Wild Magic Chapter 7

[KonokoHasano]

Since Fanfiction.net is being stubborn and not letting me upload a document, I thought about this here. Possibly seeing if there's any real big grammar issues hidden inside. This is chapter seven, and if you need to read the rest of the story to figure out what is happening, Here is the first six chapters.

Wild Magic

Ranma 1/2, Slayers, and any other series used in this fanfic are owned by their respective creators/publishers/whatever

Students are sorted into houses by certain traits they have. Slytherin prizes ambition, determination, slight disregard of rules, cunning, etc. Doesn’t mean the person in the house would become a complete bastard or anything. Some who have strong traits that go with another house could easily show traits that would also work in another house. The hat picks the place where it feels they would experience the most. So don’t let stronger traits make you think one would belong in one place. Anyway… let’s get the show on the road!!!!!

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Chapter 7

The area was littered with damage, holes, and fallen debris. The sky was as black as the shadows; wind was whipping around at speeds that almost toppled trees. The rain fell in sheets that made it almost unbearable to withstand. Four bodies lay on the ground, with small pools of blood around them. One, a swordsman, was just barely conscious; his vision looked up to see the back of a short girl with reddish hair flipping wildly in the wind. Her clothes were cut and torn, while her body was bleeding in several areas.

His eyes scanned the area towards their fallen group. The first to fall was the short black haired and energetic princess. She started off with her customary speech about villainy, love, peace, and similar. She was doing very well in the battle, as well as anyone could hope to do against the evil they were all facing. That was until she sprained her ankle from a rock that tripped her. A wild bit of dark purple magic caught up to her and pierced through her chest, hitting her heart, and killing her instantly.

The second victim, the usually composed silver purple haired chimera, was devastated at the girl’s loss. He felt that if he had only reacted quicker, that it wouldn’t have happened. His grief quickly turned to anger as his eyes turned towards the being that was the cause of all this pain. The spells he let loose only seemed to be of minor annoyance to the being. The chimera went down not long after.

Next was the Dragon Priestess. Even in her dragon form she didn’t stand a chance, although she did manage to put a very small hole in the creature’s body. The victory was short lived however; as her wings were cut as she was flying high in the sky. Her form was then ravaged with a barrage of magical attacks.

He cursed himself for forgetting to get his Sword of Light from his son. Why did he give it to him in the first place? Because he was foolish in believing that there wouldn’t be anymore insane and completely deadly events that would require the need of it. He also didn’t want the younger to feel left out with not getting anything of interest while the elder child received several things of interest. His eyes widened when the girl in front of him looked towards him with almost dead eyes, and the next thing she spoke sent chills down his spine.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t be of help to any of you. I let you all down when I was needed most, and there’s only one way to end this.” Her deep red eyes turned and stared at the large being shadowed in darkness, standing near a group of ancient springs that seemed to almost pulse with ancient magic. Her eyes turned hard. The thing destroyed billions of lives across two different realities by tearing apart barriers, and mending both together. Priests and profits saw this coming… magic was starting to become less common. Disasters occurred that killed whole cities. “This is probably it for me…”

“Lina?!”

“Darkness beyond blackest pitch, deeper than the deepest night.” It was a spell that she vowed to never use again. A spell that called upon L-sama herself. A spell that could very well cause even more disaster, but if it managed to kill this thing…

“STOP LINA! You know very well what… Gah!” he clutched the large wound in his stomach.

“King of Darkness who shines like gold upon the Sea of Chaos; I call thee, swear myself to thee.” Her form was bathed in a golden aura, her hair blowing upwards in a sudden gust. With a quick and unannounced levitation spell, she leapt from the cliff side and for the monster. “Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess...GIGA SLAVE!” The spell was lobbed into the hole of the creature that the Dragon Priestess caused earlier. The creature’s body began to expand, its cries in pain apparent, until it exploded outward. Raging winds from the spell scraped across the landscape, and battered the form of a now completely white haired sorceress, drained of almost all of her magic. A small smile came to her features as her body fell towards the springs below.

‘I did it… but I guess it’s the end.’ She thought weakly as she sunk into a spring. A cruelly amused voice echoed in her mind.

“For now, yes, but your adventure is FAR from over.” It was the last thing she heard before the lack of air in her lungs overcame her, and her vision slowly faded away.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ranma bolted up in her bed. Sweating, she looked around for a few seconds before giving herself a slap upside the head in annoyance. She sometimes had dreams pertaining to the past, but a few of them mostly revolved around her being a child around Luna. The woman blatantly bordered on being a complete sadist or something when around child Lina.

Then there were other random dreams as well that occurred. One in particular involved an incredibly scantly clad and big breasted woman with a laugh that made Kodachi’s tame. Shaking the disturbing thought out of her mind, she proceeded to try and figure out what the time was. Her eyes spotted a clock on the wall, possibly magical like most of the other crud in the place. Her mouth formed a frown when she saw that it was just 5AM.

Feeling that no more sleep will be coming to her at the moment, the redhead slipped out of bed and walked across the room to the dormitory door. Grabbing the knob, she gave it a small twist and opened it enough so as to not cause any creaking. Stepping out, she began sneaking quietly up the stairs to the Slytherin common room. Once there, she looked around and didn’t see a soul. When she took another step, a small furry blur collided into her.

“Hi momma!” Laira announced happily at the downed girl. Shaking the stars out of her vision, Ranma looked at the happy little cabbit.

“When did you get here, Laira?”

“Just now after I felt you wake up. I decided we could both explore this place a little. It’d be so much fun, momma.” Her lavender eyes sparkled in glee. “Just like adventuring through space. Just you and me.”

“You kind of stink at flying in ship mode though, Laira.” The 11-year-old said with a frown. For some reason, the young cabbit would end up crashing back down onto the Earth, or other celestial bodies, whenever she went into ship form.

“I’m getting better though, momma. I only crash seven out of ten times now.” A small pout formed on the cabbit’s face. Rolling her eyes, Ranma gave Laira a pat on the head.

