Family Affair
Chapter 10 The Vision Quest
That night, there was no rest for the weary. Taiko dropped her fork at dinner, and spoke the second Prophecy she'd uttered in twenty-four hours...
"FIVE CHILDREN WILL BANISH THE FORCES OF DARKNESS. THE BONDS BETWEEN THEM ARE BEING FORGED AS WE SPEAK. THE BOY WHO LIVED AND HIS COMPANIONS WILL BE JOINED BY THE GIRL-WHO-SEES-WHAT-IS-NOT-THERE AND THE DRAGON BOY. TOGETHER THEY WILL CLEAR HIS PATH TO THE DARK LORD IN THE FINAL BATTLE. THE GIRL-WHO-SEES WILL TEACH THE BOY-WHO-LIVED THE SPELLS THAT HE NEEDS TO KNOW TO DESTROY THE DARK LORD UTTERLY, FOR HE, LIKE ALL OF US, MUST ANSWER TO THE JUDGE OF THE DEAD, ENMA FOR THEIR CRIMES IN LIFE. THEIR BONDS... ARE FORM...ING..." Taiko fell out of her chair.
Hermione and Aunt Sappho grabbed her by the collar. Ron's spoon fell, halfway to his mouth. Aunt Ginger shook her head. "Again?" Harry demanded. "That's the second time today!"
"I know, its weird isn't it?" Iruka, Taiko and Harry's cousin, said through a mouth full of chicken. "Its strange, normally years go by between two of a seer's visions."
Aunt Ginger cleared her plate and excused herself. "Ohhhh Taiko." She whispered to the moon, "I fear things will go badly for you, now that you're in England, and you must feel so lonely starting over without any friends, but until you follow your prophecies, I doubt that you'll be returning to America. Uzume, Goddess of laughter and good times, watch out for her, I beg you."
"Shoga." Snape came out after her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Are you alright?"
"Sev, Taiko's upset as it is. But that Prophecy... well... she was the 'Girl-Who-Sees,' but she doesn't know it... and when she realizes that she's not going back to Salem, or to Kyoto, she's not going to be very happy." Ginger turned into his embrace.
"Its good to have you back at Hogwarts, Shoga." Snape said with a soft smile, looking down at her.
"Just like old times huh?" Ginger smiled. Shoga was her legal name, but it translated into Ginger in English, and that was Snape's nickname for her.
Inside, Harry went down to his room. Draco joined him after helping Aunt Natura with the dishes. "Hey, what do you think about all of this?" He asked, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist.
"I don't really know what to make of it." Harry blushed. "I thought that Sirius was gone for good."
"Isn't it weird though? Taiko says that the symbol on Sirius' left hand read Enma, what do you reckon that is?"
"Dunno." Harry shrugged. "Maybe its the name of a ghost or something that crossed over."
"I doubt it, from Taiko's tone of dread... hey maybe its the God of the Dead!" Draco suggested, shivering, "I mean, he DID come back from the dead."
"No, I know from this Cartoon that Dudley watches that the Japanese God of the Dead is Shinigami." (A/N: Duo: you call?) Harry answered. To end the topic, he pulled Draco down into a long, tender kiss. Draco shivered, leaning into it.
In a complete reversal of last night's position, Harry allowed Draco to push him gently to the bed. Trembling in pleasure, he did something that he'd never do in public. Harry Potter allowed Draco to dominate him.
~that night~
Taiko told Hermione every detail of what she'd seen that day in Sirius' ward. "That's what the girl said. I know I wasn't supposed to tell you about it, but I really don't know what to make of it."
"You said something about Enma?" Hermione asked. "Who's that?"
"Enma is the Japanese God of Justice. He tries the souls of those who have died. Depending on what they did in life, they either rest in Yomi and are reincarnated later or they're dropped straight into Hell and stay there." Taiko explained. "I think that's what she meant about Lord Voldemort not being able to defy death. Enma wants him to answer for his crimes."
Hermione whistled appreciatively. "But who do they mean by Dragon Boy?" She wondered.
"Draco means Dragon..." Taiko suggested. "And there are five us now. The number five is repeated throughout Eastern Magic
"So it does mean us?" Hermione asked.
"Probably." Taiko said softly. She looked at her hands. "I don't see any silver mark, maybe they have to do with what happened to Sirius."
"I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. From what I hear, most of Divination is educated guesswork and subjective interpretation." Hermione shrugged.
