Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Heero Yuy and the... ❯ >...Exploration of Diagon Alley and Quatre's Abode ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

AN: Highly enjoyable chapter. Maybe a few mistakes, espcially with the shops and their locations, but, hey, it's three-hundred years in the future

Summary: The hectic day at Diagon Alley and the Winner Manor. In their forced 'togetherness', some true natures slip out.


...Exploration of Diagon Alley and Quatre's Abode


Lillian was quite right when she said that there would be a lot of them. Even the oldest of them, Sally Po, stared with wide eyes and shook Wufei's hand after a good laugh at his hair. Relena hugged both her brother and Treize, and Dorothy Catalonia did the same except she didn't grab Heero's hand while he was lifeless with shock, then Relena squeezed Noin to her chest happily. Catherine spoke to her brother excitedly, hugging him as tightly as possible without crushing his spine, just as Hilde had done to Duo. Lillian tried to grab hold of her sister, but Une curtly looked away, looking more like a spoiled child than the stern adult she used to be.

"I thought you couldn't take people from the Muggle world during a war?" Wufei asked.

"It was either they take us or the dementors that were flying all around the damn Preventers building kill everybody to get me," Une said, pushing her hair from her neck and not wearing any make-up; her glasses were small but still fit her face. It seemed that she and the others were just as knowledgeable as they were.

"Ever'body been to they vaults?" Devin the Smooth roared, and they nodded. "Ya'll catch up and we'll see what stores ain't too full." The two giants and Lillian left the young 'teenagers' to themselves. Despite the numerous, centuries-old stores lining down both sides of Diagon alley, last minute shoppers filled the place to the brim. Stores with the most traffic was the upscale Flourish and Blotts library, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor was now nearly full with the great-granddaughter Flora keeping tabs, Magical Menagerie, since the half a century ago combine with Eeylops Owl Emporium, had more customers than usual, and Slug and Jiggers Apothecary had older students carry large bottles of potions.

At the corner of Gringotts, Relena, after staring at the array of stores and items, asked the question that has been on everyone's mind since looking at the glowering Zechs Merquise. "Milliardo, what's wrong with your hair?"

His once brilliantly flowing hair was, still flowing down his back, obstinately curling up into clean, springy curls. He managed to tame his mane with a hair ribbon that was loosening from the tension of the stubborn locks. "They don't have straightening irons," he said simply, not looking anyone in the eye. "They're pretty unknowledgeable."

"Including the fact that you tried to blow up the Earth they lived on," Duo muttered. Relena gasped and glared then gasped again.

A large flame erupted at the tip of Duo's robes. After stomping them out, with help from Hilde, he glared at Milliardo, whose hair had come loose fraying about his face, glaring daggers back.

Treize blocked their view, looking pleasant, but rather short.

"You're," Duo started.

Now the former world leader glared. "Shut up."

"Really..."

"Don't say it!"

"Really..."

"Stop it!"

"Short!" the boy cried maliciously, giggles turning to cries as his robes were set aflame again. "What the hell!"

Hilde crushed the last flame. "Now that our magic isn't bonded anymore, it kind of comes loose. It's all right."

"It's not going to be all right when I get angry enough to set him on fire!" he yelled, knowing it was Milliardo again.

"We shouldn't be fighting," Quatre cried.

"Who knows, Quatre," Duo continued vehemently, "this nutcase might just join He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Then he really could destroy all meaningless battles with Muggles!"

"Duo! This is no the time!"

"Why don't you light me up like a Christmas tree? Didn't stop you before when you were so close to ending all life on Earth!"

It seems the thirteen-year-old Duo was the taunting type, easy with jokes, and a bit immature, but really mean if he wanted to be. However, Milliardo was serious, stubborn and maybe a little sensitive.

Blue eyes were brimming with tears.

"Oh, are you crying? Oh, shit, you're really crying!" Again, a fire, bigger than the last two, spread neatly over the bottom half of his robes as the blonde wizard ran off.

"Aquamenti! What in the world? I leave you guys alone for but a slight second!" Lillian said, exasperated, water pouring out of her wand. She waved it another time. "Reparo." Duo's burnt robes strung itself back to normal, smoking still, albeit short at the ends as the hole sewn itself around a point.

