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Thanks to Vista 21.4.1990 for correcting my spelling of Legilimency

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I've decided to use Rahkesh and never to use Harry. That might change much later. If you can't handle remembering that Rahkesh is actually Harry, too bad.

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Chapter 6

When the book about Akren had said that it was located in a massive valley Rahkesh had pictured a little circular area stuck between a ring of giant mountains. The book hadn't been exaggerating and he had been very wrong.

To their right a trail running along the mountainside slowly sloped downwards into a deep valley. In fact the trail was so long that Rahkesh had to wonder if they'd make it to the school before nightfall. Massive was an understatement. He could see the white-topped mountains at the far end of the valley, but they were hazy and blurred despite the clear air. Spread out before them, far below, the valley was much longer than it was wide. Look out at it Rahkesh figured it had to be easily thirty kilometers wide, and four or five times that many kilometers long. A river running the full length of the valley gleamed in the sun. It widened out into lakes at points and was surrounded by ponds. Geysers and hot springs sent steam skyward, keeping the water warm. It was fall and the trees were turning color. The whole valley was a colorful blaze of late-blooming wildflowers, orange and red trees, tall dark green pines and golden grasses. Looking down on the valley, and seeing a dragon flying around a mountain that bordered the valley to his left, Rahkesh felt as though he'd never seen anything so beautiful. It was plain that any human presence was minimal. Herds of grazing beasts roamed alongside the river, elk running through the shallow water at the ponds edges. There was an eagle nest along the cliff just above the doorway. Pegasus and unicorns were moving around. Creatures that were crouched in the grass appeared to be hunting them. Rahkesh would guess that those were dire wolves. Looking straight down into a small lake that lapped against the base of the cliff he could see stirring tentacles, a creature not unlike Hogwarts giant squid. The river connected all of the lakes and he'd bet that there were some merepeople here.

The rattle of wheels over the wide trail brought them all out of their thoughts. A line of elegant black, silver, white, and gold coaches drawn by teams of Hell's Steeds – Fire Horses – drew up in front of them. Students dodged out of their way as the horses charged at them, and then halted so fast that the coaches' wheels left the ground. The massive animals that breathed fire and shot fireballs from their nostrils reared and roared, their manes and tails flaming. The battered group of new students climbed in, four to a coach. Rahkesh joined Silas, Ally and Daray for the ride down to the school. The coach lurched forward and the Fire Horses broke into a run.

The school itself was located halfway down the valley, at the point where the road reached the valley floor. It was a massive building built right into the mountainside. The whole front of the mountain had been carved out into balconies and gardens, the rooms behind them hidden in the mountain itself. Most of the balconies were not connected at all, not on the outside, and neither were most of the gardens. Except for what appeared to be the largest set of gardens right above the greenhouses on the far part of the school. Looking into the balconies Rahkesh noted that the doors were thick, made of solid rock. The not-connected balconies and garden made it hard launch any sort of assault on the building. Climbing between them would take a monkey, or a set of ropes and ladders. The parts that stuck out from the mountainside were made of columns and archways carved of white and peach colored stone. It appeared that most rooms were partially in the mountain partially outside. Though he was certain that they could be closed off completely and everyone moved inside should the need to do so occur.

The road led directly into the mountain, under the school, and out on the other side of the visible buildings. Here a massive stone stables and pastures waited for them. Everyone exited the carriages, Thom still levitating Tanya.

"Well they sure had some amazing designers." Silas said in awe.

"Yes, watch your cat!" Ally warned, the little cub was chasing butterflies. Silas grabbed him up and pulled him away from the horses hooves. The Fire Horses stamped and glared as the kitten was dragged out of reach.

