it was futile. He might as well have tried to convince Ron that humans really had flown to the moon with nothing but machines. His friend would sooner believe in aliens than he’d believe in any usefulness coming from muggle technology.
-.-.-
TBC
-notes-
A. I don’t know if it’s true for a youko in general, but in YYH it was the full moon that brought out Kurama’s youko side and taught him that he could shift on his own (in the Makai arc). And the attack of Kyuubi in Naruto happened during a full moon. So I’m taking that as a time when a youko has a sort of…power surge. He doesn’t have a forced transformation (like a werewolf), but it’s a natural time to revert to demon nature.
B. As to demons and pictures, in YYH (during the dark tournament ova special) Yukina was terrified at the thought of having her picture taken (a normal muggle picture), and Hiei had to be carried kicking and growling by both Yusuke and Kurama – before he’d submit to having his picture taken (and even then, he turned his head so he wouldn’t have to look directly at the camera). It’s superstition that a camera can capture part of your soul. I’ve mixed that with the wizard pictures – to explain why the pictures move. As far as demons go, no demon will stay in a wizard picture frame so long as he’s alive – even if it’s a friend of his who has the picture, he just won’t do it. Once he dies (the photo of the demon imp, and the photo of Kyuubi), he’s trapped in the frame. So it’s only useful to take a picture of a demon if you expect him to die before the picture gets thrown out for being blank. For a half-demon, they’re more like humans. If you have an original of the photo, you can force the person to show up in the frame with magic. You can’t do this with full demons whether it’s an original or not, only with humans and half-demons.
C. The ‘barrier’ between the Ningenkai and the Makai – this is an energy forcefield set up and maintained by the Reikai, that keeps out demons C class through A class. Whether or not it can keep out an S class demon is debatable (it was never tested in the anime). Since the Sensui arc, the barrier was weakened – patches allow demons to pass back and forth (we know this because Kurama went back and forth a number of times to visit his stepbrother during the Makai arc, and Kurama was at least A class if not lower S class). Some fanfics have demons create ‘portals’ the way the ferrygirls and Koenma do. I prefer to have demons sense out weak spots in the barrier and push through. That way the ability to control the barrier is only given to those who made the barrier – the Reikai. The rest have to find weaknesses to exploit.
2. A word on Ron, I admit I like him more than Harry. I’m debating on him or Luna for Hiei’s ‘pet’ student. If anyone feels strongly one way or the other, let me know which you’d like to see more of, and why you think that person would match (or clash) better with Hiei.
3. About Harry’s character - namely to Chrissy Sky, I’m assuming he has matured after the trauma in ‘Order of the Phoenix’. He would either get worse – more whiny, more childish and selfishly annoying – or he’d grow up. James matured by his sixth year (and he was really mean, so he had a long way to go). It’s my hope that Harry could follow suit if he tried. So take him as a mix of how he was in the third book (less of a crybaby) and the end of the fifth book (more prone to deal with his problems instead of taking them out on others) with a dash of patience and maturity that comes with experience. He’s graduating in two years. If he continues to get less mature as he ages, he’ll never pass the psychological tests required to be an auror. It’s my sincere hope that the future HP novels give him more growth and less regression as time goes on. As it is, the only reason I read the fifth book was for the supporting characters. The Harry I liked disappeared halfway through the forth book.
4. A reader, Fuzzy Eared, brought up a very good point that the setting (the visual descriptions of Hogwarts) is almost blank in this story. I don’t know if this has bothered anyone else, but I thought I should explain myself since I’m doing it intentionally. The setting for this story is already established – Hogwarts, whether seen as in the novels or the movies. I’m not creating anything new aside from dialogue and plot (and subtle changes to character appearances, as determined by the plot). By keeping the descriptions minimal, I let the readers decide which version of Hogwarts the story is taking place in – the novel version, the movie version (with extras like the Stonehenge-style runes, and the effect-staircase), or the ‘complete’ Lexicon version (that combines random details from all novels and tries to make them compatible enough to form a ‘true’ picture). I’m not familiar with HP fandom, but I’ve never seen a single YYH fic describe what Keonma’s office looks like – because it’s already established in the original anime. I took Hogwarts to be similarly ‘established’ by the novels and movies. To me, the only thing I’m interested in is the story and the characters. If you guys want more details on how I imagine the rooms to look (warning given that my imagination does not fit canon depiction), you’ll have to tell me. Otherwise, I’ll keep writing to suit myself – with focus on characters and plot, and an ‘established’ stage for the characters to act the story out on.
