Wild Magic

Ranma 1/2, Slayers, Harry Potter, and any other series used in this fanfic are owned by their respective creators/publishers/whatever

Thanks to CyberSkaarj and the people of Fukufics for pre-reading.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Chapter 19

A feeling of accomplishment welled its way up into Ranma's chest. She had made it! Miraculously made it through the whole school-year and just had the exams to go. Coming into the school, there were many times that she had wanted to just say 'screw it' and head home. Hell, there were also times when she had thought that she would face expulsion, and yet here she was. There were only about two weeks left in the school year before summer break, and Ranma was feeling most anxious to get out of the place for a while.

That wasn't the only thing the cat-girl was feeling anxious about, though. Ranma could sense the growing tension in the air as she entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts class for her exam. The 12-year-old - her birthday, along with Draco's, was earlier that month on the 5th - sent a glance towards the turbaned professor who was standing at the head of the class. Likewise, Quirrell gave her a quick look that would have melted steel if it was possible. After the event in the forest a while back, Quirrell was now aware that Ranma knew what he was up to. This had eventually led to quite a few small 'accidents' that ended up being blamed on Peeves. The poltergeist would vehemently deny being responsible due to most of them not being entertaining. He did, however, mention that causing the chandelier in the entrance to drop was amusing and wished he could applaud whoever had done it.

Glancing down at her exam paper, Ranma examined it to make sure that there was no dangerous hex on it that would cause her ears to turn polka-dot, or maybe her skin to melt into goo. Learning that the only spell placed on the text was an anti-cheating spell - Ranma wondered slightly how it could tell if one were cheating, - she got to work on filling out the questions. Most of them were multiple choice questions that asked about such things as how you would stop a vampire. There were also a few true/false questions, how to identify the affects of the work of dark magic, and a quick two paragraph essay on trolls. There were a few that stumped her, but most of the questions were relatively easy. It would have been better if they had a hands-on test with some kind of creature, and it would have been nice if Prof. Quirrell didn't glare in her direction every four minutes and cause her hair to stand on end.

Next up was the History of Magic final exam. Just like with the Defense Against the Dark Arts final, it was composed of a series of questions that ranged from stating how the great wizard Merlin defeated the witch Mad Madame Mim for the first time, to the man who created the first self-stirring cauldron.. Thanks to her inability to sleep in the class, Ranma managed to fly through it. After finishing and glancing around, Ranma noticed that a vast majority were struggling and racking their brains trying to figure out questions to things that they slept or stared off into space for. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that Gosaria's ears were pouring out a trace of smoke.

For the Transfiguration class, they had to take a mouse and turn it into a snuffbox. Points would be taken off if the transformed snuffbox had any fur, tail, or whiskers. When Ranma received the mouse she was going to transform, Prof. McGonagall stated that the cat-girl MUST use her wand. They didn't need any backlash from using wandless magic for such a small thing. Rolling her eyes at the extra caution that the teacher was using so she wouldn't blow something up, Ranma raised her wand and brought it down to the nervous little mouse. A flash of purple light flew out of the wand and hit the rodent, and Ranma watched - with a slight wince - as the mouse began to slowly lose everything that defined it as a mouse and animal. It lasted about three seconds, and the result was a perfectly shaped snuffbox with no fur or animal features.

"It's a perfectly good snuffbox, Miss Malfoy." Prof. McGonagall stated as she studied the tiny rectangular box. A slight smile tugged on the corner of the woman's lips. "I must say that the design is quite superb as well." On the cover of the snuffbox was a circle, and in the center of the circle was a white-colored kitten lying on its back and playing with a red yarn ball. The kitten also had string wrapped around it from the ball. Off to the side, there were two other kittens play-fighting with one tugging on the ears of the other. The color of the box itself was an emerald green color with gold boarder. Around the sides of the box was a repeating black paw silhouette. "See what you can accomplish when you cease fooling around with wandless magic?"

Ranma waved a hand dismissively. "I'll practice with it and become more proficient without a wand by my return next year." The older woman nearly dropped the snuffbox in her hands after hearing that. "Say, are you going to turn that back into a mouse?" Ranma asked curiously. The thought of transforming a small creature into an inanimate object where it was cut off from the world caused a shiver to go down her spine.

"There is no need to worry, Miss Malfoy. I will be turning the mice back to normal at the end of the day after the exams." She received a nod from Ranma as she dismissed the cat-girl from her classroom so that she could bring in another student taking the exam. It was almost a shame to transform such lovely containers back into the annoying rodents that they originally were.

During her next exam, Ranma found herself frowning down at her cauldron as she stirred her potion. They were supposed to be brewing a Forgetfulness Potion, a dark colored potion that causes the drinker to forget certain things. The process seemed to be going fine, the smell was apparently how it should be, there was no explosion of some kind, and her cauldron didn't melt. The problem that she had was that it was - as pointed out by Snape - a couple shades lighter than it should be. Ranma attributed this 'issue' to the fact that the greasy-haired potions master would peer right over her shoulder as she mixed and brewed. It was more than annoying, and she felt like telling him to 'get his pale ass away'. That, however, would get her into a heap of trouble, and she would prefer to make it the rest of the month without another detention of some kind. And so, the redheaded cat-girl reigned in her desire to snap out at the overbearing teacher and completed her potion in silence. She then filled a vial of her supposed Forgetfulness Potion and handed it in to Snape - who stared at it with an almost bored look on his pale face.

"Thank you, Miss Malfoy," he drawled out in a low voice so nobody else could hear, "but I think it is a few shades lighter than it should be. The results of how well it works, however, will be determined at a later time. It will be then that I will see if you did it properly." Ranma's lip twitched slightly before she nodded and went back to her cauldron to clean up and wait for the exam to end.

The final exam that Ranma had was for Charms class. They were called into the class one by one, and the assignment for them to accomplish was to make a pineapple tap dance across the desk. When it came Ranma's turn, she was informed, yet again, to use her wand and try to not cause any destruction of some kind. The fact that everyone kept on assuming that she would blow something up just because she wasn't using a wand had the effect of pissing her off. Her heated emotions were what caused her to use a little too much magic in her spell. Ranma did, however, get the desired effect of a pineapple tap-dancing.

"That was some wonderful tap dancing!" Flitwick announced as he clapped his hands at the tap dancing fruit. "I wasn't expecting it to grow small legs and arms, though. Still, you did make it tap dance, good job!"

Ranma had to give a little smile. She was sure that something crazy was going to happen due to putting too much magic into the spell, but since she wasn't covered in fruit juice, it was all clear. "Thank you, Prof. Flitwick. I-" Ranma trailed off as she and Flitwick watched as the pineapple jumped off the desk, this was followed by the whole stack of pineapples that suddenly grew legs of their own. The army of pineapples then charged out the door. The two in the room were treated to the sounds of a few people shouting in complete shock and fright. Giving each other a look, Ranma and Flitwick ran to the entrance of the room and watched as pineapples ran amok.

"Get those pineapples!" Flitwick shouted with a squeak. "They are needed for the exam!" And with that statement, the greatest and only pineapple chase in Hogwarts history had began. The legged fruits seemed to be craftier than they were given credit for as they escaped capture. It almost seemed as if they were multiplying, and it was confirmed by a house elf that the pineapples in the kitchens had also sprouted legs and run away. Everywhere they looked, the produce seemed to just be there. Some ran up and down stairs, some slid down railings, and there were others that used ink to draw on the walls. Soon, the pineapples seemed to disappear altogether, and nobody knew where they went. It was then, however, that the sound of banging drums was heard throughout the school. The sound was coming from the entrance hall, and so everyone rushed to the scene. When they got there, Ranma put a hand to her face.

There were a few pineapples that had miniature drums hanging in front of them, and they were using small sticks to beat to a certain rhythm. After a moment of this, they stopped, and a pineapple wearing a puffy white shirt appeared to the 'audience'. The white-shirted pineapple began to tap dance, and finished by throwing its arms back. This clued in the drummers to drum away, and then stop as the pineapple moved its feet. Pretty soon, both the tap dancing and drumming pineapples were going at the same time. Soon, the white-shirted pineapple ran to a small black curtain and yanked it away to reveal several others that walked away from the curtain and began to synchronize tap dance to the drums.

