Shinigami's Legacy
"I've looked over your application Mr. Yuy, and I see no reason why I shouldn't hire you. You had excellent grades, you would be a stern and fair teacher, and you are capable of protecting your students both the muggle way and magically. I approve," accepted Dumbledore as he shuffled around a few of the application papers. "I'd say you applied just in time. I was about to approve someone else, as they were the only applicant. I'm afraid people see this position as a cursed job."
Heero raised an eyebrow in response, finding it stupid that grown adults just couldn't take responsibilities for their actions instead of calling the job cursed. Ridiculous.
"And the second through seventh years are going to have to be caught up, correct?" Heero questioned, wanting to understand how much work would have to go into each class.
"Actually, you'll find that last year's teacher, Remus Lupin, got them mostly caught up in their studies. You do remember him from your school days, right?"
"The werewolf?" Heero got a nod of affirmation for his guess. "I remember. I was under the assumption that werewolves could not teach here."
"You would be correct. The Ministry says they're beasts, essentially. I didn't quite agree with their notion, still do not, and I gave him the job based off of his good qualifications and the fact that I knew he understood to take his potion and keep cautious of the kids on the full moon."
"Well, if it's the only way to get a decent teacher around here, I guess you do what you have to do," Duo said as she barged in on their meeting.
"Ms. Maxwell, how can I help you?"
"I heard around the grapevine you guys are actually hosting the TriWizard Tournament this year."
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Bloody hell Harry, that's crazy! Congrats on finding your real mum and all, but that's just mind blowing! Merlin's beard, I'm confused and it's got nothing to do with my family. I told mum though, and she got really excited to meet her. It sounds like 'Duo Maxwell' are the magic words around here.
Of course, after telling mum, it eventually got around to Fred and George and they've been pestering me all day about getting to write to you about your mum. I guess it makes sense since you said she was a prankster like your dad, but I think my ears are going to start bleeding soon if they don't stop harping to me about it.
So, the letter enclosed is from Fred and George.
Ron
Hey there pal. Good job on finding your mother, but a true congratulations to you for getting probably the world's most awesome person as a mother. Listen to us very carefully, we want to meet her. So when our mum reaches out to your mum for a meeting, make sure she says yes.
Or we will prank you forever.
Fred and George
Harry let out a few small chuckles at the replies from the Weasleys before switching over to Hermione's letter.
Dear Harry,
I'm happy that you finally got to meet your mother! It must have been an exciting day, getting to move out of the Dursley's house and meet someone you thought was dead. There is something you need to know though.
I've actually read up on your mother, Duo Maxwell, in the school library. The book is called 'Transfers through the Ages'. The gist of it was that not much is known about her or her family before they came to Hogwarts. She became a notorious troublemaker and a hard working student. But they thought something was off about them. The reflexes they had, the way they carried themselves, as if they had been trained for a long time. Trained for what the book didn't specify or the author didn't know. They were sometimes described as inhuman.
I'm not trying to say anything bad Harry, but I think you need to discover more about them before you get too comfortable. But that's just the ramblings of your well-read, paranoid friend. I really hope this works out for you!
Hermione
That was a little less uplifting, but kudos to Hermione for having already checked up on his mother. He already knew that his mother had been in a war, for about thirteen years, and she still seemed young. And Harry also knew that he was birthed about a year after his parents finished Hogwarts. That put his mother entering into the war at about eighteen.
And he could feel it too, what the books had described to Hermione. Being in his mother's and uncles' presence was like being in front of a war captain. Harry knows that his mother has been trained to be on the battlefield.
But the question was; how long had they been trained to be like that? If he went by Hermione's letter, then it could have been from the time they were adopted into that family to before they transferred to Hogwarts.
His family, Harry realized, was hiding a huge secret. And he wanted in.
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"So, only seventh years can enter?"
"Only seventeen year olds in their seventh year can enter." Duo let out a relieved sigh.
"Well, that's great news. I can only imagine Harry somehow entering then getting his head taken off at some point. Speaking of that possibility, that's what we're trying to prevent right? As guards and whatnot?"
"Normally, it is not allowed for anyone to interrupt the TriWizard Tournament to save anyone." Just as Duo was going to open her mouth to protest, Dumbledore put his hand up, signaling that he still had something to say. "But if one of the contestants clearly states that they have given up, then you will be allowed to step in and prevent death if at all possible."
"That's better, I guess," Duo conceded.
"Will there be anything else? Anything your brothers will need to ask?" Both Heero and Duo shook their heads. "Then this meeting is adjourned. I will see you all at dinner." Duo and Heero left the office together and headed towards their room, greeting their brothers who were touring the castle and the professors politely.
"Do you have a bad feeling about this TriWizard Tournament? Because I have one, and it is screaming bloody murder at me that this will be bad."
"We can't stop this Duo. Stopping the event would mean telling the other schools that we suddenly can't hold it anymore, which would damage relations between our schools." Duo let out a defeated sigh.
"I guess. I'm just glad Harry can't be a part of it. I mean, this almost sounds like some sort of ploy to attract trouble to him. It's… frightening."
"You're just going to have to trust Dumbledore on this one. I'm sure everything will be fine in the end."
