Harry Potter Yu-Gi-Oh crossover – Disclaimer: I own neither
/Ryou and Bakura mind link/
Koe – Voice (What Ryou calls the spirit of the ring)
Yadonushi – Landlord (What the spirit calls Ryou)
0
Ryou Bakura stayed close to a certain Harry Potter as the small collection of children was led by a single adult man out of the hospital. The white haired child of the group could only stare in suppressed surprise when the woman that worked behind the counter at the entrance didn't even seem to notice their presence as they walked by. He sent a suspicious glance towards the man, who he learned was named Kingsley Shacklebolt, and the wand he had pointed in the woman's direction.
The cold air felt oddly refreshing and he began to wonder just how long he had been cooped up in that building. He readjusted his backpack slung lazily over his shoulder and turned to look over the hospital, mind trying to replay the events that led to him being brought here in the first place. Surely he had not been here for more than a day or two. He was interrupted in his train of thought as he felt the boy with the darkest hair in the group tug on his sleeve.
"Come on Ryou. This way." Harry looked at his friend curiously. Ryou seemed distracted, but he guessed he could understand why. He had just been given a lot to take in and he was probably still frazzled from the attack. Harry was getting used to a life of danger, but he knew not everyone could handle it well when trouble followed them wherever they went. He gave one more glance towards Ryou, who yet again seemed to be thinking hard about something as he followed the group in silence. Harry quickened his step so he was walking beside Kingsley.
"So…where exactly are we going? Can you apparate with this many people, or are we going to use floo powder? A portkey?" He asked the auror curiously. Kingsley sighed and looked at the green eyed boy.
"We're taking the train." He said, not bothering to explain that there were too many people for apparition, he lacked floo powder and the convenience of a magical fireplace, and he did not want to waste time with the paperwork required to legally create a portkey. Despite his short answer, Harry seemed satiated and let himself fall back in step with the mysterious youth the Death Eaters had been ordered to kidnap.
Harry had decided he'd try to keep Ryou as informed about what they were doing as possible. He told the others they were heading towards the train station, and while Hermione accepted this, Ron wore a look of confusion. Harry was surprised to see a lack of response from Ryou.
"Is the Hogwarts Express there? I didn't think they'd send that just to pick up a few stray students." Ron said and Hermione resisted the urge to slap her forehead.
"Ron, the Hogwarts Express isn't the only train in King's Cross Station you know" She informed the ginger, and Harry smirked. It was nice being able to wind down like this after such a close encounter with Dark Magic. He turned to Ryou again, but the other boy still looked impassive. His eyes were alert alright, but he didn't seem interested in Ron and Hermione's little discussion. Suddenly his brown eyes turned towards Harry.
"Hey. That spell that hit me. What are the details of its effects?" He asked out of nowhere. Harry's mind went blank at the suddenness of the question. It took him an extra second to even remember what spell Ryou had been hit by.
"It was a stunning spell. It's supposed to make you fall unconscious." He finally replied, watching as Ryou looked down in thought.
"That reminds me. You recovered awfully fast from it. For a moment, I thought you had dodged it somehow. Did it deflect off of something or just skim you?" Hermione asked as she and Ron looked at Ryou. They had dropped their conversation in favor of this one as soon as they heard Ryou open his mouth and actually speak.
"What is the duration of the spell? Is there a way to remove it?" Ryou completely ignored their friendly inquiries and pressed on with his own. Hermione tilted her head, trying to keep the small spark of irritation from Ryou's brush off of her question hidden from her face.
"The spell wears off over time, but how long that time is depends on the strength of the spell. There is a counter spell, but why do you ask Ryou?" Hermione was genuinely perplexed by his interest in the stunning spell. Then again, she remembered that Harry said Ryou had a fascination with magic in a muggle way. She smiled. Maybe he was seeing the nightmare he had been thrown into as a dream instead.
"Cast the counter spell on me."
The trio all looked confused by that request.
