Harry Potter and the Curse of Jusenkyo

Harry Potter and the Curse of Jusenkyo…or “My Life as a Woman”

By Aki-sama

The very moment the Harry entered the Great Hall; he knew that this year was not going to be normal. Not like it ever was.  His summer had been mildly hellish. It just seemed that every year, the Dursleys were just becoming worse and worse.  Although he didn’t really care, Harry (like any normal person) did not like being insulted, ignored, and physically and/or mentally tortured.  Oh, and being inducted into slavery unwillingly wasn’t on the top of his ‘Wants’ list either.  He felt like he had gone to heaven when he saw Ron and Hermione at Diagon Alley.  He was so happy to see them; he ran up to them and hugged them both.  Very unusual for him. 

The main reason he thought that this year would be just as bizarre as his previous ones, was that all the fifth year students would be going to China to study the ancient magic.  He was, actually, very happy to go to China.  It has always interested him.  Of course, Hermione had already studied up on everything that was Chinese.  The minute the subject came up, she started a lecture on Chinese magic fascinating everyone around their train car for the first time.  She went into great length on a certain magical monument called ‘Jusenkyo: The Pools of Sorrow.’  Magical springs that had sprung up their many thousands of years ago, and the people nearby turned it into a martial arts training ground.  It eventually became too dangerous to use, so it became forbidden.  The rumor, as Hermione was excitedly recalling, was that the springs cursed the unfortunate people who fell in.  Some kind of transformation.  The English and the Chinese Ministry’s of Magic didn’t go near the place for fear of the curses, so the place was practically undiscovered. 

Ron was not too enthusiastic on going to a very dangerous training ground that cursed people. 

“What if one of us falls in?!  That could be really bad, and if it’s some sort of disfiguring curse…” Ron was trying to dissuade Hermione.  She wasn’t dissuaded.

“But this is a chance of a lifetime Ron!  We could learn so much from China’s magical history.” Hermione was trying to persuade Ron.  He wasn’t persuaded.  After the train had already reached Hogwarts, the two still had not finished their bout of arguing. Both Hermione and Ron tried to bring Harry into the conversation.  He, of course, wouldn’t touch their argument with a ten-foot Firebolt.  He waved off the not-so-good-emotions coming from both Ron and Hermione.

“Come on.  Let’s just go to the Great Hall and eat.  We’ve got time to worry about the trip later.” Harry said this reasonably and so the two squabbling friends quieted and followed Harry into the Hall. The rest of Harry’s peers were already there.  Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and collective, were already sitting at the Gryffindor table.  They all waved to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who waved back.  The group immediately launched into the conversation about the China trip.  Ron and Hermione both jumped in again.  Harry once again stayed out of it.  He decided to look in the random direction of the Slytherin table and saw Draco Malfoy.  The bane of his existence.  Malfoy, who was chatting with the others around the Slytherin table, happened to catch Harry’s eye.  They both exchanged nasty smiles, promising much pain in the future (if they could get away with it), then, at the same time, turned away.

“Hey Harry!  What do you think about the China trip?  I think it sounds absolutely fantastic! Don’t you?” a very perky Colin Creevy entered Harry’s vision.  Harry, startled by the sudden appearance of Colin, yelped and almost fell over.  Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Malfoy snigger.  A glare settled upon his face as he stared angrily over to the Slytherin table, who were all laughing.  Harry shook his head and got up again, turning to Colin (who, may I remind you is not going…) to answer his question.

“I think it sounds great, actually.  I’ve never been there before. It sounds rather mysterious," Harry answered finally.  Ron, finally hearing Harry’s opinion on the matter decided to yell at him.

“Bloody ‘ell Harry, you’re not serious!?”

“No, I’m Harry.”

“What?” Harry shook his head.

 “Never mind,” said Harry tiredly, “it was a joke.” Ron gave Harry a very blank look before…

“Ooohhhh….” Hermione just rolled her eyes and soon after, Professor McGonagall tapped her goblet getting everyone’s attention.  Then (after a few well-chosen words) the Sorting started (insert poem here).  For some reason, this year, the Sorting ritual seemed to drone on endlessly for Harry.  Not unlike a honey bee, or any other flying insect.  He was starting to wonder; if the cursed springs were so dangerous that the ministry’s professionals wouldn’t even touch it, then why would a bunch of fifth year students get to have a visit?  Well, he sure couldn’t figure that out.  In any case, his question was answered after the Sorting ended (with McDiarmid, Aisling for Gryffindor) and Dumbledore stood up.