When they opened the door to their, now permanent, quarters, they found Harry writing out a few letters.
"Whatcha doin'?" Duo asked, peaking her head over Harry's shoulder, giving the boy a shock since he hadn't heard them come in.
"Geez, warn me before you give me a heart attack!" Harry complained as he held his chest, trying to slow down his breathing. Once he had calmed down, and Duo had stopped laughing, he explained. "I'm writing to my best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. I wrote them a few days ago about meeting you, and they're both really happy for me. Ron's parents want to meet you, by the way." Duo actually looked a bit more excited than the idea entailed.
"Oohh, I've never really met other parents before! Especially parents of my son's friends, or his friends in general. This'll be fun! Weasley, Weasley, I know I've heard that name somewhere before. Maybe James mentioned it? Anyways, tell your friend Ron that I would be delighted to meet up with his parents. They've let you stay at their house right? I have to thank them properly. What about your other friend?"
"Hermione has muggle parents, and they generally trust that the Weasley's look after her while she's in the wizarding world."
"Okay. Tell your friends that whenever is most convenient for them is good for us. It's not like we have much to do while waiting for the new term to start. Heero!" she suddenly exclaimed, changing the topic, "Why don't you tell Harry your exciting news?"
Harry glanced over at his uncle, who was looking at Duo with an unimpressed expression fixed upon his face.
"I'm going to be your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Yay." It was said with his usual dry and unemotional tone, which made it irresistible to laugh at.
"So, you're staying? What about you and the rest of your brothers?" he asked Duo.
"We're staying as guards. We don't want any more Dementors being sent over here, ya know?"
"That's neat," Harry said. "So, does that mean this will be your permanent room?"
"Yep," chirped Duo. "So you can always stop by if you need anything. Especially if it's help on learning things."
"Even History of Magic?"
"Well, don't expect any miracles. We had Binns too, and I think the only one who ever stayed awake in that class was Wufei, by his sheer power of will. And sometimes Quatre. But I'm usually available for Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration. Wufei, for about anything, especially Astronomy and Arithmancy. Heero can be helpful with DADA of course, and surprisingly, Divination. Quatre can do Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes. Trowa can help you with Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology."
Harry looked in awe at them. "I can't believe you," he pointed at Duo, "are good at potions, and that you," he pointed to Heero, "could do well in divination."
"I'm a great cook, which transfers over to my awesome potions making," it went unsaid that it was also helpful in making bombs and chemical warfare, "and Heero here can bullsh- can make up stuff like a pro. I think I'm going to take a shower tonight. I'll be out in a few hours. See you guys later for dinner!" And Duo walked off to the bathroom, stretching out her limbs as she walked.
"What does she do in there that takes her hours?"
"Washing all of that hair, drying it, then putting the damn thing back in its braid."
"Why does she do that? Why not cut it to a decent length?" Heero looked down at Harry, seemingly weighing his options to tell or not to tell him.
"It's a symbol to her. Of the past, of those that have died, of her responsibilities. She probably will never cut it if she can help it. I'll leave you alone to finish your letters. If the others come in, tell them that we have the jobs, will you?" The question part seemed thrown on, like he had suddenly remembered to be polite. Harry watched Heero walk into his room and waited for the door to shut before going back to his letters again.
Dear Sirius,
Is there any chance we can use your house for a big get together? I have a feeling that we'll need more room than the Weasley's house can provide.
Harry
Dear Hermione,
Is there any other chance that there could be more on my family in the library?
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Very soon came the day that everyone would meet up at Sirius' house, not that he knew that one of his good friends and her family that he thought was dead was coming over.
Harry thought it would make a good surprise.
"Here, all of you need to read this," Harry said as he passed around the note with the address on it to Trowa.
"This also looks familiar," Duo mused when the paper came to her, then passed it on to Quatre. Dumbledore chuckled in the background, obviously knowing something she didn't.
"You'll see once we get there," Harry insisted, feeling nervous and excited for his blood family to meet his other family.
"Are we all ready?" Asked Wufei after the note had landed in his grasp. He got a round of nods. "Then I guess we'll be going." Harry held onto Duo's arm as the familiar feeling of apparition hit him. It still sucked, by the way.
"Uh, Harry, it seems there is a house missing," said his mother, who was looking around the bleak neighborhood for where the house could have gone.
"It's there," reassured Harry. "Just think about the address I gave you. This'll work, right Dumbldore?"
"It should. I am the secret keeper, after all." Awed gasps made Harry look over to his family in amusement.
"That was wicked!" Duo shouted, jumping around like a child, her braid slinging around with her sporadic movements.
"Can't you act your age?" Demanded Wufei.
"I never have, and I never will," Duo said before sticking out her tongue, gathering a sigh at her response. "Let's knock on the door! I'm ready for this!"
They walked up to the door together and let Dumbledore knock on the door, announcing his presence, before opening it. There was a flurry of activity inside, bustling young witches and wizards everywhere, until one wizard forced himself through the crowd and over to their group.
"Hey Dumbledore, Harry are these-," Sirius cut himself off, because the strangers her saw with his godson and old Headmaster weren't strangers at all. In fact, the woman behind Harry was- "Duo?"
"Sirius?"