Magic by Thrawnma Notes: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AHAHAHHAHA! I've done the unthinkable and crossed Ranma 1/2 and Harry Potter. Expect Canonical HPedness whereas Ranma is decidedly AU (Much like many of my other fics.... ¬,¬;) Anyways! On to the story! Oh wait! I feel the need to categorize the story. Basically it'll be told in a varying tone, occasionally flitting to comedic before going dramatic for occasional scenes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The campfire illuminated a small circle of ground amidst the Chinese mountainside wilderness. Two figures squatted by the fire, one large and the other quite small, casting shadows longer than their own selves into the thick forest surrounding their site. Both wore karate gis, and the larger one, a heavyset man with a bandanna protecting his bald scalp from the elements held a stick as he stoked the fire underneath their meager meal of a kettle of rice. The large man glanced at his companion, whose small body was dwarfed by the man's. The smaller person had their knees up, and their head hidden between their small legs. Their arms were propped up on their raised knees, and the face could not be seen behind the mid-length red hair crowning their head. "Ranma....." The large man began, and then abruptly halted. He sighed so deep it shook his large frame before looking up to the night sky above as if for guidance. The stars revealed little if nothing to the man, so he was forced to fend for himself in the upcoming conversation. "Ranma.... about earlier today... You... It wasn't your fault...." The man began haltingly, but his tone grew stronger as he spoke more. "You have nothing to feel sorry for. It was my own fault that this happened. I cannot blame you for my own shortcomings as a teacher. Had I been better, perhaps this would not have happened," he said. Unfortunately, the speech was having the opposite effect on Ranma. It seemed to depress Ranma even more to the point that a dark sort of pool seemed to appear around Ranma's body. "Leame alone," a soft, girlish voice emanated from the prostrate Ranma. Genma's face fell as heard the words, and he sat staring into the fire as he recalled the events of the day. He and Ranma were martial artists travelling the world on a training trip, trying to develop their skills further. They had left their home when Ranma had been six, and for the past five years had been visiting temples and dojos all around Japan in hopes of increasing their skills further. Genma himself was an already accomplished martial artist, but Ranma struggled to suceed. It was apparent to Genma by their third year on the trip that Ranma had little to no talent for Martial Arts. Still, he never told Ranma, thinking, wrongly, that the truth would only hurt the child more, and he allowed Ranma to try again and again only to fail. Genma had hopes though. He had heard of a training ground in China where the greatest martial artists were born, and had decided to take Ranma to the oddly named place. It had taken them a few months, in which time Ranma's eleventh birthday crept closer and closer, before Genma could afford the barest minimum of passage fares. Genma booked them one-way passage on a small ship and they were off to China, where they had to present passports bought with the remains of Genma's meager earnings from working as a bouncer. Afterwards, they immediately headed into the wilderness of China, living off what they could beg, borrow, or forage from the surrounding wilderness and it's inhabitants. Finally, after several weeks, they arrived at their destination of Jusenkyo. An infamous training grounds where Genma hoped to make Ranma into one of the finest fighters, Jusenkyo. "Come on Ranma. This place will be fine for us to train you further. Those poles look to be good for balancing practice, and those pools look deep enough to keep you from hurting yourself if you fall into one." Genma said as he crested the hill overlooking the valley filled with hundreds of small deep pools of spring water. Genma carried a large pack on his shoulders, and Ranma carried a smaller one. "I dunno pops. How am I supposed to get up one of those poles?" Ranma asked tentatively, black hair obscuring greyish blue eyes. Genma realized that he would have to give Ranma something soon in order to "Well, you'll climb up one the first couple of times. Then as go along, I'll teach you how to leap high enough and land on one of them while retaining your balance." Genma offered as he started to walk down the hill towards the training grounds. Sitting and dozing lightly in a wooden rocker outside of a simple hut was an overweight Chinese man wearing a green uniform and hat, with the hat tilted so it shielded the man's eyes from any sunlight that tried to peek out from the day's cloud cover. Ranma caught up to Genma as they were passing the hut, and Ranma tugged on Genma's gi sleeve. "Pops?" Ranma asked. "Should we ask that man over there if its okay to use the place?" Genma glanced over at the sleeping man, and decided to utilize the philosophy of "It is easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission." After all, if it was okay, why bother to wake the man? And if it wasn't, they could simply say they were trying to respect the man's wish to gain rest, and come off as being polite people. In Genma's mind it was settled, so he said, "No, I don't