Chapter 1: The Summer of Magic
The now famous wizard Gohan Son sighed, relaxed and composed in the top of a tree ½ mile from his house. He sat cross-legged balanced on a tree limb, which neither moved nor bent under his weight.
A book in one hand and a quill bitten down in his teeth, a piece of parchment acting as a book mark incase the wind blew his page away, Gohan looked like a typical student. Gohan peered into the pages amusingly, twirling his wand in-between his fingers with ease as he did so. Doing homework over the summer wasn’t something he had wanted, but it beat trumping Piccolo and Vegeta in unfair fights over and over and over again. He still had two days before school started anyways, and this was the last of his school work he had to finish.
Ever since the whole ‘Cell returning with magic and bent on destroying Gohan and the world’ episode down in the Chamber of Secrets, Vegeta and Piccolo insisted that Gohan train every day with multiple opponents. They wouldn’t risk Gohan falling into a rut, and had his mother tell him he was never allowed to hold back. Unfortunately this clashed with the other aspects of his life, like work and play. Even Chi-Chi agreed that education wasn’t important when your brain no longer works.
His mother, Gohan smiled; now that had been an interesting conversation. He was, of course, thinking of when he returned from Hogwarts and they were back at their house… where no one else could see or hear them. It wasn’t that she yelled at him about Cell; quite the opposite actually. She nearly broke down in hysterics to find her ‘eldest baby’ almost died again.
After the heart-to-heart, though, did Chi-Chi actually show her ‘true feelings’; apparently, although she had been told Gohan would tell everyone about their life (she was okay with it) she didn’t realize exactly what that meant. And that means she didn’t know this would be talked about everywhere for months, and after that it would still be brought up a lot.
She also didn’t realize so many witches and wizards lived in West City, and that so many were on vacation there too; this meant whenever they went outside people would either gawk, gasp, gap, every other G word used to describe it. Some people would randomly come up to them say how excited they were to see, let alone meet, the boy who killed Cell. Others backed away in fear, although this only happened like every dozen times.
And Capsule Corp. was not an option to get away from the madness either; somehow the Ministry figured out that was the ‘hotspot’ for the Z Fighters, and in turn the Daily Prophet just had to publish that knowledge also. It was only bad the first two weeks though, and only because the press continuously hounded them. Those who were employed at Capsule Corp. were always told weird things would happen there, and they always expected it.
That being said, the workers there didn’t freak out or question the fact that people in funny looking outfits and cloaks walked through the building every other day. It was especially funny when they asked for Vegeta the seventh time; he came down, and when they asked for a quote he replied “You have five seconds to leave” darkly to the reporters. To further emphasis the point he took the camera one of them was holding, held it in one hand, and then released a sphere of energy into his hand. This resulted in the camera disintegrating instantly, the reporters freaking out, and Bulma running over to the frantically saying she would pay for the damages.
As a sign of good faith, and permission from Chi-Chi and Gohan (she didn’t ask Vegeta), she gave the reporters an exclusive about some of the exploits of Goku and Gohan (since she was around Gohan during the ‘Frieza’ incident). A brief overview of what they did for the world so they wouldn’t be considered monsters.
But, everyone agreed to not mention the Dragonballs; if Voldemort (Piccolo stated he wasn’t dead or alive) or someone discovered the secret to real immortality, that would be a bad thing. As far as the public knew, the one hanging around Gohan’s neck was just a memento his father gave him.
This was but a taste of the treatment given to Gohan and his friends/ family over the course of the summer. Magic dominated his entire time home, whether as homework or dodging questions from witches and wizards. That is how it came to be known as the ‘Summer of Magic’ by Krillin jokingly. Fro that moment, unfortunately, it was how everyone referred to it as well.
Most of the time, if it got too hassling at home, his mom would let Gohan spend the day at the Lookout to get away. But he either had to do homework or train while there; she didn’t want her son wasting time. So, instead of what he would have done a year ago and train, Gohan decided homework would be a suitable alternative. Especially since the modifications made by Piccolo and Dende, the Lookout had become a favorite place of the Z-Fighters. Because of the threat of Cell, it had been highlighted with new defenses and systems of protection both by Dende’s hands and Dumbledore’s.
The first week of summer break Dumbledore requested going up to the Lookout and performing a variety of charms and spells to keep Cell away. Piccolo and Dende agreed, and without hesitation completed them by nighttime the next day. They didn’t tell Gohan at the time, as he wasn’t to be tempted being hurt in the complications of their working. The next week Dumbledore requested access to the Son home to do the same thing, Piccolo following his lead. This time they had Vegeta train Gohan alone on the Lookout.
