The Right Reasons

by Spriggan

This is not your typical retelling of Kenshin's story. How was the battousai born? And why did he marry Tomoe? Maybe it was an accident. Maybe both were an accident. Who are Kaoru's parents? Magic is in the air... literally.

2. Hogwarts?

Kenshin stood near the stern of the large supply vessel, his overly long bangs licking about his face like fire. He found that he did not become seasick from the strange smells of the ocean or the irregular lurching of the freighter.

The other occupants of the ship seemed not to care where Kenshin stood. In fact they didn't seem to even know he was there. The man had told Kenshin that they wouldn't. All Kenshin had to do was stay out of their way. 'I'm not invisible,' thought Kenshin, 'but the man said that they would just… not notice me. I didn't understand what he meant then, but now it makes sense.' Kenshin looked down at the choppy gray waters and then at the leaden sky.

'So far from home already,' sighed Kenshin. 'I don't regret my decision, but it's strange not to see mountains and trees on every horizon. Oh well. I'm sure Scotland has trees and I'll be there for a few weeks to train for my missions. What kind of training I wonder.' Kenshin turned his lilac eyes to the wake waves rolling from the freighter.

1

(the previous day)

'Ahh you're here Mr. Himura I thought you had decided not to come! Wonderful!" The man rose from his reflective desk and walked around to Kenshin. "Are you ready?" he asked stopping directly in front of Kenshin. Kenshin raised his slightly red eyes from the man's feet and stared straight through his chest as if he wasn't even there.

"Yes," said Kenshin in a small voice, still reeling from his master's dismissal.

"Well take my hand then Mr. Himura and we'll be going" The brown haired man deliberately ignored Kenshin's obvious signs of distress. A fact for which Kenshin was extremely grateful.

Kenshin hesitantly took the wizard's outstretched hand. The metal of the warehouse walls blurred before his eyes and Kenshin felt a nauseating floaty feeling.

With a "crack" the two disappeared and in a following "pop" they were in a narrow passage between two tiny shops Kenshin stumbled when they appeared, his head spinning slightly. The man waited for Kenshin to regain his balance and then gingerly pulled his hand free. Kenshin had been holding it in a white knuckled grip. The wizard shook out his damaged appendage and then cast a healing charm on it, wincing slightly as he did so.

"That's a mighty grip you have there Mr. Himura," said the man. The respectful note in his voice almost covered up the shaky lilt caused by Kenshin's bone-crunching hold.

Kenshin only nodded mutely, his face still slightly pale from the trip there and wrinkled his nose at the smell of rotting fish and seawater. Fish hawkers could be heard calling loudly in attempt to sell their wears. They were obviously in some kind of a sea side port town. Kenshin's companion turned to the alley wall and opened a door Kenshin hadn't noticed before. Kenshin followed him inside, leaving the narrow alley behind. When Kenshin out of habit reached back to ensure the door was closed he couldn't find the doorknob. Confused he turned around to look and saw that the door was gone, replaced by wood paneling and floral wallpaper. He let this realization slide over him as he scanned the room. It appeared to be the backroom of a restaurant. Two men stood up on the other side of the room and smiled in greeting.

"Mr. Jones! Mr. Brown! Good day!" said the man as he crossed the room and heartily shook each of the men's hands.

"Elllo to you too!" said Mr. Jones.

"How've ye been?" greeted Mr. Brown.

"Wonderful ever since Mr. Himura decided to join me," said the man by way of introduction. Both of the men looked up at Kenshin who still stood across the room. Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown shared a look and then turned to the man.

"I was under the impression that Mr. Seijuro would be joining us today," said Mr. Jones in a confused manner.

"Unfortunately Mr. Seijuro refused the invitation," the man paused considering his next sentence. "Mr. Himura is his student." The man leaned in closer to Mr. Brown and Jones. "He is skilled enough for the job. Please treat him as you would have Mr. Seijuro," The man assured in a quiet even voice. Mr. Jones and Brown looked dubious but weren't willing to alienate their only chance at winning the war. They smiled at Kenshin and waved him over.

Kenshin approached the two new wizards, looking doubtful himself. 'I heard most of what they said. They were expecting my master.' Kenshin suddenly felt a surge of annoyance. 'Always my master. I'll show them all. I'll do twice the job Hiko Seijuro could've done.' Kenshin lifted his chin and met each man's gaze squarely as he bowed to them.

"Hello Mr. Jones, Mr. Brown. I am Himura Kenshin, pleased to meet you." (Yes Kenshin can speak English fluently. His master insisted he learn it when they moved to the United States. He still has a bit of an accent though. Children learn languages very quickly anyway)

"The pleasure is all ours I assure you Mr. Himura," said Mr. Brown with a warm smile. "Why don't we all sit down and have lunch."( I know Kenshin just ate breakfast There is a time difference.) All four sat in an empty booth and picked up their menus. Despite the fact that Kenshin couldn't remember the last time he ate in a restaurant, he wasn't really interested in food at the moment. The ride here had been quite disagreeable with his stomach so he just got soup when the waitress came to place their orders. She seemed a little confused as to where Kenshin and the man had come from but didn't question them. She just took their orders and left.

"Well let's get down to business ay?" said Mr. Jones.

"Yes lets." The man who had brought Kenshin leaned forward on his elbows.

Mr. Brown took a deep breath. "Because you are a … less experienced fighter than we were expecting, as a part of your mission training you will observe certain classes in an English wizarding school during the day."

Here he looked at Mr. Jones for confirmation. When the other nodded in agreement of the makeshift plan he continued. In the evenings you will apply what you have learned into special training we will prepare for you. It is important for you, especially as a muggle, to understand who it is you will be up against. You will learn the difference between a potentially dangerous spell and a harmless spell. Hopefully though you will be quick enough so that won't be a problem." Mr. Brown said in a businesslike tone.

"I'm not sure I understood that last part…" said Kenshin.

"Hopefully the target will be eliminated before they can draw their wand and cast a spell." Mr. Jones clarified.

"I see," said Kenshin, stunned into silence. 'I'm going to be an assassin? Now that I think about it, they couldn't well put me on the front lines with a bunch of really dangerous magic users. I'm good at what I do but well… its magic. I really need to start thinking things through. Not that I doubt my decision to help, but Geez…'

"You will be leaving tomorrow morning for Scotland in the muggle way. There is a freighter leaving at 7:00 am from the Long Island Sound. Be on it. Mr. Jones and I will be waiting for you at the dock. You will arrive in Scotland in four days. We will cast a spell that renders you unnoticeable to the muggles on the ship, but don't go about getting in their way and deliberately drawing attention to yourself. The spell doesn't cover those kinds of things."

(the actual location of Hogwarts is in Scotland)

"So no flirting with the ladies? Wow Mr. Himura is going to have a hard time remaining unnoticed," said Kenshin's unnamed companion while grinning ear to ear.

Mr. Jones burst out laughing and Mr. Brown chuckled a bit. Kenshin felt his ears burning as he looked down at his hands like they were the most interesting things he had ever seen. Lucky for Kenshin, the waitress arrived with their food, saving him from any more embarrassing conversation.

(Some of you might be wondering why they don't just use a port key to get to Scotland. This is because they are giving Kenshin a chance to change his mind. Four days is a long time don't you think? They are being very generous. Also they don't want him to feel pressured. He is very young after all.)

1

(back to the present)

The next three days of the sea journey passed uneventfully, Excluding the event where a boatman ran right into Kenshin and they landed in a tangled heap. The man looked quite surprised as he hadn't even noticed Kenshin was there before colliding with him. The man blushed and apologized profusely to Kenshin, who just wanted the man to get off him. Finally, he got off Kenshin, stood, and helped him up as if he were made of glass. Then he proceeded to ask, "if the beautiful young lady would forgive him for his clumsiness and if she would tell him her name." At the word, lady, the strange way the man had reacted suddenly made sense to Kenshin and he ran the heck away from the enamored boatman. Now every time he saw the guy he hid, afraid that the man would ask him on a date or something.

'Just thinking about that makes me shiver.' Then Kenshin remembered with chilling clarity the first time he had been mistaken for a girl. 'Better not to think about that particular incident.' With some difficulty he forced his mind down another, less disturbing path.

A few hours later Kenshin hopped over the railing of the boat onto the busy boardwalk. The people still ignored him and walked around his slight form as if he were a lamppost in the middle of the street. Mr. Jones and Brown made their way toward Kenshin through the crowd.

"Good day Mr. Himura," they both said at nearly the same time as they too stopped in the middle of the boardwalk. People parted and went around them like water flowing around a rock in a stream.

"Hello," replied Kenshin distractedly as he looked around at all the huge ships moored in the dock and squinted to see the tall buildings far away on the smoggy skyline.

