Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Never Say Let Go ❯ Chapter 8

Title: Never Say Let Go

Author: Skeren Dreamera and Hoshi-Tachi

Chapter eight

Duo had his schedule tucked into his back pocket, and he'd discovered books for the two subjects he had that day in his trunk, which he'd shoved into his backpack before coming down to the hall for breakfast. He'd had to promise Zechs he'd take him out for a run before dinner in order to be able to leave the room at all.

"Decided to join us back at your house table did you?" There were only a couple people left, as he'd come down late, and it was a girl that was asking him the question.

"Not like I'm staying long, need to get to class. I don't think I ever got your name." He waved at her absently, knocking back a mug of Sin cider before picking up a few rolls.

"Pansy. Pansy Parkinson." She let out an aggrieved sigh, as though annoyed that she had to tell him. She'd been so sure Blaise would have mentioned her. At least in passing... Maybe he didn't have a crush on her then...?

"Right..." Duo took a bite of one of his rolls and chewed it thoughtfully. Swallowing, he pulled out his schedule for the fifth time that morning. "Hey, can you tell me where Hagrid's hut is?" he asked. "I was going to follow Malfoy down, but it was a while before I could get out of the dorm."

Pansy nodded reluctantly. "It's down by the edge of the Forbidden Forest. You can't miss it; it's the only building out on the grounds." She sniffed. "If nothing else, follow the sound of the screaming. He's rather... fond of dangerous creatures."

Duo glanced down at the book he'd found for that class, lying innocently on the table. Though, that image was rather spoiled by the belt he'd had to wrap around it to keep it from snacking on Zechs' tail. He nodded slowly. He could very well believe that someone who assigned The Monster Book of Monsters as a course book liked dangerous beasties.

Finishing her meal and daintily wiping her mouth with a napkin, the female Slytherin got up. "Well, if you're ready, you can just follow me down," she offered. It couldn't hurt to be a little nice, after all. The new boy was pretty cute...

"Oh, and you need to stroke its spine," she added with an amused smile, pointing at the book. "Settles it right down..."

Duo blinked, then smiled at her, getting to his feet as he tucked a couple rolls into a napkin in his bag, looking at the book. "Thanks. I think that'll help allot."

She only nodded, turning to head down to the class. "Not that I usually care if I'm late for a class, but if we don't get there soon, we might miss the ways to act so whatever beast he has down there won't attack us..."

The American only laughed, moving to her side as they hurried down to the first class he had on his schedule, Care of Magical Creatures.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Hagrid's hut turned out to be just that, a hut. It sat on the very edge of the enormous forest that flanked the Hogwarts' grounds, and only a short distance from where Duo himself had arrived.

In fact, it was such a short distance that the Gundam pilot wondered why he hadn't seen the freakin' thing. He must've been right on top of it...

There were quite a few other students already gathered there, though it was obvious a few had yet to arrive. Duo recognized most of his fellow Slytherin year-mates, if not necessarily by name, and a few of the Gryffindors. Hermione Granger and her friends were near the front of the crowd, chatting with the massive, bear-like man he'd first met, if informally, in the stables.

Pansy peeled off to join her friends as soon as they came in sight, and the braided American was left standing there, looking around, without a single clue as to what he was supposed to be doing. Then a shout saved him.

"Oi, Duo!" Ron called out, red hair flaming in the morning sunlight. "Come on, mate, get over here!"

Duo grinned, feeling a rush of relief run through him. Damn, but he was just starting to remember why he hated enrolling in a new school without any of the other pilots there. He always felt like something of a fifth wheel.

"Hey," he chirped, stopping next to the little group, and Hermione and Harry both nodded to him. "Thanks, man. Just because it happens all the time doesn't mean I like not knowin' what to do." He glanced up at the supposed half-giant beside them, and blinked. For just a moment, so brief a time as to make him wonder whether he'd imagined it, the man had been overlain by the same, ethereal projection as the dog in his quarters.

That wasn't really all that surprising, though. Either he was insane, in which case seeing other hallucinations was obviously just a continuity of that insanity, or the people he was seeing really were their shades, at some point. What surprised him was the person.

"Howie?!" he muttered under his breath, staring up at the bear-like professor.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Harry frowned as the new student muttered something unintelligible as he stared at Hagrid in what could only be shock. He'd been hoping the American wasn't as bigoted as the other Slytherins...

"Oh, right!" Hermione suddenly said brightly. "Where are my manners? Hagrid, this is that exchange student, Duo Maxwell. Duo, this is Rubeus Hagrid."

Hagrid smiled, his dark eyes friendly, and held out his hand. "Nice ter meet yeh. Call me 'agrid, though," he rumbled.

Duo abruptly grinned, reaching and shaking the proffered hand. "Sure, Hagrid. It's nice to formaly meet ya, since we didn't exactly get a chance ta talk before."

Harry blinked as the half-giant chuckled. Maybe he didn't have to worry about the guy after all. "You've met?" he asked curiously.

"When I first got here," Duo replied. "Kind of a brief meeting, though." For a moment he studied Hagrid again, and the Boy-Who-Lived thought he saw something odd in the Slytherin's face. But then it was gone again, and Ron was asking the former wizard something that had obviously been on his mind for a while.

"Um, Hagrid? What are we studying today?" he asked, looking around. "I don't see any pens or anything."

Hagrid shook his shaggy head. "We're goin' in ter the Forest today. Yeh should enjoy this," he said to Duo. "We'll be meetin' one o' the wild cousins o' those fellas you liked so much in our stables."