“My dear faculty and students, welcome back.  As all the fifth year students know, they will be leaving for a short excursion in China.”  All of the other year students either gasped with astonishment or yelled in outrage.  Dumbledore coughed (a little less politely than he would have in normal circumstances) to get everyone’s attention.

“It has come to my attention that some of the students have been researching China’s fascinating magical history,” he looked pointedly at Hermione, who blushed, “and I will let you know now, that we will not be visiting Jusenkyo.” Another collective gasp (or groan, whatever you pick) ensued, residing mainly in Gryffindor populated section of the Hall.  The rest of the houses however didn’t catch on that quickly. The Slytherins especially (including Malfoy) looked clueless.  This made Harry very happy. Hermione, not being able to hold it in, asked (rather put out),

“Why not, Professor?”  Dumbledore’s attention turned toward Hermione. He smiled, noticing the disappointed expression on her face.

“Because it simply is too dangerous,” he answered correctly, “and on another note, those who are going on the trip will be leaving tomorrow so you don’t have to unpack anything.  The trip will most likely last the minimum of two days since travel won’t take much time.” Dumbledore once again swept his gaze across the Great Hall. “I may also take this time to warn you that Chinese magic is very tricky and temperamental.  It would not be a very wise idea to upset it or try anything dangerous. I advise you to take all precautions.” He cast a quick glance in Harry’s direction and then continued, “Tuck in!”

As the food appeared on the table, the students forgot practically all the worries they had previously and stuffed their faces.

*~~~~*

The next morning went by so fast you could barely call it one.  Harry remembered only that he had eaten breakfast at the speed of light and had then hurriedly proceeded to the Quidditch field, where all the fifth year students were supposed to meet.  Dumbledore greeted them with a bright smile, which Harry thought was impossible during this ungodly hour of the morning (4:30 am…eurgh).

“Hello and good morning! I hope you all had a good nights rest.” Dumbledore received many glares and grumbles from all the house’s fifth year students, considering that none of them slept well and that God knew they should be asleep right now.  But they weren’t.  Dumbledore took the grumbles and grunts as agreements and then started to draw a circle around the students and staff (Profs. Snape, McGonagall, and Madame Pomfrey (for extra injuries)) with his wand and muttered, “Chinois Teleportus.”

And the next thing they knew, they were in China (y’know, that was a fast morning wasn’t it?).

*~~~~*

The surroundings had changed drastically from Quidditch field to bamboo forest and everyone was slightly disoriented. Ron clung to Hermione’s robes trying to steady himself, and Hermione (without knowing who it was) grappled with Malfoy’s robe sleeve.  He didn’t notice, however, because he was busy clinging to Pansy Parkinson by the arm, who clinging to Harry. 

They had, after all, landed in a tree.

           

A fair distance away, they could hear Professor Dumbledore say something that sounded like, ‘Oops, I misaimed my spell slightly. This one is still in testing you know.’ A couple of thumps came from a nearby tree and a few curses emitted from above Harry’s shoulder.  He could only guess that that person was Seamus. 

           

“I jus’ HAD to land on a branch.  Why couldn’t I have landed nearby the trunk, preferably on the ground?” he groaned from his strange and contorted position above.  Pansy, on the other hand, just realized that she was hanging onto Harry’s arm and immediately let go in disgust.  This, however, caused the entire group that depended on Pansy to actually hang on, to fall.  Hard.  And painfully.  On their rears. Ron’s mouth soon was decorated with rainbow-painted curses that would’ve made a sailor blanch. Then, much to Harry’s (and many other’s) surprise, Hermione joined Ron.  Then, to no one’s surprise, Malfoy.  Luckily not one teacher heard them, as they were to busy untangling themselves from their OWN uncomfortable positions (“Professor Snape! Would you PLEASE remove your head from my lap this instant!!!”…I won’t tell you who that was).

After Ron had finished swearing his mouth off, he looked up at Harry, who was still unable to move. Ron winced involuntarily.

“Oi, Harry! You need any help?” he yelled up to a very disgruntled Harry.

“Oh no, I’m just fine, besides the fact that I’m practically twisted into a pretzel!” Harry yelled back annoyed.  Ron started sniggering, much to Harry’s dislike. “Shut UP Ron! In my opinion you got out the easy way.”

