Snarling silently as he limped through the forest, Kurama cursed the events that lead to him being seriously wounded in a fight with a demon on the other side of the world from friends and allies.

It has started out so simple. An assignment from Koenma to go to England near the Scottish boarder and investigate rumors of an A-Class demon making trouble up there. As the only one in the group who could fluently speak English as well as be trusted with a Reikai credit card, Kurama had been reluctant to go but had finally agreed when Koenma promised additional protections for his human mother. When he had arrived in England, it hadn't taken him long to find the demon only to discover that Koenma's information was wrong. It hadn't been an A-Class demon that Kurama could have easily handled with some minor problems and injuries. It had been a powerful S-Class demon and it had also had the power to create edged weapons out of rock.

Finally, Kurama had managed to kill it with his plants but he had been too badly injured to do much more than shift into his fox form, using his natural illusion magic to make it appear he was nothing more than a regular silver fox with golden eyes. The battle had taken them all over the countryside until the fight had ended near a dark forest, giving Kurama the ability to pull on the forest's energy to finally defeat the demon.

Only, he couldn't just stop to lick his wounds with the demon dead. Not now, not when the demon had bragged about its friends and how Kurama was going to regret confronting them. Confronted with the thought of facing more demons that were at least as powerful as this one while as injured as he was, Kurama had done the only thing he could think of at the time.

He changed his form and ran for cover.

It had been hours since he had entered the strange forest and yet, he felt like he was no closer to finding shelter than he had been when he first entered. There had been other creatures moving through the forest, a herd of centaurs running through the trees, a lone unicorn drinking from a stream, and even a giant spider slowly making its way though the treetops, and each time, Kurama ducked under what cover he could, not wanting to be noticed by the creatures or in the case with the unicorn, not wanting to scare it off.

*The next time Koenma assures me that it will be a simple mission and I don't need back up, I'm going to tell him to shove it or send Hiei with me,* grumbled Kurama, easing his way past some bushes and practically sighing in frustrated relief as he emerged onto a large grassy meadow that rolled towards the large ancient castle. Perhaps he could find shelter near the castle until his injuries healed enough for him to try and contact Botan. If only his communicator hadn't been smashed during the fight...

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" drawled a voice that rang with the snobbish overtones of the rich, and Kurama looked up to find a young teen with silver blond hair and an arrogant smirk on his face standing there flanked by a pair of thugs. At first glance, Kurama thought that the teenage boy was the resident of the castle until he took a closer look at what the trio were wearing. Matching clothes, down to the silver and green ties and the crest on their black robes. The castle was a school instead of a home, and not just any school if the wand the silver blond was holding was any clue, but a school for witches and wizards.

"It looks like a poor fox has wandered out of the Forbidden Forest all by its lonesome," continued the boy, his tone mocking as a cruel smirk spread over his lips, and Kurama braced himself for what he knew was going to come next. "Mother has been talking about a new fur shawl and this one's silver would compliment her nicely."

*Just try it, kit,* thought Kurama, a soft growl starting in his chest. Pushing his energy towards the grass at the trio's feet, he urged it to grow and tangle around their legs, feeling some satisfaction when it complied, only to dodge the blast of magic that came at him with a cry of "Stupefy". Snarling, Kurama ran right at the boys, dodging the magic they sent his way and jumped at the silver blond idiot, landing on his chest and knocking him over. A snap of his jaws and Kurama jumped clear of the boy with the wand in his teeth. Stopping a safe distance away, Kurama placed one paw on the handle of the wand, holding it against the ground, and making sure that he had their attention, viciously and deliberately yanked his head back, snapping the wand.

"No!" cried the boy before his face turned red with fury. "You'll regret that, you flea-bitten mongrel! Crabb, Goyle, I want that thing dead!"

The two thugs raised their wands but Kurama didn't give them a chance to toss any spells at him. He took off, running a jagged pattern across the grass towards the small hut he could see in the distance. It was probably the ground keeper's home, but it would do for a hiding spot until the trio got tired of chasing him.

Sprinting around the corner, Kurama didn't see the three students sitting there in the grass until he had already crashed into the boy wearing glasses. There was a surprised yelp from the boy and warm hands instinctively closed around Kurama's body. Desperate to get free, Kurama wiggled and thrashed, before the last of his energy drained out of him, leaving him limp and panting from his recent exertions.

"Oh, the poor thing," cooed a soft female voice and Kurama managed to lift his head to look at the ones who held him. They were all about fifteen by his guess and the girl had frizzy brown hair that was just begging to be tamed paired with eyes as knowledgeable and curious as Keiko's. The other boy had hair almost as red as his own human hair with freckles covering his face and wide blue eyes that were staring at Kurama as if the boy had never seen a fox before. The boy who held him in a gentle and kind grip had messy black hair and vibrant green eyes almost hidden behind his glasses, but the most unusual thing was the lightning bolt shaped scar on the boy's forehead. All three were dressed similarly to the trio he had just escaped from but where the bullies wore silver and green, these three were clad in gold and scarlet.

"Blimey, I've never seen a fox that color before, Harry," breathed the redhead, his hand reaching out slightly as if to touch Kurama only to be smacked by the girl. "Ow! Hermione!"

"Don't touch him, Ron Weasley," she chided, shaking a finger at him in a good imitation of a scolding mother. "It's obvious he's been hurt and is a wild animal. He hasn't bitten Harry, so he must trust him." She stood up, brushing grass off her skirt. "Come on. We'll take him to Hagrid and see if he can help this fox."

Suddenly, the pounding of feet reached Kurama's ears and he glared in the direction he had come from, growling just as the bullies rounded the corner, skidding to a stop when they saw Harry, Ron and Hermione. The silver blond bully was clutching his broken wand in his hand, the two pieces of wood being held together by a slender cord that was in the center of the wand, and Kurama felt a sense of pride at the deep teeth marks visible on the polished wood.

"That creature is dead!" growled the boy, starting towards Kurama only to freeze. Blinking in surprise, Kurama glanced around to find that all three had their wands out and pointed at the bullies with determined looks on their faces.

"I'd say whatever the fox did to you, Malfoy, you certainly deserved it," remarked Hermione in a casual voice even as steel lined her words. Ron and Hermione took a step in front of Harry, partially shielding Kurama with their bodies while still giving Harry enough space to attack if needed. "After all, it looks like he got his teeth on your wand, and I don't know of any animal who would do something like that unless provoked."

Malfoy sniffed and drew himself up to full height as if he could intimidate her, and Kurama was hard pressed not to laugh. This was too much like one of the demons who went after Yusuke confronting Keiko, and Kurama honestly expected Hermione to slap Malfoy in a purely Keiko-like move.

"That's your opinion, Mudblood," sneered Malfoy. "But considering some of the *things* that you've taken a shine to in the past, I'm surprised you're not as flea-bitten as that mangy mutt there." He nodded at Kurama and the silver fox growled at the boy, his ears laying flat against his head in anger. He was *not* flea-bitten nor was he mangy. He took great pride in his appearance, and he could honestly say that no other kitsune had nearly as lovely of fur as he did.

A soft growl started somewhere on the ground and Kurama glanced down to find a large ginger colored cat with a bushy tail and a squashed face glaring balefully up at Malfoy with puffed fur. However the intelligence in the golden eyes told Kurama that this was not an ordinary cat, and Kurama only hoped it decided he was relatively benign so he could heal in peace.

" ‘Ere now, what's goin' on?" demanded a gruff voice as a large shadow fell over them, and Kurama looked up to find a man that had to be part giant standing there with dark hair falling over his shoulders and a dark beard covering part of his face, both tangled enough to give him a wild appearance, but there was something kind in the dark eyes that flickered over the students.

"Professor, this fox came running around the corner and crashed into us," reported Hermione, never taking her eyes off of Malfoy or his goons. "We had just decided to bring the fox to you for treatment for his injuries when Draco Malfoy and his friends appeared from the same direction the fox had come from and Malfoy threatened the fox with death."

A thunderous look passed over the face that was visible over the bushy beard and those eyes turned to glare at Malfoy. "This true?"

"That... *thing* broke my wand!" snarled Malfoy, pointing a trembling finger at Kurama, and Kurama snapped his jaws in warning, causing the silver blond bully to hastily pull his finger back. "I demand that it be destroyed immediately."

"Now that's a bit hasty even for you, Draco," rumbled the man, glancing down at Kurama and the kitsune tried to look as pitiful as possible, even whimpering slightly as he looked up at the man with large golden eyes, ignoring the slight snicker from the cat. The man's face softened and he gestured for Harry, Hermione and Ron to follow him. "I've got some supplies in my hut to help the poor thing."

Malfoy's face turned red with anger and he pointed a finger at them. "My father will hear of this!" he snarled before tuning and storming off with his two thugs following him.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," snorted the cat, flicking a tail at the retreating trio in distaste. Kurama watched the cat as he was carried into the hut, not surprised that he could understand the cat. When he was in his fox form, he could understand animals since he was one himself, unlike when he was in his youko form and could barely understand them. "I don't care how purebred that one is, that's no excuse or bad manners." Golden eyes peered up at Kurama, who had relaxed slightly in Harry's arms. "These three will take good care of you, but if you try to harm any of them, you'll have to deal with me, fox."

"I just want to heal enough to be able to get away before trouble finds me," confessed Kurama, closing his eyes as he was placed on a soft blanket. It felt wonderful, cushioning his tired body and easing some of the aches that throbbed in time with his heart. A quiet click of claws on wood caused him to open his eyes as the cat settled down next to the blanket and regarded him with curious golden eyes.

A warm, wet cloth gently ran over his fur and Kurama relaxed, allowing Harry to wash the dried blood away to leave his fur gleaming silver in the sunlight that filtered through the windows. When Hermione tried to bandage his injuries, she jerked a bit too hard, and Kurama snapped at her in warning.

"Maybe you should let Harry help him, ‘Mione," remarked Ron, pulling the startled girl away from Kurama, and the kitsune relaxed under Harry's gentle hands.

"We can't leave him to Malfoy's revenge," stated Harry, his voice soft and as soothing as his hands. "We should tell the Headmaster that he's here and ask what we should do about him since he's injured."

Sighing softly, Kurama laid his head back down and allowed the caring to wash over him, soothing tense and sore muscles with gentle touches and allowed his eyes to drift shut. Glad that the illusion was as natural as breathing for him, Kurama allowed himself to drift off into a light doze.

Harry smiled slightly as the beautiful fox slipped into a healing sleep under his ministrations, and carefully wrapped the warm blanket around the silver fur. He glanced quickly at Crookshank who was regarding the fox with an idle curiosity instead of the fanatic hatred the cat had displayed towards Scrabbers.

"We should take him to the Headmaster while he's asleep," Harry murmured, reaching out to stroke the soft fur between twitching ears. "Besides, we need to tell him about Malfoy's threat."

Hermione and Ron nodded as Harry gently scooped up the sleeping fox. Hermione grabbed Crookshank, and together they left Hagrid's hut with promises to keep him informed on the fox's recovery. As they walked to the Headmaster's office, the brunet boy couldn't help but marvel at the magnificence of the animal he held in his arms. Never had he seen such a brilliant shade of silver outside of a freshly minted coin and even that seemed dull in comparison. Even lying limp in his arms with white bandages marring the silver fur, there seemed to be something regal about the fox, as if he wasn't entirely of this world.

*Come to think of it, the only other animal I know like that is Fawkes,* mused Harry as they climbed the stairs that would lead them to Dumbledore's office. He smiled at the thought of the glowing red and gold phoenix that had saved his life twice with his tears and a third time with his song, before his gaze dropped to the blanket wrapped bundle in his arms. *You're beautiful, but I can't help thinking that there's something special about you. Something magical.*

"Welcome," greeted Dumbldore, snapping Harry out of his thoughts and he looked up to discover that he was standing in the Headmaster's office with no idea how he got there. Dumbledore smiled at them from behind his paperwork strewn desk. "What brings you to my office at this time of day?"

Harry took a step closer to the desk and held out the precious bundle. "He came running out of the Forest right at us, sir," he began as Dumbledore and Fawkes both peered down at the sleeping fox. "He was injured and I think Malfoy did something to him, because he claims that the fox broke his wand."

Surprise flickered over Dumbledore's face. "Very interesting," he murmured, reaching out a finger to stroke the soft fur. Before he could touch the fox, golden eyes opened and sharp teeth were bared in a warning, and Harry watched in surprise as Fawkes trilled only to be answered by a soft whine from the fox.

"Very interesting indeed," Dumbledore remarked, standing up and stepping away from Harry and the fox. "You have a special friend there, Harry. One that will only let you touch him by all appearances." Serious blue eyes fixed on Harry, and the boy found himself cradling the fox closer to his chest. "Are you willing to accept responsibility for this fox and care for him until he gets better?"

Harry nodded. "Yes sir."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded once as if he had answered a difficult question. Stepping behind his desk again, the Headmaster picked up his red quill and scribbled something on a sheet of parchment and handed it to Harry. "This will allow you a slight bit of freedom to help your friend there but do not abuse it."

"Yes, Headmaster," agreed Harry, taking the note and putting it in a pocket where he wouldn't loose it.

"I will inform the other teachers of this latest development, but remember, Harry, he is a wild creature and will have to be returned to his home once he has healed," warned Dumbledore and Harry nodded his understanding. As much as he would love to have the silver fox as a pet, he deserved to be free even more. "Very well, I will arrange for a basket to be made into a bed for your friend here. Have you thought about what you wanted to name him for now?"

"Argent," replied Harry and smiled sheepishly at the disbelieving look Hermione was giving him. "It's fancier than just ‘silver', and he deserves a fancy name."

Chuckling, Dumbledore escorted them out of his office, and Harry smiled his thanks at the Headmaster one last time before hurrying to the Griffindor Tower, not wanting to run into any Slytherin along the way or even a professor before Dumbledore could explain his new pet to them.

They had managed to make it to the moving stairs when a horrible racket announced the approach of Peeves the Poltergeist, and Hermione groaned, burying her face in her hands. "We won't have a chance to get away from him, not on the stairs," she said, watching as the staircase moved away from them, effectively trapping them on the landing. "Now what?"

Harry glanced around, hoping to find a place to hide from whatever mischief Peeves was up to now, but not finding any way when the noise woke Argent. Yawning, the fox glanced at Crookshank who meowed in an almost disgusted sounding voice, and Argent shook his head, dislodging the blanket as he slowly sat up in Harry's arms, arranging himself in a casual sprawl so that his tail was draped up over the boy's shoulder.

"Naughty Griffindors out of their tower," cackled Peeves, flying into view only to freeze at the sight of Argent in Harry's arms, almost glowing against the black material of his robe. A warning growl slipped out of the fox as golden eyes focused on the poltergeist and the silver tail lashed in irritation.

For a second, it almost seemed like the single tail had split into five, but that was impossible. No fox had more than one tail. He had probably been seeing an after image of Argent's tail when the fox had flicked it fast. That was all.

Peeves blew a raspberry at Argent, sticking his thumbs in his ears and wiggling his fingers at the fox. "Don't scare me, mangy fur ball," he sneered. "All injured and no power." The poltergeist cackled again, his voice raising the hair on the back of Harry's neck and he shivered against his better judgment.

Before Harry could stop him, Argent launched himself out of Harry's arms straight at Peeves, but instead of passing through the poltergeist like he expected, Harry watched in stunned amazement as Argent crashed *into* Peeves and sent him to the floor with the silver fox on his chest. The poltergeist looked extremely shocked and scared in a way that only the Bloody Barron before could make him appear as Argent growled softly and snapped his teeth ever so often. The three students were frozen as they watched Peeves nod his head so hard it looked like he was in danger of flinging it off by the violent motion alone, before Argent climbed off of his chest and dismissed him with an odd flick of his tail that made it seem like five again. Glaring at the fox, Peeves sank through the floor and vanished, leaving behind two smug animals and three stunned students.

"No one will believe us," breathed Ron, his eyes huge as he stared at the spot where Peeves had been. "Not even with Peeves backing us."

"This stays between us then," agreed Harry, kneeling down to carefully scoop Argent back up into the blanket, and breathed a sigh of relief when the fox settled right down in his arms. "I don't think even Nearly-Headless Nick would believe us."

Hermione nodded her agreement just as the stairs swung their way again, connecting to their landing with a grinding of stone. Scrambling up the stairs, they managed to make it back to the Tower with no further incidents.

