Still don't own anything.
If you want to visualize where Harry lives, watch Batman Begins and look at the monastery where Bruce goes in the beginning. Also, I like the way the schools are introduced in the movie and the little shows they put on, so I'm using the scene from the movie.
/Text/ - Japanese
Harry walked the hallways of the monastery where he had lived for the last six years. He had learned a lot in those six years, more than any other student there. He had been taught directly from the grandmaster of the school, Kentaro Hayabusa. He had taken to his studies like a fish to water, soaking up everything that he was taught. Weapons, Potions, stealth techniques, everything that he could learn, he did. He was on the same level as the most senior students of the school, despite being almost seven years younger than them. He had even surpassed Kentaro in the Shadow Arts, the trademark of their school.
The Shadow Arts were a separate branch of magic, where one learned to use shadows to attack and defend. They could even be used to travel great distances. Harry had been quite the prodigy when he started learning how to control such a different type of magic than what he had already been taught. He had learned the standard types of magic: Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Magical Defense, and Potions. But Shadow Magic was very difficult to control. If one wasn't careful, the Shadows could overwhelm the person and kill them. Some say that the Shadow Arts were evil and dark magic, but that is only because they couldn't understand them.
Harry had grown quite a bit since leaving England. He had made up for the neglect and malnourishment that he gotten while with his relatives. He stood about 5'1" and was fairly muscular, not like a bodybuilder, but more like a gymnast. His once unruly hair was cut short, so that it was spiky instead of wild. He walked through the monastery with a calm confidence, as if he knew that he could handle anything that was thrown at him, but he wasn't arrogant about his abilities. Harry knew that there would always be someone better, stronger, faster, or more powerful than him.
"Ryu! Wait up," shouted one of Harry's friends. About a year into Harry's training, he had been officially adopted by Kentaro. He was given a new name, keeping his true name hidden so that he would be safe.
"Hey, Shinto," Harry said as he stopped and waited for his friend to catch up.
"Ryu, I've been looking for you for half-an-hour," Shinto told him with a glare.
"And why would you do that?" asked Harry curiously.
"Duh, we're suppose to train with Master Michio in ten minutes," Shinto said impatiently.
"Oh yeah, I forgot," Harry replied sheepishly.
"Well, let's go," said Shinto as he hurried down to the courtyard.
Master Michio was the Weapon Master of the school. He had mastered almost every type of weapon there has ever been. Harry was currently apprenticing under him with Shinto and two others: Hiraku, a fifteen year old boy who was training to become a tracker, and Satomi, a seventeen year old girl who was entering her last stages before becoming an actual ninja. She would be an information gatherer, a spy. The only thing left for her to do was master certain weapons and she could take her tests.
"Master Michio, we are here," Harry said with a bow as he stopped in front of the aging master.
Master Michio was a giant of a man, easily seven feet tall. He carried a staff with him that was as tall as he was. He also carried a varied amount of smaller weapons hidden on his body, with a katana strapped to his back. He was the nephew of Kentaro; his father was the school's weapon and armor smith.
"Good, however, Master Kentaro wishes to speak with you, young dragon," Master Michio said to Harry. Harry bowed to him and headed to his Master's quarters.
"How odd," Harry thought as he wondered through the monastery. "Why does father want to talk to me? I'm not due for another lesson from him for another four days."
Harry had a smile on his face as he looked around at his family's home, pausing in the doorway as his aunt taught a new student about their history. They had started out as the personal retainers of a Daisho, a governor of the land. When he was betrayed by his own son, his last wish had been for his most loyal servant to avenge him. That had been Kentaro's ancestor, who had searched through the lands, training himself and his brothers and sisters with the best masters. They had finally found this monastery, which was run by a Wizard-Ninja. He had taught them his secrets, seeing the potential in them for greatness. Once they knew enough, they had gone and destroyed the Daisho's son and his family.
