Concrete Foundations
Flashback
The hot blazing sun of August was soon chased away by the cool September winds. The orange backdrop and autumn festivities pass with as much fanfare as any other with tons of foods and activities. But soon, November reared its ugly head. The opposite of medusa, rather than turn people into stone the month ignited a fire filled with anxiety to trickle into the student body of Mahoutokoro's Class D, Year 3 and Year 5's all of whom were having National Exams that fell in mid-January. Yes, this was the dreaded….exam season. Students of all kinds were in a flurry of panic studying, cramming and practicing. One could not simply be knowledgeable to pass the exams well but must also display an ability to use the knowledge in a practical application.
As such, the library, study areas and practice halls were always at full capacity during the winter months. "I'm gonna fail, i'm gonna fail, i'm gonna fail" Sora muttered as he swished his wand once more in an almost automatic motion.
Sakura slapped his arm, "stop saying that, you've almost got the spell perfected. I still have three topics to cover for Arithmancy and I barely understand constructions. HOW DO YOU CONSTRUCT AN ANGLE BISECTOR!" she screeched in an act of frustration.
"Well, I would probably stop using a ruler for that question and use a compass instead" Hermione replied furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to find the correct kanji to add to the ancient runes question in order to create two 1-dimentional walls simultaneously without the other collapsing.
Japanese ancient runes were unlike their European counterpart, wherein the main purpose of the syllabus in school is to translate the ancient runes. Because kanji is still taught in the modern day both for magical and non-magical beings, there is to some extent less translation required and focused mainly on application.
Sakura looked at Hermione's formulas and kanji work and felt nauseous just looking at the scroll filled with words and maths. "I'm so glad I can drop Arithmancy after this year" she mumbled, gripping her compass and pencil tighter.
Sora on the other hand dropped his arm and took a seat next to the brunette. He felt like his arm was going to drop off soon if he continued. They had been in the hall, which was converted for the exam students, for the better part of 5 hours, having taken only a sandwich and drinks. Their classes had wound down to allow the students personal study time in school although all students must still be present for homeroom at 8am and will have their attendance taken once again at the end of the day at 4pm. Currently, it was almost 2pm and the room was still as packed as when they had arrived.
Looking up from her scroll for the first time in hours, Hermione blinked her eyes several times as they refocused on something other than ink and paper. "How's ghoul studies coming along" she asked, rubbing her temple in tiredness.
"Not bad, i'm pretty confident that I'll at least get an Exceed on the exam. It is, after all, more about connecting with spirits, ghosts and other inanimate beings rather than just ghosts."
"Yes, you've said but what exactly does the exam cover?" Hermione asked, Sakura turned her head as well.
"Well, the first part is simple. We have to memorise and draw out the spell circle that will show the inanimate creature which we call forth. So ⅓ of the score will be based on how intricately you've drawn it out but that's also already 33% of the grade covered. It's the next two which can be a bit tricky."
"Is it like Care of Magical Creatures, where it's down to how the creature acts then?" Sakura asked.
Sora shook his head, "yes and no. Spirits are fickle, they choose some people that they like on an arbitrary basis whilst with magical creatures if you act respectful you could probably slowly come into their favour."
"So what are they other parts of the exam" the other witch asked, steering the conversation back to the exam.
"So we have to call upon the earth sprites, which are fairly docile and nice. Going through the proper incantation and adding magic to the circle to keep them visible is the 2nd part. Finally, we then have to request them to do something simple like grow a small flower on the ground."
"Oh that's not too bad then, Koro always helps me with things like that" the brunette said with a smile, causing her two friends to side eye each other. Frowning the witch asked, "ok what's with those faces."
Sakura smiled sheepishly and Sora scratched the back of his head in an awkward manner, "well, actually this is something that we've been meaning to bring up for a while."
"What? What's wrong?"
"Oh no, nothing is wrong, it's just. Well, we know you have a koropokkuru spirit partner, it's just…...we can't see her" Sakura finally said.