“Alright, let’s go explore this place. We’ll make it a small training exercise. The objective: Exploring without being caught. This will test our stealth, senses, and certain other abilities… consider us like ghosts for now.”

“Ok momma.” The tiny cabbit pulled out a white napkin from… somewhere and put it around her like a cloak; covering all except her face. She received a questioning look from the redhead. “Well, you said we’ll be like ghosts.”

“Err… right. Well, let’s go.” Both girl and cabbit walked quickly and quietly to the entrance of the Slytherin house. Stopping for a few seconds, Ranma poked her head thought the hidden passage and looked around on the other side. Seeing nothing but snoring paintings, she motioned for Laira to follow.

Ever so quietly, they moved down the long passageway towards the flight of stone steps. Ranma’s senses straining to listen for any presence. Her eyes caught a glimpse of something vague coming down. Grabbing Laira, she jumped to the side of the steps in a small alcove and kneeled. Both pairs of eyes spotted some weird little man in wildly, colorful clothing. His face seemed to show a mischievous side, and, oddly, he was floating in the air looking around with his beady eyes.

“Hmm… I thought I saw something. Maybe a little student to torment? No?” His eyes weren’t able to spot anything out of the ordinary. “Too bad, I’ll just have to find something else to… do.” His form rose up, and he disappeared through the ceiling. After a few seconds of waiting, Ranma came out of the alcove.

‘Who the hell was that?’ She thought watching the spot that the weird little man disappeared through. ‘No ordinary Hogwarts ghost, that’s for sure.’

‘He looked kind of evil.’ Her cabbit said on their link. She hoped she never encountered him alone.

‘If he does anything to you, he’ll be eating that colorful hat of his.’ Continuing up the stairs, there was nothing that seemed too odd, just a bunch of sleeping paintings. After several minutes, they spotted the top of the stairs. Poking her head over the top step, Ranma twitched her ears for any noise in the near vicinity. Finding none, she motioned for Laira to follow. They snuck past the doors to the Great Hall and made their way to the opening to the far right of the great hall.

The opening had stairs that lead downward. Figuring why not, they proceeded down the stone steps until they came to the bottom. Following the path, Ranma’s ears heard some noise coming from the wall. Looking in the direction, she caught site of a painting of a bowl of fruit. Walking closer, there was a vague smell of food cooking, and things being clanged.

Carefully poking her head through, she was in awe to see that it was the kitchen. Stepping through, her eyes looked around at the massive room she was now in was just that… massive. There were four long wooden tables that seemed similar to the ones in the Great Hall. Brass pots and pans were found around the place, as well as a large brick fireplace. House Elves were running about, getting food ready for the breakfast that would start in just a little while. One of the creatures spotted Ranma, walked up to her, and gave a bow.

“Good morning Miss, welcome to Hogwarts Kitchen.” The elf’s eyes then lay upon Laira. “Is creature pet of Miss’s?” Glaring at the ‘pet’ comment, the small cabbit jumped into the redhead’s arms.

“I’m not a pet! I’m Laira”

“Forgive this house elf then, Laira.” It said with a bow. “What is pleasure of visit? Is Miss hungry?” Ranma ignored the ‘Miss’ remark and shook her head. It was tempting, but another thought came to her mind.

“No thank you. Say… would you happen to know of a place in this castle which would allow me to practice my abilities without worrying about damaging the place, or attracting attention?” She received a vigorous nod.

“Oh yes Miss. Kipsol knows. The Come and Go room provides all one’s needs.”

“Where is this Come and Go room?”

“On seventh floor. Across from painting depicting man training trolls in ballet.” Ranma’s eyebrow rose at the thought of trolls performing ballet. “One must need it. Walk past hidden entrance three times and think of what one really needs. It is sure to be there.”

“Thanks for the info.” Her ear twitched at the sound of a door opening. Looking behind her, she noticed that the wall she came through became a door. Two people stepped through the door. Their hair was a flaming red like that Ron boy, and they seemed to be twins. Both also seemed to be on the short and stocky side. When they stepped through, their eyes caught sight of Ranma and seemed to light up.

“What do we have here, Fred?” The one on the right asked with a hint of mirth. The other on the left followed suit.

“I’m not sure George. It looks like the new Slytherin girl who came yesterday. See, she even has the cat ears and tail.” Both boys started walking around the 11-year-old like sharks to prey. “Her hair is a nice shade of red too. You could almost mistake her for a sibling of ours.”

“So what are you…” Fred started

“Doing here, Slytherin girl?” George finished. Both twins poking the girl’s ears, causing them to twitch with each touch. The redheaded martial artist/sorceress narrowed her eyes.

“We’re just exploring the castle. Call it stealth training, sneaking around to figure out a few things and all that.”

“We?” Both the twins asked in confusion, not seeing anyone else around. Their eyes then caught sight of the small creature they never saw in the arms of the new Slytherin.

“What’s that thing?” George asked as he poked the little creature in the cheek. It looked like some cross between a cat and rabbit. Said creature slapped his hand away and glared at him.

“I’m NOT a thing! Am I momma?” Laira asked to her redheaded link partner.

“Momma?” Both the Weasley twins asked at once. They noticed how the girl seemed to get a little uncomfortable when being referred to by that word. Fred’s eyes twinkled, and he gave a nudge and smile to his brother, who followed his lead.

“It must be a wonderful thing being a mother.” Fred began, acting all dramatic. “No better joy in life than taking care of a young life.”

“You DO feed her right, don’t you? Put her to bed; sing her lullabies, and all that good stuff, right?” George asked with wide eyes full of mirth. For a second, it almost seemed like the eyes of the redheaded girl in front of them flashed red.

“If you don’t stop right now…”

“You’ll go tell on us to a teacher, possibly Snape, right Slytherin girl?” Fred asked in amusement. The amusement was short lived when said girl grabbed his collar and brought his nose just inches from hers. George brought out his wand, ready to help his brother if the girl tried anything. His worry turned to relief when his brother was released.