"Really? You mean I'll actually get to learn something about them?" The fact that the braided teen was so excited over something that Hagrid dreamed up was really disturbing to most of the students.

"Thas righ', you liked 'em so much I jus' had ta bring 'em inter the class."

By now every one of the students was glaring at the braided boy. After all, whatever horrendously dangerous creature their professor came up with for class this time was all his fault.

The American didn't seem too perturbed by the various and sundry glares, though. And no wonder, Harry thought, remembering how the boy'd been completely unfazed by Snape's lethal glowering the night before. He sincerely doubted that anyone who could stand up to that monster would be bothered by the pathetic offerings of his peers.

In fact, Duo looked about ready to hug the half-giant. "Really?" He beamed when Hagrid nodded. "That's great! Thanks!"

Hagrid smiled back at him, obviously thrilled to have a student as enthusiastic about his "cute little beasties" as himself.

"Um, Hagrid?" Harry broke in, not really willing to just stand by and watch his newest sort-of friend be trampled by incensed students. "Shouldn't we be starting class right about now? I think everyone's here."

Blaise came running up, panting a bit as he waved his arms. "I'm here... Got stuck in my dorm." A glare towards Duo at this point before he took another deep breath. "I'm here, what's the crazy thing we're studying now?"

Hagrid blinked and then broke into a wide smile. "Righ then, now that w're all here, we'll be gettin' into the forest. This way. Stay on the path and there won't be nothin to worry 'bout.."

Hermione shook her head on a sigh. "Yeah, he always says that. Nothing to worry about..."

Duo blinked at her. "This really is a fun class, ain't it?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They'd been walking through the Forbidden Forest for about five minutes when Hagrid brought the class to a stop just inside a wide clearing. Ron heard Malfoy make a low sound, and glanced over to see the rather pale blonde standing very close to Goyle. As he watched, bewildered, the hulking Slytherin put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder.

"This is Buckbeak's clearing," Harry murmured beside him, following the direction of the redhead's gaze, and Ron nodded in understanding as he felt a wide grin break out across his face.

"Buckbeak?" Duo asked curiously, while at the same time almost absentmindedly reaching out and grabbing Zabini's arm, since the teenager had been trying to sneak away from the little posse of Gryffindors.

Harry's lips twitched, and there was a gleam in his eye. "Buckbeak is a hippogriff we met in class in our third year. Malfoy made the mistake of insulting him-"

"Never insult a hippogriff to its face," Hermione interrupted. "They're very proud creatures."

The Boy-Who-Lived nodded. "Right. So, when Malfoy insulted him, Buckbeak took a rather large chunk out of his arm."

Zabini grimaced. "That thing was a menace." Then he looked over at the blonde, and a tiny flash of amusement crossed his features. "Can't say the daft idiot didn't deserve it, though, ignoring the teacher's warnings like that," he added.

For a moment Duo studied the decidedly sinister grins on the face of the two boys, and the amused irritation on that of the third. "I take it you don't like Malfoy, then?"

"How could you tell?" Harry asked sarcastically. "He's a stuck-up, slimy little prick." He glanced at the American. "Why, do you?"

Duo turned and stared thoughtfully at the fair Slytherin. After a minute or so he shrugged. "He's an annoying bastard, that's for sure," he admitted. "But truthfully?" He shrugged again. "I think with a little bit of elbow grease and a sharp mechanic, he might still be salvageable."

Ron seemed rather in shock, and even Blaise looked disbelieving. Of course, then the redhead had to have the unknown word identified. "What's a mechanic?"

"Someone who fixes machines. Not that the kid is a machine, but he could use someone to fix him." The American was then distracted from his explanation as he spotted the animals being led into the clearing. "There they are."

Of course, many of the students were very confused when Harry actually followed the longhaired boy over to Hagrid, as most of them didn't see a damn thing.

"Aw, who's a cute horsie," Duo cooed, reaching out and scratching its skeletal nose as the Gryffindor watched with wide eyes.

"Er, Duo? Should you really be petting that thing?" he asked, eyeing it nervously.

"Nah, she's 'armless. 'Less you're a rabbit or a deer, o' course," Hagrid boomed enthusiastically.

"So they eat meat, then?" Harry took a step further away from the thestral at the American's question. He did not want to lose a limb to those clawed feet.

"Yep! Right good hunters they are, too!"

"What are good hunters?" Ron finally burst out with, frustrated by the seemingly meaningless conversation between Hagrid and the two students. "What the bloody blazes are you talking about?!"

"The horses, duh." Duo rolled his eyes and gave the redhead and amused smile before resuming his effort to pet the beasts in front of him, finally managing to get close enough that one let itself be petted, drawing forth a genuine smile.

Harry gave the American a look before turning his attention to his friend. "Not that he said it nicely, but yeah, the horses."

"Duo, ya kinda fergot wha' I tol' ya when I met you didn' you? You kin only see em if you've seen somebody die." Hagrid shook his head. "But I have a charm so the rest o' yer's can see 'em."

The rest of the class still looked a bit doubtful, and only Harry, Hermione, and Blaise seemed to have caught on to the fact that Duo could already see the 'horses'. The two Gryffindors shared a troubled glance, knowing that they'd be discussing this later in the safety of their dorms, while Blaise frowned at his newest friend.

He decided then and there that he really needed to have a long talk with Duo.

And as for the American himself... well, he was too busy having fun petting the thestral to consider just what might have been inadvertently revealed about his past.

To be continued.