Hermione blinked surprised, "what do you mean you don't see her? You guys always wave at Koro."
"Yeaaaah, that's because you usually would move your hair away from the shoulder I assume she sits on" Sora said with an awkward chuckle.
"I-" Hermione was flabbergasted all this time her friends could only see her speaking to thin air.
"It's nothing to worry about Hermione, most spirit partners can only be seen by their human companion unless they choose to be seen" Sora added, trying to calm down a potential panic.
"B-but my father was able to see Koro before we even became partners," the brunette retorted.
"Well, you did say she was very weak at that time, maybe she wasn't able to keep up being invisible" Sakura suggested.
"Isn't it the other way around?! She shouldn't be visible if she were weakened" Hermione asked, mind whirring in thought.
"Maybe, she was using her last bit of energy to search for someone to help and it just so happened that you and your father were there" Sora replied.
Hermione took a deep breath calming her raging mind, "you're probably right. I…...if you'll excuse me guys. I'm gonna find Koro for a bit. Let's take it easy, we only have a little over an hour left before school ends."
"You go ahead, I have to figure this out before I get home" Sakura said, as she glared at her Arithmancy book once more.
Sora sighed as he looked at the green-robed girl, "I'll help this one with Arithmancy, do what you have to do, Hermione."
Nodding she collected her belongings and waved at her friends before disappearing out the door to find her ice spirit. Heading out into the cold outdoors, her breath clear as day, Hermione found Koro sleeping in one of the trees as comfortable as can be. "Koro" the witch called out softly. Alas, the little spirit did not awaken as such Hermione had to uproot a smaller tree to levitate her off the ground and onto the branch her spirit partner was cuddled against.
Once she was seated properly on the branch with a low chance of falling off, Hermione reached over to the koropokkuru and lightly ran her fingers through the minutian's inky black hair. It was then she noticed that her little spirit that fit into the palm of her hand when they first met had grown quite significantly since they had met three years ago. Now, the little spirit was about the size of a human toddler and Hermione had to use both arms to carry her instead of just one hand.
Further, the spirit's cute round face had lost some of its roundness and her little friends' hair had grown past shoulder length. Maybe it was because they spent quite a significant amount of time together that the brunette had not noticed the changes as gradual as they were. Cradling koro in her arms, Hermione rocked the spirit back and forth humming a soft tune as she did so. "That little spirit of yours is quite lucky to have you as a partner" a gentle voice spoke.
Scanning the area, Hermione noticed the moon spirit floating in front of her, "Kaguya-sama" she said as she bowed.
Kaguya lifted her hand in stop motion, "there is no need for such formalities. After all, you were the one to help me when I was trapped in loneliness but if you must, you may refer to me as sensei much like the others in the school."
"Yes sensei" she replied, holding koro closer to her. "What did you mean about koro being lucky, if anything i'm happy to have a spirit partner as sweet as her."
Kaguya giggled, the sleeves from her kimono covering her face giving her a docile nature as she lifted her hand to stifle her laughter. "There is no need to be defensive young Mori, I was merely stating that there are few people who extend a hand to those in need particularly when it comes to spirits. Most people, especially those of non-magical descent would usually ignore or at worst exorcise spirits."
Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, "there are many spirits that cause havoc but the same would go for youkai and human beings, I know i've had my fair share of pranks and danger. It would be wrong of me to categorise every single entity or species in that way."
"Perhaps but nobody starts out hating another. They are either taught or have bad enough experiences to cause such prejudices. Of course, I am not saying that you yourself are in any way the same as such people but I do hope you bear that in mind."
"Of course sensei."
The moon spirit then nodded to Koro, "you keep that little one safe as well. Both of you are partners so you will grow and learn together."
"Is that why Koro has grown so much?" Hermione asked curiously as she glanced down at her spirit partner for just a moment.
