Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Harry Potter.
Telepathy
Ch. 1 Hogwarts
It was a cold, stormy night, but the Hogwarts Express was as warm and cozy as ever. The students onboard were chattering animatedly as it chugged its way down to Hogsmead Station.
Somewhere towards the end of the train, inside a compartment, were Hiei and Kurama. They had been sent to Hogwarts posing as "exchange students" from the Eastern School of Magic.
Koenma had said it was some kind of stealth mission to befriend and help someone named Harry Potter destroy a wizard named Voldemort. Normally, the Spirit World would not have interfered with human matters, but the Spirit World intelligence picked up information that demons were somehow involved, hence Hiei and Kurama's new mission.
Koenma had also decided that it was best not to let Yusuke and Kuwabara know about their top secret assignment. He didn't let them go on the mission because Yusuke could not stay in school long enough to succeed and Kuwabara...well...he would most likely blow their cover on the first day.
Now back to our two favorite demons...
Hiei glared out the gloomy rain streaked window of their compartment, his warm breath fogging up the glass. Piercing red eyes shot daggers at anything that moved outside. (Considering he could see anything, since it was pitch black outside)
Kurama absently pushed back a strand of stray hair away from his eyes as he devoured the book on his lap. After a while, he said without taking his eyes of the book, "You know Hiei, if you are just going to keep glaring daggers at the innocent piece of glass in front of you, you might as well make yourself useful and warm this place up a bit. My limbs are getting stiff."
Hiei tore his gaze from the window and instead settled it on Kurama. "Hn, you should have dressed more appropriately then Kurama." But he nevertheless brought the temperature inside the compartment up a notch.
Kurama finally marked his page, closed the book he was reading and set it down. The title could be seen: "Many Magical Plants, Herbs and Fungi."
"Arigatou, Hiei." He said as he rubbed his arms, trying to restore circulation.
"Hn." Hiei then resumed his glaring out the window.
Suddenly, the compartment door slid open, causing Hiei to stand up faster than a blink of the eye, and Kurama to admonish sharply, "Hiei!"
Because Hiei was just about ready to slash the person standing in the doorway to bits. Hiei stopped just in time and sheathed his katana, muttering, "You're getting soft Kurama." Kurama merely smiled and turned to look at who had been almost cut to pieces by Hiei.
A boy with messy black hair and emerald green eyes much like Kurama's looked in from the doorway. He had glasses and a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.
"Umm...are you even allowed to carry a sword to Hogwarts?" He blinked at Hiei, but when Hiei ignored him and looked out the window yet again, he turned to Kurama and asked hopefully, "Well, anyways, do you mind if I take a seat here? All the other compartments are full."
Kurama smiled kindly at the boy and gestured to the seat next to him, "Sure. My name is Kurama, and that is Hiei. Don't worry, he won't kill you." He chuckled slightly as Harry relaxed and dragged his trunk and Hedwig into the compartment. Then Kurama added as an afterthought, "At least if you don't get on his nerves... So, what's your name?"
Harry gulped and then answered Kurama, "Harry Potter." He expected Kurama and Hiei to react like everybody else and gasp and try stare at his scar, but it never happened. Harry was visibly surprised.
Hiei was still glaring out the window like he never heard him, and Kurama didn't looked awed or curious. In fact, he didn't have any expression on at all...weird, Harry thought. It's like he blanked out. And is it me or is it extremely warm in here...
Kurama used a bit of Spirit energy to form a telepathic link with Hiei.
"Hiei, so this is the Harry Potter we are supposed to help and befriend. And to think, you almost killed him." He laughed good-naturedly.
"Hn, the ignorant human brat should not have snuck up on us like that."
"I believe you over reacted Hiei."
"Kurama, you forget that in the Makai, if I didn't react like I did, I would most likely find myself dead."
"Yes, but we are not in Makai."
"I still say you are getting soft. You would not survive a single day in the Makai forests now."
Harry was just about to ask if Kurama was okay when the said fox demon suddenly gave a small chuckle.
