A/N: This is what I hope a very original idea, and I hope you like it.
Please if you're going to flame don't be cruel. Thank you to all you
reviewers!
Disclaimer: If I really owned Harry Potter, do you really think I'd spend my time writing fanfics?
Prologue:
The girl sat stiffly on the edge of the chair opposite the desk. She stared wide-eyed at the phoenix that stared back at her then turned her gaze to the floor. 'I don't belong here...' Fidgeting in her seat she ignored the pictures of old wizards whispering to one another from their frames.
Unlucky for her, the girl was most unusual. With flowing black hair that reached her knees in a braid, and was chopped so that parts of it fell around her heart shaped face and across her eyes, she already stood out. Then, with her blazing eye blue eyes and loveliness, she was sure to not be overlooked.
But that wasn't the real reason why she was so unusual. The poor girl had not been raised all that well. Orphaned at the age of two, with nowhere else to go, she was adopted by a man who was traveling from Japan. He was not fond of children, but when he found her, all alone and crying in the small clearing where her parents had been slain he'd no choice but to take her in.
Deciding it best not to tell her what happened to her parents, he told her he was her grandfather, and her parents weren't capable of taking care of her. He raised her in Japan in his small shrine. Since she looked Japanese with such black hair, he was able to convince his neighbors she was his granddaughter.
Fearful for her he safety he had her privately tutored at home, and taught her karate and self defense. To his surprise she was very good at it and he was sure she was more than capable of taking care of herself at the tender age of 14.
Then one day when she was 16 and out in the field surrounding the small shrine he witnessed a strange man in a dark cloak talking to her. She appeared to be frightened and the man withdrew a strange blade and cut her arm right above her wrist, making her blood color the grass red. The girl cried out and he came running, making the man depart.
Her right arm was cut, resulting in a large gash that smoked. It was as if the blade had been hot, so it seared the skin leaving a bizarre scar. He quickly bandaged it and took her inside the house.
He contacted his wise friend in England and the man came at once. Once he arrived the man was surprised to find the girl a witch, and to make it worse, a very strong wizard had bestowed the scar upon her skin.
The man told his old friend that she should be shipped to England at once and go to Hogwarts, a school for people like her. There she would be protected.
With sadness her "grandfather" wrapped her arm in a black cloth that went around her hand and hid the scar completely. Then he took off his black jade beads and wrapped it around her arm and prayed for her safety. (He was a very religious man) He told her that was not to take the cloth or the beads off when she was in public, or even when she slept. Only when she bathed.
Little did she know how well those beads really would protect her, his friend was a powerful wizard and enchanted the beads so that they had a protect charm upon them.
Now she sat in the chair, tugging at the beads wrapped around her arm and sighed. 'A witch, I'm a witch... but Grandfather said I wasn't a bad witch... I didn't know there were actual witches let alone bad and good... but what else explains how I broke things...?'
Footsteps from behind her shook her from her thoughts and Dumbledore passed her and sat at his desk, smiling at her. "Your Grandfather was not keen on letting you go."
"I know... thank you for coming to us and helping us." She fidgeted again, sure to not forget her manners. After all, this was the wise man that had come and helped her.
"Your welcome Yuriko. And might I add your English is excellent." He said with his eyes twinkling.
"Thank you, Grandfather taught me it when I was younger... my only problem is that I sometimes mix the languages by throwing in a word of my own language."
He nodded, and grasped his hands together on the desk. "Yuriko, you've been enrolled here and start classes along with all the other students Monday when they arrive. I will sort you before they arrive, now. Please sit still." With a flick of his wand an old hat plopped on her head. Startled she almost shook it off but remembered that he said to sit still. (The Japanese are big on obedience)
"Hm... now, this is a strange one..." The Sorting Hat murmured making her frown. 'Why am I always the strange one?'
"But she is courageous, and very well disciplined... something Gryffindor needs with that bunch of rule breaking students. Gryffindor!" He announced his decision and the hat was swiftly removed from her head.
"Hm! Gryffindor, good... just as I expected. However I don't know about you not breaking any rules..." He laughed and then stood. "Come along, I'll give you a tour and explain everything myself and then we shall go to the Great Hall for dinner." Dumbledore offered her his arm and she slipped her own through it, deeply in thought.
'He is strange... but I suppose most wizards are.' Shaking her head and telling herself to stop thinking they left his office and began the tour.
~*~b-l-a-c-k-j-a-d-e-b-e-a-d-s~*~
"-and here is the Great Hall, I'm starving, how about you?" Dumbledore looked down to see the lovely girl once again lost in thought. With a click of his tongue he walked through the open doors with her on his arm, and every one of the professors looked up from their table.
