Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Gundam Wing Goes to Hogwarts ❯ Post Holiday Blues ( Chapter 12 )

This chapter's kind of weird. It was originally supposed to be about other stuff but I wandered off on this weird tangent and never quite made it back to the story. I promise to try harder to stay on topic next time.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 12: Post Holiday Blues

Heero stood by the main entrance watching the students returning to Hogwarts from the Christmas break. His scowl of disapproval was only slightly less obvious than Filch's.

“Look at `em,” Filch muttered. “All smiling and cheerful. A few hours in the dungeons would grind that right out of `em.”

“I suspect returning to school is insufficient grounds for incarceration,” Heero remarked.

“Too bad.” Filch's scowl turned a little worried. “Have yeh seen Mrs. Norris? I've not seen her since yesterday morning.”

“No, I haven't, but I'll keep an eye out.”

“Thanks.” Filch shuffled off and Heero continued to watch the students.

Draco came through the door flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. “What a crush!” he complained in annoyance. Then his eyes fell on Heero. “Are you lot still here?” he exclaimed loftily. “I shall have to speak to my father about this. Muggles should not be allowed at Hogwarts. It's bad enough they let Muggle-born wizards and witches in.”

“Noisy brat,” Heero snorted. “Does talking like that make you feel taller? Or do you need another lesson from my four-year-old daughter on how to be a man?”

Several nearby students snickered and Draco flushed. “Just shut up, you!” He fumbled under his robes for his wand but before he could produce it, Heero grabbed the front of his robes and picked him up with one hand. Draco's feet waved wildly as he dangled above the floor.

“You need to learn to address your elders with respect, little man,” Heero growled. “You better have something more than these two buffoons to back you up if you want to start talking smack with me.” He threw a menacing glare at Goyle and Crabbe and the two plump boys backed away nervously.

Draco struggled futilely to escape Heero's grasp. “Let go!” he cried, his voice squeaking a little. “I'll tell my father!”

“Tell him what?” Heero sneered. “That you're a whiny little toad that no one respects? I imagine he already knows.”

Draco's face got even redder. “Put me down!” he shouted.

“Heero, quit tormenting the students,” Zechs said calmly.

Heero immediately released Draco and the unprepared young wizard promptly fell on his ass. “I'm only tormenting this one,” Heero said, “and he had it coming. He's annoying.”

“I know he's annoying,” Zechs agreed, “but you still should not be tormenting him. Off you go, little boy,” Zechs said to Draco with a pleasant smile, “and try not to irritate anyone else.”

Draco scrambled to his feet flushed with outrage and rushed off toward the dungeon stairs. Crabbe and Goyle scurried after him, giving Heero and Zechs a wide berth.

“The students look like they had a pleasant vacation,” Zechs continued conversationally. He favored two passing fifth year Hufflepuff girls with his most beautiful smile and they went pale.

“You see?!” one of the girls squealed as they scurried away. “I told you we should have stayed here for the holidays. We could have had dinner with him!”

The other girl managed nothing more than a hasty nod, staring back over her shoulder at Zechs with an infatuated smile.

Heero crossed his arms. “If I don't get to torment students, you can't flirt with them either.”

“All I did was smile,” Zechs said innocently and he turned his stunning smile on a trio of Ravenclaw girls. The one in the middle fainted and had to be caught by her companions. “Where's the harm in that?”

Heero rolled his eyes.

The Great Hall buzzed with conversation that night over dinner as the students regaled each other with stories about their holidays. There were a few people, though, who were less than happy.

“I can't believe Professor Chang gave us homework over the break!” Evie, a seventh year Gryffindor moaned.

“I know!” Susie, another seventh year, responded gloomily. “Did you finish it?”

“Are you kidding? I would have had to live in the library to look up all the stuff he wanted! I don't know why he said we couldn't use the Internet. That's what it's for!”

“He said the Internet makes one lazy,” Percy interrupted from above their heads, although his tone made it sound as if he was only vaguely sure of what the Internet might be. (“Oh, it's a Muggle invention!” his father had told him with great enthusiasm when he asked. “Very clever indeed! Maybe we should get one!”) Percy lifted his chin. “I finished the assignment in only four days and was therefore free to enjoy the rest of my holiday.”

“Oh, shut up, Percy!” Evie grumbled under her breath. She looked down the table at Roku. “Maybe we could ask him for help. He said he was in college.”

