For a little while, this story is just something I've been playing around with. Because of the encourgement from reviewers of Life Is But A Dream, I decided to post it. The title is lame...very lame...but I've developed an entire culture of Japanese wizardry, so this should turn out interesting in one way or another.

This may seam rather strange to us English-speaking types, seeing as both England and America go to school from about September to June, or something along those basic lines. The DigiDestined, that is, Japan, typically go to school from April to March…yes, in that order…with some various vacations in-between. Also, while American school goes from about 8 to 4, with weekends off, Japanese schools go from 8 to 2, with a half-day on Saturdays. Sometimes they do have holidays. For the sake of explanation and cultural differences, this beginning is not one of those times.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or Harry Potter. I just like writing weird, fun things.

Harry Potter and the Digimon Frontier

Chapter 1: Magic of the Rising Sun

"Takuya!"

The brown-haired boy gave an annoyed groan, pulling his blankets over his head and burying his face in his pillow. It couldn't be 7:30…not yet…Besides, he was feeling sick, he didn't really want to…

"Takuya Kanbara!" the blanket was suddenly yanked away, and the pillow lifted up to shine bright sunlight in his eyes. He blinked up at his mother, standing over him with a frown set on her lips. "If you don't get up now, young man, you're going to be late to school."

"Okay, okay…" he muttered, sitting up. "I'm awake. Happy?"

"Almost." she tossed a shirt at him, followed by navy-blue slacks and a his black-lined navy school jacket. "Get dressed and come down for breakfast. You've got about ten minutes before it's time to go."

With that, she left. Takuya mumbled a bit, pulling on his clothes in a semi-neat manner, then grabbing his hat-and-goggles from off the bed-stand. It clashed horribly with his uniform, and he wasn't allowed to wear it anyway, so he stuffed it in his bag along with a change of clothes for after-school.

Then, from the same spot on his bed-stand, he snatched up his copy of The Standard Spell-Scroll and unrolled it. Hopefully, he'd gotten all the information he'd needed for Kenkyo-sensei's essay…

He picked up his wand from the desk and tapped the edge of the parchment, muttering the word, "Katazukeru." under his breath.

The black ink quickly un-wrote itself, clearing the heavy page of all information. Takuya quickly rolled it back up, sticking it back into his bag alongside his two sets of homework. He jammed his wand deep inside the bag before hurrying out the door and down the stairs for breakfast.

. . . . . .

School went as usual that day, just the way they wanted it to.

After all, the Japanese prided themselves on their wonderful education system. Over 99% of the population could read, no small feat indeed, and compatition for the top high schools and universities was fierce. Many students attended cram school late after class had ended, trying to get ahead.

No muggle would even think to suspect that some of these simple, average preps school run by the temple priests was actually training the new generations of Japanese Wizards.

The school that taught the wizards in the Shibuya-ku area of Tokyo was rather small, barely thirty students strong. But those thirty student were very powerful in their own right, each highly skilled in their techniques. They were some of the best Japan had to offer.

These students included, by some odd twist of fate, the six children who had once traveled to the Digital World four years before.

"Come on, Takuya, it isn't that hard." Izumi demonstrated the wand movement once more, pointing at the brick. "One, two…Ukaberu."

The brick floated slowly into the air, stopping to hover several feet off the ground. She flicked her wand once, ending the spell, and it dropped to the ground.

Takuya frowned, waving his wand at the math textbook in front of him. "Ukaberu." he muttered. The book shook a bit, lifted a few centimeters into air, then hit the ground with a thump.

"Aw, man…" Takuya groaned, leaning back. "This one's tough…"

"You're just haven't gotten a hang of it yet." Izumi said encouragingly, checking her own copy of The Standard Spell Scroll for reference. She ran her wand along the side of the parchment, and the next page wrote itself over the fading words of the old one. "A bit more and we'll be able to move on."

"Yeah, come on, goggle-head." Kouji smirked, levitating his book bag with a bored air. "You're holding us up."

Takuya glared at his friend, who smirked good-naturedly and let the bag drop. A few feet away, Junpei and some other seniors were working at Transfiguring tin cans into tomatoes. A trickle of sweat ran down the edge of his forehead as he pressed the glowing wand-tip against his can, which had turned all red with rounded edges. On their other side of him, Tomoki was working with another 14-year-old, each practicing their Tanoshii Cheering Charms on each other with big smiles on their face.

Kouichi was clear on the other side of the huge room, separated from the rest of the group with about six other kids, of all ages. They were knelling on the floor, working on a low, wide table. Kouichi was alternating between a black-ink calligraphy brush, and tapping the parchment with his wand.

"Looks like the Yin students are doing sealing scrolls again." Takuya mentioned off-hand.

Kouji nodded. "Kouichi should be happy, he's needed to work on that."

Izumi glanced over at their sixth member, working carefully over his scrolls. "It still seams sort've mean to make them work on their own like that…"

"Aw, c'mon, Izumi." Takuya grinned. "Hakaishi-sensei takes good care of the Yin. You know how he is, he treats them more like baby chicks than students."

Izumi smiled and looked like she would agree, but she was interrupted by the sudden entry of several large, brown owls. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up in surprise.

"Mail…?" Tomoki wondered out loud.

"At this time of day?" Junpei finished.

Six tawny brown owls flew around the room a moment, before swooping down to drop letters in their respective owner's laps. To their surprise, Kouji, Takuya and Izumi each received one, the owls landing momentarily on their various levitating objects. Another at Junpei's feet, knocking over his tomato-can and spilling juice everywhere, and another nearly bowled Tomoki over in mid-cheering charm. Kouichi looked up as the last bird landed on the table, knocking his ink jar over into his lap.