"Where's tat blonde kid at?" Mark asked, looking around. "And 'is friends?" Noin, Treize, and Une were gone, too.

"They just went down there and turned somewhere," Quatre said softly, frowning at Duo, who met his face, and looked down, a bit ashamed. "Miss Lillian-"

"At school, you're going to call me Professor Lillian," she said sweetly.

"Professor Lillian, what if one or some of us join He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

She smiled, one of those slow things Une did when she was in a really, really good mood. "Then we'll just have to deal with it. Oh, there they come. We're just going to have to go to the pet shop, it's the only reasonable spaced place."

Wufei said, "We don't all have to go to the same store. It's not like we are going to get lost on a street."

"Wha' about teh lists, Lillian?" Mark commented, only different from his wide brother by the heavy hair on his face. "There, there, young man. Ya sure did roast 'im good without a spell and all." A faint smile came to Milliardo's face.

"I simply forgot," the woman laughed, pulling the lists and handing them out. "I guess that you can go wherever then. The stores are right next to the supplies."

Several responses all said the same thing: getting a pet first, and the giants laughed. The store was as empty as they have seen it and they crowded into the rather large shop. Emptied cages were usually marked with albino animals and puffskeins, much to the disappoint of many children. Noin and Une avoided the wall of harmless snakes, but Heero, Trowa, and Treize all stood next to the cages, mouths opened.

"Miss Lillian, the snakes can-" Trowa stopped short when the woman snapped her hand over his mouth.

"Boys," she harshly whispered, "can you understand the snakes?" All of them nodded. Duo came by, though he had wanted to avoid Milliardo, but just couldn't resist the temptation of pet snakes.

He watched one flick his tongue out for awhile, then, abruptly, flickered his tongue likewise in a sussuration of a quick weird language.

"Shush, Duo! That's Parseltongue!" He immediately quieted at the frightened tone. "Many witches and wizards consider that an evil ability so I do not recommend any of you getting snakes. There are many other animals to choose from," she added, watching Duo's face fall. But Lillian was quite alarmed. There could just be no way that four children all at once! It was happening but still remarkably uncommon.

Trowa stood by the growling lions, whose cage was full. The parchment hanging above it worded a warning: Untame! They do bite! He stood gazing, and, just as Catherine had told him when he eyed the sign with disappointment, the miniature lions calmed, climbing over each other to him like kittens. Happily he took the one that managed to paw off the others from the top the longest and asked the man how much it cost. Around 105 Galleons is how much Lu, a girl, cost and she purred contentedly after Trowa fed her a piece of raw steak from the goodie bag he bought. Then he walked to the back, where extremely untame miniature dragons were being sold at three times as much as miniature lions.

"These great beasts," said a middle-aged man with receding hair, "can only be tamed one way. If they accept you as their master! It would help if you could breathe fire- since this is how they came to the pet list anyway. Since some time ago before you kids were born, there have been wizards and witches who could blow fire." He had a large amount of space where the two-feet animals blew little flame puffs. The shop-owner, with a great smile, blew fire over the dragons. One blue one then climbed his arm in acceptance.

Milliardo was pushed by Treize into the cleared circle with some other children. "Just try it!"

"I can't breathe fire!"

Another boy, the blue dragon on the floor in front of him, squeezed his eyes shut but the only thing that happened was a spark from his brand new wand. The dragon crawled back up the man's pants.

Left alone as the dejected many left, Milliardo stood nervously. A certain crowd had joined the spectacle of the numerous children that tried their luck at pyrokinetics.

"Haven't had a child for a couple years get a dragon, but it always gathers a crowd, me lady," the dragon-tamer informed him.

This information only fired him, being mistaken as a woman and all! "I'm a boy!"

"Sorry!" he grimaced and let the pretty blue dragon down on the ground, who watched Zechs expectantly. "Try your luck, mate."

Curls bunched, Milliardo concentrated hard on the blue dragon. He bowed, and the dragon flew up, flipped, then landed on his feet.

"That was pretty good. I think you already have his respect," the man complimented.

The people held their breath, and so did his people. Relena cried, "Go Milliardo!"