Kenshin's hair was now pulled into a high ponytail thanks to a gift he received from the enamored sailor, who despite Kenshin's efforts had found him again. When Kenshin revealed his gender to the man he was disappointed but gave the gift anyway. Luckily it turned out to be a deluxe set of hair ribbons. Kenshin only kept the ones that weren't blatantly feminine.

"Well Himura, lets be off to Hogsmead," said Mr. Brown holding out his hand.

"Hogsmead?" Kenshin finally lost interest in his surroundings and looked at the two wizards.

"Yes Hogsmead." Brown cleared his throat. "Hogwarts, that's the school you'll be visitin', has anti apparition wards. We'll have to take a carriage from Hogsmead to get to the school."

"Oh," said Kenshin. The phrase 'apparition wards' went completely over his head, but he certainly knew what a carriage was.

'At least some things here are the same. I just hope they don't throw anymore of those new words around. I'm too tired from avoiding that crazy sailor to understand anything new right now. But I suppose I'll make sense of it eventually.' With that last thought Kenshin reluctantly took Mr. Brown's outstretched hand and closed his eyes, bracing himself for the nauseating process he knew would follow.

As the three appeared on the green country side Kenshin took a minute to center himself and calm his stomach. When he finally looked up he noticed that they were just outside of a small village with one main road and a few tiny shops. There was a carriage standing in wait by the dirt road.

(Hogsmead was a lot smaller in 1943 than in Harry's time.)

Kenshin gave the carriage an odd look. 'Where are the horses? Do they use magic to move it or is there a motor hidden in it somewhere?'

Kenshin blinked. Had he just seen something at the front of the carriage? It was like something dark had flickered there for a moment. He tilted his head at an angle and squinted at the spot. He could see something now. It was like a faint outline of a-

"Horse?" As he continued to watch the 'horse's' once indistinct outline became clear and the dark creature bled into existence. Kenshin swallowed thickly and stared. One of the black emaciated things looked back at him through its clouded opalescent eyes.

Jones and Brown stepped up into the carriage, ignoring the beasts standing silently in front of the carriage.

'They have wings' Kenshin thought absently as he stood almost in a trance. One of the beasts stretched out a huge batlike wing and neatly tucked it down again.

"Come on boy. What are ye waitin' for?"

Kenshin jumped slightly when he heard the voice. He was so tired he didn't even notice that he forgot to be offended at being called a 'boy'. He shook his head, then followed the two men's example and boarded the carriage. 'I hope we don't have to fly to Hogwarts,' he pleaded mentally, thinking of the two winged horselike things outside.

Once they had all settled into the plush velvet seats Mr. Jones began his long explanation.

"We have arranged everything for you Mr. Himura. We talked to Headmaster Dippet." Mr. Jones paused as the carriage lurched forwards. Thankfully for Kenshin's sake it was still on the ground.

"The headmaster was a little weary of letting a muggle into Hogwarts, but he understood once we explained it to him. He told the professors that you would be observing some of their classes for a few weeks. One of the professors, I believe it was the assistant headmaster, volunteered to help show you around the school. Wasn't that nice of him?"

The question startled Kenshin out of his tired stupor. He looked up at Mr. Jones, blinked and then turned back to look at the passing scenery. "Yes, very nice of him." Kenshin said distractedly, fighting back a yawn rising in his throat.

"The only thing the Headmaster requested, was that you keep your weapons out of sight. We don't need students feelin' threatened. That would cause trouble that both you and the ministry don't need. We'd like for you to be able to concentrate fully on your trainin'. Also try to avoid talking to the students too much. They might figure out that you're a muggle and for one reason or another some of the students have an… unhealthy dislike for muggles."

"I'll be careful," said Kenshin still looking out the window.

"Hmmm what else?" Mr. Jones looked at Brown for help.

Mr. Brown smiled at Jones and continued for him. "Feel free to ask the teachers questions after classes. In the evenings you will train with an Auror instructor from the Ministry of Magic."

"Auror? Interrupted Kenshin. The word had filtered through his tired haze.

"An Auror is a wizard trained for battle and various other missions. He will help you apply your knowledge. We have even procured some books that might be helpful. You don't have to read them of course, but they might save your life one day." Mr. Brown winked.

Kenshin nodded. "What classes will I be observing?"

"Let's see now. I believe the most important ones will be Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms, but you will also observe Transfiguration, Potions, Muggle studies, Astronomy and Ancient Runes. Your evening instructor will show you what curses look like since those are obviously not taught in the curriculum." Having finished the explanation the carriage lapsed into silence. Kenshin's eyes drooped and he leaned his head on the wall. Finally Mr. Brown looked out the window and announced their arrival.

"Here we are Mr. Himura," said Mr. Jones as he opened the carriage door to reveal a huge castle with towers reaching high up into the sky. Both men climbed down from the carriage and Kenshin followed now very awake. He walked in front of the two men, stopped, and stood staring at the castle.

'I've never seen a castle before. Not even a picture of one. I couldn't have even imagined something like this.' Kenshin let his eyes wander over the ancient metal gate the stone paved pathway up to the castle and up the huge turrets. Each ancient building block seemed to exhume a familiar energy. One he had felt in many places in Japan but never anywhere in America. It was the same feeling that seemed to radiate gently off all of the wizards he met. 'I never realized it before, but what I sensed was magic, powerful magic.' "Incredible" whispered Kenshin in awe of the school. "Its like the entire castle is alive."

Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown gave each other a look. The expression on each of their faces asking, 'did you tell him that?'. Finally the two men shrugged. Each laid a hand on Kenshin's much lower shoulder and guided him towards the entrance. The awestruck thirteen-year-old was obviously not thinking about moving any time soon, but complied to their guidance without much resistance.

When the trio stepped through the enormous double doors, a tall auburn haired man was standing in the entranceway. He was looking at a portrait just off to the right and stroking his long slightly graying beard thoughtfully.

"Good evening gentlemen," said the man, still looking at the portrait.

Kenshin followed the man's gaze and glanced at the portrait.

Kenshin did a double take. 'Dear lord! Its glaring at him. That's soooo creepy.'

The auburn haired man spoke, "I think I'll move you to the great hall, Salazar. You don't match the colors in this room."

"You will do no such thing! You insolent troll," the portrait hissed. "I have a right to know who enters this establishment. I was the greatest of the-"

"Yes, Yes I know," interrupted the man, "but green just doesn't go with gold and purple. Now if you would just change the furniture and the color of your robes."

"I will do no such thing! These are my favorite colors." Saying the man in the portrait looked angry was an understatement. His face was currently turning an interesting shade of purple and his knuckles were white because he had balled his hands into fists.

Kenshin looked from the angry portrait to the blue robed man and back again. 'Things just keep getting weirder and weirder. It makes me wonder what unbelievable thing I'll see next. I hope the food here doesn't talk.'

"Salazar, I believe if you stay that angry you might just match the purple motif in this room," said the man with laughter in his voice. The Salazar finally threw his arms in the air and stalked out of the portrait in a huff, his green and silver robes swirling behind him.

The man chuckled as he turned to greet Kenshin and his two escorts. "Good evening Mr. Jones, Mr. Brown," said the man as he warmly shook hands with the two men. "And Mr. Himura. I'm so glad to meet you young sir. The man bowed slightly to Kenshin from his waist. Kenshin automatically returned the greeting.

"Albus Dumbledore, Mr Himura. I will be your guide while you are staying with us at Hogwarts. I will show you to your classes for the first few days and almost anywhere else you wish to go." Here the older man changed the direction of the conversation. "I always like meeting new and unusual people. Most probably because I am unusual myself. Would you like a chocolate?" The man held out a piece of candy.

Kenshin smiled slightly and took the paper wrapped chocolate, 'I like this guy he reminds me of...Oh, I don't know, a grandfather or something.' Kenshin happily popped the candy into his mouth.

Jones and Brown looked at each other. 'That has to be the first time anyone has accepted candy from Dumbledore,' they thought at the same time.

"Well gentlemen," said Dumbledore looking up at Jones and Brown. "Dinner is being served in the Great Hall at this very minute. You can go help yourselves and if you wish to stay the night ask one of the house elves and they will be happy to prepare a room for each of you."

Dumbledore waved for Kenshin to begin walking. After taking a step in the same direction he paused and then turned back to the two waiting men. Kenshin slowed to a stop after a few paces and waited.

"Goodnight Simon, Goodnight Peter." Dumbledore nodded to Mr. Brown and Jones respectively. The two men grinned at their former transfiguration professor, walked past smiling and turned down the corridor to the left. Neither could wait to fill their stomachs with the delicious Hogwarts food they had been missing for years.