They were soon joined again by the white-shirted pineapple who began to lead them for several minutes before running away from the hall as the others got into a line and fiddle music also started playing. The white-shirted fruit came back with one dressed in a black dress, and the two grabbed each other by the hands and began spinning around before breaking into tap with the rest of the animated fruit. The music finally came to a stop as the dancing pineapples made their last movement and halted to a completely silent entrance hall.

Ranma glanced around nervously in hopes that nobody figured out that it was her who caused the whole ordeal. Everyone seemed to be completely still, and she was about to give a sigh of relief when someone started to clap. Turning her head, the cat-girl noticed that it was Dumbledore, and there was an odd twinkle in his eye as he watched the pineapples. "Bravo, Miss Malfoy; that was possibly the most wondrous display of pineapple tap dancing that I have ever seen."

Ranma ears flattened on top of her head in embarrassment as she glanced around - red-faced - at all the stares she was receiving. Her eyes then stopped back at Dumbledore. "I didn't do nothin'!" She finally shouted. If there was a time that the cat-girl wished that she could just crawl into a hole and hide, this was one of them.

"Miss Malfoy," Dumbledore began, "are you telling me that bewitching the entire school's supply of pineapples into performing a remarkably amusing and well done rendition of Riverdance was nothing?" Ranma tapped her fingers together as the stares increased. Oh how she wished that she could just find a hole and disappear.

"I didn't know that they would all gain a mind of their own and gather around in the entrance hall! I was just trying to make my pineapple dance!" Ranma then added another thought. "Hell, I didn't even know that they'd grow legs! I just thought that the pineapple I'd make tap dance would bounce around on its bum." The awkward statement was followed by an equally awkward silence.

"Never-the-less, I think that this event might be recorded into Hogwarts history. It would be known as the first ever pineapple dancing convention. Why, what a remarkable thing for people to talk about for years to come."

"You don't really mean that, do you?" Ranma asked in utter shock and repulsion. "Old Fart, you can't do that! Do you realize how embarrassing it would be to be associated with tap dancing fruit?" The twinkle in the old wizard's eyes was all the answer that she was going to get. "I don't care if it's fascinating-!" The fruit they were talking about proceeded to perform something else that included dueling violins. "You've embarrassed me enough, damn it!" Ranma shouted before firing a blast of magic into the middle of the group of produce. The effect was a large splatter of juice and chunks of pineapples spread across the floor. Turning around, she marched away from the area with intent of getting away from everyone.

"Miss Malfoy," Prof. Flitwick shouted out, "Those pineapples were supposed to be used for the charms exam. What-"

Ranma stopped in her tracks and glanced back. "Use grapefruit." She stated before vanishing from the area.

"Hmm… yes, that might work just as well." Flitwick commented to himself before going to look for some. The student body, meanwhile, was shuffled about so that they could get back to their exams. By the end of that day, one thing would play on the minds of everyone: Pineapple can dance.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ranma sighed as she lounged on a branch in a tall tree near the lake. In her arms was Laira - who was also enjoying a nice lounge in the shade of the leaves, and floating in front of her was her laptop, Stringy 2.0. Ranma was reading a current E-mail that she had received from Washu. Apparently, Ayeka and Ryoko had blown up the house… again. This time, however, it was due to both attempting to cook a meal for Tenchi. Who would have thought that an egg could be used as a wide-ranged explosive that could destroy the fridge? Tenchi, with a sudden backbone, seemed to have given the two women a severe tongue-lashing that caused them to go somewhere and hide. Ranma would have paid to see something like that.

A yawn escaped the cat-girl as she stretched one of her arms. She was glad to be outside where it was cooler, and not inside where the air seemed to be stale and heated. She was also hoping to calm down from the whole pineapple incident from a few minutes ago. Ranma was hoping that the final exams would be uneventful so she could relax, but those… fruit took that hope and tossed it into a blender on puree and then threw it down a garbage disposal. It was as if she was back in Furinkan- chasing coconuts due to a scheme from the demented madman who ran the place. "Just less than two weeks, and then I can enjoy a nice long break."

Laira lifted her head a little. "And we can spend all our time together like we used to, right momma?" Her answer was a slight tug of a smile on the corner of Ranma's lips as a low chuckle was heard inside of the cat-girl's mouth. "Oh, and we'll be able to see how good I am at long distance flight when we go visit that one planet grandma Washu wants us to explore. Of course, that would be after you spend the first month with grandma Narcissa." Laira tilted her head as a look of concentration ran through her features. "What was the planet again, momma?"

"It's called Mau." Ranma answered back. "The files I copied from the computer on the moon didn't have much info regarding Mau. All it said was such things as the planet being relatively far, it and the planets around it have their own Senshi, and that the populace sport cat-ears and a tail, while the inhabitants of the other planets sport variations such as mouse, bird, butterfly, and various others."

"Ooohhh," Laira answered back with large eyes. "You'd be able to meet others who are like you!"

Ranma nodded before as a catty grin formed. "Maybe I'll even learn a few new abilities. I'm sure there might be martial arts styles, skills, techniques, or magic that I never heard of." A near-maniacal cackle caused Laira to shiver. The cat-girl could sometimes get a little… odd when thinking about such possibilities.

"-needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager." The familiar voice of Hermione said from below. Ranma and Laira glanced down to see that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking towards their tree. The trio then proceeded to slink down to the ground and sit next to the tree. Ranma caught her daughter's attention and placed a finger to her mouth as she willed her laptop away. She wanted to listen in and see what the three would say.

Ron appeared to be happy as he lazily stretched his arms, while Harry seemed to have a severe discomfort and would constantly rub the scar on his forehead. "Harry, we've got a whole week before we find out how bad we've done. There's no point in worrying right now."

Ranma nearly snorted out in amusement.

"I wish I knew whatthis means." Harry answered as he poked at his scar. "My scar's been hurting, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey."

"I'm not ill. I think it's a warning. It means… danger's coming." The bespectacled boy let out as he continued rubbing his forehead. "It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't always doing it."

Ranma smiled as she decided to make her presence known. Holding onto Laira, she leaped off the branch and made a flip in mid-air. The cat-girl then landed a few inches from the trio. "Yo!" The statement was simple, but it had the desired effects that she was going for. Hermione gave a loud shriek in shock, Ron attempted to back up and banged his head on the tree, and Harry tried to leap to his feet but fell backwards. As they tried to recover from the shock of having a 12-year-old cat-girl suddenly fall from the sky and land inches from in front of them, said cat-girl - along with a cabbit accomplice - was on her back and laughing her tail off. "Y- You should ha- have seen your faces!"

"That wasn't funny!" Ron shouted as he stood up and clenched his fists. "You could have given us a bloody heart attack!"

Ranma - by this time calmed down - waved her hand dismissively. "Eh, don't act like a baby. You'll be alright." If anything, that caused the Weasley boy to fume even more. "So," Ranma began as she turned her attention towards Harry, "your scar has been bugging you, and you think it's because there's some danger around?"

"You were spying on us?" Ron asked accusingly as he crossed his arms and continued to glare at the cat-girl. To his displeasure, everyone ignored his accusation.

"Yeah," Harry answered as his hand went back to his forehead. "Ever since that night in the forest, it has been getting worse and worse." He almost expected Voldemort to bust down the door to one of the classrooms he was in and start blasting deadly magic while giving off a high-pitched laugh. Harry blinked when a few times when Ranma appeared just a few millimeters from him and began to examine his lightning bolt-shaped scar. The cat-girl took one of her fingers and traced the forehead mark.

"Hmm… interesting." Ranma mumbled as she pulled away.

"What did you find, Lina?" Hermione asked as the trio stared at the cat-girl and waited for her to tell them what she found out.

"It's a normal scar." Ranma stated simply with a shrug. This caused the three - and Laira - to nearly fall to their face. "Well, a normal scar with a trace amount of magic in it. If I were to guess, I'd say that it could probably detect certain amounts of dark magic or malice, and so it throbs to warn you of possible danger." The explanation seemed to make sense, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were lost in thought about the idea. "As for it hurting more and more, maybe Lord Mold-for-Brains has gained enough strength, and so he's now attempting to re-power himself to his old self." Ron gulped and glanced around quickly - almost expecting said dark wizard to appear and kill the redheaded girl for such an insult. Finding that nobody was going to jump out and attack, Ron proceeded to give his two cents.

