This is a Harry Potter/ Yu Yu Hakusho crossover for myself and for Woofie267, please don't post here, but you're more than welcome to read along.

OOC thread here

~The Story~

It’s been ten years since the defeat of Lord Voldemort, and peace has once reigned in the world of western magic since the tyrant’s fall; those who met their end in the great battle were never forgotten by the heroes who survived moved on- hearts heavy with the past. The cost of that battle, and the fear of those dark days have not been forgotten, but wizards live each day, grateful for the peace they are blessed to have.

Harry Potter became headmaster of Hogwarts- it seemed fitting, after all that Dumbledore had done for him- and though he could never fill the space of the previous headmasters of the school, his efforts have earned him a warm reputation amongst the staff… In recent years however, strange things have been occurring- and strange by Hogwarts’ standards is certainly nothing to sniff at. Things like Hurricanes and tornadoes are natural disasters in the muggle world, but they’re things the school is charmed against- it’s never been a problem for the wizarding world… yet the school has somehow managed to take damage, despite the ancient magic protecting it…

A storm or two certainly isn’t something wizards can’t handle- particularly the great wizards that run Hogwarts… but why are the old charms failing? Why is it that the events suddenly started happening? And why have they been increasing in frequency each year since they began? The sheer number of unanswered questions has got the staff on edge.

If the ministry finds out- the press will have a field day and blow the whole thing out of proportion; parents will overreact and take their children out of school- fearing the return of the dark lord. If students find out, they’ll spread word and create the same sort of panic… The staff knew that Voldemort was certainly not the cause of the situation, but their hands were tied in finding the true source because they couldn’t risk the reputation of the school or comfort of the students.

So, with the advice of the staff backing him, Harry secretly appeals to the authorities for help- ones above even the ministry: The European division of Spirit World. Generally those in Spirit World were ambivalent to the workings of human world, but having been chosen by those nameless faces of power himself, Harry hoped he’d have enough influence that his plea would be considered.

It was.

Voldemort’s influence over the world, and his defeat of death through horcruxes, had in a manner put him beyond the power of Spirit World for many years; hence was why they’d created the chosen one, specifically to defeat him. Thus, they knew the levity of the situation, and the panic even the notion of a return would cause- enough that they took the situation Harry presented to them very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that the case went through various offices, rising up through the ranks until it ended up on the desk of the ruler himself- Koenma…. Who just so happened to know the perfect team for the job.

… And so it was that the plans were made, the team was briefed, and preparations for the transfer from Japan to Scotland went underway. They were to investigate the situation discreetly under the guise of international exchange students, report in to the headmaster of the school with whatever they found, and help resolve the situation in secret.

…But when is it ever so easy for Team Urameshi?

Profiles for Astra:

Canon characters

Kurama

OCs

Name: Soraya Chastain
Age: 15
Gender: Female
House: Ravenclaw
Personality: Quiet and withdrawn. Generally doesn’t like to talk much unless it’s to someone she already knows. Soraya tends to overthink things and is very bright, but her introverted-ness lead many to believe that she’s cold. She has the potential to be a loyal friend to those who get under her shell—it’s just a matter of getting her to give you the time of day.
Bio:Ever since she and her sister came to Hogwarts, strange things have been happening… But strange is normal at Hogwarts, right? Natural disasters like hurricanes and tornados are normal feats of nature, right?

Of course… There is the fact that they’ve been getting worse every year…

But the headmaster says that there’s nothing to worry about—and those rumors about the dark lord’s return definitely aren’t true… And yet, there’s this strange power that she feels, sometimes, when she’s alone—or when she’s with her sister—that no one else seems to recognize…

But… things like that are normal at Hogwarts… right?

Profiles for Woofie

Name: Alessa
Age: 15
Gender: Female
House: Ravenclaw
Personality: Alessa is more outgoing, and is happy to help others. She has few people she'd call friends, although she's tutored many students before, and she enjoys helping other people, whether it be with homework or a project or just with rearranging things in the common room. She does try to get Soraya to participate in events and be more social, too.