“I should have known.” Gohan muttered. “No way Piccolo would have left me alone with Vegeta. That, and of course Vegeta had to be less aggressive when he fought.”
But, Gohan shook his head and left the musings of what has happened; he wanted to get this particular assignment done with so he could finish up Harry’s birthday gift.
He looked down at his A History of Magic book, focusing on the assignment given to him by Professor Binns. He read the passage on the page, took the quill out of his mouth and wrote notes on the Middle Ages onto parchment. Did anyone else still have to do this? Hermione probably didn’t, knowing her need to learn. Harry would’ve found it difficult to, but he’d find a way somehow. And Ron… well, Ron would know he had to do it.
“On the rare occasion they did catch a real witch or wizard,” Gohan muttered, reading aloud, “burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame Freezing Charm, and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation.”
Gohan looked up, thinking about the statement.
“So, real witches and wizards never got hurt from the persecutions.” Gohan murmured, taking this down in his notes for his essay. He grinned sadly, “And the muggles (it took time, but he grew used to the term) hurt their own kind in vain too. Now that’s irony.”
He grabbed an ink bottle and dipped his quill in; normally he’d use a pen, but he figured he might as well get used to this since he’d be back in a few weeks. The only problem with the Wizard World was that they didn’t develop technologically quickly… obviously, Gohan needed to adjust to this. Bulma was insulted that he wouldn’t use anything from her to help, but he explained it wasn’t her, just the lifestyle. Sometimes he wondered—
“AAAHHH!!!” Chi-Chi screamed, her voice piercing the forest. Gohan made a motion to fly over, but then heard something crashing and squawking hysterically. “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU BIRD-FLU RIDDEN MONSTROSITY!”
Several more crashing sounds were heard; his mother was throwing the silverware. He could hear Goten laughing childishly, his mother telling him to stay away. Gohan smiled.
“GOHAN!” He heard his mom shriek. “GET THIS OWL OUT OF MY KITCHEN! IT’S SLAMMING INTO EVERYTHING!”
At the word ‘owl’, Gohan’s laughter died and his face turned to surprise, then glee. Someone had finally written back to him! Because Gohan lived just a little too far away for owls to fly across, they usually never showed up. Gohan didn’t want his friends’ pets over-worked, so he told them to not try. Apparently though, someone thought differently.
Immediately, he grabbed his book and quill, and gathered all his stuff together. He jumped from the tree branch and instantly phased to his front door. Gohan ran in only to find his mom with a broom chasing what appeared to be Hedwig, Harry’s snowy white owl shrieked as it swerved around the bristles. Goten sat on the ground, rolling cheerfully at the sight of the beautiful bird and his mother’s behavior.
“Mom!” Gohan shouted, getting between her and the bird. “Mom, mom STOP! It’s alright, I know this bird!”
Gohan, after his mom stopped clawing for the feathered creature, hesitantly and slowly removed the broom from her clutches. Hedwig shot Gohan a thankful look, and landed on his shoulder. Even though she was an animal, the owl did look tired and exhausted.
“I told you that wizards communicate with each other using owls, mom—”
“And you also told me that we were too far away for anyone to use them!” Chi-Chi exclaimed, flustered at both her son and the owl. She went to pick up a clapping Goten.
“I guess…” Gohan grinned innocently. “I guess that one of my friends just wanted to try it anyway.”
Chi-Chi looked at the owl, then to her eldest, and sighed agitatedly.
“Why is it that that always gets to me?” She muttered. Then she smiled to Gohan. “I can see you also have your father’s ‘gift’ of having animal magnetism as well.”
“Hey there girl.” Gohan soothed, stroking the owl’s fair feathers. “You miss me?”
Hedwig hooted softly, and nibbled Gohan’s ear lobe affectionately. Then, the owl extended her leg and revealed three letters strapped to it. Gohan untied them and fanned them out, looking at them separately.
“Who’re they from?” Chi-Chi asked, picking up the utensils on the floor and organizing her kitchen.
“Well,” Gohan replied, looking at the addresses, “the owl is my friend Harry’s, and there are letters from him, Hermione and Ron. I don’t know why they did this, but hey I’m not going to complain about it.”
“Isn’t Harry the one that those wizard reporters are comparing you to?” Chi-Chi wondered. “The magic you, I think they said. The Boy Who Lived, right?”
