Soldiers of Sorcery
Part Twelve
Quatre pulled his bottom
lip into his mouth and worriedly chewed on it. Trowa was asleep across from him,
his body bruised and battered. He didn’t look at all well. Quatre hoped that
he would be okay. Duo was sitting beside Trowa. It was plainly obvious to Quatre
that Duo was trying not to stare at Trowa. Quatre could sense the worry coming
off of Duo as if it were his own, the emotions were just so strong.
Zaki hooted in agitation, ruffling her feathers a bit. Quatre smiled, reaching
his hand into the cage and petting his owl. Zaki settled down a moment later,
growing calm again. Quatre knew that he didn’t like being caged, and as soon
as he could, he would see to it that Zaki was let out to stretch his wings.
As he soothed his owl, Quatre turned his attention to the window he sat beside.
The scenery passed by quickly. Turning from populated areas and busy streets, to
farmland and lush green fields, and finally to mountains and forests under a
darkening sky. It was night by the time the train finally slowed. Quatre had
spent most of his time looking out the window, stopping a few hours earlier to
treat his friends to a snack when a woman with a cart passed by. They had all
changed into their robes by the time the train finally did stop.
Quatre looked at Trowa again, still worried about the young man. Although Trowa
was now awake, he seemed to be in a good deal of pain. With a deep sigh, Quatre
placed Zaki’s cage on the floor of the train, watching as Duo did the same
with Midnight. He had heard from a voice on the train that they were to leave
everything behind. It would all be taken to their rooms for them.
The five of them climbed off the train, Quatre being the last and watching Trowa
carefully the entire way. Trowa looked faint, as if he would collapse any
minute. He avoided touching the people on the train, sidestepping whenever
anyone got too close. The fear and anxiety that Quatre could sense from the tall
youth were terribly disturbing. As a matter of fact, so was the way that Trowa
swayed with every step he took, the sweat clinging to his paling skin.
His observations of Trowa were broken though, as a large hand fell on his
shoulder. Quatre looked up, as did the others, to see Hagrid standing over them.
“Usually, I take the firs’ years meself, but yer special cases. Yer to go
with the others.” Hagrid said, pointing the way for them.
Quatre nodded. “Thanks, Hagrid.” Quatre smiled, following his friends in the
direction that Hagrid had pointed out.
The mass of people surrounding the five ex-Gundam pilots was moving, so Quatre
and the others really had no choice but to follow. They moved along the platform
and out onto a rough muddy track, where a number of stagecoaches awaited. Quatre
blinked, seeing no horses...if there were horses, then they were invisible
ones. Quatre, Trowa, Heero, Wufei, and Duo climbed on the same one. Once they
had shut the door, the coach set off, bumping and swaying in the process.
Trowa groaned in obvious discomfort, reacting badly to the motions of the coach.
He wrapped his arms around his stomach, closing his eyes as he leaned forward a
bit. “Trowa, are you okay?” Quatre asked, ignoring the smell of mold and
straw that filled the coach. He set his hand on Trowa’s arm, not sure what to
do to help.
Trowa reacted be shrugging Quatre off, turning and glaring at him. “Don’t
touch me.” He said, nearly spitting his words out. “I’ll be fine.”
The anger and fear that Quatre sensed were so strong. Quatre nodded, taking his
hand away and moving a bit away from his friend, not wanting to further irritate
him. It was obvious that Trowa did not want to be helped, not even by his
friends. Quatre glanced around at the others, noting that Duo was staring down
at the floor. Wufei and Heero were watching Trowa, their concern washing through
Quatre like a soft wave. Everyone here was worried...but it seemed that Duo
might know why Trowa was so agitated. Still, Quatre didn’t feel it was his
place to pry into Trowa’s affairs. If Trowa wanted to talk, then he would...otherwise, Quatre would allow him to have his privacy.
At last, the carriage made its way through a pair of magnificent wrought-iron
gates that were flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars. Quatre
peered out the window, watching as they traveled along the long, slopping drive,
finally reaching a rather impressive looking castle. It was like something out
of a storybook. Quatre smiled, waiting impatiently until the carriage swayed to
a halt. Then he and the others got out of the carriage and climbed the stone
steps into the castle.
The entrance hall was enormous, Quatre was impressed. It was lit with numerous
flaming torches and housed a spectacular marble staircase that led to the upper
floors. Quatre had always been fond of marble...it was just so smooth and
cool. A stern-looking witch met them at the top of the stairs, stopping the five
ex-pilots and a number of other students while the rest continued along a
corridor.
“Ah, our special first year students.” The witch said, no hint of a smile on
her face.
Quatre looked around, noticing that there were several more than he had
expected. Some hadn’t been present at the meeting with Dumbledore...perhaps the headmaster had arranged other meetings on other dates. Quatre
shrugged, not giving it a further thought. He watched as three more people
approached and stood near the witch, two on one side, one on her other. “Since
all of you have already been sorted, you will now be escorted to your
appropriate tables by the head of your particular house. All Gryffindors come
with me, please.” The witch announced, turning and walking away with a swirl
of her robes.