“We could ask Hadeya!” Susie suggested eagerly. She eyed the handsome young man with a dreamy expression. “He must be in college, too.”

“But if we ask him, Professor Chang will find out we didn't finish,” Evie pointed out. “Let's ask Roku.”

“Ok.”

So after dinner, the two girls cornered Roku and grilled him about their Non-Magic Studies homework assignment. But as the three of them huddled together at one end of the Gryffindor table, they drew the attention of other Non-Magic Studies students and soon about a dozen students from various houses were clustered around Roku, pelting him with questions and furiously taking notes.

It was rather late when the impromptu study session broke up and the students filed out into the deserted front hall, but Roku paused as soon as he got outside and stared toward the shadows on the far side.

After a moment, Draco Malfoy stepped out of the shadows with a frown. “What are you staring at?” he sneered, but he also sounded faintly surprised.

“I was just wondering why you were standing there. Harry left a long time ago.”

Draco started. “What do you mean by that?”

“I assumed you were waiting to see him. I always smell you hovering around watching Harry.”

“What?!” Draco's face paled and then flushed scarlet. “I do not! You're the one always hanging around him!”

“But we're friends, so that's to be expected. But you're always acting like you don't like him, but you're always watching him.” Roku grinned. “It's ok, you know. It's perfectly normal for guys to like other guys.”

Draco's mouth fell open. “I… do not… like him!” he stammered. “You just… you take that back!” Draco balled his hands into fists and advanced on Roku threateningly.

Roku tipped his head to one side. “Aren't you going to use your wand?”

“What?” Draco faltered to a stop.

“Ron said you're always threatening to cast spells on people. Why don't you cast a spell?”

“If that's what you want!” Draco cried. He yanked his wand out from under his robe and pointed it shakily at Roku with a shout. A blast of light and wind shot from the end of his wand.

Roku waved a hand casually in front of his face and brushed the spell away. “That was pretty good.” He pulled out his own wand. “Tell me what you think of this. I'm just learning how to use my wand.” He pointed it at Draco and spoke the same word that Draco had used. Draco was slammed by the spell and flew backward, skidding across the floor until he bumped into the wall. “Oops!” Roku said. He scurried over to Draco. “Are you all right? I didn't mean to hit you that hard. These wands really amplify things.”

Draco stared up at him, his eyes out of focus and a little crossed.

“Oh, dear!” Roku murmured. He squatted down and put a hand on Draco's forehead.

“Roku, what are you doing?” Harry called as he trotted into the hall. “I've been looking for you.” He stopped when he reached Roku's side and his eyebrows shot up. “What's wrong with Malfoy?”

“Um, well,” Roku grinned sheepishly. “I was showing him that I could do the same spell he could and sort of, well, gave him a mild concussion. But I'm fixing it!”

Draco's eyes slowly uncrossed and he sat up groggily, pushing Roku's hand away unsteadily. “What happened?”

“I'm sorry,” Roku apologized. “I sort of injured you. How do you feel now?”

“My head is killing me!” Draco cradled his head in his hand and squinted around him. “Wasn't I holding my wand?”

“Oh, it's right here.” Roku held out his hand and Draco's wand, which had been flung some distance away by Roku's attack, flew into his hand. He held the wand out to Draco.

Draco grabbed it and shoved it back into his robes. Then he noticed Harry. His cheeks flushed and he scrambled to his feet. “What the hell are you doing here? Come to laugh at me?”

“No!” Harry snapped. “I wasn't looking for you at all! It was just my bad luck. Come on, Roku, we need to get back to our common room before lights out.”

“We should make sure Draco gets back to his common room ok first,” Roku said. “Concussions are tricky and he might still faint even though I fixed it.”

“I'm not going to faint!” Draco exclaimed and then all of the color drained from his face and he sagged against the wall.

“You probably shouldn't shout,” Roku said. “You need to go to bed. I think a good night's sleep will clear away the residual affects.” He put a shoulder under Draco's arm and grabbed him around the waist. “Come on, Harry, help me.”

“Ugh!” Harry groaned, but he put his shoulder under Draco's other arm and the two of them half-carried Draco down the stairs to his hidden common room door.

Draco's eyes widened. “How do you know where the entrance is?!” he demanded. “Only Slytherins should know that!”

