Chapter Four

Midsummer



By the time midterm exams had come and gone, the novelty of summer school at Hogwarts had worn of and everyone was settled more or less into a routine. Classes each morning, lunch, recreation in the afternoon, supper then the evening free for studying and preparing for the next day's classes. Hermione, as usual, had the best overall grades for her class of Gryffindors while Hiro Yui led the way for Slytherin. Although no one said anything outright, there was an unofficial contest going on between Hermione and Hiro to see who was the better student. Hiro was the first Slytherin ever to be a match for Hermione in the smarts department. When the two houses had classes together, the race was on as to see which of them would be the first to get to answer the professor's questions and to be the one to answer the question correctly.

The question as to which house had the smartest member seemed much more important than the rumors of illicit student-teacher romance that had been the gossip topic for the first week of school. No one seemed to care anymore that Lady Cassiopeia and Hiro Yui might be a couple. It was far more interesting to watch the sparks fly when Hiro and Hermione faced off in class. What made the competition even more interesting was the suspicion that the public battle of the brains was a front to hide the fact that the two of them were having a relationship in secret.

Harry and Ron knew Hermione and Hiro were not seeing each other outside of class. She stopped paying attention to him when he politely turned down the offer to switch from Slytherin to Gryffindor. She didn't quite understand what he meant when he said the Sorting Hat made its choice based on truth over appearance. Back at the monastery he came from, he was a temple guardian. That alone screamed Gryffindor in Hermione's opinion. But he had said no, thanked for caring and went back to meditating on Hogwarts great lawn. That happened three weeks ago. She still had no idea why he stayed in Slytherin, especially when the only time anyone in Slytherin pays him any attention is when he is besting Hermione at some intellectual challenge. Other than that he is virtually ignored by his classmates.

"Look Hermione, maybe he likes being on his own," Ron said as he and Harry were walking with Hermione to the Dueling Room. "If it bothered him, don't you think he would have spoken up? I mean, his Dad is here. He could say something to him and get the word to Professor Dumbledore and have it taken care of."

The logic of Ron's argument didn't escape her but something just didn't make sense. "He doesn't seem the loner type," she said. "I mean, he's nice. He doesn't do or say anything to drive you away when you talk to him. He just…. I don't know. He has a really weird tendency to go all Zen on you."

"He's a Buddhist monk," Harry put in. "What did you expect?"

"That's my point," Hermione shot back. "It's like he's staying in Slytherin to do some sort of penance or something. Or maybe he thinks he can turn them from the dark side."

"Good luck on that," Ron remarked. "They don't even pass him the butter at dinner. Fat chance any of those bloke have of getting Enlightenment."

Hermione laughed. "They have trouble matching wand movement with their verbal incantation! I heard Crabb finally can open a locked door on the first try. I mastered the Alohomora spell in my first year."

"You were able to fix my glasses even before you came to Hogwarts," Harry said remembering how she repaired his glasses when he first met her on the Hogwarts Express.

"You are not the average witch, Hermione."

"And you aren't the average wizard," she responded giving Harry a warm smile as she entered the classroom.

The Dueling Room was large enough to hold a hundred students easily and it seemed the students in years four through six from both Slytherin and Gryffindor were in the room. On the long raised dueling platform stood Lady Cassiopeia and Professor Snape. Harry noticed most of the boys had their attention focused on the Dark Arts teacher while the girls were trying not to look bored. Lady Cassiopeia was wearing one of her usual diaphanous flowing gowns that made it look like she glided instead of walked. When she cast her warm smile in Harry's direction, he smiled back liking the warm feeling he always felt in her presence.

"Please gather round," she called motioning to the room full of students. Everyone tried to huddle closer to the platform so she would not have to shout to make herself heard. She glided to the center of the platform and continued, "I know all of you have tried your hand at wizard combat. Some of you are even members of the Dueling Club. However, what I want to teach all of you today is not how to fight, but how to protect yourselves from attacks. The best defense is still to not be there-" some chucked made her pause and she was smiling herself as she went on, "But there are times when you will have no choice but to defend yourself or fight back. Since many of you already know how to be offensive, what I am going to focus on today is defense."

