Row row row your boat

Squish squish squish, the squelching noise of wet shoes on hard wooden floor echo disgustingly as Hermione trudges through the school's hallways drenched, hair falling flat. "Of all the days to have been dragged into river by the kappa, it had to be today" she says grumbling in annoyance, swiping the wet strand of her hair from her face. Mahoutokoro being located on a secret and magically protected island meant that there were quite a few youkais roaming the land surrounding the school, one of which were the kappa.

Although it may be odd for some people that these creatures would be near the sea rather than a freshwater lake or river, the Ministry of Magic along with the Youkai Association had decided to displace some magical creatures from big cities such as Tokyo to more remote areas. This was due to the incident that happened in New York in 1926, involving Newt Scamander and many many runaway magical creatures. Safe to say, the Obliviation Department of the ministry will never have to experience that week of horror like their American counterparts. Unfortunately, this meant that the mischievous creatures that lived on the island would also likely target the student's in the school. This was all in good fun of course, which Hermione understood but she could only use the Hot-Air charm so many times before she finally lost her cool (pun not intended).

"If I get dragged anywhere near another body of water that's not a bath or a hotspring again so help me kami-sama." Before being unceremoniously pushed into the river by the kappa, the witch was brushing her horse and giving it some extra treats as today was the last day before summer vacation began. Sighing deeply, Hermione gives a little flick of her wand to dry the herself and continues her way to the courtyard.

Sora had one last meeting with his club, and Sakura was currently feeding the horned rabbits that resided on the school grounds. The creatures as described perfectly by their name looked like ordinary rabbits the difference between the creature and animal was the horn that protruded from the middle of the creatures head that they could use to gut you should you give them a bad look. "So glad we don't have care of magical creatures as a mandatory subject" the brunette mumbles.

She is then broken out of her thoughts when she hears a loud 'ko' sound resonate close to her ear. Putting her hand up to cover said ear, Hermione turn's her head to her right and smiles a bit in pain "Hi Koro, did you inform the storm petrel that I would be late?"

The spirit replies with another 'ko' sound, thankfully much softer than before as it points to a storm petrel a little distance away. "Great, thanks Koro. Remind me to get you one of tiny custard taiyaki's that dad bought yesterday" she says whilst giving the little minutian a tiny pet on the head as it twirled around happily around Hermione's head. The two then quickly get atop the giant bird and head home, ready to begin their summer.

Elsewhere

In a dark room, where no sunlight could shine through was a man wearing a thick goggle like contraption hunched over a work desk. His room had several books and jars filled with dubious objects trapped inside clear jars scattered across the floor. The shelves filled with files, papers and even other tools and gadgets placed in every nook and cranny available.

The clinking and clanking quietens down until it slows to complete halt. "No that's not it either" the man says as he scratches his head in frustration. "What am I missing?" The man turns to the clock behind him seeing the shorthand pointed at 3 and the long hand pointed at 12. "Is it 3am or 3pm" he says to himself before going towards what appears to be curtain, which he promptly pulls aside causing him to scream aloud "Gah, my eyes, it burns." The man quickly closes the blinds once again as he walks towards the clock where he then flicked on a light switch "thank kami, for muggle electricity".

Taking off the strange ornament, Hideyoshi's face appears pale under the harsh white light. "Now then, lets see how far I've gotten" he says whilst look at what appeared to be a metal doll in the shape of a dog in front of him "I need to try and get the learning capability into the system so that it can detect magic but the magic itself seems to be distorting that ability. I'll have to contact Professor Yakumo to see whether he knows anyone who can help, probably one of the American's since this isn't traditional magic infusion and is leaning towards alchemy."

The Japanese man run's a hand through his dark hair, as he flopped down into his seat. A letter on his desk catches his eye. "Oh yeah, I forgot that a letter arrived last night." Hideyoshi looks at the handwriting on the front of the letter "it must be from her." Opening the letter, he reads the words carefully before nodding and prepares his reply.

Letter

Dear [redacted],

I hope this letter finds you well. Thank you for your update on the matter we discussed in my previous letter. Hermione is currently in her second year at Mahoutokoro, or Class B as we it is titled here in Japan. The events that occurred regarding Princess Kaguya was thankfully not as serious as we had feared although I hope I have not just jinxed my dear daughter by writing those words.

