Title: VD
Author: TK
Disclaimer: Yeah...
Chapter 26: Mana Defense
Thursday dawned early for Harry… too early in his opinion. He yawned, knowing he wouldn't be so tired if that crazy jester-professor hadn't decided to hold class at four AM… of course, everyone else pretty much slept in Professor Llywellyn's classroom, but Harry couldn't bring himself to do it even though their insane teacher skipped his own class (or so it seemed).
With Thursday came an irate Hermione. No one blamed her for being angry; she was stuck with all sorts of Slytherins for class projects (mainly Kagome in Potions, Malfoy in Care of Magical Creatures, and Pansy Parkinson and Kyle Marcus in Ancient Runes) but Ron and Harry avoided her like the plague all Thursday. Harry felt bad for her, almost enough to offer to switch places with her in Care of Magical Creatures—at least until he recalled who he was paired with in Potions.
The greatly-anticipated class had come at last on Friday. Everyone was excited for the class just as everyone was certain they would have a new teacher next year. It wasn't for nothing that the D.A.D.A. position was cursed. Some higher form seemed adamant about making sure Hogwarts students only got a half education in defense.
However, before they could go to D.A.D.A. they had to go to Etiquette with the insane Professor Jester. There was no one who could explain to Harry the logic behind having an etiquette class at four a.m. when no one would be awake to remember what they were learning.
And what was even more confusing was that only those in Harry's class were taking it at all. The fact that their teacher didn't show for his own class made Harry positive it was just a joke.
Still, Llywellyn unnerved Harry so the boy-who-lived made sure he was up at three AM on Friday, making his way with his two best mates toward the path that led straight to Llywellyn's tree house.
The path was marked with lanterns that would light whenever someone was within range of it. Ron was skittish as they walked, his eyes darting everywhere for spiders. Hermione was still snappish Friday morning, and had her lips jammed shut tight.
Harry felt nothing at being in the forest, but he chalked it off as that Gryffindor Idiocy trait…
How much good would it do him, he wondered, to be among the bravest of the Gryffindors? His Godfather had been so brave he stupidly got himself killed. The negative thoughts came from being tired, he knew, but he couldn't imagine how he would feel after week two. Or after Quidditch practices started up. On Monday, Angelina's plans had been to start Quidditch practice on Saturday. Last night, though, the seventh year had returned from her D.A.D.A. class crying and told Harry she was never going to get on a broom again.
Harry just didn't understand what was going through the students. No one would say what D.A.D.A. was like. No one would tell Harry what they did in class, what they were being taught or anything. Hermione was nearly tearing her hair out because the book list didn't give her anything to study to get ahead of the class. Apparently they were going to be bookless.
They entered the tree house through the trap door and sat down by Neville on a large seat that wasn't underneath a door that would randomly spew on them. The nervous, yet stupidly-brave Gryffindor smiled sleepily at them.
"Hello Harry, Hermione, Ron," Neville greeted them.
"Good morning, Neville," Hermione said in a slightly clipped tone, with a glare on her face that burned holes in the giant green seat that the Slytherins were lounging upon. Kagome and her cat—it was strange how that cat was allowed out of the Slytherin house since no one else's cats were around—sat at one end, Zabini was next to her leaning on Melody's shoulder half-asleep, and on the other end was Malfoy with books sprawled across his lap. If Harry didn't know better, he would say Malfoy was working on three homework assignments simultaneously.
But that would be silly… Not even Hermione could do that.
"Mornin' Neville," Ron said with a yawn.
Harry just nodded in greeting and then turned his thoughts inward. Kagome had done what nothing else had managed; she gave him something to brood over other than his dead Godfather. But things just weren't making sense lately.
Hell, not only were things not making sense, but they were bashing his brain with constant migraines. First Kagome came into his life. He still didn't really know who she was, just that she could be controlled by a Dark Magic bobble. Kagome seemed alright enough, but there was just so much about her that was unknown.
Then there was his wand. It broke, but someone gave him a new one. Moreover, someone used the guts of his old wand and made the new one with them. Dumbledore knew who did it, but the old wizard was as secretive as ever. Harry wanted to know who gave him the wand. He could literally feel his wand humming with the desire to be used whenever he was near it; his old wand would hum when he touched it, and this was the same only ten times more powerful of a feeling.
Kreacher's words and Sirius's last letter to Harry confused Harry even more than the wand. Kreacher refused to call Harry 'Master' and even though Harry felt he was too young to be called that anyway, he still was positive that was significant. He just wasn't grasping why that meant anything.
And finally, Harry had family. Namely a one Jesse Potter, assumed to have been related to Harry's father somehow. He was perhaps a cousin? Harry didn't know, and neither could he figure it out. Jesse was an enigma wrapped in a conundrum. He didn't like Harry for whatever reason… Most likely because he was a death eater…
"BOOKS AWAY, MALFOY!" their insane Professor Jester cackled as he pulled himself out of a trap door on the ceiling and yet was not struck by gravity. A wave of Llywellyn's wand and Malfoy's books flew out through a window that seemed to overlook an ocean at Sundown—which was just weird as it was only four thirty AM where they were.
Malfoy looked really angry that Llywellyn did that, but the man in the pointy shoes didn't seem to care. Today instead of a three pronged cap with bells on it, he wore a scarf over his raven hair that had coins attached to the red fabric. The coins were not affected by gravity any more than the man who wore them, but they did jangle as he skipped toward a door on the wall, exiting through that to enter onto the main floor.
Llywellyn certainly was a colorful man. He wore clothes Harry thought was reminiscent of gypsies, made of bright silks and gauzes, loose fitting yet somehow very showy. His shirt seemed to be nothing more than a bright red strip of silk wrapped around his toned chest and over his left shoulder. Coins sparkled and dangled from the shirt's hem, as they did from the red silk sash he had tied around his waist. His pants were loosely fitted blue silk and the pointed shoes glimmered and jangled with red and silver coins.
He was an interesting sight to behold; his bare arms harbored a number of bangles and dangling from his ears were gold coins on short lengths of chain. Each step he took into the room created a strange kind of music.
