Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Newest Spirit Detective ❯ Painful Memories ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Harry Potter so don't sue me. I'm just borrowing them for a little =^.^=

 

Warnings: Swearing, nothing overly major.

 

Extra Notes: I just had to get this out of my brain one day so here it is.

 

Extra Special Notes: YAY! (*glomps Kirallie*) THANK YOU!! Everyone, say hello to my favorite (and regular/only) reviewer (and I admit it, author too). Since I'm feeling so wonderfully kind hearted after actually getting reviewed (hint hint), here is chappie #2 for you all to enjoy! I plan on updating my other fic “Surprises” (GW fic) sometime this week (I think -_-“ )

 

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“*blah*” is a language foreign to the country (Japanese in England, English in Japan, etc)

“Blah” is the understood language (English in England, Japanese in Japan, etc)

 

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And now, onto the show…

 

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Chapter 2

Painful Memories

 

~FLASHBACK~

 

AAAHHH!!!

 

Screams of pain, rage, hatred, surround me. Suddenly, `Avada Kedavra' from behind. Duck, drop, roll to the left, spring up, keep forward. Boneless THUD from someone ahead of me. Can't see and can't stop. Everything ends now!

 

`Crucio' from the right. Drop and roll. Scream of agony from the left. `Can't stop. Can't stop. Can't stop.' I keep repeating to myself, pushing forward. What started out as a well thought out, organized battle plan was reduced to utter chaos almost immediately upon entry to His lair. Evidently there was a traitor in our ranks. `Doesn't matter. Just stop Him! Keep going!'

 

I stumble out of the press of warring bodies, just managing to dodge a `Petrificus Totalus'. I can't stop. I must keep forward. I must defeat Him! Then I will finally be able to live my life without anyone else dying!' Images of the night Dumbledore died echo through my mind; my mother's last scream; Ginny after Tom's diary used her. No more! He dies tonight and this all ends. Finally, this all ends…

 

I skid to a stop just a foot inside a disturbingly quiet room. The door behind me slams shut and seals; a `Colloportus' spell. I look up and a shiver runs down my spine. Cold sweat covers my and my heart starts pounding. Before are two tightly packed ranks of Dementors. I think I'll be sick.

 

The forward rank rushes forward, quickly followed by the second. Now I know why you never want to be caught in those chase dreams. This is just like the darkness that chases you.

 

“NO!” I will not be defeated so easily! Tom dies tonight! I can't die before then! I can't stop. I must press forward!

 

I raise my wand and point it at the roiling mass of Dementors that are gliding towards me rapidly.

 

“Expecto Patronum!”

 

A beautiful silver stag, my dad, steps out of my wand and faces down the mass of Dementors eager to suck my soul away. He lowers his head, rack gleaming, and charges the Dementors. I hastily put up an `Imperturbable Charm' but it doesn't block out all of the soul torturing screams. I snarl and hasten forward when a small Dementor-free area appears on their side of the room. I glare at the door on their side, an unspoken `Alohomora' and I'm through.

 

I run down a corridor that seems to go on forever and yet only takes me ten minutes to reach the double, iron bound, solid oak doors at the end. I start chuckling, looking at the massive edifice to defense. I whip my wand up and `Reducto' the doors which smashes them to pieces. A piece of iron slashes my cheek but I don't even notice. I reaffirm that all my mental barriers (after I replaced Snape I finally mastered Occlumency) and step through the remains of the door and into a large room, almost a study.

 

I recognize it though. Over to the left, down the wall a little ways, is the fireplace and before it is the chair He normally sits in, presiding over his army of Death Eaters and plotting how to make life a living hell. Something is different this time though. On the floor, paralyzed (Petrificus Totalus), bound in rope (Incarcerous), and muted (Silencio) is Draco Malfoy. His shirt has been ripped off and he is tied in such a way that the eyes are drawn to them. No Dark Mark. Draco wasn't a Death Eater. The implications of this stun me momentarily, my eyes riveted on the bare skin of Draco's arms.

 

“Ah, Harry Potter. I see you noticed my little present for you.” Voldemort stands up and walks around his chair so he is standing next to the captured Draco. Voldemort looked…human. A bit on the pretty side but still…human. Nothing to implicate that that man was one of the greatest evils of the wizarding world. Well, unless you discounted the glowing red eyes with slit vertical pupils. My gut tells me the only reason his eyes are like that is from the excitement and hatred he's radiating.