After they had avenged the Daisho, they had gone back to the Wizard and begged him to teach them all he knew. He had taken them in, adopting them into his clan. As the years went by, they eventually took over the monastery after the Wizard's death. They started training those who possessed the gift of magic, eventually gaining the attention of the Emperor himself. He appointed them his personal bodyguards and protectors of the Royal family. As the centuries went by, the family started to distance themselves from the Emperors, eventually becoming the guardians of Japan, not just the Emperor. But the clan started to gain fame and prestige, as well as envy from others.
They had been called to an important meeting by the Shogun, the ruler of the land under the Emperor. It had turned out to be a trap; half of the clan was killed and the other half went into hiding. They developed a modified Fidelius charm, hiding their monastery from their enemies, but having it visible to their allies. No one knew who the secret-keeper was, though there were many who tried to find out. They had waited for twenty years, regrouping their forces and planning revenge.
It turned out that the Shogun had been bribed by a lord who wanted to take control of the areas surrounding the monastery. He had set up the trap and the ambushes that had killed many of the clan. Over the course of ten years, he and all his family and allies were assassinated. After that, no one wanted to challenge the clan, as the lord who had tried to destroy them had been one of the best protected people in the country. Yet he had been taken out easily.
Harry shook himself from his ponderings as he approached his master's quarters. He had been honored when he found out what his position as Kentaro's apprentice meant. He was essentially his heir to the school!
"Sir, you called for me?" Harry said as he slid the door open.
"Harry, please, come
in," Kentaro said with a smile as he motioned for Harry to sit
across from him. He was one of the few who knew his real name, and
he only called him it when they were alone. Harry knelt on the floor
pad across from the man who had raised him as a son. "I called you
here for a very important reason. What have you heard about your
home country's situation?"
Harry was surprised at Kentaro's
question. "Not much, I'm afraid. Dumbledore didn't talk too
much about what was happening there last time he was here, and that
was two years ago," Harry told Kentaro softly.
"I have received word from Albus that they will be hosting an event this year, an event known as the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Have you heard of it?" said Kentaro curiously.
"Yes, I read about it when I was doing research for a project," Harry told him. "It was a tournament between three schools, Hogwarts in England, Beauxbatons in France, and Durmstrang in Bulgaria. It was banned about three hundred years ago when too many people where dying during the contest. They aren't bringing it back, are they?"
"Indeed, they are, Harry," Kentaro said with a nod. His apprentice was very intuitive. "Albus has invited us to compete as well, with the permission of the Minister of Magic himself. Normally, I would just dismiss the whole thing, seeing as the Ministry has always wanted to get a hold of our secrets, but I have received word from Kassandra that it is important that we compete."
Kentaro's cousin was a very powerful Seer in Japan, and her predictions always came true. It was said that she received her visions from the Gods themselves. If she said to compete, then they would compete.
"What does this have to do with me?" asked Harry cautiously. Kentaro was leading up to something, something big.
"I have decided that you will accompany me to Hogwarts, along with a small contingent of our older students. However, I do not think that they will be chosen to compete. You are my heir and as such will be the one to compete in this tournament," Kentaro told him confidently. "I decided to tell you this before hand so that you will have time to prepare yourself for the trip back to England and chose who comes with us."
Harry nodded mutely before standing up and bowing. He left the room and headed back to his room in a daze. He was going home. Harry shook his head. England wasn't his home, the monastery was his home. He might have lived in England for eight years, but it was no more his home than he was a student at Hogwarts. He entered his room and lit his incense burners and sat down to meditate. He had much to think about and he needed a clear mind to do so.
Harry packed the last of his clothes in his bag. It was an enchanted bag that would carry everything he needed and would never get heavy or get full. He had put all of his weapons in there, as well as his clothes and equipment. He had already said his good-byes to those who weren't coming earlier and he was just finishing up with his packing.
"Come, Harry," came Kentaro's voice from outside the rice paper door. "It is time for us to leave."
"Yes, Master," said Harry as he slung his bag onto his back. He was wearing the uniform befitting the heir of the school. He wore loose black pants and black dragonhide boots, and he wore a black gi top with the symbol of his school on the back, the symbol of the Dragonblade Ninja Clan. It was a katana with a red imperial dragon winding its way around the sword overtop a yin-yang.