Dumbledore turned to Kenshin with a twinkle in his blue eyes, "Well, Mr. Himura, shall I show you to your rooms? You must be tired from the long trip."

"Yes, thank you, that would be great!" the tired boy gushed with an unsurprising amount of relief. At the moment the only things Kenshin was capable of being enthusiastic about were rest and food.

"If you would like I could have the house elves send dinner up to your rooms. Unless you feel up to going to eat in the Great Hall with everyone else in the building."

Kenshin shuddered. "No I think I'll just stay in my rooms tonight." 'Ugg I definitely do NOT need the entire school staring at me while I eat. No no no.'

Dumbledore looked like he was trying to suppress a laugh. 'But then again' thought Kenshin, 'so far he always looks amused by something. What fun that would be. I wish I could always find something to laugh at.'

Kenshin followed always about one step behind Dumbledore as he turned this way and that. The red haired boy hadn't even thought of trying to remember the way back to the entrance. By now he knew there was no point in trying. They had already taken far too many turns for Kenshin to remember where they had come from.

Dumbledore led Kenshin up a stairway and then paused at the top. Kenshin stopped beside him and looked up at the tall man with a question on his lips. "Wh-"

Kenshin was cut short when the staircase started moving. He gripped the railing for dear life as Dumbledore quietly hummed a tune and waited patiently for the mobile stairway to stop at its next destination. Once the stairs reached a stopping point, Dumbledore stepped off the last stair and started walking at a sedate pace down the waiting hallway. After a short pause Kenshin followed, silently willing his heart to slow down. Had the poor railing Kenshin gripped been made of anything less durable, it would have had indents from where his fingers previously clung.

Dumbledore stopped at the second to last door on the left side of the hallway and opened the it. He held the door open with his foot and gestured for Kenshin to enter. Kenshin walked inside and dropped his knapsack on the chair beside the enormous bed. He slowly turned in circles, trying to take in everything at once. He had never been in a room this grand before. The walls were covered with deep red tapestries lined in gold thread. A fireplace was on the opposite side of the room along with a thick rug and a couple plush crimson armchairs. Kenshin laughed and hopped up on the bed in a childlike fashion.

Dumbledore smiled at the display and stood patiently.

"If you would like to freshen up. The bathroom is through this door." He supplied as he waved towards the aforementioned bathroom.

"Dinner is on the table. Dumbledore gestured to a small table about five feet from the foot of Kenshin's bed.

A feast, or so it appeared to Kenshin, was spread on the polished wood surface of the ornate little table. "These rooms once belonged to Godoric Gryffandor," continued Dumbledore. "One of the founders of this school. You see his portrait is over there." Dumbledore pointed a ringed finger. Kenshin twisted around on the bed to look over at a full figure painting of a handsome smiling man with black hair. He was shifting back and forth in the painting as if trying to hold still for the painter. He held a knight's helmet under his right arm and a red cape was draped over his opposite shoulder. When he noticed Kenshin looking at him he saluted him good-naturedly and smiled. Kenshin returned the expression and waved back, then turned to look at Dumbledore for final instructions.

"Well young Kenshin, I'll be taking my leave now. The door to your room will only open for yourself and a few of the other professors. Breakfast is from 6:30 to 8 o-clock every morning except weekends then its from 7 to 10. Some people like to stay up late on Friday evenings." He winked at Kenshin and then continued.

"Your first class starts at 7:45 tomorrow so I will be by at around seven to show you to the great hall. Have a nice rest." Dumbledore turned to leave, paused and then turned back. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. You will be meeting the headmaster tomorrow after your first class. Have a good sleep Mr. Himura. I look forward to showing you around tomorrow."

"Me too... uhh what should I call you?" asked Kenshin quizzically.

"I am not your teacher, so you may call me Albus or Dumbledore if you prefer."

Kenshin gave the man a wide eyed look as he thought, 'Call an adult by their first name? I don't think I can handle that. He's just too … old. It seems disrespectful somehow.'

Kenshin blinked. He knew he must look stupid staring at the man without responding. "Ahh, well then, Oyasumi (goodnight) Mr. Dumbledore,".

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "Goodnight Kenshin." The older man turned to the painting. "Good night Godoric."

"Night Albus," replied the painting." Kenshin sighed, mentally shaking his head. 'Of course paintings can talk, they can do everything else.'

The Transfiguration professor strolled out the door and with a last wave to Kenshin closed it behind him.

Finally alone, Kenshin looked about the room, with wonder in his eyes and a smile on his lips. Kenshin's gaze returned to the thick coverlet on the large four-poster bed. He ran his fingers over the intricate gold embroidery. 'I don't think I could sleep on this bed. It's just too big and too soft.' Kenshin looked over at the overstuffed armchair by the fire. 'That'll do just fine, and it won't jostle my ribs!' he thought grinning. 'Now for a bath!'
8
...Two years in the future

Sibyl Trelawny sat at her study desk. The lantern cast a warm pool of light around her. The darkness outside the window showed the time was late and a long day of summer homework was finally over. Even though she had to care for her two nieces, the fifteen-year-old witch still attended Hogwarts. Sibyl had pleaded her case to Headmaster Dippet and also to the head of Ravenclaw house. The two arranged for Sibyl to have her own living quarters near the Ravenclaw common room so that Megumi and Kaoru could stay with her during the school year. Sibyl and the girls moved into the school a week earlier than the other students so the group could get used to the new arrangements. The two little girls had lost both of their parents within the past few years and Sibyl didn't want to leave them in the care of a nanny. She felt she needed to personally raise them as best she could. It had been Tatsu's last request.

During the day Sibyl helped her teachers prepare for the starting school year so her nieces had free reign of the castle. They were allowed to play in any of the courtyards within the building and could wander about the halls as long as they didn't distract anyone from their jobs. The house elf Winnie was assigned to watch over the girls, to keep them safe and out of mischief.

Megumi, the elder of the two girls by one year was quiet and acted oddly subdued for her age. This behavior could be attributed to the loss of her parents when she was only five. Sibyl didn't know all the details but the fire had been deliberately set and for some unknown reason they had not been able to escape the flames. Megumi alone had escaped unscathed, but the little girl wouldn't talk about the incident, despite many attempts from Sybil and Kaoru's now deceased parents.

Kaoru, however, was as bubbly and bright as she had ever been. It seemed to Sibyl that she didn't understand the concept of death, even when she had witnessed her mother wasting away in bed with some unknown disease. Sibyl had yet to explain to Kaoru that she could never see her father again. The letter had arrived last week about the destruction of Hiroshima. Kaoru's previous home and her father were gone, annihilated by the blast. It was August 25 and the school year was fast approaching. Sibyl still didn't feel ready to tell Kaoru about her father because that would mean Sibyl would have to face his death as well.

'I still miss my sister and brothers-in-law,' thought Trelawney mournfully, 'but I suppose I always will.' Sibyl thought of her sister Megumi's mother, 'At least I got to grow up with Rachael. My little cinnamon eyed niece didn't get time enough to make any lasting memories with her mother, or her father for that matter. I hope that Kaoru rubs off on her. Maybe Megumi will realize that she's not so alone as she thinks.'

Sibyl realized suddenly that she had been staring at her homework instead of doing it. 'Oh my! Well, at least it's not due until next week when school starts. I believe that I have completed all of my other summer assignments.'

Sibyl just couldn't bear to leave any project undone. It was the main reason she was in Ravenclaw. In fact Sibyl once completed a project intended to take a month, in one week. She had gotten the highest grade in her class as well. 'Of course Divinations has always been my favorite subject,' gloated Sibyl mentally shining her prefect's badge.

The young witch's mental ramblings were cut off when a tired looking Kaoru drug her little feet into the room.

"Hello Kao-chan (Sibyl calls Kaoru this because chan is the Japanese term for little. Kao is short for Kaoru.) Isn't it time for bed?" Sibyl scooted her chair out and turned to look at her niece.

"Yes, but I can't sleep until I ask you when daddy is coming. When is Daddy coming Sibi-nee?" asked Kaoru as she rubbed her eyes tiredly

. (Sibi is short for Sibyl. Nee is short for oneechan, the Japanese word for older sister.)

Trelawney looked down at the floor for a moment and then met the child's strikingly blue eyes. "Come here Kao-chan." Sibyl held out her arms. Kaoru trotted over to her and Sibyl lifted the small girl into her lap.

"Kaoru..." started Trelawney. "Your father is... Your father can't come, dearest."

Kaoru looked up at the young witch, with confusion filtering across her face "Why not?"

"because he.." Sibyl looked away from Kaoru trying to hide the tears building up behind her eyes. "is-"

"Oh! I know," spurted Kaoru suddenly. The confusion disappearing from her features.

