Children of Prophecy

by Tendragos

What happens when two children burdened by prophecy meet? In cannon, Harry Potter never found someone that that understood what it meant to struggle under a crushing burden. An impulsive decision sends Harry on the vacation he really needed; despite what the natives choose to believe, there is an entire world of magic and wonder beyond Britain's shores.

4. Chapter 4

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Children of Prophecy

Chapter Four: A Week in Naga Nagri

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As Harry ate a big meal and turned in for the night, his tutor returned home. Entering the dining room, Chandra slipped into one of the comfortable chairs specially made for Lamia (it allowed her to wrap her coils around and out of the way) and accepted a glass of juice from her mother. After taking a long sip, she set the glass down and turned to her father, mother, and 'aunt' where they sat at the head of the table. Samarth Saha was a man in his late thirties with a tan darkening his already brown skin and his face and arms were leathery from supervising and working in the fields he owned. He was seated with Ahana on his right and Adhira on his left, with an arm around both of the women in his life. As she made herself comfortable, he greeted his daughter warmly. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Chandra began to speak. {"Auntie, you asked me to tutor the foreigner to see if he could be a good fit for our family. I spent the afternoon with him, working him through the basic exercises for the Serpent Summoning charm, and despite never casting a spell in Parseltongue he managed to conjure a large, stable constrictor of jade or emerald before the sun set. I would have brought it home for father to examine, but it seemed… especially predatory so I vanished it instead."}

Chandra's father, the man whose agriculture business supplied food and potion ingredients not only to Naga Nagri but several of India's magical schools, including Ekta, was thoughtful for a moment. {"Hmm. That is a little impressive; did you think the boy is unusually talented or just a hard worker?"}

Chandra was silent for a moment before she replied. {"Father, aside from a few breaks for water 'Harold' cast the spell once a minute or more for hours. I don't know if he's unusually intelligent or not, but he is unusually tenacious, and I would say he is at least a little more powerful than average. He might have the potential to become significantly more powerful than most wizards."}

Samarth stroked his clean-shaven face for a moment. {"Curious. Did he do anything to reveal who he is or why he came to India alone?"}

{"Not exactly. Other than his accent, the only clue to his homeland is the accent he's trying to hide and the fact that they don't treat Parselmouths; he's pretty pale too. He's changed his hair color, it doesn't match the darker hair on his arms, and he's using mundane makeup to hide something on his forehead."}

Ahana spoke up. {"I saw that at lunch. It's odd that he's covering it, whatever he's hiding must be distinctive. Did you learn anything else?"}

Chandra nodded. {"He chose to bring his new familiar, a hybrid between a Horned Serpent and Wolf Snake. It was chatty, which is normal for snakes with new intelligence. I don't think Harold even noticed she was talking to me as he worked, but she said something interesting. Apparently Harold camped in a tent last night on his way here and collected half a dozen local snakes to watch his tent while he slept."}

Her father waved his hand. {"He must have bought one of those hybrids from Creature Companions. Mondal mentioned he was considering selling them as familiars last time we spoke."}

Chandra continued, a little more urgently. {"Father, that wasn't the strange part. One of the wild snakes, a viper, bit him. It didn't bother him at all, he just cleaned the wound and watched the viper die in agony. He didn't draw his wand or cast a spell, it just died. I don't know of any magic that could do that, but I did hear this second-hand from newly-intelligent snakes so I don't know if it was exaggerated."}

Samarth shrugged. {"Keep your ears open and learn all you can, but don't push or scare him off. Teach him what you can and try to keep him comfortable, let us know if he wants to learn something you can't teach and we'll find material for you. Was he uncomfortable learning from a half-human? And what were you planning to teach him next?"}

Chandra shook her head. {"No, father. He didn't mind at all. I plan to work through more of the basic exercises until he gets a little better at pushing his will into his spells, then teach him a few basic healing charms on mice. If he chooses to continue, perhaps the day after I can start him on basic Fuinjutsu."}

Samarth nodded his head. {"Good. When you start on Fuinjutsu you will bring Fariha along and let them interact while you teach them; Fariha mentioned she was considering taking that elective next year anyway. I will talk to her about subtlety tomorrow. Well done daughter."} He drew his bone-white wand and flicked it, causing several dishes to float through a doorway, still piping hot thanks to a charm. {"You missed dinner, but we saved a few of your favorites for you. Please try to make it home earlier tomorrow: Helping us evaluate a potential husband for my daughters is an important task but spending time together as a family is even more important. It won't be too long until you children will be leaving to start families of your own, so I want to treasure the times we have together as much as possible."}

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The next morning Harry's alarm woke him early and, after realizing it was still pitch-black outside, he grumbled about forgetting to adjust his cheap watch for the new timezone. Throwing on clothes, Harry slipped through the inn until he found the clock in the hall near the entrance, adjusted his watch, and crept back to bed. Four hours later he woke up again and began his day. Thankfully he hadn't released all of the mice into the terrarium, and soon his guards were fed and his familiar was hunting for her breakfast in the large terrarium's pond. After a shower Harry looked out his east-facing window as the sun rose, most of the usual brilliance of sunrise hidden behind dark clouds. As he pulled on a clean set of clothes, the copper Kurta shirt that reached past his knees and the golden pants Harry paused as he realized how shiny the outfit was. Eh, when in Rome... With a shrug he finished dressing and picked out one of his new books after a moment of glancing at the titles. Shinier than ever before, Harry Potter walked downstairs to the inn's dining area and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast while reading 'A Student's Guide to Elemental Magic.'

He soon found himself so absorbed in reading that he barely tasted his breakfast. The book wasn't just spells, it also contained exercises, ways to get into the right mindset to use different types of elemental spells. Water magic was easier to cast if you could relax and go with the flow, ice spells worked best if you could suppress your emotions, and so on. In a bit of irony, Harry discovered that the best element for him to learn would probably be lightning, though the spells themselves were rather difficult. Harry finished his breakfast and got out a notebook, jotting down the instructions for several spells to learn when he could. Interestingly the instructions had no real wand movements; instead, the instructions were all about the exact intent, visualization, and mindset required. Hmm. If I remember right wands were a Roman invention, but they weren't really perfected until around the first few decades AD. Sure, they've been refined a lot since, but that was when they really started getting standardized. Some of these spells predate that, but others were invented or standardized after wands were introduced to India. Well, learning to focus my mind better while casting would even help at Hogwarts.

