Coyote Tricks: A Coyote at Hogwarts

This chapter is rated PG-13 for minor violence and House Elf abuse

Starting off on the wrong paw

The next day Kit informed them that Llewellen was still 'researching' and that it would take awhile. It was decided to leave the next day since Dumbledore's time was running short. Toshiro asked if Yuki could come and was granted permission as long as Toshiro was responsible for her. Then Shippo surprised everyone by announcing he was going also. This led to a huddle among the Canines.

"Why did you change your mind?" Kit asked.
"Your friends at Spirit Peak are concerned about these wizards. The only thing you have to counter that concern is my word in the trustworthiness of Joker. With Hanako and Yuki going, it is only appropriate that I go along to assist if my word turns out to be wrong."
Toshiro opened his mouth and then closed it again realizing his Father's logic was sound.

"Well," Dumbledore said when they returned. "It is a bit more than I planned. I will have to send an owl ahead when we arrive to have your rooms ready."
'Owl?' passed through several heads in the room.
"Please pack what you need and have it all here tomorrow and we'll be off."

~~~

The next morning with a sizable stack of luggage in the common room they all gathered around the old wizard. Three Sunset Clan Kitsunes stood by to assist with the luggage but Dumbledore assured him they would be unnecessary.
"I took the liberty of popping back and getting your fireplace registered in the Floo Network." He said.

While everyone puzzled over this he reached into his robes and pulled out a small folding picture frame. They were all amazed when the figure in the picture actually moved. It was sitting a rocking chair and snoring quite noticeably actually.

"Wake up," Dumbledore said gently tapping the frame.
The figure snorted awake and looked up.
"Oh hello Albus," it said.
"Hello John, would you pop back to your frame at Hogwarts and tell the House Elves to come through now?"
"Certainly," the figure said standing and walking out of sight.

"Who was..." Yuki started to ask but she was cut off by loud growl from Kit who was spinning around to face the fireplace.
She didn’t understand the growl but all the canines did, its simple message in the instinctual canine communication, less than a language but more than random noise, said, “Danger, Den Hide!”
Hanako’s reaction, as the intended recipient, was immediate as she leapt to hide behind the sofa.

There was a flash and puff of smoke from the fireplace and a small grey figure with large pointed ears and dressed in an eclectic collection of mismatched clothing pushed aside the iron grate and stepped out. It looked up to find itself surrounded by 5 Kitsune and a Coyote with fangs and claws displayed.

The figure collapsed into a high pitched shrieking ball.
“Aaaaa, No hurt Dobby! Dobby Good! Dobby always pets nice doggies! Don’t kill Dobby!”
Dumbledore rushed forward to protect the small figure.
“Its alright, he’s with me.”

The Canines backed off and Hanako peered around the couch but didn’t come out.
"Uh, Dobby." Dumbledore said to the little figure. "Kindly take this luggage to the guest rooms and have the day bags forwarded to the Leaky Cauldron."
"Of course, Master Dumbledore Sir!" The small figure said. "Dobby will make sure they all arrive safely he will."
Behind him more of the small elfin figures popped out of the fireplace. Unlike Dobby, these figures wore little clothing at all. Loincloths seemed to be the norm. Dobby proceeded to direct them, all the while keeping a wary eye on the Canines and muttering something about ‘bad doggies’. They set about magically levitating the suitcases and one by one they went back into the fireplace with the luggage. Each threw down some powder, said "Hogwarts" and disappeared.

“What is it, a nexus gate?” Shippo asked Kit quietly.
“Something like one,” Kit answered. “I sensed it opening but I sense no demonic or Underhill energy about it. Its like nothing I’ve seen before.”

“I am sorry, I guess I should have warned you,” Dumbledore said.
“Yes Professor, am I to take it you have formed some sort of portal in my fireplace?” Shippo asked.
“Yes, with Floo Powder you can travel from any fireplace in the network to any other fireplace in the network. It is a very convenient way of travel.”
“I see. But you must understand even in this day and age, my clan is not without enemies. Your Floo network has bypassed every single magical defense and ward on my home. I must insist you remove it as soon as possible and not do such a thing again without my permission.”
“Of course, I will see to it as soon as we reach the Ministry.”
“Thank you.” Shippo then turned to one of the Kitsunes and whispered to him. “You will place a guard on all the fireplaces in the house until I return.”
He then turned to Kit and Toshiro.
“I want you two to find a way to ward against this magic.”
“Yes Father.”

Shippo turned back to Dumbledore who was overseeing the last of the 'House Elves' through the fireplace.
"So are we next?"