"That is correct. Your connection with your koropokkuru will help it grow and eventually evolve from a minor ice spirit to a middle grade spirit. It feeds off your magic, and in turn your magical core will produce more magic in order to substitute the missing magic. In that way, your magic grows stronger but beware. Power without control will corrupt even the best of people."
Hermione stayed silent, pondering over the words before nodding, "I understand, I will continue to work together with Kuro and will not fall into the same problem."
Kaguya looked amusedly at the duo in front of her, "do not fret little Mori. Mistakes will occur, in fact I would be more surprised if they didn't. The most important thing is to accept the mistake and move on from it. Arrogance stifles growth while humility creates new routes, outside the scope of our current perception."
"I'm sorry sensei, I don't think i've heard that idiom before."
"I wouldn't expect you to, after all it was simply the rantings of an old woman" she replied before disappearing off somewhere else in the castle.
"Ko?" Hermione heard, gazing downwards it seemed like the little spirit had awoken from her nap.
"Morning koro, did you have a nice sleep?" Hermione asked, rubbing the ice spirits cheek as it nuzzled her hand. The minutian nodded and seemed to be struggling to say something.
"Hmm what is it?" the witch wondered.
"Ko-koro-roko-rorokoro-kormmmm-koiro-kon" the ice spirit frustratedly spoke with little indentions in her normal speech.
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but after watching koro struggle a bit longer her eyes widened and clarity shone in her eyes, "k-koro, are you….are you trying to speak?"
The spirit stopped its attempts and looked up to nod at the human. Hermione smiled in happiness as she lifted the spirit and hugged her, "oh koro were you hiding away all this time because you wanted to practice your speaking for me?" And the little spirit nodded against her shoulder as if embarrassed.
Hermione chuckled at the cute little spirit. Hearing the sound of the bell, Hermione levitated both of them back to the ground as they walked towards the witch's classroom for the 4pm registration before heading home. "Don't worry koro, i'll help you learn how to speak if you want. We're partners after all we've got to rely on each other ok" Hermione stated to which the koropokkuru agreed with an excited "KO~".
After that day, the two partners spent some time everyday going through simple vowel and hiragana exercises. The weeks flew by and it was time for the ROOT exams. The exam was a week-long affair but the months after were ultimately peaceful.
Flashback End
The cherry blossoms that welcomed spring also brought some tears to the Mori's as it was now time for Hermione to become a 1st year at Mahoutokoro. No longer would she see her father after the day ended, instead she would only be able to see him during the weekends and during holidays.
"A-and don't forget to always check underneath your bed if you can't find Mr Stuffles" Hideyoshi cried as he hugged his daughter goodbye.
"Papa! Stop crying you're gonna get snot on my clothes" Hermione whined although her eyes also shined with unshed tears.
"Did you remember to pack extra underwear?" Hideyoshi continued hysterically, voice high pitched from the continuous crying making him sound like a middle aged woman rather than the man he is.
"Papa!" Hermione screeched, her face blushing in embarrassment. "Don't talk about girls underwear."
"It feels just like yesterday when you adamantly insisted that I buy you the mashimaro panties with the tail attached to it."
At this point the little witch felt like she was going to combust, with a well timed flipendo Hermione stalked away from her father and got up on the giant storm petrel ready to take her to the school for her first day as a boarder. "Stupid papa" she mumbled as she saw him waving her goodbye, using his apron to wipe away the tears.
Once again, she took off into the skies just as she did when she was 7 years old. Unlike the first time she was no longer the new kid on the block. She was now a proper senpai (senior student) with many kouhai's (junior students). Also, unlike the previous years her uniform had a slight variation. The skirts and trousers were black rather than dark blue and the boys like Sora would now be wearing ties instead of the usual blue ribbon that came with the Class A to Class D outfit. Further, there were more cardigan options for them to wear such as a black sleeveless cardigan, a black, grey or dark blue long-sleeved cardigan to go along with the normal cream coloured one worn by the junior students. Although, Hermione felt pity that shorts were no longer an option to wear as they helped keep her cool during the summer months.
