I don't know how the frick this happened, but I somehow wrote 6000 words yesterday. So look at that, instead of working on one of my other stories, this piece of crap now exists. .-. Yeah I know nobody wanted this but it exists now so y'all have to deal. :D

But Ray and Zack are going to Hogwartsssssss how exciting! I love my beans, and I also love Tomarry, which has an extremely good chance of also being in this story. So yeah.

Feel free to comment and let me know what you think, since I haven't seen any other stories of them going to Hogwarts yet, and I really wanted to read one. As in, I wrote one. So I'm curious as to what other people think about this, so I'd like it if you let me know your opinion on the matter! :D Thanks! (Thanks for reading too!)

Full Description: "Rachel Gardner, you are a witch. And Isaac Foster, a wizard."

The one where Ray gets accused as a witch again, but they're actually right this time.

Alternatively: Zack and Ray head to Hogwarts after they receive their letters, only to find new enemies, new friends, and two kids, broken beyond belief, who remind them a bit too much of themselves.

Chapter Title : Something Gained

Ray stared at the letter in her hands. It was old-looking parchment, and spoke of many things Ray didn't even begin to understand.

The one thing that she did understand, though, was that the innocent-looking letter was a threat. It spoke of her as if she were a witch.

She's had enough of that for one lifetime.

However, the bigger problem lied in Zack's hands. He had a letter too. Delivered by the same owl, which immediately flew off after Ray had taken the letters off. (Ray didn't know why an owl was delivering letters. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know.) Zack's first thought had been to eat the bird, but Ray pointed out that they'd have to do a lot of work for it to be edible, and so he left the owl be. (If she hadn't known better, Ray would've said the owl had glared at Zack.)

"Hey, Ray, what the hell does this crap say?" Zack waved the parchment around loosely, glaring at it like it had mildly offended him. It most likely had. While Zack had learned how to read the basics over the years, he still struggled with bigger words, which Ray happily helped him with.

Ray, too, was also mildly offended, but she read his letter out dutifully. "Dear Mr. Isaac Foster," Zack growled at the name, "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st." She paused for a moment, trying to recognize the name. "It's signed 'Minerva McGonagall'. The principal, er- Headmaster, is somebody named 'Albus Dumbledore', followed by a whole bunch of unnecessary titles."

"What the hell does any of this mean?!" Zack snatched the paper back from Ray's hands, shaking them around, and most likely crinkling it a bunch. "Why the hell did we ever decide to come to London again?!"

"It was your idea, Zack." Ray replied.

"I know and that's why I hate it! The one good idea I've ever had and I'm regretting it!" He yelled in return.

The duo had saved up enough money by doing odd jobs and stealing from Zack's unfortunate victims that they'd been able to save up for a house, after coming to Great Britain to avoid being noticed in America. It was shabby and falling apart at the seams, along with being in the 'bad side' of the city, but it was actually pretty decent for Zack and Ray's standards. It kept them warm (somehow), gave them a place to crash, and provided a fridge to store food in. (Of course, they always had a bag packed in case they needed to make a hasty escape.) Now that they didn't have to worry about constant running, and because Zack had decided to lay low for a while with his.. Murderous tendencies, they'd been able to get a job and save up quite a bit.

Zack couldn't stop smiling for days after he'd bought a television.

Zack smiled for two weeks straight when Ray bought a video game console to go along with it.

"Wait, what's today's date?" Ray asked, turning on the TV so they'd be able to see the date.

"Today is the 31st." Zack supplied helpfully.

"July 31st?" Ray frowned at her letter, identical to Zack's (except for name), reading down at the date when they were supposed to 'owl' a response back. "But.." She trailed off.

"Psh, I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's probably some jerk's idea of a joke." Zack waved it off, plopping onto the couch in front of the TV, which was already conveniently turned on. He quickly flipped to his bloody and violent video game that Rachel had gotten him for his birthday. (He absolutely loved it.)

".. But it has your full name on it." Ray pointed out.

