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Chapter Text

Luffy wasn't sure when he stopped being Harry and became Luffy again. It was a slow realization because then-Harry hadn't thought of himself as anything. He was just boy. Life was easier that way.

Eventually, though, boy became Luffy.

Sometimes Luffy wished he had remained boy. This new life was different and not in a good way.

The Dursley's were awful people. Luffy had never been so hungry in his life. It was torture to watch his fat cousin gorge himself until he was the size of Gomu Gomu no Balloon while Luffy survived on almost nothing.

Perhaps the worst thing, though, was the loneliness. In this world, there was no Ace or Sabo to spend his childhood with. There was no Gramps and his Fist of Love to visit. Luffy didn't even know if his nakama were here. So far it seemed Luffy was alone.

The only thing Luffy did have was his memories. Every night he dreamt of life on the Merry-go or the Sunny-go. Every night he was surrounded by his nakama and every day it was becoming harder and harder to wake up.

"Get up!" Aunt Petunia shrieked rapping at the door to his cupboard.

Luffy sat up with a groan.

"What was that, boy?" Aunt Petunia hissed yanking the door open to peer in at him.

"Nothing!" Luffy insisted shaking his head.

Aunt Petunia sniffed. She looked like she has stepped in something foul, but she always looked that way when she saw Luffy. "Go get the paper! I have to keep an eye on breakfast."

Luffy waited until the woman had wandered away from his cupboard and sighed heavily. She didn't let him watch the food anymore. Not only was Luffy unable to cook anything, but sometimes he was unable to help himself and he simply couldn't stop himself from eating the food. Luffy had spent weeks in his cupboard for infractions like that before.

That was another bad thing. The cupboard. Luffy hated it. It was so small he felt like he was trapped any time he was in there with the door closed. Somehow Uncle Vernon had figured out Luffy's hatred for the cupboard and used that to punish him whenever he felt Luffy deserved it. In fact, Luffy had just freed from a three-week long punishment after the Zoo Incident.

The walk to the front door where the post sat on the doormat was very short. Only a few steps really, his family was so lazy. The former pirate scooped up the three letters and froze. There on top was a strangely thick letter. On the envelope in emerald green ink was his name.

"A mystery letter!" Luffy exclaimed softly running his fingers over the strange paper in awe. He had never gotten a letter before.

Luffy's mind whirled as he tried to think of who the letter could be from.

"Boy! Hurry up with those letters!" Uncle Vernon shouted.

Luffy carefully stuffed the letter down his trousers. He would look at the mystery letter later. Luffy wasn't about to risk the first interesting thing that had ever happened to him.
--
Later that night after the Dursley's had gone to bed and Luffy was left in his cupboard with the bare light bulb swinging above his head, the black haired boy retrieved his letter and looked it over. It looked exactly the same, except maybe a little crumpled from being handled so roughly but Luffy was still excited to open it.

Carefully the boy picked at the wax seal on the back and grinned when it came loose. Inside the envelope, Luffy found two pieces of the thick paper.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Luffy read over the letter again and grinned the more he looked at the letter the wider his smile became. Soon the boy had to force his face into the thin padding of his bed to muffle his joyous laughter. He was going on an adventure.
--
The next day, having been banished from the house by his aunt, Luffy decided he was going to go owl hunting. The mystery letter had said they were waiting for his owl, Luffy wasn't sure what that meant, but he was going to find one and figure it out.

As it turned out finding an owl didn't take long at all. There sitting on the Privet Drive street sign sat a brown owl. Luffy looked at the owl and the owl stared back at him. "Are you who I'm supposed to give my answer to?" Luffy asked.

The owl ruffled its feathers and continued to stare.

Luffy puffed out his cheeks when he didn't receive an answer.

"Come on owl! I need to borrow you!" Luffy tried again waving the lined piece of notebook paper he had stolen from one of Dudley's notebooks. "My mystery letter says they "await my owl" or whatever. I haven't got an owl so I need you!"

The brown owl flapped its wings twice but remained where it sat.

"Fine! If you won't come down, I'll come up!" Luffy decided. Catching the bird would have been a lot easier with his Gomu Gomu powers but unfortunately, Luffy didn't have those anymore. Another reason why Luffy didn't like where he was at currently.

The stubborn ten-year-old stuffed his response in his pocket and stalked up to the street sign. It's wasn't very tall, a few feet taller than Luffy currently stood, and the pole was rather sturdy.

With memories of scaling much taller things, Luffy easily scaled the pole and met the owl nose to beak. "Gotcha! Now take my, ow!"

The owl, apparently not willing to deal with the boy, opened its beak and clamped down on the boy's nose.

"Leggo!" Luffy shouted flailing his arms so much that he lost his grip on the pole. The ten-year-old hit the ground with a thump and a hurting nose.

"Ow! You jerk bird!" Luffy shouted rubbing at his nose. "I just need you to take my letter to the mystery school!"

The owl stared down at the child seemingly smug. Luffy was suddenly reminded of the South Bird he and his crew had needed to get to the Sky Island. That memory seemed like so long ago...like the dream, it had become.

"Boy! What are you shouting about! Get in this house right now!" Luffy heard Aunt Petunia yell. All of his shouting had likely caught the attention of the neighbors.

Luffy shot a look back at Number 4 and turned back to the owl. "Please, owl! I need to get this letter to the mystery school! I don't want to stay here!"

The owl gazed down at the boy for a moment and swooped down to land on the ground next to him. It calmly waited for Luffy to dig the letter out of his pocket and present it to the owl.

"Get away from that creature!" Aunt Petunia shrieked. She had grown tired of waiting for him to come to her and sought him out instead. "What are you doing? Is that a letter? Give that here!"

"Go owl, go!" Luffy shouted frantically. His aunt would take the letter and he'd never get to go on his adventure.

The owl disappeared into the sky just as Aunt Petunia reached Luffy. "You rotten boy!" She raged as she reached out and snagged his ear. "Writing to those freaks no doubt!"

"OW,ow!" Luffy said as he stood on his tip toes to keep his aunt from yanking his ear off. "I was just replying to my mystery letter!"

"Mystery letter?" Aunt Petunia asked. "I won't have it! We swore when we took you in there would be no more of this nonsense! Just wait until you Uncle gets home!"

Luffy struggled to keep up as his aunt drug him back into the house by his ear and forced him back into his cupboard. Locked inside or not Luffy laid back on his lumpy mattress and smiled. He was going on an adventure.
--
Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall flipped through the acceptance letters on her desk. All of the witch and wizard born children had, of course, accepted their place at Hogwarts, all except one. The response to Harry Potter's letter had yet to arrive. McGonagall was a little concerned. She remembered her impression of the Dursley's family from the night she and her colleagues had dropped the toddler off at Number Four Privet Drive. They had been the worst sort of muggles then and was sure that hadn't changed much.

"Hoot!"

A single brown owl swooped into through her open window and landed gracefully on the corner of her desk. The deputy headmistress stared curiously at the paper clutched in its beak. "Is that another acceptance for me?" She asked reaching out to the letter.

The owl hooted in the affirmative and settled down to watch her open it. The letter was folded in half and crumpled. The older woman smoothed it out and read the words in shock.

Dear Mystery School,

I don't know what Hogwarts is, but it sounds like fun! I want to go!

Harry Potter

"Dipsey!" McGonagall shouted. A sharp crack signaled the arrival of the house elf.

"Yes, Mistress McKitty?" The house elf asked gazing up at the witch with wide eyes.

"Alert the Headmaster I need to see him right away. We have a problem."

Chapter Text

The second Aunt Petunia had drug Luffy through the door she insisted that he give her the Mystery Letter. Luffy gave her the envelope keeping the letter to himself. She had gasped and choked like Luffy remembered doing on fish bones. She had then ushered him into the cupboard and locked the door.

Uncle Vernon had been very upset about the Mystery Letter. Luffy had laughed at the different colors the man had turned and earned a sharp smack to his head for it. The boy couldn't figure out why they were so worried about the letter especially the fact they knew about his cupboard.

Still, when Uncle Vernon had demanded he move into Dudley's second bedroom upstairs Luffy didn't argue. Dudley, however, threw a fit. Luffy was forcefully reminded of the Captain's son from when he first met Zoro. A sniveling baby that whined to get his way. Dudley had always acted like the blond stupid son.

Luffy just ignored the crying coward and gathered his few possessions and hauled them up to his new room. The room was rather small but it was at least bigger than the cupboard. Luffy sighed happily and flopped down on his bed. The mattress was the same from his cupboard but it had been put on a rickety old bed frame Uncle Vernon had found in the garage. Not that it mattered to Luffy. The important thing was that he had room to move now. He could stretch out on the floor and not touch the walls. It was perfect.

The mystery letter was changing his life for the better already.

--

"Boy! Get the door!" Aunt Petunia directed waving her hand in the direction of the front door. She was just beginning to take dinner off of the stove top and his uncle and cousin were not about to get off their butts and get it.

Luffy shrugged and bounced out of his seat and headed to the door. The Dursley's didn't normally get visitors at dinner time, something he could hear Uncle Vernon muttering about at the table. Still, it got him away from Dudley who had taken to whacking Luffy with his smelting stick every chance he got. It didn't hurt much but it was annoying and Luffy didn't want to get sent to his room without dinner for hitting Dudley back.

Luffy pulled the door open and his eyes went straight up, and up and up. The man at the door was the tallest person Luffy had seen since his pirate days.

"Wow, mister, you sure are tall," Luffy pointed out sticking his pinky in his ear.

"Yohohohoho," The man laughed. "I am!"

Luffy froze in place. That laugh… The former pirate captain peered up at the man and gasped. "Brook?"

The man, somehow not a skeleton, blinked down at the boy in shock. "How do you know my name?"

"Boy!" Uncle Vernon yelled stomping to the door. "Who is at the door?"

Luffy continued to stare at the man who could only be his musician, and ignored his uncle.

"We don't want what you're selling," Uncle Vernon said roughly going to shut the door.

Brook stopped the door with his hand. "Yohohoho, I'm not selling anything, sir!" Brook said. "I'm here to speak with your family about a letter this young received a few days ago."

Luffy whip around to watch his uncle turn funny colors and laughed. "Shishishishi," He giggled not seeing Brook's surprised look.

"You-you! You're one of them!" Uncle Vernon hissed peeking around the extremely tall man as if to see if the neighbors had somehow heard.

"Them?" The man asked. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Vernon dear? What's wrong?" Aunt Petunia asked joining them at the door.

"It's one of them," Uncle Vernon whispered having shot a frightened look at the tall thin man with an afro.

"Get in here!" Aunt Petunia said ushering Brook into the house. "Before the neighbors see you!"

Luffy watched as Brook ducked low to make it in through the doorway. The nine-foot-tall man had to stand hunched over because the ceilings were almost two feet too short. "Er, if we may take a seat? I can explain my presence?"

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia looked furious. Luffy smiled gleefully. This was the most fun he'd had in ages.

"We are in the middle of dinner!" Aunt Petunia said angrily.

"Oh! I'll join you then!" Brook decided with a smile. Brook looked strange with skin, Luffy decided as he followed his crew mate into the kitchen. Dudley gaped at the tall stranger who made himself at home in Petunia's chair.

Luffy's aunt looked like she was about to start screaming. Her lips were pressed together so tightly they were white. Uncle Vernon was growing steadily redder like his head was about to pop.

"Boy go get another chair," Uncle Vernon growled his eyes never leaving the interloper at his table.

Luffy rushed off to get a chair from the den and pulled it into the kitchen. Chair in place Luffy slipped into the seat next to Brook and waited. It was time to get some answers.

--

Brook had been at Hogwarts for nearly 45 years now. Time was a funny thing to an immortal man, it both didn't matter at all and was the most important thing in the world. Over his rather extended lifetime Brook, known as both the Humming Swordsman and Soul King, had very few precious moments and each one sped past like nothing.

Brook remembered his time as a pirate with a soul aching fondness. His time as a member of the Rumbar pirates and then as a Strawhat were his most precious memories.

After losing everything twice Brook hadn't been sure he would survive (not that he did, because he was already dead! Skull joke!). The death of the Strawhat pirates had driven Brook nearly insane. He remembered what had to be centuries wandering the earth as it changed around him. It wasn't until nearly 150 years ago when Brook met a young man named Albus Dumbledore that he found a home again.

The rise of witches and wizards had been a shock but to a centuries-old skeleton, but the shock wasn't hard to get over. After young Albus had brought Brook home with him and the pirate musician explained his situation the elder Dumbledore's gladly cast a glamor over him to replicate his appearance from when he was alive. They then hired him to be the children's music teacher.

For many years until the children were grown and off to school Brook had a place again. Leaving when the children no longer needed him was one of the hardest things to do. It wasn't until years later that young Albus sought him out and brought him to Hogwarts to teach music.

Brook wasn't the first choice to send to muggle raised students since he had no magic himself but when the only other option was Hagrid Professor McGonagall made an exception. Honestly, Brook was excited to meet the young Boy-Who-Lived. Brook could easily remember his parents, Lily had a beautiful singing voice and James was...enthusiastic at least.

The good news, McGonagall had told him, was that while Harry Potter didn't know anything Hogwarts his Aunt and Uncle did and the boy was eager to learn. His job was to pick the boy up, take him to Diagon Alley and ensure he had his train ticket. There wasn't supposed to be any problems.

There ended up being a problem. Brook got lost. It wasn't his fault all of the houses looked the exact same! The numbers, the only thing that made the houses different, were so tiny the tall man had to get up very close just to see them. This led to a few awkward situations. The nice woman from Number Eight hadn't appreciated his asking to see her panties and neither did her husband.

Thankfully, he had managed to find the proper house Number Four. Brook knocked on the door and waited patiently.

The door popped open and Brook was given his first look at the Boy-Who-Lived. The soon-to-be-eleven-year-old was of average height and a little on the skinny side. Brook watched as the boy's head craned back as he looked up at him with wide green eyes. Strange, hadn't James worn glasses? Maybe he got Lily's eyesight.

"Wow, mister, you sure are tall," the kid said, sticking his pinky in his ear.

"Yohohohoho," Brook laughed, what a funny child. "I am!"

Brook noticed the child pause and peer up at him confusion. "Brook?" Harry asked.

The skeleton glanced down at the boy. There was no way this child should know his name. "How do you know my name?"

Brook ignored the fat man who came marching to the door from inside the house. Instead, he focused his attention on the child standing in front of him. He looked remarkably like James from what Brook could remember. Messy black hair, their faces were the same but he might grow out of that. The lack of glasses took away some of the resemblance and the scar Brook could see on his forehead was a difference.

But the more he looked at the boy the more Brook could sense something. Something about Harry Potter was familiar in a way it probably shouldn't be. It struck Brook like lightening. Harry Potter looked like Monkey D. Luffy. The only difference was the scar placement and the green eyes. Brook was sure if he plopped a straw hat on the boy's head it would as if Luffy was standing before him again.

"We don't want what you're selling," The fat man said roughly going to shut the door.

Brook stopped the door with his hand, he wasn't about to let the annoying man interfere with his job. Especially after the resemblance between the young wizard and his long dead captain.

"Yohohoho, I'm not selling anything, sir!" Brook said. "I'm here to speak with your family about a letter this young received a few days ago."

"Shishishishi," Brook heard Harry laugh. That was Luffy's laugh.

"You-you! You're one of them!" Harry's uncle hissed peeking around the extremely tall man as if to see if the neighbors had somehow heard.

"Them?" Brook asked curiously did he mean wizards? "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Vernon dear? What's wrong?" A thin harsh looking woman joined them at the doorstep. What a strange family to have such meetings at the doorstep. Even the woman at Number 8 had invited him in.

"It's one of them," Brook heard the man whisper.

"Get in here!" Brook happily shuffled into the house ducking as he did so. "Before the neighbors see you!"

Homes on Privet Drive were not meant to hold people as tall as he was so Brook leaned over cheerfully. "Er, if we may take a seat? I can explain my presence?"

The musician saw a familiar smile spread across Harry's face.

"We are in the middle of dinner!" Harry's aunt informed him.

"Oh! I'll join you then!" Brook decided with a smile. Not only was he obligated to tell Harry about Hogwarts but the former pirate wasn't going to leave until he figured out why Harry resembled his late captain so much. The boy followed Brook into the kitchen into the kitchen. Once there Brook ignored the rather obese child who gaped at him and settled into a chair.

Brook ignored his hosts and instead focused on the boy as he ran off to retrieve another chair. It was rather nice of Harry's aunt and uncle to invite him to eat with them, but Brooks discovery took precedent over that.

Brook watched the boy drag the new chair into the kitchen and smiled happily when Harry slipped into the seat next to Brook. It was time to begin.

Chapter Text

Luffy wondered just how much he could get away with having Brook at the table. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would never risk giving him a smack around the head with a stranger in the room, but then again they also seemed inclined to treat the man as a grudging guest.

"What a lovely home you have here," Brook complimented as he looked around grinning at his unwilling hosts.

Aunt Petunia grimaced and marched into the kitchen to get the dishes she had prepared. Uncle Vernon just muttered darkly. Dudley seemed to be over his shock at seeing the tall stranger and began whining for his food.

"Mum! Where's dinner I'm starving!" Dudley whined slamming his fork and knife on the table.

Luffy saw Brook smile and watched his crewmate shoot him a look to see if Luffy would join in. Luffy wanted too, but he knew better. Aunt Petunia wasn't like Sanji if he acted like Dudley Luffy wouldn't get any food.

"It's right here Dudders!" Aunt Petunia called bringing out the main dishes.

Luffy, Brook. and Dudley drooled at the sight. Aunt Petunia had prepared a large roast and several side dishes. Tonight was supposed to be an at-home celebration of Dudley being accepted into Uncle Vernon's old school so Luffy's aunt had gone all out for dinner.

"This looks delicious!" Brook praised and it really was. Aunt Petunia was no Sanji but the woman could and did pride herself on her cooking.

Luffy smothered a laugh as his aunt's conflicted face. She loved being praised but she obviously wasn't sure if she wanted praise from the interloper or not.

Dinner on the Dursley's side was awkward and stilted. Brook and Luffy interacted like they had been friends forever. Luffy knew Brook wasn't aware of who he was but the boy knew that realization would come soon enough.

When dinner was over, Book had, of course, invited himself to stay for dessert, and Aunt Petunia had dished out the pudding Luffy pounced.

"So tell me about my mystery letter!" Luffy demanded bouncing in his chair.

"Boy! There will be none of that nonsense at my table!" Uncle Vernon shouted waving his fork threateningly.

Luffy ignored his uncle and turned his wide expectant green eyes on the man with an afro.

"Of course! I have been remiss in my duties!" Brook's eyes widened. "I didn't even introduce myself! How terribly rude of me!"

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked like they agreed with the rude part.

"I am Professor Brook of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Brook said with a flourish. "I teach music and direct the choir."

Luffy's jaw dropped and his eye bugged out. "Witchcraft and wizardry?" He questioned. "SO COOL!"

"He shan't be going!" Uncle Vernon roared slamming his fist onto the table. Dudley and Aunt Petunia watched shocked at the fit of temper.

Luffy practically deflated at his uncle's proclamation but saw Brook turn to face the man fully. "Fortunately, Mr. Potter has already accepted his place at Hogwarts and that is why I am here. To guide him to pick up his supplies and answer any questions you or he may have. It is not up to you."

"Already accepted?" Aunt Petunia pondered. "That owl! That's why you were after it! You rotten little boy!

Luffy childishly stuck his tongue out at his aunt. "I'm going to the mystery school!"

"We won't have it! We swore when he took him in we'd put a stop to all this nonsense!" Uncle Vernon shouted pushing his chair away from the table. "Now get out of my house you freak!"

Luffy growled softly and glared angrily at his uncle. No one could talk to his crew like that! Before Luffy could move Brook had sung his ever present cane up and pointed it threateningly at Uncle Vernon. Brook hadn't removed Soul Solid from the sheath yet but the threat was still there.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Mr. Dursley," Brook explained. "I was given a task by a very good friend of mine and I intend to see it through."

Uncle Vernon froze in place and muttered something under his breath, eyes trained on the cane. Petunia ushered Dudley from his seat and tried to hide her extra wide son behind her to no avail.

"What is it? Tell me more about the magic school!" Luffy demanded still bouncing in his seat having forgotten all about his Uncle threatening his crewmate. Brook could take care of himself.

The Dursleys had all but left the table standing terrified along the dining room wall while Brook and Luffy continued to eat the dessert Aunt Petunia had laid out.

"Ah yes of course! Hogwarts is the finest institution for students seeking their magical education," Brook explained sipping the tea he had been given. "It's a boarding school, you will attend for seven years -"

"Tell me about magic!" Luffy interrupted. "Am I magic? Are you? Can I do magic right now? Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Well you are magic Mr. Potter, that's why you were invited to Hogwarts. Only young witches and wizards are invited to study there," Brook explained. "I do not have magic, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeves!"

"So cool!" Luffy said his eyes sparkling with joy as he shoved a piece of cake in his mouth.

"Magic is capable of amazing things young Harry!" Brook told him.

Off to the side Aunt Petunia made a noise of anger but the two still eating ignored her.

"Ah, what a delicious meal! I ate too much but everyone is always telling me I need to put meat on my bones!" Brook said.

"Skull joke!" Luffy interrupted laughing hysterically.

Brook smiled widely and nodded. "Skull joke!" He agreed laughing along with Luffy.

Luffy tapered off and wiped his eyes still giggling.

"Now I can continue to tell you about Hogwarts!" Brook said cheerfully.

"No! No, I've had it! Get out of my house!" Uncle Vernon yelled waving his arms. Luffy and Brook turned to face Luffy's family and blinked.

"You're still here?" They asked in unison.

"Arrgh!" Uncle Vernon shouted enraged.

"How rude of me! I should have asked if you two had any questions!" Brook said fretfully. "Professor McGonagall did say you knew about magic but I didn't find out how much you knew."

Luffy paused his bouncing and turned to face his aunt and uncle. "You know about magic?" Luffy didn't understand how that was possible. His aunt and uncle were some of the most boring and normal people in the world. How could they possibly know about magic and the mystery school?

"Know? Of course, we know," Aunt Petunia spat hatefully. "With my perfect sister being what she was and what you are how could we not?"

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked frowning. His aunt's tone was mean and cold, it was the voice she used when Luffy got in trouble at school for turning his teacher's hair blue.

"My parents were so proud to have a witch in the family," Aunt Petunia hissed venomously glaring at her young nephew. "But I knew what she was, I could see it! She was a freak! Unnatural, abnormal! And you are just the same. It was bad enough that she and her no good husband went and got themselves blown up but then we had to be left with you!"
--
Harry's aunt's verbal tirade was unexpected. Brook had known Lily and James since their third year at Hogwarts when Lily took music as an elective and James, his crush in full bloom, and followed.

Hearing the woman bad mouth one of his favorite students in front of her son was upsetting but the worst part was watching Harry just take it. Over the course of the meal, Brook had become almost certain he was staring at his captain reborn, because there was no way this boy could know what he did and act like he acted. Brook didn't know how it was possible but he was sure that it was.

Harry had stood from his chair and had his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His head was bowed and his whole body shook from anger. Brook had only seen his captain truly angry a handful of times and this looked like one of them.

"Now, you listen here, boy," Harry's uncle snarled. "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured – and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion – asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types – just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end –"*

"That's quite enough," Brook said cutting the man off. His glamor created eyes reflected how angry he was and the muggle family took several steps back and found themselves pressed against the wall once again.

Brook turned to face the young boy who was still shaking with anger before turning back to his family. "Lily and James were students of mine, and I won't have you bad talking them like this!"

Brook stood from his seat and stood as tall as the house would allow him. "Further," he said menacingly rolling over the fat man's words in his mind. "If I find out you've ever laid a hand on him, I will join you for dinner again and I won't be as friendly next time."

Brook watched the family gulp fearfully as he tapped his long thin fingers on the hilt of his cane sword. He had gathered they thought his sword was a wand but the threat was the same.

"It's late," Brook said rapidly changing the subject. "I fear I must ask to impose upon your hospitality once again and stay the night. Early tomorrow I will be taking Harry to retrieve his school supplies and you will not see me again." Unless you raise a hand to the boy, remained unsaid.

The family remained frozen with fear but a small hand took Brook's own and tugged him up the stairs.

"This is the guest room," Harry said softly. "You can sleep here."

Brook watched concerned as the little boy he was sure had once been Monkey D. Luffy disappear into a bedroom a door away.
--
Luffy heard his aunt and uncle rummage around their room. There was little chance they were staying in the house after Brook invited himself to stay the night.

Sure enough, when Luffy peeked out his window he could see Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia loading up the boot of the car and pull out of the driveway as fast as they could.

Luffy wasn't bothered.

After what his aunt and uncle had said about his parents Luffy was glad to see them go. Before he had become Luffy again, back when he was still just boy, fantasies about his parents had been what boy lived for. Every night boy had dreamt that his parents would just show up one day at Privet Drive and take him away. Those dreams had slowly given way to memories of Shanks, Gramps, and his nakama but Luffy still remembered. Back in those days those dreams were all Luffy had.

With the Dursley family gone the messy haired boy slipped out of his room and made the short walk to where Brook was staying. He wasn't sure if the musician had seen the Dursleys leave or not but Luffy needed to talk to his musician.