"Awright!" Llywellyn called out unnecessarily loud in the room. "Books out!" The room was suddenly filled with scrambling as everyone tried to get their books out. Harry did so as well, looking at his completely unharmed book. Hermione had convinced them all not to wreck their books, sure that it was a trick.
Looking at them, Llywellyn's chocolate eyes narrowed. "No one did my assignment?" the previously cheery, and obviously bipolar, man was no longer smiling. "I had expected more from at least the present snakes," he snapped. He glared at Kagome, "What's your excuse, princess?" he demanded.
Kagome held up the damaged book; out of all of them, she appeared to be the only one who had done damage to her book. "I did everything you asked," she said. "I thought it was supposed to unlock some sort of spell binding on the book, but nothing happened."
Llywellyn stomped over to her, his strange attire jangling and whispering in his wake, and snatched away the book. He examined it closely and pursed his lips. "Try signing your name in Japanese. The spell is finicky sometimes." He practically whipped the book back at the girl and she squeaked.
Moving back toward the front of the room where his chalkboard was, he resumed glaring at everyone equally. "Since you English are stupid," he insulted them, "let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you have no idea what true defense means. In my country, there are dozens of Moldywarts trying to take over the world on a daily basis." Quite a few people looked uncomfortable to hear that. Harry was glad he wasn't the only one who didn't know.
"We are superior to you in every way, shape, and form." The Slytherins weren't the only ones bristling over that statement. "Our magical abilities and even our most simple theories on magic are far more advanced than yours." Kagome was nodding in agreement to that. "While you rely on categorizing magic only in two categories—light and dark magic—we have seven different ways we sort our magic out. You're here thinking you're in an etiquette class, but you're not just here to learn which fork to use or what is acceptable behavior at a masquerade ball. You're here because you were specifically chosen by your head of house as being ready for this class, and Dumpydrawers approved you for taking this class."
Hermione hesitantly raised her hand and Llywellyn's eyes snapped on hers. "I'm not finished talking, Miss Granger. If you have a question, ask someone who cares." Hermione looked quite put out by Llywellyn and Harry could see the girl was beginning to seethe internally. "I'm not here to look pretty, even if I do. I'm here to teach you maggots a very special form of defense that not everyone in this school will be privy to. In fact, you lot are the only ones currently allowed to take this class. You came highly recommended—all of you—for your advancing skills in magic."
The room seemed colder as Llywellyn went on. It was as if his reprimand was sucking the heat out of the place and making it feel forbidding just to be there. "If none of you were paying attention that first day at dinner, your headmaster said this is a mandatory special defense class."
Llywellyn suddenly switched back to being happy again as he said, "So! In light of these words, I'll assign your next homework assignment… unless you want to write me a ten-foot essay?" The class joined together to shake their heads as one. None of them wanted that (although Hermione probably wouldn't mind it). "Alright then. In addition to doing assignment number one by Monday morning, you will also steal something from your best friend and gift wrap it to give to your greatest enemy."
Hermione had questions; anyone could tell that. "Yes, Miss Granger?" Llywellyn growled at her in obvious irritation.
"Just what sort of defense are you going to be teaching us, Professor Llywellyn?" she asked.
"Do assignment number one and you'll find out," he told her.
Kagome stood in front of the couch and Llywellyn turned his brown eyes on her. "Yes, princess?" he asked.
"My best friend isn't in this country," she began.
Llywellyn cut her off immediately. "That's not my problem, now is it? I gave you your assignment, its your job to find a way to complete it."
Harry noticed how she didn't say her greatest enemy wasn't in the country and it gave him cause to wonder…
Llywellyn added, "Both assignments are real. And next time you fail to comply with what I give you, I'll break you. Or your wand depending on my mood that day." He adjusted.
One of the few present Hufflepuffs asked quietly, "What if someone has more than one best friend?"
"Then someone will be very lucky on Monday," Llywellyn said, chuckling to himself. "You will be awarded for special things: how valuable the object you stole was to your best friend will be one of those things. You will also be awarded for how many gifts you receive ultimately. You will be punished if you allow yourself to be robbed. And don't think I won't know—I can practically smell deceit a mile away."
"But this is etiquette class!" Hermione objected. "Stealing is as far from proper as you can possibly get. And even if you are going to be teaching us defense, stealing isn't going to keep us safe. It will only bring animosity from our fellow peers!"
"Do the last assignment!" Llywellyn bit out at her. He turned away from them all as if ashamed to even look upon them. "You're dismissed!" he said. As everyone packed up and prepared to leave, he added one last thing: "Remember: don't trust anyone."
After they had all left through the trap door, Harry noticed Neville jogging to catch up with them, looking sheet white. "What's wrong, Neville," he asked.
Neville looked at Harry with strained eyes and said, "I asked him what you should do to gift your item…" he paused and then continued with a choked breath, "He suggested owl post…"
A chill ran down Harry's spine. Llywellyn was truly mad, he thought.
xXx
The first Defense Against the Dark Arts class began after breakfast that Friday morning and Kagome was really excited for it. She felt it would be the only class in which she would not be hindered in her learning, largely because with Sesshoumaru's influence she would probably be pushed harder than anyone else.
Kagome knew he would push her to her limits because she had more reason than most of the students at Hogwarts did to expect to be attacked. He wasn't the only one who would push her; Kikyou would as well but unlike Sesshoumaru who would want to make sure the Shikon remained uninfluenced, Kikyou would do it simply to make sure Kagome was safe from harm.
Kikyou had a reputation that preceded her at the Magic Academy; she was a firm, dedicated woman who cared about the welfare of others enough that she would do anything in her power to help them. Some students joked that Kikyou had been a Priestess in a past life.
That was probably why it was so surprising for her to find out of Kikyou and Sesshoumaru's engagement. They were almost polar opposites. Sesshoumaru did nothing that wouldn't suit him later on and Kikyou was frequently doing things that would provide her with no reward. Sesshoumaru was a Black Magic User and Kikyou was a White Magic User. He was a demon and she was a human. Even their hair colors were a stark contrast: silver and black.