Still, the long trousers weren't horrible. At least the materials used for the summer and winter wear took into account the temperature of the season. Currently, Hermione herself was wearing said trousers as she enjoyed the fly through the sky.
Soon they had landed on the school grounds and rather than turn towards the right like the younger students, Hermione was ushered to the left. Her belongings disappeared with a pop. "We've sent your belongings to the dorm already. You will find them in the room once you've collected your boarding materials" a soft voice spoke answering the question the brunette had in her mind.
Turning around Hermione came face to face with a woman's bosom before tilting her head up, "Hello Shinohara-sensei." Shinohara Chiharu was an astoundingly beautiful woman with luscious black hair and eyes that seemed to glow purple under the correct lighting. Her pale skin, womanly figure and beauty mark perfectly allocated at the corner of her right eye gave her a traditional seductress look. Of course, behind the beautiful face laid a cruel cruel slave driver.
Hermione shivered as she remembered her month from hell when said professor had piled on textbook after textbook of arithmancy and kanji practice before they were even allowed to look at anything ancient runes. Despite her eccentric teaching techniques,Shinohara-sensei was, in Hermione's opinion, an excellent teacher. Her explanations were clear and concise. She always made time for her students and took no shit from her students. Either you were there to learn or you get out. The brunette understood though, Ancient Runes can be dangerous. One wrong stroke of a kanji and you could cause an explosion to take out half the class.
"Mori-san, how has your spring break been? Are you excited to start 1st year?" the professor asked smiling kindly.
"I did, I spent time helping my dad with his research and Koro with her speaking," the younger witch declared.
"Oh yes, I did hear from Kaguya that you were working to enhance your spirits abilities" Shinohara mused as she cupped her cheek in contemplation.
"Ummm would that be Kaguya-sensei or Professor Kaguya" Hermione asked.
The professor looked at the brunette for a moment before sighing, "ah yes there are two of them that aren't there. Dear me, it does get quite confusing with two staff members with the same name."
Hermione kept silent and nodded along with the teacher's ponderings. "I meant Professor Kaguya Mori-san. Words travel fast in a staffroom."
"I-is that so" Hermione said laughing awkwardly unsure how else to respond to the sudden revelation that the professors do gossip about their students.
"Why was I here again" Shinohara-sensei murmured aloud. "Oh yes, Mori-san please head over to the reception table located in the West Building. You know where the female dorms are located, yes."
Hermione nodded in assurance and was sent on her way with a pat on her back. Walking along the stone pathway, Hermione took her time to enjoy the plants and trees surrounding the castle grounds. The floral smell that wafted in the air brought a smile to the girls face. "Hermione!" Sakura called out happily. She was standing near the reception desk across the large pond that held multiple coloured koi fish. Hermione waved back and dashed towards the girl, the two collided in a hug as if they had not seen each other in years when in reality it was only two weeks that they had been separated. This was because Sakura and her family had visited her father's side of the family in Argentina during the spring break.
Hermione quickly registered and was given a key that looked like an omamori. Supposedly all her belongings would be kept in a cupboard which can only be opened with the omamori looking key. The key was also spelled to return to the owner to prevent students from losing or having their key stolen, which Hermione was thankful for.
The dorm rooms were separated by year groups and each year had their own floor. 1st and 2nd years would live together with their yearmates in order to promote social inclusion. Once the students reached 3rd year they would be then separated into groups of four per room. The higher the floor the older the students. Each year would then have a dorm representative to bring to attention any complaints that the students in that year may have. Those from 1st year to 4th would then have a Residential Assistant (RA) who was a 5th year student whom they can seek help from. Above them would be the dorm mother who organised everything from laundry to food for the students. At times, the dorm mother may have a 6th or 7th year interning with them who would help her in the management of the dorm.