A set of entrance doors, which appeared, because of the intricate carvings, to be very delicate, opened. Revealing that they were actually nearly a meter thick, solid rock. And those carving had hidden runes in them. Ten people walked out. The man they had met earlier at the Garuda, Steve Marluck, was one of them. Some of them wore symbols on their sleeves, shoulders, and chests, markings of rank probably. The woman walking in front was dressed in a silver/gray shirt with a deer hide jacket that was decorated by nearly a dozen different symbols and markings along with silver and blue embroidery. Her black pants were tucked into black boots and she had knives tucked into those. She wasn't particularly old but her hair was white and hung down in two long white braids.

"I am Nvara Aelfly, Headmistress of Akren Mountain School of Magic. Before we do anything else all of you will report to the school doctor. He will help you to heal your injuries, hopefully before dinner. However you will have to do most of it yourselves. But you already know that. Tonight you'll be eating together, tomorrow you will spend the day picking out your classes and testing for your placements within in each class. The day after that you will join the other students." She left then to go remove the Fire Horses from their harnesses. The sorry-looking group followed six others to the infirmary. Marluck and his colleagues stepped in and pulled out those who weren't injured. Marluck stopped Rahkesh and his friends while waving Thom and Tanya through.

"None of you have any injuries? Good. You'll get a head start on your schedules then, come with us." The students followed him silently into the school.

Rahkesh quickly realized that this place was huge. The corridors inside the mountain were massive and well lit by torches, glowing orbs, and plants that hung in baskets with flowers that glowed. Light, brought in through tiny openings, was concentrated in crystals and then sent out in beams across the ceiling. In some places light was used as art, magical fire inside small cups directed light into diamonds where it was concentrated into something almost like a laser beam. These were then bounced around through more diamonds to create intertwined geometric shapes against the walls. They didn't see anyone but it was getting late and the students were probably eating.

The classrooms here were not like those at Hogwarts, Rahkesh noticed this immediately. They had tables and desks but more often than not they were circles of armchairs. And when they weren't these they were open rooms with a large circle of tables and cushioned chairs. Clearly class size must be very small. They arrived at a classroom and the uninjured new students, only eight of them, were told to find seats. Each table had books on it with lists of classes and course descriptions. At once Rahkesh noticed that these were not your average school classes. The class on learning how to swim took only three months. While blood magic was done in six half-year courses. The school did not have Christmas, but they had two weeks at new years, and two weeks over the summer solstice.

Rahkesh made a list of the things he wanted to take, and then set about figuring out what to take first. He intended to do blood magic all the way through. And once the class itself was over if he had the time he could go on in future years to study under the instruction of specialists on his own. Only those that acquired true skill with blood magic during the three years worth of classes would be permitted to go further in the individual study.

He wound up choosing blood magic, transfiguration, thread magic, potions, and a martial arts & muggle weapons training course. Blood magic and thread magic were both half-year courses, to give students a chance to learn if they actually wanted to do them. Rahkesh already knew that he could do blood magic, and had every intention of eventually gaining a mastery at it.

He also wanted to take a course in soul magic. That was very important but could not be taken until he had done blood magic and some necromancy first. Soul magic was important because that was what Voldemort had used to create his Horcruxes. Voldemort was certainly not very skilled with it and probably didn't even know it was a whole field of magic, though a small one. If Rahkesh could learn to use soul magic he would have better luck at finding and destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes, and eventually Voldemort's soul. At present he didn't even know how to identify one.

His two new vampire friends came up with the same choices he did, while Ally substituted thread magic for healing and potions for a course designed to teach its students to be proficient with the most useful spells possible in a year-long period of time.

"Is there a problem with pets?" Silas asked Marluck as the man collected their choices.

"No, the Headmistress has a snow leopard and I have a two-headed giant Fire Salamander so it'd be hypocritical of us. Anything goes, but if it harms another student without provocation you're in trouble, got it?" Marluck said sternly, looking at the young panther. Rahkesh smirked, Sygra was allowed. He hadn't thought anyone would turn her away, not at this school, but it was nice to be sure.