As the portal swung closed behind them, Harry casually glanced around the Common Room, spotting a few familiar faces and noting with relief that Collin Creevey and his camera weren't around. He didn't want anyone to accidentally startle Argent, especially after that little trick in the hall, but still, he couldn't help wondering the secrets the fox held, locked in that silver skull. There was a round basket near the fire with a plump red cushion in it, and gently Harry placed Argent in the basket, marveling at the red glow the fire gave his fur even as he folded up the blanket, idly making a mental note to return it to Hagrid later.

"Hey Harry, whatcha got there?" asked Dean Thomas as he vaulted over the back of the couch to bounce on the cushion even as he stared at Argent. "Blimey, is that a silver fox?"

Harry nodded and sat down next to the basket, slipping his robe off as he reached out to lightly stroke the silver fur. "He came out of the Forest with Malfoy and Goons chasing him," he reported in a soft voice so as not to wake the sleeping fox. "Malfoy tried to do something to him and Argent snapped his wand."

That got stunned silence as more heads started appearing in the Common Room. "You mean to tell us that a *fox* snapped Malfoy's wand?" asked Ginny Weasley, her eyebrows climbing towards her red hair in disbelief.

Ron nodded, a huge grin on his face. "It was bloody beautiful," he agreed, waving his arms as he gestured. "Here comes Malfoy and his goons, barreling around the side of Hagrid's hut and Malfoy carrying his wand, snapped in half like mine was that one year, and with teeth marks on each side of the break."

Everyone looked at Argent with a new gaze of respect in their eyes, but Argent slept on, unconcerned that he was the center of attention or that Crookshank was curled up on the rug next to his basket, settling down for his own nap.

There was something strange about Argent and Harry was going to get to the bottom of it before the fox vanished back into the wilderness.

Yawning, Kurama stretched slightly only to wince as sore muscles made themselves known, and he opened his eyes to find himself in a comfortable basket next to a crackling fire that was chasing the chill out of the fall evening. The room he was in was decorated in gold and red, giving it a warm feeling even with the cold gray stone visible between swatches of color.

"About time you woke up," grumbled a voice and Kurama turned his head to find the cat sitting next to his improvised bed, cleaning his whiskers. "Dinner'll be in about half an hour, and Harry'll wanna change your bandages before ya head down."

"Will you be coming to eat with us as well?" inquired Kurama, stretching stiff and sore muscles as he stepped out of the basket.

The cat chuckled and took one last swipe at his whiskers before lowering his paw. "Actually, most of the pets around here sneak down at least for food, save for the owls and they've got their own place to hang out when they're not working that is." He cocked his head, his whiskers flaring slightly. "You're not a normal fox are you? My dad was a kneazle, and we can tell when there's something odd about someone."

Kurama bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment. "No, I am not an ordinary fox," he agreed, glancing around to make sure no one else was in the room with them before dropping the illusion long enough for the cat to get a good look at his five tails. The cat's golden eyes widened in surprise before the illusion rose once more. "My name is Kurama."

"Coo! You're one of them kitsonay foxes, ain't ya?" breathed the cat, his whiskers twitching in excitement. "I'm Crookshank an' it's a pleasure ta meet ya. So what brings ya so far from home?"

"It's pronounced ‘kitsune', and I was tracking the rumors of a demon in the area," replied Kurama, stretching out before the fire and basking in the warmth. "Only the information I was given made the demon appear to be a weaker class than what it was." He shook his head in disgust. "That's the last time I listen to that toddler when he tells me that back up isn't necessary." The last was said in a low growl, more to himself but Crookshank nodded in agreement.

Pounding footsteps echoed through the room, and Kurama raised his head as Harry and Ron practically ran over to the fireplace. Ron wore a pair of shabby but neat khaki pants and an oversized sweater while Harry's clothes looked like they had been hand me downs from an elephant. The ratty shirt hung on his thin frame and the torn and stained pants were held up by a cracked belt that had crude holes punched in it. Even the shoes on his feet were slowly falling apart as if he didn't have enough money to purchase descent clothes.

"Hey, Argent, glad to see you awake," greeted Harry, putting down the bowl of water and the small box of supplies as he sat on the rug near Kurama and Crookshank. "I've got to check your bandages, but I promise not to hurt you too much."

Ron chuckled. "We've had plenty of practice patching Harry up after a tangle or two," he stated in what Kurama thought was suppose to be a soothing manner, but Kurama leveled a look at Ron that had the redhead rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Gentle hands carefully cut off the bandages that had become stained, and warm water washed the new blood off his fur, causing Kurama to purr and practically melt under Harry's tender care. A few minutes later, and he was being scooped up into Harry's arms as a hand ran through his fur, soothing the fur that was sticking uncomfortably up from the first aid.

"I could get use to this," murmured Kurama, settling down in Harry's arms as Crookshank trotted along next to them, and the cat snickered as he padded down the stone hallway.

"I wouldn't ‘cause Harry there has every intention of releasing you back into the wild once you've healed," the ginger cat remarked, slightly smug about that fact.

Kurama sniffed. "You can't send someone home who doesn't want to go," he announced, regally. "Besides, the toddler owes me for misinformation. It would serve him right if I took a vacation."

The murmur of thousands of voices reached the kitsune's ears, and he looked up as Ron pushed open a door to release the loud chatter of an entire school's worth of voices, chattering, screaming, and laughing all in one great room that echoed with the noise. Looking around, Kurama noticed that the hall seemed to be divided up into four long tables filled with students, each table wearing a certain pair of colors, stretching down the length of the hall and a modest table placed up on a dais at the end of the hall where some adults were already seated, among them a woman with short spiky gray hair and golden eyes, an older woman with her hair pulled back into a bun and a severe look on her face, and a dark gloomy man with lank greasy looking hair brushing his shoulders and pale skin who looked as if he never has seen the sun.

The voices died down to hushed whispers as Harry carried Kurama to an empty spot at the one table where people were wearing scarlet and gold, and Kurama smirked at the excitement that crackled through the hall even as he noticed a pair of furious gray eyes watching his every move.

*Glare all you want, kit. You don't frighten me,* smirked Kurama, dismissing the boy with a flick of his tail. *I may be injured, but I'm not helpless.*

"Hey, ‘Mione," greeted Harry, sliding into an empty seat on the bench across from the girl and settling Kurama in his lap. The silver fox looked at the table, expecting to find some delicious food waiting there only to blink in surprise when the only thing that was on the table was plates, cups, silverware, and napkins.

A round faced boy with messy brown hair and a toad by his plate leaned over the table to get a better look at Kurama. "Is that the silver fox that broke Malfoy's wand?" he asked, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Yes, Neville, this is Argent," stated Harry as if this was an old topic. Neville's eyes grew large, and he gazed at Kurama with respect even as he pulled back to his own seat.

There was a chiming of metal on glass, drawing Kurama's attention to the table at the head of the hall where the Headmaster now stood, regarding the hall with a small smile and the voices died down as all attention focused on the old man.

"There is a new addition to the school this day," began the Headmaster, his voice easily carrying through the hall. "He is a rare silver fox named Argent who was injured in the Forbidden Forest and sought help from one of our students. That student has accepted the responsibility of caring and protecting Argent until he is well enough to fend for himself once more."

Every eye in the hall turned to Kurama, and he yawned, acting as if he was bored of the proceedings. "As there has already been one unfortunate incident involving another student's wand and Argent, I ask that you treat Argent with the respect he deserves and do not tease or antagonize him in any way." With that said, the Headmaster sat down and the food appeared on the table, the noisy chatter of conversation filling the air once more.

The scent of roast beef teased Kurama's nose, and he glanced up at Harry before returning his attention to the large platter filled with thick slices of hot meat, hoping the boy would take a hint before he climbed up on the table to get some food for himself.

Apparently someone could take the hint because a plate with a thick slice of roast beef cut up on it was placed before Kurama, and he let out a bark of thanks before slowly eating his meal. He was starving, but if he gorged himself on food, he would only make himself sick and that was the last thing he needed. A bowl of water was placed next to the plate and he took a long drink, soothing his parched throat before finishing off the roast beef.

As Kurama settled back down on Harry's lap, curling his tail around his body, a shadow fell over the table, and the kitsune glanced up, wary of an attack, to find the older woman from the head table standing there, staring at Kurama with a curious gaze, her emerald green robe brushing the floor.

"Have you changed his bandages recently, Mr. Potter?" she inquired, and Kurama was hard pressed not to start laughing. Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that he was wearing new bandages, and knew she was just looking for an excuse to come and see the kitsune for herself.

Harry nodded as he finished his bite before answering. "Yes, Professor McGonagall," he replied in a polite voice. "They were changed right before we came down for dinner."

Rolling his eyes, Kurama glanced at Crookshank who was being fed bits of food by Hermione. "Are all professors here so nosey?"

"I think it's got something to do with them bein' professors," replied the cat around a mouthful of roast beef. "Gotta stick their noses where others don't want ‘em. Be careful ‘round that one. She can turn inta a cat when the mood strikes her."

"Thank you for the warning." Kurama snuggled into Harry's lap and was just getting comfortable when there was a rustling of wings as a bird flew through the hall. Looking up, the silver kitsune watched as the phoenix soared gracefully through the air to land on the table before Harry, politely avoiding the plate that Harry quickly pushed off to the side. Excited murmurs sprang up through the hall again as the bird peered down at Kurama with eyes that glittered like onyx.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, what are you doing here, why did you come here, and what do you think of Harry?" trilled the phoenix, cocking his head at Kurama and the kitsune chuckled softly. Out of all the chatty birds in the world, the phoenix was the only one that rattled off questions like that in the hopes of getting them answered.

"Right now, I'm trying to recover from a battle, I didn't know the school was here when I entered the forest on the other side," answered Kurama, yawning in a sleepy manner. His belly was full and he was warm, both of which were factors in his current, lazy state. "And he's a nice, pretty boy." The last was a soft murmur as Kurama allowed his eyes to drift mostly shut and buried his nose in his tail, hoping the phoenix would take the hint and leave him alone for a while. He knew this wasn't going to be the last time he repeated himself to one of the various animals at the school, but he had hoped for a bit of reprieve between the questions. Didn't any of the animals here ever talk to each other?

"No one really talks to Mrs. Norris," remarked Crookshank, startling Kurama into realizing that he must have spoken out loud. "She's a nosey busy body. Even more so than the worst professor here. As for the rest of us, it isn't until at night when everyone's asleep that we can get out to gossip and visit."

One of Harry's hands started stroking his head, and Kurama leaned into the caress, eyes drifting shut again as he purred under the attention. He never noticed when the phoenix took off or even when McGonagall returned to the head table.

"I suppose it was just a matter of time before Potter got a mangy animal to fit in with his friends," drawled the annoying voice of Malfoy, his voice raised deliberately to carry over the other voices. "After all, Granger has that ratty excuse for a cat and everyone's seen Weasley's flying feather."

Harry stiffened, his hand stopped, and Kurama looked up to find anger burning in those green eyes. The kitsune didn't know if anyone else realized that Harry's eyes faintly glowed with his anger and realized he was going to have to take a closer look at the boy when he got the chance. But as for Malfoy, that one needed to be taught some manners.

"Pay no attention to the Incredible Bouncing Ferret, Harry," replied Ron, his voice echoing back, and Kurama smirked as a humiliated flush stole over the rich snob's face. "He's only jealous that Argent prefers Griffindor company over Slytherin."

There was a snicker from Crookshank and Kurama found himself snickering as well. He wasn't sure what the source of the nickname was, but he knew embarrassment when he saw it. The look in steel gray eyes promised retribution on Harry and probably Ron as well, and Kurama's mischievousness flared to life as any thoughts of boredom faded away. It had been too long since he had participated in a good bit of mischief, and now that he thought about it, the last time had been when he had conspired with Kuwabara to make Yusuke think that Keiko had died.

"What's the policy for pets accompanying students to class?" Kurama inquired, ideas running through his head. Depending on the answer, he might have to get *very* creative, or at least sharpen his skills more so as to not get caught.

There was smugness in the cat's voice as he answered. "Most of us follow our witch or wizard to class and just stay out of the way as we learn along with ‘em," he stated with a casual flick of his tail. "Plus, none of the proffs really complain. ‘Bout the only classes we don't go to is Divinations, the flying class for the First Years, and most of us avoid Care of Magical Creatures." Golden eyes blinked innocently up at him. "Any particular reason you wanted to know?"

"Just curious," Kurama stated, even as he glanced around Harry's arm to see Malfoy was still glaring daggers at the brunet's back. Narrowing his eyes, Kurama decided that the blond idiot's lesson in manners would start now. A small flex of his natural illusion talent, and he settled back to wait for the excitement.

It took a few minutes for the two illusions to make it across the hall, but with their fur the same color as Malfoy's hair, they were impossible to miss. Especially with the large red heart they were carrying. Whispers and giggles started through the hall as eyes tracked the pair to the Slytherin table where they quickly scrambled on top of the table to perch before Malfoy whose face had turned a splotchy red from anger. The one ferret daintily placed the red heart next to Malfoy's plate as the second one slithered up to nuzzle his cheek, looking for all the world like the boy was getting a kiss from the ferret. Then with a brief wave, they slipped beneath the table where they vanished.

The hall roared with laughter and some students pounding their fists on the tables and even Crookshank was laughing it up under the table. Looking at the head table revealed that a few of the professors were outright laughing while a few more proper ones were hiding their smiles behind their hands. Only the dark man wasn't smiling or even showing a trace of humor and Kurama had to wonder if he was carved from a block of stone or just cursed to have no humor.

"Coo ah," sighed Crookshank, picking himself up off the floor and turning a respectable gaze on Kurama. "How ‘bout I take you on a tour of the place while everyone finishes eating? After the meal, most everyone heads back to either their houses or the library."

Kurama nodded, sliding off of Harry's lap and onto the floor. "I could use a stretch," he agreed, ignoring the slight flare of pain in his still healing body. He wanted to get a good look around this castle and start making defensive plans in case they were needed.

There was a startled cry at his sudden movements, and Kurama paused next to Crookshank to find Harry peering under the table at them, a small smile on his face.

"If you're going to go exploring, stick close to Crookshank," advised Harry, relief in his eyes as he apparently figured out the reason behind the kitsune's departure from his lap. Turning, Kurama followed the cat out of the hall and breathed a soft sigh of relief as the doors closed on the loud noise.

"Inari, they're loud enough to wake the dead," muttered Kurama, sitting down to shake his head to get some of the lingering sound out of his ears. There were draw backs to having sensitive hearing and a hall full of children is one of them.

After a few seconds, the ringing in his ears died, and the silver fox stood up to follow the ginger cat through the castle. Now that he was paying attention, Kurama saw the paintings as they moved and heard faint grinding of stones shifting somewhere in the castle. For the next few hours, Kurama toured the castle, learning about the different houses that the students are separated into, the various professors including the gloomy and Griffindor-hating Snape, some of the adventures and trouble the Golden Trio had gotten into since they started at Hogwarts, and the different Defense Against the Dark Arts professors that switched by the year.

"An' that's about all ya need ta know to survive the year here," concluded Crookshank, sitting down in one of the corridors to rest for a while. "Or for however long you're stayin'."

Kurama sighed. "I do have commitments, but nothing I can't put off," he murmured with a frown. His parole for stealing the Mirror of Utter Darkness was over, which was one less thing for Koenma to bargain with, and during a demon attack the year before his human mother had found out that Kurama was a kitsune and that he worked as a detective for the Reikai. He had graduated from his high school so there were no pressing concerns there, and if he wanted to stay at the castle for a while, it would be a matter of minutes to write a note to his mother so as not to worry her and summon one of Hiei's imps to deliver it for him.

And if Koenma didn't know where he was, then Kurama didn't have to take any assignments from the little godling.

"I think I'll be staying for quite a while," decided Kurama with a nod. "From the sounds of their adventures, Harry could use my help." Something from earlier brought a question to the silver fox's lips. "Do you know why Harry wears such pitiful-looking clothing?"

Crookshank shook his head. "They haven't mentioned it when I've been around," he stated, stopping with a thoughtful look on his face. "They don't talk about Harry's family at all, now that I think of it. Maybe a bit about his parents, but nothing about the relatives he lives with now."