“Never mind!” Harry snapped. “Just open it! We'll close our eyes.”

Draco stared at them suspiciously for a moment and then opened the hidden door.

“Draco!” a third year Slytherin girl immediately cried. “What have they done to you?”

“He tripped on the stairs,” Roku immediately lied. “He should lie down.”

Angrily, Draco jerked himself free of the two Gryffindors but he did not dispute Roku's claim. He leaned heavily on the girl and let her help him away as the door slammed shut in Harry and Roku's faces.

“Well, that was irritating,” Harry said. “Let's get going. I don't want to get in trouble for being out after hours. I might never get my broom back, then.”

The two of them hurried toward Gryffindor tower.

“You shouldn't be so mean to Draco,” Roku said. “He likes you.”

“No, he doesn't,” Harry said. “He thinks I'm full of myself because of the scar on my forehead.”

“Maybe so, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like you.” Roku squinted at him. “You know what I mean when I say `like', right?”

Harry stopped in his tracks. “Not that again! You mentioned something like that before, but Malfoy's not like that!”

Roku stopped too. “How would you know? You would know if you're like that, but you won't know about him for sure unless he tries to kiss you.”

“K… Kiss me?” Harry stammered. “He wouldn't dare!' He swallowed. “I mean, he wouldn't want to!”

Roku leaned forward and lifted his eyebrows. “But he smells like he wants to.”

“Smells like…? That's… that's…” Harry blinked several times, his round glasses making his wide-open eyes look owlish. “That's ridiculous!” he finished faintly. He pushed past Roku and broke into a run, dashing all the way back to the portrait hole without stopping.

“Halt there, miscreant!” Sir Cadogan shouted. “State the password or prepare to be run through.”

Harry groaned. “Oh, just open the door!”

“Not without the pass…” Sir Cadogan began and then stopped with his mouth hanging open. “What devilry is this?!” he exclaimed in consternation.

Harry turned to look at what Sir Cadogan was staring at and his eyes opened wide.

Roku just smiled. “Oh. Hi, Mrs. Norris. I see you found some of them.”

Approaching them up the hallway came Mrs. Norris, walking with a slow and stately gait. Straddling her back were three tiny people, clutching bunches of her fur to keep themselves in place. The little people waved at Roku as they passed and Mrs. Norris continued her stately trek, heading down the stairs with her little riders leaning back to counterbalance the slope of her back.

“Aren't… aren't you going to catch them?” Harry asked hoarsely.

“Why?” Roku shrugged. “They're having fun. And anyway, they're harmless. They must be or Mrs. Norris wouldn't be playing with them.”

Harry turned back to the portrait. “Odds bodkins,” he muttered.

Sir Cadogan smiled broadly and the portrait swung open. Harry climbed through the portrait hole, almost tripping on the ledge. Roku stepped through after him.

“Oh, you found him,” Ron said.

“Yeah.”

Ron frowned in puzzlement at Harry's pale face. “What were you doing?” he said to Roku.

“Nothing. Anyway, I'm going back out to say good night to my parents. I'll be back in a minute.” Roku slipped back out through the portrait hole.

“What's wrong with you, Harry?” Ron peered more closely at his face. “I'd say you looked like you'd seen a ghost, except we're always seeing ghosts here.”

“It's nothing,” Harry muttered. “I'm going to bed.” He slumped off up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

The students settled quickly back into their routine. Or at least they would have except that at the first Potions class after the holidays, Heero, Duo and Wu-Fei showed up and lined up along the wall by the door, watching expectantly as the third-years uncovered their steeping truth serum potions. Professor Snape studiously refused to acknowledge their presence as he lectured the class.

“Students, if you have not made a complete mess of the potion, you should find a thick, luminescent green sludge in the bottom of your cauldron. Raise your hand if you do not.” Snape glared around the room as a few hands rose shakily. He stalked over to stare with a glower into the cauldrons of those unfortunate students. “You failed to mince your snakeskin properly, Mister Jones,” he snapped at one poor Hufflepuff boy. “What frog organ did you put in that, Miss Wiley?” he sneered at a cowering Ravenclaw girl. “You obviously did not use the spleen.” After making snide comments to a few more students, he strode back to the front of the class and turned with a sweep to face them. “Very well. For those of you who did not just fail the assignment, we will test your potion to see if you have earned a passing grade.”