Across his back was his personal sword, made by his own hands. The katana was enchanted to grow along with him, seeing as he still was growing. The blade would never dull or break and it would slice through almost anything. It had been forged from a mysterious ore found in a meteor that had hit near the monastery many centuries ago. Harry had been the one that had decided to use the ore to make his sword. The ore had given the sword's blade a silver color, shot through with black and red streaks. Harry had found that even before adding the enchantments, it could cut through industrial strength steel with ease. After adding the enchantments, it was capable of slicing through even magic barriers and shields.
Harry walked out to meet his master confidently. He was well prepared for anything that was thrown at him. "I am ready, Master Kentaro."
"Very well, Harry. Seeing we have so many coming with us, I have procured transportation for us all," Kentaro said with a smirk, the twinkle in his eyes meant that he had something planned. "We are going to arrive in style." Kentaro pulled a statue of an Imperial dragon from his sleeve and set it on the ground in the courtyard of the monastery. He started chanting in the language of the Ancients, only Harry understanding his words; even then, they were being said too fast for him to pick up. A silver glow surrounded the statue and it started to grow until a life sized dragon stood before them in all its glory.
Harry bowed to the dragon, seeing his master do the same. The dragon bowed back and motioned for them to climb on its back. All the ninja easily jumped onto the dragon's back and cast the necessary spells so that they wouldn't fall off during flight. With a roar, the dragon took off into the sky.
"This year, we have a very special surprise," Dumbledore said, addressing all of Hogwarts as they sat in the Great Hall. "The Ministry of Magic has decided to allow one more school to compete, making it the Quad-Wizard Tournament. The fourth school comes from the distant land of Japan. The Dragonblade School has never competed in any tournament, so we are all greatly honored by this."
The students of Hogwarts watched from inside the castle as the first two other schools arrived; the students of Beauxbatons arrived in a giant carriage while the students from Durmstrang arrived from the sea in a giant ship.
"Hey, what's that?" said Collin Creavy excitedly as he saw something flying in the sky.
"I don't know," said a Ravenclaw girl. "Looks like a bird."
"No, it looks like a giant snake," said a Slytherin girl named Blair.
"It's a dragon," gasped Ron Weasley, whose brother worked with dragons.
Sure enough, as the shape got closer, everyone could see that it was a Japanese Imperial dragon with twenty people riding on its back. As the dragon landed, everyone took several steps back in fright. Most had never even seen a dragon before, most didn't want to.
The first two people on the dragon's back jumped off and landed on the grass, the smaller of the two doing a flip off instead of just jumping off. Both people wore heavy black cloaks that obscured their features, but everyone could see the cheeky smile the younger person gave the older man, who just rolled his eyes. Behind them, the other people jumped off the dragon's back. As they walked forward, the dragon shrunk down to a statue once more. It floated into the air and was tucked away by the older man, who lowered the hood of his cloak revealing his Asian features. The other people didn't lower their hoods. The older man said something to the other people and they made their way into the castle.
Just then, Mr. Filch the Caretaker came running into the Great Hall. He ran up to Dumbledore and whispered something into his ear. Dumbledore nodded and whispered something back. Mr. Filch then turned and ran back out. Dumbledore cleared his throat and the students that had been laughing became silent.
"Now, let us welcome the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their Headmistress, Madam Maxime."
The doors to the Great Hall opened and a group of girls came sauntering in, causing the boys of Hogwarts to take great interest. The youngest girl was about twelve or thirteen years old.
Dumbledore got everyone's attention. "And now our friends from the north. Please great the proud sons of Durmstrang and their High Master, Igor Karkaroff."
A line of boys, mainly seventeen years old, came through the doors of the Great Hall. They marched to the front of the Great Hall, the Quidditch fans going nuts at seeing the famous Quidditch star Viktor Krum. Dumbledore greeted Karkaroff with a handshake and a hug.
"And now our special guests, the students from the Dragonblade School of Magic and their Grandmaster, Kentaro Hayabusa," Dumbledore called out.