Kurama frowned. There were only a few reasons he could think of that would explain the ragged clothes and the family that wasn't discussed, and he didn't like the picture that was developing around Harry at all. Perhaps he could find a way to fix that little problem or at least fix the persons who were causing that problem.

"Well, we'd better be getting' back to the tower for some sleep," remarked the ginger cat, swiping at his whiskers. "It's gonna be a long day tomorrow with Double Potions with the Slytherin, and Snape is *never* in a good mood when the Griffindors are in his class."

Turning, the cat lead the way up the moving staircases to the portal of a huge woman in a ball gown who smiled when she saw them before her frame moved aside. Upon entering the central room, Kurama noticed that all the lights were out save for the fire crackling merrily in the stone fireplace. From the faint scents, it had been at least an hour since the room had been inhabited, but Kurama was able to pick Harry's scent out easily. Nodding good night to Crookshank, the silver fox followed the scent up the stairs to a bed with heavy velvet drapes enclosing it, and nosed the drape aside far enough to jump up onto the bed.

Harry shifted slightly as Kurama curled up next to him, and the fox nuzzled his cheek, soothing him back to sleep before the brunet could wake up fully. Sighing softly, Harry rolled over, one of his hands coming to rest on Kurama as if to ensure that the fox didn't slip away during the night, and with a smile on his lips, Kurama settled down to sleep.

Slowly walking through the hall, Harry kept an eye on Argent even though the fox was doing much better this morning. It had been a surprise to wake up and find Argent curled up on the bed with him, but not an unpleasant one. After washing Argent's injuries, Harry discovered that some of them had closed already and did not need further tending, leaving only the gash in his side to be bandaged. Once Harry had gotten ready for his day, Argent had laid on top of the school books the teen needed for the day and made it clear that he wasn't moving until Harry agreed to take him to class as well.

Transfigurations had been rather calm with Argent sitting next to his chair, watching Professor McGonagall teach about the Animagus spell, and apparently learning right along with everyone else. It was about the only way to describe the intense look that Argent wore through the entire class.

Now, they were on their way to Potions and Harry only hoped that Snape wouldn't get mad at Argent being there with him. The professor shouldn't since other pets came to class and stayed out of the way, and it wasn't as if he could just send Argent away. Harry doubted that the fox would listen to such an order anyway.

Upon entering the Dungeon where Snape held his class, Argent sat down next to Harry's chair and looked around, curiosity shining clearly in his golden eyes even as he sneezed once before batting at his nose. A glance at Draco resulted in a sniff and a flicked ear at the blond Slytherin who was still hurting from the broken wand, and Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing just as Snape swept into the room. A glare at Argent before Snape was snapping out orders, sending everyone scrambling for ingredients and their cauldrons.

This potion was going to be a simple healing draught to encourage a person to heal faster after being injured. Unfortunately for those not as adept at Potion Making as others, this meant a tense hour of carefully measuring and double checking their ingredients and their steps before moving on to the next action. Snape had compounded his usual sneering instructions with the announcement that no one was going to work with partners this time as they should all be competent enough to create such a simple potion on their own. So everyone was braced for the first explosion, expecting it to come from Neville, one of the worst students in this class.

It was a complete surprise when it was Draco's cauldron that disgorged its contents in an explosion of green colored liquid. Everyone stopped and stared in disbelief as the liquid coated the Slytherin boy from the head down.

Draco Malfoy, Snape's star pupil, had just botched a potion.

"Mr. Malfoy, what did you do wrong?" demanded Snape, standing over the boy and glowering at him like a dark specter and everyone hurried to get back to their potions as dark eyes glanced over them. Harry had seen a glimpse of surprise and disbelief in those cold eyes just for a second before he too turned back to his cauldron.

"I don't know, sir," replied Draco, his voice sounding slightly numb, as if he couldn't believe this had happened to him. "I followed the directions exactly."

Snape pointed one long pale finger at a pile of dried herbs near Draco's cauldron. "Perhaps if you had added the comfrey before the belladonna, you would not have had this problem."

"But I did!" exclaimed Draco, his voice rising. "I know I did." The voice that started out so adamant at being right and perfect had faded to slightly confused, and Harry glanced out of the corner of his eye to find Draco staring at the small pile of comfrey with a puzzled expression on his face.

A soft snort that almost sounded like a laugh drew his attention to Argent, and Harry could almost swear that the look on the silver foxes face was smug. True, Argent was an intelligent animal but no animal could make a person think they had done something when they hadn't. Yet, that also didn't explain the ferrets that had appeared in the Great Hall carrying a Valentine.

Shaking his head, Harry bent his attention back to his potion before his exploded as well. He would worry about Argent's strange behavior and the odd things that happened around him later in a less volatile situation. Like Care of Magical Creatures or Herbology.

Another thirty minutes and Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he escaped the Dungeons with Argent next to him. He heard the familiar voice of Hermione behind him and stopped to wait for his friends, when Draco angrily brushed past him with his goons in tow. Harry's head snapped around, a sarcastic comment on his lips when he got a good look at Draco for the first time since the potion had exploded, and bit his lip to keep from bursting out in laughter. Draco's silver blond hair was now a mottled fluorescent, glow in the dark lime green and hot pink.

Some of the other students burst out laughing at the sight of the Slytherin Prince with his hair colored like a Muggle punk, and a humiliated blush stole over Draco's face before he practically ran for the Slytherin house.

"Who would have thought that Draco of all people would botch a potion," remarked Hermione, watching Draco vanish around a corner before shaking her head. "It seems impossible since he is practically a younger version of Snape when it comes to potions."

"Well this just shows that even the prat isn't as perfect as he'd like everyone to believe," drawled Ron with a huge smirk on his face, and Harry rolled his eyes as they started chatting about Draco and their speculations on how long his hair would be like that.

Once again, Harry's gaze drifted towards Argent who was sitting proudly on the floor, openly accepting the admiring looks that were sent his way. Perhaps if he started writing down the odd things he noticed about the silver fox, he might be able to solve this mystery. Green eyes drifted over to where his friends were still chatting away, apparently unconcerned by anything other than school work and the latest gossip floating around, and Harry felt a reluctance to draw them into this mystery, as if it had been given just to him to enjoy and distract himself with it for a while.

Entering the greenhouse where the Herbology class took place, Harry placed his text books off to one side where other books were stacked and moved towards the table where potted plants resided, waiting for the students to tend them. An excited yelp dragged Harry's attention to Argent, and the young wizard nearly collapsed at the sight of the fox playing with a Devil's Snare. The plant would try to capture the silver fox that would jump to one side at the last minute, his tail wagging furiously at the fun he was apparently having. The one time a vine wrapped around a paw, Argent went completely still and just stared at the plant before the Devil's Snare released him to curl back into its pot. Then as if he hadn't been playing tag with a deadly plant, Argent calmly walked over and stretched out under the table with a yawn.

*A Devil's Snare just let him go,* thought Harry, numb as the adrenaline rush faded even as his eyes were drawn back to the Devil's Snare that was curled up in its pot, hiding from the sun. *Devil's Snares don't just let someone go once they're caught. Not unless there's a fire involved, but there wasn't a fire. The Snare just let Argent go.*

That thought ran around Harry's head like a dog chasing its tail for the rest of the class, keeping him distracted from his work on the innocent and harmless plant that Professor Sprout had them working on.

Somehow, he managed to make it through Herbology, and once the class was over, Harry collected his books and his fox and slipped out of the greenhouse, heading for the library to do some research. Argent was quite content to curl around Harry's neck, riding on his shoulders as they moved through the castle, and more than one strange look was tossed their way before they arrived at the library.

Argent seemed to perk up as they passed through the doorway into the library, and Harry smiled as he reached up to scratch behind the silver fox's ears. "Let's see if I can find out something about you," he murmured, placing his books on a table before moving through the bookcases. "I'd hate to accidentally hurt you through ignorance."

A cold wet nose nuzzled his cheek almost in thanks as the teen browsed through the volumes. There was thick dust on this shelf of books, but Harry had come to learn his second year at Hogwarts that the main purpose for books was to gather dust in obscene quantities while waiting for someone to read them. Slowly dragging his finger down the row of books, Harry squinted as he managed to just barely make out the faded lettering on the spines, and stopped as his finger touched one that seemed to tingle slightly under his touch.

"Familiar Spirits Around the World," he read out loud before removing the book with a slight shrug of his shoulders, which earned him a soft yelp of surprise from Argent. Absently stroking the soft fur in apology, Harry moved back to where his school books were and sat down to flip through the pages. There were illustrations on the pages, depicting the creature discussed, and even though the illustrations were faded to almost pastel colors, they were still wonderfully detailed.

Turning one last page, Harry was greeted with the image of a slender fox with an almost mischievous smirk on its face. The fox's fur was a lustrous silver color that seemed to glow in the full moon light even as a soft fog swirled through the picture, obscuring some details.

"The Japanese fox spirit, or kitsune, is a creature of magic and illusion," Harry read, glancing at Argent to find that he was now sitting on the table with an interested look on his face. "Not much is known about these elusive beings, but it is said that they are the followers of Inari the Goddess of Rice. They naturally create illusions and are as mischievous as any fox, but woe unto the one who dare attacks those they claim as theirs." Startled emerald eyes rose to greet a smug golden gaze. "The ferrets were you, weren't they?" Harry whispered, a slight grin on his face. "And the missing ingredients in Potions?" There was a definite smirk on Argent's face, and Harry found himself chuckling slightly before returning his attention to the book.

"They are as intelligent as any human, perhaps more so because of their connection to both the Spirit World and the Demon World, but they are not creatures of darkness like werewolves or vampires," concluded Harry with a slight frown at the book. "Nothing else about kitsunes I'm afraid."

Argent sighed softly before resuming his perch on Harry's shoulders, his tail lightly twitching as he seemed to doze off. Gathering up the book, the teen approached Madam Pince with a small smile. "Excuse me, but are there any more books on Japanese fox spirits?"

The Librarian looked over her glasses at Harry and the fox curled around his shoulders. "I'm afraid there is only one book on any Oriental spirits," she said in a slightly frosty voice as if the thought of a student touching her precious tombs of knowledge was something dangerous. "At least all the books that the students are allowed to access without special permission."

Harry nodded his understanding and retrieved his school books, bringing the book on spirits up to the desk to check it out. Madam Pince filled out the necessary paperwork for Harry to take the book, her eyes searching him for something before she handed the book over. "If you are truly interested in Oriental Spirits, you might wish to talk with Professor McGonagall. She has always been interested in that part of the world and has quite the library."

"Thank you," he replied, accepting his book and going back to gather his school books and Argent was quite happy to ride on his shoulders instead of walk. Idly scratching Argent's fur, the teen wandered down the hallway towards the Griffindor Tower thinking over what the book had said about kitsune, and realized that while it had answered some questions about the silver fox, there were still several others that it had raised or left unanswered. Why had the Devil's Snare released Argent, what was a Japanese spirit doing in England, specifically at Hogwarts, why had the fox attached himself to Harry to the point of pulling pranks on Draco, and how was he going to keep this new development a secret from the professors to keep from sending Argent away?

The fact that Argent has a connection with the Spirit World being a kitsune definitely explained what happened with Peeves. Argent must have threatened the poltergeist with something scary enough to frighten him either about the Spirit World or perhaps it had been the Demon World. But what could possibly scare Peeves so badly, from either world?

The sound of footsteps snapped Harry out of his thoughts and he looked up to find Professor McGonagall striding down the hall away from him, her steps firm and precise. "Professor, may I speak with you?"

At his call, McGonagall stopped and turned around, a curious expression flitting across her face before it settled into the normal almost-stern mask she normally wore. "Of course, Mr. Potter. I have some free time right now," she offered, gesturing towards her classroom which she had just emerged from.

He followed her into the classroom and up to her desk where she leaned against the wood in a relaxed and friendly manner. "What is it you wished to discuss?"

"I was wondering what you could tell me about kitsunes," replied Harry, digging out the book on spirits that he had checked out of the library and turning to the picture of the silver fox to show her. She glanced at the picture before her eyes flickered to the fox currently curled around Harry's neck before a look of understanding appeared in her eyes.

"There's not much known about kitsune, even today," began McGonagall, her voice taking on the same tone as one of her lectures even as she moved over to the bookcase that lined the back wall behind her desk. "They are aloof and mysterious, not wishing to mingle with mortals too often but enjoying their time with us just the same. Many wizards classify them as dark creatures like demons but they are not truly all dark or light, no more than wizards or muggles are all dark or light."

Reaching up, she pulled down a couple of books before turning back to her desk. "Kitsune are also associated with Inari, the Goddess of Rice, and are Her messengers. There have been many legends where a kitsune has assumed the form of a lovely young woman to test someone, rewarding the worthy and punishing the foolish. It is also speculated that while kitsune come in a variety of colors, the silver color is the one most precious to Inari, and that a nine-tailed kitsune is one of the most powerful of the fox spirits."

She placed the books on her desk next to Harry and smiled slightly at him. "You'll find more information in here on kitsune in general and one or two in particular that are rather famous in legend," she remarked as Harry picked up the books. "One is written by a psychic in Japan named Genkai and her work is often the most reliable."

Unable to help himself, Harry raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "A psychic?"

"Perhaps a better description would be a spiritual master," McGonagall said with a slight shrug. "One of the reasons her work is so reliable is because she has met most of the creatures that she writes about either face to face or in combat." Another slight shrug. "She is quite remarkable for a Muggle."

Harry nodded his understanding as he tucked the books under his arm. "Thank you professor," he stated hesitating for a second before glancing up at her with a curious expression. "What is the school policy on foreign spirits as familiars?"

That got a raised eyebrow from McGonagall. "The same as it is for other familiars. As long as you control it, it isn't malevolent, and it doesn't cause a disruption during class, there usually isn't any problem with having a foreign spirit as a familiar."

Grinning, Harry nodded his understanding and started for the door. "Thank you, professor," he called. "I'll be sure to get these back to you as soon as I can." He hurried out of the classroom and down the hall to the Griffindor Tower where he climbed the stairs to his room. Climbing on his bed, Harry pulled the curtains closed and cast a quick "luminos" before setting the books down next to him. Argent slipped off Harry's shoulders to sit down next to him, looking over at the first book the young teen had grabbed, and Harry chuckled, lightly scratching the fox's ears.

"Let's see what this Genkai says about kitsune," he murmured, flipping through the book, past the occasional drawing of some creature to stop at a wonderfully detailed drawing of a tall man in a sheer white tunic, pants and shoes, his silver hair cascading down his back to touch the base of the silver fox tail that appeared behind his legs. Silver ears emerged from the top of his head and his golden eyes were the only color to the pale and beautiful man. Next to his feet was a silver fox with five tails fanned out behind it like a peacock's tail.

"Wow," whispered Harry, his eyes large at the sight of the beautiful man. Even the tail and ears didn't make him ugly, but added an exotic touch to his sharp features. A small part of him had to wonder if the man's hair would be as soft as silk or would it be more like a fox's pelt, thick and warm. Shaking himself out of the small lustful daze he had slipped into, Harry turned his attention to the words and started reading out loud in a soft voice. "Kitsune are a mischievous race that is as cunning as a mortal fox but play any game by their rules. If someone tries to harm them or outright attacks them, kitsune are as deadly as a demon, and yet if their loyalty is given, it is unwavering until the person their loyalty is given to either dies or is revealed to be distrustful."

"One example of this is a kitsune known as Youko Kurama, a legendary thief in the Makai, the Demon World. His exact age is unknown, but his beauty is as well known as his love for objects of beauty, either people or things. He ran with a group of demons for a while until one did something stupid that almost got them caught. In retaliation, Youko Kurama turned his back on the demon to vanish into the wilds of the Makai, never looking back at the grievously injured demon. Yet another time, when Youko Kurama's partner had been caught in a bamboo trap, Youko Kurama started back to save him only to be told to escape before his partner died before his eyes. It is said that the night rang with his cries of anguish and any demon unlucky enough to cross his path died at his grief."

A soft whimper came from Argent and Harry looked over to find the fox's ears were dropping slightly and there was definitely a miserable look on his face. Reaching over, Harry gathered Argent up into his arms and stroked the soft fur, offering what comfort he could give. It was obvious that the story had affected the fox and that with the picture he had seen earlier added up to a kitsune in Harry's mind.