Right then and there, Taiko made her decision. When Hermione left, she pulled some special incense and four candles from her trunk, lit them and set the candles around her bed to the north, south, east, and west. Skyclad (A/N: That's naked in layman's terms.) Taiko pulled a vial of lavender oil, and a special blanket that she wove herself for ritual out of a special box in her trunk. Taiko spread the blanket out over the bed. She anointed her chakras with the oil, and using her wand, spread a protective circle around the bed, to keep out distractions. Then she lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and focused on one thought. ///FIND THEM!!//
Taiko felt a sickening jerk rocking her body. Then she was falling through a blank, blinding white light. Taiko fell to the sand of the desert with an OOMPH noise.
//So, you finally came didn't you?//
The woman frowning down at Taiko had long, silky red hair and eyes as fox green as her own. She carried a long, cruel looking scythe with a black handle and burgundy red leather grips, almost like blood. There was something about the look on her face, the expression, which was familiar. Taiko looked up, and gasped out... /Mom?/
Lilly Potter smiled. //How did I know that you'd find me? You're just as smart as I was at your age, and just as headstrong as your father. But you took a huge risk going on this vision quest. Didn't you know that you could die?//
/Yes. I knew, but I also knew that somebody on this side wouldn't let that happen./ It was a question.
//Yes, that would be me, your father, and Lord Enma.// Lilly told her. //But while you're here, I have something for you and Harry, something that could be rather important. Stand back...//
Taiko did. Lilly swung the scythe in a circle over her head and cried, //ACCIO ARTIFACTS!//
Two small items, one silver and one gold, fell into the sand with a clinking noise. Taiko picked them up.
They were compasses, both of which were surrounded by four stones at each quarter. Just above the 'N' was a tiny piece of citrine, as golden as the sun, near the 'E' was an emerald, next to the 'S' there was a sapphire, and next to the 'W' there was a ruby.
/A compass?/ Taiko asked.
//They are called Geas compasses. They will allow you to find anyone, anywhere, and Harry's has a special charm on it that will block Lord Voldemort from entering his mind. He should always wear it, especially since, like his father, he failed occlumancy.// Taiko turned them over. On the silver compass, a lightning bolt was carved into it and filled with some kind of hard, red substance. On the golden compass, was a crescent moon, filled with a similar substance, only blue.
/Is this the protective spell?/ Taiko asked, /And why do I need one?/
//Professor Dumbledore linked you to Harry, and Harry is linked to Voldemort, Lord Enma isn't taking any chances with you two. You're reactions to what comes your way are key in the fight between Harry and Voldemort.// Lilly explained. //We can't jeopardize you too.//
/Mom, can you tell me something, what am I supposed to do?/ Taiko asked. /I just want to go back to Salem./
//Taiko, I'm sorry, but you aren't going back. Not until Lord Voldemort is dead.//
///NANI FUKU KA?/// Taiko demanded. (A/N: literally 'what the fuck?')
Lilly winced. //I'm sorry, but that decision comes from upstairs.//
Taiko snarled angrily and threw her hat on the ground, grinding it into the sand.
//Taiko, you remember all those Miyazaki movies that you're so fond of watching, remember what the wise woman in Mononoke-hime once said? You cannot alter your fate, but you can rise to meet it. Harry has to kill Lord Voldemort, but if he uses the killing curse, then he'll get in trouble. However there are more powerful methods of killing than the Avada Kedavra.//
/Like what?/ Taiko demanded, in a rather frazzled tone.
//Have you not wondered where the Japanese school got the name 'Rashimban no Mahogakku?'// (A/N: School of the Compass)
/I did think it was a weird name for a magic school./ Taiko admitted.
//A long time ago, the son of ie no Ryuu's founder, Salan Slytherin, one of Rashimban's best heads, began creating his own magical techniques. He married the descendant of Queen Himiko the first of Japan. Queen Himiko claimed her ancestry from the Goddess Amateratsu, the goddess of the sun. Between Salan and his wife, they were able to concoct some of the most powerful spells and potions in history. Only the Gods were capable of performing some of these. You already use five of them; The lightning tiger curse, the earthquake turtle jinx, the curse of the flame gate phoenix, the tidal dragon scroll, and the snow wolf Katas. But these are simple to perform, most witches and wizards are capable of learning them, even though they aren't well known.// Lilly explained.