At the moment, Hermione is growing up properly without any issues and seems to have a knack for studying although her patience could use a bit more work at times since she likes to jump into the fray at times. My hope is that she continues to grow up happy and that we can all meet once again when Hermione is older. Of course, I wish you and [redacted] all the best. According to the National Wizarding Reports this will be quite an extreme summer, so do be careful should you head outside.

Currently, I am working on a new automation that will input and Artificial Intelligence (AI) with machine learning into a metal golem. Both are muggle terms, which you might be unfamiliar with so for simplicity sake let's just say it's a metal golem that can learn as it experiences different things. It's supposed to be a present for Hermione, which I hoped I would be able to give her soon, but it seems more complicated than I thought.

Well, I shan't bother you with the details any further but let's just say that I'll have to just get Hermione that book on advanced spellcasting she's been eyeing instead. Anyway, have a lovely summer.

All the best,

Mori Hideyoshi

PS: As per our usual routine Hermione will be following me on one of my researching trips. However, as we will be in [redacted] and [redacted], it will be hard to receive any letters as such please do take this as an apology in advance for any lack of replies.

End Letter

Looking down at the robotic doll once again, he sees the eye bag's promptly hanging under his eyes. Hideyoshi then grunts harshly as a sharp pain shoots through his temple to his right eye "I need to stop working through the night, these headache are becoming more frequent" he mumbles as he grabs the angorestia potion off the cabinet shelf along with pepperup potion for good measure. Downing the potions one after the other, Hideyoshi then heads towards his room for some well-deserved nap.

His nap was soon to be disrupted by a loud gust of wind that banged itself against the windows of his bedroom. The sound sweet but loud bird whistle signals Hermione's return and the older Mori slowly pads his way down the to greet her at the entrance "okaerinasai."

Hermione looks up from where she was taking off her shoes and smiles as she spots her fathers bird nest like hair, sticking out in every direction "tadaima" she greets back with an amused lilt in her voice. "Did you just get up? Sorry if I woke you" Hermione then continues her brows furrowing in slight worry.

Waving his hand dismissively, "don't worry, I actually was planning to only take a nap and get some proper rest tonight. Sorry for not being able to see you off lately" he says as he rubs his head with a guilty expression adorning his face.

"It's ok, I know you've been working on something new recently, I'm glad that you still take time off on the weekends so we can spend time together" she replies.

The ravenette chuckles to himself as he gives his daughter a hug "that just makes me feel worse but I'm glad I have such an understanding daughter." The two continue their hug for a moment before Koro begins to impatiently sounds as it points to the kitchen "Hmm, what seems to be the matter?"

"Ah, that's right I promised to give Koro some candy for her help earlier."

"I see, make sure to just give her one. We don't need a hyper spirit flying around making ice statues in the middle of the night."

Nodding her head in understanding, Hermione and her spirit partner then make their way into the kitchen for Koro's reward.

Later that evening

"Oh yes, it's been a while since we've been out of the country, isn't that right Hermi?" Hideyoshi says from where he was sat across the coffee table, as he calmly drinks some green tea.

"Well, we came back to japan when I was almost 7 years old and now, I'm almost 9. So, it's been almost two years" she replies watching her father with a curious gaze.

"And now you've already finished your first term of Class B" he says in a thoughtful manner, smiling softly back at the brunette. "It feels like just yesterday when I had adopted you, the both of us so unsure of each other's presence."

The girl quietly stares back letting Hideyoshi's sentence trail of as she tries to find the proper words to use "Papa." He hums in response. "W-why did you take me in that day" she asks hesitantly "like you said, we were strangers. There would have been no reason for you too have taken me in."

"You're right" he says, his words making Hermione wince as she stares down at her lap. "But I wanted to" the man continues as he reaches over to brush Hermione's cheek. "You probably didn't really understand when I tried explaining it to you when you first came but…..I was lonely."

He then sits back in his seat as she stares off into space as if reliving a memory "As you know, I was an orphan too. I never knew my parents but Headmaster Yakumo took me under his wing. Even still our relationship has always been more like that of a mentor and student rather than father and son. Perhaps, I didn't want you to suffer the same fate or maybe I was trying to attain a family I had never had and saw the silver lining in the grey clouds that hovered overhead the day I met you."

He then looks back at her "I haven't figured it out quite yet, but all I know is that the rooms of this house have become painted with colour and filled with warmth since I took you as my daughter."

