Mabuhay!
Well, hello to all! I am writing this for one simple reason: I adore Ron as a character. Oh, I'm also writing this because perhaps some of you would be so curious to see what kind of Eastern magic I could show you. I might not be the best fantasy writer there is, but I'll try to make this story as worthwhile and as enjoyable as could be.
Anyway, this is actually the first chapter in the story; the last one was more of a prologue; I just don't want to mess the automatic numbering assigns to my chapters. Well, here you are: the official first chapter!
My special thanks to alien2063, my very first reviewer! I'm feeling just as ecstatic as you are so hold on to your knickers and don't work yourself into a knot! Also, I am dedicating this chapter to this girl who thinks she's cute and has promised to read my story through to the end. You know who you are; thanks for your commitment!
One : Arise to a New Beginning
The air was filled with audible whispers that chilly and humid morning. The tranquility of the entire place was broken by a troubling sight.
Inside the great entrance hall, a lifeless figure lay on the cold stone floor. More and more spectators came to gather around but not one dared to go within two meters of the scene for fear of contracting some sort of disease. It isn't everyday that you find an unconscious body suddenly appear inside the premises of a usually crowded place now, is it?
A skinny boy slowly made his way to the scene, clearing his throat as he forced others to step aside. Standing about four and a half feet tall, he came through the crowd and parted them to give way for two adults rushing in tow: one was a youthful lady who wore a long black robe and short pointed hat to match, the other a much older man in a navy blue overcoat with quite the lengthy greying beard and unusually crooked facial wrinkles.
The three of them immediately came upon the poor body sprawled upon the foot of the stairs. The woman attended to this unconscious kid, feeling the forehead as if this were a simple case of fever. She stepped aside after a short while and the older man took over, kneeling down to the figure and scanning the scene for some means of identification.
The two stepped away for a moment, while in the meantime the skinny boy began to shoo the onlookers away, not really sure of what was happening himself. Right then, all he knew was that he was not about to let the situation go out of hand, not under his watch.
After a short while, the bearded man finally turned back to their unconscious guest and, with a wave of his right hand, levitated the body away from the crowd and into one of the hall corridors to the right. The people all took to the sides to let the adults pass with the lifeless figure slightly ahead of them.
Everyone continued to speak with each other in hushed tones and was already making such a commotion. Without further ado, the skinny boy began dispersing the crowd, growing annoyed with the extra effort he had to exert that morning alone.
Ugh… what in bloody blazes happened…
The unsettled lad began to stir from his place but had to struggle hard as his body seemed to be not in the mood to cooperate with him; even opening an eye seemed to be such an effort.
After a few restless moments, Ronald Weasley finally managed to open both his eyes a bit. He was thankful that the place he woke up in – wherever it was – wasn't too bright at all right then, because he felt as if his eyes would burn if the lighting in there were any stronger.
He looked around for the first time, squinted every few seconds or so and glimpsed some blurred images of all sorts of dully coloured shapes. Ron tried to get up from where he lay and felt the soft mattress underneath him and the equally smooth covers upon him. Slowly, the images began to get all clearer and so he was able to take in his surroundings, albeit utterly surprised.
"Wait a minute," Ron whispered in a hoarse tone, "I don't think this is St. Mungo's at all…"
He began to panic and moved his legs over to the side of the bed. He felt for his shoes which picked that oddly irritating moment to be missing. Ron finally managed to summon them from underneath his bed, hastily wear them, and head for the door of what seemed to be a small clinic.
As he made his way through the room, he stumbled upon a chair and nudged a metal tray off the nearby table. Still frantic at the prospect of being found by people he could not recognize – and more frighteningly so the idea of Death Eaters out to capture him any moment now, he zoomed through the door and into the corridor.
Ron stopped for a moment to take a look around him. To his right, the corridor ran so far with its walls adorned with portraits of supposedly famous people, none of whom he recognized. The portraits all resembled like those back at Hogwarts, he noted: some being small, some unusually huge; some sparkling new, some plainly dull. End tables were spaced evenly every few feet on both sides, topped with vases bearing unknown species of plants. There were a few doors and more intersecting corridors further down, but he did not feel at ease venturing too far down that way just yet.