 

“Tom Marvolo Riddle. Yes, I have. I must say, very interesting choice.”

 

I don't even recognize my own voice. Cool, calm, polite. Like Draco isn't bound at his feet, my friends aren't dead or dying, like there never was a war. What the hell is wrong with me?! I'm having a polite conversation with the bane of my existence. I try to keep my mouth shut but a glint of something, anger? fear?, that momentarily flashes in Voldemort's eye convinces me to shut my brain up and let my mouth keep running.

 

“Hmm. The great Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world, callous about the life or death of one of his friends?” Voldemort had a deep, cultured, aristocratic voice. His voice seemed like a balm if you ignored the actual words. I wasn't, but my mouth had an idea and was running with it. I chuckle.

 

“Ah, Tom. I'm afraid your informant was confused if he thought Malfoy,” I sneer and say his name like a curse, “and I were anything other than…rivals to say the least.” That got him; Voldemort blinks slowly, confusion flashes across his face for a split second. “Honestly, I can't say I would give a damn if you did me the favor of disposing of him. He's been a thorn in my side since first year; didn't you know?”

 

Draco's eyes flicker from Voldemort to me and back again to Voldemort. His eyes plainly says, “Ha ha. Idiot.” Loathing and grim amusement radiate from his eyes. Voldemort blinks once again, slowly and carefully, before an amused smirk makes its home on his face. He flicks his wand toward Draco's prone form and calmly pronounces `Crucio'. Draco's eyes glaze over in pain and his mouth opens into a silent, agonized scream. Voldemort quickly `Envenerate's Draco. Now Draco's bound form is writhing in agony while screaming silently.

 

I lift an eyebrow in disdain and look over Draco's writhing form for a few moments before languidly looking up at Voldemort's face. In a dispassionate voice I ask, “Is that all you can do?” Inside I am screaming at myself, curling into a ball, and slowly dying the longer Draco writhes and screams. Externally, I am the perfect image of a disdainful ice prince, Draco's torture having no effect on me. I'm extremely thankful I finally mastered Occlumency.

 

Voldemort looks over at Harry and shudders, honest to gods shudders. The Great Dark Lord Voldemort was scared of a 16 year old teenaged wizard. This was not going as he planned. That Potter brat was supposed to be enraged, charging him, begging him to stop; he was not supposed to be standing a few feet inside his study watching that traitor Draco writhing to death in agony with nothing more than disdain on his features. He looks up at me coldly and merely asks if that is all I can do. This was not going as planned. He had to break that Potter brat and destroy him.

 

I cock my head to the side slightly and smile in grim amusement. “Why Tom, I do believe I frighten you. What's wrong? You expected me to beg you to stop? Attack?” I bark a laugh of utter contempt. “I don't think so Tom. You've done more than enough to me over the years that I couldn't really give a rat's ass if Malfoy dies. Go ahead, `Crucio' him to death,” A grin slowly spreads across my face, partly because Voldemort is definitely terrified of me now and partly because it is fun tormenting him, “I don't mind. And when he is dead, you really won't have any defense against me except your magic. And admit it Tommy, we are dead even in that respect. Huh,” I tap my chin with my wand tip contemplatively, mockingly, “I wonder who has the fastest reflexes. Me…or you?” The grin doesn't leave my face but the sneer on `you' is obvious in my tone.

 

Voldemort panics and snaps his wand towards me and shouts “Crucio”. I duck and roll to the right, behind a bookcase, avoiding the green light of the curse. Finally, my brain regains control and I dart my head out and shout “Avis”. A flock of birds appear from my wand, handily distracting Voldemort who ducks behind his chair. I make a quick negating gesture with my wand and lift the `Crucio' on Draco before ducking back behind the bookcase. I mentally cross my fingers and hope Draco survives this.