“Whatever, it’s not worth it.” Ranma sighed out. She sometimes found herself having a slight short temper. A temper she often managed to control with the Soul of Ice technique. The two boys in front of her just weren’t worth it. They didn’t seem to be fighters of any kind, nor did they seem to want to cause any real harm. Why do something that could end up making a couple people enemies? She really didn’t want to walk down that road again, causing unneeded people out to get her and all. Such as these two who for some reason reminded her of a certain Nabiki Tendo.

“What do you mean ‘not worth it’?” Not that it really bothered him. At least he wasn’t going to be sporting any bruises or anything.

“It’s just as I said. There’s no honor in fighting someone who’s not a fighter.” The twins’ eyes widened at that. Honor? From a Slytherin? Sure, maybe amongst themselves, but they never really met one who actually preached about it. They watched as the redhead walked over to a near wall and leaned against it… only to have the wall whip open and her fall through. “Ouch! My head! Damn castle.”

The eyes of the twins stayed wide. A secret passage they themselves never found. Moving quickly towards the opening, they looked on as the cat girl rubbed the back of her head and cursed. The small creature in her arms was looking in slight worry. “How many times have we been in the kitchens and never found this, Fred?” George asked his redheaded brother.

“Quite a few times. Nice find there Slytherin girl.” He received a slight glare from the sitting 11-year-old.

“I have a name you know. It’s Lina.” It pissed her off that they kept calling her ‘girl’. “Also, this here is Laira.” She added, showing the cabbit to them. The two boys nodded and helped her up and gave a smile.

“Nice job then, Lina. You found a passage neither of us ever found. The name’s Fred by the way. This here is my brother George.” His eyes then looked between the two. “So, why don’t we see where this passage goes?” Ranma gave a shrug and a nod. Besides, what could be at the end of the narrow staircase that would be extremely dangerous? Too bad she forgot for a moment how her life tends to be.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“What the bloody hell was that?!” George asked panting along with his two other, three other if you count Laira, companions. They were back down in the kitchens after their adventure through the passage. Ranma looked at him with huge eyes.

“Are you blind? That was a freaking huge dog… a THREE HEADED dog. With very long and sharp teeth and claws.” That settled it… the whole school itself WAS off its rocker. Having an honest to goodness large as hell three headed vicious dog INSIDE the school where students lived.

Fred and George both looked at each other and shared a smile. “That was a fantastic mini adventure. We could have got eaten, but we didn’t.”

“The Weasley Twins survive another adventure unscathed.” Fred supplied back. “Maybe this is one adventure that’s best kept top secret?” His brother nodded sagely.

“Quite right you are Fred. No telling how many people would want to see that dog. As much fun it is to prank people, it would be too deadly. It would also not be wise to have people disbelieve this and see for themselves.”

“Let’s also remember that the area between here and there seems to be quite secluded, an excellent place to be secretive.” Both of them rested their arms on Ranma’s shoulders. “You did good Lina. You should check out the Forbidden Forest sometime. There’s loads more interesting creatures in there. It’s also quite fun to sneak around in.”

“Assuming you don’t get caught that is.”

“Very true George, very True indeed. I now believe it’s time we get a move on.” The twins walked away laughing, and disappeared beyond the entrance they first came in. Leaving Ranma to just stand there and stare after them.

“What… just happened?” She simply asked to no one in particular. Laira looked up at her and was unable to figure it out herself.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After getting back to the dormitories, it was time to put on her school uniform and robe. Cursing for the umpteenth time about the damn skirt, knee socks, and buckle shoes, the redhead made her way out of the Slytherin house and towards the Great Hall. Laira had opted to stay behind in the dormitories, still too spooked from the run in from the demon dog to explore the castle.

Making her way out of the Slytherin house, Ranma made her way up the long stone stairway until she found herself in the Entrance Hall. Turning, she made her way towards the Great Hall. As she walked, her eyes caught sight of a girl who was also 11-year-old in conversation with some older student. She had long blonde hair and clear blue eyes, and Ranma vaguely recognized her from the sorting ceremony.

She was obviously from Slytherin, from the green and silver tie and boarder on the vest. Ranma’s thoughts suddenly remembered seeing her with the group as they made there way to the dormitories.

The older student was a boy of around 17 or so. His hair was dark blonde, bordering near black, and from the coloring on his uniform, appeared to be of Ravenclaw. The redhead’s eyes could see that the girl seemed to be uncomfortable, and her ears managed to pick up the conversation.

“I mean really, little sister. What would our parents think? Their own daughter put in the house of Slytherin. Do you realize how many people in that house have become dark wizards?” His younger sibling’s eyes started to moisten.

“I… I don’t know. The hat told me it sensed a lot of traits that would make me feel at home in Gryffindor, but my desire and ambition to prove to mom and dad that I’m as good as you made it put me in Slytherin.” Her voice softly said. The tall boy in front of her just gave off a sigh.

“And that will be your downfall that will lead you on the path of terrible things. Oh how I feel for you.” He simply said. Ranma had enough of this and walked up towards the pompous jackass.

“You know, a guy shouldn’t make a girl cry. It makes him look like some honorless creep.” Ranma thought this very well. Since back then HE felt that making girls cry was the sign of a bastard who was NOT a man, but a poor fool. The tall boy in front of her just looked at her with bored eyes before speaking.

“Ah yes, I remember seeing you. You’re that cat girl of Slytherin.” The redhead’s eye twitched at ‘cat girl’. “What may I ask would a Slytherin know about honor? What I’ve seen in these seven years is that you Slytherin will say one thing, but then go around and do the other. It’s as if the concept of this ‘honor’ is just a game to you.” A small hand reached up and grabbed his collar. He was then brought to eye level with the redhead, and the dual colored eyes he was staring into flashed vivid red.

“Questioning my honor is not a thing you would like to cross, Windbag.” Her nose was inches from his, making the taller boy sweat. The air also seemed to cool down for some reason. “Just because your sister is in Slytherin does not mean she’ll turn out evil. Having someone to help her, such as family, from making bad choices would prevent that.”

It was true in a way. Many times as Ranma Saotome, HE would often feel the weight of it all on his shoulders and wonder if it would just be better to forget about it all. It was people like Kasumi, Nodoka (In her own way), Dr. Tofu, and many citizens of Nerima who actually appreciated what he did in that life. People who were kind and thanked him for his help in their problems. Because of that, he was able to keep on doing what he did, and not end up breaking down and doing things that he’d probably regret.

