Mikoto had achieved a new nickname by the time October began to roll along. Well, several new nicknames.
Along with her already achieved name, the Railgun, she was also now called the Dragon Lady, Animal Queen, and Horntail Hooligan. These names were mostly meant as endearing nicknames by her fellow Hogwarts classmates for being the first Animagus to achieve the form of not just a magical creature, but a dragon.
Unlike ordinary Animagi however, who found their forms useful for disguise or stealth, Mikoto knew that her form was DEFINITELY not that, especially since even transforming in front of a Muggle would definitely break the international statute of secrecy. Heck, even flying around outside Hogwarts would do so. Dragons were notoriously the hardest to hide from Muggles, especially the Hungarian Horntail, regarded as the fiercest and most dangerous of all dragons, and the Ukrainian Iron Belly, regarded as the largest of all dragons.
While dragons, besides the Chinese Fireball, used to be speculated to have only native habitats in the Eurasian continent, it became apparent due to the famous discoveries of the expert Magizoologist Luna Lovegood Scamander, that there were actually over a hundred dragon breeds, some of which were in the Americas. it was just that the mainly known European breeds such as the intimidating Horntail were the most noisy and easiest to find.
Noisy and easy to find, was not supposed to be an Animagus's main trait.
Nevertheless, Mikoto had fascinated Dragonologists and studiers of Animagus forms everywhere, and before long, during October she had been pelted with numerous owls all asking for her input, an interview, or offering to study her for a sum of money.
Already having bad experiences with people trying to experiment with her, Mikoto naturally refused.
Gil and Tasha had also begun to receive a reputation thanks to their involvement with helping Mikoto achieve the transformation. The three of them were now regarded as the most crazy rambunctious trio to hit Hogwarts since Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Gil was prideful of this. Tasha on the other hand, didn't really mind. Her over-honesty, and extreme observation skills had already earned her a rather unsavory reputation, so this new one was a welcome change actually. Mikoto, of course, tired of her reputation in Academy City as a 'proper lady', also felt this change was welcome, though still irritating, because now boys were positively smitten with her. (Gil included, but due to his friendship with Mikoto, he kept it under control).
It was during lunch on the day before Halloween however, when Mikoto finally started wondering why people were making so much more of a big deal out of this then Dumbledore discovering the 12 uses of Dragon's Blood.
"It's supposed to be impossible remember?" said Lily, as she piled food onto Mikoto's plate as usual (supposedly inherited her maternal need to feed Mikoto from a certain Harry feeding Grandmother). "Wizards regress themselves in order to become animals. The fact that you can become a dragon means that your magic is even more powerful than a dragon's."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Mikoto said. "First time we went to dueling practice remember? I got stunned by Jen Verfer in the first second."
"Jen was wearing a Gekota T-shirt under her robes, you went easy on her because you didn't want to ruin it." Gil said, rolling his eyes. "Blimey, stop selling yourself short, your instincts are better than that.. but I do agree with you on the magic part, so far Mikoto's spells seem pretty ordinary to me. Perfect, but not like.. I don't know, Elder Wand powerful or anything."
"That's true, which is why it's all a big mystery!" said Lily. " It's unexplained magic on the highest scale, and everyone wants to be the first one to explain it!!"
Suddenly, Tasha, ran to the table, apparently late to lunch that day, she was holding a copy of the Wizarding Newspaper the Daily Prophet under her arm. "Everyone! You have to see this!"
Tasha slapped the paper down on the table, and the headline blazed out at Mikoto's eyes like wildfire.
Academy City Situation Worsens: Espers Attacking Wizards in Europe.
"What!?" Mikoto said, grabbing the paper.
Tasha began to read. "Up and down the country, sightings of 4 powerful espers from a particularly powerful group known as the Level 5s, have been sighted in Europe far from Academy City, attacking and defeating some of the most well known and powerful wizarding families. While there have been not deaths yet, the wounds and injuries sustained were bad enough to admit every victim in an immediate transference to St. Mungo's.