{Ugh, this ended up really long cuz I wanted to get a good starter in. I ended up deciding not to introduce the OC yet, because then it would have been longer. o~o

I swear posts won't be this behemoth like in the future!}

“C’mon, follow me!“ A giant of a man waved his lamp to get everyone’s attention as they stepped onto rocky gravel. The dim light he held made his wrinkles look sunken, making him appear older than what he likely was… However, despite his age, and the wild appearance of his hair, his eyes were warm. From the moment that they’d clambered onto the boats and sailed across the pristine lake towards the great castle of Hogwarts, the man—Hagrid was his name apparently—had shown nothing but kindness.

Kurama decided that he was a good man—his softhearted nature was easy to see.

As the man called for his followers to keep up, the redhead went over why it was that they had been sent there in the first place. The first years who plodded along the dark passageway were simply excied students, but they were different—they were undercover.

”And yet-“ Kurama thought, blinking when they finally emerged into the moonlight near what appeared to be the entrance of the school, ”-So far everything’s been calm.” Koenma had made the mission seem urgent due to the natural disasters occurring, but so far there was nothing to back his claim….

Hagrid took a moment to make sure everyone was present, before raising his fist and banging three times on the large oak door. It swung open immediately, revealing a tall woman with gray hair and an extremely stern face; everyone standing behind Hagrid instinctively stood up straighter in response to her strict demeanor. Even Kurama snapped out of his reverie, wondering who she was to command so much presence.

“The firs’ years, an’ the couple o’ older ones yeh told me about, Professor McGonagall.” Hagrid said.

“Thank you Hagrid, let’s get them inside.” She opened the door wider so all the students could march through without difficulty, “You should hurry to the Great Hall, you never know when something might happen…” The two shared a look that Kurama realized said more than the words themselves-- the adults clearly knew something about the strange occurrences that they didn’t want the students to know.

But this was not the time nor the place to ask what that meant.

There was minimal time to look around the entrance hall, as Professor Mcgonagall led them across it at a very brisk pace. Still, it was easy to be impressed at the sheer size of it-- the room was so tall that the ceiling was impossible to see, and there was a great marble staircase in the center that led to the upper floors. A room behind another large set of oak doors to their right was filled with what sounded like hundreds of people- that must have been where the rest of the school was- but they instead entered a small chamber just off to the side.

Professor Mcgonagall surveyed them all for a long moment once the doors had closed. “Welcome to Hogwarts.” She said finally, sounding tired. “I’m certain you can hear the rest of the school waiting for you in the Great Hall, but before you can take your seats among your fellow students and enjoy the start-of-term feast, you must be sorted into your houses.”

There was a buzz among the students here. A couple of the first years looked as clueless as Kurama, and—as far as he could tell—his companions did, but others looked like they knew what they were talking about. He wondered if what he’d heard earlier about a hat being involved was true; it seemed preposterous, but they weren’t exactly in Japan anymore either…

“The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.” Professor Mcgonagall continued, cutting off the chatter with a stern glare, “Each house is named after one of the founders of this school and has a great history of producing the finest witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family; you will have classes with your housemates, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room. Excelling both in and out of the classroom will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose them. At the end of the year the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor you should aspire to.” She cast a warning glance around the room one final time, “I trust that each of you will take pride in and be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.”

“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in the Great Hall with the rest of the school. When the time comes you will be tested in alphabetical order-“

“-What about us?” Kuwabara cut in, raising his hand as an afterthought before gesturing vaguely to himself and the other older students, “-Do we get ‘tested’ after the younger kids here or….”

Professor Mcgonagall smirked wryly at the question, but didn’t let slip any extra information on how the ‘testing’ would work. Instead she simply raised an eyebrow at him and said coolly, “Your name is alphabetical as well, is it not? I’ll not be explaining this again.” As Kuwabara made a face at this remark (and Hiei smirked), her stern gaze returned and she got back to business. “I will return for you when we are ready to begin.” And with that she turned and left the room.

The moment she was gone the room went into a quiet hush. Hiei and Yusuke were looking bored, and Kuwabara took to hiding his anxiety behind grumblings about ‘who that woman thought she was anyway’. The first years were all squirming uncomfortably, and occasionally whispering about what the test could possibly be about. One still insisted that he knew a hat was involved somehow.