"You do?" said Trelawney doubtfully.

"Yes!" said Kaoru brightly. "He's gone to be with mommy hasn't he?" The girl didn't wait for her aunt to reply before continuing, "That's were he is! In heaven with Mommy. He told me that he would be there soon." Kaoru grinned at her aunt triumphantly. The latter just stared at Kaoru in disbelief.

'No tears, nothing. There must be something wrong with this child.' Trelawney was unable to comprehend what was going through the child's mind. 'Does she think she will be able to visit them or something?' Trelawney didn't want to make Kaoru cry but she had to make her understand.

"Kaoru honey, when someone goes to heaven they can never leave. You won't be able to see your daddy for a long, long time." 'There I said it.' thought Sibyl. 'That had to be the hardest thing I've ever done.'

"I know," said Kaoru her smile disappearing, "but I will see him again. And that's all that's important!" Her smile reappeared like the sun from behind a cloud. Trelawney sighed partly in aggravation but mostly in relief and a smile grew on her face as well.

'Amazing,' thought Sibyl. She loses her father and ends up comforting me. Kaoru is a very special child. The man who wins her heart will be lucky indeed. I have never seen such a lively spirit in anyone.'

The young witch hugged Kaoru and kissed her cheek. "It's time for you to go to bed little Kaoru. Maybe you will see your father in a dream."

The raven haired girl hopped off her aunt's lap after kissing her goodnight and went smiling back to her room.

Trelawney let out a small laugh once Kaoru was gone, shook her head at the irony of things, and went back to completing her schoolwork.

8

Kaoru crawled into her twin-sized bed and eagerly grabbed her wand from the bedside table. She propped herself up with pillows and held her wand in front of her.

"Lumos!" she said in a hushed voice and was rewarded with the tip of her wand lighting up brightly. She let the light fade into blackness before trying her father's spell.

'What was it again Lumos chromensia chromolastima? No, no, too long. Chromasia? That's it!" Kaoru waved her wand above her head. "Lum os chrom as ia" She annunciated with difficulty. Four different colored lights appeared. Swirling around above her. Kaoru frowned. 'There are supposed to be lots of little lights not four big ones.'

What Kaoru didn't realize is that it was amazing for a five year old to cast anything correctly. Most children her age in England didn't even have wands and weren't allowed to use them, but in Japan children begun attending school much earlier than in most cultures. Sybil was unaware that Kaoru had a wand or she would have confiscated it until Kaoru was of age and attending classes at Hogwarts, but the little girl hardly ever used it. She only knew the very simplest spells in any case. Kaoru kept her wand, (it used to be her mother's) in a drawer beside her bed underneath her old school kimono. Except on occasions such as these when she felt the need to cast her favorite spell.

Finally Kaoru decided to be satisfied with the lights. They were still pretty after all and watching them dance and swirl made Kaoru sleepy. She finally drifted off feeling comforted. Her last thought before she fell asleep was 'Daddy will be glad to see this when I meet him again.'

8

Kaoru opened her eyes and looked around. "Wasn't I just in bed?" She turned circles in the wide empty room. The floor and walls had shiny wood paneling all over them. The room looked a lot like her father's dojo where she used to practice his style, the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu (The sword that protects). Kaoru knew it wasn't Her father's dojo though. He only used wooden practice swords and the ones here were made of metal. Kaoru could tell they were dull, obviously used for practice, but still... She eyed the swords hanging along the walls. 'I wonder where this is?' thought Kaoru as she looked around for the exit.

'Ah ha!' Kaoru skipped across the room and was about to reach up to open the sliding paper door, when she saw someone out of the corner of her eye. The little girl turned to see a woman's back. She was dressed in the traditional training clothes, a white gi top and a navy hakama. The woman's midnight hair was up in a high ponytail and trailed to the middle of her back. Kaoru slowly approached the woman as she walked along the wall, trying to see her face. 'She looks a little like me." Kaoru thought as she stood watching the woman intently. The dark haired lady stood with her eyes closed and a metal practice sword drawn out in front of her. She looked like she was concentrating, so Kaoru stayed quiet. She didn't want to interrupt the pretty lady's practice. Her father had always told her never to distract anyone while they had their sword drawn.

Finally the woman's cerulean eyes snapped open as she leapt into motion, bringing her sword downward onto an invisible enemy. She moved fluidly with perfect grace, as if she had performed these motions all her life. Kaoru recognized the kata immediately. It was her father's favorite. 'How does this woman know it?" wondered Kaoru as she watched the woman sidestep a nonexistent attack and leap into a side roll.

Kaoru thought the woman was beautiful. 'She reminds me of my mother, but she is too tall, almost as tall as Daddy, and her hair is too dark.' The tiny girl pulled a lock of her own hair in front of her eyes to inspect it. She silently compared hers with the woman's.

'Her hair is like mine.' concluded Kaoru happily. "Good! That means I have pretty hair too.'

Something gleamed at the bottom of the little girl's vision. Looking down, Kaoru noticed something by her feet. 'A practice sword? This wasn't here before.' She reached down to pick it up and was surprised to find that it wasn't too heavy. It fit into her hands perfectly, as if it had been made for her. Kaoru looked up at the woman. 'She looks strong' thought Kaoru wistfully. ' I want to be strong too!' The dark haired girl carefully watched the woman perform the kata as she slowly she brought her sword down in a clumsy mimic of the woman's motion. Kaoru didn't even notice that she was dressed in similar training clothing herself.

Kaoru awoke the next morning a little sore but refreshed. She had always been a morning person. 'Owww my arms hurt! Ahhh the sun is shinning yay! Kaoru forgot her sore appendages and leapt out of bed. Changing as quickly as she could into a shirt and some shorts. (Yes she can dress herself.) Then she bounded out the door of her room down the hallway and into the bright sunlit living room.

Trelawney looked up from her study desk to see her niece rush into the room blue eyed and bushytailed. Sibyl smiled widely at her little niece. "Good morning Kaoru! You look especially awake today."

"Konichiwa! (good morning) Sibi-nee. I think I dreamt about my Mother last night. Can I go outside and play?" Kaoru said in one breath.

"You can go to the courtyard and have breakfast there, but first you need to wake up your cousin."

"Okay," Kaoru ran back into the hallway to her cousin's room and back out in less than five seconds. "She's coming by Sibi!" Kaoru sprinted towards the door, reached up, twisted the knob open and was gone.

Trelawney sighed, "She forgot to close the door again." 'For such a young girl she sure gets around easily enough.' "Ah Megumi-chan you're awake"

The little six-year-old shot her aunt a death glare. "Only because Kaoru JUMPED on me. Where'd she go anyway?" The raven-haired girl searched the room with an annoyed expression in her cinnamon eyes. In answer her aunt pointed to the open door of their living quarters.

"She's out in the courtyard. If you want breakfast, Winnie is bringing it down there."

Megumi grumbled and went back into her room to change A few moments later the disgruntled child walked out the door. "Bye Aunt Sibyl" she called right before closing the door.

"Bye Megumi have fun," called her aunt without looking up from her desk. 'Ohh, I can't believe that professor Dumbledore wants me to write his first test for him. That man is just so odd sometimes. What is he planning on doing with the free time I buy him when I write this test?'

8
(back in 1943)

Kenshin awoke the next day when a torrent of cold water splashed onto his face. "Ahhh," Kenshin jumped up from the armchair with his tanto (dagger) drawn. Only to find he was perfectly dry. Dumbledore was sitting in the other armchair chuckling and putting his wand back up his robe sleeve. For the first time Kenshin glared at the older man as his ribs twinged painfully.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, my boy. I just had to use that new refreshing charm on you. You looked so peaceful sleeping there that I just had to wake you up that way. You would've done the same had you seen yourself so blissfully asleep."

Kenshin gave Dumbledore a weird look, as he thought, 'I don't have magic. I couldn't possibly have cast any charm on anyone.' His face gained a decidedly evil cast. 'I would have to use real water. Heh heh heh. Watch out Dumbledore. You'll be in trouble if I ever find out where you sleep.' Kenshin rubbed his hands together. He was doing a very good job of impersonating someone creating an evil plot.

Dumbledore coughed nervously and stood up. "Well Mr. Himura it's 6:50. I think its time for us to be heading to the Great Hall for breakfast." The auburn haired man walked towards the door. Kenshin shook his head to clear it from his plotting and jogged to catch up with Dumbledore.

"You can sit up at the staff table if you like,' said Dumbledore, "Though in my opinion that will make you more conspicuous to the students than if you were to sit among them. What do you say?" asked the wizard looking at Kenshin from the corner of his eye.