Kagome followed Chavi into the D.A.D.A. classroom. It was the same as the day she had received her birthday presents. The center of the room was open space and small cushions were placed by the walls for seats. A low, polished table made of mahogany was in front of each cushion, and the walls which made up the outer wall of the castle were made out of glass to let in the outside world.
The room was filling up quickly as all the sixth years from every house joined them. Kagome and Chavi ended up getting stuck between Kyle Marcus (who sneered at them) and Draco's bulky friend Goyle (who was currently nursing a black eye).
After a few moments of noisy pushing and shoving, they heard a voice shriek out, "Everyone, sit down! And if you sit on my tables, you will regret it!" The pushing and shoving lasted another several minutes before everyone had managed to find a spot on the floor.
Chavi told Kagome, "The room must have been enlarged from last year."
Kagome didn't answer; she didn't exactly know what to say to that. However, seated behind Chavi, they both heard Harry mutter, "That, or Umbridge just took up more space than we thought…"
Chavi snorted slightly as beside Harry, his friend Ron snickered. Hermione smiled slightly but hid that quickly. Kagome asked Chavi, "Who is Umbridge?"
The blonde flicked her hair over her shoulder and said, "Probably the worst fashion disaster to walk the earth. She was the D.A.D.A. professor last year. She and I disagreed on many occasions; if it weren't for my father, I would have been expelled last year. Bloody old hag…"
"Oh…" Kagome began, but then said, "what did you do wrong?"
"I told her what I really thought of her teaching methods." At Kagome's confused glance, she elaborated, "Umbridge seemed to feel that simply knowing the theory behind something will allow a person to execute any form of magic perfectly. I, however, firmly believe that knowing the theory behind something is only half of it. Certainly studying the theories is the first step, but actual practice is highly imperative to success."
"I quite agree with you, Miss Melody," Kikyou called over all the hubbub in the room. The noise in the room died down immediately and everyone turned to face Kikyou as she was entering the room with Sesshoumaru. "I am Sevina, Kikyou and I will be your instructor for the Mana portion of your defense lessons." She glanced at a small green figure who bowed to her. "Thank you for watching the room, Jaken."
"A pleasure," the figure replied in irritation before storming out of the room.
"This is Tetsuya, Sesshoumaru," Kikyou said, indicating Sesshoumaru with a wave of her hand. "He will be instructing you on your Stamina defense. For now, we will be splitting you up into two groups. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff will leave with Professor Tetsuya now and will return here in the afternoon. Slytherin and Gryffindor will spend the mornings in here and report to Professor Tetsuya across the hall in the afternoon. Any questions?"
No one had any, so she indicated that they were to hurry up and follow Sesshoumaru. Once the room was empty of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs, Kikyou said, "Alright, find a cushion with a suitable neighbor." A simple flick of her mahogany wand changed the colors of half of the cushions to Slytherin green and the other half to Gryffindor red so that the cushions alternated colors. "Slytherins will sit on their color, and Gryffindors will sit on their color. Understood?"
Once everyone had found a seat, Kagome found herself between Harry and Ron. On Harry's other side was Chavi, and the blond looked very pleased at her location. Harry looked quite flustered and was determined to look at anything but the person next to him. By an odd fate, Ron's other side had Blaise seated next to him, with Hermione after that, and Draco on Hermione's other side. The girl looked furious; Draco looked annoyed (although the little girl on his lap looked pleased to see Hermione and was greeting her warmly).
Kikyou walked out into the center of the room and said, "Now that everyone is situated, I am going to start out with a few basic principles learned in Primary School in my country. Mr. Malfoy and Miss Higurashi, I know this is merely review for you so if you have other work you wish to do you may work on that now. I will not hold that against you."
Draco scowled and Kagome knew why: his books were in another location due to Llywellyn throwing them out a magic window. Kagome took out her book on Fusion that Miroku sent for her birthday and opened it up to start reading some more, although she did keep one ear on Kikyou's voice.
Kikyou began explaining, "You will find there is no text book for this class. The simple reason for that is this: the theories you are going to begin learning are new to this country and while there has been ample time for translating the books into English for your reading pleasure, your government does not allow you to view them. I apologize for those of you who wish to study further in this path on your own; all I can offer you is an open door for those who wish to take additional lessons in your free time. My door is open at all hours. If you cannot find me here, you may look for me in the Infirmary as I will be assisting Madam Pomfrey this year."
Kikyou's traditional red and white kimono whispered as she turned frequently to gaze at the students located on all sides of the room, making sure she had their full attention. "From what I have been told, house points are valuable to students. To urge you all to spend additional time not only studying theories behind magic, but to practice it as well, I will award five house points to every student who spends at least one hour in this room practicing in addition to your regular class hours."
Continuing on she said, "While I am not able to mandate the time, there is an evening dueling session that will begin starting next week and will take place at the same time, seven days a week. The time is from seven PM until eight PM in the dojo across the hall where you will be meeting Professor Tetsuya for your lessons. These duels will be free form; you sign your name to a list and anyone may challenge you. As I said, it is not mandatory, but if you wish to pass my class it would be wise to participate. These duels incorporate everything you know utilizing all forms of defense."
Students were eager to hear about the dueling hour, though it was standard practice at the Magic Academy. She and Inuyasha were always having friendly matches on the "blue board", while Kouga and Inuyasha were always pounding out their differences on the "red board". The only difference was that there would be a specified time, while at the Magic Academy, the dueling arena was always open, even after curfew.
At the sound of sudden banging, Kagome looked up from her book. She wasn't the only one looking at Shiva; the little girl was smashing her impossible ball from Jesse Potter onto the table, still trying to get the bell from inside it. Kikyou ignored it and continued flawlessly.
"If you sign up to duel, be sure to check which list you are putting yourself on. The red board is for those who feel more secure in their dueling abilities—enough so that they may wish to place money on themselves to win. The winner receives compensation from the losing opponent, generally no less than fifteen sickles. The blue board is for those who simply wish to try their hand in the duel or to build up experience. You are only able to put your own name up; unless you take your name off, check the list daily for challengers. Not showing for a duel is an automatic loss and no matter which list you put your name on, you will be required to pay a sum of ten knuts to be used as an award to the winner of the final dueling tournament at the end of the year."
