When the Time Calls for It

[Rambunctious Jamirus]

Okay, first off: I'm sorry for once again disappearing again. It's something that always happens. Seond: I haven't been able to do anything with my two other FanFics that are still in progress. Third: Uh...I'm sorry?

I can make up for it though. I've been working on another story that has become extremely long. It's still in progress but I've got it half-finished.

This story is a crossover of several different Animes, books, and other junk, including my own characters. The beginning is kinda slow but it gets a bit faster as we go on. The main crossover in this is Harry Potter, some Pokemon, Yu Yu Hakusho, Princess Mononoke, and others.

Just a warning, this is rated PG-13 for language and other junk.

Shall we get started?

When the Time Calls for It
Chapter 1: Meet the Others

Pulling out a weed, Moro Eboshi wiped sweat from her brow and huffed at the two creatures in front of her. Both were slinging mud at each other and getting the other filthy. Growling, she smashed one of them with a large weed and glared as they both turned to her. Seeing her glare, the two began to clear the weeds once again.

Snorting, she stood to her full height, five five and looked at the garden around her. It was clean and didn’t have more than a few weeds in it. This being amazing as it was one acre of complete vegetables and fruit bushes.

Her ears twitched as she heard the unmistakable sound of wings fluttering. Turning up, her gold eyes flashed as she caught the sight of a gray falcon zooming towards her position. The bird turned up at the last second, floating to a stop in front of the woman. Wings spread, the falcon bowed to her and she to it.

In a flash, the falcon disappeared and there stood a young woman with shoulder length dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. She came up to Moro’s nose and smiled at the older woman in front of her. The messy brown hair hung about in waves and the gold eyes watched her warily as always.

“It’s been a while, Moro,” she said, her voice hinting signs that she’d spoken too much for her age. The eyes held steady as the gold ones pierced hers, trying to find hints of an imposter.

“Not long enough, Mia,” the woman sighed, eyes calming and watching her appreciatively. “Now, what do you want?”

A laugh bubbled from her throat and she shook her head. “Always blunt, Moro,” Mia grinned, a smile on her face. “But yes, I do need something from you and I would like to ask if we could go inside for this.”

Nodding, the two stepped through a screen door on the lone house in the pasture. Clearing the dining table, she winced at the clutter in the house. “Sorry about the mess.”

“No problem. My workshop is almost exactly like this.”

Moro smiled and picked up a kettle, pouring hot water in two cups and a tea bag in each one. She placed it in front of her guest and sat opposite of her.

The woman took her time, taking a sip from the tea before beginning. “Evil comes in many forms, doesn’t it?”

She raised an eyebrow at the question and took her time answering. “Yes, it does.”

“We all know that. I know that particularly,” she sighed, shuddering slightly. “What I need you to do is go to school.”

“’School’?” Moro questioned, treading the ground lightly.

“Well, not as a student but as a teacher.”

“Mia, I have no idea how to teach. I’ve never been to school before either,” she growled, eyes flashing brightly. Her canines grew out, poking out from between her lips.

“Calm down, Moro,” Mia said gently and then more firmly when she continued to change. “Moro, listen. The only thing you’ll be teaching is how to stay alive in a forest with just a knife and the clothes on your back. That’s all.”

The teeth slipped back into her mouth and the eyes calmed down. “Sorry,” she began gently, taking in a few deep breaths. “It’s getting close to that time again and it’s getting to me worse than before.”

“S’all right. I have trouble at times, too. With a different area you know,” she said, sipping her tea. “Now then, to be able to go you have to take everyone with you.”

“’Everyone’? You must be signing a death wish, Mia.”

“Yeah, well. The headmaster wanted some protection for the school. Everyone will go.”

“Exactly, want is going on?” Moro asked, resting her elbows on the table.

“The Dark Wizard, Voldemort, has risen to power again. He’s after a boy, Harry, who goes to the school. We need to defeat Voldemort before the world falls to chaos. Even then, we won’t have any power in the world.”

“Why can’t you just go and kill him yourself?” Moro asked with eyes questioning her.

“I can’t.”

She blinked in surprise as the teen downed her tea. “Only Harry can and that’s why we need to protect him.”

Minutes passed as Moro thought the conversation over and over, figuring her response carefully. “Anyone else going?” she finally asked.

“Yes, Random is getting the other person as we speak and Missy will be joining you. And,” she continued, “I have Koenma sending over his best to keep a better eye on him.”

“Where is the damn school?” she asked, sighing.

“In England in the world two-two-seven,” the teen replied and finished off her tea. “You will have to be at the London station at eleven o’ clock sharp on September first their time.” Mia stood, stretching her legs. “That means in two months and you’ll have to leave here around five o’ clock in the morning. I’ll send Missy over exactly one week in advance. Once Missy is here, you’ll both go through the open portal near the gate here and meet up with the other student at the airport. She’ll be the only American there possibly. Missy will explain the rest to you.”

Sighing, Moro didn’t say anything as Mia thanked her for the tea and transformed into the gray falcon, blasting off into the sky. She rubbed her temple and went back to pulling weeds with the others.
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Yusuke enjoyed the quiet of the roof, sitting on his school building. Sighing with happiness, he relaxed against the warmth of the sun and dozed off.

His rude awakening was an owl landing on his stomach, hooting softly. Growling, he glared at the bird and then wondered why the nocturnal bird of prey was flying around during daylight and even coming close to a person. He then noticed something on its leg and before he could react, the bird pulled it off and dropped it on his chest.

The teen sat up and looked at the envelope, the owl now perched on his shoulder. He blinked in surprise at the address.

Mr. Y. Urameshi,
Roof of Sarayashiki Junior High,
Japan

Okay, freaky, he thought, pulling out a penknife and cutting the envelope open, noticing the small seal on the back. Pulling out what looked and felt like old parchment, he pulled out the letter and skimmed it.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Urameshi,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1st. We expect your owl no later than July 31st.

Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Yusuke stared at the letter, rereading it over just to be sure. Finding that it wasn’t changing before his eyes, he stood numbly and decided a nice visit to Genkai’s was in order. The owl took off once he began walking, flying back to its home.
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“Okay, Grandma, what the hell is this?” Yusuke snarled, his regular attitude back. The letter he had received waved in front of the old woman’s face.

“Calm down, Dimwit. It’s your new mission,” she said calmly, eyes barely moving as the teen began to pace.

“What kind of mission is this?” the ever cool and polite Kurama asked, leaning against the wall with Hiei besides him. The red-haired boy watched as Genkai turned to them and smiled.

“It’s a protecting mission or, as you like to put it, a babysitting job for a human boy.” She waited for the outburst, counted down the seconds to it.

“I’m not babysitting a Ningen boy just because he can’t tie his shoes!” Hiei exploded, hair standing on end and his Jagan glowing through his headband.

“Cool it, Hiei,” Kurama snapped, his eyes gaining a tint of gold.

Hiei muttered something sounding like ‘damn Ningens’ and turned to scowling out his anger.

Genkai began to say something but footsteps on the stairs stopped her. Turning, all faced Kuwabara who was puffing as he tried to catch his breath. “Sorry guys, some punks tried to fight me but I showed them.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yusuke sighed, turning back to Genkai. “How do we explain this to our parents? We’ll be gone an entire year!”

“Your parents will believe you’re going to a boarding school in England for a year. That’s all I know of this at the moment. You’ll be leaving on a plane for England in six days and you’ll meet a woman named Moro at the airport. She’ll explain what she knows and what you’ll be doing.” The old woman gazed at the four people and demons. “Jin and Touya will be joining you as well so get them accustomed to human relations as soon as possible.”
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“I have to what?” the fifteen year-old asked, staring at the teen in front of her.

“It’ll be fun, Andrea,” Random said, moving around the other teen. “And anyways, you’ll be learning something cool.”

“Yeah but,” Andrea mumbled, “I always thought that Harry Potter was just a book series, you know.” She stroked the cat that leapt in her lap, wincing as she gnawed on her hand.

“You thought I was just a story,” Random pointed out, sitting in a chair.

“Yeah, well, that was before,” she protested. “And anyways, you said I have to go straight to sixth year. I have to be sixteen to actually enter in anyways.”

“Consider yourself advanced,” Random chirped, hopping around the black haired girl with dark brown eyes. She was taller than Random by seven inches but still considered average.

“I don’t know any of the spells,” she sighed.

“It’s easy to learn with what we’ve taught you.”

“What if my parents write?”

“We’ve rerouted your parents’ letters and your letters to be received by the respective party. It’ll be all right.”

With a sigh, she finally gave in. “When do I leave?”

“In seven days. I’ll handle the care of Itty-Bit for you,” she said, reading the teen’s mind. “Though I don’t know why you would take the little demon.”

Laughing, she stroked the demon’s head and lifted her tiny body up. “Let’s go torture England, Itters.”

The cat with her orange diamond blotch in the middle of her forehead meowed and turned her head to bite Andrea’s hand.
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Jin, Touya, and Hiei peered outside the large window at the huge metal birds resting outside. They had convinced Hiei to put his katana in his suitcase and for Jin and Touya to hide their demon features.

“I’m not getting on that,” Hiei stated, standing rigid at the entrance to the plane. The two full demons shook their heads to agree with him.

“Come on, Hiei,” Yusuke coaxed, pushing him from behind. Kurama was trying to pull him on.

With a sigh, Kurama threatened the three with his Rose Whip and forced them into seats. At least they were all together so that Hiei didn’t torture the stewardess.

Yusuke put his headphones on, waving at Kurama while falling asleep. The fox sighed and leaned back. This would be a long trip.
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Several hours later in England, Moro sighed at the airport. Rocking on her heels, she held up her sign and really wished Missy could drive.

A young teen walked up to her, backpack slung over her shoulder and a suitcase rolling behind her. Black hair fell to the middle of her back in a ponytail and dark brown eyes peered at Moro anxiously.

“You Andrea?” Moro asked, nose twitching with the strange scent coming from her.

“Yeah,” she replied in the same tone.

“Good because you reek of that portal,” Moro said quietly, getting a nervous laugh from her. “Now we wait for Japan’s plane.”

Andrea shrugged her backpack off and sat on the ground besides the woman. She stood like she had a purpose, an important one for that matter. The gold eyes watched everything and everyone.

An hour past and Andrea finally pulled out her CD player, popping in a burned CD and watching the arrivals area. Sighing as the music washed over her, she closed her eyes.

