Interlude 54: Kunou's Hogwarts Adventures 14 (Patreon)

“I’m so sorry!” The Headmistress had apologized for the dozenth time.

The situation wasn’t good.

They were all trying to figure out what just happened now. Dumbledore had immediately cleared the halls in the aftermath of what happened, and the teachers were containing the scene and making sure the students were okay.

But even so, there was a certain panic that set in around the school as the news of what happened had traveled by word of mouth.

The Troll incident the previous year, well, no one had actually seen it beyond a small group. Here, however, there were dozens of eye-witnesses who had seen the ‘monster’ attack the school in the middle of the day.

There was no hiding it, and there was certainly no keeping it quiet.

The children affected were sitting down calmly, perhaps Ginny was a bit more flustered compared to Kunou or Luna.

Professor Suzuki was standing at their side, like a protective guardian even since the incident.

“Headmistress Sumiko.” Dumbledore could understand, he too was feeling the panic of the situation that just occurred. “Please, let’s calm down and figure out what happened.”

“He was my Shikigami for so many years….” She was in a daze. “And he….”

“Miss Kunou.” Dumbledore turned away from her. “Could you please tell us what happened?”

Kunou pursed her lips. “That mean Kitsune wanted to eat me, so I punched him. Then Mr. Suzuki came and beat him up.” She puffed her cheeks up.

“Well done.” Professor Suzuku put a hand on her shoulder in praise, making Kunou preen happily.

Dumbledore’s eye twitched slightly.

“That is when I arrived onto the scene.” Kuzuki picked up where she left off, pushing up his glasses.

“You…are a muggle?” The Headmistress asked him skeptically. Because despite the confusion and disheartening sequence of events, she couldn't wrap her mind around what she saw happen to Gin.

“That is correct.” Kuzuki didn’t hide it.

“B-but….!?”

“As a Professor, it is my duty to protect my students from harm. Therefore, I intervened.” He replied as if it were natural, normal even. “The creature's initial attack was directed toward Miss Lovegood. Its attention was primarily focused upon Miss Schweinorg, which allowed me to approach from its blind spot. I caught the attacking limb near the wrist and elbow, then used its existing momentum to throw it into the wall. This was both to potentially disable the creature and to force it away from the children.”

It wasn’t just the Headmistress, but both Ginny and Dumbledore were staring at him.

Kuzuki gestured toward his own face.

“I first struck the nasal and maxillary region. The purpose was not primarily to inflict damage. A sufficiently forceful impact there disrupts vision through pain and involuntary lacrimation. I followed with several strikes targeting what I estimated to be vulnerable portions of the skull, throat, sternum, and upper thoracic region.”

Nobody said anything.

“I was unfamiliar with Kitsune anatomy,” Kuzuki added apologetically. “So some approximation was necessary.” He spoke in the same breath that one would use when saying they didn’t know if it would rain that day or not.

“I...see.” Dumbledore said even though he didn’t see.

“The creature then attempted to compensate through illusion and greater mobility. Or so I presume. I am not a Wizard, so I was forced to make a guess based on what was revealed before my eyes. When it opened its mouth to bite my neck, however, this exposed the mandible.”

“I used my knee beneath the mandibular body while applying opposing force from above with my elbow. This fractured the mandible and prevented another bite. It was the optimal way to disable the creature further in that moment and to prevent the possibility of it attempting to circumvent me and harm the children.”

Sumiko stared at him.

Luna looked fascinated.

Ginny looked considerably less fascinated.

“Afterward, there remained the possibility that the creature could continue attacking through magic even with a broken jaw.”

“Of course.” Dumbledore murmured.

“Therefore, incapacitation was insufficient.”

“Of course.”

“I identified what appeared to be the cervical vertebrae.”

Kuzuki pointed toward the back of his neck.

“Judging by the creature's size, I estimated the fourth through sixth cervical vertebrae as the most reliable target. I applied my knee with sufficient downward force to produce catastrophic damage to the cervical column and spinal cord.”