" 'their powers aren't something we've not seen before used in magic'. says Auror Trenton Dawlish. 'But their powers are on a grander scale, and for some reason, immune to all counter spells.'
"Known espers include the nefarious Mental Out, who seems to possess an esper form of Legilimens capable not only of peering into the mind, but seems also capable of creating a form of control more potent than even the Imperius Curse. However, she is the only one sighted. It can be assumed at least that the Railgun, current student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry, is not a part of it, possessing a rather spectacular alibi of rampaging through the school in the form of a Hungarian Horntail at the time."
"Misaki!?" Mikoto stammered, cutting Tasha off. "What the hell!? What is she doing!? She's not violent! Not in the slightest! Sure she's a stupid manipulative girly little prick, but.. oh WHY!?"
"Go on Tasha.." said Lily, nodding at her to read on.
"Well, it just says a bunch of stuff about Academy City, and what an Esper is, and how the Auror office is in a frenzy trying to get a hold on the situation." said Tasha. "It also mentions how since you've been discovered at Hogwarts thanks to the Dragon Stunt's publicity, Japan's Ministry is in a furious frenzy at our minister. Accusing us of hiding traitors."
"Traitor to what?" said Mikoto. "Since when was I ever on their side in the first place?"
"Nishio is a psycho, who knows what's going on in his head." said Tasha. "So, can you tell us about the espers who are rampaging?"
"Well, I don't think the Number 6 is involved, nobody knows for a fact who she is." said Mikoto. "But, other than Mugino who I already mentioned, there's Number 5, Misaki Shokuhou, called Mental Out, she's the most powerful telepath in Academy City. Then there's Number 7, Attack Crash, Gunha Sogiita, don't let his number ranking fool you, he just got it because his power's hard to measure, who would win if the two of us were to fight was something the two of us had fun debating after the Daihaseisai last year."
Mikoto noticed her friend's confused looks. "Oh, that's a sport's festival we have every year where we're allowed to use our abilities. It's almost as popular to Muggles as the Quidditch World Cup is to you."
Mikoto continued. "Alright, then there's Number 2, Dark Matter. Teitoku Kakine. He's a dangerous guy, kills anybody for money, leads a mercenary group called SCHOOL just like Mugino who leads ITEM. His power allows him to use a special matter his power creates in order to create anything his mind can come with.. even duplicates of himself. And finally, there's the most troublesome one.. Accelerator."
"Guessing he's number 1." said Gil.
"Me and him have a history.. we're not enemies anymore, but we don't particularly like each other either." said Mikoto. "He has a handicap now, but he's still massively dangerous. His power is over vectors themselves, anything you throw at him just bounces right off, no matter how powerful, he just reverses the vector, and it flies right back at you. it's not even a shield, he's just reversing everything, and even without that particular power his other abilities are highly dangerous."
Mikoto gulped, and began to sweat. "I know that these guys wouldn't be the types to be outright attacking Wizards.. I mean, maybe I would have the guts if I had some sort of goal, but these guys all prefer their space, especially Accelerator nowadays. There's something weird going on... and if Accelerator's the one the Ministry has to fight, I don't want to think about the casualties involved."
"Well, no use thinking about it now.." said Gil. "It's Halloween tomorrow right, a few seconds into the traditional Halloween feast and you'll forget all about it."
"I hope so." Mikoto muttered. "I hope Misaki has some sort of legitimate reason she's doing this too.. I don't like her much.. but.. I do mind her less than most of the Level 5s.. "
Mikoto frowned, now that she thought of it, with the exceptions of Number 7 and Number 6, she pretty much hated all the Level 5s. They were arrogant, self serving jerks who looked down on all Lower level Espers. Mikoto wondered if she would've ended up like that had it not been for the fact she had to become a Level 5 by working hard all the way from Level 1.
The power of an esper was determined by their levels. Levels could either be obtained automatically upon being an esper or through leveling up their current power through various means.