Neither of them ever mentioned Zack's full name, just from it being something Zack hated. This person—the one who sent the letter—knew Zack's, and Ray's, full names. They'd taken too many countermeasures for their names to just be in the open like that. Whoever this person was, they were dangerous.

A couple quick thumps sounded from across the living room. Somebody had knocked on the door. (What bad timing.)

Zack had his knife out (hidden from sight) faster than Ray could blink, but she'd also tightened her grip on the parchment paper, readily glaring at the door herself. (She also had weapons hidden on her, but would rather Zack take care of the problem if it was somebody dangerous. However, Ray definitely knew how to protect herself.)

Ray got up from her place on the couch silently, using her small frame to make her less noticeable. She slowly opened the door, unsure of what to expect on the other side.

However, one thing she most definitely did not expect was an elderly woman dressed in robes, complete with a witch hat and all. There was a stern-looking glint in her eyes, making Ray guess she was used to dealing with naughty children.

"Can I help you?" Ray kept a completely blank face, knowing that her dead-looking eyes could be off-putting to anybody if she tried.

The witch cleared her throat. "Rachel Gardner and.. Isaac Foster, I presume?" She glanced at Zack, who had closed the distance between Ray and him once she'd opened the door. Of course, the lady glanced at the bandages covering his entire body, but quickly moved on without a second glance. She also must've noticed the way he tensed up with the casual address of his full name, so she quickly continued. "My name is Minerva McGonagall. I'm a Professor at Hogwarts. You two have gotten your letters, yes?"

Neither Ray or Zack said anything, only watching the possible threat with calculated eyes.

She continued. "Perhaps I should start at the beginning. Would you mind if I come in? This may take a while, and I'm sure you will have questions."

So they let her in, watching her the entire time. Neither of them offered her any drinks, as that would only invite her to stay longer. They didn't like strangers, but this person knew their full names, so they decided it was better to see what she wanted. Soon, they were all seated in the small living room, varying amounts of wariness oozing off of each person. The teacher—Minerva McGonagall—knew they were not regular people, and they both knew that about her in return.

"As I said, my name is Minerva McGonagall. I am a Professor at Hogwarts, a school for magical children to learn to use their magic."

"You believe that we are capable of magic?" Ray say, her monotone voice obviously unnerving the teacher a slight bit. If there really was a magical school, then she had probably told other kids they were magical too. The kids had all probably been ecstatic. However, Ray was never good at showing emotions.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Yes. Ms. Gardner, you are a witch. And Mr. Foster, a wizard."

Despite the casual use of his name, Zack kept quiet. He knew that he was no good in situations like these, and the duo had both agreed that Ray would take care of the talking.

"Zack. Call him Zack." Ray clarified.

"Oh, my apologies, Zack. I was not aware it was a touchy subject." The teacher apologized.

Ray then allowed just a small, but extremely fake, smile to cross her lips. She shuffled in her spot, making sure she leaned closer to the teacher without notice. Ray knew how to be off-putting, and she used it to her full advantage. "The last time I got called a witch, I was almost burned at the stake."

The Professor obviously didn't know how to react to that, and she stammered out multiple possible sentences, before deciding with, "There have not been any reported witch burnings since the 1700's, as far as I know."

Ray tilted her head, looking to the side. "It was a.. Special occasion."

"Yes, well, allow me to explain in greater detail." The teacher cleared her throat again, preparing for a long spiel. "Normally, children will receive their Hogwarts letter once they turn eleven, but it seems that neither of you had ever gotten yours, for some reason."

"We just moved to London a little while ago," Ray spoke.

Zack pulled Ray closer to him, so their arms were touching. Rachel was sure that he would've pulled her on his lap, if they had not had a "guest" over. He had not stopped glaring at McGonagall, and looked close to snarling like a feral dog. The bandages covering his scarred body only furthered that uneasiness, because even at first sight, it's obvious to see he'd went through a lot, and had only come out stronger in the end.