"I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories for you, Argent," he soothed, hoping to ease the misery that the fox was feeling. They remained that way for several minutes, giving and accepting comfort before Argent shook himself and sneezed at the slight cloud of dust that rose from his fur.

Chuckling, Harry closed the book he had been reading out of and scooped Argent up in one arm. "Come on. I think we both could use a bath," he remarked, pulling open the velvet drapes with one hand before gathering up his bathing supplies. Together, they slipped through the common room of Griffindor Tower and into the bathing chamber where Harry claimed one of the baths, placing a privacy spell around their area.

"I hope you don't mind taking a bath with me," apologized Harry as he started the water. "It's the only way I can think of to get us both clean and make sure you don't aggravate your healing injuries more."

Argent looked up at him and whined in what could have been an agreement as Harry started stripping off his clothes, folding them neatly next to the large sunken bathtub. There was a startled hiss behind him and Harry spun around, expecting to see one of his dorm mates there, but found Argent looking at him in surprise. It was then that he realized what the fox had seen on his back.

Scars from where his uncle beat him with a thick leather belt once. He had lived with the scars for so long that he had forgotten about them. He smiled at Argent as he climbed into the tub, turning off the water and beckoned the fox to join him.

"Don't worry about them," he murmured, helping Argent into the water and sitting him on the low seat that ran around the edge of the tub. Large enough for three adults, it was designed in a Romanesque way, sunken into the floor with decorative mosaics covering it. Harry could never understand why the baths were set up that way but just figured that the Founders were fans of the Roman baths. "That happened when I was about four. Dudley came down with red spots, either the measles or chicken pox, and my uncle blamed me for them."

Picking up the shampoo, he opened the lid and let Argent sniff the faint scent of pine coming from the bottle. "Do you like it? It's one of the few things that I save money to buy," he admitted with a slight blush. It seemed silly to admit such a small thing, but considering that any Muggle money he got was scrimped from the loose pocket change that his uncle or cousin left lying around their house because he wasn't allowed to access his vault in Gringotts until the Weasleys took him to Diagon Alley.

Argent daintily sniffed the bottle and respect seemed to glow in his golden eyes before he turned his back on Harry, giving him a glance over his shoulder as if to ask why he was waiting. Shaking his head in amusement, Harry carefully unwound the bandage from the soft fur and froze as the white bandage slithered from his fingers forgotten as he stared at the unmarred fur.

What had been a large gash in Argent's side that morning was now completely healed with no trace of it ever being there.

He opened his mouth to ask before closing it with a snap and shaking his head. "I'm just going to add that to another strange thing that you do and leave it at that," he muttered, working the shampoo into Argent's fur and the fox seemed to melt under his hands. Briefly, Harry had to wonder what was so special about having someone else clean you. Apparently, it was suppose to be wonderfully relaxing to hear any of the girls talk, but all Harry had were flashes of rough scrubbing and fingers roughly yanking on his hair.

Shaking his head to dismiss those half memories, Harry turned his attention to washing Argent until the fox gleamed like his namesake. After he was clean once more, Argent emerged from the bath and walked a polite distance away before shaking the water out of his fur. Then he curled up on a spare towel and was content to watch Harry as the teen bathed.

Lazily, Kurama watched as Harry quickly bathed, his movements sure and methodical as if he had never enjoyed a bath in his life. If he wasn't currently resigned to remaining in his fox shape, he would have shifted in a minute and shown the young wizard what a delight it was to bathe with another person. Wistfully, Kurama thought about shifting at least to his Youko form and joining Harry. After all, the teen hadn't been repulsed by his picture in Genkai's book, and if the kitsune's nose was anything to go by, Harry would definitely be interested if he ever showed up looking like that.

*Perhaps not in person,* mused Kurama with a small smile. Just then, Harry moaned in a mix of pain and resignation as one hand flew to his forehead and Kurama looked up, concerned when the teen muttered "Not again". Before he could do anything, Harry screamed and arched backwards into the water, prompting Kurama to act before the boy drowned from whatever was happening to him.

Shifting into his Youko form, he quickly scooped the thrashing Harry out of the water and held him close, not caring about how soaked he was becoming. The screams were dying out only because Harry had screamed himself hoarse, but the slight trickle of blood that was making its way down from the teen's forehead was more than slightly disturbing, even more so than the thrashing that made it seem like he was suffering some kind of seizure.

Finally, Harry stopped moving to just lie in Kurama's arms, his breathing ragged and fast. Whatever had happened to him was still affecting him if the faint twitches of his limbs were anything to go by. Reaching over, Kurama grabbed one of the larger towels and wrapped it around Harry before grabbing the wet wash cloth that was floating in the water and carefully washed the blood off of the pale face. The scent of blood was strong in the air and Kurama inhaled slightly, letting it roll across his tongue to try and figure out what it was about Harry's blood that was teasing a memory in the back of his mind.

Emerald eyes, hazy with pain opened to blearily focus on Kurama, a green glow in their depths before the wizard returned to unconsciousness, and the memory came to the light with an almost painful force, causing Kurama to gape at the young teen he held in his arms.

Fey blood ran through the young one's veins. It was strong, not strong enough to have a parent of full blood, but definitely strong enough to have one of half-blood. One of Harry Potter's grandparents had been Fey.

"And I have no idea what's wrong with you or how to help, young Feyling," murmured Kurama with an irritated shake of his head. Now that he was in his youko form, Kurama could *feel* the power of the Castle as it pressed in on him, anxious and worried for one of its, no one of her, charges. Silently, he stretched out with his powers, asking for help with the one in his arms, and there was a pulse of acknowledgment before the sounds of pounding feet in the corridor reached his ears. Shifting back into his fox form, Kurama started howling and yipping excitedly, to get the attention of anyone out there.

"By Merlin!" gasped McGonagall as she stumbled into the bathroom with the golden-eyed woman and Snape behind her. Kurama sat next to Harry, looking every inch the worried familiar, whining and glancing between her and Harry with pitiful golden eyes filled with a worry that wasn't faked. McGonagall rushed over, her wand out as she started casting spells in between orders snapped to the amber-eyed woman and Snape. "Xiomara, get to the Infirmary and alert Poppy. Tell her Harry has collapsed. Severus, I'm unsure what potions will be needed but I will need your help fending off curious students."

Xiomara hurried out of the room as McGonagall levitated Harry and Snape wrapped the robe around him before they left the bathroom. Kurama was right behind them, keeping up without getting under their feet or slowing them down. Snape was apparently in a fine mood as he stormed down the hallway, leading McGonagall with a floating Harry, and any students left in the hallway scurried out of his way so fast, none of them even noticed the others behind him. Once in the Infirmary, Harry was lowered to a bed as a woman with a kind face bustled over to him, wand out and already spells were flying around the boy.

"I can't find anything wrong with him other than a bit of magical strain," the woman confessed after several minutes. "He should be perfectly fine and awake."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Kurama hopped up on Harry's bed and pawed at the boy's forehead, whimpering and yipping as he glanced up at them. They continued to talk, trying to figure out what was wrong with the young wizard when Kurama finally decided enough was enough. Growling, he grabbed McGonagall's sleeve and pulled, an act that surprised her enough to allow him to place her hand on the scar that had been bleeding earlier. She stared at Kurama for a few minutes before shifting into a tabby cat and jumping up on the bed to join him.

"What happened to him?" she demanded in the language of animals, her tone suspicious as if suspecting Kurama himself was the reason why Harry was unconscious.

"He was in the bath when he muttered ‘Not again', and had what looked like a seizure before his scar started bleeding," Kurama stated in a cool voice. "Other than that, I have no idea what's wrong with my boy." The secret of Harry's lineage he was going to keep to himself for now until he had a chance to talk more with Harry. Perhaps some dream talking would help him meet Harry a bit more formally.

McGonagall shifted back into her human form and looked at Snape and Poppy. "According to Argent, Harry muttered ‘Not again' and appeared to have a seizure with blood coming from his scar," she announced, her voice trembling slightly before her eyes flickered over to Snape who shook his head slightly. Kurama watched the interaction with curiosity, wondering what the unspoken comments were that were flying between McGonagall and Snape.

The older professor sighed and turned to Poppy. "Let us know if he has any more visions or alert Professor Dumbledore the minute Harry wakes up," instructed McGonagall and Poppy nodded before the professors swept out of the room. Kurama watched them with curious golden eyes as he curled up next to Harry's head, preparing for a dream walk. It had been years since Kurama had dream walked, the last person being Kuronue he had walked with, but some things were impossible to forget.

Closing his eyes, he started slipping into the young wizard's dreams only to hit a wall that was thick enough to prevent even him from entering the dreams, and Kurama shook his head, trying to dispel the feeling of hitting a brick wall. Kuwabara and Yusuke were the ones who normally demolished stone walls with their thick heads, but Kurama himself had impacted enough of them to know what it felt like.

*Apparently, he has some mental defenses but they must not activate until after he has a vision,* mused Kurama, irritably snorting as he studied the sleeping boy. Harry looked so young and innocent, especially with as pale as he looked right now, bundled up in the dark covers of the Infirmary bed. Sighing, Kurama realized that Harry was probably asleep for the night as he looked around, trying to spot Poppy. He finally located her, bustling in what looked like a linen closet but with one eye firmly on Harry and himself. Resigning himself to at least half a night of being under observation, Kurama curled up on Harry's chest and slipped into a light doze.

Hours later, after Dumbledore and McGonagall came by to check on the still sleeping Harry, Poppy finally retired to her quarters, leaving Kurama and Harry alone. Slipping off the bed, Kurama shifted into his youko form and stretched even as he remained alert for Poppy to return as he quickly searched a nearby desk, finding parchment and a quill. Quickly, he scribbled out two notes, one to his human mother letting her know that he was fine and was going to remain where he was for now since a young boy needed his help, and the other to Koenma that was short and terse, explaining that the demon was dead and that he was taking a vacation.

Reaching out for the link that he had gained when Hiei had granted him the use of the network of imps that the Forbidden Child used as informants and servants, Kurama summoned one of the imps. With a slight shimmer of air, a small green creature with pointed ears and a large hooked nose appeared, its brown eyes darting about before settling on Kurama who held out the scrolls.

"Deliver this one to Mrs. Minamino in Tokyo, Japan," instructed Kurama, handing over the scrolls. "And the other one goes to Koenma in the Spirit World." The imp took the scrolls and vanished in another shimmer. Returning to the bed, Kurama shifted back into his fox form and returned to his napping place on Harry's chest just as Poppy opened her door to stick her head out.

"I thought I heard voices," she muttered, walking around the room to check that everything was where it was suppose to be before stopping next to Harry's bed. She reached down to brush messy black bangs off of the young wizard's forehead and sighed softly. "I do not envy you at all, young one, but I do wish that You-Know-Who could be stopped another way." With another sigh, Poppy returned to her room, leaving a puzzled fox behind.

*Why is it, every time I think I'm close to getting a question about you answered, a dozen more appear?* Kurama thought towards the sleeping wizard.

The soft whisper of feathers herald the approach of a bird, and Kurama looked up as a snow white owl perched on the headboard of the bed to stare down at both of them with concerned golden eyes.

"What has happened to my wizard to put him back in this horrid bed?" asked the owl in a soft, almost motherly voice, and Kurama politely repeated the events of the evening, causing her to sigh and clack her beak irritably. "I wish the Dark One wouldn't put Harry through such a strain, but until he's dead, I'm afraid these visions will continue."

*Finally* some answers. "What visions do you mean, Night Lady?" inquired the kitsune in a curious voice. He had so many questions and now it seemed like he had the source for some answers.

Sharp eyes studied Kurama carefully before the owl started her tale of abusive relatives, irritating school mates, and a Dark Wizard who was set on ruling the world and killing all those opposing him, starting with the young teen who had the grave misfortune to be mind-linked to the twisted wizard. It appeared that Harry needed his help more than Kurama originally thought. Well, Koenma had sent him here with a mission and now that it was done, Kurama had a new mission in the form of Harry Potter.

"Why have you come here, Lord Fox?" the owl asked, snapping Kurama out of his thoughts.

Kurama repeated his story for her even as he lay next to Harry. "And I have no pressing engagements waiting for me in Japan, yet I have a young kit here who needs my help more than anything else."

Wary golden eyes gazed down at him. "And how can you help him?" she demanded, her voice suspicious as if the only help ever offered was usually holding a knife in the shadows.

Chuckling, Kurama allowed the illusion to drop once more, revealing his five tails. "I have over a millennium of experience and do not cower easily, Night Lady."

She clacked her beak once in acknowledgment of his words. "Glad to hear that, Lord Kurama," she replied. "I am Hedwig and one of the few beings who actually care for that boy."

"What about his friends? Surely they care for him too," objected Kurama, replacing the illusion even as he glanced around the Infirmary. It would not do to be caught by the mediwitch this early in the game. He did not mind letting those closest to Harry know that he was a kitsune since the young wizard had managed to figure it out on his own, but the longer he kept his identity a secret, the more freedom he had to move around in.

"That's a bit more complicated," sighed Hedwig, ruffling her feathers to settle them better. "Last year there was this tournament between the schools for those over the age of sixteen. It was protected by magical spells yet a traitor managed to put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire and it was drawn, forcing him to participate in the tournament. Half the school thought he had cheated to put his name in, wanting more glory and honor for himself while the other half was more than suspicious."

She sighed again. "After that Rita creature finally got done dragging his name and reputation through the mud with her so-called reporting, the Ministry refused to believe his claims that Voldemort had been revived, claiming that he was lying and looking to further his own reputation. Ron believed that Harry had cheated to get his name into the Tournament while Hermione ran herself ragged wanting to stay on both of their good sides." She shook her head and ruffled her feathers, displaying her extreme agitation at the situation. "Things have been a bit strained between them since then but they won't let anyone outside of their little group realize that."

Thinking back on how he had observed the three students, Kurama realized now that there was a touch of distance between them as if something in their tight-knit group had fractured and none knew how to repair it. Hermione always seemed to walk between the boys or with Ron if Harry was lagging behind to keep up with Kurama, but there would be glances back at Harry as if to reassure him that she wasn't running off.

Softly, Kurama sent a probe towards Harry's mind and found the wall that had instinctively raised after the attack was slowly lowering once more. "If you will excuse me, Night lady, I believe I will pay my respects to Harry in my natural form," he murmured, curling up on the pillow next to the young wizard's head with his own resting close by. Hedwig clacked her beak in acknowledgment as Kurama easily slipped into Harry's dreams.

Frowning, Harry glanced around his surroundings, quite confused. He knew this was a dream, because he was standing in a meadow with a quiet waterfall trickling down into a pool surrounded by moss covered rocks. The moss spilled into the grass, covering the ground in a thick carpet while weeping willows swayed in the gentle breeze, whispering secrets into the wind. The full moon provided ample light to see by and a faint fog hung in the air, giving everything an ethereal quality.

"Just bloody great," muttered Harry, braced for an attack. "First Riddle's attack and now this."

"I'm not sure who this Riddle is, but I assure you, I mean you no harm," remarked a deep voice, and Harry whirled around to find a tall man standing between two of the willows, partially obscured by their swaying limbs. Even though there was something reassuring about the man's voice, Harry wasn't going to relax his guard any. Not so soon after being in the front row of yet another Death Eater attack and Voldemort gloating about his helplessness.

The willows seemed to move aside to allow the man to pass, and Harry's eyes grew large as the man stepped out into the full moon light. He was tall, over six feet, with pale skin and sharp, exotic features as silver hair cascaded over his shoulders to his waist. Silver fox ears emerged from his hair as a fluffy fox tail of the same color waved around his legs, almost blending in with the white tunic and pants he wore. White slipper-like shoes encased his feet, and the only color on the new arrival was his golden eyes that danced with mischief and wisdom.

"Youko Kurama." The name slipped past Harry's lips and the fox man bowed in acknowledgment.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Harry Potter," he greeted, gracefully gliding across the mossy grass to perch on a rock next to the pool. He gestured towards another rock. "Please sit. I wish to get to know you better."

Common sense intruded on Harry's awe at meeting the exotic thief he had read about earlier. "How do you know my name and how do I know this isn't some Death Eater trick?" he demanded, wanting to believe that this was just a dream but fearing that it was something more sinister cooked up by Voldemort. "I mean, I'm willing to believe that I'm having a conversation with a character from that psychic's book, but I know that Voldemort can get inside my head as easily as I get into his."