Takuya picked up his letter, and eyebrow rising in confusion as he read the kakana address in bright, green ink:

Mr. T. Kanbara

Third Group From The Door

Shibuya Shrine

Tokyo, Japan

He glanced at the other's notes. They all read the same thing…Ms. I. Orimoto… Mr. K. Minamoto…He was certain that Kouichi and the others had the same basic address.

Kouji turned his letter over, finding a strange seal holding the parchment shut. It was a large, decorated roman letter, and H, surrounded by a badger, a raven, a lion and a snake. It was a western-style crest. "What the heck are these…?"

Kenkyo-sensei cleared her throat and stood. "Those of you who received the letters, please come with me and Hakaishi-sensei." she announced. "The rest of you continue working…Matsa, you're in charge."

A tall senior girl nodded in response to the order. Takuya and Kouji stood up first, followed quickly by Izumi, Junpei and Tomoki. Hakaishi-sensei, a fifty-something man with a long, salt-and-pepper ponytail, came over a put a hand on Kouichi's shoulder. A quick Soji Suru charm to get rid of the ink, and they followed after.

Kenkyo was an older woman, a tall woman, at least seventy years old, with long, gray hair that she kept tied in a bun and friendly, blue eyes. She led them back into a separate room, shutting the sliding-paper door to separate them from the others. There were a few cushions on the floor, and she motioned for them to sit.

She turned to them, a slight grin on her face. "I see you've all gotten your letters." she said, unnecessarily.

Kouichi turned his over in his hands. It was unfamiliar, this style of writing…he could read it, but he could also tell that whoever had written wasn't fluent in kakana. And the parchment was different, too, it was heavier than the rice-paper they used.

"I'm sure you're itching to know." the teacher smiled. "Go ahead and open them."

The group glanced at each other a moment, then slipped their fingers under the edges of the envelopes and unfolded the letters, all of which read something like this:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Kimura,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the newly-reinstated exchange program at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogsmeade, Scotland. Please find enclosed all the necessary books and equipment. Your current teachers have been informed and will be available to help you.

Term begins September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

…This was greeted by mixed reactions.

"Albus Dumbledore?" Izumi breathed. "The Albus Dumbledore? They say he's the greatest wizard alive!"

"What kind of name is Hogwarts, anyway?" Takuya muttered, squinting at the name in curiosity.

"I think my pen-pal goes there…" Junpei said. "It's supposed to be the best wizarding school in Britain…"

"A whole wizarding school? Like, all day long?" Tomoki sounded excited. "Does this mean we're going?"

"But…It's in Igirisu…In Britain." Kouichi, on the other hand, sounded rather worried. "Hakaishi-sensei, I thought you said that Britain was Motarasu-no-konton'sbase of operation."

Everyone stopped talking. They all had heard of the legendary corrupt wizard, the one known as Motarasu-no-konton…'Bringer of Chaos'…and the pain and fear he had brought to the wizarding world. Kouichi's mother, a pure-blood wizard herself, refused to speak even of the nickname, as though in fear of drawing his attention. And just in the last few months, reports had been coming in all the wizarding messages and newspapers with reports that he had been born again…

Kenkyo-sensei cleared her throat. "It is true that Motarasu-no-konton has regained some of his former power, and that his basis of followers are located in the Western-European area. But that is also the reason we are sending you there."

The kids blinked. "I don't get it." Kouji said slowly.

It was Hakaishi-sensei who spoke this time. "With this threat on the rise, there is a new need to re-establish diplomatic relations with the wizarding cultures of the world." he said calmly. "The Western Wizards, especially, have been very closed-off from outside contact. To establish a true connection between our cultures, it is our future we must trade."

"This is the first time in almost a hundred years the Hogwarts has accepted exchange students, from any country." Kenkyo continued. "Our Council and the Western Ministry have agreed that an exchange program of up-and-coming young wizards may fuel the connection our societies need. You six are some of the best we have, in each of your own skills. It's important that you establish this contact…sort've like our ambassadors to this foreign land. Will you agree to it?"

The six looked at each other a moment, then a grin spread over Takuya's face. "No more Muggle-school?" he asked. Kenkyo-sensei nodded. "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Tomoki cheered.

"Sounds like fun to me." Izumi agreed. "Besides, they say Dumbledore-san was the only one Motarasu-no-konton was afraid of. I bet this school is the safest place to be!"

"If you guys are all going, I'm coming along." Junpei said, trying to sound important. "Somebody's got to keep you kids outta trouble."

"Riiight…"

Kouji looked over at his brother, who was re-reading the letter carefully. "What do you think, Nii-san?" he asked. "Should we do it?"

Kouichi looked up and smiled. "It sounds like a great opportunity." he said. "I'm not going to miss out."

Kouji grinned. "Okay then, it's settled. We're going."

Kenkyo and Hakaishi glanced at each other with secretive smiles as the kids started talking excitedly. There was another reason they were sending this particular group…They were already extremely close friends, closer than most people ever got in their lifetimes. They knew how to work as a team.

And they would need that teamwork, in the times to come…

TBC…

As a note: The spells used by the Japanese wizards are, of course, in Japanese, just as the English wizards use Latin terms. They mean the same thing, when you get right to the root of it.

Also, for those of you who don't like OCs, don't worry. Kenkyo and Hakaishi-senseis are going to be the only originals in this story, and then they're only to get these guys semi-settled into the Western Culture. Yes, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is going to be from the Harry Potter books. I dare you all to guess who! Ciao for now…GS