Hermione's eyes begin to tear up, causing her little spirit to hover around her in worry "T-thank you dad, I can't imagine a life without you in it either" she says wiping the tears from her eyes.

The rest of the night was filled with excitable discussions and plans for their next trip and the voices echoed through the darkness.

A few days later

Once again, the entrance of their hallway was covered with two medium suitcases, fitted with a rune for the feather weight charm and extension charm, seen prominently etched into the side of the bags. A durable, hard shelled backpack for each of the Mori's. Hideyoshi had also made special provisions for the little spirit guardian in order to allow it to travel with them via the portkey.

"Ok, is everyone ready to go" Hideyoshi says whilst grabbing his suitcase.

Hermione who had her suitcase in hand and backpack strapped to her back, along with koro who was in the girl's robe pocket all was yelled in agreement, and with that the portkey began shining and duo gripped on for dear life.

The next time the world stopped spinning around them, the duo could see the overgrown trees surrounding them, and wild exotic birds cawing from the tree's above. The surrounding environment was humid, and so the du quickly took off their robes and placed them in their backpacks. Looking around Hideyoshi takes out his wand and quickly runs through a spell "Hmm, if I am correct, we will need to head south from here in order to reach Vale do Javari."

"Otou-san are we visiting another school" Hermione asks curiously, as she continues to admire the nature displayed around her, the scene felt familiar but different at the same time.

"That's right, we are visiting a school but unlike when you were younger we won't stay too long, I decided to have a short visit to the school since we were coming around this area anyway" he replies as the duo begin their trek to the school.

"What is the school called?"

"Castelobruxo, it is the South American Wizarding School and is located deep within the Amazon Rainforest" he explains before abruptly whipping out his wand to cast a disillusionment charm.

"Why did you cast a charm?" Hermione queries surveying the area in confusion before looking up at her dad once again.

"There are some old muggle tribes that have not ever made contact with the outside world, they would attack us on sight if they found people who were unfamiliar near their village."

"What do you mean, why would they attack us" Hermione replied, eyes widening in alarm.

"You know what a time capsule is don't you?"

"It's a thing we put other stuff in to show how we lived today and then many years later people dig it up" Hermione answers simply.

Nodding his head, the Asian man continues "the tribes are in a way stuck in time, never really changing the way they live from their ancestors."

"But why won't people talk to them" Hermione questions further "is there something wrong with them?"

"Well, I suppose people want to respect their wishes to preserve the way they lived. In a sense, for the tribesman, they will fear what they do not know, which is common human reaction. Since I raised you in many different environments and meeting many different people, the unfamiliar is less scary. However, for them they've lived the same way for centuries and human are scared to change and may react violently towards it."

"So rather than either party getting hurt its best to live alongside each other by respecting each other's differences" Hermione surmises as she nods sagely.

Chuckling, Hideyoshi ruffles Hermione's hair in amusement "you're become very eloquent haven't you Hermi."

"Of course, I'm almost 9 years old now" the little witch replies as she puffs out her chest in pride.

The journey continued smoothly for a few hours until they came across a small, furry creature in front of them. "Uuuuuu hola?" Hermione says as she goes up to greet the being.

"Hermione wa- "as soon as Hideyoshi voiced out the warning the creature jumped at Hermione's face as it pulled on her hair.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH" Hermione screams as she staggers left and right trying to pull the creature off her face, eventually leading the girl to fall backwards when she slipped on some moss on the ground.

Hideyoshi tries to use a stun spell on the creature but it quickly leaps off the witch before rushing off towards the older Mori. Bracing himself for the worse the caipora's assault is suddenly halted as it can be seen swaying around in the air helplessly "I think that's enough fun for one day" a regal voice says, as the duo look up to see a tall, middle-aged woman, with bronze skin and black hair smiling at them.

The woman hovers the creature over to it and speaks quietly before releasing it, where it quickly disappears in the underbrush. "WHAT WAS THAT!" Hermione finally screams, her brain clearly trying to still process the events that had just transpired in the span of a few short minutes.

"That niῇa was a caipora, they are the protectors of the school and all its people" the lady then chuckles to herself "they also happen to be the resident pranksters as well and unfortunately you have gained their interest."

Hermione groans woefully as elder Mori simply pats her back in sympathy. It was both a gift and a curse to have creatures be so attracted to the brunette, case in point the caipora who they would likely see again at some point during their stay at Castelobruxo.