The students whose cauldrons had not passed muster groaned.

Snape looked at the three Gundam pilots for the first time. “You will find it interesting to know, students, that this particular potion works particularly well on Muggles.” Every head in the room turned to stare at the three young men. “However, today you will test the potion with your partner.” His lip curled. “But to avoid embarrassment, you will only ask each other the following question: what is your least favorite class.”

Draco immediately stuck up his hand. “But how will we know if the other person is telling the truth?”

Snape glared at him. “I think it should be obvious, Mister Malfoy. Please begin. Swallow no more than one half spoonful.”

There was an immediate explosion of talk as each pair of students debated who would take the potion.

Neville leaned toward Roku with a frightened look. “Will you please take the potion, Roku? I don't want to say what my least favorite class is in here!” He threw a frightened glance at Snape.

“Ok.” Roku dipped a bit of sludge out of the cauldron and put it in his mouth. “Hmm. Interesting. It sort of tastes like stagnant riverbank mud.”

Neville stared. “You've tasted stagnant riverbank mud?”

Roku blinked. “Yes, Neville, I have. When we were on the quest for the Holy Grail, I used to wander around while the knights were riding to the next challenge and I especially liked romping through streams.”

Neville's eyes went round.

Duo pursed his lips. “Perhaps we should have suggested that Roku not take the truth serum.”

“Why?” Heero muttered. “He's always telling the truth at the most inconvenient moments.”

“Shouldn't you ask me the question, Neville?” Roku hinted

“Oh, right!” Neville shook himself. “What is your least favorite class?”

“I don't have a least favorite,” Roku answered. “I like all my classes. I've learned so many interesting things.”

Roku, not surprisingly, was the only person who answered that way.

“Divination!” Hermione snapped immediately.

“Potions!” Ron declared loudly.

“Defense Against the Dark Arts!” Draco stated firmly.

And so it went, with Potions class being far and away the winner in terms of being the most hated class.

Snape's thin lips lifted into what might possibly have been an amused smile. “Well, it seems as if everyone has created a successful truth serum.”

“Look at him!” Ron muttered. “He's happy his is the most hated class!”

“For those of you who failed to create a successful potion,” Snape continued, “you will write an entire scroll explaining why knowledge of Potions is important.”

“A whole scroll?!” a boy's voice cried out in dismay.

“Or would you prefer losing points?”

Dead silence was the only response.

Snape's gaze returned to the Gundam pilots. “Perhaps one or two of our guests might be interested in trying the truth serum?”

Duo started to step forward but Heero immediately stuck out an arm and blocked him. “Sure, I'll try it. But what question did you want to ask?” He smirked at Snape.

“Have you something to hide?” Snape growled back.

Heero grinned humorlessly and stalked over to Roku's cauldron. Roku grinned as he handed Heero a small spoonful of sludge.

Heero made a face. “That's disgusting.”

“I kind of liked it.”

“You think raw deer innards are a yummy snack.”

“They are.”

Neville listened to this exchange with eyes getting rounder and rounder.

Heero turned to Snape with his arms crossed.

“Where were you born?” Snape immediately demanded.

“I don't know,” Heero responded.

“Who are your parents?”

“I don't know.”

“How old are you?”

“I don't know.”

Snape's eyes narrowed. “That potion must not be working.”

“It's working,” Duo laughed. “He doesn't know the answer to any of those questions, but the fact that he told you proves the potion is working.” He dashed forward and grabbed Heero by the arm. “Now if you'll excuse us, I have a few questions of my own I want to ask. How long until it wears off?”

“Perhaps fifteen minutes,” Snape answered in a puzzled tone.

“If you ask me anything embarrassing,” Heero snarled as Duo dragged him out the door, “I'll pull your braid out by the roots.”

Wu-Fei pushed away from the wall. “I suppose I'd better go make sure they don't kill each other.” He sauntered out.

Roku raised his hand. “Professor Snape, is there a potion that will make someone always tell lies, even if he wants to tell the truth?”

“There is, but it is too complicated for a third year class to attempt.”

“Oh,” Roku said, disappointed.

“Well, then, for the remainder of the class period, all students will silently read pages one hundred thirty-seven to one hundred sixty-one, which should be time enough for the serum to wear off. There will be no speaking and no asking of questions during this time. Begin!”