"I see.. I see that you both have your reasons, and as such, the school has prepared something for you, should you wish you go." The Professor carefully avoided Zack's glare, or looking at him in general, though Ray could see they were both making her very uncomfortable. Ray was good at messing with people, being a small, frail girl, except with dead eyes, a cold expression, and a monotone voice to every little thing. Zack was something that screamed 'danger' as soon as someone saw him—something to avoid for fear of their life, like a feral animal searching for prey. Together, they were a terrifying duo, fitting together like something straight out of a horror movie.

Zack gripped his knife even tighter (still hidden in his sleeve), as if she were reaching for a weapon. The teacher was reaching into her pocket, and had begun pulling out two vials, it looked like, along with a long stick. She put the two vials in front of her; some sort of purple liquid inside was splashing around.

"First," McGonagall swished her long stick (a wand?) at the empty dorito bag on the small table in front of them. It started transforming into a plain coffee mug, which the teacher picked up to show it was not just an illusion. She handed it to Zack, who took it with equal fascination and skepticism. "Magic can come in many different forms. What I just did is transfiguration. There's also potions, charms, defense against the dark arts, astronomy, along with other things, such as flying on broomsticks, apparating, which you may know better as teleporting, warding, and many other things to learn. I believe it would both be in your best interests to come and attend."

Ray glanced down at the wand in her hand, and at the vials on the table. "You mean like.. Wands.. And familiars? Like in storybooks?"

The Professor nodded. "Yes." She gestured to the potions in front of her. "These, for example, are potions. These specific ones will allow you to turn back into your 12 year-old self for the school year, so that you are able to fit into the younger classes instead of jumping ahead to a level you would not understand as well. At the end of the year, you will return to your former age. If you choose to go to Hogwarts, a new potion will be provided to you each every year."

"Huh? These dinky things are gonna turn me back into some pipsqueak 12 year-old?" Zack spoke for the first time, waving one of the potions around loosely in his hand. Ray imagined the vial slipping from his hold and breaking on the floor, but trusted Zack enough to not worry about it.

Ray turned to Zack with a gleam in her eyes, even if her face was the same monotone blank as always.

Zack immediately knew what it meant. "Ray, no."

Ray just kept staring, eyes shining with the possibility of seeing a 12 year-old Zack.

"Hey, hey, Ray! I don't care how much you wanna be able to reach my hair easier, I don't wanna be 12 again! They're so small and dinky, and I'm awfully sure I won't fit in at any school." He gestured to the bandages covering his skin, along with hinting at his.. Past activities.

'Back to being 12..' Ray pondered. She was 16 now. That would bring her back four whole years, but it would bring Zack back eleven entire years, almost half his age, as he's 23 at the moment.

It'd been three years since the building. Since they'd met.

"For your appearance, Zack, I will personally apply a charm that will hide your bandages from everybody else. It will look like you have normal skin to everybody, unless they had already seen your bandages prior." McGonagall let out a small smile upon seeing them be causal with each other. "You will be able to return to your former age over the summer, and while you're at school, I will personally make sure that wards go up around your home, so it will not be susceptible to theft or the like, if that would be alright with you."

Zack clanged the potion back down on the table, reckless as always, but it didn't break. "Fine! We'll attend your gosh dang stupid school!"

Ray turned back to the teacher. "We don't know where to go, or how to get anything listed on the second page." She shuffled to the second page of the parchment, where multiple books lay listed, along with the option of getting a broomstick and an animal.

"Along with explaining more about the magical world to students, I also help them with their shopping the first time. Normally, I will take the group of muggleborns all out at once, but again, you two are a special occasion." McGonagall explained. "I would also ask you to keep these potions safe and not drink them until you leave for the train. I also believe that mentioning your real age to anybody would cause a slight panic, so please refrain from doing that as well. These potions are not well-known, and are only used for situations such as your own."

"Well, we're free right now, so let's just get this over with." Zack stood up and grabbed the two potions, putting them on the fairly-clean counter in the kitchen.

"How much money will it cost?" Rachel tilted her head, also standing up from the couch.

"You both are each part of the orphan program, so you will be able to gather all of your necessary supplies with money that the school provides. However, you are able to bring extra money in you want, in case you'd like to buy an animal, broomstick, or something else that you find interesting." McGonagall explained.