Ron turned to look to his left, and saw that the corridor did go just as far with the same numerous portraits – only with different resident figures – and end tables every few steps or so, but sighted an open archway that he believed lead into a spacious hall and, consequently he thought, the exit. He began to sprint down this way but paused just as he got past the arch as he looked up at the high domed ceiling.
Figures of cherubim graced the ceiling, moving and flying, all happily chatting away. Boys and girls played at their own leisure, ignoring the apparent awkwardness humans have interacting with those of the opposite sex. As they turned to look down, they found Ron staring up at them and smiled and waved at him in return with such warmth and friendliness.
Blimey, what brilliant art! The artist must have been a nutter to do something this… complicated…
Ron remembered what he originally planned on doing and looked about him. True to his suspicions, the place was really large and he assumed it to be the entrance hall. A grand dual staircase led from the hall into the second floor, and four archways led away from the hall, one of which he had just passed through.
The huge mahogany door just up front was open which lead right into a meadow extending to the nearby wall of trees of the forest. From what he could see, the entire building was simply surrounded by lush flora.
No wonder there's all these plants… I'm sure the bloke in charge of this castle would put Madam Sprout to shame…
Indeed, the entrance was filled with various potted exotic flora floating in mid-air which Ron had managed to ignore so carelessly before. Wild orchids, herbs, and other sweet-smelling flowers adorned the hall that as he took deep breaths, he felt all light and a bit more cheerful inside which he attributed to the wonderful mix of heavenly aromas… This was certainly better than plain old potpourri hands down.
Ron was still captivated by the wonderful sensation when a loud bell echoed and stirred him from his reverie. A few seconds more and he began to hear traces of whispers and opening of room doors from all four corridors and even up the second floor.
Alarmed by the sudden chatter seeming to converge on the entrance hall, Ron bolted out towards the front door. He was about to take his first step outside the building when he harshly bumped against something, as if some sort of invisible barrier was in place. As he had rushed into it, he bounced off quite roughly and crashed against one of the pots as he was deflected backward. Fortunately, he did not fall onto the floor too hard and slid on his side towards the base of the grand steps.
The sound of the pot breaking was quite the unwelcome noise Ron had wanted, so he began to panic as he heard the throng of steps rushing towards the hall.
Bugger… what to do, what to do… I am NOT getting caught in here!
Ron cursed the barrier in front of him and his left leg which chose to sleep and ache right then.
Come on, don't fail me now, you good-for-nothing leg!
He reached for the railing for support. The sound of the footsteps just grew louder and louder. Ron was trying hard to make up an escape plan, but the panic and anxiety just took over.
Invisibility cloak? Who am I kidding… Floo? Can't; no floo powder and no fireplace in sight. Apparate?
Apparate… Ron cursed himself at the fact that Fred and George knew how to apparate and there they were, just using it every bloody minute to show off to get downstairs quicker for breakfast each morning to achieve a better record. They could have at least taught him some basic pointers on how to do it, but then again, could he even trust those two prats who induced in him his fear of spiders?
He began to inch his way up the main staircase but flinched with every other step as he had to drag his leg. His heart raced and his adrenaline run wild; he was going to get caught any moment now by the multitude of Death Eaters, he knew it.
"Tigil!"
Voices began to call out to him, and he turned around for a bit and saw a few guys seemingly bent on stopping him.
Bloody hell!
The frightened redhead continued his gradual climb up the steps but his left leg grew more painful with every step.
"Huwag!"
Ron quickened his pace, but apparently his left leg couldn't keep up with the rest of his body; he stumbled once but immediately got back to his feet. The people were only a few feet away from him now. The redhead reached inside his robe and thanked Merlin that he had his wand with him. If Death Eaters were out to get him, then at the very least he would give them one hell of a fight first before they got their way with him.
"Expelliarmus! Impedimenta!"
Sparks flew out of Ron's wand and hit two figures down the stairs. He began huffing and continued to cry spell after spell into the hall towards his pursuers.
The crowd began pouring into the open hall where they were surprised to find the ensuing hostilities. They immediately took out their own wands in retaliation and joined in the trouble. Many of them cried various spells, all of which were new to the redhead's ears, and the chaos intensified. The brave ones hid behind pots and other obstacles while those struck with fear only fled and cried for help.