"Brook?" Luffy called pushing the door open without knocking. The skeleton, because even if he looked like a normal person with skin Luffy was sure he was still the same Brook, was laying awkwardly on the too small bed but sat up when Luffy entered.

"Harry? Is something wrong?" Brook asked worriedly.

"Maa, play me a song Brook!" Luffy demanded plopping down on the floor. "Captain's orders!"

Luffy laughed when Brook's eyes grew shocked and wide. "Captain?"

Chapter Text

What strange people the Dursleys were, Brook thought to himself. They were very rude and not very pleasant people to be around at all. Brook couldn't imagine his happy-go-lucky captain being raised by them, it was too sad to think about.

Still, the dinner with the Dursleys had left the pirate musician with more questions than answers. Somehow, Harry Potter was Monkey D. Luffy. Brook wasn't sure if the boy remembered his past life as a pirate, but he did remember how Harry had said his name when answering the door.

Brook had been alone for a long time after he lost the Strawhats. The curse immortality, he had said to himself years later. Never had he dreamed that somehow his lost friends would find their way back to him. Even if Harry never fully remembered being Luffy and this was as close as he came to being with his friends again Brook would be happy. After all Brook's dreams had always been about seeing his friends again.

"Brook?" The glamored skeleton turned to face the door. The boy didn't bother knocking or waiting for permission he just pushed the door open and came right in.

"Harry? Is something wrong?" Brook asked worriedly. Had the Dursleys bothered him?

"Maa," Luffy, because it could only be Luffy, said. "Play me a song Brook! Captain's orders!"

How many times had Brook heard that time from his captain's own mouth? Seeing a small thin eleven-year-old say them as he plopped onto the ground with a smile would have made Brook's heart twist (if he had one, but he didn't because he was a skeleton. Skull joke!).

"Captain?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah?" Luffy said tilting his head to the side. "Are you going to play me a song Brook?"

With his substantial speed, Brook moved to his captain. "Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed as his musician wrapped him in a tight hug. "You're so boney Brook!"

"S-skull joke!" Brook wailed clutching his child-captain to him tightly. "I missed you so much Luffy! I've missed all of you so much!"

"Aack!" Luffy choked as Brook continued to squeeze him tightly.

"I was all alone again but then Albus found me and I went to Hogwarts but now you're back!" Brook rambled accidentally choking his captain.

The man with an afro continued his wailing and sobbing until Luffy managed to catch the older man on the face with his hand. "What? Oh! Are you okay?" Brook fretted seeing his blue-in-the-face captain.

Luffy sucked in a deep breath and shot Brook a thumbs up. "I'm great!" Luffy wheezed.

"I can't believe you're here," The musician said softly.

"What do ya' mean?" Luffy asked settling back into his spot on the floor.

Brook also shifted into a more comfortable position as he considered how to answer the question.

"Luffy, you died," Brook said bluntly. "Everyone died and I was left all alone."

Brook smoothed out his jacket before continuing. "I thought I'd never see you again," He told Luffy. "And now somehow, you've been reborn as Harry Potter of all people! It's quite the surprise."

"Why's me being Harry Potter such a big deal?" Luffy asked frowning. For his life thus far Harry Potter was nothing special. His aunt and uncle had sure Luffy had gotten that message loud and clear.

Brook's palm met his forehead with a loud smack. "It didn't even occur to me! YOU DON'T KNOW!"

"Know what?" Luffy whined eagerly. He was ready for his friend to finally let him in on the secret.

"You're a hero Luffy!" Brook said with a smile.

"I DON'T WANT TO SHARE MY MEAT!" Luffy yelled in denial.

--

Luffy had sat quietly and listened while Brook told him the story of the Boy-Who-Lived. The skeleton musician had weaved a tale that began with young love and ended in tragedy for the young family. Somewhere along the line Brook had even produced his violin and provided background music for the story.

"So let me get this straight," Luffy said trying to process everything. "My mum and dad were witches-"

"-Witch and wizard," Brook interrupted.

"I'm a witch-"

"-Wizard," Brook corrected

"And I'm going to this Hoggsy school-"

"-Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

"That's what I said! So I'm going to go learn magic?" Luffy asked to clarify the situation.

"Yes!" Brook said nodding.

"So cool," Luffy decided. "I don't know how I feel about this 'hero' stuff, though. I'd much rather be a pirate."

Brook chuckled sadly. "There aren't many pirates these days," The ancient skeleton told him.

Luffy paused for a moment and then slammed his fist into his open palm. "Fine then! It's decided! I'll be the first wizard pirate!"

Luffy saw a wide smile stretch across Brook's face. "Is that so? Then I humbly offer my services as a pirate musician!" Brook said with a half bow.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed scratching the back of his head. "You'll always be my musician, Brook!"

--

"Do you think the others are out there?" Luffy asked from his pile of blankets on the floor.

Brook and Luffy decided to have a sleepover, so Luffy had gathered all of the blankets from his and aunt and uncle's room to make a nest of sorts.

Brook hummed thoughtfully. "I don't see why they wouldn't be," Brook told Luffy. "If you have been reborn, it would make sense the rest of the crew has been as well."

Luffy yawned widely and nuzzled into the blankets and pillows underneath him. "I'm going to find them," Luffy muttered sleepily. "I'm going to find them and we can be wizard pirates together."

Brook smiled softly at his captain and wiggled deeper into his own bed. "I'm sure you will," Brook whispered into the darkness.

--
OMAKE

Why Luffy Never Ran Away from the Dursleys AKA Luffy v. Circle Suburban Housing Plans

"What are you doing, love?" Mr. Number Eleven asked his wife who was standing at the window with a strange look on her face.

"That Potter boy, The Dursley's nephew, is walking around the block again," Mrs. Number Eleven said watching the black haired child run rapidly on the sidewalk.

The Potter boy was dressed as poorly as ever, Mrs. Dursley had said it was difficult to get the boy to take care of his clothing, with a ragged backpack on his back.

From her window, a block over Mrs. Number Eleven had a perfect view of the child as he walked around the block and ended up back in front of Number Four. Each time the boy did so he appeared to grow more and more frustrated.

"He's likely just playing adventure," Mr. Number Eleven said. "At least it's keeping him out of trouble."

"But why is he just walking in a circle?" Mrs. Number Eleven asked. "It doesn't make any sense, he's done it every day this week!"

The man of the house just shook his head and patted his wife's hand. "Boys will be boys, my dear, leave him be, I'm sure he'll grow bored with it eventually."

"I hope so," Mrs. Number Eleven said moving away from the window after stealing one last look at the boy who was once again running the length of the block.

Chapter Text

"Are we there yet?" Luffy whined tugging at Brook's sleeve pitifully. An older woman sitting across from Luffy and Brook on the tube gave the whining child a nasty look. Both pirates ignored her.

"Just about," Brook said thoughtfully. "One more stop!"

Brook and Luffy had left Privet Drive early that morning. Brook had, of course, invited himself to breakfast but because neither he nor Luffy could cook properly added to the fact they did not have an idea of proper portion control they devoured everything they could from the refrigerator. The missing food and the mess of blankets in the guest room were sure to be a not-so-welcome home for the Dursleys.

Brook, with a little magical assistance, got the pair to London where Luffy insisted on taking the underground as far as they could to purchase his school supplies.

"It's us! It's us!" Luffy cheered bouncing in place as they waited to leave the car.

Brook smiled indulgently at his pint-sized captain and easily led the way back above ground and onto the street where they needed to go.

"Do you still have your list, Luffy?" Brook asked steering his captain toward the hidden entrance of the Leaky Cauldron.

"My list?" Luffy said in confusion. "List of what?"

"Oh dear," Brook muttered. "It should have come with your acceptance letter. Did it not?"

Luffy furrowed his brow in thought for a moment and then grinned. "Oh, my mystery letter! I have it!" He cried and stuffed his hand down into his left pocket.

"Somewhere…" He muttered when his first attempt didn't produce any results. "Maybe this one?"

Brook sighed with mild exasperation but gave a large smile of relief when the boy finally pulled the crumpled letter and list from his back pocket.

"Aha!" Luffy said proudly presenting the papers.

Brook plucked the documents from Luffy's hand and smoothed them out as best he could. "I'll keep an eye on these," Brook said. Nami was normally in charge of shopping lists and she only trusted Sanji and Robin to actually complete the lists so out of the two of them Brook figured he was the best choice to hold onto it.

"Our first stop!" Brook said brightly opening the door to the dingy bar. Luffy shuffled in and looked around curiously.

"It looks like a dirty old pub," Luffy told musician. "It doesn't look very magical."

Indeed it did not. The Leaky Cauldron was lit only by the midmorning light that managed to force its way through the windows that were coated in gray dust. The floor was sticky and main entry stunk of tobacco smoke. Luffy's eye drifted to the patrons of the bar, all of whom looked like they had spent the night in their seats.

"It is a dirty old pub!" Brook informed him. "But it's also magical!" The living skeleton pointed to the bar where old Tom was using magic to wash dishes.

Luffy followed Brook's hand and gaped. He was finally seeing real magic. "Wow! The dishes are floating!" Luffy shouted with excitement drawing irritated looks from some of the patrons.

"Why Professor Brook!" Tom greeted, Luffy's shout having caught his attention. "Escorting one of Hogwarts' new first years then?"

"Yohohoho! I am!" Brook said with a wide smile. "Young Harry and I are after his school things. Any chance you can open the way up for me?"

The barman glanced curiously at Luffy when Brook said his name but nodded. "Of course! Right, this way gentlemen and I'll send you on your way."

Tom let the two pirates just outside the pub opposite of the way they had come in. 'The way' as Brook had called it resembled an old dirty dead end.

"Broooook, I thought we were going to that diagonally alley place! Not some trashy dead end," Luffy pouted up at the musician.

"Yohohoho, just wait for a second," Brook said turning toward Tom. "You'll see in just a moment."

Tom shared a fond look with Brook and drew his wand. "It's always fun to see the first year's first time seeing the Alley," The man said as he began tapping the brick wall. "Welcome to Diagon Alley!"

The bricks slowly moved away to reveal a walkway and Luffy wished he had eight more eyes. There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Luffy had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon.

"Woah," Luffy whispered to himself as he tried very hard to see everything at once.

"Come along then! The bank is our first stop!" Brook said after giving his captain a minute to take everything in. "Thank you, Mr. Tom, for your help!"

Luffy, still mesmerized by the alley, let himself be drug along behind Brook toward a snow-white multistoried marble building.

"Now, Luffy, the bank is run by goblins so try not to touch anything," Brook explained. "They get rather … touchy when someone gets too close to their gold."

"Like Nami?" Luffy asked curiously.

"Yes, exactly like Nami," Brook agreed.

Both shivered at the thought of the navigator when someone threatened her money.

"I'll do the talking so you just stand there, okay?" Brook said hopefully.

"Awww, but I wanted to see the goblins!" Luffy pouted.

"You'll still be able to see them just fine," Brook promised. "Just don't talk to them."

It was a futile hope that somehow they would make it through the visit without Luffy offending the goblins.

"Fiiiiine," Luffy said drawing out the word.

Brook just shook his head. Being the responsible one wasn't fun, no wonder Nami was always so frustrated.

--

They had actually made it almost to the end of the visit without something happening. Brook and Luffy had made it through the main entrance and to a teller. They even made it down to Luffy's vault but the minute they came back into the lobby a goblin stopped them.

"Come with me, please," The goblin said not bothering to wait and see if they followed him.

Luffy gave Brook a questioning look but the skeleton just shrugged. This wasn't normal Gringotts procedure.

The goblin led the two into a small side room. The door was sparsely furnished holding only a tall desk that resembled the ones in the main hall of the bank and two thin wooden chairs.

"Take a seat," The goblin seated at the desk said with a wave of his hand.

Luffy bounced over to the seat on the left and Brook slipped into the one on the right.

"You are Mr. Harry Potter, yes?" The goblin asked sounding bored.

"Uh huh," Luffy said and nodded.

The goblin peered across his desk at the eleven-year-old and then shifted his gaze to Brook. "And you are?" The goblin asked.

"Professor Brook of Hogwarts. I'm escorting Mr. Potter to retrieve his school supplies," The music professor explained.

The goblin made a noise of acknowledgment and turned back to the paperwork that he had in front of him.

"What's this about Mr. Goblin-Guy?" Luffy asked breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

For a moment the goblin didn't respond but then he picked up the piece of paper he had been writing on since they arrived. "Sign this," The Goblin said giving the paper a little toss. Like magic, the piece of paper floated right into Luffy's lap.

The boy glanced at the paper curiously. "What is it?" He asked looking around for a pen to sign with.

"It says that you accept Vault number 7326," The goblin said plainly.

"Huh? I thought my vault was six-hundred-something," Luffy said frowning at the paper. Brook leaned over and scanned it over.

"Harry has a second vault?" The professor questioned.

"Yes, now sign the paper and get out," The goblin demanded flicking a quill toward the two pirates. Brook caught the quill effortlessly and handed it to his captain.

"It says here that you can't access the vault until you're 13," Brook read. "How odd."

"So I have a mystery vault," Luffy declared signing his name with a flourish. "I wonder what's inside?"

"Maybe something you parents left you," Brook suggested.

The boy shrugged. "I guess I'll find out when I turn 13."

The goblin snapped his fingers and the paper floated away from Luffy and back up on his desk. "Now get out of my office."

--

"But I don't want to go clothes shopping!" Luffy protested grabbing onto the doorway of the robe shop.

Brook had a tight grip on his captain's leg and gave a sharp tug. "You have to get robes!" Brook insisted. "Your supply list says so!"

"But I don't want to wear them! They look like dresses!" Luffy shouted maintaining his grip on the door jam.

"You have to!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"If you get your robes we can get a snack before we go get your wand," Brook bribed desperately.

"Okay," Luffy chirped releasing his grip on the door just as Brook gave another tug.

The two collided when Luffy, having been pulled by Brook, slammed into the older man and sent them into a rack of robes.

"Oww," Luffy complained rubbing his sore head.

--

"Now I'm going to go get your birthday present," Brook told the boy who Madam Malkin had stuck on a stool with pieces of what would become his robes draped over him. "I'll be back in just a minute so wait here for me when you're done, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Luffy agreed. "What's my present going to be? Is it meat?"

Brook just hummed softly and ducked out of the robe shop leaving the young pirate captain fidgeting in place.

Being fitted for robes took forever, Luffy thought to himself. It was so boring having to wait there and do nothing.

"Another one for Hogwarts?" Luffy heard the seamstress ask. A small pointy faced blond had entered the shop while he was lost in thought. "Hope on up, dear."

Luffy turned his head to the new boy curiously. He hadn't met a wizard his own age yet. "Hogwarts too?" The blond asked cooly.

Luffy nodded staring hard at the boy.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first-years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

Luffy was strongly reminded of someone by the way the blond spoke and stood. At first, he thought it might have been his cousin Dudley but that was just the boy's there was something else about the boy that reminded Luffy of … someone.

"Have you got your own broom?" The boy went on.

"No," said Luffy curiously. Why would he need a broom?

"Play Quidditch at all?"

Luffy laughed. "Nope! I don't know what that is! Is it meat?"

"You don't know what Quidditch is?" The blond asked incredulously. His face melted into a nasty sneer. "Who are you parents anyway? They aren't muggles are they?"

Luffy scowled at the boy next to him. "My parents were a witch and wizard," Luffy told him. "They're dead, though," He said cutting off the next question he could see the boy going to ask.

The blond's sneer let up a bit and he nodded slightly. "What's your surname?" He asked Luffy looking him over like one would a particularly nasty bug.

"All done dear," the seamstress said giving Luffy a light pat on the shoulder.

The reincarnated pirate hopped off the stool and didn't bother answering the boy's question. He could see Brook just outside the door.

"I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," the blond called. Luffy nodded tightly and marched toward the door.

"Luffy? What's wrong?" Brook asked passing his captain an ice cream cone.

"That boy," Luffy said staring at the blond through the window.

"The blond? Do you know him?" Brook asked.

"Yeah."

--

"Last stop!" Brook practically sang. "It's time to get your wand! The most important item on the list!"

All of Luffy's purchases including the birthday present from Brook, that happened to be a beautiful snowy owl that Luffy had promptly named Shirohige despite Brook's protest that the owl was female, had been delivered to the room Brook had booked Luffy at the Leaky Cauldron.

The pirate musician had decided that Luffy wasn't returning to the Dursley's the summer and could spend August in Diagon Alley before going to Hogwarts on September 1st.

Luffy stared up at the sign that proudly read, "Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C."

"Uh, I'll wait outside," Brook said not moving to open the door.

Luffy stared at his musician in confusion. "Why?"

Brook laughed slightly. "Mr. Ollivander is really creepy and I'd rather not going in his shop!" The skeleton told the boy cheerfully.

Luffy just shrugged and pushed open the door and shivered. His skin tingled and it felt like he had just walked through a spider web. The shop was tiny and empty except for a single, spindly chair in the corner. Thousands of narrow boxes containing wands were piled right up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust about it.

"Ah, mister … Potter," a voice said from behind a stack of boxes. "I wondered when I was going to see you."

The wand maker shuffled out from behind the boxes and stared at the boy rather intensely for a moment. Mr. Ollivander had wide, pale eyes that shined like moons through the gloom of the shop.

"You have your mother's eyes," Ollivander told him. "It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

Luffy stared unblinkingly into Ollivander's pale eyes never noticing the man get closer and closer. "Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration," the wand maker said. "Well, I say your father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.

"And that's where…"

Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"

"It's not the wands fault," Luffy said breaking Ollivander's musing. "Voldemort chose to use it that way." Luffy had always had a way of cutting to the heart of the matter.

"Ah, yes, of course," the old wand maker said softly as was his way. "You are indeed an interesting one, Harry Potter."

Luffy grinned. "Does that mean I can get my wand now?"

"Of course!" Ollivander said with a matching smile. "Let's find your match."

Ollivander pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"I use both," Luffy said plainly.

"Both you say? Interesting." He measured Luffy from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head.

As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Luffy went cross-eyed staring at the tape measure that had decided to measure his nostril by itself.

Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."

Luffy took the wand and waved it around rather enthusiastically, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —"

Luffy raised the wand but it was quickly snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.

"No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."

Luffy tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

Luffy was also enjoying himself. Sometimes the wands would shoot sparks or make noise when he waved them. Once a wand had even shot fire that Mr. Ollivander had to duck to keep from getting hit in the face.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Luffy took the wand and unlike with the others, there was a strange warmth that climbed up his arm. For a moment Mr. Ollivander looked as this were the wand for Luffy but at the last second just like all the other, it was snatched back. "Not this one either, curious."

The old wand maker stared at the boy in silence for a moment before his face lit up. "I think I know the wand for you, Mr. Potter."

Luffy watched curiously as the wander make disappeared behind a stack of boxes for a moment before reappearing carrying one that as covered in dust. "Phoenix feather and cedar twelve inches very flexible. Give it a wave!"

Luffy took the cedar wand and waved it experimentally. The warmth he had left before with the holly wand was nothing like the warmth from this once. It felt like he had walked into the Alabasta desert and in that moment Luffy could smell ocean spray.

"Curious, very curious," Mr. Ollivander said watching Luffy wave the wand back and forth.

"Eh? What's curious?" Luffy asked hesitantly giving the wander maker the wand to be put in the box so he could purchase it.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold Mr. Potter, every single one," Ollivander told him. "The phoenix feather in your wand is unique. I have never seen another like it, you see because the feather belonged to a blue phoenix."

"A blue phoenix?" Luffy asked in wonder. A blue phoenix, that sure sounded familiar … where had he heard of that before?

"Indeed Mr. Potter, it's the only blue phoenix feather I have ever come across," The wandmaker handed the box to the boy after taking the golden coins for payment. "I believe that we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter."

Mr. Ollivander watched as the green eyed boy took the wand and all but bounced out of the shop eager to tell his companion about the experience.

"Oh yes, we must expect great things from you … Monkey D. Luffy."

Chapter Text

That last month of freedom was the best summer Luffy had experienced his since his rebirth. Brook had set the boy up in the Leaky Cauldron and promised to visit and write when he could. Like most professors Brook lived at the school and had responsibilities since the start of school was coming up so quickly.

Luffy, eager to explore Diagon Alley, just waved his musician off and promised to send letters with Shirohige at least once a week. With only a little concern Brook said his goodbyes and left the boy pirate alone.

Luffy spent his days bouncing between shops. He would crowd around the Quidditch supply store joined by dozens of other children, with their noses pressed up against the glass windows. If he wasn't bouncing between shops wide-eyed and curious Luffy was sitting at the bar listening to the patrons as they complained about the ministry or their dead end jobs. The Ministry reminded Luffy a lot of the World Government. Good at helping some people while ignoring the people who actually needed it.

"Where to eat today?" Luffy asked himself aloud. The boy was walking the length of Diagon Alley looking for a restaurant he hadn't dined and dashed at yet. Luffy always forgot that he actually had money now so when he finished his meal the pint-sized pirate would often rush out with a cheerful grin. Later when he remembered that he could afford to pay for his meals Luffy would have Tom give the owners the money to cover his meal but he figured he probably shouldn't go back to those restaurants too often.

"Why don't you join me for ice cream?" A soft voice asked from behind Luffy.

The boy jerked his head and met the wide silver eyes of a small blond girl.

"Hello Captain-san," the girl said with a distant smile. "I wondered when I would see you again."

"Robin?"

--

"This ice cream is amazing!" Luffy declared gazing at the four scoops in wonder.

"It is quite good," Robin agreed spooning a small bite of her own coffee-flavored frozen treat into her mouth.

Robin looked quite different in this life Luffy noted. The girl looked to be a year or so younger than Luffy himself. She was small and thin with wide silver eyes and pale blond hair. "You look different," Luffy said staring at his archeologist.

"And you looked almost the same," Robin said back."Strange how reincarnation works."

"Reincarceration?" Luffy mumbled through a mouth full of ice cream.

"Reincarnation," Robin corrected. "It's what I suspect happened to us."

"Oh! The new life thing!" Luffy said with a nod.

"Yes," Robin said. "Strange how that all works."

"So what are you doing here Robin? Are you going to the mystery school too?" Luffy asked hopefully.

"Not this year," Robin said. "I won't be attending Hogwarts until next year."

"Awww," Luffy whined.

"My father is doing some shopping and brought me along," Robin told him pushing the cup of ice cream his way. "Rather lucky isn't it?"

Luffy practically inhaled Robin's leftover ice cream. "I'm glad you're here," Luffy said slinging an arm over Robin's shoulder. "I missed you."

Robin pet her captain's head softly. "I missed you too," she whispered. The pair sat quietly for several minutes just enjoying being together again after so long.

"Would you like to go treasure hunting?" Robin asked curiously. "I'm sure we could find some amazing treasure."

Luffy's signature smile stretched across his face and the pirates were off.

--

"Get out of my shop you rotten brats!"

Luffy and Robin darted past the shopkeeper with bright smiles on their faces. Each child had a fist full of candies wrapped in golden foil. They had decided to first hit the sweet shop and see how many candies they could fit in Luffy's mouth. Luffy had dropped a significant amount of coins on the counter as they left but the shopkeeper had more than enough of their horseplay.

"Where to next Robin?" Luffy asked tearing the foil off a coin to stuff it in his mouth.

The silver eyed blond absentmindedly tucked her coins in one of Luffy's pockets. "We've been all over the Alley," Robin said almost sadly. "We might have found all the treasure to be found here today."

The pair had explored almost every inch of the Alley. They visited shops, spoke to the people who paused on the street and had found several Galleons worth of coins that Luffy decided would go into the crew's fund.

Robin had been only mildly surprised at Luffy's declaration of becoming a wizard-pirate but went with it easily. It was just like her captain to forge his own path, unaware of what the world hard already planned for him. Oh yes, Robin knew just who her captain was in this life, Harry Potter the Boy-Who-Lived. The world was going to be in for a shock when they looked for a hero and found a pirate in his place.

"There is Knockturn Alley," Robin offered after Luffy turned his sad eyes on her. "Father says it's not safe, but I'm sure we could find something good there."

"Yosh! Yet's go!" Luffy said thrusting his first up in the air. The young wizard marched off in a random direction before Robin giggled and grabbed his shift collar.

"This way Captain-san," Robin said pointing behind them.

"Right!" Luffy said with a firm nod. "Let's go!"

--

Knockturn Alley was dark and smelly. It was strange to see the differences between Diagon and Knockturn. One was bright and shining and the other was … not. There were fewer people in this alley and the people that were about reminded Luffy and Robin of the shadier pirates they had encountered during their travels.

"Let's go in here," Luffy said pointing at a dingy shop. The sign above the door read 'Borgin and Burkes.'

The shop front was empty when they walked in. There was no bell that chimed to alert the owner that someone had arrived so the children had the opportunity to explore without interruption. Robin zeroed in on the dusty leather-bound books in one corner while Luffy turned toward a glass cabinet full of glittering objects.

Luffy wiped the smudged glass to better get a look at what was inside. There were pieces of jewelry that glittered ominously and knives that were covered in a brown rust color. Luffy grew bored with objects he couldn't reach and turned his attention to the objects on top of the counter to his left.

"Mystery hand," Luffy whispered as he looked at the shriveled hand in awe.

"It's a Hand of Glory," Robin said appearing behind Luffy like magic. "They have various powers, like immobilizing anyone who looks at it or being able to unlock any door it comes across. They can also provide light, but only for the holder. Hands of Glory are often used by thieves and are normally made out of a severed and preserved human hand, or wax. This one looks like a severed human hand."