“What would you know, Slytherin?” The boy in front of her sneered as he regained his composure. That ‘windbag’ comment got to him greatly. A slight crowd was forming around them, interested in the little confrontation between a short 11-year-old first year girl with cat features, and a tall 17-year-old seventh year boy. Although the strange chill in the air kept them from getting too close.

“What IS going on here?” The strict voice of Professor McGonagall asked as she cut through the crowd to find the new girl in the face of an older student. “Miss Malfoy, Mister Negia, what is the meaning of this?” The head of Gryffindor watched as the young redhead released the boy, looked in her direction, and pointed at the tall boy.

“It’s nothing much. The pompous windbag of a jackass here just pissed me off with his attitude towards his younger sister there. A guy should not try to make a girl cry.” McGonagall stared at her for a few seconds before speaking.

“Five points from Slytherin for using such language and causing a distraction Miss Malfoy.” She then looked at the boy. “Five points from Ravenclaw for also causing a scene Mr. Negia. Now, will everyone please clear out and head into the Great Hall for breakfast?” As the teacher walked through and into the Great Hall, the boy gave her a glare.

“This isn’t over.” He whispered as he entered the Hall. Ranma watched after him and rolled her eyes.

‘So what else is new? Not a day and possibly already make an enemy.’ The boy’s sister walked up to her and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry I got you in trouble and caused our house to lose some points.” Her eyes saw the redhead shake her head and smile.

“No problem, the windbag angered me anyway.” She held out her hand. “I’m Lina Malfoy… sorry for the disturbance.” The girl in front of her gave a small smile and shook her hand.

“Gosaria Negia… and thanks.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“My brother’s in Ravenclaw, and our parents have been in Ravenclaw, and they hoped that I would have been put in Ravenclaw as well. That hope changed when I seemed to not be as… intelligent as them, nor did I seem as talented as my brother Quintinsy. They all hoped that I’d at LEAST be put in Hufflepuff. Although now that it’s found out I’m in Slytherin…” Gosaria finished, putting her head down on the table.

Ranma stopped in her eating and looked at the distraught girl. She didn’t have a damn clue what to really do, but figured she’d wing it like she did with Laira. “Ignore it and just get on with doing whatever it is you want to do. They don’t like it? Well screw them. You said you have the desire and ambition to prove to your family that you don’t suck? Put those traits to good use and become BETTER than your brother without caring what they think. Do it for YOURSELF.” The redhead stopped and realized just how much of what she said was never even put to use back in her previous life as a Saotome, much less even thought about. ‘Now why the hell couldn’t I have followed that damn advice back then?’ She asked herself with a mental slap to the head.

Across the table, Pansy looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “That was all… kind of sappy you two.” Ranma scratched the back of her head at the statement. She was about to respond when the whole room started to whisper to each other. Listening in, the redhead was able to hear them talking about ‘a boy with glasses’ and ‘the kid with a scar’. Draco made a small snort.

“Damn Potter. He’s only popular because of something that happened when he was a baby. A thing HE doesn’t even remember.” Ranma just looked at her brother and shrugged. It’s not like it affected anybody in the slightest.

“Does it really matter?” She asked curiously? The pale eyed boy looked at her

“Famous Potter will probably get special treatment. Just because he’s ‘The Boy Who Lived’.” Ranma could only blink at the malice in the blonde boy’s voice regarding that Harry kid. She was about to say something when owls started to pour in from the windows. Dropping letters, papers, and other things on the tables near the students. Something that LOOKED like an owl (At least Ranma was sure it was, but it was a weird color and had a pair of antennae on its head) dropped a package in front of the redhead.

Sure enough, it was from Washu. Opening the package, her eyes laid upon a letter and a book. She frowned when she saw the book was titled ‘Thermodynamics Made Easy’. “Damn it Washu. Can’t I get a break from the scientifical crap while I’m here? My brain is going to bust if you keep doing this.” She proceeded to drop her head against the table and groan. Draco picked up the book and took a look at it… only to have his eyes glaze over at not being able to understand a single solitary thing. He didn’t know if it was magical stuff or muggle crap, and actually felt sorry for his sister having to read all these weird things.

Next was the letter that arrived with the book. It was from Washu in Japanese, so she didn’t have to worry about anyone else reading it.

Dear Student of Mine

Do you honestly think knowledge rests? Staying at that place for so long without exercising your mind will rot away your intelligence. I did not teach you for nine years only to have you become lax in your studies. I hope you also manage to find a place to practice your Martial Arts and Sorcery. Maybe you can share the book with that friend of yours, Hermione. I bet she’d love it. Maybe when you finish the year, you could bring her with you.

Oh yes, and Kasumi, Akane, your Auntie Nodoka, and your little cousin Sakura wish you well. Akane and Nodoka would like to remind you to NOT get into any trouble.

Well, so long!
Greatest Scientific Genius in the Entire Universe, Washu Hakubi.

<What do they take me for, a little child? ‘Not get into any trouble’ indeed. Jeez Akane, I’m practically the same age as you… well maybe not in body, but I am in mind.> Her eyes looked up to see everyone at the table staring. “What’s everyone looking at?”

Gosaria was the first to speak. “You were sitting there and reading a letter in a different language. Then you get in a huff and start ranting off about something in a different language. Then before that, you were whining about someone named Washu and your brain busting. You also banged your head against the table.” Everyone at the table laughed at the flustered redhead.

‘I have yet to figure out why people hate Slytherin. They seem like a bunch of normal people to me.’ Ranma thought to herself. Wondering if she’ll figure out the true reason or not. It was then that her schedule was handed out to her. Glancing down, she studied it. ‘Thursday… Defense Against the Dark Arts… History of Magic… hmm. Oh, Friday only has a double morning class of Potions, then the rest of the day off. Maybe I’ll go searching for that ‘Come and Go Room’ then.’