XXXX

The room to which they were assigned would be theirs for all of their time at Akren. Unlike students at Hogwarts the students of Akren each had their own room and their own bathroom. The reasoning behind this was that they were all taking different classes and many of those were at night. Many of the students also needed space to practice their own magic's and potions uninterrupted by another person. After years of dormitory group-living this prospect delighted Rahkesh.

Rahkesh's room was a long rectangle with a bathroom and his own balcony at the back. Most of the rooms had their own balconies or gardens outside. The front half of the room was a workspace with tables, chairs, and bookshelves. The sleeping area was separated from the work area with pale gold, silver, and green silk curtains. Beyond the sleeping area was a door to his bathroom and a set of floor to ceiling windows, one of which opened out onto the balcony. His room was right near his new friends. With Daray and then Silas on one side and Ally on the other. While everyone else worked on choosing their classes and healing their injuries Rahkesh moved in. Putting away the books he had brought, which included his old school books, the books he had copied from the Room of Requirement, and a few dozen others he had bought in Knockturn and Diagon Alleys and transfiguring things to suit his needs.

He had never had the chance to design his own room before and Rahkesh had a lot of fun with it. A big fluffy couch, a really thick cushy carpet, desks and chairs transfigured to exactly the right height for him. He transfigured the bed to be longer and pillows fluffier while raising it so he could store stuff beneath. He built a massive cage beside the bed for Sygra. With several levels and tree to climb from one level to the next, a little bit of running water to drink and live plants. Big enough for a snake ten times her size.

The walls were a little bare but he figured that next time he got out, if ever, he'd find something to put on them. Taking Sygra out of her pouch in his backpack he introduced her to her new home.

A vast improvement over the place at the shop. Sygra hissed as she explored.

It's big enough that if you wanted I could leave a live mouse or two in there. Add some soil and burrow for them. That way you could eat whenever you want. Rahkesh offered.

Yes please, a male and a female. If they breed you won't have to worry much about feeding me. Just put some dry mouse-food in there. Sygra agreed.

Next time I get a chance to go out I'll catch some. Rahkesh promised. There's a door at the top, on the right side, which swings. You can get out and onto the dresser from there. There's a chair and a footstool so you can get to the floor. Just keep all excrement in the cage please.

Thank you master. There are people waiting for you outside the door. Rahkesh went to look and found Silas and his panther cub waiting with Ally to go to dinner. Another advantage of owning a pet you could talk to.

They ate dinner together, all of the new students. The teachers had left and they were on their own, house elves serving the food. Blood appeared in goblets for the vampires, no one wanted to ask where it came from. Saul was talking about the mortals kept in the basement were being used to feed the vampires. No one believed him, the headmistress was a mortal, but was a bit sickening.

"You know Saul, the blood actually comes from the animals they butcher for the meat. You truly are a pathetic excuse for a vampire if you can't taste the difference. This is obviously chicken blood. Are you really such a weak vampire that you can't tell what creature the blood is from?" Daray finally snapped. Saul, well aware that everyone was listening, glared.

"Of course I can tell you fool. As a vampire you ought to have known that I was trying to put the mortals in their place." Saul spat. Whatever Daray had been expecting it wasn't that. Taking one look around the room Daray went right back to his dinner, knowing not to interfere with the furious looks on the faces of every mortal there. Which was probably a wise move since every wand in the room was out and several other weapons. One man had a massive broadsword. Rahkesh finally broke the silence.

"Well Saul this mortal has already electrocuted you once, shall I do so again? Did it not hurt enough the last time? You seem to have a real thing for pain. You're just asking for it." There were some laughs and most of the humans turned away from the fuming vampire and went back to their food.

XXX

After the incident with Saul the vampires got together that evening, Rahkesh had left his door partially open and could hear them gathering next door in Daray's room. Rahkesh didn't know what was going on but he knew that they had met, and seemed to have decided to ostracize Saul from the vampire population. Rahkesh, awake and trying to figure out who R.A.B was, had heard Daray leaving his room well before dawn. He must have located some of the older students of Akren. By midday Saul was getting cold glares from the vampire students that past them in the hallways as they followed their guides on a tour of the school.