Adults began to pour into the hall not long after, somewhat horrified by the mayhem. They at once moved to the middle of it all, moving the younger ones aside and levitating the unconscious people lying on the floor. The adults felt relieved when they determined that they were only stunned or unconscious but alive and breathing nonetheless.
A young lady with a short pointed hat approached the base of the stairs and looked up to find her guest from that same morning, limping to his side, leaning against the railing and casting spell after spell in rapid succession. She screamed for him to stop but did not relent; it seemed that he was utterly confused to recognize anything at any rate.
With a wave of her hand, the woman effortlessly restrained Ron who suddenly went stiff and fell on the landing halfway up the stairs, and with that the order was finally restored. She climbed up to him but observed that he was still conscious, only furiously struggling to free himself from her binding spell.
"Let me go! I'm not going to let you win, you blasted Death Eaters!"
The woman was taken aback by his wail of despair. She flinched upon hearing the word 'death', and the hall was filled with gasps of horror.
She raised her hand in front of her and motioned him to stop. She gave him a wicked smile for his troubles, but Ron took it as a confirmation of his impending doom.
"You… Release me! What is this place! Who are you! Who are all these people!" Ron was still desperately fighting against her spell and was racking his brains on how he could escape her clutches.
"You… stop," the lady commanded. Again, with a simple motion of her hand, she levitated his body off the floor and up the rest of the way to the second floor. She told her other colleagues down at the hall to take care of the injured victims and continued to head upstairs, bringing the redhead along with her.
Ron was utterly terrified now. He had dropped his wand when he was stunned and could only struggle against his captor's spell. What was worse was that she now had his wand, and could even do wandless magic! How could he manage to escape now? And just where was she taking him to?
His answer was slowly being answered however as he saw that they were moving towards a big door, one which anyone could readily identify as the office of the person in charge. Both of them stopped in front of the door, but the woman then took out her wand and waved it as she chanted some unfamiliar spell under her breath. Slowly, the door parted, revealing another long corridor filled with all sorts of vegetation, from the strange bulging cacti to the lush vines teeming on the walls in between tall windows; it was like an indoor greenhouse hallway.
The two of them went past the plants on both sides and reached another door… or at least, a curtain of thick vines. As the woman reached them, however, the vines immediately parted, allowing the both of them to gain entry.
The office must have been the most bizarre place Ron has seen so far… apart from the Department of Mysteries, of course. It was like a huge circular penthouse, only it was filled with much plant life.
Figures… the geezer who's in charge of the place must be nuts to have every inch of this place covered in green…
The woman set Ron down on the chair in front of the office desk, and she lifted her binding spell. She, however, gave the queasy boy a firm but friendly smile to remind him not to do anything foolish while they were waiting. Ron did not find it hard to comply.
"Madam!"
The woman cried to call someone from above whom he figured to be her superior. He looked around. Aside from the shrubs and flowers that filled the room, there were also various wooden sticks and statuettes; whatever purpose they served, Ron would probably never know. He gazed above him, and saw that the office had a very high ceiling, with what appeared to be a covered opening at the centre. It took him quite a while before he realized…
Was that English just now? She spoke bloody English!
Ron turned to the woman and was about to rant on her about this annoying new discovery when he heard something rustle from directly above him. Those things that supposedly covered the hole he saw were actually layers of very broad leaves. They flapped open inward, letting some sunshine pour into the office.
Ron blinked hard to try to maintain his gaze. Then, as if an angel had descended from the sky, a very young and gorgeous woman slowly came down, held up by thin but strong vines wound around her waist. She wore green light robes matching the room in its entirety and had a figure that was certainly something to admire.
"Madam … English," the woman standing beside the redhead said, pointing to their guest.
The lady looked down, signalling her thanks and consequently turned to their bewildered company. She smiled, but Ron didn't know whether he should feel delighted or terrified by the gesture. She continued her descent and bid the vines to set her down on her chair. With a wave, the vines left through the hole again and the leaf flaps resumed their positions.
Ron took a good look at her. She was no veela, he recognized, but he could not help but feel that she was a close cousin of the veelas, only with long, silky black hair. He had to admit; she looked to stunning for a green-thumbed woman; Professor Sprout surely is no competition for this lady in front of him.
