Coyote Tricks: A Coyote at Hogwarts

This chapter is rated PG for brief nudity and muggle abuse. Please read the disclaimers in the prelude if you have not already done so.

Meeting the Dursleys

The next morning, a young lady knocked and then opened the door to Kit's room.
"Housekeeping," she said. "Mr. Coyote, there is someone from the ministry waiting for you downstairs."
She looked around but didn't see anyone. Sleeping on the bed was some sort of dog or small wolf. Cuddled up against it was a little baby fox.
"Oh how cute," she said and started to lean over them to pet the fox.
A low growl from the coyote convinced her otherwise though and she left the room.
The coyote stretched and leap off the bed to the center of the room. There was a shimmering of shadows as Kit resumed his native form.
"My word," said the Victorian woman in the picture over the fireplace as she fanned herself with a handkerchief. "Where are you sleeping clothes?"
"Don't believe in them," Kit said digging in his case for clean briefs.
"Hanako," he said pulling on his clothes. "Time to get up."
The little fox let out a big yawn for such a little muzzle and stretched. Then with a puff of smoke, she transformed into her native form. Kit was a little envious of the Kitsune's ability to transform fully clothed but then if he could do that he wouldn't have so much fun shocking portraits he thought with a grin.

"Can we go running today, Papa?" Hanako asked
"Not today, London is too crowded and we don't know the territory. Maybe when we get to this Hogwarts place."
Kit looked at the disappointed look on her face.
"Maybe we can get ice cream later."
"Yea!"

~~~

They joined the others in the pub where they were eating breakfast with a tall red haired man.
"Good morning," he said rising to meet Kit. "I'm Arthur Weasley. Professor Dumbledore asked me look after you today. I hope you don't mind if we meet my family later we can all go shopping as they get their schools supplies."
The man rambled on as they sat down to eat. He seemed utterly fascinated in the normal Human world and took every free moment to ask Kit and the others about 'Muggles' in Japan and America. Kit found himself really liking the man; he was simple and honest with himself in a fashion many Humans lose as they grow older.

~~~

After breakfast Toshiro and Yuki decided to take Hanako and spend the morning looking around London. Mr. Weasley after ascertaining that Toshiro and the others didn't need him asked Kit if he could assist him.
"While I have the ministry car, I need to pickup someone, a friend of my son, to go shopping with us this afternoon. Unfortunately, his guardians don't seem to like me. It might go easier if you went in to pick him up. I sent an owl ahead so he will be expecting us."
"Alright," Kit agreed. "I needed to make a phone call anyway."

As soon as they were clear of the magical environment of the Leaky Cauldron, Kit was able to get a cell phone signal and called Spirit Peak to check in. Weasley watched the process with intense interest.

"Hi Kit!" Kat said as she got the call. "What's up?"
"It appears there will be no phone service once I get to this Hogwarts place so I thought I'd check in on what the council decided."
Kat's tone turned decidedly negative.
"Well Llwellen has argued strongly in favor of 'testing the waters' on reestablishing contact. The council has agreed and they are just arguing over who is going."
"Is there a problem?"
"I hope not but I'm not going to worry you about it, it will probably work out. They should be joining you at Hogwarts."
"Ok, I've got something else to do so I'll let you go."

As they took the Ministry car to get the Weasley's friend, Kit wondered what the problem could be that worried Kat. Master Llewellen would certainly be the one coming. The only issue Kit could think of knowing the Elfhame court is the Prince wouldn't let his lead Magus Major go alone, so they were probably arguing over which Knight would accompany him.

They arrived at modest neighborhood and Weasley indicated the house. Kit double checked his Human form in the mirror then walked up and knocked on the door.

A slightly heavy set middle-aged man opened the door.
"Yes, can I help you?"
"Hello," Kit said holding out his hand. "I'm Kit Coyote, Arthur Weasley asked me to pick up Harry for him."
"Oh, really," the man said, his disposition turning distinctly negative. "Well you can tell Mr. Weasley and the other magical freaks, I've had enough. He is not going this year."

