Chapter Text
Chapter Summary: Pro-hero, Dekiru, is ambushed while on patrol. The combination of quirks mixed with the power of One for All has left him…stranded. It looks like he’s in London, England, but the people don’t look like they’re quirked? If he’s traveled back in time, does that mean he still has One for All? A quick use of Black Whip lets Izuku relax until a half dozen people suddenly pop out of nowhere and attack. He’d been able to avoid the red beams being shot at him, but eventually he had to surrender. Now he’s locked up and his English must not be as good as he thought. What’s a “muggle” and why do they seem to think he has “magic”?
~*~
Izuku had been having “one of those days” today. It was the kind of day he’d seemed to be having every day for months now. His patrols had always seemed to either be extremely boring, which he counted as a good thing, or extremely stupid, which was more of an irritation than anything. The late summer storms weren't helping anything either. Every patrol has been hot, humid and sticky. It's just been so annoying.
Like now, for example.
There’s three extras who’d used a hurt kid to ambush him when he'd been ten minutes away from his agency at a slow walk. Aaaaand once he'd called the ambush in, that meant at least five overprotective members of the Hell Class were currently sprinting and/or flying in their direction, probably half a dozen more quickly diverting to the coordinates he’d sent. They'd be here in less than three minutes.
Not only did these jokers choose their ambush spot poorly, they weren’t even working together as a team.
“If your warper gal and your chrono guy actually stopped bickering and used their quirks intelligently, you might actually be able to put me in that second dimension you keep going on about,” Izuku critiqued to the ‘mastermind’ of the group as he carefully removed the hurt child from the man's grasp with a cocoon of Black Whip, all while holding the snarling man’s arms open wide. “Good communication is key in any relationship, not just romantic ones,” he said as he passed the child to an incoming Ground Zero.
Kacchan didn't even break his stride as he moved from flying to running to get the kid to medical attention immediately. All these years after graduation and Izuku still can't help but think his friend is so cool!
“Now that that's taken care of,” Izuku turned his full attention to the man he was grappling, “Gentlemen,” he nodded to the woman screaming at her teammate, “lady, shall we dance?”
He flipped the villain around. A sharp warning from Danger Sense made him duck the brown warp tunnel forming at head height. They both ended on the ground with Izuku pinning the man’s arms behind his back. He nearly got one cuff on his prey when lightning flashed around them. Izuku immediately tried to shield his prisoner with his body activating One for All for its mild electric resistance as the time villain struck him with some yellow ball of energy. He was just looking up to see what happened when the scene in front of him drastically changed.
“I can't believe you actually hit him!” the warper screeched at her comrade as she sent another brown warp gate at Izuku.
This time he couldn't duck quickly as he was slowed by that yellow energy. Even as he held the ringleader to the ground, he could feel himself moving more slowly than the people around him. He saw Ochako and Shouto arrive at the scene, nabbing the other two villains and Tenya was sprinting toward him. Everything seemed to turn a sepia color then fade away. A slow blink later he was kneeling in an alley alone.
Izuku froze and let his eyes take in his new environment. He suddenly wasn't too sure how literal his captive had been about sending him to a different dimension. He could have been moved in time or space, depending on how the gang’s quirks worked when used together, or he could be stuck in his mind imagining this place until the quirks wear off or some requirement is met.
The first thing he noticed was how dirty and narrow the alley was compared to what he was used to in the areas around the agency. The next thing he noted was the graffiti on the walls around him. It certainly wasn't written in kanji, though what language it was in he couldn't quite figure out. Looked to be some kind of western script but– could be English, could be Russian. Mic sensei could be disappointed in him once he got his bearings.
Izuku noticed the scent of the city was different to Musutafu. He was used to a more iodine note in the air from being near the sea; this place was just smog and petrol and a mixture of food smells. A look along the alley showed boxes that had what he recognized as a Chinese Noodle brand he loved on one side, while the faint breeze from the other direction had the distinct smell of garlic, curry and spices.
So, Izuku is in an alley nowhere near the agency because he knew every alley and street within a fifty-kilometer radius of the Haven & Hell hero agency. He'd patrolled the area enough to know every alley cat, eatery, and old timer in the vicinity and he'd never seen this place before.