"Woah," Luffy muttered. "I wonder if Nami would like it?"

"Ms. Navigator might have a problem with it being a severed hand," Robin said looking it over. "Though, she might find the advantages to out weight its origins."

"Right," Luffy nodded. "So get Nami the hand."

Robin giggled as Luffy, without worry plucked the hand off the counter and looked around for a bag. "Is there a bag somewhere I can put this?" He asked giving it a jaunty wave.

Robin glanced around and smiled when she spotted a small brown bag. "This should do just fine," she said handing the bag to Luffy. The green-eyed boy took it gratefully and stuff the hand down in the bottom.

"Did you find anything, Robin?" Luffy asked his crewmate who he just noticed had two books in her arms.

"Just a few interesting books," she said. "We should be going, though, Father is expecting me back in the Alley very soon."

Luffy nodded. "Sure! We found lots of neat treasure and it's time for dinner anyway."

"Come on, I'll introduce you to my father," Robin said taking Luffy's hand.

--

"Luna, kumquat!" A tall blond man said waving at the pair.

"Hello, Father," Luna greeted still clutching Luffy's hand.

"Hi Mr. Robin's dad," Luffy said waving his free hand.

"Robin? Is your name Robin, dear?" The man asked looking at his daughter curiously.

Luffy's crewmate smiled serenely. "It was my name in my previous life," she told her father honestly.

Xenophilius Lovegood was an interesting man. He was wearing plum-colored robes and had the same wide-eyed look that Robin did. "Oh, that's nice dear," Robin's father said. "Who is your friend?"

"I'm Luffy, and er, Harry Potter I guess," Luffy said. Harry Potter was who Luffy was at this point sure, but he was always going to be Monkey D. Luffy especially with his crew.

"It is very nice to meet you, Luffy Potter. I am Xenophilius Lovegood," Xeno introduced himself. "What did you and your friend do today?"

"We went treasure hunting, Father," Robin explained. "I found a book about mythical sea creatures that might help lead us to a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

"Excellent!" Xeno cheered. "We will examine it at dinner tonight!"

"Father and I, are searching for proof of creatures that most people do not believe exist," Robin explained when Luffy made a confused face. "My father is also the Editor-in-Chief of The Quibbler. One of the best newspapers available."

"Cool!" Luffy declared, the thought of monsters getting his attention."What kind of monsters are you looking for?"

"A Crumpled-Horned Snorkack," Robin said again. "My father saw it during his travels in Sweden years ago and he's been looking for proof that it exists since."

Xeno smiled happily at his daughter eager to tell his story. "I was only a boy, traveling with my mother when I saw it," He explained. "We were searching for cold water Plimpies and I ended up separated from my mother at one point."

"What happened?" Luffy demanded. The green eyed boy had made himself comfortable on the top of a table, as the three had come together back at the ice cream shop where Luffy and Robin had eaten before, and Robin sat comfortably in a chair. Both were eager to hear the story even though Robin had heard it many times before.

"We had stopped at a lake to check for Plimpies habitats," Xeno explained. "I wandered too close to the lake edge and toppled in. My mother, of course, pulled me out right away but when she pulled me from the freezing water behind her on a nearby foothill, I saw it."

The blond man smiled widely at his audience and waved his arms. "People tell me all the time, I imagined it, that the fall rattled my brain," Xeno shook his head. "I know better! I know it and more are out there and I'm going to find it one day!"

"So cool! Are these crumply horned shortcakes around here?" Luffy asked excitedly.

"Crumpled-Horned Snorkack, and you believe me?" Xeno asked hopefully.

"Why wouldn't I?" Luffy asked tilting his head to the side. "You and Robin believe they are out there so why shouldn't I? Are you a liar?"

"Like he said, most people don't believe they exist," Robin told her captain. "Many people are often very cruel about their disbelief."

"Only you have the right to call yourselves stupid," Luffy said. "It's your dream and what I think doesn't matter."

"Well said, young man! Well said!" Xeno laughed. "Luna dear you have found quite the friend."

"Yes, Luffy is something else," Robin agreed.

--

Dear Brook,

I found Robin! Her new name is Luna Lovey or something. She's blonde now, like Sanji but different. We got ice cream and then went treasure hunting! I found tons of really neat stuff like this creep severed hand. Robin said she was going to write you so be on the look out for her letter.

I can't wait for magic school I'm sure the rest of the crew is there and I'm going to find them. Then we will be all together again.

Luffy

Chapter Text

Brook ran his bony (Ha! Skull joke) hands over Luffy's latest letter. His boy-captain had fulfilled his promise well. Even if the letter only said, hello or something similar the boy had written Brook every week, as promised. Not that the dead musician expected any different; Luffy was never one to break a promise.

The letter about Robin had been a welcome surprise. Brook had hoped the rest of the crew would be out there somewhere, but he hadn't been able to shake the lingering fear that they might not be. Brook had spent many years alone and honestly, believed that he would spend the rest of his existence alone after the death of his crew. It wasn't something he wanted, but Brook knew he could handle the loneliness, but Luffy could not. To his happy-go-lucky captain being alone was the worst and most cruel punishment he could face.

Perhaps that was why Luffy was so subdued in this life. Brook had noticed that while his captain had the same intensity and cheer there were key parts of what had been a loud, bright personality had changed. Those awful relatives of his had added to it, but everything about his captain radiated a bone-deep (Skull joke!) sadness.

Robin, on the other hand, seemed lighter in this life. She still carried an air of sadness like in her old life but this time, the girl was softer. The letter she had written expressed her joy at not being alone and her desire to see the crew again, but Brook knew even if the now-young girl had never found anyone from the crew she would have lived a content life.

What an interesting dynamic the crew had, Brook, mused. Luffy lived for two things, his dream and the crew and the crew lived for their dreams and their captain. Well mostly, Zoro was different. The swordsman had been Luffy's first nakama and their loyalty to each other was remarkable. The Strawhat first mate was likely the only one to ever truly put his loyalty to his captain above his dream, something Luffy had never wanted.

Brook hoped Zoro had been reborn. Luffy wouldn't be Luffy without his first mate.

Not that the rest of the crew was unimportant. Brook had heard the story of how Luffy and crew followed Nami after she stole their first ship and he knew of what happened when CP9 had taken Robin. Luffy would do anything for his crew, and because of that, the crew would do anything for Luffy.

This new world wouldn't know what hit them once the Strawhats came together again.

Chapter Text

Luffy woke to a pounding on the door of his room. The eleven-year-old yawned widely and stretched his arms out wide. "Time to get up, lad!" Tom, the barman, shouted through the door. "You've got a train to catch today!"

Luffy jerked out of his half-asleep state and smiled. Today he was going to Hogwarts. The green-eyed boy jumped out of bed and rushed around his room throwing all of his school things into the large wood and metal trunk Brook had helped him pick out. His dumb robes and the school books he had flipped through after buying them were tossed haphazardly into the bottom of the trunk.

Luffy's wand, cedar and phoenix feather, was tucked into one of his pockets; the smooth reddish wooden handle was in the perfect position to grab if Luffy needed it. Luffy wasn't sure how he felt about his wand. The wood was pretty and the thing about the blue feather the old man had mentioned seemed strangely familiar but Luffy couldn't remember why. The issue was, the green-eyed boy hadn't ever really used a weapon and after skimming his books to look at the neat moving pictures Luffy had found his wand could indeed be a weapon.

In his old life, Luffy's body had been his weapon but this new body wasn't like his old one, yet. Living in the Alley for a month had given the boy a chance to slowly improve his strength and speed again, but Luffy knew he wasn't anywhere near the level he had been at this age in his old life. He blamed it on the lack of alligators and tigers to fight.

Speaking of alligators and tigers Luffy needed to go grab breakfast before he went to Mystery School. The hyperactive boy flung himself out the door, pausing just long enough to pull on his ragged pair of sandals and a red T-shirt.

"Tom! I need meat!" Luffy shouted jumping up on one of the bar stools. Several of the regulars gave the boy a look of mild annoyance. He was always so loud.

The barkeep laughed and slide a plate piled high in front of Luffy. "Got your usual order right here, boy," Tom said. "We can't send you off with nothing in your belly, now can we?"

"No way!" Luffy said through a mouthful of bacon.

"That's why I made you some lunch too," Tom said jerking his thumb to the side. Luffy's eyes widened when he was a neatly wrapped parcel. "Some sandwiches and pasties for the train ride."

"Thank you!" Luffy shouted giving a short boy from his seat.

"Can't have my favorite customer wasting away on the way to Hogwarts, now can I?" Tom asked with a grin. "Finish that up and we'll go get your things and get you to the station."

--

"Now the key to Floo powder is to speak very clearly," Tom explained.

"Make sure ta' close your eyes, or the soot 'ill get ya' something awful," one man said.

"Tuck your elbows in dear," an older witch cautioned.

Luffy nodded looking serious. His luggage was stacked high beside him and Shirohige was tucked safely in her cage watching the show with wide amber eyes. "Right, close my elbows, watch my eyes and speak keyly," Luffy said trying to repeat the instructions given to him.

Tom and the patrons that had gathered around to help the boy shared an exasperated look. "How about, we get you and your stuff in the fireplace and I'll throw the floo powder," Tom suggested getting nods from his customers.

Luffy was easily tucked into the fireplace with his trunk and owl in front of him with Tom and the others smiling. "Have fun lad!" The older witch said happily.

"Bye, everyone! I'll see you all again someday!" Luffy said waving his hand.

"Be good, lad," Tom said with a final smile before tossing the powder into the fireplace. "Platform 9 ¾, Kings Cross Station."

--

Luffy shouted with glee at the fast moving sensation of floo travel. He had never felt anything like it before. After what seemed like only seconds the ride stopped and Luffy felt himself falling out of the fireplace and fell heavily onto his luggage with a loud thump.

"Ouch," someone said from above Luffy.

"I'll give him a six for style but only a three for his dismount," another voice said brightly.

Luffy groaned and pushed himself up and blinked in confusion. There were two people in front of him. They looked exactly the same how funny.

"Nine for determination," the first one said. "Most firsties would be crying but now."

"True," the second agreed. Luffy blinked and took the two hands that were thrust into his face. The identical boys pulled him to his feet and set out piling his luggage up as well.

"Ah! Whitebeard!" Luffy shouted rushing to his squawking owl. The cage had ended up on its side and Shirohige wasn't pleased.

"Whitebeard? Is that your owl?"One of the redheaded copies asked.

"Yeah!" Luffy said with a wide grin. "She's the same color as this old guy's mustache that I saw once. So Whitebeard!"

"Mustache?" One twin asked.

The other shrugged it off and the boy turned to the green eyed boy. "He's Fred," one twin said.

"He's George," the other finished.

"We're the Weasley twins," The said together with matching grins.

"And since we don't recognize you-" Fred said

"And we know everyone," George interrupted.

"That must make you a first year," Fred said finishing his sentence.

Luffy laughed. "Yep! Harry Potter, but call me Luffy!"

"Blimey," Fred said with a little awe in his voice.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" George asked peering at Luffy's forehead.

"That's me," Luffy said reaching through the bars on Shirohige's cage to stroke her soft feathers.

"Smaller than I would have expected," one twin muttered and Luffy scowled up at the taller boys.

"Shut up! I'll be big and strong one day!" Luffy said crossing his arms with a huff.

The twins grinned and grabbed an end of Luffy's trunk. "'Til then guess we will have to help you with this huh?" Fred asked cheekily.

"I can do it!" Luffy insisted but the twins ignored him and started walking off his the trunk.

Puffing his cheeks out pouting Luffy grabbed his owl and followed the identical boys sulking into the train and when they told him to pick a cabin Luffy pointed to one at random. It only took the twins a few minutes to stow the trunk and say their goodbyes and to promise to stop back by before they arrived at Hogwarts.

Luffy looked around his cabin and bounced slightly on the seat. He was going to magic school! He was away from the Dursley's and he was going to find his crew! That was the most exciting thing, hands down. Luffy was excited to learn magic, but the thought of seeing his crew again was what drove him.

When he thought about it, Luffy could remember a lot about his crew. He remembered their adventures; he remembered the battles they fought together, but Luffy couldn't remember how he died.

Brook hadn't mentioned it and Luffy hadn't honestly thought to ask. It seemed so unimportant in the face of his crewmate who had once again been alone for so long, but that was okay no because Luffy was back and he wouldn't leave Brook alone again.

"What do you think Shirohige? How hard do you think it will be to find my crew?" Luffy asked poking his finger in his owl's cage again to stroke her feathers. His beautiful snowy owl had been a great companion over the month he lived in the Alley. Of course, Luffy had promptly made the owl part of his crew and she would often follow him around, either by perching on his shoulder like that weird leopard guy's pigeon or flying wherever Luffy went.

Shirohige barked a call and nuzzled the boy's finger which made Luffy laugh. "Right! It doesn't matter! I found them all once and I'll do it again!"

"Fred? George? Are you there?" Luffy tilted his head and peeked out the open window of his cabin and saw a group of redheads.

"Coming, Mom," one of the twins who had helped him with his trunk earlier said.

A woman who was likely their mother had just taken out her handkerchief and was eying the youngest redheaded boy with a look that Luffy remembered getting from Makino when he came to the bar after training all dirty.

"Ron, you've got something on your nose." Yep, Luffy thought. Just like with Makino.

The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose to get the dirt off.

"Muuuuum," the boy whined didn't try to jerk out of her grip once she got a hold of him.

"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" One of the twins teased.

"Shut up," said the boy Luffy figured to be Ron.

"Where's Percy?" Their mother asked releasing her son.

The oldest boy came striding into sight. He was wearing his dress likely black Hogwarts robes, and Luffy noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it. Luffy wondered what meant.

"Can't stay long, Mother," the older boy said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves-"

"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."

"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once-"

"Or twice-"

"A minute-"

"All summer-"

Luffy giggled into his hands to keep the redheads from hearing him laughing at the twins. They sure were funny.

"Oh, shut up," Percy the prefect snapped.

"How come Percy get's new robes, anyway?" One of the twins said. Luffy thought it might have bene George.

"Because he's a prefect," their mother said fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term-send me an owl when you get there."

She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.

"Now, you two- this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've blown up a toilet or-"

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."

"Great idea, though, thanks, Mom."

Luffy giggled again and slouched down further into his seat

"It's not funny. And look after Ron." The woman gave her youngest a fond look and the boy sighed indulgently at his mother's behavior.

"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."

"Shut up," Ron said rubbing his nose where his mother had rubbed it.

"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the platform?" Fred, maybe, said cheerfully.

"Who?" The woman asked not guessing.

"Harry Potter!" A twin said happily.

"Fell out of the Floo practically right in front of us!" The other said. "He was all alone so we helped him get settled on the train."

"Poor dear!" The woman said fretting.

"Told us to call him Luffy, though, weird nickname," George said shrugging his shoulders.

Luffy turned away from the window and back to his owl. The twins were a lot of fun and their family seemed nice. The interaction between the brothers made Luffy sad, though. He didn't have his brothers in this life. Realizing there was no Ace or Sabo in this lifetime, as far as he knew, had been hard to accept.

Outside of the crew Ace and Sabo were the two people Luffy hoped to find at Hogwarts.

For ten minutes Luffy spoke to his owl about the crew, telling stories of their adventures in the old world and wondered what Hogwarts would be like until the train began moving.

It started slow and gradually built speed. Luffy grinned at the scenery speeding past from the window. He was going to magic school!

As he watched the world speed by Luffy was reminded of his leaving Foosha Village to gather his crew. Luffy wondered if this journey would be like that one? A sea monster, a whirlpool, and meeting Colby had been a great start to his first adventure what would start this one, he wondered.

Knock Knock

Luffy whipped around to the door to the cabin and watched as the door slid open. Standing there was the boy from the platform. Ron or something.

"Can I sit here?" He asked nervously. "Everywhere else is full."

Luffy smiled widely and nodded. "Yeah!"

The redhead shuffled in eyeing Luffy like one would a snake and sat on the bench across from him.

"So you're really Harry Potter?" Ron asked curiously after a moment of silence.

Luffy groaned and flipped his bangs up so the other boy could see the strange lightning bolt scar, Brook had explained came from Voldemort. "Yeah," Luffy said bored.

"I can't believe it," Ron said shaking his head. "I thought Fred and George were lying, but of course you'd be Harry Potter."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

Ron rolled his eyes and sat forward. "Luffy, don't you recognize me?"

Luffy smiled bemused and shook his head.

The redhead groaned and rubbed at his face. "It's me," Ron said. "Nami."

Chapter Text

"Told us to call him Luffy, though, weird nickname," George said shrugging his shoulders.

Nami froze in place. Luffy? Luffy was here? His family continued to talk saying their goodbyes and slowly climbing onto the train. All the while Nami's head was spinning and his ears were ringing. It was like one of Usopp's exploding stars had gone off right next to his head.

Nami had wondered if he was alone here, in this new world. He had worried about it and even cried about it in the beginning. Nothing had been the same. Not the world around him, or even his body.

Being born a boy had probably been one of the least jarring shocks, though. Nami was still Nami whether he was a boy or a girl. Nami's sticky fingers remained the same, he would often pocket sickles and knuts when his mother brought him to Diagon Alley that he pinched from the loose pockets of adults who looked down on his family.

Nami's family was amazing. His mother was strong and sometimes overbearing but Nami wouldn't change her for the world. His father was sweet and curious, but once Nami had been him protecting Percy from a stranger in the Alley and Nami knew there was more to his gentle father than meets the eye.

Having six siblings, five brothers, and a sister was mind-boggling. Their home was always so full of life and noise that it reminded Nami of life on the Merry or Sunny. Nami had made good use of being the youngest boy, Ginny as the only girl and baby was in a class of her own, and would often earn the last treat or when she was younger manage to get his brother's in trouble if they were mean. Lately, Nami had even taken to teaching Ginny a thing or two about how to get her way. Ginny was turning out to be a talented student.

Still as amazing as his family was there was still a deep powerful ache in Nami's heart where the crew would fit. Nami had been aware of his past life since he fell into a pond when he was five-years-old and he had felt alone since that moment.

Hearing about a boy who asked to be called Luffy, what were the odds? What were the odds this boy was not his captain?

Nami bid his mother and younger sister goodbye and waved at them until the train station disappeared out of sight. The twins stood nearby waiting for the younger brother to be ready to take a seat.

"Where is this Luffy kid sitting?" Nami asked curiously turning to his brothers.

"A couple of cabins that way," Fred said pointing.

Nami nodded. "I'm going to go sit with him, I think," Nami said.

George shrugged. "Alright, we'll be toward the back with Lee."

"He's got a new pet tarantula," Fred said with a mischievous grin.

"Uh," Nami said as he shuddered in fear and disgust.

The twins just grinned and walked way to go find their friend.

Nami watched his brothers go and turned back to where they had pointed. Luffy was there somewhere. Now, what was it they said about Harry Potter?

--

Nami peered through the glass and saw messy black hair on a small boy that looked about his age. It had to be him. Nami took a deep breath and knocked twice on the cabin door and slowly pushed it open.

"Can I sit here?" Nami asked nervously. "Everywhere else is full."

The boy who claimed to be Luffy smiled and Nami felt his breath catch in his chest. That was Luffy's smile. "Yeah!" he said looking inviting.

Nami shuffled in the cabin keeping a close eye on the other boy. Did Luffy remember? The twins had said he asked to be called Luffy, but Nami had remembered his name long before he remembered anything else, so it was possible the other boy just remembered the name.

Those mannerisms, though, they were pure Luffy. The smile and bouncing were normal Luffy things but Nami mentally shrugged. The only way to be sure was to ask straight out.

"So you're really Harry Potter?" Nami asked curiously.

Nami bit back a laugh at Luffy's dramatic groan and his eyes widened when Luffy flipped his bangs up so Nami could see the strange lightning bolt scar on his forehead. "Yeah," Luffy said sounding bored.

That was just like Luffy.

"I can't believe it," Nami said shaking his head. "I thought Fred and George were lying, but of course you'd be Harry Potter."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

Nami rolled his eyes and sat forward. "Luffy, don't you recognize me?"

Luffy smiled bemused and shook his head. His clueless captain had no clue.

The redhead groaned and rubbed at his face. "It's me," the navigator said. "Nami."

Luffy's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped low. "Nami?" He asked incredulously. "Is it really you?"

Nami smiled cheekily and wiggled his fingers. "It's me!"

Nami grunted when Luffy practically flew across the cabin and slammed into him. The green-eyed boy was babbling nonsense as he wrapped his navigator in a tight hug. "Nami! I missed you! I met Robin! And Brook! Are you a guy now? Where is the rest of the crew? Do you know? Why are you a boy?"

Nami peeled his captain off his shoulders and slapped a hand over the scarred boy's motor mouth. "Geeze Luffy, give me a second to answer, why don't you?"

Luffy nodded slight, his mouth still smashed shut because of Nami's hand.

"Good," the redhead said. "Now, I missed you too Luffy! And yes, I'm a boy now."

Male or female, it didn't really matter much to Nami because treasure was the same no matter what gender he was. Being male gave her a few advantages, though, she was stronger and was likely going to be taller than before. All the better for getting more treasure, but still Nami wasn't going to get into the initial shock that was his new gender, that wasn't a story for Luffy.

"Wait? Did you say something about Robin and Brook?" Nami asked narrowing his eyes.

Luffy nodded and when Nami removed his hand the black haired boy started talking. "Brook brought me my mystery letter! He looks human now, it's weird. I met Robin in Diagon Alley! She's blonde and named Lovey or something."

"Blonde? Lovey? Wait you mean Luna Lovegood?" Nami asked focusing on that part of Luffy's sentence.

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded.

"No! Way! I know her! She used to play with my little sister all the time! Why didn't she say anything?" Nami raged throwing his hand in the air.

Luffy stuck his pinkie in his ear and shrugged. "Dunno maybe she didn't want you to know?"

Nami gave a little-frustrated shout and shook his head. "That is just like her!"

"Shishishi," Luffy agreed. "It is."

The pair fell into a comfortable silence, now sitting next to each other instead of across just enjoying being together.

"You don't seem very surprised to find me, Luffy," Nami said mentioning something that had been bugging him. Luffy had been very excited to see Nami the flying hug had been proof of that and even having found Brook and Robin before there was no real surprise from the Strawhat captain.

"I knew I was going to find you," Luffy said simply. "I'll find everyone again."

Nami smiled, that was Luffy, always certain and sure of how things were going to be.

"We will, we'll find everyone," Nami agreed shoulder bumping his captain gently.

Luffy's face lit up with a sunny grin.

--

"Anything off the trolley dears?"

Nami and Luffy had spent hours getting to know one another again. Nami told his captain stories of living with five older brothers and a younger sister and Luffy had told Nami a lot about his month living in the Alley.

Luffy hadn't noticed but Nami had taken note that his friend didn't mention any siblings or anything about his family at all. Life was different in this world. Children couldn't live alone no matter how strong they were, and Nami was very familiar with the story of the Boy-Who-Lived so he knew Luffy didn't have parents but he still had to live with someone.

"Oh! Three of everything!" Luffy said bouncing to the door of the cabin. The green-eyed boy thrust his hands forward, glittering galleons and sickles practically spilling onto the floor.

Nami felt his eyes sparkle at the amount of money Luffy was just throwing away on snacks. The old woman pulling the trolley smiled happily as Luffy loaded up his haul, the various snacks taking up most of the bench across from Nami.

"You have quite the appetite, young man," the woman said.

"Shishishi," Luffy laughed scratching the back of his head. "I'm starving."

"You ate six sandwiches and two of them were mine," Nami said dryly. Remembering how Luffy had stolen the corned beef sandwiches from Nami's hand the second he said he didn't like corned beef.

Luffy waved goodbye to the old woman and flopped back down on the bench next to Nami. "This candy is so weird!" Luffy said digging through the snacks he had bought.

"Never mind that!" Nami said. "What were you thinking, spending all that money on these snacks?"

Luffy frowned and stuffed a baked good in his mouth. "I have lots of money," Luffy said spitting bits of food everywhere. "So I buy snacks."

Nami's fist met Luffy's head with a loud thump. "Idiot! Swallow first!"

"Nami's so mean!" Luffy whined rubbing his sore head.

"You are still so dumb!" Nami said rolling his eyes. "There will be a feast when we get to school."

"A feast?" Luffy asked perking up. "When?"

"When we get to school, Luffy, I already said that," Nami said picking up a piece of chocolate from the pile of sweets.

Luffy whined loudly and Nami stuffed a cake in his mouth to stop his captain's whining.

"Thank's Nami!" Luffy said with his mouthful.

"I can't believe I missed this," Nami said rubbing his face.

"Shishishishi."

--

"Oh! Nami! I found you something when Robin and I went treasure hunting!" Luffy said scrambling for the bag that Tom had packed holding his snack.

"Did you find any good treasure?" Nami demanded looking like he wanted to take Luffy's bag and shake it until all of the treasure fell out.

"We found lots! Look!" Luffy pulled several coins from his bag and shoved them at his navigator.

Nami's eyes glittered and he gleefully took the coins and counted them quickly. "Not a bad haul, did you just find this on the street?"

"Uh, huh," Luffy said stilling digging through his bag.

Nami giggled happily and stuffed the money in his pockets. Neither thought it strange, Nami was always in charge of the treasure.

