Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Inbetween Seven Years ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Dragonball Z.

Chapter One

Son Gohan stared at the clouds passing overhead, watching their swirling movements ever so carefully. This was the first nice day they've had all week. For the past few days, it had done nothing but rain and thunder and Gohan was glad a little sunshine was getting through. All the rain made him gloomy.

Of course, he had other reasons for being gloomy as well. One's father does not die a horrible death without one feeling sad and depressed about it, after all. The weather was probably just there to make him feel worse about the whole situation anyway. His mother hadn't enjoyed the rain either, saying that it caused her to become sick and depressed. Gohan hadn't doubted the sick part; his mother had been throwing up for the past few days, morning and night.

It had been only a few months since the dreadful day when the Cell Games had taken place. Cell was dead and the Earth was safe once more, but Son Goku had died during the process, leaving his family alone, and unsure of their future.

Yet, as May turned into a humid June and July into a wet and hazy August, Chi-Chi and Gohan pulled themselves together, with the help of their friends, and began to enjoy life again. Chi-Chi pushed Gohan to study, as he needed to get caught up, and he only willingly complied. It helped take his mind off of certain things

'I should be studying now,' Gohan thought, rolling over on his stomach to looking at his house in the distance. 'But Mom said she wanted me out of the house since that glass blew up at breakfast. She can never make up her mind.'

Strange things had been happening to Gohan in the last few months. (Stranger than normal, anyway) Whenever he got mad or just a bit angry, something would explode. This morning, he had heard about an attack over in the States somewhere; his anger began to flare at the ungrateful, evil people in the world, and then his glass of milk shattered, spilling the liquid all over the floor.

His mother blamed it on either his 'stupid, abnormal saiya-jin genes' or 'the damn sons of bitches that couldn't make a proper drinking glass even with the instruction manual sitting right out in front of them' and then properly kicked him out of the house for the rest of the day. (Had he mentioned how moody Chi-Chi had been lately? It was probably something to do with the sickness she had.)

Gohan, however, didn't know what to blame it on. He knew it wasn't his super saiya-jin strength or anything saiya-jin related, because he hadn't held any of the objects that shattered or blew up. He had just looked at them when he was angry. He wasn't using the glass company as a scapegoat and he defiantly knew that he wasn't experiencing puberty. So what was causing it?

Besides accidentally causing things to blow up, Gohan realized he was doing other strange things without actually knowing he could do them. For instance, a school book he particularly hated had thrown itself out the window when he was reaching for a pencil to write with in his bag; when he was upset one night, the furniture had mysteriously rearranged itself when he was asleep (he refused to believe he was sleepwalking); and one time, when his mother was going to whack him with the frying pan, it had disappeared completely, leaving both of them mystified.

"What's wrong with me?" Gohan muttered out loud, exhaling loudly as he rolled back onto his back.

"Nothing is wrong with you, Mr. Son. Those are simply a new abilities you're attaining."

Gohan sat up in surprise and instantly saw where the new voice had come from. Standing in front of him, just a few feet away was a strange man. He was tall, thin, and Gohan could tell that he was old by the long silver beard he was sporting on his chin. He was wearing long robes (robes?!) of midnight blue that set of his blue eyes quite nicely from behind his half-moon glasses. Gohan was instantly wary, not because of his strange outfit-for he had seen weirder-but because the man had appeared so suddenly that Gohan hadn't even sensed him.

"…Who are you…?" Gohan asked curiously.

"I am Albus Dumbledore," the man greeted, his eyes twinkling. For looking incredibly European, he spoke very good Japanese. "And are you Mr. Son Gohan of the Bedroom on The Left in 439 East Mountain District, Japan?"

"How'd you know that?" Gohan replied, getting to his feet to look the man in the eye. "Have you been spying on me?"

"I've been observing you for the past few months after there was some unusual activity occurring in your home. I believe you might know what I'm talking about."

"The exploding glasses?" Gohan questioned, his eyes widening. "Listen, if you're from the government, I didn't mean to do it, honest! It was all purely accidental! My Mom can testify, I swear-"

"No, Mr. Son, I am not from the government, although I was asked to take the position of Minister some time ago." Dumbledore stated, a small smile flitting across his face. "I am the Headmaster of a school. A school for magic, to be precise."