“Strange how every member loves music or some form of it,” Moro stated, looking down at her. “Must be something they thought of when they formed.”

A smile crossed her lips as she watched Moro. Then the gold eyes seemed to glow as they focused on the arrivals.

Andrea turned and blinked in surprise at the group coming out.
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“Never again,” Hiei cursed, stumbling off the plane. Jin and Touya immediately followed, Jin declaring he’d rather fly himself.

“It was just a bit of turbulence,” Kuwabara teased, remembering Hiei’s face as the plane rocked.

“Let’s just find this Moro person and get out of here,” Kurama said, pulling his suitcase around with him and waiting for the others. After retrieving their suitcases from baggage, the six walked out of the arrivals.

A woman was holding a sign that read ‘Reikai Tantei’ in Japanese. At her feet was a teen who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. The group approached them cautiously and watched as the woman turned her eyes to them.

“They’re gold,” Kurama whispered, remembering his Youko form. Sniffing the air slightly, he caught her scent which had a tint of canine in it but not fox like he thought. Also something strange about both the people’s scent but he couldn’t place it.

“You the guys from Japan?” she asked in Japanese, knowing they had no knowledge of English.

“Yeah,” Yusuke stated, blinking in surprise as she threw the sign away in a trashcan.

“Good, we can leave now,” she replied, motioning for them to follow her.

Outside, they followed around in the almost blackness of night, stopping to pay at a machine, and then reaching a long suburban. Bags were thrown in the back and the people piled in, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Jin in the back, Kurama, Hiei, and Touya in the middle, and Moro in the driver’s seat with the girl in the passenger side.

“Okay, I’m Moro Eboshi and you say first name first then last here. This is Andrea Knap who doesn’t know a lot of Japanese so I’m her translator,” she began.

“Excuse me but what country are you from?” Kurama asked politely.

She chuckled. “A tiny country in Central America. My accent must be getting in the way,” she said. “Okay then, your mission is to protect a kid named Harry from a part demon named Voldemort. If Voldemort succeeds in killing Harry, the whole world will fall.”

“Why can’t we just go and kill him ourselves?” Hiei asked, leaning forward. “They don’t think we can do it?”

“No, you can’t do it. Only Harry can defeat Voldemort for some reason. All right, you all will be put in sixth year and I’ll teach you all the spells until then. It should be easy since Spirit Energy is in magic.

“Okay, we’ll be staying for two days at a place called the Leaky Cauldron. From there, we go to Diagon Alley and buy all of your school supplies. We’ll meet Missy there since she should have our rooms ready.”

A small banging came from Yusuke’s suitcase. Moro’s ears twitched while everyone turned back to stare at it. Yusuke cautiously flipped the lock and watched as a blue penguin-like creature popped out. The patch of black hair on his head was in a disarray and his ears curled around his small body.

“Puu!” Yusuke cried, picking up the tiny Spirit creature. He coughed from the lack of air he had had in the case and cried his name, hugging the teen’s arm.

“Looks like you had a stowaway,” Moro stated, pulling into a place besides a rickety old place. “Wondered when he’d pop out.”

The group filed out of the car, grabbing suitcases and bags. Andrea hadn’t said a word since she doubt they could understand.

Moro waited for them and then began again, “Now, none of you know English and that’s a problem. So…” With a strange sigh, she began to mumble, the gold eyes never blinking as they focused on the Reikai Tantei. The words were drawn out with growls and snarls before she held the last syllable out and then calmed.

“That should do it,” she said in English, watching as the group suddenly blinked as they understood her. “To switch back to being able to speak Japanese, just say Kinto Japon and to go back to English, say Kinto Englace. Say anything else, you’ll end up speaking some creepy language.”

The group walked into the Leaky Cauldron and jumped back as a black shadow streaked to Andrea. It clawed up her leg and onto her shoulder, rubbing its face against her neck.

“Hey, little demon,” she said, the first time the others heard her speak.

The little demon was a cat, about as tall as a Chihuahua but with long, gangly legs and murky green-brown eyes. Her back foot was a cream colour with a black toe and a diamond shaped blotch of orange fur was plastered in the middle of her forehead. Orange stripes broke up the dark colouration and she turned her head to the Reikai Tantei, staring at them with the alien eyes.

“This is Itty-Bit,” Andrea introduced, scratching the cat’s head. “Also known as Demon, Little Demon, Itters, Smeagol, Gollum, and other names I don’t know off the top of my head.”

“All those names for that cat?” Jin asked, getting closer to the feline.

Bad idea as the ears went back and she leapt on his head, her back claws digging into his hair and holding on.

Itty-Bit glowed a dark purple and was lifted carefully from Jin’s mane. The cat blinked and was placed into Andrea’s arms where she was held securely.

“Well, that could’ve gone better,” a voice said behind that brought shivers down the demons’ spines.

The whole group turned to find a young woman standing behind them. Dark violet hair fell straight down around her head and dark purple eyes gazed at the group. Her skin was a bit pale but not to look like she escaped the sun for too long. A fingerless glove rested on her left hand, covering something.

“Hello, Missy,” Moro greeted, watching the nineteen year-old walk forward without as much as a sound. To the others, she waved her hand. “This is Missy Poltergeist.”

Immediately after she said that, the demons of the group, excluding Yusuke, backed away and into the wall.

“How many times did I tell you Moro, demons know of my family’s history better than humans do,” Missy said with a hint of humour in her voice. “I won’t hurt any of you,” she said to the demons along the wall. “At least, until you make me mad.”

“Missy is here on business and won’t attack any of you if she wants to see the light of day again,” Moro elaborated.

“Could someone explain what’s going on?” Yusuke asked with an equally dumbfounded Kuwabara besides him.

“How about in the morning, it’s extremely late here,” Missy said, yawning.

The place was empty which was a good thing and Tom, the bartender, had waited for them upstairs, explaining the layout. Boys had the rooms on the left side of the hall while girls had rooms on the right. The boys were about to turn in when Moro warned them that the furniture talked at times to keep them from destroying the place.

In seconds, the entire floor was quiet with sleeping humans and demons alike.

[mistysakura]

WELCOME BACK! Yay!

Hmm... not bad. I think that although you introduced a whole lot of characters, it was pretty clear who was who, and that was cool. (And it's pretty easy to confuse me with new characters, so a point for you.) I think that the characters seem cool so far, and Missy's "history"'s a nice little hook. And so's the statement that some of the group are demons... weird.

Still good stuff.

[PancaKe]

Trying to introduce all the characters at once was a bit confusing - but it all worked out in the end. You're an experienced writer, so you obviously know what your doing and where you're going with the fic. It's a good start, the whole harrypotter sequel thingy is interesting, at least you've read the books and knwo what you're writing about
its a good beginning, and itll most probably get even better.

~Mist

[DannyBoy]

Your back! I miss Mako's Family and Im glad you haven't forgotten about them. So far, this is pretty good. The cat names are pretty different. I love Little Demon, has a cool ring to it IMO. Good length and description, keep it up! Can't wait for more Mako's Family!

[Rambunctious Jamirus]

Hey guys!

misty - heh, yeah. It's originally for a place where its mainly focused on the demons. Keep reading please!
Mist - Hey thanks! Keep reading!
Immortal - I'll try to get Mako's family back up but it might a long while. Please keep reading!

Just so no one gets confused, I'm going to add some backgrounds and words most possibly no one here knows of.

Makai - Demon World where the land is broken up in sections for each Lord.
Reikai - Spirit World. All souls end up here in seven levels of Hell or in a paradise. King Enma and his son, Koenma, rule here.
Ningen(kai) - Human (World)
Tantei - Detective

Yusuke - A punk and street thug, he is dubbed mostly as the Spirit World's Detective, someone who chases after rogue demons. He's stubborn, cocky, and arrogant but always pulls through. He has recently found out his heritage and is a now a Demon Lord. Yusuke has several attacks, including the Shotgun.

Kuwabara - Toughest street punk next to Yusuke, he's the idiot of the group and is constantly made fun of. Though he can act stupid, he's very honourable, loyal, and can have good ideas. Kuwabara has one Spirit attack, the Spirit Sword, but is highly aware of supernatural beings.

Hiei - A half fire demon, half Koorime (group of ice maidens), he's the outcast. Thrown from his world for being male and a fire demon, he grew up among thieves and is feared by all. Hiei has three eyes, the third being called the Jagan Eye. He's stubborn, cocky, and insulting. Hiei is the master of the Darkness Flames attacks.

Kurama - A master thief, Kurama (also known as Shuuichi Minamino) used to be a kitsune (fox) demon but was mortally wounded one day. He escaped into an unborn human baby and grew up as a human. He's the perfect son and is vain, cocky when he's in his real form, and soft-spoken. Kurama is a master of plants.

Jin - A master of wind, Jin is a member of the Shinobi, a group of element masters. He's fast-talking, Irish/Scottish accent demon who is funny, quick-witted, and honourable as well.

Touya - The master of ice, he is also a member of the Shinobi. Touya is vain and has a lot of honour and loyalty toward his friends. He's a soft-spoken demon who rarely smiles.

Puu - A Spirit Beast assigned to Yusuke, Puu was originally to bring Yusuke back to life after he unexpectedly died. Yusuke had thought he had sacrificed Puu for his friend but the blue beast came back and is constantly having Yusuke made fun of. Puu can turn into a phoenix at will.

I think that's it. Well, enjoy!


Chapter 2: Shopping in Diagon Alley
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“You know, dear, you shouldn’t cuss so much,” the mirror said, chuckling.

“Well, beds shouldn’t dump people on the floor!” he roared back, pulling on a shirt and pants. Growling still, he slicked his hair back with gel and slammed out. Puu followed, sitting on the Demon Lord’s head and humming a small song.

Kurama and Hiei were waiting outside, the once kitsune chuckling at Yusuke’s head ornament. “Sleep well?”

“Until my bed knocked me out, yeah,” Yusuke snarled, joining them on the walk to breakfast.

Tom led them to a room and then disappeared to tend to the first customers of the morning. Touya, Jin, Kuwabara, Moro, and Andrea were all seated around a table, already eating.

“Morning,” Moro said, sipping tea from a cup. It wasn’t as bitter as she was used to but had a pleasant taste. “Forgot to mention the alarm I asked for.”

Yusuke growled something and sat down, piling eggs and bacon on his plate from the middle of the table. Hiei cautiously took some of the Ningen food, finding it tasted all right.