"C'mon, the stone is safe as long as Dumbledore is around. Also, we never found any proof that Snape," Ranma's eye gained a slight twitch, "found out how to get past Fluffy. After getting his leg nearly ripped off once, he's not going to try again, and Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Ranma frowned and had to agree that Ron was - in a way - right. Hagrid was a man who owed a lot to Dumbledore, and wouldn't betray the old wizard, even for all the money in the world. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Hagrid is too loyal to tell anyone confidential information such as that. Hell, I bet even if he was plastered, he wouldn't… give… away…" Ranma trailed off completely as her mind caught up with what she had just said. Glancing down at Harry, she noticed the shocked and wide-eyed look of recognition crossing his face. After a moment of silence between the two, Ranma gave off an annoyed and long sigh. "How long will it be until Longbottom leaves for the England team, Weasley?"

"What are you talking about-" Ron was cut-off as Harry immediately jumped to his feet. "Harry, what-"

"It didn't dawn on me until you mentioned Hagrid being drunk." Harry said as he glanced right at the cat-girl in front of him. "How could we have missed the signs when we first learned about the dragon egg?" The bespectacled boy snapped his head into the direction of his two friends. "Come on, we have to hurry!" He shouted as he rushed off. He was followed by a confused Hermione and Ron who were trying to figure out what just happened. Ranma, on the other hand, watched them leave while scratching the back of her head.

"Laira," she gained the attention of her daughter, "do you ever get the feeling that while in the wizarding world, we'll always be out of the loop? I mean, what kind of person trusts a complete stranger who keeps their appearance hidden and has something that said person wants?"

Laira sat there in silence for a few seconds before clearing her throat. "Ahem," an accusing look was then sent towards her mother. "I remember that happening to you a few times before, momma."

Ranma's tail halted in mid-swing as she gave off a nervous chuckle. "Hey, I was young and stupid back then!"

"You had the mind of a 20plus-year-old, momma." The small cabbit deadpanned. "You had child-ish impulses due to your age, but you still had the mind and intelligence of someone older. Then again, from what you told me about your previous life…"

"Cheeky little brat." Ranma mumbled in annoyance. "C'mon, let's catch up before we miss out on what Hagrid actually told the stranger that night." Her daughter nodded and hopped up onto her shoulders before both vanished.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ranma and Laira reappeared on the roof of Hagrid's cabin. Peeking over the side, both of them saw that the three Gryffindors were already talking to Hagrid. The latter was sitting in an armchair and shelling peas. Ranma decided to just stay in secret instead of make herself known. The only thing on the trio's mind was most likely the safety of the stone.

"-'cause he kept on buyin' me drinks. Let's see… yeah, an' he said he had the dragon egg, an' he said that we could play cards ter see if'n I win it." The half-giant took a moment to recall what else had been said. "But he wanted to make sure I could handle it - didn' want it ter go ter any old home. I then told him that, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy."

'Yeah, and I'm the queen of England.' Ranma thought with a half-lidded stare. Laira almost giggled, but managed to restrain herself so as to not give their position away.

After Harry asked - rather calmly thought Ranma considering the situation - if the mysterious man seemed interested in fluffy, Hagrid nodded his large head. "Well o' course he was interested. How many three-headed dogs d'ya meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told 'em that Fluffy's a piece o' cake if'n ya know how ter handle him. Ya just gotta play a bit o' music, and then he'll fall right ter sleep-" Panic settled in on Hagrid's busy face. "I shouldn' have told ya that. Ferget what I jus' said."

As Ranma watched Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave, she glanced down at Laira. 'Laira,' she began through their mental connection, 'I want you to follow after them and contact me if they decide something.'

'What are you going to do, momma?'

'I'm going to go and meet up with a certain three-headed mutt and see if anybody attempted to get past it.' As soon as Laira vanished to complete her assignment, Ranma phased away from the area of Hagrid's cabin and appeared above the walkway on the third floor forbidden corridor. Making sure that nobody - such as Filch or Peeves - was around, she dropped to the floor and crept towards the large door that contained Fluffy on the other side. Silently, Ranma poked her head through the door and noted that the tri-headed canine was lying on top of the trapdoor entrance. As soon as she walked through the door, however, she noted the smell that lingered around the room.

"Jeez, Fluffy," Ranma complained as she put a hand in front of her nose, "don't they ever take you outside so you can do your business?" Fluffy's heads perked up to see that Ranma was in its room. Still remembering Ranma from the last couple of times that she had come, the mini-Cerberus's tail started to wag. As soon as the cat-girl moved close enough to it, Fluffy's middle head reached out and Ranma a large and slobbery lick on the face - which caused the fur on her tail and ears to stand up. Before she could wipe her face, the other two heads also gave Ranma a large and slobbery lick. Covered almost completely in drool, only one thing managed to escape the redhead's lips. "Ew…"

After cleaning herself from the impromptu mucus bath, Ranma placed a hand onto Fluffy's right head. "I have an important question for you, boy." The two heads that weren't being scratched glanced in her direction. "Has anybody used music around you in an attempt to possibly get through the trapdoor?" The answer she received was the two free heads shaking their heads in a negative.

'Momma,' Laira called over their connection, 'I finished my mission. It seems as if Headmaster Dumbledore left the castle because of an emergency letter he got from the Ministry that requested his presence. Harry, Ron, and Hermione believe that a move to steal the stone will happen tonight, and so they are going to sneak down to try and stop it from happening.'

'Great, Lai, you did a fantastic job.' The young cabbit swelled up in pride at the praise she had received. 'I think I'm going to wait for Quirrell, and if he wants to go down and try to get the stone, I'll let him.'

'What? Why, momma?'

'Well, I want to see how he does in those so-called trials, and maybe I'll give him a little 'help' from the sidelines.' She owed him for those 'accidents' that had happened around her a while back, and she was going to try and have a little amusement as she was doing it. 'You know, I still haven't asked Hermione, Gosaria, and Nashigi if they would like to go and meet up with Washu and the rest at the Masaki household - after I spend the first month with mom, of course.'

'Do you really want Hermione and grandma Washu to come into such close contact, momma?' Laira asked nervously at the thought. 'It could become a little scary.'

'You worry too much, Lai.' Ranma stated dismissively. 'I think the two would be able to get along nicely.' If Hermione started picking up some of Washu's bad habits, though, then that could be a scary problem. Ranma felt - through their connection - her daughter shivering at the thought. 'It's better if we don't worry about it now. I have my own mission of importance to finish. If I need your help later on, I'll contact you, ok?'

'Got it, momma.' Laira answered back before the mental conversation between the two was dropped so Ranma could concentrate. The only bad thing about her plan was that she had no idea when Quirrell would arrive, and so was stuck around a monstrous three-headed dog that was lying next to her with its tail wagging as she scratched it on one of its heads.

Five minutes passed by, and Ranma was starting to feel bored.

After thirty minutes, Ranma was floating upside down with her legs and arms crossed.

At the two hour mark, Ranma was still floating upside down, but this time she had Stringy 2.0 out and was deep into a game. "Damn it, jump, and don't fall into the lava pits. You're supposed to be a master jumper. How can you not jump over a simple pit?" A game-over tune played from the laptop. "Stupid mustachioed plumber who couldn't even properly jump. I could probably do a better job than that idiot." Continuing to grumble, Ranma tossed her laptop back into subspace and floated down to the ground where she made a flip and landed onto her feet. "If this guy doesn't show up soon, I'm gonna-" The threat died on her lips as her ears picked up the sound of someone fumbling with the door handle on the other side. Cloaking herself in the umisenken, Ranma backed up and whispered into one of Fluffy's ears. "Watch out, a very bad man might be on the other side, and he's going to try and get passed you to steal the thing you are guarding." This earned a low and threatening growl from all three heads as the dog stood up.