"A school of…magic?" Gohan gaped and his first thought was that this man was probably an escapee from a mental hospital. "How can that be? Magic isn't real…"

Gohan trailed off, suddenly unsure. Many times in his life he had said something wasn't real, only to be proven wrong the very next second. A very long time ago, he had believed aliens weren't real, and then came his Uncle Raditz and Vegeta and Frieza…

Gohan slowly sat down on the grass again, pondering over his first answer. When Dumbledore didn't say anything and they sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, Gohan finally and quietly asked;

"So you're saying that all that strange stuff that's been happening is…magic and that I'm causing it? Would that make me a wizard then…?"

"A wizard in training to be exact." Dumbledore responded. "All those occurrences at your house have been because of your unrestrained magical abilities. They come out when young wizards, like you, get confused, scared, angry, or even sometimes very happy. Untrained magic responds to the strength of the emotion of that the witch or wizard is feeling at the moment. For instance, this morning in your kitchen, your magic reacted when you got mad-"

"And the glass exploded," Gohan said, understanding very slowly.

"Exactly. You, Mr. Son, have extraordinary magical talent far beyond what I would have expected from someone of your age. I imagine that it may come from your non-human side or some other vastly complex reason." Dumbledore said with a smile on his face. He watched as Gohan's eyebrows rose in surprise at the mention of 'non-human'. "I have been watching you and your family for a very long time, Mr. Son. I've just been paying a bit more attention in these past few months than before. I know all about your travels, previous training, and your saiya-jin side."

"And that doesn't freak you out in the slightest?"

"My dear boy, I have seen many, many things in my life. While your life may be a bit strange, I assure you that many others lives in the wizarding world are even stranger."

"Wizarding world? Do you mean there's a whole wizard civilization out there?" Gohan whispered excitedly. "Fascinating!!"

"Yes. We've been having the most difficult time trying to hide it from suspicious Muggles. Most of the normal ones don't even try to find out about us, bless their souls." Seeing Gohan's confusion, he continued. "Muggle is the term we use in reference to non-magic people."

"So if I'm a wizard, how did I get my wizarding genes? My parents are…um…Muggles, I guess. Wouldn't that gene have to be hereditary for me to inherit it?" Gohan asked, his brows furrowing. "I don't think anyone-that I know of, at least-in my family is magical."

"You're what we call a Muggle-born wizard. Muggle-borns who can do magic, usually come from a long line of Muggles, the exact opposite of a Wizard-born child who simply cannot do magic at all." Dumbledore said logically. "Every person has some sort of magic in them, sometimes very deep down inside. It just depends on how strong it is, to classify whether your wizarding material and if you can attend a magical school, which is the very reason I'm here today." Dumbledore reached into a pocket of his robes and pulled out an envelope addressed in green ink. "This is for you, Mr. Son."

Gohan reached out gradually and took the envelope from Dumbledore's hand. He noticed the address was the same as how Dumbledore had first addressed him. He turned the envelope over, split it open, and pulled out the letter.

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. Son,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Gohan stared long and hard at the contents of the letter for a few moments before he looked up at Dumbledore with excitement shinning on his face. He hesitated a moment before asking, "You want…me to come to your school? To learn to become a real wizard?"

"The staff and I would be most pleased if you'd like to become one of our students, but the choice is yours. We can't make you come, if you don't want to." Dumbledore answered politely.

"Of course I want to come! This is the learning chance of a lifetime! Me, a wizard!! Wait until Mom…hears…" Gohan finished uncertainly. He looked behind him at the small cottage in the distance.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Son?"

"Well, yes…" Gohan took a deep breath. "My Dad died a few months ago and I don't think my Mom could bear to part with me so soon after. I'm all she has left. And she'll probably think this is all a scam or something-"

"I spoke with your mother before I came to visit you, Mr. Son," Dumbledore clarified, looking Gohan straight in the eye.

"You did…? W-What'd she say?" Gohan whispered, holding his breath.

"She said that you may attend Hogwarts, as long as you came home on the holidays, and sent her letters very often."

"Really…? I can go?" Gohan asked and Dumbledore nodded in complete confirmation. "YAHOO!! I'm gonna be a wizard!!"

Dumbledore watched, delighted, as Gohan threw his arms up in the air, leapt to his feet, and did a small dance around the yard. Not wanting to spoil the moment, Dumbledore waited until Gohan finished to speak again.