Missy walked into the room and it wouldn’t have been that exciting except for the fact she didn’t use the door. She walked right through the wall, nothing like when Genbu of the Saint Beasts had melted into the stone. The wall didn’t move in any way to accept her but more of like a ghost passing through something.

The demons jumped back and Yusuke and Kuwabara fell out of their chairs. Moro stayed seated with Andrea, the two had barely looked up until the chairs toppled over.

The young woman looked between them and then the wall, noticing what she had just done. “Darn it,” she mumbled, “forgot to use the door again.”

“Sit down,” Moro commanded, barely lifting her head from her tea. “Now, demons know the story so just for Yusuke and Kuwabara.”

“We’ve never said our names,” Kuwabara stated, staring at the gold-eyed woman.

“You didn’t think we’d know the names of the people we were picking up?” she asked and then continued. “All right, now the Poltergeist family is known throughout Makai and Reikai for being the Ghost Family. To put it simply, they have the power ghosts have and a bit more while being alive.”

“I thought there weren’t anymore,” Jin said, looking at her with a scared expression.

“I’m the last one,” Missy said. “Also, my full name is Misdreavus Poltergeist and I have only a few powers.”

“Like?” Touya asked, watching her sigh.

“I can phase through solid areas, turn transparent, float, lift things with my mind, and pretty much control ghosts,” she said, counting it on her fingers. “To prove I’m a Poltergeist,” she mumbled, pulling off the glove and showing them the back of her hand.

An emblem was painted on the skin, a black fog surrounding a ‘P’ with a red eye in the middle. The letter was a dark purple colour and the skin around it had black lines traveling from it and around her palm.

“Even if it’s burned, it’ll re-grow to its original version,” she explained, placing the glove back on and sitting down to eat.

The demons finally sat down, resuming the meal.

“And to make sure nothing else like that is asked, I’ve noticed that you have noticed something different about my scent,” she said to Kurama. “I’m part human, part wolf demon or God, and part River Dragon.”

The whole group blinked in surprise and Kurama nearly choked on his food.

“Part wolf demon? I thought they died out years ago when humans killed them,” Jin said, his accent getting in the way of his words.

“Not yet. I believe there are a few left. I’m just part of one,” she said, sipping her tea. “This human form is just a cover-up. My regular form is quite different and more than enough to get a panic around here.” She sighed and looked at the six people. “Now, bit of a rule. Don’t mention anything about demons here. Demons are considered to be evil here. That’s why I say Wolf God since they were considered Gods back then.”

“What do we do first?” Kurama asked, watching as Missy lifted the plate of toast with her psychic powers and picking three slices from the plate.

“You can ask, Missy,” Moro growled and then turned to Kurama. “First, we’ll get some wizard money and go buy your supplies. Wands first and then robes. If we have any time left, we’ll go get some other junk.”

After breakfast was done, the large group walked outside, after waiting for Yusuke to lock Puu in his room, and faced a brick wall. The Reikai Tantei looked at each other before Moro tapped a brick three up and two across. The bricks moved away, forming a huge archway. Walking through like it was natural, the three women made their way into the tiny alley.

Witches and wizards were bustling about in the cramped alley, making the group stand close together. They approached a large white building with the name ‘Gringotts’ written across the front. Hiei and Kurama caught sight of the poem on the wall and looked at each other. How hard could it be to rob a bank?

The answer came quickly as the whole group noticed that the creatures sitting on stools were goblins. The small, beady-eyed creatures watched the strange group as Moro approached one of them and waited for it to finish up its work.

“Yes?” it hissed out, looking through round glasses at her.

Moro didn’t flinch, just held out a key. “Withdrawal for Vault seven hundred eighty-three.”

The goblin took the key, turned it over in its hands a few times. “You’ll go with Hanger.”

Another goblin took the key and led them down to a cart in a tunnel. Piling on, the whole group gripped the sides as the cart blasted forward. Hiei looked about ready to vomit when it finally slowed and stopped.

The goblin shoved the key in the lock and turned it.

But the vault stayed closed and never opened.

Moro approached it and read the inscription on the door. Wincing, she growled at it and Missy and Andrea walked forward.

“What is it?” Andrea asked curiously, watching the woman snarl at the door.

“Curse you, Mia,” she snarled and read the inscription once more. “Damn you, Mia.”

“I can’t read that so please explain what it says,” Missy snorted.

“To be technical, Mia is now at the top of my hit list. The damn door only opens to a wolf’s howl.”

“Well, howl,” Andrea said calmly enough, getting a large growl from Moro.

“I have to be a wolf to open it right.”

Sighing at Andrea’s stare, Moro looked at the six behind her then let out something cross between a growl and sigh. Her eyes flashed and she growled, the voice changing to a deeper treble.

Moro fell to her knees, breath coming in pants. Pain flooded as her bones rearranged themselves, growing longer and shrinking. Smalls pops chorused as the bones formed into the canine body. Her spine grew out, gaining flesh and fur as the tail whipped back and forth. The muzzle grew along with her teeth, turning sharper. The eyes slid to the sides just a bit while her ears transported to the top of her head and formed into triangles.
The demons and humans stared at the huge wolf in front of them, brown and white colours blending together. Her muzzle, chest, stomach, paws, and tip of the tail were white while the rest was covered with brown fur. She blinked lazily and looked at the two young women at her feet before turning to the door.

Her tail swished and she tilted her head back and howled to the roof, her voice echoing throughout the area. It was a beautiful melody and the demons found themselves closing their eyes to the beat.

A creak in front of them made all of them watch the door open and the vision turn to gold, silver, and bronze.

Kurama had to say, it was an impressive display of money. Almost as valuable as his stash.

Missy passed out small pouches and the group began filling them up, taking piles of money from the hoards with their names. Once done, the eight walked out of the vault and were surprised to see the wolf still sitting. The eyes were calmer than Moro’s usually were and she sat loosely.

The goblin waited for her to enter the cart but she smiled and responded, “I’ll follow.”

Shrugging, the goblin pushed the lever and the cart blasted off. Moro gave it a three second head start before dashing off after it, white paws barely touching the ground as she ran. She caught up easily with the cart and galloped alongside it, having the time of her life.

By the time they reached the end, Hiei had looked very green and had thrown up over the side. The others, except Missy, were slightly ill and stumbled drunkenly out. Moro had slipped back to her human form, looking bored once again.

Outside, they stopped for a moment so that the humans and demons alike were able to ease their stomachs. After that, Moro led them through the crowd and into a shop near the end.

An elderly woman stepped out with a much younger one at her heels. “Hello!” she chirped, reminding Andrea of Random. “How many robes will you need?”

“School robes for these seven and some work robes for us,” Moro responded, eyes watching her warily.

“All right, you first,” the woman said, motioning the gold-eyed woman forward.

Shrugging, Moro stood rigid on the stool while a measuring tape appeared from nowhere, taking several measurements while the pen wrote them on a piece of paper. After the measurements, Moro was about to step down when the young woman shook her head.

“You’re the new teacher for Hogwarts. All teachers are required to have dress robes,” she said.

Sighing, Moro waited impatiently as the older woman looked between colours of fabrics.

“If I may,” Moro began, her accent flowing into her words, “Earth colours suit me best.”

“Yes, yes,” the woman said, pulling out a forest green. “There we go. It goes well with your eyes.” She had the pen write it down and called out, “Next!”

The others walked up, each getting their measurements while the elder one picked out colours for them. An almost white for Jin, ice blue for Touya, an emerald green for Kurama, a blood red for Hiei, a yellow-green for Yusuke, a dark blue for Kuwabara, and a fiery orange for Andrea.

Missy stepped up last, receiving her measurements and tried to escape the dress robes but the women stopped her.

“You’re the other teacher at Hogwarts. You need dress robes as well,” she stated and began choosing colours.

“New teacher?” a cold voice questioned.

The group turned to face a man and a teen, both with slicked back white-blonde hair and cold gray eyes. They looked alike and both even moved the same way. It gave them the creeps.

“Ah, Mr. Malfoy,” the women said, sounding a bit scared. “We’ll get to you right after we’re done with this young lady.” Turning back to the colours, she said to Missy, “Now, I believe purple goes well with you.”

“So, you’re the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher,” Mr. Malfoy said, looking at her with a bit of disgust. “You’re too young.”

“I’ve seen more than you’ll ever know,” Missy replied, her voice turning colder. “Yes, purple suits me, maybe dark violet?”

“Yes, yes,” the elder one agreed, pulling out a dark shade. “You’re done now, dear. Come back around closing time and they‘ll be ready.”

Missy stepped off and watched with purple eyes as the man stared at her, fury on his face for a moment before it cooled. “Surely you’re not serious.”

“Serious as the sun rises in the morning,” Missy growled, her voice sounding acidic.

His attention turned to the other woman standing back, staring at the boy. The gold eyes were glinting as though he was fresh meat. “You’re a teacher as well?”

She turned her head to him slowly, smiling just a bit. It was a scary smile coming from the part wolf and made the two take a step back. “Yes, actually.”

“What do you teach? There isn’t an opening for any other subjects. Unless they fired the half giant and got a new gatekeeper,” the boy chuckled.

Immediately, the whole group stepped back, feeling the ki energy burst from her. If she had been in wolf form, the ears would’ve laid flat against her head, the gold eyes narrowed, and her fangs bared. Since she wasn’t, she took to growling and reaching for something on her belt.

Surprising enough when Andrea stepped forward, grabbing the woman’s wrist and shaking her head. Mumbling in her ear, Andrea managed to drag the furious woman a safe distance away before Missy responded for her.

“She’s teaching the new subject, Survival.”

They left without another word and once they were quite a bit away, Missy took the item on Moro’s belt away via her psychic powers.

“You brought one,” she said, shaking her head at the golf ball sized sphere in her hand. The top was red and the bottom was white with a small button in the middle. With a sigh, she handed the sphere back, Moro snatching it back and hooking it on her belt.

“What is it?” Yusuke asked, staring at the woman.

“I’ll tell you later,” she replied. “Let’s go get wands.”

Ollivander’s was a quaint shop with thousands of shelves. The tiny bell rang and a small, elderly man popped out from seemingly nowhere. He gazed at the group for a split second before moving over to Missy. “You’re the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, you’ll be first. Hold out your writing hand.”

“How does everyone know that?” she asked, watching for a second time as a measuring tape slid all along her body while the small man took boxes down and carried them to the front.

With a wave, the tape fell lifeless to the floor and Ollivander handed her a wand. “Try this one. Twelve inches, yew, sturdy with a dragon’s horn.”