"You don't need it. You're awake just fine. Obviously that Death Eater was pathetically weak since it didn't last all that long." Ron said and Hermione nodded. She didn't agree that the Death Eater was weak, but Ron was right about Ryou not needing it.
"You don't need to worry Ryou. The only effect the spell has is to make a person black out. Once you've awoken, the spell is done." She said just to clarify that there was nothing to fear from the spell. No side effect or secondary thing he would need removed. She was disappointed that this failed to placate the boy who in turn glared at the ground and picked up his pace.
"Harry, you sure that's Ryou? He don't really seem nearly as friendly as you said he was." Ron chimed in, keeping his voice just barely a whisper. Hermione glared at Ron before quickly looking at Ryou. They weren't that far away, but Ryou didn't give them a glance so maybe he hadn't heard Ron after all.
"It's been a rough night for him. The magical world is a lot for him to take in, don't you think?" Harry defended, but Ron looked doubtful. There really was no use trying to explain it to somebody who grew up surrounded by magic. Being thrust into it like Harry and Ryou had been, or anyone muggle raised, resulted in it taking over your mind as you tried to process that things you thought shouldn't be possible actually are.
"Just give him some time." He added as he looked at the back of the white haired kid's head and smiled.
0
Ron and Hermione did give Ryou some time, but the silence was becoming unbearable. They tried to engage him in conversation during their walk, but the white haired boy barely even gave them a glance so they didn't really push it. His silence eventually infected them until all four teenagers were following Kingsley without a word.
They walked into the train station following the auror as he led them to the boarding platforms of rails 9 and 10. Hermione gave the auror an inquisitive look when he suddenly stopped and just stood waiting. She caught the faintest glance sent Ryou's way and instantly she understood what he was waiting for.
"What's the hold up? Why aren't we –oof" Ron gasped as Hermione gave him a none too pleasant elbow to the gut. She gave him a look that just screamed 'keep your mouth shut'. Ron just looked confused as he rubbed his stomach and when Hermione turned away from the ginger, she found herself caught in the gaze of Ryou. She had to look away. His eyes gave her the chills. For some reason, Ryou wasn't really what she had been expecting when she heard Harry talk about him. She wasn't one to judge on appearances, but Ryou's gaze just gave her the chills.
"Our train may take awhile to get here." Kingsley was looking pointedly at Ryou, who just blinked at this new information and looked away from the group. Hermione quickly starting watching him again and had to swat Ron's hand out of the way when he started waving it in front of her eyes.
"Would you stop it?" She hissed under her breath.
"Well, what's wrong? Staring at him isn't going to help you know." Harry said as he looked at his brunette friend.
"Have you ever wondered why muggles never just stumble onto a certain Hogwarts related platform?" She asked, keeping her voice very quiet. Ron and Harry looked at each other and shrugged.
"Magic?" Ron offered and Hermione just rolled her eyes.
"Yes magic. A muggle repelling charm to be precise. And look where we are – where Ryou is standing." She said. Harry and Ron looked over towards Ryou and found him leaning quite casually against a brick pillar standing between platforms 9 and 10. His arms were crossed and he looked like he was lost in his thoughts.
Then he fell backwards through the wall.
"The train is here." Kingsley announced and he headed for the wall. Harry instantly headed towards the barrier to check on Ryou, but Hermione reached out and caught his arm.
"Harry. That's got to be enough proof for you. Ryou is no muggle." Hermione said, watching Harry look away with his eyebrows knit together. She let him go and the two followed Ron through the barrier.
Hermione had expected Ryou to be surprised and exhibiting the classic muggle-raised reaction to the magical platform. But he wasn't ogling at the magnificent black engine that just docked at the station, gaping that he just walked through a solid object, nor was he looking at the sign that read 'Platform 9 ¾ - Hogsmeade Station'. Instead he was leaning against the wall and looked a little annoyed.
Harry walked over to Ryou with an unsure smile.
"Ryou, you okay? I didn't know the entrance to the platform would just… open like that. You didn't get hurt on the fall did you?" He asked as he laid a hand on the other's shoulder.