"Well it is not all bad; it can be quite helpful to have such beings in your life" the bronze-skinned female notes as she walks up and casts a scourgify on Hermione. "Ah but where are my manners, my name is Isabel Braganza, and I am the headmistress of Castelobruxo."

Smiling at the woman, Hideyoshi extends a hand out to shake hands "Hello Ms Braganza, my name is Hideyoshi Mori and this is my daughter Hermione" he says gesturing to the now cleaner brunette, who nods her head politely towards the older witch. "Thank you again for allowing us to spend some time at your school."

"Not to worry Mr Mori, most of the students have gone home for the summer and I myself am quite interested in other magical communities, particularly those located half-way across the world such as yours."

Hideyoshi nods in understanding "Be that as it may, I thought it only right for me to bring a gift in thanks as it is our first meeting." He then proceeds to pull out a medium sized rectangular box from his bag, wrapped in a beautiful yellow paper covered in elegant flower designs." Isabella blinks in surprise as she thanks the man for the gift. "I prepared some wagashi, which are traditional Japanese sweets for you to try. They are best accompanied with tea but they are okay with coffee as well."

The headmistress then grins mischievously at the Asian man "Well, I do have quite the sweet tooth, you are man after my own heart Mr Mori" she then winks causing Hideyoshi to stutter out a denial.

At the same time, Hermione's face morphs into disgust as she the other witch seemingly flirt with her father. The idea of old people flirting with each other, especially when said old person was her father sent a shiver down her spine. The little girl huffs as she walks forward and grabs her dad's hand to break him out of the stupor.

"W-wah 'mione, what's wrong?"

"I want to take a shower, I feel sweaty" Hermione says with a small frown marring her face.

"O-oh we have been out here for a while haven't we, um Ms Braganza could we…" he trails off not really sure how to voice out his question.

Smiling kindly, Isabella then brings them into the school, which had a resemblance to Mayan temples, unlike the temple though there was an entrance at the bottom. As they were brought through the school, one could not help but wonder the school's age with its stone walls and various creeping plants clinging on to walls and pillars. The design of the school allowed fresh air and wind to flow through, giving the environment a cool feel without needing to charm the area. This greatly interest Hermione as Mahoutokoro was located on an island and naturally had steady sea breezes flowing into the school but Castelobruxo was in a forested area where wind would usually be blocked by the surrounding trees.

After cleaning themselves up, the headmistress then guided them around the rest of the castle; the students that were staying on campus for the summer looked at the trio, curious about who were visiting their headmistress. Usually, the students would be wearing their green robes which identified them as students of Castelobruxo; however as it was not a school term they were free to wear as they pleased. The green uniform also showcased the school's potency in the fields of herbology and magizoology. The school was so world renowned for its expertise that it had an exchange program allowing European students to learn about the magical fauna that was only available to in the area.

Of course with every great magical community there were always a few issues that crop up. One of which was voodoo, characterised as sorcery or spirit possession, and generally associated with black magic. Voodoo was quite prevalent in the continent amongst magical and non-magical folk alike. There were some uses for it, such as manipulating animals for reconnaissance but overall it was safer to not expose oneself to a practitioner of said art.

As they all sat around one of the empty tables in the courtyard, where they would be having dinner that evening, lighted by floating balls of fire overhead as the group was chatting with each other "so you plan to take a boat out to that area !?" Isabella asked, eyes widening in shock. "You know what they have said about that place don't you, this seems most unwise Mr Mori."

Nodding his head the Japanese wizard replies "I understand your concern Ms Braganza, but it is the researcher in me, I can't simply leave myself ignorant as to what could be hiding in those waters."

"And what of your daughter, will you expose her to such dangers as well" she says folding her arms into akimbo as she looks sternly at the man.

"Your concern is understandable, I have made sure to hire a talented crew to help us cross those torrential waves and have a port key ready to send everyone aboard the ship to safety in case anything occurs."

"What if you find yourself unable to use your magic for one reason or another? There are reasons good witches and wizards have disappeared after venturing there."

"Then I will end anything that tries to bring harm to my daughter" he looks up and stares into the witches eyes, determination flaring "permanently."

Sighing, Isabella leans back into her seat "I don't like the idea of your possibly bringing a child into a harmful situation but she is your child and I have little say on the matter."