Missy took it, holding it awkwardly and waving it. The lamp exploded.

“Nope,” he said, snatching it from her. “How about this one, ten and a half inches, elm, flexible with unicorn hair.”

Missy touched it and it almost exploded itself, making her hiss and withdraw her hand. He took the smoldering wand and gave her another.

“Eleven and a quarter inches, maple, swishy with a griffin feather.”

Another wave and the papers on the desk burst into flames. Dropping it, Missy looked nervously at the next wand handed to her. Without so much as a blink, it disappeared from sight.

“Hmm…” Ollivander hummed and then went to the back. He returned with another box and gave her the wand inside. “This one should do. Short one, eight inches, sagebrush, sturdy with the essence of a ghost.”

Missy took the wand, knowing how to hold this one. With a wave, a dove appeared from the tip and flew out the open window above them.

“Yes, yes, that’s the one. Next,” he said, looking at Yusuke.

The Demon Lord stepped up, received his measurements and nearly destroyed the place until he received a long wand, thirteen and a half inches, deviloak, flexible with a dragon’s heartstring.

Kurama was next and received, after several tries, twelve and three-fourths inches, rosebush, swishy with a fox and unicorn hair intertwined.

Kuwabara seemed to get the strangest one, ten inches, bigtooth aspen, sturdy with a griffin feather.

Hiei managed to not burn one of his wands and was his to keep. Nine and ten-sixteenths of an inch, ash, swishy with a dragon’s horn.

Jin got a weird one as well. Ten and a half inches, shining willow, swishy with the feather of a falcon.

Touya managed to not freeze one over and stared at his new wand. Eleven and one-fourth inches, Arctic Bush, sturdy, with the hair of a Koorime.

Andrea was harder as she had no real experience in any levels but received a weird wand as well. Thirteen inches, cedar, flexible with a phoenix feather.

Moro didn’t need a wand and escaped the shop before the shopkeeper pestered her about it. The group walked out with their packages and found her at a small café. Each sat down, Yusuke looking at his watch and finding it was lunchtime.

Lunch past and Moro looked at the list. “We need six years worth of books and the other everyday items.” She turned to Missy, ripping the list in half. “You go with Kurama, Yusuke, Andrea, and Jin to get the books. I’ll take the rest to go get parchment, quills, cauldrons, and the other junk.”

The group split up and Missy pushed the door open to the large shop. Books were laid out upon shelves that covered everywhere. She snapped Kurama back and snorted at the gleam in his eyes. Piling books in the teens’ arms, she winced at the growing stack and finally felt that they had enough. Paying for the giant stack of books, they walked out and waited for the others.

Moro appeared with the others, holding large bags and dragging quite a few of them. Huffing, the group decided they need to drop it off.

Lying back on his bed, Yusuke stared at the pile of books and other things in his room. Puu was sitting besides him, rubbing his head against the teen’s arm.

The knocking outside his door became persistent and he finally answered it, glaring at the short man standing there.

“Come on, Detective. The Wolf wants us to get something else before everything closes up.” Hiei turned on his heel and walked away.

He could only assume that Moro was The Wolf and trudged down the stairs, returning to the alley with the others. She began to walk a bit, seemingly moving around erratically. Finally, she smiled and led them inside a shop.

The first thing everyone noticed was animals, a lot of them. Kuwabara immediately ran to the kittens, cooing at them all.

“Pick an animal. I’ve cleared it with the Headmaster that you may have any creature,” Moro said.

“Thanks but no thanks,” Yusuke growled, remembering his little penguin. “I’ll stick with Puu.”

“I’ve got my demon,” Andrea said.

“I have my own creatures,” Missy replied, smiling wickedly.

“And I, too, but we need to consider they don’t.” Moro watched as Jin, Touya, Kurama, and Hiei finally stepped forward.

Jin found himself wandering to the birds, looking at all of them. His attention landed on a snowy white bird about as big as his head. The large bird was asleep but woke up when Jin approached it and stared at him with icy blue eyes. Opening the small cage, Jin let the bird out, smiling when it landed on his shoulder and nuzzled his neck.

“Ah yes, the Cloud Bird. She’s been here longer than any of them,” one of the shopkeepers said. “You’re the first she’s accepted.”

“Am I now?” he asked, petting the beautiful bird. She cooed softly and settled in the curve of his shoulder.

Kurama was inspecting the foxes, looking at all of the sleek creatures. But his attention turned from the canines to a different type of dog, a beautifully painted one. He was black with splotches of brown, tawny, and gold with a white tip on the end of his tail. Gold eyes stared at him and a pink tongue hung from his mouth as he panted. The large ears twitched at him and stood erect as Kurama gazed at the dog.

“An African Painted Dog,” Moro whispered, kneeling beside the cage. Her fingers fought through the mesh and let the canine licked them. “They need packs to survive. Surprised they have one.”

He let the dog out, watched as he rested his head against Kurama’s leg. The dog whimpered and pawed at him.

Touya growled as none of the animals seemed to be what he was looking for. All of them backed away from the cold that emitted from him.

Moro had left Kurama to deal with the dog and had been looking around the store. Spotting Touya, she found him away from all the animals. Moving towards him, she watched as he had a bit of a hurt expression on his face.

“Find an animal?” she asked.

“None of them like the cold,” he muttered, sighing.

Thinking quickly, she smiled. “If I get you an animal that likes the cold, will you keep it?” When he nodded, looking confused, she smiled wider. “You’ll have it by morning.”

Touya stared after her as she walked around to look at Jin’s choice then over to Hiei. She’s insane, he thought, rubbing his temples.

Hiei was freaked out by all the birds in the place. There were just too many of them. Slipping away from the feathers, the short demon decided fur was the way to go and took one step towards the mammals but jumped back as the whole side exploded with sounds of all kinds.

“None of the animals like you either?” Moro asked, watching the fire demon shake his head. “I’ll get you an animal that likes heat.”

“Where? Unless you’re thinking of a dragon,” Hiei snorted but when her eyes lit up, he quieted down.

She looked him over, deciding it in her head. “Something fast to keep up with you,” she mumbled to no one in particular. “Fire type, strong.” She grinned at him. “You’ll have it by morning.”

Staring, he watched as the others paid for the animals before walking out of the shop, making a quick stop to pick up their robes. The whole group was strange; Jin with his wild hair and a large white bird perched on his shoulder, Kurama with his skinny wild dog walking right besides him, Kuwabara with a kitten in his arms, and the rest carrying bags with their robes.

“Get rested for dinner,” Moro growled, returning to her serious ways. “I won’t be joining you maybe.”

No one asked questions but retreated to their rooms and passed out.

Moro trudged up the stairs to her room, sitting on the bed and pulling out what looked to be a diary. Opening it to the first page, she pulled out a pen and began writing.

Mia, I need a portal for my place open in this room.

The text faded and then more reappeared a few moments later.

Why? What’s going on?

I promised two of the Reikai Tantei animals that could stand their body temperatures without cowering.

Ah, Touya and Hiei no doubt? Nevermind, the portal will be open in about a minute and will remain open for two. It’ll be right in front of your dresser. Have fun.

Thanks Mia.

The text just faded into the book with no return writing and she placed it in a bag on the floor. Packing a few items, she waited a moment and smiled as the air in front of the dresser twisted a bit and then just looked misplaced. She stepped through it and disappeared from sight.

Missy knocked on Andrea’s door, waiting for the teen to open it. When it didn’t open, Missy sighed and walked through the wall.

Andrea jolted when Missy came in and watched her future teacher as she gazed at the cat clinging to her arm. “Sorry I couldn’t answer it. Couldn’t risk letting her loose.”

“Yeah,” Missy said slowly. “Andrea, you know this world better than any of us. And I saw how you handled the deal with Moro and that creepy guy. Who were they?”

She sighed and pried Itty-Bit off her arm. “The boy was Draco Malfoy and that was his father, Lucius Malfoy. The father is a Death Eater, one who works for Voldemort.”

“Why hasn’t he been arrested?” Missy asked.

“Because he has a great control over the court system here. Moro attacks him; we all end up in court and possibly in jail.” Andrea sighed. “Draco will be one of your students.”

Missy reacted the opposite way Andrea thought she would. The eyes lit up and a grin, a very demonic one, formed. “I bet I’ll have to teach him right then, won’t I?”

[mistysakura]

The character synopsis was cool, but we could have survived without it; stuff integrated into fics is much better.

This was obviously a filler, but cool anyway. Character development's cool, and Missy's past was a nice touch. I liked the bit where they got their wands.

I really should do better replies...

[Rambunctious Jamirus]

misty - Hehehe...thanks!

Well, let's get on with it. Italics are song.

Chapter 3: The Village and the Express

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Moro was sitting at the table, an hour before anyone was supposed to be down. She sniffled and drank her third cup of tea, trying to get rid of her cold. She had been stupid for once, going to a hot place then to a cold one. Sneezing, she growled at the illness plaguing her body and took out a handkerchief from her pocket.

“Damn cold,” she cursed, pouring herself more tea.

Then again, she had got the creatures she had promised. Sniffling again, she pulled out the two spheres, watching them with interest. She could be taken to court for this, she knew that much. But, against the risk, she could protect the lives of two demons from destruction.

She pressed the button on both of the round objects, watching the red beams form into the respective animals. The right one was a black cat-like creature with two long and deadly looking claws on his front paws. A small, red feather was tucked behind his ear and small spikes ran along his back. The legs were a bit small but powerful when he ran. The Sneasel clicked and arched his back, yawning.

The left was a small puppy-like animal, fur a blazing orange-red with black stripes all over. The tail was more of a puff of cream fur, her body complete with a cream head crest. Her muzzle, chest, and stomach were a cream colour as well while the eyes were a chocolate brown. Yawning as well, the Growlithe gazed about curiously.

Sneezing again, she rubbed the two animals’ heads and sighed. “I hate being sick.”

“Who doesn’t?” Andrea asked, Itty-Bit riding on her shoulder. She sat at the table and poured herself some tea, mixing sugar in with it. “Except maybe, during school days.”

Her attention turned briefly to the two creatures sitting around before she piled eggs, bacon, and toast on her plate. “For Hiei and Touya no doubt,” she said around a mouthful of eggs.

“At least don’t talk with a mouthful of food,” Moro growled, sneezing once again.

“This coming from someone who can eat raw meat and barely chews,” Andrea pointed out and swiftly scooped her cat down to the floor when she dove for the food.