Since school had yet to begun it was just the professors at school along with the staff. They sat at their normal table and Dumbledore produced a chair on the opposite side of the table then took his place on the other side. Yuriko noticed she had the only chair on the whole side and pulled at her beads nervously.
"May I introduce a new student, Yuriko Sakura." She rose from her chair and bowed, her braid falling over her shoulder. When she sat back down she noticed all of the teachers looking at her. Quickly she lifted her hand and brushed back a lock of hair that had shielded a side of her face. Many of the teachers noticed the black cloth and jade beads and looked at it in interest. Yuriko dropped her hand, hiding it from view and avoided their eyes.
"She is a black belt in karate, and has trained heavily with a sword. I believe she brought her own with her, didn't you Yuriko?" Dumbledore said politely and she nodded.
"Yuriko is very intelligent and also has extensive knowledge in poisons and herbs, she is looking forward to your class Severus." He poked at his chicken and Yuriko looked up to see the man he had talked to looking at her.
"Hello Yuriko. I am Professor Snape, I teach Potions." He held out his left hand, a nice gesture, since he'd noticed her right was wrapped in a type of bandage. She shook his and smiled gratefully.
"Hello Professor."
"Minerva, she will be in your house, I've already sorted her." He said as he munched on his carrots.
"Professor McGonagall, I teach Transfiguration." She reached across her left hand as well and Yuriko shook it. "I hope you won't break any rules and cause any penalty to our house."
"Like drawing your sword," Professor Snape said eyeing her back, which was covered by her cloak and hid her sword.
"I said she has special permission to have it on, she hardly ever takes it off. But is not allowed to have it on during the school day. She also has permission to train with it on her own, away from the rest of the students." Dumbledore said eyeing her evenly. "Yuriko understands that the penalty would be severe if she ever drew it on anyone or had it during class."
"I understand perfectly Professor, it is but a habit to have it on at all times." She ate a little of her food, noticing that it was rice balls and ramen instead of what the others were having.
"You can request the food you eat normally, Sakura, there is no need to force our culture upon you." Minerva said watching the girl eat her own country's food happily.
"Thank you," She looked at the McGonagall who didn't seem to be enjoying her own and offered her a rice ball. McGonagall looked at it and then ate it.
"Very good! Thank you Sakura."
Then she sat back in her chair an appeared to be lost in thought once again. She tugged gently at the beads then sighed. 'Life is going to be different...'
Disclaimer: If I really owned Harry Potter, do you really think I'd spend my time writing fanfics?
Prologue:
The girl sat stiffly on the edge of the chair opposite the desk. She stared wide-eyed at the phoenix that stared back at her then turned her gaze to the floor. 'I don't belong here...' Fidgeting in her seat she ignored the pictures of old wizards whispering to one another from their frames.
Unlucky for her, the girl was most unusual. With flowing black hair that reached her knees in a braid, and was chopped so that parts of it fell around her heart shaped face and across her eyes, she already stood out. Then, with her blazing eye blue eyes and loveliness, she was sure to not be overlooked.
But that wasn't the real reason why she was so unusual. The poor girl had not been raised all that well. Orphaned at the age of two, with nowhere else to go, she was adopted by a man who was traveling from Japan. He was not fond of children, but when he found her, all alone and crying in the small clearing where her parents had been slain he'd no choice but to take her in.
Deciding it best not to tell her what happened to her parents, he told her he was her grandfather, and her parents weren't capable of taking care of her. He raised her in Japan in his small shrine. Since she looked Japanese with such black hair, he was able to convince his neighbors she was his granddaughter.
Fearful for her he safety he had her privately tutored at home, and taught her karate and self defense. To his surprise she was very good at it and he was sure she was more than capable of taking care of herself at the tender age of 14.
Then one day when she was 16 and out in the field surrounding the small shrine he witnessed a strange man in a dark cloak talking to her. She appeared to be frightened and the man withdrew a strange blade and cut her arm right above her wrist, making her blood color the grass red. The girl cried out and he came running, making the man depart.
Her right arm was cut, resulting in a large gash that smoked. It was as if the blade had been hot, so it seared the skin leaving a bizarre scar. He quickly bandaged it and took her inside the house.
He contacted his wise friend in England and the man came at once. Once he arrived the man was surprised to find the girl a witch, and to make it worse, a very strong wizard had bestowed the scar upon her skin.
The man told his old friend that she should be shipped to England at once and go to Hogwarts, a school for people like her. There she would be protected.
With sadness her "grandfather" wrapped her arm in a black cloth that went around her hand and hid the scar completely. Then he took off his black jade beads and wrapped it around her arm and prayed for her safety. (He was a very religious man) He told her that was not to take the cloth or the beads off when she was in public, or even when she slept. Only when she bathed.