Chandra arrived early and watched Harry making notes in Japanese, with portions of his earlier writing in Hindi and English as he drifted between languages, apparently without meaning to. 'Harold's' accent suggested he'd taken a language potion, but the way he was meandering through different languages without meaning to proved it. She'd done the same herself to learn Japanese when she was learning the basics of Fuinjutsu and found it particularly useful. As she sat next down across from Harry she glanced at his book and the spells he'd picked out, noting they were all combat spells and some were fairly complicated. Harry glanced up, tearing a page of blank paper out of his mundane notebook and using it as a bookmark. {"Good morning Chandra. I didn't realize until this morning, but I forgot to pay you for your tutoring yesterday afternoon. What do I owe you?"}

When Chandra hesitated, a middle-aged woman a few tables over spoke up. {"Tutoring is usually five silver coins a day, or two for a half-day. Tutors for the more advanced subjects are more expensive."}

Without hesitation, Harry handed Chandra two silver coins. {"Have you had breakfast?"}

Chandra smiled and replied. (Harry decided that she had a nice smile.) {"Yes, I've already eaten. Do you want to try some of the spells you've been making notes on? Elemental magic isn't my strong point, I only know a few basic spells."}

Harry shrugged. {"Maybe later. I'd rather learn Striking and some healing spells; I can figure out these elemental spells later."}

Chandra nodded as Harry placed the book and his notes inside his trunk before activating the shrinking enchantment and replacing it in his pocket. Together they walked outside and Harry once again found himself distracted by the magic that collected the unending rain into columns of flowing water and directed it out into the fields around the town. Chandra saw his interest and spoke up. {"It is a clever enchantment. It was invented nine hundred years ago but the older versions tended to fail halfway through the monsoon season. The newest versions can last well over a decade without failing and the town replaces it every twelve years; this version even lets just enough rain through overnight to keep the plants healthy. Once the fields around the town have enough water we channel the water into expanded tanks for raising fish, then when the dry months come we harvest the fish and use that water to irrigate the fields."} When Harry turned to her, she shrugged and blushed. {"I may have written a summer report on monsoon enchantments while I was in school."}

The morning passed quickly as Harry worked through different exercises based around the Serpent-Summoning charm. First Harry practiced until he could replicate the success of last night's emerald serpent every time, then he worked on conjuring the serpents with specific mindsets, eventually progressing to conjuring them with instructions already in their heads. After lunch, where Harry ate one of the meals he'd purchased in Mumbai and Chandra headed home for a while, Harry summoned a mouse from his new terrarium and presented it to his tutor. Chandra cast a pair of spells on the mouse and it fell asleep.

{"I've put it into a medical coma and permanently removed its ability to feel pain, which is something you should never do with a patient. Anyway, the first spell is Perceive. It's a diagnostic spell that can only be cast in Parseltongue. It's a very useful spell but without studying anatomy you won't understand all of the results it gives you. Still, you can at least see broken bones and you'll know when you can handle something and when to get a real healer. To cast it successfully you need to shape the magic with the intent to perceive your patient, to know every ligament, muscle, and bone. The information is difficult to sort through at first which is why we're practicing on a small creature."} Chandra waved her wand over the mouse sitting on the park bench between them one more time. {"Now, your goal is to find out what's wrong with the mouse. You mentioned that you collected a few snakes? That's a good thing because you're probably going to kill a lot of mice learning this. Now give it a try; the pronunciation matters but getting the intent right is much more important."}

Harry doubted Chandra's prophecy of unintentional mouse-slaughter, but after his first try produced nothing, he pushed a lot more magic into the next attempt. Too much, because the mouse exploded, making both teens jump off the bench in surprise. Harry's Indian Cobra gratefully accepted the remains of the 'tenderized' mouse, and his other serpents dealt with the next four mice. Harry had no idea that a diagnostic spell could be so dangerous but he was extremely glad that he wasn't trying it on himself. Each time the spell went wrong Chandra gave him some advice or gently corrected him. After two dozen attempts and ten unfortunate mice, Harry almost whooped in triumph when the spell worked properly, letting him see through fur and flesh to learn… {"The mouse's front right leg is fractured."}

Chandra smiled at him. {"Very well done Harold. Now, the next spell you're going to learn is Set, a spell that will force broken bones into the proper place and provide a small amount of healing. Not enough to fully restore the bone, you'd need skele-grow for that, but enough that you could splint the break and let it heal naturally in a month or two. To cast this spell you need to visualize the bone knitting back together, see it in your mind and force your vision to become reality."}

Again Harry set to work, with similar results. After his snakes were full, Harry ended up stuffing the poor mice into a box that had come with the tent, with an admittedly shoddy preservation charm on it as he cut, shattered, mutilated, and in several cases combusted mice in his quest to learn healing magic. Each time he killed a mouse Chandra caused an injury in a different place, forcing him to practice Perceive until it was almost effortless. By the time the sun set, Harry had gained the skill to diagnose and treat broken bones, cuts that would have required less than ten stitches, and even reduce swelling in the brain or organs. (Although that last one was only to be used in an emergency.)

As he walked back to the inn there was a warm feeling in his chest at the effusive praise Chandra had given him on his progress and work ethic. None of his teachers had ever heaped such genuine, warm praise on him before. He was tempted to ignore the Lamia's words as an attempt to manipulate him, but Chandra was just so genuine in everything she said and did. The more he interacted with her, the more he wished he knew more people like her in Britain. Harry was tired that night as he turned in but it felt like he was finally making progress. Sure, he hadn't gotten to any real combat spells besides his improved mastery of the Snake-Summoning spell but knowing healing spells might save his, or more importantly, someone else's life. The only disappointment was that they hadn't gotten to learning Strike.