Everyone in the Great Hall turned to look at the doors to the Great Hall, but no one came through.
"What, did they get scared? Cowards," sneered Draco.
There was a sudden burst of motion in the air above the Great Hall as twenty-two people suddenly appeared in a burst of Shadows and landed in front of the Head Table. One student flipped through the air and landed behind Draco, a slim dagger pressed to his throat.
"Hold your tongue or I'll hold it for you," growled a voice as cold as ice.
"Ryu!" said Kentaro and he gave Ryu a piercing look. "He has his warning, now leave him be."
"Do not insult my school again. If you do, you will regret it," promised Ryu softly as he slid the dagger into a sheath on his left forearm. He then casually flipped through the air, landing next to Kentaro. Draco slumped in his seat, gingerly feeling his neck. A thin line of red showed how close he had come to death.
"Greeting, Kentaro," Dumbledore said warmly, ignoring the small altercation. "It has been a long time."
"Two years, if I'm right, Albus," Kentaro said with a smirk as he shook Dumbledore's hand.
"Indeed you are, old friend," Dumbledore said as he showed Kentaro to his seat.
Ryu turned to his companions. "You know what to do. I'll keep an eye on things here." The other hooded students nodded and disappeared into the shadows. The other students gasped as they watched them walk through the walls, the shadows deepening around them before returning to normal.
Harry looked around the Great Hall with interest. It was quite a bit different than the dining hall back at home. Harry used the opportunity to scan the students to see what he was up against. Ninja rule #1, always know your enemy.
The far left table was made up of students wearing green and silver ties and crests on their clothes. The Durmstrang students were also sitting at this table. The next table had students that had blue and white ties and crests on their clothes. Most of them looked to be scholars; quite a few of them also had glasses. The next table had students with orange and yellow ties and crests and they shared the Beauxbatons students with the blue and white students. The last table had students with red and gold ties and crest. They were an animated lot, though many of them were sneaking glances at him.
The first table had to be the Slytherin house, the sneakiest of all the houses, and the most devious as well. The next was probably Ravenclaw, the house where the smart and intuitive students went. The third was Hufflepuff, the loyal and just. The last was definitely Gryffindor, the home of the brave and courageous. It also happened to be the house his parents had been in.
Harry was taken out of his musings by someone walking up to him. It was a girl who looked to be about a year younger than him with red hair and freckles. She was short, but he could see that her spirit more than made up for that.
(Two Minutes Earlier)
"Look at him," said Hermione. "He looks so alone."
"Bah, he's probably as stuck up as Malfoy," said Ron as he shoveled food into his mouth. "You saw what he did, he nearly killed him."
"I don't know. I don't get the feeling that he's like that," Ginny said softly. She was Ron's little sister, but she had been possessed by Lord Voldemort when she was eleven. She had been rescued by Dumbledore, Fawkes flaming him into the Chamber of Secrets to do battle with a basilisk. Dumbledore had then defeated Tom Riddle by destroying the diary his memory was locked in.
"Whatever," snorted Ron before taking a sip of pumpkin juice.
"I'm going to invite him to sit with us," Ginny said suddenly, causing Ron to inhale his juice. She left him coughing up a storm and walked over to the boy from Japan.
(Present)
"Hi, I'm Ginny Weasley," said the girl in front of him.
"Ryu," he said simply. He gave her the once over and found that he liked what he saw.
"Do you have a last name," Ginny said curiously.
"I do," Harry told her. "But I only give it to those I trust."
"My brother Charlie told me that Japanese names mean something," Ginny told Harry. "What does your name mean?"
"My name means 'Dragon,' it is also my title," Harry told her with a straight face.
"Really? That's cool," said Ginny. "Would you like to sit with us? With my friends and me?"
Harry thought about it for a little bit, weighing the consequences before giving her a small smile. "I'd like that."
