Awakening the Dragon
Chapter 6
Time seemed to slow for Hermione as she watched the girl with the bow draw the arrow back and let fly, she fumbled for her wand desperate to stop the arrows flight and she watched horrified when the shaft plunged into Harry's body. Her scream filled the alleyway and she dropped her wand from her numb fingers and scrambled her legs still numb, towards Harry who lay there in a pool of rapidly expanding blood.
"Noriko what have you done!" The old man moved quickly considering his age and knelt beside the two teenagers and struggled to pry Hermione's arms from around Harry. "Silly girl if you don't stop he will die!"
Hermione looked at the old man and her eyes narrowed in anger before she glanced over his shoulder at the Asian girl who stood there looking as if she had done nothing wrong watching as the old man tried to remove the arrow. Hermione exploded from her kneeling position she vanished with a crack of displaced air and reappeared before the girl barrelling into her with all her weight about strength and bore her down to the ground. Noriko struggled, she fought demons and shape changers and all manner of beasts but she couldn't stop the slight young woman who sat on her chest pinning her arms.
After Hermione's patented Malfoy bitch slap all the fight went out of Noriko as her head slammed violently to one side and Hermione in her rage continued to slap the girl. "You killed him. You killed him You KILLED HIM!" She screamed in rage as a pair of arms like iron bands encircled her and lifted her off the girls chest and she kicked out, trying to hurt the girl more when she felt a tap to the back of her neck and everything for Hermione went black.
The old man sighed wearily. "I am getting to old for this. Akira we must get these two children away from here immediately, bring them with us, get the cart because if I am to save the boy I must treat the wound in his shoulder first before I can purify the soul." He turned to look at the two others with him. "You two go on ahead, prepare the house for our arrival…now go!"
The two teens bowed and answered in unison. "Yes Grandfather Wu!" The gathered their weapons, slipping them beneath their cloaks and vanished out of the alleyway at a run. The old man sighed as he dropped cross-legged and rested his cane upon his knees and frowned. "Albus my old pupil what are you playing at."
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She awoke slowly, the gentle rocking motion slowly pulling her into wakefulness and she sat rubbing her stiff neck slowly when suddenly everything rushed back into her memories. The fight with the weird were tiger, the old man, the girl with the bow and… "HARRY!" She glanced around her eyes adjusting to the gloom inside the wagon and she saw Harry laying there wrapped in blankets and sweating profusely, thrashing in his sleep. She scrambled across the wooden floor of the cart to reach him only to yell in fright as the walking cane of the old man appeared before her eyes.
"He must not be disturbed girl, the wards are keeping the Evil spirit at bay within his body, but to disturb him would be to disturb the bonds that chain the beast and it would be free." The old man rubbed his hands together and turned his gaze to hers. "He is Harry Potter yes?"
Hermione nodded dumbly, after all their plans, all their attempts to escape still they wound up with people who knew Harry's secret. "What are you going to do with us…" She tried to surreptitiously check her pockets for her wand, some way to defend herself and Harry.
The old man cackled and slapped his hand on his thigh. "Do? I intend to chase the evil spirit from your friend, seeing as how his life is endanger from the Arrow shot by my great grand daughter then I won't charge for the service. Afterwards Harry Potter and I shall talk about why Albus Dumbledore has sent him too Japan alone and unprepared!"
"Professor Dumbledore doesn't know where we are…" She trailed off knowing she shouldn't have said that but it was to late. The old man raised a bushy eyebrow and smiled a toothless grin. "It seems that perhaps you and I will being having manner conversations on the road to our home yes?"
Hermione frowned and folded her arms across her chest and looked at Harry. "What's wrong with him?"
The old mans smile faded and he turned his attention back to the thrashing Harry. "His essence has been poisoned. A great Evil consumes his soul, he is possessed and the spirit is getting more powerful." He sighed and drummed his fingers on his knee as he studied the boy in the wagons dim light.
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The journey took several days with every day Harry's colour would fade and the thrashing would become worse, only Grandfather Wu's skills keeping Harry's shoulder would clean from infection kept the boy alive long enough to make it into the mountains. Hermione and the old man talked for many hours about things that where happening back in Europe and the rapid rise of Voldemort once more and how Dumbledore seemed to be only using Harry in the war.
Grandfather Wu took Hermione's hand as she helped him from the cart and he shook his head. "Albus's actions greatly disturb me but for now I fear I must see to your countries only hope. He snapped his fingers and two men dressed in light brown robes scurried over to lift the litter from the wagon and carried Harry into a thatch lined house.
Hermione gaped as she spun around, she would have sworn she had stepped into feudal Japan as she watched the men and women and children go about with their daily lives. In fields of grass she watched men move in intricate steps with wooden swords while women and children carried food and water between the homes, smoke curled from several roofs and Hermione unsteadily shuffled after Grandfather Wu only to squeak as the door was slammed in her face.
"Don't mind grandfather. The cleansing ritual can only be performed between himself and the victim."
Hermione glanced behind her at the voice and her eyes narrowed at the sight of the two teenagers. "What do you two want?" She turned and folded her arms across her chest and gave them both the glare that worked so well on Ron and Harry. "Well?"
"Grandfather has assigned us to be your guides in the village while your friend recovers from his injuries" Yoshi smiled disarmingly at the crazy westerner. "If you come with us we will get you food."
Hermione glowered. "I am not moving till I see Harry!"
Noriko snorted and turned to her brother. "I told you, she's crazed, we should just let her sit out here for the next several nights while grandfather tries to get rid of the evil spirit."
Hermione's gazed shifted and her brow furrowed in anger as she studied the girl taking great satisfaction in the bruises on her face. "Listen you I opened a can of whoop ass on you already you hungry for me cause don't think I've forgotten about you and your bow."
Suddenly a boom caused the porch where Hermione stood to shake under feet causing her to stumble into the two twins. The windows of the building exploded outwards as crimson tendrils of raw magic billowed in the remains of the frames like fire. Without a word without permission Hermione turned to the door and grabbed the knob in her hand and prayed as she calmly spoke the unlocking charm. The door sprung open at her touch and she darted in the waves of magic parting for her as she glanced around. On the pallet on the floor lay Harry thrashing and screaming his raw energy crackling around them. Simple pottery figures exploded like so much shrapnel whilst the wooden beams supporting the house groaned in protest.
Grandfather Wu cursed under his breath as he watched the girl burst in interrupting the ceremony as he rubbed his prayer beads between his hands chanting the cleansing ritual matching wills with the evil that was infesting Harry's soul. Sweat streamed down the old mans face as the boy howled in agony and a crimson raw essence began to shrink back into the boy. Finally it lay over his body like a sheet, suddenly it shifted a face moulding itself above Harry's face and Hermione screamed as she stared at the visage of lord Voldemort.
Hermione's fingers clutched at her face before she staggered forwards through the crimson corona and collapsed against Harry's chest pleading with him to stay with her to fight this. Her small hands cupped his face and she pulled him up to her and covered his mouth with hers.
The old man watched in stunned fascination as the spirits visage screamed silently and seemed to expand, it's face becoming horribly bloated. With a final silent shriek it exploded causing the room to shake violently and all the was left was a sobbing teenage girl and an unconscious teenage boy unaware of just how his best friend had saved his life.
TBC…
AN: Yeah after so long I'm kinda back in the swing of things so here's the new chapter for ya'll and I hope you like it…it's a lil more Hermione centric than others but I hope it helps develop her character a little more. Next chapter unfortunately for those waiting is probably gonna be Ron centric again even though I don't like him.
Yours Truly
The Evil Known as Kai Lun Mau