The next morning Chandra met Harry at the inn earlier than the previous day and she ordered a bracing cup of tea. As the slightly groggy Lamia rested with her elbows on the table, seemingly drawing caffeine directly from the steam wafting off her tea, she spoke up. {"I asked my father about useful elemental spells since you were interested in them, Harold. He gave me a few, Reit conjures a stream of hot dust or sand, Ka Gola creates an orb of fire you can control with practice, and Sardiyan absorbs heat to cool an area or create ice. Sardiyan is tricky to get right but the heat is actually absorbed and replenishes your own magic. I was thinking we would go over those first, then two more healing charms before lunch. After a break we could start on Fuinjutsu. If you don't mind, one of my half-sisters was interested in learning it as well and she wanted to join us."}

Harry replied as he nudged his breakfast with a fork, the curry dish with eggs and vegetables wasn't bad, and he didn't even dislike it, but it didn't feel like breakfast to him. {"I don't mind, but I was hoping to get started on Strike today too."}

Chandra answered him after taking a sip of tea. {"That isn't a problem, we can start that after lunch. Or push it back to tomorrow; Strike shouldn't take you long to learn, some of the healing spells yesterday were more difficult. And the hardest part, the 'trick' of Parseltongue magic is forcing your will on the spells. Before coming here, you've probably only used European spells which require a belief in words and wand movements; essentially those spells put your magic in a mental box and you only use it the way you're taught. Indian magic in general, and Parseltongue spells particular, require visualization and especially intent to shape your magic."}

Harry let out a hum before he replied. {"Is Indian magic better then?"}

Chandra raised a hand and made a waffling gesture. {"Not better, just different. European magic is very precise, very… structured, I suppose. There's a lot of different magical traditions around the world but I don't know if any of them are 'better' than others, although the different ways of using magic probably fit some people better than others. Like some of your classmates would probably excel in Indian magic, some would do best with Japanese magic, and others would find the American style fit them best."}

Harry nodded. He wasn't sure which style fit him best, but he was beginning to suspect that Indian magic, or at least what he'd learned so far was a better fit than the restrictive, stuffy magic he'd learned at Hogwarts. {"What makes American or Japanese magic different?"}

Chandra took a long sip of her tea before she replied. {"I don't know anything about American magic I'm afraid. We get a few exchange students every year, but I don't know any. One of the Professors at Ekta is a Western American, he teaches an elective for upper years about learning to become an animal. I heard it's an interesting course but it isn't something Lamia can learn so I never looked into it. I only know a little about Japanese magic, it seems to focus on flow and elegance, gracefully shaping your magic as if you were weaving cloth or dancing."}

That sounded interesting to Harry, but he said nothing about his future travel plans. Just because no one from Britain had found him yet didn't mean he wasn't being looked for; while he was certain Chandra wouldn't sell him out, it was safer for her if she didn't know where he planned to head next. While he wished he could be certain that he'd given everyone the slip, Harry wasn't that arrogant, despite what Snape would say. In fact… {"Chandra, would you happen to know a spell that could create a person-shaped object? Something that could fool detection charms into thinking a person was sleeping in a bed?"}

Chandra gave Harry a knowing smile. {"While that person was actually sleeping in a trunk? Harold, if you're in danger my home has several guest rooms we'd be happy to let you use. Father warded our home himself; it's probably the safest place in Naga Nagri."}

Harry paused in thought. Chandra had been a perfect tutor and with the dedicated individual attention of a competent teacher he was learning faster than he ever had before. (The more he thought about it, the more it seemed absurd that the only time he'd ever gotten personal attention was Lupin's Patronus instruction and that was only because he'd begged the man after he'd had such a bad reaction to Dementors. After three encounters with a dark lord, not to mention attacks by Dementors, basilisks, and werewolves, it was completely ridiculous that he couldn't get a tutor in Britain.)

Chandra seemed invested in his success and she had given him more honest encouragement and praise than anyone else in his life. Harry found himself genuinely growing fond of her and he'd already developed a stronger crush than his infatuation with Cho Chang. As Harry pondered her offer, he considered spending more time with her, maybe even spending the whole summer if they offered. He wasn't an idiot; Chandra's 'aunt' Ahana had explicitly told him that his ability to speak Parseltongue and his racial and genetic background would make him and his bloodline highly sought after. He also knew that polygamy was both socially acceptable and common in India; he might even end up married to Chandra and one of her half-sisters. But Harry also knew if he accepted her offer he could easily end up never wanting to leave. A month ago he would have accepted, would have been happy to find a place where he belonged, where he didn't have to struggle to fit in. But the memory of the graveyard, of Voldemort's voice ordering Wormtail to 'kill the spare' and the flash of green light that ended Cedric's life was still giving him nightmares.

Harry looked into Chandra's eyes and for a moment all he could see was her corpse on the ground with the rest of her family, their home aflame as he lay bloody and broken at Voldemort's feet. He swallowed nervously as he shook off the imaginary result of his choice. But it could become real so very easily. No, no matter how much I would enjoy that, my wants and desires come second to the safety of Chandra's family. {"No. I wish I could Chandra, but it wouldn't be safe. People are looking for me. I think I got here without anyone the wiser, but there's a reason I asked for a room far away from others with people in them. I won't endanger your family."}

Chandra looked at Harry for a moment, taking him in. Once again, her eyes drifted to the mundane make-up that he was getting better at applying to his forehead, then to the dyed hair on his head that didn't match the darker hairs on his arm. She'd noticed these things before, but it hadn't really sunk in that Harold was actually in danger. Her gut churned at the thought of this good kid, just growing into a man, facing the kind of people he was implying were after him. Sure, she had started tutoring Harry to find out whether or not he would be a good fit for herself and/or one of her sisters, but she had already decided that he was an honest, hardworking, decent person. So her next words were an easy decision. {"I'll speak to my father when we break for lunch. He knows at least a few dangerous spells and more about warding than anyone else in Naga Nagri. He's usually pretty busy but I'm sure he can make at least a few hours to give you some pointers."}

Harry smiled at Chandra. In most other people he would expect a plot or that she wanted something from him, but he found the Lamia was easy to trust. Well, she does want something, but it's just a potential place in my family for her or/and a sister. {"I really appreciate that Chandra. Things back home are… going to get bad. A useful spell or ward might save lives."}

If most of the people she knew had said that with a straight face Chandra would assume they were lying, but she found herself believing Harold. {"Well for today let's start with those elemental spells, we can start with either the ones my dad suggested or the ones you picked out. Do you mind letting me read the book you were looking through yesterday?"}

Harry nodded, setting down today's book, 'Intermediate Defense against Dark Creatures,' and pulling his shrunken trunk out of a pocket. While he finished eating and made a few notes about a ward that detected weretigers, (Voldemort was known to use werewolves and he suspected the ward would work on them as well) Chandra read through the instructions for the spells Harry had picked out, noting they were difficult but doable given what he had already accomplished. (Harry also made a note to find out more about weretigers, since although they were recognized as dangerous when transformed they were not as shunned as werewolves were in Britain.) She was pleased to see the spells her father had noted down were in the book, with one in each of the book's three categories of Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Harry had chosen two spells, both intermediate, and she read through the instructions. The first created a localized earthquake to disrupt an opponent's footing while the second created a small animal out of an element with pre-programmed instructions.