Just as Ray grabbed her purse (she was in charge of most of the money between them, since Zack is still terrible with using it, especially since they had to switch to pounds), Zack grabbed her by her hoodie and dragged her back over to the front door. She let herself be dragged, familiar with Zack's antics, but McGonagall looked slightly concerned, but a bit more exasperated, as if dealing with small children playing.

"May I ask what your relationship with each other is? You two seem awfully close with each other." McGonagall inputted.

Zack and Ray stared at her for a moment, as if the answer was so obvious that it shouldn't even be asked, before answering at the exact same time. "Family."

. . . . .

Their first stop was to the wizarding bank, a place called Gringotts. The entire place looked pristine with marble and bronze, and both Ray and Zack had to stop and stare for a moment.

"Goblins can, and will, get very offended if spoken to without respect, so make sure you do not speak out of term."

Ray turned to her partner. "Zack."

Zack only sighed and ruffled her hair. "I got it, I got it."

Upon entering, they were greeted with a short creature, obviously not human, but neither Zack or Ray minded. They'd met a lot worse people, and had no reason to judge based on species.

The exchange went rather smoothly, only other than the duo noticing that the other wizards and witches all seemed to look down on the goblins, as if they were lesser species. At one point, Ray and Zack had been left alone for a minute with a goblin, while Professor McGonagall had gone to do some private business with the goblins real quick.

"This place pisses me off." Zack tapped his foot impatiently, grinding his teeth together to suppress his rage.

The goblin didn't even bother to look up from his paperwork, nor did he seem offended. "Hm, how so?"

"You all just let these people walk all over you?! Even I can notice it, and I'm oblivious as hell. I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it-" Zack growled.

Ray squeezed his hand. Zack immediately calmed down some, but was still angry. "I'm sorry if we offended you. We've.. Both had difficult pasts, and dealt with being looked down upon ourselves. People saying we're not allowed to live, for being something flawed and inhuman in their minds."

"No harm done, young children. The humans out there refuse to keep an open mind, and look down on anybody unlike themselves. It has been that way for many years now, ever since Dumbledore decided to change a bunch of rules about non-human species and dark creatures." The goblin explained, a hint of nostalgia hidden in his tone.

"Dumbledore-" Zack tapped his foot, ruffling his hair. "I've heard that name before."

"It's the name of the school Headmaster. Albus Dumbledore," Ray supplied.

"I don't trust that guy. He gives me a bad feeling." Zack growled, and just like that, Ray didn't trust him either.

Zack's instincts were always right, after all. And this person seemed too involved, had too many titles, for him to be anything but bad.

Professor McGonagall returned not much later, and the duo continued their shopping.

. . . . .

Zack had the time of his life in a candy store, looking around at all the magical chocolates and the likes floating around everywhere. He wandered around like an excited child, showing Ray everything he found slightly interesting.

"Hey, Ray, look at this!" Zack was holding two blood-red lollipops in his hands, waving them in Ray's face. "They're called blood-pops! They taste like blood! We should get some." He laughed.

Luckily, not many other people were in the small shop, other than an exasperated-looking McGonagall. She was looking at them with a fond look in her eyes, as if, somehow, they had gotten on her good side, even after they'd made her so unnerved when she'd visited their house.

Zack continued to run around the store for the next few minutes, occasionally stopping by a tasty-looking candy he'd seen. Ray would proceed to grab a couple of each item and carefully place them in the basket she grabbed, along with grabbing a few items for herself. (She and Zack had both decided they liked the blood-pops, just because of what they were.)

Soon enough, they'd left the shop with enough candy to last them both a couple months, or perhaps weeks. (They'd have to stop back here later, so they'd be able to stock up for a couple months.)

"Ah," Ray frowned at her already-full arms, and they'd barely started their shopping. "Is there a way to store all of this in a compact way?"

"We can go get your trunks next, and I'm sure the shop-keeper would not mind modifying your purse to be much bigger, if you would like." McGonagall offered, already on her way there.

Ray and Zack followed close behind, and soon they were talking to the guy to get their trunks.

