Chapter 10 Takara And The Different Curriculum

Thanks for the reviews, I hope you enjoy this. It's the last week of school for me, still got two more days to go and I'm free!!

Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognisable is not mine.

Chapter 10 Takara And The Curriculum

Ana's POV

"What if they don't like me, and I'll be the only one there without a friend. Can Daphne come with me, just for a week? Father please, you are not going to stay there, and Harry have to stay here to study, please Father."

I can't deny it, no matter how much I'd liked to be independent, and I'd loved to go to Japan, a seven years old will always miss home and family. Just thinking about leaving Harry, Father, Daphne, Bella or even Draco was too much at the moment. Even though I've been told not to cry by my Father, I still felt tears flooding my eyes.

"Ana, you are my daughter, no one, I mean NO ONE is allowed to make you feel inferior…ever. You will make new friends, and they will love you just like your friends here." I really cannot imagine Draco loving me, the thought gave me the shivers. My father is right, I can do this, it's too good a chance for me to give up just because I will miss my family. They will still be here next week. I took a deep breath turned around to face Harry.

"Merlin, I'll miss you so much." being hugged by your brother is like having a nice warm blanket wrapped around you. Sometimes it's the most wonderful feeling of protectiveness, but at others its suffocating. This time though, I hugged him back just as warmly, not wanting to let go. "I'm sure people there will love you, everyone need a annoying brat like you to keep them entertained after all." Laughing and trying to look angry at the same time was not working for me, so I gave Nick a quick hug and picked up my back pack, waving goodbye to Harry and Nick for the millionth time, I turned to walk through the check out gate.

Around the corner the full view of the main waiting hall of the Portkey station. No wonder Draco hated the place, and had Lucius build the personal Portkey station in Malfoy Castle, the room was packed full, with pockets of people shifting impatiently waiting for the late Portkeys.

Father and I got through the security with the fake ID Lucius got us with no problem.

"May you have a safe and nice journey, please keep your arms and belongings inside the restricting circle and wait for the count down…3…2…1…Depart."

I followed the caretaker up the river bank after father apparated us here. Father seemed to have been here before, then again I suppose he must have, after all Takara School Of Physical Arts and Weaponry was a linked campus to the Slytherin Magic Institution Of Forbidden and Forgotten Arts, I only visited the school once, it was beautiful, I hope it is the same here.

On the other side of the river I could see people wearing pure white instead of the Deatheater black with bamboo sticks clashing and swords slashing, I love it already. People here looked friendly, at least…they do when they are not trying to trip you up, or scare you with a sai.

Kimoragreata, or Kim as my caretaker insisted I call her was just telling me how there were a large number of westerners coming to the school this year, most in my year too, as the school board finally made the school international. I am going to be one of the youngest here, the school take students over the age of seven, unless a orphan was found to have potential, then the school take you in and train you for free, once you started working, they take five percent of your earnings. She also said I would make a lot of friends here, which was reassuring.

Across the lake was the living area, through gate one, although it looked nothing like a gate, just two slabs of grey flint with Gate one, Living quarters written on them in red paint. These gates were all over the school ground, kind of like corridors in the Lair, only out side. There was a common room, the female and male living quarters (Separated of course), and the cafeteria, the teachers rooms was just off to the left. (A/N the link to Takara is up: http : / pics./cassie616/pic/000019ke/g1, take out spaces. Hope you check it out. the link is also on my user account page.)

Everything here was just so natural. The showers and wash rooms was by the river, the farm land near the toilet (I really don't want to know why.) and gardens were everywhere, I've never seen a Japanese Dry Garden before, they are basically gardens with ponds with no water, but filled with stones instead. All the rooms were made out of wood, with bamboo sticking out here and there, covered with strong paper and board, the sliding doors roof and walls were all ivory coloured, like the rice growing in the back gardens.

The door to my room or hut, slid open as a girl with black hair in a Beveled Bob came out. "Hey! You must be the new girl, well…I'm new too, just got here yesterday. I guess we'll be room mates. I'm Manami Karapanagioti, but most people can't say my last name, so they call me Kan instead. What's your name?"

"Hi, I'm Ana, Athena Lestrange actually. I'd love to be room mates with someone, I thought I was going to live on my own, and get board out of my skull." Talking to Manami was easy enough, looks like she doesn't know anyone either. I smiled when she saw the dagger I carried in my boot with me. Father gave it to me for my seventh birthday, he said it was a heirloom. When I asked him shouldn't he have given it to Harry since he was the heir, Father just told me he'd like Harry to live a little longer. The dagger was beautifully designed, but lethal when you know how to use it, the handle was black wood, with a bloodstone in the centre, the blade, a finely sharpened silver slate.