The door finally opened to reveal a cautious Quirrell. Held in his hands was a small blue harp that Ranma guessed would be used to put Fluffy to sleep. As the traitorous professor stepped into the room, his eyes immediately caught sight of his first - and hopefully easiest - obstacle of the night. Just as the mini-Cerberus prepared to pounce, Quirrell began strumming the thin strings on the harp that he had brought. He, along with Ranma, watched in fascination as the dog's three pairs of eyes started to become heavy after just a few notes. Not even 45 seconds passed before the dog collapsed to sleep on the floor.

Ranma managed to position the falling canine so that it would completely cover the trapdoor that Quirrell needed to go down. The cat-girl watched as a look of annoyance flashed across the turban-wearing professor's head as he attempted to figure out how to move the dog and keep playing the harp so he wouldn't get his head chewed off. After thinking it through, the man used one hand to hold and play the harp as he reached for his wand with the other. Bringing out his wand, he used a spell to move the large dog - albeit slowly - a few inches away from the trapdoor.

'Che,' Ranma thought in annoyance. 'I was hoping that he'd take a little while longer.' Deciding to go on ahead, the still invisible cat-girl flew threw the floor and traveled down the deep, dark, and moist drop. She eventually came to the end of the drop where a pile of spongy-like plant vines covered the area. 'If I remember correctly, then the last time I explored this chamber, the vines tried to grab and suffocate me. I think the plant is called - umm - oh, what's the name? Devah Snoo… Devin Spane… jeez, I hate Herbology and plants.' All she was really aware of was that the plant tried to strangle people, and being strangled by a plant was bad.

It wasn't too long before Ranma heard the distant sound above her of a ferocious dog trying to attack someone. A humanoid body soon fell from the sky and landed softly on the bed of vines. From her floating vantage point, Ranma's eyes could see - through the dark - shadowy shapes that began to reach for Quirrell. Said man held out his wand and proceeded to send out a small jet of flames. Ranma - acting quickly - called a bit of magic into her hand, turned it into a chilly wind, and shot it towards the flames. The effects of the cool breeze spread the flame apart and caused it to snuff out harmlessly in the air. This caused Quirrell to panic as he attempted to put a little more magic into the fire. The same thing happened again, and this time the vines of the Devil's Snare were tighter and up to his waist. It took two more attempts before the flame overcame Ranma's wind and caused the vines - that were up to Quirrell's neck - to recede and allow him to slowly sink to the ground.

Deciding to allow the man to pass, Ranma left the first chamber and made her way down the long and damp stone passageway. The only sounds that her ears heard as she moved down the sloping walkway were the dripping water droplets from the ceiling and the distant rustling of something in the next chamber. The distant rustling quickly came closer, and as Ranma entered the chamber, her eyes caught site of a multitude of winged objects that were flying around in random directions.

'Keys,' Ranma thought as she watched a smaller one fly passed her face before performing a loop and flying vertically upwards before coming to a halt and resuming a normal flying pattern. Her line of sight traveled to the area straight across from her, and she noticed the large door on the other side. Quickly phasing out of sight, she appeared in front of the door and was able to deduce that it was locked. 'So I have to find the key that opens the door. There's a crap-load of keys though, so any one of them could be the one I need to obtain so that I can slow Quirrell down.' She also knew that she didn't have too much time before the traitorous teacher appeared, and so she had to act fast. There was no way in hell that she would be able to look at a door and tell what kind of key unlocked it. That would be something that Ryoko would know. So, she decided try and pull a Washu and use her laptop to try and figure it out.

Positioning the device in front of the lock, she gave it a command to scan it- quickly. She watched a holographic image appear on her screen of what the key might look like. Turning her head towards the keys, she spotted the large silver key, and she also noted that the feathers were a vibrant rainbow color. Silently thanking Washu for taking her on as a student and giving her Stringy 2.0, Ranma quickly charged for the key and grabbed hold of it before the thing knew that she was on it. Her new task was to figure out just how to slow down Quirrell. Her eyes darted to a corner of the room where pieces of stone were lying flat on the ground. A grin appeared on her lips as she made her way to the rubble and placed the struggling key under a couple of the rocks. She made sure that it was visible, but not enough so that someone could spot it right away. She then merged into the wall and waited.

The cat-girl couldn't have finished a second sooner as Quirrell stepped into the chamber and glanced up at the keys. The traitor walked over to the brooms near the wall and used one to fly up into the swarm of winged keys. It seemed as if he knew the key that he was looking for, but couldn't find it amongst the wildly moving tools. Ranma watched as Quirrell started to lose his patience after almost 15 minutes of searching for the right key. The turban-wearer lowered down and landed with his feet on the floor before beginning to smash the bristle end of the broom against the floor in annoyance. His abuse of the broom ended when a couple of the keys flew passed his vision and halted near a pile of fallen rocks. On closer inspection, Quirrell noticed something silver with rainbow wings struggling to get out from under the rubble. "Oh you've got to be kidding me." He grumbled as Ranma watched him stomp over to the struggling key.

'I was hoping he would take longer and lose his temper completely.' Ranma thought in annoyance before leaving the chamber. 'Well, at least I'm having fun.' She added as she entered the next chamber. The first things she noticed, besides the place being pitch black, were a platform and two sets of life-sized figurines. When the lights suddenly flashed on - and after Ranma rubbed her eyes because of the sudden brightness, - the redhead noted that the life-sized figures were actually chess pieces. The color that was closest to her appeared to be black, and if she were to hazard a guess, the next challenge would involve playing a game of chess. Deciding to examine the pieces before figuring out how to stall for time, Ranma stepped in front of one of the black pawns and traced a hand over its featureless face.

The sound of footsteps from the hall before the chamber assaulted her ears, and Ranma decided to quickly merge with the pawn as Quirrell entered. The turban-wearing traitor examined the room before walking up to the bishop. The bishop's head glanced at the man who tapped it on the shoulder. The bishop then moved away and allowed Quirrell to take its place. The traitor's first action was to have the pawn that Ranma merged with to move a step forward. Ranma gave a silent curse as she attempted to control the pawn's movements. Matter manipulation was a masu ability that she still had problems with, and so - as she tried to step forward, - she lost control of the right stone leg and fell flat-faced onto the chess board.

"What the hell are you doing?" Quirrell snapped in both outrage and annoyance. "Get back up and do what you are supposed to do, idiot!"

Ranma would have outright attacked him if it weren't for the fact that she was trying to be secretive. 'I think I might know a way to delay him, though.' Ranma thought as she left the pawn and entered another piece. As she watched Quirrell command pieces, the cat-girl noted the glazed look that the man would sometimes get before ordering around another chess figure.

Quirrell may have been doing a great job of commanding the pieces, but he couldn't control how clumsy each seemed to be. He noted the many times a certain piece would stumble or almost fall, and even felt angered when a piece wouldn't follow his exact orders. He figured that the pieces might have been getting rusty from standing still in such a dark and damp place for so long. It was known, however, that a set of Wizard's Chess could last for decades before possibly going bad. Perhaps the magic placed upon the game wasn't powerful enough to work for a long period of time. Whatever the case, he found that it was really pissing him off.

After about an hour and ten minutes, Ranma could see that Quirrell was just a few moments from winning the game. She then decided to leave and prepare for the next chamber and the possible ways that she could slow the traitor down.

As Ranma stepped foot into the next area, a smell, so foul and disgusting that caused her to step back and retreat from the room, assaulted her nose. 'Gah,' she thought with a series of gags, 'the stench in that place is ten times as worse than the smell in the place that Fluffy's in.' She spent a moment to recover from what her sensitive nose picked up, and then she pulled out a handkerchief. Ranma then proceeded to tie it around the lower portion of her face to cover her nose and mouth. Once that was finished, the cat-girl re-entered the room and began to walk cautiously towards the other side. Her eyes and ears searched the darkness for any sign of movement as she went. The first sign came from the sound of something walking - no, lumbering - around. Ears twisting and turning to get a bead on the exact location, Ranma soon found her danger sense screaming at her to get away. Listening to the feeling proved to be the right thing to do, because just as she jumped, a club came down and smashed the area where she previously had been.