"What can I do for you today, Minerva?" The guy grinned over the counter, leaning on it with his elbow.

"Two new students to Hogwarts, plus Miss Gardner wants to expand her purse to fix personal purchases."

Ray stepped forward to hand her just-emptied purse (hiding the gun within her jacket) to the man. "Are the trunks bigger on the inside too?"

"They can be if you want, Miss, though you two seem a bit old to be just heading to Hogwarts," he replied, already working on charming her purse.

"They've had some personal issues each, and the school has already prepared a way for their ages not to be a problem." The Professor explained.

Ray saw the list on the side, and quickly scanned it over. "Would I be able to add a personal library to mine, a large extra storage to Zack's and mine each, and give each trunks passwords, along with being bigger on the inside?"

"You drive a hard bargain, Miss, but I'm sure that won't be a problem." The guy said with mock sarcasm.

He handed her purse back to her, as it's much easier to enchant than a large trunk. Ray quickly dumped all of the candy inside, slipping her gun inside while the two elders were turned around.

"Anything else you want in yours, big guy?" The shopkeeper addressed Zack.

"Whatever Ray just said," Zack replied easily.

"Alrighty then, your trunks will be done by the time you finish shopping, so come back in a little while."

Ray nodded, paying the man the correct amount of money for the three things.

. . . . .

Next, the three of them moved onto robes to give time to the seamstress so she can finish them while they're shopping. McGonagall had to take the lady into the back and explain that Ray and Zack would be de-aging to 12 come Hogwarts, so they would need small-ish robes that could easily be adjusted to their correct size.

The lady was surprisingly understanding of their situation, and agreed to have robes made for a 12 year-old that would magically adjust to their size over the course of the year, along with when they first put them on. That suited Zack and Ray just fine, so they paid the lady and were off to their next destination.

. . . . .

The next stop was to a place called Ollivander's, which seemed to be the place people go to find their wand, according to the Professor.

"Hmm, two new people, so it seems. You're with Minerva, so you must be here to get your first wands, correct?" A new voice appeared from behind them, and immediately regretted his decision to scare the duo. Zack had unsheathed his knife from his sleeve, and while it was out of view from McGonagall (who was outside), Ollivander could see it perfectly fine. Ray, herself, had started reaching into her purse for her gun, but hadn't pulled it out enough for them to see.

Upon realizing who it was, Zack 'tch'ed, and slipped his knife back in his sleeve. "You shouldn't scare people like that, old man."

"My apologies." Ollivander looked through them both like they were books, and could see that Zack had meant no harm in the long run; it had only been reflexes. "You two are here for your first wands, yes?"

Ray nodded, glancing outside to see Professor McGonagall chatting to another lady she'd met on the streets.

"Which one of you would like to go first?" Ollivander asked, clearly excited about assigning new wands to them.

Zack sighed, "I'll do it."

"Excellent! Now, hang on just a moment." Ollivander ran into the back of his shop, looking at one of the hundreds of boxes on the shelves, only to move onto another one quickly enough. Soon, he returned with six boxes stacked on top of each other, plopping them down on the counter. "Now, I'll hand you a wand, and then try swishing or flicking it to see what happens."

Zack was given a light cream colored wand, and immediately made a disgusted face at it. "It's not whatever this thing is."

"Hmm, not Ebony, how surprising.." He continued muttering, handing Zack a new wand every once in a while.

After the 13th failed wand, Zack's patience started to run thin. The shop was half destroyed from the rejected wands, but Ollivander didn't seem to mind. He must've been used to it. "How many of these damn wands do I need to try, old man?!"

"The wand chooses the wizard. I only help the process along. In fact.." Ollivander suddenly brightened up, dashing to the back of the shop with a speed surprising of his age. He returned with a dusty box, opening it with a big grin on his face. "Try this one."

"This better work, old man." Zack grumbled, but obligingly picked it up. Immediately after touching, not even having picked it up yet, Zack grinned. "This one."