Category: Harry Potter-YYH crossover
Warnings: dialogue, bits of humor
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com
Website: www . geocities . com / arigatomina
Higher Learning
Part 8: Spies, Mints, and Curious Kits
Kurama sat back from the circular table, his right hand submerged in the bowl on his lap. The burns would take a good day or two to heal since he had refused any magical assistance. But he wasn’t above borrowing a few plants from the infirmary collection. Cirada – which probably went by a completely different name according to the wizards - worked nicely to numb the stinging sensation. He kept his palm covered with the thick, cool liquid as he listened to the argument going on around him.
They’d chosen the room of requirement rather than Dumbledore’s somewhat claustrophobic office. A quick bit of thinking and it was happy to supply them with a wide table, the appropriate number of chairs, and no interruptions. Dumbledore sat at the head, Snape and Lupin facing each other from either side, and Kurama seated across from the headmaster.
Hiei was currently scowling next to Snape, inspecting the wizard’s arm rather than taking part in the discussion. He’d been set against the man using magic to heal the wound, considering it was magic that had created the curse to begin with. But he didn’t sense any adverse side effects to it. What had formerly been a wet crater that dug straight down into the bone was now a concave patch of shiny red skin, not too dissimilar from the burn mark on Kurama’s palm. There was something to be said for those quick little spells, not that Hiei would ever admit it aloud.
He took his seat next to Kurama and let his annoyed gaze shift over the angry men bickering on the other side of the table. The fact that Snape had barely glared at him when he checked his arm spoke of how serious the wizards were about their argument.
As far as Hiei was concerned, the entire matter could have been avoided if the idiots would simply have killed the convicted death eaters instead of locking them in a prison they couldn’t maintain. The way they talked, it was obvious they had no plans to kill their enemies any time soon. They were concerned with surviving the plague and slowing the infection rate, instead of wiping out the disease itself.
“No one wants to put Draco in danger,” Dumbledore was saying to Lupin, his tone placating and just a tad defensive. “The problem is that he can’t simply turn down an official request without making himself a target. As much as I wish it were otherwise, I can’t protect everyone. The entire Malfoy family is aligned with Death Eaters, so we can’t set him up with any sort of blood protection. That means he would have to sever ties with his family entirely. I can’t imagine he would agree to that. It remains his decision to make. If he’s willing to act as a spy for our cause, then it would be very useful, especially now. But I do agree with you, Remus. He’s far too young to even consider such a thing.”
Snape shot a sharp look at Dumbledore, his voice a little soft considering the distaste dripping from his tone. “I was a student when I was recruited.”
“Yes,” said Dumbledore, “but I didn’t know that until after you’d left Hogwarts. I would never ask a student to act as a spy, no matter how it might benefit the Order.”
“But you’ve been setting him up for this,” Lupin accused, disgust marring his angry expression. “You’ve known that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent – half of the Slytherin class have parents who are Death Eaters. You knew they had the highest chance of becoming ones themselves.”
Dumbledore nodded with a tired expression, his eyes downcast. “We can’t protect students from their own families. But we were hoping Draco’s attachment to Severus would draw him to our side after he left Hogwarts. It wasn’t necessarily to use him as a spy. The main hope was that he would choose to sever ties with his family on his own. Barring that…”
“You’d have him set up to act as a spy,” Lupin repeated. “Either way, it benefits the Order. I can’t believe this…”
“That’s because you’re naïve,” said Snape. “Draco has been aware of his options since the day the Dark Lord was resurrected. He chose to confide in me, aware that I had a higher rank among the Death Eaters than his father did. That was his choice. He knew he’d be recruited and wanted to gain the support of someone powerful enough to keep him from following his father’s fall to lapdog status. Now that he knows I was a spy for the Order, and not the other way around, he’ll make a new decision. Whether it’s the Order, or the Death Eaters, he will be used. His choice is to pick the side he goes to.”
Lupin looked away, his hands clenched beneath the table. He couldn’t reconcile himself to the thought of a child being forced into a decision like that. And yet, he was all too aware of the truth in Snape’s words. During his own final years at Hogwarts he’d seen the signs. Slytherin students changing abruptly, some becoming ten times as cruel, others turning into little more than shadows. A few had disappeared altogether, resisters who’d refused recruitment. Adult wizards might have been the ones fighting the war in the years that followed, but Voldemort had always seemed to plan ahead. Followers were far more dedicated if taken at a vulnerable age, more easily molded or cowed. There was no reason to think he’d have changed his methods since then.