A murmur of interest filled the room and Lady Cassiopeia surveyed the room. "I am going to need two volunteers for a demonstration."

Many hands went up, mostly boys eager for the chance to get within arm's reach of the beautiful Elven teacher. Lady Cassiopeia pondered for a moment before choosing, "Pansy Parkinson and Susan Bones, please come up!"

Pansy was an attractive blonde fifth year who, if she hadn't been born a witch, would be the candidate for homecoming queen. She was the most popular girl in Slytherin and the prettiest in her house as well. She also acting like she felt she was better than everyone else and walked around with her nose so high in the air Hermione joked she needed to keep oxygen nearby to breath. Susan Bones was a cute petite red head with a sunny disposition and a love for gossip, boys and Quidditch, not necessarily in that order. Susan was a Gryffindor and was one of Hermione's roommates in the dorm. All the girls from Susan's dorm – including Hermione – cheered for her as she went up on the dais.

Susan and Pansy approached Lady Cassiopeia who said, "Miss Parkinson, you will be the attacker. I want you to cast spells designed to disarm, not injure, your opponent. Miss Bones will be on the defense. Do you understand?"

Pansy nodded and went off to take her place on the attacker's side of the dais. Susan looked up at Lady Cassiopeia and asked, "I'm not a duelist. What do I do?"

"You have to harness the magic that lies within you and allow it to envelop you in a protective shell. Think of the cocoon that protects the caterpillar until it is ready to emerge as a butterfly. You will be putting a magical cocoon around yourself to keep any harmful spells from affecting you."

"You mean I just have to think about it?" Susan cried incredulous. "No words, no-"

"No waving of wands, nothing," Lady Cassiopeia finished for her. "All witches and wizards have magic within them. When you were little, did something ever just happen because you thought about it?"

"Well…my mother likes to tell people how my first magical feat was making a bowl of ice cream appear after she said it would make my sort throat get better. She said that was how she knew I was going to be a great witch. I did the ice cream thing when I was three."

"That is exactly what I'm talking about!" Lady Cassiopeia said smiling. "Imagine a shield, a wall, something that makes you feel safe, coming up around you and use that image to make the protective shell you will need to protect yourself from Miss Parkinson's magic."

Susan nodded and was trying to concentrate on making a magical wall around herself as she went to the defender's spot on the dais. Once she was in position, Lady Cassiopeia moved to the judge's area and allowed the demonstration to begin.

"Rictor Sempras!" Pansy shouted as a bolt of blue mystic force shot from her wand and struck Susan square in the chest sending her flying back ten feet. She landed hard on the dais looking stunned but not hurt. The Slytherins laughed and Pansy stood her ground looking very pleased with herself. Lady Cassiopeia gently helped Susan back to her feet giving her some suggestions and words of encouragement as she walked her back to the defender's spot. When Susan was ready, the demonstration resumed.

"Expelliamus!" Pansy commanded and a bolt of white energy shot from her wand but this time part of the spell was absorbed by what looked like a spider web-like substance that appeared around Susan. However, the shield wasn't strong enough to stand up to the spell and it shattered and again Susan was knocked back onto her bottom. She didn't go as far or land as hard but it still was painful enough for her to say she had had enough.

Susan left the dais and Lady Cassiopeia had to choose another Gryffindor. Hermione was chosen and she took Susan's place on the dais. She understood what was expected and Lady Cassiopeia sensed that if any Gryffindor girl could best Pansy it would be Hermione. Once both girls were in position, Lady Cassiopeia commanded the demonstration to begin.

"Invictus!" Pansy shouted and a gout of red energy shot from her wand. The utterance of that spell made some of the Slytherns gasp because it was a particularly dark and nasty magic.

However nothing happened because the magic bolt connected with what looked like a milky white balloon that surrounded Hermione on all sides. The strange balloon seemed to suck up all the dark energy absorbing it leaving Hermione completely safe and untouched. Annoyed Pansy tried again but again nothing happened as her magic was absorbed.

"As you can see," Lady Cassiopeia said stepping onto the dais before Pansy could make a third attempt, "Each of you has the power to protect yourselves. You only have to master the technique of how to harness that power. Now that I have given the girls a chance, would any of you lads want a go?"