These means could vary, and usually had to be states that affected one's psychology to a degree. Exercising was one, boosting physical fitness could affect your mental stability as well as boost your body's suitability to your power. Suggestive Mind tricks, traumatic experiences, experiencing certain things in various orders, it was even possible to become stronger through battle, even though an esper ability wasn't like a physical trait you could train up, after all the physical fitness technique was purely a mental one. Your power could never lower in level after your level was achieved, but the potency and strength of your power could still be hindered due to mental states.
For example, a Teleporter named Awaki Musujime once accidentally teleported into a state where half her body was stuck in a wall. As a result of the major trauma, her ability to teleport herself had a time delay of 3 seconds, and she needed a soothing massage machine on her back to reduce stress so as to use her power properly.
"Say.. Mikoto." said Gil. "Didn't you say that Level 5 was the most powerful you can get?"
"Yeah?" said Mikoto.
"So, is there ever a possibility of a Level 6?"
"Gil, what you're asking is the darkest quest that Academy City has ever undertaken in it's entire history." said Mikoto. "They've slaughtered so many innocents, ruined so many lives, mine included to a degree, in an attempt to level us Level 5s up. Level 6, is the most sought after discovery in Academy City."
"What happens theoretically if you become a Level 6?" asked Lily.
"You become like a god, that's the basic theory." said Mikoto. "I was once controlled by another esper and her associate Gensei Kihara during the Daihaseisai, where they put me into a leveling up state using my sisters as some sort of conduit. Even though I wasn't completely Level 6, I was so powerful, that even now, I think I would've made that Lord Voldemort guy look like a gerbil with anger issues. Luckily, a friend saved me with help from the Number 7, in an unusual way both me and him still don't understand."
Mikoto gave a humorless chuckle. "Funny, it's amazing how much Wizards and Witches underestimate muggles, and yet even nonmagic people can go an make something as terrifying as me."
"Heh, dark. So." said Gil. "Wanna change the subject."
"I'd love to." said Mikoto.
"You have sisters. Are they hot?" asked Gil.
"WHAP!!" Tasha smacked Gil on the back of the head. "What kind of bloody subject change is that!?"
Mikoto frowned. "Yeah Gil, not going there, really."
___________________
That night Mikoto stayed up in bed as the rest of her female classmates snoozed peacefully in their beds. She had a laptop out which Harry had mailed to her, and was typing away.
There wasn't any place to charge the computer, and laptops were usually inadvisable because the magic in the air of Hogwarts messed with all sorts of electronic devices. (Mikoto didn't need to read Hogwarts A History to know that, her powers were a little harder to keep under control in the castle walls).
But Mikoto, with help from letters from Lily's grandfather, who was a muggle tech fanatic, managed to change the laptop's battery to one that ran purely on magic from Mikoto's wand, which she needed only plug the tip into a special port on the laptop's right side to charge it.
So bingo, Muggle internet in a Wizard's school! Probably a big deal, but nobody else but Arthur Weasely and Mikoto Misaka thought so.
Mikoto was writing a journal, or diary, whatever you'd call it. She started doing so halfway through her first week at Hogwarts, because she was half sure that this was all some dream, and she wanted proof when the school year was over that it wasn't. However, while she had gotten used to quills, she really didn't like that method of writing, (the constant ink dipping was a pain). Plus writing Kanji in bleedable ink was also stressful, So she requested the laptop from Harry.
So there she sat, the only light was that from her screen, and from the candle on her bedside.
"October 30th.." Mikoto typed. "Halloween's tomorrow. Everybody is making a big deal about the feast, apparently it's a pretty famous tradition here, I suspect I'll have to run a few extra laps just to burn off the sweets I'm going to inhale."
Mikoto paused. What to type next? The discussion during today's lunch still burned in her mind, but she didn't want to write about it, not when it meant revisiting a past she'd rather forget.
"Write about how much you miss me.." suggested a hushed voice in Mikoto's ear.
"Oh, okay then." Mikoto muttered. "And yeah, I do miss Kuroko, I wish she and the others could-."
Mikoto stopped typing. She froze so still, it was as if she had been encased in invisible ice.
She turned her head slowly to the right.