"That's beautiful, who gave it to you?" Manami asked me with wide dark brown eyes.

"My Father, he came with me, only just left, he is very busy with work and all… would you like to see…"

"I'll just leave you two girls to it then, Miss Kan, if you are so kind to show your new room mate around. I'm not as young as I used to be, and my knee is failing me again."

"No problem Mrs Kim, here lets get your stuff inside. Then we can go explore."

"So basically the school is split into seven areas."

"Yep, but they are all interlinked, like the physical combat area is always liked with the weaponry, and that's linked with magical skills." After the tour Nami gave me I felt like I knew the school, its like a family instead a campus, there were seven areas in all. The living area, the beginners' training, advanced/specialised combat, weaponry, Magic skills, International standard education, Meditation and Temple. These are the seven main parts that makes up the school, and we are going to experience them first hand tomorrow. I'm ever so excited, so is Nami, hopefully, with luck I could make few more friends here, after all I'm going to live here for years to come.

Harry's POV

I started my first lessons…well official lessons today. Just had combat with Draco and Bella in the gardens, and after breakfast, we have charms. I am as excited as anything, although we had learnt charms theory for three years now, today is going to be the first time we actually practice the spells.

Father said a lot of old purebloods thought the earlier their children could practice magic, the stronger they are. Only in recent years did the healers find out, if magic was forcefully used when they are not stabilised, the child could become a squib, which was why many of the pureblood families became weak, it had little to do with inbreeding.

Draco practically lived here in the Lair, even though Father and his deatheaters had not been doing much in the last few years, ever since Ana and I got here. Draco heard there were even a few who believed Father had gotten ill after the time he attacked Andrew's party, as if a weak pathetic thing like Kirke could harm Father, he is no where near powerful enough. Then again Father told me this was good, he is recruiting at the moment, and he and Lucius planed to make people let their guard down, for now.

Draco only went home four times a week, on the days he had private tutoring in the subjects I held no interest in. For example our training regime was mostly the same, but when Draco had Law, Finance or Multi-Languages excreta, I would then have Wandless magic, Parseltongue or Dark arts with Father, those subjects either Draco cannot learn, or they are too advanced. Lucius did not want Draco to learn Dark Arts until he is at least nine, can't think why though, it's… amusing.

"What do you think we are going to learn today?" Draco knew things like that; he listens to every word Lucius mutters, which in my opinion is quite sad, but then again he knew more that way. After finishing his eggs, Draco answered.

"I think we are doing a motion charm, then in transfiguration Mother is going to show us how to turn water in to ink."

"Why can't we just learn Hogwarts' syllabus? It'll be so much easier."

"No, Mother and Father is helping Tom look for spells that's not in the Hogwarts' books, that way we won't get board once we start school. Besides, I don't think it's going to work, all the useful spells are included in their syllabus, Hogwarts is after all the finest school for OWLS and NEWTS."

"Hope they just gave it up, we are learning a whole lot of stuff that's extracurricular. Hogwarts can be a revision for us, won't our lives be so easy if we already learnt all the stuff?" Draco just nodded, not really agreeing with me. Draco loved his books, I mean lovedthem! Once, he refused to play Quidditch just because he didn't finish the assignment his father gave him on muggle chemistry…MUGGLE, but then again he does enjoy potions. Here I thought only girls were weird.

"Ok, Have you two had a practice with the wands yet?" Nick asked us as we got ready for the lesson. Father and Lucius gave us each a wand from our grand parents, they said our own wands will be too easy for us to use, and after using these wands for a few days we would appreciate our own wands more once we got them.

Mine was melted Amphisbaena scale in Abies Alba wood, Father told be the user of the wand never lost a duel, his speed was impeccable.

Draco had his Grandfather's wand, it was more elegant and detailed, after all only the best for a Malfoy. The core was made from Seps' venom and the only wood that would not liquefy when comes in touch with the liquid is the silver maple, finished with detailed carvings of a Sep killing its prey on the surface of the wand. Draco was most proud of the fact that the wand accepted him as its user for his grandfather was a powerful man, even Father agreed with that.

"Yes Nick, my Father made us try our wands when we got them. And practiced small spells ever since."

"You've already know some spells then…well let see then."

"Um…ok, how about, crudus." As I pointed to the wooden desk it turned a green colour…sickly green but green nevertheless, its amazing how we could change a room colour in a instant while muggles had to take days to paint the room with smelly paints, then wait for it to dry. Well, its not my fault they were unworthy to have magic, muggles, they are horrid, and would abuse magic anyway, just like Father said they would.

"That's great Harry, for a seven year old too, you are going to be a powerful wizard. Draco how about you? Do you know the colour charm yet?"

