Chapter Text
Mikado hadn’t been sure of what to expect when he applied for a transfer to Hogwarts. Kida’s gushing letters of encouragement were never all that coherent, and Mikado always felt he would only be able to share in his best friend’s excitement if he attended the school himself.
The bright red Hogwarts express emitted enough steam to cover half the platform and Mikado tried to see through the smoke and crowds of people in an attempt to find his best friend.
"Meet me on platform 9 and 3/4!" Kida had wrote.
Finding the platform itself hadn’t been too difficult, neither was slipping through it with his trunk and owl. Trying to actually meet his best friend on the other hand, was proving to be a major challenge.
"I’m never going to find him at this rate," Mikado sighed to himself, leaning against one of the many pillars along the platform.
"IIIIIIII-zzzzzaaaaa-yyyyaaaaaaaaa."
Mikado blinked as a few yelps of surprise and muffled screams travelled down the platform. Followed by a loud crash. Mikado jumped.
"We haven’t even got to school yet, Shizu-chan." The voice was amused, as if the rising mayhem was welcomed.
Mikado squinted as he tried to find out what was going on, the steam made it difficult.
"Iiii-zzzzzzzaaaaaaa-yyyyyyyyaaaaaa!"
Mikado nearly jumped out of his skin as a platform bench crashed into the ground not far from him. This was followed by a guy with black hair and a fur-lined, black coat.
"Now now, Shizu-chan," the man taunted, seemingly spinning his way around the platform instead of walking. This proved useful, because various projectiles were landing with a deathly *crunch* in places he stood moments ago. "Can’t we wait until after the sorting tonight at least?"
The guy didn’t stand around to wait for an answer, he just turned and ran. Not a moment after his escape, a vending machine flew through the air and crashed into a platform pillar.
Mikado couldn’t help it. He stared.
"Mikado!"
It took a second or two, but Mikado managed to tear his eyes away from the carnage before him. He hadn’t learnt banishing charms yet. Would he be able to throw park benches and vending machines with only a flick of his wand when he did? Maybe he could throw them at Kida when he wouldn’t stop making bad jokes.
Pausing the daydream of potential possibilities for the moment, he turned to the person calling out to him and smiled.
Then did a double-take.
"Kida, is that you?!"
The person standing before him looked so similar to his best friend, with one big difference. Blonde.
"You dyed your hair?" Mikado exclaimed in surprise.
Kida’s shoulders immediately drooped in disappointment, and Mikado worried that the blonde hair had not been intentional. Thankfully, it turned out Kida was upset about something else entirely.
"Geez Mikado, you changed the topic so quickly, I didn’t even have time to tell you the joke I had been working on for the last three years." Kida complained with a forlorn sigh. "It was going to be great, with three options and the best punchline."
Mikado, who was used to Kida’s non-sensical jokes merely smiled. “Kida’s punchlines are always so terrible, I’m glad I interrupted it.”
In response to his quip, his best friend grabbed him into a jokey headlock hug. “It’s great to see you again, and my jokes are brilliant.”
Mikado laughed, giving his friend a hug back. They’d been exchanging owls, but it was so much better to see his best friend in person again.
"I can’t wait til the school year begins," Kida was saying as they walked along the train corridor, searching for an empty compartment. "I bet this year’s going to be really great. You have to join my house okay?"
"There are four houses right? Gryffin, Raven and…er…" Mikado frowned as he tried to recall from the many letters Kida had sent him explaining all about the Hogwart houses.
Kida laughed, “You’ve already forgotten the House names? You’ll have to be shaper than that to survive at Hogwarts, Mikado.”
Before Mikado managed to retort something along the lines of “You’re surviving fine”, Kida pulled open a door with a wide grin.
"EMPTY!" he cheered happily and the two of them settled down for the journey towards Hogwarts.
---
They shoud make clearer instructions for transfer students.
That was Mikado’s first thought when he got off the train. There was a tall, black man yelling “First years, first years, hurry here or no sushi!”
Did that include him? He was technically a first year at Hogwarts, but at the same time, he was joining the fourth year. So should he go with the first years? Or should he stay with Kida?
Mikado glanced at his best friend, and saw that he was frowning slightly as well. Before either of them could say anything, however, someone tapped Mikado on the shoulder.
He turned around to see a piece of parchment being waved in his face. Blinking for a few moments, he read the words.
-Are you Mikado Ryuugamine?-
Mikado looked past the parchment to the person holding it. It was a female student, there was a big silver Head Girl badge pinned to her black robes. Beneath her witch’s hat was a cat-shaped biker helmet.
"Celty Sturluson!" Kida exclaimed behind him, "You’re looking beautiful as always. Let’s go on a date sometime, ne?"