A pale hand was held up, and for the first time Harry saw the wild claws on them. "One of my kin cried out for help when you were attacked earlier, and I came," he explained as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. "We are on the dream plane, you are asleep in the care of your healer, and it was the fox you helped that told me your name."

"So Argent is a kitsune," remarked the young wizard, glad to have confirmation of a logical guess. "So how did two Oriental fox spirits end up in England half a world away from their natural home?"

Youko Kurama chuckled and patted the rock next to him again. "The one you call Argent and I were doing a favor for someone only we were given the wrong information which lead to Argent getting seriously injured," explained the fox man as Harry warily sat down on the rock. "He managed to slip into the dark forest to hide while I dealt with the last of our attackers. When I finally tracked him down again, he was in your safe keeping and being cared for better than I could have given the circumstances."

Harry frowned as he thought about that explanation. The injuries Argent sustained could have been from an attack, but the only kind of favor Harry could think of for the kitsune thief to do involved property going missing from somewhere, yet there had been no reports in the newspaper. "What kind of favor? It wasn't stealing anything because there hasn't been a cry of something important going missing unless it was something having to do with the Dark Arts, but there's no one around here to steal from unless you were in Hogsmead but that's on the other side of the castle."

Soft laughter broke through Harry's train of thought and he looked up to find an amused smile on Youko Kurama's face. "I see that if I am not careful you will be teasing all of my secrets out of me," he stated, his ears twitching in what Harry took to be delight. "It has been too long since I conversed with another that was as cunning as the kitsune. It will be a delight to get to know you better."

Snorting, Harry folded his arms across his chest. "Whatever you say, mate," he drawled, letting his disbelief creep into his voice. He wasn't cunning, not like this mystical race of fox spirits. If anything, he was just plain lucky to get out of most of the situations he ended up in alive.

Something flashed through those golden eyes, too quick for Harry to pin down what it was, before that amused smile grows a bit more sly. "I propose an exchange of questions," announced the fox spirit with a decidedly wicked glint in his eyes. "I ask you a question and you have to answer it. Then in return, you can ask me one for an answer to your question."

Harry eyed him warily. "And if I don't want to answer the question for whatever reason?" he asked, folding his arms.

"Then you have to pay a forfeit like a humorous tale about your life," replied Youko Kurama, stretching out on the rocks and almost purring as he got comfortable. "Does that sound like an acceptable request to you?"

The young wizard studied the fox spirit a few minutes before nodding. "Yeah, sounds like a deal to me, mate,' he agreed. "So how long is this going to last?"

"Until you wish to wake up and leave me," came the reply. "Time holds no meaning here. Now on with the game. Why do you wear such shabby clothes?"

"Because my relatives are prats who hate magic and wizardry thanks to my aunt ‘cause she was jealous of her sister," Harry said. "When I graduate, I'm burning all these horrid clothes and buying myself new ones." He smiled down at Youko Kurama. "What part of Genkai's entry about you did she leave out?"

Youko Kurama snorted. "Since I don't know what she wrote about, I honestly can't tell you," he retorted with a grin. Harry rattled off what he had read in the book and a faint look passed over Youko Kurama's face. "Well one thing she got wrong is about Yomi. I didn't abandon him after a job. He was being stupid and arrogant and that almost got some of the demons who ran with us seriously injured. So I hired an assassin to go after him, and the idiot botched it, leaving Yomi blind but still dangerous in my book."

He sighed again, this one of pained wistfulness. "Kuronue and I had just gotten out of this demon's castle with almost all his guards after us. We were escaping through a bamboo forest when the necklace Kuronue always wore broke. He went back for it even though I called out for him not to only to be caught in a trap and died telling me to run."

Before he thought about it, Harry was stroking that soft, silver hair, hoping to sooth the pain in Youko Kurama's voice, and the fox spirit purred as he leaned into the caress. "What's the problem that had Argent in a panic earlier?"

"I'm connected to a Dark Lord that tried to kill me when I was a baby but succeeded in killing my parents and destroying his own body," stated Harry, marveling over the softness of the silver hair. "He's back and because we're connected, I sometimes get visions of what he's doing at any given time and pulled into his mind to watch. It's a bloody pain in the arse it is. Why are silver kitsune considered the most precious to Inari?"

"Because we're the most rare," smirked Youko Kurama. "Why is the blond boy mean to you?"

They continued like that for several minutes, exchanging questions, answers and stories, and Harry found out more not only about Youko Kurama but the Three Worlds. He learned that not all demons were cruel and mean, but some were able to heal and were gentle creatures much like the unicorns were. Youko Kurama told him about the Dark Tournament, something Harry hoped never to attend himself, and in exchange Harry told him about the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

After a bit, the rocks had gotten uncomfortable, so they had moved to the ground where they sprawled on the mossy grass like a couple of kids, chatting and laughing over the fun memories and snarling and threatening harm against the bad ones. Sometime during their talk, Youko Kurama had produced some sweet and tart berries and had created two cups from waxy leaves, allowing them something to munch on as well as the ability to drink the water from the pond. Youko Kurama stretched out next to Harry to enjoy the slight petting he was receiving from the young wizard while Harry lay on his back, staring up at the full moon as they talked.

Finally, Harry started yawning and Youko Kurama sat up with a slight chuckle. "It looks like it's time for us to part ways for now, kit," he stated, gathering Harry into his arms in a strangely familiar feeling and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead before sliding a hand through his hair. "Wake and know that you are protected and cared for."

The gentle voice followed Harry as he blinked and found himself looking up at the Infirmary ceiling with something soft and warm curled up next to his head. A gentle rustle of feathers drew his attention to the headboard where Hedwig was watching over him, and soft fur brushed his skin, announcing that the warm item was Argent curled up on his pillow, also watching him with concerned golden eyes. "Hey Hedwig, Argent, thanks for keeping an eye on me."

Hedwig hooted and ran an eye over the young wizard before flying back out the windows as Argent moved to curl up on Harry's lap as the boy sat up, running his fingers through the soft fur. It was almost as soft as Youko Kurama's silver hair from that dream...

"Good, you're awake," greeted Madam Pomphrey as she emerged from her room, and bustled over to check on him, earning a small yipe as Argent was moved by her fussing. "The headmaster was very concerned about you and so was Professor McGonagall." She smiled down at Argent. "If it wasn't for your friend there dragging you out of the bath, you might have drowned."

"Thank's Argent," Harry whispered into the soft silver fur, cuddling the fox closer. Argent purred and snuggled closer, nuzzling his cheek. The next several hours was of people coming in and out of the Infirmary to check up on him and to make sure everything was all right. Hermione brought his school books and copies of notes so he wouldn't fall behind while Ron smuggled in a few chocolate frogs and the latest Quiddich magazine. Professor McGonagall was nice enough to leave behind the book written by Genkai and chatted with him for a few minutes about kitsunes, remarking how loyal they are to their chosen allies as Argent allowed her to scratch his ears.

Finally Harry was allowed to leave the Infirmary and it was with a delighted sigh that he picked up Argent and his things and returned to the Tower. He managed to get up to his room without anyone stopping him or even seeing him on his way up and collapsed on his bed, curling up around Argent.

"So, Mr. Kitsune, are you enjoying your time in England?" teased Harry, scratching Argent's ears as curious golden eyes gazed up at him before sliding shut to enjoy the scratching. "Youko Kurama met with me last night in a dream and confirmed my guess about you, and if you wanna change your shape, lemmie know before hand so I can get a story straight about you."

Slipping out from under Harry's hand, Argent padded over to the small desk where parchment, in and quills fought for dominance among the various school books and managed to grab a quill, dipping it into the ink. Frowning, Harry moved closer and saw that the paw had been changed into something more hand like as the silver fox began writing on the parchment.

"I can't change at this time because that would attract the wrong kind of attention," Harry read in a soft voice watching the flowing letters form under the graceful movements of the fox. "I do not wish to attract that attention and bring more danger to you. The Spirit of the Castle could take offense to having a demon in its walls."

That got a frown from Harry. "Demon? But I thought you were a kitsune?"

"Kitsune are fox spirits," wrote Argent, glancing back at Harry. "They can only survive briefly in the Ningenkai before they must return to the Reikai. I am a youko which is a fox demon. I have many of the same traits as a kitsune, but can survive in the Ningenkai and do not have to return to the Makai unless I wish to. However, both are considered kitsune, much like wizards and non-wizards are classified under ‘human’ and general distinction is ignored."

"So are you still one of Inari's foxes?" asked Harry, going back to stroking Argent as he remembered the conversation with Youko Kurama about demons. Argent had at least proven himself by rescuing him from the bath as well as playing some wicked pranks on Draco so he couldn't be evil.

"Yes. Fox demon or fox spirit, we are Hers," finished Argent before replacing the quill and batting the parchment onto the floor where he shredded it with his teeth and claws.
Unable to help himself, Harry chuckled as he scooped up the pieces and tossed them into the fire that was chasing the evening's chill from the air. "Okay, no mention of this to anyone. I understand."

Argent yiped softly before hopping back up on Harry's bed, giving the boy a pointed look. Holding his hands up in defeat, Harry sat down at the desk and proceeded to start on the school work he had missed while Argent watched over him.

Smiling to himself, Kurama followed Harry down the hall to his Divination class. Things were working out better than he had expected. He had yet to lie to the boy, either in the waking world or the few times they had been together in a dream, and Harry was showing no aversion to either finding out that he was a demon or his youko form. The only teacher that suspected that the silver Argent was anything other than a natural fox was McGonagall and considering she had Genkai’s book on demons and apparitions, Kurama wasn’t surprised.

*The old woman and I will be talking when I finally return, * decided Kurama from where he was laying across Harry’s shoulders. *There are some things that she should not have put on paper. No matter how drunk on sake we were that night.*

Unable to help himself, Kurama sneezed violently when they emerged into the incense-filled room, and pawed at his nose. Why the woman mixed lavender, musk, pine, and something that reminded Kurama of really cheap perfume was a mystery to him. If it was to add an air of mysticalness to the room, all it succeeded in doing was causing headaches. Glancing around, he noticed a few wilted plants near windows, and sent some of his power into them, encouraging them to grow and open the windows some to let in fresh air. They responded beautifully, and in a few minutes, the thick almost poisonous smoke had drifted out to be replaced with clean air that showed the shelves full of crystals, books, bowls, and other mystical crap that only those desperate to pretend had in their possession.

When Trelawney entered the room in her usual sweeping manner, she stopped to frown at the open windows before moving over to them in an attempt to close them so the outside world wouldn’t pollute their inner eye she announced to the class. Unfortunately, the windows wouldn’t budge because Kurama had the plants wedged into the frame, and her efforts were causing a few snickers to break out. Turning away from the window, she decreed that the spirits wanted the windows open for easier travel before sending students scrambling for silver bowls to scry in.

“Relax your mind and open your Inner Eye,” she instructed as she wandered around the room with a silver pitcher, pouring water into everyone’s bowl. “For only then will you see what the future holds in store for you.”

*If you have the talent for it,* Kurama silently added, gazing into Harry’s bowl from his perch on the boy’s shoulders. Trelawney might have a touch of it, but as far as he could tell, no one else in the room had any noticeable talent for divination. Or if Kuwabara had been here, that would have made things interesting, because despite everything, the large teen did have a touch of divination. It had helped during their one fight at the Dark Tournament even if it lead to Kuwabara unable to fight in the next round.

“Well, Harry, see anything?” whispered Ron as the two boys stared into their bowls of water.

“Does Argent’s head count?” replied Harry, and both boys tried to muffle their snickers and even Argent was silently laughing. This was utter foolishness, a young girl playing at being a grown up professional.

Turning his head slightly, Harry caught his Kurama’s eyes and nodded briefly to Trelawney before raising a questioning eyebrow as it dawned on the kitsune that Harry wanted him to prank the professor. Cocking his head, Kurama silently asked how Harry it planned only to grin when the brunette boy nodded to the large mirror that Trelawney was pacing next to. It was nearly the size of a door with ornate gold trim that made it look gaudy as well as heavy, but it was large enough for a person to see their entire outfit in if they choose to.

It was perfect and now Kurama only had to decide what image to put in the glass. After a few seconds of thought, he knew exactly what to place there and started focusing on the illusion.

No one noticed it at first until one of the girls screamed in surprise and a touch of fear, and Kurama would have laughed out right if he could have. The scream caught the rest of the student’s attention and they stared at the mirror as if the image was going to step out of the glass and kill them all. Kurama had to admit that Hiei standing there with the Jagan visibly glowing and the Kokuryuha framing him in a circle from where it spiraled off his arm was a ferocious sight, scaring many of the spectators who had seen it at the Dark Tournament.

“Bloody hell,” whispered Ron, staring at the image before Kurama had it waiver and vanish in a burst of black fire, leaving the mirror reflecting the room filled with stunned students and one speechless teacher.

“We have been shown a great vision today!” cried Trelawney, covering her fear with excitement as she threw her hands in the air, bangle bracelets jangling noisily. “I wish everyone to write a foot on what the vision meant to them before the next class. Dismissed!”

As Harry was gathering up his things, he glanced at Kurama still curled around his shoulders like a content house cat. “Who was that?” he whispered. Instead of replying, Kurama took a deliberate look at the students, reminding Harry that they weren’t alone even if they weren’t paying attention before Harry nodded. “Tonight then.”

“So any idea what that was about, mate?” asked Ron as he made his way down the ladder to solid ground again and hitched his bag a bit higher up on his shoulder.

“Somebody was playing a prank on her and the rest of the class,” Harry stated as if that was the most obvious explanation he could think of. “And you gotta admit, that person was a bit scary but to see the look on Trelawney’s face, it was worth the slight scare.”

Ron nodded. “Impressive illusion charm,” he remarked as they started back to their Tower since Divinations was their last class of the day. “So what are you going to write about? A man with three eyes burning you to death? She might like that one.”

Harry chuckled. “Maybe, or something about demons,” he replied, gently stroking Kurama’s fur. “That would really get her knickers in a twist wouldn’t it?”

Stopping to lean against a wall as he howled with laughter, Ron managed to talk somehow. “The Boy Who Lived, destroyed by a fire demon,” he chortled. “That’s one we haven’t used yet.” Pushing himself to his feet, Ron continued chuckling and chortling all the way back to the Tower, muttering “fire demon” once in a while which sparked fresh laughter from him.

It was much later, after dinner and homework, before Harry cornered Kurama to ask about the so-called vision again. They were alone in the bedroom again but the young wizard had drawn the curtains around his bed before casting a silencing charm and an illumination charm before turning his attention back to Kurama. “Now who was that?”

Transforming his paws into hands again, Kurama started scribbling, knowing that these sheets were going into the fire as well. “His name is Hiei and he is a friend of Youko Kurama’s. He is a fire demon as you and your friend speculated, with a short temper and no patience for those he considers fools.”

Harry nodded and tossed that paper into the fireplace as well, canceling the two charms on his bed. Returning to his bed, he gathered Kurama up in his arms and just cuddled the kitsune for a while.

“I never asked for all this, Argent,” the young wizard whispered into soft silver fur after several minutes of silence. “I don’t want to be famous. I just want to be a normal boy but I don’t think that will be allowed even after Voldemort’s dead. That’s another thing. I don’t want to kill him either, but everyone else expects me to. Trelawney predicts my death in new and interesting ways each class, and Ron and I keep her off of us as best we can by predicting our own deaths in new and creative ways. Add to that the fact that everyone keeps expecting me to be some kind of demi-god when I’m only human, and I’m just tired.”

He sighed dejectedly, and Kurama felt wet tears drip down on his fur, causing him to turn around and nuzzle Harry’s face.

Suddenly a familiar pulse of energy danced across his senses and Kurama felt like growling and hiding. He turned to glare at the window just as Botan flew through it on her oar. She drew up next to the bed and glared at the kitsune, completely ignoring Harry who was staring at her in stunned disbelief. “There you are! Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?”

Slipping out of Harry’s arms to sit on the bed, Kurama gazed at her with irritation. “I was given false information and deserve a break,” he retorted in the language of animals, knowing quite well that she could understand him. “It wasn’t a simple C or B-Class demon that Koenma sent me against like he told me. It was an S-Class demon that almost killed me.”

