Harry thinks that the new professor is weird. She came from the Shinobi Continents to teach them something about 'chakra', or something along those lines. And somehow, she managed to create this odd friendship with Professor Snape, something about her purchasing poison to send to her sister-in-law, Tinton, he thinks.
But really, it's the way that she looks that shakes him to the bones.
Professor Hyuuga is like nothing he's ever seen before. It wasn't as if she's unusual per say, but she's something more than he could ever begin to fathom. Her hair is long and black, flowing down effortlessly. Sometimes, if he looks at her in the right light, it's almost purple. In reality, it's her eyes that strike them all to the core. They're a pale white all the way through, no pupils or anything. They're almost transparent in a way, as ghostly as those roaming the halls. Everyone thinks that she's blind until they actually meet her, and then they know. They know she can see beyond what they could begin to imagine. The professor sees everything, even with her back turned.
She's young. Almost too young, young enough to appear as if she should sit with the students instead of in her place with the staff. People take bets on how old she is, but never guessing more than twenty. No one knows for sure, if they're honest. Professor Hyuuga is otherworldly, like a wisp or a dream. She floats among them with her old, old eyes and her child's face and leaves them all to wonder.
It isn't until someone gathers the courage to ask her that she smiles at them, such a sad, too sad, smile. "I've been an adult since before I truly knew what it meant to be one."
Once they begin to accept the mystery that is Professor Hyuuga, another curveball is thrown their way. Their kind, soft-spoken professor is one of those shinobi they have been learning about for the past few weeks. This information almost throws Harry off his axis. His mind cannot wrap itself around the dichotomy that is his professor.
One day she sits them down with that same strange, sad smile that she always wears. She beckons them to sit with her, her smile never wavering. "My dears," her voice is barely above a whisper, yet it resonates through the room. "What you will learn here is the greatest truth that I can teach you. By definition, 'to kill ones heart with a blade is to become a true shinobi', but that is simply not true."
She brushes her bangs out of her face and stares straight at them with her lifeless eyes. "To be a shinobi is to break ones self down to the very soul, and build themselves back up again. To be a shinobi is to let every part of yourself become a weapon, not to hurt others, but to protect those that are precious to you. It is sacrificing a small part of yourself in order to raise it back up. Remember that, and you will truly know what it takes to become a shinobi."
It is in that very moment that they all register the pure power that radiates from every part of her.
It is also the moment that Harry realizes that he loves her, if just a little bit.
Another truth about the Professor Hyuuga is that while she is kind, she is also tough and unrelenting to those that choose to attempt control of the raw power that is chakra.
The process of pulling this energy from deep inside you and keeping a hold on it takes a huge effort. Chakra is twisting and burning and more alive than magic feels. Every bit of control of it is hard earned through tears and sweat and pain. Harry learns quickly that he cannot demand control like he can with his magic, because he easily gets burned. It's frustrating and irritating and he just can't understand why this is so hard for him.
He goes to her one day after class, demanding her help. He rants and rants about how he doesn't understand why people like Ron have such great control already while he is still struggling with the basics. But all the professor does is smile and offer him tea before settling down across from him. She reaches over and pats his hand. "There are some people that are born with the capacity for great chakra control, just as there are those talented in magic. The two are not that different, as long as you learn to respect them just the same."
His face burns with embarrassment and she laughs. "Do not be embarrassed Potter-san, everyone has been where you are at one point in their life. Sometimes those that struggle the most are the ones that become the greatest." Her faces turns uncharacteristically serious all at once. "But you must remember that chakra is a living force. If you continue to disrespect it, you will never know it again."
Harry clumsily excuses himself at that point, leaving as if the bats of hell are after him.
His embarrassment doesn't fade until the next class rolls around. Harry ducks his head as he enters the room and quietly settles down next to Hermione. When she asks how his meeting with the professor went, he simply shakes his head and refuses to answer.
"Good morning." Professor Hyuuga is calmly seated at her desk as she always it. "Today we're going to be taking a bit of a break from meditation to discuss what the basis of chakra control. Desks to the side as usual."
Harry feels his face burn while they all move their desks to rest against the walls of the classroom, but she never even glances in his direction.
The professor quietly rises from her seat to stand before all of them. "Some of you noticed that your classmates have an easier time harnessing their chakra. Weasley-san, please come to the front. Everyone else take a seat."
The ginger hesitantly makes his way to the front of the room, confusion more that apparent on his face. He stands awkwardly next to the professor, dwarfing her with his height. "Weasley-san has excellent control of his chakra." Her eyes scan across the room. "Can anyone tell me why that it?"
All she is met with are shaking heads and confused looks. Resisting the urge to sigh, she smiles again at them. "To answer it, there is no real reason. Weasley-san may have natural talent with chakra. He may focus more and try harder than some to control it." she turns to him, "You can go sit now." She settles on the ground with the rest of them. "We may not know why exactly some people have it easier than others, but you must remember what I taught you. Your chakra is a part of you, intertwined with your very soul. It comes from deep within and only grows. But it does not behave in the same way as your magic. If you attempt to force it past parts that are ready to take it, then you could completely destroy that chakra pathway. Once you've done that, it cannot be reversed."