"I didn't fall." Ryou replied without looking at Harry. "I merely staggered backwards, so there is no need for your little nurse routine." With that, he shrugged himself out of Harry's grip and headed towards the train. It was the only train there, so it had to be the one they were taking. Honestly, a little heads up that the platform was through a magical barrier he had been leaning against would have been nice. Fine, he would admit he was surprised it happened, but how dare they assume he had fallen down from something as trivial as falling through a wall.
Harry watched Ryou go. He didn't really know what to think.
"Has he had enough 'time' yet?" Ron grumbled as he joined Harry. Hermione was right beside him as they all stared at the door Ryou had disappeared behind.
0
Waiting for the train to actually leave the station was taking longer than the kids had expected and the room the teenagers were sitting in was unusually quiet. Ryou was leaning against the window, staring out at nothing wearing yet another thought filled expression. The trio kept exchanging glances and trying to start up discussions that died before they really began. Harry glanced at the door to their compartment where he knew Kingsley was standing guard right outside. Maybe Ryou wasn't as accepting of magic as he had initially believed. He looked back towards the whitenette, whose gaze was still locked on that window. When he and Ryou spoke in the hospital, Ryou gave the impression that he honestly thought Harry being a wizard was …well… cool. He was interested, excited even. Now he just seemed quiet and standoffish. Sure he had seen Ryou act like this a few times before, but never for so long. It was strange.
With a lurch, the train finally began to move. The four still kept quiet, but it was pretty easy to see how uncomfortable a silence it was. Well, it was uncomfortable for everyone except Ryou.
"So… do you think we'll get in trouble for sneaking out and all?" Ron finally said just to break that horrible quiet.
"Well of course we are. If we don't get a detention or two, I will be thoroughly amazed" Hermione was glad of the chance to talk. Unfortunately the discussion didn't go any further and their small vocal reprieve was lost to that suffocating silence. Then the trio turned towards Ryou as he let out a relieved sigh that seemed unusually loud due to the silence that surrounded them. Nobody had even realized Ryou had held his breath. As they stared, Ryou finally turned away from the window to look at the group. A pleasant smile graced his lips, making him appear like an entirely different person than the brooding kid he had been moments ago.
"You know, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Ryou Bakura." He offered, blinking his surprisingly soft, brown eyed gaze as he looked at them all in turn. Harry was smiling at him, in a strange relieved way, but the red head was looking at him like he just grew a third head and the brunette just blinked.
"What, finally got tired of just ignoring us did you?" Ron barked and Harry instantly turned a glare in the ginger's direction. Hermione continued to watch Ryou as he looked straight down at his twiddling fingers with a remorseful look to his face. She ignored Ron and Harry's little quarrel and took this chance Ryou was offering them. She didn't quite understand why he had been acting so distant before, but he must have had his reasons. She wasn't going to waste this chance to break the tension.
"I'm Hermione Granger. That's Ronald Weasley." She said with a gesture towards the ginger that instantly swung his head around at the mention of his name. Ryou looked up with his big eyes and after a moment or two, he smiled again. A tiny little smile, but a smile nonetheless.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you" He said and this time Hermione smiled.
"We, both Ron and I, have wanted to meet you for awhile too. Harry has told us a lot about you." Hermione folded her hands on her lap and glanced towards Ron and Harry. They stopped their little argument and Harry gave his attention to Ryou. Ron just shrugged and looked away, apparently still a little bitter. Ryou picked up on this right away.
"I'm sorry if I came off as rude earlier…" He said quietly, looking towards Ron with a truly apologetic look.
" 'Came off as'? You did more than just— " Ron began to give his retort but was cut off by Hermione.
"Ryou, it's fine. Who wouldn't be a little on edge after being attacked by dark wizards?"
Ryou looked grateful for Hermione's words, and his face suddenly lit up as he turned to Harry.
"Right, wizards! You guys are real wizards and witches like in games and stories! So then are we in a special magical transport?" He asked, but after a blink and a pause, he continued on without waiting for an answer.
