"We're fine," I assured him quietly, still holding both Luna and Ginny close against my sides. "A Dementor attacked our compartment, but I managed to repel it."
"Repel it...? That's very impressive." The man's gaze shifted to me directly at my words, recognition sparking instantly in his amber eyes. "Oh!" he gasped softly, clearly startled to see me. "Hello there, Harry," he said, his voice filled with gentle surprise and warmth, almost like we were old friends rather than complete strangers.
Something about his presence felt oddly familiar, though I had no clue who this man was.
"Sorry, have we met before?" I asked curiously, my eyes narrowing slightly as I studied him closely.
He hesitated, smiling slightly before replying. "Ah, forgive me. I'm Remus Lupin, your new Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts." There was clearly more behind his eyes, but he quickly moved past it, shifting his attention toward the rest of the compartment.
Before I could question him further, Lupin's eyes fell to the floor, landing squarely upon the unconscious form of Gilderoy Lockhart. The flamboyant professor lay sprawled awkwardly across the floor, his bright robes stained embarrassingly dark between his legs.
Lupin's eyebrows shot up in genuine confusion. "Um..." He trailed off uncertainly, clearly baffled. "What exactly happened to him?"
Ginny giggled softly into my shoulder, her body shaking slightly as she suppressed her laughter. Luna smiled dreamily as well, the tension in her figure easing further at the comical sight. Hermione, though clearly amused, at least tried to keep a straight face, coughing politely into her hand to hide her smile.
"He fainted," Hermione supplied dryly. "When he saw the Dementor."
Lupin blinked, looking thoroughly unimpressed by Lockhart's lack of bravery. "Ah. I see..."
XXX
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HP x DxD: That's not Wizard Magic! Chapter 10 — chapter 10 — WebNovel
52 — 66 minutes
Hello everyone! Here is the latest chapter of That's not Wizard Magic!
Chapter 10 (~9400 words)
— Harry —
The train slowed down with a gentle jerk, and I rose from my seat, stretching my stiff legs and adjusting my new Hogwarts robes. The material felt strange but comfortable, hanging loosely over my shoulders. It was finally happening. I was here at Hogwarts.
Hermione stood up beside me, smoothing her robes and glancing out the window. Her hand reached out and softly grabbed mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Come on, Harry. You'll love this," she whispered, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
We stepped off the Hogwarts Express onto the crowded platform. My eyes immediately widened as I looked up, completely astonished. The castle was right there, stretching toward the darkening sky, magnificent and even bigger than the sprawling Sitri mansion back in the underworld.
"Wow," I breathed out. It looked alive, magical, and strangely welcoming.
Hermione tugged gently on my hand again, pulling me from my daze. "Pretty impressive, right?"
I nodded slowly. "Way more than I imagined."
She leaned closer, her body pressing lightly against mine, and looked up at me with a warm, affectionate smile. Her soft hair brushed my cheek. "I'm so glad you're here, Harry. It just wouldn't feel right without you."
I squeezed her hand in return, smiling down into those warm, familiar eyes. "I'm glad I'm here too, Hermione. I don't know how I got so lucky meeting you in that bookstore. You're beautiful."
She blushed and looked away, biting her bottom lip as she fought a shy grin. "Don't say things like that in front of everyone," she whispered, though her eyes gleamed happily.
Nearby, Ginny cleared her throat loudly and rolled her eyes at us. Luna stood beside her, smiling dreamily. Ginny smirked at me and Hermione and said, "If you two lovebirds don't mind, Luna and I will go ahead and pick a carriage."
Luna nodded eagerly, her silvery eyes drifting somewhere over our heads. "I want to find one with the prettiest thestrals tonight," she murmured softly.
Thestrals?
She and Luna turned away and disappeared into the crowd heading toward a line of black carriages.
A sudden booming voice nearby grabbed my attention. I saw an enormous man standing head and shoulders above the crowd. He had to be at least twelve feet tall, covered in a shaggy brown coat and bushy hair.
"Alright, first-years, this way! Come on now, line up!" he shouted cheerfully, waving his giant hands in the air.
All the 16 year old first years lined up to follow the man.
"Who's the big guy?"
Hermione smiled fondly at the huge man. "That's Hagrid. He's the groundskeeper here, but he started teaching Care of Magical Creatures last year too. He's a good man, Harry. You'll like him."
Despite his intimidating size, he seemed gentle, friendly even to all the teenagers following him.
Hermione gently tugged on my hand again, pulling me toward the waiting carriages. The closer we got, the more I noticed the strange creatures harnessed to them-black, skeletal horses with leathery wings.