Then something happened that made them all collectively gasp— a couple of the more timid looking first years screamed.

From the wall that led presumably to the Great Hall came a crowd of ghosts, gliding across the room and engrossed in conversation. They didn’t look twice at the students below, though the students certainly stared in awe at them—or through them more accurately, since they were pearly white and slightly transparent.

“I know we’ve had the occasional occurrence before over the past couple of years, but never this early, we shouldn’t worry!” A ghost wearing a frilly ruff and tights exclaimed, “It seems to have gotten worse every year but..”

“We shouldn’t let our guard down though.” Replied a ghost that looked like a plump little monk, “It’s too early in the year to really tell, and while I’m sure the headmaster has a plan to get things under control…”

“He hasn’t done anything except contact Spirit World for help.” A female voice replied softly. This ghost was beautiful, with long dark hair and a flowing gown; Yet her face was haughty, and filled with pride. “And they have done poorly little in reply...”

They drifted through the wall, still lost in their debate, leaving the mass of students gaping openly behind them by the time that Professor Mcgonagall returned.

“Wipe those silly faces clean and move along now,” she said sharply, “The ceremony is about to start. Form a line and follow me.”

The students took a moment or two to get organized. The older students ended up at the very end before they walked out of the chamber, across the entrance hall, and through a large set of oak doors that led into the Great Hall.

Had he not been so intent on figuring out what the ‘test’ was about, Kurama would have surely smiled at the sight of the place. He had always liked the atmospheric effect of candles, and the Great Hall was lit by what looked like thousands of them floating in the air; beyond that was a ceiling that was dark and peppered with shining stars. Hiei mentioned softly that the system was ridiculous—always the critic. Even he couldn’t deny the beauty of it though.

Everyone’s attention shifted when Professor Mcgonagall placed a stool in front of the first years, and on top of it, a shabby looking wizard’s hat. Apparently that odd kid hadn’t been that far off the mark after all. But what were they supposed to do with such a dirty hat? No one’s name had been called yet, but everyone in the hall was staring at the hat, as if waiting for something.

After a long moment of anxious silence, a rip near the brim of the strange hat opened wide, and to many peoples’ surprise, it began to sing.


I may be covered in grime and dirt,
But wait before you judge,
I’ve got a better resume
Than all your hats above!

Each of you has talent,
A diamond in the rough,
I’ll tell you where you belong--
You’ve got the right stuff!

Your mind is like an open book
I don’t need eyes to read,
So just place me on your head
To find out where you’ll be.

You might end up in Gryffindor,
Where courage is an art,
Wild nerve and chivalry make them lions at heart;

You might end up in Hufflepuff,
Where kindness reigns supreme,
Always ready to help another and unafraid to dream;

Perhaps in wise old Ravenclaw,
With those of wit and mind,
Their endless quest for knowledge is met with eagles’ eyes;

Or perhaps in sly old Slytherin
With those slippery little snakes
Their cunning and their skill let them rise to any stakes.

So take a chance and put me on
I’ve never before been wrong
You might end up with dirty hair
But at least you’ll truly belong!

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. Even the people anxiously waiting to be sorted joined in- because apparently even Kuwabara hadn’t seen a talking hat before, much less a singing one.

“Trying on a hat…” Kurama raised a brow, “Unconventional but.. It could be worse.”

He just hoped that the hat didn’t overreact to the head of a demon…

((O.O Holy crap! You actually looked stuff up like the Sorting Hat Song. I am very impressed!))

Yusuke was still getting over the talking hat. Sure, he'd seen a lot of things, but a talking hat? That was almost as good as a toddler in charge of the Spirit World.

However, he did pay close attention as the first student to be called up went and sat on the stool, looking a bit nervous still. When the hat called out a name, he relaxed a bit. After his time with Genkai, he'd learned to be nervous about things like 'tests'.

"That doesn't look too bad," he muttered to Kurama. "Should be pretty harmless." Hopefully. Hopefully it wouldn't get on his head and start screaming bloody murder about half-demons and demon blood and shit like that. That was the last thing that Yusuke needed. First he'd had to leave home, then he'd been shipped all the way to England, and his remedial English lessons had left a few things to be desired. Like names.