The Head Girl ignored him, Mikado wondered how often Kida must ask girls out on dates, and pointed at her parchment again.
"Oh, um…y-yes, that’s me," Mikado managed to stutter out. He felt an arm rest across his shoulder and look at Kida in confusion.
"What he means to say, Miss Head Girl, is that yes he IS indeed Mikado Ryuugamine. And he’s single and most definitely free for a date if you are ever interested."
Mikado blushed bright red. “Kida!”
-Be on your way, Masaomi Kida,- the Head Girl wrote on her parchment. -Mikado, please come with me.-
"See you at the feast, Mikado!"
Without waiting for a response, Kida walked back into the crowds and disappeared from sight.
The Head Girl lead him away from the crowds and into a dark alcove with a single bench. Mikado wondered momentarily if they were supposed to wait until the crowds died down or something, or perhaps there was a secret passageway there that lead directly into Hogwarts basement or something. Kida was always telling him how there were gazillions of secret passageways at Hogwarts.
Neither of his theories rang true though, because the Head Girl simply grabbed two brooms that had been leaning in a shadowy part of the wall and tossed one at him. He just about managed to catch it.
-How’s your flying?- She wrote on her parchment.
"Um… it’s okay I guess?"
-Good- Celty wrote. -We’ll be flying to Hogwarts.- And promtly mounted her broom.
Mikado tried to swallow away his nervousness, although he could ride a broomstick, flying had never been his strong point.
Despite his hesitation, he kicked up into the air after Celty, doing his best not to wobble too much and flew more or less in an almost straight line.
They had barely been in the air, when Mikado forgot all about his lack of flying prowess. Because there in front of him, standing beautifully beside a large lake, was Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
"Wow.." he murmured breathlessly. It was more magnificent than he had imagined.
Celty dipped her broom down and began diving towards the lake. Flustered, Mikado hurriedly followed, feeling as if he was about to fall off any moment. They skimmed over the surface, ducked beneath the cliff rockface, and landed at the bottom of some stone steps. Mikado could see a cluster of small boats floating besides them.
-You’ll be going into the hall with the first years.-
Mikado nodded, part of him wondering why he wasn’t sent in with the first years to begin with. But the Head Girl was already walking up the stone steps.
The first years had been ushered into a single file not far inside the entrance hall. Mikado couldn’t help running his eyes over them as Celty held the front door open for him. A kind looking man walked over.
"Mikado Ryuugamine?" he asked, smiling down at him. Mikado found himself straightening up unconsciously.
"Y-yes."
"Good Evening, I am Professor Charles Xavier, Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts. We are very pleased someone with such outstanding grades as yours chose to transfer to our humble school."
Mikado wasn’t sure what was so humble about it, Hogwarts was one of the best schools for magic in the world.
"I’m sorry for throwing you into the deep end. Transfer students always get sorted after the first years," Professor Xavier continued. "If you could wait at the end of the line and the Headmaster will give you a short introduction later."
Mikado nodded, doing his best to quell his nervousness. Joining the end of the queue, he ignored all the curious stares from the first years and found himself adjusting his robes, cloak and hat. He wanted to make a good impression of the school before he gets sorted into one of the houses.
Houses, he couldn’t even remember the names of the houses. He knew Kida was in the yellow themed house, his best friend had spoke at length about the great battle he went through to pursuade the sorting hat to put him in that house. To be honest, Mikado thought it was a bit weird Kida had chosen his house because of a colour.
He snapped out of his thoughts when the doors to the Great Hall opened, feeling himself stare in wonder at the four long tables. The ceiling had been enchanted to mimic the night sky, with the stars twinkling above them. It was both pointless and magnificent at the same time.
As the first years were called forward one by one, Mikado surveyed the dining tables. He could see Masaomi waving discreetly at him every now and then, and tried his best to wave back. Celty, the Head Girl was sitting at another table, decorated in red and gold. She was watching the sorting attentitively. At least, it looked as if she was watching the sorting attentitively. It was hard to tell with the cat-shaped biker helmet still perched upon her head.
"Good evening everyone," the Headmaster was saying. "I hope you have had a restful break over the summer. Every year, we welcome a group of new students to begin their journey of learning at Hogwarts. I trust everyone will make them feel at home and point them the right way when needed. The first year of school was nerve-wrecking for everyone.
"This year, however, we also have a transfer student joining our fourth year. As per tradition, we will have him sorted with our sorting hat. But whichever house he enters, I hope you will all show him the courtesey and respect he deserves.
Please welcome, Mikado Ryugamine.”
The school clapped politely. Mikado walked up the steps of the stage with shaky legs, doing his best to ignore Kida’s whoops and calls from his table.