The school was massive, and clearly designed to train people in other things than just magic. The ground floor had the dining room, a pool, and set of massive gyms including a rock wall, and indoor archery range, and a room that could be changed magically to become any terrain for practicing fighting of different surfaces and in different environments. It also had a basement level with dungeons and a series of potions labs open all day every day for anyone who wanted to use them. Students had to find a way to get their own ingredients. Either from the creatures and plants in the valley or from things they grew or raised themselves.

The rest of the school was classrooms and living quarters. There was a healer's wing with several trained healers, greenhouses, and an outdoor pool. During their tour of the greenhouses Rahkesh summoned a pair of field mice to him and tucked them into a small bag in his pocket, to introduce to Sygra later.

The teachers didn't take attendance, getting to class or not was the student's problem. They could leave the valley whenever they wanted to. They could go out through the entrance they had used. The Fire Horses were available for riding, if they would let you on their backs, always a big if. The obstacles on the trail were no longer there and they could fly on broomsticks to the trailheads where the portkeys to take them to the outskirts of the magical section of Regina were waiting there.

Their tests, to see what level of class they should be in, went easily enough. Rahkesh did better than he'd thought he would, thanks to his year of added training in the Room of Requirement. The second day ended on a good note when Tanya rejoined them.

"Tanya! You're awake. Did they figure out why that happened?" Ally asked, pulling the other four members of her group over to see Tanya with her.

"Yes, allergic reaction. It occurs in only a very small percentage of the human population. It's not a bad thing though. What happened was that I was become plant-like." Tanya explained. The other five traded looks, wondering just what was so good about becoming plant-like.

"And what does that mean?" Silas finally asked.

"It means that I can photosynthesize, I can get energy from the sunlight now!" Tanya said, "it's so cool. Oh and thanks for getting me here guys." She added, looking a bit sheepish.

"Sure thing, you scared us when you went white like that." Ally said, Tanya, standing in the sunlight coming in through a window, went bounding off to schedule her classes, whistling. "Wow, a little sunlight and…"

XXX

Their first class was bloodmagic. Rahkesh had brought his knives; they were in the book bag he'd transfigured for himself. The teacher was, interestingly enough, a vampire. A very tall, very handsome, dark haired silver eyed vampire who had a small scar running through one eyebrow and who moved around the room without making the slightest sound. By the way the other vampire's eyes got very wide when he introduced himself as Tristan Namach, Rahkesh guessed he was somebody important. The first thing he did was to start putting up some facts about bloodmagic. Things Rahkesh already knew, that it was mostly done with the users blood and that it wasn't dark magic, and just how dangerous it was. While he was dong this Silas seated on Rahkesh's left leaned over.

"We're actually going to be learning from Namach! He's only the most famous user of bloodmagic ever. He practically invented the art!"

"Who is he?" Rahkesh asked, he recognized the name from his books but couldn't remember anything about him.

"Oh you mortals! He's over three thousand years old. Do you have any idea how few vampires live that long? He was doing bloodmagic back in the Roman Empire! He supposedly only teaches the very highest level of bloodmagic, and then chooses students from that class to work with individually. If you want to become a master at it the only way is to do it as one of his students. The last time he taught a beginner class was in the 1700s! We are so lucky!" Silas gushed, his eyes were practically glowing. Namach suddenly looked up from writing the notes on the board.

"Some of you might wonder why I'm teaching this class, as I usually teach only the best of the highest level class. I lost a bet with the headmistress. And I understand it's your fault." He growled, looking right at Rahkesh, Daray, Silas, and Ally. The four traded worried looks. "You got here earlier than any group has done in decades." Namach explained glumly. "I don't know how Nvara knew, we're not allowed to observe if we're betting on it, but she figured at least one group would be here before nine a.m." The four traded grins, while Rahkesh wondered just how the headmistress could have possibly known they'd make it. Finally Namach turned from the blackboard to look at the class.