Yeah, this wasn't the best day of his life, but he could honestly say it wasn't the worst, either.

Although it did suck that he would be the last of the team to go, if they went in alphabetical order.

Hiei and Kuwabara got through without a problem (which was both surprising and a very good thing), and then it was Kurama's turn.

Yusuke clapped him on the shoulder with a cocky little grin. "Good luck," he said. "Try not to scare the hat too much."

((Waaah it's not as long as yours but it's an introductory post at least...))

{Ah no, your reply is just fine! I should be able to reply more regularly now, because I finally finished my science class for the summer, and I think I did well, so yay~}

It was clear to Kurama that the hat was sentient. It did not speak aloud as it had earlier when it sang, but it was clear from the facial expressions of those wearing it that it was communicating with them; he wondered if it actually could peer into one’s mind, or if it simply surveyed their emotions to determine house placement. It was difficult to tell, for the hat had barely touched Kuwabara’s head when it proclaimed Gryffindor—and he’d never been one to hide his emotions or thoughts—while it spent a rather long time pondering over Hiei—who was undoubtedly more closed off—before it placed him in Slytherin… He supposed either method wasn’t exactly pleasant for a demon fox who liked keeping secrets, but he’d never been one to lose his head in the face of the unknown.

When his name was called, and Yusuke offered him luck, Kurama even managed to offer a smile in return, before his face became carefully stoic and he stepped forward.

At first, when the hat had been placed on his head, there was nothing. But soon enough he felt an eerie presence seeping into his mind; out of sheer reflex, Kurama immediately elicited every mental barrier he could think of—red herring thoughts and emotions, even blocks around certain memories. The prodding sensation became a sense of surprise, and after a long moment, he heard a soft chuckle in his ear.

”You’re mind’s very deep, even for a demon.” Its voice echoed throughout the fox’s head, ”You’ve no intention of letting me go deeper than you want me to. How very interesting a skill to have…” Here followed a long pause, but no further prodding, and just as Kurama had begun to wonder what the hat was planning, it spoke again. ”No need to be paranoid-“ it insisted, ”I wasn’t made for stealing thoughts—I’ve already seen enough and I can guess the rest.”

”Your situation, a demon who became a human in the womb, is very interesting… Your crime was evil, but your love for your family—your mother—is pure. Compassion and cruelty, with intelligence to match!” The hat barked another laugh. ”I haven’t seen a mind so sharp since the last dark wizard that was so interested in the legend of how magic began tried me on! Honestly, you could be in any house and play the role, but your true self—beyond the master of disguise… The true demon within… That had better be…”

”Slytherin!”

The declaration was spoken aloud to the great hall, much to the surprise of many—who murmured that he had ‘seemed so nice on the train’; for once however, as he made his way to his table with lukewarm applause, Kurama wasn’t paying attention.

The hat’s words were still ringing clearly in his mind.

{I figure, next post or so, I'll introduce the OC and her impression on the new guys. ahah.}

Yusuke blinked at that. He'd heard enough to have gotten a general idea of the houses, although he wasn't entirely sure why people were so surprised. Kurama could be a crafty bastard, after all, nothing wrong with that.

So when his name was finally called, Yusuke stepped up to the hat with a cocky little grin. It was a hat and it shouted out house names, what was so bad about that? Nothing he couldn't handle.

The hat was placed upon his head and Yusuke waited to see what would happen. To his surprise, he felt a little sliver of the hat in his mind, and he jerked a bit.

No need to worry, the hat assured him. This is quite normal. Actually I am surprised you can feel this. The hat chortled merrily into his mind.

What the hell? Yusuke thought back at it.

Oh, yes, very courageous, the hat murmured. Stubborn, too, I see. And loyal. Well, it looks like there is only one place for you, my boy.

"Gryffindor!"

Yusuke shrugged. It didn't make a big difference to him, they actually weren't going to be here for long. He hoped, anyway. He stood and walked over to the Gryffindor table, which was clapping politely for him, and sat across from Kuwabara.