"You do know that you're going to have to control your super saiya-jin strength around your peers. I think it would frighten them very much if they find out that you can fly without a broomstick or blow up objects without a wand. While on Hogwarts grounds, you must not use your powers, understood?"

"Yes, sir. I'll try very hard to keep them under control." Gohan vowed a grin still plastered on his face.

"Good. Have you been taught to speak and write English fluently?"

"Oh yes," Gohan replied in English to prove his point. "My Mom made me learn when I was younger."

"Excellent, no need for a translation spell then!" Dumbledore replied, clapping his hands together. "Hogwarts' Gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, will come tomorrow and take you to London to buy your school things at Diagon Alley. As the letter states, term begins September 1st and you're to catch the 11 o'clock train at King's Cross Station on Platform 9 and ¾. I've explained to your mother everything you'll need to know in order to get to the station and onto the Hogwarts Express, so I hope that you won't have any troubles in your journey. Now," Dumbledore observed Harry from over his half-moon spectacles. "do you have any other questions for me, Mr. Son?"

"Just one, sir," Gohan replied. "Hogwarts is clearly in Europe, that's why I'd need to speak English, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, shouldn't there be a Japanese school of magic? And if there is, how come I'm going to Hogwarts instead of that one? No offense meant to your school, of course."

"No offense taken, Mr. Son. And as an answer to your question, yes, there are a few Asian schools of magic in these areas. The Mahou Conservatory of Witchcraft is the school that you would be going to if you were a pureblood wizard. Mahou only accepts purebloods, which I believe has something to due with their code of honor. The Mahou School has also already begun their term as well." Dumbledore peered at Gohan once more. "Is there anything else you would like me to answer for you?"

"No, sir," Gohan said, looking up at his new Headmaster, anticipation already flaring in his black eyes. After a moment of consideration, he said, "Thank you, sir, for coming all the way out here just to tell me that I was accepted into your school. Thank you very much."

"You're quite welcome, Mr. Son. And if I do say so myself, I think you're going to make a fine addition to Hogwarts this year. Ja ne!" Dumbledore replied, smiling. He gave Gohan a small wave before disappearing with an almost inaudible pop.

Gohan stared at the spot where Dumbledore had disappeared from before glancing back at his acceptance letter. He began to walk towards the house, rereading the letter the whole way with a large grin on his features.

When he walked into the front door, he found his mother waiting for him, arms crossed over his chest and an unreadable expression on her face. His grin faded away almost immediately and a minute of silence passed between them before Chi-Chi sighed and said, "Well, this certainly isn't the kind of schooling I wanted for you, but if it will control that magic of yours and make you happy…You'd better study hard, Son Gohan, or I'll come and pull you out of that school myself."

"Thanks, Mom," Gohan replied softly. "I know it must be hard for you to let me go so soon, but I promise I'll write and send you gifts and pictures and everything!"

"Oh Gohan," Chi-Chi whispered, unfolding her arms and wrapping them around her son in a tight hug. "Out of all the things I could've hoped for you to be, a wizard was the one thing I wasn't expecting! That and a half-alien, of course, but still! A real wizard!"

"You're proud then? You don't think it's weird at all…?" Gohan asked, pulling away from his mother's embrace to look her in the eye.

"A little bit," Chi-Chi said truthfully, a smile on her face. "It'll take some getting used to, like everything else that's happened to this family, but I'll manage. I'm sure once you get there, you'll be one of the best damn wizards Hogwarts has ever seen pass through it halls! I know you will, Son Gohan! "

"Are you sure you need to go, Mom?" Gohan asked as he watched his mother slip on a jacket from his position on the stairs. During breakfast that morning-through mouthfuls of chocolate covered pickles-Chi-Chi had announced that Bulma was coming over to take her to the doctor around noon and that she wouldn't be back until dark. While Gohan thought it best for his mother to find out what was wrong with her, he was slightly nervous about meeting Hagrid without her around. "It could just be food poisoning or something. You have been eating a lot of strange things lately."

"I would feel a lot better, Gohan, if I knew what was wrong with me, instead of guessing," Chi-Chi replied, casting a glance at her son. "I have a pretty good idea of what it might be, but I'd rather let a professional take a look incase I'm wrong."