Landing on her feet about a meter and a half away, Ranma spun around and- stared up at possibly the largest - and ugliest - troll she had ever seen. "What the hell kind of vitamins did they give you?" The cat-girl asked in shock. The troll didn't answer her question; it merely raised its large club and charged towards her with a desire to cave her head in. It missed Ranma completely as the cat-girl dodged to the side, and then jumped over a wide horizontal swing. Ranma landed on top of the monster's balding head and bent forward so that her face was level with the troll's. "C'mon big and brutish, you're never going to hit me with that slow speed of yours." She ended the taunt with a raspberry. This angered the gigantic creature even more and caused it to put all of its energy into slamming the club in its hands into the back of the annoying cat-girl's head. The troll would regret this action later on when its prey vanished to allow it to take the full force of the blow.

Ranma watched as the monstrous creature seemed to just stand there with its club against its head for a long moment. Then, all at once, the troll started to crumple over and fall into a heap on the floor. 'I almost feel sorry for the big lug.' A split-second later, Ranma slapped herself on the forehead. 'Damn, Quirrell is probably expecting this troll to appear, and if he finds out that it is already knocked out…' She trailed off as she attempted to figure out a solution to her problem. It didn't take long for an idea came. Pointing her hand towards the fallen troll, she called out the spell for Wingardium Leviosa. The troll - with an incredible struggle - was lifted up off the ground and onto its feet. Her next action would require a bit of concentration to accomplish. With her other hand - while still having Wingardium Leviosa in use, - Ranma struggled to create a second spell at the same time. It took a moment of trial and error, but she managed to gather some ice magic into her hand. It wasn't much, and it was very weak, but it would still do the job. 'I'm going to have to practice doing this. Trying to maintain two spells shoots my concentration to hell.' She thought as a bead of sweat fell down the side of her face.

Using the weak ice magic, Ranma managed to encase the troll in a thin, and slightly strong, sheet of ice. After the process was complete, Ranma dropped to her knees in an effort to catch her breath. 'Note to self: Refrain from doing that until enough practice has been done.' Shakily getting to her feet, Ranma made her way behind the trollcicle and watched as Quirrell entered the room. Gathering all of the energy she could muster at the moment, the cat-girl sent the frozen troll sliding on a collision course with the turban-wearing traitor. As she made her way to the exit, she heard the loud scream of Quirrell before a loud crash was heard. It also sounded as if the teacher was cursing out the troll for trying to run him over in a charge, and for being so stupid as to run into the wall and knock itself out.

Stepping into the next room, Ranma noted that it didn't seem all that interesting. On the table in the middle of the room were seven different potion bottles. Each of the bottles was a different size and shape. Curious about what the trial could be about, the cat-girl walked over and came to a roll of paper. Just as she made it to the paper, a wall of purple flames shot to life in the doorway from where she had come from. The exit of the room also lit up in flames, but these were black in color. Ignoring the fire, Ranma glanced down and began reading. After a moment, she dropped the paper onto the desk. "Oh crap, it's a logic puzzle!" She almost felt like beating herself on the side of the head. No matter how many times she tried to solve such things in the past, she couldn't do it. Even after all the years she spent with Washu as a teacher, she had never been able to grasp just how to do these things. She could probably solve it in time after a while of thinking, but she didn't have that kind of time.

'Ah screw it, I'm not going to bother with messing around on this challenge. It's hard enough without it.' Deciding to just go on ahead to the next room, she walked over to the onyx fire and called forth a Raywing. After she passed through the short wall of flames, they died down, and she continued on into the next chamber. To Ranma, the chamber was a simple circular room with nothing of interest. There was, however, a tall mirror on the far end of the room. There was a feeling of recognition in the back of her mind as she walked up to the mirror. As she got closer, she was able to recognize the Mirror of Erised. She briefly wondered why the mirror was here of all places, but then her curiosity to look into the mirror took over all other thoughts.

Glancing onto the reflective surface, Ranma watched as the image distorted and changed before revealing the image that apparently represented her inner-most desire. As the cat-girl stared at the image reflected back, she couldn't help but find truth in it. 'That actually is something I wish after this entire mess and year.' She thought to herself.

The image in the mirror that she saw was her lying peacefully on an empty beach and sunbathing underneath a warm sun as her arms were spread out wide, and her ears and tail twitched in utter content. Lying next to her and equally content was Laira. The waves of the ocean crashed against the outer rocks in the water far from the sand, and the clouds drifted silently in the sky above. The scene seemed so peaceful, serene, and unobstructed by all the annoyances in the world that Ranma wished nothing more than to jump into the mirror and experience it for herself. 'Why does my mirror self get to enjoy the complete peace under the sunbeams?' She thought with a slight whine as she continued to watch the scene.

Ranma finally tore herself away from the image by turning around. As she turned around, she noticed that someone was starting to come out of the black fire that she didn't know started back up. Glancing around for a hiding spot, the cat-girl finally decided to jump and hide behind the mirror. She couldn't see what was happening, but she could hear the footsteps of Quirrell coming closer.

The sound of feet against stone halted right near the mirror. The next thing she heard was Quirrell's' voice as the man contemplated the mirror. "What exactly do I do now?" his voice asked in confusion as he stood. Before Ranma could hear anything else, the loud shout of a voice that she was sure belonged to Harry made itself known. Ranma hid there and listened to Quirrell talk on about how he was responsible for all the terrible things that Harry and his friends thought Snape had done. "Now, wait quietly Potter as I examine this interesting mirror. It is the key to finding the stone." Quirrell gave a 'hmm' as he tapped around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this… but he's in London. I'll be far away by the time he gets back."

Ranma quickly merged into the mirror as Quirrell walked around the mirror and answered Harry's comments without any real interest. The man spent a few moments tapping on the back of the mirror, but to no avail. He then walked back to the front of the mirror and stared almost hungrily into the glass as he answered Harry about Snape's hatred for the boy. "I see the stone… I'm presenting it to my master, but where IS it?" He leaned in so that his face was almost touching the glass. "Something is supposed to happen with the mirror after I see the stone." Something did happen, but it wasn't what Quirrell, nor Harry, expected. A fist suddenly jetted out from the reflective surface of the mirror and smashed right into Quirrell's face. The traitorous man flew back a few feet and landed on his back. Clutching his face in pain, he started screaming about his nose being broken.

"Aw c'mon, you're supposed to be a big bad villain." Ranma taunted as she came out of the mirror. "A villain isn't supposed to go down after the first punch."

"Lina?" Harry asked in complete surprise. "How… when… why are you down here?" He had never expected to see the redhead down here. In fact, now that he thought about it, Harry hadn't seen her since they were at the tree several hours ago.

"Dat's whad I'd like ta dow." Quirrell demanded as he held his broken nose. There was a small trickle of blood flowing out from the left nostril.

Ranma answered them with a shrug. "I hid on the roof as you, Hermione, and Weasley confronted Hagrid about the one who gave him the dragon egg. I then had Laira follow you three and report back with information on what you three decide to do. You know, you kind of really suck at keeping things secret." Harry winced at the remark. "It's okay though. Not everyone can spot a small creature that can move through walls and has incredible hearing." Ranma cleared her throat to get back on track. "Anyway, after you three left, I went and visited fluffy and spent two hours and twenty minutes with him waiting for Sir Broken-nose over there."

"Wait," both Harry said as Quirrell attempted to fix his nose, "What do you mean that you spent two-and-a-half hours with Fluffy? That thing's a vicious monster."

"Actually, he acts like a playful puppy when he's around me." The cat-girl said in complete seriousness. This earned her a couple of incredulous stares. "After Broken-nose appeared, I followed him and made sure that he wouldn't have an easy time getting through the challenges. Watching him struggle and lose his patience was the highlight of my night."

"IT WAS YOU?" Quirrell shouted as he jumped to his feet. "You were the one who almost caused me to get strangled by the Devil's Snare? You hid the key under the rubble? You caused my chess game to take longer than it should? You tossed that troll at me? You-"

"Yes, yes, it was me. I'm the guilty party." Ranma interrupted as she held up her arms. "Wow, I sound like I'm the big bad villain here." The cat-girl said to herself before shaking her head.

Harry decided to pop in his two cents worth. "You won't be able to get the stone now, Quirrell. Both of us won't let you get it."

'Wow, talk about corny.' Ranma thought as the side of her lips twitched. 'Next thing you know, Quirrell will be-'

"Oh please, Potter," the turbaned traitor began as he turned his back to look directly at Harry, "do you honestly think that I don't have a few tricks up my sleeve? I'm a far older and wiser wizard than you."

