Notes: -While the Fire Lord is official title of the leader of the Fire Nation, the spouse takes on a title Prince or Princess.
-As for the white and its symbolism I researched Chinese customs and came a crossed it. China is primarily the land that Avatar was based off of, but there is a lot of influence from different Asian Cultures.
-Muggle weapons are mentioned in this chapter. J.K. Rowling considered having the golden Trio discus using guns to murder Voldemort, but the idea was scrapped by the publisher since the world of Harry Potter is meant to be more magic less muggle, but guns can kill witches and wizards.
Avatar and the Wizarding World
Chapter FourReturn to Top
The Royal Fire Family
White curtains billowed into the Fire Lord's bedroom. They brushed up against Zuko's arm, tickling him. He could have gotten off his daybed and pushed it back a few feet, away from the curtain's reach, but he was comfortable where he lay and didn't want to move. Still, the tickling was annoying. A few months ago he would have completely torched the curtain for bothering him. It was strange to think he had completely changed from the scarred and banished prince to the peaceful Fire Lord. Zuko let out a small sigh, he was peaceful. Peaceful… yet he still singed the edge of the white curtains a bit so they couldn't touch his arm.
Watching the smoke flow from the charged fabric of the curtain reminded him something he asked his mother years ago.
"It doesn't make sense." His eight year old voice told him mom. "The Fire Nations colors are Black and Red. Everyone knows that. Why does the Royal Chamber have white curtains?"
Princess Ursa gently ran her fingers through her son's hair, brushing loose strands out of his face, "Come sit with me." She took his hand, leading him out of the palace to a stone bench in the courtyard. It was a cozy little spot, surrounded my lush, green bushes. A tree branch hung over head and dark purple leaves trickle down from it. The sound of turtle ducks came from the pond a crossed the path from them.
"Mom? Why did we come out here?" Zuko asked, confused, but she just patted his hand lovingly, encouraging him to take a seat next to her. He did.
"Look." She pointed up to a window. The white curtains flowed light and airily from the Royal Chamber. "Everyone in the palace passes through the courtyard. Generals, lieutenants, foot soldiers, guards, servants, and scholars, they all come through at least once when they enter our home. And all of them look up to see your father's and mine bedchamber. When they see our white curtains what do they think?" Zuko looked up at his mother with a curious stare. He had no answer in his little boy head for her. She smiled and wrapped her arm him, giving a small squeeze. "White means purity. Simple. Clean. These are thoughts conveyed to our people when they see white curtains in The Royal Chamber. They look upon the curtains and think 'The Royal Chamber is so nice. It looks very clean, soft, and pure. The Royal Family must be as well.' Which isn't just good for your father and I, but you and your sister as well. Do you understand Zuko?" The young princes nodded. Ursa smiled and kissed her son's forehead. "Good, now go play."
After her… her death, Zuko's father had ripped down the clean white curtains and replaced them with heavy black ones. The first few days, weeks even, the dark curtains seemed to suffocated him. They were dark and secretive. When he entered the Royal Chamber he couldn't breath. The air was stale and stagnant compared to the fresh, crisp air that the white curtains brought in. Eventually Zuko stopped going near it.
When the Royal Chamber became his own, a set of new white curtains hung in the window. But the color white took a different meaning, an almost morbid meaning. White was often worn at funerals. It represented death. Zuko never got a chance to morn his mother. There was no funeral, not paying respects, or any ceremonies to wish her well in the spirit world. She was just gone. Deep inside of him, he desperately clawed at the shred of hope that she was still alive, waiting to be reunited with her son.
Azula had taken that shred and burned it to such an extent that there weren't even ashes left.
The Fire Lord stood up and lightly grasped the white curtain. Now that his mother was gone, really gone for sure, his white room had become a tomb for her memory. His breathing grew staggered, and his eyes moist. He took a deep breath in and pressed the curtain against his face gave himself only a minute to miss his mom.
Harry and Ron stood at the familiar 9 ¾ platform, gripping their suitcases tightly. Ron's face glowed a deep red, hiding his freckles. Harry felt sick to his stomach. Both felt extremely out of place. Molly Weasley gave a motherly laugh and straight Ron's collar, and rubbed a gray smudge off of Harry's chin.
"Last year for you boys and Ginny! Oh, I can't believe I am old enough that my kids are all almost out of Hogwarts. Before you know it I will have grandkids. That is if Fleur ever decides she can sacrifice her figure long enough to give Bill kids! Now I just have to get the rest of you married and…" Neither Harry nor Ron were paying attention. They were to busy listening to their surroundings.
"Oh Gosh! Its Harry Potter! Imagine seeing him here!"
"And the Weasley Family!" "What are they doing here?"
"There youngest is still in Hogwarts. Ginny Weasley."
"I heard Harry and Ron had to come back to school!"
"Bollix! That's so not fair, why do they have to come back. Whose idea was that? He saved the bloody world!"
"Duh! Harry didn't kill the dark lord! Didn't you know Dumbledore's ghost came and killed him in order to settle the score! So Harry is coming back to school to honor him."