“We may be getting ahead of ourselves,” said Dumbledore. “So far Lucius is the only contact Draco has had. This request may not necessarily be a sign of recruitment.”
“A test,” Snape nodded. “If he gets the information Lucius wants him to get, he’ll prove himself a potentially useful Death Eater. If he fails, he may ruin any chance he has of becoming one of the Dark Lord’s personal aides, in which case he’d be useless to the Order, and his life would be in constant risk from both sides. At best, they may consider him too incompetent to become a Death Eater. That would have the same effect as severing ties with his family and peers. I doubt he’d allow that.”
“There’s no reason to leave it entirely up to him,” Lupin said sharply. “If we know what this test is, it’s up to us whether or not Draco accomplishes it. What was in that letter?”
Snape didn’t so much as glance over. Dumbledore sighed, rubbing his fingers over his temple and avoiding Lupin’s pointed stare.
“They want a picture,” Kurama offered.
Snape snapped around with a venomous glare, but Kurama ignored it. Even if Dumbledore chose to allow Snape to keep the contents a secret from Lupin, that didn’t mean Kurama was sworn to secrecy.
“The letter,” Kurama continued, “warned Draco that Snape is a spy. He’s been told to keep an eye on him, and to take note of his movements inside the school. Obviously they can’t track him now that the dark mark has been removed. The test is to obtain a picture of the demons. I’m sure Dumbledore can explain why they would ask for something like that…?”
Dumbledore glanced over, a wry smile pulling at his lips. “I did agree to keep the two of you informed about everything. I didn’t realize you would pick things up on your own so easily.”
“Little gets past me,” Hiei stated, his eyes cold. “It’s best not to even try.”
“So I see,” Dumbledore smiled. “Well, then, I should explain what Harry told me about his dream. Now that they’ve lost ties with Severus, their intention is to identify the strangers responsible. The letter makes it obvious they suspect the two of you are demons. There is only one way to track demons without getting within a detectable range of them.”
“The picture,” Hiei sneered.
Kurama winced a little at Hiei’s tone. He couldn’t help but remember that the only picture of Hiei in existence was one he and Yusuke had forced their friend to ‘stand’ for. They’d literally had to carry him over and hold him in place long enough for the camera to snap the shot. The only reason Hiei hadn’t flash-fried them both was because Yukina had been watching the scene. And that had been a normal, human, picture. He couldn’t even imagine how furious Hiei would be if someone took a wizard photo of him.
“They intend to get an original?” asked Lupin. “Even if they did, no living demon can be forced to remain in a wizard photo.”
“Unless he’s only part demon,” said Kurama. He sent a pointed look at Dumbledore, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Do you expect Lupin and I to submit to being photographed? Or do you honestly believe they were including Hiei when they used the word demons?”
Lupin blinked in surprise, and Snape snorted, a smirk breaking out over his face. Though he didn’t appreciate the source, it was satisfying to hear someone else say what he’d held for years. Werewolves were demons during the full moon. Whether they were tame enough to be considered magical creatures the rest of the month, they carried considerable demon blood. Compared to halfbreeds like Hagrid, werewolves were of darker ilk. Giants had never had the dark energy to be considered demons, however evil they sometimes behaved.
“I’m afraid he’s right,” Dumbledore said to Lupin. “Harry’s dream involved a photograph of you. Harry didn’t understand the significance, but it was rather clear that the purpose was to track you through it. Had it been an original, that would have been successful.”
“With an original,” Kurama glared, “a wizard can force even a half-demon to remain in the frame long enough to memorize his youki and reiki mix. If they thought they had an original, that means the original still exists. Why hasn’t it been destroyed?”
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair with a pronounced frown, the closest he’d come to an outright scowl. “I cannot destroy photos of former students. Original photographs are perfectly safe at Hogwarts.”
“And if Draco manages to take a photograph without turning the original over to you?” Kurama prodded.
“That won’t happen,” said Hiei.
He turned a bored look over the wizards, not minding the frowns sent his way. “If they want a photo of the demons, they can have one. Original, not original, it doesn’t matter.”
He lifted his arm and pointed at Lupin. “As a wolf, he won’t be consigned to stay in a photograph. The fox won’t either. They didn’t specify what sort of picture they wanted of the…demons.”