Izuku stood quickly and dashed toward the mouth of the alley. He didn't feel dizzy or nauseous, a tip off this was not all in his head. His mind wasn't frantically working to fill in details, they were already there. So, he'd actually been sent…somewhere.
He stopped before running into the street outside his cozy little nook. Knowing full well that the sight of a hero sprinting was enough to start a stampede of panicking civilians, he sought out a different exit. He looked up the sides of the buildings hoping to see a fire escape and to make sure there was a path to the roof. Unfortunately, there weren't fire escapes on this side of the building, but the alley walls were close enough Izuku could bounce between them to ascend to the top
He took a moment to observe the people walking by and immediately felt wrong footed. He was certainly not in Musutafu anymore. It looked like a scene from a movie, a pre-quirk movie judging by the air quality and the makes of the automobiles. A thin layer of smog hung near the road and in the distance he could see the House of Parliament and the clock tower known as Big Ben. The crowd rushing down the street was primarily European with the few exceptions easily standing out.
Besides being on the complete opposite side of the globe, something about the crowd was tickling Izuku's attention. It wasn't until a group of teenagers with brightly colored hair and extreme body mods walked by that he figured out what his subconscious had already picked up on.
Where were the quirked people? He saw no obvious mutations such as Tenya’s engines or Shouji’s many arms, but he also didn't see the more subtle mutation markers that existed in all the population regardless of quirk status. No one had his or Mina’s naturally distinctive hair colors, except maybe those teenagers who looked like they got theirs from a box. And the eye colors didn't include Kacchan’s scarlet red or Shinsou's heather purple. People weren't smiling much but he was willing to bet real money that not one of the citizens passing below had shark teeth like Kiri. These people had no obvious mutations pointing toward having a quirk or ancestors with quirks.
Had he been moved back in time as well as from his place? Was he in the pre-quirk era? He'd been hoping that his being a pro hero would get him either help from whatever the English equivalent of the HPSC is or easy assistance from the Japanese consulate. But if they haven't been through the First Quirk World War then heroes exist only in movies and comic books. How would he get home now?
His eye catches on a woman in a red cloak coat and her child. As the woman window shops, the little kid dropped their toy. He sees the child try to run back for the item, but the woman, presumably having already dealt with the tyke running off at least once before, held on to them tight. He watched as the child did a movement he'd seen all his life, and it had a similar result. The toy hurtled through the air into the child’s waiting hand.
Well, maybe it's still the early dawn of quirks? That looked a little less powerful than when his own mother absentmindedly used her quirk at home. Wait! If it's the dawn of quirks, does One for All even exist yet? How many quirks might be available to him if there's only been one holder? Is he back to being quirkless?
He moved toward the center of the roof he was on just to keep anyone from seeing him. Somehow, there was rubbish up here. Might as well clean it up as he tested One for All. First he reached for the quirk, and relaxed as he felt the comforting flow of power course through him. He wasn't sure how strong One for All might be, but he was in too crowded an area to test that right now. He didn't want to test Float, in case someone saw him from the ground or a nearby window, but thought he might be able to get away with using Black Whip with no one the wiser.
Just as the tendril of Black Whip brought the plastic shopping bag back to his hand, Danger Sense sent a shrill warning from all around and several popping sounds alerted him to the arrival of company, which he was going to assume meant him harm until proved otherwise. He dodged several bright red beams while running for cover as he let out Smokescreen to hide his movement. He pulled up Black Whip to use as a shield while jumping from one roof to another, but didn't break his run while bobbing and weaving the red beams.
At one point he'd been able to circle back and, using pressure points, incapacitate a couple of his attempted captors. They wore long red coats and had brass badges. Great, he’s trying to evade the police? That's going to go over real well. But he can't not try to protect himself.
Another pop in front of him, made Izuku veer left, but he'd caught a glimpse of the most beautiful green eyes and messy black hair before he dived behind some ductwork.
“Sir, please lower your wand and put your hands where we can see them,” a rich, warm voice called.