Her response was a snarl. The woman turned back to her breakfast and almost ended up sneezing in it.

Kurama was next to enter the room, yawning a bit. His new wild dog pranced besides him, long legs and skinny body showing off. His fur looked brighter and sleeker as though Kurama had spent all morning grooming him.

“Morning,” Andrea greeted.

“Good morning,” he said, sitting at the table with the dog at his side. He looked down at the two creatures on the floor and blinked in surprise. “Are those two for Hiei and Touya?”

“Yeah,” Moro said, sniffling again. “Got them last night.”

Andrea was looking down at the dog and watching as her demon moved in. The dog remained calm, even when Itty-Bit attacked his paws. But he growled when he had had enough and the cat streaked back over to Andrea.

“What did you name him, Kurama?” she asked, taking a bite out of her toast.

“Garasue,” he responded, smiling.

“It means ‘Painted’ in Japanese,” Moro translated, sniffling. “Damn cold,” she cursed again.

Kuwabara walked in, the kitten in his arms and Yusuke followed, Puu upon his head as usual. The two sat down, staring at the creatures at Moro’s feet before shrugging. Jin almost floated in with the large bird on his shoulder and Missy followed, remembering to use the door this time.

Last but not least, Hiei and Touya walked in both stopping when they saw the creatures sitting around. Moro smirked and nudged the two animals forward.

The black cat shuffled forward on his hind feet to Touya, watching him with sharp eyes while the puppy trotted over to Hiei, rubbing her head against his leg.

“I kept my promise,” she said, sipping the tea. “Now keep them or I blast you both to hell because I’m sick now and I don’t want to have this cold for no good reason.”

Hiei lifted the puppy easily and carried her over to his spot at the table. The cat crawled up and sat on Touya’s shoulder, smirking at him.

“So Jin,” Andrea said, drinking some orange juice. “What’s your bird’s name?”

“Soyokaze,” he replied, rubbing the bird’s head. “Or Zephyr.”

“What is it with Japanese all of a sudden?” Moro asked, looking at Garasue. “Never mind, everyone just tell us the animals’ names.”

“Kibou,” Kuwabara said, rubbing his kitten’s fur.

“I’m calling her Shinka,” Hiei mumbled and went to eating breakfast.

“Sunoo,” Touya said with a smile.

“More Japanese,” Andrea said, her face lit up. “I’m learning more by the minute.”

Smiling, Moro sneezed suddenly. Letting out a growl of frustration, she cursed her cold once again.

“What are we doing for the remaining five days?” Kurama asked, watching Missy.

“We’re going to my house for those days.”

Everyone stared at Moro, even Missy did, as she calmly sat. Looking up, she shrugged at their stares. “There’s nowhere else we can go, why not? There’s enough room for all of you. Just a few house rules. One, no fighting inside the house. Two, you get your own fruits and vegetables from the garden if they’re not in the fridge. And I’ll tell the rest to you later. But now, you guys need to clean up your rooms and meet me outside mine in half an hour.”
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The whole group stared at the door, a bit scared of the fact the image was blurry and distorted. Moro was smiling at them, watching as the Reikai Tantei backed away.

“It’s just a portal,” Andrea teased, sticking her arm through it. In seconds, she had disappeared to only God knows where, no pun intended.

Missy sighed at the group and finally pushed Kuwabara through it. They heard a faint scream before it was silent.

“Who’s next to fall?” Moro asked with a wicked grin. With amazing strength, she grabbed Touya’s arm and threw him forward, watching him vanish through the gateway. “It’s perfectly safe,” she said, laughing. “Just a few seconds of falling and you’re on your feet again.”

With her words, the rest of the group was lifted by Missy and shoved through the portal. The entire group screamed loudly as they fell.

Moro laughed and grabbed Missy’s hand, jumping through the portal and turning up to find it had closed.

The seconds were drawn out, Moro gazing at the swirling purple colours around them. It calmed her greatly as they burst from the portal and above a field about five feet in the air. Both women landed gently and looked at the shaking Reikai Tantei.

“What? It wasn’t that bad,” Andrea laughed, the only one standing. Itty-Bit was on her shoulder, looking like she was laughing at them as well.

“I’m never doing that again,” Yusuke panted, standing up and still shaking.

“Too bad. You have to do it once more to get to the train,” Moro said, her regular attitude back. But she seemed nicer in a way and more relaxed.

She turned around, eyes calmer. “Welcome to the Village,” she said, gesturing with her hand to the pasture behind them.

The grass was golden from the summer sun and it swayed to the breeze. Several different species of flowers grew in clumps all in the grass. Three houses were bunched together, one looking about a hundred years old but still in excellent condition. The houses, all white, surrounded a huge garden.

Walking forward, the group trudged through the long grass and up to the larger of the three houses.

“Okay, bit of warning, anything that moves is alive. Anything on fire, don’t put it out unless I tell you to.” With a sigh, she opened the door and waited for the battle.

“You idiots!” a voice yelled somewhere in the house. “Get back here!”

Moro jumped back as something streaked past them, blocking the others from the onslaught. She growled, the eyes flashing dangerously as something lumbered down the hall, away from the blue four-legged animal that was yelling at them with all of her might.

In a flash, the collar of the blue creature was clutched in Moro’s hand and being held at arm’s length. The group got a look at the fighting creature, surprised at her build.

The creature was thin, almost like Garasue but the body was a bit more built. The paws had small but sharp claws on each toe while she seemed tailless. Instead, spikes of fur stuck out all over her body but left the stomach and chest smooth. A lighter blue ruff of fur, sharp as knives, ran around her neck while the ears, huge as they were, had smaller spikes of fur. The eyes were piercing and the fangs bared and ready for fresh meat. Some grown out fur ran down the back of her neck and was tied back with a small string of leather.

“Krystal,” Moro said dangerously, eyes glowing. “What’s happened now?”

Surprisingly enough, the creature stopped her struggles, looked up at Moro, and began to speak. “Arashi and Riz are at it again. They’ve managed to get Tricky into it as well.”

With a sigh, Moro set her down and turned to the others. “Missy, show them the extra rooms. I’ve got some discipline to bash out.”

Rolling her eyes, the ghostly teen waved her hand for them to follow her down the hall. The group looked in wonder at the house, it was old and modern at the same time, both blending in very well.

“Let’s see, there’s two beds in here,” Missy said, opening a random door. “Which two wants it?”

Jin and Touya moved faster than anyone could notice. The group continued down the hallway, stopping at another door.

“Two beds again,” she mumbled. “Moro must really be getting bored nowadays.”
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Kurama wandered about the garden an hour later, pleased by its health. The plants grew towards him, growing healthier and larger by the second. He smiled sweetly at the plants and touched one, watching it burst into bloom.

“You have a gift with plants.”

Moro’s voice was more heavily accented, most possibly because she was in her home country. She walked up to him, smiling at the huge plants around their feet.

“They’re old friends,” he found himself replying.

She chuckled and patted what would have been a mushroom if it didn’t move so much. The creature popped out, looking around between Moro and Kurama.

“This is one of my secrets,” she said, rubbing the living mushroom’s chin. “This is Warrior, a Breloom. He protects the plants from insects,” she said, rubbing his shroom-like head.

A caw sounded through the air as a huge bird scooped up an insect, crunching on it.

“And that’s Zephos. He’s our insect eater.” She chuckled as the bird landed in an old elm tree and went to sleep.

“Now then,” she said, looking at the setting sun. “It’s dinner.”
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Five days later in wizard world time, the group stood at London station, having the portal in the men’s restroom. This has caused a bit of panic for the men inside the toilet in which the women ran out, men following closely behind with their trunks and pets.

“Where the hell is Platform Nine and Three-Quarters?” Yusuke asked, staring at the ticket.

Moro looked at Andrea, watching her smirk and lead the large and strange group to Platform Nine and Ten. Looking back and forth, she turned to the group and whispered, “The Platform is through a portal-”

This got a huge moan from the Reikai Tantei and a glare to them by Moro and Missy.

“As I was saying, the portal is right there, through that wall. Just jog to it and keep going. Don’t slow down or it won’t let you through.”

“How about you go first,” Hiei said with a grin, Shinka barking.

With a roll of her eyes, Andrea pulled her trunk behind her with Itty-Bit’s carrier and broke into a brisk jog. Closing her eyes, hoping she was right, she passed through the wall almost like Missy did with solid objects.

“Hm, she was right,” Missy said softly. “All right, you guys next.”

The new students passed through one person at a time, Missy and then Moro following. When they caught sight of the train, all except Andrea gasped.

It was a beautiful sight, a scarlet and black train, clean to perfection, stood at waiting on the tracks. Smoke billowed from the engine and faded into the sky.

“Come on,” Moro growled. “Let’s find a place near the back.”

“What’s her deal? She seemed nicer yesterday,” Yusuke snorted, watching the group make their way to the back.

“It’s really basic, Yusuke,” Andrea said, dragging the trunk. “She hasn’t gotten used to this world yet. Kinda like you have trouble getting used to a new house since we’ll be living here for a while.”

It makes sense at least, Yusuke thought. He boarded the train, looking at the compartments. It was like something out of the Meiji Era of Japan, just a little bit more advanced. Shrugging, he sat in one of the cushioned bench-like seats next to Kuwabara and Andrea. Puu crawled out from his jacket and curled up in his lap.

He had enough sense to hide Puu, Missy thought with a smile, remembering the creatures she had brought with them. Of course, no one but Moro had met the…ghosts seemed the right word to call them.

Kurama had Garasue heel and then sit on the floor next to him, smiling at the dog while Hiei barely noticed when Shinka jumped in his lap. Sunoo hung from Touya’s neck and Soyokaze perched on Jin’s shoulder as usual. Both demons were dressed in Ningen clothes and blended in rather well if it weren’t for the odd colour of their hair. The four were piled on the other seat trying to make some arm room.

Moro and Missy were in the compartment across the tiny walkway, engaged in some small talk.

The door to the car opened and everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face the newcomers.
_
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“I told you we should’ve claimed a compartment,” Ron groaned, walking through the train.

“Well, I needed to talk to my parents a little longer,” Hermione snapped back.

Harry rolled his green eyes and opened the last car’s door. He blinked in surprise at the assembly of people inside.

To his left sat seven people, four of them cramped. One continued to stare out the window and barely looked up when the four teens walked in. He was dressed in completely black with long, spiky black hair and a white starburst in the front. Red eyes gazed out the window. A strange dog sat in his lap, looking over at the group with chocolate brown eyes.