Several people looked apprehensive at the first thought of having to pay money because they lost, but simultaneously by the time she finished talking about the duels, many began to look eager to start as there were bound to be many no-shows throughout the year.
"In light of this information, as I have stated before, my door is always open and I am always available to teach you newer, greater Mana skills." Kikyou glanced around at them with calm brown eyes—quite a change from Llywellyn's ranting brown eyes—and smiled warmly. "Now, please pay attention. We will begin this first lesson with learning what defense is made of."
Students began pulling out their note scrolls and preparing themselves for a hard lesson.
"The first thing to know is that defense is incorporated of three things: two forms of mental defense, Spirit and Vitality, and one form of physical defense, Stamina. I won't be teaching you Vitality defense at this time. I will be teaching you Spirit defense, which is in its basic form, Mana or magic. Now, in my country we classify the amount of mana you can perform by how many mana points you have.
"Every spell you perform costs a certain number of mana points—you do not have an endless supply of mana; eventually your mana points run low and you begin to grow weary. If you use too much mana, you will faint or fall unconscious. Moderation is the key to survival when using mana, because it is completely possible to overuse mana, resulting in serious injury and—in some cases—death."
The door to the classroom opened and Kagome looked up from her book again to see who was there. Several house-elves had come into the room, each carrying a small basket with small, cube shaped boxes inside. At a glance from Kikyou, the house elves began to hand out the cubes to each person until everyone had one.
Shiva grabbed Draco's and dropped her toy on the floor, preferring to examine the new object she'd been 'given'. Kagome was the only one who didn't receive a box, although she wasn't surprised. She had already done the exercise her fellow Hogwarts peers were about to do several years prior, at the start of Secondary School. Draco hadn't done it obviously because he started Secondary School in Hogwarts rather than the Magic Academy.
"You have each received a mana class orb; these are used to measure how much mana you currently have, and which of the seven types of mana suits you best. I will use these orbs to determine how I can teach you within your capabilities. Please keep the orb with you at all times; not doing so may result in an erroneous measurement and will only serve to hinder your learning experience within my class."
Everyone began to pry off the top of their box, taking the small glass orb from the safe, padded confines of the box. Kagome almost let her smile run away without her; the orbs looked identical to the Shikon, so they were obviously special designed orbs. Regular mana class orbs were baseball sized and looked like they were filled with grey smoke. These ones were small and filled with pink fog, probably made so anyone who saw Kagome with the Shikon might think it was a mana class orb and leave the subject at that.
"When we meet next Friday, I will collect the orbs. Do not let your orb get mixed up with someone else's. This will also result in an erroneous measurement and will serve to hinder your learning experience within my class. Now, there are seven types of mana classes. I will tell you what they are and give you a brief explanation of each today. When you know which type you are classified under, I will give you a more detailed explanation of your mana class at that time. Yes, Miss Granger? When you have a question or are answering one, I would like very much if you stand to address me."
Kagome glanced up from her book again, watching as Hermione hesitantly stood from her cushion. All eyes turned to Hermione when they had not previously been on her. Hermione looked less sure of herself as she became the immediate center of attention.
The practice of standing to answer or ask questions was common in many magical schools, not just Kagome's old one. For the most part, it caused a student to think twice about what they were about to say, although it did sometimes cause people (like Inuyasha) to intentionally act dumber than they were just to get a few laughs.
"Professor, I was wondering how these orbs can actually measure our magic, and why we haven't been taught the seven types of," her lips pursed slightly as she tried to pronounce the foreign word, "mana before."
Kikyou nodded, "Those are excellent questions, Miss Granger." Kagome realized it was a bit strange how Kikyou seemed to know who Hermione was without asking, although when she gave it additional thought Kikyou was nothing if not very thorough. She probably went out of her way to make sure she knew who her students were without having to ask the student directly. "Mr. Malfoy, perhaps you can remember? Why have you not been taught the seven types of mana in England? Miss Granger, you may have a seat to receive your answer."
Draco looked up from his current occupation (he was entertaining his sister with a bit of child's play magic) and blinked a few times in obvious surprise. Very slowly he turned to look at Hermione—to glare at her as if it were her fault he had to answer—before he shifted Shiva off his lap and got to his feet. Everyone could see the obvious pain his leg caused him as he got up.
"The seven types of mana are not taught in England because we categorize spells as Dark magic or Light magic only. Anything classified as Dark magic—such as an Unforgiveable Curse or a potion requiring human blood—is banned. Any material that gives insight into Dark magic is banned." Draco's hand pressed on his injured leg and he put more weight on his right leg to relieve the strain on his left. "Any information that involves any sort of magic that the ministry of magic has deemed as 'dark' has been banned from future generations regardless of whether or not it should be determined as such."
Draco went to sit down but Kikyou stopped him. "Please, Mr. Malfoy, one more question if you will?" Draco looked displeased and pursed his lips but nodded in compliance. "Do you agree with your own country's determination of what is 'dark' or 'light' mana?" Draco sneered quite openly, but did not speak. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. You may have a seat. Please see me before you head to lunch today."
She turned to look around the room again. "Now, as for the seven types of mana. Please take note of this, as it is very important information you will be required to know to pass this class. You will be required to know more about your own particular type of mana, but must still know the basics of all seven types."
With a flick of her wand, a ribbon appeared in the air and began to spell out the words Grey Mana. "Grey Mana—Miss Higurashi, Mr. Malfoy, please note the change—was previously known as Dark Mana. This classification is, while not completely out of the question, uncommon for a person to specialize in. Grey Mana is a very loose category containing a variation of spells that have been recently discovered or that the effects of the spell are unknown. Most spells are removed from the category after extensive research proves their fit is better in another category. Grey Mana Users often follow a career path in research, as their own class has a tendency to be temperamental if harnessed wrong. Yes, Miss Brown?"
Lavender Brown, a Gryffindor, stood up to ask, "Professor Sevina, why isn't it known as Dark Magic anymore? Why did they change the name?"
Kikyou nodded her acknowledgement of the question. "Very good question. The name was changed this past June due to a significant rise in confusion as certain factions were confusing Japan's mana class with what the rest of the general world uses. Thank you for the question, Miss Brown." Lavender flushed with pleasure at the thanks and sat down quickly.