"Here it is!" Luffy exclaimed. Nami peered at the gift curiously. It was wrapped in a white cloth and was oddly shaped.

The captain dropped the gift on Nami's laps with a smile. "Open it!" He urged.

"I am!" Nami said grabbing the cloth and pulling it away to see what it hid.

Nami froze when he saw what looked like a severed hand in his lap. Luffy bounced eagerly looking from the Hand of Glory to Nami's face.

"Luffy," Nami asked, his voice oddly calm. "What is this?"

"Hand of Glory," Luffy said sweating slightly. After being Nami's nakama for so long Luffy had sometimes learned to spot danger when she spoke like that. "Robin said it help's thieves."

"Robin knew you got this for me?" Nami asked mildly.

"Uh huh."

"It's a severed hand!" Nami shouted lobbing the hand at his captain's face before launching himself at the other boy.

"Ah! Nami!" Luffy shouted thrashing around. "You're squashing me!"

Nami wrapped his hands around his captain's neck and shook him. "Why would you think giving me a severed hand is a good thing?"

"Ack!"

"You know Robin isn't a good judge of character! She loves creepy things!"

"C-can't breathe!" Luffy forced out, his face turning blue

Without warning the door to the cabin slid open and a bossy voice called out, "Excuse me, has anyone seen a - Stop it! What are you doing! Stop fighting!"

Nami looked up from his position above Luffy and frowned. "We aren't fighting," Nami said annoyed.

"Ack!" Luffy choked, as Nami's hands were still wrapped around his throat.

"He's turning blue!" The frizzy-haired girl, who had burst into the cabin, cried.

"Blue? Oh alright," Nami said grumbling. Nami pulled away from his captain and crossed his arms angrily. Luffy sucked in a deep breath and started regaining his normal color.

"You shouldn't fight! It's against the rule!" The girl said pointing her finger at Nami.

"I already said we weren't fighting," Nami repeated. "Right Luffy?"

Luffy who had recovered from his navigator's tough love had gone back to stuffing his face with sweet. "Right! These jelly beans taste funny."

"They are Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans," Nami explained almost absentmindedly. "They come in just about every flavor imaginable."

The girl's face flushed pink at being ignored.

"Oh yuck! This one tasted feet!" Luffy cried trying to scrap the bad taste off of his tongue.

"So if you weren't fighting what were you doing?" The girl demanded her hands on her hips.

"I was choking him," Nami explained. "Because he gave me a severed hand."

"Hand of Glory!"

"Severed hand?" Luffy and the girl exclaimed together.

"See! You understand!" Nami cried throwing his hands up in the air.

"Where did you find a severed hand?" The girl cried out looking at the shriveled up limb that Luffy had just picked up from the floor.

"Stole it," Luffy said plainly, not bothered by his thievery.

"You can't steal! It's wrong!" The girl said angrily.

"We're pirates," Luffy said with a shrug waving the hand back and forth.

Nami grimaced but nodded his agreement. "Exactly."

"Aren't you a little old to be playing pirates?" The girl asked stilling looking upset that she had found them fighting and that Luffy had admitted to stealing the Hand of Glory.

Luffy grew still and bowed his head slightly. Nami watched curiously as to how his captain was going to explain this, they hadn't spoken about what they were now, but Luffy's dream is and always would be to be the King of the Pirates. Even if he had to be the one to create a pirate age himself, Luffy would be the King, of that Nami was sure.

"Being a pirate isn't a game," Luffy said softly looking up at the girl from his seat. "It's serious."

The girl frowned confused. "I-"

"Did you need something?" Nami asked cutting the girl off. Luffy had already dropped his serious face and had returned to playing with the Hand of Glory. Nami turned green when he saw his captain thumb wrestling with the severed hand and the severed hand winning.

"Oh right! Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville had lost one."

Chapter Text

The girl, who was evidently named Hermione Granger, eventually left after Luffy and Nami after they both swore they hadn't seen a toad. Nami was glad to see her go. The girl's know-it-all attitude reminded the redhead about his older brother Percy, and as much as Nami loved his siblings Percy was a pompous jerk.

"She was weird," Luffy said stuffing his finger up his nose.

Nami grimaced at his captain but nodded.

"How much longer until we get there, Nami? I'm bored!" Luffy shouted flicking snot off his finger.

Nami was surprised it had taken Luffy this long to get bored. The former rubber boy had too much energy and could barely handle being aboard a ship for hours on end, and this train car was significantly smaller.

"We've got a few more hours, Luffy," Nami said peering out the window. He didn't have a map handy but guess from the speed of the train and the look of the land outside they were still a few hours off from their destination in Scotland.

"Awww man!"
--
"I've decided," Luffy said suddenly slamming his fist into his open palm.

Nami looked up from his tattered geography book, a gift from his older brother Bill and felt a feeling of dread come over him. One never could tell just what was going to come next when Luffy said something like that. "What have you decided?"

"I'm going to buy more mystery candy," Luffy said nodding his head firmly.

"You don't need anymore!" Nami shouted punching his captain in the head. "We still have a pile of candy here and the feast when we get to school."

"But Naaaaami!" Luffy whined.

"No!" Nami said forcefully and crossed his arms. The sky has grown dark and the English scenery blurring past the windows had long since given way to the distinct Scottish land.

"We are starting to slow down Luffy, we are almost there," Nami said trying to reason with his captain. "The trolley lady is probably packing up right now, anyway."

Being told the train was slowing and that they would soon arrive at Hogwarts put Luffy's mind off getting more candy. Instead, Nami watched as his captain's bright green eyes sparkled and he practically bounced around the cabin. "Put your robes on Luffy," Nami said pulling his own second-hand robes from his trunk. "At this speed, we should be pulling into the station in about 30 minutes."

It took 15 minutes for Nami to convince Luffy to put his robe on, but the redhead was well practiced in forcing his captain to do things he didn't want to do. Nami managed to stash a few pasties in his pockets before Luffy devoured the rest of the candy haul as the train came to a stop.

A strange voice echoed through the express and instructed the students to leave their luggage aboard and leave the train. Nami followed his bouncing captain onto the train platform where a giant man stood shouting for the first years to gather around him.

"First years! First years! Over 'ere!" The man called.

"He's huge!" Luffy said gleefully staring up at the large man. "Like a giant!"

Nami refrained from pointing out that while the man was much bigger than anyone else he had met in this life, the large hairy man wasn't quite giant sized. Nami had very clear memories of Little Garden and the warriors of Elbaf who lived there.

"This way!" The man called waving the group of eleven-year-olds away from the platform. The children were lead to a collection of small boats along the shore of a dark lake. Nami and Luffy fearlessly climbed aboard when the giant man instructed them too. "No more than three to a boat!" The man cautioned.

Nami jerked when the boats began moving seemingly at the large man's direction. Even growing up with magic as he has, Nami twitched in irritation. There were no currents, no wind and no way to propel the boat forward. It shouldn't be possible.

Luffy, of course, thought it was the best thing. The black-haired boy had taken his seat at the front of the boat, arms stretched out as wide as he could go laughing.

"Whoa! Nami! Did you see that? It was a giant tentacle!" Luffy shouted peering out across the lake, leaning half out of the small boat. Thankfully no one else had joined them, leaving the Straw Hats to themselves.

"Luffy sit down!" Nami snapped grabbing his captain's robes to stop the other boy from falling into the lake. "You're going to fall in!"

Luffy whined but sat back down still waving at the tentacle waving curiously back from the water.

"At least you aren't a hammer anymore," Nami muttered thinking that Luffy not having his devil fruit power wasn't all bad. The lack of devil fruit had bothered Nami since he had noticed Luffy didn't have his rubber abilities anymore. For as long as Nami had known Luffy in their other life, Luffy's rubber powers had been a part of him. Luffy had been a rubber man and that had been an important part of his life. It was strange seeing the boy without those powers.

The lack of stretching power hadn't seemed to bother Luffy, from what Nami could see. The boy just continued as he would normally sans stretching but Nami wondered just how much it bothered his captain.

"I can't swim," Luffy informed Nami, having heard the muttered comment, with a wide grin.

"Why not?" Nami asked bewildered. He had learned from his father in this life in an old pond not far from the Burrow, their home.

Luffy shrugged and dipped his fingers into the lake and giggled when the tentacle he had been waving at brushed his fingertips.

"Down!" The giant man called cutting off their conversation. Nami's eyes widened and the redhead shoved Luffy's head down to avoid them both hitting the low stonework.

Once the stone was cleared Nami and Luffy sat back up and they both gasped. A large castle stood in front of them. Dark stone, with towers that stretched up to the sky, Hogwarts glittered against the night sky.

Nami had known he would be attending Hogwarts for years but seeing the castle in all its glory, the lights from the castle reflecting on the water was magical.

Luffy had never seen anything like it. The closer the boats got to the school the more magic Luffy could feel. The warm, tingly sensation added to the shimmering glow of the castle. The pair of pirates sat in silence, eyes glued to the castle until the boats ran ashore and the giant man instructed them to join him on land.

From the shore to the stone steps of the castle it was a short walk, it took longer than one would expect because many first years were still staring up at the castle in wonder. The giant man gently herded the children from the lake's edge to what appeared to be awaiting chamber just passed two large wooden doors. Nami watched as the giant man muttered something and disappeared leaving the group of eleven-year-olds alone.

"So you're Harry Potter," a voice said.

Luffy spun around and stared curiously at the pointy-faced blond who had spoken. Nami turned too and gave the boy a disinterested look. "Do you know him Luffy?" Nami asked crossing his arms.

Luffy scratched his head and took a step closer to get a good look at the blond. "Oh, you're that kid from the robe shop."

"Draco Malfoy," Draco said pompously.

Nami coughed to try and cover up a laugh but Draco heard it and turned to the redhead. "Think my name's funny, do you?" The blond sneered. "No need to ask who you are, my father has told me all about your kind. That red hair, those robes, obviously a Weasley."

Nami glared hatefully but Draco turned back to Luffy before the redhead could react. "You'll soon learn that some wizarding families are better than others Potter, I can help you there," Draco said smoothly holding out his hand to shake Luffy's.

Luffy cocked his head to the side and looked at Draco's hand before flicking his eyes up to meet Draco's. The Strawhat captain shook his head and very purposefully did not take Draco's hand. "You were mean to Ron," Luffy began, barely remembering to use Nami's name from this life. "We can't be friends if you are mean to my nakama."

Nami sniggered into his hands at the furious face Draco made at Luffy's words. The blond huffed and jerked back his hand like something had bitten him. "You'll regret this Potter," Malfoy spat before stomping off.

Luffy watched the blond go with a frown.

"Luffy?" Nami asked. "What's wrong?"

"I know him."

Chapter Text

Nami didn't get the chance to ask Luffy what he had meant because the large man returned with a tall thin woman dressed in a deep green cloak. To Nami the woman looked incredibly fierce but Luffy, who had resumed bouncing in place, didn't seem to notice.

"Settle down," The woman said, the group of children settling almost immediately. "Welcome to Hogwarts, I am Professor McGonagall. The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."

Nami nodded to himself, already aware of this knowledge. When he had received his Hogwarts letter the youngest Weasley boy had asked all of his brothers about what to expect at Hogwarts. Overall, Bill and the twins had been the most helpful, but they had all been strangely quiet on one issue.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours," Professor McGonagall said. "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Nami saw the older woman eye a few of his soon to be classmates when she said the last line.

"I will return shortly to get you," the woman said slipping out of the room.

"H-how exactly are they going to sort us?" A voice from the crowd asked.

Nami grimaced only his brother Fred had been willing to say anything about the sorting. "Some sort of test, I think," Nami said loud enough to answer the question. To Luffy, quieter, he muttered, "Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

Luffy nodded determinedly and Nami felt almost instantly better. New life or not, if it were something really terrible, Luffy could handle it. "Naaami when's dinner?" Luffy demanded the thought of a test not enough distract the boy from the thought of food.

Nami rolled his eyes and pulled a pasty from his pocket. The redhead quickly unwrapped it and stuffed it in his captain's mouth. "After the sorting! Just wait!"

The bossy girl, Hermione from the train, shook her head at Luffy and Nami's antics.

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned and was waiting impatiently for the crowd of children to do as she bid.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Luffy and Nami joined the line, and slowly filed through the tall wooden doors. The pirate's gasped the room was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets.

At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, ghosts shone misty silver. Luffy in his gaping let his gaze go upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.

"It's an exact replica of the night sky," Nami said softly, his own eyes trained upward.

The first years came to a stop just shy of a raised portion of the floor between the massive tables filled with children. Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.

"Why's there a dirty old hat?" Luffy whispered loudly to Nami who shrugged.

Before the redhead could answer out loud the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth—and the hat began to sing.

Luffy and Nami's jaws dropped low. The hat's song wasn't very long but it was very memorable even for two pirates who done and seen so much.

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"Mystery hat!" Luffy whispered, loudly again, to Nami.

"So we've just got to try on a hat," Nami said ignoring his captain. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about fighting a troll."

"Awww," Luffy whined. "I want to fight a troll, it sounds like fun!"

"No way!" Nami hissed back giving his captain a shove. "Now pay attention!"

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.

Nami and Luffy wait and watched as the professor called students out of the group alphabetically starting with Abbott, Hannah who became the first Hufflepuff.

It took a long time before McGonagall called out a familiar name but Nami and Luffy both perked up when "Granger, Hermione!" was shouted.

Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat called.

Luffy and Nami watched the frizzy-haired girl joined the cheering red and gold table.

A boy named Neville Longbottom was the next name that caught Luffy's attention. Nami watched his captain curiously as Luffy cheered loudly when Neville ended up in Gryffindor. "Is he one of us?" Nami asked Luffy just loud enough to be heard over the applause.

Luffy just grinned and watched Draco Malfoy get placed in Slytherin.

More children were called forward and sorted and finally, "Potter, Harry!"

Nami gave Luffy a sharp shove forward and the former rubber boy practically bounced up to the four-legged stool and took a seat.

--

Luffy grinned widely as the hat fell over his eyes and waited.

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "This is interesting…"

"Mystery hat!" Luffy said to himself.

"Yes, I suppose I am a mystery hat," the voice agreed. "And you are quite the mystery yourself Harry Potter, or should I say Monkey D. Luffy?"

Luffy jerked in surprise, how did the hat know?

"It's all here in your head," the hat said. "I can see everything, it's how I place you."

So cool! Luffy thought to the hat catching on that he need not speak aloud.

"Yes, it is quite 'cool' isn't it?" The hat agreed. "Now, where to put you? Plenty of courage, I see. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes—and such ambition, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?"

I want to be with my friends, Luffy thought. I want to be with my crew.

"I see," said the hat. "Well, then better be GRYFFINDOR!"

The great hall erupted in cheers. Luffy pulled the hat off and cheerfully handed it off to McGonagall and bounced over to the Gryffindor table. One of Nami's brothers stood and shook Luffy's hand and the twins chanted "We got Potter!"

Luffy slipped into a seat on the bench and waited for Nami. As the sorting continued Luffy's eyes drifted to the table full of the professors, some old guy with a long beard smiled at Luffy but the green-eyed captain didn't stare at the old guy for very long, he was looking for Brook. There on the end next was Luffy's musician. Luffy waved at Brook, his signature smile stretched across his face. Brook looking happier than Luffy had seen him in a long time waved back.

"Weasley, Ron!"

Luffy and Nami's brother's watched, and cheered loudly when the hat declared "Gryffindor!"

"The stupid hat almost put me in Slytherin!" Nami whispered to Luffy after the redhead had been welcomed to the table by his brothers. "Kept talking about me being sneaky, sly and ambitious. Slytherin? My mother would have a fit!"

Luffy, thankfully, didn't get to respond as the sorting wrapped up finishing with "Zabini, Blaise" who became the last Slytherin.

As the last of the cheering died down the old man with the silver beard stood.

"Who is the old guy?" Luffy asked loudly.

"That's Dumbledore, you idiot, remember the chocolate frog card?" Nami asked rolling his eyes.

"Nope!" Luffy declared cheerfully.

"Welcome," he said beaming at the students, his arms opened wide as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you."

"Shishishishi, what a weird guy!" Luffy said laughing but soon the laughter turned to surprise. The empty table was now piled with food. Luffy drooled as he eyed all the food on the was so much meat: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon, and steak.

With practiced ease Luffy attacked. The black haired boy piled piece after piece of meat onto his plate and then into his mouth.

Nami filled his own plate easily dodging Luffy's grabbing hands but the other Weasley's watched in shock.

"I can't look away," one of the twins muttered watching Luffy scarf down six sausages at once.

"Where does it all go?" the other twin asked eyeing Luffy's small frame.

Percy just grimaced at the disgusting sight. Nami half wanted to warn them of Luffy's wandering hands, even without his rubber powers the boy still managed to steal from other people's plates, but it took a lot of work to defend his own plate and Nami wasn't about to risk Luffy taking advantage of Nami looking away for a moment.

Dinner winded down slowly, after an interesting conversation with a ghost the conversation turned to families which Luffy ignored in favor of dessert. Finally after all of the plates surrounding Luffy were empty the pirate belched loudly and patted his stomach happily. "Not as good as Sanji's food but it was yummy."

Nami nodded in agreement and yawned sleepily.

"Oh! Oh! Nami!" Luffy said giving his navigator a small shove. "Look up there past the greasy guy, it's Brook!"

Nami shot upright, having slumped onto the table, and scanned the table before breaking out into a wide smile. The redhead waved happily at the tall, thin 'man' who waved back in shock, no doubt recognizing someone from the crew even if he didn't realize who Nami was just yet.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahem—just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give you," the Professor said. "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Nami elbowed Luffy in the side when the boy began bouncing in his seat.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch," Dumbledore's voice turned stern. "And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Luffy laughed and turned to Nami who shook his head. "Nope, not going to happen!" Nami declared.

"But what if there is treasure?" Luffy asked.

Nami's eyes practically sparkled. "We can go tonight!" He said maniacally.

"You will not!" Percy hissed catching the conversation. Nami carelessly waved his older brother off and Dumbledore spoke again.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Luffy grinned happily and didn't notice that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. "Professor Brook?"

Brook stood, several feet taller than Dumbledore and gave a low bow to the student body. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words letting the students read them as they sung.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Brook, "and off we go!"

Luffy, never one to miss a chance to sing, eagerly jumped in using a very familiar tune. Nami who smiled happily when she recognized it joined his captain. The two Gryffindor Strawhats finished the same time as Brook who has also used the Binks' Sake tune.

Once everyone had finished Brook bowed again and Dumbledore stood. "Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

Percy and the other prefects herded the students together, taking extra care of the new first years and led them from the Great Hall. Luffy and Nami stay back a few minutes to wave furiously at Brook who waved back.

Luffy oohed and awwed at everything along the way to the common room. The moving portraits, stairs and all the little twists and turns to get there made the pirate captain beam with excitement. There was so much to see in the mysterious castle. Nami carefully mapped out the route in his head knowing that Luffy would get lost the moment he tried to wander around by himself. Nami took a moment to hope that Zoro would have a better sense of direction in this life because if left alone Zoro would get lost and starve to death.

"Here we are," Percy said after a run in with a mischievous poltergeist

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

Luffy eyed the squashy chairs but Percy skillfully ushered the children into their dorms. Luffy and Nami climbed the stairs with the other boys and found their beds: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up and as the other three began pulling on their night clothes Luffy noticed a handwritten note on his bed. Curiously he picked it up and skimmed the words.

After everyone is asleep meet me at the common room door.

-Brook

Luffy shoved the letter at Nami who nodded and the two pretended to get ready for bed and crawled into their four-poster beds. It didn't take long for the other three to drift off to dreamland and before long Luffy and Nami quietly crept from their room and down the stairs.

The common room was almost empty, none of Nami's brothers were around and the upper years that were there were all engrossed in their own conversation and didn't notice the two first years slipping from the room.

Chapter Text

Brook raised a long thin finger to his glamoured lips to ask that Luffy and the redhead be quiet. The redhead slapped a hand over Luffy's mouth, a wise precaution, and motioned for Brook to lead on. The musician led the children away from the tower and to the seventh floor and across from the tapestry depicting the attempt of Barnabas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet.

"This is called the come-and-go room," Brook said quietly. "I spend a great deal of time here."

The redhead, with his hand still over Luffy's mouth, and Luffy watched wide-eyed as Brook paced past an empty wall before a tall door appeared. The musician smiled at the children and pushed open the door. "Welcome home."

--

Luffy gasped loudly, Nami's hand had fallen from his mouth the moment Brook ushered the two into the room. It was as if they walked directly onto the deck of the Sunny. "Sunny!" Luffy shouted practically bouncing on the deck.

"How is this possible," Luffy heard Nami ask.

"Yohohoho, magic!" Brook said cheerfully. "I stumbled upon this room one night."

"It's not really the Sunny, though, is it?" Nami asked looking at the surroundings. He could see a breeze, smell sea salt and feel the boat rocking as if in water but something about it just felt off.

"It's not," Luffy answered from the figurehead. The pint-sized captain petted the figurehead gently and hopped off to go stand with his crew.

"It's not," Brook agreed. "But it's as close as we can get without actually being on the Sunny."

Nami nodded, still uncertain but a magic room that became their pirate ship wasn't the strangest thing he had seen in his new life, let alone his time on the Grand Line.

"Sorry, who are you?" Brook asked suddenly leaning over to peer at Nami trying to decide which crew member he was. "You look a great deal like Nami, but…"

Nami felt his eye twitch when Luffy began sniggering loudly behind his hands. "I am Nami," the redhead said dryly.

Brook jerked upright and blinked confusedly. The musician looked at the male redhead and then at his now laughing captain. "But...you...alright then," Brook said inching away from the irate redhead.

"This has gotten very old, very fast," Nami muttered darkly. He was not looking forward to the rest of the crew's reaction.

"I am very much looking forward to Sanji's reaction, yohohohoho," Brook admitted with a laugh.

"Would you stop laughing you moron!" Nami shouted rounding on his laughing captain. The green-eyed boy was doubled over clutching at his stomach from laughing so hard.

"Speaking of Sanji," Brook interrupted the navigator who had moved to strike Luffy. "Have you found any more of the crew?"

"Not yet," Nami admitted rubbing at his face tiredly. "But Luffy you said you knew that prat, Malfoy."

Luffy nodded, uncharacteristically serious. "Yeah, we met in the robe shop," Luffy explained.

"Is that where you know him from?" Nami asked. He really hoped the blond wasn't a crewmate, he was a right prat.

"No," Luffy said frowning thinking hard. "I know him from somewhere, but I can't remember where."

Brook hummed thoughtfully. "Well we have found four of us already, Nami were you already aware of who you are when you found Luffy?"

The redhead blinked and nodded. "Yes, I've known for years. Was Robin like that too?" Nami asked looking at his captain.

Luffy shrugged. "Dunno, we didn't talk about that when we went treasure hunting."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Nami said with a sigh. Of course, Luffy wouldn't ask important questions, Nami thought. Ignoring that he would have likely ignored everything but possible treasure himself.

"She mentioned in a letter that she just woke up knowing one day," Brook offered recalling snippets from their letter exchange. Robin was much better at exchanging letters than Luffy was.

"So maybe the others haven't 'woken up' yet," Nami hypothesized smacking his closed fist into his open hand. "The only question is, what will make them wake up?"

"Zoro always woke up when you screamed in his ears," Luffy offered.

"We can't just go around screaming at people, Luffy," Nami said rubbing at his face. "The professors would notice."

"So? It's not a secret," Luffy said taking a seat on the Sunny's railing. "If anyone has a problem, I'll beat them up!"

"Moron!" Nami shouted jumping up to punch Luffy in the head. The green-eyed boy fell from the railing and onto the deck with a crash. "You don't have your Devil Fruit powers here, and you don't know any magic!"

"Ouch! Nami that hurt!" Luffy whined rubbing at the knot that was beginning to form.

"Good, maybe since you aren't rubber I can pound things through your thick skull!" Nami said. "Things are different here! You can't just go around punching things anymore."

"Nami is right, Luffy," Brook said looking down at his captain. "This new world is much different than what you remember. Magic is capable of terrifying things." Brook remembered the last war when the newspapers held nothing but story after story of death and destruction.

"So?" Luffy said rebelliously. "I'll just beat them up."

"Luffy, please," Nami said. The navigator knew they were going about this all wrong. The more they said, the more stubborn Luffy was becoming. "I've grown up in this world. If people found out about our other lives, it wouldn't be good."

Luffy gave Nami a mulish look. "We aren't strong enough!" Nami admitted. "The crew is scattered and we aren't strong enough to protect ourselves or each other just yet! It's like when we were separated, remember? We had to grow stronger before we could be together again. This is like that. We have to stay secret until we are strong enough to fight back if we need too."

Nami prayed this would work. It was hard to explain why people finding out about their past lives was so frightening. He had grown up with stories of the Department of Mysteries. The shadow department that whisked away those who were different and strange. The Department that stole the 'strange' children. Nami remembered Fred and George telling little Luna Lovegood that she was weird enough to be snatched up by them. Now knowing that Luna was really Robin Nami shuddered at the truth of the statement, if anyone knew Robin would be exactly who they would want.

"Who are you so frightened of?" Brook asked softly. He was hyper-aware of just how young his crew was now. Brook had never told anyone his whole history, not even his dear friend Albus knew, but he didn't truly fear anyone should they find out.