"Just imagine it's Duo," said Treize.

Milliardo cheeks blew up and reddened; blue eyes went wide and he began to cough out large bunches of smoke. "I did it."

The man clapped, and the dragon tipped his head to the side. "Try it again, mate! Try a long stiff fire! Might have the thing going for you."

The blonde gathered the fire into his throat and exhaled a neat stream of flame, and the little beast flew into the air, finally finding a master to whom he can truly bond with, and landed on Milliardo's shoulders, using his wings to shove away the blonde curls, but the dragon-tamer caught him and placed him into a cage. Students of various years came to congratulate him and pat him on the back while he paid the obscene amount. Heero, eyes spinning, had a black owl clamp her talons in his shoulder while that hand held her cage. The owl had the same eyes as his.

A grin tickled his lips. "This is Zero."

"Well, then this is Epyon," he answered back; their previous battle three years in the future the last things on their minds.

"Isn't that him?" one girl said, pointing at Heero, looking blatantly into his vibrant eyes. "It is! It's Heero Yuy!" The witches and wizards turned as a whole to stare at him. At the sudden attention, dark blue eyes became dark.

"Is he the one just like Harry Potter?"

"Yes!"

"It's him!"

They cried out and bunched together to see his eyes; those who stared too long were shoved away.

"Does it hurt?"

"Do you remember when you got hit?"

"Can you see what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named can see?"

"Can you talk to snakes?"

Lillian rushed forward, shoving them away. "Now, now, you remember those Muggle contraptions in space. He's from one of them and doesn't know a word you're saying!"

"He's from a colony?"

"He's a Special?"

"What year is he in?"

But the questions went unanswered as she herded the group away, letting them spread the rumor of Heero Yuy up and down the street.

Smiling as usual, Lillian turned around. "Told ya'." She clicked her tongue smartly.

Dorothy came from around a cage, holding a big red toad that turned blue each time it packed its lower jaw with air and croaked. She grinned deviously, "I bet you wanted to keep a low profile, hm?" and she walked off.

Nearly everyone had their animal when he walked up to more stares and points. Quatre, inside, was having trouble dealing between a small dark yellow owl and a small dark yellow kitten. He finally decided with an owl, like a good bit of them did, except Duo with a miniature panther, Une and Catherine, who both had cats.

Some had walked ahead to the humongous store and library Flourish and Blotts, but he headed to the store next to it full of brooms on sale- Quality Quidditch Supplies, steadily ignoring people who made wide spaces for him. When he came to the entrance, a boy with shining pale blonde hair and an even paler, haughty face stopped between the doorframe, a new broom in his hand. A distinguished chin bunched as he blocked the way for Heero as Heero did for him. "Well, isn't it the famous Death Glare. Excuse you."

The Death Glare flared. "Excuse yourself." Neither moved.

"Get out of my way."

"Hn," Heero said, a word that meant neither yes or no. Zechs, dragon perched nicely in its golden cage, came and stared at the two glaring boys.

"Who's this?"

"I'm Draco Malfoy. Who the hell are you?"

Taken aback at this rudeness, and the familiar name, he stiffened, dragon hissing smoke. "Milliardo Peacecraft."

"The damn Mudblood?"

"The what?"

"That means your family line is tainted with the filthy blood of Muggles. Your parents were both talentless, spineless humans," Malfoy spat angrily. "Now get out of my way, Yuy!"

"Yes, step aside for this piece of trash, Yuy. Don't want to dirty yourself."

"You're the trash, Mudblood!"

"Don't you insult me again! I will burn your face clean off!" For effect, Milliardo, hot-headed, blew flames into Draco's surprised face. The glowers were more fierce than what Milliardo and Duo had shared.

"You may go aside, now, Malfoy. I deem you responsible enough to step out of this store." Heero grinned at himself.

Hard gray eyes hardened, but he walked away. His face was tired and tight, and he met up with an anxious father of the exact likeness as his son.