//But the curse of the Rashimban is much, much different, only the members of the four Kyoto clans are capable of using it. And so, I pass on the knowledge to you. I'll expect you to teach this curse to Harry, so that he can use it against Lord Voldemort.//
/Why not teach him yourself?/ Taiko asked, arching a skeptical eyebrow.
//Harry has a low sixth sense, he is incapable of vision quests, until he can control the visions he has of Lord Voldemort, he will not be able to reach me here.//
/I see. How do I perform the spell?/ Taiko asked.
//It is better if I leave it in your mind.// Lilly stretched out a hand gently to her forehead. Taiko closed her eyes, listening to the spell in her mind.
/I hear it.../ Taiko's eyes opened, a soft expression in them, as though she was turning inward on herself.
//One more thing.// Lilly took Taiko's hands in hers and focused, chanting something in ancient Japanese.
Something like a shock coursed through Taiko's body. The crescent on her forehead seared in pain. Taiko screamed, falling into her mother's arms. Just as quickly, the pain was gone. Taiko panted in Lilly's grip. /Mother, what was that?/ Taiko asked
Lilly straightened up. //I needed to mark you. No potion or spell will ever duplicate that mark, so Harry will always be able to tell you apart from any deatheater who wishes to pass as you.// Taiko nodded, looking at her hands. She blinked. On her right hand, in gold, stood a single symbol, Enma.
/This mark was on Sirius, only it was silver./ Taiko blinked.
//In silver, it simply means that he has been allowed to return from the dead. He is, what you would call an angel of death.// (A/N: (looks up from Wish) He he! Angels of death rock! Just ask Koryu! Koryu: 0.0) //Any witch or wizard with that mark is more powerful than normal, your powers will also be boosted. Train a little bit and see what happens. You'll have the opportunity to use them soon enough.// Lilly said with a gentle smile.
/Are you an angel of death too?/ Taiko asked eyes wide.
//Sort of, the capitalization is different. An Angel of Death capitalized means that I have remained in the spirit world and now have the less than pleasant task of escorting the newly killed to their rest until its my turn to be reincarnated.// Lilly explained. //Don't worry, you'll see me soon enough.// She said with a smirk. //Now test the spell, and once I know that it works, I'll send you back to your body.//
Taiko turned and saw an enormous boulder. /Will that do as a practice target?/
//Perfectly.// Lilly answered.
Taiko squared her shoulders, raised her wand, and cried, ///YOBIDASU RASHIMBAN!/// She let the spell fly.
There was nothing left of the boulder, that much Taiko could see. But then she heard the whoosh of Lily's Scythe and the words, //See you soon!//
Taiko fell through blackness, her body tingling through, hand and crescent searing in pain. She fell out of bed with a screech.
Panting and sweating, Taiko blew out the candles and recalled the circle. Then she pulled on her bathrobe and kicked up her heals on the way to the baths. "Fame! I'm gonna live forever! I'm gonna learn how to fly!"
Taiko laughed as she shed her robe and dove into the warm waters of the tube. Coming up for air, she leaned back in the water and floated, reflecting on her vision. "Ahhhhh!!"
She was still singing the next morning. "What's got you so happy?" Asked Harry.
"A vision quest last night... ahhhh the rapture." Taiko said, turning a chair around with a flourish and straddling it. She slathered her toast with butter and strawberry jam and took a big bite, savoring the flavor.
"What's that?" Ron asked.
Hermione's jaw dropped. "But they're incredibly complex and dangerous!!"
"No, they're actually kind of easy for a seer. You just need a good sixth sense and a powerful imagination." Taiko grinned. "As Uncle Andemon will tell you, I have both in prodigious measures."
"What IS a vision quest?" Ron asked insistently.
"What was that about a vision quest?" Draco asked, a sausage dangling from the side of his mouth.
Ginny bopped him. "Don't talk with your mouth full!"
Draco winced, slurped the sausage into his mouth and chewed twice before swallowing in one bite.
"A vision quest is easily the single most difficult type of divination out there." Hermione explained. "I wouldn't try them even if I did have the power. If something happens to you when you're on one, it could seriously injure your physical body."
"Seers have even died on vision quests." Draco added. "They were handed down to the Wizarding Community by the Ancient Shaman, Medicine men and medicine women. But when they're done correctly, a seer can speak to the dead, retrieve artifacts or see things miles away, even communicate with the Gods!"
Ron turned to Hermione for confirmation. She nodded. "They're that powerful Ron."
Harry shivered. But Draco asked impudently. "So who did you talk to?"