"No one remembers past lives," Nami said trying to put his fear into words. "It's not normal, even in the wizarding world. It's childish, but I grew up hearing stories of witches and wizards who weren't normal getting snatched up by the Department of Mysteries." Nami shivered.

"It's the boogie man, almost," He explained waving his hands. "No one knows what they do down there but… You never come back from that."

A warm hand fell on Nami's head. The redhead looked up and met Luffy's now bright green eyes. "We'll keep it a secret," Luffy decided. "Until we are strong enough that it won't matter."

Nami smiled.

--
"What about that Longbottom kid?" Nami asked offering the name of one of their new classmates. The tense and serious conversation from before had fallen away, giving way to a guessing game of sorts. Brook would suggest children at the school and Luffy and Nami would weigh in on whether the thought the person was a 'sleeping Straw Hat'.

"He's one of us," Luffy admitted with a grin.

"Who?" Nami and Brook demanded.

"Dunno," Luffy said with a laugh. "He's still sleeping."

"Chopper maybe?" Nami suggested thinking back to the shy nature he had noticed.

"Sanji?" Brook offered. "His hair is light like Sanji's was, and you two kept your hair colors."

Nami blinked and looked at Luffy like he hadn't noticed. "Luffy still looks almost the same," he admitted. "The scar is in a different place and his eyes are green now, but he still looks like Luffy."

"Robin looks different," Luffy said remembering the now blond girl he had met in Diagon Alley that day.

"You're right," Nami admitted yawning widely.

"It must be random then," Brook said watching the two child pirates yawning. "I should get you two back to the tower, you do have class tomorrow."

"Not yet!" Nami said pushing back another yawn. "There is still one question I need to be answered. Luffy, do you remember how we died?"

"Nope!" The former rubber boy said simply. He hadn't really thought about that aspect of his rebirth. Not that Luffy really thought about it much at all beyond wondering where his crewmates were.

"I don't either," Nami admitted before turning to Brook. "Brook?"

The glamoured skeleton frowned and turned away. "Ah, that...is a difficult question," Brook said softly. "Perhaps one better left for another time. How about a song instead?"

"Yes!" Luffy shouted. "Song time!"

Skillfully the musician pulled out his violin and began playing softly and sweetly. "Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo, Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo, Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo, Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo," Brook began. Luffy and Nami joined in softly singing along.

"Going to deliver Binks' Sake! Following the sea breeze! Riding on the waves!" Brook played on watching the music sooth his younger crewmates. "Far across the salty depths! The merry evening sun! The birds sing as they draw circles in the sky!"

Nami and Luffy moved to sit side-by-side, the redhead leaning heavily on the green-eyed boy as the song progressed.

Farewell to the harbor, To my old hometown

Let's all sing out with a Don! As the ship sets sail

Waves of gold and silver dissolve to salty spray

As we all set sail to the ends of the sea

Going to deliver Binks' Sake!

We are pirates sailing through the Sea!

The waves are our pillows, The ship our roost

Flying the proud skull on our flags and our sails

Ever so slowly, Nami's eyes slipped shut. Luffy's stubbornly remained open. Brook wondered if he just didn't want the moment to end. Brook could easily recall the loneliness his captain had admitted too.

Now comes a storm through the far-off sky

Now the waves are dancing, Beat upon the drums

If you lose your nerve this breath could be your last

But if you just hold on, The morning sun will rise

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho

Brook smiled as Luffy finally drifted off to sleep. His head falling forward against Nami's own softly snoring. Slowly, the crew was waking up and find each other once again, it wouldn't be long now before they were all together again.

Going to deliver Binks' Sake!

Today, and tomorrow, our dreams through the night!

Waving our goodbyes, we'll never meet again!

But don't look so down, For tomorrow night the moon will also rise!

Going to deliver Binks' Sake!

Let's all sing it with a Don! A song of the waves

Doesn't matter who you are, Someday you'll just be bones

Never-Ending, Ever-wandering, Our funny Traveling tale!

As the song winded down Brook stood and put away his violin, choosing to just hum the last few verses. The skeleton easily scooped up the two boys. Sneaking them into their dorm would be easy enough but needed to do it soon. The night was beginning to slip away.

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho

Chapter Text

"Get up, get up, get up" Luffy shouted jumping on Nami's bed. "First day of mystery school!"

Nami and the other boys groaned pitifully into their pillows.

"Shut it, Potter," someone, probably Dean Thomas but it was hard to tell under all the blankets, muttered. "The sun isn't even up all the way yet."

"Get up!" Luffy said prodding Nami in the side. "Time for breakfast! And then MAGIC!"

Nami groaned but sat up unwillingly. Luffy seeing that his navigator was finally awake bounced to the bathroom to get ready.

"He better not be like this every day," Seamus muttered darkly watching the green-eyed boy go.

Nami yawned widely and stretched his arms up above his head. "He's just excited," Nami said weakly, defending his captain. "He'll settle down when he learns classes aren't as fun as he hopes they will be."

All Nami received in return were soft snores. Reluctantly the redhead pulled himself out of his nice warm bed, sparing only a brief thought to how he got there, and padded into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

--

They were, of course, one of the first few people at breakfast. Thankfully the food was already on the table because Luffy made a beeline for a pile of breakfast sausages and eggs. Nami carefully filled his own plate and guarded it jealously against his captain's wandering hands.

Nami finished his breakfast just as the bulk of the students began pouring into the Great Hall.

"Look there, next to the red-headed kid," Nami heard someone say. "It's him, Harry Potter."

Luffy, who either didn't hear the whispers or didn't care, just kept eating. Nami wondered how long his captain would last before he addressed the situation that surrounded his name.

"Luffy, I need to borrow your owl to send a letter to Robin," Nami said pulling a piece of parchment and a quill from his bag.

"Mmh prmbhm," Luffy said with a mouth full of food.

"Swallow first," Nami said rolling his eyes.

"That's disgusting," Hermione said slipping into a seat not far from the Strawhats. She grimaced as she watched Luffy gorge himself on food.

"You get used to it," Nami said carelessly. His focus was on the letter to Robin. If Robin had been 'awake' for some time, why hadn't the girl said anything to him? Nami was going to find out, one way or another.

"I don't think that's possible," Hermione said still watching Luffy eat. Nami glanced up quickly and felt sympathy for the girl, watching Luffy eat was was often terrible but hard to look away from for some sick reason.

"Just look away," Nami suggested. "The more you watch the worse it gets."

"Ack, ack!"

With practiced ease, the redhead smacked Luffy on the back three times until the choking stopped.

"Wow, thanks, Nami!" Luffy said brightly as if he hadn't just choked on six pieces of toast.

"Eat slower you idiot!" Nami shouted bringing his fist down on top of Luffy's head.

"Nami's so mean!" Luffy said with a mouthful of toast.

"Nami? I thought your name was Ron?" Hermione asked, finally filling her plate.

The redhead just shrugged and signed his name on the parchment. "It is, but so is Nami."

--

"Nami's so mean!" He paused. Nami? That name … why did he know that name?

"Oi! Where are you going? The table is that way!"

He stopped and scowled. "Someone moved the table," he muttered turning the opposite direction to walk to the table.

--

Luffy shoved his schedule into his bag not bothering to look at it. Nami had glanced at the former rubber boy's schedule and determined they had all the same classes and told Luffy to just follow him. Probably for the best, because Luffy was much more interested in exploring the castle than going to class.

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and by the end of the first day, Luffy was sure the coats of armor could walk.

Luffy had never been one for school. In his previous life, the green-eyed boy didn't remember ever going to school, Makino had taught him had to read and write until he met his brothers and then Sabo taught him maths, until his death. In his new life with the Dursleys Luffy had learned more, although the teachers wouldn't know it. Luffy had learned early it was easier to do worse than his cousin Dudley than have his aunt and uncle yell at him.

Still, the classes at Mystery Magic School were more interesting, sometimes. Astronomy, a class they had on Wednesday nights, Nami liked but Luffy had more fun spinning the telescope than using it.

Herbology had been a difficult class. It started off well enough until Luffy wandered too close to a plant that decided he looked good enough to eat. It took Professor Sprout nearly an hour to pry the boy from the plant's vines. Luffy had given the plant a wide berth since.

Charms had been fun. The little professor, Flitwicky or something Nami had told him, had fallen off the stacks of books he was standing on when he called Luffy's name during roll call. Luffy had laughed and that made the Hermy? Hernenime? girl frown at him.

Transfiguration had been … interesting.

--

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time.

"Any questions?" Professor McGonagall asked looking for her first-year class.

Luffy's hand shot straight up into the air making Nami jump. Luffy had asked a series of questions since class started. Some of them vaguely intelligent, ("Is there a spell to make people stretchy?") and some not so much ("This is boring can I take a nap?") and Nami hoped this question was going to be one of the vaguely intelligent ones. Nami had grown up in a house of Gryffindors. His entire family had been in the lion house while Professor McGonagall was head. He had heard stories.

"Can we transrefrigerate food?" Luffy asked deadly serious.

The professor paused and raised an eyebrow at her student. "That is a good question, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said lightly. "The term is transfigure, of course, but to answer your question it depends on what you mean when you say transfigure food. Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, which we will get to at a later date, states that food cannot be outright created from nothing, it can be multiplied if one already has some food to multiply, it can be enlarged or the food can be summoned if one knows the approximate location and is fairly sure the food will still be there. It should also be noted that while food cannot be conjured, consumable liquids such as sauces and potable water can be."

Luffy nodded along as the professor explained and when she finished and asked him if that answered his question Luffy nodded. "How do I learn to summon food?"

Nami's eyes widened in horror. If Luffy learned to summon food….

"You will learn that in your charms class, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said. "But considering the mess you make at meals, it might be best if you … did not."

Nami nodded empathically.

"Now, moving onto our lesson for today," the professor said. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. At the end of the lesson, only Hermione had managed to make a difference in hers.

"Stupid match," Luffy muttered poking the matchstick with his wand sulkily. Beside him Nami huffed and crossed his arms, still not having managed to do anything with his match either.

--

Luffy bounced in his seat happily. This class was supposed to be fun. Defense Against the Dark Arts, it sounded like a fighting class! Nami's older brothers, the twins, had warned the boys not to get their hopes up as the professor had been a letdown but Luffy remained hopeful, at least until the smell got to him.

"It smells in here," Luffy said raising his hand.

Professor Quirrell blinked in surprise and stuttered out a long story about a vampire and a hag that left Luffy stary eyed until the end of class when Nami said he didn't believe him.

"He was terrified Luffy," Nami said trying to make his captain understand. "There's no way that man met a vampire or hag without dying of fright."

"Aww, are you sure?" Luffy whined.

"I'm sure."

--

The real problem came with potions.

Luffy had never met Professor Snape before. In fact, other than a single comment at the start of the term feast Luffy had never even mentioned the potions professor. Luffy and Nami both soon found that didn't matter because Professor Snape hated Luffy.

Luffy and Nami had taken seats next to each other, as they had in every class. Nami shivered and rubbed his arms to try and warm them up. Potions class was in the dungeons and the room was colder than any other part of the castle.

"How are you not cold?" Nami hissed, giving Luffy a dark look.

"Eh? Those eyes are looking at us," Luffy said ignoring what Nami had asked. Instead, he pointed across the room at a jar that held strange blue eyes that did seem to be staring at Luffy and Nami.

"Gross," Nami said looking away from the eyes.

Professor Snape stalked into the room with his robes flaring dramatically behind him. Luffy ooed softly, Nami had warned him about Snape and promised to hurt him if the pint-sized captain did anything to draw the man's ire.

Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Luffy's name but he managed to stay upright unlike the tiny professor.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new—celebrity."

Draco Malfoy and his friends sniggered behind their hands from across the room. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word—like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Silence followed this little speech. Luffy grinned widely staring at the professor in awe, that sounds so cool.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Luffy cocked his head to the side and shrugged. "Dunno," he said simply. Luffy had never even heard of those words before.

Off to the side, Luffy saw the Hermyione girl's hand shoot up into the air.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

"Tut, tut—fame clearly isn't everything."

He ignored Hermione's hand.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Luffy just shook his head he didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He ignored Malfoy, who was shaking with laughter.

"I don't know what that is," Luffy said cheerfully.

Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"Geeze," Luffy said scratching his lip under his nose. "I don't know, professor. Why don't you ask her instead?" Luffy jerked his thumb to the side where Hermione stood with her hand raised.

A few people laughed and Snape was not pleased.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel, and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."

Luffy shrugged and tried to copy down what the professor had said. Snape sure had cool entrances and speeches but the guy was a real jerk.

Chapter Text

"Luffy have you finished your transfiguration equations yet?" Nami asked from his seat at the table.

Luffy and Nami had retreated to the Come-and-Go Room to do their homework with Brook joining them. The two pirate children chose the Going Merry this time, taking the opportunity to introduce Brook to the little caravel that had brought them so far. Brook, was absolutely delighted.

"Uhhh," Luffy said sweating nervously. He had not finished his equations, he hadn't even started his homework but he had told Nami that he had. Brook chuckled from his spot at a piano he had asked the room to provide him

"McGonagall's going to kill you if you turn in another paper complaining about Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration," Nami said unimpressed barely looking up from his own homework.

"She was rather proud of your essay," Brook piped up. "She had never seen a first-year work so hard to disprove a law of transfiguration. She even mentioned that you might be onto something."

Luffy, after learning it was impossible to create food from nothing, had written a long and very well researched essay on why it should be possible. The professor had been irritated the essay wasn't over the simple wood-to-metal transfiguration they were studying but had given Luffy credit for his essay anyway. The green-eyed boy wasn't likely to get away with it again.

"But it's boring," Luffy whined. "We never do any magic, we just write stuff."

Nami rolled his eyes and turned back to his essay. Nami had told the other boys in the dorm that Luffy's excitement wouldn't last long and it hadn't lasted past the first two days. Now the only way to get the boy out of bed was the promise of breakfast.

"It's like training," Nami said trying half-heartedly to get through to his captain. "We have to train before we can -"

Nami froze at the sound of stone moving on stone. "Do you hear that?"

Luffy perked up and Brook paused his playing, there was something that sounded like shifting stone.

"Can other people get into the room while we are here?" Nami asked pushing away from the table.

"I'm not sure," Brook answered uncertainly. "I've never had anyone happen upon me, but maybe if they were looking for the same room that we are in?"

"But how could anyone know about Merry?" Nami asked still searching for the source of the sound.

"Because they are one of us," Luffy said zeroing on a spot that looked like one of Merry's cabin walls. The faux wood was trembling and shifting until it opened a door and someone stepped out.

--

Zoro had been 'awake' for two days. It all started with an overheard conversation and the word 'Nami'. Zoro was never going to mention to the witch that it was her name that triggered his waking up. The swordsman had no idea where Nami was or who she was but he was assuming the red-head been reborn like he had. Assuming the rest of the crew had been reborn …

Seeing Brook at the head table had been a shock especially considering the musician looked human, with skin and everything. Zoro had wanted to seek the man out, ask if he knew where the others were but there wasn't ever time. Between classes and his housemates, Zoro couldn't ever stray too far without someone snagging him and dragging him along. Something about him getting lost, it wasn't Zoro's fault people didn't stay where they were supposed or moved crap around. To be honest, Zoro was irritated that this had continued through both of his lives.

The real problem was he couldn't find Nami. He had found the crap-cook, but the chef didn't seem to recognize Zoro yet which was a pain, but the swordsman figured the cook would realize it eventually.

"I can see the food flying from here," one of the upper years sneered.

"Potter's at it again," another muttered. "I heard he was raised by muggles. It certainly shows."

Zoro paused his eating and stared across the hall at where the upper years had indicated Potter sat. Zoro could just see, between students, a small dark-haired body sitting next to a redhead. The dark-haired boy appeared to be choking and the redhead laughing at his misfortune.

It took a minute but the dark-haired boy forced down his food and joined the redhead in laughing and Zoro knew. That was Luffy. Zoro snorted when he realized just who his captain was now, Harry Potter, of course, his captain would be the Boy-Who-Lived.

Zoro scarfed down the last of his food and pushed away from the table. Time to find his crew.

"Where are you going Zabini?" Malfoy asked, his silver eyes narrowed at the black boy.

"I'm going to go talk to my friends," Roronoa Zoro, now known as Blaise Zabini, said.

--

"How the hell did I end up here?" Zoro asked looking around, at what looked like Merry-go in confusion. "Oh hey, you three are here."

"ZORO?" Nami, Luffy, and Brook shouted in surprise.

"Yeah? - Uhm!"

Luffy rocked toward his first mate and slammed into the other eleven-year-old with considerable force that sent them both to the floor.

"Zoro remembers!" Luffy shouted wrapping his arms around his swordsman's neck cheerfully hugging the other boy tightly.

"Ack! Luffy, get off! I can't breath!" Zoro said struggling to detach the pint-sized captain from his neck.

"Zoro remembers!" Luffy shouted again, still clinging tightly to the other boy.

"Off Luffy," Zoro said. "A little help?"

Together Nami, Brook, and Zoro managed to pry their captain away.

"Geeze, Luffy, was that necessary?" Zoro asked rubbing his sore neck.

"I missed you," Luffy said simply, still smiling. "And now there are five of us."

"Five?" Zoro asked looking at the group.

"Robin," Nami said shaking his head knowing what the swordsman was asking. "Luffy met her in Diagon Alley before school started. She'll be a first year next year."

"Huh," Zoro said accepting the answer.

"That just leaves, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Franky," Brook said thoughtfully ticking off names on his fingers.

Zoro scoffed and crossed his arms. He and Luffy had remained sitting on the deck rather than stand like Brook and Nami were doing. "I found the shit-cook, he just doesn't remember yet."

"Yohohoho," Brook laughed. "That's wonderful news!"

"So is Sanji still a boy?" Luffy asked mischievously.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Zoro asked giving his captain a confused look. "It's not like we changed genders or anything."

Silence.

"I did," Nami said with forced calm.

Zoro stared hard at the navigator and snorted. "Huh, guess you did," he admitted not having noticed before.

Luffy and Brook slowly inched away from Nami as a feeling of overwhelming dread overcame them.

With a wordless cry of rage Nami attacked.

--

Over an hour later, Zoro, still bruised and glaring at the red-headed wizard, had been filled in, they all had really. They had shared their stories thus far. Brook told them of being found by Dumbledore and brought to the school to teach music and Nami made the skeleton finally explain his glamor.

Luffy skirted around his life with Dursleys but filled his crew in on his life thus far. The pint-sized captain managed to focus the attention on the others rather than talk himself.

Nami shared his story of growing up a Weasley and dealing with the memories of a past life.

Zoro's story was the one everyone was most excited for. "I only 'woke up' a few days ago," Zoro admitted. "I had been trying to find you since then but the castle moves stuff around too much."

Nami, Luffy, and Brook sniggered. "What?" Zoro asked irritated.

"Are you sure it was the castle?" Nami asked mirth shining in his eyes.

"Yes," Zoro said flatly.

"Really sure?" Luffy asked baiting the swordsman.

"Yes damn it!" Zoro shouted.

"Hahahahaha," the crew laughed.

"What are your parents like?" Nami asked when things settled down. Even though Nami and Zoro were both purebloods in this life, their upbringing likely had very little in common.

"My mother is gone a lot, " Zoro said with an easy shrug. "She's nice enough but since my father's death, she's been running the estate. She feels bad about leaving me alone so often so I get whatever I want. Like fencing and kendo lessons."

"You were interested in swords even before you 'woke up'?" Nami asked curiously.

"Must be something ingrained in me," Zoro said seriously. "The only thing she can't find is a sword like Wado Ichimonji."

"Your white sword?" Luffy asked.

"Yes, and we looked. There is no sign of that sword or one like it in the world," Zoro admitted bitterly.

"It has been a long time since your deaths," Brook said softly, his fingers running over the keys of his piano. "There likely isn't anything left of our old lives, except me."

--

"Nami? What's wrong?" Luffy asked from his bed.

The, now five members strong, Strawhat crew had split up for bed. They talked until curfew and Brook promised to make sure Zoro made it back to the Slytherin Common Room without getting lost and Nami drug Luffy back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Something about what Brook said is bothering me," Nami admitted. "He still won't tell us how we died and something is really bugging me about his story."

"Do you think he's lying about something?" Luffy asked seriously.

"No," Nami said shaking his head. "It's nothing like that, it's just ...I don't know!" Th redhead through his hands in the air and fell back into his bed huffing with frustration.

The room was silent for a moment and then Nami left his bed dip a little. Luffy flopped down beside his navigator. "Nami will figure it out," Luffy said staring up at the canopy. "Nami is smart and Brook is just sad. Mentioning his time alone makes him sad."

'It makes you sad too,' Nami thought as he glanced at his captain. "I hate having questions with no answers," Nami admitted.

Luffy hummed and didn't answer. He just sat up and walked back to his bed just as the other boys entered the dorm.

--

Luffy sat up and stretched with a yawn. The darkness of the room surprised him, normally when he woke up the sun was streaming through the windows and Nami was yelling. It was obviously still late so the former rubber boy peered out into the darkness, wondering just what time it was and why he had woken up.

A soft sniffle from the bed next to him drew Luffy's attention. The curtains were drawn but Luffy recognized the bed as belonging to Neville Longbottom, someone Luffy recognized as part of his crew.

Was the other boy crying? With stealth, his crew wouldn't believe he was capable of using Luffy climbed from his bed and padded the few steps to Neville's bed and pushed the curtains open.

"Why are you crying?" Luffy whispered loudly.

Neville sat up wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands. " 'm not crying," the boy lied. "What are you doing over here? Why aren't you asleep?"

"Liar," Luffy said simply. "I just woke up and heard you."

"S-sorry I woke you," Neville said sadly still staring at Luffy with big watery eyes. "You can go back to bed."

Luffy just shrugged and climbed onto the end of Neville's bed. "Not tired anymore," Luffy said crossing his arms. "Why are you crying?"

Neville stared at the boy at the end of his bed for a moment experiencing a strange feeling of déjà vu. "Why do you care?"

Luffy frowned. "'Cause you're my friend," Luffy said with absolute certainty.

"We're friends?" Neville asked softly.

"Of course, I promised we'd always be friends," Luffy said with a smile.

"Promised?" Neville said to himself softly.

"Is that why you were sad?" Luffy asked.

Neville nodded stiffly. "My gran wrote to me today asking why I hadn't mentioned any friends yet, kept going on about how my dad had loads of friends by now and … I realized I didn't have any friends, at all."

Luffy casually bonked his fist onto Neville's head. "Stupid, I just said we're friends, and if you'd hurry up and remember you'd know that."

"Remember what?" Neville said watching Luffy climb off his bed and back into his own.

"Nami says I'm not supposed to talk about it until you 'wake up', Luffy pouted crawling back under his blankets. "So wake up soon okay Usopp?"

Neville stared at the messy haired boy who had climbed into his bed, hit him, told him to remember something (he didn't remember) and then returned to his own bed as if nothing had happened. The only good thing had come out of the strange interaction was the confirmation that Neville did have a friend.

"Why did he call me Usopp?" Neville whispered to himself after he laid back down. Everyone had noticed that Harry didn't seem to have the easiest time with names, so maybe the other boy had forgotten?

Slowly Neville drifted off to sleep. That night Neville dreamt of laughter and friends, whose names he couldn't remember in the morning.

Chapter Text

The first time Blaise Zabini joined the Gryffindor table, a kind soul tried to gently turn the Slytherin around and send him off to his proper table. It was well known, even just a few weeks into term how awful the boy’s sense of direction was. Blaise had merely scoffed and took a seat, next to a laughing Harry Potter, muttering darkly.

When Draco Malfoy, loudly, asked the Zabini boy why he was choosing to spend his time with pathetic Potter and his ginger sidekick Weasley the black boy just arched an eyebrow and calmly asked the blond why he wasn’t friends with Potter. Draco stormed to the dorm in a huff and Blaise went about the rest of his day with a smug smirk.

Still by the time flying lessons were due to start Blaise Zabini was practically a normal fixture at the Gryffindor table, the boy was a master at fending off Potter’s wandering hands during meals times. Professor Snape had more than once told the boy to remain at the Slytherin table for meals but Blaise just shrugged it off and continued to join his friends for meals.

More than just having a seat at the table the first-year Slytherin could also often be found lounging in the Gryffindor common room or waiting just outside the portrait of the Fat Lady for his friends to join him. Some of the older Gryffindor students grumbled about having a snake in their space but after one-fourth year tried to tell Nami and Luffy not to invite the other boy back and found himself the victim of a rather humiliating prank, no one brought it up again.

“You’ll like flying lessons,” Nami said petting Shirohige’s chest. Since Luffy didn’t have anyone to write Nami had requested the use of his owl to write Robin. Luffy had of course said yes and the navigator and the archeologist regularly exchanged letters. “Robin says hello, and to tell you she and her father are going back to Sweden. Something about those books you found offering a clue to some kind of creature.”

“Oooh, the crummy horn snorlax!” Luffy said cheerfully.

Nami just shrugged he had no idea what Luffy was talking about, “yeah probably.”

“Have you flown before Zoro?” Luffy asked with his mouth full. Luffy had been practically bouncing with excitement since he had heard they were going to learn to fly.

The Slytherin nodded, putting another helping of eggs onto his plate. “It’s not bad but I prefer to play Quidditch if I’m going to fly.”