Another girl, one wearing a Tokiwadai Middle School uniform, with red hair tied into twin tails, and a rather lustful wistful smile sat in the bed, right next to Mikoto.
"Onee-sama.." Kuroko Shirai whispered with glee, a little bit of lustful drool trailing from her mouth as she groped her precious 'friend's' chest area.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!!!" Mikoto screamed, punching Kuroko straight in the face.
Kuroko flew across the room and went tumbling through the door, and down the spiraling staircase all the way into the Gryffindor Common Room where a crash suggesting she had smashed into the new Grandfather Clock that had been erected 3 days ago, ensued.
Mikoto cringed at the sound and covered her mouth with fright. What had she done!?
"Yay... O-Onee Sama's love punches.. is like.. ecstasy to me.." Kuroko cried weakly from below.
Oh thank God, she was fine.
However, the hilarious part was her other friend's reactions.
Elise jumped out of her bed like a jackrabbit, letting out a frightened squeak before accidentally tumbling into her Four Poster curtains and wrenching them off the bed as she rolled over the floor like a sheet bound mummy.
Panya woke up, screaming shrilly and whipping out her wand, throwing curses everywhere like the famously paranoid auror Mad-Eye Moody.
Tasha awoke suddenly, screaming something in Afrikaans. (Tasha is from South Africa) and she had to jump up to dodge a full body bind hex that Panya had thrown at random.
Lily, apparently having been in the process of experiencing a rather strange dream, woke up, screaming at the top of her lungs. "YES MINISTER MISAKA!! FROM THIS DAY FORTH! EVERY DAY SHALL BE CHRISTMAS!!! ALL HAIL THE DALEKS!"
And most astounding of all, Liu Chuang continued to sleep peacefully in her bed, not a care in the world.
As soon as everyone had calmed down, due to the chaos, Mikoto was sure that Kuroko hadn't been there, that maybe it was just some fevered dream she got after dozing off while writing.
It was wasn't it? After all, Muggles couldn't see Hogwarts much less get in. To Muggles, the school looked like a pile of ruins with a sign saying 'don't enter, unsafe'. And Kuroko was a muggle.. wasn't she?
"Are you okay Mikoto?" said Lily as everyone finally got a hold of themselves. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"I'm not sure if it was a nightmare, or just a very creepy dream.. or a repressed memory." Mikoto said.
"Well, either way.." Moaned Elise as she pulled her blankets off her head. "It sure scared us."
"No kidding.. eheheh.." Panya chuckled sheepishly, going pink, as her curses had smashed the room up quite a bit, with all their drawers and clothes hanging over the room, and parts of the ceiling falling off. "Oops."
"WE'RE COMING GIRLS!!" Yelled a voice from down in the common room, likely belonging to Gil.
There was another yell, of around 5 boys tumbling over each other as apparently the stairs to the Girls Dorms had turned into a slide and sent the visitors piling back onto the floor.
The girls hurried over to the staircase and saw Gil, along with his other fourth year dorm mates piled ridiculously on the carpet.
"Why?" Groaned Gil. "How?"
"The founders thought that girls were more trustworthy than boys, so it was made that way." Tasha said. "Girls can still go into the boy's dorm though."
"Oh fantastic.." A red haired boy, named Hugo groaned. Hugo just so happened to be Lily's cousin and Rose's brother.
Other Gryffindors were coming out too, apparently awoken by the commotion, before long the entire Common Room was filled up.
Mikoto was bright red by then, embarrassed by the commotion she caused.
"Are we having a party!?" exclaimed one guy. "Alright! Whose nickin' from the kitchens for food!?"
"We're not having a party!" said Nigel Stevens, the Head Boy of Gryffindor House. "But I'd like to know what the problem was."
"It's nothing really, Mikoto just had a weird dream and we overreacted. " said Panya.
"That's all?" Rose had come out, looking concerned, her Prefect badge stuck in her hair from apparently having rolled onto it by accident as she woke up. "It sounded like you punched somebody when I heard it.."
"Yeah, it did." said one student.
Everyone else murmured in agreement, thinking that they too had heard a loud smacking sound accompanying Mikoto's scream.