"Mum." Taiko said, nonchalantly. "I wanted answers about what was happening, and what had happened to Sirius, and I got them. I also got these." Taiko handed Harry his compass. "Harry, Mom had the God of Justice, Enma fix them so that when we've got them, Lo... I mean You-Know-Who can't attack our minds. Since you're such a failure at Occlumancy. They also allow us to find anybody, anywhere."
Harry groaned. "She knew about that?"
"Yup." Taiko crunched off half a slice of bacon hungrily.
"That settles it." Ron said, rolling his eyes. "There's no way that Taiko could have known that without somebody helping her."
"It turns out, that those marks on Sirius' hands were put there by Lily and James. Remember when Sirius was thrashing around Harry?"
"Yeah."
"Well, that was when they were doing it." Taiko said, finishing her bacon and taking a swig of orange juice. "I saw them at it. Apparently only seers can see when something like that is happening." Taiko explained.
"So what do they mean?"
"Sirius is an angel of death on Earth, that's what the Kanji was. The other mark means that he's an ally, and Mom also said that if anybody attempts to duplicate them, like with polyjuice potion or something, they won't appear with them. So we can always tell Sirius apart from any death eater that's trying to get at us." Taiko grinned. "She also gave me mine last night." Taiko held out her right hand. "She said that once I had one, my spell power would go up."
They stared at the Kanji. "Does it hurt?" Ron asked, looking like a deer caught in head lights.
"Yeah, but not for long." Taiko shrugged and turned back to her waffles. Mrs. Weasley was busy with the wash, but she had cooked everything and left it out for everyone to eat.
At the moment, Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, and Tsuki were enjoying a plate of sausages on the counter, and Crookshanks was enjoying some leftover codfish balls. The twins had already eaten and left early, since Saturday was their busy day. Iruka had gone with them to hang out, and the twins were going to take him around Diagon Alley on their lunch day. Mr. Weasley was gone as well. Aunt Ginger and the grown ups had eaten and dispersed. It was only them left.
"An angel of death?" Harry's eyes were round.
"yeah, you want weird, try seeing your own mum with black dragon wings and a scythe like the grim reaper. It'll freak you out too." Taiko leaned back in her chair, hands behind her head, for a moment, before she got up to get more.
Harry tried to imagine his smiling, cheerful mother as an angel of death. He didn't think of the photographs in the scrapbook Hagrid had gave him. He thought instead of the Lily he'd seen in Snape's memories the previous year. "Snape would be rolling on the ground in laughter."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"Well... my dad used to pick on him, and mum was usually the first one to scold him." Harry chuckled. "He'd get a kick out of mum as an angel of death."
"I can't really picture Professor Snape laughing at anything." Draco rolled his eyes. "But I'll take your word for it."
"So can I visit mom that way?" Harry asked.
"She said that you weren't able to yet, not until you can control the visions of Lord Voldemort that you keep having." Taiko took a big bite of one of the biscuits that Mrs. Weasley had made for them, probably from Aunt Hikaru's recipe. "I didn't know that happened until she told me."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I tried to, I didn't really succeed and now Snape isn't likely to teach me anything."
"What did you DO though?" Hermione pressed.
"Um... well he had borrowed Dumbledore's pensieve so that if I turned the spell back on him, I wouldn't see what he didn't want me to, and when he was out of the room I looked into it."
Taiko whistled appreciatively. "I wouldn't do that to anyone!"
"And I won't do that again." Harry leaned back in his chair. Then he slipped the chain of the compass over his head, slipping it under his shirt. "If mum comes around again, do you think you could thank her for me?"
"Sure." Taiko leaned back in her chair.
An enormous knock resounded in the house. "I'll get it." Taiko jumped up.
She went to the door and opened it.
An enormous man stood at the door. He looked just too big to be allowed, with messy, wiry hair and a bushy, tangled beard. "Ye'd be Taiko Tora?" He asked in a strong accent.
"I am." Taiko said, guardedly.
"I'm Professor Hagrid, Groundskeeper fer Hogwarts an' Care o' Magical Creature's teacher. Professor Dumbledore asked me tuh take ya ter get yer school things."
~notes~
(sigh) that was long. I was originally going to have Taiko go to Diagon Alley this chapter, but I decided to use the Vision Quest so that Taiko could have her "Answers." With her personality, I doubt she'd have obeyed anyone until she'd gotten some. But I can so totally picture Lily as an angel of death.