"Er, are you okay Kurama? I mean, you just blanked out...And what's so funny?" Harry asked.
Kurama looked at Harry and said, "Oh nothing, and yes I'm fine. A pleasure to meet you Harry. Don't you have any friends?"
Harry finally got over the shock of his new friends' reactions and said, "Yes, but they're prefects, so they have a compartment to themselves in the front. They'll join me sometime later on."
"Good, he has friends. That will make this babysitting job a lot easier."
"Hiei, we are not babysitting. Do at least try to make friends."
"I don't make friends!"
Harry was staring at Kurama and Hiei without realizing it. Kurama finally said to him, "Harry, if you don't mind me asking. What is so amusing about me or Hiei?"
"Huh? Oh! Eh, sorry. I just...you guys aren't from here are you?" He finally asked.
"No we're not. We are exchange students from the Eastern School of Magic." Kurama said casually. "So you'll have to explain everything to us."
"Well, okay. Um, first, you have to be sorted into Houses, and the Houses are..." Harry had never been asked to explain something like this before and he stumbled on until he finished describing Quidditch, his favorite sport. "I don't know how well you fly, but I think you should try out. We'll need new beaters this year."
By now, even Hiei looked mildly interested at what Harry is saying and Kurama looked thoughtful. But a knocking at their compartment door abruptly halted their conversation.
Hiei's eyes flashed to the door and Kurama got up to open the door.
Harry commented, "I think the food trolley is here. I'm starved. Could you buy me some chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch jingling with coins. He took out three 5 silver sickles and handed them to Kurama.
Kurama took the coins and produced a pouch of his own. Then he asked Hiei, "Would you like something Hiei? We still have a while to go until dinner."
(If you're wondering where Kurama got the money and how he knew how to use it...First, he went to Gringotts before going on the train. And he has his own vault of valuables since he was a thief. Hiei has the same thing...Second, he knew how to use the wizard's money because he's just so smart! I'm not sure if you understood me at all...)
"I'll come take a look," was Hiei's response.
Once outside the compartment, they were met with a cart full of sweets and snacks- Hiei's wonderland.
Five minutes later, they were back in the compartment and seated nice and comfortably, or as comfortably as they can get with Hiei's mountain of sweets spilling onto the seats.
Harry was struck dumb when he saw Hiei come back into the compartment with what looked like most of the sweets on the cart. "What can he possibly be thinking!" He thought. Only the tip of Hiei's hair could be seen over his snacks.
Kurama laughed and said, "He has an enormous sweet tooth."
Time passed quickly while the three enjoyed their snacks. A chocolate frog startled Hiei when it jumped out of its box and Kurama had the courage to try a sickly light green, speckled Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean, which turned out to be mint chocolate chip.
Just when they were all getting sleepy, the compartment door flew open and a sneering face greeted them.
"Well well well, looks like Potter's found some more freak show rejects to befriend." Draco Malfoy's drawling voice carried through the compartment. Crabbe and Goyle were snickering behind him.
"Look who's talking Malfoy." Harry retorted, he stood up and was about to pull out his wand when Kurama put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. "No Harry, you wouldn't want to get in trouble. Let me handle it." Harry was about to protest but closed his mouth when Kurama gave him a reassuring smile.
Hiei seemed uninterested and bored. He was licking his sticky fingers and looking content.
Kurama stood up and bowed. "Good evening Mr..."
"Draco Malfoy" Malfoy sneered. "At least one of you has some manners. I could consider letting you join me and my Slytherins."
Kurama's eyes flashed gold and he said coldly, "No thank you. Mr. Malfoy, if you don't have any business here, I suggest you leave. I don't appreciate giving my time to people who aren't worth it."
Malfoy's face became cold and even uglier, "Oh, so I'm not worth your time now am I?" He said with a scowl.
"No, you're not." Kurama sad calmly, and turned and closed the compartment door in his face. Then he sat back down and said, "Who was that Malfoy?"