The pilots, lightly ruffled, got the same broom, an excellent dark-wooded stick called Lightning Star 3000. It was the most expensive broom there, and Heero decided to buy one for Milliardo for no particular reason (especially not because he spent so much money on a dragon), before the other could refuse. They talked on their way to the bookstore, and the Japanese lad found out that Relena and Milliardo were a poor wizarding family, who didn't even have enough money to secure a vault at Gringotts. At the place that they would all be spending their future summers, or, if they choose, holidays, they had a small chest full of money. Not enough for their lifetimes but enough for other things.

They came to Flourish and Blotts at the same time Relena and Dorothy left. The girls carried their heavy third year books in large woven bags, which Dorothy bought generously for both of them.

"We're going to buy more robes and the uniforms that go under them!" Relena told them, beaming. "And when you see sparkling lights at that store over there," she pointed to the Wandmakers store, "go over there so we can get our wands." They walked off.

"Wands, brooms, and dragons! This is simply amazing," Milliardo let out, as if he had been holding it in.

"Is it better than mobile suits?"

"Actually, it's pretty close. I loved the military-"

"Whenever you didn't get in trouble? I didn't know you were so easily angered." Heero walked through the door as the other held it open. Immediately he referred to his list. The first book was A History of Magic, but he didn't need to read his list as Milliardo tapped on his shoulder and showed him the table with all the third year books. Trowa sat in a chair, reading a book with the title Magical Animals and Beasts Fourth Edition, a relatively old book with teeth; Trowa pressed it down to the table with the fingers on each page, as if to keep the thing from biting him. He looked up- shocking Heero as he saw both green eyes- and realized that he hadn't bought his other required books. When they were finished buying them, and next door to the Stationery Store writing utensils, ink, parchment, et cetera, then to the Cauldron Shop were they all bought copper cauldrons, Milliardo hardly had any money left and walked out disheartened. He absolutely refused the 'charity' that Trowa and Heero offered abstractedly.

"It's my fault with this dragon," he reasoned stubbornly, shaking foreboding obscuring curls from his eyes. Simultaneously, they arrived at the Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions tailor shop just when Relena, Catherine, Dorothy, Noin, and Une left. They spotted the other two girls, Hilde and Sally, with Duo, Wufei, and Quatre walking into the book store they just left. Treize, way down Diagon's Alley, had finished his shopping and stood waiting in front of the Julius's Wand shop, his white large-eyed owl safely in his cage while he fed him.

The lady there quickly waved a wand at their outlines, muttering a spell, then gathered the correct sizes of their Hogwarts uniforms-which she chattered was a relatively new addition to the Hogwarts school- and robes. Trowa went off and paid for all three outfits. He also ordered a few changes of clothes, and a few more clothes for the winter season, and pajamas, and bought them all, which almost brought him to just his Galleons left. Milliardo glared but managed a word of thanks, stuffing his suits into his bag. They walked out and saw the rainbow show.

"Good thing there are only wands left. I can't carry any more," Trowa said, carrying his sleeping pet lion and cauldron in one hand and the other held his books, clothes, and broom.

It was as if Lillian and Mark rented the wand shop; they all stood in a curved line inside the dark and littered wand shop. Towers of boxes uneasily shifted in their stacks, threatening to spill over, but Julius the wandmaker kept muttering Finite to steady them.

"Who's first?" Julius patiently asked, waving one of them forward. Milliardo came forward, and the wandmaker's large eyes behind his glasses bulged. "You have a dragon? Can you breathe fire? What's your name, my good lad?"

"My name is Milliardo Peacecraft, and I can breathe fire."

"Oh, good, good," he muttered. "This should narrow it down a bit, Mr. Peacecraft, I just hope you don't burn anything, by Merlin, that would be a mess. Just dragonwood and dragon's heartstring, I presume. The length may be a bit edgy." Julius roamed up and down the rows. "Are you temperamental?"

"Um..."

Treize answered, "Mostly."

"Okay. These two: nine inches and one-half and ten inches half. Wave these around."

Milliardo, roused to smile giddily, picked up the ten inches and waved it messily. Boxes flew away and fell wherever his wand pointed. He delicately flipped it another time, but the same thing happened.

"Now the other," Julius said, as if that sort of thing happened all the time, and cleaned up with his wand.

The other wand, with a flicker, blew a flame from itself.