Chapter 10 The Vision Quest
That night, there was no rest for the weary. Taiko dropped her fork at dinner, and spoke the second Prophecy she'd uttered in twenty-four hours...
"FIVE CHILDREN WILL BANISH THE FORCES OF DARKNESS. THE BONDS BETWEEN THEM ARE BEING FORGED AS WE SPEAK. THE BOY WHO LIVED AND HIS COMPANIONS WILL BE JOINED BY THE GIRL-WHO-SEES-WHAT-IS-NOT-THERE AND THE DRAGON BOY. TOGETHER THEY WILL CLEAR HIS PATH TO THE DARK LORD IN THE FINAL BATTLE. THE GIRL-WHO-SEES WILL TEACH THE BOY-WHO-LIVED THE SPELLS THAT HE NEEDS TO KNOW TO DESTROY THE DARK LORD UTTERLY, FOR HE, LIKE ALL OF US, MUST ANSWER TO THE JUDGE OF THE DEAD, ENMA FOR THEIR CRIMES IN LIFE. THEIR BONDS... ARE FORM...ING..." Taiko fell out of her chair.
Hermione and Aunt Sappho grabbed her by the collar. Ron's spoon fell, halfway to his mouth. Aunt Ginger shook her head. "Again?" Harry demanded. "That's the second time today!"
"I know, its weird isn't it?" Iruka, Taiko and Harry's cousin, said through a mouth full of chicken. "Its strange, normally years go by between two of a seer's visions."
Aunt Ginger cleared her plate and excused herself. "Ohhhh Taiko." She whispered to the moon, "I fear things will go badly for you, now that you're in England, and you must feel so lonely starting over without any friends, but until you follow your prophecies, I doubt that you'll be returning to America. Uzume, Goddess of laughter and good times, watch out for her, I beg you."
"Shoga." Snape came out after her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Are you alright?"
"Sev, Taiko's upset as it is. But that Prophecy... well... she was the 'Girl-Who-Sees,' but she doesn't know it... and when she realizes that she's not going back to Salem, or to Kyoto, she's not going to be very happy." Ginger turned into his embrace.
"Its good to have you back at Hogwarts, Shoga." Snape said with a soft smile, looking down at her.
"Just like old times huh?" Ginger smiled. Shoga was her legal name, but it translated into Ginger in English, and that was Snape's nickname for her.
Inside, Harry went down to his room. Draco joined him after helping Aunt Natura with the dishes. "Hey, what do you think about all of this?" He asked, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist.
"I don't really know what to make of it." Harry blushed. "I thought that Sirius was gone for good."
"Isn't it weird though? Taiko says that the symbol on Sirius' left hand read Enma, what do you reckon that is?"
"Dunno." Harry shrugged. "Maybe its the name of a ghost or something that crossed over."
"I doubt it, from Taiko's tone of dread... hey maybe its the God of the Dead!" Draco suggested, shivering, "I mean, he DID come back from the dead."
"No, I know from this Cartoon that Dudley watches that the Japanese God of the Dead is Shinigami." (A/N: Duo: you call?) Harry answered. To end the topic, he pulled Draco down into a long, tender kiss. Draco shivered, leaning into it.
In a complete reversal of last night's position, Harry allowed Draco to push him gently to the bed. Trembling in pleasure, he did something that he'd never do in public. Harry Potter allowed Draco to dominate him.
~that night~
Taiko told Hermione every detail of what she'd seen that day in Sirius' ward. "That's what the girl said. I know I wasn't supposed to tell you about it, but I really don't know what to make of it."
"You said something about Enma?" Hermione asked. "Who's that?"
"Enma is the Japanese God of Justice. He tries the souls of those who have died. Depending on what they did in life, they either rest in Yomi and are reincarnated later or they're dropped straight into Hell and stay there." Taiko explained. "I think that's what she meant about Lord Voldemort not being able to defy death. Enma wants him to answer for his crimes."
Hermione whistled appreciatively. "But who do they mean by Dragon Boy?" She wondered.
"Draco means Dragon..." Taiko suggested. "And there are five us now. The number five is repeated throughout Eastern Magic
"So it does mean us?" Hermione asked.
"Probably." Taiko said softly. She looked at her hands. "I don't see any silver mark, maybe they have to do with what happened to Sirius."
"I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. From what I hear, most of Divination is educated guesswork and subjective interpretation." Hermione shrugged.