Too many hands went up and Lady Cassiopeia tried not to chuckle. She noticed Hiro was not one of the eager ones and so she called on him to come up on the dais. The room went quiet as he moved silently through the crowd and climbed up onto the dais. He bowed to her in his usual monkish fashion and she smiled slightly at him. There were still boys volunteering and Hermione thought this was her cue to leave so she started to head off the stage.

"Stay Miss Grainger," Lady Cassiopeia said. "I still need my defender."

"You want me to fight him?" she cried incredulous. Hermione had no desire to cross wands with Hiro Yui. Competing with him in class was one thing, dueling him was another story altogether.

"Do you honestly think that the only people who will ever confront you will be witches?" Lady Cassiopeia asked. Hermione shook her head. "Well then, let's see how you do against a wizard. Mr. Yui, please take the attacker's position."

"Sorry, I can't do this," he told her.

"Can't?"

"It is forbidden for me to use my magic in a harmful way against anyone who is not a threat to the Celestial Temple. Miss Grainger is not an enemy of the Akashic Order. I cannot and will not fight her."

"Get the bloody monk out of here!" called one of the Slytherins.

"Get someone up there whose got a pair!" yelled another.

Snape pulled Draco Malfoy out of the crowd and practically dragged him upon to the dais. He shoved Draco forward saying, "Yui step down. Mr. Malfoy will be the attacker."

Yui bowed to both Professor Snape and Lady Cassiopeia and quickly left the dais. Fighting Hiro was bad but going up Malfoy was worse. Hiro was just intellectual competition; Malfoy hated her guts. This had the potential to get very ugly very fast.

"Allright," Lady Cassiopeia said. "Let us try this again."

She took her place in the judge's area and, the second she was out of the line of fire, Draco shot off a nasty attack that sent Hermione sprawling. The Slytherins were laughing and the Gryffindors were yelling objections and calling Malfoy a cheat. Draco didn't care. His friends were cheering and Pansy was actually giving him a flirty eye. Hermione picked herself up, her dignity more injured than anything else, and she took her place on the defender's spot.

"Let's see you fight this Mud Blood!" Draco sneered as he commanded, "Summon Sorcier!"

A large long snake sprang forth from his wand and began slithering towards Hermione. It was a pit viper, very poisonous and ill tempered, and everyone who had been near the dais backed away quickly giving the serpent a very wide berth. Hiro swiftly approached the dais. He knew the type of shield spell Lady Cassiopeia was teaching them to do was designed to protect against magical attacks, not physical ones. There was a separate incantation that worked with the spell being taught that did block physical assaults. However, without knowing the incantation, there was no blocking the snake. Hiro knew he had to intervene because he doubted Hermione was aware of the shield's limitations.

Hermione saw the snake but kept up her concentration on the shield. Her shield had stopped the Invictus curse, she felt confident it would keep the snake away. She noticed Hiro trying to attract the snake's attention. She had no idea what he was doing until she heard him speaking in that strange language she had heard Harry use to open the Chamber of Secrets. He's a Parselmouth! Hermione saw the look on Harry's face and realized that he heard Hiro talking to the snake. She also could tell by his expression that he understood what Hiro was saying to the snake and that it wasn't anything bad.

Hiro was trying to help her!

The snake glided over to Hiro and tried to attack him. Hiro was fast enough to avoid its lethal strikes but it took him several tries to be fast enough to catch the serpent. He held it behind its head and the snake hissed in anger writing in an effort to be free of its captor. Hiro leaped effortlessly onto the dais and said, "The Chi shield only works against magical attacks, not physical ones. This snake could have bitten Miss Grainger before she would have had the chance to neutralize it with her magic. However, since no one in here has a curative potion with them, Hermione would never have survived the trip to the hospital wing."

By the time he finished speaking the room had gone completely silent. All eyes were on him, especially those of Professor Snape, who held Hiro under an icy glare. "Get rid of that thing," Snape commanded through clenched teeth. Hiro obeyed making the snake vanish into a puff of mist. He looked down his hawk like nose at Hiro stating, "That will be all Mr. Yui. You may go."

