Harry Potter and The Jade Dragon

Chapter 6 ~ The Bouncing Pandas

Harry woke up the next morning to the loud ringing of a bell. He sat up, and saw Ron also sitting up in bed, bleary-eyed and half-asleep. A quick look out the window showed that the sun had just risen over the mountains.

Robert and Chee Chong were already up, but Fatty, almost invisible under his blankets, was still fast asleep and snoring. After several ineffectual pokes and prods, Robert finally took his wand out and pointed it at Fatty's inert form. A bright spark of light shot out and hit the round lump under the blankets. Fatty gave a loud grunt of protest, and shot out of bed, blankets and all, landing with a loud thump on the floor.

They hurried off to the Hall, joined by a crowd of students, all dressed in green robes. Yu-Lin and the Slytherins were already there, but seemed to be ignoring the rest of them. Breakfast consisted of steaming bowls of rice porridge. Harry was fervently hoping no one else was going to ask him for an autograph, but the minute the gong sounded, another flock of chattering first-years came over and surrounded him again.

Fatty fished the quill out of his lacquer box, and Harry, looking things not lawful to be uttered, started signing as fast as he could. He felt sure some of the students were the same ones he'd seen the previous evening.

"Hurry up, Harry," Hermione's voice came floating over the wall of pink-cheeked little girls, "we've got to go for Potions soon."

Harry scribbled his name on another three pieces of parchment, then stood up and indicated he was leaving.

The little girls all smiled and giggled at him, refusing to make way. He was just going to call Robert for assistance, when a large, dark figure approaching from the teacher's table caught his eye.

The first-years noticed it too. Uttering little squeaks of fright, they turned and hurried out of the Hall, still clutching their precious pieces of parchment, like a flock of startled birds.

Harry looked at the dark figure. It was a wizard, whom he had not noticed before. As Harry looked at him, the first word that came to mind was 'warrior'.

He was broad-shouldered and very tall, and was dressed in sweeping black robes with a long, flowing black cloak. His long, black hair cascaded down onto his shoulders, and his beard partially hid a fierce, cruel face. A long sabre hung at his side, and a black onyx tiger hung on a chain around his neck.

He did not look at them, but strode swiftly past, vanishing out the main entrance, his cloak billowing behind him.

Ron looked startled.

"Who's that?" he asked Pixie, who was next to him.

She did not giggle as usual, but grinned rather nervously.

"That's Master Yang-Kang," she said. "He teaches Protection Against The Black Way."

Ron looked puzzled. Hermione, noticing this, said rather impatiently, "That's the equivalent of Defence Against The Dark Arts here, Ron."

"That means he'll be teaching us, won't he?" said Harry, as they hurried off to the Potions classroom.

Shan nodded.

"He's only been here for two weeks," she said. "The previous master, Master Wei, left to join Shao-Lin Academy – that's a school for Pugilists. It's a pity, though, he was a very good teacher."

Harry wanted to ask what sort of teacher Master Yang-Kang was, but they had reached the Potions classroom.

The room was a great deal more cheerful than the Potions dungeon at Hogwarts. The morning sun came in the open door, and the surrounding mountains could be seen through the large windows.