“Oh no I did not! That was about a ten-foot fall! It HURT!” Ron shouted back as he rubbed his arm.  He watched Harry sigh tiredly, and fluidly slip out of his position and fall about ten feet onto the ground with a loud thump.  Ron walked over to Harry just as he was (well, at least he was trying to) getting up.

“Break anything?” he asked nonchalantly.  Harry made a noise that sounded particularly like ‘murmphlewurmph’ into the ground.  Hermione had stood up and was trying not to act particularly disoriented.  Malfoy, seeing Harry face-first in the ground, decided to take advantage of the situation.

“Oh yes, Potter, did you have a nice trip?” a couple of nearby Slytherins sniggered nastily (how else?).  The silver-eyed boy snickered. Hermione, still trying to de-haze her vision, had enough decency to fix Malfoy with a look that was worn by Boudicca before decapitating the Roman governor. He stopped smiling.  Scratch that, he stopped doing anything toward Harry and his fan club. For a little while anyway.

Snape was the first teacher (besides Dumbledore) to get out of his…rather humiliating position.  Another reason he had hauled ass out of the tree, was that he didn’t fancy the idea of a very enraged Professor McGonagall shooting transfiguration curses at him while he was immobile.  Which she would have, if Professor Sprout hadn’t grabbed Minerva by her wand arm and told her desperately, ‘It’s not worth it!’        

“Cursed Gryffindors…” and with that he wandered over to Dumbledore, nothing else in mind.

*~~~~*

After a few minutes of sorting out who was supposed to go where, all the houses were separated back into their own groups.  Dumbledore had reassembled (and restrained) all the teachers and began his speech.

“Well, now that we are all back in one piece, I would like to start our ‘tour’.  Right now, we are in the Quing Hai province in China.  We will start by visiting the Amazons.” The whispers started immediately after.  Amazons?  Harry had a brief image of what the Amazons may look like.  It wasn’t very pleasant.  He shuddered slightly at the image of cruel looking women with spears and shouting battle cries.  Wearing very little clothing.  Not a pretty picture. Dumbledore must’ve read the majority of the student’s minds, because soon after Harry imagined the Amazons Dumbledore said, “The Amazons are not to be feared…unless you challenge them to a duel.  Then, you must lose.  Otherwise you shall suffer horrendously.”  This didn’t make sense to Harry. It baffled Hermione and Ron as well.  They shot glances at each other.   You had to lose?  Dumbledore coughed to gather the student’s attention once again. “Then, after that, we will have a short tour of Phoenix Mountain, where Prince Saffron of the Phoenix People resides.” Another bout of whispering and giggles (from the girls) occurred at the mention of the word ‘Prince’.  The boys then proceeded to roll her eyes. This time Dumbledore coughed a little less politely.

“May I remind you that Jusenkyo is nearby Phoenix Mountain and the Amazon Village, and that you should NOT go searching for it.” Some glances were exchanged between Harry and Ron that, thankfully, Dumbledore did not see. “So,” he continued, “are you all ready?” Many heads nodded vigorously until Dumbledore stated with a smile, “Good.  Because we will be walking.” The nods and grins were quickly replaced with groans.

/On the hike to the Amazon village a few hours later…/

“Man, I can’t believe that Dumbledore.  He really is a nutter isn’t he?” Ron complained gruffly as they climbed up a particularly steep hill.  Professor McGonagall just then shouted to the mass of students that they were almost to the village. Quite a lot of students sighed with relief. Harry silently agreed with Ron, as they could’ve gotten to the village very easily with magic.  But then again, Harry thought, Dumbledore wanted them to appreciate the beauty of the scenery around them.  The bamboo trees painted an almost perfect picture of what Harry imagined China would look like. Beautiful and serene.  Harry shook his head.  He would try to enjoy this trip as much as he possibly could, considering that he’d never see this in England. Hopefully this trip wouldn’t be too chaotic.  He looked over at Hermione, who was staring at the forest in awe as well. 

Hermione was at a slight loss for words.  She wasn’t sure what China would look like exactly, but this was mind blowing for her.  The pack on her back gave a sudden movement, which startled Hermione out of her trance.

“What…” but Hermione didn’t finish as her bowlegged cat, Crookshanks shot out of her pack and straight into the forest.  “How did he get in there?” The sudden movement made from the cat caused Hermione to act without thinking (*gasp*).  She ran after it frantically.

‘What the-Hermione!? Where is she going?” Ron yelled, startled by the sudden disappearance of his friend.  Harry was slightly bewildered, as he didn’t see Crookshanks run off. 

