When Touhou met Harry Potter | Book 2

Chapter 7

Alice Margatroid didn't know what to expect. For one, she simply wanted to try teaching, a job Marisa said would be perfect for her. And she was indeed excited to try so.

Until she realized she looked young.

Too young...

She looked like a fifth year, yet she called herself a twenty-fourth year old.

She is actually...

You know what? Never ask a girl her age.

Not ever.

Never.

Got it? :)

Back to normal matters, when she came back from her stroll in the forest, she saw a student knock on the door to her room. Immediately, she stayed quiet, making sure the pupil didn't see her. She sensed that Shanghai opened the door to them.

With her dolls inside, she knew exactly what was going on, as if she was in there herself. She then leaned against the wall arms crossed (Marisa told her she looks badass, ok?). The student now identified as Hermione Granger shuffled out quietly.

"So, what exactly are you doing here?" Alice asked.

Hermione jumped, her hand close to her sleeve, where she conceived her wand.

"P-Professor!" She stuttered.

That was when the puppeteer noticed the lump of metal in her arms. It was a cauldron. A meowing cauldron with a feline tail. Alice quirked an eyebrow.

Hermione regained her composure and said, "I found my lost cat outside, but one of your dolls turned him into a cauldron!"

Alice nodded, "Ah, I apologize,"

She raised her wand, assuming that the brunette wanted her to undo the spell. However, Hermione leaned her cauldron cat away from her.

"No thank you," She said and walked away, "I'll do it myself,"

Alice stared at the retreating back at her student. She felt a tear making it's way onto her cheek. All she ever wanted... perhaps was interacting with humans. She had never had the chance to interact much with humans other than Marisa.

Honestly, everyone in Gensokyo is quite close. Everyone's on a first name basis. You don't hear Reimu calling Remilia 'Scarlet', even though they weren't very familiar at the time. The puppeteer brushed the tear away. She'll have to do it. What would her mother say if she were here?

Alice entered the stage of grief at the thought of her mother. That day that Reimu decided that Makai and other lands were too dangerous... she created Gensokyo. She made a land sealed from all the others. Yet, she never thought of the impact it had on the other lands. 

She remembered the day her mother ushered her to run. She remembered the day her mother's tear stricken face. She remembered the feeling of losing her only parent. She remembered feeling the wave of energy that went over herself. She remembered the feeling of losing something important that the wave washed away. 

She wasn't the young princess of Makai. 

She was a mere puppeteer youkai residing in the Forest of Magic.

Sensing her mistress was in a bad mood, Shanghai flew out with a tissue and gently wiped the falling tears off of her face. Alice gave a weak smile at her doll.

"I'll have to continue... there's no point in moping," She whispered.

Head held high, she walked back into her room.

Somewhere else...

"So, tell me about it," Yuyuko said, "Peacefully?"

Yuyuko sat on the flowery banks of the Sanzu River with a ghost, although he was fading into a spirit rapidly. 

The ghost didn't reply.

"Ah," Yuyuko said, "You're one of those people, aren't you?"

The ghost stared at her, "What?"

Yuyuko turned to the boy, "I believe you know,"

The ghost frowned, perplexed.

"The damned ones you mean," The 17 year old chuckled.

Yuyuko winked.

"W-Wait, really?" He stammered.

"Your ride's here," She replied instead.

Through the dense fog, they saw a boat approach the shores. On the boat stood a girl with reddish-pink pigtails, wearing colors of blue and white. In her hand, she wielded a massive scythe.

"Just one?" The girl asked.

"Yes," Yuyuko replied, "Goodbye, Tom,"

The boy, called Tom, stood on the boat. He turned around at the sound of his name, but the lady disappeared.

"Tom, is it?" The girl asked.

"I haven't heard that name in a long, long time," He drawled out.

The boat began to move by itself. Occasionally, the girl gave a swipe at the waters to push the boat farther. Soon, they arrived at another shore. This one, however, didn't only have red spider-lilies. There was also a magnificent castle that stood in front of them.

"Well, then, good luck?" The girl raised an eyebrow.

Tom was no longer a ghost. He became a spirit, floating around, "I guess,"

He automatically knew what to do. His spiritual body was moving on it's own, as if controlled. However, he didn't resist to the force.

The huge doors of the castle opened in front of him. He couldn't see the inside clearly, like an illusion.

Then, he stepped through.