The lady examined her foreign guest closely in return and scanned him from head to foot. This particular person was very different to her alright because she had not had company like him in so long a time. Yes, she did look so young and attractive but she has been holding her office for so many decades now. She nodded to him, as if to confirm Ron's suspicions about her true age and capability.
"Mabuhay!" the lady began as a warm welcome. "I expect that you are surprised to find yourself here in our school?"
"You… You…"
"I… I… what?" the woman playfully teased.
"You speak English too?"
"Well… you do understand what I'm saying, don't you? What's the matter?"
"Well," Ron shyly answered, "no one was speaking my language earlier, so I really thought that I was no longer in England. For a second there I thought-"
"-Wait. You say you're from England?" the woman wondered.
"Well, I speak English, I have the distinct features of an Englishman, and so what makes you think otherwise?" Ron laughed although he tried to do so softly, because the other woman in the room seemed to gaze a hole into the back of his head.
"Oh, that," the lady in front of him giggled in reply. "I must admit that the usual English-speaking visitors we have are usually our American exchange students, I'm afraid, and even they rarely come here anymore."
"Oh. I'm sorry about that. Does that mean I'm somewhere in the Americas?"
"No dear, but I know that you will find this place to be better – and safer – than those in that continent. I, as Headmistress of this school, am proud of it."
Ron felt somewhat relieved; he did not feel that Death Eaters were out to get him now. In fact, he felt as if he was in a secure place… just like Hogwarts.
Wait… this is a school! Bugger, what a first impression I just made…
"So… would you care to introduce yourself? While you may be apprehensive of our culture, I think that sharing something about yourself would be the first step towards understanding each other, don't you think?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.
"First of all, Ma'am, thank you," Ron answered, feeling respectful and grateful for his host's kindness. "I am Ronald Weasley, currently in sixth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"I guessed as much that you're still a student – not to offend you, of course. Did you say Hug… Hogwarts?"
Ron's face suddenly lit up, hoping that she recognized his own alma mater. He nodded in excitement, but only met disappointment as she continued.
"Sorry, the name doesn't ring a bell. Speaking of schools, however, you easily tower over most – if not all – of my students in this school. Indeed, the English ARE as tall as they say..."
Ron blushed, but managed to reply in surprise, "Just as I thought… those lads back there were students, weren't they? Bloody hell, those kids know their stuff!"
"Why, of course!We teach our pupils well in this institution withthe best curriculum there is in the East, might I add…"
"Wait, I'm in the East! You mean as in the other half of the world?"
"That is correct. I assume that you do not even know how you got here in the first place, then?"
"No," Ron replied in utter disbelief. "I thought that YOU or someone else from this place brought me here. I thought I was being hunted down earlier."
"Oh, is that what the ruckus below was all about? My, my, I thought it was some sort of prank one of our rather mischievous resident ghosts pulled."
Ron could not believe it. Here, in front of him, was the headmistress, but it seemed that she was oblivious to many things around her. Then again, Dumbledore wasn't exactly the keenest of wizards, either.
But, how could I have been brought miles and miles away from home? And where exactly am I?
"Our laws," the lady kindly continued, "prohibit anyone from going overseas without following the strict wizarding migration guidelines, so as we do not know how you arrived here we would find it very tricky to get you back there. Also, disappointing and irritating as it may sometimes be, our government aren't exactly experts in… express service."
Ron sighed, feeling dejected at this bit of news. He looked at her hopefully for some other useful information, but she was still deep in thought. Suddenly, she had this inspiration.
"Well, seeing as you won't be going anywhere anytime soon, would you consider… spending your sixth year here instead?" she offered, tenderly smiling at the redhead who was feeling incredulous.
Needless to say, the redhead was caught unaware. Spend an entire year here, alone, away from friends and family?
What about Harry? Hermione? That Malfoy… Then Ginny! Oh bollocks, there's mum and dad and the rest of the family, too!
"Anxious about your family and friends, I suppose? I know that you must be very worried for them as much as they are for you, but we cannot simply disregard the rules. We could get in big trouble, you know," she said, smiling, but failing to reassure him.
"Well, we could try sending them a mail," she continued, at which Ron brightened up pretty quickly, "but I must say that we are so far from England that our post takes days or weeks to get there… provided that your message even gets past the strict postal screening, of course."