“Getting ahead of ourselves again,” Dumbledore protested. “We haven’t decided if we want Draco to pass this ‘test’ or not. At the moment, it’s enough that we are aware of their intentions.”
“Assuming Draco doesn’t decide on his own,” said Kurama. “What makes you think he’ll wait for your permission to decide his future? Rather presumptuous of you, isn’t it?”
Snape turned bodily to stare at Kurama, his gaze suspicious. He was almost relieved to see the faint flash of gold over those narrow green eyes. Kurama’s voice had gone frigid in the last few minutes, very different from the casual tone he’d started out with.
“Draco doesn’t want to decide,” Snape said slowly, deliberately keeping his tone sober. “He plans to hold off on making any decision until he’s had more time to consider the results. We don’t plan to make that decision for him. At best, we’re…considering whether to aid him or hinder him, depending on his choice.”
“Precisely,” said Dumbledore.
Kurama opened his mouth and Hiei silenced him with a mint candy. The redhead choked in surprise, almost swallowing the confection.
“We don’t need to hear you plan how you’ll manipulate this boy,” Hiei said to Dumbledore. “You babysit for the day. We’ll be back by nightfall.”
Hiei stood and tugged off his scarf, dropping it in the bowl Kurama was holding. He didn’t have to explain.
Kurama scowled a little, but wrapped the damp cloth over his hand so he could leave the bowl on the table. He really wanted to dress down the pompous man who claimed to have the power to kill the supposed ‘dark lord’, but who chose to spend his time using children to fight his wars instead. Unfortunately for him, Hiei wasn’t quite bored enough to watch him say things he’d likely regret later. Kurama snapped his teeth down on the little mint and crunched it irritably as he followed Hiei out of the room.
Left in the room, Dumbledore gave a regretful sigh. “It appears I’ve not made the best impression with our guests…”
“It’s not you,” Snape said, a dark smirk twisting his face. “He fancies the wolf. Canine types get along surprisingly well. One would expect such territorial animals to be snapping at each other’s throats.”
Lupin gave a tight smile. “Rather like you and Hiei…? I didn’t realize you were territorial, Severus. But you do snap at throats very well for a human. Should I model my behavior after yours?”
“It would be an improvement,” Snape stated, seemingly unfazed by the taunts. “Despite their appearances, they are demons. Only a fool would forget that.”
Dumbledore let out another quiet sigh, his gaze shifting sadly from one glaring professor over to the other.
“Perhaps having the two of you watched separately wasn’t the best plan,” he said, his tone thoughtful. “I had hoped working together might let you overcome your past animosity. It would be a shame to have professors who are unable to carry on a rational conversation without coming to verbal blows.”
Snape bristled and dropped his gaze to glare at the table. If anything, Dumbledore’s reasonable tone made him want to lash out even more. He knew very well that the headmaster held him responsible. Which was just ridiculous since Lupin gave as good as he got. Why did it fall on him to avoid conflict? As far as he was concerned, the only way to deal with a problem was to attack it head on. With everyone – even Kurama – jumping in to play pacifist, there wasn’t a chance of resolving anything.
“I apologize, Headmaster,” Lupin said quietly, his gaze downcast and sober.
It took all of Snape’s control not to snort aloud. A prim and proper werewolf. As much respect as he had for Dumbledore, he’d never understand how the man could fall for such a ridiculous act.
“Yes,” said Dumbledore, “well, you’ve made progress, anyway. As to the recent developments – we won’t act until Draco has reached a decision. Severus, I expect you to be on guard until then. It would be best if he didn’t leave the school without supervision. Lucius is certain to make actual contact at the first opportunity. So long as we can postpone that, Draco will have more time to consider his options.”
“You’re absolutely set on not interfering in his decision?” asked Lupin.
“He couldn’t if he wanted to,” Snape stated. “Nothing short of imperiatus will sway Draco Malfoy once he’s set his mind on something. Be glad he isn’t as rash and impulsive as some people his age.”
Lupin carefully ignored that pointed comment, reminding himself that he’d already behaved immaturely once in the last ten minutes. If he couldn’t even keep his tongue in check in front of Dumbledore – the one who’d gone out of his way to acquire him a position at Hogwarts despite the opposition – then he was no better than the students Hiei had complained about, attacking each other when they should have been united against the common enemy.