Hideyoshi mulls over the question for a moment before answering "my daughter is a capable witch for her age but bringing her to such a mysterious place with rumours littered about its dangers may be reckless. However, if I left alone as I went away from weeks on end, after I took on the responsibility to adopt her. She might come to resent me and the world if I never came back. At least this way, I am opening her world to the beauty and dangers this world provides us."

He then lays his head on Hermione's head, as he watches the girl stuff her face with Pastel de Choclo y Humita, clearly ignoring the two adults and subsequently the conversation that had just transpired. "Papa, this is so good and this" she points to the pebre "is a bit spicy but I can't stop eating it."

"Well if you like that why don't you try some of these as well" Isabella said as she pushed a basket of Aborrajado towards the young girl.

Hermione reaches out for one of the fried treats "it's sweet? But there's cheese?!" The young witch looks up at Isabella in confusion.

"It's fried sweet plantains with cheese, a family recipe of mine" Isabella explains. She then leans in and mock whispers to the girl "the secret is adding guava paste before frying it a second time."

"What's guava?" asked Hermione.

"Well guava is …"

The night draws to a close as light conversation continues. Over the next few days the Mori duo explored the castle and the surrounding forest area.

Exploration

"T-they're following us again" Hermione says quietly to her father as they were walking through the forest.

"I think it's more you than it is me" Hideyoshi replied, looking amused.

Behind the duo a team of caipora were following just a few feet away. On one hand it was good protection against any wayward creature lurking in the forest but on the other hand, the situation is even more dangerous for Hermione as she didn't know when they might 'attack' next.

"Oh a cacao tree" Hideyoshi noted as he pointed towards a tree which had a piece of reddish orange coloured fruit hanging from its branch. "These are used to produce coffee and chocolate. The Mayans were actually the first people who made chocolate."

"REALLY! Wow thanks' Mayan people." As they continued looking around, Hermione's face slowly grimaced "what's that smell?!"

"Hermione, get down and stay quiet" Hideyoshi said.

"W-what is that?!"

"I'm not sure but it looks to be a tapire-iauara."

The Tapire-iauara is an animal that is reported from remote areas of the Amazon Rainforest. It has characteristics that remind witnesses of both a tapir and a jaguar. Since the Amazon Rainforest is an area where mainstream scientists might expect to discover a new species of large mammal, the tapire-iauara is an exciting prospect. This creature is called as several different names by natives to the area, including Tai-acu-iara and Onca d'agua. These names translate into various references to jaguars and tapirs, including "water jaguar" and "tapir nymph." The tapire-iauara is reported to live over large areas of the Amazon basin in South America, including the Orinoco River in Venezuela, the Negro River and the Madeira River in Brazil, and the Amazon River itself from Codajas to Santarem.

Witnesses describe the tapire-iauara as an animal about the same size as a cow. In most sightings it has red or red-gold fur, but a few witnesses describe animals with black fur. In rare instances, the black animals have a large white patch on the front of the body. The tapire-iauara has a face that reminds people of a cat or jaguar, but it lacks the jaguar's spots. The rest of its body is not much like a jaguar. The large, drooping ears are cow-shaped, the legs are shaped like those of a donkey, and the animal appears to have hooves.

"Wait for a moment and let me capture and image of it. Just let me try to put on the si…."

CLICK

"Oh no" Hermione whispered out, eyed wide.

"Oh no, what OH NO" Hideyoshi says as he turns to Hermione who was holding the camera and follows her line of sight to see the creature staring angrily in their direction. "OH NO."

The two begin to slowly stand up "slowly now 'mione, we don't want to make it angrier."

ROAR!

"Ok plan B it is" Hideyoshi says as he quickly whips out his wand and points it straight at the creature "Stupefy!" The creature shook its head, seemingly trying to clear its head from the stunning spell "Run 'mione RUN!" Hideyoshi loudly commands as he pulls her along, running past the group of caipora. He quickly turns back and shouts out "you too fluffy's, get outta here before the spell wears off!"

Not needing to be told twice, the caipora's scattered in various directions. The two continue to run, dodging stray branches, jumping over fallen trees and other obstacles obstructing their path. Soon the thumping of hoofs quietens to nothing. Breathing deeply Hermione huffs out "d-did we lose it." As those words escaped her lips, a loud "REEEEE!" rips through the silence.

Hideyoshi looks around wildly "where is it, behind? in front? left? right? no it can't be" his head then tilts back, as he catches the sight of the creature as it takes a massive leap from an small cliff just above the duo.

"I-it's ….flying?" Hermione said with a mix of awe and distaste.