"That would be alright," Ron sighed, resigning to the only option he had at the moment. He took a few moments to think about his life back in England: the Burrow, Hogwarts, his friends, his family, even He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named… it was way too sudden.
"Well, what do you say to my offer? Would you like a year of study here in the East?"
Ron paused and thought things over.
Back at Hogwarts, I have friends… but it wasn't as if I couldn't make new ones here, only that I would have to start all over again… Harry, Hermione…
Back there, I have a lot of professors who looked after us well, save for that cursed Snape of course… in here, I would have to discover whether my new professors would even give me the time of day, but getting away from that biased bloke would certainly make me happy.
Over there, I have my family, the best there is in the world, but I simply can't live up to Bill, Charlie, Percy, and even Fred and George… what else could mum and dad ask for? Well, I suppose in here I have the chance to learn Eastern magic, one that no one back at Hogwarts even knows of and one that could possibly at least… beat Hermione at… that oughtta show her!
Then again, would Hogwarts even accept my Eastern studies? I don't want to repeat a year all over again… that's just plain… pointless. I might as well stop altogether and play Quidditch or Exploding Snap or something… and the homework… Just thinking about it gives me the shivers…
Then, as if to read Ron's mind and know his concerns, the headmistress smiled at him as he looked up at her.
"If you must know, Mr. Weasley, this wizarding school year follows the Muggle educational calendar in this country, and so we start in June and end in March, so it was goodthat you have missed only a few weeks' worth of classes. I presume that school in England starts in September and ends in June, correct?"
Ron nodded.
"Good. You said you're in your sixth year, so I presume that you're seventeen, so I will enrol you in our fifth level. You see, every pupil here completes six year's worth of Muggle elementary education. After that, they are enrolled in this academy to commence their wizarding education, starting at the age of thirteen. Don't you worry; I can assure you that our educational system is a few steps ahead than the West," addressing Ron's question in mind. "I will brief you further later on, should you wish to study here, of course."
Ron stopped to think. Brilliant as it all sounds, he knew that he could not even pay for his education. Even if he had some way to contact home, their family was not exactly one of the richest there are in all England.
"Madam," he began timidly, "I think your school is good, I really do, but… you see, I don't think me and my family could even… you know…"
The lady took the hint. "Oh dear lad, you need not worry about that. Our government keeps us up to speed with the latest editions ofvarious textbooks. Your books for a term are lent to you at the start of each one; that way,nobody needs to constantly buy new ones. School uniforms are a must, but I think I could call the school tailor to fix you up robes that would certainly suit you. Class supplies are provided by the school, so all you need to do is go to the inventory room and sign up for additional supplies. If you do well enough for your first term, I think I could even convince the Board to provide some scholarship allowance for you…"
Though skeptical of the news, Ron really had no other choice at the moment; if he did not accept this, he would have nowhere else to go.
"Alright, sign me up!" Ron decided. "I guess… I want to surprise everyone at home with what I've learned once I do manage to get back."
"Splendid!" the headmistress replied delightfully. "I was right to have invited you, seeingsuch theadventurous spirit in you! Do not worry if you find workload stressful at first; I'm sure you could adjust fairly easily to our culture. I can assure you that the fun that accompanies your learning will be more than enough to compensate for your troubles."
"Thank you, Ma'am. I'm looking forward to my first week here."
The lady grabbed some parchment from inside her desk drawer and inked the quill beside her as she started to write hastily for a moment. Once finished, she handed both the paper and quill over to Ron, who looked at it curiously.
"You have to sign this to be officially enrolled in this school. Just sign down… here," she said, pointing at the line for Ron to sign on, which he did most willingly.
"Very well, that settles things," she said and stood up, prompting Ron to rise up from his seat as well.
"Mabuhay once again, Mr. Weasley! I am Headmistress Rosa Roma, and I officially welcome you to the Ruwingas Academy of Magic, the best school of magic in the East!"
A/N: So, how did it go? Getting excited yet? Care to identify which country Ron landed in?
By the way, if you have something to say about any of the Weasley family members, especially Ron, don't forget to drop by my forum "The Burrow, My Haven" and speak your mind. I'll make a separate forum for this story if you want to discuss some of the points (cultural, social, or otherwise) along the way; just let me know.
Hated it? Review my work, and I'll give you all a digital biscuit (or cookie, whichever you prefer).