“I don’t know, but I think we should go get her back.  Strange…she usually doesn’t act without thinking.” Harry tore off after Hermione, Ron following closely behind.

*~~~~*

“Oh Crookshanks, why did you have to climb up a tree!?” Hermione growled, as she struggled with the annoyingly bendy branches of the bamboo tree (she had forgotten about magic in her panic).  Crookshanks sat on a very high branch, clinging to the branch with unneeded force (in the tree’s opinion). Hermione was just about to grab Crookshanks off the branch when someone shouted behind her.

“Hermione!” As the shout was unexpected to her, Hermione let out a high-pitched yelp and fell out of the tree with Crookshanks clinging to her robes.  She landed on the ground with a hard thump and a sharp, gunshot-like crack.  She shut her eyes and whimpered in pain. Her arm had landed on an unyielding rock.

 “Hermione! Are you ok? Why’d you run off like that?” came a concerned and frantic voice from above her head.  Slowly, letting the tears of pain leak out finally, she opened her eyes and a picture of Ron’s concerned face swam into view. Hermione also saw another concerned face loom into view above her. It was Harry. Hermione managed to croak out through her tears,

“I-I think I Br-broke my arm. I ran off b-because of Crookshanks,” she pointed to the cat, which also looked somewhat concerned, “ he had hidden in my pack without me knowing it.” She whimpered again. “It hurts really bad.”

“You shouldn’t have just run off like that,” Harry’s voice floated above her, “You could’ve yelled to a teacher or something…” he stopped at the furious look on Ron’s face.

“We don’t need to lecture her on that! She’s hurt!” he yelled angrily at Harry. Harry gave an ashamed look to the ground. Hermione gave a weak laugh and tried to sit up.

“Oh Ron, Harry’s right and you know it.  I should’ve called a teacher,” she gave a slightly embarrassed look, “I guess I panicked.”  Ron once again gave Harry furious glance and turned back to Hermione with an overly concerned face that reminded Hermione of Mrs. Weasley.

“We’re going to carry you back ok?” She stifled a giggle, glad that Ron couldn’t read minds.

“Sure.” She glanced over to Harry who suddenly looked very worried. “What is it Harry?” He looked at her with a long-suffering expression.

“How’re we going to get back?” The other two froze, “We don’t even know where the village is, and the group could be far ahead by now considering how far we ran.” A worried silence encompassed the small group.  Ron broke it by saying confidently,

“Ah, come on. I’m sure we could follow Malfoy’s loud, obnoxious voice from here.  And a pack of young witches and wizards stand out like a sore thumb.” He smiled at the other two, who smiled shakily.  “So what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” And with that Harry and Ron helped Hermione walk towards their (rather unknown *sweatdrop*) destination. Little did they know that this short (ok LONG) walk would change their lives forever.

Far, far away, one of the fates laughed evilly.

*~~~~*

            /A few hours later…/

“You know what? I think I’ve seen that particular tree before,” said Harry, pointing to a bamboo tree. Ron practically tore out his hair in frustration.

“AARGH! We’ve been walking in circles for HOURS!” he screamed at the sky.  Hermione laughed out loud at Ron’s sudden outburst. He glared at her.  She then quickly ended her laugh and accentuated it with a slight cough.  It was at this moment that a mysterious fog drifted through the trees and enclosed on the small group.  Hermione, being the quick-witted one, grabbed Ron’s robe and said quietly, “Find Harry,” since he had been ahead of them. Ron groped around frantically searching for the other robed person. Sadly, Harry had already wandered ahead of them, thinking they were following him.  Fortunately, Harry shouted back through the fog.

“Just walk straight ahead! I think I found it!” Hermione and Ron ran straight ahead to meet him and realized what he was talking about.

“Whoa…” was Ron’s intelligent reply.

They had found Jusenkyo.

As they stepped tentatively onto the ground of Jusenkyo and out of the forest, the fog moved into their vision once again. Although since this time, Harry was in back, still by the forest, and didn’t grab onto Hermione’s robes in time.

“Ron?” he called into the extra-dense fog, “Hermione?” No answer came back. Harry looked around worriedly, wondering why they didn’t just turn around the minute they saw what it was.  He started walking in the direction that he thought his friends had gone when the ground beneath him went away and he fell into what turned out to be a spring, with a splash. Just before he blacked out, he heard Ron and Hermione’s yells and thought ‘Oh bugger’ as he was sucked under.