He was directed to an acient looking stool, where an even more ancient looking hat was perched. Gingerly, he sat down on the wobbly stool as a teacher held the hat up for him. It was plopped unceremoniously on his head, slipping a little over his eyes. Normally, Mikado would push the hat back upright. But he was fine with not having to look at hundred of eyes staring at him.
A voice sounding in his head did nearly make him jump off the chair and stumble off the stage though.
'Hmmmmm…a transfer student eh?'
Mikado paused, wondering if he was supposed to greet the hat. Then he wondered if the hat could already hear what he was thinking.
'We haven't had a transfer student in 100 years,' the hat continued. If it was hearing Mikado's inner monologue, it didn't show it. 'The last transfer student was Bertha Bottlewizzlewits. Quite the little cleverclogs she was. Said she wanted a more challenging environment. It was obvious that her place was in Ravenclaw.'
Mikado wasn’t sure what to say or think to that, so he just waited as calmly as he could. He wondered if the hat would give him more history lessons or actually try to sort him.
'Oh I'm already sorting you,' the hat said, 'you have a pretty good brain in you too hmm, but not quite right for Ravenclaw I don't think. No no, much too ambitious for that.'
Kida mentioned something about the different attributes of the houses, Mikado couldn’t remember which one was the ambitious group. Either way, he kind of wish the hat would just place him in Kida’s house.
'Kida? The last Kida was sorted into Hufflepuff I believe. Quiet a surprise for me, his entire family before him have been Gryffindors you know. A friend of yours is he? Don't think you're Hufflepuff material either though.'
Inexplicably, Mikado felt his shoulders sag.
'Now don't be so down, you are loyal to your friends, which is a very Hufflepuff trait, I'll give you that. But that's only one of their traits. No, I can see a hidden courage within you. That will and inner passion. It is no question that you, Mr transfer student, belongs best in GRYFFINDOR!'
At the loud yell, Mikado did jump, slipping off his chair in the process as the hat tumbled from his head. The entire school laughed, and Mikado felt his face heat up.
"Are you alright Mr Ryuugamine?"
It was Professor Xavier. He had retrieved the hat and was helping him to his feet. Not trusting his voice, Mikado meekly nodded.
"Your house is on the far left," he said, and as Mikado looked over, he could see the whole table cheering him and clapping. With a shy little nod, Mikado hurried down the steps and plonked down at the table.
"Welcome to Gryffindor"’ everyone around him chorused.
Mikado smiled at them, feeling slightly overwhelmed at all the clapping and cheering. A few seats away from him, a pair of his housemates were chanting something about mysterious transfer students. Mikado didn’t really understand, but it sounded like a compliment.
Everyone eventually quietened down when the headmaster tapped his goblet with a fork. All heads turned towards him.
Mikado was about to follow suite, but even as he shifted in his seat, he felt a sharp sense of being watched. Curious, he swept his eyes over the rest of the students.
At the other side of the Great Hall, on the table right next to Gryffindor’s, was a black-haired student with startling red eyes. Those eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Mikado, and the student smirked when their eyes met.
Mikado’s gaze only lingered on that other student for a moment, a loud boo sounded from some of the students without warning. He looked around, wondering what he had missed.
"They’ve closed off the third floor corridor," a guy to Mikado’s left said, perhaps seeing his confused manner. "We are not to walk down it under any circumstances but wouldn’t explain why."
Mikado nodded, mind already spinning 100 miles an hour thinking of the potential cause. Vaguely, he felt the other student studying him. The other student was taller, with broad shoulders and neatly slicked back brown hair. He had a very calm and competent air around him.
"Thank you," Mikado said. Then realising he should be making friends, hurriedly introduce himself.
"I know your name," the other student said with some amusement, "the headmaster announced it to the whole school."
Mikado felt himself blush again and stammered out a response. If his memory was correct, he said something along the lines of “r-right” or “o-o-of course…”
Then again, he could easily have gone “msajfdl”.
Whatever he said, the other student didn’t seem to mind.
"I’m Kadota," he said, holding out a hand, which Mikado managed to timidly shake.
"Dotachiin," a girl’s voice sound out, draping herself over Kadota’s left shoulder. "You’re keeping the mysterious transfer student all to your self. Do you have a secret motive?"
"No way! Kadota is preying on the mysterious transfer student! It’s this going to be a give-me-all-your-lunch-money scenario?!" this was said by another male student, who popped up from behind Kadota’s right shoulder.
Their tones were playful, but Kadota seemed suddenly more flustered.
"I don’t have a secret motive! And we don’t pay lunch money here."
"Don’t anger him Karisawa, what if a close space opens up?"
"Ehhh? You mean Dotachiin is not the supportive Big Brother character?!"
Mikado had absolutely no idea what they’re talking about…
"Oi! Don’t talk about that stuff during dinner."