{Whew! Sorry that took so long; life caught up with me a bit there. Hopefully this is an okay post~}

There'd been a lot of talk on the train about the 'exchange students'; everyone had been buzzing about how the program hadn't actually been utilized in over a hundred years, and that the schooling in Japan was so different and so forth... Soraya hadn't listened beyond what was impossible not to overhear. Honestly, she hadn't been particularly interested in the new guys-- they were just new students, so she failed to see what the big deal was except for the fact that they were... well, new.

But now that she saw them, standing so casually as they prepared to be sorted into their houses, she couldn't help but stare. The four of them seemed ordinary at first glance, and they were definitely Japanese but... That wasn't what was fascinating about them. Soraya was certain that her sister felt it too-- they'd always had the strange ability to sense and feel things that others couldn't-- but three out of the four people had... strangely dark energy... It wasn't quite the energy that the deatheaters she'd seen as a child gave off but... it was still foreboding. Like some sort of demonic energy.

Her gaze slid over towards the headmaster as the sorting began (she'd never particularly been interested in the sorting beyond the song anyways). He didn't seemed perturbed... Did he realize what these people were? If he did, why would he have authorized the exchange program?

"Alessa." She whispered, addressing her sister just as the hat proclaimed Gryffindor for the one named 'Yusuke', "...What do you think demons at hogwarts is all about?"

----XXX----

The sorting continued, with each of the first years getting applause from whichever table they were sent to, though Kurama only half paid attention. He knew it shouldn't have bothered him but... he couldn't help but feel shaken at the sorting hat's words. After all the effort he'd put in to leaving his demonic reputation behind him, to be informed that his instincts still truly made him dark at heart... Did that mean he was evil?

It seemed such a silly philosophical question to ask after all this time.

Hiei seemed to recognize his discomfort, and nudged him with a raised brow, his eyes speaking for him in asking what was wrong. It was useless to lie, Kurama knew that he couldn't hide the fact that he was bothered by something from his friend, but he offered a smile and shook his head regardless. Hiei would respect that it was something he didn't want to talk about, and even if he did, the hotheadted demon wasn't exactly the person to seek sympathy from...

"We must stay focused on the task at hand." Kurama reminded himself. He looked up at the headmaster, who had been stoically still thus far, but as the last name ran to their seat, the man finally rose to his feet and spread his arms. Immediately the entirety of the Great Hall fell silent, waiting for him to speak.

"Err... I've never been good at giving speeches." He began, laughing nervously. He paused for a moment here, composing himself before continuing, "To all our new students, welcome to Hogwarts! I hope that you will enjoy your time at this erm... great school! There aren't any updates on disciplinary committee to note, so let's skip to the best part. Tuck in!" The last word had barely rolled off his tongue when the platters and plates sprang to life with food before them, and everyone around the redhead excitedly did as their headmaster told them. "As for the exchange students-" The hall quieted again, noticing finally that the man had not sat down, "- Uh... I'd like them to remain in the Hall afterwards so that I can greet them personally." Finally, the headmaster took his seat, and when he had begun to pick at his food, the students took it as initiative to do the same.

(Orz. I can't write Harry for crap. I'm so sorry.}

Alessa had heard much the same as her sister, although she was more interested in the foreigners. They were a little different from seeing tourists in London, after all.

So she was also quick to notice the dark energy around three of them, and she leaned forward in her seat, very interested now.

"I'm not sure," she said quietly, even as the Headmasters finished his speech and sat, and the normal feast appeared on the tables before them. "Demons as well as exchange students. How exciting." She grinned briefly, although she was a bit troubled. She'd never heard of demons at the school, and that on top of recent misgivings was making her feel a little worried about things.

"I do want to find out more, though."

-----

Yusuke blinked and then swore in untranslated Japanese when the food appeared. Holy crap! Now that was a feast!

He dug in for a bit, ignoring the Headmaster's words for now. So they had to stay after; so what? That wasn't unusual. He wasn't even in trouble this time.

A few of the older students asked him some questions, like where was he from, what was his home like, where did he study normally. Yusuke managed to evade all the questions that could get him in trouble, although he did have fun regaling some of the other Gryffindor students with tales of his more normal street fights.

All too soon, though, people were slowing down, and the food was vanishing. People started to rise to head off to bed, and Yusuke stayed seated with Kuwabara.