“Harry!” Hermione cried as she heard his yell of surprise, and then turned a new shade of white and green when she heard the splash. Ron, who was standing next to her, yelped as the fog cleared away suddenly to reveal that he was standing an inch away from a spring.

“Where was he?” moaned Hermione, “I thought he was right behind us!” Ron looked to where Harry last was and saw footprints in the mud that led…to a spring. Ron gulped nervously,

“Can we get him out of there? He doesn’t seem to be coming up out-” Ron’s sentence wasn’t even considered by Hermione because a figure broke through the surface of the water with a heaving gasp. Hermione saw who it was and screamed with pure terror and Ron fainted dead away from shear shock of it all.

Harry un-blacked out at the bottom of the spring it seemed.  He opened his eyes and realized that miraculously, his glasses had remained on his face. But if he hadn’t remembered that he was underwater he would’ve yelled from what he saw.  A beautiful ghost of a woman stared back at him. She gave Harry a sorrowful look before she rushed through him, giving him a weird tingling feeling all over his body.  This was completely unexpected by Harry and this time he did yell, sending him rocketing back towards the top of the spring.  As he broke through the water, noticed that he felt peculiarly lighter than he did five minutes ago and promptly blacked out again.

Hermione was the first to recover from the shock of seeing a girl about her age burst through the water and then promptly faint.  She looked down at Ron, who had also fainted.  ‘He’s such a pain in the arse sometimes….’ She sighed tiredly and used her good arm to drag him over to the girl.  Bending down to shake her awake she stopped, suddenly realizing that the girl was wearing a Hogwarts Gryffindor BOYS uniform.  Nooo. It couldn’t be!  She shook Ron roughly awake and he sat up startled. He looked down at the unconscious, sopping wet girl and almost yelled again, when Hermione covered his mouth and shook her head meaningfully. Ron nodded to show he wasn’t going to yell and Hermione removed her hand.

“Who is this?” asked Ron.  Hermione shook her head.

“I’m not sure, but look at her clothing.” Ron obliged her order and saw what Hermione saw.  Nooo.

"It can’t be!” And not being the gentle type, Ron shook the anonymous girl awake.

Harry felt strong arms shaking her (yes I’ll be using that now even if he doesn’t know it yet) and slowly her eyes fluttered open.  Ron’s face invaded her vision and she gave a gasp of surprise. At this, she must’ve scared him because he unceremoniously dropped her to the ground and backed away fast.  She slowly stood up and gave Ron a glare.

“You know, I don’t like being dropped onto the ground like that. I’ve had enough falling for today.”  She looked into their faces and saw some sort of confirmation settle in with their horrified expressions.  “What-” she coughed. There was something wrong with her voice; it was a little higher than normal, “What’s the matter with you?  And where were you when I called your names?”  The two just stared at her, a slightly dazed expression on their faces. Hermione finally got her bearings and asked in a shaky voice,

“H-Harry?” Harry responded with a flat stare, and replied sarcastically,

“Yah…who did you think you were talking to.”  Ron finally shook himself of his slightly spacey daze.  He was still not done grasping the concept, as it wasn’t every day your best MALE friend turns FEMALE. He blushed.

“Umm…Harry?”

“What?”

“Did you notice that…um, well…”

“Yes?”

“Uh…you…well…”

“YES?!”

“BLOODY HELL HARRY YOU’RE A GIRL!” Ron yelled without realizing that he could’ve caused Harry irreparable brain damage. Harry gave Ron a weird look.

“What?” she looked at Hermione, but she just hung her head and refused to say anything.  That was bad. Harry slowly looked down, and to her utter horror, found that her shirt stuck out farther than it should have.  She pinched her leg, and found it painful, which ruled out the possibility that it was a horrible nightmare. After deciding that she wasn’t dreaming, she let loose a soul-shattering scream that was heard for miles around and fainted for the third time that day.

A few miles away, the entire group of fifth year students ground to a sudden stop in the middle of the Amazon village as they heard a scream that sent shivers down their spines. Professor McGonagall turned to Dumbledore with a white face.

“W-What was that Albus?” Dumbledore’s face was suddenly serious.

“I don’t know, but I get the strange feeling that whoever screamed was one of our students.” McGonagall gasped and Snape’s face then turned strange reddish pale.

“Who would be dumb enough to run off alone?” he hissed.

That question was soon to be answered (the next morning).