Hiro bowed respectfully to Snape and jumped down off the dais. The crowd parted like the Red Sea to let him pass and Hiro paused for a moment at the far wall to see what would happen next. The class was being split up into groups to work on the shield technique and, since Hiro was well acquainted with this particular magic, he took the dismissal he got from Snape seriously and left the room. He was almost to the end of the hall before someone called after him.

Harry Potter was out of breath by the time he reached Hiro's side. "Why are you leaving?"

"You heard Snape," Hiro replied. "He told me I could leave."

"I don't think he meant the class!" Harry said. "Just the dais."

"I don't need to be there. My time would be better spent helping me father."

"You already know how to do the shield spell," Harry began confronting Hiro. "And probably a whole lot of other stuff. I can't believe you goaded that snake into attacking you!" He paused for a moment before adding, "And I didn't know it angered snakes to insult their ancestors."

Hiro laughed. "So you understood what I said to the viper?"

"Yes."

Hiro continued, "I was told very few western wizards knew the Wyrm Speech."

"Wyrm Speech? You mean Parsel Tongue?"

"That is what the serpent language is called here?" When Harry nodded Hiro agreed, "Okay, Parsel Tongue it is then. So, you know it and who else can speak it?"

"I'm the only one at Hogwarts that knows it, at least until you came here," Harry told him. "And…it's considered a bad thing. Being a Parselmouth is not considered to be one of the good wizarding talents."

"Maybe here it isn't good, but if you were to come back with me to the Temple, your linguistic skills would be most useful."

"How so?"

"What language do you think is spoken by dragons?"

Harry's jaw dropped as his eyes met Hiro's. Hiro was dead serious. Harry couldn't just talk to snakes but also to dragons? This was news to him. It was probably news to everyone else as well, since no one, not even Professor Dumbledore, told him being a Parselmouth meant he could talk to creatures besides snakes.

"But dragon's aren't snakes," Harry stated. "How can they talk snake language?"

"The same way humans can learn to speak French or Spanish or Chinese," Hiro explained. "Snakes often hibernate in the same caves as dragons. After centuries of this going on it would make sense the two creatures would learn how to communicate. And many of the brothers at the temple learned to speak the snake language because the snakes talk to the dragons. It was a way of getting messages to the dragons that are our neighbors. And also their way of reaching us."

"Any chance I could spend some time at your temple?" Harry inquired intrigued by this and the many other tales he has heard over the summer about the Celestial Temple.

"Of course," Hiro said. "All are welcome that come in peace. And I think you would like my Sifu Master Po. He is a harsh taskmaster but you would learn much from him. He is renown in the Temple for his wisdom."

"Thanks Hiro," Harry replied and the two boys smiled at each other. There was so much about Hiro that Harry didn't know that he would be interested in going to the temple to see if the solution to the mystery of Hiro Yui lay buried there somewhere. "Maybe someday I'll come and visit you at the Temple. You could show me around your school."

Hiro nodded. "I hope that happens, Harry." He sighed deeply and said, "I must go now. My father needs my assistance."

"How do you know-"

Hiro interrupted by tapping his temple lightly saying, "My father can speak to me in my mind. This gift of the Mind Speech is one that members of my family share. It is very useful since I can be anywhere and still be summoned home for supper!"

Harry chucked at this and waved goodbye to Hiro as the latter disappeared down the hallway at an inhuman rate. Harry was trying to imagine what it was like to have someone talking to you in your mind as he made his way back to the Dueling Room.

The rest of the day passed without incident. Although Harry didn't see Hiro at all during the afternoon Quidditch matches, the Akashic brother did show up at dinner that evening. Hiro wasn't wearing his saffron robes and Hogwart's robe, which had been his usual attire since their first day back at school. He was clad in a simple black sleeveless Chinese silk jacket and loose fitting kung fu pants. Around his neck was a bead necklace made of green jade and the carved pendant hanging from it had an image on it that looked oddly familiar. The Slytherins made a point of ignoring him but everyone else was casting sideways glances at Hiro as he found an empty place at his house's table and sat down.