 

Suddenly the bookcase screams and shreds into a pieces as Voldemort `Reducto' s the bookcase I'm hiding behind. I flick my wand at the now standing Voldemort and cast `Orchideous'. The `Crucio' he was casting turns to flowers and I safely make it behind another bookcase. I concentrate and wordlessly cast `Sectum Sempra'. Voldemort screams. I glance over the bookcase momentarily and see him kneeling on the floor, blood starting to pool around his knees. He rears up and shouts `Impedimenta' and I slam against the wall, hard. I slide down the wall, panting to regain the air knocked out of me. Voldemort stalks towards me, wand up and at the ready. Gods it's hard to move when you can't breathe. I slowly lift my wand but I'm too late. The `Avada Kedavra' sizzles towards me when suddenly…

 

“IMPEDIMETNA!”

 

I'm lifted up and thrown against Voldemort's chair; the cushioned seat breaks my fall. I look around and see Draco, panting and weak, with a feral grin on his face. He owed Voldemort for what he did to his godfather.

 

Voldemort snarls and whips around to face Draco, amazingly up and moving. “I shall do to you what I should have done a long time ago, what I did to your godfather,” he hisses through clenched teeth. Voldemort was close to loosing his stranglehold on his rage, the snake in him slowly coming through. He raises his wand to petrify Draco once again but someone beats him to the spell.

 

“PetrificusTotalus!&# 8221; I scream, trying to make up for my earlier indifference. It hits Voldemort directly in the back and he stops moving for a moment, long enough for me to throw Draco a small satchel with a medallion inside; a port key to Hogwarts. Draco grabs the satchel but doesn't get a chance to use the port key as Voldemort shrieks `Petrificus Totalus' in Parsletongue and Draco freezes.

 

Voldemort whips around to face me and I stare at him as we both raise our wands, `Avada Kedavra' s at the ready. His face had degenerated back to when I first saw it back in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The eyes were tilted red snake eyes, burning with hatred. He had slits where his nose once was and his mouth was a lipless slash on the pale, gaunt face. He was just as horrifying now as he was then.

 

“Well Potter,” he hisses in Parsletongue, “I think you were right earlier. We are reduced to seeing who has the faster reflexes.” He smiles after this statement and I can see the glimmer of twin fangs in his mouth. My face hardens in resolve and I answer lightly, “I do believe you're right Tommy. Seeker versus Snake. Both quick and agile. Both incredible hunters. I wonder…”

 

Without hesitation I shout the kill spell at the exact same time Voldemort does. At the exact same time the spells connect with their respective targets. At the exact same time, Voldemort and I drop to the floor, dead.

 

Draco jerks and drops to his knees as Voldemort's spell ends with is death. The satchel slides out of his grip across the floor and he scrambles after it, snatching it off the floor before it can touch Voldemort's corpse. He stands up and looks around and sees Harry lying on the ground near Voldemort's chair.

 

“Potter!”

 

Draco stumbles to Harry's side and gently places his fingers against Harry's neck checking for a pulse. There is none. He places his hand gently over Harry's nose and mouth but there is no air moving into or out of the body. His eyes start to burn but he pushes it back and jerks around to look at the room when a tremor shakes the building. `What is going on?' Suddenly, another tremor strikes, stronger than the first one. A third follows seconds after the second tremor stops. They were gaining in intensity and strength. The books start falling from the undamaged cases and pieces of drywall from the ceiling start falling. `Oh gods, no! The house is collapsing now that Voldemort's dead!'

With another glance at Harry's corpse, he opens the satchel, grabs Harry's wrist, and grips the port key. The signature jerk behind his navel tells him the spell is a success and he and Harry disappear from the room. A moment later, the upper floor caves and a large pile of drywall and wooden beams slams into the ground where Draco and Harry had been.

 

Safely back in Hogwarts Draco breaks down and starts sobbing, clinging to Harry's lifeless corpse while Harry's spirit was getting introduced to Ayame.

 

~END FLASHBACK~

 

Harry looked over his shoulder at and met Yuske's dazed eyes. “That was how I wound up here,” he gestures around with his free hand, signifying the entire Reikai and the situation leading up to where they were now. Now being sitting on the oar behind Ayame with Yuske clutching his waist in a knuckle whitening death grip. Evidently Yuske wasn't impressed with Ayame's driving. He chuckles. `Wonder how he would react to riding a broom playing Quidditch?' The chuckle turns into a snort as he imagines poor Yuske Urameshi, leader of the Reikai Tentai, destroyer of demons, hanging onto his broom for dear life all the while surrounded by homicidal bludgers, zealous beaters, suicidal seekers, and a whole arena full of teens on adrenaline and testosterone highs. The snort turns into outright laughter.