They were oddly beautiful, graceful in a haunting sort of way.
"They're... amazing," I said quietly, reaching out toward one. It tilted its head, regarding me with empty, curious eyes.
"You can see them, then?" Hermione said softly, her voice filled with gentle understanding. "I expected that to be the case after what you told me happened at the world cup."
Hermione explained thestrals could only be seen by people who had seen death. She could not see them yet herself. She hadn't actually seen anyone die, even though the paper said there had been casualties with all the fire during the world cup attack.
... Hermione and I hopped into the carriage, squeezing into the soft seats together. I felt Hermione's warmth against my side, her hand still holding mine tightly. Across from us, Ginny sat beside Luna, already settled in, Luna gazing around dreamily as usual.
Luna's soft, airy voice floated across to us. "Are you two going to make out now?"
Hermione choked, her eyes wide, while Ginny sputtered loudly, a flush of surprise rising on her cheeks. "Luna! Why would you ask that?" Ginny gasped.
Luna turned her big silvery eyes innocently toward Ginny, her expression serene as always. "Well, isn't that what boys and girls usually do when they sit together in carriages...? My daddy always said so..."
I chuckled softly, not entirely sure if Luna was joking or serious. Her dreamy expression was unreadable, but a mischievous sparkle danced subtly in her gaze.
Yeah, she was definitely teasing them.
"You're trolling us, Luna," I said with a grin, leaning back comfortably against the plush carriage seat.
She tilted her head slightly, a playful smile forming on her lips. "Oh, am I?"
Ginny sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes with mock exasperation. "Honestly, Luna, why are you like this?"
Luna ignored Ginny's amused irritation, leaning forward slightly toward me. Her eyes were bright with innocent curiosity. "You know, Harry, if Hermione doesn't feel up to kissing right now, I'd be quite happy to kiss you instead. After all, you were very warm when you hugged me earlier on the train. It felt nice."
Hermione immediately stiffened next to me, her grip on my hand tightening just a bit possessively. She glared pointedly at the blonde witch. "Really, Luna?"
I bit my lip, trying and failing to hide my growing amusement. Ginny watched the exchange with her arms crossed, a look of both annoyance and fascination on her face.
I glanced at Hermione, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Her eyes met mine, softening a little when she saw my teasing expression. With a huff, she rolled her eyes and leaned toward me, pressing a gentle kiss against my cheek. Her breath was warm on my ear as she whispered quietly, "Oh, fine. Go ahead then."
"You know," I said, turning my attention back to Luna, giving her a playful smirk, "you really should be careful when teasing a guy like that, Luna."
She blinked slowly, lips parted slightly, curiosity coloring her expression. Before she could reply, I leaned forward, crossing the small distance between us. Her eyes widened in surprise just as my lips softly captured hers.
Her lips were soft, delicate, warm, and tasted faintly sweet. I cupped her pale cheek gently with my hand, stroking the smooth skin as the kiss lingered for just a few seconds longer than intended. Luna squeaked softly in surprise against my mouth, the small sound causing me to smile against her lips. Her dreamy composure vanished briefly as she stared at me, eyes glazed, clearly surprised and a little overwhelmed.
Ginny, meanwhile, stared at me with open envy, sputtering jealously from her spot beside Luna. Feeling bold, I turned toward her next, raising an eyebrow with a playful challenge. "Well, we can't leave you out now, can we, Ginny?"
Her eyes widened in shock, cheeks flushed crimson as I leaned forward again, gently taking her chin in my hand. Ginny was momentarily stunned, but as my lips brushed hers softly, I felt her relax, pressing herself eagerly closer. Her lips parted willingly under mine, her enthusiasm obvious as she sighed softly into the kiss.
My hand slipped down to her neck, my fingers grazing her heated skin. Feeling mischievous, I gave her lower lip a playful bite before pulling back. Ginny's breath hitched sharply, her eyes darkening with desire, cheeks flushed as she stared at me in shocked delight.
I leaned back into my seat beside Hermione, who was watching everything with a mixture of amused annoyance and mild exasperation. "Happy now?" she murmured, quirking an eyebrow at me.
I chuckled lightly, sliding an arm around her waist. "Very."
"That's enough kissing until after the feast," Hermione declared firmly, though a playful smile danced at the corner of her mouth.
Ginny huffed quietly, licking her lips as if tasting the kiss again, looking both delighted and thoroughly embarrassed at how much she'd enjoyed it. Luna sat quietly beside her, still looking dazed and lost in the sensation, her fingers lightly brushing over her lips, eyes half-lidded and dreamy.
