Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Demonic Guardians ❯ Ch. 3: After the Feast ( Chapter 3 )

Demonic Guardians

Chapter III: After the Feast

After the start of term feast while the students were leaving for their dormitories, Genkai pulled aside the Reikai Tantei for a brief 'chat' in her new office.

Kuwabara looked around the small, dimly lit room. At the moment, it was bare and unfurnished, except for a mahogany desk and a chair sitting in the corner. Genkai closed the door and turned to the four detectives.

"I assume Koenma told you what was needed?" It was more of a statement that a question.

Kurama frowned. "A brief overview, yes. However, he left out most of the details."

Hiei snorted irritably. "I don't see why the petty problems of these humans concern us."

"The Reikai is held responsible for this mess in the first place."

Kurama tilted his head curiously. "Pardon me?" How could the Spirit World have had anything to do with the problems that now plagued the wizarding world?

"You heard me right, Kurama," said Genkai scathingly. "Koenma spoke to you of one called Voldemort, correct?" She waited for the affirming nod before continuing. "Apparently, his death was scheduled to be on Halloween night fifteen ago."

Yusuke spoke up for the first time entering the office. "And what? If he's alive and kicking now, does that mean he cheated death?"

The old psychic fixed him with her usual stern scowl. "In a way, yes. Perhaps his dark power gave him some eternal connection to the living world. Or something went amiss in the delivering of his soul to the underworld." Genkai shook her head. "Koenma isn't quite sure of what went wrong. All we know is that his soul lingered and has been searching for a way to gain enough power to return to the living."

Kurama felt he had to interrupt. "Perhaps you could enlighten us by telling the history of this 'Voldemort' character?"

Genkai frowned. "Perhaps, but it's a long story."

"We have all night."

"All right then. Where should I start…?"

-----------------------------------

Nearly an hour later, the Reikai Tantei were standing outside Genkai's office, now with a clear picture of their mission.

The event Harry had witnessed at the end of the Twiwizard Tournament - the rebirth of the Dark Lord - had been made possible with the help of several demons who had allied themselves with the Dark Lord. Once again, stray demons were questing for power in the Ningenkai, and once again, the Reikai Tantei had been sent to stop them.

Koenma had given them orders to take guard over Harry Potter in the belief that this boy was the only one who could defeat Voldemort.

"We should be going back to our House dormitories now," said Kurama.

Hiei snorted sullenly, but he and Kurama began down the hallway to the left. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other before turning in the opposite direction, towards the Gryffindor tower.

"See you two in the morning, then."

--------------------------------

Kuwabara and Yusuke arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady nearly half an hour later, after being pointed down the right direction several times by the other portraits, two accidents with trick staircases and an unfortunate encounter with Peeves, who left the scene cackling about having new students to pull pranks on. Yusuke dearly wished he could have used his Rei Gun then.

Their moods were not improved as they stood, drenched from the huge water jug Peeves had upended on them, before the Fat Lady.

"What do you mean you can't let us in?" shouted Yusuke angrily, pointing to the red and gold badge pinned to his robes. "We're Gryffindors!"

"Yeah," added Kuwabara. "Aren't you supposed to let all Gryffindors pass?"

The Fat Lady crossed her arms, unyielding to their protests. "You can only enter if you have the password. Which you don't.''

Yusuke was suddenly finding it very difficult to keep out thoughts of pulling out his Rei Gun. Kuwabara looked a bit short on patience as well.

Just then, the portrait door swung open, and they were met with the sight of a girl with bushy brown hair standing in the doorway. Kuwabara noticed a bright badge with the letter 'P' pinned to the front of her robes.

"There you are!" she said. "I've been looking for you two ever since the feast ended!"

"Looking for us…?"

"I'm Hermione Granger, Gryffindor House prefect," she said quickly. "And you are the new transfers, correct?" Nod. "I was supposed to tell you the password, but you disappeared after the feast." She looked down at the puddle of water collecting at Yusuke and Kuwabara's feet, and her smile tilted into a thin frown. "Oh! Did you have a run-in with Peeves? He can be difficult sometimes - "

"The password?" prompted Yusuke curtly after sensing no end to her talking in the near future. He had a nice, hot bath in mind, dry clothes, and a good night's sleep.

"Oh yes, it's mandragonra officinarum," said Hermione, and both Spirit Detectives muttered it to the Fat Lady before climbing through the door.

Inside was a spacious room, carpeted in red and brightly lit by a large fire crackling beneath a mantel on the front wall adjacent to the portrait door. Students ranging from small, cautious first-years huddled in nervous groups to seventh-years playing a rowdy game of Exploding Snap lounged on the numerous armchairs, couches, and tables situated throughout the room. Spiral staircases wound upward on opposite ends of the far wall, and from the ruckus overhead, Yusuke guessed that there were people upstairs as well.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor Commons Room," said Hermione. "The staircase over there - " She gestured to the stairway on the left. " - leads to the boys' dormitories. And the one on the right leads to the girls'. Your things have already been brought up to your assigned room - Ron!"