"I'm going to start off by telling you that there is a very good chance some of you will die during this class. We lose at least one student every year to blood magic. About, oh, eighty years ago we had a really bad year and lost eleven students." There was some uneasy shifting at this news. "If you do not follow directions exactly you will die. I hope all of you knew that before joining. You should have." He paused and glared around as though he was very sure that a good many of them had had no idea how dangerous it was. "Now bloodmagic is actually the oldest form of magic. However unlike many types of magic it is different for every individual. Bloodmagic is done, usually, by carving the correct runes into your skin using special knives. While doing this the user finds their magic and channels it into the runes as they are cut, forming a connection between the runes and your magic by way of your blood. The runes used for doing this are what vary; the same exact set of runes will not work for everyone. Sometimes differences as minor as a half-millimeter will spell the difference between success and failure. It is important to follow your instincts; they and only they can tell you where to place the runes. If you hand appears to slip while designing the runes do not erase it, start over and see if it happens again. If it does then it is not an accident." Here he paused again and looked over his class, there were ten students, not all of them in their first year of schooling. You could take classes whenever and one of them had been at Akren for three years already. "Each piece of bloodmagic is done in several stages. Stage one lays the foundation and begins the effect; stage two strengthens and directs the magics. There may be anywhere for three to a dozen stages depending upon what you wish to accomplish." He looked around again to make sure everyone had noted that.

"I will say now that some people are able to touch their magic and feel it directing them better than others. If you ever sense the possibility that it just might not be working right and you are unsure about your success stop and don't try to perform any bloodmagic. Leaving the class is better than dying. Attempting bloodmagic does not take bravery nor real intelligence, recognizing and admitting that there is a chance that it won't work for you does. Some people just can't do it. Others have a strong affinity for it." Suddenly Namach turned, straightened, and look right at Rahkesh. "And you have already done some haven't you? What was it?" All eyes turned to look at Rahkesh, some (Saul) with envy, others with awe and a few wondering if he was insane. Rahkesh wasn't sure if he wasn't just as insane as they might think him.

"I've done a little bit of bloodmagic, first stage of a few different things. One piece was for reflexive speed and accuracy, one piece for strength, and one piece for stamina. I have almost completed finding the correct markings for the second part of the stamina piece." Rahkesh answered honestly. All of his were still first stage, the effects were there but they weren't what they would be eventually. He could refine the bloodmagic if future stages to choose which reflexes, if he wanted them to defensive (reacting more to danger and attacking), or to work better in his sleep. He hadn't done anything truly difficult yet.

"You did this on your own?" Namach asked, he sounded impressed, but the look on his showed that he was wondering if Rahkesh wasn't getting ahead of himself.

"I had a lot of help from some books on the subject." Rahkesh answered.

"Do you have the knives you used?" Rahkesh took out the knives, in their plain black metal sheaths, and handed them over. "Ah, these are high quality, and properly stored." Namach added, nodding in approval. Rahkesh had studied how to care for the special blades, which meant filling their sheaths with a certain type of potion, keeping them temperature controled so that the temperature inside the sheath was well below zero, leaving them out in the moonlight on the full moon, and heating the blades with magical fire on both solstices.

"They cost a lot, and I like them, I didn't want to break them so I studied how to care for them before using them." Rahkesh responded. Namach nodded and handed them back.

"One of them is different from the others, did you notice?" Namach questioned, Rahkesh had noticed.

"Yes, it's for the blood magic healing rune rituals, it needs to be washed in unicorn blood every decade. Two years until I have to do that." Rahkesh answered, Namach grinned widely.

"Stop by this evening at five thirty, I'd like to see how well your actually markings worked." Namach said. Rahkesh nodded and put the knives away. Namach turned back to the class.