"No," Dumbledore answered. "We would have to travel one at a time and there is a risk of getting separated. Besides, we have to go to the Ministry first so we are going by portkey."
The old man picked up an umbrella he had brought in earlier and held it out at arms length.
"Everyone grab hold. Master Coyote you may want to carry Hanako."
They followed his instruction. Dumbledore took a small wooden wand out of his robes and tapped the umbrella. He counted down from five. When he reached one, they were someplace else.

There was definite sensation of traveling. Very different from the nexus gates Underhill. Kit contemplated the sensations with the unique senses he possessed thanks to his training by Spirit Singer. He reached for a way to describe the difference and hit on something from a Star Trek episode, though he was unsure how accurate it was. He suspected that the Floo network and the portkeys created a sort of wormhole between two points.

He just reached this conclusion when they emerged in a vestibule leading into a large hall of some sort. The architecture was definitely Old World European, almost gothic. Dumbledore led them out into a large circular chamber that appeared to be the center of some government complex. Dominating the room was a large fountain with figures of a wizard, witch, centaur, house elf and another creature that Kit didn’t recognize but looked vaguely familiar to some of the higher class goblins in much the way the house elves were similar to the lower class cousins of elves.

As they walked into the great hall, Kit noticed that there were several vestibules similar to the one they had appeared in with people appearing and disappearing in them. Their function was obviously to provide a place to transport into. Some of them also had fireplaces that undoubtedly served as terminals in the ‘Floo network’.

Kit slowly turned, feeling the magical energies of all this movement. He could sense enough to confirm his theories, the Floo powder, the portkey and the apparating (as Dumbledore told him it was called) was all done through a sort of magical wormhole. He also noted the ‘flavor’ of the magic used. The magic was not demonic or Underhill, it was all the magic of the mortal world. It was sort of a refreshing change to him. Kit’s powers were a unique merger of the spirit, demon and mortal worlds. His father was a Great Spirit, his mother a mortal shaman and his training was by a mortal shaman and an Elven mage. There were human magic users among his friends at Spirit Peak but he had never been anywhere where mortal magics were being practiced to this scale.

What was puzzling was the amount of power. Master Llewellen had always referred to the magic in the World Above as a thin mist compared to the massive ocean of magical power that filled every corner of Underhill. However, mortal energy could be found in concentrated streams that the Human mages called ley lines and Kit did sense ley lines here but no greater than normal. He set this aside as something worth further study.

Dumbledore led them across the hall to a bank of elevators on the far side. They took the elevator to the 5th floor. The office they entered was labeled, “Department of International Magical Cooperation, Immigration Section.” There was a counter with a small balding man sitting behind it. The nameplate on his counter said ‘Twitwhiddle’.

Dumbledore walked up to the counter and talked with the man. The man answered back then looked over at group behind the wizard.
"There seems to be quite a bit more than I was told." He said with an indignant voice.
"Family and guests," Dumbledore said reassuringly. "Well within your capability I'm sure."

He turned back to the group.
"Mr. Twitwhiddle here will process your entry into the country. A formality really, it will only take a few minutes."
He then noticed something back by the entrance.
"Ah, I see someone I really must talk to, I'll be right back." Dumbledore said and strode quickly towards the entrance.

Twitwhiddle looking none to pleased with the extra workload pulled out an old fashioned quill feather pen and motioned the nearest of the group to step up. It was Yuki.
"Name," Twitwhiddle asked.
Yuki answered him
"Witch or Muggle?"
"Excuse me?"
"Muggle," he said in tone that implied the word was not complementary.

"What did you call her?" Toshiro said, tail bristling. Not that anyone noticed since all the adult canines had almost instinctively assumed their human illusions upon arriving in this strange place.
Kit immediately stood in front of the Hanyou and spoke calmly.
"Easy Toshiro, it’s probably some local term for foreigner or something. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."

Hanako who had been looking around the room came to her father's side to see what the fuss was about. Unlike the adults, her instincts and illusion ability were not as well honed. She had not assumed an illusion and her fox feet, tail and ears were plainly visible. Twitwhiddle looked down at her.
"Sir," he said in the same rude tone. "You can't process your 'pet' through here. You need to take it to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures one level down."