She huffed and brushed his irritation aside as if it was nothing, but to her, it probably was. “You handled it, what’s the big deal?” she asked in her air head way. “Besides, Lord Koenma has a new job for you. There’s a soul that’s escaped and is lurking around here somewhere. You’re to find it and bring it back to the Reikai for punishment.”

“No.” The word was dropped in a calm manner as Kurama stretched out to lay his head on his paws, indicating that the conversation was over.

She stopped whatever babble she was going to spout next when his decision registered in her mind. “What do you mean no?” she demanded, glaring at the fox as she placed her hands on her hips, an impressive feat considering she was still sitting on her oar.

“Just that. No. I was given false information about my last job, and how do I know that there isn’t something he isn’t telling me this time,” retorted Kurama, his golden eyes flashing, a silent warning that she was pushing him too far. “Too often he will do that. Give us just enough information to get the job done without telling us important details like the demon’s more powerful and we should take back up along.” He shrugged slightly calming down. “Besides, I have a more important job at the moment.” He flicked an ear at Harry whom Botan suddenly realized was there.

She laughed, one hand flying to rub the back of her head in an embarrassed way. “Hi. Nothing to worry about. Just some business and I’ll be right out of here,” she babbled at Harry who was still staring at her in stunned disbelief. “Promise. You won’t even have to remember I was here.”

She turned her attention back to Kurama. “I’ll be here for the next few weeks trying to find that soul on my own since you won’t help, but if you decide to help, just call me.” With that, she turned and flew back out the window, causing Kurama to snort at her theatrics.

“Who was *that*?” yelped Harry, staring at Kurama with large green eyes. Instead of getting more parchment and ink, Kurama hopped over to the desk that had Genkai’s book on it. He knew what various creatures and apparitions she had in there because he had been asked to sketch the pictures. Dragging it back to the bed, he flipped through it until he came to her information on ferry girls, showing Harry it along with the picture of Botan on her oar. Leaning over the book, Harry’s eyes skimmed the page before growing even larger and looking at Kurama with disbelief. “That was the Grim Reaper?”

Kurama nodded, rolling his eyes to show his opinion of the ferry girl and startling a giggle out of Harry. The giggle ended in a yawn and Kurama nudged the sleeping clothes closer to Harry before curling up on the pillow with a yawn.

“Okay, Argent, I understand that it’s time for bed now,” chuckled the young wizard quickly slipping into his night clothes before pulling the drapes around his bed closed once more with a silencing charm. “Night Argent.”

As soon as the boy’s breathing evened out, Kurama closed his eyes and slipped into the now familiar surroundings of the dream meadow where he talked with Harry. He had just emerged from the trees and had raised his hand in greetings when dark tendrils appeared to wrap around the boy who let out a startled yelp. Snarling, Youko Kurama leapt forward and grabbed Harry just as they were whisked out of the pleasant dream and into a nightmare.

A family was huddled on the floor, surrounded by figures in black robes and wearing silver masks, all pointing wands at the young couple and the older couple that were probably the parents of the girl. Nearby, a man in a long cloak stood watching with delight in his glowing eyes, and Youko Kurama’s eyes watered at the stench of decay that radiated from the man.

Quickly, the kitsune looked around to find Harry with his back plastered against the wall and a look of resigned terror on his face. “No, not again!” he moaned, his eyes huge in his pale face. That phrase told the silver fox everything he needed to know. Somehow he had been pulled into one of Harry’s visions, and the decaying man was Voldemort.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” purred the decaying corpse, glancing at Youko Kurama with curiosity in his glowing eyes. “An unexpected guest. How delightful.”

Youko Kurama smirked. Did this thing really expect to intimidate him? He was no where *near* the top ten list of able to intimidate Youko Kurama, not after watching Yusuke take on the younger Toguro brother and Hiei master the Kokuryuha. Reaching out with his powers, Youko Kurama found a creeping ivy outside the house and encouraged it to slip through a nearby window and creep across the floor.

“If you are trying to intimidate me, corpse, it will not work,” remarked Youko Kurama in a casual way, brushing his hair off his shoulder and removing a rose seed at the same time. The ivy was slowly twining around the other figures who had turned to watch the confrontation with only one of the masked figures paying any attention to the family. However, instead of threatening them, the figure was trying to slip the family out the door. A deep breath provided Youko Kurama with the familiar scent of belladonna, lacewings, and other potion ingredients. Interesting. He had the ivy leave Snape alone so he could get the family out of the way of the impending battle.

Voldemort laughed. “I am no corpse!” he declared. “I am Lord Voldemort!”

“What a pity it must have been,” remarked Youko Kurama, stepping between Harry and the mad soul. “To have thought that you were gaining a fresh outlook on your life only to discover that you had traded life as a ghoul for a body that is decaying around you this very minute. That the only think keeping your body from collapsing right now is that you are diverting all of your magic into keeping it around you.”

Some of the robed figures were starting to mutter among themselves, wondering what was going on between their lord and this stranger as Harry’s ghostly form was ignored. Gesturing to Harry to get on the floor behind his back, Youko Kurama stalked forward until he was as close as he could get before the smell would overpower him. “How long have you been trying to regain your own body only to find yourself trapped in one that is failing you? Trying to dodge the ferry girls who are looking for you while keeping yourself together and functioning enough that your followers don’t realize that they were following not only a corpse but a crazed soul as well?”

There was a furious scream from Voldemort before he raised his wand to fire a spell, but he only made it as far as “Ava Kad...” before Youko Kurama’s Rose Whip lashed out and sliced not only the wand to pieces but the hand holding it as well. Instead of bleeding like a normal injury, this one oozed puss and other disgusting fluids, causing more than one robed figure to gag.

“Well I believe that proves to your followers what you truly are,” mused Youko Kurama, the whip trailing on the floor next to him like an obedient pet. He cocked his head, his ears twitching as he felt Botan fly over head, and he sent a surge of power out to the plants creeping around the other figures causing them to explode into action, fully enveloping them in a tight grip that none could break. “Looks like your minions can’t help you now, ghoul.”

The fox strolled over to the walking corpse, a smirk on his face. “Perhaps I should summon a ferry girl to escort you to the Reikai since this body of yours will not hold out much longer,” he offered in a casual voice, sounding as if he was offering to walk someone’s dog for them.

As if summoned, Botan flew through the roof and paused, hovering there on her oar as she took a look around. “Youko Kurama? What are you doing here?” she asked before her gaze fell on Voldemort. “YOU!”

Youko Kurama watched in amusement as she flew down and hopped off her oar, brandishing it like a staff as if she was going to clobber the errant soul with it. “Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused Lord Koenma?” she asked, glaring at Voldemort. She reached *into* the corpse and grabbed something, pulling it out with a grunt. The body collapsed in a wet thunk, leaving Botan holding a twisted looking soul that hardly resembled a human, and with a decisive nod, she stuffed it into a small pouch that he knew troublesome souls were carried in. Then she turned to face Youko Kurama. “So when are you coming back?”

“I already told you, I’m not just yet,” he retorted, turning his back on her as he walked over to see to Harry, who was lying face down on the ground with a sick look on his face. “Are you all right, kitling?”

Dazed green eyes stared up at him, and Youko Kurama knelt down to pull the young man into his arms, gently stroking the trembling back as he rocked Harry like the kit he was. When Harry continued to shake, Youko Kurama sighed and glanced at Botan. “I have a feeling there may be more to this little problem than just that errant soul.”

She looked at him, confusion evident in her blue eyes. “What do you mean?”

“There is a connection between young Harry Potter here and the soul you just collected that formed sometime when Voldemort died,” explained Youko Kurama, brushing dark bangs off of a pale forehead to expose the lightning shaped scar. “It is how we came to be here in spirit form. Voldemort managed to pull Harry and I out of the dreamscape we were sharing and to this place to watch his minions torture a family before finally killing them. Harry has been forced to watch the torture before, always helpless to stop it, and now, I believe he is still linked with the soul.”

Unfocusing his eyes, Youko Kurama looked at Harry and spotted the faint sickly green light that lead from the scar to the bag Botan was holding while a thick silver cord ran from the boy to vanish through one of the walls of the house.

“There is a connection there,” he announced, focusing on Botan again. Now that he knew what to look for, he could easily see the connection between Harry and the insane soul. “It’s a sickly green color, a shade I have never seen before and I am uncertain how to sever it without harming Harry.”

Suddenly, the doors burst open and more figures in robes poured into the house, wands out and ready to use, only to stop at the sight of the ivy-wrapped minions. Unlike the minions, the new arrivals wore no masks, instead wearing a strange patch on their robes like a badge, and a few let loose the cry of “Demon!” when they spotted Youko Kurama, pointing their wands at him.

Slowly, Youko Kurama stood up, cradling Harry in his arms and more gasps rang out, this time in recognition. “I will only say this once, so listen closely,” snarled the kitsune, his golden eyes flashing. “I am here to *help* this young man, not harm him, and the first to move against me will regret it for the rest of their life, however short that might be.”

A young woman with shirt, spiky pink hair cautiously approached them, her eyes searching his before nodding. “What’s wrong with Harry?” she asked before wrinkling her nose at the pile of decaying flesh. “An’ what in Merlin’s name is *that*?”

“I believe you called him Voldemort,” drawled Youko Kurama, before glancing at Botan. “You might as well join the party.” She rolled her eyes and made herself visible to the others in the room, causing more gasps of recognition to fill the air. “As you can see, he has already been collected to be escorted to the Reikai, but a slight problem has appeared, one that was unseen until a few minutes ago.”

Her dark eyes looked up at him, silently asking him to explain. “There is a mental connection between Harry and the soul, one that is a sickly green color, and I confess I am unsure how to break it without causing the young kit serious harm.”

“That definitely sounds serious,” confessed the woman before flashing him a brief smile. “Nymphandora Tonks, Auror, at your service sir. Let’s see if I can remember what sickly green meant. I know silver is the cord that attaches a spirit to their body when they decide to go walking in the Astral Plane, but what was green?”

A faint beeping broke the thick silence that had descended, and Botan yelped in surprise as she dug out a familiar compact. “Yes, Lord Koenma?” she greeted in a cheery voice as she opened the communicator.

“Botan, have you located Kurama and that stray soul yet?” asked the little godling, sounding just as imperial as ever as if nothing could disturb him.

Before she could answer, Youko Kurama scooped it out of her hand and glared at the screen. “You gave me incorrect information, Koenma,” he purred, his eyes flashing with his ire. Koenma looked up from his desk, startled, obviously not expecting Kurama himself to answer. “That was an S-Class you sent me after *alone*. Feel fortunate I do not leave the Detective to handle his cases by himself.”

“Kurama? Where are you? When are you returning?” babbled the godling, his blue green pacifier bobbing as he spoke.

“I am taking care of a special wizard, one that is connected to your lost spirit by a sickly green thread, a mental connection of some kind,” retorted Youko Kurama, his tail lashing in irritation. “Botan will be unable to bring the spirit to you for processing until *after* this connection is broken. From what I can tell, the connection was formed when your spirit tried to kill young Harry Potter when he was an infant and it backfired, destroying Voldemort’s body, leaving him a ghoul.”

Suddenly, Tonks started swearing in a colorful manner. “We have to break the connection as soon as possible,” she exclaimed. “It’s that connection that has allowed Voldemort to survive. He’s been leeching off of Harry’s life force and power to stay alive. That’s what green meant. It’s a connection between life energy!”

Youko Kurama focused on her. “Any idea on how to break the connection?” he asked, his mind whirling. If his kit was attached to that spirit, Voldemort could keep leeching power and life energy out of Harry until the boy was dead as well. But the only way he knew how to destroy such a link would be to destroy one of their spirits, and Youko Kurama wondered if he had the power to destroy Voldemort completely without destroying Harry as well.

“A surge of power from one to the other should destroy it, especially if it was pure life energy,” remarked Tonks, her eyes distant as she searched her memory. “But I don’t think anyone has enough pure energy or even the control to use it without destroying both of them.”

“Botan, meet me back at Hogwarts,” instructed Youko Kurama, knowing *exactly* where to get the pure energy needed for this delicate task. He had more than enough control to delicately channel huge masses of energy or he never would have gained such fine control over his plants. “Bring the soul with you.” He glanced at Tonks and smirked before grabbing the silver cords that attached Harry and himself to their physical bodies and yanked, pulling them all the way back to the castle.

Blinking and a bit disoriented, Kurama raised his head off of the pillow before everything caught up with him. Quickly, he slid off the bed and shifted to his youko form, not caring if anyone saw him at this point. As far as he was concerned, he had to save Harry first, because the game was over for now. He gazed down at Harry, hissing at how pale and still the young boy was, and reached out for the castle once more.

“Lady of the Castle, help me save this young Child of the Fey,” he whispered, holding his hands out over Harry’s head. “Loan me your power to sever the connection that was forced upon him at the moment of Voldemort’s death, the connection that now steals his life away from him so that the twisted soul may continue to survive.”

A faint shimmer appeared on the other side of Harry’s bed and a young woman appeared. She had an ageless quality about her with stone gray hair falling down her back in a wavy waterfall while her silver eyes seemed to look straight through the soul. Her dress was also a stone gray in a Celtic design with a golden belt loosely wrapped around her slender waist.

“Ye shall be granted the use of me power, Old One,” she announced in a soft, mothering voice as she held her hand out over Harry’s body for him to grasp. “An’ there is another who offers his assistance this night. One with the power of life, death and rebirth.” There was a flash of fire, causing the other boys in the room to wake with a startled yelp, and the woman held up her other arm for Fawkes to perch on it.

“Than you both,” murmured Youko Kurama, placing his free hand on Harry’s forehead, bracing himself for the onslaught of power. It rushed through him, old, powerful and pure, and he gritted his teeth as he carefully directed it towards the slender cord that was taunting him.

There were startled cries of fear and surprise echoing around him, but Youko Kurama shut them out, refusing to be distracted as he manipulated the power with the same skill an artist used with a brush. Slowly, oh so slowly, he burned away the sickly green cord, peeling it away from Harry’s scar and soul like he was rolling up a section of turf. He had to go slow or the possibility of missing a tiny thread was great, and then the thread would grow, allowing Voldemort to reconnect with the beautiful boy whose life lay in Youko Kurama’s skill.

There were gasps from older throats now, but like the others, Youko Kurama ignored them as he continued to work, traveling down the scar until he was halfway done. The power burned through him, pure and beautiful like a mother’s love with the fire and fury of a phoenix protecting it’s chick.

Suddenly, the chord began shrinking, sliding *into* the scar, and Youko Kurama snarled as he dove after it, slipping into Harry’s soul on a stream of power, chasing after the twisted link before it could dig itself into the boy’s soul, making it more dangerous to dig out. Deeper, he chased it, refusing to surrender to this enemy who was just as twisted as Karasu ever was, and finally finding the barbed end that was determined to drive itself so deep into the pure soul as to never come out. With a triumphant cry, Youko Kurama lashed out with the power as if it was his Rose Whip, wrapping the power around the barbs and enveloping it completely before pulling it out of Harry’s soul. With a final burst of power, the link disintegrated, and Youko Kurama stumbled forward, bracing his hands against the bed as his legs threatened to buckle.

“He is free,” gasped the kitsune, feeling the last of the foreign power fade from his body, leaving him trembling and feeling like he had just finished fighting that thrice blasted crow for five rounds.

Ageless hands reached out and gently brushed dark hair away from a still pale forehead. “He has lost much this eve,” stated the woman as her hands started glowing again. “Yet he fights still, not willing to give up and slip away like so many others would.” Youko Kurama watched as the pale glow spread over the unconscious boy, and Fawkes threw back his head, singing his joy at the victory as the glow grew to an almost unbearable level. When it had faded, the woman was gone, and Harry was breathing easier, his face a healthy color once more, yet there were a few differences about him now. There seemed to be am almost luminescent quality to his skin, and his dark hair was a rich ebony that cascaded across his pillow. His features which had been pleasant before now had a touch of otherworldliness about them, not enough to change his looks, but enough to announce that he wasn’t the same as he had been that morning.

A hand touched his shoulder, and Youko Kurama swung at the person, claws coming up with fangs bared in warning, unable to summon the strength to call his plants. Botan squeaked and scrambled backwards before glaring at him. “That’s hardly polite, Kurama,” she chided. “I only wanted to see if you were all right.”