Sitting next to Goth boy was a boy…or girl, it was hard to tell because of the red mane that flowed down his or her back. Green eyes, about the same colour as Harry’s, watched them with interest. A large, scrawny dog sat at his or her feet and watched them.

A teen with ice blue hair was in the cramped seat, his almost pupil less eyes watching them. His body was thin but had a strange sense of strength behind it. A black cat-like animal was wrapped around his neck.

A taller boy sat next to him, with wild orange hair and a jokester look on his face. He seemed to be hiding something as he watched them. The pure white bird on his shoulder looked up and stared at them with icy blue eyes.

On the other side of the cramped people, three others watched them. The one next to the window was a teen girl, the only female of the group. Black hair hung about her head, the back pulled into a small ponytail. Brown eyes smiled at them and a strange black and orange cat sat about her shoulder.

Next to her was a boy with punk written all over him. His raven black hair was slicked back with gel, almost like Malfoy’s was. His posture was someone who had seen a lot of fights and survived most of them. A strange blue penguin sat in his lap, looking a bit like him.

The last one was tall, very tall. His hair was orange as well, about the same colour as the boy with the wild hair. His posture also held the same meaning as his friend’s but the cute gray and white kitten with him threw off the purpose.

To the right were two adults, he had to say. The older looking of the two had messy brown hair that hung in waves about her face. Strange enough as gold eyes watched his movements carefully and warily. She had a sense of power in her posture and looked ready to pounce if they did something she didn’t like.

The other woman had dark violet hair that hung unnaturally straight. Violet eyes also gazed at the group and the black, fingerless glove on her left hand hid something from sight. Her stance suggested boredom but awareness.

“Hallo,” Ron said awkwardly, watching as a few of the postures relaxed. All except for the gold-eyed woman’s.

“Hey,” the black-haired punk said, raising an arm. “I’m Yusuke.”

“Andrea,” the girl said, smiling and holding her cat as it leapt at them. “This is Itty-Bit the demon.”

“Call me Kuwabara,” the other punk said.

“Jin,” the wild orange-haired teen greeted with a grin.

“Touya,” the icy voice floated out of the blue-haired pretty boy.

“My name is Suuichi but you can call me Kurama,” the boy, now, said. His voice gave away the mystery, thank God.

“Hn,” came the reply from the window.

“That’s Hiei,” Yusuke said, smirking. “He’s not too social.”

“I’m Ron,” Ron said, smiling at the teens. “And this is Hermione, my sister Ginny, and Harry.”

Harry watched as they nodded to all of them, Andrea examining them more. But none gasped, jumped up, or gaped at him.

“Hey, you aren’t talking or what?” Kuwabara asked the two adults.

Glares were his answer and he backed away a bit.

Snorting, the violet-haired woman looked at the four for a moment. “I’m Missy Poltergeist. But, considering I’ll be your teacher, I believe it’s Professor Poltergeist.”

“You’re are new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?” Ron asked, grinning when she nodded. “Wicked.”

“Glory hog,” the gold-eyed woman growled. She turned to them, eyes glowing faintly. “I’m Moro.”

The four looked about, feeling a bit awkward. Finally, Hermione spoke up for them all.
“May we sit?”

Nodding, Andrea stood, still holding the cat tightly, and sat next to Moro, kicking Kuwabara on the way. He mumbled something about a ‘baka’ before sitting besides Missy. Kurama, being ever polite, stood and dragged Hiei along with him, gaining a growl from the short guy.

“So, we haven’t seen you before. New students?” Harry asked, watching as a few looked blank.

“We’re transfer students from Japan and America,” Andrea covered, speaking the truth in a way. True, she was from America as well as Moro and the other seven were from Japan, even if it was in a different world. “We’ll be starting sixth year.”

“We’ll be in the same classes then,” Hermione stated, smiling.

“So which of you are from America?” Ginny asked shyly.

“Moro and I,” Andrea responded, smiling as Moro growled at her. “I’m from Maine and Moro’s from Central America.”

“Wicked,” Ron said again.

“Excuse me for asking, but what’s that?” Hermione asked, pointing at the blue penguin in Yusuke’s lap. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Missy smiled as Yusuke struggled to think of something when Hiei, of all people, replied.

“It’s a special creature that was bred especially for him. It’s, in a way, his counterpart.”

Everyone was surprised at his answer but it didn’t bring any new conversation about the creatures.

The conversation ranged from life in Japan to what Moro was teaching at Hogwarts. She replied, very reluctantly, about teaching survival in the woods.

Missy was smiling cruelly about an hour into the trip and tilted her head as she watched her companion. “Moro, I believe I saw you sneak your guitar on board.”

The woman paled a bit as Missy grinned.

“I haven’t heard you play in a while. Was wondering if you would show how much better you’ve gotten.”

“Missy,” Moro growled, eyes flashing dangerously.

“You play guitar?” Touya asked, looking on with interest as she glared at him.

“Chicken,” Missy stated, grinning as Moro snarled deep in her throat.

With a final snarl, she stood, reaching up in the overhead cargo area and pulled a guitar case down. Settling on the seat, she opened it up, picking out the instrument and tuning it.
Kurama caught the slight change of her fingers, watching her nails morph into dull claws. Shaking his head, he watched as she sighed again before stringing a few chords.

Andrea listened to the tune, smiling widely. Of course Moro would play a song to be sung to, she was part wolf after all. Grinning, Andrea waited for the beat and then jumped in, snapping her fingers to the beat.

“You don’t know how you met me,
You don’t know why.
You can’t turn around and say goodbye,
All you know is when I’m with you,
I make you free,
And swim through your veins,
Like a fish in the sea.”

Moro smiled and joined in on the chorus, her voice gaining a deep bass as Missy joined along, her voice soft.

“I’m singing,
Follow me and everything is all right,
I’ll be the one to tuck you in at night,
And if you,
Want to leave,
I can guarantee,
You won’t find nobody,
Else like me.”

Missy grinned and took the second verse, her voice becoming a bit deeper.

“I’m not worried ‘bout the ring you wear,
Cause as long as no one knows then nobody can care,
You’re feeling guilty,
And I’m well aware,
But you don’t look ashamed,
And baby I’m not scared.”

All three sung the chorus once again, smiling as Moro strung the small chords.

“I’m singing,
Follow me and everything is all right,
I’ll be the one to tuck you in at night,
And if you,
Want to leave,
I can guarantee,
You won’t find nobody,
Else like me.”

Moro hushed them with a stare and the chorus came out in the deep wolf song.

“Won’t give you money,
I can’t give you the sky,
You’re better off,
If you don’t ask why,
I’m not the reason,
That you go astray and,
We’ll be alright if you don’t ask me to stay.
I’ll be the one to tuck you in at night,
And if you
Want to leave,
I can guarantee,
You won’t find nobody,
Else like me.”

They all looked at each other before Andrea broke in with the last verse.

“You don’t know how you met me,
You don’t know why.
You can’t turn around and say goodbye,
All you know is when I’m with you,
I make you free,
And swim through your veins,
Like a fish in the sea.”

All three of them and even Jin did the last choruses.

“I’m singing,
Follow me and everything is all right,
I’ll be the one to tuck you in at night,
And if you,
Want to leave,
I can guarantee,
You won’t find nobody,
Else like me.

I’m singing,
Follow me and everything is all right,
I’ll be the one to tuck you in at night,
And if you,
Want to leave,
I can guarantee,
You won’t find nobody,
Else like me.”

Moro stopped playing but kept the beat up as they finished off.

“I’m singing,
Follow me and everything is all right,
I’ll be the one to tuck you in at night,
And if you,
Want to leave,
I can guarantee,
You won’t find nobody,
Else like me.”

Song is Follow Me by Uncle Kracker

[DannyBoy]

Sorry haven't replied but now I am! I loved the last chapter, especially the end. Always good to have some singing in a fic.

Kurama, being ever polite, stood and dragged Hiei along with him, gaining a growl from the short guy.

I liked that part. Very good. Length and description good as always. Keep it up!

[Rambunctious Jamirus]

ImmortalDreams - S'all right. Hmm...guess that did work after all ^-^

Chapter 4: One Voice and the Fight

_
Moro’s nose lifted in the air, sniffing a bit. She was damn happy her cold was finally gone. She had lost a bit of weight over the days because it had evolved into a head cold, screwing up her sense of taste. Moro had refused to eat anything that tasted bad and had lost about seven pounds to the head cold.

But now, with her senses clear, she smelt the scent on the air, holding cruelty in it. She smirked just a bit and her eyes glowed.

“Oh, great,” Andrea moaned, rubbing her temple at the look on Moro’s face.

Harry looked between the girl and the adult, finding the look a bit scary. “What is it?”

“Fresh meat,” Moro laughed, freaking out everybody, including Missy.

Seconds later, Draco Malfoy and his gang, which had grown over the last year, walked through the car door.

Of course, by the time Malfoy appeared, Hermione and Ron had gone off to do Prefect duties, leaving chaos to happen. And the seating arrangement had changed as well, Jin and Andrea on one seat to the left; Yusuke, Harry, and Ginny across from them. Missy, Moro, and Touya were on the right with Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama across from them.

“Hello, Potty,” Draco drawled, smiling at the slight anger crossing Harry’s face. “Who’s your new friends?”

Andrea winced at the expression on Moro’s face and decided to take matters into her own hands. Standing, she tapped Malfoy’s shoulder and watched him turn around. With a grin, she shook his hand, hard. “Hello, there. I’m Andrea Knap.”

Harry stared at her but she winked, making them smirk.

Malfoy had no reaction, but the thought that processed through his tiny mind said she was insane. “You’re insane.”

“I don’t suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!” she chirped, grinning like a fool.

Looking between the people around him, he turned back to the girl, wincing when he heard her friends holding back snickers.

“And heck, I’ve seen normal, it ain’t pretty,” she whispered to him, bursting into laughter.

At this, Yusuke exploded into laughter along with Puu, nearly falling to the floor. Kuwabara was laughing as well, Kurama chuckling along with Jin and Touya and Hiei smirked. Missy was grinning and Moro was shaking her head and smiling. Harry and Ginny were too shocked to react.

“Didn’t your parents teach you how to behave?” he asked, trying to regain his dignity. His face was heating up quite a bit.

“Well behaved women rarely make history,” she quoted, holding a straight face the entire time.