 

Yuske tightens his grip on the shaking wizard -yes wizard, as in real, live, male magic wielder- and clamps his thighs tighter around the oar under him, just incase Harry slipped. Koenma wanted him back alive after all.

 

Irritated by Harry's laughter, Yuske gives a quick, hard `hug' and Harry coughs to a stop. Harry's head whips around and he glares at Yuske but can't maintain it and starts snickering again. “Do you mind telling me what's so funny Har?” Harry swallows, gives Yuske a speculative look, then grins. “Just imagining you in the middle of a Quidditch game.” He starts snickering again. Sometimes Yuske really wanted to throttle the British boy in front of him.

 

“Well, I'm glad to see that thought amuses you so much. After we get you settled back into your body, its training time, remember Har?”

 

Harry stops snickering, looks at the gleam in Yuske's chocolate eyes, and swallows. Yuske's grin would do the Cheshire Cat proud. “You can be a real pisser you know that right?” Now Yuske chuckles. “So I've been told, in much cruder terms.” Harry just sighs and turns to face forward again.

 

The continue on in silence for another five minutes before Harry jerks up and points to a large building that was getting closer. “There it is! Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry!” Yuske looks at where Harry is pointing and sighs in relief. With the way Ayame was flying he would be off the suicidally inclined ferry girl's oar in under five minutes.

 

Ayame settles onto the expansive front lawn of Hogwarts with 2 minutes and 19 seconds to spare. Yuske happily jumps off the oar and just stands on terra firma for a few moments, reassuring himself that he was still alive and hadn't joined Harry as a spirit again.

 

Harry just snickers and mutters `light weight' on his way past Yuske, towards the main doors. Yuske scowls and follows after the floating Harry. Since they were no longer in the Reikai, Harry had reverted back to being a specter and all its limitations (1). A few feet from the front door the two boys are stopped. Harry by the four house ghosts and Peeves; Yuske by Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Professor Sprout, and Filch. “What business do you have here young man?” McGonagall inquires (okay, more like interrogates) of Yuske.

 

Yuske just shrugs and turns to look at Harry's faint outline. “*Hey Har, you mind throwing some of that power Koenma was talking about around? I would really love to get this done on time. It's sort of hard to teach a spirit to be a spirit detective ya know?*”

 

Peeves glides forward to stand before Yuske and looks him over carefully, very un-Peeves like. Yuske arches his brow and just stares back at the poltergeist.

 

“Well I'll be damned. Urameshi Yuske, it is you! What in the world is the leader of Koenma's tentai doing here and with Potter no less?”

 

The professors, Harry, and the four house ghosts just gape at Peeves and Yuske. “*Huh, guess you must be the contact Baby Face told me about. Why I'm here is simple. That*,” Yuske jerks his head to the right, gesturing at Harry, “*is my new ward. I'm here to get him safely back into his body. After that, none of your business.*” Yuske says the last with a cold glare.

 

Peeves floats back towards the castle with his usual mocking air. He stops beside the rest of the Hogwarts faculty long enough to snap, “Move it my oh-so-intellectual comrades. Unless of course pink hair dye (2) sounds good to you?” The last was said with a malicious glint to his spectral eyes before Peeves disappears into the castle. The rest of the faculty moves aside for Harry and Yuske to enter, not that Harry would have had any problems, all things considered. Being a ghost did have a few perks.

 

The inside of the castle was a relief after the unusual warmth outside. Without the sun shining through him, Harry was plainly visible and the professors stop in shock while Filch just mutters and disappears down an adjoining hall, undoubtedly looking for first years to bust.

 

Hagrid is the first to recover and walks over to Harry, looking over (and through) him. “Har'y, is `at really you?” Harry just smiles at his favorite teacher and nods. “Har' I can't believe it. When Draco brought yer…uh,” Hagrid stumbles and Harry nods encouragingly.

 

“Corpse Hagrid. Sounds horrible but that is what it was. Don't worry Hagrid, me and the royal pisser standing in green next to you are trying to fix things.” Yuske just scowls at Harry and says “*Training regimen.*” Harry grins and sticks his tongue out at Yuske. Hagrid (who is not as dense as people think) looks between the two and smiles to himself.

