Chapter One
The day of the Apparation test had dawned a foreboding, drizzly gray. Fortunately for Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, the miserable weather had brightened up to a slightly more optimistic scene with gleaming rays of sun valiantly shining through the heavy clouds by late morning.
The notification of the test's date (August 4) had arrived the day after the Hogwarts letters. According to Ron, who had heard it from Mr. Weasley, who had heard it from Professor McGonagall, the headmistress herself, it had been almost unanimously ruled that closing Hogwarts actually put the wizarding community at a disadvantage. Having either incomplete or no training put young wizards and witches in a much more vulnerable position with Voldemort on the loose and prepared to go on a killing spree.
Mrs. Weasley had decided to put off school shopping until the tests, since they, too, would be taking place in Diagon Alley. Harry still had not had the heart to inform her that he, Ron, and Hermione would no longer be attending their final year of school. To be truthful, he was not entirely sure that he would be carrying out his original plan. After going to Godric's Hollow and paying his respects to his parents, Harry had begun to have some doubts. Lily and James would not have been happy to hear that their only son was dropping out of school. Also, as Hermione so commonly reminded him, Hogwarts was an invaluable resource. Going without the information provided by the people and books located within would be a serious drawback to their search for the locations of the remaining Horcruxes and the identity of the mysterious RAB.
Harry and Ron passed the Apparation test with ease, aided by Hermione and Ginny cheering them on. Ron was extremely careful to take every hair of his eyebrows along with him. They both received thrilled praises from the Ministry officials overseeing the process.
Currently, the Trio (plus Ginny) were walking down the main row of shops in Diagon Alley. Gringotts was vaguely visible in the distance as a looming white lump that towered over the rest of the stores.
"So… What are we supposed to do now?" Ginny wondered.
Ron was too busy exulting in his newfound Apparating privilege to pay his younger sister any attention, "And then," he recounted, "I began to turn. I concentrated on Madame Malkin's so hard, I was afraid that I would never be able to get it out of my mind again–"
"I believe that we should start picking up our school supplies. It's not a good idea to go into Hogwarts unprepared," Harry informed his ex-girlfriend. He and Ginny were back on good terms again. She respected his decision and the reasons behind it, even if she didn't necessarily like it. She understood that this façade was simply for her protection, and that beneath it all he still loved her all the same. She would play along while she must.
"–so then I tried really hard to make sure I had every bit of my body with me, down to the last hair–"
"So I take it you're going back to Hogwarts this year?" Hermione questioned.
"Yeah, I decided it would be for the best," Harry replied with a sigh as they continued to walk down the boulevard, headed towards Flourish and Blotts. "My only worry is that we won't be able to leave the school if we have to go after a lead."
"–And then I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, there was this guy telling me that I had passed–"
"Don't worry Harry, I'll have a serious little talk with Professor McGonagall–oh, Ron! Will you be quiet?!"
Ron glared briefly at Hermione before shutting his mouth sharply.
"I just remembered!" Ginny exclaimed. "Didn't Mum want us to pick up a couple of transfer students who are going to be staying with us until Hogwarts starts in a couple of weeks?"
The Trio's jaws dropped as they stared at her. "What?" Ron finally managed to whisper. "She never said that!"
"Yes she did, Ronniekins," Ginny said in a bored tone with a roll of her eyes. "If you paid attention to things once in a while, you might have heard."
"Ah! I remember that now! I just find it strange," Hermione frowned. "With Professor Dumbledore's death and all, parents have been withdrawing their kids from Hogwarts like crazy. It's odd that a bunch of kids from Japan would go out of their way to come here with the Wizarding world in its currently sorry state."
"I think that they have to attend school in another country for a year as part of their training is what Mum said," Ginny explained.
"Why is it that I have no idea what you guys are talking about?" Ron complained.
"Dunno mate. Perhaps they were all speaking some sort of 'girl-lingo' when Mrs. Weasley explained all of this; I don't remember a thing either," Harry suggested as he steered the group into the bookstore.
A group of teenagers a year or two younger than Harry and his friends were gathered around a book display centered on creatures mythical even in the wizarding world.
A tall redhead was bent over a book about demons and spirits, entitled Demons and Spirits: Mythical or Missing? Beside him was a vertically challenged boy with gravity defying black hair who was looking through his own copy of the book. Overseeing the two was another kid whose hair looked as if it contained a combination of 12 bottles of hair gel and 7 cans of hairspray. If one were to touch it, it would probably be as hard as a hardhat. The short kid snorted. "If more than one word in this book is factual, I'll eat my katana." The taller black-haired boy replied. "Come on, not everyone is as knowledgeable about youkai as you. Give the poor author a break."
Tearing his gaze away from the odd assemblage of teens, Harry lead his friends over to the prearranged section selected especially for Hogwarts students. Judging by the length of their booklists this year, their money purses were going to be considerably lighter by the time this shopping spree was finished.
Final Word Count: 1,044
Disclaimer: YuYu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi and all related industries. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and all related industries. I make no profit off this work of fiction.
A/N: Urge to write an HPxYYH crossover struck suddenly when I was on a fourteen hour car ride home. Please tell me what you thought, or I will be unable to make any improvements. The YYH gang will make more of an appearance in the next chapter. Kuwabara's absence will be explained. I will be using the Japanese terms for demon, etc. I will also be using Japanese honorifics when required. If you want a glossary, just tell me and I'll post it in the next chapter.