"Psh, where did you hear that load of rubbish? The Quibbler?"
"The Quibbler is pro-Potter."
Groups of young Hogwarts-goers gathered together gossiping. Ron's blush spread to his neck, while Harry tried to ignore them by polishing his glasses.
"Harry! Ron!" Dean Thomas's chipper voice made both the boys turned, "Boy do I have a story for you!" Ron and Harry exchanged glances with a little grin, it didn't feel as awkward returning to Hogwarts with another person repeating their seventh year.
"Go on, Dean," Harry replied, his grin growing in as he spotted Neville and Seamus boarding.
Dean wasted not time launching in to his story, "So apparently my mum didn't take to kindly to me leaving home for a year. Even though I only did it to save her and my sisters. Apparently some Death Eaters came looking for me, since they suspected me to be muggle born and all- but get this! My sister Melody shot one! I'm serious! She took her bloody pistol and shot one right through the chest! Killed him dead! Ain't that a riot? Course the others put her under the imperious curse, but a group of aurors saved her later."
Ron patted the tall boy's shoulders, "Good story, Dean, good story. But why don't we get on the train. Bye mum!" The boys gave Molly Weasley a wave, while she fussed the one final time the slide into a compartment with the other Gryffindors repeating their seventh year.
"Chocolate Frogs and the Every Flavor Beans are on Harry!" Ron announced while taking a seat next to Neville.
"Ron!" Harry laughed, feeling more excited to be a Hogwarts student now that he was sitting with his old friends just like did in the boy's dormitory, "I never said I buy everyone's snacks!"
"Oi!" Seamus shouted, "Lets play a game, everyone pony up five galleons, and whoever gets the most disgusting flavor wins the pot!"
"Your only suggesting that because you just ate two toilet water one in a row!" Neville pointed to the already opened bag of beans by Seamus's lap.
"I'm feeling lucky!" the boy replied.
Dean snorted, "Two toilet waters? You call that lucky!" They all let out a round of laughter.
Ron reached into his pocket for a handful of galleons, saying something about wanting to see if Seamus got a third bean of unfortunate flavor, but stopped when he noticed the scowl on the rest of the fellow Gryffindors' faces. The redhead turned to see a wisp of golden hair.
Draco Malfoy was boarding the train.
The Royal Council table shook as Zuko's palms slammed against it. The smell of burning wood drifted wood as the table burnt and cracked under his hands. His golden eyes focused on the small Kyoshi Warrior in front of him. "What did you say!" He shouted, his voiced echoed through the chamber, rattling the men and women in his company.
The girl before him curled up into herself, pulling the collar of her outfit slightly over her cheeks and chin, trying to avoid his gaze. Suki rested a reassuring hand on her back, and stepped towards the Fire Lord. "As Hai was saying, we were about to start our volunteer guard duty at Azula's prison when we noticed a crowd of benders at the entrance. They informed us of her break out."
Mai stood behind Zuko, her thin, boney hands grasped the edge of his chair. Her face seemed blank, void of any emotion. However, anyone who dare look into her eyes would see the tiniest pin prick of fear. "Did they say how she broke out?"
Suki shook her head, her golden headdress shined in the torch light, illuminating her deep auburn hair, "We know she melted away the cuffs on her wrists, but as for how she got the cage down… Well that's a mystery to us. I'm Sorry Zuko."
The Fire Lord balled his fists as anger surged through his veins. There was an old wives tale that firebender's blood literally boiled when they were mad. As his fists shook in fury, he was certain that it was more then a tale. "You!" Zuko shouted, pointing his finger at the Kyoshi Warrior he frightened earlier, "You watch my nation. I'll be right back." A small startled squeak escaped the girl's mouth, but she didn't protest.
"Zuko!" Mai's raspy voice called after him, she glanced at Ty Lee, who's gaze was somewhere far off and frightening. She shoved her best friend, snapping her out of her guilt-ridden state, "Come on Ty Lee!" The two friends followed after the Zuko, Suki behind them.
"Zuko! Where are you going?" His girlfriend shouted, as they headed towards the open field where the hot air balloons were stored. "I'm going to see Uncle." Zuko spat. "He'll figure out what to do about this whole Azula problem!"
Aang sat comfortably in hammock in the Western Air Temple, watching the clouds float by, "You know Appa, I've been thinking of building a city based on this new peaceful world, a place where people from all the nations can live together. What do you think?" The bison let out a soft growl-like noise, as the avatar turned to look at him. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea too." A shriek rang about the canyon that Aang's house sat in, starling the boy. The hammock rocked slightly as Aang shot up out of it. The frantically beating wings of Hawky, the poorly named hawk Sokka had purchased, came into view. The bird let out a cries of urgency as it landed on crumbing marble railing that led to a mediation room.