Because NEWTS were taken in 5th year at Mahoutokoro, there were few 6th and 7th year students who lived onsite. For the 7th years this was due to the fact that their final year required an industry placement, which was usually located somewhere on the mainland and some placements required the student to move to another country altogether. For those in their 6th year who were looking into Mastery for their chosen course they would need to study under their chosen mentor, which were primarily working at research centres or institutes.
However, unlike the 7th years, the 6th years' mastery course could also be obtained through working as a teaching assistant for the professor's at Mahoutokoro whilst taking private classes and doing their own personal research in the evenings. This research would then result in a written dissertation which they had to defend before a board of experts. As such, there were quite a number of 6th (now 7th years or graduated) whom she had met who had taught her in Class A through D.
In fact, a few of her Transfiguration classes last year was headed by her very own club senpai, Ayaka. Hermione blanched at the memory of those classes. Ayaka was lucky that she was not graded on those classes or else she would have 120% failed her mastery. The memory of one of her classmates almost turning into a balloon animal because her senpai thought it would be funny still causes a dull thump in her head. However, now that she thought about it, the witch felt a bit melancholic at the idea of not seeing her senpai any longer. Accordingly, the 7th year was offered an internship at the Ministry and would therefore be staying in Tokyo for the rest of the year. 'God bless whatever department Ayaka-senpai is in because they are going to have a doozy' Hermione thought to herself.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft "'Mi" that came from above her head.
"I'm fine Koro, just thinking" Hermione replied. Koro was hanging off Hermione's shoulders though Hermione felt no weight at all due as Koro was floating in the air and using her as an anchor.
"Mi tink wa" Koro asked. Her words were still disjointed but the spirits' vocabulary and understanding had greatly increased since they started months ago. The partners could now hold a decent enough conversation before the ice spirit got stuck or stumbled on her words.
"Nothing important koro, just reminiscing."
"We-mi-ni-sing?" Koro worded out slowly.
"Reminiscing, like remembering the past" Hermione explained. This year, Hermione had chosen Ghoul studies as her optional subject much to Professor Shonihara's disappointment as Hermione was one of her best students. Although that disappointment was placated by the fact that Hermione had told her that she intended to take Advance Runes the following year along with Alchemy.
Sora, much to everyone's surprise chose Astrology as his option. After undertaking Ghoul Studies, he found himself to be incredibly interested in what many described as the Occult, which lent itself to his originally blue robe being stained with dark purple, creating a magnificent galaxy like pattern. Sakura on the other hand had predictably chosen Care of Magical Creatures with the intent to take the Magic Zoology course in 2nd year. As such, her robe was very starkly green, however unlike the light green that it had been when they were still in their foundational years it was now a solid green reminiscent of a forest. Hermione herself had gone through quite the colour scheme on her robe and once she had completed her Ancient Rune class had yellow streaks appearing at the top of her robe creating a sunset like effect.
The three friends were meeting up with Arashi, who was ecstatic that their little group was reunited once again. The physical separation of under 11's and over 11's had meant that the trio had rarely met Arashi in comparison to before when they met everyday, which was part and parcel of how the situation with the mirror demon had taken them so long to realise.
"Hey! Minna ! Koko! (everyone, here)" Arashi beckoned from a table in the school dining hall.
"Arashi -senpai" the three replied in sync as they jogged towards the table to find two not so familiar faces seated with the alchemy crazed student.
"Ano ~ Hello?" Sakura said, the ever friendly one in the group.
"Os'" an athletic boy with tanned skin replied.
"Hello" a girl with light brown hair and chestnut coloured eyes said.
"These are friends from my year," Arashi stated. He then pointed to the girl sitting on his left, "this is Maya and that…." he said, jabbing his thumb to the right, "is Jiro."
"Igarashi Maya, nice to meet you" the girl stated with a light smile.
"Endo Jirou, what's up?" the boy said with a grin.
"These guys really helped me out when I started 1st year, so i thought it would be great for you all to finally meet" he declared to the group.