“In the meantime,” Dumbledore continued, “we should consider our own position. Koenma has guaranteed us Reikai assistance for two more months. After that, it will be up to Kurama and Hiei, as to whether or not they wish to maintain their presence here. They’ve no obligation to us, so we should be prepared for what will happen after they leave. If we can’t shift attention away from the two of you before then, this will be little more than a stay of execution.”
“Which is still something,” said Lupin. “With so much focus on us, they’re unlikely to move forward on their plans to unite our enemies against us.”
Snape nodded, his dark eyes flicking to Dumbledore. “That Abadon most certainly recognized Hiei’s strength. The Dark Lord will take that to mean we’ve aligned ourselves with demons. His plans will have been thrown completely. Gathering magical creatures in his forces is useless if he believes the Order has demon allies to call upon.”
“I dislike bluffing,” Dumbledore sighed. “There’s always the chance the opposition will reinforce his strength to match the bluff. In which case, we’ll be at an even more pronounced disadvantage when the bluff is revealed.”
“But that’s assuming they can gather demons,” Lupin protested. “Kurama assures me none but the weakest demons would ever consider taking orders from wizards. Even if there were stronger demons willing to join, they have a class system that prevents all but the very strongest, and the very weakest, from crossing from one realm to the other. The Reikai would know if any of the strong ones tried to come into the human realm.”
Snape raised an eyebrow at that. “What guarantee do we have the Reikai would inform us? Their involvement is necessarily limited.”
“Officially,” said Dumbledore. “Koenma cannot officially give support to a human, wizard or no, when it conflicts with another human factor. By recommending we use demon support, he risks showing favoritism that goes beyond their involvement in the human realm. If he hadn’t owed me a personal favor, he couldn’t have lifted a finger for or against our cause.”
“That’s what I don’t understand,” Snape scowled. “If the Reikai is forbidden from involving itself in human affairs, how is it they’ve sent two of their…Tantei…to us?”
Lupin looked up in surprise. “You never asked Hiei about that?”
Snape glared in silence, and Lupin gave a resigned sigh. He really should have known better. Unlike him, Snape didn’t instigate actual conversation with their guests.
“They’re no longer working for the Reikai,” Lupin explained. “Their service to the Reikai was a condition of parole, though I’m not sure what the crime was. They served with a human pair for a few years, but it wasn’t a lifetime commitment. As I understand it, they’re considered criminals with amnesty. They’ve served their time and placed the Reikai in their debt, so even if they technically enter the human realm illegally, they’re beyond Reikai control.”
“Not only that,” said Dumbledore. “Kurama is human according to the newest Reikai edict. They’ve always deported demons and magical creatures on an individual basis, but the most recent decision was that those who can fully suppress their demon influence cannot be judged as anything but human.”
“And the other one?” Snape scowled.
Dumbledore gave a slow smile. “I have no idea. Koenma had very little to say about Hiei. He seemed quite uncomfortable, so I wasn’t inclined to press the subject.”
-.-.-
Kurama stalked after Hiei, his eyes narrow and darting as he glared at the floor and ceiling of the castle halls. He could almost feel them closing in on him, creeping forward when he wasn’t looking. The nerve. As if anything so mundane as human magic could catch him unaware.
“You’re broadcasting,” Hiei commented.
He slowed so Kurama fell into step beside him, his gaze flicking up to take note of how narrow the redhead’s eyes were. “What is it?”
Kurama scowled irritably and looked away. “I haven’t slept in two nights, I’m hungry, my hand hurts, and I can’t stand listening to some wizard tout on while he sits back and waits for children to defeat his enemies. It’s disgusting. Humans like that wouldn’t last five minutes in Makai.”
Hiei’s eyes widened, a slow grin spreading over his face. “The full moon isn’t till next weekend, Kurama. If the concentrated reiki here is affecting you this much already, you’ll be troublesome by then. It’s good I said we’d be gone till nightfall.”
“It’s not the reiki,” Kurama glowered, still keeping an eye on the ceiling. “It’s the magic. Reiki is a ningen attribute, simple energy. This is wizardry.”
“And as a quest class plant manipulator,” Hiei smirked, “it’s offensive to be surrounded by so much inferior manipulation, whether it’s energy being manipulated, or humans. You’re finally coming to your senses.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Hiei snorted, almost breaking into full laughter. “You’re restless, Kurama. It’s about time. I expected you to snap two weeks ago.”