The class fell silent, except for the rustling of pages.

Snape stopped them shortly before the end of class and made them dump out the contents of their cauldrons and wash them thoroughly. He glowered at the class. “If I hear any rumors of someone being given truth serum outside of class, demerits and detentions will be assigned to all suspected perpetrators.”

As they filed out of the room, Ron scowled. “You notice how he said suspected perpetrators? He doesn't even have to prove you did anything! I'll bet you a Galleon that Malfoy will pretend he's been given truth serum and blame us.”

“He can try,” Harry growled, “but I know something that will shut him up quick.”

“What?”

“I'd rather not say. Let's hurry. I don't want to be late for lunch.”

Wu-Fei was a little late for his Non-Magic Studies class after lunch and he arrived out of breath. “Sorry I'm late, class,” he apologized as he hurried in.

Hadeya, standing at the front of the room surrounded by adoring females and one or two bolder males, looked relieved. “What kept you, Uncle Wu-Fei?”

Wu-Fei flushed. “Nothing! I was just… mediating an argument between Heero and Duo.” He clapped his hand. “Everyone sit down, please! Let's get started. Why don't we begin by collecting the homework? How did everyone do?”

“Just fine, Professor!” Evie answered brightly. She produced a thick roll of parchment. “I believe I have everything.”

“Me, too!” said Susie, producing a similar scroll.

Percy frowned. “But you said you hadn't finished it!”

“I said,” Evie exclaimed with a sharp look, “that I wasn't quite finished. I meant that I was still writing it up neatly.” She beamed at Wu-Fei. Susie nodded quickly in agreement.

Percy's frown deepened. “Well, I finished mine over the break, as we were instructed, including writing it up neatly.”

Penny gave him a dark look. “Why didn't you tell me? We could have worked on it together. I wasn't able to finish it.”

Percy flushed. “Oh, uh, well, my family was very busy over the break…”

“But you found time to finish the homework and you didn't even ask me once if I wanted to study together!” She lifted her chin and pointedly turned away from him. “Now I see how much you care about me.”

“Penny!” Percy exclaimed, stricken.

Penny raised her hand. “Professor Chang, I admit I didn't complete the assignment. Would it be possible for Mister Hadeya to help me? I don't expect credit, I just want to learn.” She batted her eyes innocently.

Hadeya paled.

“That will be fine, Miss Clearwater. Education is its own reward.”

Penny beamed triumphantly as the other girls swore under their breath and muttered that they wished they had thought of that. Percy looked as though he had been stabbed through the heart.

“Are you sure that's a good idea, Uncle?” Hadeya said quickly. “My education is not as extensive as Roku's.”

“It will be fine,” Wu-Fei said. “There was nothing in the homework that you wouldn't know. Now,” he said, turning to the chalkboard, “it's time we covered physics. The principles of physics govern the physical world in the absence of magic, so it's important that you understand them. Let's go over some basic physical laws.”

By the end of class, everyone but Penny had gone glassy-eyed. Penny, on the other hand, bounded out of her seat and dashed over to Hadeya the instant class was dismissed.

“Mister Hadeya,” she gushed, “when would be a good time to meet? After dinner tonight? We could go to the library. I know a really quiet spot where we could talk undisturbed.”

“Uh, that sounds fine.”

“Great! See you then!” Penny bounced out of the room without even a glance at Percy.

Percy slumped out the door with a cloud of gloom hanging over him.

“He must be in love,” Evie snickered, “she sure took the wind out of his sails!”

“I'll say,” Susie agreed, “but I sure wish I'd thought of that trick about the homework.”

Evie sighed. “Me, too.”

When the students were gone, Wu-Fei clapped the mournful-looking Hadeya on the back. “Look at it this way, Hadeya. She's probably just trying to make Percy jealous, so I don't think she expects you to have sex with her.”

Hadeya's eyes went round. “Sex?!”

“She's a healthy-looking girl, though.”

“You are not serious, I hope.”

Wu-Fei grinned. “Relax, Hadeya. I would never advocate bedding students. Although some of the seventh-years are adults already.”

“I think I should go see if Treize needs any help with anything.” Hadeya hurried out.

Wu-Fei reached over his shoulder and began scratching absently. Then he snatched his hand away with a scowl. “I do not itch!” he declared to the empty room.