The whole group of Slytherins stared at her while she hummed a small song.

“And anyways, they say I have A.D.D. but they just don’t understand oh look! A chicken!” she called, her hand finding a place on Malfoy’s shoulder and jumping up, using him as a stool. His knees buckled and he fell while she landed on her feet.

“Stop acting like a smartass,” Crabbe growled, bunching his fists.

“Am I getting smart with you? How would you know?” she asked innocently.

He blinked a few times, processing what she had said. Before he could speak though, Malfoy was back on his feet and glaring at her.

“My father will hear about this,” he snarled at Andrea.

She stood toe to toe with him, a smile on her face. “You can’t scare me…I’m a babysitter.”

He stared at her and she laughed, falling back into Jin’s lap. The demon grinned at her as she tapped his face and he pushed her back to her feet. “Now then, life is a journey, shouldn’t you be moving along?”

A frustrated growl escaped Malfoy’s throat and he moved in to knock her flat.

But two fists, faster than anyone else could see, smashed into her face, sending her flying into Jin. The demon caught her, holding her up while her mind processed the pain.

Moro and Missy were on their feet, Harry, Ginny, and the Reikai Tantei following suit. The gold-eyed woman was snarling louder than anyone had heard her and they swore they saw her fangs grow longer and her ears begin to morph into something goat-like.

“It is time for you to leave,” Missy stated flatly, glaring at them. “Now leave before I get really mad and decide to take this up with the Headmaster.”

“You can’t boss me around,” Malfoy growled and Moro stepped forward, her body blocking the light crawling in from the window.

“Yes, she can. And so can I. We’re both teachers at Hogwarts and your father,” the word came out acidic, “cannot pull you out if two teachers and a car full of witnesses protest against you.” Her eyes were glowing furiously. “Leave. Now. Or I swear, no creature will ever like or come near you again.”

Malfoy and his gang shrunk away from the woman, sliding out of the door and back to whatever hell they came from.

Moro turned to inspect the wounds on Andrea and found that they were a bit worse then she had feared. Blood was running all down her face from her nose and her lips were cut, adding to the red liquid. Her right eye was closed, already turning a slight black colour.

Jin, blushing a deep red, held her up while Kurama struggled to stop the flow of blood from her nose. Missy walked up, tilting her head back and holding a handkerchief to Andrea’s face.

“Crap, Andrea. I didn’t know you had it in you,” Missy sighed, slowing the release of blood mentally.

“Great show,” Yusuke said, smiling nervously. “I’ve never seen a guy that mad before without using the finger or something like that.”

She laughed, a bad sound coming from her at this time and then moaned. “Those guys have fists of bricks.”

Of course, with her nose damaged, it came out more like - “Thoss guyss ‘a ‘ists o’ brickss.”

Hiei was staring at her, an eyebrow raised. She obviously had a death wish at times, that being one of those times.

“I’ve never seen Malfoy that mad before,” Harry said, shifting a bit uncomfortably. “That was amazing.”

“’anks,” she mumbled and was shushed by Missy.

“Talking makes it hurt worse. Stop,” she commanded, finally stopping the blood coming from her nose. Stepping back, Missy shook her head at the swelling that followed the blood. “You’re gonna be a mess, Andrea.”

She shrugged and pushed herself away from Jin. “’anks,” she mumbled and sat besides him, resting her head on the cushion. Itty-Bit jumped on her shoulder, rubbing her soft fur against her neck. Smiling hurt so she took to rubbing the demon’s head and then figuring out how bad her face really was. Let’s see, talking hurts, smiling hurts, my nose feels like a car slammed into it, and I can barely see through my right eye. Just great.

“Where’d you learn all those fascinating quotes, Andrea?” Kurama asked with a smile, watching as she again smiled but winced.

Jin pulled out a tiny book from his pants pocket, grinning.

“So, that’s why you’ve been hanging out with her the whole time,” Touya stated, watching him grin and hand the book to the kitsune.

Kurama opened it, looking at all the quotes written in it. It was quite a collection and he would have to remember to use some of them. He handed it to Yusuke who found quite a few of them hilarious, pointing out ones he thought would suit the others.

Hermione and Ron came back, Hermione gasping at the way Andrea’s face looked.

“Bloody hell, what happened to you?” Ron asked, watching as she smirked.

“She took on Malfoy,” Harry and Ginny said at the same time, looking at her like she was a God.

“You were fighting with a Prefect?” Hermione asked, looking as though that was worse than her condition.

“Naw, she didn’t fight back. The two big guys punched her after she said some hilarious, if not crazy, things,” Yusuke explained, chuckling. “Insane.”

“I’ll start quoting her if you want, Yusuke,” Jin said with a grin, making the Demon Lord laugh.

“No thanks. One of you is enough,” he laughed.

Moro, having a bit of medic practice, managed to ease the swelling down to an almost unnoticeable size by the time the trolley appeared. Gathering most of the food they had purchased, Yusuke and Kuwabara ate like mad men while the others ate at a more reasonable pace. Andrea was excused a bit as chewing split her lips open again and brought on a fresh wave of blood in which would make all three full demons and the one half blood turn as well as the once kitsune.

Yawning, quite a few of the Reikai Tantei and Andrea fell asleep, after pounding and cramming five years of knowledge into their heads in five days. The conversation was light and sometimes forced a bit but enjoyable.

Finally, Yusuke looked at his watch, trying to decipher what time they would arrive. Hermione, looking at his watch, gasped and said they should get changed. Andrea was woken up and grabbed a robe, following the two teen girls to another compartment down the hall.

Yusuke tried to slip out but Missy had put a small barrier up, knowing perverts like them. He grumbled and finally put on his school clothes.

Andrea had to say, the clothes were a bit like they had been in the movie. She didn’t voice it though, knowing it would confuse them.

Missy and Moro, being simple teachers, had just put the robes on over their clothes, making them look shabby but the posture gave them the importance they needed.

“Hey, Jin, you look pretty good in the uniform,” Andrea chuckled, smiling at him.

He snickered and grinned his famous grin. “Thanks, me lass.”

Hermione and Ron disappeared once again to do Prefect duties while Missy and Moro waited with the group. When the train pulled to a stop and the doors opened, the two teachers stepped out and were lost in the sea of students.

“Firs’ years over here! Transfers as well!” a voice boomed over the chatter of kids.

“Who’s that?” Yusuke almost yelled to Andrea, seeing that Harry and Ginny were gone.

“Hagrid! He’s the gatekeeper and a teacher here! His job is to get the new students across the lake! Kinda like a tradition here!” she yelled back, approaching the giant man.

Even the demons had said this was the biggest human they had ever seen. And with as much as they had seen, they were entitled greatly to that opinion.

Their animals were taken from them, promised that they would see them later. Andrea had to forcefully put Itters into her carrier just to keep her from attacking the baggage people.

The seven of them piled into boats, tiny boats Yusuke added. The four regular Reikai Tantei sat in a boat, Hiei gripping the edge tightly. The other three sat in their own boat, Jin watching the water carefully. Touya’s hand was dragging across the surface as he looked bored.

“Duck!” Hagrid yelled.

Andrea forced their heads down as the boats passed under the vine curtain. When it was clear, she let their heads pop back up and smirked at their frowns.

The castle appeared, a magnificent structure and even better than the movies. The windows were all lit, a golden glow emerging from each one and it seemed like home. She smiled, settling in and just enjoying the view of the castle as they crept closer.

Touya and Jin helped her out and she laughed at their gentlemenness. Rubbing Jin’s mane and patting Touya’s shoulder, she thanked them and grinned widely.

Inside, the torches gave off a glow and warmth floated into their bodies. She smiled and gazed around in amazement at the place.

“Just like I imagined it,” she whispered, gaining a chuckled from Yusuke.

A strict and stern looking adult gazed at them, eyes sharp and watching the students closely. “First years to the front. Transfers behind them,” she said briskly, a bit of an order.

“Who’s she?” Kuwabara asked, looking at the teen.

“That’s Professor McGonagall. She’s the head of one of the Houses, the one most, if not all, of us should get in.” Andrea hushed when the Professor looked at them but continued on. “She can be very strict at times.”

“Now, then. Welcome to Hogwarts,” McGonagall began, her face not changing. “The start of term banquet will begin shortly but first, you must be sorted into your Houses. Your House shall be your family as you will have classes, eat, and spend time with each other.

“The four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.” The last was said darkly as though she was a bit disgusted. “Each one has its own history with great and noble wizards and witches coming out of each one.” The truth of that never reached her eyes. “Your good deeds and triumphs will earn points for your House and your misbehaviour and rule breaking will lose points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will win the House Cup.

“Now, look sharp and I will come for you in a moment.” Professor McGonagall disappeared through huge double doors, telling them to stay until she called them. A minute later, she called the first years in and left the transfer students in the hall.

That’s when the group noticed that they weren’t the only transfer students. Two teen boys were leaning against the wall, both staring at them. Andrea felt very uneasy and put the Reikai Tantei between them and her.

“Okay,” she finally said, still feeling nervous with the boys staring at her, “there are four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. If I remember the Sorting Hat’s songs correctly…”

“Wait, a hat?” Kuwabara asked, looking down at her like she was crazy.

“Yes, a hat. You put it on and it tells you which House you go to. It sees your mind in a way,” she explained. “Okay, Gryffindor is the one Harry’s in. For Gryffindor, you have to have bravery and daring with nerve which I do hope most of us here have. Hufflepuffs are well rounded meaning,” she said, seeing Yusuke’s grin, “that they are good with just about everything. Ravenclaws are smart and are willing to learn. I’m sorry Yusuke and Kuwabara, but you’re not cut out for that,” she said, looking very apologetically and patting their arms.

Jin snickered while Hiei snorted.

“Slytherins aren’t technically that evil like Malfoy. Most families that enter there are pureblood, meaning no Muggles usually. They’re cunning and do anything to get what they want.”

“Sounds like you, Hiei,” Touya smirked.

A cackle was heard above them and all seven turned up to see a sort man in the air, floating. Andrea recognized him, though he wasn’t like the movies.

“Peeves!” she yelled, watching as he turned to face her. “Leave us be!”

“Ah…the ickle student wants me to leave?” he said in a mock sad voice, laughing.
“You know the new D.A.D.A. teacher?” she asked.

“So?” he responded.

“I’m a friend of hers as well as all of us. Touch us, you mess with her,” Andrea explained.

He turned tail and she’d be surprised if he appeared to them again.