Mikoto was stunned. Was it NOT a dream? Or did she just overreact to her dream and punch an owl out of the air as she was waking up. Oh dear lord, did she punch Mizuchi!?
Mikoto's thoughts however, were interrupted by a muffled yell.
"Geroff!! Geroff of me!! Hey!"
Hugo gave a yell of surprise, jumping off what was apparently Kuroko on the floor, having been lying there in a daze parts of the Grandfather clock strewn all over her.
Kuroko stood up, looking a little bumbled, but fine. "You know.. I know my English is rusty, but I'm pretty sure I used the word 'Get Off' correctly!"
Everyone stared at Kuroko Shirai.
"Who are you?" Nigel asked.
"I am a champion of justice!!" Kuroko exclaimed. "No, that's not it! I'm the champion of my darling Onee-Sama!!!"
Kuroko pointed a finger at Nigel. "If my Onee-Sama is in trouble, I will be there. If my Onee-Sama needs backup in a pinch! I will be there!!! If my Onee-Sama needs love! I will smother her with every ounce of love I have!!! IF MY ONEE-SAMA NEEDS ME TO GROPE HER!! I WILL TOUCH HER IN EVERY INCH OF HER BODY POSSIBLE!!!"
Kuroko's eyes gleamed like sinister orbs as she said this, her fingers twitching. "OH MY GOSH! I HAVE NOT TOUCHED MY ONEE-SAMA IN SOOOOO LOOOONGGGG!!!"
Kuroko turned to Mikoto and lunged at her like a rabid ghoul. "ONEEEEE-SAAAAAMMMAAAAA!!!"
"ZAAAAAMMMMMM!!!" A minute later, Kuroko was on the floor, twitching from the electrical attack Mikoto had thrown at her.
"M-my Onee-Sama's love whip.. oh I've missed it.." Kuroko moaned with a goofy smile on her face.
"Everyone, Kuroko." said Mikoto. "Kuroko.. er.. everyone."
"That's Kuroko!?" said Tasha. "And here I thought you were exaggerating when you described her!"
"Oho! My Onee-sama's spoken about me!?" said Kuroko cheerfully, jumping to her feet, stunning everyone with her remarkable recovery from Mikoto's shocks.
Hugo was the only one displaying no reaction to this. In fact, he was red as a stop light, staring at Kuroko as if she were some sort of hypnotic dancer.
"Does she dye her hair, or is it natural do you think?" Hugo whispered to his sister Rose.
Rose raised an eyebrow at Hugo, but didn't say anything.
"Kuroko! How did you get in here?" Mikoto asked.
"Oh, the usual way you know? I teleported in with my ability." said Kuroko.
"She apparated!?" said Rose. "But that's impossible in Hogwarts!"
"Not if she isn't Apparating." said Mikoto. "It's her esper ability, not Apparition."
"But, the sensory charms, the defensive magic, everything!" Rose stammered.
"Wait, was there security measures? Well then you need to update them, cause I practically just walked up to the castle and teleported past the wall." said Kuroko, folding her arms..
"That's impossible." said Rose.
"Or is it?" Mikoto muttered. She remembered when she had escaped the Japanese Ministry, that their spells were useless when she clashed at them with her power. Was there a unique relationship between the powers of Espers and Wizards that went beyond the awakening thing that Ollivander had explained?
"All I know, is that I've been tracking you down for months, trying to find out where you were." said Kuroko. "And before I knew it, I found myself here. Uiharu and Saten are waiting for us down a that weird village! Come on.. let's go!"
Mikoto reached a hand for Kuroko, but Nigel stepped forward. "It's after hours Mikoto, I"m not sure this is the best time to-"
Rose glared at Nigel.
Nigel sighed. "Fine, but if Filch finds you, it's on all of us when 50 points are taken from Gryffindor."
"Points at a time like this?" said Rose. "Who gives a damn about that!?"
Rose took out a pair of coats from one of the armchairs and put one on while wrapping one quickly around MIkoto. "Come on.. let's go see your friends shall we?"