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The bell sounded at 9:00am, ending breakfast and the start of classes. The first subject, Defense Against the Dark Arts, was located on the second floor of the school. Getting there was actually a thing in itself. While heading up the stairs, the first several steps that Ranma stepped on vanished into thin air. This caused the redhead to fall and land on her rear. Her reaction to this was a colorful usage of several words that not even she thought she had in her, and several threats of harm to the steps.

After passing that obstacle, the next one involved a staircase that actually swung itself so that the end was positioned in the middle of the air. It was only like that for a minute before returning to its original position. Ranma was glad for that, since she didn’t want to use any of her more… interesting abilities in public just yet and scare people.

When she finally got to the door to her Defense class, she found out that the door wouldn’t even let her through unless she tickled it. After a few minutes of arguing with the large slab of wood, she wondered why she even decided to come to Hogwarts in the first place. ‘Ah yes’ she thought to herself as she tickled the door. ‘To be an auror and put all my skills to use. Maybe I’ll give the Old Fart a visit to see if I really have to be at this school.’

When she finally got into the classroom, she saw that the teacher was none other than the nervous man she saw in the Leaky Cauldron. He still gave her an odd feeling, but it was stronger this time. There was also a terrible smell of garlic that hung in the room that made the redhead’s sense of smell to haywire. The smell that lingered around the turban the guy wore was even worse. Because of this, she felt as if her breakfast was going to come back up and say hello.

“You ok Lina?” Gosaria asked as she watched the cat eared girl standing there with her hands covering her face, while tears seemed to want to stream out of her eyes. Draco noticed this and put a sympathetic hand on his sister’s shoulder.

“Her sense of smell is more sensitive, and I’m sure this room is making her feel like getting sick. Are you going to be ok, sis?” The pale eyed boy asked in concern. Gosaria also seemed to be a little concerned for her new friend.

“W… what’s g… g… going on h… here?” A nervous voice asked coming towards the trio. Professor Quirrell noticed distressed state the redhead seemed to be in. “A… are you ok M…m… Miss?” He leaned down a bit to get a bitter look at the girl who seemed a little green. Said girl seemed to get even more uncomfortable with him getting closer.

‘Oh Kami-sama… the smell.’ Ranma thought as the smell got stronger the closer the guy came. The ‘off’ feeling also seemed to get worse and worse. The 11-year-old finally couldn’t take it anymore and fell forward onto her hands and knees, releasing some of the contents that were her breakfast before succumbing to darkness.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ranma’s eyes fluttered open not long after her impromptu nap to find herself in a hospital bed. Sitting up, she was greeted by her brother and Gosaria. “Glad to see that you are ok Lina.” The redhead could see that Draco was worried about her. “After you fainted…”

“I don’t faint.” Ranma supplied quickly. “My body strategically assesses the situation and shuts down to protect myself from any further danger.”

“Err… right.” His sister could be so stubborn and weird at times. “Well after you did whatever you did, Professor Quirrell asked Gosaria and me to bring you to the Hospital Wing.” The girl to the right of him gave a nod.

“It was so gross. I thought I was going to be the next one to puke.” The blue eyed girl recounted with a hint of green in her face.

“How long was I out?”

“Not too long. Defense Against the Dark Arts is almost over. The next class we have is History of Magic. Seeing as how you seem to be fine now, I’m sure the nurse will allow you to leave.” As if on cue, Madam Pomfrey stepped into view to check on Ranma.

Madam Pomfrey was a strict woman with slightly graying hair who took her job very seriously. With students who frequently come in due to spell backfire, potion blunders, broken appendages, and other such issues, slacking off was not an option. “You seem to be doing fine Miss Malfoy. You still seem a little green, but otherwise in good health. I will have to have a chat with the Headmaster about this little incident. We don’t want you falling unconscious again, nor do we want Mr. Filch to clean up such a… mess. The man was complaining about how much there was, and that it couldn’t possibly have come from a normal child.” The face of her patient turned an interesting color of red.

“I… have a healthy appetite.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

History of Magic proved to be excruciatingly boring. Ranma was actually surprised to see that a ghost was the teacher of the class. She heard a slight rumor that the guy died in his sleep and hasn’t realized it yet. It made absolutely no sense at all. How could you NOT know that you are dead? Prof. Binns was currently reading a passage out of some book called ‘The Great Era and Downfall of Widely Known Magic’. It had to do with things almost a little over 1500 years ago.

The redhead just sat there with her head resting on the palm of her hand. The droning was boring, but after spending nine years being lectured by a super genius in things like ‘The Inner Workings of 15,000 years of Jurai Royal History’, this couldn’t even compare. She was still half asleep, but managed to hear bits and pieces.

“… The great… Enemy of All Who Live… Dragon Spooker… Lina Inverse” The bits and pieces right there broke her out of the border of reality and sleep.

‘Huhwha?’ The redhead thought intelligently as she shook her head of the sleep that was trying to overtake her.

“… Also rarely known as Lina the Pink Sorceress.” Binns finished as he began to turn the page. The ghost’s weary looking eyes located the top of the next page and began to droll on again. “She was one of many in the world of magic to be able to conjure it without the use of a medium. The ability to conjure magic without a medium was common in the times before the Magical Cataclysm and Dilution of Magical Ability. Dilution of Magical Ability refers to the fact that witches and wizards now these days require the use of a medium, mostly a wand, to perform their magic due to a large drop in the mana flows within their body. It is rare for individuals to be able to perform focused magic without a medium. Unfocused magic is highly probable, but is also dangerous and erratic. Many exotic spells have since died out and became forgotten with the demise of the Pink Sorceress and many of those whose magical talent stayed just as strong and died with them.”

‘That’s actually interesting.’ Now the redhead knew why everyone around here needed a stupid piece of wood to do their magic. It’s because the magical ability inside of them has diluted to a point where they NEED to have a twig to use it properly. Otherwise they could cause massive damage.

Looking around her, she noticed that every student seemed to be either dozing or just plain blissfully unaware of the world around them. Her brother had slight drool coming from his mouth and onto the desk. Gosaria seemed to be snoring a bit. Crabbe and Goyle had glazed looks in their eyes as they looked towards the ceiling with their backs against their chairs. Millicent was watching a fly buzz around her head. Many other students were just plain out of it.