"Fourty Galleons, please. Dragonwood is exceptionally rare, you must understand."

Milliardo, pleased with that amount, gave his last two large golden coins. As soon as he pressed back in line, three of them went forward, and that's how it went until the rest of them finished, waving their wands curiously.

"Phoenix feather and cedarwood," Treize said to Zechs, "exactly eleven inches, extremely durable. He said mine was rather rare." [1]

"Unicorn hair and holly, really springy? That is so you, Relena." Doroth tapped her Alder wood, Griffon tail wand on Relena's.

Heero's had been the only albino peacock feather and tulip tree wand there, the wandmaker told him, nodding his head wisely. He also had the only white-colored wand. He looked up when Lillian clapped her hands, the orange sun setting [2] her hair on fire.

"Everyone, get back in your groups. We're going to your new home by side-along Apparation!"

Pilot 01, holding tightly to pilot 02, remembered the tight suffocating feeling associated with Apparation. He seriously disliked the feeling and was close to grunting that opinion.

"I hate that!" Duo had said instead, then looked past the painted white and gold of the gate of the manor. "I bet this is for Quatre."

Lillian laughed. "You bet. Winslow!" she called; the elf came to her beckoning, bowed, and opened the gates.

"Winslow has dinner ready for Master Winner!" he said pleasantly, leading them to the large oak front doors, "Nice roasted chicken and mushroom soap, that nasty butterbeer witches and wizards like, champagne for the big witches and wizards, and chocolate cake."

A single fountain spouted clear water to the doves on its rim, the rest of the lawn was peach orchard and pumpkin patches.

"Thank you, Mr. Winslow."

"Mister? Oh no, Master Winner doesn't have to honor lowly Winslow... Winslow... Winslow like it." He ran to the fountain and began to bang his head on it.

"Oh, gawsh!" Mark elbowed his brother, shaking his head pitifully. "Poor creatures always doin' that."

Relena gasped. "Always?" She dragged the elf away by his skinny elbows.

"I don't want you doing that, Winslow," Quatre ordered, but avoided calling him the honorific that started it in the first place.

"Is that a command, Master Winner?" Sadly, the boy nodded slowly, walking slowly with the small, troubling elf up the stairs.

"Did my parents allow that?"

"No, Winner's parents hated the punishing self, even when Winslow needed it. After they gone, we Winner elves went somewhere else with ordinarier wizards and witches, but us elves like Winner better."

Such elves came and took off their robes and away with their luggage, leading them to their dinners.

"Wouldn't you rather wear something other than a ragged sack?" Relena suggested, compassion filling her voice.

"Does Winner want to buy cotton sacks?" a female elf cried unhappily.

"No! That's not what I meant! Wouldn't you rather wear clothes or robes or shoes at least?" Relena sat absentmindedly in the chair pulled for her.

"Never! Never, never, never! Just to think! Wizard clothing like our masters," she squeaked, running over to the heavy table leg and knocked her head against it.

"Zinny!" Winslow rushed over to her. "Master Winner don't want us doing that anymore!"

"But Zinny have to! Zinny have to!" And she burst into uncontrollable tears. She couldn't be consoled not even by Relena's pleas but ran off into the kitchen.

Duo promised, "She's gonna' hit her head with a frying pan." He started to laugh, and even harder when he saw Relena's shocked visage. Some of the others began to laugh as well. They were only a bunch of young teenagers, barely, who can blame them?

Silver domes warm to the touch appeared on the long table, Quatre at the head with a reluctant look. Plates, bowls full of soup, and eating utensils clattered in front of them while pitchers of the aforementioned drinks and goblets- pail-sized goblets for the twin giants- arranged themselves around the other pure silver. Delicious brown meat steamed, smelling delectable. Side dishes of rolls and greens dwelt in the smaller domes and they began to eat. Some of them were quite neat, like Treize, holding a fork and knife formally to cut his chicken, while others the same as Duo took pride in their fingers and bit off with their teeth, elbows stabbing the table.

"Those poor things, punishing themselves, so horrible!" Relena said, pressing spinach delicately between her lips.

"That's why," Duo added, a giggle already bubbling, "their heads so flat and wide. Their eyes so big, too, because they keep bashing their heads." They laughed, except Relena and Catherine, imagining their eyes bulging.