The carriage bumped gently over the uneven road, jostling us slightly closer together. I let my hand slowly rub Hermione's back, feeling her relax under my touch. Her body was warm and comforting beside me, and as our eyes met, she leaned closer, resting her head gently on my shoulder.
"Merlin, Harry," she murmured softly. "You're a naughty devil aren't you..." Hermione had two sides to her. Her normal bookish self that lusted after all knowledge. And then there was her bold self, that whenever she let loose always seemed to surprise me.
...Second to seventh-year students steadily made their way toward the Great Hall, chatting noisily as they headed in for the feast. I was about to follow Hermione when I suddenly felt someone grab my sleeve, gently pulling me aside. Surprised, I paused and turned around.
Hermione stopped as well, turning to stare curiously at whoever was holding onto my arm.
It was Jasmine McKinnon-one of the girls I rescued a few days ago in Diagon Alley. She looked nervous, with her slightly messy brown hair tumbling adorably around her shoulders and her round glasses framing a pair of large, expressive eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked up at me shyly, biting at her bottom lip as she gently squeezed my sleeve again.
"Hey, Jasmine," I said, smiling at her warmly. "Good to see you again. Did you need something?"
Jasmine glanced briefly at Hermione, her cheeks darkening slightly as if suddenly aware that we weren't alone. "You're not supposed to go into the hall yet," she said softly, her voice slightly nervous. "I mean-you're not a first year, obviously, but Professor McGonagall wants you to be sorted with them and the other transfer students. I'm a prefect now, so she gave me instructions ahead of time."
Other transfer students? That took me by surprise. Dumbledore had made it seem incredibly rare when we'd spoken earlier.
I nodded, gently placing my hand reassuringly on Hermione's lower back. "You go ahead," I told her softly. "I'll find you in Gryffindor after I'm sorted, okay?"
She smiled at me warmly, her gaze briefly flickering toward Jasmine before giving me an affectionate squeeze of my hand. "Alright, Harry. Don't keep us waiting too long," she teased gently, turning to hurry after Ginny and Luna.
The noise of the students slowly faded away as Jasmine and I stood together, suddenly alone in the empty hallway. There was a comfortable silence as we waited for the first-years to arrive from their boat ride. Jasmine still hadn't let go of my sleeve, her fingers gently gripping the fabric.
After a few seconds, she seemed to realize what she was doing and quickly released my arm, blushing deeper. "Sorry," she mumbled, clearly embarrassed. Her eyes darted to the floor shyly. "Bad Jasmine," she whispered to herself, "Stop thinking those thoughts!"
I raised an eyebrow, feeling both amused and curious. "What thoughts would those be?" I asked softly, leaning a little closer.
She flushed even more brightly, her eyes widening. "N-nothing," she stammered. "Just silly things. Ignore me."
I laughed softly, shaking my head. "You mentioned you're a prefect. Isn't that usually a fifth-year thing?"
She lifted her chin proudly, her embarrassment momentarily forgotten as she smiled mischievously at me. "Usually, yes. But Professor McGonagall said I'm 'exceptionally mature and responsible,'" she mimicked dramatically, clearly amused. "I got it a year early. Can you believe it? Malfoy will absolutely livid. Can't wait to rub it in the little weasel's face. I'm going to dock SO MANY points from him this year!"
I chuckled. Despite her awkwardness, Jasmine was definitely cute, and there was something uniquely charming about her enthusiasm.
Her expression suddenly shifted, becoming serious and slightly worried again. She shuffled nervously, twisting her fingers together as though debating something deeply personal.
"What's wrong?" I asked gently, placing a reassuring hand lightly on her shoulder.
She jumped slightly at the contact but didn't pull away. Taking a shaky breath, she finally met my eyes, a conflicted look on her face. "Harry, I have something important to tell you," she began quietly, biting her lip. "Something very personal, actually."
"Okay... you can tell me."
She looked up at me again, determination blazing in her eyes now, though the nervousness never fully faded. "I'm your sister, Harry," she said clearly and firmly.
For a moment, my mind simply blanked. "...Huh?" I said dumbly, staring at her in confusion.
She nodded eagerly, stepping a bit closer. "My father was James Potter," she said hurriedly, clearly eager to explain herself fully, "and my mother is Marlene McKinnon. She was your mother Lily's best friend. That makes us half-siblings. My real name is Jasmine Potter-McKinnon."