'I can't take this anymore.' The cat-girl grumbled as her hands began to glow a bluish color. She then tossed her arms forward and watched as the spell headed for Quirrell's back. Ranma cursed when the man somehow knew it was coming and jumped out of the way. The spell continued on and ended up hitting Harry. Ranma scratched the back of her head and gave a nervous laugh. "Err… sorry about that, Harry. You're alright, aren't you?" She asked as she walked forward and stopped a few feet away from the boy.

"Baah!" The boy-now-sheep-who-lived shouted in complete shock at finding himself transformed. He was still sporting his glasses, and there was still a lightning mark on his forehead. "BAAH!"

"Hey, calm down, I'll turn you back right away!" With a quick motion and a flash of blue light, Harry found himself back to his normal self. Giving a large sigh in relief, the Potter boy got back up to his feet. "Look on the bright side. At least I didn't turn you into a chicken. If I did, you'd probably become known as Harry Clucker." Ranma knew the joke was bad, and decided to just drop it.

Harry checked himself over to see if he really was back to normal. He then glanced back up at the redhead in front of him with wide eyes. "Lina, how did you do- LOOK OUT!" The warning caused Ranma to turn around and see that Quirrell had his wand pointed directly at her, and it was too late to move out of the way before she was hit by a spell. Harry watched as the redhead's form changed and shrank, and when the process was done, the bespectacled boy was looking down at a mouse with red fur and dual-colored eyes. Said mouse examined herself before turning to Quirrell and giving off a few angry squeaks.

"It seems like such a fitting form for you. Now, I think you just might be easier to get rid of." The turban-wearing man stated simply as he shot off another spell from the top of his wand. Just as it was about to hit Ranma, Harry scooped her up and jumped out of the way. "Damn it." Quirrell cursed.

Coming to a halt, Harry looked down at Ranma. "Um… do you think you will be able to reverse this, Lina? I think I might still need your help." He was worried that the girl wouldn't be able transform back and would be stuck in the mouse form she was currently in. The answer he received was a annoyed look that asked 'what, you think I'm completely helpless?'

"Quit fooling around… use the boy." A voice that almost sounded as if it came from Quirrell stated in a weakly voice. This caused both Harry and Ranma to glance curiously at the man. "Ignore the girl for now… she is too helpless to be a problem. The priority is the… stone." Where the voice came from was no longer of interest to Ranma. She was more interested in running over there and biting the bastard… hard.

"Yes- you are right." Quirrell quickly responded before motioning to Harry. "Potter- come here, and leave that vermin behind."

Harry had to restrain Ranma from jumping out of his hands and charging at the man and his odd second voice. "Lina, try to figure out how to turn back." Harry whispered as he set the mouse on the floor and walked towards the mirror. The red-furred mouse then scurried to a corner of the room.

'Lai,' Ranma called out through the mental link her and her daughter shared, 'I need you to do something for me.'

'What is it, momma?' Laira asked from the other side of the connection.

'I've been transformed into a mouse.' She could feel Laira's worry building. 'I want you to grab my wand, come to where I am, and use as much magic as you can to transform me back.' Ranma watched as Harry looked into the mirror, and then noticed that the expression on the boy's face as he slowly reached into his pocket. 'Did he get it?' Ranma asked herself as she watched.

'I'm here, momma!' Laira announced as she appeared right in front of the mouse. The cabbit was currently in her humanoid form so that she could properly use the wand. Laira caught sight of her mother's current form, and Ranma soon found her being picked up by the young cabbit. 'You're so cute as a mouse!' The purple-haired cabbit mentally squealed as she began to pet her mother.

'LAIRA!' The yell over the mental connection caused the cabbit to drop Ranma. 'This is no time to be distracted!'

'You don't have to shout, momma.' Laira answered back as she tapped her fingers together and pouted her lips. 'I couldn't help it, you were just so cute!'

Mouse-Ranma slapped a paw to her forehead. 'Forget it, just point the wand towards me and try to draw as much magic as you can. Then, I want you to concentrate on turning me back to normal.' Ranma knew it was too simple an explanation, but hoped that the young cabbit would be able to pull it off. Harry looked like he might need a little help because of Quirrell - who revealed that the head of Voldemort was on the back of his and was hidden under the turban - advancing towards him.

'Ok, momma, here goes nothing.' Laira stated in confidence as she began gathering her magic into the wand. When Laira figured that she had enough to put into the spell, she pointed the wand at Ranma and concentrated on what she wanted to happen. Letting loose the magic, the cabbit watched as the spell hit Ranma and managed to turn the mouse back into a cat-girl. 'I'm going to miss your mouse form, momma.' Laira pouted with her arms crossed.

'Uh… let's discuss this later, ok?' The redhead asked before turning away and heading for the battle between Harry and the weirdoes… if you could call it a battle. Quirrell was holding on to Harry as Harry was holding onto him, and they seemed to be both in pain. Deciding to file it away for later, Ranma leapt and landed a jump-kick to the side of Quirrellmort's head. As the body skidded away, Ranma turned her attention to Harry. The boy seemed to be winded and unsteady on his feet. "So," Ranma began as she watched the one she kicked standing up, "you have the stone?"

"Yeah" Harry stated weakly. He felt more pain coursing through him than he had ever felt.

"Give the stone to me." Ranma said as she held out a hand. "I have a plan to prevent him from getting it." Harry hesitated for a moment before painfully reaching into his pocket. He then brought out a small and blood red stone and placed it into Ranma's open hand.

"Give me the stone!" Voldemort shouted in outrage as Quirrell started to take steps towards the two.

Ranma raised an eyebrow in the duo's direction. "Now tell me why I should do a stupid thing like that…Lord Moldy-wart." Quirrell stopped in his tracks, and both his face and Voldemort's turned a shade of color. Quirrell's turned pure white, while the latter's face became red in indignation and anger. Even Harry was completely silent at the insult.

"What did you call me… you impudent child?" The face asked in a voice that was so cold and low, it could freeze fire itself.

"Well," Ranma began as she scratched her chin. "You do look like a mold-covered wart festering on the back wimpy-man's head. Is it any wonder he had to wear a turban to hide your disgusting mug?"

"How dare you? I am the great Lord-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, I've heard the whole superiority act from people countless of times. Lord Voldemort: the so called most fearsome dark wizard in the entire wizarding world." Ranma's casual dismissal had the effect of pissing both Quirrell and Voldemort off even more. "But really, how 'great' and 'all powerful' can one be when trying to kill babies is something they are known for. Hell, you were DEFEATED by an infant. Not a good thing to have on your evil wizard resume, buddy." Ranma proceeded to pull her eyelid down and stick out her tongue. "You're talking to the one who will become the greatest and most awesome mage in the entire wizarding world. I'll becomes so great that everyone will forget all about you and say 'Volde-who'. I'll even do it without the use of a wand- something not even you can do, Voldy." Holding out her hand, Ranma allowed a fireball to spring to life. "See what I can do? It's way better than relying on that puny little stick." She allowed the ball of fire to dissipate.

"Master?" Quirrell asked in fear of his master's full anger coming out into the open.

Harry made a wise decision of moving several feet away from the area as Voldemort finally snapped. "You little bitch! I'LL KILL YOU AND PRY THE STONE FROM YOUR DEAD FINGERS!"

Ranma held the Philosopher's Stone between her index finger and thumb. "Is this thing really that important? I mean, sure it would turn you back to life, but how long before the next infant turns you back into your current state?" She dodged a lunge that was meant for her neck. "I wonder." She said out loud. "What would happen if I were to destroy this stone right in front of you?"

"Y- You wouldn't dare!" Voldemort stated in utter fear. He then decided that his best bet would to play on the two desires that almost every human has. "Y- You know how priceless that stone is, right? You could create mountains of gold, and the amount of elixir created from it could keep you alive for eternity!" Perhaps he could cause the girl a bout of indecisiveness, and then pry it from her hands. "Think of it, child. Forever young with all the riches you could create…"

Harry was hoping that the cat-girl didn't have any greed like her brother did. After a moment of silence from Ranma, he was about to do something when she spoke. "That… is why I'm going to get rid of it." Quickly turning around, Ranma called for Laira. "Hey, Lai, it's snack time!" Her daughter leapt to her feet and watched as the cat-girl lobbed it into her direction.