Just as the creature was descending out of nowhere a slightly larger caipora is seen soring towards the creature. As if in slow motion the two Mori's could see the caipora lift its leg backwards and swing it towards the creatures face HARD. The tapire-iauara slammed into the ground causing a slight crack to the forest floor. The caipora turn to look at the father-daughter duo who were by now hugging each other in fear that they had angered the caipora in some way. It makes its way towards them "please, I'm sorry for saying you were mean, please don't kick us in the face" Hermione says as she holds her hands in front of her, on covering her face and the other as if trying to prevent an eventual kick from the fluffy caipora.

The caipora stops in front of Hermione's outreached hand and nuzzles its head to it. "W-what" she says confused.

"I-I think it's comforting you" Hideyoshi notes from the non-aggressive body action.

"The fur…it's so soft" she whispers "I didn't notice before."

Hideyoshi gets up and brushes the dirt off his trousers "come along 'mione, we better get out of here before the tapire-iauara gets up again."

Holding out his hand to help her up, Hermione's actions are disrupted by the caipora holding on to her hand. She scoops up the caipora up into her arms "c'mon, I'll give you a ride just this once." The caipora snuggles into her embrace as they walk back to the school, covered in the grime of the day's events.

Later

"Ay niῆa, what happened to you" Isabella says as she quickly tries spells the girl and Hideyoshi clean.

"Well you could say we had a bit of an adventure" the man replies, rubbing his neck with a crooked smile showing unease.

"We saw a funny looking creature while we were out in the woods" Hermione exclaims excitedly.

"I suppose you will find quite a few creatures you are unfamiliar within these lands."

"We even got a picture of it, right here" Hermione said taking the camera off from around her neck and passing it to Hideyoshi.

"We will get it printed within the next few days but it was quite a surprise, I didn't think we would run into what looked like a tapire-iauara."

(a 'picture' of the tapire)

"Pardon, did you just say you ran into a tapire-iauara! Are you sure you saw one."

"Well I'm not too familiar with creatures in South America but it seems to be the likeliest possibility."

"The creature is can be quite dangerous when it spots especialy since you weren't carrying any protium heptaphyllum to repel the creature. You're lucky to not be mauled down by it."

Both nod their head in understanding and Hideyoshi picks up his little girl as they both change out of their dirtied clothes "It was still awesome seeing it though" Hermione whispered into the man's ear, looking cautiously at Isabella to make sure she didn't hear.

"Yes it was but let's try to not anger creatures we know virtually nothing about anytime soon."

A few days later

"It seems that our time here has come to an end, thank you for your hospitality Ms Braganza."

"Please Mr Mori, call me Isabella, I think we have become friends in your time here."

Nodding his head with a smile Hideyoshi replies "I agree as such feel free to call me Hideyoshi as well. Your help has been vital in helping us proceed with dealing with any obstructions along the way."

"Knowing yours and your daughter's luck, it was best I give you as much information as possible to help you along your journey. After all, we don't want another incident like the tapire to occur whilst you're out exploring."

A small orb then drifts to them "ah, it seems I must be heading off now. Hermione come and say goodbye to Ms Bragan.. I mean Ms Isabella."

The little witch runs towards them from where she was playing with the caipora and gives the headmistress a bow "Thank you for taking care of us and for teaching me lots of things about the caipora and herbology."

Petting the young girl's head Isabella warmly says "It was a joy to teach you. You are a very bright witch and I was happy to have such a curious student. And remember what I always say."

"Poisons in small amount can be medicines and medicines and big amounts can be poison" the two witches say in sync, which slight disturbed the sole wizard amongst them.

The glow of the orb begins to brighten and Hideyoshi holds Hermione's hand, and with a bow and wav e goodbye the parent and child disappeared with a quiet pop.

They later then found themselves in a well-lit alley, the salty smell of the sea permeated the air. As they made their way out of the alley Hermione asked Hideyoshi curiously "papa why didn't you hit the tapire creature thing with a harder spell when it began chasing us."

"It was not the creature's fault that it was angry at us. We were the one who trespassed upon its home so we should do just enough to get away from it but not harm it as best we can. Even though humans populate the majority of this world we still share it with many other living beings like the tapire-iauara. There is a balance needed within the world for it to continue." He brushes her hair with his hands in a soothing manner and they make their way to the port from where they apparated.