The ribbon in the air changed shape to write White Mana and began floating in a circle so all could see. "Next is White Mana, a very common classification. I am a White Mana User, or White Magic User if you prefer. White Mana spells are categorized as such due to their restorative and purifying nature. The most common career path for a White Mana User is often as a healer, although there are a few other career paths White Mana Users can take such as extermination or research." Kikyou tilted her head at Chavi as the girl stood up. "Miss Melody, your question?"
Chavi nodded abruptly, "You said extermination… you mean like bugs or something?" Kagome shuddered at the thought of bugs—oh, how she loathed the little buggers…
"No, Miss Melody, I mean demon extermination. The mindless rogues whose only purpose is to intend harm or death on others through the means of possession, infection, or physical attack. While there are plenty of people in this world who are called demons simply because their appearance is different, they are nonetheless the same as you or I. This is why extermination is a very difficult path to follow and I would not recommend it to any of you. Thank you for another excellent question." She nodded at Chavi and the girl sat down.
"Another classification that is highly common is Black Mana." Kikyou continued and the ribbon wrote Black Mana in the air. "Black mana exists for one purpose: destruction. Black Mana spells are commonly very powerful, and the user will require much strengthening of their personal mana reserves if they are to properly use their class to their advantage. While highly common, Black Mana Users are also the most likely to overuse their mana and kill themselves in the process. Professor Tetsuya and Professor Llywellyn are both Black Mana Users. A common career path for this type of mana is an Auror, or even a Spirit Detective which is the highest form of magical police in my country."
Harry stood up and Kikyou nodded at him to proceed with his question. "Can you be an Auror if you don't have Black Mana?"
Kikyou smiled. "Wonderful question, Mr. Potter. Yes, you can be. I am not in any way telling you what career path you are expected to take but rather am telling you what career path is statistically most likely to be taken by a particular type of user. What a person lacks in Spirit can be more than made up for in Stamina. Aside from that, undoubtedly all of you have already decided on a career path—what I tell you today will not change what you want to be in the future. You may realize you will have to work much harder to get there, but in the end what I hope to have achieved in teaching you will be your own personal success in becoming what you wish to be. Thank you, Mr. Potter."
Harry looked relieved as he sat back down.
Kikyou's ribbon spelled out Green Mana, and she continued, "Green Mana is another very common class. In this room, I do not doubt that the majority of you will fall into White, Black, or Green mana. We may not see any of the other four categories here apart from Miss Higurashi. Green Mana Users are often best with spells that enhance protection or, in some cases, weaken your enemies. The career path of a Green Mana User is mostly scattered; some make protective charms, some will do minor government tasks. There is no obvious consensus as to what a Green Mana User will do through life."
As no one had questions on that (although some were curious what Kagome's class was) Kikyou kept going. "Mr. Malfoy, Miss Higurashi, please take note: Arcane Mana was also changed in June to Yellow Mana." The ribbon spelled Yellow Mana in the air. "These users are rare; in a recent census taken by the government, there are only five Yellow Mana Users in Japan as of last May which includes Miss Higurashi. There may be others we are unaware about, of course as most Yellow Mana Users are generally unsociable and seek hermitage. Miss Higurashi, perhaps you could tell us a bit about Yellow Mana?"
Kagome glanced up from her book and blinked. She hadn't been paying attention. She stood up, feeling a bit guilty for reading even though she did have permission previously. "Um, Yellow Mana?" she asked nervously, picking at her skirt hem.
Kikyou nodded encouragingly. "Yes, Miss Higurashi. Yellow Magic—your classification—I would like you to please tell us a bit about it."
Relief flooded through Kagome instantly. It was something she knew, although she doubted anything they were learning was going to be new to her (apart from the apparent fact that her class name had been changed). "Oh, um, right. Well, it used to be two separate classes, Arcane and Time, but in the early 1800's they joined them because almost no one was able to use Time magic with any proficiency, and so few were able to use Arcane magic. They decided to join them because Saya Murasaki was able to use both so the government believed that any user should be able to handle learning both."
Kikyou nodded. "Very good, Miss Higurashi. And what exactly is Arcane mana?"
"Arcane magic is classified as a general whole to be magic that can manipulate space and time." Kagome replied instantly.
"Can you give us an example?"
She's testing me, Kagome realized. "Well, for time you have artifacts like a time turner. Those are made using Arcane 'time' class magic. There are also invisibility cloaks which use the Arcane 'space' class magic. Master Saya did have a theory that you could use time magic in its raw form to transport yourself through to any time period, but he died before he could implement the theory in practice, and I'm not exactly keen on trying it myself."
"Can you think of any spells that can be cast using Yellow Mana, perhaps ones the rest of the class may recognize?"
Kagome thought for a moment before realizing that most of her class of mana was best used on artifacts. She had never really noticed that before until now. "I guess maybe an immobilize spell might be similar to something they may have used… Like a Body Bind Spell, maybe. Or a confusion spell might be similar to an Obliviate spell…"
"One more…" Kikyou told her encouragingly.
Kagome tapped the side of her leg as she tried to scrounge up the answer. "Death?" she asked and Kikyou nodded.
"Correct. The Death Spell used by Yellow Mana users was the very first absolute killing spell, used to kill small rodents and pests as they came to harm a farmer's livestock. It is similar to the Unforgiveable Curse, the Avada Kadavra spell. Unlike the Unforgiveable, the Death Spell has been found to have no affect on something weighing more than thirty pounds. It is, however, one hundred percent effective against rats, raccoons, weasels, ferrets," a few people snickered for some reason and then looked at Malfoy, "or other pests that may decide it wants to haunt your henhouse." She smiled at Kagome, "And one last question, Miss Higurashi?"
"Yes?"
"What professions have you thought about seeking? Have you decided on a path?"
Kagome couldn't help but grin. "Hai, Kikyou-sensei," she said, her excitement plain on her face as she accidentally reverted to her native tongue, although she did manage to recall that Kikyou was her teacher now and not her superior classmate.