Gohan nodded, “Yeah. The Ministry’s trying to put me on the same pedicel they got Harry on.” He frowned, “They even came up with a nickname for me.”
“That’s right,” Chi-Chi grinned, “The Boy Who Fought.”
Gohan groaned, “They couldn’t have come up with something remotely original, let alone awesome. There were so many good ones too! The Z Wizard, the Saiyan Mage, even Cell Slayer would have been decent enough. But I got stuck with,” he made a face, “The Boy Who Fought.”
Chi-Chi laughed, “Well you have fun ‘Cell Slayer”, I’m going over to Bulma’s so Goten and Trunks can have their play date.”
“Want me to take you guys over there?” Gohan offered, flashing his mom a grin.
Chi-Chi smiled warmly, “That’s sweet honey, but I don’t mind driving over there. Besides,” she glanced at the letters in Gohan’s hand, “I think you have better things you’d want to do.”
She went and picked up Goten, who gurgled happily to his older brother, and got her bag. As she opened the door she turned to her son one final time.
“Are you going to be alright while I’m gone?” She asked worriedly.
“With all the things Piccolo and Dumbledore did to this house, I’d be surprised if I wouldn’t be.” Gohan said dully. “It isn’t like I’d be able to take care of myself.”
Chi-Chi frowned, “No need to get sarcastic.” Her eyes softened on him, “I’m just… I just get worried—”
“I know,” Gohan cut in, smiling at her. “And I appreciate that. But seriously, I’ll be alright. Go and say hi to Bulma for me. Get Goten over there before Vegeta starts taking his frustration with me out on Trunks.”
Chi-Chi rolled her eyes humorously, told her son “I love you” and left the house, waving from the car as she drove away.
Gohan looked at the slowly out-of-sight moving vehicle and sighed; this whole ‘Gohan needs protecting’ thing was getting annoying really quickly.
Gohan looked at the counter of the kitchen and spotted his Hogwarts letter lying underneath his Hogsmeade Permission form. He’d gotten his mother to sign the permission slip rather easily, probably as a treat for not complaining about being cooped up without his friends.
Gohan walked into the living room and spotted the Daily Prophet delivered to him a couple days ago lying on a coffee table. After the whole reporters thing Gohan set up an account with the Daily Prophet so he could know some magical culture happening in the world. That, and the fact he wanted to see what it wrote about him though, but that was a definite second. The first few editions talked a lot about him, even setting up a poll to see who was freaked out about the whole thing and who wasn’t (though no in those words).
In one of his later ones he read though, Gohan had a real big laugh. Apparently Ron’s dad won a prize draw from the Daily Prophet and won seven hundred galleons. They were going to use the money to see Bill, another of Ron’s countless siblings, in Egypt. Gohan would have joined them (it wouldn’t be hard to find them) had Chi-Chi and Piccolo forbidden it. He didn’t have the article now though; as a motivation for training Vegeta threw an energy blast at it.
Gohan smirked; he liked to think he got Vegeta back for that little ‘incentive’; Gohan really did come through when Vegeta told him earlier “Don’t hold back”.
He hadn’t been able to read this more recent one yet though, on account of the training and homework. Now that he was done though…
He pried his eyes from the newspaper to the letters sent from his friends; as much as he wanted to read the paper, the fact his friends had written to him touched him a lot. Deciding which to read first was torture—
Hedwig hooted loudly, tapping the kitchen table impatiently with her claw. Obviously she was hoping to go back to Harry soon.
“I know, I know.” Gohan assured the bird. “Look, you’re probably exhausted from the trip over here; and by the way, thanks for doing it.” The owl nodded faintly in response to the statement. “So how about you go hang out in the forest for an hour or two to get your strength back? I’ll send you back to Harry myself after, so you won’t have to travel across the whole way.”
The owl paused, and then immediately flew out the open window and into the jungle. Gohan ran to catch Hedwig before she got out of sight.
“I’ll call you back when I’m ready!” He shouted, sure that the bird heard him.
He went back into the kitchen, and picked up the paper lying on the table. Now that he could spare a couple of hours, he might as well do a quick peruse for news about himself or the other Z Fighters.
He laid the letters from his friends next to him, and ripped the string around the newspaper off.
As he opened it to the front page, he raised his eyebrows in astonish; he wasn’t mentioned on the front page at all. It wasn’t out of vanity or outrage he was surprised, it was just that news was pretty dull in the Magic World except for his ‘appearance’.