Right then and there, Taiko made her decision. When Hermione left, she pulled some special incense and four candles from her trunk, lit them and set the candles around her bed to the north, south, east, and west. Skyclad (A/N: That's naked in layman's terms.) Taiko pulled a vial of lavender oil, and a special blanket that she wove herself for ritual out of a special box in her trunk. Taiko spread the blanket out over the bed. She anointed her chakras with the oil, and using her wand, spread a protective circle around the bed, to keep out distractions. Then she lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and focused on one thought. ///FIND THEM!!//
Taiko felt a sickening jerk rocking her body. Then she was falling through a blank, blinding white light. Taiko fell to the sand of the desert with an OOMPH noise.
//So, you finally came didn't you?//
The woman frowning down at Taiko had long, silky red hair and eyes as fox green as her own. She carried a long, cruel looking scythe with a black handle and burgundy red leather grips, almost like blood. There was something about the look on her face, the expression, which was familiar. Taiko looked up, and gasped out... /Mom?/
Lilly Potter smiled. //How did I know that you'd find me? You're just as smart as I was at your age, and just as headstrong as your father. But you took a huge risk going on this vision quest. Didn't you know that you could die?//
/Yes. I knew, but I also knew that somebody on this side wouldn't let that happen./ It was a question.
//Yes, that would be me, your father, and Lord Enma.// Lilly told her. //But while you're here, I have something for you and Harry, something that could be rather important. Stand back...//
Taiko did. Lilly swung the scythe in a circle over her head and cried, //ACCIO ARTIFACTS!//
Two small items, one silver and one gold, fell into the sand with a clinking noise. Taiko picked them up.
They were compasses, both of which were surrounded by four stones at each quarter. Just above the 'N' was a tiny piece of citrine, as golden as the sun, near the 'E' was an emerald, next to the 'S' there was a sapphire, and next to the 'W' there was a ruby.
/A compass?/ Taiko asked.
//They are called Geas compasses. They will allow you to find anyone, anywhere, and Harry's has a special charm on it that will block Lord Voldemort from entering his mind. He should always wear it, especially since, like his father, he failed occlumancy.// Taiko turned them over. On the silver compass, a lightning bolt was carved into it and filled with some kind of hard, red substance. On the golden compass, was a crescent moon, filled with a similar substance, only blue.
/Is this the protective spell?/ Taiko asked, /And why do I need one?/
//Professor Dumbledore linked you to Harry, and Harry is linked to Voldemort, Lord Enma isn't taking any chances with you two. You're reactions to what comes your way are key in the fight between Harry and Voldemort.// Lilly explained. //We can't jeopardize you too.//
/Mom, can you tell me something, what am I supposed to do?/ Taiko asked. /I just want to go back to Salem./
//Taiko, I'm sorry, but you aren't going back. Not until Lord Voldemort is dead.//
///NANI FUKU KA?/// Taiko demanded. (A/N: literally 'what the fuck?')
Lilly winced. //I'm sorry, but that decision comes from upstairs.//
Taiko snarled angrily and threw her hat on the ground, grinding it into the sand.
//Taiko, you remember all those Miyazaki movies that you're so fond of watching, remember what the wise woman in Mononoke-hime once said? You cannot alter your fate, but you can rise to meet it. Harry has to kill Lord Voldemort, but if he uses the killing curse, then he'll get in trouble. However there are more powerful methods of killing than the Avada Kedavra.//
/Like what?/ Taiko demanded, in a rather frazzled tone.
//Have you not wondered where the Japanese school got the name 'Rashimban no Mahogakku?'// (A/N: School of the Compass)
/I did think it was a weird name for a magic school./ Taiko admitted.
//A long time ago, the son of ie no Ryuu's founder, Salan Slytherin, one of Rashimban's best heads, began creating his own magical techniques. He married the descendant of Queen Himiko the first of Japan. Queen Himiko claimed her ancestry from the Goddess Amateratsu, the goddess of the sun. Between Salan and his wife, they were able to concoct some of the most powerful spells and potions in history. Only the Gods were capable of performing some of these. You already use five of them; The lightning tiger curse, the earthquake turtle jinx, the curse of the flame gate phoenix, the tidal dragon scroll, and the snow wolf Katas. But these are simple to perform, most witches and wizards are capable of learning them, even though they aren't well known.// Lilly explained.