"As you just saw blood magic requires special knives that have to be stored and cared for in a special manner. Neglect them and the next time you use them they'll kill you, if they don't shatter in your hand when you draw them. Since the knives are rare I don't expect most of you to have them. There is an optional part of this class late in the evening where I will help you to make your own knives. For today, and the next month, we will focus on studying what part of each piece goes where on the body and what order they should be cut in, it differs depending on what the magic is supposed to do."

By the end of class Rahkesh had made more progress on the next step of his stamina bloodmagic and Namach had offered to let him use the rooms the school reserved for blood magic rituals when he was ready. The teacher had scheduled the class to watch some of the older students work on their bloodmagic in a few months but he thought that Rahkesh would be ready for the next part before then. Instead Namach decided to set up a time for Rahkesh to observe a more advanced ritual like the one he would be attempting at an earlier date. "Just so you have a better idea of what will be needed." He explained. Rahkesh agreed, the more advanced the stage you were working on the less guidance anyone could offer. The chance to study someone else could be very helpful as a source of ideas and incase he'd forgotten on of the many little steps in designing his.

XXXX

The transfiguration teacher for their class was very short woman with short blond hair who introduced herself as Professor Walner. She wasn't young but she wasn't exactly old either. She started them off by telling them that they would be learning human transfiguration, and then progressing into the beginnings of animagus transfiguration.

"All students who wish to graduate Akren Mountain School of Magic must become an animagus. For students who do not come to us until they are twenty this is a problem, they have only one year. And that is devoted almost entirely to learning the transformation. Occasionally we have to use time turners with them, but no matter what it takes everyone learns it. Including you werewolves." She added, looking at the three or four in the class. "Yes Rianae?"

"I thought that was impossible." The female vampire said.

"No, just much more difficult. I am a werewolf and I'm currently working with a few of my colleagues and our more talented students to find a way to create more than one form." Rahkesh's respect for this teacher went up a lot. She must use the wolfsbane potion because she didn't show the stress Remus did. And wolfsbane was the only thing that lessened the physical stress of the transformations.

"Now when doing human transfiguration you always have to be very careful. If you turn someone into half a jellyfish they'll probably die. We're going to start off with creatures not too unlike ourselves. Other mammals, and we'll be doing hands, feet, and patches of skin first, then continuing into full-body transfigurations." Professor Walner said. The class divided into pairs and each pair given a different type of primate. They began trying to turn their partner's hands or feet into those of the creature. It was not a very difficult assignment, more designed to see their technique then to teach them anything, and by the end of class most of them had progressed on to transfiguring their partners hands into whale fins or cat paws. Rahkesh and Ally, working together got as far as bird talons, which were difficult because the species chosen didn't have five claws. One finger had to be removed during the transfiguration and then put back on when they were turned back into human.

After class Rahkesh and his friends went to find the dining room. The new students had eaten together again at breakfast and apart from their classes they hadn't seen any other students. The dining hall was a massive room with a large buffet lunch set out at the front and hundreds of circular and rectangle tables, some small some large. They dodged paint spells and minor transfiguration charms all the way along the buffet and to their seats, at which point they were left alone.

"What was that about?" Rahkesh asked the students at the next table over, one of whom had thrown a earwax growing hex at him.

"It's tradition, to welcome the new students to their first meal." A young man with wolf tattoos and runes that probably spelled werewolf in some ancient language answered. "Just to see how good your reflexes are." Another werewolf, who appeared to be his older sister, leaned around him.

"And whether or not you'll retaliate." She added, "most people are smart enough not too, since there's a lot more of us than there are of you. That brat got rather upset when we dyed his hair orange." She pointed to the ceiling.

"Oh my, oh that's great." Ally said, Saul was hanging by his ankles from the ceiling, spiders the size of Rahkesh's hand crawled all over him, and his hair was a brilliant shade of orange.

"Don't ever let him down." Rahkesh said, the older students laughed.

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