Ron had ended up with the task of carrying Harry.  He was going to conjure up a stretcher, but Hermione said no, reminding Ron that China had its Muggles as well. He grumbled as Hermione pointed out a small house a few meters away.  Maybe she didn’t realize it, but carrying Harry for two miles was bloody difficult. Actually, carrying anyone for two miles was hard.  Thank God that he was a girl because otherwise this would’ve been REALLY difficult. As they approached the house, Hermione turned to face Ron.

“What?” he asked slightly annoyed.

“I’m going to have to put a translation spell on the both of us and Harry," Hermione answered and pulled out her wand and pointed it at Ron’s throat, “Translatus Chinois” and Ron started speaking Chinese with an English accent.  It sounded so funny that Hermione burst into giggles the minute he spoke. She then performed the spell on herself and she found herself understanding what Ron was saying.

<“I bet I sound bloody stupid, huh?”>, he said more annoyed than before.  She looked at him trying not to laugh.

<“Not as much as me probably.  Never mind, let’s just get to that hut over there.”> Hermione looked at the sign on the hut as the two got closer and read (the spell translated everything Chinese so…) ‘Jusenkyo Guide (please ring bell)’ She squealed and ditched Ron to ring the bell.  As Ron came running up behind her breathing hard, a short man appeared at the door.

<“Do you need some help?”> he asked.  Before Ron could open his mouth, Hermione latched onto the guide’s arm, told him the entire story and asked him if there was a cure.

<“No,”> the guide shook his head sadly, <“there is no cure.”> The crestfallen looks on the boy and girl were enough for him to tell them the other side of the curse. <“But, the change isn’t permanent, you can change back with hot water.”> Both the boy and girl sighed and smiled in relief so he added, <“But cold water triggers the curse again.”> And both of the visitors looked crestfallen again, but less so than before. 

Ron brought Harry over to a cot and laid her out.  Hermione started a fire with her wand to boil a kettle of water that the guide gave her.  After she was done, she scooted over to Ron and joined him in staring at Harry’s prone form.  After a few minutes of heavy silence, she turned to Ron.

<“How do you think he’ll react?”> she asked Ron. Ron, who was spacing out because of the fire turned to look at Hermione.

<“Considering how he acted earlier…pretty badly.”>  Hermione nodded her head in agreement. A second afterward, the teakettle whistled loudly and Hermione rushed to the fire, pulling off the kettle and stamping out the fire.  She rushed back to Ron, who was looking apprehensive.  She imagined that she had the same expression on her face, because he gave her a look of understanding.  As she posed with the kettle, holding it above Harry’s face, she closed her eyes, and proceeded to pour the boiling water.

          

 “AAAAH!!!” Harry screamed at the top of his lungs as boiling water splashed his face, burning him.  He sat up quickly, and pulled the blankets up to cover his face.  Once he was dry (and not burning), he got his wits together enough to yell,

“What on earth did you do that for?!” However, Ron and Hermione did not hear him.  They were to busy shaking themselves out of the daze the transformation had caused.  It was just too weird. Hermione had the grace to answer his question, as Ron was still snapping out of it.

<“Um, you do remember the incident with the spring…right?”> Harry gave her a questioning look and Hermione realized that she hadn’t put the translating spell on him yet and therefore proceeded to do so. She repeated the question and watched as he turned a new shade of pale.  Hermione looked at his face and took it as a ‘Yes, I do.’ She shook her head, <“I’m so sorry, Harry,”> she said tearfully, <“I should’ve answered when you called our names, and I shouldn’t have run off like that.”> Crookshanks purred next to her. Hermione looked sadly down at the cat. <“Crookshanks has disappeared before and has always come back to me.”> Harry thought about being angry, but the thought disappeared when Hermione looked up at him with tearful eyes. Ron was also looking sorrowful, and it was then that Harry realized it was nobody’s fault that he fell into the spring. He put on his ‘I-Know-We-Can-Get-Through-This’ face and smiled.

<“It’s ok,”> the two looked up with surprise on their faces, <“really, I’ve gone through bad things before. This is nothing more than another hurdle.  I just want you to not tell anyone.”> Hermione’s bottom lip quivered and she threw her arms around him crying something about ‘forgiveness’. Ron just gave Harry a shaky smile.

<“Well, you’re the ‘boy who lived’, you had better get through this.”> Harry gave him a smirk.