The room was silent.

Kuzuki lowered his hand.

“This resulted in immediate loss of motor function. Based upon the absence of respiration and subsequent lack of response, I concluded the creature was dead.”

Another silence followed.

“That concludes my report, Headmaster.” Kuzuki bowed his head politely. “Woudl you like me to put it into writing?” He stopped, frowning slightly. “A foolish question. I will of course make a written report after this meeting.”

“....thank you, Professor Kuzuki.” Dumbledore cleared his throat. He had to keep reminding himself not to ask Professor Kuzuki about details when it came to certain….things.

The Headmistress just stared at him with her mouth gaping. She knew he wasn’t lying because she had seen the tail end of what happened for herself.

“Gin….he was just a One-tailed Kitsune when I found him. A Shikigami contract is a powerful one, for him to be able to deceive me….”

“Momma said that Five-Tails is enough that we can get out of Familiar Contracts. ” Kunou explained. “But Momma said that most Shikigami contracts are stupid and if they aren’t a two-way contract that connects souls, then they’re basically worthless.”

The Headmistress heard the words but just stared blankly like someone just told her that much of her knowledge was in fact a lie.

Dumbledore let out a sigh. “Miss Kunou….” He tried to find the right words. “Are you alright, Miss Kunou? I know this must have been a very scary –”

“I’m fine.” Kunou said casually. “He was boring anyways. I didn’t even get to take my spear out! Or show him my other stuff!”

“Other stuff?” Dumbledore blinked because he was more than aware of her spear. 

Mcgonagall had made a big fuss about it the first day when it was used to attack the friendly Squid in the lake outside.

He had thought that Mcgonagall still had it, how did Kunou get it back?

But he pushed off that question for now, there were more important matters.

Dumbledore pinched the bridge of his nose. Another matter for later, he told himself. 

Preferably much later.

“Miss Kunou, you said that Gin wished to...eat you.”

“Uh huh.”

“Do you know why?”

“He wanted my tails.”

Sumiko's head snapped toward her.

“Your...tails?”

“Yeah. He got really mad when I told him I was born with nine. I used my Touki to punch him real good.” She swished her tails behind her chair. “Daddy says that if someone tries to hurt me, I’m allowed to punch them as hard as I can.”  She quickly defended herself.

“You’re…not in trouble, Miss Kunou.” Dumbledore made sure to reiterate. While he wasn’t someone who was quick to preach violence, he was aware about the difference between hurting someone and self defense. “I’m just trying to understand the details. Your culture is something I’m not familiar with.”

“Kitsune gain a tail every hundred years. The more tails we have, the stronger we get.” Her tails continued to swish behind her until they spread out. “My Momma said that if a Nine-Tailed Fox has a baby, then the firstborn will always be a Nine-Tailed. Momma said that I still need to grow up and I’m not very strong yet though.” She then turned her nose up. “That smelly fox cheated and ate other Kitsune to get stronger. Momma said that those types are trash and we don’t have to treat them with respect.”

“I….never knew this? I didn’t know that a Kitsune could eat other Kitsune to get stronger?” The Headmistress whispered.

“Momma said it’s a taboo because if you get more than Six-Tails this way, you turn into a um….” She paused. “Headmaster, what’s the word for something really bad that can affect a lot of people?”

“...calamity?” He hazarded a guest.

“Yeah, that.” Kunou nodded as Dumbledore swallowed. “Momma said that a lot of the really bad ones in stories are because they did stuff like this.”

Dumbledore looked at the Headmistress.

“In the stories…” She began. “Kitsune can either be bringers of divine grace, as if gods themselves. They can bring fortune and good luck. In other stories, they can be harbingers of disaster, bringing famine, disease, madness….”

It explained a lot of myths around the subject.