"A train. I mean… this train. Is it special?" This time he did wait for a reply.
"Not really. Only those associated with magic can find it though. So Ryou, you must have some magic in you since you fell through the barrier." Ron chirped in, more than happy to remind everyone about the other boy's fall from earlier.
"Barrier?" Ryou looked confused for a moment, but the look disappeared as quickly as it came.
"Oh…yeah… anou…" He glanced at the wall and his hand idly rubbed the back of his head.
"So Harry …. I guess this means you weren't being perfectly honest about going to that school your uncle told me about then?" Ryou finally said as he turned towards the black haired boy.
"What? Oh, yeah…sorry about that. The magical world is supposed to be a secret. I wasn't allowed to tell you about it, but I wasn't lying about the experiences we had at the school." Harry replied. He did feel a little bad about lying especially since he knew how much Ryou loved the occult. He looked at Ryou, who surprisingly enough was nodding.
"That explains why you were so vague on the details about the school's appearance than huh?" He said with a light chuckle.
With the initial tension successfully broken and Ryou much more sociable, the group began chatting up a storm. Mostly they just told Ryou about what to expect at Hogwarts and answering his multitude of questions about magic. Eventually the topic turned away from magic itself and Ryou became the focus of the discussion no matter how hard he tried to covertly change the subject.
"Seriously, how can you be magic and not know it? Plus you had a bunch of Death Eaters on your tail. They must have wanted you for some reason or another." Ron said as he fixed Ryou with a stare. Ryou looked away and shrugged.
"I honestly don't know why those wizards attacked me. I really didn't know magic existed like this. I mean, I suppose I hoped it did. Your magic sounds so useful and can do such good."
"Yes, magic can do a lot of good, but it can do a lot of harm too. I really doubt those dark wizards at the hospital had good intentions when they were casting their spells." Hermione really wasn't sure what to make of Ryou's story. He obviously wasn't a muggle, but he seemed so fascinated by the prospect of magic that she doubted he had ever seen it before. Perhaps he was a squib? But then, at least one of his parents would know about magic and most likely would have shown him. Unless he was a squib adopted by muggles.
"Ryou, what do your parents do?" She asked, just in case. She was perplexed by the subtle shake of the head Harry had sent her, but when she looked at Ryou he was still smiling.
"My dad is an archeologist." He said as he turned his head and stared out the window. He didn't offer any other words but those, choosing to instead lock his gaze on the small glimmer of light that was trying to break into the night sky by the horizon line. Hermione was about to mention she said parents, not parent, but Harry stopped her.
"Ryou, seeing as you're not a muggle… you might be able to do magic too." Harry said, even shushing Ron when the red head tried to question why the sudden change in subject. Ryou nodded, keeping hi s eyes focused on the outside.
"That would be neat." He said halfheartedly.
"I swear, you are one bipolar kid" Ryou looked over at the ginger with a vague look of surprise. He let out a small giggle that made the other three look at him funny, but Ryou merely waved them off.
"Sorry….inside joke." He said, which only caused him to giggle again. Inside joke indeed.
"Anyway, do you think I'll stay with you in your dormitory?" He asked as he looked at the other three who apparently lived in a place called the Gryffindor Tower. They had mentioned something about students being sorted into one of four different groups.
"I'm not sure. You're technically not a student, but our headmaster may decide to sort you into one of the four houses. Then you'll stay in that dorm." Hermione replied as she looked first at Ryou, before turning towards Ron and Harry for ideas. They honestly had no clue. Ryou hoped it wouldn't come to that, though he didn't voice this opinion. He was used to going to new places where he didn't know anyone, but it was still nice to have a friend or two beside you. Especially when they were the types of friends who didn't like to take over your body and attack people.
"Harry… you have a wand… do all of you have wands?" Ryou asked as he gave Harry a curious look. He hadn't really thought about it until now, but all the other wizards and witches he saw casting spells has used wands. Harry said his friends were magic, so they had to have wands too right? Unless it was a coming of age thing and magic people didn't get their magic sticks until they did something special, reached a certain age, or something along those lines.