“I'm sorry,” Izuku said as he continued to hide behind the metal shield, “but I don't know what that word means. I just found myself here. I'm not going to hurt anyone .”
He could hear the others arriving, and knew they were going to try to hem him in.
“Please, sir, we need your hands where we can see them,” the voice calmly called again.
Izuku sighed. There's no getting around this. He's going to have to let them take him in. Hopefully someone from the Japanese consulate can help him out, but if necessary, he could still go on the run.
“Okay,” he called, “I'm going to put my hands up.”
His brain, in a sudden attempt to get himself killed, started running the jingle for Present Mic’s radio station. At least Izuku was able to stop himself from singing along or going into the dance moves.
As he slowly raised his arms, he could hear the others moving toward his position.
“That's it, sir. Just keep moving slowly. Draco tends to get twitchy once someone's got the drop on him.” The voice sounded amused while a familiar ‘tch’ echoed across the roof. “If you could please stand up and move away from the ducting, sir.”
Izuku thought that was a weird name for a, um, someone? something? But continued his slow reveal to the people chasing him. There was a semicircle of five officers in the long red coats with their hands raised in his direction holding differently decorated sticks. The sticks must be some kind of weapon, or they all had similar quirks like Kamui Woods' entire extended family did.
He focused on the tall man with the pretty eyes and unruly hair.
“Now what?” he asked.
“Now, we're going to bind your arms and take you to someplace more private to have a nice little chat,” the man said as he stepped forward and ropes exploded out of the end of his wooden stick.
It took everything in him to not duck away from the ropes. He couldn't help but test them a bit to see if they cancelled his quirk in any way. They didn't. Izuku heard the ropes creak and knew that, if he chose, he could easily break the ropes even without One for All. That made him relax a bit more.
The handsome man stepped close and took him by the arm. Just before they somehow disappeared he heard someone say, “You okay, Malfoy? It looked like he got you and Black pretty good back there.”
Izuku never got to hear the answer to the question. He was led to a sparely furnished place that fairly screamed “interrogation room” and his bindings were changed to include a chair, as well as individually tying his legs to his seat.
“Just wait here, and someone’ll be along soon to talk to you,” the man said.
“Wait!” Izuku was a little flummoxed. “Don't you have to read me my rights? Or get me a lawyer? Or- or something?”
“You're not being charged with anything, just yet, sir,” the man replied. “At most you'll have a warning for displaying magic where you could be seen by the muggles, but if they plan on anything beyond that then you certainly should demand to see a solicitor.”
The man left before Izuku could ask about the unfamiliar words. He vaguely recalled watching some kind of children’s show in Mic-sensei’s class where a magician performed for some kids. So maybe “magic” was the sleight of hand act the performer had done? What did that have to do with collecting trash using his quirk? As for “muggle”... no, he knew he'd never heard such a word before in class or in any of the American shows he used to watch about All Might. It’s strange enough he would have looked it up and remembered it. What could it mean?
~*~
Several hours later, Izuku was still in the chair. His legs were still tied, but his arm had been freed so he could hand over his ID. It had his hero name and license number in several languages (thank goodness he'd made sure to gain an International Hero License) as well as the number for a liaison at the Hero Public Safety Commission.
They'd questioned him about himself, his work, and how he'd ended up in London while his hand rested on a square of what looked like gold. When Izuku told the truth it glowed brightly, when his answer was a half-truth or more complicated than the question he was trying to answer, it gave off a fainter yellow glow. The thing had turned a sickly brown when he'd been asked to lie so that they could make sure the square was calibrated to him correctly. Izuku found it fascinating. He'd bet Detective Tsukauchi would give up three year's pay to get these things installed so he could get some rest for once in his life.
By the end of his interrogation, they had to admit that Izuku was indeed a Japanese citizen. That he was in some way connected to keeping law and order in that country. They were certain that Izuku had been forcibly sent from Japan to London. That English was most definitely not his first language. And that he seemed woefully ignorant about the International Statute of Secrecy for all magical beings.
Izuku thought perhaps they were using “magic” in place of “quirk” and had agreed that he had little knowledge of the laws surrounding quirked magic individuals in England at this time.