‘Damn it Washu. Because of you I can’t even enjoy a peaceful nap during this. Is there anyone else immune to this crap, or am I the only one?’ She thought dejectedly as she looked forward.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Across the school in Transfiguration class, a certain bushy haired girl sneezed. That sneeze almost made her mess up in her transfiguring of the match in front of her. Thankfully she was able to refrain from casting the spell at that moment.

“Bless you Miss Granger.” Prof. McGonagall stated as she walked around the classroom examining each student’s progress.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

History of Magic was finally over, and Ranma was bouncing on her feet. “Yeah! Lunch time!” She was feeling famished since her stomach purged itself earlier of her food, and she hadn’t had anything for those two hours. Gosaria looked at her with a raised eyebrow as they made their way to the Great Hall.

“Just don’t get sick again, Lina. That’s not a sight anybody should see.” She received a slight pout from her new friend. Coming closer to their destination, the redhead smiled. Coming towards them was Hermione. Said bushy haired girl also smiled at seeing her friend.

“How are you doing Hermione?”

“I’m doing great. Morning classes went well. Although I almost messed up on a spell I was doing in Transfiguration because I sneezed.” If she messed that up, there was no telling how she’d be able to live with that. “How was your day Lina, and who’s your friend?”

“Err… I had a slight problem with some smells in Defense Against the Dark Arts...”

“She fainted due to the smells.” The blonde girl said with a little amusement. “I’m Gosaria Negia by the way. Nice to meet you.” The two girls shook hands.

“I did NOT faint.” The redhead stated in indignation. “My body strategically assessed the situation and shut down to protect myself from…”

“You fainted.” Gosaria said with a smile, which caused Hermione to giggle before introducing herself to the girl. “Hermione Granger.” Ranma gave a huff and ventured on into the Great Hall. Her blue/red eyes widened when she caught sight of someone heading down the walkway. She raised an arm and gave a shout.

“HEY OLD FART!!!”

The entire Great Hall went dead silent as Dumbledore turned around. Gosaria and Hermione looked at Ranma with eyes as wide as saucers. Whispering was running rampant amongst those who heard the shout. The teachers themselves were shocked senseless at the fact that a student would have the nerve to call the Headmaster of Hogwarts an Old Fart. Everyone held their breath as the silver bearded headmaster seemed to glide up to the 11-year-old needing to learn respect. The slightly crooked nose of Albus Dumbledore looked down on the child. After a few seconds, he spoke.

“Good afternoon to you too, Miss Malfoy. I see you still choose to call me by that after nine years.” His eyes twinkled with unseen mirth. The girl in front of him was proving to bring some amusement to the school. The redhead gave him a smirk that was known to cause many to bristle.

“Of course I do. You’re still older than a fart, although not as ancient as the Old Ghoul and Old Pervert.” She added as an afterthought which was only heard by the elderly man in front, and the two girls to the side of her that were slightly confused. Dumbledore gave a jolly laugh.

“I guess I am just that. These old bones HAVE seen better days.” The response in the Great Hall was unanimous and quick; a massive face fault that shook the very foundation of the school itself. That response was NOT even close to what anybody was even anticipating. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting to, Miss Malfoy?” Ranma was about to speak when the headmaster raised his hand. “It would probably be better to discuss it later. After you finish up your classes for the day, come to my office. I’m sure one of the teachers will be more than happy to escort you.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the day was almost uneventful… at least in the opinion of Ranma herself. Transfiguration appeared to be slightly boring, and Professor McGonagall seemed to be a woman who would not put up with any nonsense. What piqued Ranma’s interest was the fact that the woman could actually turn into a cat and back with nary a thought. When asked about it, the strict woman gladly supplied the answer.

“I’m an Animagus, Miss Malfoy. An Animagus is a wizard or witch capable of transforming into an animal.” Her eyes noticed a sudden interest come to life in the young cat eared girl’s features. “Becoming an Animagus is extremely difficult, and one cannot choose the form they turn into. The animal form one would transform into reflects the inner nature of that particular witch or wizard.”

The redhead’s ears drooped at that realization. ‘Damn it’ she thought to herself. ‘For a second there… ah screw it. I’d probably turn into a mule or something that eats a lot with my luck.’ A full blown laugh from Laira announced itself from the other side of their connection. ‘I’m sure glad someone finds this amusing.’ Ranma thought with sarcasm before she turned back to the lesson.

The lesson plan was to have them turn a match stick into a perfect needle. Glancing at the wand in her hand, the blue/red eyed girl idly wondered if she could ever do something like this without the twig. It was something she’d have to look into later on. Her eyes then turned to the tiny match sitting there. Believing she could do this, she raised the wand to just a little above the match and pumped some of her magic into the wood.

‘Match into needle… match into needle.’ The mantra kept going in her mind as she lowered the tip of the wand onto the needle. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but the form of the match began to shimmer and turn silver, thin, and pointy. Ranma was about to give a shout of success when the very table she was at suddenly exploded.

Professor McGonagall was at the spot in an instant. She noticed the charred remains of where the desk stood, and the slightly charred form of her cat eared student sitting on the floor. “W… what in the name of Merlin’s Beard happened?!” Eyes shining with glee were not an answer she expected as the floored girl pointed.

“Look Professor… the match is now a pin.” Sure enough, a pin WAS lying on the floor in front of the blackened girl. The emerald green robe wearing witch was at a loss for what to say in a situation such as this. Her mind finally came to the perfect response for a situation such as this.

“You did an excellent job Miss Malfoy. You’ve earned five points to Slytherin for being one of the few who did it, but three points shall be taken away from Slytherin for destroying a desk. Now I just need to contact Mr. Filch and see if he could bring up a new desk.” Ranma gave a look to her before shrugging.