Quatre allowed his friends to pass him, then followed. As he passed by a tall
man with greasy black hair, Quatre got a sudden chill. “Slytherins this
way.” He directed. Quatre shuddered just as he was passing the wizard,
suddenly feeling awfully dizzy. Negativity just radiated from whoever this man
was...it was quite unpleasant.
A hand steadied Quatre and he looked up to see Duo beside him. “You okay,
Quatre?” He asked, leading Quatre away from the man to follow the witch.
Quatre nodded. “Yeah, I just felt a bit dizzy.” He said, not wanting to
admit to sensing such negative emotions while in school. He looked back,
glancing at the man once again. That wizard was hiding terrible secrets in his
past, things that continued to haunt him. Quatre wasn’t sure he wanted to be
around him all that much.
The witch ahead of them stopped before a pair of wooden doors. Then she turned
to them and spoke. “Welcome, Gryffindors. I am Professor McGonagall, head of
Gryffindor House. While you are here, your house will be something like your
family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep
in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.”
Professor McGonagall said. To Quatre this seemed well-rehearsed, as if spoken
many times in the past.
“There are four houses in Hogwarts. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and
Hufflepuff. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced
outstanding witches and wizards. While you are here at Hogwarts, your triumphs
will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At
the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a
great honor. I hope you will all do your best.”
Quatre gripped Duo’s arm, sensing something unpleasant behind him. He turned,
seeing the black-haired wizard approaching. He gulped, his vision fading
momentarily. He just hoped that he wouldn’t pass out. It would be quite
embarrassing if he did.
“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to the Gryffindor table, where you
will all be expected to sit during mealtimes.” Professor McGonagall said. She
turned and opened the doors, leading them into a room that caused Quatre to
gasp.
It was magnificent. Thousands upon thousands of candles floated in midair to
light the room, over four long wooden tables where the students were sitting.
The tables were set with golden plates and goblets. Another long table stood at
the top of the hall and seemed to contain all the faculty members...although
there were a number of empty seats at the moment. Duo led Quatre along, and the
blonde was grateful, as he had taken his eyes off of watching where he was
going, instead casting a mesmerized look up at the ceiling. Stars danced on the
ceiling...a spell most likely...dark storm clouds slowly rolled out,
darkening the sky considerably. Quatre could almost hear the thunder, but he
most definitely could see the flash of lightning that lit the enchanted ceiling.
Professor McGonagall directed the new Gryffindors over to one of the tables,
then left to join her fellow teachers at the staff table. Quatre took a seat,
Duo staying beside him and helping him. Quatre appreciated the kind gesture,
knowing that the contact was making Duo very uncomfortable...he could sense
Duo’s feelings quite well. Although he didn’t mean to pry, it was just that
sensing things came so easily to Quatre. Heero and Wufei took seats across from
Quatre and Duo, while Trowa sat on Duo’s other side and turned his gaze
downward, closing his eyes as sweat very nearly dripped from his face. Quatre
frowned, seeing that Trowa was in a good deal of pain. He hoped that Trowa would
seek help if he really needed it.
Quatre’s attention was caught and held, once the Sorting Hat begun to sing.
However, he really didn’t pay attention to what it was saying, finding his
eyes somehow drawn to the one empty seat that remained at the teachers’ table.
For some reason, he couldn’t tear his focus away from it. However, he had no
idea why he was so intent on it. Quatre shook his head, blinking as he tore his
focus away, deciding instead to watch as the other first year students were
sorted into their appropriate houses.
When all the students were seated and the hat was taken away, Professor
Dumbledore rose from his seat. “Before we get on with the feast, there are
some things I want to announce. As always, the forest on the grounds is
forbidden to all pupils, and I do mean all. Quidditch trials will be held in the
second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams
should contact Madam Hooch.” Dumbledore said. Then he looked at the empty seat
that Quatre’s focus had been so intent on a moment ago, before turning back to
face the students. “I would also like to announce that we have someone new to
fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. However, since he is not
here at the moment, I cannot really introduce him. Oh well.” He shrugged.
“Let the feast begin!”
Quatre smiled, watching as the golden plates and goblets filled before them. He
looked over the numerous foods that were spread out. He did frown at the
presence of bacon and pork chops, but he wouldn’t go on about religious
beliefs on his first night here. To be on the safe side, not sure if the meat
had been prepared properly in consideration of his own beliefs, Quatre settled
for eating the vegetables. Some of the students gave him strange looks as he
thoughtfully chewed on a piece of broccoli, but no one said anything and he was
left in peace.
Every now and then, Quatre glanced over at Trowa. He noticed that Trowa merely
sipped at the contents of his goblet, picking at the food he had put on his
plate, although he barely ate anything at all. He nibbled on some things, but
for the most part he didn’t really eat. Again, Quatre felt worried for his
friend.
