Harry Potter – The Eastern Tide
Chapter 1 – A New Year
A/N: As you read, please note that not all wizard rules apply to the Eastern schools that apply in Western ones. Also robes, magic conjuring devices and spells may be very different. Please keep an open mind.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I also am not receiving profit for this publication. The following writing is purely fan based and has no further political or spiritual connotation past the imagination. Enjoy!
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Deep within the walls of the abandoned palace of Fatehpur Sikri, built by King Akbar the Great during his princely years, there lies a second copy of the great storybook, Ramayana. It was a book painted only for him. This second copy was not painted by any mere muggle. It's pages are infused with a magic so powerful that even wizards before the time of those who built the goddess Athena's Parthenon would find great difficulty in attempting to learn its spells. But it was precisely on these foundations that the magic of India's great wizards, the Hemang, was founded.
Within the walls of Akbar's ancient palace is a single corner stone that hides this very book. When a wizard attempts to walk into this corner of stone, he is greeted by a fantastical world. A world only available to magic… A world only kept by it.
Divya Magic Academy is a place located just on the other side of the gates leading through the Hemang wizard world. With steps that lead downward to three magical springs, one can only enter the school if one's magic ring touches the water and releases blue sparks. When blue sparks arise, the magical springs fold back to give passage down a long white staircase. Roots of great desert trees grow around the gold, stone walls as one descends. Then all at once, a wizard is greeted by a large cavern of levitating white stone walkways, an enormous overgrown tree that extends both its branches far above ground, and its roots far below. It and the magical barrier is the only thing separating the school's inhabitants from the harsh desert.
"Elixious!" shouted a heavy voice, as laughter rang out in the cavern.
Water sprites erupted into the air in all directions, attempting to grab hold of a golden ball of light as they ascended.
The gray-haired man whose ring had just enchanted the air, smiled widely. Followed closely by a few hundred young witches and wizards, he began to walk in an even stride toward a gold door. Flanking them were several adult witches and wizards. Pieces of stone floated around the air until he took a step. Before his foot could fall, a path was made underneath it. This strange hovering stone did the same for each of the witches and wizards following him. Stopping at the door, he tapped his ring to the gold surface and it swung open. Smiling, he turned his head to the students immediately behind him and held the door open for them.
"Just imagine where the path will lead and it will guide you. On you go!"
Once inside the hall, the students wanted to stop and gaze at the room in wonder, but were nudged onward by the students behind them. The hall's walls were gold and its floor black. The ceiling appeared to be looking out into the cosmos. A staff table could be seen on the far side of the hall, with three long tables filled with students leading to the front of the room.
"Welcome to the Hall of Hamavati," said the gray-haired man to the last of the students walking in the door. Giving a swift nod to another professor, he closed the door with a snap. He looked into the blank air before him curiously before he strode off at a jog away from the hall.
"Who was that man, Aditi?" asked a young student at the back of the crowd, addressing his question to a female student just as young. Her head was on a constant swivel, taking in the grandeur of the sights before her.
"That man was Sambodh Jasveer, the youngest headmaster in a thousand years," said Aditi vaguely as her head continued to swivel.
"First years! This way!" shouted a young teacher, perhaps in his twenties. His robes were a flaming red. The crowd of young witches and wizards followed him past a stone pillar up to a small pool of water. The hall grew quiet. Suddenly, Headmaster Jasveer appeared in a whirl of deep gold and blue robes behind the pool. His kind, but penetrating eyes looked at the crowd of first years before him.
"You are embarking on a new journey, young witches and wizards. This is a journey that I hope will continue long after your schooling is complete. A thirst for knowledge is always a healthy desire. A challenge can always be found for those seeking one, and courage for those who are thrust into such a path but have not sought for it. Let the sorting begin!"
"Right! Mahavir Bose!" said the younger teacher.
A young skinny boy wearing tan robes nervously stepped forward.
"Step onto the first step covered with white paint and then continue to the other side. When you reach the last step leading out of the pool, the color of the paint will tell you which house you belong to."
The boy's head shot towards the younger teacher in surprise. The wizard simply winked back at the boy and gently nudged him toward the pool.
Nervously, Mahavir stepped in the white paint and descended down the steps into the pool. The water was neither warm nor cool. In fact, it seemed less like water, and more like some sort of strange mist. Walking up the steps on the opposite side of the pool, one foot left behind a trail of yellow paint.
"The house of NANDI!" shouted the headmaster.
Instantly, the boy's clothes dried themselves from the ground up, and the paint disappeared into the floor. The entire house of Nandi rose to their feet, cheering.
Surprised, but pleased, the boy took off for the table with a giant bull engraved in the center.
"Aditi Chauhan!"
She immediately strode forward, stepped in the paint, and walked through the pool. As soon as her feet hit the floor, blue paint was seen.
"The house of GARUDA!"
As before, her clothes immediately dried and the paint disappeared. Without even a second's hesitation, she ran to the middle table where a giant beast—half bird, half man—was engraved in the middle, as cheering erupted.
"Uddhav Khan!"
The boy who had early been talking to Aditi timidly nudged his way through the crowd. He nervously looked up at the young teacher in front of him, who nodded to him with a calm gaze before turning to the pool. The boy nervously stepped into the paint and walked across the pool. At the other side, blue footprints appeared.
"The house of GARUDA!" boomed the headmaster's voice.
