Awakening the Dragon
By Kai Lun Mau
Chapter 9
Harry's recovery from his shoulder wound was slow and painful, his essence being poisoned in such a way only hindering his healing. He was bed ridden for several weeks as his magical reserves slowly regrew and during this time he spent many hours in conversation with Grandfather Wu and Hermione. It seemed as though he had found the place he had been looking for, somewhere he could learn skills that would prove useful in a fight against ruthless killers and foul dark magical beasts.
He was happy here, it was strange but in the short time he had been in this village he had felt a peace he had never known. There were no trappings of modern society; the people treated him like he was simply the same as the rest of them. Here there was no fame shadowing everyone's reaction and with the Essence of Voldemort gone his sleep was finally untroubled. He sighed as he sat on a hilltop his arm in a sling and watched as the sun set behind the mountains behind him he could hear the everyday sounds of the village and he smiled at the simplicity of it and how much he found it appealing to him. The sounds of footfalls in the grass caused him to turn around slightly and he bowed his head respectfully to Grandfather Wu.
"It is a beautiful country is it not Harry?" The old man set his Walking cane down on the grass as he sat on the ground beside Harry and watched the sunset. "This place is what true Japan looks like, this is what I and the village fighters truly fight for, the cities belong to a different people, a people who have lost touch with themselves."
"Yes it's beautiful here, and peaceful I'm finally the only one in my head it seems and I don't want to go back, but I don't have that choice do I Grandfather Wu." Harry sighed sadly as he shifted his gaze from the sunset to the grass beneath him. "I never seem to have a choice when it comes to my life."
"That is incorrect young one, you have a choice Harry, you can fight or you can do nothing and let Voldemort win, it may not be a good choice or even a fair choice, but it is still a choice."
Harry nodded. "You got that from a fortune cookie didn't you?" He grinned at the old man only to yelp as Wu's walking cane cracked down on his head. "I was joking."
The old man chuckled as he set the wooden pole back on the grass. "Have you decided what you will do?"
Harry nodded slightly and looked back up at the reddish golden sky. "Yes I have, My people seem to have lost their way, I won't find any help from them Grandfather Wu so I respectfully ask you train me in the way's of the shih."
"You realise that it will not be easy."
Harry nodded as he watched the grassed rustle from the evening breeze before turning to look at the old man again. "Sensei nothing in my life has ever been easy so why should this be any different, though you do know that if I do this Hermione is likely to want to learn as well."
Grandfather Wu laughed as he stood. "Silly boy the girl already asked before, she has been waiting on you."
Harry just shook his head laughing quietly before he turned his attention back to the setting sun.
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Noriko eyed the approaching girl warily her cheek twinged in memory of the slap and she fought the urge to make herself scarce but she knew she would lose the respect of her villagers if she ran from the foreigner. "What do you want?"
Hermione sighed and raised her hands in a peaceful gesture. "I want to apologise for hitting you like that, you hurt my friend, and when it comes to him I don't think rationally at times." She offered Noriko her hand. "How about we start over, I am Hermione Granger."
Noriko eyed the hand warily and slowly took it in her own hand and shook it barely. "I am Noriko Okamoto."
"See that's a better start than shooting my best friend or getting slapped." Hermione smiled slightly to the other girl. "I really wanted to ask you something and I hope you will help me."
Noriko looked at her and smirked, so she wanted something huh, well then. "What do you want Hermione Granger?" she struggled with the strange sounding syllables.
Hermione pointed at her bow. "I would like you to show me how to use one of those." She smiled nervously at the Asian girl. "Last year I learned a very hard lesson and a painful one, I don't know enough magic to defend myself properly, and the spells that are available to us aren't anywhere near as lethal as the spells available to Harry's enemies."
Noriko cocked her head to the side and eyed her warily. "That still doesn't explain why you want me to show you how to use a bow."