“What’s that?” Luffy asked tilting his head to the side curiously.

“It’s a sport,” Nami answered jumping in to explain the rules. Both Zoro and Luffy stared at the navigator wide-eyed. Quidditch didn’t quite seem like something Nami would enjoy. The redhead just shrugged when he noticed their confusion. “I grew up playing with my brothers, flying comes pretty naturally to me, it’s almost like the waver from the sky islands, remember? And there is a great betting market on the teams and I never lose.”

Zoro nodded like all was well with the world again. Luffy swallowed down his last bite and sighed happily. “I can’t wait!” He shouted practically bouncing in place.

“Settle down,” Zoro said giving his captain a shove when the boy bounced too much and nearly lost his balance. “We still have a few hours before the class starts.”

Luffy reluctantly settled and continued eating. Zoro warily eyes his captain, as Luffy was rarely calm for long, and began eating his own breakfast.

“Huh,” Nami said staring at the paper in his hand.

“Hmm? What’s wrong Nami?” Luffy asked turning his attention to his navigator.

The redhead flipped the paper he was reading around and tapped the headline. “Someone robbed Gringotts,” Nami said looking rather shocked.

“What, no way,” Zoro said grabbing the paper from Nami forgetting about his plate for the moment. Luffy casually leaned over and began eating from Zoro’s plate, the swordsman not noticing. “Someone actually broke in! I thought it was impossible?”

“It is,” the navigator said thoughtfully. Gringotts was supposed to be one of the safest places in the world, no one was supposed to be able to break in. Of course, Nami knew that just because the government said someplace was impenetrable didn’t make it so, but all the stories Bill had told about the bank had made the legends seem true.

“The vault had been emptied earlier that same day,” Zoro read from the newspaper, his brow furrowed. “So it wasn’t really robbed, someone just broke in.”

Nami nodded reluctantly. “That’s true, but still no one is supposed to be able to break into the bank. Trust me, I’ve considered it…”

Zoro shot the redhead a dry look, that didn’t surprise the Slytherin even a little.

“I wonder what kind of treasure was in the bank,” Luffy said through a mouth full of food, making the swordsman and navigator turn to him in surprise. They hadn’t thought Luffy was listening.

“Hey! That was my food!” Zoro shouted, having just connected the full mouth and the empty plate in front of him.

Luffy turned his head, guiltily and before Zoro could move to strangle his captain the bell for classes chimed.

--

“I made the cabbatch team!” Luffy shouted throwing himself at Brook. The tall skeleton cheerfully let the pint-sized captain scale his thin body as he babbled about his flying lesson.

“Quidditch!” Nami and Zoro shouted together clearly exasperated by having to repeat that over and over.

Brook looked at Luffy confused. “The quidditch team? How did you manage that?” He asked curiously. First years never made the team, and today was supposed to be the first year Gryffindor and Slytherin’s first flying lesson, not a team try-out.

That’s part of the reason they were all gathered. The crew tried to meet up as much as possible, it was difficult with the children’s classes and with Brook being a professor, but after important classes like the first flying class they made sure to meet on the Sunny.

“Malfoy was being a jerk to Neville so I beat him up!” Luffy declared happily from his perch on Brook’s shoulder.

The skeleton musician turned to Nami concerned, while the crew was much weaker in their new lives the Straw Hats had found out by accident just how strong Luffy still was only a few days ago. The pint-sized captain had accidentally stuck his arm through a solid wood door and even as weak as he was comparatively, Luffy was far stronger physically than any of the other children.

Nami waved off the concern. “It was fine,” he said knowing Brook was worried about the young Malfoy. As much as Nami would have liked to see Luffy really beat up the little pain, the navigator knew it wouldn’t be anywhere near a fair fight.

Zoro snorted and crossed his arms. “Luffy didn’t touch him,” the swordsman said. “It was all broom work.”

At Brook’s confused look Zoro explained. “We were lined up for the lesson…”

Madam Hooch has separated the children by House, they faced each other in long lines with a wide enough gap for the professor to walk between them. Luffy and Nami stood at the end with Zoro directly across from them. Neville Longbottom was two down from Nami and Draco Malfoy was four down from Zoro.

“Everyone, take your hand and hold it over your broom,” Madam Hooch directed. “Then, very clearly say ‘up!’”

The crew followed her directions and held their hands over the brooms. “Up,” Nami said firmly. The broom snapped upward and slapped into his hand. Beside him, Luffy’s broom was in his hand before he said up. Nami’s eyebrows shot up and he could see Zoro’s thoughtful frown as well.

Nami didn’t have the chance to think about it too much instead, Madam Hooch began instructing them on how to properly mount the broom and gave instructions on how they should begin to leave the ground. “On my whistle, three, two, -”

Before anyone could push off from the ground, Neville shot upward. “Get back down here boy!” Madam Hooch shouted. Nami and his crewmates watched as Neville was bounced off the castle walls several times before being bucked off and landing on the ground with a sickening crunch. Luffy was one of the first people to reach Neville, with the flying instructor not far behind.

“Tsk, tsk,” Madam Hooch said getting a look at the now crying boy. “Broken wrist.”

Luffy and Madam Hooch managed to get Neville to his feet and the stern instructor turned to the gaggle of children watching her tend to the injured student. “Stay put, if I see even one of you in the air you’ll be sent packing before you can say the word Quidditch.”

The stern witch led a still crying Neville off of the field and into the castle leaving the two houses standing together on the grounds. Zoro immediately wandered over to his crew standing near Luffy who was focused on a small glass sphere that Malfoy had just picked up.

“Ha, looks like Longbottom dropped this,” Malfoy taunted tossing the delicate little ball into the air and letting it fall back into his hands.

“Give it here, Malfoy,” Nami demanded marching up to the blond.

Malfoy just sneered. “Mind your own business, Weasley.”

Nami glared and Zoro could tell from the look in the redhead’s eyes that Malfoy would find himself significantly poorer the second Nami got the opportunity and he was really unlucky with a bo staff to the head.

Zoro watched as Luffy looked from the glass sphere to Malfoy then to his navigator and nodded, and the lazy swordsman smirked and crossed his arms. No need to get involved. Luffy would handle it.

Sure enough, the pint-sized pirate marched right up to Malfoy and stared him down.

“W-what are you doing Potter?” Malfoy sneered taking a small step back.

“Give it back,” Luffy said. Zoro and Nami felt their spines straighten at their captain’s tone...it had almost sounded like…

It took the blond a moment but he managed a sneer and shook his head. “How about I leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find? Like, say, the roof?”

Luffy watched Draco mount his broom and ascend into the sky and then without any hesitation Luffy did the same quickly rising to the same height meeting Malfoy’s shocked look with a wide grin.

“Give. It. Back.”

Draco grinned and tossed the ball up in the air and caught again. “Fine, but you’ve got to catch it first!” With that, the blond took the sphere and threw it as hard as he could toward the castle wall. Nami and Zoro watched tensely as their captain took off in a flash of color.

Luffy pushed the old-school broom as fast as it could and wished not for the first time that he had still rubber abilities still so that he could reach out and catch the ball. Instead, the boy had to rely on his broom and his skills.

Luffy raced forward and barely managed to catch the glass ball before it smashed itself upon the stone of the castle. Quickly to avoid his own impact Luffy jerked the broom up at nearly a 90-degree angle and looped back around to the group of cheering school children.

Luffy landed with a bright grin which Nami and Zoro returned. “That was amazing Luffy!” Nami said excitedly.

“It was a great catch,” Zoro began but a loud angry voice cut him off.

“Harry Potter!”

“And that’s what happened,” Zoro said finishing the story. “McGonagall saw him flying and offered him a position on the Gryffindor team.”

“I thought she was going to expel you for a minute, Luffy,” Nami said remembering their head of house’s face when she came upon them. “She looked furious.”

“Shishishishi,” Luffy laughed. “Me too!”

“Minerva hates losing to Severus,” Brook said, providing a little background about McGonagall’s actions. “She likely hopes that you will help Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup again. It’s been years since Gryffindor won.”

“Ooooh,” Luffy said nodding. “She said something about beating Slytherin, I thought she wanted me to beat up Draco.”

Zoro snorted a laugh. “The professors won’t ask you to beat anyone up, Luffy,” he said shaking his head.

“And remember, we are much stronger than them right now,” Nami said hoping Luffy would remember that. “It wouldn’t be fair.”

“Fiiiiiine,” Luffy said dragging the word out childishly. “I’ll just beat them at the Quaditch.”

“Quidditch!” Zoro, Nami, and Brook all corrected.

Chapter Text

By lunch the next day, everyone knew that Luffy had made the Quidditch team and for once it wasn’t because Luffy couldn’t keep a secret. It seemed that Oliver Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor team had gotten so excited he told the rest of the team in the middle of the great hall, and of course, everyone else heard it. Fred and George, Nami’s older twin brothers swung by when the crew wandered in and took their usual seats and gave Luffy terrible advice that had the pint-sized captain rolling with laughter and left Nami rolling his eyes and promising better tips later.

“That catch was amazing!” Seamus Finnigan said waving his fork in the air. “And then how you went whoosh! Right up the side of the castle, it was so cool. You should have seen it, Neville!”

Neville had been patched up and sent on his way just in time for dinner. Zoro, who had once again taken up residence at the Gryffindor table, had carefully handed the blond boy the remembrall. Luffy had handed the little glass sphere to his first-mate before being dragged off by McGonagall with a quick promise to return it to its rightful owner if Luffy couldn’t.

Neville had taken his gran’s gift with a thankful smile to which Zoro simply told the boy to thank Luffy since he was the one who got the thing back.

“It was dangerous,” Hermione said from her spot next to Neville. “You were lucky not to have fallen off your broom like Neville did.”

Luffy just grinned at her and the conversation naturally paused as the mail was beginning to arrive. Luffy had taken his regular seat next to Nami with Zoro across from them, Neville having thanked Luffy for saving his gift had retreated two seats down the table next to Hermione. They were close enough to speak but there always seemed to be a kind of distance between the crew and everyone else at Hogwarts.

“Luffy, Shirohige has something,” the keen-eyed navigator said spotting Luffy’s owl flying toward them.

“Huh? Wha’ izit?” Luffy asked through a mouth full of his lunch. Hermione wrinkled her nose at his poor manners.

“It looks like….” Zoro began as the owl moved closer. “A broom?”

“Huh?” Luffy asked again why would Shirohige bring him a broom? It was about that time Shirohige reached them and dropped the package into Luffy’s waiting hands. The white owl circled back and landed next to Nami also delivering a fat letter from Robin.

“There’s a note!” Nami said snatching it up ignoring Robin’s letter for now.

DO NOT OPEN AT THE TABLE Congratulations on making the house team, captain. -Soul King

“It’s from-” Luffy tried to shout but Nami slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Shut up, idiot,” Nami hissed. “You can’t go shouting that, it will look like favoritism.”

“It is,” Zoro said dryly. Brook sat at the head table with a wide grin on his face and the smile only got larger when he waved and the crew all waved back.

“But not everyone else needs to know that,” Nami said. “Anyway, let’s get out of here and check this thing out, what do you say Luffy?”

“Yeah!”

--

Luffy clutched the package to him tightly as the trio rushed out of the Great Hall. Nami and Zoro were speculating as to what kind it was when they ran straight into Draco Malfoy.

“Watch where you are going!” Draco hissed brushing away imaginary dirt. Behind him, the two hulking figures of Crabbe and Goyle stood waiting for Malfoy to do something.

“Sorry, sorry!” Luffy chirped practically bouncing in place. “Come on guys, let's goooooo!” Luffy demanded dragging out the last word impatiently.

“What’s that?” Malfoy demanded seeing the package in Luffy’s arms. “A broom?” Draco’s sneer melted into a smirk. “You’re in for it now, Potter. First years aren’t allowed brooms.”

“Is there a problem here, gentlemen?” Professor Flitwick called as he walked upon the scene.

“Potter’s got a broom, Professor,” Malfoy tattled smirking at the trio of two Gryffindors and one Slytherin.

The charms professor brightened and looked at the long package Luffy held. “Oh yes, congratulations, Potter,” Flitwick said cheerfully. “Professor McGonagall was very excited when she told us about your catch and making the house team.”

Luffy grinned widely and behind him, Nami and Zoro had to hide smirks at the dismayed look on Malfoy’s face. “Well, run along now,” the charms professor said with a smile as he turned to enter the great hall.

Luffy waved cheerfully to the small professor and started bouncing again. “Come on!” He demanded.

“You think you’re so great Potter,” Malfoy spat glaring hatefully at the happy Gryffindor once the professor was out of earshot.

Luffy tilted his head to the side and regarded the blond curiously, while Luffy and Nami watched the exchange tense. Luffy had been spoiling for a fight. Zoro had indulged him a few days ago in the come-and-go room but Nami and Brook had been able to see just how hard their captain found adjusting to not having his devil fruit.

Luffy had explained that he had, had his rubber abilities since he was young and even if his body wasn’t capable of the same feats his mind remembered them At least that was what Nami had gotten from his explanation and it made sense. Nami and Zoro didn’t have that problem. Before he used his clima-tact Nami used a staff and Zoro had been training with swords in this life for years.

“I’ll show you!” Draco said glaring. “Midnight, in the trophy room. I challenge you to a wizard’s duel!”

“Eh?” Luffy asked turning to look at Zoro and Nami.

Zoro smirked and crossed his arms across his chest. “He wants to fight you, Luffy,” Zoro explained.

“The two of you will meet in the trophy room and use magic to duel each other,” Nami clarified further, stressing the word magic.“I doubt you’ll be able to do more than shoot sparks at each other. It’s not like we’ve learned many spells.”

“Ooh,” Luffy said nodding. A magic duel might be fun, he thought. “Sure!”

Draco scoffed and shook his head in disgust at Luffy’s carefree attitude. “Duels are not to be taken lightly!” Draco snapped. “Crabbe is my second, who is yours?”

“I am,” Zoro said darkly stepping forward. The swordsman watched as Draco seemed to pale, an impressive feat considering his naturally pale skin tone. It wasn’t well known but the Malfoy and Zabini family had been bringing their heirs together for years in an attempt to cultivate a friendship between the two families. The Malfoy heir was very familiar with his fellow Slytherin’s swordsmanship training which had begun when they were both very young, and if that training carried over to wand work then Blaise would be a fearsome foe.

“R-right,” Draco muttered looking away. “Tonight, then!”

“See you later!” Luffy said brightly. Draco and his two companions stomped into the great hall leaving Luffy, Zoro, and Nami standing with Luffy still holding his broom.

“Can we go now?” Luffy asked.

Nami and Zoro shared a look and shrugged, neither were particularly worried about the duel and they were very curious about the broom. “Let’s go out to the pitch,” Nami suggested. “None of the teams are practicing right now so you can try it out.”

“Yay!”

--

“It’ll be fine as long as he remembers not to punch the little rat,” Nami said watching Luffy zoom through the sky.

“I’m not worried,” Zoro said dryly. He was taking a break from throwing snitch-sized balls for Luffy to catch. “And neither is he. You’re the only one worried about that.”

“Luffy could really hurt him, Zoro,” Nami snapped. “He might not be at full Luffy level, yet, but he is still stronger than the other students! You are too, for that matter. You have to be careful.”

“What is up with you?” Zoro asked cutting off anything else Nami would have said. “You are always talking about being cautious. With our strength, with our secrets. What do you know that we don’t, Nami?”

The redhead’s face closed off for a brief second and then Zoro watched as a smile crossed the boy’s face. “There’s nothing wrong, Zoro,” Nami said in a voice that sounded sincere but made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. “I’m just worried. What we can do isn’t normal and I’m being cautious. I don’t know any more than you do.”

“Hey, Zoro!” Luffy called. “Let’s practice some more!”

“Sure, Luffy,” Zoro said standing from his spot on the grass. He picked up the basket of small white balls that they had been using for practice and plucked one out of the pile. Still, his mind was on Nami.

Nami was hiding something, Zoro was sure of that. He hadn’t seen that look on the navigator’s face since before Luffy beat Arlong, back when Nami had been keeping secrets from the crew. The swordsman wondered if Luffy had noticed. Probably not, Zoro admitted to himself. Luffy was naturally trusting and never wanted to think the worst of his crew. That was what Zoro was for, so Zoro would wait and when whatever Nami was lying to him about blew up in their faces he would be ready and they would handle it.

--

“Remember,” Nami hissed as they crept down the stairs. “No punching.”

“No punching,” Luffy parroted. The pint-sized captain and his navigator were sneaking out of their dorm, both dressed in their uniform minus the robe because Luffy claimed he’d trip over the flowing material. Nami’s watch said it was coming up on 11 pm, so they had a little more than an hour to get to the trophy room and wait for Malfoy.

Nami had wondered aloud if Malfoy would even show up but Luffy had shaken his head and declared firmly, Malfoy wasn’t such a coward that he wouldn’t show.

“Just use one of the spells Fred and George taught you earlier,” Nami said. Nami and Luffy had made the mistake of discussing the upcoming duel in the common room after dinner. Thankfully only Fred, George, and Hermione heard them. Hermione had been scandalized by the idea of fighting, and even more by the idea of breaking curfew. The twins, however, had gleefully offered to teach Luffy one or two spells that if the duel should occur would have him win. Luffy had soaked up the information like a sponge.

“Got it!” Luffy chirped.

“Where are we meeting Zoro?” Nami asked as he struggled to remember what the swordsman had said.

“Zoro said he would meet us in the trophy room,” Luffy said, sounding a little uncertain. Even with the trouble, Luffy had with directions, Nami was constantly making sure his captain didn’t wander off while they were trying to go to classes, Zoro was infinitely worse.

Nami grimaced and shook his head. “We won’t see him until transfiguration tomorrow,” He said mournfully. “If then.”

Luffy sniggered quietly and tugged Nami along into the common room. The fire was burning low but thankfully there were no other students that they could see. “All clear!” Luffy declared a bit too loud.

“Shhh!” Nami shushed him. “We’ve got to be quiet remember?”

“Oops,” Luffy said regretfully looking around the room to make sure no one had heard him.

"You aren’t really going to be so foolish, are you?” A voice called from the stairs.

Nami and Luffy jerked around in surprise but Nami relaxed when he saw it was Hermione and not a prefect. “It’s none of your business,” Nami said casually, not in a mean way. Hermione was slightly difficult to get along with, but Nami kind of liked the girl. She was very smart, a little too trusting, and very naive but Nami didn’t dislike her like the majority of first-year Gryffindors seemed to.

“You getting into trouble is my business! If you get caught out after curfew, you’ll lose the points I earned today in charms!” Hermione insisted. “It will reflect badly on the House and that affects everyone.”

Nami rolled his eyes. “Fred and George get in trouble all the time, and it doesn’t ‘reflect badly’ on the house when they do it,” Nami said ushering Luffy toward the portrait guarding the door.

Hermione sniffed and tilted her chin stubbornly. “It does too! They just don’t care,” Hermione said somewhat angrily.

“You’re not wrong there,” Nami agreed. His brothers cared very little for what other people thought.

“Nami! We’re going to be late for the duel,” Luffy whined. “Let’s go!” The pint-sized captain grabbed his navigator’s wrist and pulled the redhead out of the common room. Hermione, not done scolding them, came too.

“You’re going to get in trouble!” She hissed.

“Don’t care,” Luffy said plainly. “We haven’t gone on an adventure in ages! This is close enough!”

Hermione turned to Nami in hopes that the redheaded boy could talk Luffy out of it, but the navigator just shrugged helplessly. “He’s the captain and what he says goes,” Nami said a little helplessly.

“This is no time for your game of pirates!” Hermione hissed. “The fat lady is gone!” The guardian of Gryffindor tower had disappeared from her frame. “We can’t get back in!”

“Just wait here until she comes back,” Nami said. “We have to go.”

“Boys!” Hermione complained when Nami and Luffy began walking off leaving her behind. “Wait up! When we get caught I’m going to tell the professors that you were sneaking out and that I was trying to talk you out of it. You can back me up.”

“Not going to happen,” Nami shot back. “Now either keep up or wait here.”

“Nami? Luffy?”

“Zoro!” Luffy cheered pouncing on his first-mate. “I thought you were going to meet us in the trophy room?”

“I’m on my way now,” Zoro said crossing his arms over his chest.

“Zoro…” Nami said with a pained look on his face. “This is Gryffindor tower…. You are nowhere near the trophy room.”

“What? You guys are messing with me,” Zoro said irritated. “I left an hour early to beat you there! There’s no way!”

“You’ve been wandering around for an hour?” Hermione asked. “And you haven’t been caught?”

“Oh hey, what’s she doing here?” Zoro asked noticing Hermione for the first time. “Is she joining the crew?”

Nami shrugged and turned to where Luffy had been standing and swore. “Luffy!”

The pint-sized captain was gone.

“Where’d he go?” Zoro asked looking around as if Luffy would pop out of nowhere.

“I don’t know!” Nami hissed. “He got impatient and wandered off, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”

“Well let's go to the trophy room,” Zoro said with a careless shrug. “He’ll get there on his own.”

Nami sighed and nodded, the pirates ignored Hermione’s doubtful look. Zoro and Luffy had developed quite the reputation for getting lost. “Don’t worry,” Nami said, mostly to himself. “Luffy always shows up exactly when and where he needs to be.”

Chapter Text

Luffy had no clue where he was or where the trophy room was, it didn’t much matter though, because he was exploring! The pint-sized captain had quickly gotten bored with his crew and Hermione just standing around. Luffy wanted to duel! Sure, it wasn’t likely to be as fun just punching the mean blond boy but the twins had taught Luffy some fun spells, like the one that made you dance. Luffy wanted to use that one in the duel.

In his eagerness to duel Luffy had left his crew, certain that they would catch up to him when they were done talking about Zoro. Still, maybe, in his rush to get to the trophy room Luffy had taken a wrong turn. “Everything looks the same in the dark,” Luffy pouted puffing out his cheeks and crossing his arms. There weren’t even any portraits that he could ask for directions in this hallway.

“Well, well, what is this that Peevesie had found?” a voice sang from above Luffy’s head. The pirate jerked his head up and grinned. It was Peeves the poltergeist. “What is a wee-firstie such as yourself doing out of bed at this hour?” The poltergeist questioned floating in a reclined position looking all the while like he was about to go to sleep.

“I’m exploring before my duel!” Luffy said truthfully. The pirate captain had developed a respect for the poltergeist who liked to play tricks on people. If Brook hadn’t been so afraid of ghosts Luffy would have asked Peeves to join his crew.

“Exploring, eh?” Peeves questioned ignoring the comment about the duel. “Nothing around here that would interest eager little firsties...if you want a real adventure, I know the place!”

Luffy felt his eyes light up. “Where!? Show me!”

The intangible prankster smiled widely.

--

“Why aren’t we going back to the common room?” Hermione hissed as the trio continued making their way back to the trophy room.

“Luffy’s duel with Draco is in 45 minutes,” Nami said as he continued, keeping a good eye on Zoro to make sure the swordsman didn’t end up lost like the captain.

“But Harry isn’t here! He’s going to get caught by a teacher, just like the rest of us, we should go back!” Hermione said trying to reason with the redhead.

“No one made you come,” Zoro muttered. “Go back if you are so worried about getting caught.”

Hermione shot the Slytherin a dark look. “Why are you even here? Draco is your housemate, shouldn’t you be on his side?”

“I’m Luffy’s second,” Zoro said simply.

Hermione furrowed her brows and looked to Nami. “I would have thought that Ron would be Harry’s second since they are best friends.”

Nami snorted and jerked Zoro back from taking a wrong turn. “Please, Zoro is the only one even partially capable of keeping up with Luffy and I’m the navigator, Zoro had always been Luffy’s second.”

“What does that even mean?” Hermione whisper shouted Luffy and Nami (Ron and Harry! Even she was getting into the habit of using those nicknames!) were best friends and had been since the first day but ever since the tall Slytherin had started hanging around them there had been a shift in their dynamic. “You three always talk like you’ve been friends for ages, and you’re all playing the stupid pirate game! And those nicknames, what do they even mean?”

Zoro and Nami ignored the girl. “We’re here, and look,” Nami said pointing at the blond boy and his friends standing at his shoulders. “Malfoy’s here too.”

--

Luffy was covered in dust but had a wide grin on his face. Following Peeves had been an adventure itself. The poltergeist wasn’t considerate of his companion’s tangible state and would often float through walls or urge the first year to crawl through little spaces that the former rubber boy hadn’t noticed before his guide pointed them out. Peeves had taken him to a dead-end hallway and motioned to the strange tapestry that covered the wall at the end of the hallway. Luffy barely got a look at the cloth when suddenly he felt the poltergeist give him a sharp shove. The tapestry and wall easily gave way with an almost elastic feeling and Luffy found himself falling.

“Whoooo!” Luffy shouted as the fall became more of a steep, fast slide. He could feel the cool, smooth stone beneath him but he couldn’t see anything in the pitch-black darkness. His short dark hair whipped around and his eyes burned slightly from the bite of the air.

Luffy could feel the slide curve left and then curve right again before it went down steeply becoming almost a free fall again. The slide evened out just a bit, becoming a proper slide again and Luffy saw something. There, floating in the distance was a light.

--

“Where’s Potter?” Malfoy snapped. The crew plus Hermione had shuffled into the trophy room when Draco spoke.

“He’s on his way,” Nami said, hoping that he was correct. “He’ll be here before midnight.”