//But the curse of the Rashimban is much, much different, only the members of the four Kyoto clans are capable of using it. And so, I pass on the knowledge to you. I'll expect you to teach this curse to Harry, so that he can use it against Lord Voldemort.//
/Why not teach him yourself?/ Taiko asked, arching a skeptical eyebrow.
//Harry has a low sixth sense, he is incapable of vision quests, until he can control the visions he has of Lord Voldemort, he will not be able to reach me here.//
/I see. How do I perform the spell?/ Taiko asked.
//It is better if I leave it in your mind.// Lilly stretched out a hand gently to her forehead. Taiko closed her eyes, listening to the spell in her mind.
/I hear it.../ Taiko's eyes opened, a soft expression in them, as though she was turning inward on herself.
//One more thing.// Lilly took Taiko's hands in hers and focused, chanting something in ancient Japanese.
Something like a shock coursed through Taiko's body. The crescent on her forehead seared in pain. Taiko screamed, falling into her mother's arms. Just as quickly, the pain was gone. Taiko panted in Lilly's grip. /Mother, what was that?/ Taiko asked
Lilly straightened up. //I needed to mark you. No potion or spell will ever duplicate that mark, so Harry will always be able to tell you apart from any deatheater who wishes to pass as you.// Taiko nodded, looking at her hands. She blinked. On her right hand, in gold, stood a single symbol, Enma.
/This mark was on Sirius, only it was silver./ Taiko blinked.
//In silver, it simply means that he has been allowed to return from the dead. He is, what you would call an angel of death.// (A/N: (looks up from Wish) He he! Angels of death rock! Just ask Koryu! Koryu: 0.0) //Any witch or wizard with that mark is more powerful than normal, your powers will also be boosted. Train a little bit and see what happens. You'll have the opportunity to use them soon enough.// Lilly said with a gentle smile.
/Are you an angel of death too?/ Taiko asked eyes wide.
//Sort of, the capitalization is different. An Angel of Death capitalized means that I have remained in the spirit world and now have the less than pleasant task of escorting the newly killed to their rest until its my turn to be reincarnated.// Lilly explained. //Don't worry, you'll see me soon enough.// She said with a smirk. //Now test the spell, and once I know that it works, I'll send you back to your body.//
Taiko turned and saw an enormous boulder. /Will that do as a practice target?/
//Perfectly.// Lilly answered.
Taiko squared her shoulders, raised her wand, and cried, ///YOBIDASU RASHIMBAN!/// She let the spell fly.
There was nothing left of the boulder, that much Taiko could see. But then she heard the whoosh of Lily's Scythe and the words, //See you soon!//
Taiko fell through blackness, her body tingling through, hand and crescent searing in pain. She fell out of bed with a screech.
Panting and sweating, Taiko blew out the candles and recalled the circle. Then she pulled on her bathrobe and kicked up her heals on the way to the baths. "Fame! I'm gonna live forever! I'm gonna learn how to fly!"
Taiko laughed as she shed her robe and dove into the warm waters of the tube. Coming up for air, she leaned back in the water and floated, reflecting on her vision. "Ahhhhh!!"
She was still singing the next morning. "What's got you so happy?" Asked Harry.
"A vision quest last night... ahhhh the rapture." Taiko said, turning a chair around with a flourish and straddling it. She slathered her toast with butter and strawberry jam and took a big bite, savoring the flavor.
"What's that?" Ron asked.
Hermione's jaw dropped. "But they're incredibly complex and dangerous!!"
"No, they're actually kind of easy for a seer. You just need a good sixth sense and a powerful imagination." Taiko grinned. "As Uncle Andemon will tell you, I have both in prodigious measures."
"What IS a vision quest?" Ron asked insistently.
"What was that about a vision quest?" Draco asked, a sausage dangling from the side of his mouth.
Ginny bopped him. "Don't talk with your mouth full!"
Draco winced, slurped the sausage into his mouth and chewed twice before swallowing in one bite.
"A vision quest is easily the single most difficult type of divination out there." Hermione explained. "I wouldn't try them even if I did have the power. If something happens to you when you're on one, it could seriously injure your physical body."
"Seers have even died on vision quests." Draco added. "They were handed down to the Wizarding Community by the Ancient Shaman, Medicine men and medicine women. But when they're done correctly, a seer can speak to the dead, retrieve artifacts or see things miles away, even communicate with the Gods!"
Ron turned to Hermione for confirmation. She nodded. "They're that powerful Ron."
Harry shivered. But Draco asked impudently. "So who did you talk to?"