Sora scratched his head, "yeah that makes, nice to meet you as well Igarashi-senpai, Endo-senpai." The other two witches also exchanged pleasantries with the older group politely.
"Hey hey why so formal. Are you guys being shy in front of your senpai" Arashi teased as he poked Hermione's cheek.
The brunette rolled her eyes and batted away her senpai's finger, "it's not like that. It's just, we should be polite when we first meet our senior's right."
"There's no need for that, just call me Jiro. I'm not really into such formal language" Jiro reveals.
Maya then sighed, "gosh you both are so loud." She then turned towards the three younger magic users, "same with myself. I'm not a fan of such things so just call me Maya. I'm assuming with Arashi around both our groups will meet often so might as well get comfortable from the beginning."
And just as she predicted that is exactly what happened. The two groups spent their breaks, lunch and weekends together. Jiro would usually try and get them all to play quidditch in the field as he was a huge Toyohashi Tengu fan (the Japanese National Quidditch Team). His reasoning was that the all Mahoutkoro quidditch players were trained in violent wind storms and avoidance was engraved into them by the time they graduated, which Hermione would agree with having seen some of their inter-school competitions and practices.
Maya on the other hand was more chilled. She, Hermione and Sora would get into long debates about magical applications of runes, how effective a spell would be on certain creatures or some other magical theory. Despite being very smart, Maya gave off a bit of a delinquent air due to her unbuttoned shirt and messy robes. Plainly put, she was the cold on the outside, warm on the inside sort of person.
Arashi, more often than not was the ringleader that threw them all into one event or another. Whether it was exploring Osaka on the weekend or exploring the island in search of rarely seen youkai, Arashi was the one to usually do so. In a way, he was like a mini mad scientist, always trying to see what new alchemy he could come up with. This, together with his Introduction to Muggle Engineering meant he was a force to be reckoned with.
Hermione enjoyed her first year with her new friends. Learning cool moves from Jiro, expanding her understanding and beliefs with Maya and getting into mischief with Arashi it was turning out well. That is, until they accidentally stumbled upon the Hyakki Yakō because if there was anyone who was going to have trouble finding them it would be Mori Hermione.
The Hyakki Yakō or Night Parade of One Hundred Demons is an uncontrolled horde of countless numbers of supernatural creatures usually consisting of oni and yōkai. One legend states that 'every year the yōkai Nurarihyon, will lead all of the yōkai through the streets of Japan during summer nights.' Anyone who comes across the procession would perish or be spirited away by the yōkai, unless protected by exorcism scrolls handwritten by Onmyōji spell-casters. It is said that only an onmyōji clan head is strong enough to pass Nurarihyon's Hyakki Yagyō unharmed.
Now, it wasn't as if they knew it was going to happen. However, considering it was summer holidays and quite late at night, the group really should have known better than to fool around. You would also think that Sora being the one who was interested in the Occult and having taken Ghoul Studies would have informed them this possibility and you're right, he did. But, in the grand scheme of fate's goal to amuse itself, his warning was not heard by well-timed car horns and strong winds. And so off the group walked, through the street of Okayama, Arashi's hometown wherein the group were residing for a few days.
Okayama city is the site of Kōraku-en, known as one of the top three traditional gardens in Japan, and Okayama Castle, which is ranked among the best 100 Japanese castles, and is also the setting for the famous folktale named Momotaro. Hence, Hermione was determined to see the beautiful architecture of the castle built many centuries ago that she too did not realise the possible risks of staying out so late. Of course, japan is one of the safest countries in the world for a group of kids to go walking around on their own but then again those kids were muggles therefore cutting the risk of meeting unlikely beings by at least half.
So there they huddled behind trees as they watched dozens upon dozens of oni and yokai make their way down the street. Some rowdy from drinking what looked to be an antique sake bottles, others walking down the path calmly with an air of nobility. And at the very front of this procession was the one and only Nurarihyon. A serious elderly looking yokai with a long head holding a katana at his side. They hoped that the notice me not charm as well as the silencing charm they had hastily cast was enough to prevent any of them from being spirited away.