After breakfast, Harry proved his magical ability when he managed to successfully cast Reit in half an hour, coating the ground in sand that was hot to the touch. Six attempts later, Harry achieved what he really wanted and created sand hot enough to burn flesh and kill the park's grass. Chandra simply shrugged and told him to keep practicing. {"You'll have to buy some grass seed for a copper coin or two; when we're almost done for the day I'll teach you a really easy spell that makes simple mundane plants grow. It doesn't work on magical plants, but you can regrow the field here pretty easily."}

Harry nodded and kept going. Ka Gola took a good deal longer, almost two hours, but as the small ball of hot flame hovered above the flash-boiled grass, Harry knew the spell was worth the effort as he used his will to make it fly around him, not even needed to direct it with his wand after a while. After that Chandra guided him back to healing spells, promising to return to elemental magic the next day, if not sooner. {"This next spell isn't something a fully trained healer would normally use. The spell's name and incantation is Reject, and what the spell does is remove magic that doesn't belong. Compared to the 'proper' methods, this one is blunt and usually wasteful; you are forcing your will and power to disrupt and destroy a curse or other hostile magic. Reject is basically throwing brute force against a hostile spell and hoping you can overpower it. Most healers focus more on fine skill and finesse than brute strength, but you might have the power to use this spell effectively."}

With the promise of having a spell that could counter curses, Harry leaped into practice, but this spell proved difficult. By the time lunch rolled around, Harry realized he needed to restock his supply of mice. (He felt bad, he really did, but he was no stranger to dead rodents; Hedwig had cured him of squeamishness years ago. It wasn't like the rodents were dying for nothing either, learning to heal might save the lives of his loved ones; compared to possibly saving Hermione or Sirius, rodents just didn't compare.) Eventually Chandra interrupted him as she rose off the picnic table where they'd been working and flicked her wand, cleaning and disinfecting the surface. {"I'll see you in forty-five minutes Harold. When I get back I'll take you to the only shop in town that carries Fuinjutsu supplies."}

Harry nodded and quickly helped himself to the next meal he'd purchased in Mumbai, watching some of the other students practice while he ate. As Harry bit into some kind of spicy pork wrapped in a very thin piece of bread with strangely seasoned rice and mashed beans he decided he was pleased with his progress. He'd have to practice both the flame and sand spells more, but they would both be useful the next time he fought for his life. Shield spells usually don't protect from all directions, so the flame spell can attack from behind while I attack from the front, and the sand spell can burn feet and distract. I wonder… if I find a spell to control the conjured sand, whip it into a whirlwind, would that block an Unforgivable curse?

Harry continued his musings as he ate, even jotting down a few ideas to look into later. After he finished eating, he got up and checked the time. Chandra said she'd meet me at the inn, but I still have twenty minutes. I could ask about the kneazles, I'm almost out of mice anyway. With nothing better to do, Harry headed back to Creature Companions. As he entered the store, he saw Mr. Mondal levitating one of the more striking hybrid snakes he'd seen in the back of the store into a terrarium near the entrance. Being polite, Harry waited until the man was finished and had sealed the glass door before speaking. {"Excuse me, Mr. Mondal. I had a few questions about your kneazles."}

The old man nodded his head and gestured to the cages that included the most elaborate cat house Harry had ever seen. As they walked over, Harry spoke. {"I'm going to be leaving before too long, and I thought your kneazles were very impressive. They're larger than the ones back home and I've never seen a domestic cat with those colors."}

Mr. Mondal spoke, his words a little harsh but his tone was still friendly. {"Get on with it, I don't have all day. Ask your questions."}

{"Do you sell unaltered males? I was thinking of breeding them back home."}

The old man nodded. {"We don't castrate them like the mundanes do to their pets. Part of what makes a kneazle a useful animal is tied up in their natural hormones; take that away and they just get fat and laze around all day. Sure you get the occasional problem, but kneazles are smart enough you can train them to do almost anything with a little patience."}

Harry nodded. {"That's good to hear. My second question was, ignoring any laws or regulations back home, could you breed a kneazle to a big cat, like a lion?"}

Mondal nodded, a sharp grin on his face. {"You can indeed, but the kittens will probably be sterile. Young man, are you by chance hoping to create a hybrid with the kneazle's ability to sense the untrustworthy, their supernatural strength, and the loyalty that drives them to defend their owners to the death in the body of one of nature's most perfect killing machines?"}

Harry looked the old man in the eyes, suspecting he would appreciate an honest answer more than an obvious lie. {"Yes. Back home a bunch of merciless killers bribed their way out of prison and now they're moving again. A friend has a male kneazle that's old and ugly as sin but it still has claws. I want a lot of innocent people back home to have the same thing, but bigger, meaner, and more deadly."}

Like any town, rumors spread fast in Naga Nagri. Mr. Mondal had an advantage in getting gossip about Harry since one of his old friends owned the town's bookstore. Lucille had told him what the boy had purchased from her store; in a word, he was looking for the spells he'd need to fight a war. Dali's recommendation and the fact that the boy was in the park learning healing spells along with combat spells spoke well of his character, so Mondal had little problem helping the boy out, as long as he paid a fair price anyway. {"I can sell you a few, along with a copy of my notes on breeding kneazles with big cats on the condition you don't try to sell them in India. The ones on display are actually one-sixteenth big cat, and not all of them are actually virile. Give me a few days and I'll have two young, healthy males for you that will serve for your little project."} With their business concluded, the man smirked at Harry and continued. {"Now, is there anything else you need?"}

{"Another sixty mice. It turns out that healing spells can go wrong and I'm running out."}

Mr. Mondal laughed. {"Head up to the front, I had my nephew restock the mouse boxes earlier."}

Harry wished the man a good day and went about his business, images of kneazles the size of ponies mauling Death Eaters dancing through his head.