Kikyou chuckled. "English, please, Miss Higurashi. What career are you thinking of following?"
Kagome had to keep herself from bouncing on her heels as she replied, "Research, Professor Kikyou. More specifically in the field of Fusion. There's so much to learn and with such a unique combination of Arcane magic and potions, the possibilities are endless. I've already got a great head start on the career with Miroku; we made White Matter at the end of last year and its been really useful. My goal is to be trying my own Fusion-potions in a few years, not just Inshorn Qurvain's."
Kikyou nodded. "It is good for you to have a goal. If you need help with Fusion, please do not hesitate to ask Professor Tetsuya's assistant Jaken. He is quite adept at Green Magic Fusion and may have a few tips that will aid you."
Recognizing the end of the questioning, Kagome bowed to Kikyou in respect and seated herself on the cushion again, stowing away the knowledge of Jaken's fusion abilities. She never did like Jaken much (he was rude and annoying, even though he was older) but if he had pointers and didn't mind helping, she wouldn't mind sweet talking him for a day or so.
"Continuing to the next type of mana," Kikyou said as the ribbon wrote Red Mana in the air, "Red Mana is less common but not really rare to have. It contains spells that can only be used on animate objects. For instance, the animagus spell, an ability to transform oneself into an animal and back at will is a Red Mana spell." The ribbon wrote Blue Mana next. "Blue Mana is about as common as Red Mana, and it is a counterpart of Red Mana. Where Red Mana contains spells that can only be used on animate objects, Blue Mana spells can only be used on inanimate objects. An example of this would be a spell to unlock something, such as Alohamora. Red and Blue Mana Users are often found in government positions such as magic reversal squads and magic artifact departments."
Ron stood up and blurted, "But can't people still do all sorts of magic?"
"Of course, Mr. Weasley." Kikyou said calmly. "Simply being in one class or another doesn't mean you cannot learn another class. We merely find what your magic is best suited for and help you learn that. For example, Miss Higurashi's magic is best suited in Yellow Mana, but she does know a bit of White Mana as well. I don't doubt that the majority of you know various spells from various classifications, however I believe you will find that certain types of spells make more sense and are easier to perform for you while another of your classmates struggles with that very thing. Understand?"
Ron nodded sheepishly and sat back down.
Kikyou added, "It is never uncommon to find someone who seeks to gain knowledge in all classes; there are a select number of spells from Green, Black, and White mana classes that students are required to learn at the Magic Academy to give a rounder base of knowledge to the student. Some, like Professor Tetsuya who is a Black Mana User, seek to continue to expand their knowledge base. In doing so, Professor Tetsuya has learned much of the Green Mana class and is currently pursuing the White Mana class. There is no limit to what you can learn, but there is a limit on how much you can use that knowledge at one time. However, I will explain this in more detail next Friday when you know how many mana points you have."
She flicked her wand and the ribbon disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Very well. It is nearly time for you to head to lunch then. Before you go, I would like you all to write a brief summary of what mana category you would like to be in and why, and what mana category you believe you really will be in despite your desire and why you think you will be there. Finish it off with a description of what career path you would like to take and why and turn it in before you leave here today. Miss Higurashi, you are exempt from this assignment. Take care on penmanship; if I cannot read it, I will throw it away and consider it as not being completed."
Both Harry and Ron got out fresh sheets of parchment…
xXx
Ron and Harry were famished by the time lunch came around and were eager to turn in their assignments and leave. Hermione, on the other hand, was (although it was normal for her) turning her assignment into a novel. "'Mione, hurry up," Ron complained as Harry and Ron waited for her.
Hermione glanced up at them briefly, "Oh, sorry guys. I just want to finish this up."
Ron slouched slightly and said, "If we don't hurry up, the good stuff will be gone by the time we get there."
"Always one to think with your stomach, aren't you, Weasley?" Malfoy drawled from his spot next to Hermione.
Ron felt indignant over Malfoy's comment and said, "Why don't you just shove off, ferret?"
Hermione sighed heavily, "Don't start a fight, Ronald. Malfoy is just being his usual self." For a moment, Harry was startled to hear that from Hermione. After all, she was glaring death at the Slytherins just that morning and suddenly she was acting like a peace keeper? It took him a moment to recall the whole 'bet' thing between Zabini and Malfoy and how Hermione had made plans to turn that plan around on both the Slytherins.
She was probably starting to implement her plans.
Malfoy was slightly taken aback by Hermione's words and his mouth was ajar to prove that. "What do you mean by that?" Malfoy demanded immediately as he bristled.
Hermione ignored Malfoy and looked at Ron and Harry. "I'll just be a few minutes—you guys go on ahead."
Harry was about to say 'we'll wait for you' but Ron interrupted and said, "If you're sure…" Since Harry didn't want to make his friend look bad in front of Malfoy, he wisely kept his mouth shut and let Ron use the opportunity to slide away.
"If I weren't sure, I wouldn't have mentioned it. Go on."
Ron nodded and they left her in the D.A.D.A. classroom. As they were leaving, they heard Hermione say, "Well, not everyone gets what they want, Malfoy!" in a slight huff to respond to something he probably said. Harry shook his head. She'd never turn that bet against Malfoy if she kept letting him get on her nerves…
Outside in the hall, they had to skirt around a bundle of Slytherins. Ron said, "Man, that class was really overkill."
Harry agreed. "It was a lot to take in at once, but still, I'd rather Professor Sevina teach us than Umbridge again." Ron nodded heartily and they made their way toward lunch.
xXx
Moments later, Hermione and Malfoy (along with his sister) were the only ones left in the room with Professor Sevina. When the young Professor asked, "Miss Granger, how are you doing on the assignment?" Hermione looked up.
"Oh, I'm almost finished, Professor." She finished writing and packed up her things, sticking the mana orb in her pocket and using a useful spell she knew to seal the pocket closed. She went and set her paper on Professor Sevina's desk and noticed a book atop the surface with a magical photograph of Kagome and her two-tailed cat in her arms pictured on the cover.