"He's only the son of one of Vol-I mean You-Know-Who's Death Eaters!" Harry said, "And he's a bloody bastard."
While Kurama and Harry was talking inside, Malfoy was seething outside.
"He thinks he's better than me eh? I'll show him!" Malfoy muttered, he looked around to check that no teachers were present then said, "Crabbe, Goyle! Break down this door!"
The three people inside the compartment were just getting back to eating chocolate frogs and swapping cards when Malfoy broke in.
Everyone was on their feet in a matter of seconds; Hiei was less than a second. Kurama's hand went to his hair out of habit, but he remembered just in time and reached for his wand.
But Hiei did no such thing, his katana was drawn the second he got up and it was currently pressed against Malfoy's neck.
Crabbe and Goyle were backing away from Hiei while Harry and Kurama just stood there staring.
"Hiei!" Kurama called through telepathy, "We can't kill him! You'll be sent back to prison, and me too if I don't stop you!"
Hiei pressed the blade to Malfoy's neck just a little harder drawing a thin line of blood. Malfoy whimpered.
"On Kurama's account, I will spare your life, ningen, but next time you might not be so lucky." Hiei spat at Malfoy. "Now get out of my sight!" Hiei gave Malfoy a shove and he was just about to go back to his seat when Ron and Hermione came running up to the commotion.
"You all right, Harry mate?" Ron called into their box.
"Yeah yeah, fine." Harry said, still not getting over the shock of how Hiei handled Malfoy.
"We guessed it'd be Malfoy causing trouble." Hermione piped up. "Say, who are your new friends?"
Hermione repaired the door with a wave of her wand and settled down to listen to Harry. Malfoy and his gang had run off. After Harry introduced everyone, Ron said to Hiei and Kurama, "Wow! All the way from Japan you say? Well I hope you guys end up in Griffindor!"
Hermione checked her watch and said, "We better change now, the train will be there any minute." Then she left the boys to change.
Sure enough, right after Harry pulled his robes on, the train started slowing down. By the time they finished changing, the train had come to a complete stop. People could be heard sliding open their compartment doors and dragging their trunks off the train.
"Hiei, I don't think you should let anyone see your katana." Kurama warned. "Wait, this should work." Kurama reached into his hair and pulled out a round gray seed. He let his energy seep slowly into the seed. Immediately, the seed sprang to life and opened, thin roots weaving around Kurama's fingers. The roots stitched themselves into a small pouch, silvery and translucent in color.
Kurama handed the pouch to Hiei and said, " This is a transdimensional invisibility pouch, weaved from the roots of the Illusion plant. You can store your katana in here. Actually, you can store just about anything in here. It will be more convenient for our purposes and deter unnecessary questions."
Hiei took the pouch and weighed it in his hand. "This little thing can hold my katana?"
"Yes, and also anything else you need to keep concealed."
Hiei looked skeptically at Kurama and thrust his katana into the pouch, surprised when it slid smoothly into the pouch. He reached in and pulled his katana out again, just to make sure it was undamaged. Then he finally fastened the pouch to his waist, convinced at it's credibility.
"Thanks"
"Oh? Is Hiei finally learning manners?" Kurama teased.
"Do you want that precious voice box of yours ripped out Kurama?" said a very annoyed Hiei.
"Are you sure it's safe to tease him Kurama?" asked a scared looking Ron.
Kurama laughed and said "Come on, I believe the train has stopped."
Once they were all off the train with their trunks, Harry and Ron started looking for Hermione. He spotted her waving at him near Hagrid, who was as usual booming out, "Fir's years! O'er here fir's years!"
They all pushed and shoved there way to Hagrid and introduced Hiei and Kurama. Then Ron, Harry and Hermione left to go to the castle while Kurama and Hiei followed the first years to be sorted. "Good Luck!" Harry yelled at their retreating backs as he made his way to an empty carriage. Even though he only met them for a short time, Harry felt like he'd known the Japanese strangers his whole life.
TBC.
Dictionary:
Arigatou: Thank you