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After returning to the park Harry met up with his tutor and her half-sister Fariha; thankfully she respected his personal space this time. She even apologized for crowding him when they first met. After a quick side trip where a few copper coins bought enough grass seed to regrow half of the park they headed to Vishesh Sthir, or 'Special Stationary.' As they entered the town's specialty shop, Chandra spoke up. {"I should have said this earlier, but the supplies for Fuinjutsu aren't exactly cheap. You need a brush with special properties, and the ink for the actual magic isn't cheap either; the plants they're made from don't grow here without a special greenhouse so it's hard to make your own."}

Harry just nodded his head. {"I might be able to grow the plants back home, or I can build a greenhouse. If Fuinjutsu will let me have prepared spells on my skin, ready to use anytime? I'd pay a lot more than this store is asking for the supplies I need."}

Both Chandra and Fariha saw Harry rub the jagged, still-healing scar on his arm but didn't mention it. Instead, Fariha gave Harry a quick tutorial in haggling in Parseltongue as she demonstrated in Hindi. She and Harry both purchased a beginner's package which included brushes, ink, and a small supply of paper specifically made to interact with the ink. (Also a much larger supply of ink and paper that would not create any magical effects to practice with.) They also received a long lecture on why they should never attempt a seal on their own bodies until they could produce the seal on the paper perfectly at least ten times. After learning that faulty seals often exploded, both teens agreed.

Harry found he enjoyed spending the afternoon at one of the park's tables, working to copy the first exercise with the non-magical brush and ink that had come with the beginner's kit. Despite how boring it was, learning to draw specific shapes with a new implement while Chandra shared her admittedly limited knowledge of Fuinjutsu, Harry found he greatly enjoyed himself. As they worked he realized it would take a lot of practice to actually create something useful; the lines he was practicing were not simply artistic, but when applied with magical ink laced with his own blood would dictate the flow of magic within the seal. Even the simplest seal would take Harry ages to create until he improved, not even counting the magical component. Compared to learning spells this was slow and methodical, but somehow Harry found he liked the meditative pace and the relaxation that came with it.

The last half-hour of the day's tutoring involved Chandra teaching Harry how to use a levitation spell to spread grass seed and then the charm she'd promised to teach him. It really was a simple spell, and soon the bits of lawn he'd killed earlier were verdant and green again. As he said goodbye Harry told them that he had truly enjoyed the day and they made plans to have breakfast at the inn the next day. He found himself looking forward to learning the 'Strike' movement spell.

As the sun set and he walked back to the inn after saying his goodbyes to the two sisters, Harry felt strangely peaceful. That night he smirked as he helped a near-copy of himself into the inn's bed and slipped a pair of serrated muggle hunting knives into its hands. Chandra had created it for him with the Snake-Summoning spell and it was almost an exact copy of him except for the snake-like eyes and serpentine tail coming out of its tailbone. Still, to anyone except Moody it would be a perfect replica with the sheets pulled up and Harry couldn't help but smile to himself as he arranged his pet snakes, along with a few he'd conjured just before his tutor had left. Anyone breaking in to attack him would be in for a nasty surprise. In addition to the various painful and deadly venoms, he was pretty sure one of his conjured snakes had a bite that would have any wizard tripping balls for days. With his trap set, Harry donned his invisibility cloak for the first time since leaving Britain, stepped onto his rented flying carpet, and left his room behind. Moments later his tent was set up on a roof taller than the inn and Harry darted inside just in time; the monsoon ward flickered, and rain poured down to water the plants growing around the town.

In the morning the sun rose, again hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. Harry rose, slipped back into his room with no one the wiser, prepared for the day, and ordered tea in the dining area. As he sipped tea and waited for the sisters to join him Harry began reading a new book, 'An Introduction to Warding.' It was a complicated subject, but it would probably be worth reading. I've heard a little about wards and how they fail. I wonder if you took a little from different magical traditions and blended them together, made something that had all the strengths of the ward styles of Britain, India, and Japan, if it would work. Maybe that isn't even possible, but I bet I could still create better wards by understanding the different types of magic. Maybe layer different kinds of wards?

Eventually Chandra and Fariha joined him and they ordered breakfast together. As they ate, they discussed their plans for the day. Chandra went first. {"Harold, I was planning to teach you 'Strike' first thing today, then review the spells you've already learned. I spoke to my father, and he agreed to join us around eleven to give you a few tips on warding and combat. He's very busy, so try to make the most of his time."}

Harry nodded. {"I will. Thank you for asking him to come."}

Chandra smiled at Harry and replied. {"You are welcome Harold. He should be here for about an hour or so, then after lunch I was planning to help you work on Reject and maybe start on Remain, a medical stasis spell. Fariha will be learning with you since she wants to brush up on her healing."}

Fariha was sitting a little closer to Harry than he would have liked, but she wasn't forcing her way into his personal space like the first time they met. Privately he was a little amused at the girl's actions, finding her honesty refreshing: The perky dark-haired Indian girl wanted to build a relationship with him and eventually marry in the hopes of their children and grandchildren being born Parselmouths. But to Harry's surprise the more she learned about him, the more she seemed to want him. (Back home, most people seemed disappointed when he failed to measure up to the fiction of the boy-who-lived.) Fariha replied, joy in her tone. {"I'm not really suited to be a healer; I've never really been the calm, studious type. I'd much rather be up and doing something, but there's no reason not to learn a healing spell or two, especially Remain. I even brought a box of mice; with so many Parselmouths in the house I think we have seven or eight snake familiars now so father created a massive terrarium with a forest, jungle, and plain to raise feeder animals in."}

Harry replied after swallowing. {"That's impressive. I bought a feeder terrarium myself, though after learning those healing spells I had to buy more mice."}

As the younger teen laughed, Harry was surprised by how comfortable he felt around the two sisters. Maybe it was the fact that he often felt like an outsider in Britain, but the more time he spent away from his homeland being treated as a person instead of a freak, a celebrity, a budding dark lord, or an attention-seeking liar, the less he wanted to go back.