"NOOOOOOO!" Voldemort yelled as he watched helplessly as the odd humanoid child snatched the stone out of mid-air and gobbled it down; he didn't even question how the thing could eat it. All he could feel was complete rage as he commanded Quirrell to kill Ranma. Quirrell didn't get to even raise his wand as Harry jumped him and held on to his face. The scream of pain that erupted from the man caused Ranma to cover her ears. She watched as Quirrell managed to find the strength to push Harry off and send the boy flying onto his butt. The bespectacled boy was furiously rubbing his eyes and forehead. Ranma turned her head and saw the former teacher trying to right himself as Voldemort kept yelling.

Deciding to capitalize on the situation, the cat-girl rushed forward and proceeded to attack with a Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken combined with a little of the Lightning Fist that she had been practicing with. Hundreds of electrical charged punches reigned down on Quirrell, and the scream that began when Ranma began punching, ended after what seemed like a long moment. Stepping back, Ranma watched as Quirrell crumpled to the ground.

"Is he… dead?" Harry's voice asked with a slight nervousness behind it. He had never had a hand in killing anyone before, and the very thought of doing it just sounded so alien.

"No," Ranma answered back as she closed her eyes and concentrated on her ears. "I can still hear a faint heartbeat. He's alive, but barely." She also noticed something else that seemed off. "It also seems as if Voldemort has escaped."

"What?" Harry asked in surprise. He was feeling a little tired from the accumulation of the event and how late it was. The idea of Voldemort escaping was not something that played gently on the mind.

"I can't see him on the back of Quirrell's head, and I can't sense him anywhere close by." She noticed the worrying look on the boy's face. "Hey, don't worry about it. The guy must still be weak. Besides, if both of us were able to beat his non-existent moldy ass once, then we could both do it again later on. The best thing to do right now would be to get a nice long rest." Ranma stated as she allowed Laira - in her normal form - to jump up onto her head. "How was the stone, Lai?"

"It was kind of bitter." Laira responded with a grimace. "I think it also gave me a small tummy ache."

Ranma was about to respond when the sound of someone huffing entered into the room. It was Dumbledore, and the elderly wizard was attempting to catch his breath as he glanced around the room. His aged eyes first traveled to Quirrell, then to Ranma and Laira, and they finally rested on Harry - who was leaning next to the way with his eyes closed. "I'm not too late, am I?" Dumbledore asked in a worrying voice.

"Harry's find; he's just tired and exhausted from the whole thing."

Dumbledore calmed down some, but was still on edge. "What about the Philosopher's Stone?"

Ranma motioned to the cabbit on her head. "I had Laira eat and absorb it. You could say that the stone has been destroyed." A small burp exited from said cabbit's mouth. "And it gave her an upset tummy." She actually added with seriousness and without batting an eye.

"What about-"

"Voldemort escaped, and Quirrell just kicked the bucket a second before you arrived." Ranma may have been witness to and had a hand in killing a few crazed and evil beings during her stay at the Masaki house-hold, but it was something that she'd still rather avoid unless it was necessary. "C'mon old fart, let's get out of here. I'll fill you in on what happened. You'll have to get Harry's side of the story, though." Ranma said as she walked over and picked up the sleeping Harry. She then leveled a look towards the elderly wizard. "I also have a few things to ask you about later on, Dumbledore." The bearded-man nodded as they made their way out of the chambers.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dumbledore and Ranma sat in silence as both stared at each other and waited for one to start speaking. They had just dropped the sleeping form of Harry off at the Hospital Wing. The headmaster believed that his office would have been a better place for the two to talk. After they had arrived, and Ranma explained what she knew, it seemed like almost an eternity before anything else was said. Dumbledore then decided to break the ice. "So, what did you want to talk about, Ranma?"

"Yeah, there's something I've been wondering for a little while." Ranma admitted as she scratched Laira on the head. "You were aware that Quirrell knew that the Philosopher's Stone was in the school, and you knew that he knew where it was roughly being hidden. You were also aware that Quirrell and Voldemort were in cahoots to get the stone, and yet you did nothing to prevent him from doing anything. Why didn't you just solve the problem before it got too out of hand?" She raised her hand before the man could speak. "Also, don't give me any of that bullshit about there 'being no reasonable evidence'. You could have pulled out some Veritaserum and snuck it to him or something."

"Ah, so you know about Veritaserum?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I read about it a couple months ago." Ranma answered without missing a beat. "That's beside the point, though. I want to know why you put the whole school in danger and allowed a powerful and dark wizard to run around freely through the use of his meat-puppet. If he would have found the stone-"

"Neither Quirrell nor Voldemort would have been able to get the stone, Ranma." At the 12-year-old's questioning look, Dumbledore decided to explain further. "It was a brilliant idea on my part to make it so that only someone who wanted to FIND the stone would obtain it. If the person wanted to USE it, then it wouldn't appear for them."

"So what would happen if Voldemort or Quirrell just wanted to FIND the stone at the moment? Yeah, I can see that turning out exactly as you hoped." Ranma didn't wait for Dumbledore to say anything. "What about the three 11 to 12-year-olds who managed to make their way through your so-called security system? If three normal children can make their way merrily through, then what's to stop a powerful dark wizard and his puppet from doing the same? I know a woman who understands a few things about security - mostly because she spent years breaking through them. She would laugh her ass off at the whole thing if she heard about it." She stopped when Dumbledore raised his hand.

"You bring up several points regarding the way that I kept the Philosopher's Stone away from Voldemort. It was crucial, however, so that young Harry could learn the truth and prevent-" He was interrupted from his speech when Ranma stood up and slammed her hands onto the desk.

"What's with all this 'so that young Harry could learn the truth and prevent' crap that you're spewing? Are you telling me that you actually knew and anticipated that Harry - a boy no older than 11 - would traverse through challenges that could have killed him just so he could come face to face with, and try to stop, the guy who tried to murder him as a baby?"

"Ranma, there are many truths that neither you nor anyone else are aware of. Harry needed to learn about what was happening, and he was the one who needed to face Voldemort, for he has a special gift left to him by his mother that allows him to survive against Voldemort."

"You mean like that weird thing where if he touched Quirrell, or Quirrell touched him, it would cause pain?" Ranma asked as she remembered seeing that happen a couple times down in the chamber.

Dumbledore nodded his head. "He has a protection around him, Ranma. I won't go into specifics, but it is something he gained from his mother when she was murdered by Voldemort. Because of that, Voldemort - and by extension the one who's body he inhabits - won't be able to touch him due to pain. This is why Harry's involvement was necessary, and since he managed to get the stone before Voldemort, then everything worked out as it should have. I didn't expect, however, that the stone would end up being eaten." The old man stated with a sigh as he glanced at the small cabbit lying in Ranma's arms. Laira still seemed to have a mild upset stomach, and would occasionally let loose some gas from either end.

"Yeah, well, tell Flamel that his stone will be put to good use. It'll increase Laira's energy reserves and allow her to accomplish a lot more as soon as it fully assimilates with her." Ranma gave Dumbledore a leveled glare. "Back on the subject though. Did you honestly believe that as long as Harry accomplished the goal that you hoped he would, then it didn't matter what else happened? Innocent students could have DIED, Dumbledore. Did you honestly think about that? Hell, what if Harry, Ron, or Hermione died down there? Do you think you could have looked at yourself in a mirror after that?" Ranma stopped after noticing the weary look on Dumbledore. The twinkle in his eyes was gone, and he looked far older than he usually did. Ranma mentally smacked herself for somehow putting her foot in her mouth. "Err… sorry about what I said just now."

"Throughout our lifetime," Dumbledore began in a voice that sounded tired, "we humans are prone to making mistakes, and many times when we try to correct them, we end up making things worse. The only thing we can then do is to try and continue on and prevent a minimal of damage." Taking off his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore proceeded to rub his eyes. "You may believe that what I'm doing is wrong, but it is something I must do to ensure that things don't get worse. Harry is going to have to fully face Voldemort someday, and so it is best for him to figure out and face his fears so that he can prevail."