~~~

Dumbledore had just finished his conversation with a clerk from the Department of Mysteries when there was a scream from the office behind him. He quickly stepped back inside to find Kit Coyote holding Twitwhiddle in the air strangling the life out of him. He stopped another wizard by the door that was pulling his wand out, and rushed forward.

“You will apologize to my daughter!” Kit growled at the struggling clerk.
“Master Coyote, I’m afraid he can’t apologize if he can’t breathe,” Dumbledore said.
Indeed Twitwhiddle was turning a rather bright shade of blue.
“Kit,” Shippo said sharply. “You are still part of my clan and we are guests here. It would be extremely embarrassing to murder someone when we just arrived, regardless of how much he deserves it. Put him down!”
Kit looked back at the Kitsune a moment; it was unclear if his look was defiant or questioning.
"Ok," he finally said releasing the battered clerk and walking away.

Since he hadn't bothered to lower the little man to the ground first Twitwhiddle landed butt first, gasping for breath.
Dumbledore and a rather pretty looking female clerk came to his aid.

"You saw it," Twitwhiddle gasped out as they helped him up. "That barbarian attacked me!"
Kit glanced back at him and growled while Toshiro, seemingly having a hard time keeping a straight face, laid a hand on his shoulder and counseled him about patience.

Dumbledore was trying to calm down the flustered Twitwhiddle when a portly little man wearing a scarlet pinstripe suit, green tie and black cloak came strolling in and inquired what was going on.
"Minister!" Twitwhiddle rattled on, pointing at Kit. "I was just doing my job when that great oaf just upped and attacked me."

"If I can say something?" Shippo said stepping forward.
"Ah, yes Master Shippo,” Dumbledore said. "Allow me to introduce Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Cornelius, this is Shippo, leader of the Sunset Kitsune Clan of Japan."
"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Shippo," Fudge said shaking the Kitsune's hand. "You had something to add?"
"While I do not excuse my companion’s behavior,” Shippo said ignoring Kit's hurt expression. "I feel there were misunderstandings that lead Mr. Twitwhiddle to insult Kit's daughter Hanako. Quite unintentional I'm sure."
"Not to mention calling Yuki a mugg-something or other!" The usual reserved Toshiro chipped in.

"Is this true Howard?" The Minister asked.
"Well...I guess," Twitwhiddle said suddenly on the defensive. "I mean, I didn't know she was his daughter now could I? And she is a muggle."
"Ah, see so it is just a misunderstanding, and no harm done." Fudge said the last with emphasis as he looked at Twitwhiddle. "Why don't you just apologize to our fine visitors and take a little break hmm? I'm sure Emily won't mind finishing up the parchment work, will you my dear?"

Twitwhiddle made apologetic noises and left. As the Minister and Dumbledore followed, Toshiro overheard the Minister whispers to Dumbledore.
“Really Albus, when I agreed to this I thought these Kitsune were supposed to be like cute harmless little foxes. They look quite Human to me and I’m not sure that one is so harmless.”

The young lady sat down at the counter. She didn’t seem really upset by her coworker’s situation, if fact she seemed amused. Picking up the quill she looked up Kit.
“So Kit is it, would you like to be next?”
Kit smiled and started answering Emily’s questions and shamelessly flirting. Toshiro noted the hurt look in his Father’s eyes and sighed.