"Mum." Taiko said, nonchalantly. "I wanted answers about what was happening, and what had happened to Sirius, and I got them. I also got these." Taiko handed Harry his compass. "Harry, Mom had the God of Justice, Enma fix them so that when we've got them, Lo... I mean You-Know-Who can't attack our minds. Since you're such a failure at Occlumancy. They also allow us to find anybody, anywhere."
Harry groaned. "She knew about that?"
"Yup." Taiko crunched off half a slice of bacon hungrily.
"That settles it." Ron said, rolling his eyes. "There's no way that Taiko could have known that without somebody helping her."
"It turns out, that those marks on Sirius' hands were put there by Lily and James. Remember when Sirius was thrashing around Harry?"
"Yeah."
"Well, that was when they were doing it." Taiko said, finishing her bacon and taking a swig of orange juice. "I saw them at it. Apparently only seers can see when something like that is happening." Taiko explained.
"So what do they mean?"
"Sirius is an angel of death on Earth, that's what the Kanji was. The other mark means that he's an ally, and Mom also said that if anybody attempts to duplicate them, like with polyjuice potion or something, they won't appear with them. So we can always tell Sirius apart from any death eater that's trying to get at us." Taiko grinned. "She also gave me mine last night." Taiko held out her right hand. "She said that once I had one, my spell power would go up."
They stared at the Kanji. "Does it hurt?" Ron asked, looking like a deer caught in head lights.
"Yeah, but not for long." Taiko shrugged and turned back to her waffles. Mrs. Weasley was busy with the wash, but she had cooked everything and left it out for everyone to eat.
At the moment, Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, and Tsuki were enjoying a plate of sausages on the counter, and Crookshanks was enjoying some leftover codfish balls. The twins had already eaten and left early, since Saturday was their busy day. Iruka had gone with them to hang out, and the twins were going to take him around Diagon Alley on their lunch day. Mr. Weasley was gone as well. Aunt Ginger and the grown ups had eaten and dispersed. It was only them left.
"An angel of death?" Harry's eyes were round.
"yeah, you want weird, try seeing your own mum with black dragon wings and a scythe like the grim reaper. It'll freak you out too." Taiko leaned back in her chair, hands behind her head, for a moment, before she got up to get more.
Harry tried to imagine his smiling, cheerful mother as an angel of death. He didn't think of the photographs in the scrapbook Hagrid had gave him. He thought instead of the Lily he'd seen in Snape's memories the previous year. "Snape would be rolling on the ground in laughter."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"Well... my dad used to pick on him, and mum was usually the first one to scold him." Harry chuckled. "He'd get a kick out of mum as an angel of death."
"I can't really picture Professor Snape laughing at anything." Draco rolled his eyes. "But I'll take your word for it."
"So can I visit mom that way?" Harry asked.
"She said that you weren't able to yet, not until you can control the visions of Lord Voldemort that you keep having." Taiko took a big bite of one of the biscuits that Mrs. Weasley had made for them, probably from Aunt Hikaru's recipe. "I didn't know that happened until she told me."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I tried to, I didn't really succeed and now Snape isn't likely to teach me anything."
"What did you DO though?" Hermione pressed.
"Um... well he had borrowed Dumbledore's pensieve so that if I turned the spell back on him, I wouldn't see what he didn't want me to, and when he was out of the room I looked into it."
Taiko whistled appreciatively. "I wouldn't do that to anyone!"
"And I won't do that again." Harry leaned back in his chair. Then he slipped the chain of the compass over his head, slipping it under his shirt. "If mum comes around again, do you think you could thank her for me?"
"Sure." Taiko leaned back in her chair.
An enormous knock resounded in the house. "I'll get it." Taiko jumped up.
She went to the door and opened it.
An enormous man stood at the door. He looked just too big to be allowed, with messy, wiry hair and a bushy, tangled beard. "Ye'd be Taiko Tora?" He asked in a strong accent.
"I am." Taiko said, guardedly.
"I'm Professor Hagrid, Groundskeeper fer Hogwarts an' Care o' Magical Creature's teacher. Professor Dumbledore asked me tuh take ya ter get yer school things."
~notes~
(sigh) that was long. I was originally going to have Taiko go to Diagon Alley this chapter, but I decided to use the Vision Quest so that Taiko could have her "Answers." With her personality, I doubt she'd have obeyed anyone until she'd gotten some. But I can so totally picture Lily as an angel of death.