“Well at least I managed to get two points back from the incident this morning. Maybe I should cut back on how much magic I pump into the wand... I shouldn’t pump enough to down an elephant I guess.” Ranma mumbled to herself as she scratched the side of her head in thought. This act caused several sweat drops around her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Charms class had a slight ‘Ranma Touch’ added to it as well. Professor Flitwick, a tiny and slightly energetic old man who had to stand on a stack of books, decided their first lesson should involve a charm that creates hot air. Something that would be good to use on wet clothes and snow. The spell was a non verbal one that only requires the correct wand movement.

“Now students, please follow this wand movement.” The small and bearded professor proceeded to do two circles and a quick jab with the wand. The effect was a wave of warm air.

Ranma decided to decrease the amount of magic she pumped into the wand a little bit. Only pumping about half of the magic she did during Transfiguration, she repeated the motion that the tiny man showed them. What came out was a large stream of fire that sailed over the head of Flitwick. Singing a couple of stray hairs, and knocking him off his books with a squeak of terror.

Climbing back onto his books, he pointed a small finger towards the redheaded girl. “It wasn’t the right charm, but it sure was something for a first year. Six points awarded to Slytherin for a fantastic bit of fire magic. However there will be a three point reduction from Slytherin for singing some of my hair.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After Charms and a small break, it was Herbology in Greenhouse One. The class was uneventfully boring. It involved some slug-like plant called a bubotuber, and for some reasons the redhead felt pangs of nervousness around the plant. Herbology then lead to dinner, and dinner lead to right now.

Ranma was making her way to wherever Dumbledore’s office was. Of course, she didn’t have the foggiest idea of where to look. The least he could have done was to tell her where it was. She probably would have to find a teacher to ask, but which one?

Her blue/red eyes spotted someone leaving a room. “Excuse me, would you know how to get to Professor Dumbledore’s office?” The person turned around and she frowned. It was the greasy haired guy who acted like he had something shoved up his ass. He looked at her with a slightly bored expression on his pale face before speaking.

“Ah yes” the voice sent a disturbing chill down Ranma’s back. “Good evening Miss Malfoy. I remember your little… confrontation with the headmaster during lunch today. He sent us teachers word that if you asked one of us, that we should escort you to his office.” The 11-year-old nodded and reluctantly followed the man towards her destination.

It took several minutes of climbing stairs, some of which kept on moving from the desired location to another, before they found themselves in front of a stone gargoyle. Ranma wondered what the purpose was until the man mumbled something that she missed. The gargoyle came to life and jumped down, opening up a secret set of staircases that led upwards.

“Well, come on.” The man ordered as he started up the stairs. Ranma silently followed the greasy haired man up the set of spiral stairs until they came to a closed door at the top. Before any of them could knock, a voice called out from inside.

“Come in you two.” The door was opened, and both walked in to see Albus Dumbledore standing in the middle of his room. The elderly wizard gave a smile. “Good evening Severus. I’m glad to see that you brought Miss Malfoy here without a problem.” Professor Snape gave a slight nod before he turned around and left the room, leaving Ranma to glance around.

The room was round and had several windows. A few of the windows provided a good view of the mountains, while a few others faced some kind of field that Ranma had no clue about. There were numerous silver objects and knickknacks spread around the room. The people in the portraits were all staring intently in her direction.

“How are you this evening Lina?” The headmaster finally asked

“Ranma”

“What was that?”

“I am Ranma. I’m really getting tired of having to be referred to as Lina. That name is just a disguise I’m using, as well as the name of a long dead sorceress. No matter what those memories I sometimes get say.” The elderly man in front stared for a long moment before responding.

“Then what can I do for you Ranma?”

“I want to know if I really have to stay at this school to become one of those aurors. Why can’t I just apply to be one instead? I have the ability for it, and frequent training will only help me as well.” Seriously, why else would she even need to be here?

Dumbledore sat in the seat behind his claw-footed desk and looked at the young girl. “Tell me Ranma” He started. “In the non magical world, doesn’t one have to have a certain amount of school experience if they wish to have a certain job position? They may have the experience, but they wouldn’t have the schooling and proof needed to show they qualify.” A reluctant not from the redhead made him smile. “The magical world is similar in that aspect. The aurors require that their members have full schooling and have O.W.L and N.E.W.T. scores in tip top shape.”

“Owls and Newts?” Ranma asked in confusion. What did those two animals have to do with anything? Her answer was a light laugh.

“They aren’t animals Ranma. They are large tests taken in the fifth through seventh years. They are the Ordinary Wizarding Level in fifth year and Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test in sixth and seventh years. Places such as the Ministry of Magic require their employees to possess superb grades in those. The Aurors are part of a department in the Ministry, and they have some of the strictest requirements. You can’t get in without having at least five Exceeds Expectations in five courses.” He received an incredulous look from the redhead.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” A sigh then escaped her mouth. “I guess I have some work ahead of me then.” Her eyes looked around and focused on something else. “Hey, what’s the thing that looks almost like a molting turkey?” Dumbledore followed her gaze and his eyes twinkled.

“That’s Fawkes the phoenix.” Ranma’s eyes widened as she got up and walked up to the fowl. Her hand reached out towards the bird to touch its beak. She almost jumped when the creature leaned its head forward and allowed her hand to pet its head.

“Only other phoenix I met was the leader of a tribe from Phoenix Mountain in China, although he was humanoid with wings and claws and tried to kill me.” She had to give a smile to the ugly turkey that seemed to like her. Breaking away, she gave a bow to the headmaster. “It was a pleasure to talk with you Old Fart.”

“I had the same pleasure Lina.” He saw the slight glare from the redhead as she began to walk away. Just as she walked out the door, he called out. “One more thing I need to say Lina! Do not be afraid to embrace all three of your incarnations into one. Ignoring and trying to forget who you were and are will only cause you great stress later on down the road. We don’t want you to end up snapping” He closed the door before she could give a retort.

‘Sure it will.’ Ranma thought sarcastically as she headed down the spiral staircase. ‘Who does he take me for?’

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“The cat eared girl could prove troublesome.” A small and weak voice said quietly. Professor Quirrell looked around nervously.

“Y… you think sh… she could be a p… p… problem master?”