"Is that Hawky!" Sokka said, bursting out of his chamber with a chicken-pig rib half shoved into his mouth and another one in his hand, "Thank the Spirits he's back. You know I'm sick of everyone sending him out like he's some sort of messenger for everyone to use. First Toph and Katara send him out to deliver a message to Toph's mom, and then you and Zuko start sending messages to each other using Hawky! He's my pet. Mine!" Sokka's rib free hand stroked the feather's on the hawk's head as Aang opened the message capsule on the birds back., "Who's a good birdy, you are, Hawky, that's right, you are! Hey that's my rib!" The bird squawked as it ripped the meat off the rib bone in its owner's hand. Sokka frowned, letting his bird eat the rib.
"What's all the noise about?" Katara placed her hands on her hips as she and Toph emerged from what was left of the fountain Combustion Man blew up. The two girls were working on rebuilding it, along with other parts of the temple that were ruined, in order to provide a home to those who had lost their's in the war.
"Hawky's back and he's eating my food!" Sokka said, scowling in the direction of the bird.
"Hawky's back?" Toph cheered, "Is there another letter from my mom in there? Its been over a week since I last herd from her!"
Aang shook his head. "No, there is a letter from the Kyoshi Warriors. It says Azula escaped."
"Is it from Suki?" Sokka laughed, "She's such a kidder. Of course Azula can't escape, that be impossible."
Katara leaned over her boyfriend's shoulder reading the message, "It's from Hai, not Suki."
"Which one is that again?" Toph said while sticking a finger in her ear, scooping ear wax out with her finger nail, "They all look the same to my feet."
"She's the one with the four hair pins in her hair bun." Aang replied, gesturing to his head illustrating his point.
"Psh, like that makes a difference," Toph replied, "except for Suki they all look the same."
"Uh," Katara replied, raising an eyebrow, "I think you're missing the point. Azula escaped." They grew silent for a moment, digesting her words.
"She couldn't have escaped." Sokka whispered, "The cave-lake-prison… It was designed perfectly for hold her." He grasped the scroll with the note from Hai and read it. "She set her own wrists on fire to escape! Only a crazy person would do that! She's a crazy person!"
"Obviously," Toph snorted, "But what we need to focus on is what we are going to do about crazy pants escaping."
"Triple Security on your father." Iroh said while preparing the ingredients to make the perfect up of ginger tea. Iroh was a strong believer that there was a tea for every emotion. Ginger tea was good for soothing the feeling of dread in a person's stomach. And the way Zuko looked, he need that feeling gong quick. Iroh pressed his palm to the bottom of the tea kettle, waiting for water to be the perfect temperature for dried ginger root. "Azula might try to break him out. Your father may have lost his bending, but there are still few people who believe that the Fire Nation is the superior race of people. They'd like to see your father back on top. And of course Azula, even without my brother, is such a wild flam, she is bound to destroy anything and everything in her path."
Zuko's gaze hardened as he stared speck on the wall. Ty Lee wore an expression as equally gloomy as her best friend. Suki frowned; the news of the Azula had really taken its toll on everyone. "Rest assured my sister warriors and I will take up guarding Ozai, along with guards, and I am sure Aang and the others will as well."
"It won't be enough." Zuko muttered. "Azula's normally so cold and calculating. She defeated you and your warriors before, struck down Aang, and even wounded Uncle."
"But you defeated her before, can't you do it again?" Ty Lee whimpered, her fingers twisting the edge of her braid around her finger. "You just have to Zuko, you have too! She needs to be locked up!"
"When Katara and I took her down, she was off." The Fire Lord thought back to the battle that led to his sister's imprisonment. She was shaken, a glazed glimmer in her eyes, wild, like an animal. "But since then she's submitted herself to insanity. She's embraced the madness. Now it's a part of her. And before she was this fearsome being of fire bending, but at least everyone knew what to expect from her. But now… Now she's this new being… uncontrollable, untamed wild fire. She's unpredictable! I don't know where she'll go or what she'll do next."
The sharp whistle of the tea kettle startled the group of young adults. Iroh removed the kettle from the burner and poured five glasses of ginger tea. He sipped his cup and looked out into the group of young warriors. "Well, nephew. I guess the only to do now is wait for Azula to strike."
N/A: Well hello again XD long time no see~ I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a few months, between college, Nanowrimo, and problems with my Spleen I haven't had the time. But since the semester is out, I'm free to write as much as my heart desires :D
Um there were a few notes I wanted to make-
1) Hai, the Kyoshi Warrior I named is not an Original Character-
a href=".?title=Kyoshi_Warriors&image=Kyoshi_Warriors-png"img width="333" height="250" src="./_cb20110128050112/avatar/images/4/4f/Kyoshi_"/a
She's the one on the right of Suki. I named her XD Hai is a Chinese name, and I felt that in ordered for the story to flow easier I needed a name for a warrior. She isn't going to be a main character or anything and in the new Avatar book series that takes place after the War I am hoping she along with her fellow warriors get real names. Till then, I will name them so I won't have to keep referring to them as 'one of the Kyoshi Warriors;.
2) I wanted to reference the future book series- thus Aang talking about what will be "Republic City" where Aang's son will reside.
3) I wanted to make a individual Christmas Story for both Harry Potter and Avatar, but they will be linked to this story- I wanted to know if anyone would be interested in reading it.
That was all! Till next time, R&R-
再见!
Fair winds!
Tygersprite