Dumbledore was appreciative of the mythological lesson from the East, but he realized they were getting off topic. He more or less understood the situation now, and he was about to dismiss them back to the dorms and work with the teachers on how to handle the situation. However, the Floo to his office suddenly ignited.

There were very few people who could forcibly ignite his Floo to call him.

“Dumbledore!”

“Cornelius?” Dumbledore asked back in shock.

It was the Minister of Magical Britain.

“Albus! What is Merlin’s name is happening at Hogwarts!? I’ve gotten ten different howlers to my office demanding the Aurors be dispatched because some kind of monsters had invaded the school!”

The face in the fire was frantic. “Dumbledore, do you have any idea how many parents are on my right now? All the wild stories I’m hearing!? Muggles destroying the school, giant fox monsters eating children! Animals running wild within he halls!”

“Conrelius, I assure you, those are just baseless rumors.” Dumbledore immediately went ont he defense. “There was a small incident that has become exaggerated among students. It’s already handle, no one was hurt.”

“Albus, I can’t just take your word for it. Students have been getting hold of their parents for the last hour, there’s at least twenty parents outside my office right now! If I don’t do something, they’ll very well tear my office door down. I had to do something, Albus.”

“What did you do, Cornelius?” Albus narrowed his head.

“As the Head of the School Board, I gave Lord Malfoy a squad of Aurors to inspect the school and verify that nothing is amiss.” He said with a huff. “I’m telling you to cooperate, Dumbledore. They should be arriving now.”

“Cornelius –”

“My hands are tied, Dumbledore.” The Floo immediately went out and Dumbledore smacked his desk.

“Professor Kuzuki, quickly take the children back to their dorms!” Dumbledore all but flew out of his office with everyone else behind him.

Auror’s in his school was a line too far!

He intentionally kept a strict line between the School and the Ministry. He never wanted the authority of the Ministry to meddle too far within the halls of the school due to certain political inclinations.

He wanted the School to feel like a safe haven. A place where the Children could put their worries aside, where they didn’t have to fear or think about a ministry of magic that would breath down their necks based on certain ideologies.

That also included Aurors coming into his school unannounced and without his say so!

They barely got outside the office and down the hallway before a pair of dumble doors swung open.

It was the main hallway that connected to both the Hogwarts Entrance and into the Great Hall.

Lucious Malfoy was standing at the front with about a dozen Auror’s behind him, and on the opposite side of the Hallway was Dumbledore who quickly stepped infront of the others.

“Lucious.” 

“Headmaster Dumbledore.” The Malfoy Family Head greeted him rather arrogantly based on his tone. “I’m here on orders by the Minister of Magic. And as the Head of the Hogwarts Board of Governors." He raised a finger. “That’s her, arrest her immediately.”

“Lord Malfoy.” Dumbledore’s voice carried with it an invisible type of air with it. Most of those Aurors had been students of his at one point int he past. Hearing that same stern tone, it made them pause. “You seem to be mistaken. Behind me is Miss Kunou Schweinorg, a student of Hogwarts.”

“I am aware.” Lucius sniffed. Thought he last name Schweinorg did give him pause, just not for long. To him, it was a relic of a different era, nothing he need to concern himself with at this point. “My own son had frantically sent me letters depicting the violence and criminal behavior from that animal.”

“Did he tell you that he wet himself after I beat him up?” Kunou peeked out from behind Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nearly stumbled in spot while Lucius’s eyes widened. Neither of them expected her to throw out an insult so quickly in a situation like this.

“Arrest her!” Lucius demanded. “You Aurors better do your job or I’ll personally report your insubordination to Minister fudge. Capture that animal first.”

“Animal?”

Lucius's eyes shifted toward the unfamiliar woman who stepped out next to Dumbledore. “And you are?” The Malfoy Family Head was keen enough to hold a hand up to the Aurors to sto them as they took their wands out.

Perhaps it was instinct or political savvy.

“Sumiko Hatsune. Headmistress of Mahoutokoro.”