"That's really horrible, to be honest," Treize said seriously. He shook his head in disbelief. "Crude, Maxwell, crude."

"Professor Lillian?" Dorothy called, going on when she looked up from her plate, "Where's our things?"

A pout puckered her dainty lips. "Well, your clothing, books, and pets are going to be in whatever room you choose to be your own. Or shared to be more specific. There are seven rooms and fourteen of you guys. Some girl is going with some guy, but I don't really mind."

"What happened to our brooms and wands?" Duo immediately picked up on the leftover items.

"I hid them."

"Why?!"

"Because, you aren't allowed to use magic outside the wizarding world, which is where this mansion is, until you are seventeen and you guys don't know how to ride a broom and I don't want to risk it having you try."

Mutters of ill-meaning passed around the table, stopping when everyone was full. Setting off to find their rooms, Quatre, after being rebuffed by his elves when he began to clean off the table, said, "The butterbeer tasted like root beer." He automatically went to the room Trowa first opened and inside he saw not only his new wizard robes but also all his Muggle clothing and instruments, his piano and violin. Across from their room was the space occupied by Wufei and Sally's things. Without anything to pack, or toy with, they walked back towards the general area they thought Lillian would be.

"Please tell me there's a television."

"Wizards don't use televisions, Duo," Lillian answered. "They have radios, though."

"No," he wailed, "I'm going to kill myself now!"

"Oh, come on. There's spells that could get one working but not this week okay? Now, sit around me boys and girls; let's have some candy. Only jellybeans, so it wouldn't burst your stomachs, but they have every single flavor in the world!"

"Every flavor?" Treize asked, taking the bag and choosing a deadly green one, Zechs next to him chose something orange, Une a white jellybean. The small bag of candy went around the opposite way of a stack of tissues until everyone had their pick and returned the candy to Lillian, who was grinning quite madly. She had planned this just in case they wouldn't get along, having been on opposite sides of the Muggle war after all.

"Yep, oh, in case you were wondering, Mark and Devin went back to their hut over by Hogwarts; they live there. Okay, now everyone, eat!"

Smacks and chews were all that were heard, then Treize got up, scraping off his tongue, remembered his manners, and scrubbed his tongue with his napkin.

"I got blueberry," Quatre told them, one of the few that were happy.

"I got mucus." Treize looked as green as his candy.

"Why in the hell would they give out earwax?" Duo grumbled.

"That's not as bad as vomit," Zechs said to him.

"I guess cotton," Une said softly, bitterly, "isn't all that bad."

Wufei hadn't eaten his yet, a brown one with green spots, and then decidedly refused not to eat it. Frowns and glares met Lillian's shuddering frame as she laughed.

"Oh, that was as great as I thought it was. Who got good flavors?"

Quatre repeated his, while Catherine said she had a strawberry and chocolate flavored one, and Sally continued to chew on her white coconut bean. She swallowed as boxes of chocolate frogs were handed out to them. Duo, earnest to get rid of the earwax flavor, ripped his box opened and the frog jumped high into the air; its counterparts followed suit.

"I see that witches wouldn't want their kids to get addicted to candy, hm?" He shook his long chesnut hair. A frog had landed in it. Catching one randomly, he found that he couldn't eat them if they were going look like they were looking at him.

"Oh~ I couldn't eat this poor thing," Catherine said.

"The Charm making it move is going to wear off eventually," Lillian said, biting the head off her still wriggling chocolate frog. Some of them bit a leg or arm; the others like Catherine waited for the charm to wear off. "Look at the cards under it."

They did observe their flurry of cards, surprised as the pictures of wizards and witches and half-breed magical people smiled and waved at them. Heero, by an absurd stroke of irony, managed to receive Harry Potter, which signified his birth as July 31, 1980 and death October 31, 2079, an odd note said his death was unspecified. Milliardo got- it was a magical effect, Lillian said- Draco Malfoy, and Lillian had to explain the whole reincarnation, ghost bit. This was the first time in nearly seven hundred years that a reincarnation this grand has ever happened, and it did no more to put the Wizarding world at ease. Dorothy bushy-haired Hermione Granger appeared reading a book, and Duo's Ron Weasley slept with snores.