Dinner was sumptuous as usual. Harry thought the menu might change over the summer because of the heat but other than the additions of seasonal fruits and vegetables, the cooks still served up hot wonderful things for the evening meal. The old castle was comfortably cool feeling to Harry like it was air-conditioned even though he knew Hogwarts didn't use any sort of technology to heat, cool, or light the school. He glanced over at Ron and Hermione, who were both in the midst of discussing the day's Quidditch match, and sighed. Everything seemed so much the same yet Harry felt like something different was happening at Hogwarts. He couldn't quite explain what it was but something felt not quite right.

Hermione noticed Harry sitting there with his chin on his hand lost in thought and asked, "Harry, what is it?"

Harry perked up looking at her a bit startled, "What?"

"Are you all right?"

"Fine...fine," he replied quickly. "I was just thinking that's all."

"You've been doing a lot of that lately," Ron noted.

Harry faced both his friends and asked, "Does everything seem too normal to you?"

"Too normal?" Ron queried puzzled.

"Yeah, like you know it all can't be that perfect. Like something is going on and everyone is working extra hard to hide it so no one suspects."

"I think you've been getting into one of Hermione's detective novels," Ron commented and Hermione nudged him annoyed.

"No, I'm serious!" Harry stated. "I just got this odd feeling."

"Has your scar been hurting you?" Hermione asked beginning to get worried.

"Um, no, but I just know something's up. There is a tension in the air."

"Yeah, especially when Hiro Yui is around," Ron remarked. "He went from being the hero to a zero in a big hurry. No one in Slytherin likes him. Can't say he's all that popular with anyone in the other houses either."

"Look, if you recall, nobody liked me all that much when I first got here," Hermione reminded him. "I think he is experiencing the same sorts of problems I did. He just has to adjust and get used to how things are done here. I learned. I think he will too in time."

"Yeah, but your biggest flaw was you were a by-the-book brain trust who didn't know how to have fun!" Ron stated his declaration earning him an irritated look from Hermione. Ron ignored her and continued, "When everyone found out about Lady Cassiopeia and Hiro being, um, involved, it made every wizard in Hogwarts dead jealous and every witch wishing she'd go back to the Arcadia! Not only that but he spends none of his free time with any of us. He always runs off to the tower master Yui lives in and disappears for hours."

"He's helping his father with his work," Harry explained and added, "And, although that is all true, there is more to Hiro's problems than that. He isn't like us. I've watched him in class. He's much more powerful than he lets on. He holds back…. a lot. The only time it looks to me like he is actually learning something new is in Charms class where we do a lot of wand work. That I know is new to him because he told me that he never used a wand before he came here. But everything else I think has been nothing but a big review."

"Well there is a logical reason for his being more advanced that we are," Hermione said. "They might start school younger in China and go longer than we do. Someone who is a fifth year there might be equivalent to a seventh year here. We don't know. No wizards from here have ever sent their children to study at Hiro's school. Even the Asian witches and wizards who live here in England send their children to Hogwarts."

"Probably because that school he's from is so bloody far off," Ron remarked. "Its up atop a mountain in Tibet. Would you want to a to school up in bloody Tibet?"

"I think the Himalayas are beautiful," commented Hermione airily. "Besides, I don't think we'd be allowed to go to his school. We're not Buddhist."

"Hiro told me anyone who comes in peace is welcome at the Celestial Temple," Harry informed them. "He also said he'd like me to come there and visit him sometime."

"That sometime might be sooner than you think," Ron said. "I heard some talk in the locker room about Hiro getting asked to leave school."

"Why?

"Bad behavior, according to the wags I overheard. They said he got into fights in the Slytherin common room. Beat up one bloke so bad he had to go to the hospital wing. Not sure how true all of this is though. After all, none of the gossips were in Slytherin and I bet if you asked them they wouldn't admit it one way or the other anyway."

"Ron, from what I've seen, Hiro doesn't seem the type to go and pick fights. If he did get into a fight, then it was probably in self-defense. You know how obnoxious Malfoy and his friends can be. They probably went over the line and Hiro had no choice but to defend himself."

Ron shrugged noncommittally and Hermione was going to interject a thought when she noticed Hiro walking up to the head table. He stopped when he was directly opposite Professor Dumbledore and he gave the headmaster a low respectful bow. Dumbledore acknowledged him looking a bit put off by Hiro's formality. He was used to students treating him with respect but the showing of respect between the people of the East and West was as wide as the Atlantic Ocean is deep. Dumbledore had thought that after a month of living with the two monks he would grow used to their almost reverential way of treating him but he hadn't. It wasn't that what they were doing was wrong, it just wasn't a custom he was used to and he liked to keep things simple.