“I’m not sure. She knows something is up with you, so it’s a possibility that she could learn of me. We must keep a close watch on her, as well as the Potter boy. I still want my revenge against the boy.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ravenclaw students were slightly worried about one of their own. The guy was sitting in a chair in the common room with his hands clasped together, and a sinister smirk was plastered on his face. “Think you can act all bit and humiliate me do you? Well you’ve got another thing coming cat eared bitch.” The laugh he gave off caused those around him to run to there dormitories in fear.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Somewhere in the bushes of the school grounds, a pair of eyes was peeking out of the bushes. They studied the area closely before disappearing. “So the girl is finally at Hogwarts eh? I wonder how well she has kept up with her training. She’s too young for my usual antics, but let’s see what I could do to liven things up a bit.” The voice broke into a cackle before a shadowy figure bounded away… only to be caught in the mouth by a large dog.

“Fang! It’s time to come in you mangy dog!” Hagrid shouted out onto the grounds. With a whip of its head, the boarhound tossed whatever it had in its mouth into the trees and bounded into the hut.

“Oooowwww….”


xxxA.N.xxxx

This chapter actually took a large turn. Originally it was going to be the first week of classes or so. It would have included the potions lesson, flying practice, and ending with a little thing on the Midnight Duel chapter. It ended up flowing in a different direction and detailing Ranma’s first day at Hogwarts though. As well as a few things that weren’t originally thought up as I was planning the chapter.

Now I need to completely organize my thoughts on the next chapter.

Oh, and thanks for all the reviews! Many of them have included fun ideas, and others have been a joy to read.

[Dumbledork]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're my saviour. Two days without any new Ranma material on fanfiction.net was hell. Excellent chapter like always. And I'm glad you're taking it slow and don't rush the story. Great characters you've introduced.

[KonokoHasano]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're my saviour. Two days without any new Ranma material on fanfiction.net was hell. Excellent chapter like always. And I'm glad you're taking it slow and don't rush the story. Great characters you've introduced.

Thanks. I think the issue with uploading documents might be part of the reason for it.

I now have to think up things for the next chapter more than I thought I would. Quintinsy was originally going to be planned with just that one small part when Ranma meets Gosaria. Although having him as a kind of vengeful and insecure person with a slight maniacal laugh would fit in quite well with Ranma.

[Dumbledork]

Yeah! He could become kind of a saner Tatewaki. Here's an interesting idea. How about having the reincarnation of Nagal also attending Hogwarts? Now that could lead to a lot of fun situations. And maybe have Xellos infiltrate Hogwarts as a student to cause some chaos.

[KonokoHasano]

Yeah! He could become kind of a saner Tatewaki. Here's an interesting idea. How about having the reincarnation of Nagal also attending Hogwarts? Now that could lead to a lot of fun situations. And maybe have Xellos infiltrate Hogwarts as a student to cause some chaos.

I was actually planning on having Xellos cause a bit of mischief somewhere, but wasn't sure when. I almost had a scene durring the sorting ceremony where Dumbledore announced that they had an assisstant caretaker named Seloxl Metallium, which would have had a humorous confrontation between Ranma and Xellos. That small idea was scrapped though.

The reincarnated Naga idea is lovely. I've actually thought up a few Slayers characters to be reincarnated, but one of them would appear in Ranma's second year, while another would appear in the fourth year.

Curses... so many ideas make me giddy >,>

[Kadunta]

“Only other phoenix I met was the leader of a tribe from Phoenix Mountain in China, although he was humanoid with wings and claws and tried to kill me.”

I assume Ranma's forgotten the phoenix that perched on Kuno's head then?

[Dumbledork]

I assume Ranma's forgotten the phoenix that perched on Kuno's head then?

I still don't believe that was a real phoenix.

[KonokoHasano]

I forgot about that chubby little head ornament. XD

[Cyber_Skaarj]

I've gone back through your previous chapters and come to the conclusion that you're kind of like Trimatter in a way. You started off making lots of grammatical and spelling mistakes, but the more you write, the less you seem to make. This chapter was almost error free.

There were around half a dozen or so errors that I spotted whilest reading through this chapter, though most were minor and didn't really get in the way of the flow of things. There was one near the end that kind of stuck out to me though:

“Think you can act all bit and humiliate me do you? Well you’ve got another thing coming cat eared bitch.”

Bit = Big (or at least I think that's what your intention was)

And the expression goes "You've got another think coming".

[KonokoHasano]

Thanks for the help Cyber_Skaarj. 'Bit' walked right past me. I've also always thought it was 'another thing coming', but 'think' does seem to make sense.

I think one of the bigger reasons for the earlier chapters having a bunch of mistakes is that I was mostly using Notepad. I started switching to Word around chapter three or four.

Edit: Thanks for the warning about nested quotes, Cyber_Skaarj.

[pspinler]

And the expression goes "You've got another think coming".

It does? Really? I've always thought, and heard, "another *thing*" here.

Is this a regional thing on my part?

-- Pat

[P.H. Wise]

It does? Really? I've always thought, and heard, "another *thing*" here.

Is this a regional thing on my part?

-- Pat

It is often misspoken as 'another thing,' but the correct version is 'another think.' This is because the expression originated as a deliberately grammatically incorrect play on words.

[deathgeonous]

You can't upload either huh? Well thanks for puting this up here, I really enjoyed it, for it was quite good and I didn't really see anything to correct.

[Cyber_Skaarj]

Just a bit of a warning here Konoko. Nested quotes are a bad thing to the admins. Check forum rule 1-F for details.

Be thankful I noticed it before the admins did. As it is, you may want to edit your post before they catch it.

[Nukem]

Very nice done.

I'm just listing my thoughts, take what you need there:
- Scabbers: How about letting Ranma act on some basic cat instincts here. ^^
- About the ability to speak with cats: How about letting the cats in the other houses give Ranma information. Especially Hermiones cat about Scabbers.

Idea:
Let Laira raid the kitchen, during breakfast. Resulting in mutilated dishes first then an haggard elf popping up in front of "the old fart" babblking about a monster in the kitchen.
Fear for your carrots MageOhki ^^