A tall, lanky boy with a mop of red hair and peppered with freckles had approached them. He, too, was sporting a prefect badge. "Hello Hermione. Are you the transfers? I'm Ron Weasley."

"Yusuke Urameshi," growled Yusuke. Could they just cut with the introductions so that he could get on with his bath? His wet robes were starting to get rather uncomfortable. He made a mental note to himself to get Peeves back later.

"Kazuma Kuwabara - Kuwabara to you."

Ron stepped back and took in their drenched robes. "What happened to you? Was it Peeves? Maybe you should go take a shower, then - "

At this chance, Yusuke all but sprinted towards the bathroom.

Hermione frowned. "You're going in the wrong way! It's on the right."

Yusuke pivoted without slowing his speed and disappeared behind a door.

--------------------------------

Hiei was sitting on the windowsill of the sixth-year Slytherin boys' dorm. The room was empty; all his dorm-mates had unpacked already and were down in the Commons Room, something that the fire demon was unduly grateful for.

He cursed his luck. Of all the Houses, the Hat had to put him in the one with the most arrogant and foolish humans. He had already encountered some of his Housemates, and they did nothing to improve his opinion of humans. Apparently, these Slytherins considered themselves superior to the rest of the Ningenkai, whom they called Muggles. He sneered contemptuously. Strutting around with unmerited pride, acting as though they were the supreme beings of the universe - and so very ignorant of everything outside their own little world.

Fools.

He had seen some of their 'magic.' At first, he had been interested at the prospect of humans capable of magic, but was keenly disappointed in what he saw - token amounts of reiki channeled through flimsy sticks he could snap in a less than a second and leave them as pathetically defenseless as insects.

On top of everything else, these humans were the reason his sister had been left unprotected in Japan. Hiei growled mentally. Sure, there were Botan, Keiko, and Atsuko to look after Yukina, but Hiei felt much more at ease when he was there himself. If anything happened to her, nothing would stand between Koenma and a messy death.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs disrupted his thoughts. A few seconds later, a pale blonde boy, whom Hiei recognized from the feast, was standing at the doorway.

Hiei regarded him expressionlessly, face carefully devoid of the disdain he felt. This human was possibly the most arrogant of them all - Hiei remembered hearing him boasting loudly at the feast of being promoted to captain of the 'Quidditch' team, the prototype brooms his father was sure to buy him, his outstanding marks in a test called 'OWL's.' It was all he could do to restrain himself from setting the boy's robes on fire for the mere satisfaction of knocking him down a peg or two.

"What do you want?" he asked sullenly.

Malfoy's lips twisted into the faintest trace of a frown at the less-than-friendly greeting. "I'm Draco Malfoy, Slytherin House prefect," he said importantly, thinking that perhaps his surname and title would initiate some proper respect. The effect was opposite what he had been hoping for, for Hiei snorted and looked out the window dismissively.

Malfoy, accustomed to such blatant disrespect, bristled. What was it with these Japanese boys who refused to give him a second look? "You'll do well to show me some proper respect! I'm your House prefect, you - "

Hiei suddenly turned to him with a steely glare, and Malfoy faltered under the unwavering crimson eyes.

"You were saying…?" came the fire demon's cold voice.

Malfoy hastily erected his image of self-confidence. He could not - would not - let this transfer treat a Malfoy with such insolence! "I can make your life here hell," he hissed maliciously, already thinking of the many ways he could land him in detention, 'accidents' in Potions, unfortunate trips down the stairs…

"You demand respect," Hiei sneered quietly. "Yet all I have seen so far is your ridiculously inflated head - " Malfoy's narrowed his eyes, fist unconsciously clenched at his side. " - so tell, what have you done to deserve respect?"

"Malfoy?"

Draco whipped around to see two bulky boys standing uncertainly at the doorway. "What?" he spat.

Crabbe's face was red and sore as an aftereffect of the counter-hex Draco had performed after the incident on the train. "Desserts are downstairs."

Malfoy looked back at Hiei, who was once again staring outside at the pitch sky. He was almost glad for an excuse to get away from him. "You'd better watch your back, Jaganshi," he hissed, before leading Crabbe and Goyle out.

Malfoy was seething with rage. His first day back at Hogwarts, and already he had been humiliated - twice! Once in front of Longbottom and Loony - they were sure to spread the word around, Malfoy could already hear the taunts of those muggle-loving Gryffindors, and a second time by a red-eyed shrimp short enough to be a first-year.

"Malfoy?" came Goyle's dull voice.

"What is it?" he bit out through gritted teeth.

"Nothing," said Goyle hurriedly.

"You seemed a bit put out with that new boy, 's all," added Crabbe.

Malfoy whirled around to glare at the other boy, who quailed under his barely restrained fury. "Put out, am I? I'll show that good for nothing bastard who I am, along with that pretty-boy redhead. He'll learn never to cross a Malfoy." And with that, he left his two lackeys behind as he snapped harshly at a small first-year who happened to be in his way.

Back upstairs, sitting on sixth-year boys' dormitory windowsill, a red-eyed fire demon was cursing Koenma for forcing him on this mission.

----------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------

Thank you to all of my lovely reviewers. =)