The blond and his hulking cronies sneered but Malfoy seemed content with that. “He better not be late,” Malfoy spat. “Or I’ll win by default.”

“Wrong,” Zoro said crossing his arms over his chest. “If Luffy is late, then you get to duel me.”

The blond paled but huffed and turned away. He had forgotten that Zabini knew the rules of dueling just as well as he did and the other Slytherin wouldn’t let him get away with that.

Nami smiled slightly, he always enjoyed seeing the blond boy being thwarted and turned to Hermione the redhead hadn’t honestly expected the girl to follow them. “Why are you still here?” Nami asked. “I thought you were looking for a professor to tattle on us.”

With so many older siblings Nami had quickly learned the fastest way to make enemies was to tattle, Hermione was obviously either an only child or probably not very good friends with any of her siblings.

The frizzy-haired girl huffed in irritation and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “When you get caught,” She said. “I’m going to tell the professor that I was trying to stop this stupid duel, so maybe we can salvage some Gryffindor house points.”

Nami snorted and cocked his hand on his hip and rolled his eyes. Nami could see Zoro roll his eyes in response as well. The crew was trying very hard to be friendly with Hermione because Luffy seemed to like the girl but the two eleven-year-olds sometimes had trouble.

“Are you a tattle-tale, Granger?” the great lumbering Goyle asked, obviously overhearing the conversation. “No wonder you haven’t gotten any friends.”

“Hey!” Nami snapped whipping around to face the Slytherin. “No one asked you Goyle, why don’t you go back to licking Malfoy’s boots?”

Zoro glowered darkly from just behind Nami, discouraging any retaliation from Crabbe or Goyle at Nami’s words.

Malfoy just scowled darkly at the crew and his goons. “We’ll settle this when Potter arrives. It’s almost midnight.”

--

Luffy giggled hysterically as he continued down the slide and moved ever closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. Much more suddenly than he expected the slide came to an end and Luffy felt himself tumble forward, feeling the same type of almost elastic resistance that he felt with the tapestry, and rolled on the stone floor.

Dizzy and still giggling Luffy sat up and shook his head. He had no idea where he was or where the trophy room was, but he was surrounded by suits of armor and a long hallway.

The curious reincarnated pirate picked a random direction and began walking. He wasn’t sure where he was going or what he was doing but the slide had been a great adventure and he was ready for the next one. One major difference between being a pirate and being a wizard was the lack of adventure. As a pirate, he had constantly bounced, often literally, from adventure to the next and had done so since he was a small child. As a wizard, it took eleven years for his first real adventure to happen, and now at the mystery school, all he did was learn stuff. So exploring and finding the slide that Peeves had shown him was the best adventure since Brook had shown them all the mystery room that could turn into Sunny and Merry.

“Master!”

Luffy froze.

“Master please! Forgive me!” A voice pleaded. It was the same voice from only a moment before. It sounded like the speaker was in a lot of pain and was nearby.

Luffy whipped around and searched for the direction of the voice. A bit ahead was a door with just the tiniest flicker of light peeking out from the space between the door and the floor. Luffy crept closer and carefully put his ear to the door.

“I’ll do better, I will! I swear!” The voice said pleadingly.

Luffy frowned. It was familiar but he just couldn’t place who the voice belonged to.

The speaker paused as if having a conversation but all Luffy could hear was a low almost hissing sound and couldn’t make out any words.

As suddenly as the pleading started it stopped. Luffy listened at the door for a while longer but when he heard footsteps moving closer he frantically dived to hide behind one of the suits of armor that decorated the hall.

From his hiding place, all Luffy could see was the swishing of robes and hear the footsteps of the begging person leaving the room and descending the hallway. He waited for two beats of his heart and decided the man was gone.

The pint-sized captain pushed away from his hiding place and peered into the darkness, looking for some indication as to where he was. “Uh oh,” Luffy said, trying to whisper. “I’m going to miss my duel!”

The former rubber boy frantically whipped his head back and forth looking in both directions of the hallway. “Everything looks the same!” He whined. “I’m going to be late!”

“Meow.”

Luffy froze and looked down at his feet where the meow came from. “Oh, crap.”

--

“Potter’s got five minutes,” Malfoy said narrowing his eyes and twirling his wand.

“He’ll be here,” Zoro said unworried. Nami was tapping his foot nervously.

“What if he got caught?” Nami asked worriedly.

“Then I’ll duel Malfoy in his place,” Zoro said plainly. “I can beat him easily.”

“That’s not the point!” Nami hissed. “I don’t want Luffy to get in trouble because if he gets caught we are likely to get caught!”

“I told you,” Hermione said overhearing their hushed conversation. “You’re all going to get into big trouble.”

“You’re going to get in trouble too, if we do,” Zoro pointed out. “Professors like Snape aren’t going to care why you’re out past curfew.”

Hermione seemed to puff up in irritation but her ability to reply was cut off when out of nowhere Luffy barrelled into the trophy room.

The pint-sized pirate captain slammed into his crewmates with a fleshy thud. “Luffy!” Nami and Zoro shouted as they fell into a pile of limbs smashed onto the ground.

“I made it!” Luffy cheered, somehow at the top of the pile, sitting easily on Nami’s back as the navigator and swordsman groaned in pain.

“You’re late, Potter,” Malfoy said stomping up toward the pile of Strawhat pirates.

“Am not!” Luffy declared snatching Nami’s arm to look at his watch. “Three minutes until midnight! I’m right on time! See?” Luffy ignored Nami’s muffled shout of discomfort.

Malfoy sneered, Luffy faintly wondered if that was the only face the blond could make and shook his head. “Let’s get this over with! I want to beat you and be back in the dorm by 1 am.”

Luffy grinned, the smile stretching across his face a little too wide to be comfortable, and practically bounced to his feet. Nami and Zoro, after some shoving and muttered curses, followed suit. The green-eyed boy cracked his knuckles and drew his wand. Malfoy smirked in return and also drew his wand.

“You aren’t really going to do this are you?” Hermione asked fretfully. “You can’t really duel each other? What if someone gets hurt?”

“Shut it, Granger,” Malfoy said hatefully. “This is between me and Potter.”

Nami gently tugged the frizzy-haired girl back against the wall, away from the soon-to-be-dueling pair. If Luffy’s dueling was anything like his fighting it was sure to get messy.

“You, you….boys!” Hermione declared. “You’re all so utterly foolish!”

Zoro huffed and ignored her while Malfoy and Luffy didn’t seem to even hear her.

“Do you even know the rules for dueling, Potter?” Malfoy taunted.

The black-haired boy scrunched up his face and nodded. Fred, George, and Nami had told him in the common room when the twins taught him the spells. “25 paces apart, bow, and then fight!” Luffy said laying out the simplified rules the twins had taught him.

“This isn’t going to end well is it,” Nami asked already knowing the answer. The redhead was standing next to the swordsman and Hermione watching the duel from the wall. He expected more property damage than actual dueling but it would be a miracle if Luffy didn’t just punch Malfoy in the face and be done with it.

Hermione frowned disapprovingly and shook her head.

Zoro sighed but suddenly tensed. “Guys we have a problem,” he said not looking at the two figures about to duel but instead was looking at the doorway to the trophy room.

“Huh? What do you mean,” Nami asked as he turned to look at what Zoro was looking at and froze.

There in the doorway watching the children with her large yellow eyes was Mrs. Norris and very faintly the kids could hear the shuffling of feet indicating that Filch was not far behind.

“Oh bollocks,” Nami swore.

Chapter Text

Luffy turned away from his opponent and gasped when he saw the cat sitting in the doorway. “Oh no! She followed me!” He shouted waving his arms in the air.

“She followed you?” Nami shrieked angrily. “You led her here?”

“Oops?” Luffy said, half as a question. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to apologize or not.

Nami rushed the black-haired boy but Zoro caught the back of his robe. “No time for that,” the swordsman said, giving Nami a brief shake. “We’ve gotta get out of here!”

“Right!” Luffy said with a grin. “Runaway!”

Like a flash the children scattered. Nami grabbed Zoro’s hand, the redhead knew it would be better for the swordsman to spend the rest of the night in the Gryffindor common room than for him to try and make it back to the dungeons himself, plus Nami wasn’t about to let Zoro wander off with Malfoy.

Luffy grabbed Hermione, despite her objections, giggling as he dragged the girl behind him. The Slytherins followed, as no one was eager to be caught out of bed at this hour by Filch.

“Let go of me!” Hermione hissed trying to get her hand back but also take care not to trip. Luffy just turned to her a grinned widely, but didn’t respond and didn’t let go.

“This way!” Nami said directing the group away from the trophy room. They could hear Filch’s hurried footsteps behind them and his grizzly voice calling out for them to stop.

“We don’t have to outrun Filch,” Nami said under his breath, still dragging Zoro behind him. “We just have to be faster than Malfoy and his goons.”

The group ran for what felt like hours. Nami led them up a flight of stairs and stopped, panting when he saw an entrance to a hallway he wasn’t familiar with. “Here! Duck in here!” He called, ushering his crew in.

Zoro moved further in followed by Luffy and the ruffled Hermione. Nami made a face when he saw Malfoy had kept up and followed them in.

“What are you doing here, Malfoy?” Nami asked still leading his crew down the hall.

The blond sniffed and turned away. “I wouldn’t have followed you, but Potter grabbed me when I lost Crabbe and Goyle,” Malfoy said shooting a glare at the grinning captain who nodded along. “I wouldn’t be following you otherwise! I don’t need you!”

Nami rolled his eyes and gave Luffy a look that basically said ‘really? Why help him?’

Luffy just grinned, the adventure and thrill of the chase exciting him like nothing else had since he started finding his crewmates.

“Where are we?” Hermione asked as she tried to smooth down her hair. She hadn’t been able to pay much attention to her surroundings with Luffy dragging her along.

“The third floor,” Nami said, nerves leaking into his voice just a little. “I know Dumbledore said it was forbidden but we had nowhere else to go. Filch is fast.”

As soon as he heard forbidden Luffy’s eyes light up and Nami had to grab his collar to keep him from running off. “Oh no, you don’t!” Nami said tugging him closer. “We need to get back to the common room before we get caught.”

“But Naaaami!” Luffy whined. “Mystery floor!”

Zoro glared at Malfoy when the blond scoffed at Luffy’s whining.

“We should-,” Hermione stopped when she heard a faint meowing and the children all exchanged looks.

“Not again!” Nami cried looking for a way out but didn’t see one. The only way was the entryway they had come through and the long hallway.

“There a door!” Zoro said pointing at the door he found. The young swordsman rushed to it and tugged at the handle uselessly. “It’s locked!”

“I don’t have the time to pick it!” Nami cried frantically.

“Oh, move over!” Hermione said shoving the Slytherin away and pointing her wand at the handle. “Alohomora!”

The lock clicked and Zoro eagerly pulled the door open and pushed everyone, even Malfoy inside.

The five children pulled the door closed and pressed their ears to the door to listen. It appeared they had hidden just in time because the meowing came closer and they could hear Filch muttering and calling for any out-of-bed students to come out and face their punishment.

The kids waited until the noises got further and further away and breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Nami was the first to face the room properly and when he turned he made a noise that sounded like a high-pitched squeak.

“Eh? Nami?” Luffy asked turning to see what was wrong with his navigator.

“Dog!” Luffy cried happily.

Zoro, Malfoy, and Hermione all turned when a low, deep, and loud growling sound echoed through the room.

“That’s one big dog,” Zoro remarked calmly. The swordsman grunted when Nami made a whining noise and jabbed an elbow into his side.

“I think he wants to play,” Luffy said happily as the giant Cerberus licked its chops, all three sets, and growled louder.

“I think he wants to eat us,” Nami whimpered. Hermione nodded in agreement.

“Zoro, wanna play with us?” Luffy asked cracking his knuckles. If the dog wanted to fight then Luffy would gladly give the beast a fight.

“I’ve gotten better at my no sword-style,” the swordsman remarked stepping forward with his captain. “Let’s play.”

--

Draco wanted to scream, he was having a terrible night. First, Potter had almost been late to the duel. He had considered not even showing up but mentioning to Professor Snape that he had heard Potter and his crew talking about pulling a prank in the trophy room to get them all in trouble.

That thought hadn’t lasted long, he wanted to beat Potter more than he wanted to get the other boy in trouble. So he gathered Crabbe and Goyle and went to meet him.

Second, they hadn’t even gotten the chance to duel! The stupid caretaker and his mangy cat had made sure of that and then they had to run away. Running wasn’t the problem. Draco had always been rather fit and even losing Crabbe and Goyle wasn’t much of a problem. They knew better than to tattle on him and they were too stupid not to get caught so he knew his only choice was to follow Potter.

Now, staring down a three-headed dog with teeth as long as his forearm, Draco was regretting not taking his chances with Filch.

--

Hermione slapped her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. The muggle-born girl watched as Harry and Blaise marched forward to the dog. She didn’t know what they planned on doing but it couldn't be good or safe.

Beside her, Ron was the only one having a normal reaction to stumbling upon a Cerberus. Harry, who was several inches shorter than both Ron and Blaise, looked all the tinier standing face to face, er faces, with the Cerberus.

"Hi, doggies!" Harry called standing with his hands on his hips. The three heads growled loudly and the head on the left snapped dangerously closer to the small black-haired boy.

“He’s going to get killed!” Hermione cried.

"Luffy and Zoro can handle it," Ron said. The red-headed boy appeared to have gotten himself under control. Ron looked different at that moment and Hermione couldn't figure out why.

"They're going to die!" Draco said, reminding Hermione that the blond was still with them.

"Just watch," Ron said watching his friends face down the beast.

--

The Cerberus appeared to have grown tired of waiting. The beast lunged forward, all three heads snarling and snapping at the two boys.

"Bad dog!" Zoro shouted but he was ready. "Tatsu Maki!"

The Cerberus yelped and stumbled back when the spinning attack hit the left head.

"Damn it," Zoro swore, and shook his arms. "I'm so weak. It barely moved him!"

Zoro's pint-sized captain giggled and shook his head. "My turn, my turn!" He said bouncing in place. "Gum-gum...oh...," he paused and looked from his place on the ground up to the gaping maw of the Cerberus' right head which was growling even as the left and center head recovered from Zoro's attack. He wasn't able to stretch as he had with his devil fruit, instead, Luffy would have to get up close and personal.

"Problems, Captain?" Zoro asked as he taunted the other boy.

"Ne, mean Zoro! I can do it!" Luffy said puffing out his cheeks. "It's just different!"

"Well, you better do it now!" Zoro said jerking his head to the dog. The great three-headed beast was ready for more.

"Gum-Gum," Luffy said dropping down into a crouch. The Cerberus snapped its heads forward and Luffy jumped up and slammed his fist into the center head's nose. "Pistol!"

The force pushed the dog back making Malfoy and Hermione gasp. Not even Zoro's strange attack had done as much.

"Hehe," Luffy chuckled. "You want another?" The boy asked seeing the Cerberus was still ready to fight. "Fine! Gum-Gum....!" Luffy jumped back into the air and raised his leg as high as he could. "Ax!" He brought his leg down right in the middle, hitting the snarling center head hard enough the dog fell to the ground with three yelps.

Luffy fell to the ground with a thud, his jump and subsequent kick throwing off his balance and throwing him to the floor. The first-year grinned wildly and pushed himself up. He was covered in dog fur, dust, and his fist was already bruising but he looked more like 'Strawhat' Monkey D. Luffy than he ever had since his re-birth. Beside him, even swordless and irritated that Luffy had finished the fight his swordsman too, bore a more striking resemblance to the 'Pirate Hunter' he was in his past life.

"Geeze, Luffy," Nami said from the door. "You knocked it out! I didn't know you were that strong, already!"

"Hehe," the former rubber boy grinned. "I didn't know I was either!"

"We are still pretty weak," Zoro reminded them. "All of us, we need to start training again."

Luffy nodded wildly in agreement.

Nami rolled his eyes. "Of course, that's your first thought after beating a Cerberus, Zoro," Nami said.

--

Hermione's mouth was open and she knew that Malfoy was just as shocked even if the Slytherin boy wouldn't show it. What had started with a childish 'duel' between rivals had ended with a chase and a short battle between two first years and a large, three-headed dog.

Hermione had thought that Harry and Blaise were going to end up injured or worse the moment they stepped forward...honestly Hermione hadn't understood just what they sought to do when they stepped forward. In no way did fighting the great beast make any kind of sense.

The fact they didn't even bother to use magic wasn't half as troubling as their willingness to fight the dog in the first place.

"We need to get out of here before, Fido, over there wakes up and wants to play some more," Nami said giving the unconscious Cerberus an uncertain look. "It might be safer if we spend the night on the Sunny, instead of trying to get back our common rooms."

"All of us?" Zoro asked, meaning Malfoy. "Do we really want to bring him too?"

Nami shrugged and looked helplessly at Luffy. "Well?" he asked, as he looked at his captain for a decision.

Luffy paused and looked at Hermione. The boy's bright green eyes appeared to stare into her soul. She gave a sigh of relief when the boy turned his gaze to the grumpy blond and did the same for a long moment.

"You can't tell anyone about this," Luffy demanded. "You've gotta promise!"

Surprisingly the Slytherin boy just nodded passively, seemingly lost in thought and Hermione followed suit. She just wanted to be away from the dog and somewhere she could sleep.

--

“What is this place?” Hermione asked as she looked around the room in shock. She turned around to look at the door and gaped when the door sank into the wood of the wall, becoming almost invisible.

"Why is the room moving?" Draco asked flailing as the artificial waves rocked the Merry-Go.

"It's a ship," Nami said waving one hand casually and covering his mouth with the other. "Hermione, I'll show you where you can sleep. Malfoy, go with Zoro and Luffy."

"Go with them where?" Malfoy questioned suspiciously.

"To the bunk room," Zoro said dryly. "To sleep."

"Come on!" Luffy said with a sleepy grin. The former-rubber boy grabbed the blond's wrist and tugged him forward.

Nami smiled, a bit sharply, and watched gleefully as his captain drug the reluctant Slytherin off to the bunk room. "I'll show you the girl's room," Nami said. "I usually sleep there but I don't want to make you uncomfortable so I'll crash with the guys tonight."

"Thank you," Hermione said softly. The redhead could see that the night's activities had obviously weighed heavily on the girl.

"Hey," Nami said opening the door to the girl's quarters. "Are you alright?"

Hermione bit her lip and nodded. "It was just... a lot tonight," She said clenching her hands.

Nami sighed. "Yeah, but Luffy and Zoro had everything under control. You were never in any danger," Nami said soothingly.

"No, no, it's not that," Hermione said shaking her head. "The Cerberus was frightening, but... the floor, did you see the floor?"

"What do you mean?" Nami asked furrowing his brow. "What about the floor?"

"There was a trap-door, the dog, it was standing over a trap-door," Hermione said.

--

"Malfoy's gone," Zoro said crossing his arms. Despite the late-night adventure, the crew was up early, even if Luffy had to be roused with the threat of missing breakfast.

"Hermione, too," Nami said. "I let them both out this morning. I reminded them that they both promised not to tell anyone, and neither of them knows how the room works. So we don't have to worry about finding them here again."

"Hermy won't tell anyone," Luffy said. The pint-sized captain's voice held certainty that Nami didn't feel.

"And what about Malfoy?" Zoro asked.

Luffy frowned. "I don't think he'll tell anyone either," Luffy said. He looked like he was thinking hard and his voice wasn't as certain as he had been with Hermione.

"I guess we will find out," Zoro said.

Luffy shrugged and shoved a finger up his nose. "Maa, I'm hungry," Luffy whined. "Let's get breakfast."

Chapter Text

A loud boom rocked the classroom much to the amusement of the students within. Seamus Finnigan had somehow managed to turn a simple levitation spell into a loud explosion. The now little singed Irish boy blinked in surprise. His eyebrows had been burned off and his hair was smoking slightly. Dean Thomas, who had been sitting next to the boy had his hand over his mouth trying to muffle his giggles. Luffy had no such tact and burst out laughing at the look on Seamus’ shocked face.

Hermione, who was sitting next to Luffy, shushed him. “He could have been hurt!” Hermione scolded. Luffy cheerfully ignored the scolding and continued to laugh, like the rest of the class. It seemed that Seamus couldn’t go more than two hours without something blowing up around him.

Nami rolled his eyes but intervened before Luffy could say something that might hurt the poor girl’s feelings. Earlier that morning Nami had stumbled upon Hermione’s dorm mates whispering unkind things about the bushy-haired girl. They had stopped at the stern look the redhead shot them but Nami was sure that Parvati and Lavender were not the kinds of people to speak softly when Hermione was around. This thought was proven correct when the girls loudly complained about Hermione at breakfast and Nami had seen Hermione’s face. Thankfully, Luffy had stolen Zoro’s plate and the scuffle drown out anything else the mean girls had said.

“Seamus is fine, Hermione,” Nami said flicking his wand hopefully, he was struggling slightly to get the feather into the air. Even having been raised in a magical household, some of the spells confounded the boy. Like this spell, Nami couldn’t fathom how the feather could levitate without an air current. “He blows up all the time.”

The redhead carefully flicked his wrist and mouthed the words to the spell without saying them and nodded when he felt he had the motion down.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Hermione said interrupting Nami’s practice. The bushy-haired girl had turned to Nami when he commented. “You need to flick your wrist, just so.” Hermione flicked her wand in a way that was only slightly dissimilar to how Nami had done it.

“This is how I hold my wand,” Nami said ignoring Hermione’s advice. The wand movement wasn’t Nami’s problem, anyway. “I know what I’m doing.”

“But the book says-” Hermione began and Nami could see that she was gearing up for a lecture.

“No one asked you, Granger!” Lavender said snidely from a seat down from the crew.

“She’s such a know-it-all,” Pavarti said, just quiet enough to not be heard by Professor Flitwick but loud enough for Hermione, Nami and Luffy to hear it just fine.

The mean girls giggled and Hermione seemed to shrink down into her seat.

“Hermione does know it all!” Luffy said. “She’s almost as smart as Nami!”

Nami smiled but Hermione didn’t seem to take the compliment for what it was but Nami wasn’t surprised because Luffy didn’t seem to understand why a know-it-all was a bad thing.

Hermione was quiet and withdrawn for the rest of the class. Nami continued to struggle to lift the feather but managed by the end of the class much to Luffy’s enjoyment at the redhead’s growing frustration.

When Professor Flitwick released the class Nami grabbed Luffy by the back of his robes. “Hey, just a minute,” Nami said. “I want to talk to Hermione. Lavender and Parvati were really mean to her today and I want to make sure she is okay.”

Luffy blinked in surprise but nodded. “Yeah! Let’s check on her!”

“If you’re looking for Hermione,” Dean Thomas said coming up from behind the two young pirates. “Seamus and I saw her take off the minute class ended.”

“She looked upset,” Seamus said joining his friend. “I’d give her a bit to cool off.”

Nami reluctantly nodded. If Hermione had taken off then there was no telling if she had gone to the common room or anywhere else in the castle.

“Fine, we’ll catch her at dinner,” Nami said reluctantly.

“Come on Nami! We gotta find Zoro!” Luffy said tugging at the redhead’s hand. “We’ll find ‘mione later, for sure!”

--

The feast was amazing. Luffy hadn’t seen this much food, ever. The Great Hall was decorated beautifully with pumpkins bigger than he was and plates upon plates of food lined the tables and the minute he sat in, Luffy dove in. Zoro and Nami sat on either side of the pint-sized captain each one viciously guarding their plates.

“Gimme that!” Luffy shouted grabbing for the cooked bird that was sitting in front of Nami. The black-haired boy grabbed for the plate, nearly standing in his seat to grab it.

Across the table, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom watched in horror. No matter how often they saw Luffy eat it was a horrorshow each time.

“Is he going to be like this every day?” Dean asked. His eyes were wide and his plate was empty in front of him.

“I think so,” Neville mumbled. Something about the scene made his brain hurt and seemed achingly familiar but the shy boy just couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I don’t think I can finish,” Seamus said pushing his plate away from him. Watching Luffy eat was making him feel sick.

The green-eyed boy lunged across the table and he grabbed Seamus’ plate and quickly scarfed down everything the Irish boy had put onto his plate.

“Oh hey,” Luffy mumbled, his cheeks bulging with food. “Mwr ‘s ‘mione?”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full!” Nami said slamming his fist down on Luffy’s head. The former rubber boy’s head almost bounced off the table.

“Oh yeah,” Nami said looking around the table. “Has anyone seen her?”

Zoro grunted and shook his head. Nami had explained what had happened but the swordsman hadn’t understood either. He thought Hermione was a know-it-all, too, even if he didn’t mean it exactly as Lavender and Parvati did.

“I heard she was in the bathroom, crying,” Neville offered reluctantly. “That she’s been there since class ended. A few older Slytherin girls were laughing about it earlier.”

Luffy stopped, looked rather serious despite the food in his mouth, and nodded. With great effort, he swallowed a lot of food and looked at his crew.

“Troll! Troll in the dungeon!”

The crew and the other Gryffindor kids jerked their heads to the middle of the great hall where Professor Quirrell rushed forward and stopped suddenly. “Thought you ought to know,” he said before his eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the floor.

The great hall descended into madness.

--

“Troll!” Luffy cried jumping onto his seat. Nami could see that his eyes were practically sparkling with the need for adventure.

“Get off of there!” Nami shouted pulling Luffy down from the bench. “We have to go!”