Soon a man that wore authority like comfortable old slippers came into the room. He was introduced as Minister Shakelbolt, and Izuku bowed his head from where he sat. A young man carrying a stack of papers handed them over to the minister.
“Well, Mr. Midoriya,” he began as he slipped on some reading glasses, “no one is quite sure what to do with you. We know you were brought here against your will, but the portkey you were holding doesn't seem to have a return trace to be able to send you back. And it's too dangerous to just send you back all willy-nilly, you know?”
He peered at Izuku over his reading glasses as if expecting a reaction. Apparently, the papers in the man’s hands were the reports made about him. Izuku nodded at the question. He knew that most warpers needed exact coordinates or a thorough knowledge of where they were sending someone to not land themselves or others in the middle of a wall or a hundred feet above water.
“You have very little money on you, barely a few sickles at the going exchange rate, not even enough for a galleon. No address, not even a hotel. And no prospects for work, as you weren't planning to move here.”
“That's all true, minister,” Izuku began to feel quite anxious. What were they going to do with him? Lock him up? Toss him into the street? Something even worse?
“Let me ask you this, Mister Midoriya,” the man said as he put down the papers and gave Izuku his full attention, “what are your feelings about the citizens of our country? Our community? Do you intend to harm the people of England?”
Izuku didn't have to think before a reply was leaping from him. “They're people, aren't they?” he asked. At the Minister's nod he continued. “They deserve kindness, respect, and help no matter their age, sex, color, or orientation. If I can help, I will. If I can't help, then I can at least sit with them in their need.” He looked into the minister's eyes. “I have been the one that needed help, and no one came to my aid. I refuse to let anyone in my sphere of influence ever feel like I won't drop everything to help them.
“I will only harm someone if they are attacking me or those in my care. And then, only enough to stop them until proper authorities can take over.”
As he spoke, Izuku could feel One for All spark up, ready to help as many people as Izuku found needed him.
Those in the room were surprised to see the green lightning surrounding Izuku as he spoke, but even more surprising was the golden square lighting up brightly without Izuku touching it.
“Well then,” the minister said as he picked up the reports again and put a hand out toward Izuku, “welcome to England, Mister Midoriya.”
As soon as Izuku shook the man’s hand, the ropes that held him in place vanished. A tray with a beautiful tea service and food suddenly appeared, and the young man fairly bounced to his side.
“Collin, see that Mister Midoriya is registered as a foreign-born wizard seeking asylum. Then get him over to Lovegood and see if she can get him something to do.”
The young man nodded eagerly.
“Make sure you sort out someplace for him to stay that's safe ,” the minister said almost as an afterthought as he stood to leave. “Please, enjoy your tea Midoriya. Mister Creevy will make sure everything is taken care of.”
Izuku stood and bowed low to the minister. “Thank you for your help.”
“All in a day's work,” the man said as he nodded back. He left and the two officers that had been in the room left with him.
Izuku looked at the open door. Then looked at his escort.
“And that's it? I'm just free to go?”
“Well, you did perform an unbreakable oath,” the man said as he sat and started to pour out the tea into two cups. “Once the truth stone vouches for you there's not much more to worry about, is there?” He said cheerfully and held up the cup. “Sugar? Lemon?”
Izuku took the cup and sat down. “I'm not so sure I know what's going on around here,” he confessed.
“It's the ministry,” Creevy said with a shrug. “Does anyone really know what's going on?”
Izuku laughed. “I think you're right Mister Creevy.”
“Please, call me Collin, we have a long day in front of us.” He picked up one of the small sandwiches and checked the contents. “Hope you like egg and cress.” He looked at the other plate. “But it looks like there's cucumber if the cress is too peppery.”
“I love them both,” Izuku said as he reached for his own food. “Every year for my mom’s birthday, we'd get dressed up and go to one of the foreign owned hotels for a cream tea. It was only fair as I dragged her to the Hall of Heroes Museum every year for mine.” Collin chuckled while he watched Izuku pick one of the egg sandwiches first. He bit into the sandwich and couldn't help the moan of delight.