Hermione gestured to her petite frame in annoyance. "Lets be honest here I'm never going to have the kind of strength need to swing one of the sword I see the men carrying around, I need a way to put down the people I'm fighting for good."
Noriko nodded in understanding but still a frown marred her pretty Asian features. "I can understand your reasoning, but it still doesn't tell me why you came to me."
Hermione blushed slightly embarrassed as she stared at her hands. "Well you are the only girl in the Village I've seen carrying a weapon, and you are the only one I really know."
Noriko sighed and gestured to Hermione to follow her. "Well if we are going to do this then I had best see what I have to work with." She slung the bow from the sheathe on her back and pulled a bowstring from a pocket and with a grunt of effort strung the bow and knocked an arrow and pulled back. She sighted down the shafted at a near by tree and let fly the arrow arcing through the air and with a thunk sank into the tree. "Your turn."
Nervously Hermione took the bow from Noriko's hands and reached for an arrow, with shaking fingers she knocked it and with a grunt of effort pulled back on the string as hard as she could, the arrow tip weaving back and forth in a crazy eight before she let fly, the arrow travelling only a few metres before skidding across the dirt.
Noriko giggled. "This is going to take some time I think."
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On the other side of the globe at Hogwarts a meeting was taking place in the room of requirement, the remaining members of the DA where in a panic, Harry's disappearance had caused an uproar, tack on the fact Hermione was also gone the DA found itself leaderless and with no one to teach.
Ron watched with a frustrated look on his face as the members bickered and argued who would be leader, who would research new spells for them to learn, and who would help them. Ron couldn't help but think back to a conversation he'd had with the headmaster at the start of school, about how it was now time for someone to step forward and lead the students and finally Ron saw this as his chance, no more standing in the shadow, he would creature his own legend, he raised his wand to his throat and cast Sonorous. "RIGHT YOU LOT PACK IT IN!" silence settled round the room as shock filtered through those present. Casting the counter charm he nodded with satisfaction as all attention was on him. Harry's gone, Hermione's gone as well, we can't change those facts, but we can survive without them, as for who leads, that will be Myself, Ginny, Loony Lovegood and Neville understand."
Cho Chang glared at him angrily hands on her hips. "Who died and made you king Weasely." She smirked at her own private little dig at him but blanched at his come back.
"Sit down before you burst into tears and cause a flood Chang, we are in charge cause none of the rest of you have done the things we've done, we battled deatheaters and survived, hell we gave some of them a right thrashing, but the long and the short of it is we were there at the Ministry and none of the rest of you weren't." He started to pace aware he finally had their attention. "I don't claim to be Harry, I'm nowhere near as smart as Hermione, but none of you can deny that the four names I mentioned are the best we have, Loony Lovegood is almost as smart as Hermione, she can research what we need, hell she probably already knows, Ginny is well, she's Ginny and I know you all ain't dumb enough to take her on in a duel, as for Neville, he proved his worth and courage at the Ministry, and as for me, who in this room can strategize better than I can hmmm?" He stared them down one at a time daring any of them to question his decision. "That's settled then, we spent to much time bloody arguing about who takes over that there's no time to review what we know, but be here nine o'clock on Thursday and we'll get started." With a few grumbles and dirty looks his way the members of the DA left leaving Neville Ron Ginny and Luna behind.
Ginny stared at her Brother with something akin to awe. "So imperious Leader what do we do next?"
Ron deflated and looked at his three friends. "I have no bloody idea."
TBC...
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AN: Sigh Don't hate me for the length of times between updates ok, I'm gonna be brutally Honest I am losing my eyesight, someday it's fine, others Everything's a blur and I can't see my hand a foot from my face. It makes updating and writing new stories kinda frivolous, You'll be pleased to know that I am not giving up on my stories and that I have Chapters in progress for each story it's just gonna take a little time to get each one out there into the WWW
So Yours Truly
The Blind, but still very Evil Kai Lun Mau