"Yeah. We all do. Can't caste many spells without them really." He replied with a shrug. Ryou was delighted by this.
"Can I see yours? Are all wands the same?" He asked like an eager child trying to get his parent to buy him a brand new puppy. Harry just held back a chuckle and pulled out his Phoenix core wand. Ryou was hesitant about touching the wooden instrument, but after a nod from Harry he carefully picked it up and examined it.
"Wands are made from different kinds of wood, cores, and vary in length and style. See? My wand has a dragon heartstring at its core while Harry's has a phoenix feather." Hermione had pulled out her own wand and Ryou stared in fascination at how very different they were.
"Wait… dragon… dragons are real?" Ryou asked and Hermione instantly replied with a grin and a nod of the head. Ryou smiled as he digested this new revelation.
/I bet even Kaiba would get a little excited about that one. Dragon heartstring… that sounds much easier to obtain than a Bennu feather/
Ryou tipped his head just slightly. He couldn't see how a measly feather was harder to get than a dragon's heart.
/Yadonushi, do you know nothing of the Bennu bird? It is reincarnated through flames. Its body – feathers included – turn to ash during its rebirth./
"Then… how did they get the feather for the core? This one. You said it had a phoenix feather, but don't a phoenix's feathers disappear when they shed them?" Ryou asked as he held up Harry's wand and looked it over with new curiosity. He handed it back to Harry.
"I think the phoenix has to willingly give it up or something. I'm not really sure on the details on how a wand is made, so I can't be positive. I do know that the phoenix whose feather is in my wand only ever shed one other feather." Harry replied as he took his wand. Ryou stopped him as something caught his eye and he gently took Harry's hand. He turned it so Harry's palm was facing down.
"Harry….what happened?" Ryou asked as his fingers traced the thin white scars that marred Harry's hand. As soon as Harry realized what Ryou was talking about, he pulled his hand away.
"Nothing."
"That wasn't nothing. It looked like writing." Ryou fixed Harry with a steady stare that the green-eyed boy just couldn't meet. He hadn't told Ryou anything about Umbridge's detentions nor about the undeserved punishment she had forced on him.
"No. Ryou's right, It's not nothing." Hermione was also giving Harry a look. She had been telling him to tell the headmaster since the pink clad professor had forced Harry to carve the words 'I shall not tell lies' into his own hand with an enchanted quill.
"It doesn't matter. It happened over a month ago. I dealt with it, end of story." Harry crossed his arms and slouched in his seat looking every bit like the stubborn teenager that he was.
Ryou didn't bring up the scars again. He wasn't going to force Harry to tell him anything if he didn't want to. After all, Ryou was hiding his own share of secrets, wasn't he?
"So do either of you play Duel Monsters?" Ryou was looking at Ron and Hermione. Ron looked downright confused by Ryou's question and Hermione just shook her head.
"You duel… monsters for fun?" Ron finally asked in bewilderment. Hermione and Ryou both chuckled and even Harry broke from his sour mood and smiled.
"Duel Monsters is a trading card game. I've seen it in stores when I go shopping with my parents, but I don't really see the appeal." Hermione explained with a shrug.
"So it's a card game? How do you play?" Ron looked at Hermione when he asked the question but she just shrugged again.
"The cards have monsters on them. You put them up against your opponent's monsters, and the stronger monster beats the weak one. The weak monster is put out of play and the person's score goes down. First person to lose all their score points loses." Harry was the one who gave the summary. Hermione looked surprised Harry knew how to play and Ron was busy thinking over the concept of the game.
"I mean, it's not as simple as I make it sound. I've never played it either, but Ryou was telling me about it over the summer. It's a strategy game, right Ryou?" Harry looked towards Ryou for confirmation and the whitenette nodded.
"Yes. Strategy and a bit of luck will determine the winner. There are big competitions in the normal world. Duelists compete against each other, sometimes just for titles, other times for prize money." Ryou added with a smile. Ron was giving him a curious look.
"…. 'Normal' world?"