=[\'*.*'/]=

Back in the park again, Harry listened intently to Chandra as she began to explain Strike. {"As you probably know, just about every magical community uses Apparition because it is relatively easy to use and requires little magic. Strike is different because it is a Parseltongue-based spell, it is a little more complicated to use, and it requires line of sight. Harry, you asked me if Anti-Apparition Jinxes block Strike, and it turns out the answer is complicated. Some do, some do not; there are spells designed specifically to block Apparition, which Strike will ignore, and some designed to block many different forms of travel which will stop Strike. However the second kind of Jinx is more complicated to cast and is used less frequently. You won't really know which has been cast until you try, but a benefit to using Strike is that if a ward prevents you from using it, all it does is throw off your balance, it doesn't splinch you. Now, to successfully use Strike, you need to focus on a place you can see and will yourself there, imagine your body turning to water or fog and flowing to the new space in a heartbeat, then returning to normal."}

Chandra demonstrated and Harry felt every hair on his body stand on end when she blinked from one side of the park to the other and then back. {"The sensation you felt is from my magic spreading out to cover the entire park in the split second my body didn't exist, then that magic being sucked back into my body when I reformed. Any magical creature for at least two blocks will sense you use this spell and it will give them the same sensation you just felt. Now gather yourself and try."}

Chandra waved her wand and a red circle appeared on the grass about thirty feet away. Harry gathered his magic, willed himself forward, spoke the incantation, and fell onto his rear when nothing happened besides his body jerking. Fariha reached down and helped him up. {"Everyone does that at first Harold. Ready to try again?"}

Harry tried again, and again, and again. It took him three hours, but he eventually managed to appear in the target. Sure, he could have probably done it faster without Chandra and Fariha cheering him on and distracting him, but he wasn't going to complain about something so pleasant. He spent the next half-hour practicing, moving around the park faster and more accurately. There was an early failure where he managed to break his nose by smashing into a tree before he learned to control his momentum, but Chandra proved her skill and when she finished he couldn't even tell his nose had been injured. Apparently having any kind of momentum on the other side of the teleport meant you were pushing too much magic into the spell.

Around one Samarth Saha arrived in the park and greeted both his daughters with a hug. Harry smiled at the familial affection that he'd always missed, and waited patiently for Samarth to acknowledge him. {"I apologize for being late, a fallen tree damaged a water tank in the back field and I had to fix it before the expansion collapsed. Now, I understand that you're looking to learn a few things about magical combat and warding, young man?"}

Harry stood up straight and looked Chandra's dad in the eyes. {"Yes sir. The whole reason I'm here in Naga Nagri is so I can make a difference back home."}

Samarth nodded, his eyes focused on Harry, obviously judging him. {"Then it is a good thing tutoring certifications never expire. Pay attention, first I am going to cast a dueling ward to keep our spells from hitting bystanders."} Harry nodded, glancing around there were over a dozen pairs of tutors and students in this area of the park, and who knew how many further away. {"Once the wards are up, we will duel twice so I can get some idea of what will help you most. The only restriction is no spells that cause permanent injury, I don't need to explain new scars to my wives."}

Harry chuckled, both at the idea of a tough-looking man with a leathery face being hesitant to face his wives and the reminder that polygamy was common in India. Still, he managed to get the incantations written down on a pad of paper before it was time to duel. In the first duel, Harry cast a Shield Charm and played defensive with minor curses. After Mr. Saha berated him for being too timid, Harry was more aggressive in the second duel, opening with a Reductor curse. When Samarth raised a shield to block it, Harry cast the explosive spell again on the ground between them, giving him time to conjure a trio of serpents before the dust cleared and he began throwing his entire repertoire of spells at his opponent. This time, instead of shielding, Harry mostly dodged incoming spells and focused on his offense. Despite his best efforts he didn't manage to overwhelm his opponent but they were stalemated until Harry made a mistake, flooding Samarth's half of the dueling area with burning sand with the 'Reit' spell he'd just learned. To his surprise, instead of the sand even distracting his opponent, Samarth simply conjured a gale of wind that blew Harry's sand back onto him.

Samarth spoke as they were both being treated by Chandra a few moments later. (To his surprise, Harry had managed to get a spell through Samarth's defenses and fracture a rib.) {"Harold, who taught you to duel? You have the potential to be great, between your reflexes, situational awareness, and magical strength but your spell choices are all over the place and you have no flow at all; you were tripping over yourself. You should have made your school's dueling team as a first year and had all this straightened out already; even if you didn't try out, any instructor worth a damn should have seen your potential and recruited you."}

Harry laughed in spite of the burns Chandra was treating on his face and hands. {"My school doesn't have a dueling team. We had a dueling club that only had one meeting where I outed myself as a Parselmouth."} Harry shrugged. {"I had some friends help me learn combat spells, but they were in my year. We tried, but there wasn't much in the school library on dueling either."}

Samarth shook his head sadly. {"Whatever backwards hedgewitch school you're attending is squandering your potential. If you'd started at even the worst school in India and tried out for a dueling team, Ekta would have fought to get your transferred after the first semester's dueling competition. I hope you will consider transferring. I'm sure with enough work you could make Ekta's reserve dueling team in the coming year, then you could advance to the primary team for your last few years of school."}

Harry admitted to himself that transferring schools was looking more and more tempting. Instead he promised Mr. Saha that he would look into it and pulled out his notepad as the man began to speak, giving him an overview of how to improve, how to change his approach so one spell flowed into the next gracefully. {"Some duels can be won in seconds but against more difficult opponents you will need to be efficient, graceful, and ruthless. Using the least effort required to defeat an opponent is both practical and will help demoralize your opponents. Now your flow will improve as you practice and master more spells; the more variety you have the better you can adapt to different opponents. For example, I will teach you that wind spell I used to counter your sand in a few moments. But always remember that there is a difference between learning and mastering a spell."}

Samarth ended up spending three hours with Harry and he imparted much of his knowledge. It turned out that despite being a farmer by trade he'd been forced to deal with marauders stealing his potion crops, dark wizards poaching his magical menagerie, and even pirates stealing his shipments as they sailed from India to other ports. Not only did he fight himself, he trained his employees to protect themselves and their livelihoods. At the end of three hours where Samarth had interspersed lectures with spars Harry was sweaty and exhausted; his muscles ached from dodging spells and a bevy of mostly-healed injuries and his magic felt drained. So when Chandra suggested he take the afternoon off to recuperate, Harry agreed.

