Unusual Tactics

"Harry!"

'Huh?' Harry turned to see Hermoine running up to him, breathless.

"You have to come see this! It's amazing!" Hermoine said, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him up off his seat.

"Huh? What is it?" Harry said as Hermoine began pulling him out of the great hall, his spoon still hanging out of his mouth.

"No time! Let's go!" With that, she began pulling him up the stairs towards the unused girl's bathroom, running quickly so that Harry had to struggle not to trip.

When they reached the girls' bathroom, a scent of lilac and irises filled the air, making the atmosphere almost pleasant, if not for the large bubbling cauldron sitting in the middle of the floor.

" Hey, Ron."

"Hey, Harry."

"I was bored this morning, so I decided to test some potions. I thought it would be safest to do it in here. After mixing together some unusual ingredients, I got this." Hermoine waved her hand over the cauldron, stirring the steaming purple goo carefully.

"What is it?" Harry asked, crinkling his nose slightly at the sight of the potion.

"I don't know, really, but it feels almost…powerful. Like it's going to do something amazing."

"Should we test it?" Harry asked, prodding the top of the potion with the large wooden stirring spoon.

"I don't know, really. I'm not entirely sure what it could be used for. I meant for it to be a potion that would help make apparition a bit easier, but I haven't tested it yet. I want to make sure it's safe before anyone tries to use it." Hermoine said nervously, pacing around the length of the abandoned bathroom.

"Uh, 'Moine? You might wanna come take a look at this…" Ron said nervously, stepping slowly away from the cauldron as the potion began to boil and pop.

"Huh?" Hermoine walked over and studied the potion carefully, taking out her wand as Ron and Harry did the same. "I don't think it's supposed to do that…"

Hermoine gasped loudly as the purple goo began to crackle, small bolts of electricity dancing along the brim of the cauldron. She stepped back, letting Ron and Harry step forward a bit, wands at the ready in case of anything dangerous.

A loud bang resonated throughout the room, shocking the three wizards, as they looked toward the bubbling cauldron apprehensively.

Suddenly a hand shot out of the bubbling goo, gripping the side of the cauldron tightly, before another hand followed. The three stepped back, Harry and Ron pointing their wands at the mysterious appearance, ready to fire off a spell if necessary.

The potion began to bubble more, crackling louder and louder until there was a loud POP! The three wizards instinctively covered their faces, waiting a moment before lowering their arms. When they lowered their arms, what they saw shocked them.

There was a person leaning over the side of the cauldron, coughing violently, purple goo dripping down his or her arms and hair onto the floor.

Harry stepped forward cautiously, wand pointed at the stranger, taking slow steps.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked carefully, not wanting to scare the person.

The stranger moaned, and rolled over, pulling his or her legs out of the cauldron and stepping onto the cold tile, shaking slightly.

Harry could now see that the stranger was a boy, with long white hair that covered his face, and creamy white skin. Harry stepped forward slightly, wanting to make sure that the boy was okay.

"Hey, you okay?" Harry asked again, wand still at his side in case the boy turned out to be dangerous.

"Mhmm." The boy answered softly, lifting his head and pushing his goo covered bangs out of his face.

Harry could now see that the boy had big brown eyes, the color of melted chocolate, even, and that he had large bags under his eyes, signaling that he hadn't slept for a while.

"I-I'm fine, thank you. W-where am I?" They boy asked, looking around. He was shaking visibly, obviously chilled.

"You're at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Who are you?" Harry asked curiously.

'A wizarding school? That's unusual…'

"My name is Ryou. Ryou Bakura. I'm from Japan. But how on earth did I get here?" Ryou asked, looking to Ron and Hermoine, big brown eyes studying them carefully.

"Um, that was my fault. I made a potion that was supposed to help with apparition, but it brought you here instead…" Hermoine explained, stepping forward.

"…apparition?" Ryou asked, a confused look on his face.

As Hermoine explained apparition to Ryou, Ron and Harry stood away from them and talked.

"He has white hair…do you think he bleached it?" Ron asked, an odd look on his face as he watched Ryou listen to everything Hermoine said, a look of interest painted on his face.

" I don't know, Ron. It's weird, though. How he just showed up here." Harry said, giving Ryou a cautious look.

"Well we know Hermoine's potion works, now!"

"That is true."

"We should get you to the infirmary, Ryou. You look ill." Hermoine said, placing her hand gently on Ryou's shoulder while looking at him worriedly.

"O-okay. A-ACHOO!" Ryou then followed Hermoine out, shivering violently, as they headed to the Hospital Wing.

When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, Ryou was shaking so much his teeth were chattering. Madam Pomphrey made him change into some dry clothes and then sat him down on a cot, giving him a spoon of pepperup potion to warm him up.

Ron laughed a bit when he saw Ryou go crosseyed from the potion as smoke came out his ears, which earned him a smack on the arm from Hermoine for laughing at a sick person.

As Ryou fell asleep, Madam Pomphrey shooed the three wizards out, telling them that they could visit the next day when Ryou was feeling better.

As they walked down the corridors leading to the Great Hall, they all thought one thing.

'Well, this ought to be an interesting year.'

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Well, this is my first story on here, and I'm still getting used to the site and stuff. Comment please!