"Kenshin looked at the carpet passing under his feet, "I'm not very good with, um people," he said shyly, "I mean I've never really been around anyone my age."

"I see," said Dumbledore in a subdued voice."

'The poor boy must have had a hard life,' he concluded mentally. "If it is more comfortable for you, you can just sit with the teachers. Near myself if you prefer."

"I'd like that," said Kenshin in relief.

"Most of the students don't come to breakfast until a bit later anyway. I believe that the first period Charms class you are observing will be eating breakfast at this time along with a few other of the earliest classes. There are different early classes every day so different groups of students will be up each time, but I suggest you eat an early breakfast every day to avoid the crowd," warned Dumbledore.

The Hall wasn't too crowded by a normal person's standards, but Kenshin felt uncomfortable sitting up where everyone could see him. He finally forgot to be self-conscious when the serving plate magically (that's the only way to describe it) filled with food. Bacon, eggs, waffles, pancakes, toast and jelly, hash browns, and some kind of strange juice where all available. Kenshin had never even seen half of the food on this table and not just because he lived in Japan for half of his life. He and his master always lived off the land.

"It was an honorable way to live," as his master so delicately put it, but Kenshin knew the man just wanted to save his money for sake and tea. 'Oh well' thought Kenshin, ' that was then and this is now. I'll just have to be careful not to make myself sick,' He grinned and loaded his plate with a bit of everything. Though Hiko was a good cook he couldn't rival the Hogwarts house elves when it came to lavishness and sheer variety.

8

Kenshin followed behind Dumbledore, trying to memorize the path through the school to the charms classroom. When they finally stopped in front of the classroom Transfiguration professor turned to Kenshin.

"Today at this time you will be with a first-year class and you will be seeing the simplest charms. After this period I will come to take you to meet headmaster Dippet. Have a very informative lesson, Kenshin." The wizard bowed slightly to Kenshin with a twinkle in his eye and turned back the way they had come, humming to himself all the way.

Kenshin took a deep breath and pushed open the door. He was greeted with an empty classroom. The seats were rather like you might find in an auditorium, each slightly above the one in front of it. Kenshin wandered into the room and turned about, looking at the slightly scratched up desks and the sunlight shinning in through the large windows.

"Excuse me sir, are you the one who will be observing our class today," said a oddly pitched voice from across the room. Kenshin whipped his head around to look at the man. He was quite possibly the shortest person Kenshin had ever seen, well the shortest adult at least. Kenshin wasn't too tall himself so that was saying something.

Kenshin blinked finally registering what the man had asked. "Oh, yes, yes, that's me," said Kenshin, embarrassed.

"I am professor Flitwick, and the head of Ravenclaw house. I am very pleased to meet you Mr..." said the man as he crossed the room with short quick strides.

"Himura," filled in Kenshin. Flitwick held out a hand and Kenshin looked at it for a moment before realizing that it was a greeting. Kenshin smiled to cover his abashment and shook the tiny man's hand. Flitwick gave Kenshin a look as if he were a very slow person and then gestured to a seat in front of the window. "You can sit in the back row so you can see everything clearly without distracting the students," he said a bit loudly annunciating each word, as if he thought Kenshin couldn't understand English.

"I understand Mr. Flitwick, and if I have any questions I will ask you after class."

"Alright then," said the miniature professor, "Its 7:37. The students will be arriving soon. Just have a seat and I will start class in a moment." The professor turned and went into a backroom. Kenshin assumed it was his office.

'Well, I guess I'll have a seat,' thought Kenshin as he took a deep breath and glided up the stairs to the back row of desks. He sat with the window at his back so the sun wouldn't shine in his eyes.

Just as Kenshin settled himself the first student came in and took a seat in the front without sparing Kenshin a glance. The young students filled into the room. It was a big class. Kenshin began to worry that he might've taken someone's seat, but his fear was unfounded. It appeared that the students didn't have assigned seats.

The violet eyed boy finally noticed that he was receiving quite a few curious looks. He heard whispers of "who's that?... She's pretty," and, "You dolt it's a boy. Are you sure? Yes look at his... wearing an open shirt." The children pointed and whispered in what they thought was a discreet manner.

Kenshin looked down and blushed, trying to hide his burning cheeks with his long uneven bangs.

"Class, class, please quiet down!" came the slightly high pitched voice of their teacher.

Kenshin let out a silent breath of relief. 'That was so embarrassing. Don't these kids know how to talk quietly in front of people? I could hear practically every word they said.' (Kenshin has excellent hearing.) 'Do I really look that much like a girl?' Kenshin looked heavenward. God, Do you hate me or something? What did I do to deserve this?' Kenshin's internal tirade was cut off when the teacher rapped the end of his wand against a desk in the front row. The loud sound it produced was disproportional to the light tapping on the hard polished surface. The class immediately quieted.

"This young gentleman," Flitwick gestured to Kenshin with his wand, "Mr. Himura, will be observing our class today. He is from the Ministry of Magic, so please be on your best behavior today. Do not disturb him or crowd him during or after class with questions. Now, before our lesson today we will review yesterday's levitating charm. Mr. Lestrange, could you show me the proper motions to cast the leviosa charm."

A thin boy with dark brown hair and an arrogant expression stood up and held his wand in front of himself. "Swish and flick," he said in a confident voice while performing motions adroitly.

"Perfect Mr. Lestrange! Ten points to Slytherin. And the correct incantation is..."

"Wingardium Leviosa," said the boy standing straighter and levitating his quill into his hand. He smirked at the students around him, who all rolled their eyes at the display.

"Very good, Mr. Lestrange. You may take your seat now." The boy sat down, practically oozing self satisfaction.

"The charm we will be beginning today is for mild calming. Who can tell me the difference between casting a powerful calming charm and a mild one? Yes Miss Jericho." Flitwick waved his wand toward a timid Hufflepuff in the front row. Kenshin leaned forward in his seat all the while taking extra care not to bump his injured side, and craned his neck forward so he could see the back of the small black haired girl.

"Ummm," she paused uncertainly, 'the difference is that... the weak charm doesn't require physical contact?" Her answer sounded more like a question to Kenshin, but the teacher seemed pleased with the response.

"Very good Miss Jericho. Five points to Hufflepuff. The incantation for the weaker charm is Valumus, and then the person's name. This spell can calm mild feelings such as, annoyance, hyperactivity, sadness, and apprehension. Trying to use this spell on someone who is truly angry or hysterical will have little effect, even with physical contact. It won't help with depression or mortal fear either.

Kenshin leaned forward even more in his seat, his eyes glittering. 'How incredibly interesting. This is what magic users learn to do? A more powerful spell would be extremely useful in a battle.'

The teacher continued, "One cannot cast a powerful calming charm on oneself. The requirement of physical contact needs a separate person who is calm themselves to cast the spell. The powerful charm will last as long as the caster remains relaxed themselves. The weak charm has no such limitations and can be used on oneself or others to relax or lessen the offending feeling. The mild charm usually lasts until the source of stress is out of mind.

An eager student shot their hand into the air and waved it about in an attempt to catch the teachers attention.

The teacher sighed, and then said, annoyed, "yes what is it now Parkinson?"

"Does the spell calm, you know, excitement?" The skinny boy waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Some of the other boys in the room stifled their laughter.

The professor gave him a sour look, "I'm not sure what exactly you are referring to, Mr. Parkinson. Now, Does anyone else have a pertinent question?"

The professor looked about at the class with carefully veiled annoyance. 'Honestly, these children are only eleven. They shouldn't even know about that kind of thing yet.' The professor shook his head and seeing there were no more questions he started in on the practical application of the spell.

"We will now practice the calming spell using some skittish animals. Since they don't have names just say the type of animal they are with a descriptor."

The professor transfigured a book on his desk into a small calico cat and threw another book on the floor with a bang. The cat immediately tried to jump off the desk. The teacher grabbed it by the nape of its neck and fluidly wove his wand in a half moon in front of her face with his other hand and said clearly, "Valumosa calico cat." He released the cat and she promptly sat on the edge of the desk and started licking her paw.

"You will be working with your table partners to calm down your cat, which I will transfigure for you from my books. One person will startle the cat and the other calm it."

He looked around the class before concluding. " Please don't let the cats escape. I would rather not be missing a decade from my wizard's almanac series. Get to work now. Call me if you need help with anything." The teacher went over to his desk and picked up the almanacs. He levitated them to each pair of students and then turned each into a cat.

Kenshin sat and watched the students try out the charm. It seemed that the arrogant boy earlier, 'Lestrange was it?' was trying to make his cat angry instead of scaring it.