Little did she know how well those beads really would protect her, his friend was a powerful wizard and enchanted the beads so that they had a protect charm upon them.
Now she sat in the chair, tugging at the beads wrapped around her arm and sighed. 'A witch, I'm a witch... but Grandfather said I wasn't a bad witch... I didn't know there were actual witches let alone bad and good... but what else explains how I broke things...?'
Footsteps from behind her shook her from her thoughts and Dumbledore passed her and sat at his desk, smiling at her. "Your Grandfather was not keen on letting you go."
"I know... thank you for coming to us and helping us." She fidgeted again, sure to not forget her manners. After all, this was the wise man that had come and helped her.
"Your welcome Yuriko. And might I add your English is excellent." He said with his eyes twinkling.
"Thank you, Grandfather taught me it when I was younger... my only problem is that I sometimes mix the languages by throwing in a word of my own language."
He nodded, and grasped his hands together on the desk. "Yuriko, you've been enrolled here and start classes along with all the other students Monday when they arrive. I will sort you before they arrive, now. Please sit still." With a flick of his wand an old hat plopped on her head. Startled she almost shook it off but remembered that he said to sit still. (The Japanese are big on obedience)
"Hm... now, this is a strange one..." The Sorting Hat murmured making her frown. 'Why am I always the strange one?'
"But she is courageous, and very well disciplined... something Gryffindor needs with that bunch of rule breaking students. Gryffindor!" He announced his decision and the hat was swiftly removed from her head.
"Hm! Gryffindor, good... just as I expected. However I don't know about you not breaking any rules..." He laughed and then stood. "Come along, I'll give you a tour and explain everything myself and then we shall go to the Great Hall for dinner." Dumbledore offered her his arm and she slipped her own through it, deeply in thought.
'He is strange... but I suppose most wizards are.' Shaking her head and telling herself to stop thinking they left his office and began the tour.
~*~b-l-a-c-k-j-a-d-e-b-e-a-d-s~*~
"-and here is the Great Hall, I'm starving, how about you?" Dumbledore looked down to see the lovely girl once again lost in thought. With a click of his tongue he walked through the open doors with her on his arm, and every one of the professors looked up from their table.
Since school had yet to begun it was just the professors at school along with the staff. They sat at their normal table and Dumbledore produced a chair on the opposite side of the table then took his place on the other side. Yuriko noticed she had the only chair on the whole side and pulled at her beads nervously.
"May I introduce a new student, Yuriko Sakura." She rose from her chair and bowed, her braid falling over her shoulder. When she sat back down she noticed all of the teachers looking at her. Quickly she lifted her hand and brushed back a lock of hair that had shielded a side of her face. Many of the teachers noticed the black cloth and jade beads and looked at it in interest. Yuriko dropped her hand, hiding it from view and avoided their eyes.
"She is a black belt in karate, and has trained heavily with a sword. I believe she brought her own with her, didn't you Yuriko?" Dumbledore said politely and she nodded.
"Yuriko is very intelligent and also has extensive knowledge in poisons and herbs, she is looking forward to your class Severus." He poked at his chicken and Yuriko looked up to see the man he had talked to looking at her.
"Hello Yuriko. I am Professor Snape, I teach Potions." He held out his left hand, a nice gesture, since he'd noticed her right was wrapped in a type of bandage. She shook his and smiled gratefully.
"Hello Professor."
"Minerva, she will be in your house, I've already sorted her." He said as he munched on his carrots.
"Professor McGonagall, I teach Transfiguration." She reached across her left hand as well and Yuriko shook it. "I hope you won't break any rules and cause any penalty to our house."
"Like drawing your sword," Professor Snape said eyeing her back, which was covered by her cloak and hid her sword.
"I said she has special permission to have it on, she hardly ever takes it off. But is not allowed to have it on during the school day. She also has permission to train with it on her own, away from the rest of the students." Dumbledore said eyeing her evenly. "Yuriko understands that the penalty would be severe if she ever drew it on anyone or had it during class."
"I understand perfectly Professor, it is but a habit to have it on at all times." She ate a little of her food, noticing that it was rice balls and ramen instead of what the others were having.
"You can request the food you eat normally, Sakura, there is no need to force our culture upon you." Minerva said watching the girl eat her own country's food happily.
"Thank you," She looked at the McGonagall who didn't seem to be enjoying her own and offered her a rice ball. McGonagall looked at it and then ate it.
"Very good! Thank you Sakura."
Then she sat back in her chair an appeared to be lost in thought once again. She tugged gently at the beads then sighed. 'Life is going to be different...'