“Good?” asked Collin with a grin.
Izuku swallowed the bite, “Fantastic.” He took a sip of the tea and sighed at the comforting familiarity of the taste. “Collin, I think you and I are going to be great friends.”
~*~
The first place they went, after finishing off the food and drink, was to register at the Immigration Office. Izuku was fairly sure that “wizard” in the term ‘foreign born wizard' was another code word for “quirked individual”, but wasn't secure in his deduction. It seems that these early quirked people were able to hide from the non-quirked populace, whom they designated as “muggles” and formed a governing body that mirrored the one of the country they lived in. How interesting. Japan hadn't gone that route and Izuku wondered if they had done, would they have avoided that spark that set off the First Quirk World War? Hard to know, really.
There was some problem when he was told he had to register his wand. Collin showed him one of the carved stick things and explained that it was used to help control his magic when used in prescribed ways. Izuku thought that sounded a lot like his support equipment, and figured he ought to present that as his wand. Let's face it, all of his equipment was made by Hatsumei so they all probably counted as improvised explosive devices, and should be registered as weapons with the government. He took off his belt, bracers, mask, hood, and boots while explaining how each of them assisted in his quirk use.
“We'll just call those, um, focus items, shall we, sir?” the poor harried man at the desk said as he dutifully noted each item and how Izuku used them.
“I can demonstrate how to safely use and disarm them,” Izuku offered.
“No need sir,” the man replied as he shoved his items back to him. He then placed a stack of papers in his hands. “The top packet needs filling out and taken to the witch at the next counter.” He nodded in the correct direction. “The next will need to be turned into whomever your employer is, once you've got a job, and they'll send it in. The third is for you to keep.” He clearly dismissed them as he stamped something then looked for the next person in the queue.
“I don't think it's very nice to call someone a witch,” Izuku mumbled as he made his way to a desk that had pens chained to it. “She looks like a very kind lady to me.”
Collin gave a chuckle, but simply said, “I guess the Japanese language probably sees no reason to change an entire word when you can simply swap a bit to show if someone is male or female. In England the blokes are wizards and the women are witches.”
Izuku was a little baffled by that, but, instead of commenting, proceeded to tackle the paperwork staring at him. Thank goodness Mic-sensei had made sure their class was practically at a native proficiency for their age when they graduated, or it would have taken much longer to do this. Izuku still had to ask Collin’s help on a few of the more complicated items, but it was done without tears so he was counting it a win.
The lady he turned the packet into was actually quite nice and had even given him a candy for getting it all filled out correctly on the first go.
He had to get his picture taken to go on the temporary visa that would need to be reviewed in six months. And, of course, he had to fill out even more forms before he was taken to meet a case worker that would get in touch with him when deadlines grew nearer. He said he'd be available to answer any questions that Izuku may have over his immigration status or needed documentation.
Collin then ferried him to a completely different department. He was taken to an office that had the name Lovegood on the door and Izuku was fairly concerned until the blonde woman at the desk introduced herself as Mrs. Luna Lovegood, employment agent. Izuku internally sighed in relief.
After chatting with Collin about her husband, Neville, and their children? pets? whatever a bowtruckle is that the couple were having difficulty with, Mrs. Lovegood turned her attention to Izuku.
“Oh, you really are out of place, aren't you?” she said after looking him over with a hum.
Izuku was sure she could see that he was from someplace more foreign than just this dimension’s Japan, but she simply smiled at him and moved on.
Together they realized that Izuku's former occupation wouldn't transfer over to his new home very well. Izuku would need to learn not only a new culture but a whole different set of rules and statutes. He didn't really feel up to going back to high school.
At the mention of school he offered that he'd taken a couple of child development classes and a curriculum development class recently. Nedzu wanted to hire him on as a quirk analysis teacher for the hero course, and Izuku had decided that a teaching credential was going to be critical to not botch the job. Unlike his mentor, who had tried but wasn't the best teacher, he knew that teaching a subject was far different than just understanding it or using it daily.
Mrs. Lovegood’s eyes seemed to light up at this comment. Hmmm, her quirk must be sight based. She pulled out a folder that had an opening for a language instructor at a primary school in the city. Izuku's English was above the highest grade and he could easily start a Japanese culture club after hours.