think we will. Okay son, I want you to scale that pole over there and balance on the top of it until you're comfortable. You have nothing to worry about, see? There are deep pools surrounding it and a nice narrow path right to the pole itself. If you fall off, you'll fall into water, and you swim like a fish." Ranma nodded, and shouldered off his pack onto the ground. Then he walked over to the pole, happily noting the thin patches of ground that led to the pole from between the pools. He could see that if he did fall, he would in fact land in a pool. This relieved his mind a great deal as he straddled the thick bamboo pole and began to shimmy up it. Genma watched from the ground, keeping silent vigil so as not to disrupt his son's concentration. At that moment, when Ranma and Genma's minds were elsewhere, the sleeping man began to awaken. The Jusenkyo guide awakened slowly, his eyes opening and closing, witnessing stop-gap images of real-life. He could see Ranma begin to scale the pole, and he saw Genma watching on as Ranma did so. Only after Ranma had come within a few feet of the pole's top did the images register in the guide's mind. "Oh no!" The guide cried out in Chinese as he sprang to his feet and ran towards the ignorant visitors. He grabbed Genma by his gi top as Ranma began to stand upon the pole's top. "Sir! You must call the boy down!" The guide cried in Chinese. Genma stared at the man, sure he was insane. "I don't understand Chinese!" Genma yelled back. The guide was taken aback a moment before replying in broken Japanese. "Get boy off pole!" Genma tried to understand why when he heard a cry from above. Both he and the guide looked up to see Ranma standing on one leg on the pole, and losing his balance. "Oh no!" The guide cried out just before Ranma completely lost his balance and tumbled off the pole and into one of the pools. "No no no!" The guide yelled as he rushed to the pool's edge. Genma ran after the man, a worried and confused look on his face. "Whats wrong? What is it? Are these pools poisoned? Tell me damnit!" Genma grabbed the guide by the shoulder and spun him around as they stood at the pool's edge, waiting for Ranma to surface. "Pools cursed, sir! Pools cursed!" the guide replied with a look of regret on his face. Genma only grabbed the man's shirt and brang him closer to him. "Cursed?! How?! What kind of curse?!" Genma yelled as a head broke the surface of the pool. "Ranma!" Genma cried out, forgetting the guide as he kneeled next to the pool, carefully so as not to fall in himself. "Ranma..." Genma trailed off as he saw the red hair so much like Her's, and saw the boy's face as he swam to the edge of the pool. The actual face had changed in subtle ways, but it was noticeably different. Even though Ranma had already been slender, his face was now even more so, and it was visible to Genma what kinda of curse the pool incurred. "Nyannichuan." The guide said from behind Genma as Ranma pulled him- herself out of the pool, finally noticing the change herself. "Spring of drowned girl. Any fall in become girl." The guide said as Ranma began to break down into tears. Genma had pressed the guide for information, and it seemed the curse was activated by water. Specifically, hot and cold water. Hot water would temporarily relieve the cursed of their affliction, but cold water would restore the curse upon the victim until they came into contact with hot water again. The guide gave them some hot water and Ranma was changed back, but after they had left, intending to return to the coast and look for work so they could go back to Japan, a misty drizzle had settled in on them as they were walking, and after a while this had incited Ranma's change into his red-haired girl self. Genma lacked enough water to cook their rice and allow Ranma to change back, and he and Ranma had not eaten much lately. So he decided to use what water they had for their dinner, and the next morning they would locate a stream and boil water for Ranma to change back. Thus was how they found themselves sitting around a campfire waiting for their meager meal to finish cooking while Genma thought hard and Ranma skulked in her new body. After a while, their rice was done and both began to eat, Genma with the force of a starving man and Ranma with the distaste of a nauseaus patient. While Genma was eating, he realized something. "Tomorrow is Ranma's eleventh birthday isn't it?" Genma asked himself. "Yes, I'm quite sure it is." Genma cleared his throat and was about to speak to Ranma when there came from above a loud screech. Both Ranma and Genma were startled into an energized state, and they scanned the night sky for a sign as to what had created the noise when a small letter, with a large red wax seal, fluttered down from above to land at Ranma's feet. "What the-?" Ranma asked as she picked the letter up and opened it up. Genma's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the wax seal, but before he could order Ranma to throw the letter away, she had looked up at him and asked the question he had feared. "Pops, whats Hogwarts?" Genma's heart raced as heard the name. He knew what it meant. He knew why the owl had come. After all, he had talked to Her years before about so likely an event. But things were different now. She was gone, and Ranma had never learned about his heritage. How could Genma throw the boy into such a situation. "Its nothing