The only reason Hermione was sure it was the Slytherin and not Professor Sevina (seriously, those two could be twins, Hermione thought) was because the girl in the photo was wearing the same strange bead necklace Hermione had noticed on Kagome the day she spent in Kagome's room working on the Potions assignment. The text on the book was in Japanese, however, so she had no clues as to why someone would make a book about Kagome.
She thought it might have something to do with why Professor Llywellyn and Jesse Potter both called Kagome 'princess' but she couldn't bring herself to believe that Kagome might be a princess of any kind. For one thing, Kagome didn't seem the type. Unless she was a very good actor (which would make sense given she was a Slytherin) and was just pretending to be a ditz.
Not wanting to be caught lingering, Hermione quickly made her exit and, in the process, ran into someone in the hall outside quite literally. Thankfully the halls were emptied out by that time (aside from Blaise Zabini who appeared to have been lingering—probably waiting for Malfoy).
Both Slytherin and Gryffindor had the misfortune of going tumbling and their bags spilled out. Hermione scrabbled for her papers as Blaise struggled for his own.
"Sorry about that," Zabini muttered and then flashed her a grin. She knew he was attempting to put on the charm for her and she was surprised to feel her face warm up slightly.
Realizing that she might be able to use that to her advantage, she said, "Oh, no problem." Under her breath, she couldn't keep from biting out, "Although it wouldn't have happened if you weren't standing in the way." She couldn't believe herself, especially when she could tell he heard that from his expression.
"Hey, I said I was sorry. Isn't that enough for you?" Zabini asked incredulously.
She supposed just getting a Slytherin to say 'sorry' at all should have been recognized as a national feat but again she just couldn't keep herself from snapping, "After five years of torment by the Slytherins, you think a sorry is going to be enough for anything?" She crammed her things in her bag and cursed herself for not holding her tongue.
She wasn't going to get anywhere in her plans if she didn't stop snapping at Malfoy and Zabini. She wanted to get them both to think she was interested in them and when they asked her out she could 'agree' to meet them and then make them look like fools when she stood them up. (A foolproof plan, surely!)
Hermione stood up and moved around Zabini, hurrying down the hall. She didn't expect him to call out to her and come after. "Granger! Granger, wait a minute."
In her surprise, she took a wrong turn and found herself at the bottom of an up staircase. Zabini caught up to her there and grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him. "Let me go Zabini!" she said. She automatically kicked him in the shin and shoved him away from her, but his grip on her arm was firm and when he fell against the wall, she was pulled flush against the dark skinned wizard's body.
She was thankful the wall was there or else the position they would have ended up in might have been more… curious, to say the least. Still… her heart was racing in her chest and for a second his grip loosened.
Hermione used that second to pull away and was fully intent on running away, but Zabini wasn't going to let her. She barely took a step before he grabbed her arm and shoved her against the wall. She didn't even have the opportunity to scream because his lips were quite suddenly on hers.
Eyes wide with fright (what was he doing?!) she could only stand there as frigid as a board, or as frigid as one could be when their messenger bag was between their lower back and the wall causing them to arch their back in quite an annoying fashion.
'Oh my god, a Slytherin is kissing me, oh my god oh my god!' her mind screamed. His large hand released her arm and came up to wrap around the back of her neck. He pulled her up into a—slightly—more comfortable standing position as those fingers massaged loosely the nape of her neck.
She almost thought she could see a pleased gleam in his eyes as all she could do was let her hands fall uselessly to her sides. She couldn't remember what to do with them anymore.
Zabini ran his warm tongue along her bottom lip and she gasped in surprise. He was really, really going out of his way to win that bet, wasn't he? But wasn't this the wrong way to go about things? Shouldn't she be doing something to him for this? What should she do?
His tongue touched hers and sent a shock of electricity right to the core of her body. She felt weak-kneed and heard a distant thump of something on the ground as his other arm came around to support her. Hermione was quite grateful, because she was definitely not up to the task of standing at the moment.
He pulled her tighter into his embrace and she was amazed at how much he could mold their bodies to fit together. Sure, she had been embraced before; she had even snuggled with Victor Krum in fourth year, but she had no idea how close a person could actually get to another. Of course her brain would start thinking useless things like that at a time when such thoughts were so inappropriate.
Zabini pulled away just barely enough that he could place a few feathery kisses on her lips before he once again kissed her quite passionately. Her mind was spinning around in circles, unable to decide whether this was good or bad. It certainly didn't make a whole lot of sense.
Her arms felt heavy at her sides, so she brought them up against his chest to support the strange weight. She could feel him smiling against her lips and then he was pulling her lower lip between his teeth. The sensation of his teeth gently raking against her flesh made her gasp and her tongue darted out to free her lip from captivity.
He did free her lip, but then his tongue darted out to dance with hers. Her body felt like it was burning and yet, for some reason, she craved this feeling of heat. It was at that point that Zabini's supporting arms released her and she fell against the wall, sliding down to the floor.
Smirk in place, Zabini knelt down and picked up a book she vaguely recognized as hers, wrapping her fingers around it. She watched him as he wordlessly walked out of the deserted stairwell and into an equally deserted hallway realizing that barely a few minutes had passed.
Her hand came up to her lips and she pressed her fingertips to them. What did he just do to her? That wasn't at all like what she had with Krum. And why did he do it?
xXx
As Blaise took a seat next to Kagome in the Great Hall, she asked him, "What are you grinning for?"
The self-satisfied smirk stayed in place as he said, "What, I can't be happy around gorgeous women these days? Any guy in my place would be happy."
Chavi rolled her eyes, "Ignore him, Kagome. He's probably just given someone tentacles and it made him feel big and important."
"Tentacles are so yesterday," Blaise said loftily. "The spell of the day is 'jelly legs'. Now, what'd I miss out on?" he quickly started loading up his plate with food.
Pansy said, "Well, you missed Drake. He was looking for you and said he'd be down in his room."
Blaise snorted, "Yeah, I know what he wants. I'll talk to him later."
Changing the subject, Chavi asked, "So how's that bet working out, Blaise?" she chuckled. "Marcus looked pretty frustrated at how you and Drake both sat by Granger."
Kagome blinked. "Is this Marcus guy also in on the bet?"