Hermione looked in awe at everything around them, people were bustling about going about their work, from sailors preparing to embark to workmen helping to unload ships. It seemed like everyone had something to do or places to go, the birds squawked as they circled overhead. Hideyoshi guided Hermione towards the edge of the port, where they came across a rather medium sized boat, which had a plank seemingly allowing people aboard. "Ahoy there!" Hideyoshi called out.

"Ahoy! Who goes there" a young man said as he popped …. up? The young man had dark curly hair and a tanned complexion, probably from all the time he spent working out on deck.

"Good day young man, my name is Mori Hideyoshi. I believe I hired you and your fellow crewman for our trip."

"Ah the professor that Captain told us about. Well come aboard then, no use standing around."

"Oh I am no professor, just a humble researcher searching about the various mysteries magic has to offer" Hideyoshi said as he and Hermione made their way aboard the boat.

"Eh researcher or professor it's all the same it just means that you're a smart guy" the cabin boy remarks.

"Of course my dad's smart, he graduated as one of the top in his class at Mahoutokoro" Hermione boasted, puffing out her chest in pride.

"Mahoutokoro? What the heck is that?!"

"It's my school dummy."

"What was that you little brat, you want me to throw you overboard."

"Now now, let's try not to cause too much of a commotion. 'Mione what did I say about manners."

Hermione looked down at her feet in shame "that if I have nothing nice to say, to say nothing at all."

"Right well then, you know what to do."

"Sor…." Hermione mumbles.

"What was that, I don't think I heard you" the cabin boy says as he cups his hand to his ear and stands closer to Hermione.

"I SAID IM SORRY."

"There, it isn't too hard. For the record, I'm sorry too. My name's Tomas, let's get along" he says stretching hand out for a shake.

The young witch looked reluctantly at the hand when Hideyoshi nudged the girl softly "Hermione, let's get along" Hermione says, a pout still evident on her face.

"TOMAS, you're not disturbing our guests are ya" a loud voice shouts from the front of the ship.

"No captain, just welcoming them aboard."

"Right well, help them get their things to their cabins then, we're leavin' port as soon as everything's ready" said the man who had walked around the corner. He was a fairly tall man but not overly so, with a white beard with a scar just under his left eye. Hideyoshi noted that the amount of scar tissue showed that it was quite a deep cut but he didn't want to pry by asking questions. Atop the older man's head was a hat typically worn by a captain of the ship, emblazoned with a singular silver anchor sitting in the middle of the blue hat.

"Hello captain, my name Hideyoshi Mori and this is my daughter.."

"Hermione Mori" she cut in, giving the captain a polite bow.

"Quite the feisty witch you are. Ciro's the name, but for everyone else it's just captain."

"Yes, captain Ciro" Hermione says with a salute causing the old captain to smile wryly.

"So I hear we're traversing through some dire waters. You know most sane men wouldn't even dare to try their luck there."

"Indeed Captain Ciro, even I question myself as to what will we find there, perhaps a ravine of corpses or the truth to the conjectures surrounding the place. Reckless or not I hope to know at least somewhat and from what I've heard if you and your crewman are specialist in the area of the insane."

The comment causes the older man to laugh. "For a guy who looks really easy going, you're actually quite a mystery yourself professor" the captain says grinning at Hideyoshi. "But you're right, when it comes to the best wizarding crew to cross the seven seas, you'll never find a better group of sea spawn."

"Papa" Hermione says turning away from Tomas who telling Hermione about the different types of weird things the sea had to offer "where are we going exactly? I know you told me we're going to the sea but where in the sea, its a pretty big place after all and most of the world is covered by the sea."

"Well 'mione, we're headed towards one of the most famous areas in the world."

"Oooh, is it a coral reef, I know Australia has a very popular one there. I read in a marine life magazine. Is there one here in South America?"

"No 'mione, we're not visiting a coral reef this time. No, we're headed to a place called The Bermuda Traingle."

End of chapter

Hey everyone, just wanted to answer a couple things. So i'm sure one of the questions is why do you always update so late, well mostly cause writing takes up quite a lot of time and I don't wanna write short stories for you guys.

Second, the minutian or koropokguru is a legit folklore from the ainu people about the northen japanese island. I did name the character after shaman king's spirit but that's for ease of understanding since, i hoped, people would be more familiar with the name.

If you have any questions to ask, please feel free to comment them and tell me what you think of the chapter. :D Anyway stay awesome people.