 

“Well, I'm jus' glad tha' somethin's being done. I really missed ya Har.” Hagrid's eyes start shining so he turns to look at `the royal pisser standing in green' next to him and looks him over. “*What?*” Hagrid just shrugs and grins. Yeah, Harry did good. He extends his hand to Yuske and introduces himself, “Rubeus Hagrid, call me Hagrid. Grounds keeper and Care of Magical Creatures Teacher.” Yuske recognizes that Hagrid is introducing himself, just damned if he knew what the giant said. He turns and looks at Harry but is interrupted by a female voice translating Hagrid's introduction into Japanese. “*Oh, Yuske Urameshi. I help out spirits who have problems.*” He gestures towards Harry. The female voice once again translates, but in a distracted fashion.

 

Yuske turns to see who the hell is translating when he spots a bushy brown hair girl standing next to Harry, scanning him up and down like she didn't believe what she was seeing. Harry looks happily stunned to see Hermione and lets her check him out. “Harry,” she chokes out before she turns and runs down the way she came from.

 

Yuske glances around then turns to look at Hagrid. “ `Er name's Hermione Granger,” Hagrid answers the obvious question simply since Yuske wouldn't understand anything longer. Yuske nods his understanding and turns back to Harry just to yelp when Harry isn't there. A quick sweep of the area shows Harry darting down the hall that Hermione went down. Yuske follows in his ward's well, footsteps don't exactly work, but good enough for him.

 

Harry stops at the entrance to the currently empty Great Hall and just looks around. It had been renovated since the last time he was here…

 

~FLASHBACK~

 

AAAHHH!!!

 

More screams. Why is it always screaming. Don't they know that their screams still haunt my nightmares even though its been ten months? Damn them.

 

The school was once again under attack, just like in sixth year. It seemed that Professor McGonagall hadn't learned from last time because it looked like the Death Eaters had used the same tactic Draco had. The Room of Requirement couldn't be a little choosier could it? It had to help anybody with any requirement. Even Death Eaters bent on invading Hogwarts.

 

I howl in rage inside the abandoned Divination Tower. This wasn't right! First I die when I was supposed to live and now those damnable Death Eaters were attacking my friends, my home, once again! It wasn't fair! I clutch the small golden egg tightly in my fist as I shake with rage. Damnit! There's nothing I can do because I'm a bloody damn ghost!

 

I had managed to tune out the screaming of my friends and comrades with my internal rant but a sudden shriek has me bolting through the floors of the castle. I knew that shriek of outright rage and fear. “Hermione!”

 

I barrel through the ceiling of the Great Hall in time to see Lucius Malfoy fire the green light of the `Crucio' curse at Hermione. She falls to the floor and starts screaming in agony. Ron, almost to the pile of rubble from the Great Hall's walls that would serve to protect them, turns back and sprints back to Hermione.

 

Draco's platinum blonde head pops out of hiding long enough to shout, “Weasel! What the hell are you doing?!” He drops down to the ground and just misses getting `Impedimenta' d into the wall. He turns to look at the two other students with him, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. “Don't just sit there! We have to save the Weasel and the Mud-Blood!” he snaps and the other two nod. All together they duck their heads and wands out of hiding and cast `Impedimenta' successfully sending Lucius sailing through the air.

 

I cheer then yelp as Lucius flies right through me and into the wall just a foot below the ceiling. `That felt wrong on so many levels.' Hermione stops screaming and Ron scoops her up before bolting towards the others. He just makes it behind the blockade before a rage powered `Avada Kedavra' sails past. The back wall has a six foot hole blown out when the curse connects.

 

Ron sets Hermione down and Neville `Envenerate' s her back to consciousness. “Ohh…And Harry used to bull right through those. Never realized quite how strong he was,” she mutters to herself then stomps down on the threatening tears. She instead turns to Draco and snaps, “What the hell is your father doing here?”

 

I had floated through the wall down to where my friends were and listen to the conversation because I'm curious too.

 

Draco shakes his head and slams his free hand into the floor. “Damned if I know Mud-Blood. He should still be rotting in Azkaban. Shit, how did he get out?” He glances around the corner, looking at the older Malfoy and grimaces. He turns his face back to the others. “Look. I never overly liked that conceited bastard. I was never good enough for him and he filled my head with doubts and illusions of grandeur. Personally, I was hoping the Dementors had finished him off by now. Too good for that bastard if you know what I mean,” he says harshly. Hermione looks shocked but the other three nod.