Blaise scowled, "Hell no." He jutted his chin at bulky Kyle Marcus down the table and said, "That's Marcus."
"Oh!" Kagome said as she recognized him. "I remember him; he came and knocked on my door that first night." She frowned at how much hair potion Kyle used. "Does everyone around here have to use hair potions? A simple fire spell would cause an explosion at our table large enough to level the school, I'd bet." She was exaggerating just a little.
Blaise rolled his eyes. "Hair potions keep me from having an afro. Without them, I'd die."
"Why not put your hair in corn rolls?" Kagome asked.
Chavi laughed. "Kagome, you're talking to a Slytherin. Hair potions are—as I told you—practically law around here."
"But you don't wear them." Kagome pointed out.
Pansy argued, "Yes, but Chavi isn't your typical Slytherin either."
"Indeed," Chavi agreed and said good naturedly, "I don't throw myself out there for every male who walks by."
Pansy huffed, "I wouldn't need to if Drake would stop being a prude! I swear, he'll sleep with anyone—except me! One day you'll understand why I need company, Chavi, and then I'll have no pity on you."
Kagome shuddered. "Okay! New subject."
Blaise grinned as he saw her discomfort. "Alright, if you don't want to talk about Drake's sex life, let's talk about yours!"
Kagome's face turned bright red. "That's really none of your business, now is it?" she squeaked. "Besides, its not like you'd ever know anyone I may or may not have socialized with in the past."
Chavi snickered. "Ah, so is that what people call sex these days? Socializing? Pan, I really thought you'd keep me in the loop!"
"My sincerest apologies," Pansy said in a showy manner. "It must have slipped my mind." She turned to look eagerly at Kagome. "Do tell, Kagome. What's his name?"
Kagome didn't realize she could turn any redder but she managed it just fine. "Who says I have a boyfriend anyway?"
"Oh please, Kagome," Blaise sniffed haughtily as he ate his food. "It's obvious."
"I – uhm – had a crush on Sesshoumaru for a very long time…" Kagome said hesitantly.
Pansy said, "Don't even try to get out of it. I can crush on Drake all I want, but that doesn't mean I don't have a new boyfriend every week."
Kagome suddenly found her plate very interesting. "I really would rather not talk about it…"
"What's the big deal?" Blaise pressed. "It isn't like we're your parents. We can keep secrets."
Chavi remained silently watching Kagome's face from across the table as Pansy added, "Yeah. You can tell us. Was he older or younger than you?"
Kagome's lips pressed together tightly and she remained staring at her plate of food. The only difference was that now she was pressing her food across the surface of the plate. "I don't want to talk about it, because I can't talk about it." She said.
Blaise said, "What do you mean you can't talk about it? Of course you can talk about it!"
Kagome slammed her fork down on the plate hard enough that she broke the plate. She glared at Blaise, Pansy, and Chavi each in turn. "I said no." was all she said before she got up, grabbed her bag, and hauled herself out of the Great Hall.
She didn't want to think about it, but it came back fresh to her mind as she moved quickly through the halls.
His crimson eyes were filled with glee as he brought his deadly claws down on the older woman. As she fell, those eyes turned so slowly toward Kagome and her younger brother, both of them rooted to the spot with fear. One step closer was all it took and then…
The wall wasn't strong enough to hold her up. Kagome fell to her knees, weeping into her hands. She wasn't sure how long she was there before tiny little arms wrapped around her neck. In surprise, she stopped crying and looked at the little girl who had hugged her.
"Don't cry," Shiva pleaded with her.
Kagome glanced around her and saw that Draco was a few feet behind her in the dungeon corridor. He wore a neutral expression as he glanced at her, much like he used to wear on the train to the Magic Academy. It was nice to see something on his face other than the hateful sneer he'd worn all week, but at the same time she wasn't exactly wearing friendly expressions at him either.
Gently pushing Shiva back, Kagome leaned on her heels and wiped her eyes on her robe sleeve. She expected Malfoy to say something snide to her, but to her surprise he just said, "It never goes away, does it?"
Kagome looked incredulously at him. "What?" she asked.
"The pain. The memory. Does it ever go away?"
Kagome closed her eyes and tried to understand why he was being so cryptic. It would be easier if she just got up and took offense to what he said; it would make sense to assume he was just there to make her mad. But when she thought about it, he never made sense.
So she stood up and turned to face him. "Sometimes they do, but only when you don't want them to."
He closed his eyes for a moment as though recalling a memory of his own. "I suppose…" he agreed. He opened his eyes again and opened his bag, pulling out a vial of clear, thick liquid. He crossed the few steps to her and pressed the vial into her hands. "Its almost time for class. This will remove the discoloration." He didn't smile or glare or frown the whole time. His expression just remained neutral. Like on the train… "Come on Shiva," he told his sister.
On her way to follow him as he left down the hall, Shiva tugged lightly on Kagome's skirt. Kagome looked down at the little blond girl. "Don't be sad. Dee-dee said today is a good day, so you should be happy."
With that said, 'Dee-dee' and his sister left Kagome standing in that dungeon corridor. She realized she wasn't far from the Slytherin house entrance. He probably heard her and came to see who she was.
Kagome looked at the vial in her hand. "Another gift…" she murmured. He was always giving her things when the mood struck him just right back at the Magic Academy. The one she remembered most was the rose.
"My father told me you did not cry. At your father's funeral, I mean…"
"No, I did not."
"I do not believe I would cry at my father's funeral either."
He had given her a rose for her father, but he never told her how his father knew she didn't cry. Draco had been so serious that day as he spoke to her. She never really questioned it, however, because so many people she didn't know were at the funeral. Her foster father had been an auror, well-known and well-liked.
That day on the train, Draco was the one who saw her finally shed two months worth of pent up grief. She didn't cry at the funeral or after it. In his own way, Draco got her back on her feet after her father died, removing her from her ghost-like emotional state by making her angry.
And then when the clock fast-forwarded to the present, in his own way, Draco Malfoy was still as confusing as he used to be. He made her frustrated, angry, confused, but still better. She only hoped he didn't pay attention to the current events in Japan—she didn't want or need his pity.
Information overload... --author dies--