Silently, they watched as more and more yokai passed by and just when it looked like they were seeing the tail-end of the parade a large shadow descended in between the 6 kids. Together they screamed and ran in the opposite direction towards the forested area. Whether the shadow was human or yokai, none of them could tell as the moon was hidden behind the clouds that evening. The terror that filled Hermione's veins as more shadowy creatures joined the chase was indescribable.
"I'm not ready to be spirited away!" Jiro yelled as the group took a left turn towards a river.
"Oh crap, what if this is one of those crossing the river means we'll die scenarios" Sora exclaimed.
"Sharp right" Maya ordered as the group continued running.
The brunette glanced over her shoulder to see the shadowy figures closing in, "Koro, ice the ground" she instructed.
The koropokkuru became visible and blasted the ground behind them with ice causing a few of the shadowed creatures to slip and fall whilst another group leapt or levitated to avoid the ice. "Of course they can float!" Hermione screamed in frustration.
It was strange to Sakura that the ice receded quickly as she had observed some of Hermione's practice sessions before and the ice would generally take hours even during the summer months before it began melting. Taking a look she noticed a beautiful lady floating in the air with inhumanly white skin and hair so dark it looked like the void. It was then she realised, "Oh seimei! One of them is a yuki-onna" she revealed hurriedly.
Hermione cursed when she heard Sakura. Koro and her were no match for a yuki-onna. At best Koro was a low mid-grade ice spirit. A yuki-onna is a high-grade ice spirit/yokai, the classification is not fixed by the Ministry. Soon the group was a dead-end, their backs against a large rock wall. Each of them had their wands out, ready to fire. They were not going to be taken without a fight. Just as they were about to shout out their respective spells, a familiar voice broke through their frazzled minds.
"Oi, is that any way to treat your sensei" Kaguya said, stepping out of the shadows.
"S-sensei, w-what are you doing here?" Arashi stuttered, adrenaline still flowing within him.
"Me? What are all of you doing out so late at night" Professor Kaguya replied, her ninetails swished as she cocked her eyebrow up in question.
Jiro fell to the ground, his unsteady legs could no longer hold him up, "i thought we were goners."
The care of magical creatures professor sighed deeply, "it is a tradition for my family members and I to join the yokai parade during the summer. It is also a good way for yokai families to keep in contact and better relationships."
"We apologise sensei, we didn't realise that we would intrude" Maya stated looking calm though her hand still shook slightly from where it was hanging slack next to her.
The professor waved it off and said with a wicked grin, "think nothing of it. I'm impressed that you were all so quick on your feet, especially when faced with yokai. You should be proud of your physical prowess, not many can almost escape the hands of yokai."
"Have you found your student's kaguya" a gravelly voice asked.
Turning around Kaguya bowed slightly, "Yes, Nurarihyon-sama. I apologise on their behalf for any ruckus we have caused."
The yokai laughed silently with a wide smile, "that's the most fun we've had during a procession in a long while. It must have been 30 years since our last chase so we've been needing the exercise."
"Indeed, I was impressed with the koropokkuru's magical capability" said the yuki-onna landing next to the head of the yokai parade. "Most do not have the same ability to even conjure ice if I do not will it."
Hermione smiled and bowed in gratitude, "you hear that Koro, you did a great job."
"T'ank 'ou" Koro said also giving the high grade spirit a bow of thanks.
"Well let's not hover around here. Let's head back to the manor, you lot are welcomed to join in the festivities" Nurarihyon stated as he turned to walk back to the mainstreet.
The group looked towards their professor for permission. The nine-tailed yokai gave an exasperated sigh, "let me send you parents a message first lest' you find yourselves in more trouble" she said, sending out a fox patronus that bounded away swiftly into the night sky.