Ranma." Genma said quickly, snatching the letter away and casting it into the fire. Genma watched until the letter had been turned into black ash before he tore his eyes away to look at Ranma. "Its nothing." He said again. Ranma nodded her head, but she watched the fire, her eyes fixed upon the spot where the letter had burned up until the fire died out. Then, Genma and Ranma both curled up and went to sleep, but the letter still burned in Ranma's mind as she slept. They awakened early the next day, and began to hike once again. Their immediate goal was to find water to boil and use to revert Ranma to her true form. They eventually found a spring as they were travelling, and they filled their canteens with water and filled their kettle too for boiling when a fierce wind whipped past them, dampening any hopes of them ever creating a fire. The kettle was emptied and they continued on, Ranma's spirits falling as it seemed they wouldn't be able to produce any hot water for her to transform back that day. When they camped, the wind still pursued them and Genma had to forage for a few vegetables to stave off their hunger since they couldn't create a fire to even boil rice. The next day dawned without wind, but dark clouds promised rain, and as Genma was just about to light the match to start a fire, a downpour erupted, dousing the flame and soaking all the other matches, rendering them useless. "Do the gods hate me?" Genma asked himself. "Or is this a result of the curse?" With spirits falling, Genma and Ranma continued onward as the rain poured down upon them. In the middle of the day, however, the rain shrank to a drizzle and they could see the sky clearly, although still overcast. At that time, though, there came two distinct screeches, similar to the one's they had heard, and two silhouettes could be seen flying overhead. A pair of large birds circled and wheeled before flying off into the distance. A moment later, a pair of letters exactly like the one Genma had burned fluttered down. This time, though, Genma didn't say or do anything. "I can't stop them. I can't run from them. What the hell can I do now? I can't let Ranma go. I can't. She... She..." Genma thought to himself as Ranma picked up both letters and read through them. "Pops, what is Hogwarts? Why am I getting these letters?" Asked Ranma. Genma thought quickly and decided upon a lie to tell. "I don't know Ranma. But I would bet demonic trickery. What else would use birds to deliver such letters?! My best advice would be to ignore any letters that come to you from now on!" Ranma nodded, but part of her felt something. The letters seemed to invoke feelings of comfort in her, and she didn't think that demonic messages would do such a thing. But, then again, she wasn't all too sure of the world herself, and decided to listen Genma's advice. To a degree. The letters were thrown away, and again they began to journey onwards. The drizzle didn't abate, either, until nightfall, and even then all of Genma's matches were soaked destroyed. They had no ways of making fire to boil water for food or for Ranma to change back. So they spent a long, cold, hungry night in the woods until day broke, and they were off again. The day led them through a small village with quaint huts and kind people. Although they did not get any hot water for Ranma, they did manage to beg a few bowls of soup to ease their hunger. As they were leaving the village, though, there came the sounds of a great, ruckus, and as Genma and Ranma turned to look, they could see a massive form walking out of one of the huts, which seemed to be dwarfed by the giant's size. It looked like a man with a huge head of hair and a titanic beard, and it wore a fur coat and carried a huge umbrella with it. He was at least ten feet tall, and looked extremely heavy. But his overall aura seemed gentle and kind. The giant looked around a moment before spotting Genma and Ranma, and with a joyful cry and a delighted look he rose his umbrella as if to draw attention to himself, (Not that he really needed to), and called out "Oi! Genma!" Strange as it may seem, although the words were announced in heavily accented english, Ranma understood every word easily. It was... like magic or something. Genma, who had been rooted to the spot with shock and horror, wilted like a flower in the desert and for a moment he was silent. Then he raised his hand and said weakly, "Over here Hagrid." The giant called Hagrid brushed a few of the villagers off of him before stomping over to where Ranma and Genma were. He wore a large, cheerful grin and good vibes seemed to emanate from the man naturally. "'Ello Genma, 's bin a while, hadn't it? Is this lil' Ranma? Oh, seems he's gotten a lot from his mother, doesn't it? The hair, the eyes, in fact I'd hazard a guess that-" Hagrid trailed off as he studied Ranma further. "'Ello? This boys a gel." Ranma, who had been a little nervous at the level of scrutiny Hagrid had been directing towards her seemed to retreat into a shell as Hagrid made his observations. She just stood, rooted to the spot, eyes on the ground as Hagrid spoke. Hagrid turned and looked down on Genma, who seemed like a broken doll of a man, and asked, "Wats going on here, Genma? I thought you an' Nodoka had yourselves a lil' boy. Is this really Ranma?" Genma looked up at Hagrid, nodded weakly, and said in reply, "Yes, we had a little boy. And this is Ranma right