Both Ollivander and Ray could see that Zack's words reigned true; the entire shop was glowing and floating, including Ray and Ollivander themselves. (Ray took the chance to reach and pet Zack's hair, since he was normally too tall for her to do that.)

"What powerful magic! Yew wood with a dragon heartstring core, 13 ½ inches. An odd combination, seeing that yew wood is among one of my rarer kinds sold. It's believed to endow its possessor with the power of life and death, so few people fit the criteria to use it, and fewer choose to wield it if they do match. A dragon heartstring means that your magic is powerful, and it likes to match your strength with its own."

Zack glanced down at the wand in his hand. It was black towards the handle part, fading to a golden-brown at the tip. There were some random streaks running down it, and it was bent all through the middle, still somehow coming out straight at the end."Life and death, huh?"

"It suits you well, Zack." Ray smiled.

Ollivander could see the hidden meaning behind what they'd meant, seeing as he'd almost just had his stomach slashed open a moment ago. "Ah, I just realized, I never learned your names!"

"Zack," Zack supplied helpfully.

"Rachel Gardner," Ray stood up to the counter like Zack had a moment later, since it was now her turn to get a wand.

"Well now, Miss Gardner, it's your turn to get a wand." He studied her for a moment, before running back into the back of the room to grab more boxes.

He returned with another stack of boxes, and Ray tried each dutifully. None of them felt right with her, and some of them just gave her an uneasy feeling in general.

"Tell me, Miss Gardner, are you acquainted with your friend's.. Activity?" Ollivander asked, looking at her curiously. He seemed to already know the answer, but waited for her nod before running back into the shelves.

This time, he came back with only a single box, just as he had done with Zack. He opened the box, and Ray could tell it was the right one just by looking at the stick, before even touching it.

The wand was a dark brown color, with swirls running all down the sides, but was relatively straight. It made her think of being a stereotypical witch, like the kind she had read in stories when she was younger. She imagined a couple leaves growing out of the side, bright green complimenting the dark brown, as if the wood was still alive. "This one."

"12 ¼ inches. Hawthorn wood, another rare type of wood. You two seem full of surprises, though I should've gotten that from earlier. This wood is said to make a contradictory wand, as full of paradoxes as the tree that gave it birth, whose leaves and blossoms heal, and yet whose cut branches smell of death." Ollivander explained, looking at the wand in Ray's hands with a fond expression.

Upon her touching the wand, the entire room had repaired itself from Zack's (and hers) failed-wands damages. The shopkeeper had looked faintly surprised that both of the duo was able of very powerful magic, and they'd never known it before.

"The core is Phoenix feather, the rarest type of core. It means you'll be able to a wide variety of magic, and it sometimes acts of its own accord, knowing what's best for the person it bonds with. Phoenix feather wands are always the pickiest when choosing their owner, so make sure you take good care of it," Ollivander told her sternly, but Ray could see he was also fond of them, apparently. She didn't know why people were getting so fond of her and Zack so fast, even after knowing that they both have.. Questionable morals..

She tilted her head. "Do you have anything to hold our wands? Instead of reaching into our pockets?"

"Ah, yes. I do. I've got a wide assortment of holsters you can choose from, if you'd like." Ollivander showed them his collection.

Ten minutes later, Zack and Ray left the wand shop with their new wands and wand holsters, already attached to their sleeve.

. . . . .

Professor McGonagall led them around to a couple more shops, and they picked up their trunks and clothes (which Ray stuffed into her purse, which was pretty easy because the trunks had a charm to make them smaller). Their last stop was somewhere both Zack and Ray were fairly excited for: the pet shop.

Upon entering, they were greeted by a store employee, who told them to ask for assistance once they'd decided. There was a multitude of strange pets around everywhere, such as mice, snakes, owls, cats, toads (was that a frog mixed in there?), and other types of strange animals. Zack wandered around on his own, seemingly having focused on something already, and Ray went her own way.

Almost immediately, Ray caught eyes with an owl. The first thing she noticed were the shining amber eyes, almost looking like a blazing fire, and looking almost too intelligent for just an animal. He was mostly black, with his colors melting into a wonderful shade of dark brown that only seemed to bring out his eyes even more.