'I wouldn't' pull out pieces of it's fur if I were you kid,' thought Kenshin. The cat proved Kenshin right when it took a swipe at Lestrange's hand. The boy practically hissed in anger and looked at if he were going to smack it right off the desk. Just as the boy brought his hand back to strike the poor kitty, his table partner, a Hufflepuff, grabbed his hand and said, "Lestrange..." along with something else Kenshin couldn't make out. Lestrange instantly lost his angry expression and instead turned to his partner with an annoyed one. He yanked his hand away.

"Don't touch me Longbottom." He growled

"Sorry, I just didn't want you hurting Professor Flitwick's book," said the boy with a small smile, as he surreptitiously put his wand back into his robes.

Kenshin noticed the wand, as he was in a better position to see it. 'He must've cast something on the other boy. That's probably why he calmed down so quickly! That spell is useful. It's almost enough to make me want to become a wizard.'

Kenshin looked about the class. They all seemed to be having varying degrees of difficulty attempting the weaker spell. He lifted up his legs to let a frantic kitty run past.

'That boy must be very advanced for his age,' concluded Kenshin. 'How interesting.'

The rest of the class period passed without incident. After class was over Kenshin helped a girl find her cat. He finally found it hiding on the bottom of the teachers bookshelf. Apparently it thought it could blend in with the other books. It seemed not to have noticed that it was a cat instead of an almanac. Kenshin gave the kitty back to the grateful first-year and thanked the teacher for letting him observe his class. He left a few moments after the last student. When he stepped out into the hallway he saw Dumbledore waiting for him. The long bearded man turned to Kenshin with a smile and offered him a piece of candy. Kenshin took it and smiled as Albus produced another and ate it himself.

"Hello my boy. How was the class?" said Dumbledore around the lemon sorbet in his cheek. He began walking down the hallway.

"It was very interesting, thank you," said Kenshin as he followed along beside Dumbledore. "Those were some very useful charms. That was a first year class right?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"I was very impressed with the entire thing. Many of the students were really good. I can't wait to see the higher classes." Kenshin's youthful eyes shone and he had a spring in his step as he walked next to the older man.

"I'm sure they will be even more informative for you Mr. Himura. I understand that you haven't seen much magic where you come from?" Albus said in a half question.

"Yeah. I lived in Japan until I was about six and then I moved to Tennessee with my master. I've never seen anything like what I've seen here until the day that weird government man showed up while my master and I were training."

"Ahhh, said Dumbledore in an interested tone, "and you practice some art of the sword I presume." He motioned for them to turn left down a narrow corridor.

"Yes, The Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," said Kenshin proudly. "It's used for combat with multiple enemies."

"So you've been practicing this... sword technique every day for seven years. You must be very good by now." (Dumbledore didn't think he could pronounce Kenshin's sword style.)

"Oh I'm not that good," said Kenshin with false modesty even as he grinned widely. He liked being complimented, even if it was a bit embarrassing, since all he got was criticism from his master 'former master' Kenshin corrected mentally.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at Kenshin's reaction. He stopped in front of a shiny suit of armor and said clearly , "turnkey." The suit of armor stepped aside and a wooden door opened to reveal a short staircase leading upward into a well lit room. Dumbledore motioned for Kenshin to go ahead of him. Kenshin gave the suit of armor a scrutinizing look before he went ahead of Dumbledore up the stairs. Albus followed closely behind Kenshin and the door swung closed behind him.

When both reached the top of the stairs Dumbledore laid his hand on Kenshin's shoulder indicating that he wanted him to stop. "Wha-"Kenshin looked up at the transfiguration professor.

"The headmaster is busy. Let's wait here a moment," said Dumbledore in a low voice.

Kenshin looked over at the man sitting in a swivel chair behind a mahogany desk. He was turned to the side facing a fireplace.

"Yes of course, that is unfortunate but I'm afraid we can't make allowances. You understand don't you. If I let this boy into our school then soon we'll be overrun by other dangerous magical beasts wanting formal magical training."

"Magical beast! Sir I must object. This boy is not a beast, he is a human and a wizard."

"I've made my decision and as headmaster of this school I say that no werewolves or any other half breed humans will be given admittance to this institution," said the headmaster as he leaned backward into his chair. He had mostly gray hair and a clean-shaven face, which was currently as expressionless as a stone mask.

The woman in the flames shook her head. I see that you will not agree with me Mr. Dippet. I suppose there is no point to this conversation then." The woman's voice hardened. "Good day Headmaster." The head disappeared without waiting for a response.

Kenshin gawked 'He talked to a green floating head in a fireplace, and it spoke back.' Kenshin tugged on Dumbledore's sleeve and the taller man looked down at him in question.

"What was he doing?" asked Kenshin quietly.

"He was conversing with someone who is not here, through the floo network. The network links different fireplaces for communication and travel purposes," whispered Dumbledore.

"Oh... kind of like a telephone," said Kenshin to himself.

"A what?" said Dumbledore, a look of interest dawning on his face.

"Hello Professor Dumbledore," said the headmaster turning his chair to face the pair. "Have a seat."

Kenshin and Dumbledore looked towards the headmaster and moved to sit in the two conveniently placed cushioned chairs in front of his desk.

Kenshin took the opportunity to glance about the room. There were a few portraits lining the walls, of which the occupants were eyeing Kenshin in interest. There were some tapestries all in different color schemes. The floor was hardwood and the desk a deep cherry red. Kenshin sat in a plush armchair that was covered in ornate designs. All in all the room was tastefully decorated but rather sparse.

"Mr. Himura," said the headmaster instantly reigning in Kenshin's wandering gaze.

"I asked you to come here so that I could make sure you understand the rules of your 'attendance' here at Hogwarts and the consequences of disregarding said rules," said the headmaster politely with a saccharine smile.

Kenshin nodded that he understood.

"You will not carry those swords where they can be seen or otherwise use them to intimidate students of this school. Do not converse with the students if at all possible and otherwise stay out of sight. You may ask a teacher questions only after the class has been dismissed. You are not to wander about the school whenever you feel like it. You should only be in the hallways when you are heading to a class or a meal," after the word, 'meal,' the headmaster glared at Dumbledore as if he had done something purposely to annoy him. The transfiguration professor just gave him an innocent look and sat completely relaxed in the chair. The headmaster turned back to Kenshin and fixed another false smile on his face.

"If you disobey these rules I will see to it that you are removed immediately and you will have to finish your training elsewhere. Do I make myself clear," he finished with his hands folded on the top of the desk.

"Uhhhh..." Kenshin suddenly felt nervous. 'He really doesn't like me.' Kenshin glanced at Dumbledore who smiled at him reassuringly and then returned his unsure gaze back to the headmaster. "Yes?"

"Good. Now Professor if you will show Mr. Himura to his next class I am very busy today." The man pulled a stack of parchments on his desktop closer and started shuffling through them as if what they contained was far more important than the two still sitting in front of him.

Dumbledore stood. "Good day Headmaster," he said in a genial tone. "Lets be going now Kenshin. The next class will be starting in a few minutes."

Kenshin stood quickly and followed Dumbledore out into the hallway. The wizard held out and arm signaling that they should turn right. Kenshin opened his mouth to speak to Albus, but then hesitated and closed it.

"You have something you wish to ask," supplied Dumbledore.

Kenshin took a deep breath, "Is the headmaster always sooo…," Kenshin floundered for a word, "busy," he ended lamely. "I mean I felt a little bit like he didn't want us there."

"Ahhh, yes, you speak of the rather curt treatment you received. I have noticed on numerous occasions that Mr. Dippet does not appreciate anything out of the ordinary taking place in his school or in this case anyone."

The future headmaster turned to look at Kenshin through his half moon spectacles. "He believes very strongly that only wizards and witches should be allowed into this school for any length of time. The only reason you are here to observe classes is because the International Cooperation department of the Ministry of Magic 'encouraged' him to allow it." At Kenshin's stricken look the future headmaster smiled and continued.

"But don't worry too much. The ministry obviously put you here for a reason. It must be important." Dumbledore looked like he wanted to ask what that reason was but refrained and instead lead Kenshin through the well-lit hallways silently.

Albus stopped in front of an empty classroom. "This is the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. This year the professor is Beverly Honoré."

"This year? Is she a new teacher?"

"We have a new DA professor every year. For some odd reason no one seems able to hold the job for very long."

Kenshin let the information slide over him as he peeked into the ordinary looking room.

"Well Mr. Himura, I believe that this is a fifth year class so you will be seeing some more advanced magic. Tell me what you found interesting about the lesson. I have always wanted to see magic from a nonmagical point of view."

Kenshin raised an eyebrow and smiled, 'It's scary how I understand what he means even when what he said doesn't make any sense.'