He puled himself up to his full height, not bothering to disguise his five tails as one for the moment. “I’m fine,” he replied, regaining some of the strength he had lost controlling the power. In a few minutes he was able to straighten completely, showing no trace of the fatigue that had nearly enveloped him, and regarded the three professors and four students that were staring at him in a mixture of surprise, disbelief, and fear. “Botan, it is safe for you to deliver that soul to Koenma. The link between Harry Potter and the twisted soul of Voldemort has been severed.”

“Right. So when can Lord Koenma expect you back for a new assignment?” Botan asked, summoning her oar and hopping on it.

“When I choose to return.” That answer caused her to stare at him as if he had been speaking in riddles, and Youko Kurama waived a clawed hand. “He still owes me for false information. When he can prove to me that his current source of information has improved, then I might return for an assignment from him, but not a moment earlier.”

She looked like she was going to argue for a brief moment before she nodded, biting her lip, and flew through the wall, leaving Youko Kurama to face the those left in the room. McGonagall, Flitwick, and Dumbledore had their wands out, but weren’t pointing them at him while Ron, Dean, Neville, and Seamus were trying to get as far away from him as possible only to find that they couldn’t phase through solid stone. “You have nothing to fear from me as long as you do not threaten my life or Harry’s.”

“Who are you and what is your connection to Harry?” demanded McGonagall, drawing herself up to her full height and marching across the room to glare up at Youko Kurama. He was unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face as he gazed down at her from his almost seven feet of height, knowing that it probably didn’t do anything to sooth her temper any. She was definitely as fierce as a mother cat protecting her kittens when pushed.

“It is quite simple, Minerva McGonagall, Harry is my friend and someone I trust not to betray me,” he replied. “The same as I am for him. As for who I am, surely Master Genkai’s book was not *that* lacking in detail.”

He gasped, one hand flying to her mouth as her eyes grew wide behind her glasses. “Youko Kurama,” she breathed. “But what are you doing here? Why have you come to England?”

A small whimper of fear drew Youko Kurama’s attention to Seamus who was staring at everyone with huge eyes, and the kitsune decided to take pity on the poor boys whose sleep had been interrupted enough for one evening. “Perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere so Harry’s room mates can return to bed.”

When the professors nodded, Youko Kurama wrapped the still sleeping Harry in the top blanket and scooped the bundle up in his arms, marveling at how light Harry felt. He turned to follow the professors only to find his way blocked by a redhead with a determined look on his face.

“And where do you think you’re taking Harry, mate?” demanded Ron, a glint in his eyes shouting that Youko Kurama had better have a good answer or he would not be leaving with Harry.

“With me to monitor his condition, kit,” drawled Youko Kurama with a smirk. “It’s the only way to make sure that the connection doesn’t somehow return.” That startled Ron enough that Youko Kurama brushed past him, Harry cradled against his chest, and nodded to the professors to lead the way. Dumbledore started out with McGonagall and Flitwick following Youko Kurama to the fox’s amusement.

*Of course the two professors who are experts in their fields are the best choice to follow a potentially dangerous person who is holding one of their beloved students,* mused Youko Kurama, glancing down at the sleeping boy with a smile on his face. There was no way for the connection to return once Voldemort’s soul was in the Reikai, but it was a handy excuse to keep Harry close by him until he managed to convince the professors that his reasons were almost benign. After all, when one plan for someone as handsome as Harry includes taking them to Youko Kurama’s bed, it was hard to say *all* his intentions were benign.

Eventually they ended up in Dumbledore’s office, a place Youko Kurama vaguely remembered when Harry had brought him here as Argent so soon after stumbling onto the boy, and claimed one of the chairs there, settling Harry on his lap. Fawkes looked over at him with a questioning trill. “He all right?”

Youko Kurama nodded his head. “I just want to make sure he remains that way, Fawkes,” he replied, startling the professors, and brushed a lock of dark hair out of Harry’s face. In this light, the hair looked almost ebony with a faint blue tinge to it where it cascaded around his shoulders and was quite attractive on him in Youko Kurama’s opinion.

“You seem quite taken with young Harry,” mused Dumbledore, an absent smile on his face, and Youko Kurama regarded him with a dispassionate gaze. “I hardly know of many demons who would risk themselves to protect a human.”

“And just how many demons do you know, Dumbledore?” the fox-man inquired, his eyes flickering around the room to take stock in what was there. Nothing that could harm him save for Fawkes or anyone casting a spell at him, but as long as he held Harry, Youko Kurama knew that no spells would be cast. All the paintings were watching the proceedings with an undisguised curiosity, and Youko Kurama found himself treading a minefield of words and promises once more.

That startled a chuckle out of the old man. “I assure you I know enough about demons to know how they behave towards humans,” he stated, folding his hands on his desk as if that was the correct answer.

Youko Kurama nodded, thoughtfully. “So you are aware of the Makai residence that only wish to live and let live when it comes to the Ningenkai or even the few who live in the Ningenkai without persecution because of their benign nature.”

“Can you please explain to me what you are doing in England, Youko Kurama?”asked McGonagall in a polite voice from where she was sitting, and Youko Kurama inclined his head in her direction.

“For you, Professor McGonagall,” he murmured before beginning his tale. “It had come to Koenma’s attention that there was a demon causing destruction here. As the one member of the Detective’s allies who can speak fluent English, I was asked to persuade the demon that it would be better for him to return to the Makai. Unfortunately for me, I was lead to believe that the demon was weaker than it actually was, and I finally managed to kill it on the other side of the dark forest out there.”

McGonagall gazed at him thoughtfully and he returned it until she started chuckling. “Now I understand,” she remarked, a smile on her face as she stared at him. “You have claimed Harry as yours so his enemies become yours. Am I right?”

“What are you taking about, Minerva?” Flitwick piped up from his seat, the diminutive professor looking like a child in his chair, and McGonagall gestured carelessly at Youko Kurama.

“Ferrets in the Great Hall, a misplaced potion ingredient resulting in an embarrassing look for a while, a vision in a mirror, and Peeves strange reluctance to approach Harry or his friends while Argent was with them,” she recited, looking like the cat that got the cream by the time she was done. “You examined Trelawney’s mirror yourself and stated that no charms had been cast upon it, and there were no illusion charms in the Great Hall when young Mr. Malfoy received his visitors.”

“And kitsune have the power of illusion,” concluded Flitwick, his eyes dancing over Youko Kurama who flipped his tails behind him. They had guessed that much of the game. Let them see if they could guess the rest of it.

“You mean to tell me that the cute injured fox that the young boy had here earlier was that.....” burst out one of the paintings in disbelief, and it was all Youko Kurama could do to keep from laughing at the indignation in the painting’s tone.

McGonagall sighed and cradled her head in her hand as if struck with a sudden headache. “Yes, that is *exactly* what I’m saying,” she replied in a tired voice. “Harry’s new fox, Argent, is also the kitsune known as Youko Kurama.”

The door opened to admit Snape with a black robe over his arm followed by Tonks, both who stopped and stared at Youko Kurama and the sleeping bundle in his arms. A quick glance showed that both of them were unharmed, and he wondered who was going to make a move first. Tonks shook her head, snapping herself out of the daze she had fallen in, and quietly walked over to where Youko Kurama was sitting.

“He okay now, fox man?” she asked, her voiced hushed so as not to wake Harry and Kurama nodded.

“He should be. Hogwarts was kind enough to help me break the link,” reported the kitsune with a fanged smile.

She looked at the sleeping teen, studying him for a few minutes before gently reaching out to brush his bangs aside, revealing unblemished skin. “If anyone wanted proof that Voldemort’s gone, that should do it right there.” She stood up and looked at the rest of the room. “The scar that marked him is gone.”

That prompted McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick to rush over to see for themselves, and Youko Kurama tensed, one hand flying automatically to his hair to remove a red rose in full bloom. The sudden action caused the professors to raise their wands in their own defense but it did stop their advance. The fox chuckled, seeming embarrassed by his hasty actions as he tucked the rose away, allowing it to return to the seed it had sprouted from. “Forgive my actions. I was not expecting you to suddenly rush towards me like that. All too often, actions like that have proceeded an attack.”

A couch appeared next to his chair, and Youko Kurama sent his thanks towards the castle as he placed Harry on the plush cushions, gently tucking the blanket a bit more firmly around the young wizard. Then, he withdrew to allow the professors to look their fill of his kit under his supervision.

“He looks different,” murmured Snape, a hint of wistfulness crossing his sharp features before his face settled back into the scowling mask he usually wore. “More like Lily.”

Just then, Harry sighed softly and opened his eyes to reveal that they were still the same intense green they always had been. He glanced around before smiling at Youko Kurama and snuggling further into his blanket as he drifted back to sleep. There was something so wonderfully *innocent* about the boy that Youko Kurama wanted to wrap up in a soft cocoon and do his greatest to protect it from becoming tarnished or lost. It was a special kind of person that had that wonderful innocence so many tried to corrupt yet failed to do so, and it was only one part of the young wizard that Youko Kurama coveted.

“Perhaps you can tell us what happened, Serverus,” invited Dumbledore, drawing everyone’s attention away from Harry, and Youko Kurama watched as they settled down in the various chairs while he remained standing behind the couch.

Dropping the robe on the floor as if it was a cleaning rag, Snape settled himself in his chair, getting as comfortable as was possible in the hard, high backed furniture before speaking. He talked about arriving at the Muggle born witch’s house, where she and her husband were spending the evening with her parents and the events that lead up to the Aurors arriving. Then Tonks took over the tale, continuing on with what happened after Snape had helped the family escape before leaving himself.

Sometime during the conversation, about the time Snape turned the it over to Tonks, Harry woke up and lay there, quietly listening to the events he had missed. Green eyes widened as the pink haired woman described the link that had connected the young wizard to the twisted soul, and a brief shudder passed through Harry when she talked about how lifeless he had been before Youko Kurama had whisked him off to help him. Harry turned his attention towards the tall silver fox man and mouthed the words “Thank you”, and Youko Kurama inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment.

“And you say that the link has been destroyed?” Dumbledore asked, turning his attention to Youko Kurama only to blink and smile a bit more friendlier at Harry once he saw the boy was awake. “Welcome back, Harry. You gave us quite a scare for a bit.”

“Thank you, Headmaster,” Harry said, politely, sitting up and pulling the blankets around his shoulders. “What happened?”

Blue eyes lost a bit of their twinkle. “What do you remember, Harry?”

“My dreams started out normal enough and then I found myself in a house with Voldemort and Youko Kurama who was standing between Voldemort and myself. Protecting me. Youko Kurama said some things that Voldemort didn’t want to hear, and when Voldemort tried to cast the Killing Curse on him, Youko Kurama lashed out with a thorny whip, destroying Voldemort’s wand and cutting off his hand.” A confused frown passed over the young wizard’s face as talked. “Instead of bleeding, Voldemort oozed this disgusting liquid that smelled as bad as it looked. When Youko Kurama offered to get a ferry girl for him, this blue haired girl on an oar appeared out of the ceiling. At first she seemed startled to see Youko Kurama there but that changed when she spotted Voldemort. She threatened him with her oar, complaining about the problems Voldemort had caused a Lord Koenma.” He trailed off with a shrug. “I don’t remember anything else.”

“Harry, you know who that is?” asked Flitwick, his eyes dancing with curiosety.

Harry nodded, looking up at Youko Kurama with mischievous emerald eyes. “He’s Youko Kurama, a legendary thief in the Makai, and my friend, Argent.”

A bark of laughter escaped Youko Kurama as he gazed down at the boy with an appreciative look. “How long have you known?”

“Just now actually,” confessed the brunette teen with an embarrassed smile. “The fact that you, Youko Kurama, was here and Argent was nowhere to be seen was the main clue.”

Leaning on the back of the couch, the kitsune smirked at Harry whose face was inches away from his own. “And yet you claim that you are not as cunning as a kitsune,” he whispered, his ears twitching in delight. “Only one of the adults here figured out the same thing and that was because I deliberately pointed out Genaki’s book..” Those emerald eyes gazed up at him, filled with delight at the praise, believing it now that Harry had been given proof of his intelligence, and Youko Kurama lunged forward those last few inches, placing a chaste kiss on the startled wizard’s lips.

He was being kissed, a gentle kiss that seemed to have no other meaning other than a reward for a job well done to figure out Youko Kurama’s game, but it sent a pleasant tingle down his spine. Never before had he felt like this, and he wanted it to continue. When Youko Kurama started to pull back, Harry grabbed his head and held him in place, sighing in delight at the soft silky hair caressing his hands.

Startled gasps filled the air, but Harry ignored them, concentrating instead on the delightful feel of the fox man’s soft lips against his. Youko Kurama pulled back slightly, and Harry whimpered at the loss of the kiss, but strong hands gripped his chin, forcing him to gaze into burning amber.

“Mine!” growled Youko Kurama and a stranger thrill coursed through Harry at the thought of being claimed by the wild kitsune. Then he was being kissed again, this time it was a fierce kiss that seemed to sear his very soul, and he knew that there was no way to escape Youko Kurama even if he wanted to.

“Harry James Potter! Just *what* do you think you are doing?” screeched McGonagall, breaking through the pleasant haze that had enveloped him, and Harry sighed as he reluctantly pulled away from the kiss to fix her with a slightly dazed look. Before he could answer, she had switched her attention to the fox man who was wearing a satisfied smirk. “And you! What is the big idea of claiming Harry like that?”

Somehow, Harry managed to regain his sense enough to answer. “I thought I was getting kissed,” he drawled, allowing the blanket to fall to his waist as he crossed his arms over the thread bared cotton shirt he wore. He was getting fed up with their attitudes of him. They kept reminding him that he had to defeat Voldemort, treating him more like a tool than a person, or taking out past grievances on him, and now, just when Harry thought he could have a bit more in his life, he was getting slapped down like some errant child who got their hand caught in the cookie jar.

“He’s a demon!” protested Flitwick with a slight stutter even as his face was a dark red where it could be seen behind his beard.

“And I’m the bloody Boy Who Lived,” growled Harry, rising to his feet to face off with his professors. There were some surprised looks that he was actually talking back to them, something he had never done before since he started attending Hogwarts. Disobeyed them and broke some of the rules when it was necessary, yes, but deliberately talked back to them, no. Not even when the Chamber of Secrets had been opened had he talked back to them. Then, it was more of defending what he knew and try to get someone to listen to him, but now, he was tired of it all.

He clenched his hands at his sides to prevent him from doing anything stupid, like hitting something, and glared at all of them. “All the time, that’s what I hear. I’m Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and either people want to be my friend for the fame or try to drag me through the mud. All of you are like that, save for Professor Snape and all he sees is a way to get back at my father by taking it out on me. My *wonderful* relatives meanwhile see a slave, scape goat and punching bag. I’d be surprised if they even knew my name was something other than ‘boy’, and Merlin help them if they actually had to *buy* me something new.”

McGonagall opened her mouth to comment but Harry rushed on, not letting her speak. “I never wanted to be in that thrice-blasted Tournament, but I was because I couldn’t get out of it even though I was *clearly* underage and didn’t know *half* of what I needed to get through it. Of course, Rita Skeeter was *very* helpful in telling the world what was going on even though barely a word of what she wrote was true, so now everyone sees me as either a glory hound or a demented boy who hears things. I’ve been forced to learn as much as I can about Defense Against the Dark Arts, because it was expected of me since it was generally known that I’d face off against Voldemort again when he decided to reappear my first year here.”

A faint light appeared and Harry briefly realized that it was coming from him, but the dam that he held his feelings and words behind for so long had broken. He turned to face the headmaster who looked stunned. “I know my grandparents are dead, but what have you done to clear Sirius’ name so that I could live with him instead of my aunt, uncle and cousin? They would be delighted to know that I’ll never darken their doorstep again. Then they could just say that their nephew is attending St. Brutus’s Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys for good since they’ve locked him up. After all, it was *obviously* my fault when Dudley broke out in spots years ago since Uncle Vernon proved that with his belt on my back before shoving me back into the small closet under the stairs that had been my room for eleven years of my life.”

He glared at the other adults in the room as Youko Kurama slipped over the back of the couch and lounged there, silently supporting Harry. “It wasn’t until my first letter from here that I actually got a real room. Even then, it wasn’t really mine. It was just the smaller room where my cousin kept his broken things. Rather fitting that his scarred and freakish cousin should sleep there. I get his hand me down clothes, I get shoes from the thrift store, Merlin knows how long I’ve had the same glasses, and I get his smaller room.”