<“Yeah…I just hope that it doesn’t rain. Then I don’t know if I can.”> Ron and Hermione (who had removed her arms from Harry) laughed heartily and Harry felt altogether much better.  Unfortunately, it was at this moment that Hermione checked her watch and gasped.

<“Oh NO!”>, she exclaimed. The two boys turned their gazes towards her, startled. <“It’s almost 9:00 in the morning!”> Ron gave her a flat stare.

<“Calm down Hermione.  That’s England time, not China.”>  Hermione shot him a baleful glare.

<“Have you no eyes?!  It’s dark outside! And…and for your information, there’s a 12-hour time zone difference between England and China!”> The outburst took a minute to set in for the boys.  When it did, both of them got up and ran towards the guide, who was calmly smoking his pipe.

<“Excuse me, but do you know the way to an Amazon village? It’s supposed to be nearby,”> asked a now panicking Harry. The guide pointed toward a path with a sign next to it that said, ‘THIS WAY TO AMAZON VILLAGE’.  Harry turned back to the guide and said gratefully, <“Thank you very much!”>  He grabbed Ron just as Ron grabbed Hermione and they raced out the door yelling back, <“Thanks again!”>  When they were out of hearing range, the guide sighed and said to himself,

<“Young people nowadays.”>

Dean Thomas was busy setting up his stuff inside the hut that all of the Gryffindors were sharing.  A while ago, when Prof. McGonagall was doing a head count, she realized that three students had disappeared.  She first panicked, and then went to Dumbledore to report the bad news.  They were now searching the surrounding forests. Dean was all too glad that he wasn’t in their shoes. McGonagall was going to murder them. He looked up from his belongings to see Seamus fingering a small wand.

“Seamus?” the aforementioned boy looked up, “What, may ask, is that?”  Seamus twirled the wand in his hand and grinned impishly.

“What? This?” he held the wand up, “It’s a water-squirtin’ wand.  Never runs outta water. I’m plannin’ to use this lil’ baby on Potter an’ his friend’s when they get back. It’ll be a nice surprise for them.”

“Harry? How *huff* long will *gasp* this path *wheeze* take?!” Hermione gasped as she ran along the beaten path towards the Amazon village. She had taken off the translating spell so that they could find out where the Gryffindor fifth years were staying. Harry and Ron were ahead of her by three feet and she was running out of breath, for holding up her broken arm.  Ron looked back at her and stopped, turned back to her and picked her up.  She squealed in protest, but Ron wasn’t listening.  He was back beside Harry and they flew towards the small huts and fires that they saw on the near horizon. 

Minerva McGonagall was frustrated, tired, and all in all rather miffed.  Sprout, herself, and Dumbledore had searched all over and had not found one bloody clue as to where Potter, Weasley, and Granger had gone.  She had even searched the very spot where they had run off to in the first place (the tree).  Nothing. 

McGonagall ran a shaking hand through her tangled hair. This wasn’t the best beginning to an excursion of this sort.  It was a nightmare.  It seemed just the kind of thing that Potter and his friends would do.  That was bad enough already…Potter was, to put it lightly, well known.  If the people of wizarding England were to find out that he had gone missing in China of all places… “Lord help us,” she muttered.

Harry peeked his head around the corner of a small hut.

“It’s all right, there’s no one out here,” he turned his head to speak to Hermione and Ron. They eventually came around the corner and started walking towards the larger huts.  The REALLY large huts.  It was there that the small group suspected to meet their peers. 

“I wonder what will happen tomorrow morning," Hermione said thoughtfully (still in the ‘damsel in distress’ position) from Ron’s arms.  Ron looked at Hermione and then at Harry.

“Well, let’s just hope that we get a chance to explain our side of the story before the professors kill us.” Harry laughed and replied,

“Or that we won’t get 500 points off from Gryffindor.” The entire group thought about it and decided to lay the topic at rest until tomorrow morning.  They had reached the first of the large huts and looked up at the sign above the doorway.

‘GRYFFINDOR STUDENT’S DORMITORY’

“Well, looks like we struck gold on the first try.” Harry smiled and pulled back the curtain-like door. He briefly saw the entirety of the fifth year boys jump at his entrance before Seamus jumped in front of him with a wand and yelled,

“DEMON BEGONE!!!” and the wand sprayed ice-cold water straight into his face. 

There was a pregnant pause after the water had been sprayed and the Gryffindor boys stood in shock.  Ron poked his head in through the curtain and started to say,

“Hello! We’re ba-…oh no,” he finished subdued. 