"Yes, I know it, but I can't get it to work." Draco mumbled, he looked down at his hands. As he said the sentence, his voice was getting constantly quieter.

"Draco, look at me." Nick ordered " There is nothing wrong with you not being able to do that spell, everyone have their strength Draco. Which other seven year old can brew a sleeping draught when their mother is feeling ill? Which other seven year olds can speak, what was it five, six languages? Spells are only one part of magic, and you'll soon pick it up, don't worry, did you hear me?"

"Yeah, thanks Nick." Draco smiled though it didn't reach his eyes. He was still upset, I can tell, Draco never said yeah, no matter how informal the setting was, he always answered with yes, Lucius insisted, even Father said it was a little too much to ask.

"All right then, today we are starting on the motion activation charm, this allow you to move an object from side to side, and only from side to side, in which ever direction you are standing in. the basic concept is to tug on the air currents with the help of the…" Nick drowned on.

"Who want to go first?" After waiting for Draco to answer but hearing no sound I stood up and pulled out my wand. "Ok, Harry, remember the movement. Dip the tip of the wand, then move is backwards towards you, like this…"

"Mutavi." I tried, and the feather made the slightest shift to the right. "Mutavi." I tried a bit louder. Another tug, "Mutavi." I gave it a sharp tug, pulling my wand backwards a bit too far than necessary and the feather moved to the left and burnt when contacted with the air currents as if going through a ring of fire.

"That's was good Harry, but patience is a virtue in charms as is most other subjects, something you…lack." He said eyeing the black powder covered table where the feather once had been. Draco beside me covered his smile with his hands, which made me sent him a glare, challenging him to do better."

"Draco? Would you like to have a go?"

"Um…Sure. Mutavi?" Nothing happened, both me and Draco was holding our breath, I really wished him to do well. Father might be frustrated if I didn't make it work, but Lucius will most defiantly give Draco extra work if he failed. "Mutavi…. Mutavi. MUTAVI." That did it, the father was set alight, there was a bright white light then there was nothing.

"Um…" Unsure what just happened I turned to Draco, trying to make it into a joke. "Well, at least something happened." I think Ana is rubbing off on me, recently I say the most inappropriate things.

"Hello boys, did you have fun in charms?" Narcissa was setting things for our Transfiguration class. Pots of ink and water was lined up on the side of the desk. Standing in a formal blue dress, you would think Narcissa was going to a wedding, not coming the Lair to teach two seven year olds, but then I guess always look perfect is in the job description of Mrs Malfoy.

Draco and I both took a sit. "As you can probably guess we are going to be turning water in to ink today. This is a simple spell, however when I said turning water in to ink I only meant the colour, not the properties, we cannot do that yet, as the polar negativities of water and ink are different, that's why we still have people who sell ink. To make real ink from water is a very difficult process, you would not even start on that unless you seek a master in the arts, who would use large amounts of ink. Now the polar negativity depends on the slight change in water molecules as the bonds in the…"

After the class I had ten pots of black water, but Draco only had three pots of slightly grey with bits of cloudy clusters flouting around.

"Ok its your break next boys, Harry you did great, you still need to work on the wand movements, but other than that the transformation was perfect, I guess what you lack in accuracy you made up in amounts of power input. Well done Harry you may go. Draco can I have a word?"

Draco nodded not looking at his mother. His hands fumbling under the table. As I walked pass him I whispered quickly, "I'll wait out side." He gave me a half smile and slumped down even more.

Ana's POV

"Is it true the boys will get hit with activated bamboo sticks if they try to snick into the girl's shower?" I asked Nami as I walked in to the hut we shared. The hut had a door and two windows, each by our own desk, the window was open at the moment, the cool night air caressing our faces, the sent of sweet jasmine flowers flowing in once in a while. Our bed was covered with cotton sheets and a fluffy pillow mine in blue while Nami's in white. Even though the four poster soft mattress bed in the Lair was much more comfortable, these hard wooden beds was said to be better for your back, and they don't allow you to fall too deep asleep, so they keep you alert. Nami was standing on hers at the moment… wait what?

"Hey, NO. Stop, what are you doing?" Even as I asked it was quite obvious what she was trying to do. She was trying to kill a snake with the dagger just off my bed side table as it was the only weapon in sight.

"I…(Stab, missed) am trying to kill (Stab, missed) the snake." The snake was moving so fast there was no way she could kill it, in fact if she continual to annoy the serpent its going to kill her.

"Stop it, the snake haven't done anything to you, its just passing through. Stop it." Nami is not listening to me. The serpent was defiantly magical, no muggle creature can move that fast, its almost a blur. It is a blur, where there was one snake there was now eight, surrounding Nami as if hunting down dinner. Father told me not to use my parseltongue when there was people around, but this is a emergency.