“I have not snapped, and I’m not about to,” Kurama sniffed. He stared up at the ceiling for another minute before heaving a long sigh. “I do want out, though…”
“I thought as much,” said Hiei, his tone no longer teasing. “There’s a weakening in the barrier off the edge of that forest. I suspect that’s where the Abadon entered from, though it isn’t the way he left by. If there isn’t anything on the other side that’s eager to be killed, we can fight each other. You aren’t the only one who hates sitting around like this.”
Kurama stared, the irritable tension in his shoulders easing away. A light anticipatory tingle set up in its place. As much as he prided himself in being calm, patient, sober and collected, he was rarely so inactive. A run through the forbidden forest wasn’t anything compared to stalking through the Makai. Here, he couldn’t even tap his true power without causing riot among the creatures on Hogwarts grounds. Just watching him run through in fox form was enough to scare them.
“So,” Kurama drawled, a light teasing glint striking his eyes. “I get to work off my restlessness, either by killing potential wizard-helping demons, or a simple sparring match. And you…you get to sleep without dreams. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had this planned.”
Hiei snorted softly, a dark smirk twisting his lips. “I won’t be sleeping unless you prove challenging enough to make me use the kokoryuuha. I doubt a restless fox is that dangerous.”
“Saa,” Kurama drawled mysteriously. “Only one way to know for sure…”
Hiei stopped next to a window, his gaze darting down to judge the distance to the part of the forest he’d sensed the weak spot from. He shot a quick look back at Kurama and nodded down at the damp scarf wrapped around the redhead’s hand.
“Tie it around your arm and shift to fox form,” said Hiei. “I can get us there quicker and bypass the animals and children. Those curiosity driven kits of yours are down there. If they see us, we’ll never hear the end of it.”
Kurama smirked as he tied the scarf so it would remain on his arm – leg – once he shifted. His expression was playfully doubtful. “After watching you dismember an Abadon – without a single word of it from their headmaster – I doubt anything we did would spark more gossip. Besides that, sneaking into a library is one thing. I can’t imagine they’d follow us into the forest.”
“Besides that,” said Hiei, “it’s better none of them realize we’re gone. I don’t trust the babysitter.”
With a light laugh – mostly because he remembered how long it had taken to explain the non-literal meaning of the term ‘babysitting’ to Hiei – Kurama leaned on the windowsill and shifted forms.
His tails swiped for a second before he caught himself up so he could stand in the open window. The breeze immediately struck his face, bringing unwanted scents of humans and food products along with the more pleasing smells of the forest beyond. That restless tingle lit up between his shoulder blades, and he whipped around to catch Hiei’s eye.
‘How long have you known about this weak spot?’ Kurama asked, suspicion riding his thought.
Hiei smirked and crooked his left arm so he could carry the fox without actually holding it. His jagan pulsed faintly green when he answered in turn. ‘Days. I thought it would be necessary if you kept repressing yourself until the full moon. It’s good that you didn’t wait.’
Kurama sniffed, his neck arched so he could stare down at the drop as Hiei crouched in the open window. ‘You could have told me when you found it. It’s not like I would sneak off alone when I’m supposed to be patrolling.’
“Right,” Hiei drawled, rolling his eyes. “Like I’d take a youko at his word.”
A soft growl set up in Kurama’s throat, and he glared back at Hiei. ‘Jump already. If we aren’t there in five minutes, I’m going to bite you.’
Hiei raised an eyebrow, his expression more than a little doubtful. ‘Is that a threat? You couldn’t hurt me with your teeth alone.’
‘It’s not a threat,’ Kurama huffed, shifting a little so his claws dug into Hiei’s arm. ‘It’s a warning. I’m hungry and I want to hurt something. So if we’re not there in…four and half minutes, I’ll have to settle for the closet thing around. That’s you.’
“We’ll be there in three minutes,” said Hiei.
-.-.-
Ron stumbled to a halt just outside the main doors to the castle. For a second he was sure he’d seen a black shadow flash in front of his eyes. But when he looked, there was nothing but grass, two Ravenclaw girls sitting a yard away playing wizard chess, and a lonely Hufflepuff pacing in little circles and mumbling over the open textbook in his hands. Ron rubbed his eyes, shook his head, and broke back into a quick jog.
He’d looked for nearly an hour before he’d found Harry’s wand. Somehow it had wound up under the far bed, tangled in the edge of the drapes as if it really didn’t want to be spotted. He imagined Neville had rolled and knocked it down there when he got up that morning. That, or it had landed on the floor and been kicked over there. Either way, Ron was just relieved to see that it was still in one piece. He’d been terrified he’d find it broken in half. Even a crack would have been enough to make Harry go ballistic on him.