 

“Draco Malfoy!” Lucius shouts and Draco blanches. “Draco Malfoy, I suggest you come out and face me unless you want all your little school friends to die. Unless you really think that pile of rubble you are hiding behind can stop me.”

 

Draco's pale face paled further as he looks at the small group around him. He knows his father can do it. He looks around frantically, looking for something, anything, he didn't know what. His eyes come to rest on me and I quickly duck back into the wall as his eyes widen. Draco nods to himself and stands up, a determined set to his features. Hermione, Luna, and Neville are stunned at Draco's reaction but Ron just reaches out and clasps Draco's hand as he passes. “Don't do anything stupid Malfoy. Harry didn't save you just so you could commit suicide.” Draco just smiles and says softly, “No he didn't. But that doesn't mean that I won't do it if it saves my…friends.” Ron's grip tightens and then he lets Draco go and gestures for the others to stay back when they try to stop Draco.

 

Draco stands in the aisle and faces his father, the infamous Malfoy sneer at home on his features. He lifts his wand and points it at his father. Lucius just snarls and whips his wand towards Draco, sending a powerful `Crucio' curse at him. Draco drops onto his back and the curse passes over him. He rolls to his feet just to be jerked to the side by an unknown presence as another `Crucio' passes through the space he would have occupied if he had stood up.

 

The presence inside of him shoves itself forcefully throughout his body and rolls to the side again, away from his friends and a `Diffindo' that rips the long table he had been kneeling in front of in half. The presence casts `Protego' and runs through the piles of rubble and detritus that are scattered throughout the destroyed Great Hall, putting distance between himself and the others and using the shield to knock away the spells Lucius hurls at him.

 

Draco and the presence both jerk to a stop when they hear Hermione and the others, except Luna, screaming. They both jerk around and look at where Lucius is. He is standing next to the pile of rubble Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Luna are behind, all of them petrified and helpless. Lucius smiles like the cat that caught the canary when Draco turns around. He blinks quickly when Draco first faces him but he must have been seeing things; for a moment he could have sworn Draco's eyes turned a brilliant emerald green.

 

“I tire of these games Draco. Either you stop running around like a rat in a maze and face me,” Lucius' eyes glint insanely, “or I kill your…friends.” The sneer on the last was obvious.

 

This time there was no mistaking it. Draco's eyes were emerald green and glowing with rage and hatred. Surprisingly, most of the intensity was coming from Draco. Draco/Presence snarl and shout, “Don't get cocky Malfoy! You will pay for your crimes! Against us and against everyone you ever hurt!” The voice was a strange dual tone of conflicting voices, one was Draco and one was Harry.

 

Lucius panics at the sheer malice in the voices and slashes his wand at Draco/Harry. I shove Draco to the side and release my hold on his body. He hits the floor with a thud as the `Avada Kedavra' curse passes right through me. I turn enraged eyes on the elder Malfoy. “Really Malfoy. A killing spell on a spirit? If you haven't noticed, I'm already dead!” I snap the last and Lucius pales further before turning to my friends who were still petrified.

 

“How's this for revenge Potter?” Lucius asks, his voice high and plainly insane. “For taking away my Lord (3), my authority, my power? Eh?! How's this Potter!” His voice was reaching higher and higher and he shrieks the last statement before turning to my friends.

 

“NO!”

 

Somehow the golden egg Ayame gave me is in my hand and without thought or hesitation I throw it.

 

“AVADA KE--”

 

The egg strikes Lucius in the middle of his back just before he finishes the killing curse and destroys my friends. The egg absorbs into Lucius' back and Lucius starts to glow blue (4). I jump back into Draco's dazed form and race towards my friends. I don't know why, but my gut says we need to leave, fast. I swish Draco's wand and `Envenerate' my four friends and frantically wave for them to run. They don't need to be encouraged twice. Ron grabs Hermione up over his shoulder while Neville does the same to Luna and we race out of the hole Lucius made earlier in the back wall; dodging and occasionally jumping over any obstacles in our way. Outside we keep running until we are knocked off our feet by an electric blue shockwave coming from the Great Hall. Ron drops on top of Hermione and Neville drops onto Luna while I just flatten out on the grass.