The man slammed the door in Kit's face. Kit bewildered wandered back to the car with this message.
"This won't do at all," Weasley said. "Dumbledore assured me that it was all arranged. I understand they are his guardians but they have to let him go."
Kit thought about this for a few moments.
"Which room is Harry's?" He asked at last.

~~~

Harry sat on his bed and wondered if the sound he had heard downstairs was his Uncle's reaction to this Mr. Coyote the note had mentioned.

The whole issue had blown up a few days ago. It had been a quite harmless accident. Ron had sent him a package of sweets. Aunt Petunia's sewing circle was over and Harry was sitting in a corner eating some Bernies Bott's Every Flavor Beans. His cousin Dudley didn't steal those from him anymore after he got hold of a curdled milk one. Instead he grabbed a chocolate frog out of Harry's bag.
"What's this?" the portly boy said as he pulled the box open.
The magically animated frog shaped chocolate inside leapt out landing in the middle of the women crafters. Mrs. Bumblestien's little Pekinese dog immediately started barking and chasing the frog around the living room amid the screams and mayhem. Uncle Vernon finally caught the dog after it had torn the magic chocolate apart but then reacting to the chocolate the little dog threw up all over him.

Harry tried to stifle his laughter but couldn't quite. Uncle Vernon had sent him to his room swearing no matter what Dumbledore said; Harry wasn't going to 'that damned school' again.

It had been quiet for a couple of moments now and Harry was just considering going down to confront his Uncle when he heard a tapping at his window. His Uncle had put bars across it again to keep him in. Opening the curtain he found a raven pecking at the glass like it wanted in.
"Hello there," he said opening the window.
The raven leapt down into the room and then with a shifting of shadows turned into a tall slim sandy-haired man. Clothing shimmered into existence around him an instant later, which Harry thought was a good thing considering Aunt Petunia's reaction if she found a naked man in his room.
"Hello, you must be Harry." The man said with a distinctly American accent. "My name is Kit."

Harry explained the situation.
"Well normally I wouldn't intervene between a guardian and his charge but Arthur Weasley explained things to me so let’s see what we can do."
Kit thought for a moment.
"Where is your Uncle's room?" He said at last.

~~~

"I'll get it dear," Vernon Dursley said as the doorbell rang.
He strode into the hall and opened the door. A sandy colored coyote shot around him with a yip, circled the hall, grabbed a picture frame from the table in its mouth and ran out again before Vernon could react.
"What the...” he gapped for a moment then rushed out after the canine. "Come back here you!"
He ran right past the coyote which was dropping the picture in the yard and chased after the illusionary image Kit had placed in his mind when he brushed against him. Such illusions didn't last long but should last long enough for Kit's purpose. Shadows shimmered as the coyote was replaced with a raven.

~~~

Petunia wondered into the hall looking for Vernon.
"Dear, who was that...?"
She was surprised to find Vernon helping Harry bring his chest and the cage containing his owl down the stairs.
"Dear, I thought you said he wasn't going to go to that school anymore?"
"Nonsense, dear." Vernon replied smiling. "There is no reason to deprive the boy of an education. Bright young man like him needs the best education available."

Vernon opened the front door to find himself staring at a very winded Vernon. The two Vernons stared at each other for a moment then the inside Vernon grabbed the other, pulled him into the house and pushed him against the wall.
"Should have known you'd be too stupid to hold on to glamorie." He said. "Let me show you a trick Shippo taught me."
There was a flash and the hall was filled with smoke. When it cleared there was only one Vernon and two Harrys. The Dursleys didn’t notice as the first Harry pick up the owl cage and continued dragging his chest out the door. They focused on the other Harry.

"Come here, boy!" Vernon said reaching for the second Harry. The boy however slipped easily under his grasp with a flexibility Harry hadn't shown before.
"Too slow old man!" He said as he slipped past Petunia into the living room. Vernon went charging after him but missed as Harry leapt with unusual ease over the couch to a rolling landing on the other side. Vernon's momentum carried him into the fortunately unlit fireplace with a crash.

"I'm going to get you boy!" he shouted as he picked himself up.
"Feh! Its amazing you can move at all under all that fat, much less catch the Son of Coyote!" Harry said rounding into the kitchen.
Harry came into the hall from the other end to see the front door close. With a grin he ran to the base of the stairs and started running up them as a panting Vernon came to the kitchen door. He ran into Harry's room and shut the door. Putting his hands on doorframe and knob he focused his spirit energy into the door, reinforcing the latch. He stepped away just as Vernon's bulk bashed into the door.

'It will take him awhile to get through that,' he thought to himself.
Shadows shimmered around the figure of Harry and in his place stood a raven. With a laughing caw the bird flew out through the bars on the window.

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Author's Notes: Up until now the story has centered more around my characters than the HP ones, I hope I haven't turned off the HP fans. The reason is two fold the HP fans who haven't read my stories need to get to know my characters and I need to get to know the HP characters. While I have read the books and seen the movies, I don't have as good a feel for the characters as I do the anime ones I've worked with till now. Please let me know if you think I'm portraying someone too out of character. Looking over my initial story ideas and outline, I am worrried that I'm letting Harry and Co. be too much a background for my own characters and I don't want that to happen so the story is evolving as I go along to try and fix that.

Another thing HP fans should note is that Kitsune and Coyote magic is considerably different than the magic practiced by the human wizards and witches of the HP magical communities. It has a different 'flavor' if you will which is why even though the Ministry monitors the homes of underage wizards for magic use, they wouldn't detect Kit's more natural shapeshifting and minor illusions. In this story universe there are some differences in how magic in general is practiced in both the US and Japan that I will address in my next chapter.