"Well, I'll be seeing you after the class then Mr. Dumbledore." He held up a hand and half waved to the blue robed man.

"Yes after class Kenshin. It's a double length class today. I will take you to lunch afterward." Dumbledore returned Kenshin's half wave.

Kenshin walked into the 'empty' classroom. A stray current of air warned him. He ducked just in time to dodge the blow. Kenshin tensed his legs and sprung to the side dodging the second swing. He looked back, to identify his attacker and... 'A woman? With a broom?' Kenshin stopped and turned to stare at her quizzically.

"WHACK!" The dark blond woman was finally able to hit Kenshin now that he was no longer a moving target. She got him two more times before the shocked boy was able to respond.

Kenshin instinctively lifted his arms to ward off the blows, which were aimed at his head. "Nani?"

Whack!

"Matté onna!" In his confusion Kenshin reverted to Japanese. (translates: What, Wait woman!)

She suddenly stopped her assault. "Oh your hair's not on fire... Silly me" She said and then giggled in a way entirely unfitting for an adult. Then she paused, raised her index finger to her lips and her dark blue eyes to the vaulted ceiling in an exaggerated pose of thought. She brushed a stray lock hair that had fallen from her loose bun negligently away from her face with her other hand.

Kenshin was speechless. He lowered his arms from their defensive position with an incredulous look on his face. 'Is this woman entirely sane?' was all he had time to think before the woman looked back down from the ceiling and met Kenshin's eyes.

He jumped about three feet into the air when she let out a girly squeal "EEEEEk You're sooo cute! I absolutely love your hair. And your eyes! Eeeee!" She then proceeded to hug him so tightly that he had trouble breathing. 'Oh my God my ribs! If she doesn't let go soon I'm going to pass out.'

"Not too developed though." She said, mercifully releasing him and holding him at arms length. Kenshin gasped to catch up on his depleted supply of Oxygen and then winced when the deep breath caused a knife of pain to shoot up his side. Needless to say, it was a good thing she was holding him up, because at the moment Kenshin was in so much pain that he was getting a bit dizzy.

"Don't worry Dearie you'll fill out soon," she said in a reassuring voice.

'What is she talking about?' thought Kenshin fuzzily, finally able to think clearly enough to hear her babble.

"Ohhhhh, this is just perfect! I have a son your age. Maybe I can arrange a marriage between our families! Your children would be beautiful!"

'A marriage?' Kenshin's eyes widened, 'a son' he took a step back, now scared entirely out of his wits.

"Oh dear, it seems I've frightened you," said the woman apologetically.

The only sound Kenshin made in reply was an oddly strangled "Orooo"

"I'm Professor Honoré, but you can call me Mom," she looked at Kenshin with wide admiring eyes.

Kenshin broke out into a cold sweat. "I uhhhh errr" He was once again incapable of speech.

"Are you a new student? You look a bit young for my fifth year class." She looked Kenshin over from head to toe. "You're kinda short for a fifteen year old," she mumbled to herself.

"I... I'm here to... observe your class," said Kenshin in a stutter.

"Ohhh, but that can't be right. They told me a boy would be observing my class, Kenshi Himrala, something or other," she tapped the side of her face as if trying to remember.

Kenshin's expression suddenly became sour. "I'm a boy," he said in a growl.

"What was that Honey?" the woman turned her gaze back to the disgruntled teenager.

Kenshin took a deep breath to calm himself, 'must not use sword..' he chanted mentally. "I am a boy, a male, a man, not of the female gender," he said, the volume of his voice raising slightly with every word.

"Oh don't be silly. I know a girl when I see one... What did you say your name was again?" the woman changed the subject easily.

"Kenshin Himura," he said, still disgruntled

His reply caused the woman to look at him even more closely, specifically at his chest. (He wears a gi and they are slightly open in the front) "You really are a boy. How confusing."

Kenshin sighed. 'I'm cursed,' he concluded.

"What a pity. And here I thought that I had finally found a wife for my son," she sighed dramatically and looked at Kenshin wistfully. Kenshin and the woman stood in an awkward silence for about ten seconds.

"I wish I had a daughter so you could marry her instead," said the woman in a matter of fact voice.

Imagine the look you would give to the weirdest thing you'd ever heard. That expression was on Kenshin's face right now.

Professor Honoré turned on her heel and said, "Oh well. It can't be helped. You can sit there Honey." She pointed to a desk a few rows down in the very back of the classroom. She walked to the front of the room and sat behind the teacher's desk just as the first student walked in.

As the handsome, dark-haired boy walked by Kenshin he gave the shorter one an odd look. Kenshin ignored him and took his seat in the back.

When the rest of the students filed into the classroom they were much better behaved than the first year charms class had been. These students either ignored Kenshin or gave him a few curious glances. They had obviously been told beforehand that he would be observing the class. When all the students were seated the teacher stood up and walked around her desk so everyone in the class could see her.

"Today we will be very busy. We will be learning a lesser-known spell to block weak to moderate curses, such as jelly legs and petrificus totalis. This spell will be on the O.W.L.s. Also students will be turning in their three-foot parchment on their dangerous magical creatures. I will read the ones out loud that stand out as especially informative. Remember to always pay close attention in this class it may save your life one day." The dark blonde woman said in a no nonsense voice.

'Is she really the same person who just tried to engage me to her son?' Kenshin leaned back in his seat and eyed the teacher warily. 'Maybe she has a personality disorder.'

"Hand in your essays in a pile on my desk. Then get into your groups and wait for my instruction." There was a murmur of chairs scraping lightly against the wood floor and a shuffling of papers as students pulled out their essays and got up to turn them in. Kenshin watched the students slowly form groups of three and four all around the room, each group chatting amiably amongst themselves. When the teacher stood up the class's conversations died down quickly and all turned their attention towards the her.

"This blocking charm is simple once it is learned, but difficult to understand for beginners. Watch carefully." Honoré turned her dark blue eyes to the boy in the nearest desk.

"Mr. Riddle I require your assistance." The tall handsome boy from earlier stood up and moved so he was about six paces in front of the teacher.

"Please cast a low level curse in my direction." The teacher faced Riddle with her wand ready at her side. When Riddle hesitated she gave him an apologetic look.

"You don't have to worry about getting in trouble Mr. Riddle. Cast the spell."

Tom lost his hesitant expression and instantly raised his wand. Kenshin didn't miss the glint in his eyes. Apparently all the teen had been worried about was his good reputation.

Kenshin tensed in his seat and laid his hand on the hilt of his wakasashi. 'I don't like the look in his eyes.'

"Furnunculus!" said the young wizard with a strong voice.

"Arialent!" Beverly Honoré brought her wand up from her side to her face in a circular motion. The loose tendrils of hair around her face blew upwards and her robes billowed outwards as a concentrated wall of air shot up from a crack that appeared in the floor in front of her. Students scrambled to hold down papers that blew off their desks. The offensive spell Riddle cast was completely dissipated in the jet of air. A second later the crack in the ground closed up and the jet of air was cut off.

Kenshin relaxed back in his desk, 'I suppose he didn't mean to harm her after all. I'm probably just imagining things.' The flame haired boy let out a deep breath.

Honoré turned to the class, "Now get into your groups and try the spell. And please don't cast anything that will require a visit to the nurse if the shield doesn't work properly. She gave Riddle a look after saying this. (The spell he cast would've given the teacher boils had she not blocked it.)

"Thank you Mr. Riddle, you may join your group now." The dismissal in a decidedly cool tone.

The teenager nodded and strode over to his group with a well-concealed expression of satisfaction on his face.

Kenshin followed the boy's path with a suspicious eye. 'There is definitely something odd about him,' thought Kenshin. ',but he looks normal enough.'

Tom turned his head and looked about the room. He'd felt Kenshin's heavy gaze. When he finally locked eyes with the younger boy he let a smirk twist a corner of his mouth upwards. Kenshin's eyes narrowed and he let his eyes slide away as if he now found Riddle a boring subject to watch. Tom turned back to his group.

"Hey Lafia." He interrupted the brown haired Ravenclaw.

"What is it? I was just explaining the charm to Crabbe, who didn't seem to be paying attention… again."

"What is the name of the oriental kid in the back?" He questioned casually. The girl looked over Riddle's shoulder to get a better look at the boy and then redirected her gaze to Tom.

"Oh I don't know. The teacher didn't tell us his name yesterday. Only that we'd be having someone young come and observe our class and that we shouldn't disturb him. Weren't you listening...Oh, that's right you were gone yesterday!"

"I see" said Riddle slowly with a mildly thoughtful expression, "Well," he said, changing the subject. "Why don't we get started on that spell."