Before Ray knew what she was doing, she had already moved over directly to the owl, staring directly into his eyes. He seemed to say, 'Get me out of here already. This place is trash.' with only a glance.

Ray allowed one of her rare smiles to form on her face—something usually reserved for Zack alone. She kneeled down, whispering softly. "Would you like to come with me?"

'Duh. Hurry up.'

That was enough convincing for Ray. She picked up the large metal cage he was trapped in. He was a lot larger than most of the other owls in the store, but Ray didn't mind. He was perfect.

"Elio." Ray sighed. "The Spanish name for the Sun god, Helios."

The owl glanced at her, and Ray knew that he liked the name.

Ray headed to the register, when she was stopped by a quiet hissing. "~Youuuu.~"

Ray turned to face the voice, only to be confronted with a small white snake with glowing violet eyes that seemed to change shade at every angle. She didn't mind that it was talking, only thinking of it as another magical thing. "Did you mean me?"

"~Yessss.. You are a speaker, but only to the magical breeds. I wonder how that happened..?~"

"Is.. speaking to snakes.. Not normal?" Ray inquired, tilted her head. Elio seemed to notice that Ray was wrapped up in something important, and watched his new master with careful eyes, passing his judgment down on her.

"~No. But no matter, I will explain later; for now, help me escape.~"

"You want me to.. Break you out?"

The small snake writhed around in the glass tank they were trapped in. "~The humans do not know I am here, for I have hidden my presence from them. They had planned to feed me to the larger animals, so I made them forget about me. You will be able to lift the lid and grab me out without them noticing or caring.~"

Ray had a moment of hesitation where she was trying to decide what to do, but eventually decided to help the small animal. She'd always had a soft spot for animals, even if it had never ended well. "Please do not bite me."

"Do not worry, speaker, I will not harm you.~" The snake slithered up her arm and into her sleeve easily, until it was impossible to know there was a snake hidden under her shirt.

Ray continued to the register, to find Zack grinning and holding up a very large black cat with scraggly (but poofy-looking) fur and two different colored eyes. One was a bright golden, and the other, a shaded grey. Ray could see why Zack liked the cat so much, and the cat seemed to like Zack as well.

"Ray, Ray, look!" He held out the cat in front of him excitedly, "Say hello to Shadow! I thought of the name myself; do you like it?!" It was obvious the cat was just as proud of his name as Zack was of it.

"Sir- Sir!" The employee at the register (who was apparently the owner) was desperately trying to get Zack's attention. "I told you, you cannot get that cat! It's attacked all other owners it's had, and it not safe for you to get. I can show you our selection of other cats over here-"

"I'm getting this one and that's the end of it! If you guys don't want 'im, then I'll take him!" Zack shouted back, holding Shadow close to his chest.

"Sir! Please understand, it's not safe. We were about to get rid of the thing, honestly!" The owner tried again. "Where'd you even find it?! I had it locked up in the back of the store!"

Zack growled loudly and fiercely with all of his anger, putting both the owner and all the animals in the general vicinity to go on edge, as if they were being hunted by a powerful predator that shouldn't be messed with.

Ray, of course, was unaffected by Zack's usual antics, and was pleased to find that Elio, the snake, and Shadow were all unaffected as well. They had chosen good animals, Ray was certain of.

At this point, Professor McGonagall came into the store to see what all the commotion was about. "Is there a problem, Zack?" Ray could hear the fond tone seep into her voice, even if the Professor didn't notice it herself.

"Yeah! This jerk won't let me get Shadow, and they were about to throw him out for being 'unsafe' or whatever! He kept him locked up in the back, he said!" He did quotation marks around 'unsafe', still holding tightly onto his cat.

McGonagall turned to the employee. "Well, I don't see why Zack wouldn't be able to purchase the cat, especially seeing as he seems to like him, and you were going to get rid of it anyways."

The owner of the store could see he was fighting a losing battle, and decided to just give up. "Fine, but if something happens with that thing, I'm not taking it back!"