Nevermind that he’d knocked it away in self-defense. No one wanted a malfunctioning wand. Having had his own wand broken, Ron knew how horrible it was. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone but his most hated enemies.
Harry and Hermione were waiting for him in the light shade of a tree, the superstitions book and an unstarted game of wizard chess set up to hide the open parchment that lay before them. Ron grinned when they glanced up at him.
“Told you I’d find it,” he said quickly. “I got a little sidetracked, sorry it took so long. But here it is, perfectly fine, just like I said it would be.”
“Thanks,” said Harry, a relieved smile breaking over his face. “Sorry I doubted you.”
“That’s all right,” Ron waved, “you can just buy me a new broom to make up for it.”
Harry blinked, his expression turning blank. Ron laughed at the look as he sat down across from him and Hermione.
“I’m kidding,” said Ron. “Jeeze, like I’ve ever asked you for anything. Really. So! What did I miss while I was away rescuing Harry’s wand from Neville’s evil bed?”
Hermione shook her head with a puzzled little frown. “I’m not sure. They stayed in the room of requirment for a few minutes, then Shuuichi left. We still haven’t seen Hiei.”
Ron smirked at the simple way she said those two names. It had taken quite a bit of convincing before Hermione believed what they’d found out about the two strangers. Learning that Kurama really did show up as Shuuichi on the map was difficult enough for Hermione. Telling her the other one’s name really was Hiei…that had about proved to be her breaking point. She’d almost walked away from them right there and then, certain they were making fun of her over the Luna incident. Luckily Ron had it on good authority that Hiei wasn’t an alien. That had soothed Hermione’s temper a little.
“So where are they now?” asked Ron.
Hermione glanced down at the map and choked, her eyes widening. “Oh, no…”
Harry added his own groan once he realized what she was staring at. “He’s gone. It must have happened when Ron came out.”
“What must have happened?” Ron frowned.
“He was in the hall,” Hermione explained, her eyes searching over the map. “Just standing there for minutes, like he was talking to someone – probably the other one. But I don’t see him on here at all now. Where could he have gone that quickly?”
“Maybe he’s really fast like Hiei,” offered Ron. “Did you check the forest?”
“He isn’t on the map at all,” Hermione groaned. She whipped her head back and looked around the yard, as if she’d see someone who didn’t register on the map. “He couldn’t have gone off the map that quickly! No one could go that far in under two minutes.”
Harry stared at Hermione’s frustrated face for a moment before glancing over to share a conspiratorial look with Ron. They both smirked, and Harry turned back to Hermione.
“Maybe he turned into a giant youko,” said Harry. “I bet that wouldn’t show on the map.”
Hermione’s face flushed red all the way to the tips of her ears. “Stop that! I’ve already told you. Even if he were part magical creature, a youko doesn’t have two human forms. The book would have mentioned that.”
“I don’t know, Hermione,” Ron said slowly, his expression fearful. “The book did say a youko could possess a human baby if it wasn’t…sealed in. Maybe that Shuuichi is the body the youko uses to sneak into schools like Hogwarts. Then, when he has everyone fooled, he comes out as a giant youko and gobbles them all up!”
Harry gave an overly solemn nod, his eyes wide and worried. “That would explain why he was never seen, even though he ruled one ninth of the world.”
“He must have eaten the witnesses,” Ron shivered.
“I hope he’s not hungry,” Harry whispered.
“That’s it,” Ron gasped dramatically. “That’s why he’s not on the map! He’s come out as a youko – he’s probably eating students right now…!”
Hermione exploded with a hoarse cry of furious frustration. “You two…! I – I hate you two! You’re so immature, I don’t know why I talk to either of you!”
She jumped to her feet and whirled away, stalking off across the lawn with her robes snapping about her heels. Ron curled over his knees, shaking with laughter, and Harry gave a guilty grin.
“That was pretty mean,” Harry admitted.
“Yeah,” Ron grinned, “but did you see the way she shook before she blew? That was bloody genius! She’s so worked up over this, it’s almost too easy to get to her.”
“How long you think we have before she talks to us again?” asked Harry, raising an eyebrow at Ron.