After everyone had finished eating, the remains of the food disappeared from the
plates, leaving them spotless and sparkling clean. Only a moment later, the
desserts appeared. Quatre had quite the sweet tooth, but he didn’t eat too
much...just a slice of apple pie and a few strawberries really. It wasn’t
much longer before the desserts vanished as well and the students were told to
follow their prefects to their dorms and to do as they and the Head Boy and Girl
told them to. Quatre noticed a badge stating Head Girl on one of the girls at
the Gryffindor table. Although he didn’t know what it meant, he would try to
behave and do what he was told...he wasn’t about to start trouble when he
was so happy.
Trowa rose from his seat with a grimace as all the students were filing out. He
didn’t really want to travel in the midst of a crowd, but it didn’t seem as
if he would have much choice in the matter. He followed his fellow Gryffindors,
trying to avoid contact with anyone else, hoping that he would be able to get to
the dormitory without an incident.
He and the other Gryffindors were led out of the Great Hall and up the marble
staircase. Trowa could barely lift his legs, his breath coming to him uneasily
as he struggled to move them. He didn’t even notice that the portraits along
the walls were moving, some whispering, other immersed in conversations. He was
focused on trying not to get lost, wanting to know where he was heading, trying
to keep from falling over.
They climbed more and more stairs, entering hallways that were hidden by sliding
panels or tapestries. They stopped abruptly...unfortunately, a little too
abruptly. Someone collided with Trowa, hitting him with enough force to make him
lose what little balance he had. He stumbled, falling flat on his face and
shuddering as wave after wave of agony swept through him. It was all he could do
just to keep from screaming. To further keep himself from making a sound, he had
bitten hard into his bottom lip, drawing blood.
“You okay there?” Someone asked, lending a hand in helping Trowa back to his
feet.
Trowa pulled his arm away, fighting off the fear. “I’ll be fine. Thank
you.” Trowa replied, turning to face the person who had helped him, only to
see Ginny Weasley standing in front of him, a badge on her robes clearly
declaring her as Head Girl.
“Oh, I’m sorry Trowa...I hope you’re okay. I just had to get to the
front of the group. I’ve got the password. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
Ginny apologized.
“I'm fine.” Trowa stated, although that was most definitely not true
anymore. His chest and stomach were awash in pain, coiling and spreading. He
just wanted to collapse to the ground and stay there, to die in some dark
corner. He feared that he had done considerable damage to himself with that
fall.
Ginny nodded, although she didn’t look all that convinced, and moved to the
front of the group to stand in front of a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink
dress. “Password?” The fat woman asked.
“Viridis.” Ginny giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. The portrait
swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. One by one they all got
through, and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a comfortable
looking room, full of squashy armchairs. A large fireplace spread warmth through
the room.
Ginny directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys
through another. At the top of a tiring spiral staircase, Trowa found his bed,
as well as the beds for his four friends. It looked as if they would all be
sharing just the one room. Five four-poster beds, complete with deep red, velvet
curtains to give some semblance of privacy. Their trunks had already been
brought up and Trowa smiled, seeing Max laying on one of the beds, although his
trunk was placed in front of the bed beside it.
Trowa walked over to the bed where his trunk was, taking a seat on the edge. A
moment later, Duo approached the bed where Max was lounging. “Uh...Trowa...” Duo said, scratching his head as he reached up to remove his robes.
“Hm?” Trowa asked, trying to block the pain from his weary mind. He reached
up, removing his own robes and laying them on his bed.
“There is a freaking big cat on my bed!” Duo announced, gesturing wildly at
Max.
Trowa looked up and smirked, curling his finger and silently asking Max to come
to him. Max obediently jumped from Duo’s bed to Trowa’s, then laid down
beside him. “Oh, this is Max. He’s my panther.” Trowa said quietly, aware
that the others were also paying attention to this conversation.
“What?” Duo gasped, falling back to sit on his bed.
Trowa shrugged, although it pained him. “They said I could bring a cat.”
“And you brought a panther?” Duo asked, his mouth agape.
“Why not? Panthers are cats.” Trowa replied, not finding anything wrong with
bringing Max with him. Max was his friend.
Duo nodded. “Yeah...they’re cats...BIG cats, who could tear a person
apart.”
“Max wouldn’t...not unless he feels I am threatened. Just think of him
as a rather large, albeit protective, house cat.” Trowa smirked.
Duo sighed. “House cat. Yeah...okay.” He laid back on his bed, still
wearing the rest of his clothes.
Trowa smirked, then broke into a fit of coughs, finding it quite difficult to
regain control of himself. Max looked up, nudging Trowa gently as if worried
about him. When the hacks finally subsided, Trowa drew his hand away from his
mouth, tasting something oddly familiar on his tongue. His eyes widened, seeing
a splatter of dark crimson covering his palm. Only an instant later, his vision
faded into blackness and he felt himself falling forward, although he never felt
as his body met the floor.