“And, of course, it's close to both an apparition point and the Tube, so transportation is a cinch,” the woman remarked.
“Best be off to find someplace to stay,” Collin said as he stood up
“Yes, time is running out,” she answered. “Please feel free to come back to my office if the teaching thing doesn't work out.”
And with that happy thought, Izuku was ushered again to a different floor and a new department.
This department had places where he could use a room or apartment until his financial situation straightened out and then he'd start paying rent or he could move on to a different place if he wanted to. There were several that were what Izuku felt was a reasonable distance from the school. One really stood out to him and he felt his eye drawn to it more than once.
“This one at Grimmauld Place seems alright,” Izuku said, handing the card to Collin.
“Oh, yes, Ms. Granger-Weasley is actually in the Auror department next floor. Let's go find out if they're still renting rooms.”
Turns out they were still renting rooms. Hermione Granger-Weasley turned out to be a warm woman with a no-nonsense attitude. She insisted that Izuku and Collin come by for dinner and to look at the room. She'll let Izuku try it out for the night and he can decide the next day if it's right for him. She even promised to personally help him find another place to stay if their place didn't suit.
Izuku was overwhelmed by the offer, but just so grateful that this was getting sorted out so easily.
She gave him a slip of paper with the address 12 Grimmauld Place (including the words ballroom fireplace for some reason), and told him to floo over once he's finished for the day. She'd take him herself, but had one quick errand she had to run.
Collin assured her he was keeping Izuku well in hand and the woman smiled at that. She gave Collin a quick cheek kiss like Izuku saw the ladies in France used to do, about three centimeters from the man’s actual cheek, and made him promise her to be sure to get Izuku to the house before he went home for the day.
He agreed with a roll of his eyes and shooed her off to do her errand.
“Hermione’s always planning and thinking ten steps ahead of everyone ,” Collin said as he led Izuku deeper into the department. They passed a room with people dressed in red robes and wearing badges and Izuku had to ask if they were back where they started.
“In a way, yes, but also no. You were in the Auror department, but not this side of it.”
He led him down a twisting corridor as he continued to speak. “Now I know many wizards prefer to bring their familiar, or find one on their own, but a new statute has been passed and all foreign born wizard's are required to have a trained native born familiar. It's so they can help you understand the rules of the community better and keep you on the right side of the law here.”
Izuku chuckled. “Where were they earlier when I was being chased across those rooftops?”
“Probably closer than you think,” Colin said as he stopped in front of a door. “Now, all these animals are tame, house broken, and hypoallergenic. You will be provided with needed equipment and food for their upkeep for the first two months, but anything after that is your responsibility.”
Izuku nodded his assent.
“Okay, take a minute to look around and see if any of the animals really call to you, or if you feel like you instantly have a connection to them.”
He opened the door and Izuku was impressed. It looked like a giant play area for all kinds of animals. He was pretty sure that Kouda would approve. Each animal had their private area, but were also able to get to the communal part of the room if they so chose.
The first animal Izuku spotted was a gorgeous long-haired brown Maine Coon. It looked to be an adult and was smaller than Hito’s so probably a female. He allowed the cat to sniff his fingers and when deemed acceptable ran his fingers in the soft, curly fluff. For just a moment he imagined it was Alley he was petting and that Hitoshi was about to crack a joke next to him. He allowed himself three seconds of homesickness, but then pushed it down and locked it away.
An intelligent looking Irish setter was watching Izuku from his open kennel. He immediately trotted over and nudged his free hand with his head demanding pets. Izuku stroked the beautiful red coat with one hand and the silky brown cat with the other.
The dog enjoyed the pats for a bit then ran back to its kennel. The energetic setter brought Izuku a brightly colored ball and dropped it at his feet. He immediately began to play fetch with the dog, while one hand continued to caress the cat's head. This went on only for a short while. Their game was interrupted by a high pitched chittering.