Harry was standing there, her eyes tight shut. Pretending that she wasn’t here; that it was all a VERY bad dream.  She slowly opened her eyes and found that she wasn’t dreaming. Bugger.

“Why…WHY did you do that Seamus?!” she screamed at him, her voice raising another octave.  Ron winced. “I JUST CHANGED BACK!” Hermione winced. “I DIDN’T WANT TO EVEN THINK ABOUT THIS!!!!!” The entire boys dorm winced. Harry continued, “AAARGH!!!” and with that she stomped towards the fire, pulled out her wand, said “Kettle Apperatus”, and a full kettle appeared over the fire.  She then sat down in a huff and put her face in her hands, looking ready to cry. Ron looked at the hunched up figure by the fire and sighed. 

“I guess he hasn’t recovered from it yet.” Seamus looked extremely baffled.

“H-how did that happen?” Hermione gave Seamus a long-suffering look.

“Jusenkyo. He fell in the ‘Spring of Drowned Girl’ (the guide told us).” It was all she needed to say.  The group of boys sitting in the room took on a look of understanding and pity.  To the right of Hermione, where there was a large screen blocking the girl’s side, Lavender’s head poked out and she spotted Hermione.

“OH! Hermione! You’re back!” she stepped out from behind the curtain, “Are Harry and Ron back yet?” she asked innocently.  “We heard a girl scream and we thought it was you, Herm.” It was then that she stopped talking and noticed the quietness that had enveloped the room, and the girl that sitting by the fire, sobbing.  Girl to girl nature kicked in, and Lavender zoomed over to the girl, not noticing that the entire dorm had frozen.  She tapped the unknown girl on the shoulder, genuinely concerned.  At first, she thought that the mysterious girl hadn’t noticed her, until-

“Lavender?” the girl asked without looking.  Lavender stood up, surprised.

“How do you know my name?” she asked inquisitively.  The girl (wearing a Gryffindor boys’ uniform?) just turned around to face her and Lavender didn’t see how that answered her question until she saw a very familiar lightning-shaped scar on the girl’s forehead. She gasped.

“H-harry?” The girl, thereby known as Harry, nodded her head.

“The one and the same.”  Lavender choked as she tried to come up with words and Seamus put a hand on her shoulder and said quietly,

“They, somehow, when nobody has done it for over a thousand years no matter how hard they searched, stumbled onto Jusenkyo.” Hermione hobbled into the middle of the dorm room to clarify.

“We didn’t mean to, really.  My cat, Crookshanks,” he purred, “somehow got into my pack and he opened it and ran off.  So I followed him, and naturally Harry and Ron followed as well. Crookshanks had run up a tree and I climbed up the tree to grab him and Ron shouted my name so I fell,” she held up her broken arm and winced, “and broke my arm.”  Ron looked at Hermione worryingly and continued for her.

“So I suggested that we try to follow our own footsteps,” it was his turn to wince, “and, of course, we promptly got lost.” Harry looked at Ron’s uncomfortable tone of voice and realised that he probably though it was his fault.  Harry looked at everyone’s faces, and they all seemed to be wrapped up in the story. She looked briefly at Ron and Hermione and continued the rest of the story for them.

“It was then that this strange, dense fog rolled in and we couldn’t find our way until I stepped out onto the grounds of Jusenkyo,” she had startled everyone by speaking, “Then the fog followed us and we couldn’t see anything again.  I, unfortunately, was the one in the back this time and couldn’t find anyone. So I just walked straight ahead and,” she made a downward motion with her hands, “sploosh.”

There was an uncomfortable silence afterward which the whistling of the teakettle broke.  Harry grabbed the kettle and poured it on herself, forgetting that it was boiling.

“YAH!” he yelled, his voice once again an octave lower like it was supposed to be. The rest of the company that surrounded him broke into fits of laughter and giggles.  He smiled sheepishly. “I guess that I’ll just wait for my impending doom tomorrow then shall I?”

The rest of the group just smiled and nodded in agreement. Lavender wound Hermione’s arm in a brace, saying that she wasn’t as good as Madame Pomfrey, but it wouldn’t hurt as much as it did before.  Shortly after, both girls left to go to sleep.  Harry and Ron went to the same, but were bombarded with questions of all sorts and didn’t get to sleep until around 3:00 am. Harry realised that maybe; just maybe, his curse was also a blessing in disguise.  However, that was because the boys didn’t get around to teasing him until tomorrow morning.