"Yes, Mr. Yui?" Dumbledore queried gently.

"May I speak freely?" Hiro asked. When Dumbledore motioned to him to continue, Hiro said, "I do not want to appear ungrateful or impolite in any way and I hope you will accept this apology in advance because what I am going to say may sound as though I have not appreciated your kindness and generosity. I am very grateful for the time I have spent here and for the privilege of studying at Hogwarts. But I regret to say that I can no longer remain here as a student. I don't want to leave, but I feel it would be in everyone's best interest if I did."

"Not everyone's," Dumbledore pointed out.

Hiro knew what the Headmaster was implying and replied, "That is true, Master, but I know if things continue as they are now, something bad could happen. Something I won't have any control over and I don't want to see anyone at Hogwarts get hurt because of me."

"If you are truly concerned about the safety of the students, you will stay. As your father is fond of saying, everything happens for a reason."

Hiro sighed. If Dumbledore knew how close he came the other night to turning house Slytherin into a smoking crater then he might think differently. However, Hiro doubted anyone outside of Slytherin knew about the fight last night. Unless they dropped by the hospital wing during the day and saw what happens to people when they are flung against a stonewall at a hundred miles an hour. Magical medicine always amazed Hiro. A wizard or witch's body could be so badly shattered that had they been a Muggle they would be dead but their magical nature allows them to survive long enough to be restored through mystical means. He was thankful for that because after what he did last night there should be five less Slytherins instead of five people in various stages of healing under the care of Madame Pomfrey.

After a long pause Hiro said quietly, "I know why I am needed here. It's just that I think your Sorting Hat made a mistake"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow speculatively at Hiro. "A mistake?"

"I'm not Slytherin material," Hiro stated. "Everyone in Slytherin wants me out. They all want me to leave. Last night's disagreement happened because they wanted me out."

Dumbeldore knew about the fight and the five members of the Slytherin Quidditch team who were in the hospital and that Hiro was responsible for nearly killing them. He signed deeply and asked, "Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere but Slytherin," Hiro told him. "I don't fit in there at all. I'm only there because I didn't know enough to ask to be put someplace else."

"You think at the time of Sorting you can choose where you want to go?"

"I know it's possible," Hiro stated meeting Dumbledore's gaze. "It's been done before."

Young Yui has been keeping his ear to the ground, thought Dumbledore. He smiled slightly as he answered, "That is true. But what you are asking is not an easy matter. I want you to come to my office tomorrow after classes and bring with you someone who can speak in your favor. Preferably someone from the House you would most like to join."

Hiro nodded saying, "Thank you Master."

He bowed low again before turning to go back to his place at the Slytherin table. Dumbledore glanced at Professor McGonegal and she said, "I think he wants to join Gryffindor."

"It was the second choice for him, according to the Sorting Hat," Dumbledore told her. "He was another one who wasn't an easy placement. You see, when an Animagus is in their changed form as opposed to the true form, which one do you choose? Sort by what you see or by what you know to be the truth? That was the Hat's dilemma with Hiro Yui. It went by what it saw to be the truth, not by the face he showed. However, in his case the face he shows is the truth not the one he had before his transfiguration. So, based on this knowledge, he does belong with Gryffindor."

"If he can learn to school his temper," McGonegal stated. "You know he put five students in the hospital last night. Called up some sort of windstorm in the Slytherin common room and nearly destroyed it. That boy is dangerous."

"Which is why I asked for him to bring someone to recommend him," Dumbledore explained. "If he cannot find a classmate to speak for him, then I will allow him to withdraw form the school and stay with his father. Xiouxien could use a hand with his work and it would keep Hiro occupied and out of trouble for the summer. Not what any of us wants but we must do what is best for the school."

When will Master Yui be finished with the translation?"

"Soon," Dumbledore reassured her. "Then at the full moon we can begin the Ritual. And to succeed we need both Yui's present which is why we must do what we can to keep young Yui here. Because, without him, there is no Ritual!"