"You have a point, but I'd feel more comfortable with you around when this Hagrid fellow arrives." Gohan said as his mother picked up her purse. "Um…How are we going to afford my schooling for seven years, Mom? I know you explained to me how one zeni equals so many of the…wizard coins, but I don't think we'll have enough money for food, bills, and everything else after my third year of school starts. I've already done the math."

"I told Bulma you were going to a boarding school and she agreed to help support you. Lord knows that woman has enough money." Chi-Chi said, as she looked herself over in the mirror. "And with you gone for most of the year, I was thinking about getting a job in town. After I'm over my sickness, of course."

"That's a good idea," Gohan said and after a moment of hesitation he continued, "Do you think I could buy some other books that aren't on the booklist? There's a lot of them, especially by this Gilderoy Lockhart fellow, but I don't think One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi will tell me what I want to know about the wizarding world."

"I suppose, but only a few Gohan," A car horn sounded outside the Son home and Chi-Chi went on quickly. "There's Bulma! Now, you be good for Hagrid and make sure he has you back in time for supper!"

"Yes, Mom," Gohan sighed. Chi-Chi kissed him lightly on the cheek before she rushed out the door to where Bulma was waiting.

Gohan slowly got up and walked down to the landing. Hagrid wasn't due for at least two more hours Gohan deduced as he glanced at the clock in the hallway (it was only twelve thirty after all) so that'd give him time to eat lunch and read a book.

But Gohan realized, after an hour of waiting, that he didn't want to read or eat, which was a big first. He wanted Hagrid to come already! He was itching to have his first experience in the wizarding world and the suspense was killing him! Hopefully, this would be a good experience; most of his first experience weren't very pleasant or worth remembering.

Putting his book down, Gohan walked over to the sink and began to fill up his glass of water. Suddenly, someone knocked. It wasn't a soft, little knock but a knock that shook the house to the core and resounded throughout. It surprised Gohan so much that he spilled his glass of water down the front of his shirt.

Dropping the glass in the sink, Gohan ran to the front door, and threw it open to find the biggest man he had ever seen in his life. He was at least three feet taller than Piccolo, making Gohan feel even shorter than he already was. His feet were the size of baby dolphins and his hands were just a bit smaller and one of them was clutching a pink umbrella. His moleskin overcoat with all of it's pockets looked even stranger than Dumbledore's outfit yesterday and his beetle black eyes were twinkling at Gohan from behind his mess of hair.

It took Gohan a long time to find his voice again, but when he did, he asked in English, "A-Are you…Hagrid…?"

"I jus' migh' be," the man replied and he bent down to Gohan's level to get a closer look at him. "Are yeh Son Gohan?"

"Um…Yes," Gohan replied, trying to keep the awe out of his voice. "Would you like to come inside…?"

"I'd jus' have time to talk to yer Mum. We've got a schedule to keep." Hagrid replied, standing up again.

"Oh…My Mom's not here right now. She left a few hours ago to go to the doctor. I think she's sick." Gohan explained, still staring at Hagrid with round eyes. "Should I go get my things then…?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll wait out here." Hagrid said, looking over the landscapes of the mountain terrain. "Very nice place yeh got here. Lots o' space and woods…Almos' reminds me o' Hogwarts."

Gohan nodded slightly at him, before slipping inside to turn off all the lights and grab his things. Within two minutes, he was back, shutting the door and locking it behind him. When he turned to face Hagrid, he found that the giant man was looking through his pockets for something of obvious importance.

"Excuse me, Hagrid? How exactly did you get to my house and how are we going to get to London from here?" Gohan asked curiously. The thought of how Dumbledore and now Hagrid could sneak up on him like they had spooked Gohan. He didn't think he was getting that lax in his training!

"I used a Portkey an' now I'm tryin' to find it again," Hagrid replied, still digging through his overly large pockets.

"A…Portkey? What's that?" Gohan asked again, his interest sparking.

"It's a device we wizard's use ter get from place ter place without them Muggles noticin'. Portkeys are designed ter take a person at a designated time ter the place they want to go." Hagrid explained. "Some, like the one I got, don' have a time cast into 'em, so yeh can go back an' forth with it any time yeh want to."

"Interesting…Where does our Portkey end up at?"

"The Leaky Cauldron. It's the pub that serves as the entrance ter Diagon Alley." Hagrid replied as he pulled out a sardine can from his upper breast pocket. "Here it is!"