 

What felt like an eternity later, I gingerly sat up, still inside Draco's body. I turn to check the others and am forced to agree with Draco. “Get a room!” we snap at the two kissing couples. Ron and Hermione were kissing passionately and Neville and Luna were just as passionate but more…subtle about it. Our dual voice snaps them out of their heated kisses and they turn to look at us. All four stare at us wide eyed, immensely annoying Malfoy who once again snaps at them. “Well? You never seen someone possessed before?” Okay, I admit it. That last was me but it would have taken a stronger person than me to pass up the chance to instill a sense of humor in Draco. Internally Draco scowls at me but I cheerfully ignore it and point out how pleasant it was rooming with him. That shuts him right up.

 

“H-Ha-Harry?” Neville finally asks. The others are still gaping at us. I smile sadly and nod. “Ha-Harry…” Neville murmurs again and just stares at us, eyes glazed. I start fidgeting and start to flee but Draco, little bastard that he is, grabs onto me and holds me down inside of him. `Thought you didn't want a roommate Malfoy?' `Shut up Potter. You aren't escaping that easily.' `Damn.'

 

I'm pulled out of that stimulating conversation with Malfoy suddenly and instead find myself being hugged to death `You? You're already dead. It's me he's killing!' by Neville. Neville had grown after the last battle and was quite a bit stronger and leaner. I pat his back reassuringly and point out the need to breathe if I didn't want Draco joining me shortly. Neville pulls back a little, a sheepish grin on his face.

 

“Harry, I can't believe it! We haven't seen you around so we thought you had…you know…passed on or something.” Neville blushes at the confession and I chuckle.

 

“No worries Neville. I didn't want to be found; I mean, I've been hiding in the Divination's Tower since I, you know, died. I think I finally figured out why Peeves is the way he is. Hogwarts can be pretty bloody boring.” I grin and the twinge I feel makes me think I sprained something in Draco's face.

 

Suddenly I find myself flat on my back with the other three all over me. I grin and laugh and we eventually get disentangled from each other. We spend the rest of the day and late into the night talking. After it became dark I slipped out of Draco and we all chatted and talked. Somewhere between dusk and 3 a.m. when everyone went to be, Draco started calling everyone by their proper names and Ron was sitting near Draco without sneering or being a general smartass. We each go our separate ways in the main hall. For the next two weeks we would meet and talk. No one ever found out what happened to Lucius and none of us really wanted to find out. Then one night Ayame came for me and I never got a chance to say good-bye.

 

I spent a month and a half in the Reikai with Ayame and Koenma teaching me the basics about the Reikai, Ningenkai, and Makai. A day and a half ago I finally met my mysterious professor and it turned out to be a teenaged troublemaking smartass. Not what I was expecting but definitely appreciated. I had to agree with Yuske the first time we met. It looked like it was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.

 

~END FLASHBACK~

 

Caught in his memories, Harry doesn't notice the small group sitting at the end of the table to the front and right of him. He also didn't notice when Yuske stepped up beside him and gazed at him with gentle concern. Of course, Yuske would deny it to his dying breath if anyone suggested he was doing so.

 

~*~*~*~

 

1- That's what it seemed like happened in the show and it just makes sense.

2- Okay, this was inspired from a story on mediaminer.org that I read a week or two ago. Unfortunately I can't find it again. So here's a summary and if anyone knows who the author/title is tell me and I'll fix this—

Kagome goes through the well after Naraku with the entire group. There she finds out her entire family are kitsunes. Kirara (go figure) has a human form and enjoys tormenting Hiei. Kagome is related to Yuske (who had a problem in his childhood with pinecones). The entire group tries to setup the kitsune Kagome with Kurama. They are invited to a ball/party at Sesshomaru's where his youngest daughter Kita's soul is stolen. Now the tentai and the Inu gang are trying to get the Kita's soul back.

- If you recognize this then please drop a line with the title or author or both. Thank you!

3- Lord Voldemort

4- When Yuske sacrificed his egg in the fire, the flames turned blue so I figured Lucius would too.

 

~*~*~*~

 

R&R please…(Reviews make me want to continue if you get the hint ^_~ )

 

CONSTRUCTIVE criticism will be seriously considered…

 

Flames will be doused and ignored…

 

Got a suggestion for the story? Send me an email - lynn.gryphon@gmail.com