“First years, this way!” Percy Weasley called ushering the younger students away. “Ron, Harry, come one!”

“Aww, man! I wanna see the troll!” Luffy said making a face at Percy’s back.

“Ron! Grab Zabini!” Fred yelled at his younger brother. Percy had told the twins to watch the young Slytherin boy who would likely wander off and get lost if they told him to join his classmates.

“I got him!” Nami shouted back over the cries of the students. Zoro scowled at Nami who grabbed his wrist and tugged him along. He could walk on his own.

“Nami, what about Granger?” Zoro asked catching Nami’s attention. “She doesn’t know about the troll.”

“Shit,” Nami swore grabbing Luffy by the shoulder. “Luffy! Hermione is in trouble!”

The group of first years had been steadily shepherded toward the common room. The crew and the small group of Gryffindor boys had stayed together until Luffy stopped and nodded. The black-haired boy punched his right hand into his left fist and looked at his crew. “We gotta go get Hermione,” Luffy said seriously.

“You guys go back with Percy,” Luffy said looking at Dean, Seamus, and Neville. “We’re going to get Hermione!”

--

Avoiding Percy and the other prefects was incredibly easy. The three-person crew slipped away, Nami keeping a good hold on Zoro to keep the young swordsman from wandering off. The magic castle was terrible for Zoro’s already poor sense of direction. Hogwarts seemed to delight in getting the boy lost.

Thankfully Nami didn’t have that problem.

“How did a troll get in anyway?” Nami asked as they ran. “Trolls aren’t smart enough to get in themselves.”

“Maybe someone let it in,” Zoro said. “As a Halloween joke.”

“It’s not a very good one,” Nami said.

“What’s a troll look like anyway?” Luffy asked looking around like he was trying to catch a glimpse of it.

“Big and ugly,” Nami said simply.

“You’ll smell it long before you see it,” Zoro added.

As soon as Zoro spoke a terrible smell washed over them. The three slapped their hands over their nose and gagged.

“Aaaah!” A female voice screamed.

“Hermione!”

Chapter Text

Draco Malfoy wasn’t scared of a stupid troll. Well, not really. Despite his initial fear, trolls were big ugly, and mean, after all, he wasn’t worried. No, he was more curious than anything which was why he was following Potter, Zabini, and Weasley. He had seen the trio slip away when everyone was filing out of the Great Hall.

With the Slytherin and Hufflepuff prefects trying to decide what to do with their houses as their common rooms were in the dungeons Draco had easily slipped away unseen. He didn’t dare get too close to the Gryffindors (and Zabini) because he didn’t want to get caught. He wasn’t sure what they were doing but he wanted in.

He had noticed something off about those three since day one. Potter had been first, Draco hadn’t known at the time when he first met Potter but looking back on the meeting, the other boy was just weird. There was something increasingly familiar about Harry Potter and it drove Draco crazy.

Draco had hated Zabini on sight. Even during the playdates, their parents had set up as young children, something about the other boy just rubbed Draco the wrong way, and the feeling was mutual.

Weasley was the worst. Draco had never met a Weasley before coming to Hogwarts but there was just something about it.

Draco smelled the troll before he saw it. In front of him, the trio smelled it as well because they stopped and covered their noses.

Then there was a scream.

--

The trio raced forward. “How did the troll get here?” Zoro growled. “I thought the troll was in the dungeons!”

“Maybe the troll is like Zoro,” Luffy said with a giggle, even as they ran to the room where Hermione’s scream came from.

“Now is not the time, Luffy!” Nami shouted. “Hermione’s in trouble!”

“Right!” Luffy nodded slipping into his serious mood. A friend was in trouble and Luffy wasn’t going to let her get hurt. He would save her.

The three pirates darted into the room and stopped for a moment in awe. The troll was easily the largest thing they had seen in their new lives. It was no Oars, of course, but since their rebirth, they had never seen something so big and ugly.

“It smells so bad,” Luffy said gagging. Zoro’s eyes were watering and Nami looked very green.

Hermione gave another shriek and Zoro sprang into action. “Hermione! Move!” The swordsman yelled. The troll finally alerted to the fact that there were others in the room, turned, and grunted. Zoro rushed forward with Luffy not far behind.

“Watch out for its club!” Nami yelled watching the beast lift the club threateningly.

Hermione gave another shriek and did her best to huddle down among the broken sinks. Unfortunately, the noise drew the attention of the troll back to her. When it turned, the troll dropped its club back down just enough that Zoro and Luffy could reach it.

Nami watched as his monster-like crewmates grabbed the club and managed to match the troll for strength. In their old lives, Zoro alone would have been able to match it but now, as young as they were and without their lifetimes of training Luffy and Zoro managed to hold it back, just barely.

“Ugh?” The troll grunted jerking the club to no avail. The two pirates managed to hold fast.

“Nami get her out of the way!” Luffy shouted through clenched teeth. The redhead nodded to himself and darted forward past the troll who didn’t even seem to notice as preoccupied as it was and grabbed Hermione’s wrist.

“Come on,” Nami said tugging at the frightened girl. “We’ve got to go!”

Hermione whimpered but Nami managed to pull her away from the busted and leaking sinks and pulled her to safety.

“They are going to die,” Hermione moaned watching the two boys struggle in a deadly game of tug-of-war with the beast.

“They’ll be fine,” Nami said without thinking.

“But the troll is a monster and we don’t even know any magic to stop it!” Hermione cried.

The two watched as the troll managed to jerk its club away. Zoro fell backward from the force but Luffy stubbornly hung on, even as the beast hauled it high into the air and roared angrily. Luffy roared back and with a mighty leap from the club landed squarely on the troll’s shoulders.

Nami laughed a little hysterically and shook his head. “The troll might be a monster,” Nami said watching his crew fight. “But so are Luffy and Zoro.”

--

Zoro was going to have his mother send his swords, school rules be damned. He didn’t even care what Snape or the Headmaster thought at this point, the troll made two fights without his swords. Zoro was a swordsman. With no swords. Something wasn’t adding up.

The troll was turning out to be a great fight though. It gave him a chance to gauge his strength unlike in the fight with the Cerberus, and both he and Luffy needed some work. They had tried to get some training in but this fight made it clear that it was nowhere near enough.

“Luffy!” Zoro cried when the pint-sized captain lept from the club he had been clinging to onto the troll's shoulders. Of course, the former rubber boy immediately began punching the troll in its ugly smashed face but Zoro wasn’t sure how much damage was being done because of the troll’s thick hide and the thicker skull. The troll did notice the punches and Zoro had to dodge a few stumbling steps as the beast tried to pry the boy off its head.

“I have to knock it down,” Zoro muttered to himself. They weren’t making any headway with the thing still on its feet. The young swordsman rushed to the troll and wrapped his arms as best he could around its foot and lifted it with all his strength. The troll wobbled dangerously but kicked out with the foot that Zoro was holding onto and the swordsman went flying.

Zoro grunted in pain when he hit the wall hard. Somewhere Zoro could hear Hermione’s cries of shock and Nami’s voice trying to calm the girl down. Had Zoro been normal that hit might have killed him. Thankfully he and Luffy were sturdier than regular wizards. The boy shook his head in an attempt to stop the stars from flickering around his vision and sweat poured off his face.

“Shitty swordsman,” a voice from the doorway nearby where Zoro had landed drawled. “Can’t even beat a shitty troll.”

Zoro whipped his head around and scowled at the blond standing at the door. Of course, the stupid cook would choose now to remember. “No one asked you, Love Cook, you’re the one who is late to the party,” Zoro growled out glaring at the other Slytherin boy.

Zoro pushed himself to his feet and the reincarnated cook gave the swordsman a dirty look before they both turned their attention back to the troll Luffy was still fighting. The troll had finally managed to peel Luffy off its face and held the pint-sized captain away from its body like an angry puppy. The beast roared and swung recklessly with its club, thankfully missing each time.

Sanji rolled his eyes and peeled off his robe leaving himself in just the uniform trousers and shirt. The blond took a moment and straightened his Slytherin tie and called out. “Hey shitty Captain, try not to die!” Sanji said. “You can just stay here, I’ll take care of this,” Sanji said to the dusty swordsman.

“Like hell,” Zoro growled.

--

Luffy shouted all the names he had learned from Ace and Sabo to describe the nobles at the troll and struggled to get out of the monster’s grip. The troll might even be stronger than his gramps had been. The troll had already sent Zoro flying and Nami was protecting Hermione. It was up to him.

“Put me down you…” Luffy shouted.

“Hey shitty Captain, try not to die!” Luffy turned his head he saw Draco Malfoy standing in the doorway. He blinked in surprise but then what the blond had said hit him.

“Sanji?” Luffy and Nami shouted together.

“Deuxième Hachis!” Sanji shouted as he ran forward and jumped up to kick the troll with legs in the stomach. The troll dropped Luffy with a thump and stumbled backward with a roar of pain and anger.

“Sanji remembers!” Luffy said shooting up from the ground where he landed. The next moment he launched himself at the blond cook. Sanji whirled around and caught Luffy in the stomach with a foot and growled at the pint-sized captain.

“Knock it off shitty captain,” Sanji growled. “We’re in the middle of a fight.”

“The love cook is right,” Zoro agreed walking up to join Sanji and Luffy. “Troll first, reunion later.”

“Shishishishi,” Luffy giggled cracking his knuckles. “Let’s beat it quick.”

“As much as I hate to admit it,” Zoro said. “Even as weak as we all are right now, with the three of us we can take it.”

Sanji looked at Zoro and scoffed. “And what are you going to do? You don’t have your swords, shitty swordsman,” Sanji said. “I can beat the shitty troll myself. You’re pretty useless.”

“I’ll show you useless,” Zoro snarled stepping up to Sanji. “You haven’t even started training again” Zoro’s hands automatically went to his waist where his swords would have been but only found empty air.

“Hey, I wanna beat the troll!” Luffy whined. He was really happy the cook remembered again but he didn’t want Sanji stealing the fight for himself.

Across the room, Nami felt his eye twitch dangerously. Of course, the first thing they would do was fight. How could he had imagine anything else? He wasn’t even ready to deal with Sanji and Zoro’s fights again.

“Would you three shut up and beat the troll already!?” Nami shouted, his temper getting away from him.

Sanji straightened automatically and wiggled around. “Of course my darling Nami~”

Hermione flinched back at the strange behavior from someone who had previously expressed such a distaste for Ron that made the girl uncomfortable.

Nami felt some of the shock himself. He and Luffy had wondered what Sanji’s reaction to Nami’s gender change would be but Nami hadn’t expected this.

Still, Sanji jumped to do as Nami commanded. The blond and two brunettes appeared to act without needing to communicate. The monster trio, reunited, was a thing to witness. They attacked together as if they had never been apart. Weakened as they were the troll was no match for the three of them. The beast hit the ground with a ground-shaking thud. Dust and debris circled through the air making the five students cough and hack.

When the dust finally began to clear a much more frightening sound reached them, far more terrifying than the roar of the troll.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?” Professor McGonagall shouted. Behind her, a collection of teachers, each one looking shocked and horrified by the five students and the unconscious troll in the middle of the destroyed girl’s bathroom.

“Uh,” Luffy stammered. “We didn’t do it?”

“You didn’t do it,” Professor McGonagall said slowly looking from student to student.

Luffy nodded hesitantly and jerked his head away to avoid eye contact. Nami slapped a hand over his face and groaned at his captain’s stupidity. They were in for it now.

Chapter Text

As it turned out. Professor McGonagall was not a woman easily impressed. Even with an unconscious mountain troll at their feet, the fierce woman was ready to expel the lot of them, especially after Luffy’s terrible attempts at lying. Zoro finally slapped a hand over the former rubber boy's mouth and Hermione did the talking.

Nami hadn’t expected the lies to come so easily to the goody-two-shoes but Hermione had lied and evidently, McGonagall bought it. Snape seemed ready to spit fire when he saw two of his Slytherins had been mixed up in the whole thing. Professor Snape had slowly resigned himself to Zabini’s behavior but Malfoy was a blow.

Brook watched with a fond smile on his face and offered to walk the bunch back to their different common rooms after a few points had been awarded for “sheer dumb luck.” Thankfully the other professors were in too much shock to stop the music professor from shooing his crewmates from the scene in the bathroom.

Brook knew something had happened beyond the troll. Hermione was quickly becoming a regular with the small crew but the appearance of Draco Malfoy was very different and Brook hoped that meant that they had found another Straw Hat. Brook led the kids, who were more tired than anything, to the floor with the magical room that they used as their meeting place. Brook knew that all of the kids had seen this room, but when he urged it to become the Merry-Go he noticed a new reaction.

Draco Malfoy gasped softly and hesitantly reached out and brushed a hand against the wood of the ship. “Where are we?” He asked no one in particular. “How is this possible?”

“The magic boat room!” Luffy cheered running for his special seat on Merry’s head.

“This room was the Sunny, too,” Sanji muttered still running a hand over the familiar wooden railing of the Straw Hat’s first ship. “I remember now.”

“Yohoho,” Brook laughed. “The Come-and-Go room is capable of many great things.”

“Brook,” Sanji said turning to look at the skeleton and squinted distrustfully at the skeletal musician not looking very skeletal. “Were you reborn too?”

“Dumbledare put a spell on him to make him look normal!” Luffy shouted from his special seat.

“Professor Dumbledore,” Hermione corrected absentmindedly. She had followed Professor Brook and had held her tongue when instead of taking them to their dormitories the professor instead led them to the room where they had all spent the night after the sham of a duel and the run-in with the three-headed dog. Hermione had never been more confused in her life. She had been inches from being beaten to death by a troll, then Harry, Ron, and Blaise rushed in and fought the troll, and they didn’t even think to use magic! Then Draco Malfoy appeared out of nowhere and acted like he was a completely different person.

Harry, Ron, and Blaise acted as if Draco had always been this way. Even when Draco had reacted so strangely to Ron’s shout to stop arguing. No one even blinked an eye. Even now, the four students and Professor Brook had a strange familiarity between them that didn’t make much sense to the girl.

“What is going on here?” Hermione shouted. “What were you thinking? Going after the troll-like that? You could have been killed!” Tears began to well up in Hermione’s eyes. “What is this place? Why are you all so strange?” Hermione dropped to the ground near the ship’s railing and covered her eyes and cried. It had been a tough day for the young girl and all she wanted was a cup of tea and to go to bed.

“Don’t cry, love,” Sanji swooned fluttering around helplessly. The Come-and-Go-Room couldn’t provide food so Sanji was unable to try and soothe the upset girl that way. “Did one of these brutes upset you? What did you do to the Hermione-chan?” Sanji demanded turning on Zoro angrily.

“I didn’t do anything, stupid love cook,” Zoro grunted. The swordsman had been watching the girl steadily grow more upset and attributed it to after-battle shock.

“If you did anything to upset her, I swear I’ll -” Sanji growled.

“Shut up!” Nami shouted as he stepped between the arguing boys. The redhead gave them both a sharp shove.

“N-nami?” Sanji said in a choked voice. The swordsman sniggered hatefully when as the blond twitched and stared at the redhead in horror. It appeared Sanji had finally noticed Nami.

Nami ignored the blond and looked at Luffy who was watching the scene with a wide grin. “Captain, what do we do about Hermione?”

Luffy paused rocking back and forth as he watched Sanji twitch and mutter to himself. The pirate crew captain scrunched up his face and squinted at Hermione from his seat. The girl looked exhausted and frustrated but the boy made a loud “hmmm” noise and hopped down from his seat and moved to sit in front of the girl.

Luffy stared at her until Hermione stared back and the two sat in silence for a moment while Luffy looked at her hard. Nami shifted uncomfortably. The rest of the crew puttered around in the background but everyone jumped when Luffy sighed.

“I don’t think ‘mione is asleep but she is our friend,” Luffy declared poking the girl in the cheek. Hermione scowled and batted Luffy’s finger away. “We all died once,” Luffy said plainly.

Nami slapped a hand over his face and groaned.

--

Thankfully Hermione grasped the idea of reincarnation easily. The girl was skeptical until Brook stepped in and the girl’s overwhelming respect for authority nudged her to this side of believing. It was probably harder for Hermione to understand that her new friends were pirates than it was to believe in reincarnation.

“But pirates are bad!” Hermione cried. “When pirates were still around they did all kinds of terrible things. They killed people and stole things! How could you be like that?”

“We aren’t,” Luffy had said. “We’re after adventure and freedom!”

“But that’s not what pirates do!” Hermione shouted. The frizzy-haired girl looked like she was ready to shake Luffy until his head came off. Nami sympathized.

“It’s what we do,” Luffy said simply. The green-eyed boy stuck his pinky up his nose and drug a round looking bored and entirely unconcerned.

In the background, Nami could still hear Sanji muttering. Every so often the redhead could catch Sanji staring at him with sad soulful eyes before the blond would march away muttering and twitching. Nami rolled his eyes, he needed to sit down with Sanji and talk about this.

“You aren’t going to win,” Zoro said from where he had stretched out on the deck. “Luffy and the rest of us have our ideas of what piracy means. We weren’t the typical crew even if we did engage in traditional pirate behavior from time to time.”

“We declared war on the world government once,” Luffy offered when it looked like Hermione was going to ask what he meant. “And Nami has us steal lots of treasure.”

Nami ignored the glare Hermione sent his way.

“At least this explains the names,” Hermione said, mostly to herself. “Luffy,” she said pointing to the captain. “Captain?”

Luffy grinned and nodded. During the explanation, Nami and Brook explained who everyone was and what they had done on the crew.

“Zoro?” Hermione asked, unsure, as she pointed to the dark-haired Slytherin boy. “Swordsman? Why does a pirate crew even need a swordsman?”

Zoro grunted and Nami rolled his eyes. “Zoro is also the first mate, I don’t think it was ever really said, but that’s basically what he does,” Nami explained.

“Nami,” Hermione said with surety. “You were the navigator? And you were a girl before?”

Nami nodded and everyone ignored Sanji’s anguished shout.

“He’s Sanji, the cook? Really?” Hermione asked distastefully.

Sanji snapped out of his mood and practically danced to where Hermione had been settled into a folding chair the room provided. “That’s me~ my darling!” Sanji said swooning.

Hermione grimaced at the blond’s behavior. Draco Malfoy had been very mean to Hermione since they started Hogwarts and it was strange to see the bullying pureblood act this way.

“And Professor Brook was your musician?” Hermione asked looking at the professor. “And he used to be a skeleton.”

“Correction, I still am a skeleton,” Brook said cheerfully from the piano the room had conjured for him.

Hermione took a deep fortifying breath and look at Luffy. “Anything you want to tell me?” She said putting her hand on her face. “I can’t take much more of this.”

“Oh, Robin!” Luffy shouted excitedly. “She’s coming to school next year.”

“Robin~” Sanji swoons. “We know where she is?”

“She’s a year younger than us now,” Nami explained. “She’ll join us next year.”

“Hmm, that’s different,” Sanji said, slipping back into his serious demeanor. “Robin was a few years older than the rest of us before. I wonder if that means Franky will be younger too.”

“Who is Franky?” Hermione asked. She hadn’t heard that name before.

“Shipwright, cyborg,” Zoro answered easily with a small smirk. He had seen how Hermione reacted to some of the other eccentric members of the crew and wanted to see her reaction to Franky.

“Oh, course he is,” Hermione muttered to herself. “A cyborg. What else could he be Hermione? There is already a skeleton, why not a cyborg.”

“Maybe we should wait to tell her about Chopper and the devil fruits,” Nami muttered watching the logical girl mutter angrily to herself. Nami thoughtfully slapped a hand over Luffy’s mouth when the pint-sized captain looked ready to tell Hermione just that.

“But wait! If this is reincarnation, how can you all remember?” Hermione asked. “How long have you been able to remember? Is this life just a straight continuation of your previous ones? What about Draco? He had a completely different personality before!”

Nami shrugged and he saw the others doing the same. “We just remember. Luffy and I’ve remembered for a long time, Zoro and Sanji both remembered here at school, so it’s pretty random,” Nami said thoughtfully. “Oh Robin knew from a young age, didn’t she Luffy.”

“Un,” the captain nodded remembering the talk he had with the young blond.

“Sanji what made you remember?” Luffy asked his cook. Sanji was the newest Straw Hat to ‘wake up.'

The blond frowned and tapped his heel on the deck. “I was following you because I saw you leave the great hall instead of following the prefects,” Sanji said thinking. “I remember smelling the troll and then a scream.” Sanji shrugged helplessly. “I can’t remember anything between that and walking into the bathroom.”

“And as for my personality before,” Sanji frowned. “It’s not gone, I’m not an entirely different person. I’m the same man I was before the troll I just know more now. It’s hard to explain, but that’s it.”

Hermione scowled at the less than helpful answer but Brook stepped in before they could begin speaking again.

“I need to get you all back to your common rooms,” Brook said sadly. “Or Professor McGonagall will have my hide, not that I have any, skull joke!”

The kids all groaned but reluctantly allowed themselves to be led out of the Come-and-Go-Room and back to their common rooms.

--

Severus Snape was not having a good year. This terrible, no good, bad year was made worse by two of his Slytherins insisting on behaving in a very unslytherin-like manner. The day after the troll incident, the group of five students was found crowded together at the Gryffindor table. The inclusion of Blaise Zabini wasn’t new, the Slytherin boy had long since become a regular fixture with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, and the newest Slytherin to join them was what raised eyebrows.

Draco Malfoy was sitting at the table as if he had been there since day one. He seemed openly antagonistic to the other Slytherin at the table while he tolerated Harry Potter and seemed to almost pamper Ron Weasley.

It was enough to make more than one head turn and to make several students a double take when they saw it. That didn’t stop the crew from having a great time now that another crewmate had returned to them.

Nami had made use of Luffy’s owl and alerted Robin to Sanji’s awakening. Hermione had been all but adopted by the crew which kept the Gryffindor mean girls at bay. All in all, things were good for the crew, but a mystery still lurked under the surface.

“What happened to Snape’s leg?” Nami asked as he watched the scowling professor limp to the head table.

“Dunno,” Zoro grunted elbowing Luffy in the side. The pint-sized captain ignored his swordsman and continued vying for the food on his plate. “He was like that last night when he showed up at the bathroom with the rest of the professors.”

“I didn’t notice,” Nami admitted.

“He’s in a worse mood than usual,” Sanji said. “He took two points off from some Slytherin third years this morning.” The blond had received more than his fair share of strange looks today. His overnight personality change was

Nami’s eyebrows went up in surprise. Snape never took points off from his own house. “That explains why he took points off for my tie being crooked when I ran into him earlier.”

“Maybe he was playing with Barky,” Luffy added blinking innocently. Luffy liked Barky he was fun, and he needed to go back and play with him. Dogs needed exercise, didn’t they? Well, Luffy needed a training partner so it would all work out.

“Barky?” Nami asked. “Do you mean the three-headed dog?”

Luffy nodded excitedly.

“Why would he play with that monster?” Nami asked confused then shook his head Snape wouldn’t play with anything let alone a giant three-headed monster. “Why would he go anywhere near it? The professors went after the troll and it was supposed to be in the dungeons.”

“Maybe it has something to do with the trap door?” Hermione suggested meekly. The frizzy-haired girl had been subdued since the troll. She was overwhelmed with the entire situation. When she had woken up that morning, Luffy and Nami (Hermione couldn’t believe she was using their nicknames) had been waiting for her. When she had asked why they waited Luffy had looked at her like she was stupid and said it was because they were friends.

“We should ask Brook,” Zoro said jerking his head up at the head table. As a professor, the musician was able to get more information than the rest of them could. “He’s a teacher, so he might know.”

“There’s a trap door?!” Luffy shouted, of course, the boy hadn’t seen the trap door he had been far too focused on the giant three-headed dog and the impending fight to notice anything else. Nami pounced and shoved his hand over Luffy’s mouth.

“Shut up!” Nami hissed. The redhead looked around to see if anyone had noticed what Luffy had said. The last thing they needed was Percy overhearing that. “We aren’t supposed to know about the trap door, idiot. Shut up!”

Thankfully the noise of the Great Hall and the students inside it was more than enough to cover up their conversation and everyone was used to Luffy’s outbursts by now.

Luffy mumbled something from behind Nami’s hand but the redhead ignored him. “Look, with the dog and the trapdoor, something is going on here,” Nami said, there was only one reason to guard something so heavily. The redhead paused to imagine all the treasure that could be hidden in the school and then shook his head. “But the Great Hall is not the place for this, what if someone overhears and beats up to the treasure?!”

“Treshurr!” Luffy mumbled from behind Nami’s hand. Nami rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away.

“Nami is right!” Sanji said automatically like he would have back on the Sunny. “Would you like more juice, Nami darling?” Sanji took the pitcher from Dean Thomas’ hands acting on instinct more than anything. “It’s not as good as something I could have made but it’s decent enough.”

The tall Gryffindor gave the Slytherin a strange look, he had been irritated and confused when Sanji had sat next to him that morning for breakfast but when Harry and the others had included him as easily as anyone, Dean had bit his tongue. Now though, he was irritated again. “Hey! I was using that!” Dean complained.

Sanji ignored the boy and poured Nami more juice when the redhead nodded absentmindedly. Nami sipped at his drink and looked up at Professor Snape. Something was going on in this school and Nami had a bad feeling that the Straw Hat Pirates were going to end up in the middle of it all.