Professor Kaguya then guided the children out of the forest and down the mainstreet when they soon came upon a large traditional japanese manor, complete with a beautiful garden and koi pond. The large wooden double doors were wide open with yokai laughing, dancing and drinking all over the grounds. "I'm warning you, don't take any drinks from any yokai other than myself and do not wander off on your own. The yokai will know you are Nurarihyon-sama's guest but they will still try to trick you into something if you are not careful" she tells them with a stern tone.
Hermione and the group nodded in understanding, keeping in mind to travel in groups should they need anything. She then brought them to a large hall where copious amounts of food laid on two large tables sat parallel from each other. "S-sensei, can we eat the food here" Jiro asked, his tummy grumbling a bit from scent in the air coupled with the running they had undergone earlier.
"Yes, take a plate and eat what you want but don't overeat and don't take food from others" she reiterated, spelling a few plates and cups for the students, who thanked her in kind. Once they collected their refreshments, the group sat near the hall's entry way, the shoji doors (sliding doors) were opened fully to allow the midnight breeze to flow through the hall. Maya, Sakura and Sora sat on the tatami mat near the entrance whilst Arashi, Jiro and Hermione sat behind them on the engawa (wooden edge of the house area) overlooking the gardens.
Arashi and Jiro were concentrated on their mountain of food and did not realise the yuki-onna taking a seat next to Hermione. "It is rare to find a koropokkuru in the city and even rarer for them to be partnered with a young mage such as yourself" she spoke with a delicate tone as she looked to pat the smaller spirit's head.
Koro had made herself visible and was sitting on Hermione's lap, eating some of the food on the witch's plate despite not needing to eat physical food. "Yes, we had met coincidentally whilst I was on a trip with my dad in Kyoto."
"She must have been in dire need of help if you found her in the old city" the ice spirit declared, wiping away the flecks of food on koro's face. Hermione kept silent but tightened her grip on Koro, only realising the true extent of Koro's desperation from that time.
"I have a proposal little mage" the yuki-onna stated turning her attention back to the brunette.
"Which would be…"
"Allow me to train your spirit partner" the yokai asked looking deeply into her eyes.
"W-what?" Hermione wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, it would be better if Koro strengthened herself but on the other hand would it mean that she would have to separate from her spirit partner. She bit her tongue not wanting to reply rashly.
"I can see that you are worried about your little friend but do not fear. The bond you have with the koropokkuru is vital to strengthening and evolving the ice spirit."
"What would the training entail?" Hermione asked hesitantly, unsure of what to make of the circumstance.
"We would take you up to the mountains to adapt your body to the low temperatures of a blizzard and enhance your connection to the koropokkuru and in turn your connection to the cold air and water."
"I don't know, I would have to ask my dad about this but-"
Her sentence was cut off by Professor Kaguya who showed herself, "take the proposal Mori-san. Yokai's are flighty beings and yuki-onna's are one of the most introverted. If she is approaching you and Koro then she sees potential in you both."
The little witch thought hard about the proposal, "I would like to but still I want to ask my dad's permission. I can't just disappear to do this, what about school?"
"I'm sure we can work out something with Headmaster Yakumo to allow the yuki-onna to come to the island to train you on certain days. There's also school holidays and weekends which we can work around" the professor replied. "As for your father-"
"I will take care of it," the yuki-onna said. "If she is to be my student then she is my responsibility."
The professor and student nodded their head in acquiescence. "I'm going home in two days. If it's okay you can come home with me and talk to him" Hermione suggested.
The yuki-onna brought her hand up to her chin in a thinking pose, "that should be fine. I shall find you when it is time to leave" the ice spirit replied before getting up and disappearing amongst the yokai crowd.
"Well, you're going to have quite the handful" the nine-tailed professor stated, taking a seat next to the witch as they both looked up at the moon, uncovered by the clouds and shining high.
Note: My bad, I forgot to update it here earlier. This is a roundup chapter and just a heads up Hermione about 2 years ahead of the average Hogwarts student rn ok. Please do comment and tell me what you think, stay awesome folks