Ray and Zack both noticed that the man referred to Shadow as a thing, not even a living creature. That was one of the biggest things they hated, and just because of that, they were going to use their full arsenal against this person.

Ray put on her deadest-looking eyes and took steps closer to the register, until the owner was forced to acknowledge her presence. "I'd like to purchase this owl."

"Oh, changed your mind about the cat? Seems like your girlfriend doesn't like it, buddy." The owner laughed haughtily.

"You're mistaken." Ray gave one of her fake smiles to the man. "You said you were getting rid of the cat, and therefore, it's free."

"Tha- That's not it works!" The man exclaimed.

"I believe it is. Things thrown out can be taken by anyone, isn't that right?" She tilted her head, letting her blond hair fall over her face.

The shop owner spluttered. "Bu- I haven't gotten rid of it yet, so therefore, it's still mine."

"Animal cruelty is illegal. When was the last time Shadow has eaten?" Ray asked, watching the man become more and more nervous.

Zack stood behind her, still snarling at the owner. "From what it looks like, it's been a couple days at least."

"Oh?" Ray smiled, turning to look at Zack and Shadow. "It would be a shame if I reported this to the authorities. A pet store owner abusing their animals? I'm sure the goblins would love a chance to earn more money shutting you down, and making your life a living hell."

"You- You can't prove anything!" The man claimed.

"You forget, sir, that I am a well-respected teacher at Hogwarts, and that I would back up these two, along with the other evidence they may provide." Professor McGonagall put in, backing up her new students.

The man sighed, subconsciously backing up from the three of them. He'd obviously forgotten that the professor had been there. "F- Fine. Take that damn creature. I didn't want it anyways."

But Ray wasn't done. "For all this trouble you gave us, it would be in your best interest to gift us with an apology." She subtly gestured towards Elio, who was menacingly glaring at the shop-owner in his own way.

The owner was obviously about to argue again, but froze when he saw Ray's unnerving eyes and Zack, a feral beast of his own, along with Shadow, who was also growling, standing right behind her. Along with McGonagall's glare off from the side, he seemed to think better.

"It would be such a shame, sir," Ray murmured, obviously meaning no respect, despite the title. "if something happened. Like, perhaps, an accident?"

The owner grumbled out some unintelligible words, but eventually agreed. "Now get out of my shop."

Ray only smiled in her uneasy way on the way out, sending chills up the man's spine one last time.

She quickly caught up with Zack and the Professor. "Hey, Zack, where did you find Shadow at?" Rachel unlocked Elio's cage door, and he quickly flew out and landed on her head. It wasn't painful, other than a bit heavy.

"The bastard had him locked in a cage on the other side of a locked door. I decided to check it out when I heard noises coming from the other side." Zack snuggled into his new cat, who cuddled right back into Zack.

"This is Elio." Ray gestured towards the very large owl perched on her head.

"Woah!" Zack's smile lit up upon seeing the bird, since he had been too busy petting his cat to notice before. "He's really big! I like him."

Zack had just won over Elio with his blunt compliment. The owl was giving off an amused look.

"Professor, may we stop back at the bank? I would like to speak to the goblins about what just happened."

"I believe that can be managed."

. . . . .

Less than an hour later, Shadow had been fed (for the first time in days), Elio was enjoying his freedom and flying high in the sky over their heads, and Ray and Zack had successfully reported the misendeavor to the goblins, who were ecstatic at a chance to cause a wizard some pain. (Ray was sure they'd be able to get along wonderfully in the future.)

. . . . .

The store owner shakily made his way around the corner, still getting over the sudden fear that had come over him when he'd met the girl's eyes—they were too unnerving for her to be a regular girl. And he'd just had to give away his best and biggest owl away for free, too. That was going to be a real blow to his profits.

He reached the door where the feral cat had been kept past, only to stop, frozen in terror. The lock—the lock on the door. The padlock.

It had been crushed, with the dents looking oddly—much too close—like a hand.

Somebody—was his name Zack?—had crushed a metal padlock, full of wards and charms, with his bare hands.

He.. He was lucky he was still alive, wasn't he?