“The weekend at most,” Ron scoffed. “You’ve got the map. She won’t be able to stand not solving the mystery. She’d sooner give up on House Elf Rights than she’d ignore an unsolved question. We might as well enjoy the quiet while it lasts. Come Monday, we’ll be right back in the library, just you watch.”
Ron was setting up the chess board. Harry shifted his legs beneath him for a more comfortable seat as he waited.
“You know,” said Harry, “I don’t really mind going to the library for something like this.”
Ron shot him a startled, suspicious look.
Harry grinned, waving a hand at him. “I’m not saying I want to spend the entire year in there, or that I’d admit it to Hermione if she asked me. I just like being in the middle of things. I guess I’m not used to being at Hogwarts without something strange happening around us. There’s always a mystery or a menace. This time, it doesn’t seem dangerous. So…it’s like a chance to actually enjoy solving the problem.”
“I get what you’re saying,” Ron admitted, shooting a quick look to make sure he wasn’t overheard. “Research isn’t too bad when you’re not doing it because you have to. I still don’t see why she likes reading all the time. But stuff like this…I can almost see where she’d want to sneak out over nothing but a book.”
“The only problem is that we don’t seem to be solving anything,” said Harry. “I mean, the books we’ve found so far just bring up more questions. I don’t know how much more of that Hermione can take without really snapping. I’m half afraid she’s going to actually go through with that Diagon Alley plan of hers.”
Ron grimaced and shook his head, half of his attention on waving his knight into position for the first move of their game.
“Hermione isn’t the sort to do that,” scoffed Ron. “She might talk about ordering illegal books, but it’s just a bluff to get us to sneak into the library with her again. Can you see her actually getting a forbidden book delivered to her at Hogwarts? I mean, they can probably expel you for something like that.”
“Yeah,” said Harry. “I could see her using the internet to try and look up demons, sooner than I could see her buying a forbidden book on them.”
“Internet,” Ron laughed, shaking his head. “You guys make up the funniest things.”
Harry gave a weak smile, watching as Ron’s bishop made mincemeat of his poor rook.
He didn’t even bother trying to explain about computers and internet service providers again. Knowing they existed and were easy to use was one thing. Trying to explain about an invisible world - that had no physical presence aside from phoneline connections and hard drives - to someone who didn’t really believe in electricity…it was futile. He might as well have tried to convince Ron that humans really had flown to the moon with nothing but machines. His friend would sooner believe in aliens than he’d believe in any usefulness coming from muggle technology.
-.-.-
TBC
-notes-
A. I don’t know if it’s true for a youko in general, but in YYH it was the full moon that brought out Kurama’s youko side and taught him that he could shift on his own (in the Makai arc). And the attack of Kyuubi in Naruto happened during a full moon. So I’m taking that as a time when a youko has a sort of…power surge. He doesn’t have a forced transformation (like a werewolf), but it’s a natural time to revert to demon nature.
B. As to demons and pictures, in YYH (during the dark tournament ova special) Yukina was terrified at the thought of having her picture taken (a normal muggle picture), and Hiei had to be carried kicking and growling by both Yusuke and Kurama – before he’d submit to having his picture taken (and even then, he turned his head so he wouldn’t have to look directly at the camera). It’s superstition that a camera can capture part of your soul. I’ve mixed that with the wizard pictures – to explain why the pictures move. As far as demons go, no demon will stay in a wizard picture frame so long as he’s alive – even if it’s a friend of his who has the picture, he just won’t do it. Once he dies (the photo of the demon imp, and the photo of Kyuubi), he’s trapped in the frame. So it’s only useful to take a picture of a demon if you expect him to die before the picture gets thrown out for being blank. For a half-demon, they’re more like humans. If you have an original of the photo, you can force the person to show up in the frame with magic. You can’t do this with full demons whether it’s an original or not, only with humans and half-demons.
C. The ‘barrier’ between the Ningenkai and the Makai – this is an energy forcefield set up and maintained by the Reikai, that keeps out demons C class through A class. Whether or not it can keep out an S class demon is debatable (it was never tested in the anime). Since the Sensui arc, the barrier was weakened – patches allow demons to pass back and forth (we know this because Kurama went back and forth a number of times to visit his stepbrother during the Makai arc, and Kurama was at least A class if not lower S class). Some fanfics have demons create ‘portals’ the way the ferrygirls and Koenma do. I prefer to have demons sense out weak spots in the barrier and push through. That way the ability to control the barrier is only given to those who made the barrier – the Reikai. The rest have to find weaknesses to exploit.