here. You see we went to a training ground called Jusenkyo and...." Genma explained what had happened at the training grounds to Hagrid, who nodded and hummed as he placed a hand on his bristly chin in thought. When Genma had finished explaining, Hagrid took a long look at Ranma before looking at Genma again and speaking. "Well, I can't says I know much 'bout this Jusenkyo place, but I'm bettin' theres places in Diagon Alley that do. And if Ranma intends to go to Hogwarts to learn how to be a witch, or a wizard, or whatever thats the place we've gotta go. China and Japan don't have the station, and neither do they have the place to get everything a Hogwarts student needs." Genma replied weakly, "Ranma doesn't know about Hogwarts.... He doesn't even know about his Mother or why.... He just doesn't know!" Hagrid stared down at Genma, and his face took on a dark tone, indeed. "What do you mean to say? That you've never once told Ranma he was the son of one the best of the witches to graduate from Hogwarts? Didn' ya never tell him anything?" Genma shook his head, no. Hagrid threw up his hands in disgust and exasperation before finally turning to look down upon the distraught Ranma. Hagrid kneeled down to reduce the distance between them in height, but he still towered over the one-hundred thirty-five centimeter tall girl. "How'd you like to go with me to England and then go to Hogwarts? Its a school for people like you, magical people. They'll teach you how to use whatcha got, and theres no finer place to learn. Not to mention its where yer own mother learned her skills. All ya have to say is yes, and I'll have us all there in two shakes of a unicorn tail." Hagrid said, with a wide, cheerful, honest grin. Ranma had heard every word from Hagrid's conversation with Genma, and hearing him confirm that her mother had been a witch was a shock. But it awakened something inside Ranma. It awakened a yearning to know more about her mother. "I wanna go to Hogwarts," Ranma said, looking up at Hagrid. A small smile was beginning to grow on her face as she said the words. "I wanna learn magic like mama." Hagrid grinned, then laughed before sweeping the small girl up in a big hug. "Atta girl!" Hagrid said without thought, and Ranma didn't seem to notice either and without thinking she began to giggle and wrapped her arms around the loveable giant. Genma just stood and watched with an unreadable expression on his face. After Hagrid and Ranma were done hugging, Genma walked over and said to Hagrid, "So, how are we supposed to get to Diagon Alley? I've never been there and if it is all the way over in England, I haven't got the money for the trip." Hagrid paused to think, and he could be heard mumbling before he cleared his voice and said, "Well, I suppose it'll be the floo powder then. Right, come along." Hagrid began to traipse back towards the village, and Ranma followed immediately after, and so did Genma, although he waited a moment before doing so. The villagers looked fearful as they watched Hagrid return, the man who had so mysteriously appeared from their neighbors fireplace. Hagrid didn't seem to notice, or if he did, didn't seem to care. Ranma simply kept her eyes fixed on Hagrid, smiling cheerfully. Only Genma seemed unnerved by all the eyes being fixed upon him. "Damn," Genma thought, "This is almost as bad as when the Master had us..... no. Nothing will ever come close to how bad that was. I owe you so much Nodoka." Hagrid led them inside a hut, bending over in order to get himself inside before leading them to a simple fireplace embedded in the wall. "Well, 'ere we are." Hagrid said as Ranma and Genma joined him. Both had curious looks on their faces as they looked at Hagrid. "Now wait a moment," Hagrid said as he began to fish in his pockets for something. "I had it here a moment ago. Heres the cake for Harry, gotta get that to him soon I suppose, I wonder where those Dursleys ran off to. Thats part of the reason I was sent out here, we've been sending a great load of letters to the Dursleys in the past week and we've been getting no reply. I suppose I'll go check on them after I get you to Diagon Alley safely. Anyways, there hasn't been a reply, and since you didn't reply to either your first, second, or third letters yourself I went out to check up on you. Lucky the owls were able to let us know where you were otherwise we might have had some problems.... ah here it is now. Floo powder. Just say the name of your destination very clearly and throw some in the fire and you'll be whisked off there. Normally I wouldn't give this to novices to use, but since there is no other way, I'm sure an exception will be allowed." Hagrid gave Ranma and Genma a handful each, and had Ranma step forward in order to go first. "Now, just say very clearly 'Diagon Alley' and throw the powder in. And watch your step!" Hagrid advised. Ranma nodded, and held the hand holding the powder in front of her, her pack held on her shoulders, and clearly stated, "Diagon Alley," before throwing the powder into the small fire. Flames leapt out to grip Ranma before whisking her away. Genma stared with wide eyes as Hagrid stepped forward and performed the same action. Genma was left alone, and he could suddenly sense the villagers all around him with angry faces. "Diagon Alley!" Genma yelled before throwing the powder into the flames. Then he too was whisked away, off to Diagon Alley.