He paid his tutors the standard rate and limped back to the inn, took a shower after setting out his decoy and asking Saska to stand guard, positioned his trunk and fell into bed. Two hours later, Harry woke up hungry and headed downstairs for a meal. Before leaving his trunk, Harry glanced through the stack of books on his desk. Deciding he should at least glance at the books Dali had sent him to buy at Secret Knowledge, he picked up the first two, along with the practice supplies for Fuinjutsu. Later, as he started his second order of Tandoori Chicken (the first hadn't lasted long) he opened the first book, glad everything he'd bought at the bookstore had protective charms on them. 'The History of Magically-Created Species' turned out to be a riveting read, nothing like the dry, boring history books he was used to. Even 'The Ethical Creation of Magical Species,' which contained the instructions for creating a new species and all of the many variables that were part of the process, was riveting.

Harry was surprised, but not as surprised as he could have been to see that many magical creatures, sapient and not, were the result of magical experimentation. Gryphons, Hippogryphs, Chimera were obvious in hindsight while others were less so. Centaur had been created by the court wizard of Attila the Hun and after Attila's death the Centaur had scattered to the four winds. They had survived as loose tribes that raided human settlements near open plains until Genghis Khan united all of the human and centaur tribes of Mongolia under his banner and proceeded to conquer most of Asia. The species' time as part of the Mongolian Empire fueled an incredible change in them and over the next hundred years they shifted away from raiding human settlements to trading their services as healers and seers to humans for their livelihoods. For the first time, Harry really thought about the downsides of the Statute of Secrecy; the Statute had destroyed the Centaur's way of life and forced them to fend for themselves in places the muggles couldn't reach. From healers and advisors to kings to hiding in enchanted forests… No wonder they're not very fond of wizards.

Moving on, he learned Veela were apparently the creation of a dark lady around the year 800 AD, originally intended to act as 'soft power' agents and enforcers; they were a hybrid of succubi and the now extinct harpy. What fascinated Harry the most was that the Veela had originally exclusively appeared as the vicious birdlike shapes he'd seen at the World Cup, but fifteen hundred years of the all-female race reproducing with humans had given them the forms they usually wore and much softer personalities. They had mellowed from the cruel and vicious creatures they started as to a being that could and did coexist with humans. In fact, as Harry read, he realized that was a very common trend in magically created creatures; those that bred with humans gradually gained more and more human traits until their children were simply born as humans. How long that took depended on a complex web of factors; apparently Lamia normally bred out after four to six generations while the Veela still remained a distinct race after fifteen hundred years. Harry's book mentioned that Kitsune were an outlier that remained virtually unchanged after three-thousand years. Wait… those girls with the serpentine tails I've seen around town. Are they part Lamia? They are, and that's probably the origin of Parseltongue, Lamia that have 'bred out' influencing human family lines. I wonder what the Purebloods would think if they learned Salazar Slytherin was descended from a Lamia or Naga?

Eventually, Harry came to the chapter on house elves, and immediately his heart went out to Dobby. The elves had once been an immensely violent sub-sapient species that lurked in a labyrinthine network of caves deep under Europe. According to various researchers, it was possible these black, not dark, but pitch black, elves were not native to Earth. Apparently there was a long-held belief that there were many populated worlds in the universe and many ancient accounts described great currents of magic that ebbed and flowed: In antiquity these 'Astral Winds' had allowed travel to many worlds in the Great Beyond but over time the currents had shifted and Earth had been isolated. (Harry made a note to learn more about these old accounts when he could.) Regardless of their origin, it was generally accepted that these dark elves had once been sapient but a curse beyond human reckoning had left them as beasts.

Expeditions into the deep caves were extremely dangerous but brave souls had collected these elves for study. While directly breaking the curse that had robbed the elves of their minds was beyond the researchers, a few clever souls had created a plan. Starting around the year 1,000 the elves were bound as servants in the hopes that over time the magic binding them to their masters would free their minds, chipping the curse away one flake at a time. The plan was for the original sample of elves to reproduce amongst themselves to intensify the effect until they regained intelligence, then humans and new 'wild' elves would be added to their gene pool. If the plan had been followed, eventually a new species would have walked the Earth, elves like something out of Tolkien's books. Instead, one of humanity's enemies had intervened.

Goblins, driven out of their caverns in modern-day Russia by an alliance of Dwarves and Humans at the end of a bloody war, settled in the caves between the surface and the deeper caves where the feral elves roamed. Since that time, no human had ever traveled to the deep caves and returned alive. Although dangerous, pre-goblin expeditions had made the trip many times; when asked, the Goblins would simply smile and say the deep caverns were dangerous. In the centuries to come, the goblins would claim they had conquered even the deepest and most dangerous caverns and eliminated the elves, though most scholars believed the goblins had simply walled those caverns off instead. With the access to the deep caverns cut off, the rulers of Europe's magical enclaves made the decision to preserve the elven species and forbid humans from diluting the elves' bloodlines; ensuring that the elves would continue as a distinct species instead of simply subsuming into humanity over time. Harry paused, closed the book and stared at the decorative, cold blue fire burning in the inn's hearth. The minutes ticked by as he watched specs of frost drift out of the blue flames, helping to cool the room. Well, that explains why house elves look so… pathetic compared to other magical species. They've been inbred to a ludicrous degree and according to this they look nothing like their ancestors. I wonder if there's anything I could do to help? Something to look into later I suppose.

The afternoon trickled into evening. Harry kept reading and watching the people around him as the inn filled for the evening rush and then slowly emptied. After he read through the general histories of various magical creatures he started the introduction to the process for creating a magical species. To Harry's surprise, the recommended process presented in the book was not as difficult as he had expected. Sure, there was a complex potion that he had to brew himself, vials of blood were required reagents, and there was a tricky bit of magic, both ritual and wandless involved, but according to this book the most important part was the fact that love was an essential part of creating a new species. In fact, there were a dozen pages dedicated to the different kinds of love and what effects they would have on the creation process. As Twilight passed into night and the inn's bar closed, Harry looked up to find himself alone with only the succubus he'd seen a few days ago. Sure, there was one of inn's servers wiping down the last few tables, but other than that they were alone.