Izuku looked toward the sound to see a pure white ferret vying for attention. It dived off the colorful tubing that formed an elaborate maze into a box of something that rattled. It immediately peeked its head above the box then dipped down again. More rattling was heard. When Izuku approached the box he found it contained dried pasta and the ferret was squirming happily inside.
He slowly stretched a closed hand to the ferret, as he had done with the cat. The ferret sniffed briefly before launching up Izuku's arm.
“Er, he's a bit energetic today,” Collin said. “Usually he's not as high strung, but he knows he doesn't always impress new people.”
“What's his name?” Izuku asks as he pets the ferret while it perches on his arm.
“None of them have names,” Collin says with a bit of a shrug. “Names have power, and the name a wizard or witch gives their familiar can be important at times.”
“Oh,” Izuku said as he pet the little ferret. “Well, he's a sweetie in any case.”
The dog barked and Izuku turned to him.
“You're a very good pup, too,” he reassured the dog even as he continued to run a finger down the ferret's back.
The dog came over to demand pats, which Izuku gladly gave.
“So, is it the dog then?” asked Collin.
Izuku shook his head slowly. “Are there any other animals? I don't want to miss out on any of them.”
“There's one more that's ready for adoption,” Collin said as he pointed to a vivarium full of greenery.
Izuku returned the ferret to the box of macaroni before washing his hands and crossing to the area that seemed set up for reptiles and amphibians. As he stepped closer to a glass bubble, full of greenery and a tiny waterfall, he could feel warmth coming from one half of the set up.
He peered through the plants and saw a beautiful green garter snake. It had a vivid jade background with a thick black stripe down the back and thinner black lines to each side. As he looked closer, Izuku noticed that there were thin silvery scars on the snake’s head and a few other places along its body.
“Hey buddy,” Izuku whispered as he put his hand in front of the snake to let it sniff. “Looks like you've had a rough time of it. Haven't you?” He watched as the snake slithered onto his hand then wrapped around his wrist. He gently pet the snake with two fingers. “Ah, we have a lot in common,” he murmured to the noodle. “We're both green, have more scars than unblemished skin, and you are cute as can be.”
The snake’s delicate tongue flicked out and touched his thumb. Izuku couldn't help but smile at being “sniffed” by the snake then having it squeeze his wrist a little tighter. The animal seemed to be looking straight into Izuku's soul and he hoped the darling creature would like what he found there. It seemed he did as it wrapped itself more snuggly around his wrist. Izuku wanted nothing more than to have the sweet little snake with him day and night.
“I guess I'd better shrink his home for you,” Collin said as he pulled out his wand and tapped the glass. It immediately began to shrink. “Don't worry, Hermione or her husband will be able to counter the charm for you once you settle in. And, from then on, it'll shrink down any time your familiar leaves and return to its proper size when he slithers back into his nice, safe home.”
Izuku held the snake close to his chest. “But I never said-” he broke off his objection.
“Was I wrong?” Collin asked as he handed the miniature glass orb to Izuku.
“Well, no, but how?”
“Most people are slightly afraid of snakes, but those that call them sweet and pet them so tenderly rarely are satisfied with conventional pets like cats or dogs,” he answered as he began to usher him out of the room.
A hiss and chatter came from across the room.
“Pardon me,” he said to the ferret. “He could have chosen you, too. But you can see I was right.”
The ferret hissed at Collin again before diving back into his box. Izuku wondered how the sound of dried macaroni could be both disdainful and a touch sad.
“Where to, next?” he asked his guide.
“Now we head off to your new home,” he said as he pushed a button in the lift.
Izuku sagged at those words. “Oh, thank goodness. I fight villains all day long and I'd still prefer back to back shifts for two weeks to anything else we’d have to do today.”
Collin laughed as they stepped into the entry hall and the snake seemed to hiss a laugh, too. Izuku recognized the hall from having crossed it several times already today.
“I'm not sure if you're used to using the Floo Network,” Collin said as they approached the giant fireplaces full of green flames.
Izuku shook his head, ‘no’ and quickly checked on his new snake. He didn't want to see disappointment or pity over his ignorance on Collin’s face. He hated looking like he wasn't at least a functional adult to others around his own age.