There was a small pause.

Lucius knew the name. Or at least, he was aware of the position and inherent significance it held. A Headmaster of a School no matter where in the world carried with it certain weight.

“Then, Headmistress, you will understand that this is a matter for the British Ministry—”

“I understand that you entered this school, pointed at an eleven-year-old girl, and ordered her arrest without asking a single question.” She interrupted him. “Is this how things are handled in Britain? Calling a student an animal and drawing your wands at her? I guarantee you, Mr. Malfoy, that I will be reporting this great abuse of power and authority to my own Ministry and have them file a grievance to the ICW and press for an investigation.”

“Headmistress Hatsune, I believe you have misunderstood my intentions.” Malfoy Senior put on a polite smile. “I am merely following the Minister's orders. There are a plethora of reports, of claims of some kind of Fox Monster. And now, in front of us, there is a Fox….person that matches such descriptions. It’s only logical to arrest her.”

“I understood them perfectly.” The Headmistress sniffed. “And you’ll ‘arrest’ her, and then what?”

Lucius Malfoy’s lips curled up. “Of course, we must take all standard measures to contain a possible dangerous beast. For the duration of the investigation, she will be remitted to Azkaban. And if we discover that it’s a simple misunderstanding, then we will release her, of course. The investigation shouldn't take more than a week, or so.”

“Lucius Malfoy.” Dumbledore raised his voice for the first time, and certainly frightened nearly everyone there. “Are you threatening to send one of my students to Azkaban!?”

There were very few things that could make Lucius Malfoy genuinely frightened.

A furious Dumbledore was one of them.

But his confidence came from the Aurors behind him and the backing of the Ministry. Even under the Headmaster’s intense gaze, and even with sweat dripping dwon the nape of his neck as shivers climbed his spine, Malfoy didn’t budge.

“There’s no need for you to get up, Headmaster” A feminine voice called out as space distorted behind the children, a heel clicking on the floor as someone stepped out. “I can get upset enough for both of us”

“Medea?” Dumbledore turned his head to see her having just teleported over.

Lucius eye’s widened. He composed himself quickly to greet her. Of all the letters his son sent home, he paid the most attention to those surrounding the famous Witch. He even had his son send back copies of his notes and the lessons he took under her teachings.

To say that she had caused no small amount of commotion outside Hogwart’s walls just by her existence and her teachings would be an understatement.

 “The Famous –”

Medea flicked her hand, chanting something in a language none of them recognized.

The air rippled outwards, around Dumbledore, the children, and it scraped against the walls, the floor and the ceiling, culminating outwards until it slammed into the Aurors behind Malfoy.

The wands in their hands splintered and exploded while their bodies were thrown backwards by the invisible force, hitting the wall hard enough to knock some of them out.

Lucius, seeing what just happened, now finally panicked. He grabbed his cane, pulling on the head of it, freeing his own wand. An elegant handle made of refined silver, he barely took his eyes off of her for a fraction of a second through this whole process. But the moment his wand was raised, two fingers already grasped it.

Lucius didn’t know when Medea got next to him.

He could only see and hear the sound of his wand snapping and a hand grasping at his throat as he was lifted up off the ground.

“Beat him up until he pees himself like Draco!” Kunou called out from behind.

Medea’s eyes lit up. “Well, you heard her~”

Lucius couldn’t ask her what she was going to do, but the way she was reeling her arm back and aiming at his groin already said enough.

The next thing people heard was a high pitched cry that reverberated through the school’s hallways.

@***@

A/N

First bit of stupid wizard escalation. And yeah, they really do jump the gun on a lot of thing. They sent Hagrid to Azkaban without any evidence just so they were ‘seen doing something’. A non-human fox girl? They wouldn’t care about her age and drop her off at the front door in a heartbeat.

Sorry for the late chapters, I drove home yesterday night, ended up being a 10 hour drive, was way too exhausted when I got home so I just crashed longer than I thought.