My editer says I'm nuts and the chapter is presentable. So, here it is: enjoy! (Y'all love me. I know you do. Write back and tell me how much!)
Ch. 4- July
The next day, June 28th, was the new moon. At sunset, Kochi took a vial of oil and a rose branch from the box, to cast the first of the spells in the instructions her father had left her. It was a long one, entirely in Latin, and she had needed to practice most of the day to get her mouth around some of the sounds.
"Ego evoco mater immortalis," She murmured, hoping her accent wasn't ruining the spell. "Illa qui sumit terrae et maria, escae et refugium." She annoited the tips of the branch with drops of the oil, the scent of mint sharp enough to sting cold behind her eyes, and rubbed it in carefully. "Astrum nox et textum res reposcite suus potestas, renasce pariter luna." Relief washed through her as the oil shimmered and power washed through the branch, turning the fifteen-year-dry stick as fresh as if it had been cut from its bush seconds before. A tiny droplet of sap oozed from the thicker end onto her finger.
Perfect.
****
Life at the Dursleys had never been particularly pleasant. Once again, Harry shut himself away in his room when he returned from Hogwarts, coming out as rarely as possible. The very first week, though, a commotion downstairs brought him out.
"Mrs. Figg has gone *missing*!" he heard his aunt announce. He could easily hear her delight at the drama of the (normal, non-magical, non-"freakish") event.
"Missing?" Uncle Vernon's voice rose incredulously.
"Yes! The car's gone, the house is dark, *and* there's not a single cat about!" Petunia said this last as if it were the ultimate proof, which it probably was.
"Maybe she's just gone to, uh, visit relatives," Vernon said. "And taken those damned cats with her."
"Relatives? Old Arabella's last relative died off *years* ago, dear."
Harry jolted in shock. He remembered that name from just a week ago: Arabella Figg, one of the people Dumbledore had sent Padfoot off to warn. Mrs. Figg was Arabella Figg? A *witch*?
He closed his door and leaned against it, biting his lip against the incredulous and completely inappropriate laughter that would bring his uncle running. It just *had* to be the neighborhood crazy cat lady.
****
The most immediate, and largest, problem was the training. Of the entire group, only Genkai knew anything about Western sorcery. Kochi only vaguely remembered a passable amount of Latin, the main source of the language used in Western spellcasting. None of them had wands; Keiko had never used magic at all.
Today, the Tantei were learning proper wand movements. They would be using slim sticks for this, since none of them had an actual wand yet, and wouldn't until they reached Britain. Western wands were best for Western magic, Genkai had said, and the best of those were sold in London.
"Point your finger, Urameshi, a wand is not a club. Jaganshi, use your left hand, please; your handwards will disrupt the magic. Excellent grip, Rowling, I seeyourchain-whiptechniques translate well to wand work. Raise wands like so, swish, and flick. Understood?"
Yuusuke's eyes narrowed in distaste. "'Swish'? I don't *swish*. Girls swish. Pan--OW!"
"Grow up, Yuusuke!" Botan said sharply, pulling her oar back and running a hand over it to make sure Yuusuke's head hadn't chipped it. "There are thousands of male wizards who do this every day."
"Enough," Genkai snapped. "Swish. And. Flick." The team did so. "Very good, but put a bit more authority behind that, Koorime. Again. Raise wands. Swish and flick."
****
Later, Hiei and Keiko knelt, facing each other and surrounded by bamboo in a corner of the temple gardens.
"Hiei...?" Deep red eyes snapped to her. "Genkai said most of us would have been found on Shichi-go-san, by the temple families. I know Kurama was hiding, and Kuwabara said he learned from his parents before they died... but..."
"Yuusuke died."
"Oh." Right. He *hadn't* done anything supernatural until after he'd died. "And... me?"
Hiei smirked faintly, loosened the ward covering his forehead, and let it fall. The Jagan's lid lifted, violet burning as it stared at Keiko unblinkingly. "That, we are working on now," he murmured as her eyes glazed over.
****
"She's back."
"Hm? Who?"
"Mrs. Figg." Petunia sounded disappointed. "A couple of her cats came down with some nasty virus. She had to take the whole lot into London and have them quarantined."
"It's not contagious, is it?"
"Oh, no, not to us. Quite nasty to a cat, though, she said."
"Good. We won't have... him... ruining Dudley's birthday next week, then."
****
July 12th, midnight. Two weeks since Kochi had cast the first spell, and the moon was full and bright. Kochi had rubbed wood rose oil into the branch that would become her wand every night since then, murmuring a simple incantation-- Madeo Visium-- repeatedly until the oil had vanished into the raw wood and the wand shimmered to her eyes. Tonight required another long spell, though.
The brunette brought the entire box.
****
Draco Malfoy knew exactly who he was was. Draco Malfoy was his father's son. He was the epitome of what a purebred wizard should be. He was well-groomed and well spoken. He carried himself with air of self importance that dared others to defy his will. He was young, but he was powerful. And when he entered a room he was the center of attention. He was a Malfoy.