Kenshin watched the students practice the spell with close scrutiny. 'Their movements aren't as confident or as smooth as the teachers, but they seem to have the basics of what she demonstrated.' They also had the foresight to put away any papers and other lightweight objects that might be blown off the desks. 'Definitely more skilled' he concluded.

Kenshin covertly watched the strange boy, 'Riddle,' he remembered. 'His motions are flawless. He already knows that spell." Kenshin tried not to stare at the teen and have a repeat from a few moments before. 'I don't him to catch me looking at him. He might get a wrong idea about me.'

After about an hour of the students practicing the spell on their own the teacher stood up from her desk and called the class to attention.

"After skimming through your essays. I have found sections in several that I would like to read out loud. The first essay is on a cousin of the Chinese fireball dragon known as the Japanese feather." Here the professor cleared her throat in preparation to read the section.

"The feather, is considered by most wizards to be the most intelligent breed of dragon. Due to its small size and even temperament it is rumored that some long dead Japanese wizards have been able to acquire this dragon as a type of familiar. The dragons of Japan have been growing scarce in later years for an unknown reason. It is my personal theory that the unrest of the country has caused them to find other places to live since these creatures are notoriously sensitive to the imbalance of light and dark forces within their territory.

Japan's civil war in the mid 1800's and now it's participation in the Muggle world war may be the main factors in both the lower levels of hatchings and the decreased sightings of dragon specimens. The increased ratio of female to male dragons is also another effect of the war."

"Japanese feathers are the ideal representation of the symbol yin- yang, which is a balance of light and dark, warm and cool, dominant and submissive. In times of war the darker females become higher in number though the total population of feathers is shown to decrease. In times of extreme prosperity and wealth the male dragon is in higher frequency. Only in times of balance, however, does the species truly flourish."

The teacher lowered the paper and smiled. "This paper is exceptional because the writer had looked at their creature from several points of view and obviously knows all that is possible to know about their creature's mysterious mentality and has used that information to draw a conclusion. Plus, I learned something new from reading this essay and I like learning new things." Professor Honoré smiled brightly.

"The next section I would like to read is very interesting." The teacher sifted through the papers on her desk lifted a different essay into her hands with a bewildered look. "I have no idea how this information was attained, but it is very... thorough." She flicked her eyes in Riddle's direction before returning them to the paper.

"It is in the nature of the basilisk to kill. Not killing just for sustenance but without reason. For example the expression 'watch of the basilisk' is used when an individual is upon their deathbed. Every aspect of the serpent is a weapon, from its great size to its venomous fangs. Indeed the gaze of the basilisk is deadly to any who meet its eyes, yet it is rumored to be a quick, painless way to die. Perhaps one day this method will be employed in replacement of the dementors kiss to execute prisoners of Azcaban more efficiently." Here she skipped several paragraphs and looked towards the bottom of the essay. She took a deep breath and started to recite the words on the paper.

"Even though the very existence of the basilisk is a threat to all who cross its path, its venom is also a main ingredient in a potion that binds the broken soul of any being. For example, a person suffering from a multiple personality disorder can conglomerate all alter egos into one. The potion will also cure a broken heart, and dissolve a soul pact made with a demon. Unfortunately for those lovable demon worshipers and broken- hearted maidens, the venom of a basilisk is nearly impossible to acquire. The only venom samples have been found in the bodies of its unfortunate victims."

"I believe that such a beast could be, not tamed perhaps, but controlled by the rare few with the ability to speak to serpents. Its venom would be in high quantity, and many suffering people would have an improved life, one without heartbreak and insanity. From this I conclude that even with the difficult nature of the basilisk its continued existence is not a nuisance but a hidden blessing. One meant to save the wizarding world from wasted lives and ruined love."

The teacher lifted her eyes from the parchment and made eye contact with each student in the class. Then she said with a small smile, "An excellent paper. The author of this essay certainly has an optimistic view of such a... menacing creature." She paused as though deep in thought.

"I believe that the only problem with this essay is that the author forgot to mention the nature of the one who might control the beast. I have heard that the main reason basilisks aren't used in this very way is because the serpent and the human communicating with it both tend to have the same... ruthless mentality." She looked back at the parchment briefly with narrowed eyes and then said absentmindedly, "Still a very good paper though. Definitely Convincing." The room fell into silence.

"Well!" Said the teacher suddenly, smacking her palm on her desk. Half the class started in their seats. "That's all for today. Good work students! Ten points each to Ravenclaw and Slytherin. You can spend the rest of the period working on unfinished class work. I'll be right," she spread her arms, "here," she finished with a large goofy grin. Then she sat down in her desk and started grading the new essays.

The students spent the rest of the class period quietly talking and scratching on parchment with quills. Kenshin sighed, 'Finally a moment to relax.' He pillowed his head on his arm. 'I'll just rest for a moment.'

7

"Shinta come back here!" Gasped a chestnut haired woman as she chased after the hyperactive toddler. The small flame haired child laughed and continued to evade his mother's grasp.

"Shinta!" the child's mother fell to her knees in exhaustion, her breathing uneven. She broke out into a coughing fit. One arm was wrapped around her torso in obvious pain and the other hand held to her mouth. She sucked in a breath of air with a wheezing shutter only to expel the air with another bought of coughing. After about a minute the attack died down a bit.

Shinta stood a few paces from his mother wondering what was wrong. His little features scrunched together in confusion and concern.

"Mommy?" The toddler took a small step towards the fallen woman.
The woman looked up at her only son with pain filled eyes, then turned her head so he couldn't see and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She turned her head back to smile at him.

"Don't worry Shinta, Mommy's alright. It's just a cold." She smiled and the toddler came closer. His mother's eyes widened slightly when she looked down at her hand that as she had feared, was streaked with blood.

"Shinta." The little boy halted about three steps from his mother. Something in her voice stopped him.

"I want you to go to your room and play with your toys alright." His mother stood shakily and said, "I'm going to go lie down with your father and take a nap. Don't come in our room Shinta." She met the child's large violet eyes for confirmation.

"Did I make you mad Mommy?" asked the child with watering eyes.

"No, baby, I'm just very tired, just like daddy's tired."

"When will Daddy get better? I want to play with him, but he's sick."

The child's mother closed her eyes morosely, "Soon, Shinta. Go play."

She herded the child to his room and then went unsteadily towards hers.

'Don't walk away mother.' Shinta stared at the door to his room. 'I want to sleep in your room like I did before Daddy got sick.' The child looked down at his toys strewn across the floor and finally plopped down and spun the present he received for his fourth birthday, a multicolored wooden top. It took Shinta several tries to be able to spin it and he was very proud of his accomplishment, but now he just wanted to be with his parents.

Shinta finally climbed into his futon. He his violet eyes flicked nervously to the dark corners of his room. 'I don't like the dark,' the small boy curled into a ball and wrapped his covers tightly around himself. 'Mommy always sings to me before bedtime. I want her to sing to me now.'

Shinta reached over and opened a small music box and listened quietly as his mother's rich voice began to sing his favorite lullaby.

"Follow me far fine fire,
for without you friend,
I've not the light to see by.
Your light is to brighten paths,
My Feet for you they dance, they fly.
Follow me lovely Firefly,
For forlorn I am not,
Furthermore I have to go.
Freedom fine is by your shine.
The future is not so dim."

Night and fear are not welcome here

And your life shines them away

END OF CHAPTER TWO

(Nightmare ending by Annoying Older Brother) THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY PART OF MY STORY.

Shinta stared at the closed door as drowsiness gradually crept over him. Then a creaking drew his attention. Opening his eyes he stared as the door slowly opened and the dark silhouette of a woman walked into the room.

"Mommy?" Shinta asked hesitantly in a small voice before he smiled widely. "You came to tuck me in!" Grinning he sat up and held out his little hands.

The woman quietly approached the bed. Gently she leaned forwards and kissed Shinta on the forehead before gently pushing back down where she pulled the covers over him. "Goodnight little Shinta," she whispered quietly.

Walking to the door she paused before she left the room. "I almost forgot that you don't like the dark," she whispered. Reaching to a switch next to the door she flipped it on turning on a lamp in the corner.

Shinta gasped in horror at her vacant eyes. Her entire body was covered in bloody sores. Her bare feet had left bloody footprints on the ground. Looking down at the bed Shinta saw the sheets were covered in blood. On his forehead he could feel the blood drying and caking on his forehead.

"NO!" Kenshin yelled, coming awake abruptly. Looking around at the now empty classroom he sighed in relief. "I'm glad that I'll never have to go through that again," he said with a smile.

(Commentary by the even older brother)

What is he trying to do? Add 'horror' to the types for our poor sister's story. I can't tell if he's a fool or a genuis.