The middle table broke out into loud cheers as the boy's clothes dried themselves. Uddhav glanced up at the headmaster for a moment, a look of relief on his face. Jasveer simply smiled as he laid his hand out flat toward the direction of the middle table. The boy's face broke out into a wide smile as he turned and ran for his house's table.
"Parmeshwari Rao!"
A girl with snake-like green eyes strode forward. Her motion was so fluid that it was a wonder if her feet actually touched the ground. When she reached the other side of the pool, small red footprints would be seen trailing behind her.
"The House of PRATYANGIRA!"
As her clothes dried, she strode toward the table to the furthest left in the hall where a lion with the face of a woman was carved in the center. In an instant, the entire table stood, and with rings glowing, each person pointed toward the staff table. Like a great wave, an image of a lion erupted into the air, charging through the wall on what appeared to be clouds. When it reached the three tables of students, it stopped, stretched its neck and let out a great roar. Then it vanished in a wisp of colored smoke. The first year students fell silent and huddled together in fear, but the more advanced students seemed unphased. Though the lion was only seen that once, this process seemed to continue when the other two houses conjured their own versions of their house crests for the next two students who joined them. Afterward, cheering filled the air for each new student, and the rest of the ceremony went smoothly, with the exception of a girl who rushed forward and threw her arms around the headmaster when he announced her house. Prying her loose, he turned her around and pushed her forward, sending her on her way.
When the last student was seated, Headmaster Jasveer and the younger teacher levitated a stone covering for the pool and buried it, not to be used until the next year. Then, with a quick glance toward the staff table where the other teachers were already seated, the headmaster, and the younger teacher made their way to their seats. While the younger teacher sat down, the headmaster remained standing. He held up a single hand to silence the chattering that had started at the student tables. Silence fell in the hall.
"I know all of you are eager to begin the opening feast, but before that, some quick announcements. Please note that, first years are strictly forbidden below the stone maze this year. A few pixies escaped from the Care of Magical Creatures Office over the summer. Nothing to worry about for second year students and above, but they may be a bit much to handle for those who are beginners. As a result, only advanced classes will be held in the bottom corridors. Also, all those with pets, specifically toads… Your pets are strictly forbidden to be outside your dorm after hours, with the exception of messenger birds. That means, no toads swimming in the magic pools after dark, no exceptions. Anyone with an animal out after hours will be given detention. Lets avoid having the water sprites drown our poor beasts this year, shall we?"
One boy from the Nandi house whipped out a tissue to dry his eyes, while the student surrounding him, patted him on the back, sympathetically.
"Now, as some may not know, our school will be hosting Nigori Mizu Magical Institute from Japan, and Teochew Elite School of Wizardry from Singapore this year. This is the year for the third ever Pegasus Race. You may sign up on a list posted to the wall of this hall two days from today. Now then, let the feast begin!"
The headmaster was seated, and hundreds of dishes appeared in front of the staff and the students.
"From Japan and Singapore? And what are the Pegasus races?" asked Uddhav, turning to Aditi.
Aditi shrugged, already finding herself elbow-deep in curry and rice pudding.
"The Pegasus Races are an event that takes place in this school every hundred years. You could say that it's kind of like a centennial event," said a boy in his third year, on Uddhav's other side.
Uddhav turned is head to look at the older boy, but was immediately taken aback by his light complection and blond hair.
"But, what is it?"
"Oh," said the older boy, "The Pegasus Races are a combination of riding three different kinds of winged beasts. There are four beasts that fall into the Pegasus category, but only three can be ridden."
Uddhav cringed, "So it's that dangerous?"
The older boy lifted a corner of his mouth, "Well… It can be. But the really reason you can only ride three is because the last is invisible to the human eye unless you've seen someone die. The only country that could probably qualify is Britain because there was a seemingly huge massacre by the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. Still, it's debatable still. Many could say that the general population still haven't seen someone actually die, because he usually never left anyone in a family alive."
"I see."
"I'm British, you see. My dad's parents were half Indian, half British, and my mother was entirely British."
"Oh, ok. My name is Uddhav Khan by the way. I'm from Central India, and so is Aditi here."
"I'm Andrew Melvrick," said the older boy.
Uddhav opened his mouth to respond but was cut short when the hall fell silent in response to a robed figure appearing before the staff table dressed in kimono-like red and black robes. Almost as if the headmaster had been expecting her arrival, he got to his feet and bowed to her.
"Please welcome, Nigori Mizu Magical Institute!"
The Japanese Headmistress turned to face the students, and with a single clap of her hands, the doors to the hall burst open. Four rows of kimono-like robed male students spread out to cover each aisle in between the tables. Whirling wands in a fluid motion toward the staff table, a single great dragon grew from each wand and bound toward the staff table. As they grew closer to the headmistress, each dragon appeared to swallow up the other until only one remained. Shining silver and gold, it curled around her, its gleaming eyes calm and strangely tame. With a single flicker of the Headmistress's wand, the dragon disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Then it was gone.
Headmaster Jasveer, having finally made his way down to her, greeted her with a bow, said a few words in Japanese that none of the Indian students could understand, and turned to the rest of the school.
"Welcome, friends, to Divya Magic Academy and another year!"
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So chapter 1. I'd like to be able to take all the credit for this idea, but I can't. My roommate and I came up with the idea of a HP fic using the Asian countries over dinner one night. A few names are a little confusing, such as: Nandi, Akbar the Great, and such. I strongly suggest Wikipedia or Google for those who wish to know more, as some are based off of real Kings, mythical beasts, etc. of India.
Tell me what you think. I love to read comments. Until next chapter. Toodles!