A bitter laugh slipped out of him. “When I asked my aunt one time how I got that damn scar on my forehead, do you know what she told me?” Instead of waiting for an answer, he kept right on talking. “She told me it came from a car accident that killed my parents. How’s that for a laugh. *Everyone* else that was part of the Wizarding world knew what had truly happened to them and I was raised to believe they died in something as senseless as a car crash.”

“I knew Petunia was bitter towards her sister, but I never imagined this,” sighed Dumbledore, slumping behind his desk.

“Why not? Professor McGonagall could have told you that much. After all, my relatives used Mrs. Figg for a babysitter as often as they could dump me on her and I know I saw her there in her animagus form more than once,” drawled Harry, jerking a thumb at the startled professor before smirking at her. “Arabella Figg had many cats and you fit in perfectly if I didn’t spend a couple days when I was younger watching her cats mill around her yard while working outside in my aunt’s garden.”

“We only did what we thought was best for you,” explained McGonagall, a hopeful look on her face that Harry might believe her, but that hope was dashed when he answered with another bitter laugh.

“The one phrase that I know was thought up by someone to comfort them after making a lousy decision,” Harry retorted. “Do *any* of you know what’s best for me? Or even care? My parents are dead. My godfather who would love nothing better than to openly take me home with him is still a wanted criminal. My aunt and uncle hate me and everything I represent to them. The rest of this damn world that I found myself thrust into either sees me as some divine savior or a nut job that’s about ready to crack and lash out at everyone. So tell me again. What do you think is best for me?”

None of them spoke, the professors exchanging almost guilty looks. Snape had what could be a look of grudging respect in his dark eyes, but his usual sneer was in place, making it hard to tell what was going on in the Potion Master’s head. Tonks, on the other hand, had a quill and a notebook out, scribbling away as if she would forget everything if she didn’t get it down on paper fast enough.

“I think you need at least a night’s worth of rest and someone to pamper you for a while.” The quiet comment came from behind him, and Harry turned to find Youko Kurama stretched out on the couch with a warm and friendly expression on his face as he held out a clawed hand to the young wizard. He cocked his head, an ear twitching slightly. “Am I wrong?”

Reaching out, Harry took the offered hand and allowed Youko Kurama to pull him down onto the couch, cuddling him close in strong arms, making the teen feel welcome and protected for the first time in his life. Harry found himself relaxing as a soft purr surrounded him, and he glanced at his hands as the faint light his skin had been giving off faded.

“Wicked,” he breathed, staring at his hands. “How’d I do that?”

A warm chuckle echoed in his ear as Youko Kurama ran a hand through Harry’s hair, making the wizard realize that it had grown down to his shoulders. “An unexpected bonus to freeing you from the link with Voldemort,” explained the kitsune, his voice soft and soothing, a welcoming balm for Harry’s frazzled nerves. “When Hogwarts loaned me her power to free you, it cost both you and I greatly, but you were the one hanging on by sheer determination. So, Hogwarts infused you with some of her energy which changed you by activating a heritage that lay dormant within you.”

“What heritage is that?” It was Snape who asked the question, and Harry looked up at him, seeing the faint trace of fear in his eyes as if he knew he wasn’t going to like the answer.

“He is full blooded Fey,” remarked the fox man, and Harry stared up at him, confused. “You are your gandfather’s child, Harry.”

Harry shook his head. “But my grandparents were human,” he protested. “Aunt Petunia would have said something if her father was anything other than human, and Sirius would have *definitely* mentioned it if my paternal grandfather was anything other than a wizard.”

That warm chuckle surrounded him again. “It is possible your grandmother made a wish, hoping to stave off her loneliness one night when her husband was gone on a trip, and a Fey visited her in the form of her husband. It has happened often enough in Japan, but rarely do children come from the union.”

“And what happens when a child is born?” asked Harry, trying not to fall asleep despite how warm and comfortable he was. It had felt good to purge himself of everything he had bottled up for so long, and maybe now, Sirius would be cleared and he’d never have to see his horrible aunt, uncle or cousin again if he didn’t want to.

“Usually, a child is born of another race when the husband comes home soon after the wife was visited and she is still infused with the other’s magic,” explained the fox man, pulling the discarded blanket up around Harry’s shoulders. “That is when a child of both worlds is born.”

Harry nodded and tried to raise his head, only to find a soft hand on his hair, urging him to lay his head down. “Get some rest and we shall talk more in the morning, sweet Feyling.”

Unable to resist that quiet voice and the drained feeling after releasing so much pent up emotions, Harry drifted off to sleep with a rumbling purr in his ears.

Gently pressing a kiss to the pale forehead, Youko Kurama shifted Harry until the boy was stretched out on the couch himself, still sleeping peacefully, and he stood up, staying between the adults and the couch with its precious bundle. His hands were held loose at his side, a rose seed grasped between two fingers as he stared at the adults, silently asking them what they were going to do now.

“Dobby,” called Dumbledore in a soft voice and there was a pop as a small creature with large eyes and huge floppy ears appeared, looking up at the Headmaster. “Some tea, please. We have much to discuss this evening.”

“I would prefer some green tea if it is not too inconvenient,” announced Youko Kurama, drawing Dobby’s attention and if anything, the large eyes grew even larger. “I have never gained a taste for what you English call ‘tea’.”

The little creature nodded its head so hard, Youko Kurama feared for a second it was going to nod its head off. “Dobby will bring green tea for Lord Kitsune,” it agreed before vanishing with another pop. A few seconds later, two trays arrived, one on Dumbledore’s desk and the other on a small side table next to the couch that appeared as if for the tray itself. The delicious scent of green tea drifted up from the pot, and Youko Kurama poured himself a cup, smiling in delight at the scent that teased his nose.

“What do you wish to discuss this evening?” inquired Youko Kurama, combining his five tails into one again before he got irritated with them. It was one reason he usually only wore one tail. He sipped his tea, almost moaning at the taste of home that danced across his tongue. “Harry’s outburst pointing out your flaws, the fact that he is now Fey no matter what you do to him, or that I have claimed him as mine?”

“What are your intentions towards the boy?” asked McGonagall, meeting Youko Kurama’s gaze with her own. “It is true I couldn’t do much to protect him against his relatives, but I never wanted that kind of life for him.”

Youko Kurama shrugged, his silver hair shining in the light. “I would say that my intentions towards him are honorable, but that would be a lie, because how can one have honorable intentions when one desires a mate?” he purred, sipping his tea before frowning for a second. “I wish to teach him what he wants to know, love him unconditionally, and support him when he needs it. I suppose those would be considered honorable intentions.”

Tonks stood up and tucked her notebook away. “Well, I gotta report ta headquarters with my report,” she announced in a cheerful voice. “Don’t think they’d believe me if I reported that Harry there’s a Fey now, so I think I’ll just forget to include that in my report.” With that, she waved to everyone as she left the room, leaving Youko Kurama alone with the professors.

Snape stood and gathered up the robe on the floor with a sneer. “If I am no longer needed, I believe I shall drink this night from my memory,” he said before leaving as well. Flitwick nodded to both McGonagall and Dumbledore before he too left the room.

“And then there were two,” murmured Youko Kurama into his glass with a small smile. He perched on the arm of the couch and regarded the professors. “Tell me, who hired the drunken idiot who is trying to pass himself off as a Defense professor?”

That got both of their attentions, and Youko Kurama nodded. “When we were suppose to go to his Defense class, Harry walked as far as the door, saw that the professor was singing to his bottles apparently again, and we left to enjoy what was left of the day.” He snorted and rolled his eyes. “Even I could smell the alcohol pouring off of him from across the room.”

“He was sent to us by the Ministry of magic,” confessed Dumbledore with a small shrug of his shoulders. “I couldn’t find anyone to take the position, and the Ministry appointed him.”

“Have you had any *good* Defense teachers other than Remus Lupin?” the silver fox drawled as a frustrated blush stole across McGonagall’s cheeks. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Alastor Moody, or rather whom we thought was Moody was a wonderful Defense professor,” sighed McGonagall, staring into her tea with a dejected slump to her shoulders. “If only parents didn’t object to Remus being a werewolf, the we wouldn’t have lost him.”

Youko Kurama nodded, absently, his thought whirling as he made various plans. “So what you need is someone knowledgeable about the Dark Arts, who isn’t influenced by any outside source, and who can teach the students without worrying about them favoring one above the other or even using the job to boost his own ego.” He almost laughed out loud at the obvious explanation that presented itself to him. “Have you tried a foreign professor, or even one who knows about the Dark Arts?”

“It was discussed, but the Board of Directors couldn’t decide where to ask for a professor,” admitted Dumbledore with a sigh as he poured himself another cup of tea.

“Genkai’s busy pounding her training into Yusuke’s thick head, so I don’t think she would have time to teach a bunch of wizards,” mused Youko thinking out loud, more to watch the expressions on their faces than any real need to organize his thoughts. “Plus she has Yukina that she’s chaperoning as long as Yukina’s in the Ningenkai. There’s no way in the Three Worlds Hiei would *ever* agree to teaching a bunch of children. With his temper and lack of patience with those he considers idiots, you’d be lucky if he didn’t kill half the class.”

Both were watching him with curiosity shining in their eyes, and Youko Kurama nodded as if he just reached a decision as he stood up. “You’ll just have to hire me for your Defense professor.”

“How?” demanded McGonagall, her face falling slightly. “If the parents objected to a werewolf, just *imagine* the uproar at a demon, no matter how benign he acts.”

“It won’t be a demon you’re hiring,” Youko Kurama corrected, wrapping his power around him and feeling the familiar shift of bones and muscles. In a few seconds, the very human Shuichi Minamino stood there, clad in a white Chinese style outfit trimmed in purple with a matching sash around his waist. “Funny thing. If a demon can slip through the veil separating the Makai from the Ningenkai at the time of his death and find the right human, he cam be reborn as a human.”

“You *stole* a human?” McGonagall gasped, outrage plain on her face.

“No! I did not steal a human,” growled Kurama, his hair fluffing out slightly with his anger as his emerald eyes flashed dangerously. “She was in danger of losing the child within hours when I found Shiori Minanimo. The Reikai won’t grant a soul to a child that will never be born, and that is what her child had been. I saved the child, strengthening it so it could live and made us one.”

A curious chirp attracted Kurama’s attention and he calmed down, turning to find Fawkes regarding him with a curious expression on his avian face. Kurama chuckled as the phoenix’s eyes seemed to swell with surprise. “Yes, Fawkes, I am human enough to pass almost any test,” he remarked. “Although, my spirit energy still registers a demon. That can easily be explained away by the simple fact that I come from Japan where the Three Worlds are closest.”

McGonagall gazed at Kurama before turning to look at Dumbledore. “It might just work,” she murmured, a smile stretching across her face. “As to why he couldn’t come earlier when you told the Ministry you were looking for one is because he *is* from Japan, and it takes a dreadful long time to get any letters answered that far away.”

“What are you going to do about Harry?” Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes twinkling again.

Kurama frowned thoughtfully. “He’s a fifth year now, only 15 so I have at least a year before he is legal enough to have a full relationship with,” he remarked with a shrug. “I’m patient and can wait. As for am I going to tell Harry that this is another form of Youko Kurama’s, the answer is yes.” He drained the last of his tea. “However, he is the only one I am going to tell. Harry can tell everyone else that Argent had to leave for whatever reason, and I trust the two of you to keep this to yourselves as well.”

Dumbledore nodded and pulled a few pieces of parchment out of a pile. “That is a deal I can honor,” he agreed, grabbing his red quill and scribbling on the parchment in a few places. Turning it around, he held both the parchment and the quill out to Kurama. “This is a standard contract for all the professors good for one school year.”

Carefully, Kurama read it over, understanding what he would be doing when he signed it before accepting the quill and signing his name on the line in graceful sweeping strokes. Then he handed the contract back to Dumbledore and glanced at them. “It will not take me long to move into my quarters once I know where they are.”

“Of course, this way.” McGonagall turned to leave the room and Kurama scooped Harry up from the couch with only a slight strain. He would be able to carry the teen for short distances in his human form since it wasn’t as strong as his youko form.

A few floor down and near the Griffindor tower they stopped before a picture of a grassy meadow with a couple of birds sleeping in a willow tree. The picture obediently opened under McGonagall’s touch and she gestured to a bed in a side room. “You can put him there until a second bed is brought up.”

Kurama gratefully put Harry down, arranging the blanket to cover him and the boy murmured something in his sleep as he snuggled farther down into the bed. Brushing a kiss across Harry’s forehead, he straightened and glanced around the room. There was an overstuffed chair and couch arranged before a fireplace with bookcases along one wall. The other had a forest tapestry hanging on it, and the final had large windows overlooking the dark forest. A few cushions were scattered on the windowsills, turning them into seats, and a thick green carpet was spread out on the floor.

“Very nice. It shouldn’t take the imps more than a few hours to pack my things and deliver them,” remarked Kurama, already composing a list of things he wanted from his room at his mother’s house. She had been nice enough to allow him to keep his things there until he found a place of residence. *Bah, I’ll just have them pack everything and bring it to me. I’ll be here long enough.*

“Can you tell me what’s taking so long in getting Sirius’ name cleared?” Kurama inquired, scribbling out a note for Hiei explaining what he was using his imps for as well as where he was.

“It was thought that Sirius Black betrayed the Potters to Voldemort and then killed about a dozen muggles and Peter Pettigrew in a violent argument,” McGonagall said in a sad voice. “It has been learned since then that it was Pettigrrew who was the traitor and he framed Sirius before vanishing by using his animagus form of a rat. If Pettigrew could be captured, then Sirius’ name could be cleared, but we have no idea where to start looking for Pettigrew.”

Kurama frowned as he wrote out the gist of what was going on for Hiei. He would write a separate letter to Genkai later, but right now, he wanted Hiei to know incase Koenma tried to pressure the Forbidden Child into dragging Kurama back to Japan. “I will see what I can do about tracking down this Pettigrew. I have contacts that not too many people know of, and for Harry, I will use them.”

He called an imp which arrived in a slight puff of smoke, causing McGonagall to squeak, and handed over the scroll. “That is to go to Hiei,” he ordered. “And I would like you to pack my belongings at Shiori Minamino’s house in Tokyo, Japan. You will be compensated for your troubles.”

The imp took the scroll and vanished in another puff of smoke as Kurama smiled at McGonagall. “My friend allows me the use of his information network and helpers,’ he explained, waving her towards the couch as he sank into the overstuffed chair and looked around the room. “I hope you don’t mind if I grow some plants in here. I prefer to have them around me no matter where I live.”

She nodded. “That’s fine. If you need soil or pots, simply see Madam Sprouts. She’s our professor of Herbology.”

An amused smile stretched across Kurama’s face as McGonagall lightly slapped her forehead. “I don’t know why I’m telling you that. You already know who everyone is,” she muttered, more to herself than to the redhead sitting nearby.

There was a pop and a trunk appeared in the middle of the room, followed by several more until there was a pile of luggage sitting in the middle of the room with an imp standing near by. Kurama pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to the imp. “As promised, compensation for your trouble and help.”

The imp glanced at the paper and vanished in a puff of smoke as Kurama moved over to the trunks, flipping open the first one to find his tunics neatly folded inside. He opened a few more until he found one containing his trinkets and photos and pulled out a recent picture of him and his family along with one of the Reiken Tante. He placed them on the mantle where he could look on them every day and any visitors to his room would be able to see them as well.

“What did you give the imp?”

Kurama glanced over at McGonagall and smirked. “The location of one of my smaller caches of treasure,” he replied. “With that, they’ll be able to expand their forces as well as buy some more information for Hiei.”

She nodded and stood up. “I’ll leave you to get unpacked and settled in, and I will see you at least Monday morning at breakfast.” With that, she left the room and Kurama turned back to his luggage.

A few hours later, everything was unpacked and Kurama had changed his clothes for a pair of emerald silk sleeping pants. A quick glance at the stars revealed that he had several hours until dawn, and he rearranged the blanket Harry was snuggled under enough to allow him to crawl in beside the sleeping wizard. A few seconds later, Harry was in Kurama’s arms and the redhead allowed the soft breathing of his chosen mate to lull him into a peaceful slumber.

The End