Professor Hyuuga looks around the room, her eyes colder than they've ever seen. "If any of you attempt to force your chakra again, you will be removed from this class and have your chakra paths sealed. If you cannot handle treating this piece of you with respect, you do not deserve it."
"What is it like in your village?"
The professor turns around slowly, facing the fifth year Ravenclaw. She smiles and looks around at them. "I'm guessing you've all been curious, haven't you?" They all nod at once, their faces eager. Professor Hyuuga laughs, a sound like tinkling bells.
"It would be a shame to keep you waiting then," she teases."Alright then, put everything away. I guess it's about time I answer some of your questions."
She sighs and leans back in her chair, her expression soft and sad. "Konoha is very lively, you could say. There are civilians all over and shinobi are always doing something. The skies are almost always clear, with the biggest clouds I've ever seen. It's surrounded by forest, just like Hogwarts, but it's so very different at the same time. There are trees as large as some of the towers here, always so bright and green. There are training grounds with lakes the size of the one here, with the clearest water I've ever seen. It's warm and nice, like a perpetual summer. It's home."
"Do you miss it?" Harry asks, his eyes trained on his hands.
"I miss it very much," she smiles sadly at them, "I miss the breeze and the sun, the smell of cherry blossoms in the spring. I miss my teammates, and my friends, even my clan. Konoha is so very different from this place, and sometimes it helps, but it reminds me of what is missing. Hogwarts is very..cold compared to my home. It's colors are dark and the sky is gray. The winters here are harsh and sometimes I think I will forget what the sun looks like. But that doesn't mean I have not grown to love it."
She smiles again, a little brighter. "I think I will miss it too when I leave."
Professor Hyuuga has a family.
It's so easy to forget that when she is there, smiling and laughing with them. She is friends with both staff and students alike, and no one has a bad word to say about her. She's like a dream to them, so much that they fail to remember that she is just as real as they are.
No one knows she has a family until someone finally looks into the pictures all along her walls. They see two men and a small girl with eyes just like the professor, a picture of a boy with a dog next to another boy almost completely hidden by his jacket. There are pictures of Professor Hyuuga with a red eyed woman, smiling brightly.
But one her desk sits the one they are all the most curious about. Their professor is hugging a man with yellow hair and eyes like the sky, a bright blush on her face. The man has a toddler on his shoulders with the same yellow hair as the man and eyes like the professor. They all look so painfully happy while the professor is so, so sad that they are almost afraid to ask.
Harry is the only one with enough courage.
"Who are they?" he asks, pointing at the picture. Professor Hyuuga jerks her head up from her work, eyes softening as she looks at the image.
She picks the frame up, running her finger along the edge. "They are my husband and son. Sachio will be turning three this summer, just in time for me to return. I miss them dearly"
He swallows thickly and excuses himself. A lump of emotion forms in his throat and for the life of him, he can't explain why.
It isn't until the end of the year that he realizes that she is leaving and won't be coming back. The feeling is almost crushing, and he can't bare to look her in the eyes on the last day of class. Professor Hyuuga has become a part of his life now, and she is leaving. He is going to lose another person that he cares about. He stands up to leave that last day, feeling almost numb.
"Potter-san, please stay for a few minutes." He turns to face her and she smiles brightly, beckoning him over. His feet move like they are stuck in concrete, each step heavier than the next. When the last student leaves the room she rests on her desk, patting the spot next to her.
She stares at him, white eyes unblinking. "You are upset that I'm leaving, aren't you Potter-san?" Harry nods, afraid of what might happen if he opens his mouth, "I understand, but you must understand that it is my time to go. My mission has ended and I want to see my family again. This does not mean that you have not become precious to me in this past year."
She stands and begins to walk him to the door. "We will meet again Potter-san, I promise."
The door closes.
Five years later, Professor Hyuuga makes good on her promise.
Harry has almost forgotten her by then, immersed in his work at the Ministry. He works in International Magical Affairs as a translator and he loves his job more than anything. Everyone had expected him to become an Auror after everything he had done, but Harry is much better off where he is now. He no longer has to put his life in danger everyday. Instead he meets the most interesting people and learns new things, exciting things the more that he stays there.
He is called that day to come translate for the leader of Konoha, the place that Professor Hyuuga was from. He makes his way there as fast as he can, hoping that this might give him an opportunity to contact his long gone professor. He opens the door and his heart stops for a split second.
Professor Hyuuga is there with the man from her picture, only now he is wearing white and red robes with some strange hat. She smiles brightly and rises to hug him. "It is very nice to see you again Potter-san."
Harry grins and hugs her back. "Nice to see you too Professor."
"Please," she smiles, not a hint of sadness in her face, "call me Hinata."
Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Almost two years since I last wrote something. Well, I was going through and deleting things that I know I'll never finish when I read this and tbh, I'm kinda embarrassed of how it was. So I went and changed it like a lot bc I actually understand tenses better now. I guess I may reupload this? idk yet
SBP