Ryo's smile dropped instantly. Had he said the wrong thing? Before he could correct this error, the train came to a stop. Ryou immediately turned his head to look outside and was greeted by sunlight trickling through the morning fog. He could see trees surrounding the outdoor platform. The platform itself was a small little brickwork station that resembled a large bus stop. He turned his head when the door to their compartment opened and Kingsley shepherded the group off the train.
Harry looked around expectantly, but apart from the small platform beside the train, there really wasn't much there. The trees were thick and there appeared to be a wide path through them. Behind him, the train whistled and took off towards its next destination, leaving Harry and his group along with a few other early morning travelers stranded in the woods.
"Come on." Kingsley said as he waved the group over towards the large path. They all followed without question and soon enough that path led straight to Hogsmeade village. They didn't stay long nor stop for any reason. Kingsley just kept moving, heading straight past all the shops on his way towards the road that led to Hogwarts.
"Figures. We have to walk through Hogsmeade and we can't stop anywhere…" Ron complained.
"As if anything is open yet anyway." Hermione noted.
Ryou was just watching everything he saw in amazement. The names on the shops were unusual and the window displays were fascinating. He wanted to stay and explore the magical town, but Kingsley never even slowed his pace. He looked behind him as the shops slowly disappeared into the distance before he focused ahead of him. Harry walked beside him and smirked.
"Just wait. You're going to love Hogwarts." He whispered. Ryou looked at him curiously and then the castle came into view. Ryou actually gasped when he saw it, pausing in his tracks to take in the sight. It was amazing, like it had leapt straight out of a fantasy book or a movie. It resembled one of the castle pieces he used in his Monster World table top game too. Harry chuckled and nudged him forward.
"Welcome to the school of Witchcraft and Wizardy."
0
Ron let out a loud yawn as he, Harry, and Hermione sat down for breakfast. They would have to be quick if they wanted a decent meal. Breakfast was almost over and classes would be starting in less than a half hour.
"Where have you three been?" A Gryffindor from across the table, Neville Longbottom, asked as he noticed his friends' appearance.
"Just getting a dose of Professor McGonagall chewing us out is all" Ron grumbled as he reached across the table and dove into the eggs. His brothers Fred and George snatched the eggs and just laughed.
"The day has only just begun, and you're already in trouble?" They laughed again, shaking their heads in unison as the trio just shrugged.
"Fred, we can't be outdone."
"You're absolutely right Fred. We must go stir up trouble immediately."
With that, the twins hopped up from their seats and left the room, taking the eggs with them much to Ron's displeasure. Harry smirked.
After they had arrived at the school, Professor McGonagall ushered them to the hospital wing to be completely checked over. Her worry only lasted for a few moments, for after Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, deemed them healthy, the Deputy Headmistress released the wordiest of lectures the trio had ever heard from their head of house. Harry was slightly jealous Ryou hadn't had to stand there in the hallway listening to his Transfiguration teacher rant on and on about how rules were there for a reason, they shouldn't have thrown themselves in danger, they shouldn't be leaving the school grounds especially in the middle of the night, and how they all had a week's worth of detention. Hermione had said she felt their professor had actually gone easy on them. Ron disagreed.
By the time they were finally released from the barrage of words, the sun was already high in the sky and students were already eating in the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall told them to go get ready for class and that they could visit Ryou during their morning break between classes. Their fourth companion had stayed in the hospital wing to wait for the Headmaster. Madam Pomfrey had also decided to use the time to magically heal the injuries he had sustained during the attack on his school. Harry had noticed his friend had quite a few bruises and scratches and he had seen Ryou's bandaged arm, but he hadn't realized those bandages were covering some nasty looking stitches until the nurse revealed them. At that point, McGonagall shooed him and his other friends out of the room to let Madam Pomfrey work in peace.
All three Gryffindors were thinking about visiting Ryou as they tiredly shuffled to their first class of the day. It had to have been fate that the day they didn't get a single ounce of sleep was one of the days that started off with an hour and a half of History of Magic. If Harry had thought it was difficult to stay awake during Professor Binns lectures when he was well rested, he honestly believed he had no chance of staying awake today.