"Sssssserpent, my beauty, pleasssssse do not kill her. Sssshe doesssssss not tassssste good." That's got the snake's attention and Nami's.

"You child, you sssspeak the ssssssacred tongue of the sssserpentssssss." One of her head turned to me but she kept the other seven on Nami and the dagger. And hissed. "Put the sssharp sssstone down you ignorant child." She hissed to Nami, which just scared her even more and she clutched to the dagger even tighter.

"Nami, put it down, the snake wont hurt you." Slowly Nami put down the dagger, leaving it on the bed side table and stood against the corner of the bed.

"We will not hurt you beautiful sssserpent. Sssshe do not have the blissssed gift of the sssserpentsssss' tongue. We have bothersssssed you enough, you may passsss if you wish."

"Thank you ssssserpentsssss child, I am getting hungry, and my children are sssstill waiting for my return." As she said this I got up and went to the rat trap behind the wardrobe, there were two still breathing.

"I hope you like thessssesssss."

"You are a witch, are you not child?" She asked after she finished the rats, and gave some to her daughter.

"Yessss" the snake named Kojiki, now back to a single snake looked from her daughter to me and back.

"Would you like a friend, my child, a familiar perhapesssss, thisssss isssss my youngesssst, sssshe issssss powerful but ssshe issss trouble, and cannot help but sssseek danger. I cannot look after her and five otherssssss, sssshe would do well with you."

"I would jussssst love to have her, absolutely love to. Would you likesssssss to come withsssssss me?" I asked the younger smaller snake, I didn't want to take her by force. The serpent's eyes lit up as she nodded her head, flickering her tongue out to taste me.

"I would like a changessssss, mother is a bit repetitive forssssss me. You smell funssssss." I laughed at that, startling Nami.

"What isssss yourssss name, how old are you?"

"I do not have a name yet, mother inssssissssted to wait, I am now three summerssssss old now."

"Bye ssssnakesssss child, take care of my youngessssst and sssshe will take care of yousssssss." Kojiki hissed her good byes after fussing over her daughter for the last time. The young serpent wasn't that's upset with what was going on, normally this was the time for serpents to leave their mothers anyway. She was glad she'll have some companion.

"So you can…" Nami asked the obvious question.

"Yeah."

"They listen to you."

"Sometimes."

"The small one is going to stay." I nodded, the young snake as if understanding the word small gave a hiss mimicking her mother, and gave Nami a fright.

"She will not hurt you, she is very gentle, all serpents are, at least if they are not provoked." As I said this, Nami looked guilty and bit her lip.

"I know, I know I shouldn't have tried to kill the large one, but she looked so scary."

"That's alright, just don't do it in the future, I've been brought up to love snakes and befriend them, in fact I have a book on them, Father gave it to me just before I left. Letsssss check what sssssspeciesssss you are before we name yousssss all right?" I switched between the two languages with little difficulty now, after three years of living in the Lair you get use to it. I read out the passage from the book father gave me.

"I says here, 'Yamata no Orochi, the Japanese eight headed and eight tailed serpent was one of the most deadly. Not only do their venom kill with in a minute, but their eyesight is incomparable. Myth label them to have many heads and tails, this muggle way of thinking is wrong, the snake do not really grow different heads, but their greatest weapon was speed. They move so fast it looks to you like a blur. Once they reach a certain speed they leave a image like a hoax of themselves behind, and to the human eye the snake would look as real as any.

No one has yet to capture one of the species, they are under studied but Professor Gropenstifin in the university of Halamentini is researching ways to trap the tail of the snake and hence…'. Wow, I guess I'm the first person to hold a Yamata no Orochi then, well first to hold one and still living."

"Ok, sssso how about Midori, itssss meanssss greenssssss, like yourssss colour?"

"I like it Athssssena."

"Jussssst Ana, pleasssssse. Ok her name is going to be Midori, it means green in Japanese does it not?" Nami nodded, and smiled.

"The name suits her."

"Yeah it does." I smiled too, I felt so happy here, I got a great friend, and now a familiar, I can't wait to tell Father, and show Midori to Harry, Daphne and Draco, they'll be so jealous. Stroking my beautiful snake curled up beside me on the bed. The serpent was about a arm's length, her Persian Indigo eyes shut, the pure black scales repealing the light of the luminous oil lamp, the dark perfection broken by the two lines of forest green running from just behind the eyes, intertwining in random patterns along her back to her tail. "I think I like it here."

QUESTION: 1) Do you like the sketch of the map of the school I put on the web?

Link: http : / pics./cassie616/pic/000019ke/g1 (Take out spaces)

2) Do you like the first person POV structure? Do you prefer the third person POV?

Thanks for reading and please leave a review, tell me if you like where the story is going.