The Art of Peace

Chapter 17

Further In

A sword glistening

Drawn in the morning sunlight

Beauty in deadly form

The next two days were somewhat awkward for Harry. As much as he regretted not talking to Sirius and Remus, doing so would have definitely taken away his resolve to remove himself from the wizarding world. Of course, it seemed to be almost impossible to do that, even when he was no longer Harry Potter. Even now there were wizards outside of the gates just waiting for someone, anyone, to make a move. It did not even need to be a wrong move; any move would do, and they were just anxious enough to cause a lot of damage. Of course Sirius had told the monks that they were only for Harry's safety, but everyone knew they were also there to bundle Harry back to England if he even breathed over the monastery walls. As much as he understood that people wanted him to go "home", the closest to home had been Hogwarts and Cedric's death had ruined that beyond repair. No, Sifu and Claude were home now. They did not expect anything of him other than himself, and that was something he had never experienced before. Even Ron and Hermione had always expected a little more out of him. He was a Potter, so of course he would play Quidditch. He was The Boy Who Lived, so he was automatically a fantastic wizard. He had faced Voldemort, so of course this fifteen year old had to defeat him - it did not matter that Voldemort had decades more experience and a lot more power at his disposal. After all, what were the Dark Arts but power and Harry would be damned to Hell before he would stoop that low. For now all he had to do was live and hope that Sifu and the monks decided he was worth the effort. Sifu would, he knew, and the monks said they would let nothing happen to him that he did not want, but there was a difference between hearing it and seeing it.

It had taken a while, but Hedwig was finally doing better. Her trip had taken more out of her than normal, probably because Harry had never stopped traveling the entire time and homing in on his signature had taken Hedwig on a merry round of 'chase-the-tail' across Europe and most of Asia. The monks had used a combination of natural healing and magic from one of the resident wizards to bring her back to health, and she was finally ready to get back to work. The letter to Ginny had been hard. Responding to her in the first place had probably been an unwise decision, but he would not regret it now. She had given him a line back to the only family that had accepted him and that meant a lot to him. Of course this meant he was now compelled to write a return letter, even though he had a slight suspicion on how soon after Hedwig's arrival Sirius and Remus had appeared. Even if Ginny had told someone, there had to be a good reason; she had kept his secret this long without a problem after all. Perhaps she would say something in her reply, he thought, releasing Hedwig for her return. Until then he could only wait.

England:

Virginia Weasley was a distraught witch. Not weeping, she would never admit to something such as that. No, she was worried - worried for a friend, and she could do nothing about it. Yes, she had told the Headmaster, but apparently she was not mature enough to know what had been the result of her report. It had been a week since her meeting and she had yet to hear anything, Harry included. She was resigned to another long day ahead of her when her breakfast was quite summarily interrupted by an obviously tired Hedwig landing in the middle of her halfway eaten meal. Eyes widening in shock, Ginny grabbed the owl off the table and rushed out, ignoring the quizzical looks she received from her housemates. Once safely alone she shakily removed the letter. It was short and simple, something she had grown used to even before Harry had left.

Dear Ginny,

I received your letter. I don't know when you sent it, and if it was a long time ago, I am sorry. We have been traveling and it took Hedwig a while to find us again. I am staying with good people now and am learning a lot. Don't worry about me. Is everything all right at Hogwarts? I hope everyone is managing all right with classes.

Harry

It was not the most satisfactory letter she had ever received, but at least Harry was all right. That was all she could hold onto for now until Harry got over his run from life mentality and faced his future. Hopefully it would be soon.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was a busy man. Voldemort's power was on the rise, and all of his efforts were spent trying to counteract this threat. However, he was not so busy that a visit by two former students could be ignored. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin strode into his office, clothes dusty from their travels but not looking as if they had returned from the wars as their predecessor had.

"Sirius. Remus. What a pleasant surprise. I see you do not have young Mr. Potter with you. Where is he?"

"I'm afraid he did not return, sir. We never even got the chance to talk to him. He is living in a Buddhist monastery and the monks refused to give him up," Remus replied.

"Could you not apparate in and take him away?"

"There were apparation wards all over the area. Apparently he has entered something of a wizard community there. We left a team just in case he either tried to leave or someone came after him. We didn't know what else to do."

"I think you made the right decision. As much as I too would like to bring Harry back to the safety of Hogwarts, I cannot afford any more effort to speed his return. I have just received word that Death Eater activity is on the rise in rural communities in Ireland and I feel that Harry must defend himself. He has made his choice, and until the threat of Voldemort is removed, we cannot do anything about it. I am truly sorry to force you into this."

Sirius spoke up angrily. "You actually expect us to give up on him just like that? He is James' son, for God's sake! I would die for the boy!"

"And I am afraid I may ask that of all of you someday. If we stop Voldemort, the threat to Harry is gone, is it not? His defeat would ensure that every child could grow in a world better than you were forced to live in. Would you really abandon that dream to follow Harry through years when you could be of help here?"

"You're right Headmaster, I'm sorry," he replied. "Maybe we can keep Harry from all of this, I don't know; but I guess it is worth a try."

"Very good. Now we shall keep his watchers in place. Perhaps he will give us an opportunity yet. If they do not succeed, though, no more attempts will be made. Good day to you two. I believe that you may find something to do at Headquarters."

With that a sobered duo left the office. Perhaps one day they would see Harry again, but as much as they wanted it to be now, Dumbledore was right as always. It was safer for him out there where no one else knew him. Maybe someday it would be safe.

Tibet:

Harry finished his form with a bow and backed out of the training area. Sifu had him for an hour a day now, something that Harry was immensely grateful for as it cut down on all of the time he been spending splitting wood. He still spent a lot of time in language studies and with the other wizards exchanging knowledge but this was his first chance at physical training since his arrival. Not surprisingly, most of what they were studying was just a review since the six months of travel had kept the practice time to a minimum. The time on the ship had been full of practice, but once they hit the mainland, it just was not practical to train in a full bus. They had time now, though. As long as Harry kept a low profile he should be safe to live his life as he chose.

The next day was a somber affair. One of the older monks had passed in the night and arrangements were being made for his burial. As they were not monks, Harry, Sifu, and Claude were left to their own devices for a few days until the ceremonies were complete. When the prayers were finished and the body ready to leave, the monastery emptied except for them and a few monks to ensure the monastery was not violated by the wizards outside. In the end, it was a good thing that those precautions were taken, because as soon as the large group of monks had left the wizards came in. No doubt they were attempting to capture Harry, but their attempts were thwarted by the monks left on guard. Harry did not even know of their presence until he rounded a corner to see the last one struck down with a bo. The wizards were summarily forced to leave after that little incident, and they were banned from the area as well. It seemed that no one cared much for the well being of someone who was willing to attack a monk. At least now Harry no longer had to worry about them, something that became abundantly clear when he had to collect the wood on top of cutting it the next day.

A/N: I realize this is an absurdly short chapter for such a long wait, but I promise there is a reason. That, and 'the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley.' Thanks for the reviews all, and I hope that the story continues to whet your interest. As always, Peace.