With a smile, the succubus walked over to him and sat down across the table. {"Hello. Do you mind if I join you?"} When Harry shook his head, she continued. {"It's nice to meet you, my name is Samira."}

Harry replied. {"Please call me Harold."}

Samira gave Harry a warm smile and leaned back, drawing his attention to her bountiful breasts as he examined her more closely. It was often difficult to guess a witch or wizard's age, and even more difficult with magical species but Harry guessed Samira was only a few years older than he was, maybe seventeen or eighteen. {"I've seen you around town a few times, learning healing spells in the park with that Lamia from the Saha family. Is that the only subject you're interested in?"}

Harry smiled and shook his head. {"No, I'm trying to fill in the gaps in my skills. I've learned a few elemental spells and some Parseltongue magic too. I suppose I should should get some tutoring in potions as well."}

Samira replied, and Harry found himself drawn in by her friendly demeanor. She glanced at the book he'd been reading; Harry had closed the book and marked his place which let her easily read the title. {"Oh my. Creating a magical species, how ambitious. Are you reading for curiosity, or do you plan to actually pull it off?"}

Harry leaned back in his chair in thought. {"Before I started reading I would have said it was just curiosity, but after… I think I will try it out when I have the chance. In Mumbai Dali sent me here to buy a magical creature and this book, and the rest of her advice seemed sound."}

Samira smiled before she continued. {"Hmm. Even a country succubus like me knows about Dali. Did you know that she's the entire reason girls like myself can attend India's magical schools? Before she made her case to the Mage Council, succubi mostly learned at home, or from hired tutors if our mothers were wealthy enough."}

Harry replied. {"She did give me a copy of the 'Mage Council testimony' from '89. I keep meaning to listen to it, but I've been so busy."}

{"You should, it's fascinating stuff. You should also talk to your tutor about what it means to be an artificial species, she's obviously a second generation Lamia."} At Harry's expression, she continued. {"That means her father shaped her mother, probably from some exotic snake. Parselmouths, they always end up with a collection of exotic serpents they find interesting."}

Harry opened his mouth to object, then paused when he remembered that he, in fact, had nine snakes resting in a terrarium inside the shrunken trunk in his pocket. (He had arrived in Naga Nagri with six snakes, but two more had simply joined the others the night before. Given that they were native to Africa and South America, he assumed they were escaped/lost familiars.) {"You know, I want to argue that last point, but I have a half-Horned Serpent familiar and my collection of other snakes seems to be growing while I sleep. I'll talk to Chandra tomorrow, it might be interesting."}

Samira replied with interest in her voice. {"You should, you might get some ideas for your own project. And if you need a potions tutor let me know, I'm in here most days looking for 'meals.'"} Seeing Harry understood what she really meant, she continued. {"Speaking of meals, I normally wouldn't ask a foreigner but would you mind doing me a small favor? It seems like my mother has befriended half the town, she can knock on any door and get what she needs or even end up in a threesome without even asking, but I'm not as social. Would you mind if..."}

Harry thought for a moment; on the one hand, his hormones were roaring for him to take her back to his room and do everything, but… Well it wasn't paranoia if they really were out to get you. Her comment about foreigners made sense, from conversations he'd overheard, 'it isn't cheating if it's with a succubus' had become a common opinion in India; that attitude was part of the cultural shift that brought succubi into civilized society. But what really made his decision was the fact that he wanted his first time to be more meaningful than just feeding a succubus. Even if nothing else she'd told him was true, Dali was right that Harry desperately wanted a family of his own, he wanted a wife much more than he wanted a girlfriend or one-night stand. Still, he came to a compromise. {"I'm not going to sleep with you, but I wouldn't mind oral if you're willing."}

Samira threw head back and laughed. {"Oh Harold, of course I'm willing."}

She winked at the server cleaning tables and the woman shook her head in amusement, muttered about not making a mess, and left them alone. Samira walked around the table and slunk to her knees in front of Harry. {"Please master, let your servant please you."} Winking up at Harry, she continued. {"Be as rough as you wish, my only wish is to please you."}

Harry wondered if he should be worried by what two different succubi seemed to think he wanted in a partner. Instead, he decided to worry about that later and smirked down at Samira. {"Go ahead."}

With that the succubus opened his fly and got to work. As far as first sexual experiences went, Harry had to admit the blowjob was intense. When he reached down and grabbed Samira's horns to guide her, making her take him deeper into her mouth the succubus redoubled her efforts and in moments he hit his peak. But as the endorphins faded and Samira headed home for the night, Harry was surprised at how empty he felt. There's no connection, no promise of something more permanent. Dali was right, what I really want is a family of my own.

=[\'*.*'/]=

The Order was once again meeting in Number 12 Grimmauld place, everyone was present, and the teens were even listening through the twin's extendable ears. Over a day had passed since Harry had been discovered missing and despite their best efforts Diagon's international portkey shop had refused to give the Order a list of his purchases without a legal order. As they were gathering, Hermione had a sinking sensation in her stomach at the way Dumbledore's vigilantes had no moral quandaries forging one to get what they wanted at the Headmaster's suggestion. She was surprised at the way none of the Order's sources or questioning had produced any evidence at all that Harry had ever even visited Diagon.

As the meeting went on, there was still no clear destination. Despite finally getting the records, no one had purchased a portkey to Japan in the last week. There were twenty-six purchases of international portkeys, but Hermione couldn't imagine Harry traveling to North or South America, Africa, Antarctica, or Australia. When the list mentioned India, Hermione's mind jumped to memories of doing homework in the library or common room with Parvati and her sister nearby, talking about their homeland; the two had painted a picture of a nation that was reasonably safe with much to offer a tourist. I bet that Harry remembered that too, and the way the Patil sisters (and I) were the only students in the castle that encouraged Harry to learn more about his Parseltongue ability. If Harry was trying to get his relatives to Japan, their flight would have had a layover somewhere and I'm sure India has some big airports.

Hermione was tempted to knock on the door, to tell the adults that Harry was probably somewhere in India. But then she remembered her conversation with Sirius. She made her decision when Snape announced that Voldemort was still unaware that Harry was even missing. Those awful Dursleys never took Harry on vacation anywhere, he deserves the chance to see the world if he wants to.

=[\'*.*'/]=

A/N: You know, writing this chapter I realized that before Harry was taken to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, he had no idea that Voldemort was keeping things quiet and biding his time. Sure he had the Daily Prophet, but that paper lied all the time. For all he knew, the Ministry could have fallen to Voldemort already and he could be attacked at any time. Harry was living in a state of fear even worse than those in Grimmauld because no one was permitted to tell him anything. Just one more reason I don't like Dumbledore I suppose.

Anyway, please leave a review if you liked it! I love seeing feedback and proof people enjoy my writing.