Harry followed her over to the last table and sat down next to her, the other students scooting over to give him room. He lowered the hood of his cloak, giving everyone their first look at him. His face was defined, not an ounce of fat anywhere, and he had his black hair cut short. Everyone could clearly see the scars he had on his face; the lightning bolt shaped one on his forehead and the vertical scar running over his left eye. He also had a dragonfang earring in his right ear. Harry ignored the curious looks he was getting and pulled a pair of chopsticks from his cloak and started piling food onto his plate.
"I'm Hermione Granger, and that's Ronald Weasley," said the bushy-haired girl across from Harry.
"You're Ginny's brother?" Harry asked curiously, seeing Ginny's blush from the corner of his eye. No one ever said that, it made her sound more important than her brothers.
"Yeah, so who are you?" asked Ron with the tact of a rampaging rhino.
"I am Ryu of the Dragonblade Clan," Harry told them seriously.
"So, Ryu, what did they teach you in Japan?" asked Hermione.
"The usual stuff, I suppose," Harry told her, resting his chopsticks across his plate. "You know, Charms, Transfiguration, weapons. The usual."
"We don't learn how to use weapons here," Ron told him with a smirk.
"Too bad for you," Harry said as he resumed eating, leaving Ron to sputter.
"Do you think the tournament will be difficult?" asked Ginny curiously. After all, Harry looked to be about their age and they weren't allowed to enter.
"It wouldn't have been banned all those years ago if it wasn't difficult. But I assume that precautions will be taken to ensure that it isn't too dangerous," Harry told them between bites. Nothing got between him and a good meal.
"Why did the others follow your orders? They looked older than you," said Ron curiously a little while later.
"I am the heir to my school," Harry told them seriously. "I am also a qualified Master of my school. That is the same as the rank of Professor here. I personally chose each student that came with us. They are the best our school has to offer. However, we all agree that I will most likely be the one chosen for the Tournament."
"Wow," said Hermione softly. "Such responsibility for someone so young."
"Indeed," Harry muttered as he finished up his food. He pulled his cloak tighter around him, feeling exposed in the bright lights and unfamiliar surroundings. He fingered the dagger he had hidden on his left arm nervously.
"Are you okay, Ryu?" asked Ginny. She had noticed him pulling his cloak around him. "Are you cold?"
"No, I'm fine," Harry told her; in a tone that said to drop it.
"Okay," Ginny said uncertainly.
"We welcome our guest from around the world and hope that they feel welcome," said Dumbledore after the feast. "Now, we should all get some sleep as we all have a busy day ahead of us."
Harry stood and made his way to the Head table, walking confidently up to his master.
/Master Kentaro, where will we be staying/ Harry asked softly in Japanese.
/Albus Dumbledore has given us quarters in the castle, near the Gryffindor tower/ Kentaro told Harry.
Harry nodded and waited for his master to lead the way. They walked their way through the castle, as if they had been there many times before. One of the abilities they had was that they never got lost. They walked up to a painting of an Imperial dragon, which was curled up with smoke coming from its nostrils.
/In the shadows we hide/ Kentaro said in Japanese. The dragon nodded its head and the painting slid to the side, revealing their quarters.
The room was a classic Japanese living room, with tatami mats and floor cushions. Several of the students were already there, meditating or discussing the things they had seen on their first sweeps of the castle and the grounds. Harry nodded to his master and headed to the room with his name on the door. He went to the side of the empty room and opened a hidden panel, pulling out a futon and some sheets. Harry rolled out the futon and made his bed. After removing his clothes, Harry sat on his futon and started meditating.
Harry had been meditating for a while, his thoughts floating around him, when a face started forming in his mind's eye. Harry was shocked to see that it was the girl he had met earlier, Ginny Weasley. He could easily see every freckle on her face, and the way her hair shimmered. He concentrated and her face faded from view. He couldn't afford to become emotionally involved with a girl from England, especially since he had a girlfriend, who was one of the students he had chosen to come with them. He sighed as his mind settled down and he slipped under the covers and fell asleep.
Okay, hope you all liked this chapter. I'm hoping that this story is different than any other I have written. I changed things and added quite a bit on, I hope everyone likes the changes.
Love it? Hate it? Please review. Flames will be used to light my incense. (Sandalwood)