“Basically, if you were at home, you'd have to use some floo powder, wait for the flames to achieve this green color, then step in and name your destination. We don't have to use the powder as the network is open all day during working hours.” He leaned in a bit. “Saves a fortune on powder and we've got to be aware of every knut when using public funds.”
He guided Izuku to a fireplace labeled “Outgoing” and they stood in the queue. He watched as several people took turns to step into the fireplace loudly declare a destination and whirl away instantly.
Portals on demand, truth stones, and sticks that combine the functionalities of several support items? He'd thought by the automobiles he'd briefly seen from the roof, and the odd clothing on these people, that he'd been taken to the past. But maybe this was the future and fashion had simply looped back around as it tended to do? What he thought of as “vintage” may very well be this season’s hottest trend. Izuku shook his head. With quirks involved, nothing could truly be ruled out.
“It's going to be a bit tight, but I'm coming with you on your first flight,” Collin said as the line moved forward ever so slowly. “Usually a child learns how to speak at the right volume and pace with a parent holding on. Keeps them from getting lost those first few times, you know. Of course, we've had muggle-borns get lost their first flight more times than I care to count,” he sighed. “They're trying to come up with some kind of floo learner's permit legislation, but it's slow going.”
The person in front of them didn't even look up from the pages she was reading. She loudly proclaimed her destination before her foot even landed in the flames and disappeared in half the blink of an eye.
“Have you got a good hold of that bauble?” Collin asked as he arranged Izuku in the center of the flames.
To his surprise there was the slightest rise in warmth and the flames felt more like they were tickling him than any other sensation he could name.
Collin was slightly behind him with a hand firmly on Izuku's shoulder. “Now say the address clearly and don't feel you have to rush or go extremely slow, there's a good chap. Make sure to say all of the address, including the room.”
Izuku took in a slow breath and nearly choked on some ash, but recovered enough to call, “12 Grimmauld Place, ballroom fireplace.” He began coughing and was about to bend forward with the move, but Collin's hand kept him upright. He was glad it did when his elbow, that would have been at his bent head height, was painfully knocked against the brickwork. Izuku worked to stifle his cough as he spun at a dizzying pace. It felt like his snake was also gripping his wrist tighter.
The spinning abruptly stopped and Izuku would have fallen out of this new fireplace if Collin hadn't once again kept him upright.
“Mustn't linger,” Collin said as he gently pushed Izuku forward. “Keeps the floo tied up, you know.”
They stepped into a rather large ballroom with a huge chandelier in the center and two smaller chandeliers on either side. Only the nearest one was lit, but there was plenty of light to see Hermione waiting for them. Next to her was a tall man with red hair and quite a few freckles.
Hermione rushed forward, ready to catch anyone falling, but stopped a few feet away seeing her help was unnecessary. She smiled and gave Izuku a small bow which he promptly returned.
“Mister Midoriya, it's so good to see you again. You, too, Collin,” she said to his guide.
“Hermione, you say that as if we didn't see each other half an hour ago,” Collin replied with a small eye roll.
She ignored his words and continued, “Mister Midoriya, this is my husband, Ronald Weasley-Granger. Ron, this is Izuku Midoriya. He's going to be our guest on Harry's floor until he finds his feet.”
Izuku tried not to glance at his feet at her words, but saw his host catch him in the act. “Thank you for having me,” he said as he silently begged his cheeks not to burst into flames.
“Something tells me you're not from around here Mister Midoriya,” he said as he reached out to shake Izuku's hand. “Don't worry about ‘Mione and her strange way of talkin’. She can't help it, she's from Leeds.”
Hermione gently shoved her husband's arm and smiled even more at Izuku.
“Come on gentlemen, and Ron,” she said as she made a funny face at the redhead.
“Dinner's just about ready,” the tall man said. “Afterwards we can give you the tour and let you settle in for the night.”
“Sounds good to me Mister Weas-”
“Please, just call me Ron,” he said as he pulled out his wand and dimmed the lights. “Mister Weasley is my father .”
“And please, just call me, Izuku.”
“Well, Izuku,” he said as he stowed his wand back in his pocket, “welcome home.”
~*~