Gohan stared at the can, then at Hagrid, and then back at the can again.

"That's a Portkey?" Gohan asked, disbelief audible in his voice. "I thought it be a bit more…extravagant than that."

"Mos' Portkeys aren't what yeh'd think they'd be. Gotta keep the Muggles from finding them when we lay 'em out halfway cross the country. Don't think they'd go fer a piece o' trash, do you?" Hagrid said amused.

"Well…no," Gohan responded. "So what do I do?"

"Jus' take hold of it," Hagrid said, holding out the tin can to Gohan. "Once yeh have a good grip on it, it'll activate, and we'll be on our way. Make sure yeh hold on tight. Don' wanna lose yeh, now do I?"

"I guess not," Gohan mumbled. He reached out and grasped the opening of the can tightly.

After just a few seconds of nothing, Gohan unexpectedly felt a tug from behind his navel, his feet left the ground, and the Portkey pulled him ahead in a howl of wind and churning colors. Then, almost as suddenly as it had started, Gohan's feet were back on the ground and he was trying-not very successfully either-to regain his balance.

"Whoa…" Gohan gasped, regaining his breath. Had it not been for the fact that a Portkey was almost exactly like Goku's Instant Transmission, Gohan probably would have thrown up. "That was incredible!!"

"Yeh think so? I don' prefer Portkeys meself. Bes' to stick to Apparatin' an' broomsticks, that's fer sure." Hagrid replied, looking quite queasy. He led Gohan away from the corner of the pub and waved to the bartender as they passed. "Portkeys remind me too much o' those damn Gringotts carts."

"Gringotts?" Gohan asked, unsure if this was a new, wizard vocabulary word he should learn.

"Ah, the wizard bank. Speakin' o' which, we gotta go there firs' to exchange that load of Muggle money of yers for our money. Suppose yer Mum explained that already, did she?" Hagrid asked as they stepped out into the tiny courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron.

"Yes, she did," Gohan said in an offhanded way as he looked around the courtyard. Was this Diagon Alley? "Where's the Alley at, Hagrid?"

"Here's another one of our tricks, Gohan," Hagrid said knowledgably as he took out his pink umbrella. "Watch closely now."

And Gohan did watch closely as Hagrid's umbrella tip when three up, two over on the wall and then tapped the brick three times. Hagrid removed the umbrella tip and Gohan's eyes widened as the brick began to wiggle, almost like it was alive. Soon, the many of the bricks surrounding the first one were wiggling out of the way and forming a gateway into the once stonewall.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Gohan," Hagrid said importantly and he obviously noticed Gohan's jaw on the ground for he continued, "Didn' think there'd be magic in London, did ya?"

"MOM!!!" Gohan cried, bursting through the door of his house, packages swinging wildly on his arms and his new owl hooting in a shrill protest. "I have so much to tell you!!"
"I'm in the kitchen, Gohan!"

Gohan was careful to drop all his things as carefully as he could (setting his owl on the end table), before running towards the kitchen. His afternoon in Diagon Alley had been simply amazing! He never knew he could find out about so many strange or new things in a day! Hagrid had explained so many new concepts to him, like the school Houses, a quick definition of Quidditch, and something about the defeat of a person named You-Know-Who (but Gohan didn't know who) by a boy named Harry Potter, who Gohan had the chance of meeting when Hagrid had come back from Knockturn Alley.

He had also met a second year girl named Hermione Granger-who had enjoyed showing him around Diagon Alley and answering his many questions-and the Weasley family whom he had liked very much. The older twins-Fred and George-had decided 'to take him under their wings and put his powers to good use at Hogwarts' after he had caught a falling bookcase in Flourish and Blots. He hadn't met the two other boys, Ron and Percy, but Ginny and he had become fast friends, probably because they were both going to become first years.

"Mom, you won't believe what happened to me to day! Diagon Alley was the best!" Gohan exclaimed, walking into the kitchen to find his mother waiting for him at the stove.

"That's wonderful dear!" Chi-Chi replied, obviously very happy about something other than Gohan's day. "And you know what else is so wonderful?"

"Um…Your doctor's visit went well?"

"Even better than that!" Chi-Chi sighed. She patted her stomach lovingly and suddenly Gohan knew what was coming next. "I'm having a baby! You're going to be a big brother soon, Gohan!"