"That doesn't make it any less messed up, though." Ranma grumbled out as her ears twitched. "Still, it's not like he's the only one who has things to settle with Moldy-wart. I still owe him for killing me, and I'm not going to let Harry finish him off before I get a chance to give him a good ass-kicking."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Moldy-wart? Well, I must say that it is an amusing name, and there are probably many people who do not fear him that would say it." His eyes gained back the twinkle that he always seemed to have. "I can only imagine how he might act if that name actually became common."

"Probably blow a gasket or something." Ranma replied with a chuckle. She still had some issues with the elderly wizard's way of operating with things, but decided to just drop it for now. She also figured that it was probably time to leave, and so she headed for the door. Before she exited, she left Dumbledore with some words of advice. "Oh, and old fart, could we just keep my activities a secret? I've had too much needless attention over the school year, and I don't need anymore. If you do mention it, though, I'm going to kick your ass clear to the 10th moon of Jupiter. Got it?"

"Loud and clear."

"Also, make sure that Harry doesn't tell anyone about me being down there either. I want some peace, and I'm not going to get it if everyone keeps bugging me to tell them crap that happened." She then exited through the door and made her way to someplace quiet where she could sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Students piling through the doors to the Great hall a few days later for the end-of-year feast that would start in a few moments watched in confusion as Ranma stood near the doors. Normally, someone sitting wouldn't earn a bunch of stares, but when the person is standing and holding a yarn ball-shaped device and mumbling small curses, one tends to wonder. However, since it was a certain cat-girl who was being weird, nobody really stayed for too long before heading into the Great Hall. "Damn it, why can't I ever get that stupid plumber to listen to me when I tell him to jump?" Ranma mumbled and caused a few students to sweat-drop.

"Lina! How is that computer working properly here at Hogwarts!" A confused and shocked Hermione shouted as she appeared next to Ranma. Said cat-girl didn't realize she was there and ended up jumping and clinging to the ceiling. Ranma glanced down to see that Hermione was looking right at her with a look that said 'I want some answers, now'. Next to her were Ron and a completely well-rested Harry. "I know that it was working on the train back from winter break, and I know that you said it would work here at Hogwarts, but I've never even seen you use it before! Electronics aren't supposed to work here, so how exactly can your computer work, and why haven't you used it?"

Ranma dropped down from the ceiling and noticed that a small group of people were staring. Ignoring the stares, she turned her attention back to Hermione. "I have been using it, Hermione. I've used it to check for e-mail, learn the information that Washu wanted me to, play games, and various other things. The reason you haven't seen me use it is because I usually try to use it when I'm alone." She then added the next part under her breath. "Because the old fart and several of the teachers decided that using it too much around the students would be bad for some reason." Ranma didn't understand what the problem was. Many of these kids would have been better off if they learned a few things about electronics. "When it comes to technology, only a few can ever hope to pass Washu."

"Um- Lina- during the summer break, could I meet Washu again? I only saw her for a few minutes at the train when we were first coming to Hogwarts." If the woman could make such an interesting computer for the cat-girl, then maybe she could make one for her as well. The redhead had also mentioned that Washu had acted as her teacher for several years, and so maybe there were a few things Hermione could learn from the woman.

Ranma thought for a moment as she put Stringy 2.0 away. "Sure, I was thinking about asking you if you wanted to go and meet Washu." Hermione's eyes became big and starry. "You'll have to wait until the second month, though. Like I told you, I have to spend the first one with my mum. I'm also going to see if Gosaria and Nashigi can come as well."

"Oohohohohohohohooo," the obvious laugh of the girl known as Nashigi sounded through the halls. The dark-haired girl then appeared on Ranma's right, and Gosaria appeared on Ranma's left. "Of course we'll be able to come, Lina. I know I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Yeah, I want to come with you and see what these people are actually like!" Gosaria announced with a large smile upon her face. "Oh! We need to hurry up, the end-of-year feast is about to begin!" The blonde shouted as Nashigi and she pulled Ranma away and into the Great Hall. As she was being dragged, Ranma wondered if she had actually made the right decision, and hoped it was something she wouldn't end up regretting.

As she sat down, Ranma noted all the green that was strung around, and the subdued atmosphere that accompanied the three other tables. The atmosphere at her table felt like the exact opposite. She figured it was due to the points score, and wondered why people seemed so interested in some petty little award that would only belong to one house for a year before being won by another. Then again, Slytherin had the cup for seven years already. 'Whatever, it's just a useless little thing.' She thought as she waited for the food to come. Ranma then realized - when Dumbledore got up to speak - that it would be a little while before the meal started. Deciding to ignore most of what the elderly wizard was saying, Ranma placed her elbow on the table and laid her cheek on her hand.

The old wizard talked on about the house cup, and something about points needing to be re-evaluated. Ranma then watched as Dumbledore awarded points to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville. The result was that Gryffindor moved ahead of Slytherin, and so the hanging colors turned into red and gold. The atmosphere of the tables was then flip-flopped as a few Slytherins shouted about how it wasn't fair. "It's just a useless cup." Ranma stated after a few more Slytherins whined about unfairness. "I'm just waiting for them to get this ruddy feast started."

"Yeah!" Gosaria and Nashigi stated as the same time. As if to answer their desire, a feast that matched both the Halloween and start-of-year feasts appeared in front of them. The usual 'three-way-food-battle-that-could-cause-you-to-lose-your-fingers-if-you-weren't-careful' commenced with gusto.

"Damn it, why must you three always be so bloody messy when you eat?" Pansy yelled out in annoyance as she tried to eat her own food.

"Becauf da hood ith so guhd."

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Another Slytherin shouted in annoyance.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ranma went over her exam results again as she boarded the train to go home. Her best grades were in History of Magic, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Astrology where she got full marks. She was missing a couple marks in Potions and Transfiguration, and her worst subject was obviously Herbology. The last one didn't surprise her considering how much at war she usually was with most of the stupid plants she had to work with. All in all, she was fully satisfied with her scores. Ranma gave a quick look at Gosaria and Nashigi.

Gosaria had full marks in Potions and Herbology. History of Magic and Transfiguration were her worst subjects, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Astrology were mixed somewhere in between.

Nashigi had full marks in Potions, Transfiguration, and something called Divination. Her worst subjects were something else called Care for Magical Creatures, History of Magic, and Herbology. Charms, Astrology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts were somewhere in between.

Draco had also shown Ranma his scores. Her brother's top scores were in Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Herbology. He also didn't do too bad in Transfiguration and Astrology. His lowest subject, though, was History of Magic.

The only other person that Ranma knew got a perfect in History of Magic was Hermione, and the bushy-haired girl apparently had the highest grades of any first year.

'I don't even want to know what kind of concentration that takes to even accomplish.' Ranma thought as she reached up and scratched Laira on the head. 'Ah well, there's no need to think about it. I can finally have a nice long break to rest up.'

'And we can also spend it with grandma Narcissa!' Laira announced loudly. This caused a slight sweat-drop to appear on Ranma's head.

'Yeah… you know, maybe it won't be so bad to spend this time with her.' Ranma answered back as she took her seat by the window. 'I just hope she doesn't go overboard again on trying to turn me into a 'cute and adorable' daughter, and also attempting to make me into a 'proper Malfoy'.' Her eye twitched slightly in remembrance of that event. 'Who would have thought that a woman who can be so snobby and full of herself could have such a large 'cute complex'?'

Laira shivered as she remembered the same event. 'Let's just not think about it and try to get through the month, momma.' Ranma nodded as she watched out the window. At the moment, she felt as if she really didn't care, as long as her mother was happy for the month that she promised to spend with her.

'Damn it, I'm too much of a nice person.' Ranma thought in annoyance. Laira actually answered her with a snort of laughter. 'What? I am!' Her daughter continued to laugh. 'I get no respect. See if I let you have carrots for the next couple of weeks.'

'Momma, that's not fair!'

Wow, so 'Book 1' is finally finished. I think I actually did a nice job in accomplishing something. Now we're getting into the summer vacation, and I have a few ideas for the sub-storyline. I hope I'm not the only one who thinks that Hermione meeting Washu can result in complete disaster.