Not ten minutes into the lecture, both Harry and Ron were out cold. By the half way mark, even Hermione was struggling to stay aware.
0
Inside the hospital wing, Ryou was lying on one of the many empty beds. He was barely noticeable in the room thanks to his hair and the pure white blanket he had over him all the way up to his chin. Usually his near albino appearance made him stick out, but in such a white room he was almost camouflaged.
Ryou sat up, letting the blanket fall down a bit off his chest. He pulled his sleeve up to re-examine his arm. His fingers glided over the spot where just an hour ago he had had a deep most-likely scarring injury. Now his skin was smooth, like the stitches had never been there. It had been so strange when the nurse waved her wand over his cut, mumbling something. At first nothing happened and the nurse seemed to concentrate harder. Then, the wound just started to seal up and the stitches melted away. It was amazing. It wasn't long after that when an elderly man came to visit him. He kept their talk brief, insisting Ryou should get some sleep after such a harrowing ordeal. He explained he was called Professor Dumbledore and that he was the headmaster. He had asked Ryou a few questions about the attack at the hospital, but Ryou wasn't really able to give him much of an answer. He hadn't known who the people who attacked were, and he had no clue why they would be after him. Ryou's distress must have been obvious, because the professor placed a calming hand on his shoulder and told him he would be okay here. His words were reassuring and Ryou had felt safer in the man's presence.
/I don't like him./
"You don't like anyone, Koe" Ryou replied to the spirit of the ring as he leaned back against the wall. He looked up as the sound of the door opening reached his ears. Soon after, a familiar black haired head peaked into the room. Once the owner of that messy head of hair caught Ryou's gaze he smiled.
"Hey Ryou." Harry greeted as he headed in, followed shortly by Hermione and Ron.
"How are you doing?" Hermione asked as they reached his bedside.
"I'm fine. The Headmaster said I could shadow you guys in class when I'm better." He said with a smile.
"Really? That's great!" Hermione said with enthusiasm and Harry nodded. He was glad Ryou would be able to see the bright side of magic, especially since he loved the idea of it so much.
"What's the point though? You don't have a wand. You can't perform magic." Ron said as he sat on the bed.
/Hah! Can't do magic… he doesn't know what REAL magic is!/
"I won't be taking part in class. Just observing." Ryou replied, ignoring the voice in his head.
"I still don't see a point in it." Ron shrugged.
"I just want to learn more about magic, that's all. I like learning about it. Besides, I don't want to just sit in bed all day."
"Wait, you actually want to sit in a classroom and just learn stuff from a book?"
"Honestly Ron, just because you have no motivation to study…" Hermione rolled her eyes at her red headed friend. Sometimes she wondered how Ron managed to pass his classes.
"Did Professor Dumbledore say where you'll be staying?" Harry was genuinely curious. Ryou didn't belong to any house, and it didn't seem likely that he had been sorted. Especially since he hadn't come to Hogwarts to be a student.
"Yes. He said I could stay here, in the hospital wing." Ryou replied with a gentle smile. He turned to look towards the door again as someone entered. The boy looked young and was looking around expectantly, and once he saw Ryou, he froze. Instantly he turned and left. Ryou frowned.
"That's the third kid to come in here like that." Ryou said as he looked at the entrance to the room. Harry snickered and Hermione sighed.
"Well, looks like your arrival to Hogwarts won't be a secret for much longer." Harry said as he glanced at the door. Hermione folded her arms and laughed.
"Much longer? With the way gossip flies around this school, everyone already knows about him." Ron nodded his agreement to Hermione's statement, but the nod of approval quickly became a groan of disdain as the female of the group alerted them to the time.
"Come on guys. We've got to get to our next class. See you later Ryou." She offered with a wave in Ryou's direction.
"Oh boy…potions…" Ron grumbled in a sullen tone as he stood. Ryou said his goodbyes as the trio headed out the door.