As the creme de la creme of wizarding society-- which was, of course, the only society worthy of the Malfoys-- the family was obligated to make sure the wizarding world remained worthy. Why, it was their civic duty to help Voldemort come to power, to clean out the Muggle blood in the wizarding community.
Draco raised an eyebrow at himself in the mirror. Civic duty, what a joke. His father was in it for the power of being second-in-command of the wizarding world. Or at least, he *had* been, up until Voldemort got himself offed by some squalling halfbreed brat. But who cared? He'd been powerful enough to leave the entire wizarding world scared to say his very *name* for over a decade, and he was even stronger now that he was back. And with the Malfoys on his side...
"We're going to win," he murmured to his reflection. It smirked back at him. "And I think I'll make Potter grovel a bit before we kill him."
The door crashed open behind him. Draco spun, barely aborting a startled yelp as his father swept into the room. "Good morning Draco. You're ready to go downstairs? Good. Come along."
"A fine boy you have here, Lucius."
"Thank you, Master."
"Unsurprising. The Malfoys have reaped beauty for generations. I doubt that you could *fail* to sire such a... beautiful boy. Well, then, what is your name, boy?"
"Draco, sir."
"The dragon. Of course. Highest of the serpents according to lore. A compliment to your master, perhaps, Lucius? Or a prediction?" Voldemort asked silkily. "So, young serpent, what is it you wish?"
"Sir?"
"You *are* aware that you are your father's heir, boy. What do you *want* as one of my Death Eaters?"
Draco paused, eyes narrowing as he considered the question. "I want perfect Potter to lick my boots."
"An admirable answer, boy. Unfortunately, it is incorrect. Lucius, you have been remiss in your duties. Crucio."
****
Harry's eyes flew open, and he stifled a gasp as his scar abruptly began to burn.
****
"Madeo visium, perfora directus et rectus, permane cunctus et solidus undique hic instrumentum, perfora directus, permane solidus..." Faint infant memories played in the back of Kochi's mind, brought back by the faint scent of sawdust. It was a painstaking task to bore a needle-eye-sized shaft through the center of a 25 cm branch, but the spell Kochi was using included a charm to keep the hole centered, and the borer had a well in the handle for the rose oil needed inside the hair-thin cavity.
She glanced at the moon, almost at the horizon now, and spared a second to take a steadying breath. She mustn't rush.
"Permane solidus..."
****
"And swish and flick... *flick*, Kuwabara, not bludgeon! Swing a real wand like that and you'll conjure someone's head from their neck."
****
"But you have to tell us *something*!" Yuusuke yelled into the compact communicator. This time, he was armed with some of Keiko's arguments. "How are we supposed to do our job if we don't know *anything* about this target?!"
"Again, you are *not* protecting the *target*, your concern is the student body as a whole!" Koenma's voice buzzed slightly as it hit volumes the communicator's tiny speaker wasn't designed to handle.
"There are onlyeight of us, man! We can't be everywhere at once!" Yuusuke paused, drawing himself back slightly. "From what we've been told of this place, we can't even be on all the floors at once. The best we can do is keep an eye on the target's closest friends and worst enemies. At least give us a *name* so we'll know who those people *are*!"
"I would if I HAD one!"
****
July 28th. The sky was a stark black, relieved only by the brightest stars and Tokyo's light pollution. Kochi finished with the oil treatment and laid the wand onto a black cloth on the ground.
The instructions had told her to drink the contents of a vial labeled simply "3" at this point. Kochi warily popped the cork and took a whiff of the potion inside. It smelled familar. Recognition hit her with the force of Yuusuke's Rei Gun.
"Potion of Past Life?" Kochi gasped. How had her father *gotten* this?! How had he *known*... no. No, he probably hadn't known ifKochi would be able to change to her demon form at will when the time came. In fact, he'd probably assumed Kochi wouldn't be able to, and had included this so she could collect the hair she would use for the wand's core in a few hours.
She drank, and a few minutes later, the glade was empty save for a blue haired, armored woman. The night was far too welcoming to waste for Chishio, The Fighter For Hire.
****
July 28th, dawn.
"Ego evoco pater cum ramus, ille qui morioit et nascit ab integro quotannis..." Kochi threaded her Chishio hair through the wand. "Integro visium scipii." The wand pulsed strongly enough to startle Kochi, and she nearly dropped it. "Integro visium virgae!" Another pulse, this one accompanied by a flash as bright as daylight to her magical senses. "Integro!" The wand showered golden sparks over the clearing.
"What the *hell* are you doing?"
Kochi raised his head, staring dazedly up into the boughs of the nearest tree. "Hiei?"
"That *hurt*, onna. Put up a barrier next time; you've probably caught the attention of every youkai in the city."
"*Every* one?" Kochi smiled, pale morning light glinting from sharp canines.
"Every telepath," Hiei allowed. "Well?"
"Making a wand." She grinned wider at the surprised look Hiei gave her. "It gave off more of a kick than I expected."
