Mun! Soul: Next installment in our fic! Sorry for leaving you guys with a cliffhanger with that last scenario hee hee~
Kuroe felt hopeless, as if all the strength she possessed had vanished, and she wanted nothing more than to die right where she lay. She wasn’t aware of how long she stayed there, sprawled out on the floor in the most uncomfortable position. Someone had nudged her to wake her up, but she was unable to respond. He grabbed her and propped her up into a sitting position, finally able to face the person who came to retrieve her.
“Katsuragi Kuroe, you have entered the Restricted Section without proper authorization. I am here to escort you so you may receive punishment for your actions.”
An intense pain shot through her and she gripped her head, groaning in agony. She heard Ruki sigh in annoyance and bent down to lift her to her feet. She slapped his hand out of the way when he tried to steady her, and he chuckled.
“Even though your reputation is at stake, your Black Viper status still shines through. Although it’s not surprising to see this type of behavior when you hang around certain people.” He enunciated the last words to drive his point, and Kuroe glared, understanding his true meaning.
She attempted to walk out in front of him, her body wobbly, trying to regain her balance. “If you’re talking about Akari, I can tell you that she is for certain the best kind of person to be around. Now where are you taking me? The sooner I can get this over with, the better.”
Ruki frowned at her tone and noticed her staggering form. He rolled his eyes and stuck out his arm as an offer for her to take it, since she had no chance in walking on her own.
Kuroe saw what he was doing and turned to look away, deeply upset that he knew that she was seriously injured. She unenthusiastically took his arm, wrapping her hand lightly around it, so as to not give him the wrong idea. Ruki carefully closed his arm against himself, and walked forward slowly, keeping an even pace so that she could walk without stressing herself further.
The pair walked out of the Restricted Section and proceeded to leave the library. Kuroe gripped her fingers tight against Ruki, concerned that he would take her to the hospital wing. She didn’t know how she would talk about the altercation with Kanato and frantically tried to come up with a story to explain her injuries. Ruki noticed her odd reaction and stopped in the middle of the corridor.
“If you think I’m taking you to the hospital wing, you’re wrong. I am aware that you have injured yourself, but such is the case when you enter an unauthorized area that is full of books related to dark magic. I was asked to escort you to the Headmistress’s office and I will abide by that request.”
Kuroe’s eyes widened in surprise, yet skillfully hid her reaction to not draw too much attention to herself.
“The Headmistress? I wonder what could be so important to receive a summon from her.” She replied smugly.
Ruki narrowed his eyes. “If you think playing coy will get me to tell you the purpose for this visit, then you’re wasting your time.
Kuroe snorted. Seemed as if Ruki didn’t even know himself.
They both walked down the corridors and appeared before the giant phoenix statue that led to the Headmistress’s office. Kuroe let Ruki’s arm go and he stood before the towering bird and whispered the password to enter.
The phoenix statue roared to life and began turning, creating the hidden staircase that led to the Headmistress’s chambers. Kuroe and Ruki quickly both jumped onto the stairs, and waited for the doors to appear before them. The staircase clicked to the top of the tower, and Kuroe took Ruki’s arm again, this time out of uneasiness at seeing the Headmistress herself. The doors opened for the pair and Ruki escorted Kuroe inside. Kuroe jumped slightly when she heard a stern voice come from the glowing Pensieve.
“Thank you for bringing her Mr. Mukami. You may head back to your dormitory.”
Ruki replied with a curt nod and turned to leave the office, the doors slowly closing behind him. Kuroe gulped and wondered if she really did get into trouble for her recent antics.
“Please have a seat Miss Katsuragi.”
Kuroe nodded firmly and walked over to the empty chair in front of the oak desk. “Yes Professor.”
Professor Mcgonagall’s robes swished softly behind her as she took her seat behind her desk. Her thin mouth was tight as usual, and it was always difficult to determine her expressions. Kuroe assumed it was for the worst and did her best to prepare for whatever was to come.
“I’m assuming you’re wondering why I’ve called you here?” She spoke, eyeing the Slytherin with great suspicion.
Kuroe winced and shook her head. Mcgonagall’s interrogations were ruthless, and she knew better than to outright lie if she were to speak of anything she did. What made things worse is that she didn’t exactly have a soft spot for Slytherin house.
The professor clasped her bony fingers together in concentration. “You have been chosen to carry on a very important assignment for me. More importantly, the entire school.”
Kuroe widened her eyes in shock. “Assignment?”
Mcgonagall nodded. “Yes. You see, you will be the first student to know that our school has been chosen to host the infamous Triwizard Tournament.”
Kuroe furrowed her brows in confusion. She assumed Mcgonagall was joking, but it wasn’t like the Headmistress to make a joke like that. In fact, she never joked at all.
“I don’t understand. The Triwizard Tournament hasn’t been hosted since Harry Potter attended Hogwarts.”
Mcgonagall got a mischievous glint in her eyes at the student’s reaction. “You are correct, Miss Katsuragi. However, the heads of the other participating schools and myself have come to an agreement, and it was passed with the Ministry’s ruling. The Triwizard Tournament will be restored to its former glory and Hogwarts has been chosen to host the games.”
Kuroe sat back, unable to take in all this information. “So then, why am I here? Surely there’s a reason why I get to know this before the entire student body?”
Mcgonagall quirked an eyebrow and almost smiled. “Very good, Miss Katsuragi. As expected of a Slytherin. I have chosen to reveal this special bit of news to you because I am in need of your assistance.”
Kuroe leaned in, engaged in what the Headmistress needed her help for.
“You see, during the Triwizard Tournament, we are to host certain events that take part in between the actual trials. Only the chosen champions are allowed to participate in these trials, but that does not mean that we are not able to compete against our neighboring schools in other ways.”
She stood up and walked around the desk, her arms clasped behind her back. “I have seen your Quidditch games throughout the years, and your successful rise to Captain. You are indeed an exceptional Quidditch player, and I have organized a Quidditch match to be played against the Durmstrang team.”
Kuroe beamed, taken aback by all the compliments. It was indeed a very honorable moment when the Headmistress commended all your hard work in Hogwarts. The fact that Kuroe was noticed so closely made her blush slightly.
“I will give the details out once everything has been organized, but I will ask you to lead the best Quidditch team Hogwarts has to offer.”
Kuroe shot up and saluted the Headmistress. “Yes professor, I won’t let you down.”
The Headmistress nodded in appreciation. “Very good, that will be all for today. I don’t believe I have to tell you that the information discussed in this meeting is strictly between us?”
Kuroe bowed. “Yes! Of course professor, I won’t tell a soul.”
Mcgonagall sat behind her desk and took out some scrolls. “Very well. Oh, I forgot to mention. Since I kept you here so late, I’ve also asked for an escort to bring you back to your dormitory. I’m sure there will be no objection?”
Kuroe shook her head repeatedly. “No, of course not! I’ll be glad to leave with who—”
“I apologize for being late, Headmistress. I am here to escort Miss Katsuragi.”
Kuroe froze at the cold voice that entered the room.
“Yes, thank you Mr. Sakamaki. I trust you’ll lead Miss Katsuragi safely back to her dormitory.”
Reiji placed a hand over his chest, bowing respectfully. “As a Slytherin prefect, it is more than my duty to make sure all students are within their dormitory at a reasonable hour.”
His red eyes glared at Kuroe and she swallowed the lump that grew in her throat. She wasn’t sure how to explain to Mcgonagall that she may not be able to participate in the Quidditch game after all. Not while in Reiji’s tight grasp.