They sat in companionable silence for awhile before their lone professor asked, "Does anyone have any questions? About anything?" though she was a bit tired giving tidbits.

"The wizards and people here," Treize said, eyes a very dark brilliant purple, blushing slightly whenever Zechs licked his lips, "they don't know anything about us right?"

"Right, especially the students." She didn't miss the blush nor Une's flush of jealousy- but had no impulse to explain the inevitable to her twin. "I think it would be beneficial if one of you made friends with the Slytherins or Malfoy... You could get close to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his people. I know the Headmaster is one or close to one."

"I thought you liked Headmaster Doradius?" Quatre asked innocently.

"No. Thing is, he disappeared last year. This new 'better' Headmaster from the Ministry of Magic is substituting. She had replaced teachers and classes, using the reason that opposing is as good as treason to the Ministry of Magic."

"She's a mean old witch?" Milliardo now inquired, wondering why magic chocolate tasted so good.

"She's a mean young witch. So vain about her appearance that she's simply going to hate some of you 'cause she thinks that you think you are prettier than her."

"I probably am!" Duo recited, flinging his hair back, giving them reason to snicker.

"Yes, you're very pretty, Maxwell," Wufei murmured.

Violet eyes twinkled with mirth, and the mouth blew the Chinese boy a kiss. "Thanks, babe." And the snickers turned to all-out cachinnations.

"I got to be frank," Lillian said between giggles, "Headmaster Undeley is one crazy woman, but if you guys could get close to her, and can deal with her constant stupidity, you might get some good info."

Relena, between small chuckles, lied down comfortable on the carpet and asked, "How do you know what House you're going into?"

"It's supposed to be a secret but... Whatever... A Sorting Hat is put on your head. It will talk to you about your choices, your best and worst, but really it puts your opinions first, unless you're a sure-fire for some such house. It will blurt the house you're for right away."

Dorothy pretended to put the Sorting Hat on Relena's head, and before it touched her head, she cried, "Hufflepuff!" They laughed at her reddening face. "You said we will be here only for holidays- so Hogwarts is a dorm school?"

"Actually it's a prominent castle, about plus hundred sizes bigger than this whole manor."

"I can't find my way through that!" Catherine exclaimed.

Lillian waved her off. "There are maps, darling, don't worry- they'll give you a week to get around. Soooo... There's also a week until we have to get to King's Cross Station at Hogsmeade. That morning we will have your luggage ready, get to King's Station, and ya'll drop right on the Hogwarts' Express! What lesson are you looking forward to?"

"Flying," was most of the answers.

"I want to see the different magical creatures," Trowa said softly. "Especially hippogriffs."

"Oh, great, you'll love Mark and Devin's class then. Most people are scared of that class," Lillian laughed nervously, revealing how she was one those people.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, of course," Dorothy said, "Since that will help us against You-Know-Who." She stopped there, not bothering with the long name.

"Well, I'm going to go, and will come back around next week," Lillian got up to stretch and yawn. "So, you should be safe and if not, I would be sure to find out. There are charms and spells protecting this whole place, alright?"

"We're going to be alone?" Relena asked.

"Do you want a babysitter?" But the others answered negatively for the former Queen of the World. "Good. You guys be good, alright?"

"Yes, Professor Lillian!" And she left, leaving the chocolate and jellybeans, which they tried in two more rounds before just giving up on the better flavors. Trowa was the first to let out his pet and the others followed. Then, Dorothy opened up a book that she got from the Winner library. Quatre played his piano. Friends were made of the elves, Quatre and Relena taking the time to learn each and every one of their names

They also had small talks and large arguments all that awkward week, but they supported their bonds and settled on a general plan for Hogwarts.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[1] I only picked that wood because it sounded elegant, and a durable wood seemed to fit Treize. Then, after I wrote this chapter, I actually looked up what cedarwood was- found out I spelled it wrong (ceder)- and then I read that it was durable. The exact word! How odd...

[2]Setting on fire, sun setting- I promise it was an accident. I didn't realize it till I reread the chapter.