The talking stopped as Professor McGonagall appeared, asking them to follow her. The two other students followed strangely behind her and the Reikai Tantei and Andrea followed nervously behind them.

The Great Hall was huge to say the least. Four long tables with benches were lined up. Heads turned and watched them curiously, making a few of them even more nervous. The nine of them lined up, facing the other students. The teacher’s table was behind them and Yusuke caught a glance of Moro and Missy sitting near the end on his right.

“Students,” an old man who had to be at least one hundred years old, stood. All talking stopped and they could only guess this was the Headmaster. “We have a surprise this year. We have nine students joining us from other countries as transfer students. The three countries are Japan, the United States of America, and Russia. I hope you will do your best to help our new students with finding their classes and making them feel at home.” He sat and smiled at them as Missy stepped forward, holding a piece of parchment.

“When I call your name, step up to the stool and put the hat on,” she ordered. “Jaganshi, Hiei.”

Not liking being the first one but he walked up and sat on the stool, shoving the hat on his head.

‘Ah…a demon. Haven’t seen one of you in a while.’

If Hiei hadn’t seen the oddest things or hadn’t lived in Makai, he would’ve jumped. But he did and just growled. ‘Get on with it.’

‘Touchy…hmm…yes, plenty of bravery here but a will for power…Gryffindor or Slytherin would suit you…but you have a mission to protect the famous Harry Potter,’ the hat chuckled. ‘Ah…well. Your bravery seems to outweigh the lust for power and your nerve and daring also play so let’s say…’ “Gryffindor!”

The tables clapped but the loudest was the one in the back right corner. He threw the hat off, thankful for it to be off his head, and stalked over to the table.

“Kamikaze, Jin,” Missy said, sounding a bit bored as she did. Her voice had fallen into the rhythm of the Japanese language.

The demon approached the hat and sat it on his wild hair.

‘Another demon…must be quite a lot of you. Let’s see here…plenty of loyalty to your friends…Hufflepuff would suit you…but you have tons of bravery…been in quite a few fights…jokester, are we? Well, we lost our old ones…let’s say…’ “Gryffindor!”

Sighing, Jin walked light as air to the table, sitting besides Harry and across from Hiei.

“Knap, Andrea.”

Taking a deep breath, she sat on the stool with the hat on, waiting for the voice in her ear.

‘American, eh? Ah, a full human for once. Hmm…stood up to a Malfoy, huh?’

‘Not really but we’ll go with that,’ she thought, smiling.

‘Hmm…a bit of a jokester? You and Jin must get along…so along that…’

‘Let’s not go there,’ she growled.

‘Bit touchy as well. Hmm…well, we’ll say…’ “Gryffindor!”

Sighing, she placed the hat back on the stool and slapped hands with her four friends and sat next to Jin.

“Koori, Touya.”

He swaggered up, hoping the hat wouldn’t mess up his straight hair.

‘So…an ice demon? How many more are there of you? So…you have a lust for power but you’re brave…even went up against one of your new schoolmates…well now…hmm…very difficult like your friends…let’s say…’ “Gryffindor!”

He pulled the hat off carefully and swaggered over to the table, sitting besides Hiei and Hermione.

“Kuwabara, Kazuma.”

Harry looked over at them and Andrea laughed. “He likes to be called by his last name.”

The baka, as Hiei imagined him, put the hat on and right when it touched his head, it yelled out Gryffindor. He shrugged and sat in the seat on the other side of Ron.

“Minamino, Suuichi.”

Kurama took his place, and raised an eyebrow as the hat whispered in his ear.

‘Hmm…a once kitsune? Now there’s a new one. Well…you have a knack for learning…great mind…but your bloodshed contrasts against that in a way…and your bravery stands out. Hmm…with your mission, I’ll have to say…’ “Gryffindor!”

Kurama smiled and took his seat besides Hiei.

“Montague, William.”

One of the transfer students shuffled up. As soon as the hat touched his head, it screamed out Slytherin. He smiled and made his way to the table.

“Montague, Xavier.”

Again, the second the hat touched his head, it yelled out Slytherin.

“Urameshi, Yusuke.”

He sighed and acted a bit like Touya as he tried not to mess up his slicked hair.

‘A half demon? Or close to it…let’s see…a thug, eh? Plenty of bravery, wanting of power though…ah…a Demon Lord…your power is very amazing…so…let’s go with…’ “Gryffindor!”

He pulled it off and slapped hands with Kuwabara and Jin before settling in besides Kuwabara. Missy had returned to her seat already.

Dumbledore stood up, smiling at all of the students. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Well now, we’re all settled and I know all of you are hungry but I have to do the announcements first this time.” His eyes twinkled as he smiled at the groans. “First! I must welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, miss Missy Poltergeist.”

The violet-haired woman stood up, bowing to the applause and smirking as Moro snorted.

“And, we’ll be having a new subject this year. Teaching the subject of Survival will be Moro Eboshi,” Dumbledore said with a smile.

This time the gold-eyed woman stood, bowing to the students as well before sitting.

“Now then, all students should know that the forest on the outskirts of the castle is forbidden to everyone without a teacher. Also, no magic is to be used between classes. Quidditch trials will be during the second week of term. Please ask Madame Hooch for details.

“And now I’ve let you suffer long enough. I’ll leave with a few words: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”

Everyone applauded and food suddenly appeared before their eyes. Yusuke and Kuwabara cried out with either surprise or glee and dove in, piling whatever they could reach on their plates.

“So,” a round boy named Neville began, “you’re from Japan?”

“Yeah, great place but we can get used to this,” Yusuke said with a grin.

“Yusuke,” Andrea scolded teasingly. “I’m the orange of this bunch of grapes. I’m from Maine and I hope this place doesn’t get as cold as there,” she said with a grin. “I actually always loved Europe pretty much because of the people. Nothing like New York.” She cleared her throat. “I swear, it gets a bit cold in the people down there.”

The others laughed at her impression and she grinned. “Living up there gets ya a pretty good sense of the language.”

“Do you speak any other languages?” Ron asked, his mouth full of food.

“I speak Yank, Southern, and Normal where I’m from,” she grinned. “Jeet yet?” she asked.

Everyone stared at her.

“It’s Redneck for ‘Have you eaten recently?’” she explained, taking a bite of what she assumed was steak. “Other than that I speak a bit of French, some German, and Gaelic mostly because my mother is Irish.”

“Cool,” Neville said. “Can you teach me some French?”

“Sure. Um,” she hummed, choosing Kuwabara as her subject. “Tu es aussi bête que la lampe.”

He blinked and looked between them, finding Kurama was chuckling rather loudly. “What’d she say?”

“You are as dumb as a lamp,” Kurama translated, fighting back laughter.

The whole table burst into laughter as Kuwabara grumbled. Yusuke slapped his arm, grinning.

“You can’t deny the truth, Kuwabara,” he laughed, nearly choking on his food.

After a while, Dumbledore stood and everybody hushed. He smiled at all of them and then looked towards Moro. “Miss Eboshi would like to introduce you to some of her friends that will be staying with us and I’ll let her take it from here.”

She sighed and stood up, picking up her guitar from under the table. The Sorting Hat had been taken back to Dumbledore’s office but the stool had been left behind. Settling herself on the perch, she let her claws halfway form and tuned it before stringing chords.

“Oh, Moro,” Andrea mumbled, smiling at the tune.

Her voice was powerful even though she didn’t use the voice magnifier spell. It was soft but everyone could hear it.

“Some kids have it, some kids don't,
And some of us are wondering why.”

Moro paused, smiled as Krystal joined in with her small barking song.

“And mom won't watch the news at night,
There's too much stuff that's making her cry.”

Arashi popped out, his huge tan and teal body scaring a few of the kids but he smiled and his deep, gravely voice sounded throughout the hall.

“We need some help,
Down here on earth.”

His voice cracked and they all laughed. Raijuta, a strange wolf-like creatures with a large head crest and red and black fur appeared. His smile was small and he mostly howled it out.

“A thousand prayers,
A million words.”

All of them, twenty-six others appearing from almost nowhere, sang the line.

“But one voice was heard.”

A small mouse stepped forward, Yusuke remembering her name was Mag. The yellow body was tiny and the small tail with the blue, flat piece curled around as her high voice flowed out.

“A house, a yard, a neighborhood,
Where you could ride your new bike to school.”

A huge colouring changing dragon, Riz, stepped forward, his wings folded behind his back. Two horns were on either side of his head and a tail with a flame tip wagged back and forth.

“A kind of world where mom and dad,
Still believe the golden rule.”

Moro took the next line, her voice still high.

“Life's not that simple,
Down here on earth.”

A small tan and cream rodent chattered out the next line, his deep voice cracking a bit.

“A thousand prayers,
A million words.”

The whole group sang the line once again.

“But one voice was heard.”

Andrea suddenly stood up, grinning as she blasted out the next verse, a few of the creatures joining in with her. Her voice had gone to the higher levels and she held it really well.

“One voice, one simple word,
Hearts know what to say,
One dream can change the world,
Keep believing, till you find your way.”

Moro began the last verse, quite a few of the female creatures and Andrea joining in with her.

“Yesterday while walking home,
I saw some kid on Newberry Road,
He pulled a pistol from his bag,
And tossed it in the river below.”

All of them sang, the deeper voices cracking at times and making the others laugh.

“Thanks for the help,
Down here on earth,
A thousand prayers,
A millions words,
But one voice was heard,
One voice was heard,
One voice was heard.”

The whole place erupted with applause as they finished, Andrea grinning as she ran back to her seat.

Song is Billy Gillman's One Voice

“Now then, I expect all of you to get some sleep as classes begin tomorrow in the morning. Off to bed!” Dumbledore called.

There was a shuffle of feet and voices rose to be heard over the noise.

Andrea waved to the two adults before following a bunch of the Gryffindors down the hall.

[mistysakura]

Not bad. Nice to see Hogwarts from an outsider's point of view, and it was a nice touch how the hat got a bit sick of all those deomns. The bit where Andrea insulted Malfoy was cool. I think that chapter 3 (sorry about not replying to that earlier) was a bit rambling and drawn-out, like the introductions exchanged between Hermione and the group; I think that could have been a bit briefer. Chapter 4 was better in this aspect.

Took me a while to finish all that, and a bit annoyed that nothing much out-of-the-ordinary happened... but hey, that probbaly means something's going to happen soon. Nevertheless, love the humor, and good overall...